Sunday, February 12, 2012
QUESTIONED BY THE ALMIGHTY
Job 38:1-40:5
Run E. F. Hutton Commercial… (about 30 seconds) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc2GpmLx82k
How many of you are old enough to remember those commercials? They ran in the 1970’s and early 80’s. There were quite a number of different commercials, but they all ended with that line, “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.” And in every commercial, regardless of what people had been doing, they stop everything they are doing to see what E. F. Hutton has to say. It was a brilliant commercial.
Well, we have been wading methodically through the book of Job. We have heard Job speak. We have heard Eliphaz speak. We have heard from Bildad. We have heard Zophar put his two cents worth in. And finally we have heard Elihu speak for six chapters. Now we come to chapter 38 and a new speaker is going to be introduced. We heard from Him briefly in chapters 1-2, but there He was not speaking to Job nor to his friends. Up to this point, He has not weighed in on this spirited discussion, which has been centered around Job and his troubles. When we come to chapter 38, the new speaker will be God Himself. May it truly be said of us, “When God speaks, these people listen.” May we cultivate the habit of stopping all we are doing in order that we might hear from the Lord.
E. F. Hutton was a well-respected brokerage firm, second largest in the nation at one time, as I understand it. If you were interested in financial investments, there was good reason to listen to what E. F. Hutton had to say. There is no comparison between E. F. Hutton and the living God. If you are interested in eternal investments, there is every reason to listen to the Lord God. You can rest assured that every time He speaks, we will do well to listen.
A good portion of the message this morning is going to simply be the reading of Job 38 and 39. We are going to be covering 76 verses this morning. Obviously, we will not be dealing with all the details. However, this is not a passage that requires us to concern ourselves with details. The bulk of the passage is composed of questions that make a single point, and if we are listening, there is no way we can miss the point.
Let’s read 38:1-40:5…
1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; 10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; 11When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!' 12"Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? 14It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken. 16 "Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? 18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. 19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, 20 That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home? 21 Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great? 22 "Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, 23Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? 24 By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth? 25 "Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, 26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man; 27 To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? 28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29 From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? 30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen. 31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? 32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? 34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? 35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, 'Here we are!'? 36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, 38When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together? 39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? 41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?
Job 39
1 "Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth? 2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young? 3 They bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their offspring. 4Their young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them. 5 "Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager, 6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his dwelling? 7 He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver. 8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after every green thing. 9 "Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger? 10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you? 11 Will you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him? 12Will you trust him to bring home your grain, And gather it to your threshing floor? 13 "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork's? 14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the dust; 15 She forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may break them. 16 She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern, 17 Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding. 18 When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider. 19 "Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder? 20 Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror. 21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms. 22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword. 23 The quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin. 24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded. 25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting. 26 "Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south? 27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? 28 On the rocks it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and the stronghold. 29 From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. 30 Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is."
Job 40:1-5
1 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said: 2 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." 3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4"Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further."
I. God’s Challenge to Job (38:1-3)
The opening words of this chapter are very important. Though this little introduction is very brief, it sets the stage for everything that is to come in these next four chapters. Notice the simplicity of verse 1, “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said…” Note that the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. Some translations read “storm.” “Whirlwind” is probably better, because it conveys the idea of a rather violent response. The fact that He spoke from the whirlwind assures us that this was not a calm, gentle response. As The Lord spoke to Moses and the people at Sinai out of the storm (Ex. 19:6-7), as He spoke to Ezekiel out of the whirlwind (Ezek. 1:4), so He now speaks to Job.
Now listen to what the Lord has to say (verse 2), “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” Do those words sound familiar? Back in 34:35, Elihu said, “Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.” Then he says again in 35:16, “Therefore does Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplies words without knowledge.” Now God confirms that Elihu was right, when he says that Job darkens counsel by words without knowledge. One translation puts it like this: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with ignorant words?” (New Living Translation).
Don’t forget the context into which the Lord is speaking. Steve Lawson puts it in these words…
Job had been accusing God, the Judge of heaven and earth, of injustice and had demanded his day in court to present his case against God. Having charged God with being unfit to sit on his throne, the issue at stake was the Judge’s competency to rule the universe. Is God qualified to preside over all creation? That was the issue The Creator had been charged with wrongdoing by one of his creatures and must defend his own glory and honor.
But near the end of the proceedings the case took an unexpected turn. Rather than God himself taking the witness stand as Job had hoped, God chose to put Job, the plaintiff, on the stand and examine him. No more cross-examination was needed. God himself was in control of this entire court scene. Job had asked for a hearing with God so he might present his case before him (31:35). He wanted God to present a bill of indictment with specific charges, which he believed himself to be adequately prepard to answer.
But when Job got what he wanted--a day in court with God--he did not want what he got… (Steve Lawson, Job: Holman Old Testament, p. 326).
Job has complained that God wouldn’t answer, but when the Lord did show up, He took over, accusing Job of speaking without knowledge. As Job will later acknowledge, the creature should have quietly listened for the counsel of his Creator, instead of running his mouth when he knew so little.
The Lord didn’t dwell on Job’s foolishness, but immediately issued a direct challenge: (verse 3) “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.” Literally, “Gird up your loins like a man.” In Bible times, when a man was going to exert himself physically, he had to roll up his robe so that he could move quickly. God demands that Job prepare himself for the challenge at hand. He must listen carefully and then give an answer to the God who is about to ask some questions of His own.
II. Multiplied Questions Pointing to an Awesome God (38:4-39:30)
Now we come to the bulk of our passage for this morning. Before we work our way quickly through it, I want to point out two things. First of all, God relies on questions to make His point. In these two chapters, I counted 57 questions from the Lord. Once in a while, the Lord pauses to make a statement, but then He immediately continues to press Job with question after question. You can rest assured that God was not asking questions to which He Himself did not know the answers.
That brings us to the second thing I want to say about this long section. First, I said that God relies on questions to make His point. And what is His point? God uses these questions to powerfully remind Job of who He the Creator is. By asking these questions, the Lord is leading Job to compare himself with God.
Don’t miss this. All through these discussions, the focus has been on Job and his problems. In the speeches of Elihu, we begin to see a shift. But now that shift is unmistakable. The focus is no longer upon Job; now the spotlight is upon the Almighty God. Remember back in 35:5, when Elihu said, “Look unto the heavens”? He was urging Job and every other self-centered human to look up to the heavens and to the One who made them. If Job didn’t get the message then, he will certainly get it now. The Lord’s questions will force Job to lift his eyes to look at God. This is the way God answered Job’s complaint that He would not respond. The Lord doesn’t defend Himself. Rather, He declares Himself and magnifies Himself. He reminds Job of who He is, the Almighty and awesome God.
How should Job answer these questions that God will ask him? There are basically three appropriate answers. Depending on the question, Job should answer in one of three ways…
… No, Lord
… You, Lord
… You know, Lord
Did Job answer like this? I believe he did, because at the end of this series of question Job was humbled, as we will see. So as we read through chapters 38 and 39, I am going to insert the appropriate answers. I believe the implied answers will help us to see how awesome is the Lord God Almighty.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. You know, Lord. 5 Who determined its measurements? You, Lord. Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? You, Lord. 6 To what were its foundations fastened? You know, Lord. Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? You, Lord. 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; 10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; 11When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!' You, Lord. 12"Have you commanded the morning since your days began, No, Lord. And caused the dawn to know its place, 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? No, Lord. 14 It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken. 16 "Have you entered the springs of the sea? No, Lord. Or have you walked in search of the depths? No, Lord. 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? No, Lord. Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? No, Lord. 18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? No, Lord. Tell Me, if you know all this. 19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? You know, Lord. And darkness, where is its place, 20 That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home? You know, Lord. 21 Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great? No, Lord. 22 "Have you entered the treasury of snow, No, Lord. Or have you seen the treasury of hail, 23Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? No, Lord. 24 By what way is light diffused, You know, Lord. Or the east wind scattered over the earth? You know, Lord. 25 "Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, 26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man; 27 To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? You, Lord. 28 Has the rain a father? You know, Lord. Or who has begotten the drops of dew? You, Lord. 29 From whose womb comes the ice? You know, Lord. And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? You. Lord. 30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen. 31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? No, Lord. 32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? No, Lord. Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? No, Lord. 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? No, Lord. Can you set their dominion over the earth? No, Lord. 34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? No, Lord. 35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, 'Here we are!'? No, Lord. 36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? You, Lord. Or who has given understanding to the heart? You, Lord. 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? You, Lord. Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, 38 When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together? You, Lord.
Let’s take a break for just a moment. A slight change takes place at this point. From verse 4 through verse 38, the Lord focuses on what we would call inanimate creation, or the non-living creation. He is talking about things. But beginning in verse 39 and continuing through the entire next chapter, the focus will be on His living creation, the living creatures that He created and sustains. Though I took a break to tell you that, there is no indication that the Lord took a break. He continued to bear down on Job with these searching questions.
39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, No, Lord. Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? No, Lord. 41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food? You, Lord. Job 39:1 "Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? No, Lord. Or can you mark when the deer gives birth? No, Lord. 2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? No, Lord. Or do you know the time when they bear young? No, Lord. 3 They bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their offspring. 4 Their young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them. 5 "Who set the wild donkey free? You, Lord. Who loosed the bonds of the onager, 6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his dwelling? You, Lord. 7 He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver. 8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after every green thing. 9 "Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? No, Lord. Will he bed by your manger? No, Lord. 10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? No, Lord. Or will he plow the valleys behind you? No, Lord. 11 Will you trust him because his strength is great? No, Lord. Or will you leave your labor to him? No, Lord. 12 Will you trust him to bring home your grain, And gather it to your threshing floor? No, Lord. 13 "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork's? You know, Lord. 14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the dust; 15 She forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may break them. 16 She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern, 17 Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding. 18 When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider. 19 "Have you given the horse strength? No, Lord. Have you clothed his neck with thunder? ? No, Lord. 20 Can you frighten him like a locust? No, Lord. His majestic snorting strikes terror. 21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms. 22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword. 23 The quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin. 24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded. 25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting. 26 "Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south? No, Lord. 27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? No, Lord. 28 On the rocks it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and the stronghold. 29 From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. 30 Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is."
While God remained silent, a person might get the idea that Job was right, that he had a legitimate case against God. But once the Lord begins to speak, the light comes on. The spotlight is on the power and majesty of the Creator, and the man Job bows lower and lower, as he responds. Do you know? No, Lord. Who did all these mighty things? You, Lord. Nowhere is the great gulf between Creator and creature highlighted more dramatically than here. In all of the Bible, this is the longest recorded speech of the Almighty.
Let me be clear. Job did not give audible answers to God’s questions, but in his mind the answers were clear. Notice that Job does not one single time rise to defend himself. Once the Lord finally pauses, how will Job respond. We have the answer in the opening verses of chapter 40.
III. Job Is Humbled Before the Almighty (40:1-5)
We find a brief pause in verse 1, “Moreover the Lord answered Job and said…” Yes, the Lord has been answering Job for the last two chapters, but verse 1 serves to alert us to the fact that God is going to pause long enough for Job to give an answer. Back in 38:18, the Lord said, “Tell Me, if you know al this.” However, it appears that the Lord didn’t pause long enough for Job to answer, even if he had wanted to do so. At that point, I think the Lord was simply driving home the point that Job did not know all those things, that he in fact knew very little. But now the Lord is going to ask Job a question, expecting an answer.
Here is the question in verse 2, “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” During the speeches of Elihu, we heard that young man charge Job with accusing God of injustice. If there was any question concerning the accuracy of Elihu’s charges, they are now laid to rest by God Himself. Notice how the Lord describes Job. He addresses him as “the one who contends with the Almighty” and “he who rebukes God?” Concerning all the things He has just said, the Lord asks Job if he would like to correct Him. These are not just rhetorical questions, because God now demands an answer from Job.
We have Job’s answer in verses 4-5, “Behold, I am vile. What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer. Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” The word here translated “vile” has the idea of “small,” or “insignificant.” That proves that Job was listening, because that is exactly the way anyone who listens to God must respond.
Remember that Job had argued eloquently with his friends, maintaining his innocence right up through the end of his last speech in chapter 31. It seemed that nothing could shake him. Though his friends brought forth many arguments, Job was not affected by what they said. God, on the other hand, does not give a single argument having to do with Job. He simply compares Job with Himself. When Job sees the comparison, he is forced to confess that he is nothing, that he is small, that he is insignificant. For him to come to any other conclusion is vile indeed.
This is much like what we see with Isaiah, though we don’t have as much background for Isaiah. We have been looking at chapter 6 on Sunday evenings. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, then he was able to see himself for what he really was. And what did he say as a result? “Woe is me, for I am undone.” In different words, Job is saying the same thing, when he says that he is small and insignificant.
It is interesting that Isaiah had something to say after that. R. C. Sproul pointed out that after saying, “Woe is me, for I am undone,” his hand went immediately to his mouth. He said, “Because I am a man of unclean lips.” Notice that we have the exact same sequence in Job. Job didn’t suddenly say that he had committed sins in his treatment of others or anything of the sort. But immediately upon God’s demand for an answer, he said, “Behold, I am small and insignificant. What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer.” Job is conscious of the sin of his words. He laid his hand over his mouth, as if to prevent himself from saying anything else. That last statement -- Once I have spoken, but I will not answer. Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further -- is a very poetic way of saying, “I’ve said far too much already; I won’t say any more.”
Though we are not told specifically at this point, Job is beginning to understand the depth of his sin. Why? Because he is given a shining glimpse of the power, glory, and majesty of the God with whom he has to do. No longer is he consumed with his case against God; now he is only consumed with the Lord Himself, for this awesome God is so great that Job’s vision is filled with nothing else.
Conclusion
Now think back through the debate between Job and his friends. Remember that there were three rounds in this debate. Job spoke… then Eliphaz responded… then Job again… the Bildad speaks for the first time… then Job’s response… then the third friend Zophar gives his own slant… then Job… then Eliphaz begins round 2… followed by Job’s response… the Bildad again… with Job answering… then Zophar… then Job… now Eliphaz for a third time… then Job’s response… and Bildad again… followed by Job’s immediate response… and then a long five-chapter speech from Job. That is followed by Elihu, whose words fill another six chapters. It’s tiring just going back through the summary, without even considering what was said. And as they spoke, did they speak about God? Absolutely. The friends were convinced that God was punishing Job for some terrible sin or sins, and they didn’t mind saying so. Job, on the other hand, was convinced it wasn’t so. As the conversation went on, he kept pressing his desire to stand before God for his day in court.
Now listen to me. Even in this wicked world in which we live, there is still lots of talk about God, especially in religious circles. The God-talk isn’t so pronounced as in Job’s case, but remember that Job was in a great crisis. Let many people in this world face such a crisis, and the talk about God will increase dramatically. But what if in the midst of it all, God Himself were to speak? What would happen? Oh yes, there is a sense in which God is continually speaking, though we are not always hearing. But what if God were to speak as directly as He did to Job. What would the response be?
Brothers and sisters, friends, seekers after God, maybe we should find out. Can we? Yes, we can. These words are not dated. There is no expiration date on this discourse from the Almighty. We can’t say, “Those words were for Job, not for us.” We desperately need to hear these words from God. Why? Because we live in a culture where God is commonplace. He is treated as if He were just a little bit higher than we, if any higher at all. We need to be reminded of the message in the last part of Psalm 50, where the Lord was addressing the wicked. In that context, He said, “These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes” (Ps. 50:21). God is not like us, and no passage of scripture demonstrates that truth more clearly than this one.
I want to give you a challenge for this week. Would you be willing to give the Lord one uninterrupted hour? Would you meet the Lord for one uninterrupted hour? If you have to cancel other appointments, do it. If you have to get a babysitter, do it. Take your Bible with you and open it to Job 38-39, along with the first two verses of chapter 40. Then ask the Lord to speak to you, as you read and listen. In 38:1, replace Job’s name with your own. Let God speak to you out of the whirlwind. Read the questions slowly and deliberately. At the end of each question, give an answer. Work your way slowly through these chapters, until you come to the words at the beginning of chapter 40. Read verses 1-3 like this (except use your name instead of mine): “Moreover the Lord answered Ron and said: ‘Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.’ Then Ron answered the Lord and said…” Put your name in, and then answer the Lord.
If you should be overwhelmed before the presence of the Lord, cry out to Jesus, the One whom He sent to bear your sins. If you need someone to talk with or pray with, call a brother or sister whom you respect in the Lord. Please don’t take this assignment lightly.
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