We turn again this morning to
Job in chapter 4. We begin to read the responses
of Job's friends. These three friends that came
to him in his trial who came and sat down with him on the
ground seven days and seven nights at the end of chapter 2. when
they saw his grief that it was very great and spake not a word
unto him. But in chapter 3, as we've seen,
Job spake at last and cursed his day and wished he'd never
been born. And at last, these friends, these
comforters, as it were, of Job, those that came to comfort him, come at last to him and speak. The first of the three to speak
and reply to Job is Eliphaz the Temanite. We read in chapter
four these words. Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered
and said, if we are saved to commune with thee, will thou
be grieved? For who can withhold himself
from speaking? Behold, thou hast instructed
many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have
upholden him that was fallen, and thou hast strengthened the
feeble knees. And now it is come upon thee,
and thou faintest. It toucheth thee, and thou art
troubled. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence,
thy hope? and the uprightness of thy ways.
Remember, I pray thee, whoever perished being innocent, or where
were the righteous cut off? Remember, I pray thee, whoever
perished being innocent, or where were the righteous cut off. As these friends begin to speak, begin to answer
Job, and supposedly they've come to comfort him. But as we read their words, which
begin with a life as is here, we see that Ultimately, there's
little comfort in their words. Because behind their words is an accusation. Behind the
words of a life I see, although full of many truths concerning
God, ultimately, the implication is that none who are innocent,
Job, perish. And this trouble that thou art
in, this trial that God has brought upon you, must have a cause. If you were innocent, Job, God
would be kind to you, you would prosper, you would do well. But this has come upon you. then
surely you've done some sin. Surely there is a cause, Job,
and that cause is in you. And essentially, he advises Job
to repent, to confess his sin, and to seek God. Remember, I pray thee, whoever
perished be an innocent, Or where were the righteous cut off? Yes, he starts by saying, if
we are said to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? But who
can withhold himself from speaking? He supposedly seeks to comfort
Job. And yet really, he just finds
fault. These friends, these comforters
bring no comfort, but only seek to find the cause of Job's suffering
in Job himself. They only seek to point to fault
in Job. Ultimately, they show no pity,
no kindness, no sympathy. Indeed, as the chapters in this
book go on, as Eliphas speaks again later, he speaks to Job,
replies to him three times. His words become more critical,
more harsh, more scathing. He starts, as it were, gently,
but even in this, this gentlest of speeches, he still ultimately
is saying, Job, you're not innocent. Repent. of your sin that has
brought this upon you. You see, like many who are religious,
for these men are, they speak of God and His ways and His dealings
with men. Like many who are religious,
they can see some truth, they have some understanding of righteousness,
of sin, of judgment, of law. but often they have little understanding
of grace, of the mercy and the love of God. They approach everything
with a legal spirit and say this must be due to your sin. The Lord is chastening you, He's
correcting you, He's judging you, you've done some great wrong. There's no pity. And there's
no true understanding of the ways of God in dealing with his
children, the trials he may bring them in. And the trials he may
bring them in to teach them of his mercy and grace, and to teach
others through them of his mercy and grace. And the consequence of a life
as his speech here, and the others who go on to speak to Job, is
that Job having a sense that this trial has not come upon
him because of some great sin that he has done. Job being greatly
puzzled at why this has come upon him, feeling like he loves
God and serves God and wants to know God. The consequence is that he is
pushed by these friends to justify himself and to defend himself. And to say, no, I'm innocent. But it pushes him into a self-justification
rather than to look unto God alone and to justify God. And to say, I don't know why
this has come upon me. but I am a sinner and I deserve
everything God pours down upon me. I know what I am, I know
I could deserve worse, but I don't know why God has
sent this. Job sees the wrong in the accusations
directed at him, but they set his gaze upon himself. looking
at himself, wondering what he has done, and justifying himself. Eliphas begins by telling Job
that he has once taught others, he's been a great help to others. Behold, thou hast instructed
many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have
upheld him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the
feeble knees. But he goes on to say, but now
it has come upon thee, and thou faintest. It toucheth thee, and
thou art troubled. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence,
thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways? Job, he says, you once stood
and comforted others. You were the strength of others.
You taught others wisely. of how to stand in trouble, of
how to endure trial. And now trials come your way,
you're crumbling. You cannot stand. There's no
comfort in this for Job. You find fault with him. And
he goes on to imply that the cause is down to Job. Remember,
I pray thee, whoever perished being innocent, where were the
righteous cut off? He goes on to recount a dream
he had in which a spirit passed before him and says unto him,
shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more
pure than his maker? He seeks to teach Job the character
of God. that none is righteous, that
we're all sinners before him. And this must have come upon
you, Job, because of your sin. And he encourages him to repent
and turn to God and confess what he has done. Yet behind all the words and
behind some of the truths that a life has utters, The message
at heart is very simple. Job, you're at fault. You've
sinned. Confess your sin. This has come
upon you because you've done some great wrong. And by implication,
it had not come upon Eliphaz, because in Eliphaz's eyes, he
had not done whatever Job had. Though wrong, these men and Job
in the speeches which we read in the words that they utter
throughout this book say many right things. Eliphaz can speak many right
things concerning righteousness and justice and the character
of God. But he speaks the truth only
in part. There's not a true understanding
of the ways and the works of God, of his mercy, of his dealings
with his children in compassion. He speaks the truth only in part,
and when we speak and know the truth but in part, overall it
is false. There are many who preach a gospel
which is not the gospel. Parts of the gospel They can
speak of sin. They can speak of judgment. They
can speak of law. They can speak of death. But
a gospel, in part, is another gospel. It stops short. It becomes
a lie. Yet in the midst of his words,
a life has here asked a question. And what a question is posed.
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent, or where
were the righteous cut off? Whoever perished being innocent,
where were the righteous cut off? And how this question, like so
much in this book, points us straight to Christ and to the
gospel. God uses these words that our
life has used to condemn Job, to point us through Job, to Job's
savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Whoever perished being innocent. There is one, there is one who
perished though totally innocent of every charge laid against
him. There is one who was righteous, who was cut off for the sins
of his people. There is one who was condemned
and judged crucified, whose blood was shed, there is one who died,
though innocent. Whoever perished be an innocent. Yet Eliphaz's appeal is to the
justice of God. that God judges the guilty, that
God's justice is such that sinners must be condemned. In Ezekiel 18, we read that the
soul that sinneth, it shall die. God is just, he's given a law,
a law that none can keep, a law that finds us all out, a law
that condemns every man, None of us have loved God with all
our heart, soul, and mind. None of us have loved our neighbors
as ourselves. We've all, like sheep, gone astray. We've all turned our back upon
God. We're all guilty, wretched, unbelieving
sinners before a holy God. And the soul that sinneth it
shall die. God's justice will and must rain
down upon sin. It must be answered. It must
be condemned. There is none good, no not one. Paul quotes in Romans. We've all gone out of the way.
There is none righteous, no not one. Then Eliphaz is right that
God's justice demands that that sin must and will be
punished. Whoever perished being innocent, But was this trouble that came
upon Job, was this trial due to his sin? It could have been. Job was a
sinner and he knew he was. Though outwardly, as chapter
one tells us, the Lord viewed him as perfect and upright, looking
upon him in his son. looking unto Job in Christ and
seeing the work of grace in his servant Job. He was an upright
man outwardly. And yet as all, Job was a sinner and God could have chastened
Job as any man for his sin. But we know from chapters one
and two that this suffering that came upon Job was not because
of what he had done. And that Eliphaz's judgment of
this situation was amiss. We know that God brought this
upon Job because of Satan's accusation. And to set forth Job as a picture of the suffering
of his own son. God used Job's sufferings to
point us to Christ. And to show that the innocent
suffer. And to bring comfort to all God's
saints when they're brought into trial. That God brought Job through
this trial. and taught him and teaches others
through him. We know that this trial was not
because of what Job had done. And we know that what came upon
Christ, of whom Job here is a picture, was not because of the sin that
he had done, for he had no sin. Christ suffered in the place
of others as a substitute. And Job's sufferings was for
others. So Isaiah 53 tells us that Christ
himself was wounded for our transgressions. He stood in the place of sinners. He bore the sins of his people. He was innocent. Surely he have
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep,
have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his
own way. and the Lord have laid on him
the iniquity of us all. He was a substitute. Yet in himself,
he was sinless, perfect. As Peter tells us, he did no
sin. Neither was guile found in his
mouth. He was perfect. He was righteous. He never once sinned. In 1 Peter 2 we read, for even
here unto were ye called because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps. Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who when
he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.
Who his own self bear our sins and his own body on the truth.
that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness, by whose
stripes you were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray,
but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. Likewise, in chapter three, Peter
writes, for Christ also have once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. He was innocent. He was innocent. He never sinned. He never once sinned. There was
no sin in him. Whoever perished being innocent
to life as asks, Christ did. There was no guile in him. There
was no sin in him. He never had a sinful thought. He never went a sinful way. He never committed one crime. He was meek. He was forgiving. He was long-suffering. He was
righteous. He was innocent. And yet, he
died. He was innocent of everything
for which he was charged, and yet he was taken, and charged, and tried, and crucified. Throughout all his life, there
were those the scribes, the Pharisees, the religious, who sought to
accuse him, who sought to find fault with him, who sought to
cast him out, who sought to put him to death, even though he
never sinned. And in the end, he was given
up and taken and put to death with wicked hands. And they nailed
him to a cross. They pierced his hands and his
feet. They lifted him up to die. And
on the one hand, there was a malefactor, a thief. On the other side, there
was another, who along with others railed
against him and mocked him. We read in Luke 23, one of the
malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, if thou
be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked
him, saying, thus not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same
condemnation. And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done
nothing amiss. This man hath done nothing amiss. These two thieves were hung up
to be crucified on the same day. And they knew they were guilty.
They knew that they were suffering for their sin. But this one, whom God had mercy
upon, whose eyes were opened to see Christ his Saviour, says,
we are condemned justly. We receive the due reward of
our deeds, but this man have done nothing amiss. He was innocent. Yet how throughout Christ's life
others sought to lay sin to his charge. How they sought to find fault,
as Eliphaz did with Job. How they sought to bring him
down, constantly accusing him falsely. In Matthew 12 we read,
Behold, there was a man which had his hand withered, And the scribes and the Pharisees
asked Jesus saying, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days that
they might accuse him? They questioned him and asked
him and put him in situations to trap him in his words, to
say, look, he cast the law aside. He may come healing, he may come
forgiving people, but who is he to forgive? Only God can forgive
sins. And who is he to be healing on
a Sabbath day? He breaks the Sabbath. They found every which way to
find an accusation to condemn him with. In Luke 11 we read, as he said
these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge
him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things,
laying weight for him, and seeking to catch something out of his
mouth that they might accuse him. John, we read, this they said,
tempting him that they might have to accuse him. And then at the end, when Christ
was seized and taken away, the chief priests
accused him of many things, but he answered them nothing. Constantly, they sought to find
fault with him, though he were innocent. In Luke 23, When Christ was brought before
Pilate, we read that the chief priests and scribes stood and
vehemently accused him. Yet Pilate responded to them,
you've brought this man unto me as one that perverted the
people. And behold, I have examined him
before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things
whereof ye accuse him. Having examined him, having questioned
him, I find no fault in him. Regarding all your accusations,
he's innocent. And Pilate went and washed his
hands of Christ's blood as though handing him over to be crucified,
he was innocent of it. And yet he charged his soldiers
and they took him. And Christ, whom Pilate found
innocent, was sent to be crucified, simply because the people cried
out that they would rather have Barabbas, a sinner, released
unto them, and have Christ sent off to be crucified. Crucify
him, crucify him, they cried. And Barabbas was released. And
in this we see the substitution of Christ as the innocent was
given and slain in the place of the guilty. He was innocent. So why did he suffer? He suffered
for others as their substitute. He bore the sins of his people. He died the death that they should
die. Did Christ stand in your place? Did he bear your sins? Did the innocent, the just, take
the sins of you, a guilty sinner, the unjust? Did he suffer for
you? Yes, he suffered for others. And though Eliphaz would seek
to find fault in Job, we know that Job, as an example of Christ
here, also suffered for others. What was poured out upon him
by the Lord was such that we would see Christ in him, was
such that we would hear Christ preached in this book was such
that through Job and his suffering and God's dealings with him,
that we would be led unto Christ, the innocent. Yet how he was
accused and how Christ was accused and how often we may feel accused
If not by others, then perhaps by ourselves, by our own conscience. Perhaps when trouble comes our
way, perhaps when things go against us, we feel like it's down to us. The adversary
Satan loves to come alongside. The accuser of the brethren loves
to come alongside God's children and whisper in their ears, whisper
in our ears, surely you've brought this upon yourself. Surely this
is no more than you deserve. Surely God is rough with you. He's judging you. He's condemning you. Perhaps
you don't even know him. Perhaps you never knew him. Perhaps
all your belief is false and vain. Perhaps you were deceived. Perhaps all that you know of
God was a fabrication. You're lost. And so he whispers and so he
condemns, well, whoever perished being innocent, where were the
righteous cut off? You're not one of his. But whenever the accuser of the
Brethren whispers in the ears of God's people, the Lord is
not far away. and he has promised to keep them
and has said that none of his sheep shall be plucked from his
hand and swiftly he will come and bring the sound of the gospel and remind them of Job and his
suffering and remind them of Christ in his suffering. And God, in Christ, by His Spirit,
reminds His children that Christ has paid the price for their
sin. Yes, they're guilty by nature. Yes, they're sinners by nature.
Yes, in their flesh they dwell if no good thing. But Christ
took their sin. He condemned the flesh. The flesh
was crucified and slain. He bore every sin of all his
people. He paid the price of God's justice. He paid the penalty. He answered
the law's condemnation. He satisfied the law. He satisfied
the righteousness of the law. He satisfied the righteousness
of God in his death. He cried out, it is done, it
is finished. He shed his blood and he washed
his children from head to toe, and there is now therefore no
condemnation. The accuser of the Brethren has
been cast down, he's been cast out. God draws his children to look,
to look by faith to Christ alone, to not look within themselves,
to not look at their own sin, to not look at the cause within
them, but to look out from themselves, to look up unto Christ by faith. To look to the Lamb of God. John writes in Revelation 12,
I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,
and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
his Christ. For the accuser of our brethren
is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the
blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. and
they loved not their lives unto the death. They overcame him
by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony,
and they loved not their lives unto the death. There is no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. All men accuse Christ They sought
to find fault in the just one, in the righteous, in the faithful.
They had him put to death, we did. In our unbelief, we rejected
him, we condemned him, we cast him out. We nailed him to that
cross with our rejection. We nailed him to the cross in
our unbelief. We cast him out with our accusations. And yet he in innocence bore
the sins of his people and shed his blood that he might wash
those whom he loved, though they hated him. And in so doing, he cast out
the accuser of the brethren. He cast out Satan. He cast out
the adversary. He cast out all those who would
come, like Eliphaz did, supposedly speaking wisdom, but bringing
the wisdom and knowledge of man and condemning the child of God. And he washed, Christ washed
his people in his blood. And by that blood, they overcame
the accuser by the word of their testimony. They loved not their
lives unto death. Christ was obedient unto death. And God's people in him are obedient
unto death. We die with Christ and we live
with him. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh
but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of
life in Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and
death. There's no condemnation. Whoever perished being innocent Christ did. And because he perished, because
he bore the sins of his people, there is no condemnation to all
who are in Christ Jesus. Why not? Because he perished. Christ perished. Christ died in our place. He died in Job's place. and he died in every believer's
place. Did he die in your place? Did
he die for you? Whoever perished being innocent,
where were the righteous cut off? He died. Christ died for the
ungodly. The innocent died for the guilty,
the just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous,
the perfect for the imperfect, the faithful for the unfaithful,
the believing for the unbelieving, the savior for the lost, for
the lost, for wretched, vile sinners, for the worst of sinners. Did he die? Did the innocent
Christ die for you? Or are you still looking upon
him and condemning him in your heart? As Eliphaz found fault
with Job, do we just find fault with Christ? In one way or another, do we
blame him for anything that comes upon us? Do we blame him for
the world around us? Do we find fault? Do we justify
our unbelief? Do we justify our rejection? Or has God by his spirit shown
us what we are, as guilty lost sinners, and shown us his perfection,
his beauty, his innocence, and asked us the question, who perished
being innocent? Has he given us the answer? Christ
died for the ungodly. Has he given us the faith with
Paul to say, he died for me. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live yet not I, but Christ live within me and the life I
live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the son
of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Amen.