I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Job. Job chapter
1. Job chapter 1. I want to read one verse of scripture. And before I read this verse
of scripture, I want to say that a few days ago, my heart was made to cross paths
with a passage of scripture in Job chapter 9. Now this is very
unusual for me. I've been trying to preach the
gospel of God's grace for a long time. And as a general rule,
what I will do, which is customary for most preachers, is to take
a passage of scripture and preach that passage of scripture and
find Christ in it. That's the job of a man that's
been called of God. You find Christ in a passage
of scripture and you have found it right. And as I looked in Job, I was
looking in that passage, Job chapter 9 is where I went. And
as I was looking in Job chapter 9, I realized that it was going
to be extremely difficult for me to preach out of Job chapter
9 unless I went back to Job chapter
1. And so what I'm going to tell
you that I'm going to do, or I'm going to try to do if the
Lord wills, I'm going to try to take and bring us back up,
not in this service, but I'm going to try to bring us back
up to this passage in Job chapter 9. but I'm going to have to go
through the first part of the book of Job to do it. And so
I'm praying that God would give us some understanding because
what I've got to say concerning these scriptures today is extremely
needful for all of us. Here's the passage that I've
chosen to start. Job chapter 1 and verse 22. Now listen. In all this, Job sinned not,
nor charged God foolishly. I pray that after I've preached
this passage and probably passages in the next few weeks, We'll
get some understanding of that. I would admonish all of us. Let's be patient. Let's be patient
and just hear what God has to say. Now I want you now to take
and turn to Job chapter 9. And what I want to do is I'm
going to read Job chapter 9. After I read Job chapter 9, I
want us to look and go back in Job chapter 1, and may the Lord
bring us to give some understanding. Job chapter 9, verse 1. Then Job answered and said, I
know it is of a truth, but how should man be just with
God? Now, let me just stop and think
about that truth that was set forth. How? Someone says, well,
I know the answer to this, and you'll quote a scripture. I can
do it, too. We can start and talk about how
God, from the foundation of the world, chose a people in Christ,
and he's imputed his righteousness to them. I want us to take the
scriptures and hear what God has to say and teach us anew. Verse 2, 3 of Job 9. If he will contend with him,
he cannot answer him one in a thousand. He's wise in heart and mighty
in strength. and who hath hardened himself
against him and hath prospered, which moveth the mountains, and
they know not, which overturneth them in his anger, which shaketh
the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble,
which commandeth the sun, and it rises not, and sealeth up
the stars, which alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth
upon the waves of the sea, which maketh Arcturus, Orion, Pleiades,
and the chamber of the south, which doeth great things past
finding out, yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth
by me, and I see him not. He passeth on also, but I perceive
him not. Behold, he taketh away. Who can
hinder him? Who will say unto him, what doest
thou? If God will not withdraw his
anger, the proud helpers do stoop unto him. How much less shall
I answer him and choose out my words to reason with him. Whom,
though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would
make supplication to my judge, if I called, no, if I had called,
and he had not answered me, yet would I not believe that he had
hearkened unto my voice, for he breaketh me with tempest,
and multiplieth my wounds without cause. He will not suffer me
to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness. If I speak
of strength, lo, he is strong. If of judgment, who shall set
me a time? to plead. If I justify myself,
mine own mouth shall condemn me. If I say I'm perfect, it
shall also prove me perverse. Though I were perfect, yet I
would not know my soul. I would despise my life. This
is one thing, therefore, I said, he destroyeth the perfect and
the wicked. If the scourge slay suddenly,
he will laugh at the trial of the innocent. The earth is given
unto the hand of the wicked. He covereth the faces of the
judges thereof. If not, where and who is he? Now my days are swifter than
a post. They flee away, they see no good. They are passed away as the swift
ships, as the eagle that has hastened to the prey. If I say I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my heaviness and comfort myself. I'm afraid
of all my sorrows. I know thou wilt not hold me
innocent. be wicked, why then labor I in
vain? If I wash myself with snow water
and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the
ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. If he is not, no, no,
for he is not a man as I am, that I should answer him, and
we would come together in judgment. Neither is there any days man
betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take
his rod away from me and let not his fear terrify me. Then
I would speak and not fear him. But it is not so with me. As I read that passage of scripture,
I thought to myself, oh what need I have of understanding.
That passage of scripture that I just read is so amazingly deep. It is past the ability of any
man, any woman born in Adam to understand it. Now let me tell
you something, don't feel that you're inadequate in being able
to understand the depth of what we just read. In myself, I can
tell you this, I didn't get it either. I didn't get it. But
what a passage of scripture. Let me tell you what Robert Hawker
said about Job chapter 9. If you've not had the privilege
to read Mr. Hawker, I would tell you that
I would tell you to get his commentary. Robert Hawker was a man that
truly has been a blessing to me. A man that's been able, by
the grace of God, to see Christ in passages of scripture that
are, by nature, hidden to us. Here's what Mr. Hawker said about
Job chapter 9. Perhaps no part of the Old Testament
writings is more calculated under the Blessed Spirit's teaching
to impress upon the soul a deep sense of sin and to lay the soul
lower in the dust than Job's humbling language of his spirit
in this chapter. I agree with him. Probably no
passage of scripture harder to grasp hold of. Mr. Hawker said, no passage of scripture
that is more blessed if God gives us some understanding than this
passage of scripture. Now with that thought, does that
not cause your heart to want to know? I want to know what
God said. I want to know what the Lord was pleased to say.
I want to know. I want some understanding. Lord,
and this is what I say for myself, Lord, if you don't give me understanding,
I just read it. That's all I did. I just read
it. And with the frailty of my flesh, I can read it and miss
words. It's hard. But I want to know,
well, having read that passage, I want us to do something. I
want to do something that I need, and I think you need. Something
led up to that passage of scripture that we just read. Something
led up to it. I want you to turn back to chapter,
verse one of chapter nine, and I want to show you a passage
of scripture in chapter, in verse one. Job chapter 9, verse 1. Look at the first verse. Then
Job answered and said. Then, after what went before,
Job came to this conclusion. And it moved my heart so to want
to bring me back. Then, Job said, then said Job,
And I thought to myself, Lord, would you permit me just to go
back and just look again at what you moved Job, by the Spirit
of God, what you moved him or whoever wrote the book of Job,
it's debatable, whoever it was was moved to the Holy Spirit.
But whatever the writer to Job was moved to say before that
chapter 9, then Job answered, I wanna know. So over the next week or so,
Lord willing, I want us to just, not every verse, it's just time,
I'm sure, would not permit me. But I want us to just back up
a little bit and just look at a few verses of scripture in
the chapters that led up to this chapter, that the Lord might
be pleased to give us some understanding Now, let's look and see what
Job was moved to say. I know this is an unusual way
of dealing with it, but I'd like to look at it. Turn back with
me to Job chapter 1. Job chapter 1. Let's just look
at where this started, and I'll hit a few verses. Job chapter 1, verse 1 to 5,
there was a man in the land of Uz, whose name
was Job. And that man was perfect and
upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him
seven sons and three daughters. And his substance also was 7,000
sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 Sheehasses, very great household. So that this man was the greatest
of all the men of the East. And his sons went out and feasted
in their houses every one his day, and sent and called for
their three sisters to eat, to drink with them, and it was so
when the days of their feasting were gone about that Job sent
and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered
burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job
said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in
their hearts. Thus did Job continually. There was a man, the scripture
says, his name was Job. There was a man named Job. And this is what the scriptures
say about this man. It says that he was perfect.
Obviously, only in the Lord Jesus Christ was this man perfect. All men, all women born in Adam
are rebels against God. There's none that doeth good,
not one. But this man right here was one that was in Christ. This man was a believer. This
was a believer. This man was perfect. He was
upright. That is, in the sense in which
his walk before God and men, though a sinner by birth. Here was a man that was upright. And his desire was for God's
honor and God's character. A man who was a sinner, but a
man that loved God. One that feared God, that is one that was fearfully
fervent toward God. And he eschewed evil. He turned
aside with discretion. Now I'm telling you that that's
the heart of a believer. They know what they are by nature.
They know what they are as born in Adam. They know what they
are. But there's a new man there. There's a new man that loves
God. That fears God. That respects
God. And respects God's people. and
loves God's people. He doesn't have anything to say
good about himself. He knows what he is. He doesn't
see any good. That's what Paul the Apostle
said. I see in me, that is in my flesh. There dwelleth no good
thing. But here was a man, his name
was Job. And the Lord was pleased concerning
this man's Job, concerning this Job, he allowed Job the blessing
to suffer. God allowed this man to suffer. We read of the sufferings of
Job, the trials of Job, and we truthfully by the lack of our
understanding, we don't know the depth. what this man went
through. This man suffered. He was suffered.
But he suffered according to the good pleasure of Almighty
God. God allowed him the privilege. I want you to turn to 1 Peter. 1 Peter 4. Hold your place there
in Job 1. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1
Peter chapter 4. I entitled this message, When
the Righteous Suffer. I want you to read, I want to read
something about the blessing of suffering. 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12 to
16. Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some
strange thing happened unto you. Brethren, don't think that the
trial that you're going through is unusual for a believer. It's not. Verse 13, but rejoice
in as much as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when
his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad with exceeding
joy. But if you be reproached for
the name of Christ, happy are you, for the spirit of glory
and of God resteth upon you. And on their part he is evil
spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Beloved, when we're called upon
to suffer for the name of Christ, for the glory of Christ, don't
think that that's a strange thing. The Lord said they hated me before
they hated you. Don't think that when an unbeliever,
someone that beholds or thinks themselves to be Above reproach. One that's got this attitude.
If you want to know what it's like to see a faithful person
look at me. Don't think that it's strange
when somebody who's trusted in themselves, trusted in their
choice, trusted in their works, trusted in their righteousness,
self-righteousness. Don't think it's strange when
they turn on you. Don't think that's strange. The
Lord's promised that's what it's going to be. Don't think it's
strange. Here was Job. Here was a man
that loved God, that trusted God, that believed God. And Job
was called upon to suffer. He had prayed. I looked at that
last verse that we just read, verse 5. And I looked at that
this morning. It may be that my sons have sinned
and cursed God in their hearts. Here was Job. He was praying
for his kids, and I thought to myself, what a beautiful picture
of the intercessory work of Christ. Here was Job praying for his
kids. And we're children of God. And we need an intercessor. We
need an advocate. I need one to approach God for
me. Job was praying for his kids. Oh, what a picture of Christ
praying for his kids. his beloved. And then the scripture
says in Job chapter 1, verse 6 to 12, there was a day when
the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and
Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord
and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking
up and down in it, and the Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered
my servant Job? There's none like him in the
earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and
escheweth evil. I read that again and I thought,
what a picture of Christ. Job is there. What a picture
of our precious Lord. Have you considered my servant
Job? Look at Job there as a picture of the Lord Jesus. Here was a
man who was a type of our Lord. Have you considered him? And then listen to the awfulness,
the audacity, the arrogance of Satan and think of Job as a picture
of Christ. The haughtiness, the evil, of
Satan, when as a picture of Christ, he would say, if you do this
to the Lord Jesus Christ, this is what he'll do. Satan answered
and said, he answered the Lord, and he said, does Job fear God
for naught? Again, look at that as a picture
of the Lord. Does the Lord fear respect you
for nothing? The Lord Jesus Christ made a
man. You think he's doing this for nothing? Hast thou not made
an hedge about him, about his house, about all that he hath
on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands. His substance is increased in
the land. But put forth thine hand and touch all that he hath. and he will curse thee to thy
face. Is that not the most disrespectful
thing you've ever heard in your life? You put your hand and you
touch all that he has concerning Christ the man, and he'll curse
you. And you know, soon the Lord was
led of the spirit into the desert. He was tempted. And he did not do what Satan
said he would do. Put forth thy hand, touch all
that he hath, he'll curse you. And the Lord said unto Satan,
behold all that he hath in thy power upon himself, put not forth
thy hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord. Here was a man that God Almighty
was going to allow Satan to touch, and God's going to deliver him. Beloved, remember something here. When we're called upon to go
through trials, and I'm telling you, I think
I know something about it. I think I do. I don't know if
I do or not about affliction. I don't know anything. I don't
know anything. But I can tell you this, everything
that we are called upon to go through as God's sheep is divinely
sent of God. Romans 8, 28. And we know that
all things, all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. Everything that
we go through as God's sheep, everything that the Lord Jesus
Christ went through as the God-man mediator, God-made flesh, everything
that he went through was divinely ordered by God. And God sent
it for the purpose of showing, demonstrating to us the faithfulness
of God keep his people in the midst. Oh, Daniel chapter 4,
I think about this blessed passage of scripture in Daniel chapter
4, verse 35. The scripture sets forth this
blessed truth. All the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest
thou? Everything that a believer is
called to go through, I promise you we're not going
to understand it in this world. We won't understand it. But God
Almighty has perfectly orchestrated every step of His people. He orders the steps of all people,
but He does it for the glory of God and the good of God's
people. He doeth as He will in the army of heaven among the
inhabitants of the earth. Then the remainder of this particular,
this first chapter in Job deals with the God-ordered sufferings
of Job and the evidence of God's grace to keep Job in the midst
of these trials. Look at the last few verses,
Job chapter one, verse 20 to 22. I'm telling you, if you read
the verse 13 through and stop at verse 19, 1920 if you stop there, and you read
all these things, he lost his, starting in verse 6, Job lost
his kids, he lost his servants, he lost his land, he lost his
health, he lost everything. This was a man that was so highly
respected, and he lost it all according to God's good pleasure. If riches increase, don't set
your heart on them. God can take them away right
now before you know it. It's gone. Don't set your heart
on it. Job lost everything. Humanly speaking, he lost it
all. But listen to this. Verse 20,
Job chapter 1, verse 20. Then Job arose and rent his mantle,
shaved his head. He fell down upon the ground. And what did he do? He worshipped. He worshipped. And he said, naked
came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord has
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. In all of this, what did the
Lord take away when the Lord took Job's health and his kids
and his possessions? What did God take away? He only
took what He had lent Job. That wasn't Job's. The earth
is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. All He did was he took
back that which he had given Job for a while. Then in chapter 2 of Job, I was
going to try to go into chapter 3. I can tell already, I'll just
stop after this one. Let's just look for a minute
at Job chapter 2 as we're leading up to Job 9. Job chapter 2, we
behold the increased sufferings of this believer. I want you
to look at the first eight verses of Job chapter 2. Again, there was a day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also
among them, to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord
said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan says,
I'm going to and fro in the earth, walking up and down in it. And
the Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job?
There's none like him in the earth, perfect, upright man,
one that feareth God and escheweth evil. And still he holdeth fast
his integrity, though thou hast moved me against him to destroy
him without cause. Again, do we not see the Lord
Jesus Christ? I mean, look past Job and look
at the one that Job is picturing here. And Satan answered the
Lord and said, skin for skin, all that a man hath will he give
for his life, but put forth his hand, or thine hand, now and
touch his bones, flesh, he'll curse thee to thy face. And the
Lord said unto Satan, behold, He's in thine hand, but save
his life. So went Satan forth in the presence
of the Lord and smoked Job with balls from the sole of his foot
to his crown. He took him a potsherd to scrape
himself withal, and he sat down among the ashes. Here's the suffering
that he went through, the increased sufferings of this man, Job,
Satan allowed of God to say what he said to the Lord. God permitted
Satan to say those things. God gave him leave to say those
things. Again, for our good, God's glory,
our admonition, our instruction. Whatever we're going through,
remember this. Especially when we consider those
that believe. These things are divinely and
mercifully sent of God. I need to be reminded of that.
I need to be reminded. I need to be reminded of my frailty,
of my need. Here's Job. Oh, it said the sufferings
that this man endured. How bad did he get? Look at verse 9 and 10, Job chapter
2. Then said his wife unto him,
Dost thou retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. But he said
unto her, And beloved, I certainly, I want to be I'm so cautious
here, but I want to be truthful. Somebody says, I don't see how
in the world, I don't see how in the world that the wife of
Job could possibly, now who is Job is a picture of Christ, the
sufferings that he's enduring. You say, I don't see how in the
world his wife could possibly say those horrible things, disrespectful
things. to Job. We that believe, are we not the
bride of Christ? Have we ever said anything disrespectful? Have we ever been tempted of
Satan to disrespect him? Look what she said. His wife
said unto him, Dost thou still maintain that integrity? Curse
God and die. And he said unto her, Thou speakest
as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at
the hand of God? Shall we not receive evil? And
all this did not Job sin with his lips. Oh, how thankful I
am for that. Because I need a mediator. I
need an advocate. I need one to pray for me. I
need one to answer for me. Because I can't answer for myself
with any respect before God. I cannot. Here's Job, a picture
of our blessed Lord. And in all of this, all of the
trials, all the temptations, all the suffering, he maintained
his integrity. Why? Shall we receive good at
the hand of the Lord and not evil? In all this, The scripture
maintained, Job sinned not. And all this did
not Job sin with his lips. This is who we need. This is
who we need. The sufferings that he endured.
And then after, and I'll begin to wrap this up, after speaking
to his wife, Spirit of God, related a visit that was made to Job
by three friends who, when they saw the effects of his suffering,
I'll just read it. It's the last few verses, starting
in verse 11. Now, when Job's three friends
heard of all this evil that was come upon him, They came, everyone
from his own place, Eliphaz, Timonite, Bildad, the Shuhite,
Zophar, the Naamathite, for they had made an appointment together
to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. And when they
lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew not. They lifted up
their voice, they wept, they rent everyone with his mantle
and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. So they sat down
with him upon the ground seven days, seven nights, and none
spake a word unto him, for they saw that his grief was very great."
You know, these three friends, Job, oh, what a reminder of the
effects of sin. upon us, we don't see the death
of it. These three friends right here,
they saw what Job was called upon to go through. And when
they saw what it did to him, when they saw the effects, when
Job's three friends heard of the evil that was come upon him,
they came, they saw it, Verse 12 said, when they lifted up
their eyes afar off and knew, they knew him not. They knew
him not. They lifted up their voice, they
wept, every one with his mouth sprinkled dust on their heads
toward heaven. Beloved, we have no earthly idea
what our Lord has endured on our behalf. We have no idea. They stayed there, the scripture
says, for a week. beholding something of the depth
of His suffering. And as I even read that this
morning, and even now, we talk about the crucifixion of our
Lord being made sin. Can we enter into the depth of
that? Can we enter into the depth of what He suffered for our sake?
I pray that God Even now, prepare our hearts as we're permitted, Lord willing, to go
into the next few verses. I want to try to just do it just
like that. I'm trying to go to chapter 9 is what I'm trying
to do. But I want to get us to that point, Lord willing, that
we can understand something of what was said in Job chapter
9. I pray that God bless this to
our hearts for His eternal glory and our eternal good. Amen.