Let us turn for our text tonight
to the book of Job. The book of Job chapter 37 and
verse 19. These are the words of Elihu. Chapter 37 and verse 19. Teach
us what we shall say unto him for
we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness teach us what
we shall say unto him for we cannot order our speech by reason
of darkness Elihu is the one speaking here as I said and we
have his long speech from chapter 32 through to the end of the
37th chapter. Remember how previously from
chapter 3 to 31 we have those cycles of speeches between Job
and his three friends, Eliphaz and Bildad and Zophar. They speak by turn and then Job
would answer them. But how they failed Job in so
many respects. We have the setting of the book
in the first two chapters. We see there something of the
history of this man Job. He was evidently a justified
sinner he was a true believer as we're told in the opening
words there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job
and that man was perfect and upright one that feared God and
eschewed evil he was perfect and upright in the sense that
he was justified He was righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ, that
one of whom he speaks in the course of the book. And he desires
that the Aisman to stand between him and God how he speaks of
his Redeemer. He was one who was a believer
then in the Lord Jesus Christ. But there in those opening chapters
we see how that his faith was to be so sorely tested and tried. how that in the mysterious dealings
of God with him, Satan was let loose upon him. What trials they
were, he lost everything, his possessions, his family, and
then he lost his own health and he is covered from the tip of
his toe to the crown of his head with the great sores and he goes
and sits amongst the ashes and takes a pot shirt and scrapes
himself with all it takes and then in those chapters 3 to 31
we read of these three friends who come to visit him Eliphaz
and Bildad and Zophar but he says at the beginning of chapter
16 that they were such miserable comforters or miserable comforters
i.e. they failed to understand his
situation, they made many accusations against him, they said some remarkable
things in their various speeches, but they failed Job so miserably. And then we're introduced, as
I say, in chapter 32 to this fourth individual. We're told
at the beginning of that 32nd chapter, so these three men ceased
to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then
was kindled the wrath of Elijah, the son of Barakal, the Bazaid
of the kindred of Ram. Against Job was his wrath kindled
because he justified himself rather than God. Also against
his three friends was his wrath kindled because they had found
no answer. And Jez had condemned Job. And so, Elihu speaks through
chapter 32 through the following chapters and it is still Elihu
who is speaking here in the words of our text as he addresses Job,
teach us what we shall say unto him for we cannot order our speech
by reason of darkness and then we come to the end of Elihu's
speech and from chapter 38 through to chapter 41 it's the Lord God
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. We read at
the beginning of chapter 38 and then the last chapter. We see
the consequence of all the Lord's dealings and we see Job ultimately
brought into the place of great prosperity. How he acknowledges,
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, now mine eye seeth
thee, wherefore I abhor myself, he says, and repent in dust and
ashes. How he is so humbled before God,
and those who are thus humbled are the ones who are ultimately
exalted. Well, turning this evening to
these words that I've read for our text. And what do we see
here? We see something of ignorance in the matter of prayer. Ignorance
in prayer is the theme that I want to endeavor to address for a
little while tonight. Teach us what we shall say unto
him, that is, unto the Lord God, for we cannot order our speech
by reason of darkness. Observing two things then, with
regards to this ignorance in prayer, first of all the cause
of the ignorance and then secondly the cure for this ignorance. First the cause, and we see it
really when we're confronted by the native darkness of our
natural minds. We cannot order Our speech, it
says, by reason of darkness. We are ignorant of many things. We are in the dark with regards
to so many things concerning God. And we see that in what
he said previously here. Look at the language at verse
14. Harken unto this, O Job, Stand
still and consider the wondrous works of God. Dost thou know
when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?
Dost thou know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works
of him which is perfect in knowledge? How thy garments are warm when
he quieteth the earth by the south wind. Has so with him spread
out the sky which is strong and is a molten looking glass? How Elihu asked these searching
questions concerning Job and how can Job explain the ways
and the works of God? Again when God speaks in the
following chapter He asks him at verse 4, where was thou? When
I laid the foundations of the earth declared if thou hast understanding,
who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest, or who hath
stretched the line upon it, whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened. The Lord God begins to ask Job
these questions also, searching questions. Lord God is that one
who is altogether beyond the understanding of Job or any man. God is the One who is the Great
Creator. And what is man? Man is but a
feeble, frail creature. Or what is man that thou art
mindful of him? Or the son of man that thou visitest
him? asks the Psalmist. And here,
previously we have, as I say, the speeches of those various
friends and though they were miserable comforters to Job,
as we said, they did utter some remarkable words. Think of the
language of Zophar back in chapter 11. Canst thou by searching find
out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfection? It is higher as heaven. What
canst thou do? Deeper than hell. What canst thou? No, the measure
thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the skies. Oh God, you see. He is so immense. God is that One who is omnipresent.
He is in all places. He is the great God who dwells
in eternity. And man is but a creature, the
creature of the day. He is like the grass in the field
which today is and tomorrow is no more. And then of course it's
not only that man is but a creature before the infinite God. that
man is a creature that has rebelled against God. Man is in that state
of alienation from God. By nature he is dead in trespasses
and in sins. What striking words are these
at the end of verse 20? Surely he shall be swallowed
up. or when we think of man in comparison
to God. God, the great God, God, the
Holy One of Israel, man but a creature, man a sinful creature. How can
man have dealings with such a God as this? He's Shul, Shul. He shall be swallowed up. Or the darkness, the darkness
of our minds. We cannot order our speech by
reason of darkness. What are we? We are those of
the Gentiles, those of whom the Apostle speaks in Ephesians 4,
having the understanding darkened, it says. Being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the
blindness of their hearts, or as the margin says, because of
the hardness of their hearts. Here is the problem, you see,
the very heart of that. As the Lord Jesus says, it is
out of the heart of men that proceed every manner of sin and
of evil. Or the native darknessing of
our poor, sin-benighted minds. How can such as we come before
God, how can we really utter real prayer that will enter into
the ears of the Lord God of surveillance." And oh, how Paul must have felt
these things. We read those familiar words
in the 8th chapter of Romans concerning the ministry of the
Holy Spirit when he comes to our prayers. Likewise, he says,
the Spirit also help us our infirmities. For we know not what to pray
for as we ought, our infirmities and see how Paul includes himself,
he doesn't say the Spirit help us your infirmities he was a
faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ he was the Lord's
true Apostle and he was concerned to minister to the churches and
concerned to minister to the church there at Rome but when
he speaks of infirmity That's where the word is rendered weakness
is, includes himself. It's our infirmities. And isn't that in many ways the
mark of the people of God? All believers, all true believers
I would say, must come to this, they feel in themselves such
an inability to pray. We think of the children's hymn,
I often say my prayers, but do I ever pray? Or we might say
prayers, and there are those of us who have to speak in public
prayer as the mouthpiece of the people, the mouthpiece of the
congregation. And sometimes we wonder, do we ever really pray? Believer, the believer is marked
by this, he feels this inability, he cannot pray as he ought. We cannot order our speeches
by reason of darkness. Oh, there is such a difference,
is there not? Between saying a prayer and praying a prayer. And is that true of you? You
say, yes, that's a sad truth. I can say prayers. But what do
I know of real pleadings? What do I know of that earnestness
that is the mark of those who are really doing business with
the Almighty? We're not to conclude that that
weakness when we come to pray is necessarily a sinful thing. We're not to think that. The
Lord Jesus Christ himself was one who certainly knew something
of infirmities. We have not an High Priest, it
says, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.
There are some infirmities that are sinless infirmities, because
the Lord Jesus knew such, and it is clear there in Hebrews
4.15 that He was without sin, and yet He knew infirmities. Again, in the epistle to the
Hebrews, Paul says in chapter 5 at verse 2, concerning the
ministry of the Lord Jesus, who can have compassion on the ignorant,
for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. We feel our ignorance
and the Lord has compassion upon those who feel their ignorance
and their inability. And why so? Because He also Himself
was compassed with infirmity. Oh, what remarkable words! What
great words! What comforting words are those
again in Hebrews 5, at verse 7, concerning the Lord Jesus,
who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayer
and supplication with strong crying and tears unto Him, that
was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared,
though He were a son. yet learned the obedience by
the things that he suffered. Though he were a son, the eternal
son of the eternal Father, very God of very God, and yet he becomes
such a man, a real man. In the days of his flesh when
he had offered up prayer and supplication with strong crying
and tears. Here is the great pattern of
what prayer is. We see it in the life of the
Lord Jesus. Yes, He is God but He is also
man and as a man what a pattern. Oh, what a pattern of what real
prayer entails. We know He is that man who was
holy and harmless and undefiled and separate from sinners. In
His very conception in the womb He was preserved from every taint
of sin there was nothing of original sin there what does the angel
say to Mary that holy thing? oh he says the Holy Ghost is to
come upon you the power of the highest is to overshadow you
Mary and that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God he is God he is the Son of God And yet,
he is a man in the days of his flesh. It's real human nature,
a real body, a real soul. When he comes to die, what does
he do? He pours out his soul unto death. He commends his spirit
into the hands of God. The Lord Jesus, He knew much
of our infirmities, our sinless infirmities. When we see him
in that fourth chapter of John's Gospel where he must needs go
through Samaria, he's to meet with the woman of Samaria, he's
to engage that Samaritan woman so despised by the Jews, engage
her in conversation. All he must needs go that way,
he speaks with her. And she recognizes it. She goes
and tells the men of her city, come see a man which told me
all things that ever I did, he's not this the Christ. But we knew
what was in the hearts of men and women. And yet, there in
Samaria, what does he do when he comes to the well at Saika?
He was wearied, it says. He was wearied in his journey. And he sat by the well. There were infirmities there.
Nothing of sin. But there was a real human nature. And when it comes to his death,
why we're told in the 13th chapter of 2nd Corinthians, he was crucified
through weakness. He was crucified through weakness. Now, that word weakness it is
literally the same word as we find in Romans 8.26. Likewise the Spirit itself also
helpeth our infirmities, our weaknesses. The Lord Jesus in
his human nature as we knew the ministry of the Holy Spirit helping
him in all his weaknesses That is his physical weaknesses. It
is a worthwhile exercise to read through the Gospels and to observe
time and again that ministry of the Spirit in relation to
the human life of the Lord Jesus. After his baptizing, are we not
told that the Father giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
There was a glorious outpouring of the Spirit of God upon him
as he begins his public ministry. So much of what he does, he's
done in and by the Spirit. And here is one who is able to
sympathize with his people even when he comes to our prayers.
We have to acknowledge we cannot order our speech by reason of
darkness or teach us what we shall say unto him. These, as I said, are words spoken
by Elijah. And he addresses himself to Job. In many ways, the words seem
to be harsh words that he speaks. He says to Job, teach us what
we shall say unto him. As if Job has set himself up.
Oh, it's true. Previously in the book, Job had
said, I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth
with arguments. Go back to the words that we
find there in the 23rd chapter. He wants to speak with God. He
wants to pray to God. He's answering Eliphaz. Job answered and said, even today
is my complaint bitter. My stroke is heavier than my
groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might
come even to his seat. I would order my cause before
him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which
he would answer me and understand what he would say unto me. Will
he plead against me with his great power? No, but he would
put strength in me. Job had said those words, and
obviously Elihu was aware, and he says here, teach us what we
shall say unto him. For we cannot order our speech
by reason of darkness. The words do seem to be somewhat
harsh words. But, let us remember this, that
God does in fact bid us to come to him. The Lord Jesus says men
ought always to pray. We are to pray without ceasing.
You read the end of so many of the epistles where we come to
that practical part of Paul's letters, where he gives instruction
and exhortation. We're to be careful for nothing
he says, but in everything, in everything, by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, we're to make our requests known unto God. all men ought always to pray
God says in the Old Testament take with you words turn to the
Lord and say take away all iniquity and receive us graciously and
there in that 23rd chapter that we just made some reference to
where Job speaks of his desire to to come before God and order
his cause in the presence of God What does he say in that
sixth verse? Will he, that is, will God plead
against me with his great power? No, says Job, but he would put
strength in me. Oh Job, Job knew, Job was conscious
of his dependence upon God if he would pray and pray a lot. It wasn't that he was going to
pray in his own strength. He could not pray in his own
strength. He could only pray as the Lord was pleased to grant
him that gracious enabling. There is then, when we come to
pray this in the second place, there is a need for spiritual
teaching. And Job's conscious of that.
Yes, there's our native darkness, our deadness, our complete, our
utter inability, we're so impotent to do anything of ourselves. There is therefore this need
for spiritual teaching, that is the teaching of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who must teach
us. Teach us what we shall say unto
Him. Or can we not turn those words
into a petition, into a prayer that we would address to the
Spirit of God? Teach us what we shall say unto
Him. We need the Spirit to instruct
us. And of course we have that great promise. We read that wonderful
8th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. Those words that
we referred to already in verse 26, likewise the Spirit also
help us our infirmities, our weaknesses, for we know not what
to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Notice how emphatic it is, what
does it say there at the end of the verse? the spirit itself
doesn't just say the spirit it says the spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered and I
like that verse for many reasons but there I like it because we
see in our authorised version just how accurate how faithful
the translators are as they come to give us the English version
as they translate it from the originals. They render it the
Spirit itself. Why so? You look at the modern
versions. Even the New King James Version.
It says the Spirit Himself. It says the Spirit Himself also
in the NIV and other modern versions. And I'm sure those who advocate
those versions and perversions of Scripture would say, oh look,
here is a verse in which we see that our version is better than
the authorized version because to say the Spirit itself, isn't
that a denial of the personality of the Holy Spirit? And you see
when it comes to the great doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine
of God, those who deny the Trinity often times they deny the eternal
Sonship of Christ yes, they deny that He is very God of very God
and when it comes to the Spirit they deny the personality of
the Spirit they say the Spirit is not a person the Spirit is
a force we have to think in personal terms with regards to the Spirit
those who would deny the doctrine of the Trinity say and so surely
we might imagine therefore the the rendering of that verse in
Romans 8 should be the Spirit himself maketh intercession for
us with groanings that cannot be uttered. However As I said,
there we see the accuracy of the authorized version. The thing
is that the Greek word for spirit is not in the masculine gender. It's not a masculine gender. It's a neuter gender. That is
the word spirit. And so if you're going to be
faithful in translating, you cannot translate it as himself,
it's not masculine. But the word is a neuter. Therefore it has to be translated
itself. Now that doesn't mean that the
spirit is not a person. The spirit clearly is a person. You cannot sin against a thing. an inanimate object or a force. You cannot sit against a thing. I've heard people say in the
past though that a television is wicked. A television isn't
wicked. It's what men make of television.
It's the sort of programs that men produce and put on television
that's wicked. Television itself is inanimate.
But when it comes to the spirits, we see in scripture that it is
possible for the spirit to be sinned against because he is
a person. And we see it quite clearly there in the Acts of
the Apostles in chapter 5 concerning Ananias and Sapphira. They sought a possession. They
kept back part of the price. Both the man and his wife were
privy to this. They bring the money and they
lay it before the apostles feet giving the impression that this
is the whole. This is the whole. They want to appear like that
man Barnabas who is spoken of at the end of chapter 4. And what does Peter say? Verse
3 there in chapter 5, Ananias wife has Why hath Satan filled
thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part
of the price of the land? While it remains, was it not
thine own? And after it was sold, was it
not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this
thing in thine heart, thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God? And at Ananias hearing these
words, fell down and gave up the Ghost. And great fear came
on them all that heard these things. He is accused by Peter
of lying against the Holy Ghost. And he says then, Thou hast not
lied unto men, but unto God. The Holy Ghost is God, He is
a person. He is the third person in the
Trinity. Although the word, the Greek
word for spirit is in the Newt agenda, so It is right and proper
that when that word is translated into our English it reads as
it does there in Romans 8.26, the Spirit itself helpeth our
infirmities. Again, we read in verse 16, the
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God. Where the emphasis is made, as
we see it in those verses 16 and 26, The authorized version,
I say, is the most accurate of all the versions, the faithfulness
of those translators. Well, that is really an aside,
but we're thinking of the need for the Spirit Himself to come
and teach us, and to teach us how to pray. Oh, there is that
prayer that is unutterable, unutterable prayer. He maketh intercession
for us with groanings it says which cannot be uttered when
we're in that situation where words fail us such as the circumstance
of our lives we scarce know how to begin our thoughts, our feelings
are so confused we just don't know what to say when we come
to pray And we see that this was on occasions the case with
the godly. Oh, that gracious man, that good
king Ezekiel, when we come to his great prayer of thanksgiving
after God had appeared for him and spared him, and not only
spared him but delivered the little kingdom of Judah from
all the host of the Assyrians under Sennacherib, granted such
a glorious deliverance. And then raised the king up when
he had been sick and told by the prophet he was going to die.
And God had heard his prayer and he comes and he says, like
as a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter. I did mourn as a dove. My eyes fail looking upward. Oh Lord, I am oppressed, he says.
Undertake for me. All we felt his prayer was like
that, the chattering of birds and the mourning of the doves.
It wasn't human speech, you see. He didn't know how to pray or
what to say. And that's a godly man, one of the most gracious
kings that ever reigned in Judah. We see the same in his father,
in King David himself, when he says in the psalm, all my desire
is before them. and my groaning is not heard
from thine." What was David's prayer? Oh, he felt it was nothing
more than groanings, and yet you read in the book of Psalms,
and as I said, the book of Psalms is not just a book of praises,
it's a book of prayers. What prayers? Oh, how David expresses
himself in prayer. Of course, he's writing under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is helping his infirmities.
But now often we have to confess that that's what our prayers
are like. They are like groanings and moanings, the chattering
of birds, the mourning of doves. This was how the children of
Israel were praying when they were so sorely afflicted there
in Egypt. God would come, God would deliver
them. But what is the context? in which we see God calling Moses
to be their deliverer. At the end of the second chapter
of Exodus we are told the children of Israel
sighed by reason of the bondage and they cried and their cry
came up unto God by reason of the bondage And God heard their
groaning. Oh, look at what their prayer
is. They sighed by reason of the bondage. And they cried. And God heard their groaning.
And God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and
with Jacob. And God looked upon the children
of Israel, and God had respect upon them. And then we come to
that third chapter. And there is Moses. caring for
the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, is in the backside of the desert
and the Lord appears to him. Oh, the great I AM, Jehovah,
the God of Israel, comes now and calls one to be their deliverer.
It's the answer to their prayers. Their sighing, their crying,
their moaning, their groaning, none of it was in vain. God heard
it. Unutterable prayers. Unutterable
prayers. And this, in many ways, is part
of the real and true worship of God. It's not fine words,
not fine words. How the Lord God rebukes His
children of old. Time and again we see it in the
book of Isaiah, He rebukes them. Though they attend to the institutions
of worship as I understood them. They bring their offerings, their
sacrifices. But he says, who has required
this at your hand? And their prayers. There in chapter 29
and verse 13, Isaiah says, Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as his
people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips to
honour me, but I have removed their heart far from me and their
fear toward me is taught by the precept of men therefore behold
I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people even a
marvellous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise
men shall perish and the understanding of their prudence shall be hit.
Woe unto them and so forth. Oh they draw near with the mouth
and they honour God with their lips They say all the right things. Wondrous prayers, so articulate. And yet, abomination before God. Remember that hymn of Berit,
884, where he contrasts the world in coming into God's earthly
courts. And then we see the godly man, for thee my heart would
cry and send a laboring groan, for thee my soul would sigh and
make a pensive moan, you see. Or is that how it is with us
sometimes? We feel our utter inability to do anything that's
profitable to God. We feel our worship is such poor
worship. We cannot order our speech by
reason of darkness. There is that that is unutterable
in prayer. But not only unutterable, there
is also unuttered prayers. Unuttered prayers. prayers that we cannot utter
at all we cannot order our speech we
know not what to pray for as we ought but we do well to remember
that gracious soul that godly woman Hannah and though she was so misunderstood
by the High Priest, by Eli. There, at the opening chapter
of the first book of Samuel. Oh, what a gracious woman Hannah
was. And how so misunderstood, because
her prayer was an unuttered prayer. Verse 13, we're told now, Hannah
She spake in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her
voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she had
been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long
wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from them. And Hannah answered and said,
No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk
neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before
the Lord." That was her prayer. She poured out her soul. She
poured out her soul before the Lord. For he that searcheth the
hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And that
was Hannah's prayer. It was unuttered, it was in her
heart. But what a remarkable prayer
and what a great answer. Oh, what a gracious answer God
gave. He gave her Samuel. He took away all of her reproach.
She didn't pray in vain. God hears these prayers and God
answers these prayers. Why? It's not just the Spirit
who is hearing our prayers when our prayers are after this fashion. It's all the persons in the gardens. There's a ministry of the Holy
Trinity when we come to prayer. As Paul says there in Ephesians
2.18, through him he's speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
says, through him, we both, he's speaking of Jews and Gentiles
in that chapter. That middle ward of partition
is now gone in the Lord Jesus Christ. There's salvation for
the Gentile as well as for the Jew, through him, through Christ,
we both. have access by one Spirit onto
the Father. There's all the persons. There's
the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ. One God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. There's the ministry of the Holy
Spirit. It's through Christ we have access by one Spirit and
we need the Spirit to help to help our infirmities, to help
all our weaknesses. Oh, I trust that we are those
who do really feel it. We need the Spirit of God. And
we need Him to come and work all these works within us. Where
are we? What are we without the Spirit
of God? We can do nothing. Oh, the favourite John there
on the Isle of Patmos on the Lord's Day was in the Spirit.
or that we might be found in the Spirit, Lord's day by Lord's
day, yea, day by day, to know that blessed ministry of the
Spirit helping our infirmities. And to whom do we come? We come
to the Father, or we are to call upon Him, we are to address Him
as our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom
come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
them that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil for Thine is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever and ever. All that blessed pattern
prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ do we seek to follow that we
We might feel that our prayers often times are unuttered and
yet God has given us a pattern prayer. Not that we are to be
always literally saying the words. Prayer is more than a multitude
of words. But there the Lord instructs
us. His disciples came to him and said, Lord, teach us to pray. As John also taught his disciples
to pray. and the Lord teaches us and the
Lord as we've sought to say earlier is himself such a wondrous pattern
to prayer. Oh the Lord help us in that we
might heed the words of our text tonight. Teach us what we shall
say unto him for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. The Lord Bless his word to us. Amen.