This calamity that came upon Job, this trial he was brought into, when God in a day took away his family, took away his riches, took away his glory, took away his health and brought him to nothing. This great trial was a great test of Job's faith. Oh, what a test of faith is seen throughout this book. What a test of faith.

And here as we come to chapter 26, His friends having given their counsel one by one, these three friends time and again having counseled Job and pointed the finger at Job and accused Job and condemned Job. Their speeches finally come to an end and from chapter 26 Job begins to answer them with a parable.

But throughout, what Job needed from these friends was not their accusation, their condemnation. He needed their sympathy. He needed their pity. He needed some love, some concern for his soul from them. He needed some empathy for what he was suffering, not the heartless condemnation that he received.

But here he begins to answer. He responds firstly in chapter 26 to their words. Then he considers the greatness of God. And then in the midst of his reply in chapter 27, he defends his integrity. He declares how he is determined to walk righteously. All the while my breath is in me and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

God forbid that I should justify you. Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. He held to his integrity, and he utters this phrase, all the while my breath is in me. While my breath is in me, I will hold fast to that I know. I will trust in God my Savior.

What a point to be brought to. If you yourself were to say, while the breath is in me, while my breath is still in me, I shall do this, I shall do that, with my last strength I will do this. What would it be? What matters to you? What matters most in life to you? With your last breath, what will you strive to do? What matters to you? Do you use your energy, your strength, your knowledge, your wisdom, your money to grasp at this world? to enrich yourselves, to further yourself, to climb up the ladder of importance in this world. Do you use your last breath to get the last thing you can in this world? Is that where your heart is? Or is your desire to know God? It's your desire to stand before God. It's your desire for Christ and his salvation. What matters most? Well, my breath is in me.

In the first few verses of chapter 26, Job begins to respond to these three friends of his. Job answered and said, How hast thou helped him that is without power? What help hast thou shown me? How save is the arm that hath no strength? I'm broken, I'm bruised, I'm cast down. What have you done to save me, to help me? How hast thou cancelled him that hath no wisdom? How hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words? And whose spirit came from thee?

They'd shown him no pity. They'd shown him no true care. They simply said, this that's come upon thee Job, is because of something you've done. You've brought it upon your own head. You're in this state because of some sin you've done. You've gone the wrong way and look where you've got to Job. You're alone, you're cast out, look at you, it's your own doing, Job.

Those who should have shown the most care for him, those who should have had the most concern for him, his three friends, they're described as his friends. They were introduced at the beginning of Job as his friends who came to comfort him. Despite all their accusation, Despite all their legal understanding of God, all they can see is a just God, an angry God, a God that deals with sinners according to their sin. Despite their lack of understanding of the gospel, despite their lack of understanding of grace, as Job saw. Despite their lack of empathy, they are still introduced as his friends. Before this calamity came upon Job, they were his friends and they were the ones he might have felt would have come to help him. They came to comfort him supposedly, but they gave him no comfort.

They were his friends. They were religious. They knew of God. They spake of God. but only in a legal manner. They did not speak of a gracious and a merciful God. They knew not the ways of God. They could not see in their friend Job how he had lived before them, how he had been upright. God viewed him as upright. God set Job before Satan as an example. Hast thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him upon the earth? They'd seen his integrity.

And yet when calamity comes his way, they stand at a distance and say, oh, he must have done something secret. There's no smoke without fire. There must be something that he's done amiss. And rather than comforting him they condemn him. Yet they were his friends. Religious friends. Believers perhaps with a lack of understanding. He may have counted them as brethren. Before this calamity came upon them, they probably went together to worship God.

These were those, as we may know today, we may have those who we count as our friends. As brethren, we may go to worship God, we may go to the meeting, we may sit under the Gospel with them, and we may think that when calamity comes our way, that these are the ones that will rally to our help. These are the ones who will show us comfort. These are the ones who will edify us from the Word of God.

Yet for Job, they were the ones that condemned him to his teeth. Brethren, perhaps, mistaken in their understanding as we came to see, but still described as his friends, those who ought to have understood, those who ought to have cared. But he discovers that not only had he lost all his riches, not only had he lost his family, his children, not only had he lost his health, but it seems he had lost his friends. This circumstance set them at a distance. They stood aloof. They stood afar off. and found fault. His friends, his brethren, loved ones.

Do you ever feel like that? Has God ever brought you into circumstances where though you have friends around, where though you have family, where though you may have brethren, that you would feel, would understand, that you would hope would be your comfort at time of sorrow? You find yourself alone, misunderstood, maligned, accused, condemned, shunned, cast out, even by those you thought would stand with you. You know the world will accuse. You know your enemies will find fault. You know there are those that will have nothing to do with you, but there are those you would depend upon. And even they stand at a distance. Job thought that these few friends at least would understand. How alone he was. Do you ever feel alone, as Job did? Truly alone. You may be in a crowd. You may be sat in a meeting with brethren around you, and feel alone.

Job, as a picture of Christ his Saviour, was brought to know how Christ felt when he came into this world to suffer and die for sinners, to suffer and die for Job. He was brought to know just how misunderstood Christ was. just how maligned Christ was, just how greatly accused Christ was, just how condemned Christ was, just how cast out Christ was. None stood by him in his hour of need. Everyone scattered Everyone had a reason to cast him out. Everyone had a reason to stand at a distance. Do you feel as Job did? Well Christ did.

He of all men was cast out, accused falsely, misjudged, held at a distance, abandoned, even by his brethren, even by the disciples themselves. When he was led away to be tried in that false trial, where he suffered false accusations, Where were his nearest disciples? They all scattered. Even Peter uttered denials.

He was led alone to be crucified. He was alone. Alone. Where were his friends? Yes, he was alone and yet not alone. Earthly speaking, humanly speaking, he could not have been more alone in that hour. And yet his faith stood true. He looked unto the God he knew and communed with every hour of his life. He was alone, but not alone. Cast out, and yet one with God is his Lord. His faith remained.

At the cross, nailed to the tree, There were those that passed by reviling Him, wagging their heads and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him with the scribes and elders said, He saved others, Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him.

For He said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also which were crucified with Him cast the same in His teeth. Now from the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land until the 9th hour. And about the 9th hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? He trusted in God, they said. Let him deliver him now if he will save him, if he will have him. For he said, I am the Son of God. He trusted in God. Oh yes. He trusted in God. He trusted in God.

When he was most alone, cast out by all men, Condemned, mocked, ridiculed, spat upon, beaten, bruised, he trusted in God and his faith held true to the end, even at that hour. When God poured out His wrath upon him and the darkness came upon the earth, the light of the sun was taken away and there was darkness for three hours upon the face of the earth, as Christ bore the sins of His people, as He was made sin for them that they should be made the righteousness of God in Him, even in the darkness. When He cries out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? he still trusted in God. Alone, and yet by faith, not alone. Job as a figure of Christ, maligned by his friends, cast out by everyone, was alone But by faith he trusted in God. By faith he was not alone. Job continues in chapter 26 to speak of the greatness of God. Dead things are formed from under the waters and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before God and destruction have no covering. He stretcheth out the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds and the cloud is not rent under them. He holdeth back the face of his throne and spreadeth his cloud upon it. He hath compassed the waters with bounds until the day and night come to an end. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens. His hand hath formed the crooked serpent. Lo, these are parts of his ways, but how little a portion is heard of him. But the thunder of his power, who can understand?

How great, how almighty this God in whom Job trusted truly is. How great. He starts in replying to these friends by speaking of the almighty God before whom they all stand. What a good place to start. He doesn't begin with himself. He doesn't begin with man. But he points unto God. He trusted in God. This God. What a good place to start. A good place to remind ourselves of how unimportant we, by nature, are before a holy God.

We're but dust. Yes, Job was cast down. But what do we deserve? We're dust. We're worms of the earth. We're nothing. We deserve nothing from this God. Why should He give us anything when we've lived our lives turning our backs upon Him, seeking our own gain, our own glory, seeking our own riches, living as though God isn't there, taking all that He gives us and using it for our own ends. We're rebels by nature, sinners by nature. What do we deserve from Him who is so almighty, who speaks and creates the earth and the heavens, who spreads the stars out in the firmament? What are we before this God?

Yeah, this is the God in whom Job trusted. This is the God whose grace he came to know. This is the God under whom he looked in faith. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. Though he slay me. And this again, he is a picture of Christ his Saviour. At the cross. in the darkness, when he'd been mocked and derided, when they cried out, he trusted in God, let him save him, when he bore the judgment, the wrath of God against him, he trusted and rested in his great God, alone, but not alone.

As Christ walked in communion with this God, He knew Him. He knew Him. And that's where Job got his faith. He knew this God. Though the hand of God was out against him, though he felt the hand of God strike him, Though he was cast down, though he was at the brink of death, though everyone was against him, he knew this God. He knew the reality of faith. He knew his Redeemer would save him in the end.

He knew this God. And as he sets forth his parable, as he goes on over these chapters, in picture Job sets forth Christ, who shared God's glory, who was upright and righteous. Consider my servant Job, consider my servant Christ, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man. There's none like Him. And yet He shared God's glory.

He shared the riches of heaven's glory and came down to this world and set aside that glory. He set aside all that He had. He lost all that He had. He set it aside. even for the suffering of death for his people Job recounts how once he was respected once he had a family once he had riches once he had standing and then it was all taken away it all went and how low he's brought And in this, Job was shown a picture of Christ. Christ gave it all. He gave it all up in order to save you, Job. In order to save you. In chapter 27, Job moves on to defend himself, to defend his integrity.

All the while my breath is in me and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils. My lips shall not speak wickedness nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you till I die. I will not remove my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

He defends himself before these accusations from these friends because he knows that this calamity that came upon him is not because of his sin. He knows as a man he's a sinner but he knows that the Lord has given him grace to walk before him with integrity and he longs to continue he will not cast it out so he defends himself and in defending himself we may see Him pushed by these friends towards self-justification, towards self-righteousness.

But in picturing Christ his Saviour, the Lord sets him forth as this perfect and upright man, his servant, who was righteous, who is righteous, who is upright, and who is perfect. and yet lost all that he might deliver his people from their sins. Yes in chapter 27 Job's faith holds fast he maintains his innocence he maintains his integrity just like he did at the beginning of Job.

In Job chapter 1 We read, when all this calamity came upon him, he said, naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. So Satan comes before the Lord again in chapter 2.

And 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, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and is sheweth evil? and still he holds fast his integrity although thou movest me against him to destroy him without cause. I've stripped him of all these things and still he holds fast his integrity. Satan answered the Lord and said skin for skin all that a man hath will he give for his life. but put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot under his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal. And he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.

What, shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. Yes, he held forth his integrity and here as he answers his friends as they've accused him of being a sinner, as they accused him of bringing this calamity upon himself through some secret sins of his, he says, no, I will hold forth mine integrity and I will trust my God. in spite of all he's done to me in spite of all this that he's brought upon me I will trust that he does right and he will redeem me and he will deliver me in the end I will not curse him and die and he goes on to contrast this with the attitude of the wicked Whilst he may be suffering, he retains his hope, his faith in the God of his salvation. But the wicked who seek their riches, their comfort here below, the wicked who have no thought for God, no care for God, no faith in God, The wicked who curse God when trouble comes their way as though this comes from God unfairly. The wicked that reject God and blame God for any trouble that comes their way are those who in the end heap up destruction. Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay, he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver. He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered. He openeth his eyes, and he is not. Terrors take hold on him as waters. A tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth, and as a storm hurleth him out of his place. For God shall cast upon him, and not spare. He would fain flee out of his hand. Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place. Does the wicked have no hope? They reject God, they reject the Gospel, they reject Christ. They have no thought for Him, no care for Him. They go to the grave with nothing but destruction before them. They may have the world's greatest name. They may have the greatest acclaim. They may have achieved the greatest things in this world. They may have accumulated most riches and have the most friends. but our lives are brief.

And if we go to the grave with no faith in Christ, with no salvation, we have nothing but darkness and destruction before us. Job lost everything, but he had faith in Christ. God gave him faith that in the darkness he looked for the light. In death, he clung on by faith unto Christ for life eternal. In his suffering, he looked to his Redeemer. In the worst of circumstances, he believed that the best would come. When all men cast him out, he clung by faith unto God his Saviour. He clung by faith unto Christ. When all men had abandoned him, when he was alone by faith, he was one with God his Saviour. He could say, while my breath is in me, while my breath is in me, I will trust in God, my Saviour.

What of you? What of me? Should God strip you of everything? Should God bring us to a place where Job was? Whilst we still have our breath, what will we do with it? Where are we looking for our hope? To our knowledge, to our wisdom, to our religion, like these friends? To our own understanding? To the strength of men, to the strength of yourself, to the strength of others? To much learning? Or to Christ alone? Christ alone.

In chapter 28, as Job continues with this parable, he considers the ingenuity of man, how that man can dig for silver and gold, how they can mine the earth for precious things, how they can go into the darkness of the earth and dig tunnels down in the earth and extract these riches, how they will use all their strength and energy to get the riches that they can out of the earth. what great heights men can reach in this world, what empires men have built, what buildings men built, what technology men devise, how great men can get, and yet how brief their lives are, how all of it is nothing without God. All of it is nothing without wisdom. So he asks, but where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? You can go into the darkness of the earth to mine your gold and your diamonds. You can go here and there But where is wisdom to be found? The depths sayeth, it's not in me. And the seas sayeth, it is not with me.

It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. You can't buy it. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

Whence then cometh wisdom, and where is the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living and kept close from the fowls of the air, destruction and death say we have heard the fame thereof with our ears. Even hell, even the devil knows there's wisdom. Even he believes in God when fools of men deny him.

You won't find wisdom in man. And you cannot buy wisdom with the strength of your hands. You cannot buy it with gold and silver. You cannot buy it with your works and your will and your wisdom and your decision. You cannot come to God and bargain your way unto salvation. Job knew God. He trusted in Christ his Saviour, his Redeemer. But he could not buy his way to heaven. He could not purchase salvation. He did not gain that faith and that understanding and that wisdom through his own works, or his own will, or his own decision to accept Jesus into his heart. It came by grace. It came by grace. Where is wisdom to be found? Where shall wisdom be found? It comes from God. He must send it. He must make it known. What made Job differ? What made him differ from these three friends? Who did not understand as he did. Who could not comprehend the grace of God and the dealings of God with Job. who did not see Christ in the darkness. What made Job differ, God did. God chose him. God set his love upon him. God made himself known unto him.

Whence then cometh wisdom? God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth unto the whole heaven, to make the weight for the winds, and he weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then did he see it and declare it. He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man he said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.

Come unto me. and bow before me and know that I am God and hear my son. Hear my son. Yes, God came unto Job and made himself known to him. He revealed his son to him. He revealed Christ as Job's redeemer. He gave Job this faith that rested in Christ, that could say, while my breath is in me, my righteousness I hold fast, I cling to Christ my Saviour. I cling to my righteousness in Him. I will not let it go. He's my righteousness. He's my savior. He's my integrity. I will not let it go. I know that my redeemer liveth. These friends knew nothing of this.

Yet God came to Job and stretched forth his hand to Job and saved him with a mighty salvation. And in this very trial, when Job was cast down and abandoned, when his friends railed against him and condemned him, in this trial when he was so alone, God blessed him.

How greatly God blessed Job in the trial. How much God made known to Job of his grace and his mercy. How God tried his faith and brought it forth as gold. What to Job's friends was God's judgment of Job, in reality was God's greatest blessing to Job. God took Job and made known unto him through his suffering. just how much Christ loved him, just how much Christ suffered for him in the darkness. In this trial Job knew and experienced just what it cost his saviour to save him.

When Christ died men looked on as though Christ was at his weakest. as though they destroyed him as though they'd taken this one who claimed to be the son of God and they crucified him and they got rid of him they laughed at him they said he trusted in God let him save him now they derided him they thought they got rid of him how alone he was and yet at his weakest he was at his strongest in that death Christ brought life to a multitude. He brought life to a multitude. He delivered Job from his sins.

How alone Christ was in the darkness. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And yet he was not alone. His faith remained. His faith held true to the end. in the darkness under the wrath of God Christ looked to God his Saviour Christ looked to his Lord his Father he rested in him to the end till it was finished till he drunk the cup of God's wrath to the dregs till the hours of darkness were taken away while my breath is in me He says, my faith will remain. I will trust in God while my breath is in me.

And when he finished the work of salvation, when every sin was judged and blotted out, when his blood washed his people from head to toe, every one of them, and made them to be the righteousness of God in him, When everyone for whom He suffered, everyone chosen of God from before the foundation of the earth, everyone for whom He died were justified. When every one of them was washed from their sins, when salvation was wrought and accomplished, His faith was vindicated. It was vindicated. And while his breath was in him, he cried out in victory, in victory, it is finished. It is finished.

Job trusted God as a picture of his savior, Jesus Christ. who trusted God to the end through the darkness, and who cried out at the end, when he saved his people from all their lost condition, to bring them safely into eternal life, peace with him forever, he cries out for them, it is finished.