Job chapter 19 In the book of Job we find a
tremendous picture of Christ and his suffering Matter of fact, everywhere in
the Bible, we find pictures of Christ. Remember when he walked
after the resurrection, when he walked on the road with the
two, on the road to Emmaus, the Bible said he opened them, he
expounded unto them in all the scriptures, the things concerning
himself. That means there's some things
concerning himself. in all the Scriptures. So there's much about Christ
in this book of the Bible but in the book of Job we also learn
much about man and about life and can learn about ourselves.
It teaches us a lot of things. The book of Job teaches us the
insecurity of earthly possessions. Our generation don't think like
that. People think that security is to be found in earthly possessions.
But Job, you remember, at the first was so blessed with family
and wealth and health, and in just a very short time he loses
it all. But his hope and his happiness
was not in things, but in God. And so chapter one closes with
the testimony from Job's lips. Naked came I out of my mother's
womb, and naked shall I return thither. I came here with nothing,
I'll leave with nothing. The Lord gave and the Lord hath
taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." People are so quick
to charge God with, He took away, He took this. Why did He take
that from me? Why did He do this to me? Without
giving any thought to the fact that He's the one who gave it
in the first place. So Job teaches the insecurity
of earthly possessions. Then the book of Job teaches
us the brevity of life, the brevity of life. And of course, the older
you get, the more you agree with that. When you're young, you
just think a lifetime is almost forever. But when the years come
and go, we see with Job the brevity of life. In chapter seven, Job
said, my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle. Any of you
ever worked in the cotton mill? I know some of you did. I know
Sister Johnson did 50 years ago. Know anything about a weaver's
shuttle, how swift that is? Job said, my days are swifter
than a weaver's shuttle. My life is a breath. My days are swifter than a runner,
like an eagle swooping on its prey, like the falling of a leaf. Job teaches this. Then the book
of Job teaches the certainty of human depravity. In the 14th
chapter, Job asked a question. Who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean? And he answers it, not one. Not one. And his personal testimony
was, behold, I am vile. I abhor myself. My wound is incurable. Job is saying there's something
wrong with my nature that I can't fix. Well, now that's not popular
doctrine. Preachers today can tell you how to be so spiritual
and so successful that even God will be surprised with how well
you've done. But that's not the case. Don't buy that. Do not
buy that. Job says there's something wrong
with me, and he's right. Another thing this book of Job
teaches us is that no matter how dark the situation, God in
his providence is able to turn it around if he is pleased to
do so. When it seemed like Job was a
goner, when it seemed like it was all over for Job, he came
through the trial and was blessed in the end, as you know, with
twice what he had in beginning. So there are many lessons in
the book of Job, but this morning in the 19th chapter, Job, the
19th chapter, and I'm aware that it hadn't been too long since
we were in this very text. So for you that mark the date
in your Bible, when the preacher preaches it, I want you to know
that I'm aware of it, that it hadn't been that long ago that
we were here. But let me just say this, I do
not select a text on the basis of how long it's been since I
used that text. No, I select the text based on
how the Lord is nudging my heart and moving my heart at the present
time. So we find Job 19 to be one of
the crowning chapters of this book of Job. And we find him
in this chapter at the low point in his life and we find him at
the high point in his life. It's amazing how those two are
many times not so far apart. The low point and the high point. And we're gonna look at that
in a minute. Now it's a fact, circumstances don't change God. But it's also a fact, circumstances
do change us. Not one of us here this morning
knows what we'll have to face by this time tomorrow. We hope everything will be fine, be well with us, well with our
families, but we are more prone to be fearful
that something will be seriously wrong. then we are to be confident that
everything will be all right. And that's the thrust of most
modern preaching, is to get you to think positively about tomorrow. But my message is that Christ
lives, and he is with us tomorrow. Even
if all hell breaks loose tomorrow, at your house and in your life.
I'm telling you we better have our hopes higher than what some
slick talking preacher or politician can tell you. We better have
our hopes higher than Washington DC, I'll tell you that. How very
needful for God's people this morning to consider often and
to meditate continuously on what Peter said that we are
kept by the power of God. Kept by the power of God. It
bothers me in this hour to hear so many refer to a so-called
level of Christian living where they've become obedient enough
and have matured enough as to imply that they don't need to
be kept as much as they once did. But I want to say to you,
the older I get, the more I learn how wicked this sinful flesh
is. And if you're not learning that,
you're going backwards, I'll tell you. I've seen so many good people.
And I know so many people just mesmerized, deceived by some
sweet, inoffensive religion of some kind. But I will tell you
my experience, rather than learning as so many imply, that I'm not
as bad as I thought I was. I'm learning by God's standard
that I'm a million times worse than I ever thought I was. Now that's the story. All right, now let's look at
Job's low point, if you will with me for a few minutes. In
the 19th chapter of Job, it's hard to believe that a child
of God could get this low. And yet we've all
been there, and there may be somebody there this morning. We're just not honest enough
to talk about it out loud like Job did. We prefer to keep our
worst hidden in the secrecy of our minds and hearts. But beginning
at verse 6, Job begins to spit it out, boy, I'm telling you.
He says to his friends here in verse 6, know now that God hath
overthrown me. I want you to know, fellas, I
want you to understand this. It's a fact. The Lord has cast
me out. He's overthrown me and has compassed me with his
net. He's trapped me with his net. Behold, I cry out of Rome. but I am not heard. I cry aloud
but there is no judgment. I cry out because I've been done
wrong. I've protested time and again
to the Lord but it does no good. I am not heard I cry aloud, but
He will not step in and set things right. There is no judgment and
justice executed on my behalf. God is not doing right by me. That's what Job is saying. Now
you wouldn't say that out loud. What about that gnawing sometimes? Do you just feel like you might
be getting a raw deal even from the Lord? Job's thinking that,
and he says it. He hath fenced up my way that
I cannot pass. I can't get through all this.
He's fenced up my way, every way I turn, every way I try to
move or go forward, I can't. And he hath set darkness in my
paths. It's dark. I cannot see where
I'm at. I cannot see where I'm going. I can't move. I don't
understand it. I don't know why it is I'm here.
It's all darkness in my paths. Old Brother Job could say, I've
always preached that if you'll do right, God will bless you
for it. But he's done right. And he says, without a doubt,
my blessing has turned to cursing. Verse 9, He hath stripped me
of my glory. In other words, my honor among my
friends, my respect, my influence, my testimony, it's gone! And
I hadn't done anything to lose it. God's done this to me. He hath stripped me. Notice he's
not giving the devil credit for any of this. God. He hath stripped me of my glory
and taken the crown from my head. I'm nothing anymore. Nothing. Remember back in chapter one,
the third verse, the Bible said that Job was the greatest. of
all the men of the East. Now he says, I'm nothing. I'm
nothing. He hath destroyed me on every
side, and I'm gone. Destroyed me on every side. He
hadn't just interfered slightly in my life in one or two areas,
but he's destroyed me on every side. He's wrought me. And my hope hath he removed like
a tree. Removed it. He hadn't just trimmed
a few limbs on the tree. He hadn't just pruned me up a
little bit, but he's cranked the big saw and cut me off at the base. My hope hath he removed like
a tree. He's done me in totally. Then he hath also kindled his
wrath against me. God's mad at me. Well, I tell
you, Job's got a lot to say here. God's mad at me. It's very evident.
I don't know why. I don't believe he's justified
in it. but he's turned on me for some reason. He hath also kindled his wrath
against me. I've tried to be a friend to
the Lord. I've worshipped him. I've lived for him. I've served
him. I really feel like I have been his friend. But he counteth
me unto him as one of his enemies. The Lord's treating me like an
enemy. And he sent his army out after
me. Verse 12, his troops come together and raise up their way
against me and encamp round about my tabernacle. They wait for
me to do me in. I will tell you right now, he
has really laid out a charge against the Lord here. God's
turned on me for no reason. He's done me wrong. And these
seven verses we've talked about, verses 6 through 12, he speaks
openly and clearly that the Lord has done him wrong and turned
on him and betrayed him. And he's saying, I don't deserve
this. I deserve better than this. God is wrong to treat me like
this. Now all this wouldn't mean so
much to a heathen man in this world. He'd just curse God and
go his way. But for a child of the king, a man of Job's character, to
be convinced in his heart that God has done him wrong and betrayed him and turned on
him for no reason, I will tell you it's a low point indeed.
It's a low point. But it gets lower, it gets lower. To have a little encouragement
on the human level would help. He's convinced God's against
him. Now look what he says about people. He feels not only forsaken
of heaven, but forsaken of earth. Note with me in the next few
verses, beginning in verse 13. He mentions 10 relationships
that are lost. In verse 13, the first one is
brethren. And he's still charging God with
all this. He hath put my brethren far from
me. Those who should have cared most
are put far from me. Number two, he mentions acquaintances,
still in verse 13. And my acquaintance are very
estranged from me, cut off. They don't come around anymore
as if I've done something awful. And then number three, my kinfolk,
verse 14. My kinfolk have failed. They don't care. They avoid getting
involved with me and my trouble. And then number four, still in
verse 14, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. Familiar friends,
those who knew me the best, those who have promised so many times
to always be with me and be there for me. They've managed to forget
me. And then number five, the house guest. This is the
meaning of this statement in the Old Testament Hebrew. They that dwell in mine house,
verse 15, that is guest, a great man like Job, wealthy and influential,
You know he certainly must have had ample guest rooms and many
special guests and important people. And then number six, the maids,
still in verse 15. And my maids, they count me for
a stranger. I'm an alien in their sight.
Surely a great man like this, godly Job, Surely he would have
been good to his guests. Surely he would have been good
to his maids. But he says they treat me like
they don't even know me. Like I'm a stranger, like I'm
an alien. And then seven, his servant. Verse 16, I called for my servant. Being in the singular here, he
must be referring to his most trusted personal. servant. I called my servant and he gave
me no answer. I entreated him with my mouth.
Job could have said he's always been there for me. When I'd call,
he'd come. But now I've called and he won't
even answer me. He won't even help me. And then number eight, my wife.
Verse 17, my breath is strange to my wife, though I am treated
for the children's sake of mine own body. I think about this
with Job's wife. This is a time in ancient history
when polygamy was prevalent, and yet Job is never spoken of
as having but one wife. She's his one and only. There's
never been another. And yet he said she treats me
as a stranger. Though I'm treated for the children's
sake of my own body, that is, or my own loins, The children
that we had together, they're all dead back in chapter one.
But Job says concerning his wife, we had all this together. Our
children's birth, 10 of them. Their lives, 10 of them. And
we suffered together their loss, 10 of them. But now even she,
my companion, wants nothing to do with me. And then number nine, he mentions
young children, verse 18. Yea, young children despised
me. I rose and they spake against
me. Young children who would ordinarily
respect and show respect to such a gracious and godly man, he
says they despised me. Probably Job, being the man he
was, had supported some needy children and orphans, providing
food and clothing. But he says, now they despised
me. They spake against me. And then
number 10, my inward friends, verse 19. And that word inward
means intimate. All my inward or intimate friends
abhorred me. And they whom I loved are turned
against me. I loved them, and that makes
the hurt all the more painful. They abhorred me. They couldn't
stand the sight of me or the mention of my name. So Job feels
like he's forsaken of heaven and forsaken of earth. God hates
me. Men hate me. Job is at the lowest
of the low. And he tries to plead with his
friends. Verse 21, how pity upon me! How pity upon me, O ye my friends! For the hand of God hath touched
me. They said, yeah, we don't want
anything to do with you either. Low point. Low point. Having nothing. Having nobody. forsaken of heaven and earth
all alone. What a low point. But then in
verse 25 through 27 is the high point. The high point. This is the greatest expression
of faith in all Job's life. Now it's pretty easy to shout
when you're at the top. But he's at the bottom, I mean
rock bottom. But look what he says when faith
moves in. You see, it don't take God no
hundred years to turn things around. Nothing had turned around
on the outside yet, but in here it turned around. And it didn't
take God long. Look what he says, verse 25.
For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another,
though my reins be consumed within me. What a statement. You might think
that the high point in Job's life would have been in chapter
one where he's called perfect and upright and hates evil and
he has a wonderful family and friends and all men respect him
and honor him and he's very wealthy and it's before all these troubles
started. You would think that's the high point of his life, but
it's not. It's not. Or you might think the high point
of his life would be at the end, when the Lord has finally turned
things around, and he's been restored double everything that
he lost. But no, that's not the high point.
The high point is this outburst of faith. at such a time as this. When he's at his very lowest,
faith soars the highest. Why? Why? Because he's given up on everybody
but God. And that's needful for all of
us. It's very painful. but it's very needful. And so Job says, I don't know,
I don't understand all that's happened, but this I do know. I know that my Redeemer liveth. What a statement of faith. Job
lived in the days of the patriarchs, probably between 2,000 and 3,000
years before Christ. And he says, I know that my Redeemer
liveth, liveth, present tense. He's a settled believer in the
pre-existence of Christ. He's a settled believer in Christ's
certain and perfect redemption. I know that my Redeemer liveth. You know, to redeem means to
buy back. to ransom. Job has already said,
I don't know why I was sold out. I don't understand it. But I
do know this. I'm the Lord's. He will redeem
me. He will fix it all someday. The word used here for redeemer
is the Hebrew goel, G-O-E-L. meaning kinsman, a near kinsman. Job is saying there is one close
enough, there is one who cares enough to not forget me in the
end. This word goel, kinsman, redeemer,
you know it's used in the book of Ruth. Naomi's estate had been
lost. But according to law, she could
pay the price and buy it back. If she were financially able
to do so, of course she wouldn't. So the good man Boaz steps in,
a near kinsman, and he redeems for Naomi all her former estate. The law included marrying the
widowed daughter-in-law, Ruth. You know, Ruth was a Moabite.
accursed people. And one near kinsman had already
said, I can't do it lest I mark my own inheritance. I won't marry
a Moabite. But Boaz said, I'll do it. And I'll do it now. And he redeemed
the family and the estate. So Job here is saying, I don't
know how it happened. I know that all I once had is
gone, all I once was is gone, and there's nothing I can do
about it. But I know this, I have a Redeemer who lives. And He knows all and sees all. And He'll do His work one day. This Goel, Kinsman, Redeemer,
not only redeems by price, but by power. Remember back in Genesis,
Abraham had heard that his nephew Lot and his family had been taken
captive, prisoners of war. And as Lot's Goel, near Kinsman,
Abraham took it on himself and the servants of his house formed his own army. and went
to redeem Lot and his family by power. And the Bible says
that Abraham brought back all that had been lost. Job says,
I don't know how this has happened, I don't know why all this has
happened, but I'm in the same trouble Lot was in. I'm a captive,
I'm defenseless, I can't help myself, but I do know this, my
Redeemer will come. And he will stand at the latter
day upon the earth. That's what he says here. Now
I've heard that statement used many times by preachers to refer
to some future time. He's gonna come and stand upon
the earth in the latter day. But you see, when Job is speaking
this, Christ hadn't come the first time. And he's talking about his Redeemer.
So the reference is to Christ coming to redeem his people,
his first coming. Job's not referring to any specific
24-hour period as a day, the latter day. No, what he's saying
is, my Redeemer is coming, my Redeemer living, and he's gonna
stand, he's gonna stand in the latter day upon the earth. What he's saying is when hell
has done its best against him, and done its worst to Him, He'll stand. And when all else
has failed and all else has finished, He'll be the one left standing.
When all else is gone, my Redeemer will still be standing, and He'll
be standing for me, to represent me, to redeem me. Now Job, according to these verses,
you have to read it with me. If you got a Bible, you ought
to read it sometime. Job did not expect this redemption
before he died. Verse 26, he said, and though
after my skin worms destroy this body, So the redemption he refers to
is not to regain his health and wealth and position of respect
among men. That's not what he's talking
about. Oh, he's talking about my Redeemer. He's talking about
redemption from a sin nature, which is killing him. That's the kind I'm interested
in this morning. He is saying after I'm gone,
buried and forgotten by men. And this body has decayed and
the worms have eaten it. And there's nothing left of me
but millions of dust particles. My Redeemer will come. And when He comes, He's going
to conquer this thing of death. He's going to die and the worms
won't eat him, because there's no sin in him. And then he's
going to rise again, and because he's my Redeemer,
what he's done himself, he's going to do for me. He'll get
up, and he'll get me up. Is that not what Christ said?
Because I live, you shall live also. Paul said it like this
in Romans 8, 11, but if the spirit of him that raised Jesus from
the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth
in you. Job is saying even though I'm
about history for now, I'm on my way down, I'm on my way out
of here. I'm on my way so far down there'll be nothing left
of me but dust. But I'll be back. And I'll be
back in a body of sinless flesh. Life under His glorious body. And in my flesh shall I see God. I'll tell you right now, that's
some kind of a claim. Job could say at one time, according
to God's own testimony, I was the greatest of all the men of
the East. But I want to say to you that's
nothing, that's nothing, that's nothing compared to what I'm
going to be. My Redeemer will come and do
His work and bring me into a state of glory, including a glorified
body. I see something more than ever
in thinking along this line in John 6.37. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, not just all the persons, but all
of the persons. The redemption that Christ worked
for his people is to eventually climax in a redeemed whole person,
including the body, everything about us, mind, heart, will, everything
is gonna cooperate with God. What about that? That'll be something
new, won't it? I should say so. Mr. Spurgeon said, there shall not
be found in heaven one imperfect saint. There shall not be a saint
without an eye, without an arm, or a leg, much less without a
body. No member of the body shall have
perished, nor shall the body have lost any of its natural
beauty. All the saints shall be there,
and all of all, the same persons precisely, only they shall have
risen from a state of grace to a state of glory. They shall
be ripened. They shall be no more the green
blades, but the full corn in the ear. No more buds, but flowers. No more babes, but men. And Job goes on to say, I shall
see him, and he says, whom I shall see for myself. And mine eyes
shall behold, and not another. Note how personal this is to
Job, and it must be this personal to you, too, and to me. You see, it's not going to come
by mere report. I'm just not going to hear through
the grapevine what he's done on my behalf. No. I'll see for
myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another. though right
now my reigns be consumed within me." The reigns here means the
heart's desire, the affections. Job said, it's all consumed within
me. I'm about to throw in the towel
for now. I'm about history to this world. And I'll be gone
before my Redeemer comes. I'll be dust before he comes,
but my being gone and my being dust will not hinder him from
coming after me and restoring me to what I was
in him before the world was created. I've got to believe in a God
that big. I'm telling you right now, I don't have anything to
recommend me. I just don't know about you. Boy, I'm just glad
that he is who he is. I know my Redeemer liveth. So wherever you're at this morning,
and some of you are in some pretty scary places, the present picture is dark, and the future looks dark. And many of you question, where
can I turn Who's to be trusted in this hour? My friend, God is to be trusted. He alone knows where you are. And I find great comfort in that.
To lay down at night, knowing that God knows. He knows about all my mistakes
and blunders. He knows about all my weakness.
He knows about all my unfaithfulness, which I'm ashamed of. Yet he
loves me. He loves me. He's my Redeemer. And I want to say to you today,
it's not important that I die rich. It's not important that I die
with all men's respect, but it is important that I die
trusting in Christ, that He is, He is for me all
that God requires of me. He is my salvation. Oh, friend,
this morning, don't you understand that salvation is not just from
Christ and by Christ. He is, he is our salvation. Salvation is not a plan. It's
not a program. It's not a profession. Salvation
is a person. Jesus Christ. He that hath the son hath life.
He that hath not the son hath not life. He didn't say anything
else about whatever else you may have or not have in this
world. But he that hath the Son hath life. He's my salvation. And so this morning I can say
with Job, and I trust that you can, I know that my Redeemer
liveth, liveth. Let's stand.