Job's writings, if Job is the
writer, we think this is the oldest book
in the Bible. And we're not certain who recorded
it, but it goes by the name of Job. And one of the reasons why
we're so fond of this What this man has to say is because we're
certain, sure, positive, he was a believer. He knew the Lord. The Lord knew him. The Lord called
Job my servant. My servant. A righteous man. One who fears
God. I'd be happy for God to say that
about me, wouldn't you? My servant. my servant." That
settles any debate about when he was saved. Job was a man who worshipped
God under all circumstances when everything that he had was taken
away. It says that he rent his clothes,
fell down upon the ground and worshipped God, and said, Out of my mother's womb and naked
I shall return. The Lord gave and the Lord hath
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
And Job was a man who spoke for God. I want you to turn with
me to Job 42. Now the Lord rebuked Job's friends. And he said this about Job in
chapter 42, verse 7. And it was so that after the
Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphas,
the Tenomite, My wrath is kindled against thee and against our
two friends, for you have not spoken of me the thing that is
right. as Job my servant hath." Isn't that something? People who claim to speak for
God do not always speak the thing that's right. He said, the thing,
have not spoken of me, the thing that's right. Who is God? His glory, His attributes, His
majesty, His justice, His love, all. But Job has spoken of me. the thing that's right. And then
I pointed out to you yesterday that Job was a man of great trial,
and yet he persevered through the trial, endured the trial,
and God blessed him. James writes about it in James
5, when he would give us an example of perseverance and endurance
and patience James reaches back to Job, and he says in James
5, verse 11, "...Behold, we count them happy which endure. For
he that endureth to the end shall be saved." You have heard of
the patience of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord.
That is the end of the trial. the mercy and grace of God to
Job after that trial was ended, that the Lord is very pitiful
and of tender mercies. But Job was a man. It's like James said about Elijah,
a man of like passions. And before we look at Job 14
tonight, I want us to look at Job 13 for a few moments and
see and hear what Job has to say to his friends. And then
my message is entitled, Job Speaks to God. Job speaks to God. Now these
friends who did not speak, God said of him that which was right. When Job was going through this
Terrible, terrible, difficult time. They were hard on him.
And Job got angry with them. And he said in verse 1 of Job
13, "'Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard
and understood it. What you know, the same do I
know also. I am not inferior to you. Surely
I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God."
We're going to hear him in a few moments when he speaks to God.
But you're forgers of lies. You're all physicians of no value.
Oh, that you would all together hold your peace, and it would
be your wisdom to shut up. That's what he said. Isn't that
something? "...Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleading of
my lips, Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully
for Him? Will you accept His person? Will
you contend for God? Is it good that He should search
you out? Or as one man mocketh another,
do ye so mock him? He will surely reprove you. If
you do secretly accept persons, you look on the outward countenance.
That's what Job's saying to them. You don't look on the heart.
And you accept a man for what he says, what he appears to be,
not what he is. You secretly accept persons.
Shall not his excellency make you afraid, and his dread fall
upon you? Your remembrances are like unto
ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay. Hold your peace. Let me alone, that I may speak,
that I may speak, and let come on me what will. Wherefore do
I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine own hand? Though he slay me, yet will I
trust in him." Isn't that beautiful? But I will maintain mine own
ways before him. He also shall be my salvation,
for a hypocrite shall not come before him. God looks on the
heart. Now hear diligently my speech
and my declaration with your ears. Behold, now I have ordered
my cause. I know that I shall be justified.
Who is he that will plead with me? For now, if I hold my tongue,
If I don't speak, I'll give up the ghost. It'll kill me if I
don't speak." Now, he's going to speak to God. And I read it carefully today
and sought the meaning of what he's saying, and I believe I
can help us. Verse 20, he ceases now from
addressing his friends, and he speaks to God. "'Only do not
two things unto me. Then will I not hide myself from
thee. Here's what he's saying. Lord,
grant two conditions to me. Don't deprive me of these two
things. Grant two conditions and then I'll not hide myself
from thee. The first condition, verse 21,
is this. Withdraw thy hand far from me. He didn't want God to leave him.
Here's what he's saying, take this trial away. You see, Job
had lost everything. Satan had afflicted him. He'd
lost all ten children, all of his possessions, everything,
even his friends had turned against him. And then Satan came before
the Lord again and he said, the Lord said, if you consider my
servant Job, he said, skin for skin. He said, you've taken away
what he has, but you touch his body and he'll curse you. And
then God told Satan, he's in your hands only, don't kill him.
And he did everything but kill him. He afflicted him with boils
from his head to his feet. And this man had lost all of
his friends, all of his family, all of his possessions and his
health. And he was sitting there, scraping his skin with a potsherd
because of boils. all over him. And then these
friends had come and sat around him for seven days and didn't
open their mouth. And then they began to charge
him with all manner of things, saying, evidently you're a wicked
man or God wouldn't let this happen to you. Evidently you've
committed some great sin or God wouldn't let this happen to you.
On and on and on. Now he says, the Lord grant me
two things. Withdraw your hand. Take your
hand off me. See that? Verse 21, take this
trial and suffering from me. And let not thy dread make me
afraid. Here's the second request, and
free me from this fear and dread of you which has possessed my
mind through this trial, this confusion and fear and dread. Take your hand. of suffering
off me, lift the burden, and free me from this dread and fear
of you which has possessed my mind and my heart. And then,
verse 22, then call thou, call me, speak to me, and I'll answer. Or let me speak, and you answer
me. Verse 23, so he speaks too. How many are mine iniquities
and my sins that such sorrow has come to me? How many are
they? Make me to know my transgression and my sin. Make me to know what
I've done to bring such anger and wrath and suffering and affliction
and sorrow into my life. Tell me. Tell me. Job knew that all men were sinners. He knew that. He wasn't professing
to be without sin. He wasn't ignorant of the nature
and extent of Adam's fall and sin. But what he's saying here,
he says, what are my great iniquities and sins that have caused thine
anger and thy judgment to fall upon me? Make me to know what
it is. Let me know. Wherefore hidest
thou thy face? Verse 24. Why do you hide your
face from me as if you were offended? Why do you hold me for your enemy?
Why do you alienate me as if I were your enemy? David said
that one time. He said, Lord, are you clean
gone? Why don't you speak? Why don't
you visit us in mercy? Why do you hide your face? Why
do you treat me like an enemy? Listen to verse 25. Will you, wilt thou God, Almighty
God, break a leaf driven to and fro? Will you, Almighty God,
break and crush and harass and frighten a poor, helpless leaf
that's blown in the wind? That's all I am. I'm nothing.
Just a leaf that's fallen off a tree and blown through the
wind and you crush it and break it. Will you break a leaf driven
to and fro? Will you pursue and search out
and trouble the dry stubble?" That's all I am, just a dry chaff
of stubble being blown across the desert. And yet, you pursued
me. He's speaking his mind. He said, He's my salvation. A hypocrite
can't come before Him, and Job's not a hypocrite here. He's saying
what's on his mind. He said, why do you crush me
like I'm just a leaf blown in the wind? I'm just a dry stubble
blown across the desert. Why is the Almighty God pursuing
me? Verse 26, Thou writest bitter
things against me. You say nothing of my faith,
my confidence in Thee, but you write bitter things against me
and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth. You cause
me to be accountable now for sins of my youthful ignorance
and weakness." Why do you do that? Bring to my mind all the things
that have happened through my life, he said, and cause them
to possess me, my thoughts. Verse 27, you put my feet in
the stocks. Prolong the agony. That's what
they used to do. They used to take a person who
has offended and put their feet and their hands in stocks so
they can't move. They can't escape their trial,
can't escape their pain, and can't escape the pressures. But they have to stay right there
and continue to bear this trial. You put my feet in stocks. I
can't move. I can't get out from under the
sorrow and trouble. And you look as narrowly unto
all my paths. You critically observe my path. And you set as a print upon the
heels of my feet. You set a limit around the soles
of my feet, which I cannot overstep. I'm kept in this state. I can't
get out of it. That's what he said. In verse 28, and he speaks of
himself as, and he, this man, as a rotten thing consumeth.
He said, like the dry leaf and the stubble, I'm wasting away. Consumeth. This frail and weak
man is wasting away, he said. And as a garment that is moth-eaten,
like a dusty, moth-eaten garment, falls to pieces, he said, that's
the condition I'm in. Like a garment that's moth-eaten,
ragged, and you hold it up, it just falls to pieces, never to
be recovered. And now he gets into this chapter,
listen. And this is Job still speaking
to the Father. And he asks six questions. Powerful,
powerful questions. He says in verse 1, man that's
born of a woman. Man is born of a woman. God's
not. God is Spirit. We're made flesh, born of a woman. God is Spirit. Man is a few days. God's eternal. Man's full of trouble, sin, heartache. God's holy and righteous, untouchable, dwelling in a light of glory
to which no man can approach, perfectly holy. Man comes forth
like a flower and is cut down. God is sovereign, the same yesterday,
today, and forever. No beginning of days or end of
days. Man fleeth as a shadow, a vapor,
no substance. Any substance to a vapor? Any substance to a shadow? And continues not. Just a blade
of grass that appears for a little time and is gone, and the place
thereof shall know it no more." God is in the heavens. The heaven
of heavens cannot contain Him. The earth is His footstool. Oh, the distance between this
garment, mouth-eaten, that's consumed and fallen apart. and the glorious majesty, beauty
and holiness of God. That's thee and this is me. Now
then, do you open your eyes upon such a one? Does God even look in the direction
of such a one? Does God even regard or is He
mindful of such a one? Does God take notice of such
a one? David said, when I consider the
heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, the things that thou hast
made, What is man that thou art even mindful of? Did you ever
think like that? Job thinks this way. This is
his true thoughts. This is man's whole innermost
being is opened here before God. Well, he knows the answer, but
he doesn't give it. But I will. Job knew the answer. Does God
open his eyes upon such a one? He said, I know my Redeemer liveth. And on this earth shall stand.
In the latter days shall stand on this earth. And though after
my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I'll see my God. Write that in a book. Write it
on my tombstone forever. I know my Redeemer liveth. And
that's the chief proof, the greatest proof that God is mindful of
us, is His mercy and love to sinners in Christ Jesus. That's
the proof of it. Dost thou open thine eyes upon
such a one?" Yes. Herein is love. We didn't love
God. He loved us. He loved us and
gave His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Yes, Job, God loves you. If you
could have listened in to that conversation between your father
and Satan, you would have known Have you considered my servant
Job? There's none like him, God said. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into this world
to save crushed leaves, dry stubble,
such a one, such a one as I and you. And then he asked a second question
based on the same argument, the frailty, sinfulness, wretchedness
of human flesh. And he said in verse 3, "...bringest
me into judgment with thee?" "...bringest me into judgment
in your company?" John Gill said Job was no match for God. Frail,
weak. sinful, mortal creature. God is not a man as Job was.
And this puzzled Job that he and God should come together.
That he and God... Do you bring me together with
you into judgment? John Gill said that God and Job
should come together in matters of judgment and righteousness
and contend together upon the foot of strict justice and righteousness. Job said, how can that be? Sinful
man can never be just with God. Job said, look at chapter 15,
verse 14, what is man that he should be clean? He that is born
of a woman that he should be righteous. God puts no trust
in His saints. The heavens are not clean in
His sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man that drinks
iniquity like water? David said, the ungodly shall
not stand in the judgment. David said, Lord, if thou shouldst
mark iniquity, who would stand? And yet, here's the situation.
Man is sinful and corrupt. God's eye of love and mercy is
upon him. And God will bring that man into
judgment with him before the holy law of God, before the strict
justice of God. He'll bring that man with Him
and justify Him and find Him before the law and
the righteousness and holiness and justice of God, not guilty, and receive Him unto Himself
as righteous and holy. You bring me into judgment with
thee? Yes, sir. Yes, sir, that's why He sent
the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill that very thing, to bring us
to God. Christ suffered the just for
the unjust to bring us with Him in the judgment. Unto Him that's able to present
you faultless. holy, without blame, in His presence. Where'll that be? Judgment. Pointed unto me, wants
to die. After that, judgment. And you
bring me into judgment with thee? Oh, my. And then, he asked this
next question. He said, here's the problem. Who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean? Not one. We can't. We can't. But He can. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from all sin, makes us holy before God. I asked the people at Mary's
funeral yesterday when I spoke from Job. And I read where he said, I know
that my Redeemer liveth. Job had a Redeemer. He had an
advocate. He had an intercessor. He had
a high priest. And I asked them, whom do you
have? If you don't have Christ, what is your hope? Who is your
hope? This Redeemer that Job spoke
about, who else can it be other than Christ? Of whom Moses wrote,
who else can it be but Christ? To whom Abraham looked, who else
can it be but Christ? Well, if you don't have Christ,
whom do you have? Who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean? No one can but Christ. And He
can. He can. God set him forth to
be the propitiation for our sins. And then he says in verse 5,
Seeing or since man's days are determined, and the number of
his months are wholly in your control, with thee, wholly in
your control, and you have appointed his bounds, you have allotted
his time, he cannot pass, Verse 6, talking about himself now,
Oh God, turn from him, turn from me, cease to afflict me, and
let me rest. Until I have accomplished as
a hired hand my appointed day. You see what he's saying? You
go back to verse 28 of chapter 13, and he says, and he as a
rotten thing, Consumeth as a garment that is moth-eaten. He's talking
about himself. Now here he's saying the same thing in verse
5. He's talking about himself when he says, this man. And he
says, seeing this man's days are determined, and the number
of his months are wholly in your control, and he cannot pass.
He cannot. You've appointed his bounds,
and he can't pass the bounds of his allotted time. O God,
turn from him that he may rest. cease to afflict him, and let
him rest until his appointed time." He's accomplished as a
hireling, as a man hired to do all day's work, his day. There's hope of a tree, if it
be cut down, that it will sprout again, that the tender branch
thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old
in the earth, and the stalk thereof die in the ground, yet Through
the scent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a
plant. You've seen a tree that's fallen
over, in a swampy land especially. The tree's perished, it's dead. But the sun shines on it and
the rain falls on it and sprouts. Sprouts come out of that tree.
But now man, it's a different story. Man dies and wasteth away. He dies and from the moment he
dies, the moment his spirit leaves his body, it's cold and lifeless. It begins to decay because you
have to get a body in the ground. If you don't embalm it, you've
got to get it in the ground in 24 hours. In most countries,
because of the decay, there's no hope of that body If it's
dead, if life is gone, it can't be restored. It cannot live again. That's what he's saying. He said,
man dies and wasteth away. Man giveth up the ghost. And
where is he? Now listen to me a minute. And I believe I said this over
in Patty's service. Our Lord Jesus said to His disciples, Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe in me. In my Father's house are
many mansions, is the word in the King James. It's not natural
mind when they read that scripture, in my Father's house are many
mansions, they think about palaces and castles and build me a mansion
over the hilltop, that sort of foolishness. That's not what
Christ is saying. He's saying in my Father's house
are many dwelling places. And I go to prepare a place for
you, a dwelling place. I go to the cross, I go to the
tomb, I go to the right hand of God to prepare for you a dwelling
place. When you leave this body, this
house of clay, this tabernacle, Paul wrote about it in 2 Corinthians.
We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be decayed,
rotted, perished, folded up as a garment, put away, we have
a dwelling place. Paul uses the word building.
We have a building. What use would I have for a mansion
or a constructed castle if I don't have anything to dwell in it?
See what I'm saying? My body is down here. But I'm
going to have a dwelling place, a building not made with hands,
eternal, that won't die, that won't corrupt, that won't perish.
It's not a tent, it's a building. And that's the dwelling place.
And that's what Christ is talking about in John 14. I go to prepare
a place in my Father's house of many dwelling places. And
when this tent falls apart and decays and goes back to the dust,
I go to dwell in that dwelling place, that perfect man conformed
to the image of Christ. I enter into my dwelling place. And this is what Job's asking,
this is what I'm saying. And I think Job, I don't know whether he could
have handled it like you and I can, we've got more revelation.
But he knew. You read on, let's read on. As the waters fail from the sea,
and the flood decayeth and withereth and dryeth up, so man lieth down
and riseth not till the heavens be no more. They shall not awake
nor be raised out of their sleep. Oh, now watch it, that thou wouldest
hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret until
thy wrath is passed. that thou wouldst appoint me
a set time and remember me. If a man dies, shall he live
again?" Now listen, all the days of my appointed time. I've already
said, Lord, You've appointed my bounds, set my time. I'm going
to wait till my change comes. Oh yes, he knew that. My change
is coming. We shall not all sleep, but we
shall be changed. This corruptible must put on
incorruption. This mortal put on immortality. In a moment, in a twinkling of
an eye, at the last trumpet, we'll be changed. My change is
coming. You call, you'll call, and I'll
answer. I will answer. Thou will have a
desire. to the work of thy hands." What
is God's work? Our Lord Jesus said to His Mary
and Joseph, I must be about my Father's work, my Father's business. I must work the works of Him
that sent me while it's day. And I cometh when no man can
work. The works that I do are not my work, but my Father that
sent me. We are God's workmanship. What
is His work? It's to redeem a people, to make
a people like Christ, to populate heaven, to have a kingdom wherein
dwelleth righteousness. And he's going to have the desire
of the work of his hands. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. And he says, you're going to
call me And you're going to call every other believer, every other
sheep, every other elect, every other child. You're going to
call, and we're going to answer. Because God will have a desire
to the work of His hands. It will be done. It will be done. I looked at
this verse here, verse 16. He's so much like us. I wish
we were more like him. But he'll ask a question that
he won't answer, and then he'll ask one he will answer, and later
on he will answer that other one. And he's a man of faith,
and a man of godliness, and a man who loved God, but a man who
didn't understand. And he let the Lord know he didn't
understand. And he says here, listen, O Lord,
you number my steps. You number my steps. The steps of a righteous man
are ordered by the Lord to good and glory. But do you not also
see and number my sins? No. Verse 17. God watches every step we take
because our steps are ordered by the Lord. And I don't mean
just... I mean when you're sitting still, you're still walking.
course of life. Thoughts, plans, desires, ambitions,
so forth. God orders. He numbers my steps. Job says, you count my steps,
the hairs on my head are numbered. Do you not also number my sins? No. My transgression is sealed
up in a bag, sewed up, tightly bound. and cast into the depths
of the sea. Remember it no more. Isn't that
marvelous? God sees every move we make,
every breath we take, every thought we think, every word we speak,
and yet, He does not number my sins. I'm so glad. He does not number my sins. Because
they're all sealed up in a bag. And Christ bore them to the cross
and paid for them and put them away. Isn't that something? Let's
close with reading in Micah. Passage over here in Micah chapter
7. In Micah. Don't you love to listen in when
a man like that's talking to God? I do. I've read most of
that. book today, just reading chapter
12, chapter 13. Listen to him talk to God. Talk
to those friends. Talk to God. Learn so much. He says in Micah chapter 7, verse
18, Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and
passeth by the transgressions of the rendement of his heritage,
He retains not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy.
He will turn again. He will turn again. He will have
compassion on us. He will subdue our iniquities.
And he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Does
he number my transgression? No, sir. Cast them into the depths
of the sea. And Paul wrote and remembers
them no more. All right. Thank you for your
attention. I hope that's a blessing.