Calvary
Chapel Bible College
April
13, 2022
Homework
Memorize Job 31:1 (in NKJV)
(Job 31:1 NKJV) “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young
woman?
Having chewed on this, is there something you’ve learned?
Has it come back to your remembrance at all this week when you might have
been tempted?
Introduction
Job is going through the worst time anyone could imagine.
He’s lost all his possessions.
His children have died.
His health has failed.
What makes all this even more confusing is that Job is a good guy.
God has decided to allow Job to go through this difficulty because He is
proud of Job, not mad at him.
God wants to show the world what a godly man will do when he is going
through a difficult time.
Keep a couple of things in mind as we study Job:
Sometimes Job is wrong in his conclusions.
Sometimes Job’s friends are also wrong.
They can even say things that are true, but they are just not true about
Job.
Be careful about building doctrine upon some of the things said in the book
of Job.
Neither Job’s words nor those of his friends are meant to build doctrinal
truths on.
They simply show us how people respond to difficulty.
Job and his three friends have been debating back and forth for quite a
while, trying to figure out why Job has had so much trouble.
We’re now going to hear from a fourth person.
33:1-5 Elihu’s Anger
:1 So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous
in his own eyes.
:2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family
of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified
himself rather than God.
:3 Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had
found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
:2 Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite
Elihu – ‘Eliyhuw
– “He is my God”
We see some more tie-ins with the time of Abraham.
Elihu’s dad is a “Buzite”, which means he was probably a descendant of
Abraham’s nephew “Buz” (Gen. 22:21).
(Genesis 22:20–22
NKJV) —20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham,
saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Huz his
firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed,
Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
Buz had an older brother named “Uz” (in NIV).
Job lived in the “land of Uz” (Job 1:1)
(Job 1:1 NKJV) There was a
man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless
and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
:4 Now because they were years older than he,
Elihu had waited to speak to Job.
Elihu wasn’t as old as the other friends, so out of respect he’s waited for
them to finish.
:5 When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these
three men, his wrath was aroused.
:5 his wrath was aroused
After listening to these debates go on and on, Elihu is angry with both
sides.
He’s angry with Job because while defending himself against all his
friends’ accusations, he has been accusing God of doing wrong.
It wasn’t wrong for Job to defend himself from false accusations, because
he actually was a righteous man in God’s sight.
Job’s problem was in thinking that God was unfair to him.
He’s also angry with Job’s friends for accusing Job of some hidden sin
without having any proof of it.
32:6-14 Elihu: Waiting to speak
:6 So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: “I am
young in years, and you are very old; Therefore
I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you.
:7 I said, ‘Age should speak, And multitude of
years should teach wisdom.’
:8 But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty
gives him understanding.
:8 the breath of the Almighty … understanding
God can speak to and teach a young person as well as an old person.
Older people are supposed to have wisdom.
Yet God can speak just as easily to a young person, like Elihu.
When Eli was the high priest, God did something unusual. He spoke to a child.
(1 Samuel 3:1–4
NKJV) —1 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread
revelation. 2 And it came
to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when
his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3 and before
the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was
lying down, 4 that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered,
“Here I am!”
God picked out a three year old to speak to
because no one else was available.
Joel says something unusual will happen in the last days …
(Joel 2:28 NKJV) “And it
shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men
shall see visions.
:9 Great men are not always wise, Nor do
the aged always understand justice.
:9 Great men are not always wise
Though old age is supposed to be a place where you find wisdom, yet our
Supreme Court, filled with older men and women, does not always do what is
wise.
Lesson
Real Wisdom
Paul records what happens when men refuse to acknowledge the truth about
God that is right before their eyes:
(Romans 1:18–28
NLT) —18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked
people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know
the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever
since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through
everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal
power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for
not knowing God. 21
Yes,
they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks.
And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result,
their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead
of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look
like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God
abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a
result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded
the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and
served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of
eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the
women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex
with each other. 27
And
the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust
for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as
a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they
deserved. 28 Since they
thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish
thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
Paul had seen it happen in his day. We see it happen in
our day. There is nothing new.
Please listen to me – I am not condoning those who express “hatred” towards
gay people. Just the opposite. Even though their behavior is offensive to
God, it is just as offensive as adultery, fornication, lying, and greed.
The Bible says,
(1 Corinthians
6:9–11 NLT) —9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the
Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who
worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice
homosexuality, 10
or
are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat
people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you
were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made
right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the
Spirit of our God.
Jesus came to this world to show that God loved the world
so much He would do whatever it took to save men, and so Jesus died for
us. He died for the sins of the whole
world.
:10 “Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.’
:11 Indeed I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while
you searched out what to say.
:12 I paid close attention to you; And surely not one of you convinced Job,
Or answered his words—
:13 Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom’; God will vanquish him, not man.
:14 Now he has not directed his words against me; So
I will not answer him with your words.
:14 I will not answer him with your words
He’s not going to say the same kinds of things to Job that the others have.
Job’s friends were of the opinion that Job was
having trouble because of some sort of secret sin.
Elihu is going to take a different approach.
32:15-22 Elihu: I have to speak
:15 “They are dismayed and answer no more; Words escape them.
Job’s other three “friends” had not been able to figure out Job’s problem.
:16 And I have waited, because they did not speak, Because
they stood still and answered no more.
If you recall, Zophar didn’t give a third speech, and when it was time for
another round of debates, the three friends had grown silent
and Job had continued on with his discourse. (Job
27:1)
:17 I also will answer my part, I too will declare
my opinion.
:18 For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.
:19 Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent; It is
ready to burst like new wineskins.
:19 like wine that has no vent
Wine was fermented in leather skin bags. As it fermented, the wine produces
CO2.
New wineskins might be flexible and stretch a little, but if the gas didn’t
have a way to vent, the bag could burst.
Note: Just because you feel “compelled” to speak,
sometimes it’s still better to keep your mouth shut. I think Elihu is an example of this.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt this same “compelled to speak”, but later regretted that I had said anything.
Chuck used to say, “Better to keep silent and let them think you’re a fool
than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt”
:20 I will speak, that I may find relief; I must
open my lips and answer.
:21 Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone; Nor let me flatter any
man.
:22 For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take
me away.
:21 Let me not …show partiality
Though these other men are older than Elihu and deserve a measure of
respect, he is not going to go overboard and just flatter them.
He is simply going to speak the truth as best as he knows.
What Elihu says here is good.
Lesson
Equal treatment
(keyword)
We do need to be careful about giving certain people “special” treatment.
(James 2:1–9 NLT)
—1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in
our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? 2 For example,
suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive
jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give
special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor
one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this
discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? 5 Listen to
me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be
rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to
those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and
drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you
bear? 8 Yes indeed,
it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your
neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin.
You are guilty of breaking the law.
Another word for this is “partiality”
We ought to treat all people the same because we have all
been made by the same Creator.
Illustration
There once was a young pastor who thought a bit too much of himself who was
going to teach the children’s lesson at church.
He told the children about sheep, that they weren’t smart and needed lots
of guidance, and that a shepherd’s job was to stay close to the sheep, protect
them from wild animals and keep them from wandering off and doing dumb things
that would get them hurt or killed. He pointed to the little children in the
room and said that they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance. Then the
minister put his hands out to the side, palms up in a dramatic gesture, and
with raised eyebrows said to the children, “If you are the sheep then who is
the shepherd?” He was pretty obviously indicating
himself. A silence of a few seconds followed. Then a young visitor said,
“Jesus, Jesus is the shepherd.” The young minister, obviously caught by
surprise, said to the boy, “Well, then, who am I?” The little boy frowned
thoughtfully and then said with a shrug “I guess you must be a sheep dog.””
Be careful about expecting people to treat you differently. Be careful about treating others differently
depending on who they are.
33:1-7 Elihu: Listen Job
:1 “But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to
all my words.
:2 Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth.
:3 My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure
knowledge.
:4 The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me
life.
:5 If you can answer me, Set your words in
order before me; Take your stand.
:5 If you can answer me
Elihu is challenging Job to answer the things he’s about to say. It’s interesting to note that Job never gets
a chance to answer Elihu.
God will interrupt Elihu and take over the conversation.
I used to wonder if Elihu was just speaking for God and that God simply
finishes Elihu’s discourse, but now I’m beginning to wonder if God just wanted
all the debating to stop.
:6 Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed
out of clay.
:6 I am as your spokesman before God
Earlier Job had cried,
(Job 9:33 NKJV) Nor is there
any mediator between us, Who may lay his
hand on us both.
It sounds as if he saying that he is Job’s answer
to prayer for someone to talk to God for him.
:7 Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will
my hand be heavy on you.
Because Elihu is just a man, Job doesn’t have to be afraid of him.
33:8-13 Elihu: Don’t accuse God
:8 “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard
the sound of your words, saying,
Vs. 9-11 are Elihu’s recounting of the kinds of things Job has been saying.
:9 ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there
is no iniquity in me.
:9 I am pure, without transgression
Actually, this is not exactly what Job had
claimed.
It was Zophar who had claimed that this was Job’s position (11:4).
(Job 11:4 NKJV) For you have
said, ‘My doctrine
is pure, And I am
clean in your eyes.’
Though Job defended his integrity, he never claimed to be perfect (9:20-21).
(Job 9:20–21 NLT)
—20 Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty.
Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked. 21 “I am innocent, but it makes no
difference to me— I despise my life.
:10 Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy;
:11 He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all
my paths.’
:11 He puts my feet in the stocks
Job did made these kinds of claims about God (13:27). He accused God of being out to get him.
Elihu now gets back to his discourse after having quoted Job’s complaints.
(Job 13:27 NKJV) You put my
feet in the stocks, And watch closely all my paths. You set a
limit for the soles of my feet.
:12 “Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God
is greater than man.
:13 Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any
of His words.
:13 Why do you contend with Him?
This is indeed one of Job’s problems.
He’s accused God of being unfair and has been “fighting” with God over
this.
God Himself will say to Job:
(Job 40:2 NLT) “Do you
still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have
the answers?”
Lesson
God doesn’t owe you an answer
I own a 2016 Honda Civic.
It is bought and paid for.
Let’s say I choose to paint it orange-ish.
Do you have the right to come up to me and say, “How dare you paint that
car orange”?
No, because it’s my car, not yours.
God is the Creator of the Universe.
He owns it.
We often argue with God over how we think He’s doing, but it’s kind of
silly for us to argue with God. He’s
God.
(Romans 9:20–21
NLT) —20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with
God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have
you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to
use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw
garbage into?
We are the clay and we don’t really have the right to challenge what the
potter makes of us.
Do you have a problem with that?
The biggest problem we have is not actually in how God has
made us, but of how little we understand of what God is really doing.
Does this mean that God will never answer our questions?
Not at all. He is kind and
compassionate.
But ultimately, if He chooses to keep you in the dark, you
need to be okay with that.
33:14-18 Elihu: God does speak
:14 For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet
man does not perceive it.
:15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, When
deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their
beds,
:16 Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.
:14 God may speak
Lesson
Can you hear Me now?
Job had been saying something like, “Why is God silent?” or “Why doesn’t
God tell me what’s going on?”
Elihu is going to give Job two ways that God speaks.
Elihu is reminding us that sometimes God speaks through dreams or
visions.
See if you can understand what this dream is about…
Video: Bacon Dream
Is anyone hungry for bacon???
Do you remember those Verizon commercials from back in 2002?
God is not silent. He speaks. The question is, are we listening?
Illustration
The Job Applicant
Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance
communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator.
Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was
listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and
clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the
receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait
until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man filled out his form and sat
down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes,
the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and
walked right in. Naturally the other
applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among
themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young
man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified. Within a few minutes, however, the employer
escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants,
“Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been
filled.” The other applicants began
grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, “Wait a minute, I don’t
understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be
interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair!” The employer said, “I’m sorry, but all the
time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following
message in Morse Code: ‘If you understand this message, then come right in. The
job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The
job is his.”
You may wonder at times if God still speaks today like He did in times
past. I’d like to suggest that He speaks
more than we realize. We just aren’t
listening.
:17 In order to turn man from his deed, And
conceal pride from man,
:18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the
sword.
:18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit
God speaks to keep men from going to hell.
33:19-28 Elihu: Chastening helps us
:19 “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain
in many of his bones,
:20 So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food.
:19 chastened with pain
chastened – yakach – rebuke, reprove, correct
; to be chastened
Lesson
Correction in trials
The second way God speaks is through difficult times.
Sometimes God allows difficulty in our lives to keep us from going astray,
to keep us from sinning.
Paul learned this lesson with his “thorn” in the flesh.
(2 Corinthians
12:7–10 NKJV) —7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the
revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to
buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with
the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said
to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast
in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I
take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in
distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Sometimes it’s not a full blown trial like Job’s
but just a little inconvenience that saves us.
I’ve been caught behind little old ladies in traffic and grown impatient,
only to realize that if I hadn’t been driving slow I
would have been broadsided in an intersection.
God speaks to us through pain.
In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis says, “God whispers to us in our
pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His
megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
Even though this is true for some of us going through trials, this isn’t
the case with Job.
Yes, Job will grow and mature in this trial, but mostly God just wants to
show the universe that Job will still trust Him even when his life falls apart.
:21 His flesh wastes away from sight, And his
bones stick out which once were not seen.
:22 Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners.
:23 “If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness,
:24 Then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to
the Pit; I have found a ransom’;
:25 His flesh shall be young like a child’s, He shall return to the days of
his youth.
:23 If there is a messenger for him
God can speak through dreams, through trials, and now through a messenger.
messenger – mal’ak – messenger, representative; angel
(Job 33:23 NLT) “But if an
angel from heaven appears…
The problem with messengers is you need to be sure it’s a legitimate
“messenger”
Perhaps Elihu is suggesting that he is a “messenger” for Job. The question
is … is he “legitimate”?
:26 He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face
with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness.
:27 Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what
was right, And it did not profit me.’
:28 He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And
his life shall see the light.
:26 He shall pray to God
Elihu, like the other friends is suggesting that
if Job would just pray, admit
his sin, then everything will be okay.
33:29-33 Elihu: Chastening for our good
:29 “Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact,
three times with a man,
:30 To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he
may be enlightened with the light of life.
:31 “Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak.
:32 If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify
you.
:33 If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”
It doesn’t seem that Elihu gives Job much of a chance to speak up.
Break
34:1-9 Elihu: Job wrongly accuses God
:1 Elihu further answered and said:
:2 “Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me, you who have
knowledge.
:2 Hear my words, you wise men
It seems the Elihu is now addressing Job’s “friends”.
:3 For the ear tests words As the palate tastes
food.
:4 Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is
good.
:5 “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my justice;
:6 Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though
I am without transgression.’
:6 Should I lie concerning my right?
(Job 34:6 NLT) I am
innocent, but they call me a liar.
Job’s friends wanted him to admit he had sinned. But Job said that if he did, he’d have to lie
about it.
:7 What man is like Job, Who drinks
scorn like water,
:8 Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men?
:9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing That he should delight in
God.’
:7 Who drinks scorn like water
Elihu admits that Job had taken one abusive criticism after another.
(Job 34:7 The
Message) Have you ever heard anything to beat this? Does nothing
faze this man Job?
34:10-15 Elihu: God isn’t wicked
:10 “Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to
do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit
iniquity.
:11 For He repays man according to his work, And
makes man to find a reward according to his way.
:12 Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert
justice.
:12 God will never do wickedly
(you will be memorizing this verse this week)
Lesson
God is good
Elihu is absolutely correct on this.
God isn’t wicked.
(1 John 1:5 NKJV) This is the
message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and
in Him is no darkness at all.
We may not understand all that God allows in our lives,
but He is not wicked.
James wrote,
(James 1:13–14
NKJV) —13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God
cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires
and enticed.
The problem with sin is always on man’s side of things,
not God’s.
:13 Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who
appointed Him over the whole world?
:14 If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself
His Spirit and His breath,
:15 All flesh would perish together, And man would
return to dust.
:14-15 His breath … All flesh would perish
Our life depends on the very breath of God.
He holds our “breath” in His hands.
If God wanted to, He could let go and we’d all die and turn to dust.
Paul said to the men of Athens:
(Acts 17:24–25
NKJV) —24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of
heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He
worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all
life, breath, and all things.
Daniel warned proud Belshazzar about mocking God:
(Daniel 5:23 NKJV) And you have
lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of
His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines,
have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold,
bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the
God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you
have not glorified.
Paul wrote:
(Colossians 1:17
NLT) He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation
together.
34:16-30 Elihu: God is impartial
:16 “If you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my
words:
:17 Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is
most just?
How could God continue to govern the universe if He hates justice?
:18 Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’ And
to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
:19 Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He
regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His
hands.
:19 He is not partial to princes
He does not play favorites with people who might have titles like “prince”.
God does not show partiality.
:20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken
and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand.
:21 “For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps.
:22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity
may hide themselves.
:23 For He need not further consider a man, That
he should go before God in judgment.
:24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in
their place.
:25 Therefore He knows their works; He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
:26 He strikes them as wicked men In the
open sight of others,
:27 Because they turned back from Him, And would
not consider any of His ways,
:28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears
the cry of the afflicted.
:28 He hears the cry of the afflicted
Elihu has said that God will have no mercy for wicked me, but God cares
about those who are afflicted.
James warned the rich people who take advantage of their workers:
(James 5:4 NKJV) Indeed the
wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry
out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
:29 When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His
face, who then can see Him, Whether it is
against a nation or a man alone?—
:30 That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared.
34:31-37 Elihu: Job is wrong
:31 “For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastening; I
will offend no more;
:32 Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do
no more’?
:31 I will offend no more
(Job 34:31–32 NLT)
—31 “Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned, but I will sin no
more’? 32 Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me. If I have done
wrong, I will stop at once’?
Elihu wonders why people going through difficulty don’t just admit that
they were wrong and learn their lesson?
:33 Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not
I; Therefore speak what you know.
:33 according to your terms
(Job 34:33 NLT) “Must God
tailor his justice to your demands? But you have rejected him! The choice is
yours, not mine. Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.
Elihu is saying that there are people who have the mistaken idea that God
is going to play by “their rules”.
Like: “If I
were God I wouldn’t send anybody to hell.”
We would agree with this.
:34 “Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me:
:35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge, His words are
without wisdom.’
:36 Oh, that Job were tried
to the utmost, Because his answers are like
those of wicked men!
He wishes Job would get everything that’s coming to him.
:37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.”
:37 He claps his hands among us
In the Middle East, this is a way of showing anger, cursing people.
He’s saying that Job is an angry, mean man.
Lesson
The Patience
of Job
(keyword)
Illustration
A congregation was having trouble with the preacher preaching far too long.
They had a business meeting about the matter and it
was decided that they would buy a gavel and after one hour, someone would tap
on the pew to signal that time was up. The preacher agreed to this tap
arrangement. The first night a young boy wanted the honors of keeping time and
tapping on the back of the pew in front of him. After one hour, the boy was too
embarrassed to make the noise of tapping on the pew. The preacher continued to
preach on and on, and all the eyes of the congregation became focused on the
boy. They all began to mouth the words to the boy, “Go on, go on.” He became angry, and tried to hit the pew with a loud knock; however,
as he came down with the gavel, he hit the person on the head sitting in front
of him. The wounded member as he was falling over in his seat said, “Hit me
again, I can still hear him!”
Just like that preacher, the arguments with Job’s friends just went on and
on and on. They never seemed to end. They never said much that was new, they
just repeated the same old arguments again and again.
Trials are like that – we’d like them to end. We’d like someone to slam the
gavel down and the trial will be over. We’d love to
stop hearing or experiencing the same thing over and over.
Yet the trial goes on.
James talks about enduring tough times and he gives Job as an example to
follow:
(James 5:7–11 NKJV)
—7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how
the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it
until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your
hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble
against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is
standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke
in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we
count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and
seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate
and merciful.
When we hear of the “patience of Job”, or the
“perseverance of Job”, we probably tend to think about how Job endured his loss
of his wealth, his children, and his health.
But I wonder if the “patience of Job” has as much or more
to do with Job enduring the kind of grief that his friends gave him.
James says we were not to “grumble against one another”.
We just need to endure.
Pericope Project
How would you title chapter 32?
Elihu’s thoughts
How would you title chapter 33?
Challenging Job
How would you title chapter 34?
The new man and his speech / Playing
with fire
Mars Hill
Listen to episode #10 of
“The Rise And Fall Of Mars
Hill”
“Red Sky At Morning”
Notes:
RED SKY #10
2008 Mike Anderson – started the Resurgence podcast/media
Launched 2006 media ministry
Earned his budget
Built with volunteers
Writers wanted to publish on his blog
Became a publisher
The church growing in stages - this was the last stage – tiny struggling
church, large mega church, then multi-site campuses
But foundation was being undermined
Multi site churches
Warren Bird - write books on it - Yongi Cho in
Korea started it
Larry Osborne in CA - added a different style in each location
, lots of experimenters.
Winfield Bevins- the Book of Common Prayer 1549 - technology that
transformed the church, printing press was new
Driscoll talked about Methodist horseback preachers
And use of internet
(Pastor Chuck and Greg Laurie have always been big on using the tools
available to us)
Nick Bogardus - technology is rarely neutral, we need to ask how it’s
shaping us. What are the subtle embedded messages that come through the screen.
Grew up Lutheran. Does tv screens form disciples?
(I’d ask – does high ceilings and tall pulpits form disciples?)
The preacher becomes disconnected from people when using TV.
Mars Hill expands into New Mexico, California
Mark says he wants to be the guy praying for the president. Wants to have
50,000 people to do it.
2010 - Driscoll and MacDonald on radio show bullying the guy who doesn’t
have multi site. (Dever)
Mark began to be sensitive about negative criticisms.
2011 Easter - at Quest Field. New musician added. Seattle running back.
Pulled it off in six weeks. Some felt it was just a vanity project for
Driscoll.
(To me it sounds as if he’s trying to be Greg Laurie – but Greg Laurie had
Pastor Chuck to help mentor him).
Sutton Turner - becomes general manager. Then executive pastor.
Nate Birk - as
the Mars Hill “man”. Motivated by fear. Fear of failing.
Was like a chief of staff to Mark. Had to manage Mark.
At Royal Albert Hall - Mark wasn’t a “well” person.
Nate got a double eye infection. English pastor cared for him and helped
him. Mark never helped him or cared for him.
“Who benefits” asking staff to work six days a week while Mark didn’t.
Sutton Turner - learning about gaming the book system. He didn’t want to do the deceit. Mars Hill would pay
more than $200,000 to get “Real Marriage” on bestseller list.
History is filled with different saints who demonstrated self-sacrifice.
Question:
Do you understand why I’m asking you to listen to this for a
class studying the book of Job?
How you treat people in conflict is important.
Job’s friends don’t do this well.
Neither did Mark Driscoll.
Homework
For this coming week:
This next week is our “Easter Break”.
There is no homework due next Wednesday because we won’t be meeting.
BUT … on April 27
Read Job 31-36 in ESV
Memorize Job 34:12 (in NKJV)
(Job 34:12 NKJV) Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert
justice.
Be ready to recite it in class next week.
Memorize it soon so you can chew on it during the week.
Go to our class’ “test” section
I’d like you to share a prayer request
There will be a quick quiz for you.
Listen to episode #11 (just the first half) of “The Rise And Fall Of Mars Hill”
“The Tempest”
Write a short paragraph summarizing the episode and how it has affected
your spiritual walk.
How’s the “Mercy Ministry” project going?
Your paper telling me about it is due May 11.
Keywords
What was the first “keyword” …
a.
Equal Treatment
b.
Equal Time
c.
Equal Pay
What was the second “keyword” …
a.
The Patience of
Job
b.
The Trials of Job
c.
The Friends of Job
Was there something from today’s lesson that you can apply to your life
TODAY?