Where Do I Find Help This Coming Year? – A Look At Job, A Man Of Patience
INTRO: We are going to continue on for our theme…Where Do I Find Help This Coming Year?
I have talked about friendship and how it can help our lives. I have spent time on Daniel’s faithfulness. Then I looked at teamwork and Joshua. Next I spent time looking at David and our pursuing God. Then we spent time looking at our obedience to the Lord. I then looked at Jacob’s life and how love changed him. Next we looked at Joseph and how forgiveness saved him. I looked at Gideon and his willingness to do battle for the Lord.
Last week I looked at one in the New Testament. Barnabus. Barnabus was a special man. He was you an encourager? Do you want to be an encourager? Today, I want to talk about Job. The book of Job is thought to be the oldest book in the Bible. Now the book of Job is not short and I cannot read it al, but I do want to read some of it instead of just telling you what it is about.
I have been sharing the meaning of the characters I have been preaching about each week.
Job – Hated, One Ever Returning To God, or He That Weeps
Everyone almost can fill in the blank: The patience of _________________.
That is what Job is known for in our society. A man of patience.
Let’s get started…
He feared God
Eschewed evil (avoided, refrained, shunned, etc.)
What a great neighbor, church member, etc. this man would make!
Job 1:1 KJV 1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Wonderful family
Materially well-off or even very wealthy
Job 1:2-3 KJV 2And there
were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand
camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very
great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Job 2:11 KJV 11Now when
Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came
every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and
Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to
mourn with him and to comfort him.
Job 36:1 KJV 1Elihu also proceeded, and said,
Job 1:4-19 KJV
4And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his
day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone
about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and
offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job
said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus
did Job continually.
6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
7And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan
answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it.
8And 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 escheweth evil?
9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for
nought?
10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and
about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands,
and his substance is increased in the land.
11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse thee to thy face.
12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is
in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth
from the presence of the LORD.
13And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were
eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:
14And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were
plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
15And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea,
they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped
alone to tell thee.
16While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and
said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and
the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
17While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and
said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have
carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and
I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
18While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and
said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their
eldest brother’s house:
19And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and
smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they
are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
Job 1:20-22 KJV 20Then Job
arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground,
and worshipped,
21And 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.
22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Restrained prayer
Job 15:4 KJV 4Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
Job 16:17 KJV 17Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.
Empty prayer
Job 21:15 KJV 15What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
Profitable prayer
Job 22:27 KJV 27Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
Blessedness of prayer
Job 33:26 KJV 26He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.
Interceding prayer (for his 3 friends)
Job 42:8 KJV 8Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
Emancipating prayer
Job 42:10 KJV 10And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
We need to be a believer of prayer like Job.
Job was a model of patience – Job 19:1-27; and James 5:11
James 5:11 KJV 11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
He did not quit on God (nor did God quit Job)
Job
1:21-22 KJV 21And 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.
22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Job
2:9-10 KJV 9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain
thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10But 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.
Job
2:11-13 KJV 11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that
was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the
Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made
an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
12And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not,
they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and
sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven
nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was
very great.
Job
3:1-4 KJV 1After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2And Job spake, and said,
3Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which
it was said, There is a man child conceived.
4Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither
let the light shine upon it.
Job
6:1-4 KJV 1But Job answered and said,
2Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in
the balances together!
3For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my
words are swallowed up.
4For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison
whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array
against me.
Job 13:15 KJV 15Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
I want to look at some of the conversations he had with his friends (not all, just a summary)
First, understand…
Bildad spoke:
Job, You are full of hot air – 8:1-2
Your family must have been wrong – 8:3-4
You were wrong – 8:5-6;
You all need God – 8:13-16 (he was right about that)
Zophar then spoke:
You are fooling yourself
You need to seek blessed forgiveness
Eliphaz then spoke:
You’re fooling yourself – 15:2
You’re grasping at straws
You’re talking nonsense
What do you know?
When were you born, before the hills?
You guys aren’t any help – Job 16:2
You’re guilty too – 16:4
That doesn’t help – 16:5
He even gave a prophetical scripture that applied to Christ before and during His crucifixion
Job 16:10-11 KJV 10They
have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek
reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.
11God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the
hands of the wicked.
Yet Job was clear
Job 16:20 KJV 20My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.
So it goes! His friends did not let up for a good while. Finally they did (32:1) and Elihu spoke up. He was a young man that had listened to the exchanges and he told Job he was arrogant and sinning because of his suffering. While he was milder than Job’s friends, he assumed his suffering was to do with his sin.
But he gave good advice:
Don’t blame God – 33:13
God reaches out to us – 33:24
God is the total answer – 33”30
Spiritual pride hurts – 35:1-3;
God is RIGHT towards all – 36:5-12
Basically after talking about all of creation and al He had made, God asks Job, who can contend with and instruct God? - 40:2
Job’s reaction?
I am vile
You (God) are the greatest
I am nothing
God rebuked Job’s friends and gave Job all his blessing back – double.
Understand: When we suffer, God is still there!
Job 19:25-26 25For I
know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth:
26And though after my skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Righteous can serve God for nought (nothing)
Righteous can serve God even when empty
Righteous can serve God even when He seems to be on a far “hill”
Sufferings of the righteous are not necessarily due to their own sins
Injustices of this life are to be redressed to the life to come
Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 031509am