Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation! now we are in the storm, our life is almost swamped; but Jesus is here now, and when we call him he will calm the storm. Even the wind and the waves listen to him. as they would their creator. We are to listen to him and are called to believe in the power of God's word, a power greater then all that we fear. In the creation story from Job 38, God describes primal ordering of the universe very differently from what we find in Gen 1 or Gen 2. Who is this Job from our text today. Well, he lived in the land of Uz, a good man who feared God and stayed away from evil. He had a large family of seven sons and three daughters and was immensely wealthy, for he owned 7,000 sheep, 3000 camels,, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and employed many servants. He was the richest cattleman in the entire area. He had a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. Satan hoped to convince God that Job was only righteous, because God gave him a comfortable life. Every year when each of job's sons had a birthday, he invited his brothers and sisters to his home for a celebration, and they would eat and drink with great Joy. One day as the angels ( sons of God) came to present themselves, before the Lord, Satan the accuser came with them to bring disaster upon Job. Where have you come from the Lord asked Satan, And servant replied, from patrolling the earth " Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth (a good man) who fears God and will have nothing to do with evil. " Why shouldn't he, when you pay him so well? Satan scoffed. " Skin for skin," Satan replied. A man will do anything to save his life. Touch his body with sickness and he will curse you to your face. You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm. You have prospered everything he touches, look how rich he is! The Lord replied to Satan, " you may do anything you want to his wealth, but don't harm him physically. So Satan went away; and sure enough not long afterwards when Job's son and daughter were dining at the oldest brother's house tragedy struck. A messenger rushed to Job's home with this news.: your oxen were plowing, with all the donkey's feeding beside, when the Sabeans raided us, drove away the animals and killed all the farmhands except me. I am the only one left. While this messenger was still speaking, another arrived with more bad news: " The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up all your sheep and killed all the herdsmen and I alone have escaped to tell you." Before this man finished, still another messenger rushed in; " Three bands of Chaldeans have driven off your camels and killed off your servants and I alone have escaped to tell you. As he was speaking another arrived to say, your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brothers home, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and engulfed the house so that the roof fell in on them and all are dead and I alone escaped to tell you. Then Job stood up tore his robe in grief and fell down before God. ' I came naked from my mother's womb,' he said and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were his to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord, In all of this, Job did not sin.
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot. Then Job took a broken piece of pottery to scape himself, and sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, are you still trying to be godly when God has done all this to you? " Curse him and die." But he replied, " you talk like a heathen women. What? Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hand of God and never anything unpleasant. So in all this Job said nothing wrong.
When three of Jobs friends heard of all the tragedy that had befallen him, they got in touch with each other and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad, the Shuite, Zophar the Naamathite. Job was so changed that they scarcely recognize him. Wailing loudly in despair, they tore their robes and threw dust upon their heads, then they sat on the ground with him silently for seven days and nights, no one speaking a word; for they saw that his suffering was to great for words. At last Job spoke, and cursed the day of his birth.
Let the day of my birth be cursed he said, and the night I was conceived. Let that day be forever forgotten. Let it even be loss to God, shrouded in external darkness. May it be blotted of the calendar.
Let the stars of the night disappear. Let it long for light but never see it., never see the morning light.
Curse it for the failure to shut my mother's womb for letting me be born to come to all this trouble.
Why is man allowed to be born if God is only going to give him a hopeless life of uselessness and frustration? I can not eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water. What I always feared has happened to me. I was not fat or lazy, yet trouble struck me down. A reply From Elipkaz the Temanite: " Will you let me say a word? then Eliphaz answered and said: " Should a wise men answer with empty knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind? Should he answer with unprofitable talk, or by speeches with which he can do no good?
Yes you cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God. Yes your own lips testify against you.
are you the first man who was born? Eliphaz and Jobs three friends, give their opinion concerning the reason for Job's troubles. (1). Eliphaz argued that suffering resulted from sin. Job answered, hurt and grieved by his friend's harsh words. Eliphaz could not comfort his friend. But now when trouble strikes, you are faint and broken? At such a time as this should you not trust in God to be your confidence? Shouldn't those who are good believe that God will care for them. In John 9, the followers of Jesus pointed to a man born blind and asked, " Who sinned, this man or his parents?"
Jesus told them neither his parents or this man sinned, " but this happened so the work of God might be displayed in his life." Jesus pointed that even suffering can be used to glorify God. Jesus pointed them to the future!
(2.) Zophar replies to Job: I realize you know everything! Well, I know a few things myself- you are no better than I am. All wisdom will die with you! You have accused me without the greatest fear of God ( without proof). Tell me what I have done wrong?
Here I sit in sackcloth; and have laid all hope in the dust, my eyes are red from weeping and on my eyelids is the shadow of death. Yet I am innocent and my prayer is pure.(3.) Bildad the Shuhite replies. Just because you tear your clothes in anger, is this going to start an earth-quake? The truth remains, that if you do not prosper, it is because you are wicked. The " theme" around which the " whole book of Job" revolves is the mystery inherent in the unmerited suffering providence of a just man. How can a just God permit an innocent man to suffer? Since nothing can happen independent
of the will and knowledge of God?
The final solution the author of " Job" gives us is that the question is too big to answer for man.
Man cannot comprehend God's purpose in inflicting suffering of a just man. Man cannot penetrate the secrets of God's providence. He must adore divine wisdom even when he doesn't understand it. Therefore, until God chooses to explain why the just must suffer and the wicked prosper, man must trust in God's goodness and justice. And not claim the right to know, what God does choose to reveal.
Who are you trying to fool? Speak some sense if you want us to answer. Just because you tear your
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