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“I Will Question You!” • 5.23.21 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- We have come to the final portion of the "Dialogue" section in Job. Elihu has spent six chapters attempting to speak for God. Little did he know that God would soon be speaking Himself!
- The storm that had been gathering was far from a random weather event. God was coming to set the record straight. Job has asked for this, but it will unfold in a way that he is not prepared for.
- Job thinks that he is going to put God on the stand and finally get some answers. Instead, God decides that He is going to put Job on the stand. He will be the One with questions!
- Chapters 38 and 39 will expose the wisdom of God to Job and give him, not the answers that he wants, but the perspective that he needs. Chapter 38, verse 1.
Text
• Job 38:1-3 : "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 'Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me." : "The Lord answered Job!" What a fearful verse! The first fearful aspect is found in who is giving the address.
- When you see the word "Lord" in all capitals in your texts, know that the word refers to the Almighty, the self-existent One! This is God, the Supreme One!
- Second, note that the Supreme Being "answers" Job! He hasn't missed a single word! He has heard it all and at the right time, He answers. Notice finally that God absolutely ignores Elihu!
- Some, and I include myself in this group, have questioned why it is that God later rebukes Eliphaz, Zophar and Bildad, but does not rebuke Elihu. I'd offer this moment as that rebuke!
- Elihu, for all of his supposed wisdom and willingness to speak on God's behalf, is not even acknowledged by God! He may even be the target of God's first salvo!
- "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" To "darken" intimates a concealing or obscuring of the purposes of God. How was he doing this?
- By offering words without knowledge! Can you imagine Elihu's response to these few words, especially after all that he has said? "One who is perfect in knowledge is with you!" (Job 36:4)
- God doesn't mention his name and he renders the only judgment that a man like Elihu would feel to the center of his being: This man is ignorant!
- When a person is as greatly inflated as Elihu, popping their bubble is the best medicine and perhaps all that such a person could need! I wonder if Elihu ever spoke again!
- As Elihu is reduced to the underside of a dog's droppings, God turns His attention to Job, who is no doubt, as silent as the grave in His presence!
- He has what he wants, but now that he has it, he's POSITIVE that he doesn't want it!
- God is coming for him and He forewarns him to prepare himself like a man! These words are amazing! God issues a command to Job. "Gird up thy loins!"
- In the ancient world, men wore long tunic robes and when it was time to run into action, the men needed to draw up their robes into their belts.
- God was announcing that there was going to be action and God was now the One who was going to be asking all of the questions! This is not going at all like Job pictured it.
- He thought that he would be the one examining God, putting Him under the proverbial microscope. Job has intimated that he could do a better job than God at being God!
- God is about to give Job the "What-It-Takes-To-Be-God" test, which is a 70-77 question pop quiz on all matter of subjects, beginning with the creation of the Earth! Verse 4.
• Job 38:4-11 : "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!" : Remember that this is at least, the oldest STORY in the Old Testament and it may well be the oldest book, though scholars believe it to be written at a later time.
- Long before Moses credited God with creating the world, Job heard it from God Himself! "I laid the foundations of the Earth!" What, God doesn't believe in evolution? No He does not!
- God was there at the beginning, but He doesn't recall seeing Job around! God speaks of the creation as a carpenter would of building a home!
- There are measurements and "landings" to secure. There's a cornerstone that God laid down that caused the angels to sing and shout for joy!
- On the third day of creation, God separated the land from the sea by stopping up the seas and separating the waters from the waters.
- The mighty ocean intimidates all of the ancient people but God tells it how far it can go! "Thus far and no farther!"
- Old Testament scholars view the sea as a symbol of chaos. What a picture for Job to consider. God controls the chaos in our lives and will not let it go beyond it's limit!
- "Here your proud waves must stop!" God saw to it that the sea would obey Him! Verse 12.
• Job
38:12-18 : "Have you commanded the
morning since your days began, and caused
the dawn to know its place, that it might take
hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked
be shaken out of it? It takes on form like
clay under a seal, and stands out like a
garment. From the wicked
their light is withheld,
and the upraised arm is broken. Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this." : God moves from the Creation to the operation of the Earth.
- When was the last time that Job made the sun appear in the Eastern sky? Do you know why that's important? To give light to the Earth? No! To move the wicked out of their place. It limits evil!
- As the Earth takes shape in it's brilliant color display, the wicked are stopped cold in their activities. "The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence." (NLT)
- The wicked's preferred "light" is darkness. God witholds it from them and breaks their hold upon the night.
- From the land, God moves back to sea and the springs, the aquafirs, therein. Even today, we cannot walk the the depths of the ocean! Specialized vehicles must be used and they are limited.
- "Job, have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?" What a creepy sounding place! "What about the size of the Earth? Go ahead Job! I'm waiting!" Job is in over his head! Verse 19.
• Job 38:19-30 : "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, that you may take it to its territory, that you may know the paths to its home? Do you know it, because you were born then, or because the number of your days is great? Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? By what way is light diffused, or the east wind scattered over the earth? Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, or a path for the thunderbolt, to cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, a wilderness in which there is no man; To satisfy the desolate waste, and cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? The waters harden like stone, and the surface of the deep is frozen." : Did you know that the light had a place to live or that the darkness has a territory? Neither did Job!
- He hasn't been around long enough to have any idea what God is talking about!
- He hasn't led the darkness to it's place nor has he come near the treasuries of snow and hail! God has a special place for hail, which He uses as His ammunition for troubled times.
- Most recently, we read of the hail that God will rain down upon the wicked in Revelation 16:21. You'll recall His use of hail mixed with fire in Exodus 9:24 against Egypt.
- You'll also remember His use of hail against the five Kings of the Amorites in Joshua 10:11. On that day, more were slain by hail than were by soldiers!
- When you wonder about snow, ask the French or the Nazis about invading Russia! Job never thought of these natural phenomena as protective or limiting agents!
- "What about light Job? Can you see which way it's dispersed? Do you know where the wind goes?" God speaks about creating channels for overflowing river banks.
- There are paths for thunderbolts to take! God knows all about this. He is in charge of it all! And why is it this way? Notice this incredible fact. God wants to water areas where no one lives!
- This is a fascinating piece of information, especially given the prevalent theology that has plagued Job's and indeed, our own ears!
- "God does good things for good people and bad things to bad people." What does He do when there are no people? He does good for it just because He is good!
- There aren't any people and there isn't really much of anything. It's a wilderness and God takes it upon Himself to make sure that it's cared for! "If God takes cares of the weeds . . ."
- His sovereign and gracious hand demands this of Him and it's no burden to bear!
- He satisfies the desolate waste and causes growth of simple grasslands that are here today and gone tomorrow! Where does all this rain come from? Who is in charge of the dew?
- "Job, what do you know about ice and frost or the way that rivers are frozen solid?" I'm not a quarter of the intellect Job is, but I imagine even his head is spinning! How about yours? Verse 31.
• Job 38:31-38 : "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that an abundance of water may cover you? Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, and say to you, ‘Here we are!’? Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, when the dust hardens in clumps, and the clods cling together?" : From "earth ops" to "space ops!" The Pleiades, Orion, Mazzaroth and the Great Bear are all groupings of stars visible in the night sky.
- Does Job know anything about the laws that govern these stars, how they are kept in alignment and how they are visible at certain seasons?
- Job can't even make the weather do his bidding! He can't take the phone and call for lightning! It won't report to him!
- Much closer to home and indeed his own person, who is responsible for having put wisdom and understanding in a human being? Where does that gift come from?
- It's interesting that God talks about wisdom in the same sentence as ordering the rotation of the stars in the galaxy! Both are equally simple ventures for Him but are mind numbing complexities!
- How is it that a person has an ability to reason? How is artistic achievement accomplished? How do you explain intelligence? But there is more to man than this.
- Where do feelings come from? How does one account for love? What makes a thing touching and where does sadness arise from? All of these are the operations of a generous God!
- God has taken everything into consideration, even the formation of dirt clods! He has literally thought of everything that Job has never given a second thought!
- Job has never given these things a moment's notice! Like you and I, he's unaware of the inner workings of how a star happens to sit in it's place night by night.
- He sees it and enjoys it, but has no idea that there are rules that govern it! God knows these things and has taken it upon Himself to keep even the simplest activity secret from men. Verse 39.
• Job 38:39-41 : "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens, or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? Who provides food for the raven, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food?" : God has tested Job with cosmology, meteorology, and everything in between. He moves now to zoology! "Job, how involved are you with the nutritional needs of lions?"
- "Job, if I gave you a SINGLE lion, would you be able to meet it's nutritional needs?"
- The fact that there is concern for the lion's family food in God amazes our minds! God is thinking about the appetite of the young lions!
- He knows where they wait and sees them in need of food. God speaks as if He is the One that stalks their prey! He speaks as if He has programmed their hunting behavior!
- When they crouch and lurk, their pre-programmed instincts from God signal the time to eat! God does the same for the ravens. Their young ones cry to God and God takes note! Chapter 39.
• Job 39:1-8 : "Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth? Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young? They bow down, they bring forth their young, they deliver their offspring. Their young ones are healthy, they grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them. Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager, whose home I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwelling? He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver. The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searches after every green thing." : God moves from the ravens to the gestation cycle of goats and deer!
- God is intimately acquainted with their birthing cycles, how they proceed to deliver their offspring and what they do after their offspring has been weaned.
- In the case of the goats and deer, when they have performed their duty, they leave their young to fend for themselves! They spend the rest of their lives roaming the wilderness.
- What about the wild donkey and the onager, an ancient relative of the wild donkey.
- The donkey is free, living happily in the wilderness where there is barely any food and guess what: They like it that way! They love the peace and won't give into domestication.
- All of their days are spent wandering the mountains, looking for any green food that they can find. They are satisfied with their lives. They have been made to subsist this way.
- God has worked out their personalities and anticipated their needs accordingly. Verse 9.
• Job 39:9-18 : "Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger? Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you? Will you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him? Will you trust him to bring home your grain, and gather it to your threshing floor? The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s? For she leaves her eggs on the ground, and warms them in the dust; She forgets that a foot may crush them, or that a wild beast may break them. She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern, because God deprived her of wisdom, and did not endow her with understanding. When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider." : The wild ox, a now extinct "Aurachs" is like the wild donkey, is not capable of being domesticated. It won't act like a pet or be put to service in the fields.
- These animals, according to scholars, were as hefty as a Rhinoceros! Huge animals.
- You wouldn't trust him with your grain because he'll eat it before he brings it home! Oxen that are born and bred for such purposes, are trustworthy, but not the "Aurachs."
- You'd think that their size would make them a perfect beast of burden. If you like that contradiction, what about the ostrich? They have wings that spread out for 6 feet on both sides.
- They are the largest bird on the planet, but they can't fly! Their wings can't support their girth!
- Yet, she waves her wings proudly. When she lays her eggs, you'd think that she would consider them, but she essentially leaves her clutch in the ground to incubate them.
- Ostriches end up sitting on other clutches of eggs and can't remember which one was theirs! Why do you think this is? Because God did not give her the wisdom or understanding to be otherwise!
- She thinks very highly of herself but she is truly an ignorant animal! Her one saving feature is her speed.
- She can run nearly 45 miles per hour, which outclasses a horse and rider by nearly 10 miles per hour! God may not have given her smarts, but He made sure she was quick! Verse 19.
• Job 39:19-25 : "Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder? Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror. He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms. He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword. The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and javelin. He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded. At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of captains and shouting." : When one considers the horse, it's not long before you acknowledge it's power. Cars are measured in it!
- It's long neck feels like a single muscle and it's neighing startles you if you aren't prepared for it! That isn't impressive to God. He wants to point out the fearlessness of the horse.
- In ancient times, when countries went to war, they did so upon horses that not only transported them to the battle sight, but actually joined in with their riders!
- Can you imagine the sights that a horse would be seeing? There's a flash of metal this way, a human body laying out in front of him that way. Then think of the sounds of battle.
- Other animals scurry away from the action. War horses seem like this is what they have been waiting for! Verse 26.
• Job 39:26-30 : "Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, and spread its wings toward the south? Does the eagle mount up at your command, and make its nest on high? On the rock it dwells and resides, on the crag of the rock and the stronghold. From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is.'" : When you speak about majestic creatures, you have to consider the hawk and the eagle!
- Who endowed them with the abilities that they possess? Who put their minds and their bodies together to accomplish what they do on a daily basis?
- They have the instinct and the ability to set up their nests in otherwise inapproachable places. How do they hunt? The Lord has outfitted them with astounding, nearly binocular vision!
- A hawk or an eagle have the capacity to see a medium sized mouse, with clarity, at the distance of 17 football fields lined end to end! Our equivalent would be to read a paper a mile away!
- When they have completed their hunts, they fly toward mountainsides and dwell safely in the crags, until they search out their prey for the next day.
- Their young eat up all that their parents bring them and when there is a carcass anywhere, you'll find them right on top of it! Chapter 40.
• Job 40:1,2 : "Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said: Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.'" : After all of these unanswerable questions, God asks if Job wants to respond. He is the contender, the one who "strives with words." The word can also mean to "conduct a law suit."
- Can you imagine standing before God, especially after He has just spent these chapters unveiling the knowledge that we have no knowledge of!?
- Who has sought to reprove God? Every eye and every finger pointed toward Job!
• Job 40:1a (NASB) : "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?" What a freezing cold moment! Job's heart would have stopped in his chest if God wasn't keeping it pumping!
- I don't think any of us wants to have the following verbs attached to us when it comes to God.
- The NKJV says, "He who rebukes God." The NIV, "let him who accuses God." The NLT, "You are God's critic." The ESV, "he who argues with God."
- The person who is doing any of these is called upon by God to answer! It's Job's turn to speak and he does so in verse 3.
• Job 40:3-5 : "Then Job answered the Lord and said: 'Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.'" : While we don't want to be found to be a critic, an accuser, et all of God, we may want to consider Job's opening admission!
- "I am insignificant!" (NASB) "I am unworthy!" (NIV) "I am nothing!" (NLT) "I am of small account!" (ESV) "I am nought!" (DBY) It'd be great to hear some churches begin with this!
- In the light of God, WHAT are we and WHO are we to respond to Him? Job will happily and forcefully put his hand over his mouth! He has already said more than he should have!
- On the surface, this may seem like repentance from Job but we don't really see that until chapter 42. What we see here is a man who regrets what his actions have caused.
- One might say that Job affirms the wisdom of God in ordering the Universe, but he doesn't have to like it! That isn't what God wants to affect from this session with Job.
Conclusion
- As we close this section, I hope that you are as impressed with God's
wisdom as Job was. The point has been made: God is God and we are not!
- He has ordered the entire universe and keeps it running with a precision that makes our hearts marvel when we consider it.
- From the farthest star, to the indescribable center of a man's consciousness, His wonders never cease to amaze. When we look at what He has done, we can't help but worship!
- If He can keep all of these things, how can we not trust Him with our lives? It would be insane to think otherwise!
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