Job's Emphasis Towards Eliphaz

Charles Spurgeon has done several sermons on the book of Job. And when it comes to Job chapter 23, he records these words about Job. He says, Job has fought the battle right manly, not perhaps without a little display of temper and self-righteousness, but still with much less of either than any of us would have shown had we been in the same plight and had we been equally conscious of perfect integrity. He has in this part of his self-defense sketched a fine picture of a man, perfect and upright before God.

He has set before us the image to which we should seek to be conformed. Here is the high ideal after which every Christian man should strive. And happy shall he be who shall attain it, blessed is he who in the hour of his distress, if he be falsely accused, will be able to say with as much truth as the patriarch could, my foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept and not declined, neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips, I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Spurgeon's assessment of Job is that he has proved himself a godly man over and over again. He is the supreme example of manhood in the Scriptures because of the things that he says, the way he handles his crises, and the way God has used him for centuries. There is no secret that God has called him the greatest man on the planet. And there is a reason for that, not because of Job necessarily, but because of what God has done in his life. So when you come to Job chapter 23 and Job chapter 24, you realize that Job is going to answer not what was spoken to him last week, but he's going to answer in such a way that with grace he is going to talk to God because that's what godly men do, they talk to God.

And so that's exactly how the conversation goes. So much so that when you come to chapter 25, which is only six verses, that's next week, that there's not much left for Bildad to say. And so as we go through the text, we're going to look at chapter 23, looking at the situation concerning Job the sufferer, and then chapter 24 deals with the situation concerning those who have sinned against God.

And he's going to address that. He's going to give us a perspective that the men who have come to counsel him do not have. But because of Job's pain, he's able to relate to others who are in pain. Not like he has, a different kind of pain. And so he shows himself a man of great empathy, great sympathy, great mercy, because that's the way Job is. So first of all, chapter 23, the situation surrounding Job the sufferer as he speaks to God.

It says in verse number one, Now you read that and you think, who's he rebelling against? He's rebelling against himself. He's rebelling against his pain. In other words, God's hand is heavy upon him, but his groaning does not equate with the amount of pain he's going through. So his rebellion is against groaning about that pain, which is really a good example for us. Because you know, when we get sick, or we get, you know, some kind of affliction, we love to groan about our pain. And we want to groan so loud and so long everybody else hears about how bad things are with me.

Job wasn't that way. In other words, he talks to us about discipline. He wants to make sure that God's hand is heavy upon him, yes, but he is not going to groan in line with the amount of pain. Or groan in line with the amount of pain that his friends have caused. That's great discipline. He doesn't want pity. He doesn't want people to feel sorry for him. Now think about that. If anybody should have been felt sorry for, it would have been Job. But he doesn't want that. He doesn't want you thinking about his pain and his affliction.

Again, not like us. We want everybody to know how afflicted I am. We want them to know how much pain I'm in. We want them to be able to pray for me all the more. Not Job. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself. He didn't ask for his free friends to come. They came. He didn't ask for his free friends to stay. They stayed. I'm sure in the back of his mind he wished they'd leave, but they're still there. So Job's going to talk to God. And look what he says in verse number two.

Or verse number three. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come to his seat. He longs to find his God. There's a longing about his life that draws him to God. Oh, that I might find him. Oh, that I might come before him. Oh, that I might be able to speak to him. That I might be able to sit down in his presence and explain my case to him. He says in verse number four, I would present my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn the words which he would answer and perceive what he would say to me.

You see, he's a redeemed person. He doesn't fear entering the courtroom of God because he's been redeemed. We know that from chapter 19. We know that from chapter one. We know that he's right with God. He's an upright man. He's a God-fearing man. He turns away from evil. So he wants to be in God's presence. He wants to be in God's courtroom. He wants to be able to present his case to God. And then whatever God says, he's going to listen to.

Verse six, would he contend with me by the greatness of his power? No, surely he would pay attention to me. There the upright would reason with him and I would be delivered forever from my job, my judge. Job is a guy who understands that in the presence of God is mercy. In the presence of God, there's forgiveness. In the presence of God, grace is extended. He knows that. He knows that when he gets there and speaks to him, in spite of the greatness of his power, that God would pay attention and God would listen.

He has a great perspective on the Lord. It says in verse number eight, Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him. When he acts on the left, I cannot behold him. He turns on the right, I cannot see him. He knows he's there, but he can't perceive him or see him. He knows he's all around because he knows God's on the present. But then he says this, and this is another one of his great confessions that we'll draw an application from at the end of our time together this evening.

But listen to what he says. He says, but he knows the way I take. There's a change from regret to reassurance. I go left, I go right, I go forward, I go backward. I don't see him, I don't perceive him, but I do know something. He knows the way I take. When he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. How does he know that? What would ever give him that idea? We'll see in a moment that there's a plethora of scriptures that speak of God's refining process. But Job couldn't read those. So how does he know that when he has tried, he is going to come forth as gold?

Well, if he's a contemporary of Abraham, I'm sure he would know about Abraham's test on Mount Moriah to some degree because he knows about a Redeemer who lives. So he knows about the resurrection of the Redeemer. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham knew that if his son was to be slain, that God would raise him from the dead. So Abraham believed in a resurrection. Job believed in a resurrection. And so if he's a contemporary of Abraham, he would see how Abraham's life was transformed because in Genesis chapter 22, God says to Abraham, now I know that you fear me.

Was there something God didn't know? No. He says that for Abraham's sake. God says it for Abraham's sake so Abraham knows that he lived in the fear of God.

And that's the way he was supposed to live. And Abraham passed the test, the test of the sacrifice. So evidently, Job knows something about the refining process of God, how he knows and what he knows. We don't necessarily know because he didn't tell us. But the inspired word of God tells us that he believes that when it's all said and done, he'll come forth as gold. It says, verse 11, My foot has held fast to his path. I have kept his way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips.

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. Now think about that. He doesn't have the words that you and I have. He doesn't have 66 books of the Bible to be able to treasure those words. The words that he has from God have been passed down from generation to generation, have been passed down from Enoch to Methuselah to Noah and his family and to Shem and to Abraham. And the words of God have been passed down. So those words are very few and far between. They're valuable words because of the words of God.

He treasures those words. We don't look at God's word as a treasure nearly as much because we can pick it up and read it whenever we want to.

We can listen to it on the radio. We have words to put to song. We take for granted the value of the word of God. But Job did not. Job didn't. Which made him such a unique individual because with very little to read and very little to memorize and very little to memorialize, he treasured them all. More than his necessary food. Now, I don't know about you, but it's like Jeremiah. Remember in Jeremiah 15-16 when God told him, you're going to go and present the truth to my people Israel and when you do, I just want you to know in advance that no one's going to listen to a word you say.

No one's going to listen. No one's going to follow. But I'm sending you, Jeremiah, because I've chosen you from your mother's womb. In fact, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And I chose you specifically to go and preach so no one listens. But he did. Could have said, well, I don't want to do that. Give me another job. No, God said, that's your job. So he did. He said, you know, thy words are found and I did eat them and they were the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. To realize that even though no one's going to listen, no one's going to respond.

No one's going to follow. They're going to laugh at me. They're going to reject me. They're going to throw me in a pit. They're going to call me names. Thy words are found and I did eat them and they were the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. There's a man who realized that when nothing else is available and no one else responds, God's word is true. And that's what matters most. So think of Job, who has very little words from God and the ones he has, he cherishes and treasures. Think of Jeremiah.

And Jeremiah had more than Job did. And God would speak to Jeremiah. And Jeremiah would then relay the message to Israel, but no one listened. Think about that when you're trying to witness to your family and no one listens. Is God's word so treasured that it's the joy and the rejoicing of your heart even though your unsaved spouse or your unsaved children or your unsaved aunts and uncles don't respond? What's your attitude toward the word of God? This was Jeremiah's. This was Job's. I love what the Lord says in John's Gospel in the fourth chapter.

The Lord says these words. Disciples were urging him, saying, Rabbi, eat, eat. But he said to him or them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples were saying to one another, no one brought him anything to eat, did they? Do you have food? Who gave you food? Where are you stashing the food? And the Lord says, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Think about that. Rabbi, you have to eat something. We're all eating. You need to eat as well.

I have food that you have no idea about. And that food is to do the will of my father who sent me. That was his driving passion. Over in Psalm 119, Psalm 119, verse number 130, the psalmist says these words. Psalm 119, I'm sorry, 103. How sweet are your words to my taste, yet sweeter than honey to my mouth. The psalmist knew about the sweetness of God's word, the value of God's word, that he should treasure the truth that God has given to him. And so you begin to realize that when the Lord says in Matthew 4, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, this is your food.

And you need to treasure the written word as your food more so than anything else. And that's why Job becomes such a great hero. For the little bit of words that he had, he treasured them more than anything. Now God's going to speak to him. And God's going to give him a whole slew of words. And that's going to only enhance his belief and treasure of the truth of God's word. But I wonder where you are this evening when it comes to treasuring the truth of God's word more than your necessary food. And so he says these words, verse 13, but he is unique in who can turn him and what his soul desires that he does.

For he performs what is appointed for me and many such decrees are with him. This whole statement is so profound. It will be our application for our time together this evening. I'm going to show you how his three main confessions all come together as one great confession in a moment. But you can never mistake God's silence for his absence. Because you don't hear God, you don't see God, doesn't mean that God's not there. He's always there. There's a reason for the silence, but he's not absent. And so as you come to verse number 15, therefore I would be dismayed at his presence when I consider him, I am terrified of him.

That's the right response. I am terrified of him, and rightly so. To this man when I look to him is broken of the contrary heart who trembles at my word. Because I truly terrify, I'm terrified by him. Except he says, I'm dismayed at his presence. But I know this, I live in the fear of God. And that's the way every believer should live. Absolutely in fear of the terror of God. That's why the Bible says there's forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared.

God forgives you, so you will fear him. Because the unbeliever, what, has no fear of God before his eyes. He doesn't care about God. Let alone be afraid of God. Verse 16, it is God who has made my heart faint and the Almighty who has dismayed me. But I am not silenced by the darkness nor deep gloom which covers me. What a perspective. There's darkness all around me. There's a gloom that covers me. I am dismayed by my God. But you know what? I trust him. I believe in him. And that's what Job 23 and 24 is all about.

Even though he can't see God. Even though God is silent and has yet to speak to him. Even though he doesn't understand the ways of God. He knows that God has a way. It's a perfect way. And all he can do is trust in God. And believe in God. And that's where God wants us to be. Living in trust. Living in obedience even though we don't have an answer. Because Job doesn't have an answer. He's perplexed. He truly is dismayed. But he knows that he was preserved for this moment. He was preserved for this moment and he was protected in the moment.

He didn't know how protected he was. Because Satan wanted to kill him. But God says you can't do that.

God was protecting him. He didn't know about that conversation. He didn't know about the conversation between Satan and the Lord God of the universe. But he knows that he's being protected and preserved for this moment. And on top of that, he was prepared for this moment. As much as he could be, he was prepared. That's Job chapter 1 and Job chapter 2. It was his character that prepared him for this moment. So when the trial came, he wasn't obliterated. When the trial came, he wasn't consumed. When the trial came, he didn't crumble.

When the trial came, he didn't give up. Because of his character. He was the man who was God-fearing, upright, blameless, turning away from evil. That's what made Job the man that he was. So when you come to chapter 24, okay, you move from the situation concerning Job the sufferer to the situation concerning those who sin against God. And his perspective is quite remarkable. In fact, one author says it this way. While Job awaits God's answer, his mind turns to the topsy-turvy affairs in the world that allow the wicked, given to self-serving, brutal deeds of violence, to oppress the weak and powerless.

His own sufferings have made him more sensitive to widespread human suffering. He longs for God to rectify matters on earth. While he grieves that social evil, he remains so confident that God does eventually execute justice that he pronounces a series of curses against the wicked. Job's concern for injustice leads him to challenge the theology of his day. But at the same time, because of his profound faith in God, his lamenting drives him to God for an answer. He is anxious that God curse the wicked, holding them accountable for their evil deeds.

He begins to listen. But look at the empathy of Job. Chapter 24, verse 21. Why are times not stored up by the Almighty? And why do those who know Him not see His days? In other words, why is it that we are unable to see the judgment of God happen in these days? Why don't we know when God's going to enact and execute His judgment in these days? Why doesn't God tell us? And that's a good question. We'd love to know that. But we do know that God will execute His justice and His judgments because He promises that.

So he says, They harvest their fodder in the field and glean the vineyard of the wicked. They spend the night naked without clothing and have no covering against the cold. They are wet with the mountain rains and hug the rock for want of shelter. Or hug the rock for want of shelter, excuse me. Others snatch the orphan from the breast. And against the poor, they take a pledge. They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing. And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. Within the walls, they produce oil.

They tread wine presses but thirst from the city. Men groan and the souls of the wounded cry out. Yet God does not pay attention to folly. He begins to list what's happening to the orphans and what's happening to the widow and what's happening to people's property, how people come and steal and how people abuse them. And He has great sympathy for those people. You see, Job does what his comforters haven't done and necessarily can't do. He feels for those in pain. He feels for those who are being dealt with unjustly by wicked people around them.

In fact, he gets his eyes off of his own pain to be able to effectively see the pain of other people. That's remarkable. Most of us can't do that. Most of us have such tunnel vision that when we're in pain, it's all we see. When our world's crumbling, all we can see are the bricks building up, falling around us. That's all we can see but not Job. Job sees the people in pain. He provides for us an example on how not to be self-serving when affliction comes our way. How not to think only about my affliction and my pain and asking and wanting others to come alongside of me and be of assistance to me but look at the injustice of all those around me.

What's happening to them? This is a remarkable man. Because if anybody should be thinking of themselves as Job, he has nothing. He's lost it all. His pain, insurmountable. And yet he has the time to think of other people who go through difficulties. God could have stopped all the injustices but he doesn't. He lets it continue because that's what God does. It says in verse number 13, Others have been with those who rebel against the light. They do not want to know the ways nor abide in its paths. The murderer arises at dawn.

He kills the poor and the needy and at night he's a thief. The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight saying, No eye will see me. And he disguises his face. In the dark they dig into houses. They shut themselves up by day. They do not know the light. For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness for he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness. God doesn't stop the robber. God doesn't stop the thief. God doesn't stop the murderer. God doesn't stop the evildoer. God doesn't stop the adulterer.

God just lets them continue in their sin. Verse 18, They are insignificant on the surface of the water. Their portion is cursed on the earth. They do not turn toward the vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters. So does Sheol, those who have sinned. In other words, as swift as the snow melts, so swiftly will come their end, their grave. On top of that, a mother will forget him. The worm feeds sweetly till he is no longer remembered and wickedness will be broken like a tree. He wrongs the barren woman.

He does no good for the widow, but he drags off the valiant by his power. He rises, but no one has assurance of life. He provides them with security, and they are supported, and the eyes of God are on their ways. They are exalted for a little while, then they're gone. Moreover, they are brought low, and like everything gathered up, even the heads of grain, they are cut off. Now, if it is not so, who can prove me a liar and make my speech worthless? Answer, no one, because he can't answer that, because he knows he's right.

See, Job's perspective on the injustices around him are spot on. Job's perspective on the wicked man who is carrying out his evil is spot on, but there's coming a judgment upon that man in God's due time. You know, I got this book from Bruce this past week on divine providence. Stephen Sharnock has a volume written on the attributes and existence of God. It's quite lengthy. It's very hard to read. This book has been, for lack of a better phrase, dumbed down for the normal guy to be able to read and understand.

And he talks about the classic work of divine providence. And in it, he says this about Job 12, verse number 10, which reads, in his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Job made that statement in chapter 12. Sharnock says, there is not a single molecule in all the universe that lies outside God's control. The Lord knows and directs all creation from the mightiest angel to the smallest earthworm. And in his goodness and wisdom, God exerts his authority over every single act, large and small, good and evil.

He has woven all creation into a salvation story that culminates in the cross. And this is divine providence. In other words, he states the fact that, and if you don't have this book, you might want to get it and read it. It's really, really good if you want to understand the providence of God, the working of God in the way of life, in the way of the world. But what he's saying is that everything functions under divine providence because everything leads to the cross. Everything is about the apex of human history, Calvary.

So everything, providentially, is being orchestrated by God to move everything, everyone, to one period of time, to one day, to one sacrifice where Christ gave his life for the sins of man. And that's what divine providence does. God orchestrates everything toward that end. And God even lets the injustices of this world continue on because he's patient and kind and merciful. So having said that, let me take you back to chapter 23 and show you once again this great divine confession because remember, we've given you two of them.

The first one was in chapter 9. Remember that? Chapter 9, verse number 10. Who does great things unfathomable and wondrous works without number. That was Job's great statement and great confession. And we told you that statement alone unlocks the mystery of God and unfolds the meaning of the book of Job. That one statement, that one verse unlocks the mystery of God and unfolds the meaning of the book of Job. In other words, God himself is incomprehensible. And then in chapter 19, excuse me, chapter 19, he makes that next great statement, verse 25, As for me, I know that my redeemer lives and at the last he will take his stand on the earth even after my skin is destroyed yet from my flesh I shall see God whom I myself shall behold and whom my eyes will see and not another.

My heart faints within me. That great confession unveils to us the ministry of God and unleashes for us the message of God to man. This confession in chapter 23 uncovers for us the majesty of God and utters the magnificence of Job, the man. It uncovers the majesty of God and it utters the magnificence of Job, the man. In other words, what Job says shows us how magnificent he is because he understands something about God that most of us never get. That God has a plan and that plan centers around how he purifies man and how he performs everything that's appointed for that man.

So he speaks to us about the majesty of God when it comes to his refinement and then it speaks of the magnificence of Job when it comes to his resolve. This is Job's resolve. This is what he comes to. This is where he is in his suffering. And what he is saying is providing for us a map on how to live our lives and how to govern, how does we deal with situations. But the confession, first of all, deals with the majesty of God in his refinement.

He says these words in Job chapter 23. He says, he knows the way that I take. And when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. God is majestic because he has a plan. It's a plan that runs perfectly without any mistakes. Over in 1 Thessalonians 5, 24, it says, faithfully is he who called you who also will do it. Remember in Daniel chapter 4, verse number 17, it says these words, this sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over all the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom he wishes.

In other words, God rules over man, does whatever he wants to do. And then over in chapter 4, verse number 34, talking about Nebuchadnezzar, he says, I bless the Most High. I praise and honor him who lives forever for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing. But he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him, what have you done?

Then it says in verse number 37, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the king of heaven and all his works are true and his ways just and he is able to humble those who walk in pride. The majesty of God is seen in his plans because they can't be changed. They can't be thwarted. And God sticks to them no matter what. In fact, in the book of Jeremiah, in Jeremiah chapter 29, it says in verse number 4, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

God wants to make sure that they know that it's he who sent them into Babylonian captivity. True, Nebuchadnezzar is going to come, he's going to plunder the city, he's going to take them captive, but Nebuchadnezzar was a servant of God. And God wants Israel to know that I've done this. I'm behind all this. I'm behind your captivity. This says in verse number 8, for thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams which they dream, for they prophesy falsely to you in my name.

I have not sent them, declares the Lord. For thus says the Lord, when 70 years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you to bring you back to this place. God says, I have a plan, and the plan has a time limit.

It's 70 years. It's very specific. And if you went with us in our study of Daniel, you know why it was 70 years, and why God told him it was 70 years. He says these words, for I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Now we quote that all the time when it comes to our lives, but it specifically refers only to Israel, not you and me. By secondary application, it can refer to us, but it specifically refers to Israel in their Babylonian captivity.

And so God says, I have a plan. I have a plan for you, and you don't know the plan. But I do. It's a 70 year plan. And the good thing about that is that God told them in advance. Job had no advanced warning as to how long his plan was. The plan for his suffering. He didn't know. He had no idea. And most of us don't either. We have no idea when we go through affliction and hardship and difficulty how long it's going to last. Only God knows that. But he has a plan. He has a plan. And that plan is to purify you.

Look what it says. He says, the plans are for your tranquility, not for your calamity. I'm going to do something among you. I'm going to give you a future. I'm going to give you a hope. Because in Israel is hope. Then you will call upon me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations, from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.

I have a place. It's called captivity. I have a place. It's called the place of adversity. But with that place, I have a plan. And that plan centers around your purity and your tranquility. And, he says, I have a purpose. Know what the purpose is? It's always this. Intimacy for my glory. It's intimacy. Because when it's all said and done, you're going to call upon me. Because right now you don't. And when you call upon me, I'm going to listen, and I will be there. You will seek me with all your heart, because right now you don't.

But you will. So God tells him in advance what the plan is. Tells him what the process is. Tells him what the purpose is. Because he wants him to understand in advance his care and concern for them. By secondary application, we have to realize that God has a plan. That plan, a lot of times includes adversity and calamity. But at that plan comes a process. A refining process. So when it's all said and done, we walk in intimacy with the true and living God. God moves us toward himself. Now think about this.

God's doing this in Job's life, and he's already a blameless man. He's already a God-fearing man. He's already a man who turns away from evil. He's already an upright man. That's in chapter 1. So Job was already there. But yet, even though he's there, God is still doing a work in his life. Because he's not a perfect man. Just a blameless man. And God is going to do something so unique and so special in him, God's going to drive him even further into intimacy with him. That he becomes the quintessential man of all Scripture.

Because this man withstood everything thrown at him by the grace and mercy of the living God. And God drove him to a place where most men can't even dream of being. For at the end he will say, I've heard of you, but now I see you. Now I get it. So, the majesty of God is seen in how he finds man. He has a plan. And that plan is to purify a man who's already blameless, a man who is already upright and God-fearing. But Job knows that when it's all said and done, he'll come forth as gold. He will shine like the royalty of his king.

And others will see the king. Because he'll reflect the image of the king. Way back in Daniel chapter, I'm sorry, Deuteronomy chapter 4, God says this to Israel, But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace from Egypt to be a people for his own possession as today.

God has brought you through an iron furnace. 400 years they were in Egypt. That's a long time. That was an iron furnace. But they were a people of God's own possession. The Bible says in the book of 1 Peter chapter 1 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, will be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And then Peter says this, And though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice, with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. So Peter says to those who are already suffering, those who are losing their lives, you rejoice greatly because of what God is doing in your life. He goes on to say in chapter 4, verse number 12, Beloved, do not be surprised that this fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you, but to the degree that you share the suffering of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice with exaltation.

So Job's statement is all about the majesty of God because the majesty of God is seen in the refining process of each individual person. He says these words he is unique who can turn him his soul does that he desires he performs what is appointed for me and what's appointed for Job is not necessarily appointed for you and what's appointed for you is not necessarily appointed for your family or your children or your friends because God has a divine appointment and he doesn't treat us all the same he treats us all uniquely different but he will accomplish that which is appointed for us because God has a plan and that plan will be performed exactly as he desires it to happen you must understand the loving God in his providence and how he works in the lives of his people he is not an ogre upstairs who looks down and frowns and growls at his children no he cares for them and protects them and preserves them and watches over them and takes them through difficult times that they might see the hand of God moving in their lives and draw closer to him so the majesty of God is part of this statement is seen in his refinement but the magnificence of Job is seen in his resolve Job's resolve as a result of God's refining process is remarkable because look he says I've tracked the ways of God I've treasured the word of God and I've trusted the work of God he says very clearly he knows the way I take when he tries me I shall come forth as gold my foot has held fast to his path I have kept his way and not turned aside in other words it's his way not my way it's his path not my path and I haven't turned aside from that I haven't rebelled against the direction that God's leading me and God's directing me remember the book of Proverbs when it talks about the way it's always the way of righteousness well you have a righteous God who's working in upright people leading them closer to him that they might exude his righteousness it's a righteous way he sees that he understands that and so he says I don't turn to the left I don't turn to the right but I stay right on course because I want to follow the way that God has led me he has tracked the ways of God he has followed the ways of God he's not questioning the ways of God he's not debating the ways of God but he follows them explicitly not turning to the left nor to the right and then he treasured the word of God he treasures the word of God that's why he stays on the path of God because what God says he does where God leads he goes how do you know you treasure God's word you just do everything he says that's all you don't debate what God says you love his word so much whatever he says you just do because you love him so much if you want to debate with God and question God and just try to get in the courtroom with God and say you know what God I don't think you're really leading me the right way that's just not going to work because God is the king of all we'll see next week that God is the ruler of all he is the one who holds dominion over everything and Bill Davison will be correct when he says that we'll talk about the rulership of God over all of man because he rules over all he makes no mistakes you know it would be great to be able to rule your family without making a mistake right that doesn't happen as fathers we make mistakes we're going to rule in our own little kingdom but we're going to make a lot of mistakes along the way God isn't making mistakes never makes any errors always does it right and Job says I've treasured his word I've tracked his ways I love what it says in Psalm Psalm 29 verse number 10 this is so great the psalmist says the Lord sat as king at the flood yes the Lord sits as king forever the Lord will give strength to his people and the Lord will bless his people with peace when the flood happened God sat as king why?

because he has dominion over everything God sent the flood God gave them 120 years he was very patient with them he told them it was going to happen he used Noah the preacher of righteousness and yet he sits as king over the flood over the waters because the floods and waters in scripture represent the constant tumult that we face all the time and God sits as king over them God rules over them he guides the flood as he did way back in Genesis chapter 7 and 8 he guided the depth of the flood the length and breadth of the flood he sat as king over the flood waters because he rules over them just like he does in your life and mine and maybe you sit there and think man the flood waters are so high I don't know if I can ever breathe again but God sits as king over your flood waters they only go as high as he wants them to go they only last as long as he wants them to last because he's the majestic one he's the king it says in chapter 28 of the Psalms verse 6 blessed be the Lord because he has heard the voice of my supplications the Lord is my strength and my shield my heart trusts in him and I am helped therefore my heart exults and with my song I shall thank him the Lord is their strength and he is a saving defense to his anointed save your people and bless your inheritance be their shepherd also and carry them forever the reason God sits as king over the flood waters is because he wants to as it says in verse number 11 give strength to his people and peace to his people that's what God is going to do in your life that's why you treasure his words more than your necessary food because God is constantly at work in your life and in mine so Job says this is my resolve I track the ways of God I treasure the word of God and I always trusted the work of God he's going to perform what's been appointed for me and evidently he says this is appointed for me because I have it it's present it's here Psalm 90 verse number 15 make us glad according to the day you have afflicted us and with the years we have seen trouble wow what a statement make us glad according to the days in which you afflicted us why?

because there was something about the affliction that made us glad, why? because we had to learn to trust in you and depend upon you and when we did we called upon you you heard and you answered and you saved us you gave us strength you gave us peace that's what you did and Job says this is my resolve I've always tracked the ways of God I'm always going to treasure the word of God and I'm going to trust the work of God even though I don't understand what he's doing because he knows what's appointed for me he knows what's best for me here's a man who has nothing compared to what you and I have when it comes to the full knowledge of the gospel and the truth of the word of God but what he knew he fully obeyed what he knew he fully treasured what he knew he fully trusted because it was all he had he didn't have anything else he didn't even have his wife because she's never mentioned again outside of chapter 2 so we don't even know if she's there probably not but he had the Lord and so as he tracked the ways of God and trusted the work of God he treasured the word of God all the way that was his resolve and that's what your resolve and mine should always be if you want to follow an example Job is the man he is the greatest hero in the scriptures he's the man you need to emulate he's the man you need to understand he's the man you need to follow because with just a little bit of knowledge of God he had great faith in God we have a whole lot of knowledge about God and very little faith in God now Job he loved his God he wasn't a perfect man but he was a blameless man and this confession uncovers for us the majesty of God and utters for us the magnificence of Job the man let's pray Father we thank you Lord for tonight a chance to once again look into the word of God truly Lord it is a treasure may we value your word more than we do more than our necessary food because we don't live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God thank you Lord we pray in your name amen