Job 15 “Don’t be a Karen”

Job in Context: Suffering, Wisdom, and the Friends’ Bad Counsel

Is truly a blessing to watch and witness. Let us go ahead and begin with a word of prayer before we look at God's word here. But we are going to be in Job chapter 15. So I would encourage you to start making your way there.

We are back in Job. We are done with our little pause of eschatology. And this text of Job is what's going to be carrying us through until December 24, which of course, we will have a Christmas message, an incarnation message, a Emmanuel God with us message for that day.

However, until then, we are in the book of Job. So please start making your way to Job chapter 15. And as you're doing so, let us go ahead and begin with a word of prayer. Lord God, I thank you, Lord.

I thank you for the privilege and the honor it is to have little ones in this church, Lord, to be able to proclaim the good news, Lord. Even the question of today and the consideration that might be given in today's message, in our households, in our own hearts, even right now, Lord, what is justification?

What is adoption? What is sanctification, Lord? And as we consider those things, Lord, that we would even think about those things that flow from them, the ordinary means of grace, the reading of your word, the teaching of your word, the time of prayer, Lord, the communion that we have here today, Lord, the table that is before us.

Lord, may we consider all those things. May we revere all those things. May we approach those things with a stature and an attitude that is only and solely glorifying and worshiping you this morning, Lord.

God, we ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen. Job chapter 15 for this morning. Before we even read this text, since we did take a two-week pause, and as we normally do and normally would, we are going to have to discuss a little bit about the context of what's going on in here before we just jump right in and read.

Today, again, when we look at this entire text of Job, we remember that it is a historical book that has found its place in history between Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, these books of wisdom. And so in those ways, we can see how Job is struggling, even with the concepts that we would see in those two books, struggling with the present time of distress that his life has brought about with him.

He has lost his seven sons and his three daughters, and in chapter 15, all the way until the end of this book, we have a single day of conversation taking place, a single day of conversation taking place.

Job chapter 15 comes after seven days of Job mourning, suffering over his loss of family, his loss in general. He has suffered something very, very great that I hope none of us would ever go through, and it is this maddening, saddening grief that he is wallowing in that we find Job in chapter 15 with.

And as a reminder, I want to propose to us that a continual thought that we have already discussed, but in Job chapter two, we see how Yahweh, how God talks about Job. He says to Satan, have you set your heart upon my servant Job, for there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.

And he still holds fast his integrity. So you enticed me against him to swallow him up in vain. And from this conversation, Satan wants to continue to persecute Job. God permits this, allows this to take place.

He decrees this for this to take place. And so he has boils on his skin, this very sickening position Job is in. And then we see the advice being given from the friends. And I think that the advice being given from the friends is the continual stabbing in the back from Satan himself, trying to torment Job.

And so because of that, we are taking these larger swaths of the text to understand what's going on in here, because we ought not to look at Job chapter 15 and say, Eliaphus, everything that Eliaphus says to Job in this chapter is good and is applicable to us as the Christian church.

We ought not to do that. Why? Because of Eliaphus, Bildad, the other friend, they all get rebuked at the end of Job by Yahweh, by God. And so we look at these larger swaths of texts and we need to say, this is that continual torment to Job.

And this is how we ought not to encourage a suffering Christian. This is not how we ought to behave in life. Now, I wanna remind us again that we get a lot more to this picture than what several individuals might be getting in this day when Job was talking, right?

Were the three friends able to hear Yahweh say, this is my servant, upright, pure, blameless? Did the three friends ever hear that? No, they never heard that, right? Even in our minds, we understand how the book of Job ends.

And so there's going to be some contextual reading when we look at Job chapter 15. Has the story ended for the friends yet in this book? No, it hasn't ended. So we take all those things in consideration when we look here at Job chapter 15.

But just as a reminder, Job is most definitely a sinner because Romans chapter three, verse 10 would call him such, but we have the deeper insight into the life of Job, which is what God has revealed Job as.

And that is an upright, blameless man. He is a man that fears Yahweh. He's a man that no doubt has the imputed righteousness there in his life. Even in the case of what Rick talked with the little ones, he has been justified.

And so because of that, we can assuredly and firmly say, Job is saved, he's a believer in Yahweh. And so in Job chapter 15, this comes after several accounts of the three friends continually giving him bad advice, cutting really, really deep, saying things like, you have sown wickedness, Job, therefore, because you did something, your sons died.

Because you did this bad thing, your daughters died. That is the formula that the friends have approached Job with is suffering. And in this case, Job's suffering is a result of sinful actions in the past.

This is a very common worldview today. And it's one that I would not encourage any of you to be looking at. It would be wrong for you to say, Brayden, while you were in the midst of your food poisoning this week, I stopped by your house and I saw how sick you were.

Brayden, you have unrepentant sin. No, it was a bad decision to eat lunch at a sushi place is what it was. The reality of suffering in life is not one that is always produced because of sinful living.

You could go to the drunkard. You could go to the alcoholic that has struck a family in a vehicle and say, your sin caused you to be in this bad situation. You could do that. But you should not do that in all situations.

There's wisdom with these things. So let us look here at Job chapter 15. We're taking this large swath of the text, Job, the entire chapter here. But verses one through six, let's go ahead and read this.

Then Eliaphus, the Temanite, answered and said, should a wise man answer with windy knowledge and fill his belly with the east wind? Should he argue with a word that cannot be used or with speech, which is not profitable?

Indeed, you annul reverent fear and cut off musing before God. Your iniquity teaches your mouth. And you choose the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you and not I, and your own lips answer against you.

Eliaphus is setting this up, continually opposing Job and saying, you have done wrong. Iniquity is in your mouth, obviously, Job. And he's saying that all your wisdom, Job, is actually a lofty sentence.

It's a lofty sentiment. It actually has no real substance to it. It has no real meaning, no real value for anyone that would ever hear what you just said, Job. There's nothing really wise to it. There's no real meaning to it, Job.

Now, just as a reminder, some of the things that Job has said has been very good. And some of the things that Job has said has been very bad. Some of the examples of the bad things Job has said is, God, I wish I would have died from my mother's womb.

I wish I would have been born and not been breathing. I wish I would have never crawled on my knees. I wish my mother would have never celebrated my birth, God. That was wrong of Job to say that. It was right of Job to say, Yahweh gives, Yahweh's takes.

Blessed be the name of Yahweh. Why can we say that that was a good thing for Job to say? Because the very next verse, it says that Job never sinned when he said that. That was a good thing for Job to say, a very good thing for Job to say.

So Job is in the midst of a terrible morning, and we have to remember that that is the situation Job is in, and that gives light to why he might be saying some things that are not correct. It gives credence, it gives reason for why Job might be saying such a thing.

But let's look here at verse seven through 13. And just continually, this friend, Elias, this is the second time Elias speaks again. He spoke one time before, and this is the second time. So let's look here at verse seven and continue on with this.

Were you the first man to be born? Or were you brought forth before the hills? Do you hear the secret counsel of God and cut down wisdom only unto yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not with us?

Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, older than your father. Are the consolations of God too small for you? Even the word spoken gently with you, why does your heart take you away? And why do your eyes flash that you should turn your spirit against God and allow such words to go out of your mouth?

Brothers and sisters, I hope you caught what just happened in here. This is something that I've seen in my own life. I'm sure it's something that you have seen in your own life as well. But what Elias is doing is he's appealing to age as the reason why he ought to be listened to, appealing to age about why he is right and Job is wrong.

Now, it is very true that wisdom does come with age. Being a young 27-year-old myself, I can look back at when I was 20 and I can say, I'm definitely more wise now than I was when I was 20. There were things I do now, and I look back at when I was 20 and I say, man, that was stupid of me to do.

That was without wisdom. I've gathered more wisdom with more age comes wisdom. This is a very truthful statement. Age does bring about wisdom, but I want to be very clear in this, and I want you to make not this mistake in reasoning.

Age does not always make someone wise, nor should you think that wisdom does not accompany the young. In fact, this own book of Job teaches that. Job chapter 32, verses six through nine, when we have this mysterious fourth friend enter into the conversation.

This is a amazing thing that I'm excited to get to when we get to Job chapter 32. But in Job chapter 32, verse six through nine, Eluha, the son of Barsel, the Bezuwite, answered and said, I am young in my years and you are old.

Therefore, I was shy and afraid to tell you my knowledge. I thought age should speak and increased years should make wisdom known, but it is a spirit in a man and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

The abundant in years may not be wise, nor may elders understand justice. This is the fourth friend, and it doesn't necessarily say when the fourth friend walks in on this conversation, it would be reasonable to say, Eluha is actually listening to this conversation happening here in Job chapter 15.

He's listening, he's saying, okay, I'm younger, I shouldn't speak, I should let the elders talk and see if what they're saying is true. And after he listens to the entire discourse that takes place between these three friends and Job, he finally speaks up and he says, look, these men who I thought were wise, have actually, their words are the lofty ones, their words actually have no good wisdom in them at all.

And we'll see that later on when we get to Job chapter 32, but this sentiment of wisdom, not always accompanying just elderly people is actually also seen in 1 Timothy 4, verse 11 through 13. Young pastor Timothy, a very wise man of his day, one that Paul talks about as being a good brother, soldier of the faith, who I would contend, there's not necessarily a time where we could say he's exactly this age, but I would argue he was under the age of 30.

The reason I say that is that would have been the common day age for somebody to see be seen as a capable minister in the old covenant. And so what's going on is that because he's under that age, he's being scrutinized by the elders that are used to that age requirement.

And so he's finding a lot of fight back with that. And so Timothy is told this by Paul, Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4, 11 through 13, command and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but show yourself as a model to those who believe in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity, until I come give attention to public reading of scripture, to exhortation and to teaching.

Paul himself tells young Timothy, don't let anyone look down on your youthfulness. We see Job say wisdom is only given by the breath of the Almighty. That's where wisdom exists. Wisdom exists in the word of God.

That's why Paul tells Timothy, command and teach these things. If you command and teach the things of God, don't let anyone look down at your age, whether you be 16 and you are a believer in God and you preach, when you preach these things, don't let anyone look down on the message.

If you were 80 years old, don't let anyone look down at the message. If it is biblical, it is breath of the Almighty that has given that wisdom. Aloha, or not Aloha, excuse me, Eliaphus in this text is saying, Job, since you didn't listen to my appeal about that vision I had back, I think it was in chapter five, where we saw that peculiarity that takes place in chapter five or chapter four, of where he says, I had a vision and God told me these things.

And I think that that was actually a demon that he saw in there. And I think that that would be a reasonable assertion. This demon told me these things, Job. Since Job didn't actually listen to Eliaphus in there, now he's saying, well, I am older than even your father.

How dare you deny what I have to say to you? He's cutting a lot more deep now with this. So let's look here at verses 14 through 16. What is man that he should be pure? Or who is, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Behold, he puts no faith in his holy ones and the heavens are not pure in his sight. How much less who is abominable and corrupt man who drinks unrighteousness like water. Job has told these friends continually, I am wise because God is true, he's sovereign.

I am pure because God is sovereign. I am right because God is sovereign. And these friends keep on attacking that premise. Your belief doesn't matter, your wisdom doesn't matter, your supposed purity, Job, it does not matter because you were a sinner.

And so what Eliaphus is doing in this text, he's saying, Job, how dare you? God who finds iniquity in all things, he looks in creation, he can find iniquity in a cloud. How dare you think that you are without iniquity, Job?

And the point of this is that Job is saying, I fear Yahweh. We talk about the wonderfulness of what justification is, and that is the declaration of God that the sinner has been made righteous in the eyes of God.

No, you and yourself are not pure, but in the eyes of God, you stand justified and blameless in his sight. What has God told Satan in the very first chapter and the second chapter about how Job stands?

He stands upright, blameless, holy, and one that fears Yahweh. It is true, God could look at the cloud and find iniquity in it. But if Job has been justified, if he has been declared by our mighty God that can find iniquity in a cloud, if he has been declared as a righteous man, what is he?

He is a righteous man. It does not matter how much the friends appeal to Job about his supposed hidden sin, does not matter those things, it matters about what God sees Job as. We're gonna read a whole plethora of verses here.

We're gonna read all of 17 all the way to verse 35 in here. So let's read this. I will tell you, listen to me, and what I have beheld, I will also recount. What wise men have told and have not concealed from their fathers, to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them.

The wicked man rides in pain all his days, and numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless. Sounds of dread are in his ears, while at peace the destroyer comes upon him. He does not believe that he will return from darkness, and he is destined for the sword.

He wanders about for food, saying, where is it? He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand. Distress and anguish terrify him. They overpower him like a king ready for the attack, because he has stretched out his hand against God, and magnifies himself against the Almighty.

He rushes headlong at him with his massive shield, for he has covered his face with his fat and made his thighs heavy with flesh. He has dwelt in desolate cities and houses no one would inhabit, which are destined to become ruins.

He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure, and his grain will not stretch out over the land. He will not be able to depart from darkness. The flame will wither his shoots, and by the breath of his mouth he will depart.

Let him not believe in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his reward. When his days are not yet fulfilled and his palm branches is not green, he will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, and will cast off his flower like the olive tree.

For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tent of the corrupt. They conceive trouble and give birth to wickedness, and their belly prepares deception.". This is the continual railing on Job from his friends that we have in this text.

Now, I would ask you, consider for a moment, maybe you could put yourself in the shoes of a Luha right here. You could be that fly on the wall. You walk in on this conversation. You don't know anything that has gone on prior to this.

You don't know about Job's life before it. You are just watching these things play out. You don't know what God has said in the past about Job. You don't know what God is going to say about Job in the future.

You don't know those things. But you have heard the wife of Job say, curse God and die. You witness the man that is covered with boils. You see him wallowing in the grief of losing his family. You see all these things.

And all of this is being done while Job is pleading that he is an innocent man. You have heard the three friends continually striking him down to his very core of grief and suffering, seeming to offer a perspective on why he is suffering.

If you didn't know the end of the story, and again, you don't know how God has already spoken about Job, you would not be wrong for necessarily falsely assuming that these three friends were in the right.

It is easy to scrutinize a man without knowing a full story. It's very easy to do that. It's only until we understand and are able to judge righteously when we have a full picture of everything that we can say, this is a terrible thing that these three friends are doing to Job.

Job, the boils are not a, they were not given to him because he was a sinner. The losing of his friends, or not his friends, the losing of his children was not because of sin. No matter how much these friends are pleading with him saying it is, we likewise need to have that same approach with everything in life.

Whenever we make a judgment upon a man, a woman, we need to seek the full story before we can come to a firm conclusion saying this is the reason. We as Christians are supposed to do this when we analyze anything in life, especially, and I say this, especially when it is wrapped up in pus-filled boils.

I would advise you to even listen to the words of Jesus on this very similar subject. Matthew 11, verse 18 through 20, it says, for John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say he has a demon. These are Pharisees that are saying he has a demon.

Did John the Baptist, who we have the full story about, a much clearer picture, did he have a demon? No, but the Pharisees of that day looked and scrutinized him and went and sought out any means that they could accuse him of having a demon on, and they said he has a demon.

The son of man, Jesus, came eating and drinking, and they say, behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Let me ask you this, was Jesus a glutton or a drunkard? No, we have a much clearer picture than they had.

Do not be quick to judge without the full picture. Do not judge unrighteous, but judge righteously. Jesus says, yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles were done because they did not repent.

It's funny that the Pharisees were accusing Jesus of being a glutton and a drunkard even when he was committing and performing miracles upon miracles that pronounced him as what? A drunkard? The Messiah, the son of God living amongst us, and they still accused him of that.

There may not be many things that the 21st century has brought to the grand table of humanity and the means of linguistics, but one of the things it has brought is the term Karen, which I find remarkably as a well-deserved term.

If you look at your bulletin, you would see that today's sermon, the title is Don't Be a Karen, and I wrote that out as a somewhat funny sermon title, but I think it is fitting for what is going on here in Job chapter 15.

These Pharisees that we just looked at in Matthew chapter 11 were Karens. Why do I say this? Because they were seeking offense, they were seeking an accusation, and they were wanting to be loud for all to hear their offenses that they had found.

Yet Jesus responds by saying, wisdom will be vindicated by her deeds. This means we ought to consider the whole of someone's past, the current situation that they are in, and if they are acting reasonable given those circumstances, and then keep a close eye on them to ensure their deeds are being vindicated, meaning that they are fitting with what they are saying that they believe or they're doing for that reason.

In the life of Job, we see a man that has done very godly things. He was making sacrifices for his family continually. He was making all these things. He was a good man. He has just had some of the most tremendous suffering.

Like I made mention, I hope none of us suffer like that. He just lost his seven sons, his three daughters, and then there's seven days that have gone by. He's suffering and all this is being done while he himself in the flesh is in pain and turmoil.

While he did not act the greatest in some of the things he said, would you ask yourself and say, is he acting within the limits, the reasons that might be expected in somebody in that situation? Is he acting reasonable?

I would say so. I've heard people, whether it's on 911 calls who have just witnessed a suicide of their family member or something along those lines, say, I want to die. That's what Job said, I want to die.

He's mourning. That's a reasonable response. Though it might not be a good response, while it might be a sinful response, it is a reasonable response for somebody in that situation. The next question should be, what is the rest of the life of Job consist of?

When Job is answered by God and rebuked by God himself, does Job reject the sayings of God or does he settle his head upon that firm foundation? He says, I repent in dust and ashes. I cover my mouth, may I not speak anymore.

When Job is confronted with God's word, he says it's God's word alone. Brothers and sisters, when we ourselves are found in a situation that is not great, whether it is in tremendous trial, whether it is in loss of life or whatever it is, as time progresses, the wisdom that will be vindicated by her deeds is if our life will be consistent with the word of God and if we find our resting place there in it, just like Job did.

When God spoke to Job and gave him this harsh language that we have all throughout chapter 38 to 42, does Job reject those sayings or does he rest his head on them? Brothers and sisters, do the same today.

Rest your heads on the promise of God, knowing that he did come 2000 years ago, knowing that he did live for you perfectly, knowing that he died substitutionarily for you and that he has risen on the third day and has sat you in the heavenly places with him and that you ought to also be fully expecting him to come again.

Rest your head on that, brothers and sisters. Let us pray. Lord God, I thank you for this text, Lord. I thank you. Lord, I just thank you for what Job 15 has brought out to our church today, Lord. I thank you for what you have prepared for us to revive our souls today, whatever situations that we might be in today, Lord.

God, I wanna lift up any of the suffering saints in here, even brother Don right now, Lord, that you would just be with him, Lord. May he likewise rest his head upon your word, Lord. May we today, even if we are not suffering, Lord, may it be that we rest our heads on your promise, Lord.

God, let us sing worship to you as we have that head rested upon a sure foundation. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us sing to you today. In the name of Jesus, in your name, amen. Brothers and sisters, please stand with me as we sing the final song, after which we will do communion.

We'll do communion.