Job 13

I want to clarify something that I said last week. From time to time I go back and I listen to what I say. It's a little painful. But anyway I do want to clarify something that I said last week at one point and I was seeking to stress the fact that we knew that Job was a righteous man.

Because certainly it book opens up and states that. But as I tried to stress that I said there is nowhere in the book where we can determine the state of the three friends. And although it's not a specific statement there is certainly an inference at the end of the book and we'll get to it at some point of the status of his friends.

But I wanted to clarify that. So it is my misunderstanding that there is certainly if you will scripture that would help to give us an understanding of the state of his three friends. But it wasn't as clear as it is in in in the case of Job.

Job’s Defense Against His Friends

Okay having said that let's read the chapter chapter 13. And Job continues his response. Remember what I said. Now chapter 12 through chapter 14 is really pretty much one of the main defenses of Job against his friends who have made these continual allegations and ongoing if you will assaults against his character.

And and again they continually say you've sowed. Now you reap you're getting what you deserve. At one point they say you're actually getting less than what you deserve. And and this is really tearing Job down.

And so in these three chapters before they come back with another set of speeches he responds to the three friends. And in these chapters it's you'll see it in chapter 13 as well as it was in chapter 12 and 14.

Job has a really good understanding of things. Well let's just read the chapter chapter 13. Behold my eye has seen all this. This is Job. My ear has heard and understood it. What you know. I know I'm not a theory didn't you.

But I would speak to the Almighty. And I desire to reason with God. But you forges of lies. You are worthless physicians. Oh that you were silent. And it would be your wisdom. Now here my reasoning and heed the pleadings of my lips.

And will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him. Will you show partiality for him. Will you contend for God. Will it be well when he searches you out. Can you mock him as one mocks a man.

He will surely reprove you. If you secretly show partiality. Will not his excellence make you afraid. And the dread of him fall upon you and you. Your platitudes or proverbs of ashes and your defenses are defenses of clay.

Hold your peace with me and let me speak. Then let come on me. What may. Why do I take my flesh and my teeth and put my life in my hands. And though he slay me yet will I trust him. Even so I will defend my own ways before him.

He also shall be my salvation. But the hypocrite could not come before him. Listen. For hypocrite could not come before him. Listen diligently to my speech and to my declaration with your ears. See now I have prepared my case.

I know that I shall be vindicated. Who is he who will contend with me. If now I hold my tongue I perish only two things. Do not do to me. Then I will not hide myself from you. Withdraw your hand far from me and let not the dread of you make me afraid.

Then call and I will answer. Well let me speak. And then you respond to me. How many are my iniquities and sins. Make me to know my transgression and my sin. Why do you hide your face and regard me as your enemy.

Will you frighten the leaf driven to and fro. And will you pursue dry stubble. For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. And you put my feet in the stocks and watch closely all my paths.

And you set a limit for the soles of my feet. Man decays like a rotten thing like a garment that is come on there. So as you see as I hope you notice in the beginning of the chapter he's directing his words directly to the three friends.

And then beginning in chapter I mean in verse 20 I think that's where we begin to see now he comes before God and speaks directly to the Lord. But we'll get to that in due time. So just to recap in chapter 13 starts out the same way chapter 12 started out.

If you remember he said the same thing in the beginning of chapter 12 where he said no doubt you are the people and wisdom will die with you. But I have understanding as well I'm not inferior to you. And that's exactly what he he says again.

And I think he's continually says these things because well let me pose it to you as something to think about Job is I believe he's truly frustrated that he cannot in a sense not that he needs to but he's seeking to.

He cannot convince his friends to believe his words. And then and I think you and I could relate to that somewhat. Don't you at times feel frustrated when you try to convey a thought and I don't care if it's a big thought or a little thought but you try to convey to someone else what you're thinking and what's really in your mind.

And no matter how much you try to convey that they kind of say no that's not. That's not true and I don't know about you. But if if that happens it's easy to get a little bit frustrated it's almost like aren't you not listening to me.

But I think that's in a sense why Job continually keeps repeating that he's not inferior to these three friends. And and remember now let me pose it as a question do you not think that his friends think that.

Do you think his friends think themselves superior than Job. Why what why would why are they thinking that way. What what is it about the situation that lends to that thought that they think. And I and he says that at the beginning of chapter 12 right he says no doubt you're the people and wisdom will die with you.

Why is that. So they're trouble-free. Caleb. Absolutely that their situation is in in their mind they are on the right side and Job is on the what the wrong side and again lends credence to this thought about they are really making judgments based on what they see.

In other words they're allowing experience to guide them. And they're speaking for God based on the experience that they see in Job's eyes. So yeah they do think that there I think that they're in a sense of almost a little bit like a Pharisee that that remember the Pharisee I thank you God that I'm not like the rest of the Republican and you know and I I do this and I fast and I pray and all these great things.

And I think this is really agitating Job. I mean his situation is terrible. Right. Again not like he's sitting in the AC watching watching football with his legs up on the on the table he's struggling.

And so he makes these statements over and over again. And so as we we think about this I think it helps us as we think about our own lives be careful how we make judgments. Be careful how we determine things.

In other words it's not always we need to make perceptions right. We need to make judgments. We consciously and even unconsciously take things in and every one of us do the same thing we process. And then we make a perception and then we make a judgment based on that perception.

We ought to be very cautious in that that we're not allowing ourselves to be guided solely by experience but experience lends into it. I mean we basically do see and perceive and and we need to make judgments based upon that.

But we need to be careful and so just something to understand. Because I think that if you consider what he says in this chapter Job really understands not only much of what they have said but I think he has a better grip on it than them.

Because again he's making an honest declaration of what's in his heart. So then he says in verse 2 what you know I know I'm not a fear to you. And look at verse 3 I would speak to the Almighty and I desired a reason with God.

I thought this was interesting. So if you've noticed as we've been going through the book of Job many times God is addressed as the Almighty and that word is El Shaddai. And what's interesting is. And I went back and I looked and I found that there are 57 times in the Bible where God is addressed El Shaddai the all-powerful one.

What I thought was interesting is out of those 57 times 31 of them were in the book of Job. And it's not only Job who calls God the all-powerful one but his friends do it too. So when he when he says this I would speak to the Almighty and I desired a reason with God that word for God there is Jehovah.

But it's interesting to me that he acknowledges God as the all-powerful one as the as the one who has no enemies no rivals no equals nothing to stop him. And again so his friends have that thought also.

But can you not see what Job is beginning to say in his defense is is basically I can't listen to you anymore. I'm gonna deal directly with God. And why would he say that. What what what does Job know.

Perhaps that even his his friends are unaware of he knows his true state of heart before God. Right. He's confused as could be in the affairs of life. And certainly we would say we can understand that.

But but Job he says I'm gonna come before the all-powerful one I'm gonna plead my case before him. And the reason why I'm gonna do that is look what he says in verse 4. You his friends you are forges of lies and you are worthless physicians.

And I thought about that I thought about how you know what at the end of all the different things that we could consider are we not all. Do we not all have to deal with God one-on-one. Ultimately that's where it is right.

The the reality is God has. Did God create us to be isolated. God created us to be to inhabit the earth. Right. God created us to to have dealings with the creation have dominion over the creation. And God also created us to do what to have relationships one with another.

But ultimately where does our where does it all come down to it. At that time it comes down to I am before God. You are before God. And I wonder at times if we get so caught up with what. Perhaps what other people think what other people perceive.

Because ultimately other people are not the ones that we're gonna bow down to. Are they. We are all gonna bow the knee to Christ. So when you think about that when you think about what he's saying here he realizes that his ultimate judge is far beyond Eliphaz Bildad and Zophas.

And that he looks at them. And maybe it would be you have to careful how I say this. Perhaps it would not be that much of a thought to joke if his friends had come and really brought comfort. But guess what.

They don't they. He says to them that you are worthless physicians now I don't know about you. I don't want to go to a worthless doctor right. I don't want a worthless carpenter building my house. I don't want people that are worthless being involved with things that are important to me.

And that's what he's basically saying. He's saying that you are you're of no use to me. Matter of fact. Not only are you no use to me but but you're actually you have no real value here. And I wanted to ask us to think about that.

If you were to evaluate yourself concerning others how would you do that. How would you gauge yourself. Do you. Would you think that by the grace of God you are useful or are we useless. And certainly I think we would all agree.

God would have us to be what. Useful not useless. And so again our words right. Certainly their words their whole demeanor about job is really not positive. How about us. How do people perceive. How am I perceived as useful or useless of value.

Of no value. Do I do I give. What do I take. Do I lift up. Who do I cause to others to feel less. Those are those are big thoughts for us. Right. And and and sometimes I would think even in our relationships.

Sometimes in the most intimate of relationships we need to remember we are always to be useful right. Is that not what the Bible teaches. As far as our relationships one with another we are always to have a speech of what grace seasoned with salt.

How many of us would say that time. Many times the things that we say are rather useless rather than useful something to think about as we go through. So he says that to them your forges of lies your worthless positions.

I like verse 5 because I almost want to say what I think he's saying oh do you resign. I think he's telling to shut up. I think he's so fed up with them that he's basically saying shut up because they're not listening to him.

And again if if you think about what his friends have been doing to him I don't have blamed Joe for saying just just shut your face. And he says. And it would be your wisdom. Basically you're not doing me any good matter of fact.

You're just throwing wood on the fire here in my situation. So why don't you just be quiet. And it would be wiser. Remember what it says in Proverbs. It says what it says about a fool. Remember that verse.

It says even if a fool even a fool if he holds his lips is what counted as wise. How many of us would have to say. There's been so many times in our life that after we say something useless that verse comes to our mind we would have been better off having said nothing than to say what we did say.

So he says that to me it would be basically it'd be better for you guys to be quiet and hear my reasoning. That's what he says in verse 6. Hear my reasoning and heed the pleadings of my lips. Again I think he's trying to say listen to me.

Don't be so sure about yourselves. And then in verse 7 he starts to move it down a little bit. And he says this in the next couple of verses. Will you speak wickedly for God. Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him.

Will you show partiality for him. Were you content for God. I think what he's trying to say you're trying to come and act as if you understand as God understands. And you're gonna take what you've seen.

And you're gonna make a determination for God. Because that's basically what they have said. Right. They have said you've sinned against God. Job. Now you're getting what you deserve. On what authority can they say.

That they really can't say that. And and so Job is coming after them. And he's saying that in the way that they are acting and speaking towards him that they're seeking to take the place of God that they're seeking to be the judge of all the earth.

And that's no. Bueno is it. And again we ought to make judgments. What did Jesus say. He says judge not according to appearance. But what is it. Judge. Righteous judgment. So again I am not saying and you know many people in the world will say well you can't judge.

We shouldn't judge each other. Is that true. It's certainly not true. Is there is there some truth in that statement. Yeah sure. I don't know how many times I've come out of my closet with the wrong clothes on and my wife said go back in the closet.

And I've learned to just say yes ma 'am. And then I think about what I've done and I say you know you're right. Actually I did it this morning. Nevertheless but again we're not saying that we shouldn't make judgments.

And we're not even saying we shouldn't admonish one another. And we're not saying that we shouldn't speak rightly with one another. What we are saying. And when I think Job is saying you've taken this Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar you're taking this to a level that you have no right you're actually gonna try to speak for God concerning my state before him.

That doesn't. That doesn't fly. And so when he says these things and I wonder how his friends are taking this. Because remember now they were all there. What. In whatever way this is working out they're all there.

And something I've been thinking about because we as we move on the book who's the fourth friend that comes in later in the book Elihu. And as that fourth friend comes in Elihu he speaks things in a much better way.

And made me think that Elihu is listening to these things because he's part of this matter of fact. Well no I won't say it. I'm not so sure there aren't others around in this scenario others that are listening but again the scriptures are relatively quiet about that.

So I should be also so he says will you speak equally for God, talk deceitfully for him, will you show partiality, will you contend for God. And then he says in verse 9 will it be well when he searches you out almost to me as if he's saying guess what fellas you're before God too just as I'm before the Almighty so are you.

And if you want to say that God is judging me. Well what about you. Where will you be when God searches you out matter of fact later on and we'll see it. I forgot which chapter it's in he says Job says if I were in your shoes Eliphaz, I would comfort you but you are miserable comforters to me.

So he's kind of taking this in turn this around in in this verse in verse 9 will it be well when he searches you out or can you mock him as one mocks a man. And so as he's turning these things around and basically reproving them.

And that's what he says in verse 10 he will surely reprove you if you secretly show partiality. And the partiality would be that they've made a judgment they've assigned to Job a determination and they're being partial because of that determination.

And so when he says that he says when he will surely reprove you if you secretly show partiality and will not his excellence make you afraid and the dread of him fall upon you. And then he says this in verse 12 your platitudes are proverbs of ashes.

Your defenses are defenses of clay. Again his evaluation of them is really not that great. Is it to me. He's basically just saying what he's been saying you guys are worthless to me. You know no help you're more harm.

And I'm just gonna appeal to God because he's the one ultimately that I am going to have to answer to. So in verse 13 he says this hold you peace with me and let me speak. And again this is Job is trying to get them to listen and they're not listening.

How many of us as we were bringing up kids we'd have said that listen to me. And basically especially when kids perceive that you're at the point where you no longer understand life you know what I'm talking about.

Right. And all of a sudden they understand everything and you're trying to get them to listen and they've already determined that you're just an old goat and you don't know. You don't know what they know.

And some ways I'm thankful I don't know what. Yeah. Absolutely yeah. When things go bad then of course but but it's just interesting how he says this when he says hold you peace and let me speak. And then he says this then let come on me what may.

And I think that's a place for us to to really consider. And maybe and I was reading a couple of the commentators on this just to get some other thoughts. Maybe some of it have suggested that in verse 13 where he says hold your peace and let me speak is is where his friends tried to perhaps stop him and job saying no no just listen that there maybe they had they had they now they got to be getting mad they got to be getting a little bit hot under the collar.

But job is doing to them what they've done to job and jobs returning the favor. Right. And he called I don't know about you. But if someone told me I was a worthless physician and your platitudes of proverbs of ashes and you it would be hard for me to learn or control my tongue.

So basically it could be that that as he says to hold you peace and let me speak. And then he says and then let come on me what may again his integrity is that he knows and you'll see it as we get to verse 15 he knows that he is.

Let me ask you can we be right with God and wrong in our evaluation of things at the same time. Okay. I see a lot of that. So let's expand that thought a little bit. Can we be right with God and wrong in our evaluation or in our judgments or in our speech.

Because because we're still where we're still in the flesh. Yeah we're in this in this contaminated body of flesh mind again we we can be right with God and in a sense not always right with God. And I want to be careful because I misunderstood very yeah.

Because there's what. There's only one truth right. There's a lot of applications of truth but there is only one truth. So we would need to be careful on that. But Burt were you gonna say something. I thought I saw you.

That's right. Yeah. And and again that should be something that causes us to pause rather than run forward. And I don't know about you. I have a tendency sometimes to run forward right to do the Peter thing just just barge in and it's it's it's not easy to truly stop and consider in every situations and again especially in relationships where you feel comfortable look at those when you meet a stranger.

I don't know about you. When I meet a stranger I'm usually pretty cautious at first I don't know what what's in front of me. Right. Versus when I'm talking to someone I have a relationship with sometimes I feel so comfortable.

I just and again that's not good. Right. Because again if we think of ourselves as being those who ought to be useful versus useless then every situation ought to be one in which we are careful. Right.

That's the missing piece. We know what God says to look for. But even in that we don't know. Again I'll go back to the thought about the the things that we talked about the things in creation. So what was it.

11 ,000 people were taken out in that flood in Libya the other day 11 ,000 people were lost in the flood. Now remember what we looked at. We looked at in Psalm 148. And it's also in Job by the way where God says that he sends things whether that be water or disasters.

In that sense he says he sends it for one of three things for the land for judgment or for mercy. So you and I have to ask ourselves and not not in every situation. But it would be hard for us to say would it be right for us to say that all those people in Libya they're probably Muslims.

They deserve what they got. How do we make that determination. We shouldn't make that the term we don't know what God is doing. To your point the things that that God has revealed should help us to make judgments.

But even the things revealed there's always that thought of the secret will that God is completing. Certainly in the outworking of life. And again something to just think about. So he says the you know hold your peace.

Be quiet guys let me let it come on me. What may then he says in verse 14. And this one is not that easy to understand. At least I struggled with a little bit when he says why do I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hands.

Do they have any thoughts on what he's saying in there. I mean I have some thoughts on it but so I think that's probably the what's really he's saying. In other words he's saying listen I'm suffering I am struggling in my life.

Let me just let me just go at it. And he said that in verse 13 which I think is the thought that helps us to understand it which is hold you peace let me speak then let come on me. What may and remember Job is is he's at wit's end folks he's not in he's not on solid spiritual standing right now and again he's right with God but he's shaky at best.

And so he does say that he says uh let me just let me let me just keep on guys here let me just keep on speaking in my misery in my my suffering in my in the situation of my life and and I put my life in my own hands.

Trusting God Though He Slay Us

And then we come to verse 15 and we'll probably need to stay here for a little bit because he says this this which is one of the great statements to me in the book of Job where he says that though he slay me yet while I praise him that is a well let me ask you give me some thoughts some feedback on what you think that that really is setting out though he slay me yet will I trust him.

Okay he's um he's in the middle of if he was in the middle of suffering and he still says even in the middle of my suffering even in the middle of what I can't figure out I still will trust it. That's to me reveals the integrity of Job's heart and it's the thing that and let me help by suggesting this because I went and I look I wanted to see how these words worked out.

So when he says though he slay me I went and looked up that word and how that word is used and what I found out was that that word most of the time almost exclusively is used of a physical death not spiritual death physical death.

And so I think that's what he's saying. He's saying you know what I'm at such a point in my life and in though he slay me though because I don't believe. Well let me phase that for as a question do you think that Job at this point thinks he's gonna come out of this situation.

I'm not so sure he he believes that he's gonna recover from this. I think he thinks this he's about to expire and that even in that he's going to trust God. But that's the way that word is used. It usually carries the thought of being cut off physically.

And I could have sir yeah yeah because we looked at that we thought about that we were kind of throwing some things back and forth about what was she really saying what was. Was she so depressed by the situation that she just basically says job just get it over with.

Or was she saying job you're a fool once you just curse God and die. Was it one of. Was her statement to job one of disbelief or one of belief with frustration. And we'll deal with that later in the book.

Because lo and behold guess what. I think I believe his wife comes back into the situation here and we'll see that at a later point. But yeah he says though he slay me yet I will praise him. His ultimate trust is in God.

Really. Yeah. I mean that's the that's the thing his friends can't get over. Right. They keep calling. They've called him a hypocrite a bunch of times. And Job maintains his integrity. And he really is saying that I'm not what you think I am.

They have already made this judgment. Let me read to you a comment that was made. One of the commentators I looked at for this was with Benson. Maybe you've heard of Benson. But anyway let me just read what he says concerning though you slay me he says this.

But though God should yet more and more increase my torments. This is what he's saying. Job is saying thinking but God. But though God should yet more and more increase increase my torments so that I can bear them no longer but perceive myself to be at the point of death without any hope of recovery.

Yet I will trust him. Or more exactly to the Hebrew text shall I not trust him. Shall I despair. No I will not. I know he is a just a faithful a merciful God and he knows that my heart is upright before him and that I am no hypocrite.

But I will maintain my own way though I trust him. Yet I will humbly apostolate the matter with him. And it says in the Hebrew it's I will argue prove demonstrate my ways. That is I will make a free and full confession of the whole course of my life.

And I will boldly though submissively assert my own integrity which he also I doubt not will acknowledge. And what I have done amiss I will freely confess and make my supplication to my judge for the pardon of it before him.

And I think that's a pretty good statement to think about that. Is that not the case with us. Is it not one of the most marvelous truths that though we are at times sinful and though many times we offend and though many times we don't do what we ought to do and though many times our iniquities cause us pain sorrow hurt that you and I can still say I will still trust him because he is the one who ultimately you remember not too long ago we we had a message on the fact that God has delivered us is delivering us and will yet deliver us.

And in that there is such hope. Isn't it again my hope is not in me my goodness. If my hope is in me I'm done. But my hope is in the fact that even if I am judged of him in this life I cannot be judged of him in that day.

And the reason is simply Christ. Right. I think the point is as we grow in the faith and we'll end up pretty much with this. As we grow in the faith we should be learning to run to God rather than from God.

Alice our the work of the Holy Spirit in us is to cause us to draw closer to him and not farther from him. And even in our sin we ought to become more accustomed. I'm gonna do this is I'm gonna do a Wednesday night here and just a couple of weeks.

One of the things I'm gonna try to show is the example of Peter and I'll just say this in one in one way Peter sought to run away and in another sense Peter runs to Christ. You know I'm gonna reserve to the scripture till then.

But but yeah I think that's even so don't he slam you. I trust him. Because at the end of the day friends what I think would you think what anyone thinks about anything is is is good but might not be right.

So that's his integrity that he's not a hypocrite. And that doesn't mean he doesn't do hypocritical things. Right. I mean I could say I could say that I'm not a hypocrite. But that doesn't mean even if that were true that doesn't mean I don't do things because what is a hypocrite anyway what's the essence of the definition of a hypocrite an actor.

Right. Hey so it it's like I think about it a lot because when we come and see each other first thing on Sunday morning how you doing I'm good and and then you go to an expert how you doing good and how I'm fine.

Listen. No we're not. And even in that sense even if we are truly good in that way there's just this reality that we don't always we're pretty good at acting. You might not ever get an Oscar. But but as we go through this as we continue and look at this chapter and we'll finish it hopefully next week I want you to begin to think how he takes this defense of himself against his friends and he more and more presents it before God.

And then he asked God in verse 20 through the end of the chapter which is interesting he prays to God for two things and we'll we'll talk about that and whether or not it was the best thing to pray for we have some discussion around that because which one of us would say we always know what to pray for.

And is that not why. The Spirit himself was the same Romans the Spirit himself helps us. Right. Why. But we don't even know what to ask for. And it says in Hebrews that he ever lives to do what to make intercession for us.