John 14:21: Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

The test of love is a desire and effort to please the one that we love.Jesus told his disciples that part of how we display our love for the Father is by keeping his commandments.

The Apostle John wrote very similarly: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2,3).

This morning our reading begins with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). What are we to make of these words? There are some who would argue that these words were only for Israel and have no real bearing on Christians today. I would not be one of those people, nor would the Reformed & Presbyterian world.

In the Westminster Confession of Faith we read this:

2. This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables: (James 1:25, James 2:8, 10–12, Rom. 13:8–9, Deut. 5:32, Deut. 10:4, Exod. 34:1) the first four commandments containing our duty towards God; and the other six, our duty to man. (Matt. 22:37–40)

5. The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; (Rom. 13:8, 9, Eph. 6:2, 1 John 2:3–4, 7–8) and that, not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator, who gave it. (James 2:10, 11) Neither doth Christ, in the Gospel, any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation. (Matt. 5:17–19, James 2:8, Rom. 3:31)

~ Chapter 19:2, 5

These commands are applicable to all of history. But these commands are not directions for how to make oneself right with God. Mankind cannot do that on his own. These are commands for how to live as one rescued by the grace of God. The first 2 verses of chapter 20 help us to see that:

1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Our Shorter Catechism asks what the preface (these verses) to the Ten Commandments teach us: “The preface to the Ten Commandments teaches us, that because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments.” (WSC 44; WLC 101)

We obey because we have been rescued from the slavery of sin. We obey because we love our Lord and we want to be conformed to his image and please him.

That’s not a word you want to see at the top of a post, but it’s what we have with the Israelites (and too often what we face in our own hearts). At the end of chapter 15 Tyler Israelites grumbled against Moses that they had no fresh water to drink (15:24). The Lord showed that he was more than capable to heal the waters from their bitterness.

But then in the very next chapter we have further complaints.

2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” (NLT)

This is what would happen, but then Moses spoke about the “why” behind it.

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” (ESV)

Moses knew that their grumbling was ultimately against the Lord. But what is the source of this grumbling? Did not these people just witness some amazing events that showed that power and nature of the Lord? How could they now grumble? Well, many view God as their own personal butler in the sky to serve them. They do not understand the nature of God, they merely see his power and believe it is solely for them and their needs. And if those needs aren’t met, we’ve seen that they would have returned to Egypt since they had needs met there (even though in slavery).

What does this tell us about the human heart?

What does it tell you about your own heart? When do you tend to grumble against the Lord?

Take some time to read and meditate upon 1 Corinthians 10:6-13.

Happy Monday morning! It’s nice to see the sun again, and not necessarily the most normal feeling in February. Well today we read of the crossing of the Red Sea, the Song of Moses, and also complaining by the Israelites. What sticks out the most is this confrontation between Pharaoh and the Israelites, but it’s more so a confrontation between Pharaoh (a false God) and Yahweh (the true God).

Pharaoh had let the Israelites go, but then had second thoughts as their slave labor would no longer be available. So they pursue Israel and believe they have them cornered between their army and the sea. And the Israelites are thinking the same thing:

10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (14:10-14 NLT)

Why is it that the Israelites are so fearful?

What did Moses tell them and what does this tell the people?

I think it’s helpful to look at the ESV of verses 13 & 14.

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (14:13,14 ESV)

How does Isaiah 30:15 add to your thinking?

What does this whole episode tell us about our God?

There is so much that could be written this morning. This is the culmination of the Plagues on Egypt. You can hear the fear in the words of the Egyptians: 7 Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the LORD their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?” (10:7 NLT).

Still to come is a plague of locusts, and then darkness, and it is capped off with the plague of the firstborn, the Lord’s Passover. It is here that the Lord executes profound judgment on the Egyptians and shows there is a difference between his people and those who are not his people. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride (cf. Psalm 31:23).

Take three minutes and twenty-nine seconds and watch the clip below, and be encouraged and comforted. Too often we doubt the volume of our faith, but it’s not the intensity of our faith, but the object of our faith that matters. The Israelites were shown that very clearly on the night when the Angel of the Lord passed through Egypt.

The story moves quickly today. We encounter the first seven plagues: turning the water to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, and then hail. In the first two plagues you see that the magicians of Egypt are able to replicate what Moses and Aaron declare, but from that point on they are unable to do so and their response in the third plague is: This is the finger of God! (8:19).

Yet we also continuously see a repeated pattern: the plague comes, Pharaoh pleads, the Lord relents, and Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. But look back at 7:14: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses to let the people go.” This was after Aaron’s staff (snake) swallowed the staffs (snakes) of the magicians.And it is interesting that the NLT didn’t say his heart was hard - and that’s because it’s a different word. It could be translated as his heart was heavy.

John Currid gave some help in understanding the background to this concept:

“At this time the Egyptians believed that when someone died the person went to judgement in the underworld. The individual’s heart—which was thought to be the very essence of the person—was weighed on the scales of truth. On one pan sat the feather of truth and righteousness; on the other lay the heart of the deceased. If the heart was heavy or weighty with misdeeds, the person was unjust, condemned and thrown to the Devouress to be eaten. If the heart was pure, the deceased would go to the Egyptian afterlife.

In the exodus account the verdict that Pharaoh’s heart was heavy reflects the concept of his heart being filled with iniquity and injustice. His dealings with Israel, and for that matter his own character in general, were unrighteous. God was simply judging Pharaoh as one with a heavy, sinful heart!”

( Currid, J. D. (2000). A Study Commentary on Exodus: Exodus 1–18 (Vol. 1, pp. 165–166). Evangelical Press.)

Once again the condition of the heart of man is vital.

The story is picking up speed. A great deal happens in these few chapter. Moses returns to Egypt, but on the way the Lord confronts him for not circumcising his son and his wife takes action to stay the Lord’s hand. God has remembered his covenant, and his people are to do the same in observing the rites of the covenant.

Then Moses meets up with Aaron and they speak with the elders of Israel about the Lord seeing their affliction. As one can imagine, the result of that announcement is worship. God has seen their pain and heard their groans. Their refuge is showing himself to be so.

But when Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh he isn’t on the same page with the Lord in regard to letting the people go and he actually makes life harder for the Israelites. Which in turn leads to the Israelites being a bit irritated with Moses & Aaron. But the Lord reaffirms his commitment to his covenant and to their deliverance.

Now, in this there are some phrases that can catch our attention, and one is that of the Lord saying he will harden Pharaoh’s heart (cf. 4:21). Carson adds some helpful comments:

“During the succeeding chapters, the form of expression varies: not only “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” (7:3), but also “Pharaoh’s heart became hard” or “was hard” (7:13, 22; 8:19, etc.) and “he hardened his heart” (8:15, 32, etc.). No simple pattern is discernible in these references. On the one hand, we cannot say that the pattern works up from “Pharaoh hardened his heart” to “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened” to “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (as if God’s hardening were nothing more than the divine judicial confirmation of a pattern the man had chosen for himself); on the other hand, we cannot say that the pattern simply works down from “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart” to “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened” to “Pharaoh hardened his heart” (as if Pharaoh’s self-imposed hardening was nothing more than the inevitable outworking of the divine decree).

Three observations may shed some light on these texts. (a) Granted the Bible’s storyline so far, the assumption is that Pharaoh is already a wicked person. In particular, he has enslaved the covenant people of God. God has not hardened a morally neutral man; he has pronounced judgment on a wicked man. Hell itself is a place where repentance is no longer possible. God’s hardening has the effect of imposing that sentence a little earlier than usual. (b) In all human actions, God is never completely passive: this is a theistic universe, such that “God hardens Pharaoh’s heart” and “Pharaoh hardened his own heart,” far from being disjunctive statements, are mutually complementary. (c) This is not the only passage where this sort of thing is said. See, for instance, 1 Kings 22; Ezekiel 14:9; and above all 2 Thessalonians 2:11–12: “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.””

(Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 1, p. 78). Crossway Books.)

But there is another aspect to this, and to all the plagues that we will come across: God is showing clearly that he is the Sovereign. In ancient Egypt the heart was the essence of a person. Pharaoh was considered a god - the incarnation of Ra and Horus. And it was believed that the hearts of those two gods were sovereign over everything. Yahweh will show very clearly that they are nothing but false gods with no power to stop the Almighty.

How does this text encourage your trust in the Lord?

How does knowing that God is sovereign give you comfort?

What does this tell you about your own heart? (cf. Proverbs 4:23, 28:14)

This morning we begin Exodus. The words of 1:8 loom large: Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph (ESV). This sets the stage for the pain and heartache that the Israelites (the descendants of Jacob) will endure and experience. The oppression of God’s people is significant. From slavery and hard labor to murder of baby boys. We meet Moses, and then at the end of chapter 2 we read these words:

23 Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act (NLT).

The people of Israel were tired. They were burdened and groaning under all their were experiencing. But these words bring a glorious ray of hope.

God remembered - this is not stating that God finally recalled what he has previously done or said, but it carries with it the idea that God will no act to fulfill his promises. If we look back at Genesis 15:13,14 we read these words: 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions (ESV). The Exodus will fulfill that promise (though there is still much to happen).

Verse 25: 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew (ESV). You notice that the NLT adds “it was time to act.” Though that is true, the word “knew” here emphasizes something very important, and that is that God is not removed, distant, or aloof from his people. He knows them. He knows the labor and hardship and pain they are enduring. He hears their groans.

This is great news for all believers. God knows you. He hears your pain and groaning. It may be long-lasting, but he is not unaware and he is certainly our refuge. We see that most clearly in our Savior, who brought us out of much more than slavery to a foreign land, but rather slavery to sin.

This song by Anne Steele, redone by Sandra McCracken and Indelible Grace, is a wonderful summary of the comfort we have for our often weary souls.

1. Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet

We’ve all made a month and we’ve finished our second book of the Bible today. In chapters 40-42 God speaks more and Job responds. God lays out his relationship with Behemoth and Leviathan - two massive beasts that we aren’t sure what they refer to, but it’s clear they are impressive creatures.

God has continued to assert that he is God, not Job or his friends (cf. Job 41:11). Thankfully we also know him through our acquaintance with all of Scripture as holy, just, righteous, merciful, gracious, compassionate, good, and so much more.

But we come to Job’s response in chapter 42:

Then Job answered the Lord and said::

2 “I know that you can do all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.’

5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye sees you;

6 therefore I despise myself,

and repent in dust and ashes.” (ESV)

Job does not seek to justify himself - he repents. This is not a repentance that agrees with his “comforters” that he is evil, but one that repents of his guilt of demanding God provide him with everything he wanted (with an explanation of all that happened). That is God’s prerogative and Job sees that.

We must learn to see ourselves as we are - creatures. God is God and we are not. We must stop trying to run the universe and learn to rest in God’s wisdom and ways.

Today the Lord speaks. Job has been longing and pleading for a response from God and today it comes. But it doesn’t necessarily come in the manner in which Job had hoped. Job wished to question God about his own suffering and the Lord fires a barrage of rhetorical questions at Job.

Imagine being Job and these are the first words you hear:

2 Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?

3 Brace yourself like a man,

because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.

The questions that ensue ask whether Job was there at the creation or if he knew where the snow came from or where light dwells.

Then we come to chapter 40:2

2 Shall a faultfinder content with the Almighty?

He who argues with God, let him answer it. (ESV)

Carson summarizes this all well:

“It is vital for the understanding of this book that we do not misunderstand this challenge. God is not withdrawing his initial estimate of Job (1:1, 8). Even under the most horrible barrage from Satan and from the three “miserable comforters,” Job has not weakened his fundamental integrity nor lost his basic loyalty to the Almighty. He has not followed the advice of his suffering wife to curse God and die; he has not followed the advice of his friends and simply assumed he was suffering for sins hitherto unrecognized and therefore turned to repentance. But he has come within a whisker of blaming God for his sufferings; or, better put, he has certainly insisted that he wants his day in court, that he wants to justify himself to God. Implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, Job has accused God of being unjust, or of being so removed that the just and the unjust seem to face the same ends. In his better moments Job steps back from the least restrained parts of his rhetoric, but he certainly feels, to say the least, that God owes him an explanation.

But now God is saying, in effect, that the person who wants to “contend” with God—to argue out some matter—must not begin by assuming that God is wrong or by accusing the Almighty of not getting things right. That has been the thrust of the rhetorical questions (chaps. 38–39): Job has neither the knowledge nor the power to be able to stand in judgment of God.”

Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 2, p. 96). Crossway Books.

So Job answers:

4 I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?

I will cover my mouth with my hand.

5 I have said too much already.

I have nothing more to say.

This seems like a great step for Job, but the Lord will continue tomorrow with further challenges. Sometimes it takes learning a lesson multiple times to get it into the recesses of our heart and soul.

Chapter 35 is a rebuke of Job. Elihu is not tender in this. There is little doubt that Elihu is answering Job with strength and fervor. The main question is in the first four verses - but most clear in verse 3 and it is basically this - ‘What is the point of being good? If I suffer while being righteous…what does it matter?’ Underlying this is the thinking that the Lord ought to reward righteous living. Christopher Ash wrote: “Although at the start of the book Job firmly rejected this and showed that he worships God purely and simply because he is God and is worthy of his worship, it would seem that Job has faltered in this as his sufferings have continued. This short but dense speech by Elihu carries a sharp but necessary rebuke to Job and to any of us who fall into this trap, no matter how severe the suffering that prompts it.”

Ash is helpful in this. As he addressed verses 5-8 he wrote: “Elihu is not suggesting that God does not care how Job or anyone else behaves. “After all, he is counseling Job in God’s name to cease fighting with God and to submit to him”; so he clearly thinks our actions have moral and spiritual significance. He is saying that since we cannot affect the blessedness of God by our actions, there is no way we should expect to gain any kind of leverage with him. We cannot say to God, “If I stop sinning, I expect you’ll feel happier and reward me” or “I’m sure my good behavior has made your day better, so it seems to me that you owe me one in return.” So to ask what advantage I may expect to gain from my piety is the wrong question; it is a question that reveals I have not properly taken on board the transcendence of God and therefore his impassibility and immutability.”

Ash, C. (2014). Job: The Wisdom of the Cross (R. K. Hughes, Ed.; p. 355). Crossway.

IN verses 9-16 Elihu sets up a hypothetical situationIn which the oppressed ‘cry out’ but they do so without faith. They cry out in anguish, but not really desiring the Lord. And in verses 14-16 he equates this with Job.

Here is the helpful conclusion from Ash in regard to this chapter and the point.

“So what is Elihu saying to Job? He is telling Job that as long as he keeps saying these outrageous and impious things about God, he cannot expect God to answer him. God will not answer his cries any more than he can be expected to answer the cries of other sufferers who do not cry to him from faith. In our soft and liberal cultures we find this offensive. And yet it is true. Elihu is giving Job “the wounds of a … faithful … friend” (Proverbs 27:6); he is telling Job what he needs to hear. In his rough and uncompromising way he is doing Job far more good than the soppy sympathy of one who dares compromise with the name of God. He is challenging head-on our natural and instinctive but sinful expectation that by our virtue we can put God in our debt and that in our painful cries we have a right to have God listen to us. Neither is true, for God is above and beyond us, unchangeable in his nature and consistent in his determination to listen only to the prayers of those who seek him because he is God, and not because of what they hope to gain from him.”

Ash, C. (2014). Job: The Wisdom of the Cross (R. K. Hughes, Ed.; pp. 356–357). Crossway.

Today we hear from a new voice. A younger man named Elihu finally speaks. It is likely he has been sitting there silently all along giving deference to those older than he. As D.A. Carson wrote “Elihu comes across as a rather bumptious individual who up to this point has only just barely restrained himself from speaking.” (It’s ok - I had to look up bumptious too - it means presumptuous, noisily self-assertive).

Yet, even though Elihu may come across a bit arrogant, his arguments take a different tact than those of the previous three “comforters” of Job. In chapter 33 he states that he believes Job has gone too far in insisting so fully on his own innocence that he in essence is charging God with wrong (33:8-12). He also does not believe that God is as distant as Job asserts. But instead of drawing hard and fast lines with regard to human suffering, Elihu actually leaves some mystery. And in the end, Elihu desires to see Job justified (33:32).

Then in chapter 34 you can hear his attitude a bit more. Yet, the arguments he makes, though strikingly close to those of the other men, are a bit different. And at the end of the book when God speaks, Elihu is not rebuked. The ‘comforters’ are, as is Job, but Elihu has no charge against him. His basic approach seems to be in the right, even if he is a bit less than winsome.

This was a memory verse I reviewed this morning (and reminded of as well by Carson): 29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deut. 29:29).

In the last two chapters of Job’s speech in this book (he will speak again but only in response to the Lord) he further recounts his suffering. But it moves a bit beyond that broad idea to laying out how he has been mistreated and lost his standing in the community. He is now mocked by those younger than him…and who would be considered fairly worthless young men (30:1). He is taunted and he lives in terror as his honor is gone. He states that he cried out for help, but evil came instead. He is troubled and restless.

Then in chapter 31 he recounts his his life of dignity and honor. He recounts how he was considered a man who was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil (1:1). He had made a covenant not to lustfully look upon a woman (31:1). He was a man who was well known for his generosity and righteousness. There weren’t secret complaints about Job. He dealt justly and graciously with those around him, and especially those in his charge. And even though he was wealthy he never trusted in it (31:24-28). And he never laughed at misfortune that he observed in others.

Job has continued to state and maintain that he is one of integrity and he is innocent (not worthy of this suffering). But yet he has no comfort. Job’s only hope for an answer to his questions lie with one who has to this point been silent.

• What do you do when God is silent?

• What comfort do you turn to?

We come to part of Job’s lengthy final speech. His three comforter’s are done. Bildad’s final speech was short and added little to nothing to the argument of the friends. As Job begins chapter 26 he is clearly not appreciative of the counsel of his friends and then he recounts the powerful deeds of God and ends this chapter with these words:

14 These are just the beginning of all that he does,

merely a whisper of his power.

Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power? i(NLT)

14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,

and how small a whisper do we hear of him!

But the thunder of his power who can understand? (ESV)

This reminds me of a song by Shane and Shane called “The Fringes” (which is a word used in the NIV of verse 14).

As we move into chapter 27 Job is holding fast to his integrity (vv. 5,6). However, he also comes dangerously close to charging the Lord with wrong in denying him his rights (vv. 1-4). Though with this Job does not imply that God is corrupt or unjust because God will deal with the wicked (vv. 7-23) - either in this life, but certainly in death.

As we move to chapter 28 we have a reflection on wisdom, and the rarity of it. It is hidden from the eyes of man (v. 21). Then we come to verse 28 and the end of God’s summary of it all:

28 And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ (ESV)

“Doubtless in the context of the book of Job this chapter accomplishes several things. It pricks the pretensions of the “comforters” who think themselves so wise. It demonstrates that despite his protests, Job is still profoundly God-centered in all his thinking. Even while he publicly raises questions about God’s fairness in his own case, Job insists that all wisdom finally rests in God. Moreover, because such wisdom is irretrievably tied to shunning evil, Job demonstrates by his poetic utterance that not only does he retain humility of mind before the Almighty, but his commitment to righteous living is profoundly tied to his faith in God’s wisdom, to his own sheer God-centeredness.”

Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 2, p. 84). Crossway Books.

The dialogue in Job continues. We find Eliphaz rehashing the same argument that has been stated over and over - Job must secretly be wicked and his wickedness has been exposed because the righteous do not suffer (this is his understanding of suffering). His basic advice is this: “Get your act together and all will be good.” It’s a basically tit-for-tat type of theology; that God rewards only the good. There is no real sense of grace or mercy in this line of thinking.

Job responds a bit differently in chapter 23. He doesn’t focus on the same idea, but instead is wondering where God is. He charges him with being inaccessible. He still desires to lay out his case before the Lord (23:4). He believes that if he gained a hearing the Lord would listen (23:6). He is still convinced of his innocence, but at the same time he is still holding fast to his belief in the sovereignty of God (23:14). Again, for Job, the evidence of his life is that the righteous can surely suffer and the wicked can prosper. It doesn’t seem fair or right.

This is where it is critical for us to know more of Scripture and to know the end where all things will be made right. There will be a final day of justice. The wicked will not be left in their pleasures, but they will face judgment. And the righteous - those who by faith trust in the Lord - will be acquitted and will be with the Lord for all eternity. I love that the Bible does not shy away from the difficulties in this life and is not afraid to tackle the hard questions that we all ask at some time or another.

What is it that comforts you when you find yourself suffering but the wicked prospering?

In chapter 19 Job responds with even more intensity than we have seen so far. He does not let his ‘comforters’ off the hook for being miserable. He then makes a very bold statement. Look at verses 4-6:

4 Even if I have sinned,

that is my concern, not yours.

5 You think you’re better than I am,

using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.

6 But it is God who has wronged me,

capturing me in his net.

Job states clearly that God has wronged him. And Job lays out how that has been the case. He also describes his suffering in some pretty interesting ways: his breath isn’t welcomed by his wife, children despise him, etc…And yet we come to verses 25-27:

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,

and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,

yet in my flesh I shall see God,

27 whom I shall see for myself,

and my eyes shall behold, and not another.

My heart faints within me! (ESV)

Job still trusts the Lord, in the midst of all that he has gone through. He won’t confess to sin that he hasn’t committed, but he also won’t turn away from his God.

This text reminds me of this version of “My Redeemer Lives” that I heard back in college:

But I also want to comment on Zophar’s speech (ch. 20) and Job’s response (ch. 21). Job essentially asks what many do: why is then that the wicked live in ease and prosper and die in peace? Where is the justice?

Here are D.A. Carson’s comments on this:

“Even allowing for Job’s exaggerations—after all, some wicked people do suffer temporal judgments—his point should not be dismissed. If the tallies of blessing and punishment are calculated solely on the basis of what takes place in this life, this is a grossly unfair world. Millions of relatively good people die in suffering, poverty, and degradation; millions of relatively evil people live full lives and die in their sleep. We can all tell the stories that demonstrate God’s justice in this life, but what about the rest of the stories?

The tit-for-tat morality system of Job’s three interlocutors cannot handle the millions of tough cases. Moreover, like them, Job does not want to impugn God’s justice, but facts are facts: it is not a virtue, even in the cause of defending God’s justice, to distort the truth and twist reality.

In the course of time it would become clearer that ultimate justice is meted out after death—and that the God of justice knows injustice himself, not only out of his omniscience, but out of his experience on a cross.”

Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 2, p. 78). Crossway Books.

You can feel the intensity ramp up a good bit in today’s reading in Job. Chapter 15 is a fiery rebuke of Job by Eliphaz. Basically Eliphaz isn’t happy with Job’s stance or responses to the ‘comfort’ that he has been given. He doesn’t actually respond to any of Job’s arguments, but rehearses the question of authority and repeats (by implication) that Job must actually be wicked and all his previous prosperity was nothing but empty riches.

Unsurprisingly Job isn’t happy and his response makes that clear:

have heard all this before.

What miserable comforters you are!

Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air?

What makes you keep on talking? (16:2,3).

He also states that he would ‘comfort’ quite differently if the roles were reversed (16:4, 5).

This makes me think about how we interact with others in regard to our belief. I find that too often theology is used not as a comfort but as a bludgeon. We should absolutely strive to know God more and more deeply, but that knowledge is not to puff us up, but it should rather humble us in regard to how little we know and how we are not God. There is mystery to the workings of God. We cannot answer all the questions that people pose. In fact yesterday as I was officiating a funeral I was asked the questions: Why him? Why now? And I can’t answer those definitively. All I can do is turn to the sovereignty of God and his character (which is very good to know and to fall back upon). But for many, it doesn’t seem like an answer and so we are tempted to speak for Providence and that is not a great idea.

I have known ‘miserable comforters’ and I am also sure that I have been one myself (much to my dread). Most of the time the words were well-intended, but they fell flat. Sometimes though, people just like to argue and be extremely dogmatic in their views or utter trite sayings without any reflections on the mystery of God or an attempt to apply theology to real-life situations. I think much of what this reading teaches us (and is causing me to reflect upon) is how much of a privilege it is to be in a position to speak God’s truth and provide comfort, and yet how careful I/we must be. May God give us grace to be those who minister His truth in both grace and truth.

Today Job speaks. He responds to his friends and he is not all that happy with them. Look at 13:4:

As for you, you smear me with lies.

As physicians, you are worthless quacks.

He clearly is not feeling the comfort. They have continued to insist that Job must have hidden evil and wickedness, and God certainly finds out evil and punishes it.

But Job will take the argument now in a different direction. He now expresses the desire to speak directly with God and to plead his innocence. Apparently he has a clear conscience. He has not appreciated that his friends have misrepresented God (cf. 13:7). They don’t have any evidence of wrongdoing on Job’s part, but ye they insist it must be true. So Job wants to go before the Almighty and plead his case, believing that before God he will be treated fairly. Yet even in this Job knows that God is God.

Look at 13:15, 16 (ESV):

Though he slay me, I will hope in him;

yet I will argue my ways to his face.

This will be my salvation,

that the godless shall not come before him.

Job expresses that even if he is killed (justly) he will hope in God. But he also knows that the godless cannot stand before God and he is confident in his innocence.

Listen to this from Christopher Ash:

“Job is about to do something hugely significant. It is worth pausing to ask why. After all, he knows it is dangerous. The System of his friends tells him he must be a secret sinner because he is suffering. He knows this is not true. The evidence of his eyes tells him that God is dangerous, random, and unpredictable. The faith in his heart tells him that God is righteous and that he, Job, is a believer who is in the right before God. Knowing The System is not true, and despite the evidence of randomness and danger, Job’s decision goes with Job’s faith. This is why he appeals to God.”

Ash, C. (2014). Job: The Wisdom of the Cross (R. K. Hughes, Ed.; p. 167). Crossway.

This morning we hear from two more of Job’s friends: Bildad and Zophar. And sadly they both continue in the same vein of charging Job with wrongdoing (and Job’s children), because that is the only way they can make sense of the suffering of Job. Bildad uses some brilliant imagery (e.g. the security of leaning against a spider’s web), but the effect is still the same: you are suffering because you have done wrong.

There is at first the appearance of a change in Zophar. His response, once he tells Job he is just babbling on, is to ponder the depths of the mysteries of God. And that anticipates part of God’s response later in the book. But he doesn’t leave it at that and in the end continues to charge Job with sin.

In between these speeches we find Job’s response to Bildad (and to the whole situation). I want to focus on just a few verses: 8:32-35.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,

that we should come to trial together.

33 There is no arbiter between us,

who might lay his hand on us both.

34 Let him take his rod away from me,

and let not dread of him terrify me.

35 Then I would speak without fear of him,

for I am not so in myself.

Job recognizes that he can’t deal with God and he longs for another, an arbiter (or mediator) to intervene. Job expresses the need of humanity: that of One who will stand between sinful man (because though Job is ‘righteous’ he is no sinless) and the holy God. Reflect on 1 Timothy 2:5,6.

Sometimes following the thought and argument of Job is not all that easy. So if you are struggling, join the club. Job is in misery, and that is understandable. But Job’s friends (this time it is Eliphaz who has spoken) do not offer much by way of help. Eliphaz’s worldview is that the innocent prosper and if Job were innocent this would not be happening to him (but see Psalm 73). In chapter 6 Job rebukes his friends.

15 My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook

that overflows its banks in the spring

16 when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.

17 But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.

The brook vanishes in the heat.

18 The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,

but there is nothing to drink, so they die.

19 The caravans from Tema search for this water;

the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.

20 They count on it but are disappointed.

When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.

21 You, too, have given no help.

You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.

It is that last line - they have seen it, and they are afraid. Eliphaz (and his friends) have no category for innocent suffering. They believed Job to be a righteous man, but now that he is suffering, rather than comforting him part of what they must do is prove he is unrighteous to protect their categories.

• Why do the ‘innocent’ suffer?

• How does Scripture answer that?

• How does Christ and his life address this?

It’s a cold and snowy morning outside - like winter ought to be (though it could be shorter in duration). This morning in our reading we begin the book of Job. Job is one of those books that is pretty difficult to date accurately, but most believe that the action of the story took place around the time of the patriarchs (around the time of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the like). Today the stage is set for the whole of the book. And this is a book that causes us to reflect on the concept of innocent suffering. Consider how Job is described in the very first verse. And look at 1:21, 22 and the way Job responded to the tragedy that befell him and his family. But then we move to chapter 2, and the difficulty is ramped up a bit.

Here are D.A. Carson’s reflections on chapter 2:

“It is one thing to endure with steadfast loyalty when the losses, however painful, are all external; it is quite another thing to endure when one loses one’s health (Job 2). Some reflections:

(1) We are still dealing with innocent suffering. God himself declares of Job, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity” (2:3).

(2) Up to this point, God has proved Satan wrong: Job’s loyalty to God is not conditioned by crass, self-serving bartering. Here is a man who is upright and faithful when all his wealth and even all his children are stripped away from him. That is what makes Satan up the ante: “Let me take away his health,” Satan says in effect, “and he will surely curse you to your face” (2:4–5). So a new level of entirely innocent suffering is introduced, and the stage is set for the rest of the book.

(3) At this point believers must ask painful questions. Doesn’t this sound as if God is using Job in some fantastic experiment? Why should the poor chap have to lose his wealth, his family, his health, and (as we shall see) his reputation, merely to prove God right in a challenge God might well have ignored?

That question could call forth a very long book. I have no final, exhaustive answers. But some things should be borne in mind. (a) We belong to God. He may do with us as he wishes. There is something deep within us that rebels at being reminded of that elemental truth. But truth it is. Indeed, our rebellion in the face of it is a reminder of how much we still want to be at the center of the universe, with God serving us. That is the heart of all idolatry. (b) Suppose Job had known of the arrangement between God and Satan. A lesser man might have protested violently, but it is at least plausible to think that Job would have used such information to invest his suffering with profound significance, thus making it easier to endure. Indeed, he might have seen his suffering as bound up somehow in a larger cosmic struggle between good and evil. (c) Other factors to be borne in mind must await the conclusion of the book of Job—indeed, the conclusion of the Book, the Bible.

(4) So Job now faces painful and degrading physical breakdown, emotional abandonment by his wife, and the arrival of the three miserable comforters. Innocent suffering is immeasurably difficult to endure; it is still worse when every emotional support proves to be a broken reed.”