HOW TO STOP THE CRITICS

Job 12:1-25

“An old man was travelling with his young grandson, riding his donkey. When they passed through a country village, the onlookers grumbled, “Look at that old man walking while that strong young boy is capable of walking.”

The criticism cut deeply into the heart of the grandfather, so he changed positions and started riding the donkey while the boy walked. But within minutes other people started mumbling, “Look at that! A healthy man riding the donkey and making that poor little boy walk!”

So the old man changed positions again. This time both he and the boy rode on the poor donkey. But the critics howled, “Look at those heavy brutes making that poor donkey suffer.”

So the old man and his grandson jumped down and started walking. No one will criticize us for this, the old man thought to himself. But he underestimated the critical nature of people. Soon he heard the people say. “Would you look at that. A perfectly good donkey not being used.” So to stop all criticism, the old man carried both the donkey and the boy.”

The point of this story is this! No matter what we do, someone is likely to criticize us. Regardless of how carefully we conduct ourselves, we cannot please all the people, all the time. Job was faced with some heavy hitting critics over his present suffering and loses. So the only way to respond to his critics is to help them understand that he hears them clearly! But, they don’t understand that a sovereign God did this and it’s not because of Job’s sin, but because God can. So! Job continues to defend his innocence in this ordeal. (v1-v6) Job starts off with a little sarcasm towards his friends (v2) What Job is saying is “All the wisdom will die when my friends die.” Why? His friends hold the monopoly on wisdom and everyone else are nothing but fools. Job is calling his friends a bunch of “know it all’s!” Everything you’ve said so far isn’t helping me at all. Job even went further to say “You haven’t added any new wisdom that I’m unaware of for himself.” (v3) The only thing that you have added to me is more pain for my soul and I have become a laughingstock to you, because I defend my innocence in this suffering. (v4) Even though Job is blameless before God, his own friends treat him with disdain. These three friends are treating him with contempt; yet all the while as he continues to suffer.

How is this comforting for Job, even if what his friends

say is true, “That it’s because of your sin?”

Because… It seems that thieves have peace in their wickedness and no one is judging them or causing them to suffer, like I’m suffering. (v6) It seems that those who provoke or, even curse God, or even have idols, are happy and secure and not suffering.

Where is their suffering for their sin?

If I sinned where is my peace and rest?

Your wisdom and logic dear friends get flushed down the toilet with the reality of the unrighteous man or woman. (v5-v6) What has happened to me is solely the hand of Almighty God. Let me ask you! Why are we told what Job does not know? We, the reader know something that Job doesn’t know, referring back to chapter one and chapter two. We are given insight to Job’s suffering and God’s approval of this though the conversation between God and Satan. We know what God has said and what Satan is allowed to do in these two chapters. And it’s through this encounter that we see what God has decreed for Job. We know that it’s not because of sin that Job suffers, but because he is a faithful servant and believer of God.  This is why we know what Job doesn’t know in his present life. Does sin separate us from a holy God? Yes Is all suffering due to sin? No Some sin is the root cause and some is because God allows it in our lives to strengthen us through suffering, conflict and disappointments.  What Job doesn’t’ know that we know, he answers in the following verses.

  

Job explains this truth without knowing the end and the why question to his friends (v7-12)

What is Job saying here? Nature affirms that God deals as He pleases. There is no way of predicting God’s actions and the life of every creature and every human being is in God’s hands. Psalm 95:3-6 we read these beautiful words “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! God’s sovereignty is higher, wider, and deeper than anything we could ever imagine. He is the sovereign King who rules over the universe and He has your life exactly where He wants you to be. The Psalmist wrote “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” Ps 115:3 There is no reason to question the authority and sovereignty of God just because we don’t understand what is happening or what did happen.

Job explains to his so-called counsellors that God is sovereign over mankind and our day to day business. (v13-v25) Job beautifully describes the majestic, might and wisdom of God. No one can resist the will and the power of God. Moses witnessed this first hand when God prepared to send him out “But Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Exo 4:10-11. The sovereign God, who created the eye, the ear, and the mouth, has also made the blind, the deaf, and the dumb. God is sovereign over the plans and the schemes of this world system. Job knows this and Isaiah penned this “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.” Isa 40:21-26. The “who” in this verse is talking about God because He can bring to nothing the plans of the most powerful rulers on earth and make their rule come to nothing. Mankind might think he is in charge but even Jesus told Pilate “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” John 19:11 Job’s explanation of God’s character demonstrates to us the genuineness of Job’s heart. Because not a single word of complaint against God is found in this response to his friends. The personal question I would ask is this! Why are we told what we are told, and what are we to learn from Job’s suffering? For what purpose are we privileged to see as Job was not?

One thing we learn from the deep suffering of Job is insight into the suffering of Christ Jesus and the gospel.

Jesus did nothing wrong, we did. Jesus didn’t sin, we did continually. Jesus never deserved this form of treatment or punishment. We do. Jesus suffered bled and died so that we have a hope in the midst of our suffering, because we cannot cleanse ourselves from sin and death. John Piper said in a sermon “God decreed from all eternity to display the greatness of the glory of his grace for the enjoyment of his creatures, and he revealed to us that this is the ultimate aim and explanation of why there is sin and why there is suffering, and why there is a great suffering Savior. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came in the flesh to suffer and die and by that suffering and death to save undeserving sinners like you and me. This coming to suffer and die is the supreme manifestation of the greatness of the glory of the grace of God.” Think about your present suffering and what John Piper said as it pertains to Christ and the gospel!

1. Christ Jesus absorbed the wrath of God on our behalf through suffering.

The Hebrew writer wrote “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Heb 10:4-10. Christ has borne the full fury of God’s wrath to appease His holy perfect righteous anger over our rebellion. His suffering and death has satisfied a holy God’s anger towards sinners. Christ Jesus suffered for our freedom to escape the Father’s wrath.

2. Christ Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and purchased our forgiveness with suffering.

Peter said “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:19-24. Through Christ’s suffering, He stood in our place and took upon Himself the guilt of our sins that we deserved and faced the punishment so we could be forgiven and restored. This was all done though suffering!

3. Christ Jesus provided a perfect righteousness for sinners though His suffering.

Romans 5:19 we read “For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” Rom 5:17-19. Christ Jesus suffered for our sin and because of our complete inability to save ourselves. Because we rebelled against a holy God and we are about to die because of the weight of our sin. Our suffering points us to the gospel and this hope strengthens our confession and faith in a holy God who is sovereign over our lives.

The second thing we learn though the suffering of Job is….There is such thing as an undeserved and redemptive suffering and that we are called to suffer.

Paul wrote “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Rom 8:18. Further down Paul would  reaffirm the hearts of the suffering saints “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:26-30.

A sovereign God is over our suffering and Job helps us to remind ourselves of this wonderful doctrinal truth. This is the path ever Christian must take into His glory. For some of us it won’t seem that bad, but others it will feel like a personal Gehenna on earth. But as Job reminds us! Don’t lose heart we must take up our cross and follow in the shadows of our Redeemer. One writer said “Believers walk in the footsteps of Jesus and the shadow of the cross we too are called upon to suffer.”

Do we truly believe this truth?

We walk in the shadow of the cross; we live our lives in the light of the gospel that brought about suffering and death to the sinless, blameless Lamb of God. The question I would ask myself as I go through suffering is this! What is my excuse in my suffering? We know more than Job did at this moment and yet we fail to understand and find rest in our suffering as believers. Why? We need to remind ourselves that God is sovereign over our lives not just as believers, but as created image bears of a holy God who is deeply invested in His creation. R C Sproul said “We can always be certain of God's undivided attention. We don't ever need to stand in line or make an appointment to be with God. When we are in God's presence, He is not preoccupied with events on the other side of the world.” 

He has your life right where He wants, just as He has Job’s life, right where He wants him to be. This letter is to remind us of our great God who goes before His creation and as an example of those who follow in the shadow of His grace. Why do we follow? Because Christ has conquered all things though the gospel and He has made it so that our suffering is light in comparison to what He did for you and me.