THE ASTONISHING VOICE OF GOD (PART TWO)

Job 40-42

There were two brothers who grew up on a farm. One went away to college o make a name for himself. He earned a law degree and became a partner in a prominent law firm. The other brother stayed on the family farm, running his father’s business. One day the determined brother visited his brother on the farm. He asked, “Why don’t you go out and make a name for yourself? Why don’t you be somebody in this world so you can hold your head up high like me?” The brother who stayed home said, “See the field of wheat out there?” The attorney brother answered, “Yes. What about it?” “Those heads that are mature and well-filled bend low to the ground,” the farmer’s brother answered. “Only the empty heads stand tall.” The empty heads of men stand tallest, while the full heads stoop lowest."

What is the spiritual

lesson of this story?

Like Job, he had to learn the hard way. Throughout this painful interrogation he was being pressed lower and lower to the ground. Not out of shame, but out of a maturing heart that recognizes our place and position in light of who God is. Steve Lawson wrote “Man is never more devoid of true grace than when he is trying to elevate himself before God. And he is never more growing in grace than when he humbles himself before the Lord.” God said all this to humble Job’s heart and make him see the grace in his life. “God still had not told him why he was suffering, but it seems that didn’t matter, “because Job begins to recognize that God was there and that God alone was sufficient enough for Job to endure.”

As God’s created children it takes some time for an empty head to bow low before a holy God. It sometimes comes in the form of tragedy, or our hearts being exposed to the truth of God’s supremacy over man’s theory of his own worth. As Job begins round two with the sovereign Creator of the Universe, God asks him a different question from the previous round. God goes from “Where were you?” to “Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like this?” (40:9) When you think it couldn’t get any worse, God goes beyond the Creative order to the strength to hold all things in its rightful place at all times.

Job can you do this, are you strong like God to sustain all things for your glory, continually every second of every day?

What does God say that would set Himself apart from Job and his lack of understanding? (40:15-24; 41:1-34) God illustrates His greatness over Job by asking him if he can harness the great Behemoth and the great leviathan. These mighty creatures that God rules and harnesses by His sovereign power without lifting a finger or a drop of sweat.

  

What is God proclaiming to Job

and to you and me?

Answer! That God is all powerful sovereign Omnipotent One. God’s omnipotence is stated in terms of God’s ability to do “all His holy will.” This means there are no external constraints on God’s decisions, to do what He decides to do.

The Scriptures affirms this truth!

We see God’s power on display in the life of two people. “The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." Gen 18:13-14

The rhetorical question is this "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jer 32:27

Nothing is too hard for the LORD in fact Jeremiah 32:17 we read. “'Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”

Remember what Jesus said to the disciples? “But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt 19:26

Now! Having said all this there are some 

things that God cannot do.

God cannot will to do anything that would deny His own character.

God cannot lie.

God cannot deny Himself.

God cannot be tempted with evil.

God cannot cease to exist or cease to be God.

God cannot act in a way inconsistent with any of His attributes.

The power that God exercises over creation is done effortlessly by the sovereign Creator of the Universe. 

“Knowing this truth opens my eyes to the reality how infinitely big God is, in comparison to how finitely small I am.”

  

This is what happens when you study the attributes of God; it tears apart your theories and assumptions about God. When I study the attributes of God I see a broken sinner (Mike) standing before the King of glory seeking Him for mercy and not the other way around.

“There is a reason for God doing all this!”

God hammers Job by asking him unanswerable questions to bring Job to point that all of us need to arrive at ourselves. And what is that? Unconditional surrender to His sovereign will for our lives. How does Job respond to this barrage of questions? He responds like any child of the Living God would do when your heart has been exposed to the truth. (42:1-6)

Job says “I know you can do all things”

Job speaks as a man who is broken and humbled, and this leads Job to repent of his low view of God. Job repents of his arrogance, acknowledging God’s sovereignty and power. And at the same time acknowledging his own ignorance and renewed sight of God. Why? God’s purposes are supreme and will not be cut off or hindered. (v2) And this brings Job into another reality of maturity. (v5)

What is Job saying here?

  

Throughout Job’s life he’s had an understanding of God’s wisdom, power and providential care. But this divine encounter has taken him to a whole new level of understanding. What Job knew of God and His attributes previously, was now magnified with a deeper understanding of these attributes.

“What his eyes had seen of God was not

a physical vision. but spiritual insight.”

Job now had a greater understanding of God’s awesome character than before his suffering began. If I could summarize this thought it would be… In all of Job’s agonizing pain and suffering had brought Job to a place that was worth the suffering. His eternal, spiritual gain outweighed his temporal, physical loss. And this is what leads Job to his repentance “The Truth that God spoke into his heart”.

  

“Not a truth, but “the truth”

The Truth Illuminates The Heart “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130

The Truth Regenerates “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:18

The Truth Is Living And Powerful “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Heb 4:12

When you read through this letter of Job you come to the conclusion that “God is worthy and we are not.” But knowing this truth! We have been invited to enter into His rest through the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The right answers to those questions is, “I was not there and no I’m not strong enough to weld a hammer before the Almighty God or this universe.” But can I tell you there was a man who is able to stand and answer the questions with a strong proclamation of “yes”.

Think about this if there was another man who took Job’s spot and was faced with these same exact questions. 

God said “Where were you when I laid the earths foundation?” Job 38:4.

To which this Man would responded, “Right there”

Paul penned these words “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Col 1:15-17

God, “Have you ever given orders to the morning or

show the dawns its place?” Job 38:12

To which this Man would responded, “Every single day”

The Hebrew writer wrote “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” Heb 1:1-4

Job recognized that in this encounter that God was greater than his sufferings. It’s through God’s gentle rebuke we see the unconditional love and surrender to a holy God. Our Kinsmen Redeemer, Advocate, or Mediator speaks on behalf of His children from a throne from within that glory cloud. As John reminded the believer “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2. In order to make sense of our suffering we need to look to the Cross of Calvary. We have a man, not just some man, but the Godman who went before us to answer the questions that none of us could ever answer with a yes.

That is awesome news! 

For you, and for Job!

Even in the end after God blessed Job with abundance, God still didn’t tell Job why he was suffering. But that didn’t matter, because Job knew that God was there with him and that God alone is sufficient in our suffering.

“Job didn’t need to know why.

All Job needed was to know was who!”

The sovereign, omnipotent Creator who loves us with an everlasting love as He refines us for glory.

Maybe this is where you come

to a place in your life today?

Maybe you need to put down your pride, stubbornness and arrogance and submit to God in your present situation or suffering? Understand! When there are no answers there is still comfort for a troubled heart. Peace is found in knowing God is there. Strength is found in knowing God is there. Joy in suffering is found in knowing that God is in control and that He loves us very much.

If I can leave you with a something to ponder 
as we leave here today it would be this!

1. Recognize God’s sovereignty….your family, your location, your hair colour, and everything that makes up your DNA is exactly how God wanted you to be. What is true of the physical is true over your life. It is His divine right to mold and shape; and it’s the same for the circumstances of your life.

Have you come to realize

God’s sovereignty over your life?

2. Realize God’s inscrutability…. incapable of being investigated, we must accept the divine mysteries in the Christian life. Things that occurs from time to time are beyond our understanding and rightfully so. As Paul said “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Rom 11:33-36. Our situations or circumstances are not always about a lesson being learned, there are some things that are beyond our understanding. The fact is we do not fully know what God is doing though our particular set of circumstances. But knowing this truth should draw us to rest that God knows what He is doing.

3. Reflect on God’s superiority…..Charles Spurgeon said “The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of our own ignorance.” In times of suffering we can learn “The Great truth” about God and His promises. The Great truth of His Word, that reminds us of eternity, our adoptions as sons and daughters, our sanctification, and our endless and limitless supply of grace to the end. It’s the power of God over my life and I want learn and stand at the foothill of His mountain to glean His wisdom for eternity. 

4. Refocus on God’s intimacy……Christianity is personal; our adoption as sons and daughters is something that is precious because someone had to die. As Jesus said “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3. It’s abiding under His grace over our lives without hesitation as our sufferings bring us closer and more intimate with the God who saved us.

Are you growing in your knowledge of Him in suffering?

5. Repent of all sin…..One of the greatest evidences to a child of God is their alertness and sensitivity to their own sinful nature. Being broken and sorrowful as Job was here, for committing “Comic treason” against the sovereign God of the Universe. King David wasn’t a man after God’s own heart because he was perfect and sinless. No, he was a man after God’s own heart because he recognized he was sinner.

“And to sin against God was to

break the very heart of God.”

We must be sensitive and alert, so that our sin doesn’t hold us captive of our spiritual walk before a holy God. “We must hate our sin with a holy passion.” Is your heart quick to repentance when His Word points it out to you? Do you take full ownership of your sin by confessing it to Him? When you read these chapters you are amazed and humbled about how great God truly is and rightfully so. But there is something else that is far more amazing and greater then what God has said here.

What is greater than all this? 

The death of one man,

who came to save fallen sinners like you and me.

God’s galaxies and the creative order of the Universe are a display of the majesty and glory of God, but that is just one portion of truth that display the greatness and glory of God.

God’s greatest display of His glory was in

His incarnation though His death and resurrection.

John wrote “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

As one theologian said “You know what the Bible says? God Breathed the universe into existence. He spoke and it was so. He breathed it into existence. You know, if you're sitting here and your saved today do you know what God did not do for your salvation? He didn't breathe it, he died for it. The salvation of one person is a greater miracle then the creation of the universe.” 

This letter reminds me of how infinitely big God is and how finite and small I am. But also! this infinitely big God has finite small Mike, right where He wants me to grow, mature and love, for His glory and my good.