saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh’s name.”And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.and he said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah.
15 sermons cite this verse
But yet we read that Job fell down before God and said, naked came I from my mother's womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gives and the Lord is taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Powerful. You make a choice to rejoice. We need a theology of thanksgiving. An attitude of gratitude. And by the way, this attitude, of choosing to rejoice when things are not going well will not only help you spiritually, it will help you physically as well. Research shows that grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and they also feel healthier than other people. A researcher on the topic of gratitude made this statement and I quote, gratitude reduces toxic emotions ranging from envy and frustration. It reduces depression and actually increases happiness experts say grateful people sleep better too. Isn't that interesting? Just choosing to be grateful, making a choice to rejoice despite the circumstances that you're going through. You know, gratitude can change your mood. Might just start with a smile. …
… but how do you worship God when everything's not going your way? Job chapter one, verses 20 to 22, it says this, that in grief, Job tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and he worshiped God. Is that a strange thing to do in the middle having lost everything in your life, he fell to the ground and worshiped God. And here's what he said. Here's Job's perspective. I was born with nothing, and I'm going to die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. That's gratitude. In spite of everything, the Bible says, that had happened, this is the next verse, in spite of everything that had happened, sin by blaming God. Now, if you're taking notes right now on your outline, I want you to circle the phrase, praised in spite of everything. Circle that phrase, he praised in spite of everything. Do you do that? Or do you only thank God when things are going good in your life? …
… Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will return. The Lord gave. The Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord through all this. We read Job did not sin nor did he blame God. Lesson number two. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. Don't misunderstand. Job doesn't escape into denial. He faces the music, somber and sad that it is. He's overwhelmed. That's why he tore his robe. he's broken and saddened and bankrupt that's why he shaves his head and sits in ashes he refuses to escape emotionally through denial he falls to the ground and worships what a remarkable response Job does not sin or blame God which frustrates Satan and does not surprise our God who already knew Job would be a man of integrity. So there was another day, round two, and Satan comes out swinging. …
… Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell to the ground and worshipped. He said, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will return. the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord through all this. We read Job did not sin, nor did he blame God. Lesson number two. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. Don't misunderstand. Job doesn't escape into denial. He faces the music, somber and sad that it is. He's overwhelmed. That's why he tore his robe. He's broken and saddened and bankrupt. That's why he shaves his head and sits in ashes. he refuses to escape emotionally through denial he falls to the ground and worships what a remarkable response his vertical perspective is firm clear in place nothing horizontal will cause this man to panic. I had, I enjoyed, I was blessed, I've lost, they're no longer with me, I'm heartbroken, but the same God who gave is the God who took away, blessed be his name, I serve and honor and praise and walk with him. …
… Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell to the ground and worshiped. he said, naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord through all this. We read, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God. Lesson number two. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. Don't misunderstand. Job doesn't escape into denial. He faces the music, somber and sad that it is. He's overwhelmed. That's why he tore his robe. He's broken and saddened and bankrupt. That's why he shaves his head and sits in ashes. He refuses to escape emotionally through denial. He falls to the ground and worships. What a remarkable response. His vertical perspective is firm, clear, in place. Nothing horizontal will cause this man to panic. I had, I enjoyed, I was blessed. I've lost. They're no longer with me. I'm heartbroken, but the same God who gave is the God who took away. Blessed be his name. I serve and honor and praise and walk with him. …
… so that's expected he tore his clothes shaved his head he cried out what is not expected is that he worshiped he fell to the ground and he worshiped and he said naked i came from my mother's womb. Naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Okay, the veneer is stripped away. Now you discover what Job really thinks about God. And what Job really thinks about God is exactly what God told Satan he thinks about God. Just like the description in verse one, blameless, upright, fears God, hates evil. That's who he is at the core, at the core, when everything is taken away. When you come to a place where he goes, yeah, you know, I've lost everything, but I came into this world kind of that way. I had nothing. And I'm going to leave that way. So the Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Job is not mercenary. He's not only worshiping God for what God can bless him with and give him things for. But because of who God is, blessed be the name of the Lord. See, pain will move you. Pain will always move you in some direction. …
… I choose when people live and when they die. Job 1.21, when Job's children die, he says, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. It is God's prerogative and God's authority alone to give and take away life. Consequently, abortion is clearly an affront to God's sovereign authority as creator. Abortion says we're in control of life, who lives, who dies. We decide when a child lives and we decide when a child dies. No. No. God, our creator, alone makes these calls. Second, abortion is an assault on God's glorious work in creation. So see not just the reality of God's authority as creator, but the glory of God's work in creation. Right after David confesses God's work in creation, he says, You formed my inward parts, you knitted me together, I praise you. For I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. That's echoed all across Psalm 104. So follow this. The way God creates people compels praise. The way God creates people compels praise. …
… and fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will return. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. blessed be the name of the Lord through all this we read Job did not sin nor did he blame God lesson number two a vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic a vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic don't misunderstand job job doesn't escape into denial he faces the music somber and sad that it is he's overwhelmed that's why he tore his robe he's broken and saddened and bankrupt that's why he shaves his head and sits in ashes. He refuses to escape emotionally through denial. He falls to the ground and worships. What a remarkable response. His vertical perspective is firm, clear, in place. Nothing horizontal will cause this man to panic. I had, I enjoyed, I was blessed, I've lost. They're no longer with me. I'm heartbroken. But the same God who gave is the God who took away. …
… and the joy of nothing but blessing blessing and favor and success and prosperity in fact you say as you go to bed at night naked I came from my mother's womb naked I shall return the Lord gave the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord and you are the one who says to your mate shall we not accept good from God and also not accept adversity as well and in all this you don't sin with your lips. The same man who wrote that in chapters 1 and chapter 2 wrote this in chapter 3 and don't you doubt it. The same man. And we don't want him to write what he writes in chapter 3 because it doesn't seem like he's really walking with God. I mean he has the audacity to say at the end I am not at ease, I am not quiet, I am not at rest. I am in turmoil. How about go? and we are given entrance into a slice of Job's life that is as real as more testimonies who fill this room than any of us would ever believe. …
… verse 8 adds, we shall be content. Put that not only in the margin of Job 1.21, put that in another crease in your brain. We brought nothing. We take nothing. in the meantime we borrow everything as a good friend of mine tried to teach me years ago God owns it all I know your name is on the title I know it won't be when you're gone I know you built that place and you're proud of it that's nothing wrong with that nothing wrong with having it nice Nothing wrong with having things in it. Nothing wrong with driving a fine car. We've gone over this before. It's not about that. The problem comes when the car drives us. And the possessions own us. They never owned Job. This is the curve that he threw back into the heavens, into the face of Satan. In your face, Lucifer. I never set my affections on them in the first place. And I've understood from the get-go, when we had our first until we had our tenth, they're all gods. …
… these things is God Himself, which is why Job's response, these four reports come to him. Sabaeans, chaldeans fire and a windstorm and what does job say but the lord gave and the lord has taken away blessed be the name of the lord if ever there were an opportunity to say that was satan to say it was simply a drunk driver in a tunnel to say what in the world does god have to do with a fire or with a windstorm, Job does none of it. In fact, you don't need the 42 chapters of Job if God is not a sovereign God. All Job has to say after that at the end of chapter one is God's not in control. Life is terrible. There's pain. It's horrible. God's not in control and He's not sovereign." That's the one answer that never seems to enter Job's mind. Later, he cries out in the midst of unthinkable pain and unbelievable faith, "'Though he slay me, I will hope in him.'" To be sure, people are often in the Bible asking that question, why? A cry of lament. There are all sorts of bewildered cries for help and many cries of despair, the Psalms are filled with Him. God's people then and now, including in this room, you struggle to understand, what is God doing? I never knew something could hurt this much. Why has He done this? As you go to God's people in the Bible, however, you will never find them concluding that God is not the sovereign hand appointing these difficulties. No matter how …
… and fell on the ground and worshipped. And he said, naked I came from my mother's womb, naked shall I return. The Lord gave me my ten children, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I remember just when that song, Blessed Be the Name, came out, one of our missionaries in the Far East, in the Middle East gave birth to a son and there was a problem and he died in Turkey. And they came back for relief here. They were sitting right there. Second pew. Might have been the third. But I'm sitting here. They're sitting there. First Sunday back. It was the first Sunday we sang that song. He gives and takes away. he gives and takes away my heart will learn to say my heart will learn to say blessed be your name and I and I'll trust this anybody believe this and I looked at them and their hands were just like that and I know them both very well they were just totally submitted to the sovereignty of God they may have many questions but our God is God and they're back now they've been back for 20 years Thank you. …
… Sooner or later, you're going to have to have the faith of Job. You're going to say, the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. We're the ones who have the answer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Father God, I pray that you'll give us the faith of old Job. And you'll teach us, Lord, to trust you in our troubles. Thank you.
they'll curse God. But old Job said, I'm not going to curse him. I'm going to praise him. Job said, the Lord gave, the Lord had taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Look in chapter one, verse 20. Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped and said, naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Now watch this. In all of this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly. Now here's the second question. First question is can God be trusted when I am submerged in suffering or when you are submerged in suffering? Here's the second question. Can God be trusted when you are forsaken by friends? When you're forsaken by friends. Now it's one thing to be submerged in suffering. But what about when we suffer and there's nobody there with us to suffer with us? …
… SHAVED HIS HEAD, AND FELL DOWN UPON THE GROUND AND WORSHIPPED AND SAID, NAKED CAME I OUT OF MY MOTHER'S WOMB, AND NAKED SHALL I RETURN THITHER. THE LORD GAVE, AND THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD." IF THAT'S NOT UNDERSCORED IN YOUR BIBLE, UNDERSCORED, BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO NEED IT. THE LORD GAVE, AND THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD, AND IN ALL OF THIS JOB SINNED NOT AND HAD CHARGED GOD FOOLISHLY. NOW WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN UNEXPECTED TRAGEDY COMES? YOU PRAISE. YOU PRAISE. JUST PRAISE GOD BY FAITH. YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW WHY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND. YOU JUST SIMPLY SAY, GOD, I PRAISE YOU. YOU SAY, I'D BE A HYPOCRITE. NO, YOU'D BE A SAINT. YOU SAY, WELL, I DON'T FEEL LIKE PRAISING. OF COURSE YOU WOULDN'T. YOU SAY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. OF COURSE YOU DON'T. BUT IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS. JUST SIMPLY SAY, GOD, I WORSHIP YOU. GOD, I PRAISE YOU. …