Job 3-7

0:26 which are the narrative. It's the narrative section of the book of Job. Now we get into chapter three. And if you have a Bible open to it, you are looking at the difference just in the way the layout looks on the page. Can you see the difference between chapter two and chapter three, how it is indented and laid out poetically. That is because we are dealing with Hebrew poetry. I'll explain that in just a little bit.

0:56 every now and then you'll hear of a story that is a rags to riches story you know somebody who grew up in a very tough environment poverty stricken very little if any opportunity but they seized what they could they made certain decisions and eventually they made it became very very successful rags to riches Job is the exact opposite. He goes from riches to rags and he doesn't know why.

1:35 You see, Job didn't have the book of Job. To make a reference to what was going on behind the scenes. He just knew what was happening to him and around him. He was very wealthy. He had 7,000 sheep. hundreds of camels, 300 camels, I believe, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys. He had a lot of kids, 10 of them, seven boys, three girls. He had servants. He had a name. He was renowned of all the people in the East. and on top of it all, God said, there's no one like him in all the earth. Upright, blameless, fears God, hates evil. But we noticed in chapter one, when the angelic beings came and stood before God to give an account, Satan was among them. God said, where you been? He goes cruising the earth, looking for trouble. God said, have you considered my servant Job?

2:59 Actually, you've been looking at him, haven't you? You have been considering my servant Job. There's nobody like him. Satan accused Job of following God and serving him for the wrong reasons. saying basically Job is mercenary. He only loves you. He only pays lip service to you and honors you and worships you because all that you give him, all that you do for him. Who wouldn't? You've hedged him about. You've put a protective hedge around him and you have blessed him exceedingly, but take that away and he'll curse you. God allowed Satan certain leeway with Job.

4:00 So in a series of four events, Job loses it all. Loses them all. but he doesn't sin with his lips. He doesn't curse God. He says, I came into the world with nothing. I'm leaving with nothing. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And Job worshiped. in the second chapter it was episode two there came a day when the angelic beams stood before the Lord, Satan was among them God once again said you've been looking at Job again haven't you he's still blameless, he's still upright he hasn't sinned and Satan said well I messed with him, but he still has his health.

5:02 If you were to afflict him and cause him chronic pain and allow me to get at him to cause all sorts of physical havoc, he'll curse you to your face. God again permitted Satan to have certain leeway, except he said, don't take his life. and so we find job in chapter 2 verse 7 with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head and he took for himself a pot shirt a little piece of pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes and then of course you know what happened with Mrs. Job. She put her arm around him, kissed him on the cheek, said, sweetheart, it'll be okay. God will get us through. No, she said, curse God and die. Get it over with.

6:02 but Job rebuked his wife. Now we mentioned last week that she also experienced the loss that Job did, although Job is now physically afflicted as well. So I don't want to put too much heavy angst upon her or disparage her quite a bit because she did suffer loss. But it says in all this, verse 10, Job did not sin with his lips.

6:34 Now, beginning in chapter three, there's a dialogue that goes on with Job and three of his friends that came from afar, heard what was happening with Job, decided to come around him. and I commend them for that. These are good men. These are good friends to travel the distance they traveled. They're not visiting him in a nice hospital. He's on a dunghill in the dust. They sit down with him for a week and they said absolutely nothing. They were just with him. weeping with him, being there for him. but beginning in chapter 3 all the way to chapter 26, there are three cycles of speeches between these friends and Job, and each cycle gets amped up more so than the previous one.

7:46 So it begins as a dialogue in the first round. In the second round, the temperature is raised a little bit. It goes from sort of a discussion and a dialogue to a debate. Gets a little more heated. But then finally, it ends up as a dispute with one another. Then, after chapter 26, a fourth character will be introduced by the name of Elihu. He seems to be much younger than the other three. But these first three, especially the first one, seems to be a sage, an older gentleman, by the name of Eliphaz the Temanite. Why is he called the Temanite? Because he's from Teman.

8:33 Teman was in the northern area of the Arabian Peninsula. and he comes in verse 1 of chapter 3 or he's going to start in, I'm sorry, chapter 4. I am ahead of myself. So after they sit down on the ground with him,

8:57 Job starts talking. After this, Job opened his mouth and he cursed the day of his birth. now he wouldn't curse God his wife said curse God and die he did not blame God he did not curse God but he cursed the day of his birth and Job spoke and he said may the day perish on which I was born as the night in which it was said a male child is conceived may that day be darkness may God above not seek it, nor the light shine upon it. May darkness and the shadow of death claim it. May a cloud settle on it. May the blackness of the day terrify it.

9:50 Now, I mentioned that these chapters are written in Hebrew poetry. So Hebrew poetry is different than our poetry. When we write a poem, we do it so that the last words rhyme or that certain things have a cadence and a rhyme. The Hebrews did not rhyme words. They matched or rhymed thoughts. So they would make a statement and then make a parallel statement, and that is called synthetic parallelism in Hebrew poetry. Sometimes they would make a statement, but then add a contrast. The righteous man is this way, but the ungodly is that way. whenever you see that that is also hebrew poetry but it is called antithetical parallelism so you have a statement that goes against the second one the second against the first so there's a few different variations of this it it was written for the sake of memory so job and his friends had a real dialogue with each other they did utter certain things but then it was written uh when it was put down in a poetic format for the sake of aiding memory. So he curses the day of his birth.

11:07 May darkness and the shadow of death claim it. May a cloud settle on it. The blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night, may darkness seize it. May it not be included among the days of the year may it not come into the number of months. When somebody suffers, they're apt to say anything. These are the honest words of a suffering man. When you hear somebody utter from the depth these kind of things, cursing the day of his birth, lashing out in despair, don't freak out. Grief takes many facets and each person will grieve in a very different manner.

11:59 And so the key to being a person around somebody like this is to be unshockable. You won't go, I cannot believe you just said that. How dare you? Or that's not right. Or trying to correct them or heap theology on them at that time. Let them vent, let them talk.

12:21 And they're doing a good job of this. These three friends are saying nothing for a week. Now Job speaks, and they're probably just listening, listening, listening until you'll find out Eliphaz says, I can't hold it back any longer. Something to make a note of, though, you might just pass this by and not see it. But notice, may the day perish in which I was born and the night in which it was said, notice this, a male, what is conceived? Child. Is conceived. That happens in secret in the womb. When the sperm and the egg unite, there's conception. But that little zygote that turns into an embryo is here called a child, not a clump of cells. A male child is conceived. That's the biblical stance on pregnancy and abortion. It's a child. It's a human child.

13:29 You know, in the New Testament, when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth down in Judea, and Mary calls out and greets her cousin, Elizabeth says, when I heard your voice, your greeting, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. the word that is used there for babe is the same word that is used for Jesus after he was born as the babe in other words humanity begins at the moment of conception there's no debate about that verse 7 he continues may it not come into the number of months oh may that night be barren may no joyful shout come to it may those who curse it curse the day those who are ready to arouse Leviathan. May the stars of its morning be dark.

14:46 May it look for light and have none and not see the dawning of the day. Now just a word about this arousing or raising Leviathan. in the east in antiquity there was a belief that there was this seven-headed monster named Leviathan and that you could be an enchanter and you would curse a day of the year and you would bring curses on that day and the people who are experiencing that day or a person born on that day by rising or arousing this seven-headed monster called Leviathan. Now, mentioning this doesn't mean that that's Job's worldview. He didn't believe that. It's simply acknowledging that that is what people in the East believed. Job feared God, and that is clear. But he is simply using this as an illustration to show the severity of his emotion.

15:54 may the stars of its morning be dark may it look for light and have none and not see the dawning of the day because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb nor hide sorrow from my eyes why did I not die at birth now I wish I wasn't born at all curse the day of my birth I want nobody from now on to celebrate my birthday but now he says okay I was born I wish I was I would have just been stillborn why didn't I die at birth why did I not perish when I came from the womb why did the knees receive me or why the breasts that I should nurse for now I would have lain still and been quiet I would have been asleep then I would have been at rest with kings and counselors of the earth who built ruins for themselves or with princes who had gold who filled their houses with silver or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child like infants who never saw the light there that is in death there the wicked cease from troubling The day Adolf Hitler died, he stopped all of his murderous shenanigans.

17:26 There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. now consider that when somebody dies and you look at them in the casket they look so peaceful they look like they're at rest that's the position of the body after the soul leaves it and the undertaker fixes up the mouth and the eyes so they can get it to look peaceful you look and go he's resting Thank you. But not everybody who dies is at rest. in the book of revelation chapter 14 it talks about the worshipers of the beast the antichrist those who worship him and the image of the beast and take the number the number of his name it says that their torment rose up forever and ever and they had no rest day or night so everybody who dies appears to be at rest many of them are not it all depends what we do with God with Christ while we are alive there verse 18 he continues there in death the prisoners rest together they do not hear the voice of the oppressor the small and the great are there and the servant is free from his master why is light given to him who is in misery and life to the bitter of soul who long for death but it does not come and search for it more than hidden treasures who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave. Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden and whom God has hedged in?

19:32 Now it's interesting. Satan said, God, you have put a hedge around Job. You are inoculating him. You are buffering him with a protective hedge. But here is Job in his suffering saying, God has put a hedge around me. But the hedge he's speaking about is the hedge of suffering. I'm in this restricted place this painful place God has put this put me in a cage so to speak a hedge around me severely restricted for my sighing comes before I eat. Can you picture it?

20:25 He sits down to his chili cheeseburger, looks at it and just goes, in no appetite, which is really, it's hard not to have an appetite with a chili cheeseburger. So my sighing comes before I eat and my groanings pour out like water For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me. Think of all he's lost.

20:57 I'm certain that parents' greatest fear is losing a child. when my brother died and I looked into the faces of my father and my mother and they expressed to me how they felt, I knew that was their greatest fear. They were living out their greatest fear. That which I have feared has come upon me. he's lost all 10 of them and what I dreaded has happened to me I am not at ease nor am I quiet I have no rest for trouble comes boy did it trouble after trouble after trouble so Job is venting we anticipate that we expect that we're not shaken by that those of us who have been around suffering and pain. But now one of those three friends named Eliphaz, the Temanite, speaks. And as I mentioned, he's probably the oldest.

22:04 The eldest usually spoke before the younger ones. He probably, it is believed by some of the wording later on in the book of Job, was quite advanced in years. So he was seen as a man of wisdom. then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said now before we read what he did say keep in mind that when you suffer you're not alone.

22:34 People who know you know your suffering. And, like it or not, they're watching to see how you react to it. Especially if you're the preacher who has preached on pain and preached on suffering and spoken about how to handle it, what to do. Eyes are on you. And Eliphaz is going to bring this up with Job. We've heard your advice. We've seen you counsel others. And we're watching you. Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said okay now but I'm going to stop again Eliphaz will answer the words of Job's lips not the emotion and pain of his heart he's listening to what he said and he's going to respond to those words, but he's not peeling those words away to get to the heart of Job.

23:45 he says, if one attempts a word with you, will you become weary? But who can withhold himself from speaking? In other words, you know, I'm going to talk, I want to say something, but I think you're going to get upset. Will you get upset? But you know, who can hold it back? I can't. Boom. And he launches in. Surely you have instructed many. You have strengthened weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling. And you have stretched or you have strengthened the feeble knees. But now it comes upon you. and you are weary. It touches you and you are troubled. In other words, you know, you've been able to dish it out.

24:46 Are you able to take it? So that's all the prelude to what he's about to say. is not your reverence your confidence and the integrity of your ways your hope? Remember now, whoever perished being innocent. you can start seeing where he's coming from.

25:19 You know, I thought you were reverent. I thought you were godly. I thought you feared God and hated evil. But we know this universal truth, whoever perished being innocent. Okay, that's a good question. And we can answer it, can't we? whoever perished being innocent go back before Jesus. Who was the first person ever killed?

25:49 Abel. Cain killed his brother Abel. What did Abel do wrong? Not a thing. He did everything right. He brought the right sacrifice before the Lord. He honored God. He perished being innocent. Somebody mentioned Joseph. I heard that. Joseph didn't perish, but was persecuted being innocent. Jesus perished being innocent. Martyrs perished being innocent for their faith. But this is his basic, simplistic worldview. That we live in a moral universe and there's a direct link and an immediate cause and effect relationship between good and evil, suffering and reward. If you're good, you'll be rewarded. If you're evil, you'll be punished. There's just cosmic justice happening at all times. It's a very, very naive, simplistic worldview still held by many today. They see somebody suffering, and they go, man, what'd he do?

27:00 What's wrong with this dude's life? That that would happen to him. whoever perished being innocent or where were the upright ever cut off even as I have seen this wise old sagacious experienced man as I have seen those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. Now he's partly true. He's partly correct. Galatians 6, you reap what you sow. Do not be deceived. God does not mock. Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. But there's not always a direct cause and effect relationship. Yes, if you are sowing in the wrong places and doing the wrong things, eventually you will reap what you sow. But there's a lot of wicked people who get by with a lot of stuff, sowing a lot of bad seeds. And there's a lot of good people who sow a lot of good things and they don't immediately see a reward. But I've seen it.

28:16 He continues in verse 9 by the blast of God they perish and by the breath of his anger they are consumed Job you were once the victim of God's blessing you had sheep oxen donkeys children wealth health you were the recipient of God's choicest blessing and now you're the victim of God's blasting God blesses and God blasts and because God has blasted you you must have taken advantage of his blessing and something that we don't see is going on in your life the roaring of the lion verse 10 the voice of the fierce lion the teeth of the young lions are broken the old lion perishes for lack of prey and the cubs of the lioness are scattered you were once a strong lion job but even lions who inflict evil on mankind get their comeuppance and that's what's happened to you.

29:41 Now, verse 12, now a word was secretly brought to me and my ear received a whisper of it in disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night when deep sleep falls on men fear came upon me and trembling which made all my bones shake now here's what Eliphaz is doing he's trying to bolster his argument of I know certain things about why people suffer and why God allows evil to exist in lives like yours and to bolster his argument he says I've had a personal experience I've had a spiritual vision I've had a supernatural experience. And he explains what happened to him in the middle of the night as the Lord told me.

30:42 I've over the years have people say, you know, the Lord spoke to me and told me something about you and your life. and I'm always interested curious but especially curious since I'm always asking the Lord to reveal his will to me that why God has told you about me but hasn't told me about me because I'm far more concerned than you are what God is speaking to me so why you know I ask him every day I wonder why God but lay it on me what is it And it's usually lame. It's usually weird. But I got these visions in the night. I get visions that nobody else gets. All my bones were shaking, verse 14.

31:37 Verse 15, then a spirit passed before my face. The hair on my body stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. There was silence. Then I heard a voice saying, Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his maker? if he puts no trust in his servants if he charges his angels with air how much more those who dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is dust or is in the dust who are crushed before a moth okay let's examine what the lord told him or what this spirit told he wasn't the holy spirit it was if anything a demonic spirit but the voice said can a mortal be more righteous than god can a man be more pure than his maker That happens to be true.

32:52 that's true god is righteous there's not a man on earth that can be more righteous than him but see that's the thing about the devil he sets the table with truth so that he can dish out lies because what you're going to read and hear from Eliphaz and these others are wrong assessments of Job's condition. So be careful when somebody says something and knocks at your door and gives you the Watchtower magazine or the elder that's only 20 years old in the tie and white shirt bicycles by you and gives you truth. they're going to take certain truths and set the table with them to get you to nod and get you to agree, hoping that you aren't knowledgeable of the scriptures that he's about to take out of context.

34:02 verse 20 he finishes up they are broken in pieces from morning until evening they perish forever with no one regarding does not their own excellence go away they die without wisdom so Eliphaz begins by saying that you're not as innocent as we've always thought Job otherwise this wouldn't be happening to you and just in case you think I made this up I had a dream I had a vision I had a revelation from God he spoke to me he gave me a word Thank you. well listen to what James says in verse 17 of chapter 3 of the book of James the wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits without partiality, without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. So when somebody wants to lay on wisdom to you, filter it through the grid. Is it pure? Is it peaceable? Is it merciful? Is it approachable?

35:39 or is it just this scathing something's wrong with your life so Eliphaz begins and then continues his diatribe in chapter five he says to Job call out now is there anyone who will answer you to which of the holy ones will you turn is there an angelic being you could call on who could give you help for wrath kills a foolish man and envy slays a simple one. I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation. His sons are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate and there is no deliverer. Now think of what Job has been through. He's lost his kids. And this numbskull Eliphaz says, I've seen this before.

36:40 Or if somebody loses their kids because there's sin in his life, his sons are far from safety, they're crushed at the gate. You can't imagine poor Job putting up with this. I'll never forget when a young couple came here after their child, their little baby was taken to the emergency room. and died in the emergency room. Baby was sick after it was born. It wasn't thriving. It was deteriorating. I saw this couple in the hospital. I prayed for them. I think I was there for another visit, but I saw them. We had a good discussion. Then they came over to the church after their baby died. We conducted the funeral. But the father said to me, you know, we were in another church before we came here, and the reason we left is the compassion we felt from this body. The other church that we were a part of was saying, you know, if you had enough faith, this wouldn't be happening to your baby and you have the power to muster the faith in God that it would take to bring healing to this child and then when the child died that church turned on them saying they were faithless now talk about adding insult to injury Thank you.

38:08 so poor job has to put up with this eliphaz continues and because the hungry eat up his harvest taking it even from the thorns and a snare snatches their substance for affliction does not come from dust nor does trouble spring from the ground yet man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward yes we all have trouble but for a reason but as for me i would seek God. You know, if I were you, Job, I'd just be, I'd be committing my life to God. I'd be turning to him. I'd be trusting him as if he's not. And to God, I would commit my cause who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. He gives rain on the earth. He sends water on the fields. He sets on high those who are lowly and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty.

39:10 so that their hands cannot carry out their plans. He catches the wise in their own craftiness. Notice the repetition. And the counsel of the cunning, notice that in relation to the first two. The counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them. He is suggesting, yeah, you are cunning, you are deceptive, you are a hypocrite. it. You got something going on behind the scenes. You're really crafty. You're good at staging, putting on this wise spiritual front, but you're a crafty one. They meet with darkness in the daytime, grope at noontime as in the night, but he saves the needy from the sword, from the mouth of the mighty and from their hands so the poor have hope and injustice shuts her mouth.

40:12 Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty for he bruises but he binds up, he wounds but his hands make whole. now that happens to be true as well in fact that is even repeated in the book of hebrews chapter 12 that whomever the lord loves he chastens and he disciplines every son that he receives so again there are seeds and elements of truth woven into this speech but here is the error he's saying Job that is what is happening to you God is spanking you God is disciplining you for some evil that you have done so you need to repent and you need to see God you need to turn back to him and admit all this and if you admit it you'll be happy again he bruises but he binds up he wounds but his hands make whole he shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven, no evil shall touch you. In famine, he shall redeem you from death.

41:31 And in war from the power of the sword, you shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue. What about his tongue? Really? I'll be saved from your mouth? Done deal. you know but I think I think there's hidden beneath the surface in that in innuendo in famine he'll redeem you from death in war from the power of the sword remember the Sabians came and took his stuff came with a sword and violated his servants and his property you shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue Mrs. Job said curse God and die and you shall not be afraid of the destruction when it comes, you shall laugh at destruction and famine, and you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth, for you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

42:30 you shall know that your tent is in peace. You shall visit your habitation and find nothing amiss. You shall also know that your descendants shall be many and your offspring like the grass of the earth. Again, Job has lost his children. And here's a guy saying, you know, if you do all this if you turn back to God and God will make you whole again and bring you peace again and bring you happiness again and you'll have kids again of course he will have children again and God will bless him again but all of this is a slap in the face to a suffering individual and you shall come to the grave at a full age as a sheaf of grain ripens its season behold now listen to how he closes this. Behold, we have searched out. It is true. Hear it and know it for yourself.

43:38 Now this tells me that Eliphaz and his other two buddies were talking this through on the way to see Job. And they were discussing, what happened to Job? Can you believe it? This is, why do you think this happened? They're kind of rehearsing what has gone on with him. And so he uses the plural. We have searched out. It is true. What I just spoke is true. Hear it. Know it for yourself.

44:06 Then Job answered. And he said, oh, that my grief were fully weighed and my calamity laid with it in the balances. Then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea. You picture that wet sand is so heavy. If I were to put my sorrows on a scale with all the wet sand in the world, that's how I feel. My sorrows outweigh it. Nothing else in this world matters. I've lost my appetite. I've lost my health. I've lost a reason to live. My children are gone. My wife is as good as gone. therefore my words have been rash for the arrows of the almighty are within me my spirit drinks in their poison look dudes my spirit is waning i feel like god is targeting me he's shooting at me the terrors of god are arrayed against me does the wild donkey bray when it has grass or does the ox low over its fodder now a donkey will bray when it wants food as an ox will do the same not bray but low over when he has no food when you have food in front of them they go for it They're crying out for food.

45:44 So notice what Job does. Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass? No. Or the ox low over its fodder? No. Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Is there any taste in the white of an egg? My soul refuses to touch them. They are loathsome food to me. in other words you guys are spouting off these little axioms and these little reasons you haven't fed me with a thing you're trying to lay wisdom on me and speak truth to me if it were true i'd eat it i'd feast on it but you have not fed me anything that is worthwhile i'm starving here and I find it interesting, can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Let me remind you of a text, I marked it in Colossians chapter 4, verse 6, let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you might know how to answer every man. There's no grace in the words of Eliphaz. It's saltless food. It's worthless. Oh, that I might have my request, verse 8 of chapter 6, that God would grant me the thing I long for, that it would please God to crush me, just finish me off, that he would cut loose his hand and cut me off. Then I would still have comfort, though in anguish I would exult. Let him not spare, for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. What strength do I have that I should hope? And what is my end that I should prolong my life? In other words, I have no hope. What reason do I have to continue living? Is my strength the strength of stones or is my flesh bronze? Is my help not within me

47:56 and is success driven from me? To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. you know Eliphaz you claim to have all this knowledge a special word from the Lord a special vision from God you claim that the words you speak are tried and true and tested you guys have talked this through you found it to be so and that I also should agree with with you Thank you. you claim to have all this knowledge.

48:39 It's not helping me one bit. What you say you know is of no help to me. Now, let me use that to say that when you're around somebody who is suffering, you might know exactly theologically. You might have it framed to be able to say, look, let me tell you about good and about evil and about suffering. and by perhaps while you might be going through this, shh. that's for a later time. When they're in a place like this, Job was venting and experiencing this depth of emotion. That's not the time to explain. In fact, by the way, the entire book of Job, there's 330 questions I mentioned last week in the book of Job. And the big question is, why all this suffering? Now, we know why because we have read the book of Job.

49:38 When God comes on the scene and reveals himself to Job, he doesn't answer that question. He doesn't. There's no revelation of what was happening behind the scenes. So that Job will go, oh, now I get it.

49:59 Because we don't live by explanation, we live by revelation. God reveals himself to Job, and Job is humbled in God's presence, seeing who he really is in his character. Sometimes we think we have to tell people the reason and the explanation. No. Let God reveal his glory and his presence, hopefully through your presence, to that person. you know you've heard me say this so many times that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care job did not feel cared for i thought you were my friend shouldn't a friend bring comfort even if i did curse the almighty and backslide and was astray. To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend. My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook, like the streams of the brooks that pass away, which are dark because of the ice, and into which the snow vanishes. When it is warm, they cease to flow.

51:11 When it is hot, they vanish from their plagues. The paths of their way turn aside. They go nowhere. and perish. The caravans of Tima look, the travelers of Sheba hope for them. They are disappointed because they were confident. They come there and they are confused. Let me tell you what he's talking about. In the Middle East, there are these little, well, we have them here in New Mexico. They call them wadis in the Middle East. We call them arroyos in the Southwest. They're ditches, dirt ditches. When it rains, those wadis or those arroyos fill up and they become torrential death traps. Water flows freely after it rains and after it snows, which is in the winter months. That's when the rains come in the Middle East. In the summertime, the wadis are dry. so if you went to a stream or a wadi or an arroyo in the summertime when you most need water you'll be disappointed there's nothing there it's dried up that's what job is saying about his friends you guys are like dried up arroyos

52:25 there's no refreshment in your words and then he draws this parallel parallel of the um caravans of Sheba and Timah, these places in Arabia. Eliphaz was a Timanite, so he would know. And Sheba is down south, Saudi Arabia area. And the caravans would go from well to well, or from stream to stream to find refreshment. And they would navigate through the land via finding those streams. But they're kind of without a rudder. They're more or less. They have no direction because there's no refreshment. So he says they're disappointed because they were confident, verse 20, they come there and they are confused. Now Job unleashes, for now you are nothing. you see terror and are afraid now look at that let that kind of settle in you are nothing you see terror and you're afraid he goes i know the real reason that you're saying this you know you're trying to you're trying to say that I'm not as holy as I let on, even though God says he is. That's what you guys are saying.

53:55 And actually, you're looking at me and you're afraid. You have fear in your eyes. When I look into your eyes, I see fear. Because you're looking at me and you know my life and you're saying, if that happened to Job, that could also happen to me. If Job, this person that we know to be holy and righteous and upright and fears God and shuns evil. If that can happen to that man, it can happen to anybody. I'm vulnerable. You're afraid. You have fear. You see terror and are afraid. Did I ever say, bring something to me or offer a bribe for me from your wealth or deliver me from my enemy's hands when the Sabians came or deliver me from my enemy's hand or redeem me from the hand of the oppressors. Teach me and I will hold my tongue. I didn't ask you guys to come.

54:52 I certainly didn't ask you to speak. Teach me and I'll hold my tongue. If you got something good to say, I'll listen. Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. How forceful are right words. But what does your arguing prove? Okay, you say I've sinned. Tell me where? in what areas prove it do you intend to reprove my words and the speeches of a desperate one which are as wind you windbags yes you overwhelm the fatherless you undermine your friend now therefore be pleased to look at me for i would never lie to your face turn now let there be no injustice in other words back off boogaloo you know you're in my face back off turn turn now let there be no injustice yes turn again my righteousness still stands is there injustice on my tongue can my taste discern the unsavory now I do want to quickly go through this because we're going to get to build dad's speech next time so this is a unit he continues job is still speaking is there not a a time of hard service for a man on earth are not his days also like the days of a hired man like a servant who earnestly desires the shade like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages I think he He's speaking about the shade at the end of the day when the shadows grow long and the shadow grows long on the sundial.

56:36 The end of the day is when you get paid your wages in the old times. You would get paid daily, a day at a time. So I have been allotted months of futility. And wearisome nights have been appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, when shall I arise and the night be ended? for I have had my fill of tossing till dawn. My flesh is caked with worms and dust. My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh. pretty gross.

57:14 Maggots crawling on open wounds. Puss flowing out from those ulcerations, sitting in the dust, gets caked with dust, clods up, falls off, starts again. I know you're thinking TMI. my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle and are spent without hope a weaver's shuttle is when a weaver has a loom and has the yarn displayed on it thread by thread he uses a little tool that he goes moves rapidly with across the loom to make it that's called the shuttle and so as that speedily goes by so goes life oh remember that my life is a breath and then he says my eye will never again see good that is exactly how a person experiencing depression thinks.

58:21 If you've ever experienced depression, you've been at a place where you think, I'll never see another good day ever again. This tunnel is so dark, there's never going to be light at the end of this tunnel. that's not true. There will be light at the end of that tunnel. But when you are depressed, that is what a person thinks. That's what it feels like. And that's what Job thinks. Of course, the end will be wonderful, but he didn't see it. My eye will never again see good. The eye of him who sees me will see me no more. Will your eyes, while your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be as the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house, nor shall his place know him anymore.

59:16 Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I a sea or a sea serpent? That you, notice capital Y, you speaking to God, you set a guard over me. Quick background. There was a Ugaritic myth. A myth in the Ugaritic language, the ancient language of the Middle East, one of the languages. That talked about the sea god named Yum who conquered Baal and set a guard over him to ensure no further uprising. again Job doesn't believe that but it was a common idea in the peoples around him so he's using this by way of illustration saying to God really God do you need to set a watch over me and guard me like I'm gonna take over and there's gonna be an uprising because that's what it feels like you're doing Thank you.

1:00:17 when you say my bed will comfort me my couch will ease my complaint then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions now maybe he's thinking about in the middle of the night I have these horrible night terrors or maybe he's thinking of Eliphaz you had that weird dream and you're trying to scare me with it so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body I loathe my life. I hate my life. I would not live forever. Let me alone for my days are but a breath. What is man that you should magnify him, that you should set your heart on him, that you should visit him every morning and test him every moment? How long will you not look away from me and let me alone till I swallow my saliva look just let me choke on my own spit have I sinned what have I done to you oh watcher of men why have you set me as your target so that I am a burden to myself why then do you not pardon my transgression this guy says I've sinned he said I've got secret sin in my life why haven't you pardoned my sin my transgression take away my iniquity for now I would lie down in the dust you will seek me diligently but I will no longer be now he asked the question.

1:01:55 what is man that you should magnify him? It's a good question. It's a question that deserves a good answer. What is man that you would pay attention to me? and there is a good answer and we're going to get that answer next week as we pick up and read from chapter eight a few more chapters and I wanted to go through quickly because Job is a long book and you would not like me to go through one chapter at a time you would be so sick of Job. Job's sick of Job. so we'll continue next time father thank you that we can hear the words of a suffering man and we can relate to his experience down in the depth having lost everything meaningful to him still maintaining a right standing with you, asking you to forgive his sin that he has been accused of,

1:03:17 asking the profound question, what is man, that you would exalt him, that you would think of him. thank you, Lord, that you do consider us, that you do think of us, that you do care for us. Thank you that your eye is upon us. And even when we're in the oven,

1:03:42 you keep your eye on the temperature, your hand on the thermostat. it is completely under your control you know how much we can take you know what you're trying to accomplish in our lives we don't see it we see only darkness we don't see light at the end of the tunnel some of us here tonight or listening or watching think they're never going to see another good day again in their life i pray for your comfort your good hand of love and comfort and soothing upon those who are suffering. Strengthen the feeble knees. Make strong the weak hands.

1:04:31 Let them know they are loved by God and by us.