Job 8-9

0:22 Turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of Job chapter 8. Two weeks in, and we've already done seven chapters. But we want to move quickly because if you know Job, you know it's 42 chapters. So we don't want to linger. We want to kind of plow our way through this book. Job chapter 8. Father, we now pray you'd strengthen us to be able to receive your word, that it would find its place in good soil, and it would bear 30, 60, and 100-fold fruit in Jesus' name. Amen.

1:07 So I'm a pastor. and as such i have had the privilege of the full spectrum of human experience in that i've been able to be with people through a panoply of different experiences i get the opportunity to see people come to faith in christ and then um i might have the opportunity if they're single to see them date and marry. If the Lord wills, I'll be able to perform their wedding as well. I've had the privilege then with some to dedicate their children born in that marriage. And then as life goes on to see them experience trials and pain, disease, suffering, and with some to do their funeral. So it's a full expression of human experience.

2:11 as one who is in the ministry as a pastor, I have seen all sorts of suffering people, people experiencing natural disasters, spiritual disasters, physical diseases of many kinds, etc. someone once asked me, man, you have seen all that stuff, all that suffering. How do you do it? How can you be a pastor and see all of that suffering? My answer is, I don't think I could see all that suffering unless I were a pastor, knowing the resources that God gives, but it has been a privileged to do that. C.S. Lewis was once asked why the righteous suffer.

3:05 And you know, he said so many classic things about suffering. God uses pain as a megaphone to rouse the deaf world, etc. But when he was asked, why is it that the righteous suffer? His answer was classic. He said, why not? They're the only ones who can take it.

3:27 Well, Job has been taking it, hasn't he? In so many ways, he has been stripped down to nothing. He has lost children. He has lost his business. He has lost his home. He has lost his health. he is down to the essence of his being to where he says naked I came into this world naked I will leave but he blessed the Lord he worshiped God in the midst of that in a strange way many people take comfort in reading the book of Job now I know a lot of people book of Job. I don't want it. Don't get me anywhere near that book. But others find a strange solace in the book. And here's why. He suffered so bad that no matter how bad it gets for me, it's nowhere near what he's experienced. So just when you think you have it bad, you read the book of Job and you go, oh, it could be much worse than I'm experiencing it now.

4:46 as bad as the physical suffering was, he now experiences the mental anguish of three friends who have traveled a long distance to sit with him, but they couldn't hold their peace because Job started speaking and venting and being in great anguish. And so now all three of these friends will take their turn. We saw Eliphaz, the Temanite, last time, and Job's response to him. He was probably the eldest. And now we get to a guy named Bildad the Shuhite in chapter 8. We've covered seven chapters. If I said we've covered eight. We are covered seven. We are now in chapter eight. And just to make a note about these three fellas and their advice to him or their observations to him, some of what they say is true and much of what they say is logical. And I like truth and I enjoy logic, but though they are making logical observations they are making errant conclusions and you'll see why their conclusions are way off base that which is logical is not necessarily theological it's not accurate theologically there's a lot they don't know there's a lot Job doesn't know. As I said for the last couple of weeks, Job had the disadvantage of not having the book of Job to read. We know what's going on behind the scenes. He has no clue, neither do these friends. Now, in the first seven chapters, there's a few lessons we have already learned.

6:47 lesson number one there are things happening matters going on behind the scenes in the heavens in the spiritual realm of which we are not privy there are matters happening of which we have no knowledge and they are affecting life here on the earth we told you many times about the prince of Persia of Iran, who put up a fight to the archangel so that the archangel couldn't get to Daniel when he wanted to, when the Lord dispatched him because he had a battle with the prince of Iran, the prince of Persia. So there are things happening in heavenly places. We do not know what they are, but they are affecting life on this earth. Lesson number two. oftentimes our best explanation for what is happening to us and in us and around us can be useless we're trying to figure out why this is happening okay have fun have at it but you might just be spinning your yourself around in circles it may be a useless exercise instead of trying to ask the question, why is this happening to me? Find out how I can glorify God in this.

8:15 how can God use this? The third thing we learn is that even good people, let me rephrase that, even God's people suffer. immensely. Job was the most righteous person on the earth. God bragged about him to the angels, including Satan. Satan was given permission to get at him up to a certain point in both cases. But even good people, even God's people can suffer immensely. One of the great things that a man named Joseph Parker spoke to young ministers, Joseph Parker was a contemporary of Charles Haddon Spurgeon in Victoria, England. And he said, in every pew, there's a broken heart.

9:07 If you speak often on suffering, you will never want for a congregation. Because people in every congregation are suffering. So even good people, even God's people suffer. fourth lesson we learn and we're going to learn this throughout the book if God seems far away if God seems distant to you and many times he does he was distant to Job I I look for you God in all directions and I don't find you I cannot perceive you but he's going to say later on but you know the way I take I don't know where you are, you know where I'm at. But there were times where he couldn't discern where God is or the presence of God. God seems so distant. God seemed distant to David, who often cried out to God, Lord, how long? To Isaiah the prophet, when the prophet said, oh Lord, if you just rip open the heavens and come down. You're so distant. When God seems far away and distant, persevere.

10:28 Persevere. Don't go anywhere. Keep following after him. Keep following after him. Light, as we said last week, light is coming at the end of some tunnel. Might not be tonight, might not be this week, might not be this month, but it is coming. one day you'll see like job does okay chapter eight then build dad the shoe height so obviously he was the shortest of these guys because he was only shoe height just a wee itty bitty little guy Now, Shua was a region of northern Syria in the ancient Middle East, and he was obviously well known. And because Job had a reputation, he came from afar to spend time with him. The name Bildad means son of contention.

11:27 His parents named him well because he lives up to his name. Maybe he just sort of grew into his name as time went on. but his name means son of contention. Now, Bildad the Shuhite is going to agree with the first speaker to Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, except he's not going to be as polite as Eliphaz was, not as courteous as Eliphaz was. He's going to be more cantankerous. He's going to be more vitriolic, more in your face, more upfront. In fact, you're going to read what he says and you're going to go, I can't believe he said that to a suffering individual. Bildad the Shuhite answered and said to Job, how long will you speak these things and the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?

12:25 You remember last time that Job accused Eliphaz the Temanite of being a windbag. And so Bildad says back at you. You are also a windbag, Job. Okay, something you need to know about Bildad as we get into this, he's appealing to something. Just like Eliphaz the Temanite appealed to something, but something different than Bildad. Eliphaz the Temanite built his whole argument on personal experience and observation. this is what I know to be true from what I have experienced and those that I know have experienced and by what I observe in the world around me so that is my authority for Bildad, he is building his case and his argument not on what he is experiencing, not on what he has observed, but on history. What has been observed over time by others who have gone before him. So they're going to basically say the same thing to Job. They just have different sources of authority, if you know what I mean. So then, philosophically speaking, we would say Eliphaz the Temanite was an existentialist. Bildad the Shuhite was a traditionalist.

13:49 He's appealing to past events. Eliphaz is more subjective. This is what I experience, what I know to be true based on my life. Bildad is more objective. He's pulling from history and the experiences of others. So he says in verse three, does God subvert judgment or does the almighty pervert justice? Now, his argument is, look, isn't God fair, Job? We know God is fair. Do you think he would subvert justice? Do you think that he would counteract that? God is fair, but he's asking it rhetorically. Does God subvert judgment or does the Almighty pervert justice?

14:45 you remember i'm just going to jog your memory this is the contention abraham had when god visited him in genesis 18 in the tent in the heat of the day on his way to judge the cities of sodom and gomorrah and he reveals to abraham that he's going to destroy those cities because of their iniquity their sin they've deserved it they've stored it up for a long time now he's going to wipe them out Thank you. and Abraham had a problem with that. basically saying that's not fair he said lord will the judge of the earth not do right if i find 50 people in that city would you spare the city for 50 god said done find me 50 righteous people in sodom and i'll skip over judging them well abraham knew oh 50 i'm that's kind of a stretch how about 40 if I find if we find 40 people if you can see 40 people would you spare them God said I'll spare them for 40 would you do it for 30 Abraham countered and then 20 and then 10 and God finally said you find me 10 righteous people in the city of Sodom and I will not judge that city so if your contention is will not the judge of the earth do right I will do right and I'll spare the city for 10. 10 couldn't be found. You know the story. God judged the city. So it's the idea of God being fair. Of course, this goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden when Satan basically was saying to Eve and to Adam, God is not fair. As the Lord said, you shall not eat of all the trees of the garden. And she said, oh no, we can eat freely of these trees. There's just one that God said, stay away from because in the day that you eat thereof, you'll surely die. He said, oh, you're not going to die. God knows in the day you eat of it, you're going to be as smart as he is, as wise as he is. God must not love you. He must be keeping you from something because his

16:55 character is at risk. He's not fair. So he is suggesting that Job accused God of not being fair. And so he asked the question, does God pervert judgment or does the almighty pervert justice? But listen to verse four. If your sons have sinned against him, he has cast them away for their transgression. Job, your sons died because they sinned. Now, could you imagine saying that to somebody who has lost a child? Well, the reason your daughter died is because she sinned against God. She deserved it. You're going to find out why Job will say to these three, miserable comforters are you all. If you went to comfort school, you got an F.

17:53 but look at verse five. If you would earnestly seek God and make your supplication to the Almighty, if you were pure and upright, surely now he would awake for you and prosper your rightful habitation. This is the dogma of retribution. It's a very simplistic and errant view of life that says good people have good things happen to them. Bad people have bad things happen to them. If you're righteous, you will be blessed by God. If you're wicked, you'll be cursed by God. If you're cursed, it must mean you sinned. If you're blessed, it must be because you're righteous. The only problem with that is you have plenty of bad people who are prospering and plenty of good people who are not. This was Asaph's whole problem in Psalm 73 when he said, I have a problem, God. I see the wicked prospering.

18:56 And I see many of the righteous suffering. And he said, when I discovered that, my feet nearly slipped. I almost completely lost it because it didn't seem fair. So they have Eliphaz, Bildad the Shuhite, both have this dogma of retribution that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between good and evil and reward and suffering. That if you're good, you'll be rewarded in this life. If you suffer, it's because you have sin in your life. So he says, look, all you have to do is get right with God and things will get better for you. If you're pure and upright, surely now, verse six, he would awake for you. Now just an explanation about some of the language the Bible uses.

19:50 as human beings, we have a difficult time understanding the character and nature of God who is transcendent and perfect. We are of this world and we are not transcendent, we are imperfect. And so here we are on earth trying to manage an understanding of transcendent, perfect, invisible God. How do you do it? You use human language to express divine attributes. That is known as anthropomorphism. I know it's a long word, but anthropomorphism is a theological term that says this is how we manage a description of God and an understanding of God is by writing about God or speaking about God in human terms. Okay, so it's not like God is asleep and needs to be awakened, but he uses the terminology. Like God will pay attention to you if you get right with him, but he uses the anthropomorphism. You'll wake him up. Now, we know God isn't sleeping. He who keeps Israel, the psalmist said, neither slumbers nor sleeps.

21:07 so you'll find a lot of these descriptions of god using human language or language of the natural world for instance the eyes of the lord go to and fro throughout the entire earth does that mean god has eyeballs 20 20 vision looking around like this no it's it's an anthropomorphism it's expressing god in human language the ears of the lord or um under the shadow of his wings god doesn't have feathers. But you're just simply describing an attribute or a characteristic of God in a way that we can manage, we can understand. So basically, you get right with God, he'll get awake for you and prosper your rightful habitation. though your beginning was small, which actually he was very opulent, it was pretty big, yet your latter end would increase abundantly. If you now even hear, even at this sinful juncture of your life, turn back to God, he'll make things hunky-dory and you'll be even better off than you were before. You know, their philosophy of life was more important than their friendship with Job.

22:28 They wanted to be heard. And at this point, they don't really care how Job feels. They want to speak their mind. They want to speak about what they believe and have Job hear that. Their theology, their philosophy is more important to them than Job or Job's feelings. And that's sad. Verse 8, for inquire. This is now where he goes back through history. For inquire, please, of the former age and consider the things discovered by their fathers. For we, present tense, are but of yesterday. We are short-lived and know nothing because our days on earth are a shadow. will they that is previous generations and all their collective experience will they not teach you and tell you and utter words from their heart can the papyrus grow up without a marsh can the reeds flourish without water while it is yet green and not cut down it withers before any other plant. So are the paths of all who forget God, and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish. Great friend, huh?

23:46 he uses the illustration of river reeds growing in marshes that depend on a source of water. But when it's a dry season and the water dries up, then those things just are gone. likewise job has shriveled up like the marshes because his source of trust is gone he's been trusting the implication is you've been trusting in yourself you hypocrite you're you think you're mr holy mr blameless they don't know that god said he is indeed blameless and perfect and upright. But they knew Job had the reputation and they're saying, oh, you're so perfect, Mr. Perfect. Well, you're not as Mr. Perfect as you think you are. You're really a hypocrite. And your source in which you trust is dried up. So are all those who forget God.

24:50 And the hope of the hypocrite will perish, whose confidence shall be cut off, whose trust is a spider's web. He leans on his house. That is, the spider leans on his house, but it doesn't stand. He holds it fast, but it does not endure. I was taking the garbage cans out this afternoon, and one of them, there was like a whole wall of webs. These spiders, you know, in the summer, they'll spin their webs quickly. And I mean, it was, it, it was like a fortress. And yet all it took is just a little finger just to run my finger through it. And the thing collapsed, you know, here it is, is spent so much time intricately weaving this magnificent, magnificent, glorious webbed house that Skip wiped out with one move of his finger.

25:52 If that little spider is trusting in that web, he's not happy right now. Job, you're like that spider. In one fell swoop, it's over. He does not endure. Verse 16, He grows green in the sun. Now that phrase, it's funny how certain phrases fascinate you when you read them in the Bible. And depending on how many times I've been through the scripture, that's just a phrase I hadn't really noticed before. But it caught my attention because we're dealing with an ancient book, probably the earliest of all the biblical books. I contended that Job lived in the patriarchal age around the time of Abraham. It's an ancient structure, Hebrew poetry, very, very early in style. So I think it's probably the earliest book. And yet they're speaking about the process we know as photosynthesis, how that the chlorophyll in plant absorbs the photon energy from the sun and converts that into chemical energy.

27:03 So that during photosynthesis, as the chlorophyll absorbs sunlight, it absorbs mainly blue and red light. Blue is the shorter wavelength radiation. Red is longer wavelength radiation. It is absorbed to convert solar into chemical energy, but it does not absorb the green light, but it reflects the green light onto our eyes. So when we look at a plant, it's green. So it's just one of those things you read and go, oh, that's cool. Here's an early biblical book tipping its hat to the process we know as photosynthesis. he grows green in the sun it's the sun that does it maybe tmi for some of you or whatever but these are the things that get my attention and his branches spread out in his garden his roots wrap around the rock heap and look for a place in the stones if he is destroyed from his place then it will deny him saying, I have not seen you. Life is very temporary. Behold, this is the joy of his way. Out of the earth, others will grow. Behold, God will not cast away the blameless.

28:31 Ergo, Job, you are not blameless. You are suffering. Therefore, this proves as history also shows that the ungodly like you and the hypocrite like you suffer. Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, nor will he uphold the evildoers. This is sort of the precursor, is it not, to the crowd around the cross of Jesus, mocking Jesus as he's hanging on the cross. He trusted in God. Let God deliver him now. By the way, when it comes to sharing truth, even biblical truth, it's possible to take a position and be so entrenched in your position that you become icy and unfeeling toward people who are experiencing great difficulty.

29:32 not trying to pick on them but i find the strict calvinist to be in this category i once had the opportunity of sharing the gospel with a young man outside of a bookstore in southern california when i lived there as a christian discount book center great book center, but highly leaning Calvinistic in his teaching. And I was sharing with this unbeliever outside the entrance of the store about the gospel. And then he followed me in the store and I had this conversation in the store and I was, you know, trying to find a resource for him. The owner of the store pulled me aside and basically he said this to me, why are you trying so hard with this unbeliever? I mean, I've been listening to you now for a long time trying to convince him of the gospel. You know, it could be that God didn't even choose him for salvation. Don't worry if God chose him, you don't have to bother with it.

30:40 I said, well, you know, I do believe in election. I believe that God chooses people to be saved, but I also believe that God chooses the means through which they are saved. and I believe God has chosen me and you to be the means that unbelievers hear the truth but just the way he said it was so icy and so non-sympathetic and unfeeling here's a person on his way to an eternal hell and you're saying why try so hard it could be that God didn't even choose him well I'm not God so I don't know he just told me to go into all the world and preach the gospel to everybody. Sorry, I couldn't resist. he will yet fill your mouth with laughing your lips with rejoicing those who hate you will be clothed with shame and the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing now Job answers Bildad that little shoe height Job answered and said, truly, I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God? You know, Bill Dadd, you're right. I'm not as righteous as God, but then who is?

32:12 if you're comparing the righteousness of God and God's character, any human being is going to fall short. There is none righteous, Paul said, and three times the Bible says, none righteous, no, not one. Psalm 130, the psalmist said, if you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand. Nobody could stand. So you're right. I agree with you. I'm not perfectly righteous. I admit I'm not perfect. but the question's so important, this question, how can a man be righteous before God? Now, Job is not thinking of it in the terms that we know of righteousness conferred by Jesus Christ, but look at the question nonetheless. How can a man be righteous before God? Let's answer that.

33:10 from time immemorial, people have sought to be right with God through a few different ways. Number one, by being good. I'm going to be right with God by being good because good people, this is conventional wisdom, conventional wisdom says good people go to heaven.

33:36 Well, I'd like to say to you, no, they don't. good people don't go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven. Saved sinners go to heaven. A lot of wicked people will be in heaven who've been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. But that's what people think. Good people, that's what it takes to get right with God. By being good, I try really hard. I do all these things to be good. I'm kind to people. I try to choose kindness every day. I have a coexist bumper sticker on my car. I pet every animal that I see. I'm being good. Well, you have a major roadblock with that philosophy. because the scripture says all of our goodness, all of our good deeds are as filthy rags before God. You might be a good person. The only problem is you're not good enough.

34:41 How good do you have to be to get to heaven? Jesus said, be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. Okay. Scratch that off the list. Now what? what's next plan b you'll never be good enough let's say we were playing darts i've got the dartboard set up and it's how many feet what's the standard anybody know okay it's it's it's down a ways it's it's at regulation distance and there's three of us there's yourself myself and somebody else you throw the first few darts and you make it two inches from the bullseye. The person next to you throws and makes it four inches from the bullseye. I get up and I miss the dartboard altogether.

35:39 Who hit the bullseye? Nobody. All have fallen short of the bullseye. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. so if you're trying to say I'm going to be a good person you won't be good enough that's one method that's one way the second way is to be religious not only will I be good but I'm going to go to church I'm going to be baptized I'm going to keep certain rituals I'm going to do them regularly I'm going to get to heaven because I go to church because I've been baptized, because I grew up in this tradition and I try to maintain that. How many times have you heard that? that is exactly how Paul the apostle thought he was going to get to heaven. He gave his pedigree in the book of Philippians. He said, I was born of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised the eighth day, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning righteousness that comes from keeping the law, I was blameless.

37:04 I was so religious, I did everything right until he discovered not enough. He said, now I consider all of those things rubbish that I might simply have Christ, know him. So some people choose being good. Some people choose being religious, like Paul the apostle, other people by being sincere. You know, it doesn't matter what path you choose, brother, what religion you believe in brother just be sincere if you're sincere that's all that matters because we're all gonna if you're sincere enough we're gonna get to heaven it's not about being good or being part of that ritual or religion it's just about being true to yourself there is a way the writer of proverbs says that seems right unto every man but the end thereof is the way of death there's one gospel there's one god there's one savior so being good nope being religious nope being sincere nope okay how can a man be right with god here's the answer by receiving a righteousness external to us given to us not earned by us but given freely as a gift one we could never earn one we could never produce but just receiving something already given to us it's called here's the word imputation I that might be another big word. I want you to know that word imputation. Your sins are imputed to Jesus Christ. His righteousness is imputed to you. So even though you're a sinner, if you say, Lord Jesus, be my savior, take all my sins. I believe and I trust in you. God will

39:11 impute to you the righteousness of Christ. God will count you as being righteous, even though practically you haven't been your whole life. You get it? Second Corinthians 521 is all of that in a nutshell. God made him, Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. In other words, God treated Jesus like you deserve so he can treat you like Jesus deserves. It's the great exchange, the great exchange, vicarious atonement. He took your sin, you take his righteousness. It's imputed to you. You believe, you trust. It's not by works of righteousness, but faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone. I remember when I first heard the gospel, I've told you this before, I'm listening to Billy Graham on television explain it to me, not all this, but he explained what he explained. And I remember thinking, God, you're getting a bad deal. Because you're saying, Skip, I want your life, which really is in a shambles. And you're going to give me the perfect life of Jesus Christ. You're getting a bad deal. I, on the other hand, I'm getting a great deal. I'll take it. And I did that afternoon. But that is the deal.

40:36 how can a man be right before God that's it now when you receive Jesus Christ when you take that righteousness when you come by faith and you are justified that's declared righteous where God now treats you just if I'd never sinned that's justification justified just if I'd never sinned that's how God treats me like I've never sinned when you are justified, when you trust in Christ, something happens. Not only are you made right with God, but you have an incredible peace. Romans 5.1, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a good deal. child of God adopted into the family promise of heaven perfect righteousness and peace that's a great deal truly I know it's so but how can a man be righteous before God if one wished to contend with him he could not answer him one time out of a thousand God is wise and hard and mighty and strength who has hardened himself against him and prospered he removes the mountains, and they do not know him. When he overturns them in his anger, he shakes the earth out of its place. Its pillars tremble. He commands the sun, and it does not rise. He seals off the stars. He alone spreads out the heavens. He treads on the waves of the sea. He made the bear, that is the constellation. Some of you know it as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Orion and Polites and the chambers of the south. He does great things past finding out. Yes, wonders without number. If he goes by me, I do not see him. If he moves past, I do not perceive him. If he takes away, that is,

42:46 if he takes somebody's life, takes somebody away, who can hinder him? Who can say to him, what are you doing? God will not withdraw his anger. The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath him. Now this idea, Job is basically saying God is sovereign and he controls the universe. And so who can say to him, what are you doing? Paul sort of picks up on this thought in Romans chapter nine, does he not? When he said, how can the clay say to the potter, what are you doing? Why are you making me this way? Doesn't the potter have complete control over the clay? But I love what Job is doing. He's desperate. He's wondering why he's suffering, but he understands you can't argue with God. You can't take him to court. He's going to win. He's all-powerful. He's all-wise, and he has all the cards on his side, so I'm not going to contend with him because the entire universe, sun, moon, stars, constellations are put in place by him.

43:57 Okay, when I closed last week, I closed on a note that I said I was coming back to. You probably thought as I began, oh, he forgot that. Back in chapter 7, verse 17, Job asked the question, what is man that you should magnify him? Why are you so concerned, God, about this puny little man on earth that you would spend so much time afflicting him, basically? What is man? Now in this section, I want to get back to that because he knows his state. He knows he's not perfect. He knows he's not righteous, especially dealing with God and God so powerful, so omnipotent, so transcendent, the creative force of all that exists, the one who put the sun, moon, and stars into place. This question, what is man, was asked in Psalm 8.

45:10 When the psalmist said, when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have created or ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him or the son of man that you visit him. When I look up at the sky and I consider the universe that I am in, why do you care about us?

45:33 I don't know if you've ever done that. Have you ever looked up at the night sky and go, this is a pretty big neighborhood I'm living in. Okay, the earth, I'm on a dirt clod called the earth that's 8,000 miles in diameter. that's rotating on its axis at about 1,000 miles per hour, but careening through space at 45,000 miles per hour as it goes around the sun. 8,000 miles in diameter. The sun, much larger, but the sun, as hot as it was today, as hot as it has been, is 93 million miles away from the earth. Aren't you glad it's not any closer? the heat that we receive today is from a star that's 93 million miles away from the earth the earth is 8 000 miles in diameter the sun is 860 000 miles in diameter if you hollowed out the sun you could put balls the size of the earth 1 million 200 000 balls the size of the earth inside the sun. That's how big it is.

46:42 the moon, look up at the moon tonight. The moon's much closer, a couple hundred thousand miles. You could actually walk to the moon if there was a bridge. If you walked, if you could cover 24 miles a day, you could make it to the moon in 27 years. But if you could go as fast as the speed of light. If you could get into some contraption that travels 186,000 miles per second, you wouldn't survive it. But if you could do that and go that fast, you would go past the moon in one and a half seconds. You would make it to the sun traveling at 186,000 miles per second in just over eight minutes and 20 seconds. It would take you 4.3 years traveling at 186,000 miles per second to make it to Alpha Centauri, the nearest neighbor star.

47:42 But if you were to traverse your neighborhood, the Milky Way galaxy, if you were traveling at 186,000 miles per second it would take you a hundred thousand years to cover the Milky Way galaxy that's the length of it and once you did that you barely got out of the neighborhood really you're on the first street because they tell us there are hundreds of thousands of other galaxies beyond okay when I consider the heavens the work of your fingers the moon and the stars which you ever think what is man that you are mindful of him? Good question. That's the miracle. He is mindful of us. He does care for us. So Job is wrestling with this and now again realizing the universe that he is in.

48:44 But that's the beautiful truth. God cares. And if you draw near to him, he'll draw near to you. how then can I answer him verse 14 he continues and choose my words to reason with him for though I were righteous I could not answer him I would beg mercy of my judge that's always the best approach by the way never ask God to give you what you deserve none of you want to go to hell beg God's mercy if I called and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. It's funny. People are still that way. They pray and then God answers and they go, well, yeah, it's probably just a coincidence. I prayed at the time that was going to happen anyway. Well, why not just take the wind and say, thank you, Lord.

49:42 for he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cease or without cause he will not allow me to catch my breath but fills me with bitterness if it's a matter of strength indeed he is strong and of justice who will appoint my day in court Want to know something crazy? And this is probably what it's alluding to, this ancient book. In the ancient world, there were two different ways to regain a person's honor once it was lost. Number one was an adjudication, a day in court, you're found clean, and then that gets broadcast and your honor is restored publicly, or believe it or not, a wrestling match. so what job is saying is it would be unwise for me to engage in either one of those with god god is the judge of the universe i have nothing to bring to court that is going to be stronger than him and his position and i'm certainly not going to wrestle him ask jacob he tried that though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me. Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. I am blameless. He's not going to admit to something he didn't do.

51:14 God even said he was blameless. So he says, I didn't do anything wrong to deserve this. Yet I do not know myself. I realize I don't know my own heart. I despise my life. it is all one thing therefore I say he destroys the blameless and the wicked now there is some truth to that the blameless and the wicked both die Jesus said the sun rises on the just and the unjust and the rain falls on the good and the evil alike there that is there are common things that happen to people on the earth good or bad righteous or unrighteous if the scourge slays suddenly he laughs at the plight of the innocent the earth is given into the hand of the wicked he covers the faces of its judges if it is not he, who else could it be?

52:11 Yeah, it does seem so often that those wicked judges and wicked rulers get the upper hand, and people suffer consequently. That's a whole sermon. I move on. Now my days are swifter than runner, that is a royal runner who would bring news across the empire by jogging every day to bring that message. They flee away. They see no good. They pass by like swift ships. Life is short. Like an eagle swooping on its prey. Now, did you know that an eagle, once it spots its prey and makes the nosedive, can get up to a speed of 200 miles an hour? Swift, just like an eagle swooping on its prey. If I say I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile. I am afraid of all my sufferings. I know that you will not hold me innocent if I am condemned. Why then do I labor in vain? I wash myself with snow water. If I wash myself with snow water, that was an ancient ritual. Snow water was the purest kind. It was believed so.

53:27 it's cold, but they think effective, and cleanse my hands with soap, literally lye, yet you will plunge me into the pit, that is, I can't make myself clean no matter what ritual I perform, and my own clothes will abhor me. For he is not a man as I am, that I may answer him, and that we should go to court together, nor is there any mediator between us who may lay Did you notice what Job is crying out for? He's asking for a mediator between God and himself.

54:24 somebody who would lay his hand on God and Job. The old King James says, a daysman, the new King James, a mediator. Between humanity and God, God is perfect, God is holy, God is transcendent. We are confined to this space-time continuum.

54:46 There's a great chasm. is there anybody job is asking who can bridge the gap between us and god think of the people that perform that function a lawyer performs that function in a court of law he knows the law he knows what the judge is going to say he knows how to argue on behalf of his defendant so in effect he is the mediator between the defendant and the judge laying his hand so to speak on both. A counselor is a mediator between a husband and wife who are dealing with an issue. He can lay his hand on him and on her, so to speak, trying to understand both of their issues and bring them together. So a lawyer and a counselor, both can be a mediator. A translator who knows the receptor language as well as the original language, can translate what is spoken by one to the ears of another, laying hands on both. What Job is crying out for, Jesus is the one answering in the New Testament. The one Job wanted as the mediator between God and man is the man, Christ Jesus. Paul wrote to Timothy, there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. And Jesus is the perfect mediator because Jesus is both God and man.

56:22 he can lay his hand on both because he is both in one person one being he is theanthropos the god man not half god half man fully god and fully man the theanthropic nature of christ

56:43 perfect mediator the writer of hebrews said we don't have a high priest who is unable to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. The perfect mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.

57:05 If you were to come to my house, and I'll give you a little bit of quick history as we close this, I do not have a good relationship with the ant world. partially because I grew up as a boy, and boys, when they see anthills, rush inside to get what? A magnifying glass to hold and let the sun burn the ants, and a little boy loves watching that happen. Okay, call it gross, call it imbalanced. We're boys. Now, I've grown up. I don't get the magnifying glass when I see ants, but if I see them in the house, I do go under the counter and I get raid. Let's say you come over to my house and you know my propensity to kill ants. You, on the other hand, love all of God's creatures alike, even ants, and you come over and I see ants and I go, oh, those stupid ants, and I reach to get my raid.

58:14 and you see what's happening, and so you bend down to the ants, and you start counseling them? Run, little ants. Run as quick as you can. Flee. The bad man with the can of raid is coming. He's going to kill you. Would it do any good for you to caution them with your English language. It would do nothing. The only hope for you to save them is to become one of them.

58:54 Knowing what you know about me and then become one of them. And if you could become one of them and communicate to them, you're about to get doused. Let's get out of town. Let's get out of Dodge, you would be the perfect ant savior. Jesus is the perfect human savior. Knowing the righteousness of God, knowing the frailty of humanity, God became flesh and dwelt among us, and he becomes the mediator between God and man. He is the man, Christ Jesus. I intended to cover three chapters. I have failed.

59:42 There's always next week. Father, thank you for an opportunity to just soak the truths of scripture as painful as they are in hearing the words of a man suffering greatly and the misunderstanding standing heaped on him by these friends who do not understand, nor does Job, all that is happening in the heavens.

1:00:14 Lord, I pray for those in this congregation, many of whom we've already prayed for, who are suffering. Give them grace to persevere. give them joy and peace in the midst of it and I know they're asking how can I get out of this may they tonight ask what can I get out of this what is it you're trying to do how can God be glorified if we pray that light will come may it come in Jesus name