Page 142 - Job

“Then Job answered the LORD and said, (You see this is right in the
middle of the speech and Job speaks) ‘Behold, I am insignificant;
What can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have
spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing
more.’ ”
Is this the same Job that says let Him come and I will fill my mouth with
arguments? Now he has both hands over his mouth and says, “Okay,
Lord, that’s enough. I get Your point; I am insignificant; I see it.” God
says, “You do not get my point, because it is not My point to show you
that you are insignificant”. So Job speaks again in verse 6 and the Lord
answered. God speaks. Job speaks. God speaks again.
Or, you can look at it in terms of what God said. In God’s argument, He
illustrates His greatness through the world He created. Chapter 38:1-35,
He uses the inanimate creation – the earth, the sea, the day, the night, the
light, the darkness, storms, stars and heavenly bodies. And then in
chapters 38:36 - 42:6, He speaks of living things, animate things – man,
animals, insects and birds.
Here is how we’re going to look at it. First, I am going to go through it,
not verse by verse, but truth by truth. I tried to play a little game and put
myself in Job’s place. What must it have been like for Job to hear these
questions? Then, after we see the facts I am going to get straight to the
answer. The full answer to the problem of suffering, illustrated by this
tremendous speech.
Now, as I give this I am determined to stick with the book of Job. I was
tempted to give you a science lesson because of God’s abundant mention
of nature; the heavenly bodies, the animals, their migratory habits, their
feeding habits, etc. I have studied much of the natural history with the
many books I have in my library. I invite you to do the same at your own
leisure. But for this particular course we are going to try to stick with Job
and the illustrations God gives.
All right, let me give some of these overwhelming facts and lay them
before you. Try to put yourself in Job’s place if you can. He is exhausted
from affliction. He is weary from all the debates. He is frustrated to the
nth degree because of the confusion and the perplexity in his mind. He
doesn’t know what’s going on. He has challenged God and all of a
sudden, God shows up! And now the Lord Almighty says, “Come on out
and fight like a man and gird up your loins”. So he stands trembling in the
presence of God and God begins. Chapter 38:4–6,

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