Job Lesson 16 Chapter 42 Final Lesson Job is restored! 12/14/07

We now come to the last chapter in the Book of Job, lesson 16, chapter 42. There is still
more to learn. And we’ll find that Job has had a born-again experience. God has now moved
from his brain and what he knew of Him to his heart and what he has experienced with
Him. He’s seen and talked to God and now he understands. God knows our motives and
thoughts. We can question Him but in the end we must trust Him. God’s got to tell Job
to pray for his friends and it’s an important principle, learning to forgive and praying
for others helps us heal our own spirit. And we’ll see after Job was restored, all his
friends and family appear.
Well, where were they before? Friends and family are not the answer to our problems.
They can help us, comfort us, and give a sort of [Phonetic] [0:01:21] – but it really
comes down to your relationship with Jesus Christ. He must be your strength. And, finally,
we are always thinking about our present comfort and today and this time and now. When God
works in our life, he has eternity in mind. He uses trials to purify us so that we can
better enjoy eternity.
I thank you Father for this time and this great book that you’ve given us. And I pray
that this message will help others as they go through their trials and wonder why this
is happening to me. Job, chapter 42, verse 1, now God has just spoken to Job at the end
of chapter 41 and Job replied to the Lord, “I know that you can do all things. No plan
of yours can be thwarted.” This is an important statement or confession from Job. He knows
God’s plans are best. We cannot even hide our thoughts from Him.
Now, can we get what we want by continually thinking positive about it or demanding that
God gives it to us? I don’t know. But God is a searcher for our very thoughts and our
motivation. Another part of the statement that’s important is he says, “No plan
of yours can be thwarted.” And as the bible has written and as you understand the Book
of Revelation and times throughout the bible Satan is trying to change the ultimate plan.
A way that Job is silencing Satan is basically saying, “You can try all you want but God’s
plans are not going to change.”
Verse 3, you asked, “Who is that obscures my counsel without knowledge? Surely, I spoke
with things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” “’You said,
‘Listen now and I will speak, I will question you and you shall answer me.’”
And verse 5, “My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” This is
what I’m talking about that he kind of has a born-again experience. It’s like people
that say, “Well, I’ve been going to church all my life and I’m covered either Catholic
or on the Protestant side. And, oh, well, I give my life to Jesus when I was five years
old, I was baptized,” but they do and live – you know they’re not living for Jesus.
It is not hearing about God or His bible, but now what he has experienced about God.
Job is saying, “I thought I was a man of integrity and still I see how barely off I
am.” God is now moved from his head and what he knows to his heart. His spiritual
eyes are open. This is what we’re talking about a born-again experience or a born-again
Christian. You really see God for who he is and want more of Him.
And Job now sees he is a simple man, and verse 6, he says, “Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.” God knows what he’s doing and we have to trust Him.
Some truths can only be learned in values in life. And life is filled unfortunately
with these lessons.
Daniel, Ezekiel, Peter, and Paul, all saw themselves as sinful men. Now these are great
men in the Bible. But when they had this experience with God, they knew. We see that – and John
sees the glorified Jesus in the Book of Revelation chapter 1 and he just falls down like he’s
dead because he doesn’t know what to do. People experience the Lord in this way. Don’t
portray it with pride but brokenness and humility and wanting more of God.
So for these people that say they have come to experience heaven and come back and writing
books about it, well, none of the men in the bible once they experienced God did anything
like that. It humbled them more.
So Job repents in the ashes where he started. He’s a changed man. Same place but he’s
different mentally. When we repent, we can experience joy. Surrender to God and trust
even though we have our ups and downs like Job. He loved God and we must too. Now, God
is going to rebuke his three friends for telling Job that God was mad at him.
Verse 7, after the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I
am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right as
my servant Job has.”
Verse 8, “So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice
a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you and I will accept his
prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what
is right, as my servant Job has."
Like I said Eliphaz spoke from his experience, Zophar from his past teachings and Bildad
from what he observed of Job. And these three are specifically mentioned that God is angry
with.
The fourth fellow Elihu who supposedly spoke from the spirit, he doesn’t mention and
I don’t know why. Some commentaries have suggested that Elihu is reminding Job that
as good as he is that he still has original sin. And that would make sense that one part
of the equation has not been addressed. We were all born with sin and we all need a savior.
The Life Application Bible says that Elihu concluded his speech with a tremendous truth
that faith in God is far more important than Job’s desire for an explanation for is suffering.
But then he went down the road, he rebuked Job as well with the other friends. But that’s
the best I know and where the bible is silent, I will be silent.
But we do know this that God does not like it when you go around and say false things
about Him or we misrepresent Him. Now, I shudder when I think of all the different movies and
T.V. skits and spoofs, commercials about Jesus. These people have no idea what judgment awaits
them. These three guys are wrong in what they say. Mainly they’re saying that Job has
sinned and deserved this punishment. And these are men that are seeking God. They know about
God. They’ve studied God. But the guilty are misrepresenting Him. And there are many
people spreading false concepts about God today and sometimes for personal gain. But
they will stand in judgment like we all will in front of God and have to answer for it.
Verse 9, “So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did
what the Lord told them and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.”
In the Book of Galatians, chapter 6, verse 1 it says, “Brothers, if someone is caught
in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself or you also
may be tempted.” Now, He’s telling Job to help these guys get back. And second part
where it says, “Watch yourself or also you may be tempted,” that’s what Elihu was
saying to him, “Don’t sin and you’re questioning God or get mixed up.”
In Ephesians 4:32, it says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each
other, just as in Christ Jesus forgave you.” We will never find peace and prosperity in
life unless we live in forgiveness. If we hold on to it, if we hold on to anger, rage,
bitterness, guilt, we wind up hurting ourselves.
I heard a story that in Africa they collect monkeys, and the way they get them is they
take a coconut and they drill a hole in the coconut just – and they hollow it out [Phonetic]
[0:12:08] and put warm rice in it, and the hole just bid enough that the monkey can slip
their hand in, but when they get a hold of the rice, then they make a fist they can’t
get it out, so they begin to bang on the coconut and that’s how the hunters find them because
they won’t let go of the rice; and the point is sometimes when we don’t let go of things
we’re just like that monkey sitting there banging away and in the end it hurts us. And
that’s how we’re getting trapped and we keep going back to the same sin.
Now, before we knew Christ and had a relationship with Him, we kind of just did it, it was our
nature. But when we said Jesus Christ was our savior, it shouldn’t be our nature to
do those things or hold on to something it’s because you wanted it. Take my situation,
you know, I could get angry and bitter that I have Lou Gehrig’s disease and probably
lost 20 to 30 years of my life, but I just know God is in control.
Verse 10, “After Job had prayed for his friends the Lord made him prosperous again
and gave him twice as much as he had before.” He’s acting like Jesus. He is forgiving
and praying for his enemies. When he is not hurt by his friends, he’s set free.
In Hebrew 11:6 it says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone
who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek
Him.” I love that.
Also a scripture in James it says the same thing, I believe it’s chapter 4, verse 8,
it says, “If you seek – if you earnestly seek Him and be found by you And I’ve shared
2nd Chronicles 15 many times, “Ultimately God rewards us because He’s a gracious God.”
So verse 11, Job, now he doesn’t have his sons and daughter, they’re gone, but all
his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him
in his house. They comforted and counseled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought
upon him and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. Now, where were these
people before when he was in the hard times? It doesn’t mention them at all. And that’s
why I say, the other point being is that friends can comfort us and be there and help us through
some things, but ultimately our strength is in Jesus Christ. Friends, family are always
going to let us down. And they seem to be around during the good times, right? If you
were to win some money or a prize or a lottery, they’re around. Or maybe you remember when
you were a kid, if you got a new toy, all of a sudden you became popular and then someone
took the toy and maybe broke it, and then that was that, they weren’t your friends
anymore. It’s kind of what is going on here.
And I wonder, this is just purely my thoughts, it says here that they comforted and consoled
him over all the trouble the Lord had brought him. How much comfort they really were? You
see because he still hasn’t – doesn’t know why it happened but he knows, “Hey,
God is control, I’m trusting Him.” So how much comfort and counsel could they have
given him? I don’t know, but I just think that’s an interesting point.
Verse 12, “The Lord blessed the later part of Job’s life more than the first. He had
14,000 sheeps, 6,000 camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.”
Verse 13, “He also had seven sons and three daughters.” Now right there you might say,
“Uh, well, he didn’t double his children otherwise he would have 20.” Well, this
is a comforting verse for me. He’s saying that Job has not lost his 10 children, they’re
in heaven. They’re still his. And when we lost two children during pregnancy that gave
me a comfort and a peace because I know I’m going to see them in heaven. So if you have
a child or a loved one that you’re going to lose or have lost, if they knew Jesus Christ
and accepted him and you too, you’re going to – you’re not lost. It’s not losing
them. They just moved on to heaven.
Verse 14, “Out of the seven,” I’m sorry, he had three daughters. The first daughter
was named Jemima which means “dove”. The second’s name was Kezia which means cinnamon;
and the third was Keren-Happuch, which means “Pot of eye paint”. Nowhere in the land
was there found a woman as beautiful as Job’s daughters. That’s the first part of 15.
But you see, Job, here he is barely hanging on to life, God blesses him with a dove or
a daughter like a dove, and Kezia who maybe – may – is a good homemaker. And the last
one, pot of eye paint, I don’t know, maybe she liked makeup and cosmetics, I don’t
really know, but the point is they’re the most beautiful in the land.
And here’s a very important part in the second part of 15, “And their father granted
them an inheritance along with their brothers.” Now, this is not done. We talk about equal
rights and people accuse the bible of being oppressive to women, right here before Genesis
is even written, he gives inheritance to his daughters, equal share.
Stories in the Book of Numbers, chapter 27, basically, God confirms what Job does. “There
were three daughters; they approached the entrance of the meeting and stood before Moses,”
and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly said, “Our father died
in the desert. He was not among Korah’s followers who have been together against the
Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons.” Why should our father’s name
disappear from this clan because he had no son, give us property among our father’s
relatives?
So Moses his key brings the case before whom? The Lord, L-O-R-D, capital. And the Lord said
to him, “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right, you must certainly give them
property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and turn their father’s inheritance
over to them.” So how Job knew [Phonetic] [0:20:15] to do this, I don’t know, but
we do know in Numbers chapter 27 God confirms it; just another place where God places the
importance on women.
Verse 16, “After this Job lived 140 years; he saw his children and their children to
the fourth generation.” So he died old and full of years. So he sees four generations.
That’s a little bit after the flood. So he certainly could live that long. He does
get to enjoy his children and his children’s children for many years and that’s a blessing
just in itself.
The conclusion of the Book of Job and it still leaves the question, why do the righteous
suffer and have pain; why do the wicked prosper? Job initially thought the same thing. Well,
it doesn’t even pay to live righteous because we all suffered. Now, we don’t know the
reasons why things happen, but through this book we’ve learned it’s better to trust
in God and His plan and be in His hands than our own. We think of ourselves now and we
want to be comforted now and we don’t like when there’s suffering, frustration, and
disappointments. But God knows it.
Like he says in James 1, “Consider it joy, your present sufferings.” That’s a very
hard verse to swallow. But I do have a better understanding of what he means is that God
has eternity in mind. I thought of a movie picture called Coach Carter. He was a basketball
coach for the Richmond High School Oilers in San Francisco. And in 1999, this coach
benched his team because they were not performing well in class. The team was searching and
know they’re headed for state championship. And coach Carter, a coach that wasn’t connected
with the school, he had his own sporting goods, he was challenged. He said – even by the
school board itself, they said, “This is the best time that these kids are going to
have, why won’t you let them enjoy it?” And his answer was, “Why does it have to
be their best time? They have a life beyond basketball.” Through his diligence, almost
being fired, the kids did get better in classroom.
Now, I won’t spoil the ending. It’s not one of your storybook-type movies. The thing
is many of these kids went on to college because of what Coach Carter did. He didn’t let
them take the easy way out. And I know that these men are more thankful for what he did
because he was tough on them. And then, if he would have let them just, “Okay, enjoy
the moment and then after high school they’re on the streets.” See, this was the area
where there’s a lot of gangs. It was in the city and most of these kids usually wound
up in jail after high school.
And that’s what God does with us. He makes us and prunes us and purifies us so that we
can enjoy heaven. I finally realize that when I suffer, God is working in my life. He loves
me too much to let me mess up because I have eternal rewards. And it’s better that I
go through fiery trials now so I can enjoy heaven more.
And now from my final thoughts on this wonderful book, the five main points is number one problems
prepare us for eternity; when we do not know the reason why, we have to live by faith.
Number two, we have to submit and always be in submission to God; get to continue to worship
and praise him because there’ll be eternal rewards. Three, trials bring humility. We
realize our own abilities are not enough. They draw you closer to the Lord and He makes
Himself known to you. Number four, that there are different seasons in our life. We go through
trials and God will comfort us so we can comfort others. And number five, that God will always
rescue us.
Verse 17, “For our light and momentary troubles achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, for
what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal and that’s just having faith;
faith in Jesus Christ.” And remember blessings always don’t come right away. It may be
long after trials.
James 5, verses 7 through 11, “Be patient then brothers until the Lord is coming. See
how the farmer awaits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for
the autumn and spring rains. You too be patient and stand firm because the Lord’s coming
is near. Don’t brothel against each others brothers or you’ll be judged. That judge
is standing at the door, brothers. And as an example of patience in the face of suffering,
take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” And as you know we consider it
blessed those who persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what
the Lord has finally brought about.” This is the only time Job is mentioned in the New
Testament but James, he uses it. And we’ve kind of taken the side story on this one verse
and gotten the whole story and picture. And God will make all things right in the end
and keep trusting Him.
And if you come to this point in the series and you have not accepted Jesus Christ as
your savior, that’s the first step. It’s as simple as A, B, C. Admit that you’re
a sinner and you need Him. Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and died
for your sins. And confess that He’s your Lord and commit to Him.
And I just thank you for listening to me during this time. Pray to Him and call out to Him
and you will find the Lord. No matter what happens and you’ll...