Mar 4 2018 - Job 3- How to Respond (and Not Respond) when Bad Things Happen (to you or to others)

Lord, thank You for this time to hear Your word – and for the worship to turn our attention on You – to put things aside that we might worship and tell You that we love You and we need You. It is easy to forget how much we need You – we try to do it on our own – and help us to try not to do it on our own, but in dependence on You.You give us the power and strength to live life in accordance with what you want
Job is NOT about suffering. The book uses the context of Job’s suffering to teach us about God’s character, wisdom, and human faithfulness. So there are some important things we can learn about suffering.
There ARE two things to learn about suffering. The Book of Job teaches us how to respond to suffering – both our own suffering and the suffering of others. With that in mind – two cautions as we go into this and read the Book of Job regarding suffering. The book is not an entire theology of suffering. It does not give us a pattern of how suffering works. We don’t look at Job’s suffering and say – that is how it always happens. It does not either provide a theodicy – What does that mean? It answers a question - why does a good and loving God allow evil and suffering in the world. If He really is loving and good, certainly He could find a way to prevent it. A theodicy answers why do good people suffer. Job does not answer those questions.
Many who become atheists or leave the faith will often say – that is one of the reasons they do that – they see all the suffering and say – either God is not worth having or He doesn’t exist.
How to Read Job
“For some people, a tho
Why the world wordks the way that it does, and in the process, to vindicate God
A God who is characterized by love and compassion to create a world where suffering is so prevalent. A skeptic would use
How is all this suffering allowed?
After “all the hypocrites in the church” – this is the second reason people stop going to church – how can this loving God allow so much suffering – and Christians give inadequate and sometimes trite explanations of this. So it is important that we understand this and don’t go in the wrong direction in how to respond to suffering.
The second caution – we should not take too much out of the conclusion of the book. He loses everything – and eventualy regains it all – and we think that is how it always works – but remember – this is Wisdom literature – and you can’t think that because you are suffering now that someday in your life you will experience great wealth.
This ties in with last week – Romans 8:28 – we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.
The good God brings about is the transformation of our character and not physical blessing. That is the ultimate goal.
Let me read a section –
Whatever suffering we have experienced in life has made us who we are. Sometimes suffering causes a person to b ecome incredibly strong in faith, and at other times it leaves the sufferer broken and empty. It does not suffice to find strength only in some sort of silver lining, because often no bright side emerges.
We cannot imagine that something will come along to make it all better. Some things we can’t recover from.
Our faith will be strengthened and deepened through suffering if we honor God and commit to living for Him in whatever circumstance He places us.
This is key – honoring God no matter how things work out – I will still follow God – and the question that was put to Job – will you continue to have faith in God.
Job 2:11 11 When Job's three friends… met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
As we look at Job’s friends – this is probably their finest hour. It went straight downhill after this. When someone is suffering – they need first, our presence – and then they need space. They do not need us to get up in their face and have all the answers for them. We would do well to keep that in mind when someone is suffering – they need us there and they need space.
The problem with Job’s friends – they quickly move away from this.
Notice – how long did they sit in silence? Seven days – Seven nights. How many sons did Job have? Seven sons – seven thousand sheep – and even the seven days of creation – this is important to understand in this book. We’ll see why in a bit. But it is so important to catch that.
After seven days – Job responds – and it is not pretty – it is like opening up a sewer.
Job 3:1 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
Remember Job’s children would get together to celebrate ‘their day’ like their birthday – and now – he curses the day of his birth – not cursing God, but cursing the day of his birth.
2 And Job said, 3 "Let the day perish on which I was to be born, And the night which said, 'A boy is conceived.' 4 "May that day be darkness; Let not God above care for it, Nor light shine on it.
Another translation: (That day– let it be darkness) – Literally – here is how that would be translated: That day – let there be dark.
What does God say at the beginning – Let there be LIGHT. And Job is saying – Let there be darkness! This is connecting this story with the entire story of the Bible. The book has a theme of creation running through it – at the end – what does God do? He gives a tour of creation – and the point of the book is that the answer to all of these questions is in creation. What this does – it takes the book of Job and connects it to the story of the Bible from the beginning – Genesis 1:3 - and Job is filling out this story of this one man. It is so important for us to learn to read the Bible in the way it was written.
Our tendency is to see the Bible as a set of commands, principles, warnings, and examples. Yes, those are all there – but that is not what the Bible is. That is not the nature of the book itself. It is a continuous story from Gen. 1 to Rev. 22. And it is important to read it that way. But if all you are looking for is advice for your life, you will miss so much.
I mentioned that Cindy and I set some goals for each other at the beginning of the year – Cindy gave me “The Book Thief” to read.
I start reading it – and it seems like a bunch of stories – and I think – what is this doing in this book – let’s get to the story! I know that is ridiculous – but that is how we read the Bible. We don’t allow the story of the Bible and the details of that story to enter in – we are so busy trying to get to the point! The Bible is filled with stuff that is so rich for our souls. The Bible is mostly story – narrative. And even those parts that appear to be in the background are narrative. Like the epistles – the story of Paul and the Corinthians or Peter and his relationship to the Ephesians.

7 "Behold, let that night be barren; Let no joyful shout enter it… 9 "Let the stars of its twilight be darkened; Let it wait for light but have none, And let it not see the breaking dawn; 10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother's womb, Or hide trouble from my eyes. 11 "Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire?
Job is not threatening suicide – but he is asking – why was I ever born? He is moved from worshiping God to criticizing and blaming God – who created Him. Job has entered into the anger stage of grief. Don’t be too hard on Job. If you have ever gone through great grief or loss – think how great it is – Ten children – dead. All he owned – gone. Terrible disease and pain. He is simply human.
You can read the rest of his speech in chapter 3.
Job’s speech changes his friends’ approach. What happens – their personal sensibilities and deeply held positions are offended by the way Job expresses himself – and the result – their personal convictions become more important than caring for the person of Job. Job has spoken so poorly and wrongly about God – they believe that God’s honor is at stake and they have to defend God. When they first get there – they were there to care about Job – and now they feel they need to defend God – like God’s honor is at stake – but the truth is – they are not defending God but their own personal conviction, position, and worldview. They are using God to defend their position and worldview – and that happens all the time today.
They cling to the Retribution Principle:
7 Call to mind now: Who, being innocent, ever perished? And where were upright people ever destroyed? 8 Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same. (Eliphaz 4:7)
Effectively saying: “God blesses the innocent and punishes the wicked – so guess what that makes you, Job?”
If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. (Bildad 8:6) “If you get right, He will make it right”
"For He pays a man according to his work, And makes him find it according to his way. (Elihu 34:11)
His friends say many true words about God, justice, sovereignty, and evil – but they are only half-truths – partly right and significantly wrong – and in doing so – misrepresent God.
God even calls them out for that. And what the friends do – they end up representing the satan (adversary from chapter 1 and 2).
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: 2 "If someone should attempt a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can refrain from speaking? 3 Look, you have instructed many; you have strengthened feeble hands. 4 Your words have supported those who stumbled, and you have strengthened the knees that gave way. 5 But now the same thing comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are terrified.
What Eliphaz is saying – can’t you take your own advice? Job probably saw someone suffering and said – you need to get right – They are basically saying – take your own advice.
Job – your own words condemn you. But the problem is – the friends don’t know all the circumstances – they don’t know what is really happening – so they begin judging the motives and character.
Let’s say someone has fallen on a bad financial situation – and we think – how easy it is to think this way – they just handle money improperly.
Or they have an addition – they just lack willpower. Are you sure? Is that what you think?
Someone is divorced – You think: they are just a bad Christian. Really?
Someone has a child who leaves the faith – you think – it’s just bad parenting! Really. That is what Job’s friends are doing. Don’t be like Job’s friends. It ends badly.
How often do we do this?
Job responds:
Do you intend to criticize mere words, and treat the words of a despairing man as wind? (6:26)
His friends are reacting to Job’s words – they are heavy words right out of the gutter. We would say he is talking unchristian words. But the problem – the friends are more offended by his words than his pain. Their piety and goodness, and theology – blind them from seeing Job’s pain.
"Indeed, you do away with reverence And hinder meditation before God. 5 "For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.
Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash, 13 That you should turn your spirit against God And allow such words to go out of your mouth?
(15:4-13)
Four weeks ago, I talked about speech – and we will talk about it more – proverbs talks about bad speech - why to not use coarse language – and I want to give some balance. When another person is in grief or has been wounded – don’t be quick to be offended by their speech.
In my job – I have spoken often with folks who have been seriously wounded and experienced great loss in their lives – who have been able to open up and discuss freely with me and it is often and regular that many a colorful metaphor will come out – and we need to be okay with that. Some may disagree with me – but I think that is what the Bible does – if you read these laments and psalms – that is the language that goes on – and there are no other words that say it better. We need to be careful not to take offense and be able to receive.
7 "Therefore, blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. (Eliphaz 5:17)
Here is another classic blunder: What is God teaching you? That is such a trite response – and there is only one person who should bring this up – and that is the person suffering. It is okay if he wants to say – here is what God is teaching me… but we need to give them space to say that and not ask them what God is teaching them
Bildad: Just repent and prosper:
Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said: 2 "How long will you speak these things, seeing that the words of your mouth are like a great wind? 3 Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? 4 If your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. 5 But if you will look to God, and make your supplication to the Almighty, 6 if you become pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself for you, and will restore your righteous abode. 7 Your beginning will seem so small, since your future will flourish.
Wow – that seems like a nice thing to say – but look what he is doing. Does Job have anything to repent of? If Job repents for the sake of gaining it all back… who won the bet? Satan. They are affirming Satan’s position
Here is where we see that his friends are representing the satan in the story – Job – just repent – they will even make up things he did wrong – Job, you did this or that – repent. The contest was this: Will Job only obey because he is blessed and faithful. And what the friends are doing is to repeat the words of the satan – if you obey, you will be blessed – trying to get Job to repent simply to be blessed – and yet Job has nothing to repent of – so he is not giving in and they are representing the satan – not on purpose – but out of foolishness.
Then Zophar the Naamathite spoke up and said: 2 "Should not this abundance of words be answered, or should this talkative man be vindicated? 3 Will your idle talk reduce people to silence, and will no one rebuke you when you mock? 4 For you have said, 'My teaching is flawless, and I am pure in your sight.' 5 But if only God would speak, if only he would open his lips against you,
Zophar goes on attack mode –not holding back anything – telling it like he thinks it is - and he misrepsents Job in the story. He tells it like it is, but it isn’t. They make up sins for Job. People who hold to convictions – their positions and own goodness – over love – will always misrepresent those they disagree with. And in our world, we see it all the time – people holding to their positions and misrepresenting their opponent. We see it in the world – in the media – in politics – always misrepresent the opponent – and I see it in Christian Theology arguments –one will seriously misrepresent the other side’s view.

Job did not need to be reproved – but there are times when we might need to reprove someone.
Galatians 6:1 Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.
Job’s friends did not read this verse. Paul had not written it yet! If you cannot approach a person in gentleness, you are unspiritual. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.
Job’s friends did not pay careful attention to themselves…
Even if Job WERE in sin, their approach was wrong. Even if the person has done things wrong – you who are spiritual – restore one in gentleness – and if you are unable to do that – you are not a spiritual person – one who has lost your spirituality – pay careful attention to yourself.
What did Jesus say – you can’t take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye until you remove the log from your own.
We find out that Job had a speck in his eye – but Job’s friends had logs.
Tim Keller – March 19 – full wisdom, the ability to understand why things happen and what they mean is unavailable – it is hidden – only God sees all. It is the height of wisdom to see that you can’t obtain supreme wisdom. Moralists are sure that good people don’t suffer – but when they find that they do – the disillusionment is deep – cynics fortify themselves against suffering by laughing that there is no order or purpose to things – but that is as foolish as thinking you can discern it if you try
True wisdom suggests that either we know it all or know nothing. I think the final point Keller makes is trite, pat, simple answers when people suffer – miss it.