Mar 18 2018 God Responds to Job: Trust in Me!

Lord, You are seen throughout creation, and often, we don’t take the time to see all You’ve done around us. Help us to experience Your presence, and part of that can be experienced through what You’ve created – like in Romans 1 – we should be aware because we can see what You’ve done. Help us not fail to take advantage of all You’ve done.
We are winding down Job – and will pick it back up for one week after Easter.
We’ve looked at Job’s friends’ response to what happened to Job. We’ve looked at Job’s responses.
This week, we will look at God’s response to Job.
Job 38:1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, 2 "Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
These are the first words of God since the introduction. God is not pleased (appears in a whirlwind).
God will pepper Job with a series of questions – but it is more like an interrogation – and God will be cross examining Job. Job has been wanting to put God on trial – and now God does the same thing – putting Job on the witness stand – and then in verse 4
Job 38:3
3 Prepare to defend yourself; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
This is God being snarky… This poetry and metaphor, but he is making a point.
Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
This goes back to Genesis 1:1 – and that is where God starts the tour of creation. Remember that there is a specific literary quality to the Book of Job. God did not literally take a tape measure to measure out the universe – rather, through poetry and metaphor, it reveals God’s creation of the universe. Through poetry and metaphor, the Book speaks truth.
7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Before Genesis 1:1 – God had created the spiritual beings who were witnesses of all He created – and there was partying (shouting for joy and singing!) among the spiritual beings as God created the universe. We should enjoy God’s creation. That is how God starts with Job!
8 "Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
Obviously, poetry…
9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, 11 And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop '?
First section was Genesis 1:1 – and what we have here – this is Genesis 1:2 – 1-In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the sea.
Throughout the Bible, there are these themes – motif – and often, when the sea is mentioned…
There is this sense of chaos. The sea, in Scripture, is often described as a place of darkness, evil, and danger. Often, what happens, the sea is a personification of evil – wild, out of control, and chaos.
Isaiah 57:20 – compares the sea to the wicked who stir up evil, trouble and dirt.
Jonah speaks of a sea monster – the sea is a place of judgment – both in Jonah and in the flood story.
In Revelation, the beast, the great antichrist comes out of the sea. So we have this picture – and God is very specifically doing this with Job. Job is asking – if you are so awesome, why is everything out of control? For them, being out on the sea was a scary thing. They didn’t have the traveling vessels we have.
11 And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop '?
I think of Gandalf here on the bridge, and the evil ones are chasing Frodo and the gang – YOU SHALL NOT PASS – that is like a picture of God here – YOU SHALL NOT PASS – THIS POINT!
I have set a point where evil must stop. This continues on throughout the Bible.
Jesus gets done teaching and gives the disciples the boat to cross the sea – and Jesus stayed behind. When the disciples were out on the boat – they were struggling with the waves and wind and Jesus comes to them walking on the water. It is a miracle! The natural laws do not apply to Jesus – none of us have walked on water - But it is much more than that. It is not a parlor trick. The sea is evil – and Jesus is demonstrating that He has complete authority over all evil.
Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, the first heaven and earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea…
If your favorite vacation spot is the beach, I don’t think this means there won’t be beaches in the new heavens and earth – but it goes back to the theme of the sea being evil. From Genesis to Revelation, there will be no evil - Jesus will conquer it all – and He has for us.
12 "Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place, 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
Another theme – light represents good and darkness represents evil. He does it again – Job is concerned about evil – and God says – Every morning I command the sun to come up – I scatter evil. Why is there so much evil, Job is asking. And God responds – I tell the sun to rise and evil scatters – like roaches when the light comes on. God reigns over all.
I love this next one – I don’t even have a point of it! I just think it is cool:
22 "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress, For the day of war and battle?
I just think this is a great verse. The storehouse of snow will be gone in heaven! Praise God! No sea, no snow! Unless you’re skiing and all that.
38:31 "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion? 32 "Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites? 33 "Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth?
God reigns over the galaxies. All of it is in My hands. I reign over it all.
39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 When they crouch in their dens And lie in wait in their lair? 41 "Who prepares for the raven its nourishment When its young cry to God And wander about without food?
The next thing he is saying – the lion – the king of the jungle – even the lion depends on God for his food.
If the lion needs to trust in Me, you need to trust in me.
Job’s problem: He had ceased trusting in God’s goodness.
All of the animals are wild and untamed…
39:9 "Will the wild ox consent to serve you, Or will he spend the night at your manger? 10 "Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes, Or will he harrow the valleys after you? 11 "Will you trust him because his strength is great And leave your labor to him? 12 "Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain And gather it from your threshing floor?
God simply makes the point that He controls the things that Job could never control. Humanity can’t tame the wild beast.
We will never be able to tame so many of these things – and God is saying -
Nothing is out of God’s control – and most things ARE out of your control! And that speaks to us.
We try to take control of things that God is in control of – and that gets us in trouble.
God in His wisdom has created things that are wild and untamed, chaotic and dark, but he only lets it get so far – that is what He is telling Job – and that is a metaphor for evil. God allows evil to exist in this world – why? And Job will say to himself – why did I ever say anything? But with that – why did I think anything could get out of God’s reign.
Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it." 3 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 4 "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Sometimes we need to just stop talking – stop the complaining – in standing before Him.
Job realizes how small he is. Maybe I’m not so smart. Maybe I should not be so sure of my opinions before God. We must all come to the conclusion – there is a God – and it is not me! We must all come to that conclusion.
5 "Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more."
This is a starting point – I’m done. And the same thing needs to happen to us. We need to sit back and listen to what God has to say.
Now we get to the most famous animals of the speech – the leviathan and behemoth. There are many opinions about who or what these animals are. Some say it is a crocodile and a hippo. Some say it is dinosaurs. At the men’s meeting - One said it was the LochNess monster and the abominable snowman. I think that is probably closest of all the explanaitions I’ve heard.
Some say the behemoth is Job and leviathan is God – but don’t try to figure it out – it is poetry and metaphor. He is basically saying – the largest sea and land animals you can imagine – and it is all about God’s control – Even the largest – God is in control.
15 "Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox. 16 "Behold now, his strength in his loins And his power in the muscles of his belly. 17 "He bends his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18 "His bones are tubes of bronze; His limbs are like bars of iron. 19 "He is the first of the ways of God; (I think he is telling Job, Humans are the pinnacle of creation) Let his maker bring near his sword. 20 "Surely the mountains bring him food, And all the beasts of the field play there.
21 "Under the lotus plants he lies down, In the covert of the reeds and the marsh. 22 "The lotus plants cover him with shade; The willows of the brook surround him. 23 "If a river rages, he is not alarmed; He is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his mouth. 24 "Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?
God is just saying to Job – Okay Job, you don’t stand a chance here, and I am in control. Then moving to the leviathan in chapter 41
41:1 Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope? 2 Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook? 3 Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak to you with gentle words? 4 Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life? 5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
He is just mocking Job – but in a good way – He is bringing up a point.
Leviathan is brought up several times in the Bible –
Isaiah 27 – Leviathan is called a serpent and the dragon that lives in the sea.
That should bring something to mind.
Remember Revelation 21 – out of the sea comes the Beast.
Psalm 74 speaks of Leviathan– the sea monster – God crushes its heads – for me – this brings me to Genesis 3 – what does God say to the serpent after Eve eats the fruit? Speaking to the serpent: Her seed will crush your head (you will bruise him on the heel) – he will crush your head – I think the Leviathan is simply a metaphor for evil in the world.
6 Will traders barter for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants? 7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears? 8 If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! 9 Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering. 10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me? 11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
Against ME? God is saying – I am in control – and his control reigns in this greatest of beast – the personification of evil – who are you to try to control Me? Who are you to question God. Job is trying to control God by telling God He should act in this way. We do this when we treat God like a vending machine – if I put the money in and push the right buttons, then God MUST ACT IN THIS WAY – but then when the machine malfunctions – we become angry with God, like Job. We try to call God to the witness stand – to put Him on trial.
12 "I will not fail to speak of Leviathan's limbs, its strength and its graceful form. 13 Who can strip off its outer coat? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor? 14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth? 15 Its back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; 16 each is so close to the next that no air can pass between.
It is like the perfect beast – yet wild and evil.
17 They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted. 18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the rays of dawn. 19 Flames stream from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. 20 Smoke pours from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds. 21 Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.
It is like – God is going on and on – and our minds have this incredible image of this beast.
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before its thrashing. 26 The sword that reaches it has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. 27 Iron it treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
Then he closes with this:
33 Nothing on earth is its equal-- a creature without fear.
And then these words:
34 It looks down on all that are haughty; it is king over all that are proud."
God basically concludes these animals with Job and says – Your problem is you are arrogant and haughty, and proud. You think you know everything – and Job, you don’t.
What do we learn first? God is the creator of all things and reigns over all things – and his creation is good and it is ordered.
Second – God is telling Job that He is good, just, and fair, and in His goodness and fairness and justice, He rules over all creation.
Third – The world is fractured and broken, and chaos and evil exist. Eventually, in the end, Job will recognize that God is good and just and in our own lives, eventually, maybe at the end of things – what will come out is that God has been good and fair and just.
We also learn that Creation is fractured and broken and that evil, chaos, and darkness exist, and as a result, our view of God’s justice and sovereignty will be fractured. Even though God is just, our experience of that will be fractured. Until we get into the next world – our experience will be that way.
The creation order has been disturbed, therefore, it doesn’t always work like one would expect or hope,.
God does not rid the world of evil and darkness and threats, but he sets limits on all of that. God wants Job and us to know that. Because of fallenness, we will not be able to experience His goodness and justice the way we will when it is all restored.
God does not rid the world of threats, but He limits them. YOU SHALL NOT PASS – Evil is around us – and if you go back to the story – Frodo and the others are escaping while Gandalf holds them off – but we think we are still on the wrong side of the bridge. And that is what Job is feeling.
But God is determined – He has set limits to all of it.
Romans 8 tells us that God will eventually restore His creation. There is a time when the sea is no more and evil is no longer.

Job 42:Then Job answered the LORD and said, 2 "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' "Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." 4 'Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.' 5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes."