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January 7, 2025 - Job 14-16
7th January 2025 • Daily Bible Podcast • Compass Bible Church North Texas
00:00:00 00:11:38

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00:00 Intro, "What one doctrine changes how we view suffering?"

00:11 Job's Struggle with Suffering

01:38 The Doctrine of Resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:3-4)

03:33 End of First Cycle of Responses

04:03 Eliphaz's Second Response

07:40 Job's Reply to Eliphaz

09:38 Conclusion and Reflections

10:42 Closing Prayer and Farewell

Transcripts

Speaker:

What one doctrine changes the way

that Christians view suffering?

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All that and more in today's

reading of the DBR podcast.

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So we're looking at Job

chapters 14 through 16 today.

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And one of the features that stands

out here is in chapter 14, Job

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appears to be wrestling with something

that you and I take for granted.

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We assume this very doctrine, and because

of this doctrine, we're able to look

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at suffering through a whole new light.

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Take a look at Job chapter 14.

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Let's first start with where he begins.

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Job acknowledges the difficulty.

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Now remember, we're

picking up from yesterday.

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In chapter 12, where Job

continues to respond to Zophar.

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Zophar in chapter 11 says something

to the effect of, you're not

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getting what you really deserve,

that you actually are getting far

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less than what God should give you.

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Job picks up the response

in chapters 12 and 13.

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And in today's reading in chapter

14, we hear the end of it.

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So he's closing his speech

here and he says, , we're born

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for a short period of time.

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And that time is few of

days and full of trouble.

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Your days are numbered.

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He says in verse five, and that

actually is a consolation to

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Joe, because he's again, looking

forward to the day of his demise.

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He doesn't want to live anymore.

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And then he starts to

tinker with this idea.

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He says, man, it would be great if

I was a tree, because at least a

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tree has an opportunity to re sprout

again, even after being cut down.

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But once I get cut down, there's no hope.

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Or is there?

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Look at verse 10.

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He says, But a man dies and is laid low,

man breathes his last, and where is he?

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Verse 12.

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So a man lies down and rises not

again till the heavens are no more.

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He will not awake or be

roused out of his sleep.

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And then in verse 14, he says, If

a man dies, shall he live again?

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Now, Job's going to have a lot more to

say about this in just a few chapters,

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but for now, it's important for us

to see as Christians, how critical

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the doctrine of the resurrection

is to our hope in suffering.

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In fact, I know we're cheating a

little bit here, but in first Peter

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chapter one, Peter says this at the

opening of his letter, starting at

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verse three, he says this, blessed be

the God and father of our Lord Jesus

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Christ, according to his great mercy.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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He has caused us to be born again to

a living hope through the resurrection

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of Jesus Christ from the dead, to

an inheritance that is imperishable,

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undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven

for you, who by God's power are being

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guarded through faith for a salvation

ready to be revealed in the last time.

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Notice that all of this hinges on

the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

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and because of his resurrection,

we now have a living hope.

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Christ is not dead.

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Therefore, our hope is alive.

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Our hope is alive insofar

as Christ is alive.

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And because he lives

forevermore, our hope never dies.

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This is something that if Job had

known this, I think that would have

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changed the way that he viewed this.

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As it is in this chapter, he

seems to be wrestling with

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the nature of the afterlife.

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Whether man lives or dies and whether

he's resurrected . Now, I want you to

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appreciate this because you can look

at Christ after the fact, after all

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that he's done, after the resurrection

and say, thank God, my Redeemer lives.

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And again, I'm cheating because he's

going to say this job is in a few

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chapters, but notice how that would have

changed things for him as he wrestles.

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You don't have to wrestle with it.

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You have the confidence and the knowledge

to know our Redeemer does in fact

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live and consequently our hope lives.

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Job 14, 18 through 22, Job

is talking about the erosion

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of his hope and his life.

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He says the mountain falls away.

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And crumbles the rock is

removed from its place.

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The waters wear away the stones.

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And basically he's saying, you're

taking away my hope a little by

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little stone by stone, drip by drip.

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My hope is eroding.

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He feels pain.

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He wants to communicate it.

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God, where are you?

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That's the end of chapter 14.

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And in fact, that's the end

of cycle number one of the

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friends responding to Job.

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So Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar have

all had their chance to speak now, and

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between each of them, Job responds.

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In chapter 15, we begin the new cycle.

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Of the friends talking to job.

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This new cycle takes us from

chapters 15, all the way through 21.

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We're going to hear from Elie Fass

again, bill dad, and so far, and

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you'll notice this time around, there's

going to be increased hostility.

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The gloves are coming off and

there's going to say as much.

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So pay attention to that.

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Job chapter 15, Eliphaz,

probably the eldest of the bunch

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steps in and responds to Job.

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And he says this in verse two, should

a wise man answer with windy knowledge

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and fill his belly with the East wind.

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In other words, Job, what

you're saying is emptiness.

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It's nothingness.

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And then he says this in verse four,

which is going to sound very familiar

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to what he said in chapter four.

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In verse four, he says, but you are

doing away with the fear of God.

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He said something very

similar in chapter four.

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If you have your Bible, I would invite you

just to turn back briefly and take a look

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at what he says there in chapter four.

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Eliphaz says, is not your

fear of God your confidence?

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And the integrity of your ways,

your hope, he's challenging this.

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He's not asking it as

a, an actual question.

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He's challenging it subtly in this

place, but he's challenging that.

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Now, if you're in Job chapter four,

let me remind you, go back to Job

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chapter one, verse one, it says here,

Job was a man, blameless and upright.

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One who feared God turned away from evil.

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And so Eliphaz is challenging.

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Something that God himself

says is true about Job.

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And he's saying, this

is your problem, Job.

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You're turning away from the fear of God.

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You're hindering meditation before God.

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You're not thinking

about this the right way.

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Now, part of us would say, yes, that's at

least partially true, but he's meaning to

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say more than what you and I would say.

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He then challenges Job.

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Are you really the paragon of virtue here?

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Do you really have as much

knowledge as you think you do?

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Are you as wise as we are?

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Have you listened to the counsel of God?

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And then he says, we have the

gray haired and the aged among us.

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And in those days, gray hair

and age signified wisdom.

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It still does today.

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But it doesn't necessarily mean

it's a one to one correlation.

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People with gray hair can have

foolish ideas and understandings all

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the time, especially if they're not

walking in the truth of God's Word.

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But here he means to convey the

sense of, we have wisdom on our side.

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Job, what do you have?

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Do you have wisdom?

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Do you have truth?

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From chapter four, he challenges Joe,

but something very similar in verses

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14, 15, and 16 here, he says, well,

what man is there that can be pure.

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Or he who is born of a woman that

he can be righteous, behold, God

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puts no trust in his holy ones.

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Those are his angels and the

heavens are not pure in his sight.

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He says, even the highest of heavens

cannot be pure in God's sight.

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He's so holy.

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He's so righteous.

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How can you be pure?

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Again, this is similar to what

he argued in chapter four.

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In verses 17 through 35, Eliphaz

rehearses the fate of the wicked.

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And then he says to Job things

that he's already heard.

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But essentially, let me remind you,

Job, the wicked man arise in pain all

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his days through all the years that

are laid up for the ruthless, dreadful

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sounds are in his ears and prosperity.

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The destroyer will come upon him.

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And again, you got to see

what's beyond the words here.

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Eliphaz is trying to say, look, Job, what

happens to the wicked is happening to you.

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Well, what therefore can we conclude?

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What else can we think?

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D.

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A.

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Carson, , again, commenting on the book

of Job says this, Job's friends have

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a tight theology with no loose ends.

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Suffering is understood exclusively

in terms of punishment or chastening.

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There is no category for innocent

suffering in their understanding.

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Such a suggestion besmirches

the integrity of the almighty.

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And that's a great summary

of what's happening here.

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Because Eliphaz is charging him with that.

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There's no other explanation that's

available in their understanding of God.

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In verse 25, Eliphaz says, Look, dude,

the reason you're suffering so much is

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because you've stretched out your hand

against God and you defy the Almighty.

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And verses 27 and following, he's saying,

Look, you've covered your face with

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fat, you're indulgent, you're greedy,

you're taking more than what you're due.

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It's no wonder you're suffering

the way that you are, Job.

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All of this is meant to break Job down.

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Amen.

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And to get him to a place of repenting,

because in their understanding of

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God's operations with humanity,

repenting will fix everything.

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In Job chapter 16, he responds to Eliphaz

and he says something funny and memorable.

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Well, funny to us, maybe

not so much to him.

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He says in verse two, I've heard many

such things, miserable comforters.

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Are you all, remember he called

them worthless physicians.

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They're guilty of spiritual malpractice.

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And then he says, shall

windy words have an end?

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What provokes you that you answer?

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Please just stop talking again.

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That would be your wisdom.

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If you would just not say anything

that would be so helpful, gentlemen,

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he says, look, I could do what you do.

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I could, I could tear you down, but if I

were in your position, I would strengthen

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you and I would give you solace.

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I would encourage you, which is what

he's hoping for, what he's wanting.

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What he needs is not a beat down.

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Now, what he needs is not

discouragement and to be held guilty.

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What he needs is to fix his

eyes on the goodness of God,

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the trustworthiness of God.

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I think that's what he's begging for.

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Because right now, what we're going

to see in the second half or second

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two thirds of Job chapter 16.

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Is that he understands

God as his oppressor.

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He says in verse seven, surely

now God has worn me out.

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He acknowledges God is at the heart of it.

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This is not new for him.

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It's not a new thought, but

it's a developing thought.

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He recognizes that it is

God who's behind this.

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And then he says in verse nine, God

has torn me in his wrath and hated me.

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He's gnashed his teeth at me again.

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He's struggling with why he's suffering.

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If he's innocent, God

gives me up to the ungodly.

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He says in verse 11.

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And I'm sure he's thinking

about his friends here.

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Verse 14 says, he breaks me

with breach upon breach and

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runs upon me like a warrior.

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And so Job was putting his hands in the

air and saying, God, what are you doing?

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How do I respond to this?

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Even though I know I'm innocent,

my friends won't admit to that.

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And it seems like you're not giving

them any reason to think otherwise.

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In verses 18 through 22, Job

closes by saying, I know that there

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is a witness in heaven for me.

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Defending me, someone who

testifies for me on high.

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It's curious to know who job is

referring to, but you and I know

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ultimately this is fulfilled in Jesus.

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He's the one who takes on this role.

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And job's going to develop

this thought in a few chapters.

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He closes out saying,

look, I'm about to die.

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Please show me mercy.

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That's the essence of

what he's praying for.

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Okay.

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That's job 14 through 16.

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I hope you found something in here.

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Helpful, a nugget of knowledge

or a nugget of insight that

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perhaps you didn't come in with.

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Let's just be reminded here as we close

out these three chapters as we're reading,

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you probably already noticed this.

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You're looking at poetry, number one.

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And so we're not meant to read it as a

literal wooden account of what's taking

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place or meant to read between the lines.

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That's part of poetry's job.

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, they're not the gospels

is what I'm saying.

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It's not a letter to the Ephesians.

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It's meant to be read, , with a sense

of what's really being said with these

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words, which takes a little more effort.

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Maybe you've already noticed

this as you're making your

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way through the book of Job.

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You've learned that working

through these chapters are a bit

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challenging because you're constantly

questioning what does he mean by that?

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And that's good.

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You should have a good study

Bible as you read this.

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That'll be a tremendous help to you.

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, I recommend several good ones.

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If you don't have one yet, the

ESV study Bible, excellent choice.

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, John MacArthur study Bible.

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Also a very good one.

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The Reformation study Bible.

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That's from Ligonier,

RC Sproul and friends.

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That's another great one.

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There are several, but those

are three to start with.

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If you don't have any of

them, I'd pick up all three.

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They're all worth having in your library

because they all have good things to say.

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All right.

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That's all I've got for you.

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Let's pray.

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And then we'll finish up today's podcast.

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Lord, thank you that we have a redeemer.

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We have a savior who is alive.

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We can have hope in our worst

sufferings because of the resurrection.

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Jesus has risen from the dead

and because he's alive, our hope

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is alive and it will never die.

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We thank you that we can hang all of

our hope, all of our life, we can hang

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all of the weight of our lives upon him.

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And we ask God that you would teach us to

trust him more and to prepare us to trust

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him through the highs and lows of life.

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We need that more than we realize, Lord.

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And perhaps we do realize that, and

it's daunting to think about it.

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A swage, our hearts and our

consciences help us to lean into a

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greater love and affection for you.

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Such that we can say, with Paul, to

live is Christ and to die is gain.

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We ask this all in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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Thank you again for joining us,

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I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

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Bye.

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