Almsgiving Of Job Series

Text: Job 31:16-23

Theme: Almsgiving of Job

Illustration:

A preacher asked the congregation. What makes a good sermon?

They said, “A good sermon should have a good beginning and a good ending,

then have the two as closer as possible.”

Introduction to the Book of Job: The book of Job has powerful communication through its 42 chapters about the mystery of innocent suffering. It gives deep insight into the psychology of grief. This is the pilgrimage of faith attested with the integrity of Job. He had self-pity, self-assertive, however his integrity was unquestionable. The book tells us that all our sufferings are not because of our acts and deeds but unknown mysterious reasons but known to God.

But Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar pressed the logic of doctrine of rewards and leading to cause and effect theory. They were biblical in their understanding as per Deuteronomy 28, blessings to the obedient and curses with sufferings to the disobedient (Psalm 1:1,6, Hebrews 11:6). Our universe is a moral world where virtue is rewarded and evil is punished. However, it may not be true always. They defied Job with their logic of theological positions.

God has the freedom to give and take away whatever he wills, He is free to bless us or allow us to suffer. Job was a blessed man to experience that freedom of God.

Introduction:

(Outlines from Matthew Henry): The sins from which Job acquits himself are:

Wantonness and uncleanness of heart (vv.1-4),

Fraud and injustice in commerce (vv. 4-8).

Adultery (vv. 9-12),

Haughtiness and severity towards his servants (vv. 12-15), Unmercifulness to the poor, the widows, and the fatherless (vv.16-23).

Confidence in his worldly wealth (vv.24-25),

Idolatry (vv.26-28),

Revenge (vv.29-31),

Neglect of poor strangers (v.32),

Hypocrisy in concealing his own sins and cowardice in conniving at the sins of others (v.33-34),

Oppression, and the violent invasion of other people's rights (vv.38-40).

And, his appeals to God's judgment concerning his integrity (vv.35-37).

Job acquits himself not only from those gross sins which lie open to the eyes of the world, but from many secret sins. He proves himself that he was not a hypocrite. He was very clean in his approaches and maintained the cleanness in his practices. But went upon good principles, that the reason of his eschewing evil was because he feared God, and his piety was at the bottom of his justice and charity; and this crowns the proof of his sincerity.

Job 31:16-23: We observe in this passage that Job mentions different categories of people who are not in the limelight of the society, they are: poor, widows, fatherless, beggars, they are in need of supply of food, clothes to cover during winter, the homeless, helpless and neglected.

Today, I would like to interpret that an Almsgiving is a good deed, an almsgiving is a godly deed, an almsgiving is a generous deed. These are the signs of righteousness, godliness and generosity. We learned to respond to the human situations and needs of the humanity with deeper sensitivity and responsibility.

1. Almsgiving a Good deed

Job was a man from the land of Uz. A rich folk with one wife, seven sons and three daughters. He was in his middle age. After the suffering episode he had another 10 children. He was blameless and upright, a pious and a moral person. He was a man who had the fear of God and shunned evil (Job 1:18, 2:3). Though he had a sizeable family to take care yet he was a man of good deeds.

Job made a number of conditional “if” clauses in this passage. Because, He was confident of his good deeds rendered to the above mentioned categories. Job starts this “if” section by giving the possibility that he hasn’t given the poor what they desire and has caused the eyes of the widow to fail – or that he’s caused widows to give up hope and caused them to weep.

Job speaks of his care for the orphan and widow from his youth, actually from his mother’s womb! Job is highlighting that caring for the needy has been his continual practice as long as he can remember.

He was a father to the fatherless, took care of orphans, brought them up with him under his own eye, and gave them food, shelter, provisions and protection, along with education.

He had something of tenderness and compassion woven in his nature; he began in his early to do good, ever since he could remember; he had always some poor widow or fatherless child under his care. His parents taught him betimes to pity and relieve the poor, and brought up orphans with him (Matthew Henry). “Most of the good deeds that Job presents as evidence of his righteousness” (Mason) to his friends who were accusing of his good deeds.