WHEN HOPE IS ALMOST GONE
Job 17:1-16, 7:6
Proposition: Since hope is an assured expectation with a belief in the possibility that something will happen, it is sad when this is gone.
Objective: My purpose is to give hope to those who have lost theirs.
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IF GOD HAD VOICE MAIL?
Illus: We have all learned to live with voice mail as a necessary part of modern life. We call some one or place and we get an answering voice. Then we listen to a voice and get frustrated as we wait on and on hoping to talk to someone and then they go on and on…But you may have wondered, What if God decided to install voice-mail? Imagine praying and hearing this... "Thank you for calling My Father’s House. Please select one of the following options: Press 1 for requests. Press 2 for thanksgiving. Press 3 for complaints. Press 4 for all other inquiries."
What if God used the familiar excuse..."All the angels are helping other customers right now. Please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order it was received." Can you imagine getting these kinds of responses as you call on God in prayer? "If you would like to speak to Gabriel, press 1. For Michael, press 2. For a directory of other angels, press 3. If you ’d like to hear King David sing a Psalm while you’re on hold, press 4. To find out if a loved one has been assigned to heaven, enter his or her social security number. For reservations at My Father’s House, press the letters J-O-H-N and then 3-1-6. For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth, and where Noah’s ark is, please wait until you arrive here." "Our computers show that you have already called once today. Please
hang up and try again tomorrow." "This office is closed for the weekend. Please call again on Monday after 9:00 am." Thank God, you can’t call Him too often! "Then you will call, and the Lord will answer: you shall cry for help, and He will say, ’Here I am.’" (Isaiah 58:9 NKJV)
Imagine a person who has lost everything. Whose whole life has been turned completely upside down. Everything that was precious is gone: children, wealth, position in society, bodily well being. All gone. One day this person was on top of the world. Now all is gone. Your home is not your home. Your life is not your life. You are no longer yourself. This is the story of Job. Then your so-called “friends” come and go on and on. Eliphaz has launched his second round of strong words against Job. Listen to what he says in 15:7-9 (LB), “Are you the wisest man alive? Were you born before the hills were made? Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Are you called into his counsel room? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? What do you know more than we do? What do you understand that we don’t?” Job’s hope is almost gone as we hear him cry out (17:2), “The end of my life is near. I can hardly breathe; there is nothing left for me but the grave.” What has happened to his hope in the Lord. His feelings were that his hope was all but gone and in vain. Now, hope is an assured expectation with a belief in the possibility that something will happen. He is wavering in his hope of a change in his future. This has been going on for months now. Listen to his words (7:3): “Month after month I have nothing to live for; night after night brings me grief.” Then in 29:2, “"Oh, how I long for the good old days, when God took such very good care of me.” A good definition for hope is: “Hope is an assurance based on the promises of God.” How many times have we heard someone say it this way, "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on." Determination and hope go together; determination and "stick-to-it-iveness" go together. To have hope means to hold fast during the difficult season. Hope says, "Ride it out. You’ve been through bad times before, and God has brought you through. (Note these verses: Job 4:6, 5:16, 6:11, 6:19, 7:6, 11:18, 11:20, 14:7, 14:19, 17:15, 19:10, 27:8, 31:24, 41:9)
I. THE REGRET (17:1-2) “The grave is ready for me”-- "My spirit is
broken, my days used up, my grave dug and waiting.” (Message) (v. 1) Job’s alienation is all but complete. His friends have abandoned him and God has attacked him. Who would not join Job in putting on sackcloth (the symbol of suffering), in laying his head in the dust (the posture of suffering), and in apologizing for a face swollen from uncontrolled weeping and eyes sunken from the shadow of death (the symptom of suffering) (16:15-16).
1. Despondency (v. 1a) “My spirit is broken” “I am sick and near to death” cries Job in all of his pain and suffering. Exasperated and losing the fight for his life, Job felt that he could not continue in his present state. The idea is, that his vital powers are nearly gone; his breath is failing; his power is weakened, and he is ready to die.
2. Depression (v. 1b) “The grave is ready for me”--Believing himself to be dying before his time, he agonized, “My days are cut short.” He was convinced that he was dying at an early age. The physical affliction by itself would have been enough to kill anyone. But his pain was compounded by the harsh words of his wife and friends.
3. Despair (v. 2) “Are not mockers with me”--These so-called friends--Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar--were mockers who sought to surround Job and drain him of all hope with their depressing counsel. Their hostility or rebellion, demonstrated to the discerning eyes of Job an unbridled sprit that refused to live in submission to God.
Illus: On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man in history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Within 2 months, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. On August 7, 1954, the two met together for a historic race. As they moved into the last lap, Landy held the lead. It looked as if he would win, but as he neared the finish he was haunted by the question, “Where is Bannister?” As he turned to look, Bannister took the lead. Landy later told a Time magazine reporter, “If I hadn’t looked back, I would have won!”
II. THE REQUEST (vvs. 3-5) “Put down a pledge for me” (v. 3) -- This friend, Job hoped, would plead, “argue, debate in court”) with God on his behalf. Since no mediator could rise above both God and man (Job 9:33), Job wanted a spokesman, a kind of heavenly defense attorney who could speak on God’s level. Job’s companions had not spoken on his behalf, so he needed someone who would.
1. The deposit (v. 3) “Put down a pledge for me with Yourself”-- In another legal metaphor, Job appeals to God to act as his advocate by laying down a pledge, that is, providing bail. David McKenna states, “Here Job humbles us when he foresees the death of Christ as “ransom” for sin. Does Job rally know the full meaning of his prayer when he asks God to put down a pledge. Job is appealing to a God of justice in the setting of a court-room. He dares to ask God to post the bail bond for him and shake hands as a sign of mutual trust. He knows that only God can ransom and reconcile him. Although he will not live to see the coming of Christ, he foresees the plan of redemption through the eyes of suffering.”
2. The disappointment (v. 4) “You have hidden their heart from understanding”-- The general sense is, The man who expects much from his friends will be disappointed: while depending on them his children’s eyes may fail in looking for bread. This arrangement with God was necessary since Job’s cohorts were mindless of his innocence and even denounced him, hoping to gain some reward for supposedly defending God. Such faithless friendship meant that instead of a reward, judgment might come on their children in the form of blindness.
3. The declaration (v. 5) “He who speaks flattery to his friends”--Seeking to prove his case to his friends, Job quoted this proverb, “He who speaks flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children will fail.” In other words, if Job’s friends were denouncing him so they might receive a reward, they had better be careful. The children of that judgmental man would become blind. If he was indeed indecent, their charges could result in great harm to their families. Job was becoming increasingly frustrated with his friends, who, he believed, were selfishly seeking his reward or possessions.
Illus: Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.” Thomas Brooks
Illus: Inge Kraus doesn’t know who she really is; she only knows that people call her by that name. She was just four years old in April, 1945, when Russian troops attacked Konigsberg, the capital of what was then East Prussia. Inge remembers a strong man lifting her onto a wagon filled with people as Soviet artillery rained down upon the city she knew as home. She survived but was separated from her family and placed in an orphanage in Germany. Inge attended a gathering of war exiles from her city, tearfully hoping that someone might recognize her--but to no avail.
III. THE REPROOF (vvs. 6-9) v. 6-“I have become one in whose face men spit”-- Job’s wish for a court spokesman and for bail from God was followed by another expression of hope and then a note of pathos. People sneered at him, speaking of him in a byword. By this Job implied that his disputants were not upright. Even so, he would hold to and even grow in his convictions, certain of his righteous position before God.
1. The accusation (v. 6) “He has made me a byword of the people”--Job finds himself cut off by his community. His alienation is thus complete. He is abandoned by his friends, attacked by God and estranged from his community of support. We understand now the totality of the suffering from the pain of loneliness. Intellectually, he is adrift as stated in 16:6: “Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; And if I remain silent, how am I eased?” Physically he is exhausted, “But now He has worn me out.” (16:7) Socially, he is an island, “You have made desolate all my company.” (v. 7) Spiritually, he is as good as dead (v. 1). The idea is, that his vital powers were nearly extinct; his breath failed; his power was weakened, and he was ready to die.
2. The appearance (v. 7) “All my members are like shadows”-- This seems to refers to his external appearance in general, as being worn down, exhausted, “defaced” by his many troubles; but it seems rather to mean that his eyes failed on account of weeping. He is saying, “I am a mere skeleton, I am exhausted and emaciated by my sufferings.” It is common to speak of persons who are emaciated by sickness or famine as mere shadows.
3. The astonishment (v. 8) “Upright men are astonished at this”-- He refers to the course of events in regard to me. They will be amazed that God has suffered a holy man to be plunged into such calamities, and to be treated in this manner by his friends. The fact at which he supposes they would be so much astonished was, that the good were afflicted in this manner, and that no relief was furnished.
4. The assurance (v. 9) “The righteous…will be stronger and stronger.” One more insight breaks through to the consciousness of Job as he stands alone with the severed bonds of his relationship with his friends, God and community lying limp at his feet. In an astounding declaration of faith, Job gives the witness in this verse.
Illus: A famous American cardiologist noted, “Hope is the medicine I use more than any other. Hope can cure nearly everything.” Another doctor stated, “If you lead a person to believe there is no hope, you drive another nail in his coffin.” When a person loses his confident expectation of a positive tomorrow the inner drive to live and move forward is extinguished. It has been said that a person can live three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food, but not one second without hope.
IV. THE RESIGNATION (vvs. 10-16) v. 15 “Where then is my hope?” 7:6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.” Life is like a weaving, and only God can see the total pattern and when the work is finished. Job had lost hope that he could ever escape the pain of his suffering except through death. He had lost confidence that he would ever be vindicated by God. He was resolved that he would die in pain as a condemned man, suffering under God’s hand of judgment. In fact, he felt so hopeless that he believed there was absolutely nothing he could do to change his situation.
1. Purposeless (vvs. 10-11) “My purposes are broken off”-- All of his plans had been shattered (v. 11). His friends would not change their minds and come to his defense (v. 10). Job had taken his eyes off the Lord. He no longer believed that God was working for his good. To the contrary he believed that God was working against him. Is it any wonder that he had lost all hope?
Illus: On a church sign in Peoria, “God can turn a hopeless end into an endless hope.”
Illus: Sir Winston Churchill stated, “I am an old man. I have lived a long time. I have never seen days like these. I am tired of it all. I see no hope for the future. Our problems are beyond us.”
2. Passionless (vvs. 12-14) “If I wait for the grave” -- Let my life be long or short, the grave at last will be my home. I expect soon to lie down in darkness - there is my end: I cannot reasonably hope for any thing else. .In fact, they would not face his situation honestly, but they kept telling him that the light would soon dawn for him (v. 12). Is it any wonder that Job saw in death the only way of escape? “However, at no time did Job ever consider taking his own life or asking someone else to do it for him. Life is a sacred gift from God, and only God can give it and take it away. On the one hand, Job wanted to live long enough to see himself vindicated; but on the other hand, he didn’t know how much more he could endure. Once he was in Sheol, the realm of the dead, he could not be vindicated on earth unless God brought him back. Job pictured Sheol as his home, where he would lie down in the darkness and be at rest (v. 13). Since he had no family, he would adopt the pit (or “corruption”) as his father and the devouring worm as his mother or sister. They would give him more comfort than his friends!” (Wiersbe)
Illus: One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.”
3. Pointless (vvs. 15-16) “Where then is my hope?”-- “But would there be any hope in the grave? Could Job take his hope with him to Sheol? Paul answers the question: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:19-20). Our hope does not die, nor is it buried and left to decay; for our hope is a “living hope” because Christ has won the victory over death and the grave! Christians sorrow, but they must not sorrow “as others who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). God did not answer Job’s plea for death because He had something far better planned for him. God looked beyond Job’s depression and bitterness and saw that he still had faith.
Illus: "There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them." Clare Booth Luce
Illus: Years ago the southern tip of Africa was called the Cape of Tempests. Its choppy waters, swirling seas and adverse weather conditions caused sailors great anxiety and it took many lives to a watery grave. But a certain Portuguese sailor, determined to find a safer route through those seas, discovered a calmer passage around this promontory (a point of high land jutting out into the sea). This new route was named the Cape of Good Hope. This is what Job needed to discover in his life. He found himself in the swirling waters of his story trial, overwhelmed and hopeless. He thought he would be taken to his grave. Job needed a new route to travel through these uncharted waters, one that would give him a good hope. This present storm might not immediately subside, but the turbulence within his heart certainly could. He could know peace if he recaptured hope. But in order for this to happen, Job had to shift his focus on God. If Job could see God working positively through this trial, then he would have hope for the future. A restored hope will reroute you from the “came of Tempests” to the “Cape of Good Hope.”
CONCLUSION: If only the next speaker would have expressed compassion to this hurting man! But Bildad is all primed to frighten Job out of his wits with the most vivid pictures of death found anywhere in Scripture.
How can your hope be strengthened? The key is to focus your gaze on God, not on your circumstances. As you look to God, see him as working for your good. Mediate on the following important aspects about God. These will inspire and replenish hope.
1. Focus on God’s sovereignty. God remains in control over all of life. He has never relinquished his government over the earth. As Lord over all, God controls the storms of life, just as he directs the peaceful seasons. Lift up the eyes of your heart and behold your God. Even in the midst of your trial, God remains in charge, ruling and reigning.
Illus: Hopelessness: Nothing ages us faster than hopelessness. An unknown writer said: We’re as young as our faith, As old as our doubts; As young as our hope, And as old as our despair.
2. Focus on God’s wisdom. God executes His sovereignty with perfect wisdom. He knows what is best for your life. He does not make mistakes. He knows what you can endure. He knows how to use this trial for your greatest good. Nothing can catch him unaware. He has perfect plans to take you safely through your difficulty.
3. Focus on God’s love. This God who controls your storm also loves you with a perfect love. He has your best interests in mind. He would do nothing to harm you. God’s love is unchanging and is never stronger than we are experiencing disappointment and pain.
4. Ask Jesus to come into your life. You say, "Well, I haven’t decided yet whether I ought to get baptized or not." I have news for you. It is not your choice. You say, "I will decide soon if I will get baptized."
Illus: The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city’s hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child’s name and room number and talked briefly with the child’s regular class teacher. “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” the regular teacher said, “and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too far behind.” The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she hadn’t accomplished much. But the next day, a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. “No, no,” said the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean. We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.” Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”
Prepared by:
Gerald R. Steffy
6206 N. Hamilton Road,
Peoria, IL 61614
