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Message
Job 38:1-42:17
“God’s Answer! – I Know It All”
We were at a party last week. There was a whole group of us sitting around a fire and I ended up next to a 4 year old boy.
Do you think the fire looks like a volcano?
Yes, sort of. But volcanoes are much hotter.
Does the smoke make clouds?
No clouds are made from water.
What if we put water onto the fire. Then it will make clouds.
No, then you will just put the fire out.
How much water would it take to put the fire out.
Do you see that bucket there. You would need 20 of those.
And on and on it went. Question after question after question. When it is a four year old it can become somewhat tedious.
But here is the thing about questions.
They usually force you to engage your mind in some way. And if they are asked the right way they also cause you to reflect on your actions.
Did you cheat on your wife?
Yes.
Why did you cheat on your wife?
Now you need to reflect don’t you.
Do you have a job?
No.
Why aren’t you getting out there and doing all you can to find one?
Again that is a question that requires reflection isn’t it.
That is what good questions do. They make you stop and really think about motives ... and attitudes ... and responses ... and emotions ... and processes ... and actions.
Which is exactly what Job needs.
Job needs to be forced to think about his motives, attitudes, responses, emotions, processes and actions. And the Lord forces Job to do that by asking Job a series of questions.
Let me give you an outline of how it all works.
Job 38:1-3
Read
When God tells you to brace yourself like a man you don’t start thinking, “Mmm God and I are going on a picnic”.
This is not Millionaire Hotseat.
This is an inquisition.
The spot-light is shining right on Job.
And God wants some serious answers.
38:4-18
Topic:- The Foundations of the Earth.
Number of Questions:- 10
Example Questions:- 38:4,12,17
Work through these – give obvious answers to verses 4, 17.
38:19-38
Topic:- The Functions of the Earth.
Number of Questions:- 22
Example Questions:- 38:22,32,37
Work through these – give obvious answers to verses 22, 32, 37.
38:39-39:30
Topic:- The Fauna of the Earth.
Number of Questions:- 19
Example Questions:- 38:39, 39:9, 27
Work through these – give obvious answers to verses 38:39, 39:9, 27.
51 questions so far. God has been pointing around at His creation – like a massive slide show.
Have a look at My creation.
Have a look at My control.
Have a look at My creatures.
The Lord points at this aspect. Then He points at that feature. Then He points at Job.
Job 40:1-2
Read
Come on, have a go.
Let’s see what you have got Job.
Story - Flying by the seat of your pants.
Years ago we used to live in Darwin. When we were there my Dad worked on getting his pilot’s license – as a result we got to know people at the aeroclub really well. One day one of the other pilots, who thankfully was very experienced, took Dad and I and another man for a ride in a 4-seater plane. I don’t remember if we were specifically going anywhere as I was only 11. I do remember the storm we ended up flying in and around. When you are in a small plane, surrounded by a tropical storm, you know you are flying. That was the day I understood what the phrase, “Flying by the seat of your pants” really meant. You just try and control your little world – which in this case was the plane – knowing that everything around you is completely beyond your control.
As Job hears these questions he begins to realise that he was flying by the seat of his pants. “What have you got Job?” asks God.
This is what Job says,
Job 40:4-5.
Read
I’ve got nothing. All I have been doing is flying by the seat of my pants.
All I have said has been unworthy in Your sight.
Job is coming to His senses at last. But he still hasn’t gotten far enough. Round 1 is over, but there is more to come.
Job 40:6-7
Read
It’s now round 2. The questions keep coming. And the topics are a little more specific.
40:8-14
Topic:- Can You Organise the World?
Number of Questions:- 3
Example Questions:- 40:9-10
If you are so convinced that you are right go ahead and do My job. That is the invitation which God gives to Job. Which might sound like a tempting invitation. A pastor who lived during WW2 was tempted. He was making his weary way home after spending the whole day comforting people during a wartime blitz on London. On that evening he met a fellow pastor and they began talking about the current events and the hurt it was causing. In exasperation and bewilderment the first pastor said,
“I wish I was on the throne of the universe for 10 minutes”.
His college, thought about these words for a moment then replied, “If you were on the throne for 10 minutes, I would not wish to live in your world for 10 seconds”.
You think you can do better than God? Most of you can’t even work out how to use all the features on your mobile phone. And programming your DVD to record a specific show is still a mystery. That is the point the Lord is making. You just don’t have the ability.
40:15-24
Topic:- Can You Catch a Behemoth?
Number of Questions:- 1
Example Questions:- 40:15, 23-24
The description kind of sounds like an elephant or a hippopotamus – except for the bit about having a tail that swings like cedar (that is in verse 17). Whatever the case it is clear that people have no control what-so-ever over this beast. Yet God the Maker approaches this wonderful powerful beast with ease.
41:1-34
Topic:- Can You Be Equals With The Leviathan?
Number of Questions:- 14
Example Questions:- 41:8-10
The Leviathan sounds like a crocodile on steroids. No-one on the earth is even able to dream about trying to catch it. So what makes Job think he has a hope of even taking a pinky-sized part of the responsibilities that God has?
So ends the questions ... 69 in all ... and the observations. It’s now time for Job to respond.
Job 42:1-6
Read
There’s a type of boat called a hydrofoil – the secret of the boat lies underneath the hull where you will find what are basically underwater wings. Once the boat reaches enough speed, it actually lifts out of the water and “flies” with only those wings in the water.
A deep hulled boat hull creates drag when it’s in the water.
Once the hull lifts out of the water, it can travel 4 times faster.
It’s a simple principle really – the shallower it runs, the faster it can go.
Does that logic sound familiar. In order to go faster, to get ahead, to make things happen, we sometimes go shallower. We get superficial with God. We think we know what is happening, or what is supposed to happen – but really we have no idea. That is where Job is.
Which seems like a strange way to deal with this situation doesn’t it?
Job has been through it all.
His means of income … is gone.
His 10 children … have all died.
The support from his wife … has evaporated.
The comfort of his friends … has turned into a debate.
His position in the community … well now children laugh at him.
He has nothing left except his integrity, and even that is being questioned. Then, in response to all this God just asks a heap of questions.
Job wants to talk about injustice - God talks about His power to create and control.
Job wants to talk about suffering - God speaks about issues of science, and the actions of animals.
Job wants to know how to move forward - God focuses on the strength of the horse, the behemoth and the leviathan.
69 questions in all. There does not seem to be one real answer.
But there is. You see when it comes to life we need a real God.
Not a God who we can put in a box.
Not a God of our own convenience.
Not a God who we can out-debate.
Not a God of our making.
Not a God who we can control.
We need a real God.
When it comes to life, and all the difficulties we face, we need a God who we don’t understand.
That sounds strange ... but it is true.
Could you trust, really trust, a God who could be put in a box ... and out-debated ... and controlled?
You couldn’t could you. In fact you wouldn’t. The greatest blessing that we have in our relationship with God is that He is a God who we don’t understand. Because then we can trust that He knows what He is doing.
Do you understand why He chose you to be a part of His family?
Expand and talk about how fickle we were.
In reality we were a bunch of mugs.
If we were able to make the decisions on the basis of what we think is a rational understanding ... we wouldn’t even choose ourselves would we. So we trust God and His plans for our lives.
Do you understand why He punished His Own Son to secure your salvation?
Expand and talk about how little we deserve.
If salvation was based on a logical process ... we would have to write ourselves out of the equation wouldn’t we. So we trust God for His amazing sacrifice.
Do you understand why you are still loved even though you keep hurting God?
Expand and talk about ongoing temptations.
We are hardly examples of “pin-up” Christians are we. So we trust God for His amazing love.
God holds us no matter what – even though we don’t understand why. So, when the difficulties come, keep that truth in mind.
Because when we go through difficulties there are a whole lot of stages we may go through.
Anger and venting.
Doubts and questioning.
Justification and debating.
Frustration and withdrawing.
And much more besides. But eventually ... eventually ... we need to be where Job got to.
I spoke of things I did not understand.
Lord, now I trust.
And I wait for the next blessing which You have in mind for me.
Job 42:12-17
Read
God didn’t let Job down – God won’t let us down.
Prayer
