JOURNEY THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT #6: PAIN AND SUFFERING
OPENING TEXT: “After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job spoke, and said: "May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, A male child is conceived.” (Job 3:1-3).
• Have you ever felt like that before? Today, we are going to deal with the topic of pain and suffering, and look at a Bible character who had a really, really, really bad day…
INTRO: An overview of the five categories of the Old Testament:
• 5 Law Books; 12 History Books; 5 Wisdom Books; 5 Major Prophets; 12 Minor Prophets
• The 5 Wisdom Books: Job, Psalms (worship & prayer), Proverbs (wisdom for daily living), Ecclesiastes (the meaning of life) and Song of Solomon (God’s love for us).
THE STORY OF JOB: PART #1 – INTRO TO JOB
“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.” (Job 1:1-3).
• Job was a good man who was blessed by the Lord: He had 7 sons and 3 daughters…
• 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and many servants.
THE STORY OF JOB: PART #2 – A GLIMPSE INTO HEAVEN:
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” (Job 1:6-11).
• God was bragging on Job, but Satan said Job only loves God because God blesses him.
• God said, “You can do anything to his stuff, but don’t touch him.”
THE STORY OF JOB: PART #3 – JOB’S REALLY BAD DAY:
• the Sabeans took the oxen and donkeys and killed the servants.
• lightning killed the sheep and the servants, the Chaldeans raided the camels.
• a tornado destroyed the oldest brother’s house and killed all 10 children.
• How did Job respond?
“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:21-22).
• He grieved his losses, and then he blessed the name of the Lord!
CHAPTER TWO:
• v. 1-6 - God brags about Job again, Satan said, “If you stole his health, he’d curse you.”
• v. 7-8 - God let Satan smote Job with boils
• v. 9 - Job’s wife said, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
o Isn’t this what many people do when they go through tough times? They get mad at God. If only they knew the Bible truth of John 10:10: The devil steals, kills and destroys, but Jesus gives life – abundantly!
What would most people do in Job’s situation?
• He lost everything – all of his possessions, loved ones, and his health.
• He didn’t turn to drugs, alcohol, or get all sad and depressed and turn from God.
• v.10 - Job’s response: “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?"
• How could Job have such confident faith, even in the face of suffering? “For I know that my Redeemer lives.” (Job 19:25).
• If we want to have a faith that will carry us through life’s storms and trials, we need to have a personal encounter with the living God – to know Him for ourselves!
THE STORY OF JOB: PART #4 – WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE…
• What happens next? Job’s three friends show up: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.
• Can you hear them singing as they come? “So you had a bad day…”
• The majority of the rest of the book of Job is the conversations they had.
• Their counsel summed up = “Job, you’re suffering because you have sin in your life!”
• Another ‘friend’ shows up, Elihu, in chapters 32-37 and gives more speeches.
• Finally, in chapter 38, GOD HIMSELF shows up to speak with Job.
THE STORY OF JOB: PART #5 – JOB’S GOD ENCOUNTER:
“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” (Job 38:1-4).
• God says, “Man up! Who do you think you are?” God questions him for 4 chapters!
“Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” (Job 40:3-5).
• Finally, Job was speechless. He humbled himself before the Lord.
QUOTE: “Job repented, not of any past sins that might have caused his (trouble), but of his mistrust of God in the midst of it. Ultimately, God never answered Job’s questions. Job never actually found out why all of this loss and horror had occurred. It was as if the answer to Job’s queries was simply God’s presence. God was saying, “If you know Who I am, then you will trust Me. That will be enough.” In the final scene, Job was restored. God triumphed over the mockeries of Satan, Job’s possessions were multiplied and the story was complete.” (RC Sproul, What’s in the Bible).
THE BIG IDEA: Even though the Christian life is primarily characterized by abundant life and joy, there are seasons where the Lord allows us to go through dark valleys. It is often during those seasons that we encounter God, and our faith is strengthened and deepened.
APPLICATION – LESSONS FROM JOB:
1. Trouble is going to come in our lives, but we can still have peace:
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
2. When trouble comes, we can choose joy knowing that it is making us stronger:
“When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4, NLT).
• Illustration: Of a bird struggling to free itself from its egg. The struggle produces the strength it needs to be able to fly.
3. Just because trouble comes it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us:
“35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? … 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. 39 Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39, NLT).
4. Often its during trouble that we encounter God most personally:
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4).
HOW DID JOB’S STORY TURN OUT?
“So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters.” (Job 42:12-13).
• I don’t have an answer to the why of pain and suffering. I am speechless.
• But – like Job – I can truly say, “I know that my Redeemer lives!” And – He loves us!
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
