Job Ch. 17 | Bible Study by Rick Burgess

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We're getting great reviews from all over. So today we are continuing a Bible study that we started at the first of the year. It is on the book of Job. We are today going to be in Job seventeen. If you missed any of it, you can always go back and get it on archives by going to the Man Church Manchurch dot com. There's your drop down menu there. Just click that and you can watch the archive or listen to it. And of course we also do it live most every Wednesday at noon Central one o'clock Eastern

on the Rick Burgess Show YouTube channel. So let's open up in a word of prayer and let's jump into Job chapter seventeen. Lord, do we thank you for being with us today as we walk through this incredible and very provocative book of Job. May we open our minds and as I've already learned going through this, I was familiar with the book, thought I basically knew it, But there's so many intricate details by going word for word that we're learning each and every week, and we thank

you for that. They're all in here for a reason. Help us today as we unpack this powerful chapter, and your name we pray Amen. So in Job chapter seventeen, Job is now replying to Eliphaz, who had another opportunity. That was his second opportunity to address Job, and last week Job was telling Eliphaz and his friends that they are of no help to him. That what he needed from them, and even what they said they were going to provide, they are not providing. And so he was

pretty clear about that. Right toward the end of sixteen, Job began to address God and he began to cry out for something that we all know with the New Covenant, foreshadowing to the New Covenant last week. In those final verses of sixteen, Job wishes he had some sort of heavenly witness, someone that could go before God and plead his case that he is innocent. Of course, what a

foreshadowing to the New Covenant. So now he's twenty two of sixteen really gets us into seventeen, and look at twenty two real quick, looking back, for when a few years have come, I shall go the way from which I shall not return. He's talking about death here, and as he gets into seventeen, you're gonna see Job really immerse himself in the prospect, especially verses one and two and the prospect of a near and unhappy death. Now here's where Job is mistaken. He's certain that he's about

to die. But we know because we already know what happened in history. We know Job's full story. He doesn't know it yet. Here he's going to live for one hundred and forty years. So Job's death is not near. He thinks it is, but it's not. And I would kind of throw that out there. Just remember our years are written down. According to Psalm one thirty nine Versus thirty teen through sixteen, that the number of our days

are written before we ever lived one. And it says that God knows the number of them before we've ever lived one. So let me tell you when all of us are going to die when God allows it and not until then. So we need to keep that in mind. Now, can we try to play God and take our own life? Yes? Does God already know we're going to do that? According to scripture? Likely? Did we still make a choice? Yes? I get this all the time. Is that an unforgivable sin?

Nothing in scripture says it is. Is it a sin? Yes, now that it is, we don't need to pretend that's not the case. Is it unforgivable sin? Well, you know you get to play in games with that. Now, because I've heard all the discussions on this. Does the Bible say that that's an unforgivable sin? It does not. It says the only unforgivable sin is to reject the Holy Spirit, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, meaning as God's calling you to redemption, you reject Jesus as the mode of redemption.

If you reject the Gospel, then yes, there's no nothing that can be done for you. That sin is unforgivable because it cost you the very path to redemption. So suicide isn't listed that way. It is a sin, but is an unforgivable sin? Now that's a whole different. That's a whole different deal. Here's how I've heard it. No one who is truly redeemed would commit suicide, so that's

a sign they weren't redeemed. Okay, I've heard that, But I have a problem with that because I know people firsthand that I don't have any doubt about their redemption whatsoever, none, and they killed themselves. They listen to a lie because we know which leads to a new podcast we're doing called Strange Encounters. We know that even the redeemed can be harassed by demons. They cannot be possessed by demons,

but they can be harassed by demons. The apostle Paul was harassed by demons, and Job has been harassed by demons and by Satan himself. But there's two examples right there. We know that Jesus was harassed by demons. We know the apostles were often harassed by demons, so they can be harassed. But sometimes I think that people are harassed by demons into believing a lie that everybody would be better off and their suffering would end if they would

take their life into their own hands. And I've had some people say, well, the last thing that person did on earth was a sin. But I would caution you on that too, because that's saying then if you believe that, that's got a little bit of that work based salvation to it. If you believe that, then you believe that a person who is fully redeemed could could, in a bad moment much commit save the sin of lust, or

maybe worse than that, the sin of adultery. They made a mistake, they got caught in a bad situation, they were tempted, and immediately they're like, oh, I shouldn't have done that, and they're rushing home to their wife to confess, and on their way home they're killed and correct. And so they never asked their wife for forgiveness, they never asked God for forgiveness, and the last thing they did on earth was sin. So I guess they're condemned. Behell,

That's that's pretty weak theology there. I'd be real careful because you know, all of us commit not deliberate perpetual sins. We have moments where we commit sin. And if you believe that someone if they commit a sin's the last thing they did on earth, you better hope you don't. So I'd be careful with that so so anyway, the bottom line is this job but has not done this, so we don't have to deal with that with job. But he's he's ready to go, and he's ready for

this to end. He certainly is seeking death, and he thinks he's going to have a death that is near. He thinks it's going to be pretty unhappy. And he's wrong about that. But here he goes. He says, in verse one and two, my spirit is broken, My days are extinct. The graveyard is ready for me. Surely there are maulkers about me, and my eye dwells on their provocation. He's saying, I know my life is going to be cut short. My spirit is broken about this. Let's face it.

I'm headed to the graveyard. And then verse two, likely my friends are going to see me die. And when I look at my friends, I do not see comfort. All I see are them wagging their fingers at me, and they're mocking me, and and and and and That's that's how it's gonna be for me. That's how I'm about to go. I'm going to sit here and die. I'm headed to the graveyard while my friends continue to wag their fingers at me and they're of no comfort to me, not the way any of us want to die, right.

I would not sign up for that one. So now he decides he will address God. He's made his he's talked about what he thinks gonna happen, and now I'm just gonna address God. In verses three through five, lay down a pledge for me? With you who is there who will put up security for me? He's saying that that there's no pledge other than one from God that's gonna satisfy these people. Still he's still mad at his friends. Lord, they're gonna have to hear from you, which they will

is coming. I cannot convince them. They're not gonna listen. And it's gonna take you and you alone to tell these people that I'm innocent. It's got to be you, because they don't pay any attention to my integrity, they don't believe my pleas for them to understand that I haven't done anything that's not been dealt with between God and me, and and I need you to step in for me to tell them that I'm telling the truth. Have you ever been there, ever just had something that

was spiraling I control? And you're like, Lord, please allow the truth to come forward. Uh, let let this, let this be seen, and and that's what he's saying. So in verse four he says, since you have closed their hearts to understanding. Hmm, therefore you will not let them triumph mmm. So he he thinks that God is not going to allow them to understand that you must be in control of this. We think about Pharaoh right here, don't we that God allowed his heart to be hardened.

There was a point where he said, even God now is not gonna not gonna let Pharaoh. Let them go and let it stand. There's gonna be a moment here. Well, he's saying that because you know what he knows about God. You know that I'm innocent. I know that I'm innocent, and they won't listen to me. Are you not allowing them to understand what I'm saying? Have you stopped their ears and their hearts? Is what's going on here? And he says this, they won't stand with me because they've

closed their hearts. That them there is added. Some of the commentary on this is interesting because the way it was written when they were doing their original interpretation of this, it says, since you have closed their hearts to understanding. Therefore, you will not let them triumph. That them was added because they had such a problem with this. They're like, well, job never turned on God, so he wouldn't be saying

God's not going to triumph. So they started looking at the you know, trying to figure out the intent here, and so they wanted to make sure that we knew that he isn't saying that God will not triumph, because the words that are used here are saying, really, please tell me that you're the one that has closed their heart to understanding. At some point, you're not going to

let their accusations against me stand. But he is saying, I know you're in charge, and I know you're doing this, but that also comforts me because I know they're not going to get away with it. At some point, You're going to vindicate me, which God does so verse five, he who informs against his friends to get a share of their property, the eyes of his children will fail.

Now this is really really interesting here because when I started looking at the various commentaries that I've been studying on this, they're saying that this is a proverb, but they don't know its origin. It didn't make Solomon's proverbs. It didn't. It didn't make the Book of Proverbs. He's not quoting something from anything they can't find. It seems to be something in that day that was a proverb. That friends should not be sold for a price, is

how it really is interpreted. Friends should not be taken advantage of. And so what you're seeing is that that job is crying out against his friends that you know you don't. You don't take your friends and you don't sell them for a price, and you shouldn't be taking advantage of the situation that I'm in. You're not really showing your friendship because a true friend would not sell me out. I mean, you y'all turned on me. You

think I've done something wrong. You say God should is judging me, and you seem to be kind of enjoying the fact that all the claims of me being blameless and upright and your eyes aren't true, and you're kind of loving this. You sewed me out, You've turned on me, and he's saying that friends shouldn't do that to each other.

So now we go to verses six to eight. Now, now God's not mentioned here, but it is inferred and You're going to see some things here that get very very interesting, that really really have echoes of the Psalm twenty two. You know how you go read Psalm twenty two and you're life, this sounds like Jesus on the Cross.

You know, David's talking about things that were happening to Jesus on the cross, but of course it's happened to him then, but it sounds like and it is Jesus quotes Psalm twenty two from the Cross, and so this has a little bit of that in there that has people one wondering how job is choosing these words. But listen to this. He has made me a by word of the people's talking about God has and I am one before whom men spit, so that that's really got

echoes about the people. I'm in the middle of all this. I'm a byword. I've lost all credibility. No one cares about me. As a matter of fact. They spin on me. They just spin on me, and then look at look at seven. In verse seven, he goes back and he says he will perish forever like his own dung. Those who have I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm skipped over the wrong one my eyes that'll come to us in twenty one. My eye has grown dim from vexation, and all my members are like a shadow, he said. He said, my

eyes are growing them in this misery. My whole body, my whole body is just it's in duress. I mean, I'm eat up with disease. I'm i'm, I'm gaunt, I'm i'm I have no nutrition. I'm completely coming apart, and I'm wretched to even look at. And then eight, the upright are appalled at this, and the innocent stirs himself

up against the godless. It's it's interesting that he's using the word here upright, since that was something that was said about him at the very beginning of job, if you remember, and he said, but the so called upright now he's being sarcastic here about his friends. He doesn't mean they're upright, And he's using a phrase that God used about him, but he's using it about his friends in a very ironic, smart elic kind of way. He's

been sarcastic. And he says, the upright are appalled at me. Look, they can't believe me that I'm in this state, And the innocent stirs himself up against the godless. Instead of coming toward me to help me, they distance themselves from me because they have declared me godless. They're upright, they're innocent, they're self righteous, they're sanctemonious, and they want anything to do with me because they think that I at odds

with God. Now, instead of coming toward me to comfort me, they're actually distancing themselves from me because of how grotesque I have become. But they're not comforting me because they're saying to me, you had this coming, right, can. I mean, I know, especially a lot of us at our age because in this room, because of the time of day we do it live. There are some young people in here and some very young, but a lot of us are are are sixty plus, which means what we see

a lot of people die. It's pretty common just because the numbers. I mean, this is our lot. We've lived longer than we're going to live, and so has everybody else that we know and love that are you know, think about it. I mean, if I'm sixty, then my parents you are to see my mom She's like, I've got a child that's sixty. I mean, you know, she's eighty three years old. My dad went on end at eighty three. And I've got friends that are even around my age that that they don't have many days left.

They're sick. But can you imagine? I want you just to imagine. And I'm thinking about my my dear friend, uh that's that has als now and in the days are numbered, and saw him just last week. But can you imagine if I walked in there and sat down and said, you had this coming? Can you can you imagine his wife's sitting there? What did you just say? Aren't you one of his closest friends? I am, But I tell you what, I don't know what he's done,

but he's done something. This is on you. I'm just gonna feel like that would not be That's not That's not really comforting, is it? What's the norm? You come in and you comfort, and you encourage, and you pray over and you you weep for the situation, but you keep reassuring them that God is not punishing them, but that their time on this earth of suffering is almost over and God's going to make them ultimately whole, as opposed to, well, I don't know what you've done, and

I who knows how this is gonna go. Uh and that's what he's dealing with. Think about the time, you know, and and I will say, you know, not not our own life, but but I know what it's like. You know, we went through the you know, the calamity of my youngest son that that they were there were some people that were ready to blame us. And I mean and and just the early I mean just I mean you're just kind of like, man, wow, you know, and and and that's one of those things you're like, well, that's

not but our friends didn't do that. I can't. I can't imagine our friends coming strangers did that because you know, they always know all the facts. Uh and and the times we're living in now, it just gets me how people can just be so passionately wrong, and they have a platform to be sure that everybody knows how wrong there really are. But have you ever thought about the

arrogance of you being a total stranger of somebody. I mean, you don't know them at all, but yet you know exactly what's happening in their life that you haven't spent any time with them, and you don't have you don't know anything really about them except maybe an inch deep and a mile wide, but yet you know everything and and and you're going you're gonna you're gonna get on a platform anonymously, of course, and you're gonna project that you actually know what's going on with somebody you don't

know it all that. I hope that helps some people that that's pretty foolish to have that kind of attitude. But when it's and that doesn't really bother you because you can say, with these people don't know me, imagine what it felt like to Job for people who had been as close as friends. You know, I've gone through this and I'm starting to really doubt were they as close as friends as we were led to believe, because it doesn't seem like it, does it. So so now

we get into nine. Yet the righteous holds to his way, and who he who has clean hands, grows stronger and stronger. M hmm. So here Job appears to be talking about himself. He said I'm innocent and and and and I will grow stronger. And why is he saying that he's innocent and he does have hope in death? Because the reason he says he's going to grow stronger is due to the fact that he says I'm gonna hold to my integrity, and I'm gonna hold to my integrity because I know

that my hands are clean. And and this seems, this moment in nine, there's a lot of commentary about it. You know why, because above this, he says, his friends are appalled with him. His friends, it's nothing but my eyes grow dim. My body is disease disease ridden. I'm grotesque to look at. Nobody wants to even be near me. I'm being declared godless. They want to distance themselves for me. And then we're in ten. We're gonna get back to

downtrodden and depressed. But right here nine just kind of comes out of nowhere and just for a moment, Joe says, but everything's gonna be all right because I know I'm innocent. I guess. I don't know if you've had that moment.

Have you ever been like where you're really ready to spare, you're really really struggling, and a sudden you'll just grab some promise of God that you know, and it just kind of comes out of nowhere and you hang on to it for a minute, and then sometimes what it slips away, you go right back to being down again. But for a minute, it pulled you up for just a minute. And that's great that we have that. I

think that's what's happening here, just for a minute. He's like, but I know I'm innocent, and I'm gonna go stronger. My hands are clean. How about this? It may be after I'm dead, but y'all gonna see that, y'all, what y'all are doing to me? You were wrong. God knows I'm innocent, and if he how about this, I'm not afraid to face it. If I died then then right then my innocence is going to be declared. But it doesn't last long. That's why so many people are comment

They're like, was this out of order? Where did this? Where did this verse come from? I don't think it's hard to understand. I've done that before, right man. I got to tell you, ever had a moment where you all you all? The only way you got through that moment was remembering one of God's promises. Now that doesn't mean that you didn't go right back to being down again a little bit later. And what do you do? Then? You just grab another one? But right here, I think

that's what happened. But watch this, you're going to see how then despair just comes right back in ten through sixteen. But you know, anytime, anytime you hear that, So nine you have, the righteous holds to his ways, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger. I'm innocent, my hands are clean, and you know what. I'm righteous. I'm holding to my way. I will be vinde katy about God. But you come on again, all of you, and I shall not find a wise man among you.

You know, he says, right there, my friends are worthless. I'm waiting on wise counsel, and here come the three stooges. I got nothing. Y'all hadn't helped me at all. And so he says, you know, what he's saying is what I just said in nine. I wish y'all joined that chorus. That's where I think that transition comes. I wish y'all would, Can y'all not? Why don't you join the course of where I'm talking with the thing that gives me hope? And I told you all that about me being stuck

on the plane with that guy. They kept saying, but that's over, and it's almost like, you know, they come over and say well, we thought God was going to show us that you were innocent. But that's over. Guess that hadn't happened. I call those people e ors. You ever been around e ors? You know, everything's all there's always some you get excited, you know, whatever, Hey, you know, here we go, here we go to the theme park.

Of course the lines will probably super long. You know that there's always some some downer that they bring to the the whatever. Of course we're going to run into traffic, you know. Okay, well, just let's have a positive attitude about just a little bit. Uh So, then eleven my days are past, my plans are broken off, the desires of my heart. Huh So, he's been blunt that his friends have no wisdom. He sees that his life and

eleven is fading. And this is the part that really gets I mean, you start really having your heart broken because what Job is also saying, he said, I understand that my life is ending, But what's really bothering me is that all the things that I still thought I was going to do, all these dreams and aspirations that I still have, they will be unfulfilled, and my hopes are all dashed. I think he's at that point now where he said, I thought at some point I'd pull

up out of this. God would heal me, God would vindicate me. My friends would realize that this is not what I need to hear. None of that is happening. And I think that my days that are behind me are much brighter than the days that are ahead of me. My plans are broken off, and I had desires of my heart things. I still wanted to do, the things that I loved, and all of those things are gone. You know. It's you know, we we're not controlled, in control of the day that we're going to die. I mean,

we can do the best we can. As I said, these decisions that we make, we make for quality of life. I can't find in scripture that we do a whole lot to extend the days of our lives. Maybe maybe I've just missed it, but but I but I don't see it there. But I do say a lot of the choices were allowed that have a lot to do with our quality of life. And you know, kind of the thing. And there was a time I didn't feel this way, but as I got older, I now I

now find myself not wanting to waste my life. When I was younger, I wasted a lot of my life because I don't think I cared. But but after I was redeemed and I realized that, you know, the peace of my eternity has been resolved. And then there was an overwhelming pull that this life that Jesus gave me that he had to go to the cross for, or he was willing to go to the cross for is a better way to put it. He didn't have to.

He was willing to go to the cross to fulfill the will of his Father, to redeem those that that God is offering the grace and mercy to the gift the son taking the wrath that we deserve. I found myself kind of like we've talked about so many times on the show, and I think we but I still and also in this Bible study, but I think we have to be sure we got it, you know. And the and the Apostle pause, the one that seems to talk about it the most, even though it was the

dedication of them all. But but you remember he talks about pressing on, He talks about you know, he's straining for for the end of his life and he's going for the well done and all these things he keeps saying working out as salvation. And sometimes I remember when I was new to the faith. I'm like, I don't know what he's talking about. We don't earn salvation, he's not talking about that. Paul isn't uncertain of his redemption, so he's not trying to be redeemed. That's been done.

What is all this action? You know? What is what is even Peter talking about? And we have a forty week curriculum on this called impact. What is all this talk about making every effort to supplement our faith? You know with these seven things that are there in first second Peter chapter one? What is all this? Because if you justified, you're justified. What is all this about? It's about making your life count. It's about having an impact

for the kingdom. It's about standing before the one who redeemed you, and here, well done, good and faithful servant. The well done isn't because good job earning your redemption, because we can't do that. It was good job with your redemption. You didn't waste the life. And I want to challenge all of you. I don't care how old you are. I hope you're not wasting it. I mean, if you can breathe make something happen. You know, the new book that we just talked about, I remember my

dad and the analogy of that. You know, it's the part about get out of the stands and what my dad was saying, and I looked at it like the Apostle Paul was. There's a lot of people right now that see the things you're doing in your life and they have no desire to be part of it. They don't like the sacrifices that you're having to give. They don't like that maybe you took your vacation and went to a third world country as opposed to going to some five star hotel. They don't really want any part

of any of that. They don't want to sacrifice an they don't want to go to hell, but they don't want to count the costs. They don't want to deny themselves. They don't want to pick up their cross, they don't want to go through that narrow gate. They want no part of that right now. But when we all stand before the Bamas set and they watch the Apostle Paul getting the crown of righteousness, and they're watching the apostle

Paul hearing well done, good and faithful servants. And then there's the apostle Paul said, along with all the others who live their life the same way, every one of them is going to wish they did. It's a better life. It's not an easier life, but it's a better life. And when you're doing something that matters, the difficulty of all of it all doesn't seem to be so bad. Where I get frustrated is when I'm going through difficulty in things that don't mean anything. Don't enjoy that, but

difficulty for eternal things. They might be unpleasant for the moment, but they're not a problem for me because I know I can see the other side. What's not a lot of fun is when you're like in some sort of misery and you don't see what it's doing at all. I don't know what is going on here? Can we not run an airline better than this? You know? But that that's also I found out of what a way to be a good witness. I did pretty good on that. I didn't do great, but I did better than the

last time. How about that? And if you fly on a commercial airline, you're going to get more than one opportunity to be a good person into rest. Because of that, they're never ever going to get it right because the system is flawed and I could fix it if they just let me. But anyway, So, but what he's saying right here is everybody's gonna know at some point that though they have got their idea of what this is

all about, I will be vendicate. But right now I feel like that the things I still wanted to do on earth, they're going to go unfulfilled by the way. He's wrong. He's wrong. God has a plan for him that's going to be even bigger than what he's already done. But boy, right now, in that valley, he can't see it right. It's in the valley. We just have to clean to the promises, you know, cling to the promises.

There's been a lot of times that you think to yourself, I don't know how I'm going to get through this. And you know what, that can be wonderful because finally maybe we'll stop trying to do it ourselves. Verse twelve. They make night, and today the light, they say, is

near to the darkness. My friends call evil good, and they call good evil, And we know that in the Great Book of Romans that Paul says, the day is going to come where the whole society does that anybody looking around, anybody paying attention, say, Pride Month goes on for thirty days. Memorial Day is a Monday. Okay, we take a Monday, and we celebrate people that sacrifice their own lives for the good of other people. We give them a Monday. We give celebration of sexual defncy an

entire month. And so when you look at that as the state of the world, you see that once again the apostle Paul was saying that day would come, and that day is here, and he's saying, job is and this is what my friends, you know, are like. They take darkness and think they've got day, and then they take the light and they think it's darkness. I'm sitting

here innocent. They think I'm guilty. And then he goes on to say in thirteen, if you know, if I hope for shee hole, if I hope as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, I expect to die. I expect to go to the place of the dead that they always talked about, and I expect to go there, and I expect to just lie in darkness. Now once again, this is this kind of throws us back to whatever time period this is, and that's there's much debate about that. There doesn't there doesn't seem to be a concept of

the resurrection of the redeemed. It doesn't it seem to be there. He knows he's going to be all right, but he doesn't know where he's going to be or what that's going to be like. And next, you know, he kind of gets into a grotesque analogy. Here if I say, to the pit you are my father, and to the worm my mother or my sister, kind of an ugly picture here, death and all that goes with it. They're my new family. My new family is just going to be the pit and worms. That's what's about to

be for me. Now that that doesn't sound overly hopeful, because we know that for those that are redeemed, these things they will be, they will be exempted. We won't experience that, as we're told in scripture that the redeem will not experience the wrath of God. So then he begins to cry out for hope. Where then is my hope? Who will see my hope. Where is it you ever been there? Where is my hope? Who will see my hope?

And I think, like when he's talking about facing death and disease and you know the misery that he's in, you know that it's one of those things that you forget sometimes. And I think we've all been there. I think most of us, especially the guys here from a certain generation, we probably have a better pain tolerance than a lot of people. But with the best of pain tolerances are the best and the toughness toughest people. When you start stringing together day after day, minute after minute,

hour after hour of misery, it weighs on you. I don't care who you are, because you know what we always like a right, this is bad, but I'm gonna get to the other side of it. But when the other side of it is so far away, I mean, you really have to start breaking. If you've ever been through it, you got to start breaking your life down into just little segments, you know. Okay, right now, I'm not completely paying free, but I had I had about fifteen minutes. They kind of helped me to get to

the next fifteen minutes. They helped me get to the next fifteen minutes. And see, see if I can't piece together and you just start hoping because you know you've been real sick, or do you just keep hoping? Please tell me I can still go to sleep. Because as long as you can go to sleep, that kind of that kind of gets it gets all this behind you. But what's the problem is what if whatever you got you can't get any sleep, and then it really begins

to drag, you know. And so that's kind of he's crying out saying, man, I need some relief, and what is my hope? Remind me what my hope is? And you know what we can say what the Apostle Paul said, to live as Christ to die is gain you know, I mean I have I have been with people on their deathbed before and they went from really really down to really really joyful because they begin to think, Wait a minute, I'm miserable right now, I'm sick, my body's dying.

Nothing's working right. If they take blood from me one more time, or put me on another IV, or give me another shot, or do some other horrible thing to me here in just a little bit, I'm never gonna have to worry about sickness. Again. I'm not gonna worry about the tax rate again. I couldn't give two pennies who's the next president. I don't care what Putin's doing. I don't care what's going on in Ukraine. I don't care if the streets are burning. I'm out. I'm going

to perfection. And if y'all want to keep this world, y'all can have it, because I'm gone and I'll never have another anxious moment of my life. Pandemic cranks up again. I don't care. It ain't gonna it ain't gonna fact me where I'm at. What's y'all the best I'm gonna be coming back with Jesus, good luck to you. I'm out. Okay. So so that that's where his hope could come from, right, And then then sixteen he just kind of you know, this is that part where he says, not only am

I going down, We're all going down. Okay. You know that. I I it's not good if you ever had that person in your group. You know that says I tell you one thing. If the police come to me, I'm telling on everybody. We're all going You know you don't you don't want that person in your group. You know what I mean, if you're run it, if you run as a as a. My granddaddy referred to it as if you're running with the dogs. You don't need that

guy with you. You know you want some says I'll never rit everybody out, And if I go down, y'all be good. Right here, Joe's he's had it. He says, will it go down to the bars of shee Hold, which of course is where they thought the dead was going? Shall we descend together into the dust. I'm going down to death. And he's looking at his friends and he says, let's all just die together. My life, my hope, my vindication.

They are all gonna die with me. I know the truth I know about your accusations, and death is almost here, and everything, my life, my hope, my vindication, it's all going to die with me. And because y'all have sat here and lied about me, and you haven't helped me, and you haven't been there for me. When I die, your opportunity, your opportunity to make it right with me is gonna be gone. And we're all gonna die together. And that's that's not the most uplifting. Now here's the

part that's really going to bother you. And I can't imagine where Job was on this. When this seventeen ends, it changes nothing as far as his friends. Bill Dad is ready, and let me tell you something. He's got his gone out. And if you think it's changed his point of view, you are incorrect. Next week you're gonna see Bill Dad go. It's good speech. God punishes the wicked end of subject. And I mean, have you ever

been there? And you're just like, I just don't know what else to say, man, I mean I can I can't make you change your view of me. And so you know what you do, You just go tell God about it. And you know what we will see before this is done. We will see not always on our time. Raise your hand if you've ever wanted God to vindicate you, and he seems to be taking this time. Yeah, but if you truly are innocent, it will come. It will come.

And I think the thing that we need to do more of, okay, And I don't know where other people are associated to Joe, associated with Joe other than these three, and then we get a fourth before we're done. I don't know where anybody else is. We don't see it. But I will say this, and I'll say this loud and clear for somebody who's kind of going through some of it now, even though it's starting to dissipate in God's own timing. But there's nothing, and I don't know

why we're not willing to do it more. There's nothing that clears things up. Quicker is if other people who believe in your integrity will not just tell you I like that. Hey man, I believe in you. I know that, I know that what people are saying about you is not true. That that's good, and that's appreciated. But you know what's really helpful is if you'll go out there and fight for that person publicly. Hey, this accusation against my friend, I know them, that's not true. I'm not

gonna let you say that about them. I'm with them all the time. You're not. I'm not gonna let that happen. I'm not gonna let you say that. And and and that's one of the things that we can do. Now. I don't know where these people are, because surely there's not the only people that know jobs found I know, I know his family. His wife's mad, we know that she's she's not up for it. It's children, you know, are dead, so there's nothing they can do for their dad.

But surely there's and I know servants were killed and people work for him, but surely there's somebody. I mean, isn't there somebody that can that can step into all this and go what is this garbage? I keep saying about job? But but we'll see, uh as time goes on. But I would, I know, I know what it's like because look, I've all been I've been there to you. Sometimes you'll just you'll get it. There'll be something going on and you're just like, I don't want to get

into that. And uh. And as I've said a thousand times a thousand times, and this happens at the church, happens within the church. Look, if you think something has happened, go to the person and ask them what a concept. So let's say somebody says, well, so and so did so and so to so and so, And you're like, wait mate, I know so and so so. You what are you saying? Oh? Yeah, well you know they did this. Isn't that really? Well? Call them, hey, can we talk?

Go to the person, you know, and say I heard that you did this, this, and then is it that accord? And then they, if they say yes, say okay, well I have to disagree with the way you handle that. I don't think you handled that right. Or if they go that didn't happen, then you know. But I've noticed sometimes we'll we'll go and I say this to people off that we'll go and we'll pout for days about something that you don't even know if it happened. And

I always say, have you asked them if that happened? Well, I think that they, uh whatever, whatever? Have you asked them? No? Uh, why don't you ask them? Have you ever thought somebody was upset about something, you were certain of it, and then maybe after a few weeks of you lamenting over it, and then you're mad that they're mad about it, come to find out they're not even mad about it. That never happened. Yeah, I understand you're upset with me about

the other day. What are you talking about it? I wasn't upset about that. Oh well, I thought you might have thought I whatever. I never thought that. Oh wow, I wish I could have three weeks back, you know, I mean, I mean, it's crazy. I don't understand why we just why don't we just get to the bottom of it. Uh, that's I mean, scripture teaches us that get to the bottom of these things faster, get to the bottom of it. And uh, and I don't know why these these three are not leaving job and going

to get other witnesses. Here's how we see it. Do anybody know anything? And you might have people go, I just don't see it. I never saw Job do anything that doesn't sound like job. But that doesn't happen. They they've made their decision, they think they know and do y'all realize. And they're passionate too. And I've taught this so many times. Be clear, you can be passionately wrong. Just because you're passionate about it doesn't mean it's right.

Just because you're certain of something doesn't mean it's true. You better go find out, Especially if you're gonna run somebody down, you better go find out. And it was that that's the reason why you hear gossip being talked about so poorly in scripture, because so many times people's reputation is destroyed over something they didn't even do. And we need to be real careful about that. Just because

it's juicy doesn't mean it's true. And you know, sometimes they're partially true, but that's still important because partially still isn't accurate. You know, go to the source and find out and ask, and then if you messed up, apologize. I've done that before. I remember I talked to a brother one time, and I was certain because I listened to what people said. I didn't think that sounded like them.

But I got caught up in the height and I set him down for you know, come to Jesus lunch, and I launched in my little monolog and he looked back at me. He said that never happened. I'm like, wow, that was such a good speech too. I'm just wrong. And then I had to apologize for not coming to him before I got my speech ready. I should have just come to him directly, but i'd already gone that. I said, well, I need to straighten him out about

that. That shouldn't have happen. Well, it didn't happen. Somebody had lied about that, or they had the wrong person or something. So get to the bottom of it. Don't do what we have here. And when somebody says something, you know, like job, who's earned I would think he's earned the benefit of the doubt and they're not giving it to him. And I think that's what's hurting him the most. And he knows that God knows the truth and he wants God to vindicate him. So next week we will listen

to the very, very caring Bill Dad is. He will take everything that Job has said and apply none of it. Let's pray, Lord, thank you for today, thank you for this time together, thank you for the lessons that we've learned. And Lord, if we would just simply follow your instruction on how to handle conflict even in the church, the drama that we could reduce, and the misinformation and the hurt so unnecessary, so many times when we simply could just get to the bottom of the truth by talking

to everybody involved. Lord, thank you for this time together. Thank You for the hope though we find in all this. Even when Job gets you wrong, those beautiful moments when he gets you right, and that's what will eventually carry him through it. When he learns some big lessons about you, and as much as he knows about you, he's still going to be talked more. And may we learn it with him. In your name, we pray Amen, thanks for being with us,