Job Ch. 19 | Bible Study by Rick Burgess - podcast episode cover

Job Ch. 19 | Bible Study by Rick Burgess

Jun 25, 202559 min
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Speaker 1

Welcome into the Wednesday Bible Study. My name is Rick Burgess. In case we haven't met, host of the Rick Burgess Show. That's my day job Monday through Friday. If you'd like to find out more about the Rick Burgess Show, go to rickburgershow dot com. This is a Wednesday Bible Study. We have been doing this for about a decade and we thank you for being with us today. We are

currently in the book of Job. If you'd like to go ahead and go where we are, you can go to Job nineteen today and we will pick up there. If you've missed any of this study or any study, you can go to the manchurch dot com. You'll see a drop down menu, click on map and you can watch archives or you can listen to archives in this current study, our studies pasted. Also at themanchurch dot com

you'll find a complete hub for men's ministry. We provide a strategy that features high challenge followed by high equipping. We have speakers for the high challenge. We'll work with you with your event, and we also do our own conferences, usually one anywhere from one to three conferences a year, so look for those dates they'll be released for twenty twenty six pretty soon. But you go there now you can find all of our resources for your small groups,

and that's our main focus. We have curricula five different one ones right now, forty weeks each, and then we have number six coming out this fall. So if you're one of the churches you're in five and you're kind of wondering about six, it'll be out this fall, probably by August September at the latest. It's called the Standard and it is a forty week study of the Book of Acts, so look for that coming up.

Speaker 2

We also have.

Speaker 1

Individual resources for you if you would like to get these for the men in your life, or you are a man and would like to get those. We have thirty one and forty day devotionals, including our first ever full length book, which was released this year called Men Don't Run in the Rain. Is a great opportunity for me is I got to write a book about my iconic father and having biblical application to some of the

things that he taught me throughout my life. And he was a great influence to many people, and it's been such an honor to share him with people that were outside of his sphere of influence. Through this book, so it's available wherever books are sold, but you can also get it at Themanchurch dot com. Also, we have started a new podcast about spiritual warfare.

Speaker 2

It's called Strange Encounters.

Speaker 1

Just look for wherever you get podcasts and search Strange Encounters with Rick Burgess. And we have five episodes that are already there this all important topic of what scripture has to say about the supernatural, and will have episode six out this week. So they kind of gets you set up for who we are if you just joined us, and a nice reminder.

Speaker 2

For those of you that may be familiar with what we do.

Speaker 1

So let's open up in a word of prayer and we'll jump right into Job nineteen. Lord, thank you, thank you for today. What an honor it is Lord to open up your Holy Word, and Lord, we just we want to glean today everything that you intend to the power of the Holy Spirit. In this ongoing narrative about Job and Lord, we're learning so much about you, we're learning so much about him, and also we're learning a lot about what it looks like to be a not so good friend. All of this, Lord, we see and

help us to apply it to our own lives. And your Holy name, we pray amen. So let's go to Job nineteen. There's going to be some statements here that ought to be pretty familiar to you as we get deeper into this chapter.

Speaker 2

But let's kind of talk about where we are. Job.

Speaker 1

He has made his case over and over again that he is innocent. He does not know why he is being punished. He seems to be very aware that the punishment is coming from God. I've had a number of conversations even this week with people talking about the book of Job, and we all do continue to find it interesting that Job has never mentioned Satan, he has never mentioned demons. I don't know during this time what he and his friends may know or not know about Satan

and demons. But he seems to completely understand that this involves his relationship with God. He doesn't know why, and he wants to know why, and he's pleading to know why God is allowing this to happen to him, or even causing it to happen to him and his friends.

Speaker 2

They're not buying any of that.

Speaker 1

They say, this is the theology we always have had, is the theology of retribution. The wicked get punished, period and Job keeps saying, well, I think we need to change that because I know that I don't have anything between God and me. I'm blameless, I'm upright. Anything in my life that is sinful I've dealt with. I don't have any unrepented sin, nor do I have current sin that I'm practicing, even though even though y'all seems so

convinced that that I'm lying. So Bill, Dad has just wore them out again, and he just went back to thank you for your speeches. But we're not moving off this theology. So you're going to find now that Job is going to plead with his friends in the first six verses, and it really is kind of a sad and pitiful place where Job has found himself because he's in so much misery and he can't find any comfort anywhere. He's not hearing from God. What he's hearing from his

friends is it's not helpful. And he is going to plead with his friends to stop tormenting him with these continued accusations. And he's really going to ask him, are you enjoying this? Are you enjoying exalting yourself and humiliating me? So he's gonna we know verse one is just telling us we're back to Job as the speaker. We've learned that ever since chapter four, that that's how the book rolls.

So we get into verse two and Job says, how long will you torment me and break me in pieces with words?

Speaker 2

Wow?

Speaker 1

So, if you want to kind of see where we are in the timeframe, we're at about the halfway.

Speaker 2

Point of this ongoing debate. Now.

Speaker 1

Now, God's going to show up eventually and he will take hold of the conversation, but this is about the halfway point between Job and his friends, and Job wants a break in this. He realizes, we're going nowhere with this. Raise your hand if you've ever been there, We're going nowhere with this. Were discussing these things over and over again, and you're not giving ground. I'm not giving ground. Can we just stop? Can we just take a break from it? And he says, why are you continuing to crush me?

If you look at the original language here, he's saying, are you enjoying considering me worthless?

Speaker 2

Okay?

Speaker 1

How long will you continue to just destroy me with these accusing words? And then he goes into verse three and he says, these ten times you cast reproach upon me? Are you not ashamed to wrong me? Now, let's not take ten literal here. This is kind of language that we use. Have you ever said this? I've told you this one hundred times, but it's really not one hundred. Okay, So so he's ten here. This use of this number

just means you guys have done this a lot. It's probably more than ten, but he's using the word word ten here just to mean a lot. Okay, you have cast reproach upon me. And so this is this is like you attack me, and you don't really seem to be a shit aimed of this behavior. You're not even stopping to think, what if I'm wrong? Maybe I'm being a little rough on Job. We've known Job a long time. Maybe I need to step back and think about this.

And he says, I don't see any of that. And this is where he's starting to kind of even almost suggests that they could be enjoying, you know, putting him down and exalting themselves. And so he goes on him for it, and he says, and even if it be true that I've aired, my.

Speaker 2

Error remains with myself. Okay.

Speaker 1

The bottom line is this isn't between you and me. Let's let's say there's something that is going on, even though he's been clear he doesn't know what it is. Well, even if that's true, you're not the judge of me. Okay, this is not between me and you, guys. It's between God and me alone. And what he's saying here is what business is this of yours? You show up here saying you're going to sit with me and comfort me, and somewhere along the way you've decided to act as God.

Now you're going to be the one to tell me what God is doing as if you represent God, and is if you will now speak on God's behalf, And he says, whatever's going on here is between me and God. You really have put yourselves in a position that you don't have the authority. And he wants them to understand that. And he's just saying, just stop it, just just stop with all this, and and verse five he says, if you indeed, if indeed, you magnify yourselves against me and

make my disgrace an argument against me. See there it is again, he saying, what you're doing here is you're elevating yourself and you're doing this in one of two ways. You're elevating yourself, either by putting me down or by building yourself up.

Speaker 2

There's two ways to do this, and I got news for you.

Speaker 1

Y'all are doing both. You're you're not just putting me down. You're you're you're you're building yourself up. You know some people do one or the other. You're doing both.

Speaker 2

You guys are a double barrel shotgun.

Speaker 1

Even though he didn't have double barrel shotguns there, That's probably what I would have said.

Speaker 2

Uh So in.

Speaker 1

Verse six, know then that God has put me in the wrong and closed his net about me. Now this is this is interesting. Here's Joe again. God is dealing with me. I acknowledge that he is my judge. I acknowledge that not you. And then he uses notice the net here who everybody here lasts have all of you, either when you were here last week or you you've gone back and caught up most everybody. You remember, Build

Dad used this net analogy. So he he wants to take a specific analogy that Bill Dad used last week and said that's not your analogy.

Speaker 2

That God would be the one that would that would have me. Then that not you.

Speaker 1

Okay, so he's being very specific, cause that's directed right at build that. Okay, So now after six Job has said, I've made my case with you guys, Okay, I want this to stop. How long is this gonna go on? Are you enjoying this? Putting me down and lifting yourself up? But I want you to know I'm done with it. I don't want to hear this anymore. Anybody ever got to the point do you just finally say I'm done.

It's funny because even in my and I'm just gonna be transparent with you, which I well those of you that may be new here today or out there, I'm always very transparent. I want to be teaching myself as I'm teaching here. I don't talk at you. I talk with you. We're all going through this, and I try to always make sure you understand that I that I'll share my shortcomings. I'll talk about the things I didn't do right. I certainly don't do everything right, haven't always

done everything right. But the perfect standard is the God that we're learning about. None of us are that standard. So I will tell you this. This is a reputation even in my own family, and it's gotten better through sanctification.

Speaker 2

My brother. Now my sister.

Speaker 1

She she's of course the favorite because she was ten years younger than me and by the time she was born, my parents were trying to get into heaven. Okay, so she's she's gotten to do any all these things. She's you know, nothing, nothing's wrong with her. But when you get down to Greg and me, my brother who's close to me, that we we shared a two twin beds in a little bitty room all the way to we're adults and out on our own, and so so Greg has a short temper. He tends he had a temper

that will fly. I don't have a short temper. However, my entire family will say, I'd rather Greg be against me than Rick.

Speaker 2

Rick has a long fuse. But when it goes, everybody needs counseling.

Speaker 1

You know, yeah, he said, you know, he said, you know, Greg kind of just hits you with these little skirmishes.

Speaker 2

You know, he's upset for a minute.

Speaker 1

He kind of I build, and I build, I'm sitting on I sit on that launching pad and when I launch, it is it is an all out of sault. So so anyway that that, but so if I get to the point that I'm done, and I start saying I'm done. Everybody take a note, because it's about to get ugly. Okay, but I'm not short fused. But sometimes that loan build can actually be a worse result at the end because I'm gonna unload it all, okay. So Greg kind of lets off the air as he goes, so it never

really builds up. I let it build and and so I've gotten better about that though, So because I know that's not not good if I'm upset or I got a problem, I go ahead and start talking sooner before I start getting really upset about it. But but and I remember Greg, on the other hand, talking about this, and I think, job is there. Greg give us an outline here? He would count. And I tried to tell a guy one time we were we were hunting in

Texas and the guy was was picking at Greg. He was he for some reason decided to make Greg the focal point of harassing and he said something about Greg had made a shot or something and had missed a do or something, and in front of everybody. Now Greg didn't know this guy, I mean, we met him when we got there, and he said something to Greg and we were ride dating. Greg goes, that's one, and the

guy look to me says, what did that mean? I said, you don't even get to three and uh and so so so so anyway, but so so so so job is done with this, and he said, I've had enough of this.

Speaker 2

So now he's gonna shift from these people.

Speaker 1

And now he's going, which we've seen him do, He's going to complain to God.

Speaker 2

Okay, I would take a note of this too. Now, some of this, you know, I want to this is careful.

Speaker 1

We never want to be disrespectful, and we certainly will not blaspheme God. But I will tell you that God already knows what we're thinking. He already knows what our heart is, and he's not afraid of our complaining. Are even our questions? Now, we don't blaspheme God, but I've been there. It's okay to to say I don't understand what you're doing. I trust you, I have faith in you. Any clarity you could give me be great.

Speaker 2

I don't. I'm not tracking with you right now. I don't know what you're doing.

Speaker 1

You know, you remember, if you've read my wife's book, she even got to the point you know where.

Speaker 2

She cried out to God.

Speaker 1

She said, I don't understand why you let children doc I don't get it.

Speaker 2

Uh And and.

Speaker 1

She said, but then the Holy Spirit made it very clear for her that in this process, because she even said to God, she said, down at the farm, she said, I said it out loud. I know that your son was crucified, but you got him back in three days three days. And she said she heard from God is clear through the Holy Spirit. What about all my children. You're gonna get your baby back too, But what about those that reject redemption? Those are my children, and I

lose them every day. And she said, for the first time, one of the most profound things Sherry has said. And she said many She said, for the first time in my entire life, I finally had compassion for God.

Speaker 2

We're always worried about him having compassion.

Speaker 1

For us, But when you see his children rejecting him every now and then, it's probably all right to have compassion for God and maybe understand that He may be using you to save some of them, and at the end of it, he's gonna make it right with you too. So anyway, I mean, you go back to Stephen getting stoned. Who's standing there watching that, Paul, So why didn't Jesus step in and keep the stoning from happening when he

was standing watching Steven defend him. Stephen did everything right, He even sees Jesus standing at the right hand the Father honoring him.

Speaker 2

But the stoning didn't stop.

Speaker 1

How many times I know once in the Book of Acts, and then in First Corinthians, Paul reverences back to what stoning of Stephen. So God allowed Stephen to die and suffer in a way that Paul never forgot. It was for the benefit of a child that was rejecting Jesus, that was brought into the fold, that then began to advance the kingdom of Jesus with the same gift set

that God gave him. He just had it going in the wrong direction, and Stephen was used because Stephen's role was to serve him for a time and suffer publicly for the benefit.

Speaker 2

Of possibly argue argue against it. Possibly.

Speaker 1

Well let's just say this, I don't have to hastand on this one of the greatest Christians that the world has ever known. Okay, anybody think Paul hadn't had any impact, that's pretty big ministry. Okay, so, and Steven played a role in that. Steven played a role in that. So, so as we're looking at this now, Job was going to turn to God away from his friends, and he says in seven, behold, I cry out violence, but I'm not answered. I call for help, but there's no justice.

Here's Job begin going. Lord, I know you hear me. Isn't that the thing that always kind of gets you just a little bit? I mean, there's no voicemail. Sorry, I'm not here right now. I mean when we're crying out to God, he hears us, you know. And so Job seems to know that. And he's saying, I've been I've been I've been wronged by these people.

Speaker 2

God.

Speaker 1

Uh you know what word he uses here in the original hamas violence?

Speaker 2

Violence?

Speaker 1

And and I'm being ignored by you. God, don't don't you see how I'm being treated? You know, not only am I suffering, which I think you're you're letting that happen, But now look a look at how I'm being talked to.

Speaker 2

I you know what does he keep saying? You can see it in a minute. I will defend me, help me, And and and he says, I'm not hearing it. An eight.

Speaker 1

He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass. He has set darkness upon my paths. This echoes of Jeremiah a little bit, doesn't it, When he was when he was down and out. Make a reference if you get time today or this week to Jeremiah three seven, you hear similar language about being hedged in darkness.

Speaker 2

Uh.

Speaker 1

And you know what he's saying right here too. He says, I sense that I'm at an impasse. I sense that we're at a deadlock. You ever been there? I have nothing else to say.

Speaker 2

You know that.

Speaker 1

This is one of the things even in what I do for a living. When I we started getting into the new show that I've been doing for six months, one of the things that that that I really was ready to move on, to move on from, is there were certain topics that I just felt like in the latter years of what I was doing, I didn't have anything else to say about it. I mean, I had said these same things over and over again. I'm like, I don't have anything new to add to that topic.

It's been said. You may agree with it, you may not. I don't have any new way to say fill in the blank. So I'd just rather move on. Let's do some new stuff. Let's talk about things that that that that haven't been running to the ground. Uh, let's have some new things to say. And that's kind of where Job is right now. He's like, I just I just feel like this is going nowhere, and maybe it's not gonna get any better. Look at verse nine. He has stripped me. He has stripped from me my glory and

has taken the crown from my head. Now I'll take exactly what he's saying here. Remember that Job, before all this was very well respected far and wide, very well expected respected. He was a leader. Remember what they said. He's out there at the gates. Everybody knows who Job is. Let's hear from Job. Look at Joe Wow Job, And he said, I'll tell what you've done. My self esteem is gone. My self esteem is gone. And you know what, the honor that I once had, you've just taken it

from me. Nobody wants to hear from me, and nobody wants to be around me. I am not desired.

Speaker 2

I have no self esteem, I have no honor. And then he goes to ten.

Speaker 1

He breaks me down. Now this he he's referring to here is God. I'm going to say that again. The he he's referring to here is God, he breaks me down on every side and I am gone, and my hope he has pulled up like a tree. Now, notice the point he's making here. You know this is that this is another little counter Remember Bill Dad last week he said, I'm gonna I've talked about how God sees things. I want to talk about this theology of retribution for

the wicked. It is also universal. And he starts referring to creation. Well, this is a little throwback over because Bill Dad, I assume, is still listening, and he's using analogies of nature too. He's saying, you know what, I've been torn down, and I haven't just been torn down.

Speaker 2

You take a tree, right, you've seen this.

Speaker 1

If a tree goes down but it still has the roots, it's got a chance it may bounce back. Job says, No, that's not me. I not only have I been torn down like a tree, I've been uprooted.

Speaker 2

There's no hope for this tree.

Speaker 1

This tree's never gonna be set back like and take root again because the roots have been pulled up like a tree. I've been broken down on every side. If I got knocked down in the storm, you would come over to me as a tree, and you would see the roots are up to I got nothing. I've been torn down and uprooted Verse eleven. He has kindled his wrath against me. Well look at this. God has kindled his wrath against me, and he counts me as his adversary.

Now remember everywhere here, if you're with me and you're walking through this, everywhere you see he, you can put the word God. You know, there's almost a little bit of a we're a little squeamish with that. Ont we were real to stay with He's we know that may stand for God. It's a little bit squeamish. And because we don't we understand what Job's saying, we may not like what he's saying. We don't like to think that somehow that God might deem for us the best thing

to be misery. We just rather not go down that road. We don't want to think like that. We don't want to be that. I don't want to consider that. That's all right, that's pretty normal.

Speaker 2

Now.

Speaker 1

It's one thing not to desire it. It's quite another thing not to believe it.

Speaker 2

That's different.

Speaker 1

Because you can find people out there that will tickle your ears and say, not only do we not like it, we don't believe it. And then you'll have to tell them, do y'all ever do a Bible study on the Book of Job, And I'm gonna bet the answer is no.

Speaker 2

We do not so.

Speaker 1

And so that's the bottom line. God is doing this. He knows God is doing this, and he's trying to figure it out. Look here, God has kindled his wrath against me and counts me as his adversary. Now this is where Job is incorrect. He doesn't have this right. God's in control, He's got that right. But he thinks God's got something against him. He thinks God is doing pouring out his wrath on him over something that God's mad about. That isn't correct. Now that's important too. That's

a big ee today. Okay, that's a big ee today. Don't always assume that the difficulty that you're in is because God's upset. There's many times that you have difficulty and God's not upset at all. He just knows this is what we need a for him to be glorified. Could be that be for our own refinement. I mean, the Bible tells us that difficulty produces a steadfastness. It brings us into a more appreciation for the holiness of God, makes us more dependent on God. It certainly humbles us,

doesn't it, which is happening here with Joe? So this part Job does not have right. God is not angry with him. His anger and wrath are burning against him, he thinks. But here's the thing that's gonna blow your mind?

Speaker 2

Does anybody?

Speaker 1

And I have a problem with this, even with shows and movies, and I get ostracized for this. I'm about to tell you something's gonna happen in the future of our study. Are you okay with that? I'm also the kind of guy that'll tell you if you're watching a movie, don't get attached to that gutta.

Speaker 2

You know so?

Speaker 1

But but I'm gonna I'm gonna tell I'm gonna tell you this right now. God's angry with his friends. He's not angry with Job. God's actually angry with his friends. And You're like, well, why are they sitting there so comfortable while Job suffers? God does things the way he doesn't?

Speaker 2

Okay? So so he he he trusts Job.

Speaker 1

He doesn't trust them. Try and try that again. You don't, just don't just look down. That's that's a takeaway. Job is suffering. His friends are not God's anger. When he starts giving his speech to these friends, he's angry with them, but they're not suffering.

Speaker 2

He trusts Job. He is suffering. Hang on to that. That's a good one right there.

Speaker 1

So we're going to see that God is going to get really upset with these friends, and you know why, because their representation of God is incorrect. I'd write that one down. God's angry because people claim to be representing him and they're representing him incorrectly. We got some of that going on in our society right now. So if you don't know what a correct representation of God is, you're gonna get food by these Charlatans.

Speaker 2

Okay.

Speaker 1

So that's why it's important to be here, and I'm so thankful that you guys are so so devoted to be in here every week. It's important and I commend you for it.

Speaker 2

So here we go. Verse twelve.

Speaker 1

His troops come on together and they have cast up their siege ramp against me, and they camp around my tent.

Speaker 2

So he's here.

Speaker 1

A lot of commentators think, even though he's still talking about God, he's almost seeing these friends, and he's comparing them to an enemy, to enemy troops. You know, their arguments against him are like a siege, a siege ramp, you know, where they're coming into battle and unwilling to refrain and listen. They are aligned together, all three of them, against me. So he's not just saying that he thinks God's against him. He looks over at this bunch and he says, well, look.

Speaker 2

At this group.

Speaker 1

It's like a bunch of troops aligned together, all on the same page, and every one of them are coming after me. They're like a siege on me. They're like enemies, enemy troops.

Speaker 2

So then.

Speaker 1

I'm just going to tell you if you have a soft heart. Thirteen through twenty is probably one of the more pathetic and pitiful parts of this entire book, because Job feels like that he is he's leaving his argument with God, and he's coming to the realization that he's been forsaken by his friends and his family.

Speaker 2

And this is a low.

Speaker 1

Moment for him here because he's still trying to figure out what God's doing. But then he goes, but I know what these people are doing that I can touch and I can feel, and I have been abandoned by everybody I thought that I could trust. Thirteen, He has put my brothers far from me, and those who knew

me are wholly estranged from me. Now they do not think, because he's going to get here, the commentators here do not think he's talking about siblings, even though he will get to that these are likely What he means is fellow countrymen, even including these friends. He says, my own relationships are strained, my fellow countrymen, my brothers, my friends, I'm a stranged from all of them. Notice though who he blames for it are blames or is saying has.

Speaker 2

Done it God.

Speaker 1

God has turned my own my own friends against me. God has turned my own countrymen against me because I'm not being vindicated. So now they're mad at me for something that God's doing and God's not defending me. So then he gets into to fourteen. Now we're talking about relatives, because it says relatives, My relatives have failed me. My close friends back to friends again have forgotten me. So

all family and all friends have left me. Fifteen The guests in my house and my maid servants count me as a stranger.

Speaker 2

He's saying, those.

Speaker 1

Who have known worked for me, worked with me, those that at one time honored me in the past, they see me now like somebody.

Speaker 2

They don't even know. They see me as a stranger.

Speaker 1

You've ever been in a situation like this, and you're like, when did When did the person I was?

Speaker 2

Change? Y'all? Y'all knew me, you know how I do things.

Speaker 1

You've seen me past, test after test, you see me do this, and all of a sudden, in this particular struggle, you've decided that I'm not the person that you always acknowledged I was. Now suddenly I'm a stranger. You know, where did I ever show, y'all that there was anything about me that you now can't trust? And you know what a feeling that is. And it's been throughout the book of Job. He continues to just be heartbroken, and

if you've ever been there, you will be too. That they're not giving him the benefit of doubt because he's lived his life with integrity for a really long time. So Verse fifteen, the guest in my house and my maid servants count me as a stranger. I have become a foreigner in their eyes. Now look at sixteen. I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer. I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy. I'm so far gone now that I even have to beg my own servants, who at one time would the

minute I said something, they would jump to it. If I said this is what we're going to do today, they'd do it. And now these same people that I used to have authority over. Now we're not talking about slaves here. We're talking about people that were being taken care of by job that worked his land, worked his worked his cattle.

Speaker 2

And all his camels and all this.

Speaker 1

And he had a great relationship with them, he said. But now the very people that used to work for me and respect me, I have to beg them. I have to beg them to show me mercy. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. My breath is strange to my wife, and I'm a stench to the children of my own mother.

Speaker 2

They're siblings.

Speaker 1

Now, you got them, and also the wife. Now there's a literal thing here, but there's also a figure thing here. Is it likely that job does not have great breath right now?

Speaker 2

Probably? So, okay, probably so.

Speaker 1

But but what he's really saying here in the figurative sense he's using that as an example, is that I got no relationship with my wife right now. My wife has told me to curse God and die. She's devastated by the death of our children. Do we see her anywhere right now? I mean, it doesn't say the three friends and his wife. Now, I want you to think

about this. If if your relationship with your wife, if you're married in here, if your relationship with your wife is where it needs to be and it's healthy, do they just abandon you when you're struggling. No, my wife will be right there with me. Wouldn't you think she would be sitting right there with them. She might tell these idiots to leave and stay there by ourself, you know what. But she's nowhere to be found. And he says, so I've even really I'm despised, I'm seeing as despicable

and undesirable by my own wife. And then he says, and I'm a stench to the children of my own mother. Apparently there are siblings involved, and he says, they don't even want anything to do with me. My brothers and my sisters or whatever they are. They don't want anything to do with me either, And he says in eighteen, this is something you see in our society so much today, which makes me sick. Even young children despise me when I rise, they talk against me. I mean, I'm so

far gone. I'm so I've lost any honor, any authority. Kids don't even listen to me, Kids disrespect me, kids will say anything they want to to me. They don't think I'm of any value. You know, when you're an elder and young people disrespect you and mouthed off at you and don't don't show you any honor, it's a terrible feeling. We got a lot of that going on in our society right now. Young people have kind of lost respect for older men and women.

Speaker 2

It's ugly.

Speaker 1

And if you look around, their decision to do that's really worked out great. And so you know there's something to the gray haired folks. We're worth listening to. And Job says, you know what, I can't even get. I can't even get Your children don't even like me. They don't even want to be around me. So now look look what happens next. In nineteen all my intimate friends abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me. Now what is this right here? You remember when we

talked about the circles. You know, you have your your your strangers or the farthest circle out. Then the next circle in and are lances, and then you get into that little circle in the middle. This is what Job's saying, the inner circle.

Speaker 2

They're gone. I mean the.

Speaker 1

People that were closest to me, those whom I have loved and at one time they love me. These are the people that I are, my confidants, these are my two am people. These are the closest people family and friends that I have that It doesn't get any closer. Use the word intimate here. It doesn't get any closer than our relationship. And now even these people have nothing to do with me.

Speaker 2

They're gone. Verse twenty.

Speaker 1

My bones stick to my skin, to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. It's he says, you know what, And I'll Calhoun County this one because it can get a little convoluted.

Speaker 2

But the bottom line here is physically.

Speaker 1

I'm so far gone physically, I don't even know how I'm still alive. It's a miracle that I am still alive, and I must be hanging on by a thread, by the skin of my teeth. I'm barely How am I even here? How am I even here? And he's also this is a complaint because you know, if you if you've ever been with someone that you loved and they're suffering and there's and there's no hope as far as physically now hopefully they're redeemed. And you know, it's beautiful

about the redeemed. I mean this just hit me today as I was kind of going over everything and I have, you know, someone that that I love that is days away from death, and I thought to myself, off, because he's fully redeemed. And I'm talking about getting a well done, good and faithful servant kind of thing, a life well lived for the kingdom and for the Savior that redeemed him. So right now, see I feel bad for him, But in days, he's gonna feel bad for me. That's all

about to shift. See, right now, I feel like I have the upper hand. I'm like, well, I have my health and I have this and he's near death. But when he takes that step and his spirit for the redeemed. Now when that spirit is in glory and sickness and death are no more for him, and he's standing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will say

to him, well done, good and faithful servant. He will not need me to pity him at all, and he'll begin to pity me because I'm still here and all the garbage and he don't have food with it anymore.

Speaker 2

It's a weird flip, isn't it.

Speaker 1

You know, you've been there by their beds before and you feel bad for them, but when they go, they feel bad for you.

Speaker 2

So let's go to where they're going. They don't want to come back to where we are.

Speaker 1

So so this is where he is. I'm hanging on. I don't even know why I'm hanging on. I'm ready, I just be ready. He's sorrdy told us he's ready for this to end, right, So that's not that's not speculation. He's told us that. So twenty one, have mercy on me. Twice, have mercy on me, ohe you, my friends, for the hand of God has touched me. Two he pleads to his friends again, have mercy on me. Don't you see that for whatever reason that I'm trying to figure out.

God is against me right now, and you know what he's saying. Are you gonna be against me too? I mean, you see that I'm in trouble. Why would you choose to see that I'm in trouble that you too would be against me? Where's the encouragement about let's work through this and let's all figure out what God's doing. And

God's touching you right now. But I wonder why would have been so much of it if you could have maybe doubted your theology like me and say, well, you know, I've never seen as opposed to saying and are we supposed to change our theology because of Job?

Speaker 2

Maybe what they've already said.

Speaker 1

Maybe you come in and say, I know Job, really, well, hang in there. God's doing something. We don't know what it is, but we're standing with you, and we know your integrity, and we'll get to the end of it. God will reveal this to you. We're standing with you. You know what they said, God's against you, and you know what, so are we, And he's begging them show me mercy.

Speaker 2

He says it twice.

Speaker 1

I think about Jesus, don't deny grace and mercy to people that I didn't deny to you. I know this is this is the We're not to the New Covenant yet, but Jesus has already taught us that. You know what, Hey, when you put me on the cross, I could have asked for angels to come take me off that cross, and I could have told my father.

Speaker 2

To wipe you out. And I didn't, and you deserved it.

Speaker 1

So don't take the grace and mercy that I didn't deny, and then you deny that somebody else. And that's what he's pleading for right now. So now we're going to get into to twenty two. Why do you like, God pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? I've given you a pound of flesh and you what do you want two pounds? I mean, why are you acting the way God is act to me right now in pursuing me and just trying to pile on right I mean, job's like somebody throw a flag. I mean

they're spearing me. I mean, God's got me on the ground. I mean, there's no need to spare me just And that's really what he's saying. So now comes a testimony of hope. This is interesting right here, This is where this thing gets chills on you. This is the interesting thing about this book. It's almost like Job forgets everything he knows, and then he starts remembering the things that he knows.

Speaker 2

Right, you ever been there?

Speaker 1

I have, you know where all of a sudden, like I've forgotten all the things that God's done for me. I've forgotten what I believed and my moment, it's almost like I think something's changed, and God hasn't changed. And watch this shift right here. Okay, this is interesting here twenty three. Oh that my words were written, Oh that they were inscribed in a book? Hey, Job, they were We got them. And he's crying out for that. I wish, I wish this could be documented. Well, God did document it.

Job is saying that I think people could learn from this. I want everybody I want on record that I was saying I was innocent. Well it is, we got it, Job. I can't wait to talk to him. Abut verse twenty three of chapter nineteen. I almost say, hey, Joe, remember that the time you want it to be written down?

Speaker 2

How about that? Yeah?

Speaker 1

And uh so God did that? And look he wants it. He wants it in there good to look at twenty four. He didn't want it to be anything that's gonna be you know, kind of sorta in there. Okay, he said, I this may be seen as the highlight of this entire book of Job.

Speaker 2

Okay.

Speaker 1

So so Job feared that he would die before he was vindicated. He wished that this was being recorded. It is, and this is, and he wants it to be something that would last forever. Look at twenty four. Oh that with an iron pen and led they were engraved in the rock for ever.

Speaker 2

It is. Isn't that great?

Speaker 1

So what he's saying is I want this to be if I go, let this be my epitaph. I wish it was right there on the stone wherever my body's going to be laid, that I was ben the I was crying out that I was innocent.

Speaker 2

Well, it was Job, and you know what we.

Speaker 1

Do have it Then comes twenty five, probably what you are real familiar with when you saw when people quote Job, they often quote this, and for good reason. Look at look at look at down twenty five. I'm going to ask you if you have something to write with and remember what we've talked about for years. Adrian Rodgers, thank you very much. The cheapest pen helps you with Bible

study more than the greatest memory. Okay, what a great word of wisdom he had so many for I know, I want you under lie in their highlight, and I know for I know. I think that's interesting because he seems like he's been vacillating and now he's gonna come back and say, I know, you know, he almost seems like he's forgotten, but then he's reminding himself.

Speaker 2

For I know that my redeemer lives.

Speaker 1

And at the last he will stand upon the earth. Wow, I know that's huge. Redeemer. What is the word here? A redeemer mean? Now we know that, but just want to remind you. This means I know there's someone that will deliver me to make this right. Remember, he's already been asking for this. Now he says, I know this exists. He's clinging to this is going to be made right now. He doesn't know about the New Covenant. He didn't know about the New Covenant, but he sure is foreshadowing in it.

Speaker 2

I need a redeemer.

Speaker 1

How good does it feel to know that we don't have to wonder if a Redeemer is coming.

Speaker 2

He's already come. Have you been redeemed? Though? Do you stand.

Speaker 1

Guiltless before a holy God? Are you made fully righteous by this redeemer?

Speaker 2

Do you know his name?

Speaker 1

Have you left your own authority? Have you left faith in your own abilities? And just said I can't meet the standard. But Jesus you did, and I just give my life to you, and I turned from my sin, and I say you forgave me on the cross. You died for me on the cross. I acknowledge that had

to happen. I acknowledge I need to be made fully righteous. Hey, partial righteous ain't gonna get it fully righteous under the blood of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice and then the eternal life we got when he walked out of that. To him, I took care of the sin. I took care of the death, and everybody and me will stand before a holy Father fully redeemed.

Speaker 2

And vindicated. Which job is screaming for me? He says.

Speaker 1

I know it's possible, I know it's there. I know God knows that I'm not wrong. I just don't know how this is gonna work out, but I know it's going to Watch this he doubles down. He really senses, which is interesting because he seems like he's lost all hope, and then all of a sudden he kind of bounces back here and look at twenty six and after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I shall see God. He doesn't think he's going to hell. He said, it may be that God doesn't do this

while I'm still alive. But I'm telling you, when I die, I'm gonna stand before God and I'm gonna see him. He's not saying that God's gonna crush me or send me to hell. He is saying, I don't know why you're making my last days on earth miserable.

Speaker 2

I got no idea what you're doing. But I know this.

Speaker 1

I know that I'm right with you, and I know that if I'm not vindicated before I die, when I die, I will be vindicated. Do you have that hope? Do you have that hope? Can I go ahead and just let you in on something. As long as you live in this falling place, with all us falling people, we ain't never gonna treat you right. We'll have moments where we're okay. We're always gonna have some misconception about you. We sometimes might get caught up in gossip we shouldn't

where we think things about you. We may see imperfections and try to elevate ourselves and say, well, I'm not as bad as that person. You know, there was one time my whole purpose on earth was to make people feel better about themselves and because of how wicked I was. But I will say this, if we're right with God through Christ. Cling to that, I know that I'm right with God. I don't I'm not perfect. I keep making

mistakes because I'm being sanctified. But I know that when I die, I'll be glorified, not because of anything that I could.

Speaker 2

Do, but because what Jesus has already done right.

Speaker 1

And and you know, because just like we said before, this whole thing of Paul's straining and pressing on and working out his salvation, that's that's that sanctification, that's that fight, that's that Look, I'm not gonna be satisfied where I am. I want more of Jesus. I want more of the Holy Spirit. I want to know his word. I'm working it out. I want to grow. I want to be able to handle the word. I want to be able

to advance the kingdom. I want to know what to say when somebody asked me, where does my hope come from? None of that's earning this redemption. It's the response to redemption. It's sanctification. And then one day who glorification and the fight's over and we can we can, we can just stop the battle and say, flesh finally gone. Andy boy, you have been a nightmare. I'm glad to see you go.

Right Well, job seems to know that's gonna happen. Look at twenty seven whom I shall see for myself talking about God now, and my eyes shall behold and not another My heart faints within me. I will see God and he will not be a stranger to me. And just the thought of me standing there in front of God just causes my heart to faint just thinking about that moment. Can you imagine? That was another thing that

Adrian Rodgers always said. You can tell that I've been greatly influenced by Adrian Rodgers.

Speaker 2

Right after I was redeemed.

Speaker 1

He's one of the first preachers I started reading and studying, and he's such a great teacher and listening to old sermons, and I remember he said you know, people keep talking about the moment that they see God and the things they may say and the things they may ask. And he said, I I just want you to prepare you. It's possible, if not likely, you may just fall on your face and say Holy for a thousand years before you ever get up and ask anything.

Speaker 2

He's that overwhelming. He's that overwhelming. I will go ahead and tell you this.

Speaker 1

I don't think the great I am when we come rushing in and go, well there's Rick, Rick, what's your Q and A what are some things you want to run by me?

Speaker 2

That's probably not the way that's going to go.

Speaker 1

I think the time will come when, but I have a feeling when I first see his glory, I'll probably uncontrollably go on.

Speaker 2

My face and just say Holy.

Speaker 1

So so anyway, because that's what job saying. I think my heart will it faints within me to think about this.

Speaker 2

Twenty eight.

Speaker 1

He gives a stern warning to his friends, Hey, he's had enough, listen to this. He now turns. From that moment, I think, don't y'all think you go with me here? Brothers and sisters out there. I'm certainly not the final word on this, but I tend to think because he looked like he was kind of down, he was done with him, he was upset, kind of lost his confidence. And then he starts this this thing about I wish all this would be written down. And then he gets

into the Redeemer. Then he gets sin to seeing God. I think that gives him confidence for these last two verses. I think it changes his whole countenance. I think he turns down and going, you know what, and now that I just remember that. Let me tell you people something, right you ever had that where you just somebody has to use just just like man, I'm not got no wait a minute, just hang on just a second, and

you start kind of building yourself back up. Well, he's building God up, and he knows he's right with God. And he says to his friends, look at twenty eight. If you say, how will we pursue him? And the root of the matter is found in him. If you're blaming me for this, if you think I've brought this on myself.

Speaker 2

Look at this.

Speaker 1

Be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword. That you may know there is judgment. Now this is also Jesus t all a lot about this job. Didn't know that yet, but you know what he's saying. If y'all keep hounding me like this and you keep saying I'm the problem, look at you, Look at you, Look at you. You are the ones that are about to be judged. And you're gonna be judged because you made yourself judge.

Speaker 2

What did Jesus say?

Speaker 1

Just remember, when you're pointing out the speck in somebody's eye, you better get the log out of your own eye. And then he reminds us what you're gonna be judged by the same standard, and what you judge that person. Now, if you're pointing out that something is wrong, and you acknowledge that if you were doing that, it was wrong too. This Sometimes people take Jesus's teaching and they incorrectly interpret it. We had a whole generation that did this that thought. All Jesus ever said was.

Speaker 2

That, hey, don't judge.

Speaker 1

No, what Jesus said was don't judge incorrectly. Don't interpret that to say we can never say something's wrong based on biblical s standards.

Speaker 2

That's not what Jesus was teaching. He was saying, there'll be.

Speaker 1

A hypocrite, don't make yourself God, because you're not God. Acknowledge that you're imperfect too, and be sure you have your life in order before you decide to correct somebody else. What he said is correct people with yourself corrected first. Don't run out and be a hypocrite pointing to everybody and not realize you're health to the same standard.

Speaker 2

That's what Jesus was saying. And you know what, Job's kind of give us friends a little bit of that. I tell you we're.

Speaker 1

Gonna find out y'all think y'all are judging me, and you think I'm the one in trouble with God. I want you to be real careful because this sword you're slinging around, it's gonna be turned on you.

Speaker 2

By the way, that does happen. Job gave me just a little bit of be careful.

Speaker 1

Now, be careful with your little end zone dance on how bad I am, because I just remembered where I stand with God. And if you continue to hound me and say I'm the problem and God's punishing me because I'm wicked, and you keep talking about how wicked I am, let me tell you something. God's gonna point to you, how wicked you are. Of course it has no impact. They continue this narrative, but it's gonna start. It's gonna

start lose thing a little bit. But there's so much to take away from this nineteen I just couldn't get enough of it, and I hope that it's helped you today, because the main thing to take away from this is God's in control.

Speaker 2

God's actually upset with the.

Speaker 1

Friends, not with Job. He's suffering. They're not, but he's upset with them, not Job, and that Job cries out. I know that this is all gonna be made right. I don't know how, but it is going to be made right. And then he turns around and says, and be careful how you treat the redeemed, and be careful how you judge me, because you're gonna be judged by that same standard. And if you're judging incorrectly, God's gonna punish you for that. And if you represent God incorrectly,

God's gonna punish you for that. Let's pray, Lord, thank you for today, thank you for these incredible words, thank you for the study, thank you for the power of you. And Lord, I pray that you'll continue to mold us

into the people that only you can make us. And I always, Lord, I just sinse anytime somebody may have stumbled across this Bible study, somebody is in the room with us that because of the Holy Spirit, and because of the cutting of the Word of God, that's you know, it's cutting me as I teach, it's cutting people as they hear. Maybe there's things that people right now go, Hey, that's what I need to hear. I got to get

this straightened out. And today's day, for the first time or the first time they ever meant it, they say, I repent. I repent of this sin I keep justifying my life. I repent of the way I'm doing whatever. And they turn to you and they say, Lord, I'm leaving my own authority because I keep messing things up. It's time for me to toe submit to you, to deny myself, to count the cost to enter that narrow gate and just cry out, I can't redeem myself. You

are the redeemer. Redeem me, Jesus, and then mold me into something that you're more comfortable with, and forgive me for trying to make you something I'm more comfortable with. And during our times of trouble or may we not be upset with you, but be wise enough to look to you if we're redeemed, and ask you, the teacher, what are you teaching me that we learn not to waste difficulty that you've allowed to be sure we get every benefit from it, and the glorious name of Jesus, we pray amen.

Speaker 2

All right, guys, thank you very much,

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