JOB: HE MEETS US IN THE MIDST OF OUR PAIN

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Today, we turn the corner from Job’s conversations with his three friends, and another who stepped into the conversation, to God speaking directly to Job. He begins to make it clear the “why” behind the “what” which is something Job has been searching for all this time.

1. He is where you are

Job 38:1 (CSB) Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said…

• There’s never a moment in your storm when God loses sight of you
• Job 38:1–2 (NLT) Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: 2“Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?
• In His opening words, God challenges everything that has been said for the past 35 chapters
• In this opening statement, God makes it clear; He has always been there for Job, right in the middle of the storm
• Paul Tournier said, “For God’s answer is not an idea, a proposition, like the conclusion of a theorem; it is Himself. He revealed Himself to Job; Job found personal contact with God.”[i]

2. He encourages us to stand

Job 38:3 (CSB) Get ready to answer me like a man; when I question you, you will inform me.

• He challenges us to be strong which is only possible when we’ve been obedient
• God prepares Job for a lesson in the sovereignty of God

3. He reminds us of who He is

Job 38:4–18 (CSB) Where were you when I established the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone 7while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst from the womb, 9when I made the clouds its garment and total darkness its blanket, 10when I determined its boundaries and put its bars and doors in place, 11when I declared, “You may come this far, but no farther; your proud waves stop here”? 12Have you ever in your life commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place, 13so it may seize the edges of the earth and shake the wicked out of it? 14The earth is changed as clay is by a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment. 15Light is withheld from the wicked, and the arm raised in violence is broken. 16Have you traveled to the sources of the sea or walked in the depths of the oceans? 17Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18Have you comprehended the extent of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.

• God points to the creation of the world and makes it clear everything exists because of Him
• In verse 11, He even emphasizes that the ocean itself can only go as far as He allows
• The greatest encouragement during our most difficult day is remembering how powerful God truly is
• If God can hold the world in place, He can hold you in safety
• In the daily devotional, Our Daily Bread, we read: “Job stood before almighty God in dumbfounded silence. He wanted to know “Why?” but God responded with “Who.” The lesson for us is this: If God can run the universe in such a spectacular way, we can trust His love and wisdom with the inexplicable and puzzling mysteries of life. We don’t know what God will do in the future for us or for our loved ones who are struggling, but we know we can trust Him.”[ii]

4. He reminds us of who we are

Job 38:19–21 (CSB) Where is the road to the home of light? Do you know where darkness lives, 20so you can lead it back to its border? Are you familiar with the paths to its home? 21Don’t you know? You were already born; you have lived so long!

• The second greatest encouragement during our most difficult day is remembering how powerful we’re not!
• His vast power and knowledge help us to understand we must simply trust Him

5. He holds it all in the palm of His hand

Job 38:33–41 (CSB) Do you know the laws of heaven? Can you impose its authority on earth? 34Can you command the clouds so that a flood of water covers you? 35Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go? Do they report to you, “Here we are”? 36Who put wisdom in the heart or gave the mind understanding? 37Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven 38when the dust hardens like cast metal and the clods of dirt stick together? 39Can you hunt prey for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of young lions 40when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait within their lairs? 41Who provides the raven’s food when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

• God’s strength and power controls the entirety of the universe
• In verse 41, He reminds Job that even with the entire world in His hand, He never forgets about those whom He created
• T France wrote, “As Luther famously put it, God provides food for the birds, but he does not drop it into their beaks.”[iii]
• Warren Weirsbe once said, “Job thought he knew about God, but he didn’t realize how much he didn’t know about God. Knowledge of our own ignorance is the first step toward true wisdom.”[iv]

Takeaways:

1. Accept your limitations when you go up against a broken world
2. Recognize God created it all
3. Celebrate that He has you in the palm of His hand

[i] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Patient, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 142.

[ii] From Our Daily Bread online: https://ourdailybread.org/article/2023-1/

[iii] R.T France, The Gospel of Matthew, New International Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishers, 2007.)

[iv] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Patient, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 145.