The Gospel According to Job 5

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Speaker 1: Well, welcome back. You survived the last podcast, the last YouTube. Pretty heavy stuff, right, There's lots of loose ends that need to be tied together. I get that, but it's going to be great for now. You should be troubled. I mean, I don't. I mean only a narcissists wouldn't, right, or just a stone call theologian. Anyway, the Book of Job is unnerved and fright and confused Christian's millennium, and I wonder if we understand it, we get the core message right. It's shallow to say it's just about why good things happen to bad people or bad things happen to good people. It's bigger than that. It's and more important than that to our Christian walk and who God is. So we're gonna keep talking about it. Welcome to Gospel Rant podcast and doctor Bill Sen your YouTube channel. I'm your host, Doctor Bill senor We're free wherever you get podcasts of course on YouTube as well. Please subscribe as always, one of the fastest ways you can help us grows by leaving your comments below. Thank you for that. Also, thanks for making Gospel Rant one of the top ten percent podcasts in the world. Yeah, thank you for listening every week. We hope that it helps to regularly hear about God's love, that loves the unlovable, love the unlovely, the unworthy and unlikely. And that's you, that's me, that's all of us. Are need to give an day if we would just be a little bit honest about it. All right, I want to get right back into this because I'm sure you're still shaking your head, but we're gonna do it. After a brief force from our sponsors, we'll be right back. Well, we're going to look at the Three Friends, which covers the bulk of the book of Job read alongside try to keep up Elifaz Bill Dad, And so far they're wonderful, right, three friends who, unlike Job's wife and the other elders of Job City, at least they come and sit with Job for a time so to their credit, but that each of them as exposed for their corrupt, bad, unfortunate theology. They're not evil, not purposely destructive, and I think it's fair to say that they're well meaning, harsh but fair they would describe themselves. But in the end, you know, it's retributive principle that they're spouting, and it's not really helpful. It hasn't been for me, and I'm sure it hadn't been for you all, right side note, we need to be very careful in our council to people who are struggling, right, just saying these three are less than helpful. What is Job's critique of his friend's counsel Job six point fifteen. But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow. But it ceased to flow in the dry season, and then they heat vanished from their channels. Caravans just turned aside from their roots. They go up into the wasteland and perish. The caravans of Tema look for water, The traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope. They are distressed because they had been confident. They arrived there, only to be disappointed. This is great literature. Now you too have proved to be of no help. You see something dreadful and are afraid. It's interesting that he says that's their problem, that they're afraid afraid of what. Yeah, that God could be what he appears to be all right. We're gonna look at each Eliphaz was the oldest and most respected, no doubt, as implied because he went first. He's from Taman, a city in the Edam area. Timan was known for its wisdom, we think Jeremiah forty nine to seven, and his name perhaps means God is the victor. One another commentator suggested that it means God is fine gold. I portray Eli Fass an elephant in my book fifteen Fantasy c. S. Lewises Fantasy shadow Bound. Here's how I described him. Quote the first oracle. Ufaz was a massive elephant, his wrinkled gray skin draped in golden robes, his tusk gleaming like polished ivory. His small wise eyes twinkled as he reached out of the window with his trunk, plucking a tuft of long grass from the ground. He placed it between his teeth and chewed slowly, like every bite carried the weight of deep contemplation. Close quote and here's what he says. In the Bible, God gave me a word for you job. This is job for twelve. A word was secretly brought to me. My ears caught a whisper of it. Amid this quieting dreams in the night when deep sleep falls on men, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end. It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes, and I heard some hushed voice. Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his maker? Close? Quote? So Elifaz's wisdom is based upon a mystical word from the spirit realm whoo, So his case is dependent upon that that dream. In the ancient earies, the pagan gods didn't communicate what all of their preferences were, so it was easy to suggest that you had transgressed one of them, one of the many of them unaware. The idea is, how would you know? Another commentator speaks about a pious neo Etherian man who just knew that he had upset one of the gods because of the stuff happening to them. Quote. He begins by listing all the unintentional ways that he might have offended some deity or other. Did he accidentally step on a sacred space of some known or unknown God. Perhaps did he eat some food forbidden by unknown or unknown God. In the ancient world, religious duty was more concerned with ritual than ethics. In this view, one could not really know what would please the gods, so they were given gifts to keep them happy. This appeasement mentality carried with it the idea that deity was inclined toward irrational behavior. The gods had needs, and one tried to keep the God's content by meeting those needs. Ethical behavior was not neglected, but it was not among the primary religious responsibilities close quote. So the idea is that mankind exists to keep the gods appeased. But the problem is that the gods aren't so clear. So what are the chants that job? You did something unaware? Only the deity really knows. Quote. The gods have far more regulations than humans know or recognize. There are so many ways one might offend the gods in one's ritual performance. One can never claim not to deserve what deity has said. Such a confidence would truly be irrational. Close quote. Do you get that eli FAS's retributive principle here? It is God's perfectly just, and he's going to punish all shortcomings. Ouch. But the problem is that, since man can't not know all of the rules of the game, we should assume we screwed up and just be quick to appease God and then hopefully he will restore. Though we may never know what we did. So chances are job you blew it unaware and its look look at you. God must be upset. How else would you explain that? So good news? Joe five eight. But if it were I, I would appeal to God. I would lay my cause before him so ely Fas says eg Folution's easy. Do whatever it takes to appease God. Make your appeal to God. Put your complaint in his hands, humbly and repently. Assume that you did something unrighteous, throw yourself about God, and God will you know, likely, hopefully maybe respond to such appeasement positively. Right, it is your only shot, That's all you got. You're not a God, so is ellifaz and sync with God, yes and no, yes, mankind is we are so humanity is so ignorant of God's high high standards. I mean they're too high, and we break them all the time. And there will be punishment for every sin. Right, The cross, and no, he's not in sync with God because God has already told us that job had no shortcomings. He was righteous. So much for the so called spirit who told Ellie Fas this. I mean, there we go. God does not need appeasing. In fact, God doesn't appreciate appeasement at all. That's paganism. Ellie Fast just doesn't have a category for the innocent having to suffer. But we know that job is not being punished God says, so Elifaz was an unwilling messenger of Satan. He's not encouraging job to appease yahweh No. And not only that, but to appease God in order to get blessings piety. There is brings benefit retributive principle. That's what Satan's arguing. Elifaz foundationally has a pagan notion of God. That's Satan's plan. And by the way, we're all stuck with that needle. And also, if what he says is true about God, he should worry about his own future. I mean, how would he know. Surely he has offended God too, maybe by this advice. Yeah, doesn't that blow your mind? Well, here we go, what's wrong with Eli Fazist theology. Well, here's a blow your mind question for discussion. What's wrong with Eli Fazis theology? Put it in your own words and relate to it if you can. We all should read four one to six. Discuss what the real problem is of his theology his verse five. But now trouble comes to you and you are discouraged. It strikes you and you're dismayed. Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope? Really?

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Speaker 2: Is that what we hope in? Yeah, I think that's out there. I think that's in the back of our head. So talk about it anyway. Here's the rub for Elifash. It makes sense that our confidence and hope should be in our successful performance religion, righteous piety, active fear of God we call it. But for higher retributive principle, our hope get this is in his performance on our behalf. Our hope, that is, in Jesus's performance, which.

00:10:39
Speaker 1: Is perfect period on our behalf. If in Jesus, then there is no need for Bahal in the Hebrews to be terrified, to be disturbed by whatever happens. I mean as human too be. But we can get this hope from the Holy Spirit, and we don't need to be discouraged right, weary, impatient at our current troubling situations. Again, we can access the Holy Spirit, this miraculous heavenly hope in the midst of bad circumstances. It's a miracle, it's a fruit of the spirit. It's not something we're convinced of. Our brain doesn't go there. So Bill Dad, the second friend, his name means bail is Lord. Yeah. That's sketchy, right, and probably representing the paganism of his family. I'm not suggesting he's a bail worshiper. In my fantasy shadow Bout, I portray him as bell Ya Dad, a shaggy old dog of some unknown breed or combination, is firm, matted with age, his nose twitching as if he were sniffing for half eaten leftovers instead of divine wisdom. He sits at the hero's feet, panting lazily, his tail thumping against the dirt. You know how dogs do, bell you Dad? Anyway, And here's what he says. God's dealing with men are based upon strict, strongly upheld moral and legalistic formula. No mystery, you do the crime, You pay the time. He argues that God cannot endure injustices, even temporarily. So God never perverts or undermines justice ever, justice delayed. Right, there's no justice at all. He has to act quickly. He always does what is right. He never does wrong. And this is the statement of the Orthodox old time religion. Job, your children are dead because they have offended God. That's it. Here's job bait one. Then Bill Dad the shoe height replied, how long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind? Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. So, Job, you can't be righteous. God's perfectly just. He always does what is morally straight and right. There's no gray air. Your children must have sinned because they were obviously judge it found guilty. How else would you explain it? Right? This is the formula job where there smoke, there's fire. The godless can't complain and plead innocence. Well they can, but God doesn't. He just flat out does not reject a blameless man. Therefore, you are clearly being rejected. You are not a blameless man and build Dad's solution in chapter eight five to seven. But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, if you're pure and upright even now, he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place. Your beginnings will seem humble. So prosperous will your future be. Wow. So his remedy, Job, you should plead guilty and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Well, all right, sounds reasonable, But one thing we know, He's not guilty in God's eyes, God says, So Bill Dad is out of sync with God. That's not God's with them. God wants so much more for Job. Is totally not the point. Bill Dad can't conceive of what God's doing here, And you know it's yeah, I think that's been our problem for so many years. What's wrong with his theology? First, Bill Dad has no notion of substitutionary atonement or mediator. There's a sacrifice for offense against God and atonement, and Job had been faithful in sacrificing for his kids, So Job understands atonement. Bill Dad does not. And Second, like Ellie Faz, if God's so perfectionistic. Why isn't Bill Dad worried about his own life? Legalists, you know you can't know for sure. They can only guess and worry and hope for the best. It's bottom line, like Ellie Faz, Bill Dad's out of sick with God's assessment of job. Because job's blameless, so says God. This is the case of bad things happening to an innocent person, and God is, to one degree or another behind it. The legalist has little place for such a thing. Most of us don't. All right quickly, so far the rationalist and shadow bound. He is zip wor, a big old magpie, a twitchy, sharp eyed, sharp tongued, black and white bird that wouldn't stop phrenetically hopping back and forth. She fluffs her feathers, glaring at the hero like he was just waiting for the chance to tell him he was an idiot. And here's so far in job. You say to God, my beliefs are flawless, and I am pure in your sight. Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, For true wisdom has two sides. No, this God has even forgotten some of your sin? Where did that come from? Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the almighty? They are higher than heavens? What can you do? They're deeper than the depths of the grave? What can you know? That's Job eleven four to eight. So what does so far get wrong? Honestly? What does he get right? If God's wisdom is so high, which the book will also claim, why does so far think he has it? Sorry? So far, but the inner workings of the cosmoser in God's minds alone. Sorry man for so far to say that he has them, and to criticized Job is just wild, arrogant, self righteousness and totally wrong headed. In God's wisdom, bad things are happening to good people, and that can actually be in a reward for faithfulness and innocence. Man, legalists have no place for that. But there's the cross. That happened on the cross, and I'm going to suggest that happens a lot throughout history for Christians. So far is so out of sync, and he's confident that when God, God comes, He's going to blast Joe for his offensives. How much more can he blast Job and just the opposite will happen. God's going to praise Job and blast so far anyway, so far as remedy in eleven thirteen to sixteen is for Job to put away as offensiveness to God which doesn't exist. But we know that God doesn't see it. He's not offended by Job at all. For so far, this insight didn't come from an invisible spirit or a theological truth like the other two. It just seems to be reasonable to him, and by the way, I think it's reasonable to most of us. I mean, I think if we can relate to any of the three, it would be so far and we would be wrong. God's reason, his wisdom is higher than ours, so high it seems like nonsense to us. It didn't, but it seems that way. Well, So here's a thought for us to chew on. What might God be doing in the friend's brains. God can do many things at the same time. Right, I'm going to suggest that the quest that God has put Job on is challenging every bit of the friends theology, meaning it's for them too, and it's at a certain level scaring them to death. Job picked that up. What if God not only used good things to accomplish good, but he also used bad things to accomplish an even greater good. That's a head trip for the three friends, and for Job, and for me and probably you two. What if God is not limited to the letter of the retributed principle? What if He is bigger and more out there than we thought. What if we can't use our comfortable formulas to control or manipulate him, then how do we get blessings? How can we win? Everything seems to be flipped on his theological and rational head. I think God is in the process of rescuing the friends too. You'll see that at the end. Joe Brill rightly observed in six twenty one. Now you two have proved to be of no help. You see something dreadful and are afraid you're rare Job thirteen nine. Would it turn out well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you might deceive men? And Joe twenty one to five Look at me and be astonished. Clap your hands over your mouth. When I think about this, I'm terrified. Trembling seizes my body. Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power. So if this presentation of how God works scares you, yeah, that would be the right response. Humanly speaking, you wouldn't be alone. It scares me too, rationally with my wisdom, I think it scares the three friends. This isn't comfortable Christianity at all. Is tossing all the formulas away other than the one Jesus died for your sins. Yeah. I heard a great sermon by Alistair Begg talking about the thief on the cross who Jesus says, you'll be today, You'll be with me Paradise. He gets to heaven and the angel says, why are you here? And there's no really good answer, and finally he says, well, the guy in the middle says, I should come. That's it. No formula. Oh man, if you pray God bless me, be careful what you ask for, because I'm suggesting this is ultimately a blessing for Job, and he's blessing him beyond anything he's ever matched. And you'll see what I mean by that. That's the that's what's happening in Job, even though I don't want to be there, honestly, not me, but to truth told, I've been there on a number of occasions not as bad as Job, but I'm not saying that. But yeah, and my faith has grown through it. Well. One more message, more sponsors. I'm gonna give you some thought questions that you can use to process the amazing book. We're gonna be right back. Check out my new teen fantasy book, shadow Bound. It's C. S. Lewis's fantasy and an allegory the book of Job altogether. In my hope it said sync with everything we're talking about here in this podcast series and can help us understand look at it through a different lens. Adults are loving it as much as teenagers. Get it for your church's youth ministry. Get it for teens in your neighborhood, your friend's family. It's on Amazon, It's on Kindle. Here's some questions for further study. Do you relate to Job or his three friends? Do you think that he's overstating his case? Is he being reverent? Read twenty seven two to six. Is that arrogance by Job? Why? Or why not? Here's another one. If you are uncomfortable with Job's response, what could be the reason? Internally? Right, God's not uncomfortable, He'll say Job said everything righteously. But if you're uncomfortable, honestly, what do you think why? And then lastly, you look at Joe forty two seven to see God's assessment of Joe's comments and emotions. Do they sync with your Testament of Jove? Well, we'll see you next time. Take heart, child of God