284: Warren Phillips – The Purpose of the Testing of Job

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Welcome to Good Chris Selfie and
Talks.

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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris.

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And I’m Brian.
Thank you for joining us this

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week on this podcast.
We select One Talk a week to

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help us get the Bible in our
Daily News feed.

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We post a new episode at the
start of each week with a short

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intro beforehand to kind of set
the stage for the talk you’re

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about to listen to.
And now, let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
Hey everyone, this is Jason

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Hensley and this week we’re
going to be listening to a talk

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by Brother Warren Phillips.
Brother Warren was from the

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Meriden Ecclesia in Connecticut
and this talk that you will be

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listening to was given in 1981
at the Southwest Christadelphian

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Bible School or the Texas Bible
School.

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What I really liked about this
talk is that Brother Warren took

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a book like Job that I always
struggled to understand.

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I got to tell you, every end of
the year when we read through

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Job, I find myself feeling like
Job is almost just one idea

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repeated after the other, after
the other, Like it just feels

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very similar.
Like Job says, things are hard.

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His friends say, well, it was
your fault and that that’s sort

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of what we’re looking at.
But I really liked this class

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because I felt like Brother
Warren gave me something to hang

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on to that here’s the particular
agenda that this friend is

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pushing, here’s the particular
agenda that this one’s pushing,

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and here’s how Job responds and
how his responses change.

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So as we listen to it, I hope
that you have the same kind of

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experience.
I hope that you find this class

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helpful just for grasping what’s
going on in Job.

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And so then really that it will
take something that can

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sometimes feel a little bit
abstract and really make it

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something that you feel like you
can grasp and understand what’s

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going on.
So here we go.

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This is the Southwest
Christadelphian Bible School

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1981 for the Warren Phillips and
we are listening to the purpose

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of the Testing of job.
Morning everyone.

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Just by a very way of a very
brief review, we started out

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yesterday by considering the
background of the book of Job

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and the setting, not only of the
writing of the book, but

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particularly of the action,
recognizing that it took place

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sometime between the life of
Joseph and the life of Moses.

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And we went on to consider how
that Job was a very rich man,

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the richest of all the East.
And because of this there was

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some man, even though the word
is in the in the scriptures is

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Satan.
We realized the Word means an

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enemy.
Yesterday we reviewed the fact

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that this must have been some
individual that had come within

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the ecclesia and was not
thoroughly convinced that a

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person could be righteous for
righteousness sake, felt there

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was no real reason to be
righteous, and certainly had no

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real reason to water and
establish his life before God as

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a righteous individual.
And because of that, we find

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that the Lord draws his
attention to his servant Job,

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one who is perfect and upright,
one that fears God and His

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trueth evil and said there’s no
one like him in all the earth

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recommending that this enemy
should emulate the life of Job.

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And the enemy did not feel that
Job was really righteous for

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righteousness sake, but merely
because he’d entered into a good

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business deal with God.
God had given him a lot of

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blessings in this life.
A wonderful wife, 10 wonderful

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children, wealth above anyone
else on earth in good health.

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And he recommended that if God
was to remove those blessings

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that Job would curse God to his
face and therefore God permitted

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Job to be put to the test.
It wasn’t a case of saying see

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how good Job is and boasting
about it.

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But the real purpose was to
coach this unrighteous

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individual to a way of
righteousness to emulate the

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life of Job.
And therefore Job was put to the

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test and we learn how that many
of his blessings were removed.

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We find that his wealth was
removed and his ten children.

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And at this low condition of
emotions I am sure that many of

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us would not have been able to
give the answer that Job gave,

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which said the Lord giveth and
the Lord taketh away.

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Blessed be the name of the Lord
and it said in all this Job

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maintained his integrity.
He did not curse God with his

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lips.
And when we start the second

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chapter, which is really where
we are this morning, we find

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that the enemy is not quite
satisfied.

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Again, the sons of God come
before the Lord.

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It seems as though there’s
another weekly meeting of the

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the Ecclesia there at in ancient
times.

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And we read in the first verse
again, there was a day when the

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sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord and

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Satan, or if I might say, the
enemy, he came also among them

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to present himself before the
Lord.

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And the Lord said unto the
enemy, From whence comest thou

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and Satan dance of the Lord, And
said, from going to and forth in

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the earth, and from walking up
and down in it?

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In other words, he said, I’ve
been around, which is

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essentially what he said, if
I’ll be allowed to paraphrase it

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a bit.
And again the Lord draws this

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enemy’s attention to Job in
verse three.

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And the Lord said unto the
enemy, Hast thou considered my

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servant Job, that there is none
like him in all the earth, a

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perfect and upright man, one
that feareth God, and this

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cheweth evil, and still hold as
fast as integrity, although thou

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movest me against him, to
destroy him without a cause.

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And again we have the
commendation of the Lord in

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regard to Job’s character, That
first it was the law that was

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moved against him to destroy him
without a ’cause it wasn’t

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really the enemy that had done
it.

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Even though God had given the
enemy the power necessary to do

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that which was done, it was
still from the Lord.

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And therefore the Lord
acknowledged that it was his

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doing, and he asked if he had
really considered him.

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And then the answer that this
enemy gives is a further insult

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both to God and to Job.
Verse four.

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And the enemy answered the Lord
and said, skin for skin.

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Yeah, all that a man hath will
he give for his skin.

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But put forth thy hand now and
touch his bone and his flesh,

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and he will curse thee to thy
face.

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In other words, what he’s saying
is, look, Job is a lot more

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sinful man than I really
suspected.

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At first I suggested that all
you need to do is remove his

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wealth and his children and he’s
going to curse you to his face.

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I didn’t really realize what
about what terrible man Job

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really was, because he doesn’t
even care about as well.

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And much worse than that, he
doesn’t even care for the lives

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of his ten children.
All he cares for is his own

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skin, skin for skin, all will a
man give for his life.

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And So what the enemy is
accusing Job of is being so

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self-centered that he doesn’t
even care for the well-being of

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his own family, for his own
flesh and blood.

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He’s only interested in himself.
And as long as he gets out of

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things all right, he doesn’t
really care what happens to

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anybody else.
And so the recommendation was

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that the Lord put forth his hand
and touch his flesh and his

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bone.
And he said, then Job is going

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to curse you to his face.
And so the Lord is willing to

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carry this test.
One step further.

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Verse 6.
And the Lord said unto the

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enemy, Behold, he is in thine
hand, but save his life.

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The life was the one thing that
he was not to take.

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And of course we know the
account.

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We know how that Satan went
forth from the presence of the

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Lord, and smote Job with sore
boils from the sole of his foot

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unto his crown.
Job was placed in a position of

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agony.
And this position of agony was

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not something that was very
temporary.

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Instead we find it lasted for
quite some period of time.

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As we go on, we’re going to see
that this is the case.

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Is this my icon now?
It is.

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Job was in this position of
agony for quite a period of

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time.
And what we have here of course

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that you’ve been looking at for
the last two days and I haven’t

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said anything about it, is a
chat to try to draw our

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attention to the events that
take place from this point

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onward.
Through the speeches of Eli who

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even to the introduction of the
voice of the Almighty.

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We have Job sitting without the
city sitting with a pot shirt in

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his hand that he can scrape
himself with in a very miserable

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condition.
We try not to make it too

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gruesome.
I have here to thank Sister

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Louis Johnson of the Morristown,
NJ Ecclesia for making this for

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me.
We have Job seated in the

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middle.
We have his three friends Zofar,

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Bildad and excuse me, Alafar,
Bildad and Zofar sitting off at

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the your right.
And we have the young man Eli,

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who which we’re going to talk
about a little later in the

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week, coming into the scene
later on, way off to your

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extreme right, we find a woman
which we would suggest

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represents his wife, and we’re
going to get to her comments

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very shortly.
Our purpose in this chart is to

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try to draw our attention in a
picture form, to put all of

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these things together.
And it also helps me because my

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notes are right up in front of
you.

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So here we find that Joe.
Joe was smitten with boils.

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Now, exactly what type of a
disease that was has been

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debated back and forth by many
individuals.

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Many suggestions have been made.
I’m not a doctor.

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I certainly don’t expect that I
can tell you exactly what it is.

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It would only be mimicking the
suggestions of many others.

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Some have suggested that it was
a form of elephantiasis where

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that the person not only would
have these boils, but it would

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get to such a an acute position
where that his flesh would

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actually be rotting on him.
It’s one type of leprosy so that

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eventually his bones would
actually show through.

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And if we really wanted to
barter on the gruesome, we could

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go through the Book of Job and
pick out passage after passage

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within the debate which
describes the wretched condition

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that this man was in, Whether it
does get to the place where his

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bones are actually showing
through.

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And he comes to the position
where that he felt that he

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certainly was going to die,
hadn’t quite reached that

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position, but had been in this
position of agony for a long,

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long period of time.
And so this is a position we

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find that Job is placed in
because of the unwillingness for

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the enemy to recognize that a
man could be righteous for

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righteousness sake.
He is suffering tremendously

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because of it.
And yet we find that throughout

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of all of this, Job maintains
his integrity.

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He doesn’t sin with his lips.
He does maintain his integrity.

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Now his wife comes on the scene.
Not much is said about his wife

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in the book of Job except for
this very brief statement.

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But his wife comes on the scene
and makes a very remarkable

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suggestion.
She suggests to Job that he

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cursed God and die.
And right away, when we hear

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this statement, we say, boy, she
must have been a rather wicked

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woman, not a thing for a
person’s for a man’s wife to

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suggest that he cursed God and
die.

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We find that the words of Job
perhaps give us a suggestion

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that she wasn’t really quite as
bad as we might think she is by

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our first reading.
He tells her not to be as the

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silly women.
Did you notice?

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He didn’t say you’re a silly
woman?

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To make a statement such as
that?

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He said don’t be.
As the silly woman, she hadn’t

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quite gotten there, but her
statements now seem to border on

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that.
She certainly hadn’t quite been

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with the women who did not give
any thought to the things of

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God, who were not interested in
God or his great plan of

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salvation.
But she was just now beginning

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to talk that way when she made
the suggestion that he ought to

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curse God and die.
What was the reason behind her

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suggestion?
Is the question that we ought to

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ask.
And I think that it’s this.

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His wife flunked it.
She didn’t like the idea of

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seeing Job in the agony in which
he’s been brought.

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00:13:10,480 –> 00:13:12,560
She didn’t like to see him
suffering.

220
00:13:13,360 –> 00:13:16,920
And I know that there have been
many of us who may have seen a

221
00:13:16,920 –> 00:13:20,480
loved one suffering from some
dread disease and slowly wasting

222
00:13:20,480 –> 00:13:22,920
away.
And perhaps that wasting period

223
00:13:22,920 –> 00:13:28,120
has lasted for weeks or months
or sometimes even years.

224
00:13:28,280 –> 00:13:31,080
And we realize that there’s no
pleasure in life whatsoever for

225
00:13:31,080 –> 00:13:34,200
the individual that’s undergoing
it, and we know that it’s going

226
00:13:34,200 –> 00:13:37,800
to end in death anyway.
And therefore perhaps we vouch

227
00:13:37,840 –> 00:13:40,920
actually felt that it might be
better if they can merely fall

228
00:13:40,920 –> 00:13:44,720
asleep in death instead of
continuing in that condition of

229
00:13:44,720 –> 00:13:47,040
agony.
And therefore we’ve actually

230
00:13:47,040 –> 00:13:50,600
hoped that they might die.
Well, the statement of Job’s

231
00:13:50,600 –> 00:13:53,400
wife would seem to indicate that
they had a rather strange idea

232
00:13:53,400 –> 00:13:56,400
at that time.
And the idea was that if a

233
00:13:56,400 –> 00:14:01,520
person could get God angry
enough at him, God would kill

234
00:14:01,520 –> 00:14:05,000
him.
And here she saw her husband in

235
00:14:05,000 –> 00:14:09,760
tremendous agony, and she felt
that if Job would only curse God

236
00:14:09,760 –> 00:14:13,280
to his face, God would then be
so angry that he’d kill him on

237
00:14:13,280 –> 00:14:15,880
the spot, and then he wouldn’t
be suffering any longer.

238
00:14:16,800 –> 00:14:21,080
I think that her real attitude
behind that statement wasn’t to

239
00:14:21,080 –> 00:14:24,560
encourage Job to be a wicked
individual, but she would much

240
00:14:24,560 –> 00:14:28,280
rather see him sleeping
peacefully in death than living

241
00:14:28,280 –> 00:14:29,840
in the agony in which he was
living.

242
00:14:29,840 –> 00:14:32,000
Then.
And therefore she made the

243
00:14:32,000 –> 00:14:35,360
suggestion that he ought to
curse God and die with the idea

244
00:14:35,360 –> 00:14:38,520
that God would get angry enough
that he would kill him.

245
00:14:39,480 –> 00:14:42,920
And Job, instead of saying
you’re one of the silly woman,

246
00:14:43,480 –> 00:14:47,280
you’re an unrighteous woman.
Realized that her statement was

247
00:14:47,280 –> 00:14:49,840
very similar to the type of
statement that they would make,

248
00:14:50,080 –> 00:14:53,680
and recommended that she turn
from that way immediately before

249
00:14:53,680 –> 00:14:58,240
she indulged in it any further
And not be as the silly woman,

250
00:14:58,400 –> 00:15:02,560
but continue the righteousness
that she had had for the and

251
00:15:02,560 –> 00:15:04,720
during the time that they had
been living together.

252
00:15:05,520 –> 00:15:08,200
I think this is a possible
explanation, and I’d like to

253
00:15:08,200 –> 00:15:11,280
leave it for your consideration.
Perhaps it might be something

254
00:15:11,280 –> 00:15:14,000
that we might have an
interesting discussion on later

255
00:15:14,000 –> 00:15:19,760
on, but then we find that Job
had three friends, Aliphaz,

256
00:15:19,760 –> 00:15:22,880
Bildad, and Zofar.
And these friends are quite

257
00:15:22,880 –> 00:15:26,320
interesting.
We find, if we wish to do a

258
00:15:26,320 –> 00:15:28,840
reasonable amount of research,
that they didn’t really live too

259
00:15:28,840 –> 00:15:31,720
close to each other.
They were separated by many

260
00:15:31,720 –> 00:15:33,440
miles, perhaps hundreds of
miles.

261
00:15:33,440 –> 00:15:37,720
We can’t quite be sure, but here
they had heard of the problem

262
00:15:37,720 –> 00:15:41,360
that Joe Job had had.
They’ve been friends with Job

263
00:15:41,360 –> 00:15:46,000
for a long period of time.
And this to me would suggest

264
00:15:46,000 –> 00:15:48,480
that Job had been in this
condition of agony for at least

265
00:15:48,480 –> 00:15:51,400
a number of weeks.
First of all he had to get into

266
00:15:51,400 –> 00:15:55,760
this condition and then messages
had to be sent to each of the

267
00:15:55,760 –> 00:15:58,400
three friends.
They had to be informed of the

268
00:15:58,400 –> 00:16:01,840
condition of their friend Job.
And then we find that they

269
00:16:01,840 –> 00:16:04,280
communicated one with another so
that they would all come

270
00:16:04,280 –> 00:16:07,720
together to a common point and
then go as a delegation to visit

271
00:16:07,720 –> 00:16:09,800
Job.
Which means they would have to

272
00:16:09,800 –> 00:16:12,600
send messages back and forth to
one another and make that

273
00:16:12,600 –> 00:16:14,960
arrangement which would take
further time.

274
00:16:15,240 –> 00:16:18,400
Then they themselves would have
to make the trip and get

275
00:16:18,400 –> 00:16:21,400
together and finally they would
come to Job.

276
00:16:22,480 –> 00:16:24,960
And even after they come to
them, we find that it’s a period

277
00:16:25,040 –> 00:16:27,400
of of seven days before they say
anything.

278
00:16:27,680 –> 00:16:30,720
So that’s at least a week that
we can be absolutely sure of.

279
00:16:31,520 –> 00:16:33,720
So to suggest that it may have
been a number of weeks, so

280
00:16:33,720 –> 00:16:37,520
possibly even months that Job
was in this condition, I don’t

281
00:16:37,520 –> 00:16:40,640
think is at all unreasonable.
But we come to the place where

282
00:16:40,640 –> 00:16:44,520
we find that Job’s three friends
come together and they see Job

283
00:16:44,520 –> 00:16:46,720
afar off even before they’ve
reached him.

284
00:16:47,600 –> 00:16:50,920
And then, seeing Job afar off,
they find that he’s in a very

285
00:16:50,920 –> 00:16:53,920
miserable condition, such a
condition that they could hardly

286
00:16:53,920 –> 00:16:56,760
recognize them.
But then we find that they did

287
00:16:56,760 –> 00:17:00,600
something very strange.
Not strange to them, but strange

288
00:17:00,600 –> 00:17:02,720
to us.
They reach down to the ground,

289
00:17:02,720 –> 00:17:04,960
they pick up sand, and they
throw it up in the air over

290
00:17:04,960 –> 00:17:07,440
their heads.
And we might say, I wonder what

291
00:17:07,440 –> 00:17:10,599
that means.
Well, it had a very significant

292
00:17:10,599 –> 00:17:12,760
meaning in ancient times and in
the East.

293
00:17:13,440 –> 00:17:19,839
What it signified was that they
were hurt because of the hurt

294
00:17:19,839 –> 00:17:23,319
that Job was undergoing.
And when that sand was thrown up

295
00:17:23,319 –> 00:17:26,240
into the air and came back down
over their head, what they were

296
00:17:26,240 –> 00:17:29,640
actually saying is whatever has
befallen Job has fallen,

297
00:17:29,640 –> 00:17:32,640
befallen us.
Even though we don’t actually

298
00:17:32,640 –> 00:17:36,160
undergo the suffering that he’s
suffering, it still hurts us

299
00:17:36,160 –> 00:17:39,120
that he’s in that condition.
And I know that we’ve all felt

300
00:17:39,120 –> 00:17:42,240
that way on one time or another
when our loved ones have been

301
00:17:42,240 –> 00:17:46,880
suffering, even though we may
not undergo the exact pain that

302
00:17:46,880 –> 00:17:50,360
they’re undergoing.
Nevertheless, it hurts us

303
00:17:51,080 –> 00:17:54,240
because they’re hurt, and they
were saying that what has

304
00:17:54,240 –> 00:17:59,080
befallen Job has befallen us.
It bothers us because our friend

305
00:17:59,080 –> 00:18:03,640
is suffering the way it is.
We share to a great degree in

306
00:18:03,640 –> 00:18:06,760
his suffering, even though they
don’t actually feel the physical

307
00:18:06,760 –> 00:18:09,640
pain that he had.
They certainly felt mental pain

308
00:18:09,840 –> 00:18:11,840
because of the suffering of
their friend Job.

309
00:18:12,880 –> 00:18:14,840
And then they do another rather
surprising thing.

310
00:18:15,800 –> 00:18:19,400
They come to job and they sit
down and they sit there for

311
00:18:19,400 –> 00:18:21,360
seven days and don’t say
anything.

312
00:18:21,720 –> 00:18:23,640
And they referred to as Job’s
comforters.

313
00:18:25,080 –> 00:18:27,840
I wonder how many of us would
consider someone that came down

314
00:18:27,840 –> 00:18:31,080
and sat down beside us and never
even said anything and just sat

315
00:18:31,080 –> 00:18:33,720
there and didn’t say a word for
seven days as being very

316
00:18:33,720 –> 00:18:36,600
comforting to us.
And, you know, at first it might

317
00:18:36,600 –> 00:18:38,960
almost seem to be a little bit
amusing if it wasn’t that the

318
00:18:38,960 –> 00:18:44,720
circumstances were so serious.
But, you know, sometimes when a

319
00:18:44,840 –> 00:18:49,960
friend or a loved one is
extremely sick and we go and

320
00:18:49,960 –> 00:18:53,320
visit them at their hospital
bed, there really isn’t very

321
00:18:53,320 –> 00:18:56,800
much we can say.
There’s not really too much we

322
00:18:56,800 –> 00:18:58,920
can say to actually comfort the
individual.

323
00:18:59,080 –> 00:19:03,800
But just being there, being near
them, being by their side, can

324
00:19:03,800 –> 00:19:06,520
be a comfort.
They know that they’re not left

325
00:19:06,520 –> 00:19:08,080
alone.
They know that there’s that

326
00:19:08,080 –> 00:19:11,640
people just don’t care when
someone comes and stays with

327
00:19:11,640 –> 00:19:14,160
them.
I wonder how often it is when we

328
00:19:14,800 –> 00:19:18,760
have a loved one or a friend
that’s in the hospital and we go

329
00:19:18,760 –> 00:19:21,680
to visit them and we check our
watch and say, now let’s see,

330
00:19:22,200 –> 00:19:26,160
visiting hours end at 8:00.
If I show up at 10 minutes of, I

331
00:19:26,160 –> 00:19:28,040
won’t have to waste too much
time there.

332
00:19:28,480 –> 00:19:30,240
Or perhaps we don’t actually say
that.

333
00:19:30,240 –> 00:19:33,280
I don’t really think we would,
but perhaps sometimes our

334
00:19:33,280 –> 00:19:36,920
actions would seem to indicate
that that’s the idea behind it.

335
00:19:37,720 –> 00:19:40,000
And so we’ll show up for a few
minutes and then in comes the

336
00:19:40,000 –> 00:19:42,280
nurse and said, I’m sorry, the
visiting hours are over and off

337
00:19:42,280 –> 00:19:43,960
we go to, oh, isn’t that too
bad?

338
00:19:44,800 –> 00:19:48,000
And away we go.
You know, sometimes just being

339
00:19:48,000 –> 00:19:51,760
with an individual can be a
tremendous comfort to them.

340
00:19:52,120 –> 00:19:55,600
And I think this was the purpose
of Job’s three friends.

341
00:19:56,040 –> 00:19:58,720
It wasn’t that they were being
rude or thoughtless by coming

342
00:19:58,720 –> 00:20:00,840
and sitting down and saying
nothing for three days.

343
00:20:01,040 –> 00:20:03,600
In fact, we find that they
weren’t really fair with the

344
00:20:03,600 –> 00:20:06,320
friends.
I think it’s necessary to give

345
00:20:06,320 –> 00:20:09,520
one further description of Job’s
condition.

346
00:20:10,240 –> 00:20:12,800
First of all, we’ve already
mentioned that he was in

347
00:20:12,800 –> 00:20:16,240
tremendous agony and that it was
visible agony.

348
00:20:16,440 –> 00:20:21,080
It was not a nice thing to be
able to behold that he was in

349
00:20:21,080 –> 00:20:24,600
that condition.
It wasn’t someone that a person

350
00:20:24,600 –> 00:20:28,120
would like to be around because
of their physical countenance.

351
00:20:29,080 –> 00:20:31,400
There was another awkward
problem because of it.

352
00:20:32,120 –> 00:20:35,280
With this particular ailment,
they would have been a very

353
00:20:35,280 –> 00:20:41,080
obnoxious stench, and still they
were willing to sit down and be

354
00:20:41,080 –> 00:20:43,320
with him throughout that seven
day period.

355
00:20:43,320 –> 00:20:46,880
Not fair were the friends at
all, but very close friends

356
00:20:47,200 –> 00:20:50,880
willing to associate with him
Even in this very, very

357
00:20:50,880 –> 00:20:53,280
difficult time in his life, it
would have been difficult for

358
00:20:53,280 –> 00:20:56,440
them just to be there.
And yet they were.

359
00:20:56,920 –> 00:21:00,640
And so I think it could indeed
be said that they were

360
00:21:00,640 –> 00:21:04,080
confidence of Job, even though
they said nothing for seven

361
00:21:04,080 –> 00:21:07,640
days.
But then we find that after the

362
00:21:07,640 –> 00:21:11,160
seven day period is over, Job
begins to speak up.

363
00:21:11,160 –> 00:21:13,840
And this is in the third chapter
of Job.

364
00:21:13,840 –> 00:21:17,800
We’re not going to read every
word, but we find that in the

365
00:21:17,800 –> 00:21:22,120
third chapter of Job, Job breaks
the silence and this gives an

366
00:21:22,120 –> 00:21:24,640
opportunity for his three
friends to speak up.

367
00:21:25,440 –> 00:21:29,920
It’s Job that first speaks, and
Job begins to curse his day.

368
00:21:30,320 –> 00:21:36,520
And in that third chapter of of
Job, we find that Job curses a

369
00:21:36,520 –> 00:21:39,200
number of different parts of his
day.

370
00:21:41,720 –> 00:21:47,720
Get my notes.
First of all, we find that Job

371
00:21:48,360 –> 00:21:50,640
curses the time in which he was
conceived.

372
00:21:51,080 –> 00:21:54,760
He curses the night in which his
mother conceived him.

373
00:21:55,640 –> 00:22:01,240
I think his reasoning is this,
that if indeed he had never even

374
00:22:01,240 –> 00:22:05,000
been conceived, obviously he
never would have been born.

375
00:22:05,760 –> 00:22:07,880
And he said if he’d never been
born, he never would have grown

376
00:22:07,880 –> 00:22:10,760
up, and if he’d never grown up,
he never would have come to this

377
00:22:10,760 –> 00:22:13,760
condition of agony that he is
now in.

378
00:22:14,440 –> 00:22:19,320
He was in tremendous agony.
He was suffering terrifically,

379
00:22:19,560 –> 00:22:22,920
and if he had never come into
existence, he wouldn’t have had

380
00:22:22,920 –> 00:22:25,400
to suffer.
And so he cursed the very night

381
00:22:25,400 –> 00:22:27,880
in which he was conceived, and
yet he had nothing to do with

382
00:22:27,880 –> 00:22:31,960
that whatsoever.
And so he goes on to curse the

383
00:22:31,960 –> 00:22:35,360
next thing.
He wished that he could have

384
00:22:36,120 –> 00:22:41,200
been stillborn.
If indeed he had died, or died

385
00:22:41,200 –> 00:22:44,920
before birth and been born dead,
then he never would have grown

386
00:22:44,920 –> 00:22:46,680
up.
He never would have come to this

387
00:22:46,680 –> 00:22:51,320
position of agony, and therefore
he wouldn’t have to undergo this

388
00:22:51,480 –> 00:22:53,720
excruciating pain that he’s now
undergoing.

389
00:22:54,880 –> 00:22:58,080
Then he wishes that, well, if he
couldn’t have not been

390
00:22:58,080 –> 00:23:02,880
conceived, or he couldn’t have
been stillborn, perhaps he could

391
00:23:02,880 –> 00:23:06,040
have died in his infancy.
And if he died in his infancy

392
00:23:06,040 –> 00:23:08,360
again, he would not have grown
up and come to the condition of

393
00:23:08,360 –> 00:23:11,760
agony that he’s now in.
But of course that wasn’t

394
00:23:11,760 –> 00:23:15,120
possible.
Here he is in that agony,

395
00:23:15,360 –> 00:23:20,320
looking for a way out, and the
last thing that he curses is or

396
00:23:20,320 –> 00:23:23,000
wishes that he could actually
die at that moment.

397
00:23:23,400 –> 00:23:27,400
For he feels that if indeed he
would die at that moment, he

398
00:23:27,400 –> 00:23:29,200
wouldn’t have to go on
suffering.

399
00:23:29,960 –> 00:23:32,560
And we know that there have been
a lot of people that have been

400
00:23:32,560 –> 00:23:36,840
in the condition of tremendous
agony, and they realize there’s

401
00:23:36,840 –> 00:23:38,920
no way out.
They realize that it’s

402
00:23:38,920 –> 00:23:40,840
eventually going to end in death
anyway.

403
00:23:41,120 –> 00:23:43,520
And therefore they figure if
they could die a little sooner

404
00:23:43,520 –> 00:23:46,360
instead of a little later, they
could eliminate some of the

405
00:23:46,360 –> 00:23:48,560
agony that they might otherwise
have to go through.

406
00:23:49,640 –> 00:23:51,000
And that was the position of
Job.

407
00:23:51,840 –> 00:23:54,840
He cursed his day.
He wished that either he had not

408
00:23:54,840 –> 00:23:59,040
been conceived, or that he had
been stillborn, or that he had

409
00:23:59,040 –> 00:24:01,840
died in infancy.
And if not, he wishes that he

410
00:24:01,840 –> 00:24:05,960
could die now and avoid any
further agony that he would have

411
00:24:05,960 –> 00:24:07,600
to go through by continuing to
live.

412
00:24:08,320 –> 00:24:11,160
And by saying this, he opens the
door.

413
00:24:11,600 –> 00:24:15,520
He opens the door to his three
friends to be able to speak up

414
00:24:15,840 –> 00:24:20,080
and to speak their mind and
point out to him why it is that

415
00:24:20,080 –> 00:24:25,280
they think that he’s suffering,
so that he might perhaps come to

416
00:24:25,280 –> 00:24:27,200
a condition of ending that
suffering.

417
00:24:28,000 –> 00:24:31,720
That’s the desire.
And so we find that they begin

418
00:24:31,720 –> 00:24:34,960
to speak up.
Now in Job’s description of the

419
00:24:34,960 –> 00:24:38,560
death state in the third
chapter, we find some very

420
00:24:38,560 –> 00:24:42,120
interesting verses before his
three friends speak up.

421
00:24:42,120 –> 00:24:44,760
We find that Job gives a
description of what it would be

422
00:24:44,760 –> 00:24:49,640
like if he died, and I know that
as Christadelphians, we’ve made

423
00:24:49,640 –> 00:24:53,520
use of these statements very,
very often in our debates and

424
00:24:53,520 –> 00:24:57,360
discussions with people who
believe in an immortal soul and

425
00:24:57,360 –> 00:25:00,960
they’re very good verses.
A word of caution, however, in

426
00:25:00,960 –> 00:25:04,760
regard to quoting things from
the book of Job, we are now on

427
00:25:04,760 –> 00:25:08,080
the threshold of Job’s debate
with his three friends.

428
00:25:08,800 –> 00:25:13,760
Now, in a debate you’ve got one
right and one wrong.

429
00:25:13,760 –> 00:25:17,280
If either one of them are right,
certainly one is wrong.

430
00:25:17,880 –> 00:25:21,840
And it would be unfortunate just
to lift a verse out of context,

431
00:25:22,400 –> 00:25:24,960
where later in the book we find
individuals are condemned for

432
00:25:24,960 –> 00:25:27,640
what they say.
And we find that this is the

433
00:25:27,640 –> 00:25:31,040
case with Job’s three friends,
and even partly with Job when it

434
00:25:31,040 –> 00:25:34,240
comes to the speeches of Elihu
and the voice of the Almighty.

435
00:25:35,480 –> 00:25:39,680
But in this particular statement
of Job, there is no one that

436
00:25:39,680 –> 00:25:46,480
refutes Job alifas Bildad.
So far not one of them say that

437
00:25:46,480 –> 00:25:48,280
he’s wrong in his description of
the death stake.

438
00:25:49,080 –> 00:25:52,440
When the young man alive who
stands up to speak, he doesn’t

439
00:25:52,440 –> 00:25:55,280
challenge Job’s position in
regard to his view of the death

440
00:25:55,280 –> 00:25:58,640
stake.
When the Almighty speaks, he

441
00:25:58,640 –> 00:26:02,240
does not contradict Job and his
view of the death stake.

442
00:26:02,600 –> 00:26:07,000
And therefore we can feel quite
certain that we can make use of

443
00:26:07,000 –> 00:26:11,240
these very interesting verses
here in the third chapter of Job

444
00:26:12,560 –> 00:26:16,000
to point out exactly what it’s
like when a person dies.

445
00:26:16,000 –> 00:26:19,640
And of course we do.
We turn to the 11th verse and

446
00:26:19,640 –> 00:26:22,720
read on down for a few verses.
Why died?

447
00:26:22,720 –> 00:26:25,320
I not from the womb.
Why did I not give up the spirit

448
00:26:25,320 –> 00:26:29,640
when I came out of the belly?
Why did the knees prevent me?

449
00:26:30,040 –> 00:26:31,840
Or why the breast that I should
suck?

450
00:26:32,240 –> 00:26:35,760
Well, now I should have lain
still and been quiet.

451
00:26:36,120 –> 00:26:40,560
I should have slept.
Then I had been at rest, and on

452
00:26:40,560 –> 00:26:43,560
it goes, speaking about resting
with the kings of the earth once

453
00:26:43,560 –> 00:26:47,640
they’re dead, pointing out that
the death state is a state of

454
00:26:47,640 –> 00:26:50,720
rest.
Verse 17.

455
00:26:50,960 –> 00:26:54,760
There the wicked cease from
troubling there the weary be at

456
00:26:54,760 –> 00:26:57,280
rest.
And so he goes on down

457
00:26:57,280 –> 00:27:01,440
describing the death state and
how often it is that we’ve made

458
00:27:01,440 –> 00:27:03,960
use of these passages, and
rightly so.

459
00:27:04,680 –> 00:27:07,200
But we should be cautious when
it comes to getting over into

460
00:27:07,200 –> 00:27:10,240
the debate, especially in
considering the words of Job’s

461
00:27:10,240 –> 00:27:12,360
three friends.
We can say, well, here’s a

462
00:27:12,360 –> 00:27:15,560
passage of in the Bible, why
can’t we use it?

463
00:27:15,800 –> 00:27:18,240
But we’ve got to remember to
keep it in context.

464
00:27:18,560 –> 00:27:23,120
Remembering that later on in the
book Job’s three friends are

465
00:27:23,120 –> 00:27:27,280
addressed by the Almighty and
condemned, saying thou did not

466
00:27:27,280 –> 00:27:31,000
speak that which is correct
concerning me as my servant.

467
00:27:31,000 –> 00:27:34,200
Job paths.
So we have to be careful in the

468
00:27:34,200 –> 00:27:38,960
verses that we use, making sure
that we do keep them in context.

469
00:27:39,480 –> 00:27:42,440
But now we find Job’s three
friends are going to have the

470
00:27:42,440 –> 00:27:46,120
opportunity to speak up.
We’ve already mentioned that

471
00:27:46,120 –> 00:27:47,680
they’re not fair with the
friends.

472
00:27:48,120 –> 00:27:52,080
I think that perhaps their
attitude toward Job is something

473
00:27:52,080 –> 00:27:55,840
like that of his wife.
Remember how his wife said curse

474
00:27:55,840 –> 00:27:58,760
God and die with the idea that
if indeed he was dead, he

475
00:27:58,760 –> 00:28:00,360
wouldn’t be suffering any
longer?

476
00:28:01,120 –> 00:28:04,480
She didn’t really want the idea
of having her husband dead, but

477
00:28:04,480 –> 00:28:06,080
she’d rather see him dead than
suffer.

478
00:28:06,680 –> 00:28:09,400
When it comes to Job’s three
friends, they’re not fair with

479
00:28:09,400 –> 00:28:11,520
the friends.
They felt that there was a

480
00:28:11,520 –> 00:28:15,320
problem in Job’s life.
They felt that Job was suffering

481
00:28:15,320 –> 00:28:19,520
for some particular sin that he
had committed and they wanted to

482
00:28:19,520 –> 00:28:25,760
encourage Job to repent and
therefore have God forgive him

483
00:28:25,760 –> 00:28:28,320
and heal him, which we’re going
to see in just a few moments.

484
00:28:28,880 –> 00:28:31,280
Now, You know, a lot of times
when we see someone in the

485
00:28:31,280 –> 00:28:34,960
Ecclesia or perhaps a friend of
ours doing something that isn’t

486
00:28:34,960 –> 00:28:39,880
quite right, we don’t want to
offend them and perhaps we don’t

487
00:28:39,880 –> 00:28:43,880
bring it to their attention.
And then the question is, are we

488
00:28:43,880 –> 00:28:45,600
really a good friend of theirs
or not?

489
00:28:46,480 –> 00:28:49,040
We say, well, I don’t want them
to be angry with me, I don’t

490
00:28:49,040 –> 00:28:52,440
want to hurt their feelings.
But which is better?

491
00:28:53,280 –> 00:28:56,840
If we’re really interested in
the well-being of a person,

492
00:28:57,520 –> 00:28:59,280
perhaps it may be our own
children.

493
00:29:00,000 –> 00:29:03,040
We don’t want them angry with us
either, but boy, we showing up.

494
00:29:03,040 –> 00:29:05,280
She’ll point out things that
they’ve done wrong right away,

495
00:29:06,080 –> 00:29:08,200
and likewise with other members
of the Ecclesia.

496
00:29:08,200 –> 00:29:11,000
And I don’t mean to be a busy
body running around trying to

497
00:29:11,000 –> 00:29:13,720
find fault with everyone we can
in the meeting, that’s certainly

498
00:29:13,720 –> 00:29:17,680
not going to help either.
But if we see something that the

499
00:29:17,680 –> 00:29:22,600
individual may not be aware of,
or perhaps might be, and we can

500
00:29:22,600 –> 00:29:25,960
point out a better way that
might save them from eternal

501
00:29:25,960 –> 00:29:29,360
death and help them to a
position of eternal life in the

502
00:29:29,360 –> 00:29:33,000
Kingdom of God, are we going to
be a better friend to keep quiet

503
00:29:33,000 –> 00:29:34,880
about it?
Or are we going to be a better

504
00:29:34,880 –> 00:29:37,320
friend to bring it up to their
attention so that eventually

505
00:29:37,520 –> 00:29:40,040
they might receive the gift of
eternal life in the Kingdom of

506
00:29:40,040 –> 00:29:42,680
God?
Which way would we be a better

507
00:29:42,680 –> 00:29:45,240
friend to them?
These weren’t fair.

508
00:29:45,240 –> 00:29:49,360
Were the friends they really
were friends of Job, although

509
00:29:49,360 –> 00:29:53,120
sometimes the way in which they
present their arguments do not

510
00:29:53,120 –> 00:29:55,240
seem very polite and courteous
to Joe.

511
00:29:55,240 –> 00:29:58,960
But I do think that the purpose
behind it all was that they

512
00:29:58,960 –> 00:30:02,840
wanted to see Joe redeemed from
this position of agony.

513
00:30:04,040 –> 00:30:08,480
And they believed at that time
in a very interesting doctrine.

514
00:30:09,760 –> 00:30:13,880
And they arrived at this
doctrine by what we might refer

515
00:30:13,880 –> 00:30:18,360
to as a syllogism.
And I’d like to give you a

516
00:30:18,360 –> 00:30:28,400
little demonstration of it.
We find that a syllogism is 3

517
00:30:28,400 –> 00:30:31,760
prepositions.
We find it’s two premises

518
00:30:32,200 –> 00:30:36,040
followed by a conclusion.
Now we’ve seen people reason

519
00:30:36,040 –> 00:30:39,360
this way a lot today, and we
realize that sometimes it can be

520
00:30:39,360 –> 00:30:41,800
problems with the reasoning.
I hope you can all see this.

521
00:30:42,560 –> 00:30:47,200
The first premise is that all
suffering is a punishment for

522
00:30:47,200 –> 00:30:49,880
sin.
Now think about that for a

523
00:30:49,880 –> 00:30:51,520
moment.
Do you agree with that or not?

524
00:30:52,440 –> 00:30:56,200
Is all suffering the punishment
for sin?

525
00:30:58,240 –> 00:31:03,080
Well, you know, if we are
perfectly correct in regard to

526
00:31:03,080 –> 00:31:06,040
this, if we want to go right
back to the beginning, we’re

527
00:31:06,040 –> 00:31:09,960
going to have to say, well,
because our first parents

528
00:31:09,960 –> 00:31:14,520
sinned, we have become subject
to good and evil.

529
00:31:15,080 –> 00:31:19,640
Evil is calamity are things that
are not nice, amongst which of

530
00:31:19,640 –> 00:31:23,840
course is pain and suffering.
And therefore technically we

531
00:31:23,840 –> 00:31:27,680
could say that all suffering is
the punishment of sin, or at

532
00:31:27,680 –> 00:31:31,880
least the result of sin.
In that respect we would have to

533
00:31:31,880 –> 00:31:36,680
say yes, but they had carried
this to the ultimate and just

534
00:31:36,680 –> 00:31:40,480
left it at that, and said that
if anybody suffers, it must be

535
00:31:40,480 –> 00:31:44,200
because they’ve committed a sin.
They believed in the doctrine of

536
00:31:44,200 –> 00:31:49,920
exact retribution.
Then, believing in this, they

537
00:31:49,920 –> 00:31:54,000
looked at another premise.
And that next premise is this.

538
00:31:54,920 –> 00:31:59,040
They looked at Job and they said
now Job is a great sufferer.

539
00:32:00,000 –> 00:32:02,960
Well, are they right in that?
Well, I don’t think we can argue

540
00:32:02,960 –> 00:32:05,240
about that one.
I think every one of us would

541
00:32:05,240 –> 00:32:08,320
take one look at Job and say
there’s no question whatsoever

542
00:32:08,320 –> 00:32:11,040
but what?
Job was indeed a very great

543
00:32:11,040 –> 00:32:14,960
sufferer.
Now, with these two premises

544
00:32:14,960 –> 00:32:18,320
before them, there was only one
conclusion that could appeal to

545
00:32:18,320 –> 00:32:24,800
their mind, and that is this,
that Job must indeed be a great

546
00:32:24,800 –> 00:32:27,040
Sinner.
And were they right in this?

547
00:32:28,120 –> 00:32:30,160
I know there’s some that have
said, Oh yeah, they were, and

548
00:32:30,160 –> 00:32:34,000
that’s why Job was suffering.
I don’t think this is the case.

549
00:32:34,640 –> 00:32:38,800
In fact, we find that we’ve got
an insight into the suffering of

550
00:32:38,800 –> 00:32:43,960
Job that Job himself didn’t
have, that Job’s wife didn’t

551
00:32:43,960 –> 00:32:47,080
have, and that Job’s three
friends didn’t have.

552
00:32:47,800 –> 00:32:49,800
And as far as I know, Eli, who
didn’t either.

553
00:32:49,800 –> 00:32:52,600
In fact, the only character that
presents himself, and might be

554
00:32:52,600 –> 00:32:56,400
so crude as to make use that
word in the entire narrative of

555
00:32:56,400 –> 00:32:59,440
Job is the Almighty.
He certainly knew about it, and

556
00:32:59,440 –> 00:33:02,320
of course the Enemy himself knew
as well.

557
00:33:03,000 –> 00:33:06,000
We know that Job was suffering
for the benefit of somebody

558
00:33:06,000 –> 00:33:08,880
else.
Job was suffering to bring the

559
00:33:08,880 –> 00:33:12,440
enemy from his ways of
wickedness to live a righteous

560
00:33:12,440 –> 00:33:16,880
life as Job was living.
Job didn’t realize that he was

561
00:33:16,880 –> 00:33:20,680
being put to death for the
benefit of bringing another man

562
00:33:20,680 –> 00:33:24,680
to righteousness.
Therefore, when Job’s wife came

563
00:33:24,720 –> 00:33:28,120
comes along, she doesn’t know it
either and she suggests that he

564
00:33:28,120 –> 00:33:31,200
cursed God and die.
When Job’s three friends come

565
00:33:31,200 –> 00:33:34,720
along, they are not aware that
the reason that Job is suffering

566
00:33:34,920 –> 00:33:37,960
is for the benefit of someone
else, to bring that other

567
00:33:37,960 –> 00:33:40,240
individual to a life of
righteousness.

568
00:33:40,480 –> 00:33:44,400
And so they look at Job
believing that all suffering is

569
00:33:44,440 –> 00:33:46,600
the result of sin, the
punishment of sin.

570
00:33:46,800 –> 00:33:50,440
And they say now there’s a great
sufferer, and therefore they

571
00:33:50,440 –> 00:33:54,880
looked at Job as a great Sinner.
And I think it’s very, very

572
00:33:54,880 –> 00:34:00,840
important that God has inspired
the Book of Job to be written in

573
00:34:00,840 –> 00:34:05,360
such ancient times to put this
doctrine of exact retribution to

574
00:34:05,360 –> 00:34:07,080
rest.
And I think there’s a good

575
00:34:07,080 –> 00:34:11,400
reason for it.
If we were to believe that when

576
00:34:11,400 –> 00:34:16,080
a person sinned a little bit,
they would suffer a little bit

577
00:34:16,520 –> 00:34:21,760
right now, or if they sinned a
lot, they would suffer a lot

578
00:34:22,400 –> 00:34:25,440
right now, we would have a
terrific problem.

579
00:34:25,440 –> 00:34:28,199
We find that that problem
continues to rear its head

580
00:34:28,400 –> 00:34:31,960
throughout history, even down to
the time in which we Live Today.

581
00:34:32,719 –> 00:34:36,080
The biggest problem is this.
If we were to believe that

582
00:34:36,080 –> 00:34:38,960
because a person was suffering,
they’d committed some particular

583
00:34:38,960 –> 00:34:42,719
sin, and we’re suffering in
proportion to that sin, we would

584
00:34:42,719 –> 00:34:45,320
turn around and look at our Lord
and Savior Jesus.

585
00:34:45,320 –> 00:34:49,400
Cross Christ affixed to the
cross, and we would say there’s

586
00:34:49,400 –> 00:34:54,520
a great sufferer.
There must be a great Sinner if

587
00:34:54,520 –> 00:34:58,640
we didn’t realize that he was
suffering not for his own sins,

588
00:34:59,000 –> 00:35:02,840
which he had not, but he was
suffering for the benefit of all

589
00:35:02,840 –> 00:35:05,480
mankind.
That’s why he was there.

590
00:35:06,040 –> 00:35:10,400
And if it wasn’t that we had
this type, and indeed Job is a

591
00:35:10,400 –> 00:35:15,000
type of God’s suffering innocent
servant.

592
00:35:16,200 –> 00:35:19,200
If we didn’t have that type
snuggled away way back near the

593
00:35:19,200 –> 00:35:21,960
beginning of our Bibles, and
we’ve already pointed out that

594
00:35:21,960 –> 00:35:24,920
the book of Job is probably the
second oldest book of the Bible,

595
00:35:25,880 –> 00:35:29,320
we would not have been able to
look upon the Lord Jesus Christ

596
00:35:29,320 –> 00:35:32,880
in quite the right way.
We find that the idea of exact

597
00:35:32,880 –> 00:35:36,240
retribution was still in
existence at the time of Christ.

598
00:35:36,480 –> 00:35:40,200
If you remember how Jesus was
talking to his apostles and he

599
00:35:40,200 –> 00:35:43,240
said that, do you suppose those
men upon whom the Tower of

600
00:35:43,240 –> 00:35:47,000
Siloam fell were sinners above
anyone else in Judea?

601
00:35:47,160 –> 00:35:50,640
He says, I tell you, no.
But he used the opportunity to

602
00:35:50,640 –> 00:35:52,000
say, you better watch out what
you do.

603
00:35:52,000 –> 00:35:55,240
You might have a worse faith
befall you, but still, he

604
00:35:55,240 –> 00:35:59,320
pointed out that they were not
suffering in any particular

605
00:35:59,520 –> 00:36:04,480
exact retribution arrangement.
It wasn’t because they’d sinned

606
00:36:04,680 –> 00:36:07,440
terribly that that terrible
thing had befallen.

607
00:36:08,440 –> 00:36:11,560
And, you know, today there’s
still a lot of people in the

608
00:36:11,560 –> 00:36:15,800
world that still have this idea
of exact retribution, The idea

609
00:36:15,800 –> 00:36:18,840
that if you do something bad,
God is going to punish you in

610
00:36:18,840 –> 00:36:21,320
proportion to it right now,
immediately.

611
00:36:21,320 –> 00:36:26,080
In this light, you know, it
wasn’t very many years ago when

612
00:36:26,080 –> 00:36:29,240
there was a popular country and
Western song that came out by

613
00:36:29,240 –> 00:36:32,800
two very prominent singers in
this country, George Jones and

614
00:36:32,800 –> 00:36:36,320
Tammy Wynette, And it was
entitled God’s Going to Get You

615
00:36:36,320 –> 00:36:38,720
for that.
I think perhaps some of you may

616
00:36:38,720 –> 00:36:41,240
remember it.
And it nearly reflected the

617
00:36:41,240 –> 00:36:44,480
general idea that’s still
prevalent in the world of exact

618
00:36:44,480 –> 00:36:47,680
retribution, that if a person
sins a little bit, they’re going

619
00:36:47,680 –> 00:36:49,200
to be punished a little bit
right away.

620
00:36:50,080 –> 00:36:53,200
And if they sin a lot, they’re
going to be punished a lot right

621
00:36:53,200 –> 00:36:55,920
away.
And this debate that now is

622
00:36:55,920 –> 00:37:00,200
going to ensue between Job and
his three friends is based upon

623
00:37:00,200 –> 00:37:04,320
that particular doctrine, the
doctrine of exact retribution.

624
00:37:04,560 –> 00:37:08,960
Job’s three friends speak up and
they begin to condemn Job.

625
00:37:09,160 –> 00:37:14,400
And we find that in this debate
there are three cycles of

626
00:37:14,400 –> 00:37:19,080
speeches.
First of all, Eliphaz speaks and

627
00:37:19,080 –> 00:37:22,880
Job replies.
Then Bildad speaks and Job

628
00:37:22,880 –> 00:37:26,560
replies, and then Zophah speaks
and Job replies.

629
00:37:26,680 –> 00:37:30,000
And then we have a second round
just like that, followed by a

630
00:37:30,000 –> 00:37:32,040
third round with a slight
deviation.

631
00:37:32,680 –> 00:37:37,200
In the third round we find that
yes, LFA speaks and Job replies,

632
00:37:37,640 –> 00:37:42,480
Bildad speaks and Job replies.
But when Bildad speaks, he has a

633
00:37:42,480 –> 00:37:48,800
very, very short speech, a
speech of only 5 verses, and we

634
00:37:48,800 –> 00:37:53,000
find that so far doesn’t even
come forward to give a speech at

635
00:37:53,000 –> 00:37:55,120
all.
Now I know that there are some

636
00:37:55,120 –> 00:37:59,680
that would say, well after this
we have two long monologues by

637
00:37:59,680 –> 00:38:02,560
Job and they would like to
attribute one of those

638
00:38:02,560 –> 00:38:06,440
monologues to Zofar to keep a
balance in the book, claiming

639
00:38:06,440 –> 00:38:09,440
that well, that was really his
speech and not Job’s after all.

640
00:38:10,080 –> 00:38:12,880
There doesn’t seem to be any
real countenance for this,

641
00:38:13,320 –> 00:38:17,000
certainly not in the way the
book is worded, and in the way

642
00:38:17,000 –> 00:38:19,000
the debate is gone.
There doesn’t seem to be any

643
00:38:19,000 –> 00:38:22,400
countenance for it either.
Job’s three friends are resting

644
00:38:22,400 –> 00:38:24,480
their debate, and we’re not
going to have a chance to go

645
00:38:24,480 –> 00:38:28,920
over 28 chapters verse by verse.
I don’t think the other two

646
00:38:28,920 –> 00:38:31,000
teachers would be willing to
give up their time anyway.

647
00:38:31,000 –> 00:38:32,440
We have to be here all afternoon
anyway.

648
00:38:32,440 –> 00:38:34,480
I’m not going to ask them
because they might say something

649
00:38:34,480 –> 00:38:37,040
in there, but we’re not going to
have the chance for that.

650
00:38:37,040 –> 00:38:39,960
But what we’ll try to do is give
a very brief outline of the

651
00:38:39,960 –> 00:38:42,120
arguments that are presented in
the way in which they are

652
00:38:42,120 –> 00:38:46,200
presented.
We find that Job is winning the

653
00:38:46,200 –> 00:38:50,760
argument as he goes along.
Now the argument starts out this

654
00:38:50,760 –> 00:38:57,000
way, first of all with the older
of the three making a very

655
00:38:57,000 –> 00:38:59,720
interesting claim.
And it’s quite appropriate that

656
00:38:59,720 –> 00:39:03,000
the older speak first.
That’s the way they did it then.

657
00:39:03,000 –> 00:39:07,160
We don’t always do it that way
today, but it certainly showed a

658
00:39:07,160 –> 00:39:10,560
very excellent mark of respect
for the elders.

659
00:39:11,080 –> 00:39:14,480
We find that this Eliphaz who
speaks of himself, as we

660
00:39:14,480 –> 00:39:19,240
mentioned earlier yesterday as
being older than Job’s father

661
00:39:19,320 –> 00:39:22,640
Grey headed speaking in the
first person, suggests that he

662
00:39:22,640 –> 00:39:26,960
may have been comparable with
the Job’s grandfather and

663
00:39:26,960 –> 00:39:30,480
therefore it was quite
appropriate that Job sit and

664
00:39:30,480 –> 00:39:35,440
listen to the instruction of his
elder and he makes a very

665
00:39:35,440 –> 00:39:38,720
remarkable claim that’s
extremely difficult to refute.

666
00:39:39,400 –> 00:39:41,760
He claims that he has a heavenly
vision.

667
00:39:42,800 –> 00:39:47,640
He claims that God is revealed
to him that exact retribution is

668
00:39:47,640 –> 00:39:52,000
correct, and therefore, since he
can see with his own eyes that

669
00:39:52,000 –> 00:39:55,640
Job is indeed a great sufferer,
he knows that Job must indeed

670
00:39:55,640 –> 00:39:58,560
have been a great Sinner.
And therefore he encourages Job

671
00:39:58,560 –> 00:40:04,840
to confess his sin, to seek
forgiveness from God, to repent

672
00:40:04,840 –> 00:40:06,520
of that sin and live
differently.

673
00:40:06,880 –> 00:40:10,280
And then he suggests that God
would heal him and he long no

674
00:40:10,280 –> 00:40:14,360
longer would have to suffer.
This is his claim and you know.

675
00:40:14,920 –> 00:40:18,760
It’s very difficult when we have
to debate with someone who

676
00:40:18,760 –> 00:40:20,720
claims to have a heavenly
vision.

677
00:40:21,840 –> 00:40:24,680
Ever tried to talk the truth
with someone who claims to have

678
00:40:24,680 –> 00:40:27,720
the power of the Spirit, who
claims that they’re a

679
00:40:27,720 –> 00:40:30,440
Pentecostal and that God has
told them there’s a little

680
00:40:30,440 –> 00:40:33,120
something inside of them that
tells them they’re right?

681
00:40:33,280 –> 00:40:35,520
They know they’re right.
They don’t feel they have to go

682
00:40:35,520 –> 00:40:37,600
to the word of God.
They don’t feel that they have

683
00:40:37,600 –> 00:40:40,040
to prove what they think is true
or not.

684
00:40:40,160 –> 00:40:43,800
They know inside, and there’s
virtually no way of convincing

685
00:40:43,800 –> 00:40:47,520
an individual like that, even
though they may or may not

686
00:40:47,520 –> 00:40:49,680
persuade us.
And there are certainly many

687
00:40:49,680 –> 00:40:53,040
passage in the scriptures that
can show that that is not a

688
00:40:53,040 –> 00:40:55,720
correct line of reasoning.
Nevertheless, to that

689
00:40:55,720 –> 00:40:58,840
individual, we’re not going to
make much of AB check.

690
00:40:59,720 –> 00:41:03,040
It’s very difficult to convince
someone who claims they’ve

691
00:41:03,040 –> 00:41:07,400
received a heavenly vision that
they’re wrong because they say

692
00:41:07,400 –> 00:41:09,880
there’s something inside that
tells them that they’re right.

693
00:41:10,560 –> 00:41:14,560
And likewise with this Eliphaz.
He claimed the heavenly vision.

694
00:41:14,760 –> 00:41:19,120
Job does refute what he says
because Job is in one

695
00:41:19,120 –> 00:41:21,800
interesting position.
Even though he didn’t know

696
00:41:21,800 –> 00:41:26,640
exactly why he was suffering.
He knew because he knew his own

697
00:41:26,640 –> 00:41:31,200
life that he hadn’t committed
any particular hideous sin.

698
00:41:32,000 –> 00:41:35,400
He knew that he wasn’t suffering
from some particular thing that

699
00:41:35,400 –> 00:41:38,840
he had done wrong.
And even though he himself had

700
00:41:38,840 –> 00:41:41,880
believed in the doctrine of
exact retribution, at least up

701
00:41:41,880 –> 00:41:46,120
until now, he knows that in his
case it doesn’t apply.

702
00:41:46,520 –> 00:41:49,160
He knows that he hasn’t
committed anything wrong, and

703
00:41:49,160 –> 00:41:52,760
therefore he does something
that’s absolutely proper.

704
00:41:53,440 –> 00:41:57,520
He said, look, if I’ve committed
a particular sin, you name it

705
00:41:57,520 –> 00:42:01,320
and then I’ll repent of it.
What is it?

706
00:42:02,040 –> 00:42:03,640
And you know that’s not
improper.

707
00:42:04,720 –> 00:42:07,920
You know, the Lord Jesus Christ
was confronted by his opponents

708
00:42:08,520 –> 00:42:11,040
and he said, which of you
convinceth me of sin?

709
00:42:11,520 –> 00:42:13,960
The actual translation would be
convicted me of sin.

710
00:42:13,960 –> 00:42:16,080
In other words, he said, look,
if I’ve sinned, name it and

711
00:42:16,840 –> 00:42:19,560
there’s nothing wrong with that.
And you know, if somebody

712
00:42:19,560 –> 00:42:23,840
accuses us of doing something
wrong and we didn’t do it, we’d

713
00:42:23,840 –> 00:42:27,200
say, hey, I’m innocent and there
isn’t anything wrong with that.

714
00:42:27,840 –> 00:42:30,160
The problem, of course is when
we try to even kid ourselves

715
00:42:30,160 –> 00:42:32,360
into thinking that we’re
perfectly righteous individuals

716
00:42:32,520 –> 00:42:35,120
and haven’t done anything wrong
and we know that we’ve all

717
00:42:35,120 –> 00:42:36,960
sinned and come chart of the
glory of God.

718
00:42:37,240 –> 00:42:39,720
But when we’re accused of a
particular sin, if we haven’t

719
00:42:39,720 –> 00:42:42,240
done it, there’s nothing wrong
with pleading our innocence.

720
00:42:42,400 –> 00:42:44,280
And that’s exactly what Job was
doing.

721
00:42:44,520 –> 00:42:48,240
So let’s remember that his fault
was not saying I haven’t

722
00:42:48,240 –> 00:42:51,240
committed this particular
hideous sin that you accused me

723
00:42:51,240 –> 00:42:53,800
of.
If I have name it, it was a

724
00:42:53,800 –> 00:42:55,640
perfectly proper thing that he
should do.

725
00:42:56,840 –> 00:43:00,320
When Bildad comes on the scene,
we find that when he speaks up,

726
00:43:00,840 –> 00:43:05,480
he follows the same line of
reasoning, feeling that Job must

727
00:43:05,480 –> 00:43:08,120
have committed some particularly
hideous sin.

728
00:43:08,760 –> 00:43:11,360
But he comes at it from a
different direction.

729
00:43:12,080 –> 00:43:17,040
He relies on the wisdom of
antiquity, or in other words,

730
00:43:17,040 –> 00:43:21,000
tradition, he says.
Now look, Job, we’ve always

731
00:43:21,000 –> 00:43:24,560
believed this.
We have believed in exact

732
00:43:24,560 –> 00:43:27,760
retribution for many, many
centuries.

733
00:43:28,920 –> 00:43:31,520
And you know, we can’t be wrong
if people have believed it all

734
00:43:31,520 –> 00:43:35,160
that time.
How often have we talked with

735
00:43:35,160 –> 00:43:39,400
individuals that belong to a
church or denomination that is

736
00:43:39,400 –> 00:43:43,080
held to a particular view of
doctrines for hundreds of years?

737
00:43:43,840 –> 00:43:46,240
It’s pretty difficult to discuss
with them because that’s what

738
00:43:46,240 –> 00:43:48,360
they’ll bring up as tradition,
they’ll say.

739
00:43:48,360 –> 00:43:52,200
Do you really think that man
could have been wrong for 100 or

740
00:43:52,200 –> 00:43:55,240
1000 or more years in this
particular doctrine?

741
00:43:55,360 –> 00:43:56,720
Why?
This is what we’ve always

742
00:43:56,720 –> 00:43:58,440
believed.
It’s got to be right?

743
00:43:59,440 –> 00:44:01,960
And I know we’ve all talked to
individuals who have held this

744
00:44:01,960 –> 00:44:04,680
position.
I hope you’ll forgive me for a

745
00:44:04,680 –> 00:44:08,480
moment, but there are sometimes
problems that may come up in our

746
00:44:08,480 –> 00:44:11,680
cliches.
And I’ve even heard some

747
00:44:11,680 –> 00:44:15,640
brethren stand up and say, well,
this is our Christadelphian

748
00:44:15,640 –> 00:44:19,200
heritage.
We believe this for a long time.

749
00:44:19,200 –> 00:44:23,720
It must be right, and how often
it is when we have a problem in

750
00:44:23,720 –> 00:44:26,600
the occlusion that might even
involve a vote on disfellowship.

751
00:44:27,280 –> 00:44:31,440
Then instead of sitting down and
examining that problem anew from

752
00:44:31,440 –> 00:44:34,680
every single angle to see what
we should do, we’ll say, well,

753
00:44:34,680 –> 00:44:37,040
you know, I was brought up to
say this is wrong.

754
00:44:37,040 –> 00:44:40,040
And they don’t even show up to
special classes on a given

755
00:44:40,040 –> 00:44:42,840
subject, but they sure show up
for the vote.

756
00:44:44,400 –> 00:44:46,360
They say, well, we’ve always
believed it this way, and that’s

757
00:44:46,360 –> 00:44:49,240
the way it’s going to be.
Instead of sitting down and say,

758
00:44:49,240 –> 00:44:52,360
you know, let’s look at this
afresh and see what the

759
00:44:52,360 –> 00:44:54,120
Scripture really does have to
say.

760
00:44:54,560 –> 00:44:59,480
We can be guilty of this
traditional, this wisdom of the

761
00:44:59,480 –> 00:45:02,840
antiquities, just as much as
Bill Dad could.

762
00:45:03,560 –> 00:45:06,880
And he brings up this idea to
Job and says, you know, Job,

763
00:45:07,240 –> 00:45:09,880
we’ve always believed this.
It must be right.

764
00:45:09,880 –> 00:45:14,000
You believed it yourself.
The problem is, you’re just not

765
00:45:14,000 –> 00:45:16,760
willing to apply it to yourself.
You’ve done something pretty

766
00:45:16,760 –> 00:45:20,160
bad.
Why don’t you admit it, confess

767
00:45:20,160 –> 00:45:24,600
it, repent of it, seek God’s
forgiveness, and he’ll heal you.

768
00:45:25,480 –> 00:45:28,440
But of course, Job knew that he
had.

769
00:45:29,200 –> 00:45:31,680
And again, we’re in a very
unique position.

770
00:45:32,360 –> 00:45:35,960
We’re in the position of having
the testimony of the Almighty

771
00:45:35,960 –> 00:45:39,760
back in that first and second
chapter, which spoke up and told

772
00:45:39,800 –> 00:45:43,480
us that it wasn’t anything
terrible that Job had done, but

773
00:45:43,480 –> 00:45:47,280
instead he was suffering for the
benefit of somebody else.

774
00:45:48,040 –> 00:45:50,440
We’re in that remarkably unique
position.

775
00:45:51,240 –> 00:45:54,480
And so then comes along the
third individual here, Job’s

776
00:45:54,480 –> 00:45:58,920
third friend by the name of So
Far, and he takes another

777
00:45:58,920 –> 00:46:02,640
position.
He suggests that perhaps Job is

778
00:46:02,640 –> 00:46:07,520
guilty of some unknown sin, That
perhaps Job has done something

779
00:46:07,520 –> 00:46:10,920
that he didn’t even realize was
wrong in the 1st place or may

780
00:46:10,920 –> 00:46:14,560
have even forgotten about it,
and that’s why God is punishing

781
00:46:14,560 –> 00:46:16,640
him.
He’s almost conceding the

782
00:46:16,680 –> 00:46:19,400
argument.
Could you imagine God punishing

783
00:46:19,400 –> 00:46:21,520
something?
Punishing someone for something

784
00:46:21,520 –> 00:46:24,240
they didn’t even know about an
unknown sin?

785
00:46:24,960 –> 00:46:27,480
According to the scripture,
individuals be punished for the

786
00:46:27,480 –> 00:46:30,840
things that they know.
Of course we have the benefit of

787
00:46:30,840 –> 00:46:32,720
added scripture since the time
of so far.

788
00:46:33,120 –> 00:46:35,680
But we know the scripture says
that he that knoweth to do good

789
00:46:36,200 –> 00:46:38,760
and do with it, not to him it is
sin.

790
00:46:39,400 –> 00:46:42,200
And so we find that knowledge of
sin is necessary before there’s

791
00:46:42,200 –> 00:46:45,320
going to be retribution for it.
We learn that the man that’s in

792
00:46:45,320 –> 00:46:47,920
honor and understandeth not is
like the beast that perish.

793
00:46:48,080 –> 00:46:51,160
He isn’t going to be rewarded
for doing good, but he isn’t

794
00:46:51,160 –> 00:46:52,680
going to be punished for doing
evil.

795
00:46:53,040 –> 00:46:58,320
He has this life and that’s it.
And so to consider Zofar’s

796
00:46:58,320 –> 00:47:02,520
argument that Job may very well
have been guilty of some unknown

797
00:47:02,520 –> 00:47:05,960
sin is virtually conceding the
case to Job.

798
00:47:06,360 –> 00:47:09,080
And we find that these
individuals go on in their

799
00:47:09,080 –> 00:47:11,160
debate throughout these three
cycles.

800
00:47:11,520 –> 00:47:16,120
And within those cycles, finally
the idea is brought up that,

801
00:47:16,120 –> 00:47:19,760
well, perhaps Job wasn’t guilty
of a sin of Commission.

802
00:47:20,560 –> 00:47:25,160
It may have been that Job was
guilty of a sin of omission,

803
00:47:25,800 –> 00:47:29,640
that he had an opportunity to do
good and he neglected to do it.

804
00:47:30,200 –> 00:47:34,280
The suggestion is made that
perhaps a widow or an orphan had

805
00:47:34,280 –> 00:47:37,040
come to Job and Job could have
helped, or maybe even come to

806
00:47:37,040 –> 00:47:39,440
that to him.
But he was aware of their plight

807
00:47:39,600 –> 00:47:42,760
and he hadn’t given them the the
welfare, the relief that they

808
00:47:42,760 –> 00:47:46,640
could have used.
And therefore he may be

809
00:47:46,640 –> 00:47:49,800
suffering for some sin of
omission, something he could

810
00:47:49,800 –> 00:47:51,720
have done that he neglected to
do.

811
00:47:51,920 –> 00:47:54,600
And it’s interesting.
As we go through the debate

812
00:47:54,600 –> 00:47:57,600
between Job and his three
friends, we find that there is a

813
00:47:57,600 –> 00:48:02,200
section where Job categorically
denies having committed any of

814
00:48:02,200 –> 00:48:05,520
these sins of omission, and
points out that he had very

815
00:48:05,520 –> 00:48:10,400
often helped orphans and widows
in their plight, that he had not

816
00:48:10,400 –> 00:48:14,880
turned their back upon them.
He makes this claim that perhaps

817
00:48:14,880 –> 00:48:20,440
one of the most important parts
of Job’s defense is this in the

818
00:48:20,440 –> 00:48:23,360
21st chapter, and I’m not going
to go through it.

819
00:48:23,640 –> 00:48:25,880
It would be rather long, but for
your own benefit.

820
00:48:26,520 –> 00:48:30,600
We find that Job points out
something very, very important

821
00:48:30,600 –> 00:48:34,440
which shows that his mind has
been changed in regard to the

822
00:48:34,440 –> 00:48:38,560
doctrine of exact retribution.
He’s come to the position where

823
00:48:38,560 –> 00:48:43,000
he realizes that the doctrine of
exact retribution is not

824
00:48:43,000 –> 00:48:46,280
correct.
There he points out, and we find

825
00:48:46,280 –> 00:48:50,280
that David also does in the
Psalms, that there are many

826
00:48:50,280 –> 00:48:54,080
individuals that are obviously
wicked in the way in which they

827
00:48:54,080 –> 00:48:57,800
live.
They live a life of absolute

828
00:48:57,800 –> 00:49:01,880
sin.
And yet strangely enough, they

829
00:49:01,880 –> 00:49:05,800
seem to get along in this life
somewhat better than many other

830
00:49:05,800 –> 00:49:08,680
individuals that are obviously
far, far more righteous than

831
00:49:08,680 –> 00:49:10,520
they.
And you know, we’ve looked

832
00:49:10,520 –> 00:49:13,800
around at this condition
ourselves and we wonder why some

833
00:49:13,800 –> 00:49:18,880
of these very well known
criminals seem to get along

834
00:49:18,880 –> 00:49:21,120
very, very well.
They may be the head of the

835
00:49:21,120 –> 00:49:23,880
mafia or something like that.
And they seem to get along

836
00:49:23,880 –> 00:49:26,120
pretty good.
They have a fine life, They have

837
00:49:26,120 –> 00:49:28,960
a lot of money.
They have perhaps a large

838
00:49:28,960 –> 00:49:30,920
family, seem to get along quite
well in life.

839
00:49:31,360 –> 00:49:34,480
Perhaps they don’t even have too
much disease or sickness or

840
00:49:34,480 –> 00:49:37,000
pain.
And when death finally does

841
00:49:37,000 –> 00:49:40,200
come, it comes in a moment by
perhaps a sudden, sudden heart

842
00:49:40,200 –> 00:49:43,440
attack or perhaps one of the hit
men from their opposition, I

843
00:49:43,440 –> 00:49:46,000
don’t know.
But anyway, death comes very,

844
00:49:46,000 –> 00:49:49,360
very quickly.
They don’t have a problem such

845
00:49:49,360 –> 00:49:53,760
as Job is having, whether he may
have weeks or months, whether

846
00:49:53,760 –> 00:49:57,480
he’s suffering in tremendous
agony before death comes.

847
00:49:58,000 –> 00:50:03,160
And so Job brings up this
observation to his friends, and

848
00:50:03,160 –> 00:50:05,600
it’s an argument that they
cannot refute.

849
00:50:06,120 –> 00:50:09,920
And when we look around about
us, we see individuals that seem

850
00:50:09,920 –> 00:50:13,840
to get along far, far better in
their lives of sin, where they

851
00:50:13,840 –> 00:50:18,440
left God totally out of it.
Then we do, and when problems

852
00:50:18,440 –> 00:50:22,400
come up, we may say, why is it
that God let’s this happen to

853
00:50:22,400 –> 00:50:24,800
me?
And I know many of us have been

854
00:50:24,800 –> 00:50:28,760
in that position of wondering
why God would let this happen to

855
00:50:28,760 –> 00:50:31,160
me.
And we’ve often said why me, Why

856
00:50:31,160 –> 00:50:35,320
me?
And there are reasons sometimes

857
00:50:35,320 –> 00:50:38,840
why God permits us to suffer.
And as we get on to the speeches

858
00:50:38,840 –> 00:50:41,680
of Eliah, who and pick
particularly the speeches of the

859
00:50:41,680 –> 00:50:44,800
Almighty, we’re going to have an
opportunity to see those.

860
00:50:45,240 –> 00:50:49,480
But Job has now come to the
position where he realizes that

861
00:50:49,720 –> 00:50:53,120
this doctrine of exact
retribution is not really

862
00:50:53,120 –> 00:50:56,960
correct.
He’s changed his mind, however,

863
00:50:57,640 –> 00:51:03,400
perhaps not completely.
He has a wish within his heart.

864
00:51:04,080 –> 00:51:07,920
First of all, he wishes that he
could have it out with God.

865
00:51:07,920 –> 00:51:10,440
I think that’s now I’m looking
at my note.

866
00:51:10,440 –> 00:51:12,480
I think that’s back in the 13th
chapter.

867
00:51:13,040 –> 00:51:16,760
He wishes that he could call to
God and have God answer him,

868
00:51:16,960 –> 00:51:22,000
that they could actually talk
about it face to face and have

869
00:51:22,000 –> 00:51:24,520
it out.
Because he doesn’t really feel

870
00:51:24,760 –> 00:51:26,760
that God has been treating him
just right.

871
00:51:27,640 –> 00:51:29,280
He’s here.
He’s lived a good life.

872
00:51:30,080 –> 00:51:32,720
He’s done everything he could to
maintain his integrity.

873
00:51:32,920 –> 00:51:37,280
Even when God has removed all of
his wealth, when God has removed

874
00:51:37,280 –> 00:51:41,040
his children from life, and even
now, when God has put him in

875
00:51:41,040 –> 00:51:45,040
this position of agony, he still
maintained his integrity and he

876
00:51:45,040 –> 00:51:47,040
figures that God owes him
something because of it.

877
00:51:48,400 –> 00:51:50,680
And I wonder if there’s times
when we’ve come to the position

878
00:51:50,680 –> 00:51:55,400
of saying, look, we’ve learned
the truth, Must be pretty smart

879
00:51:55,400 –> 00:51:57,320
to figure it out when there’s so
many millions of people that

880
00:51:57,320 –> 00:52:00,960
don’t know it.
And here we’ve been baptized,

881
00:52:00,960 –> 00:52:02,920
We’ve called upon the name of
the Lord for the remission of

882
00:52:02,920 –> 00:52:05,240
our sins.
We become active in the

883
00:52:05,240 –> 00:52:07,840
Ecclesia.
We give up a great deal of our

884
00:52:07,840 –> 00:52:10,640
time and energy, and perhaps
even a little bit of our wealth,

885
00:52:11,280 –> 00:52:16,160
in our service to God.
Why is it that God doesn’t treat

886
00:52:16,160 –> 00:52:17,640
us a little bit better than we
are?

887
00:52:18,120 –> 00:52:21,640
Why does God permit the trials
and tribulations of this life to

888
00:52:21,640 –> 00:52:24,960
come upon us, perhaps far out of
proportion of what we think we

889
00:52:24,960 –> 00:52:28,480
deserve?
Job didn’t think that God had

890
00:52:28,480 –> 00:52:34,120
treated him just right, and in
so doing, he was virtually

891
00:52:34,120 –> 00:52:40,440
accusing God of being unjust and
unrighteous.

892
00:52:41,040 –> 00:52:43,080
In fact, he actually makes that
claim.

893
00:52:43,080 –> 00:52:44,840
He says God has taken away my
judgment.

894
00:52:45,080 –> 00:52:47,920
In other words, God hasn’t
treated me just.

895
00:52:48,600 –> 00:52:50,960
And we find that when Elijah
comes on the scene, we’re going

896
00:52:50,960 –> 00:52:52,720
to have some of those claims
answered.

897
00:52:53,080 –> 00:52:56,080
And when the Almighty speaks,
we’re going to have more of them

898
00:52:56,080 –> 00:52:58,840
answered.
But Job wishes that he could

899
00:52:58,840 –> 00:53:01,560
have it out with God, because he
figures that if he could sit

900
00:53:01,560 –> 00:53:04,440
down and actually have a
discussion, a debate, an

901
00:53:04,440 –> 00:53:08,480
argument if you will, with the
Almighty, that he would be able

902
00:53:08,480 –> 00:53:12,240
to show that he was right and
God was wrong.

903
00:53:13,200 –> 00:53:15,440
Now that’s a bit of a problem,
isn’t it?

904
00:53:15,440 –> 00:53:17,120
But that’s the attitude that he
had.

905
00:53:17,520 –> 00:53:21,440
But God didn’t say anything.
God remained absolutely silent.

906
00:53:22,080 –> 00:53:24,920
And then, of course, he goes on
to accuse God of being silent

907
00:53:24,920 –> 00:53:28,640
even when called upon, and he
finally comes to the position

908
00:53:29,400 –> 00:53:32,960
where that he wishes that he
could have a dazed man.

909
00:53:33,960 –> 00:53:36,320
That’s not a word that we use
very often, is it?

910
00:53:37,160 –> 00:53:40,800
The word daisman actually means
a mediator or an arbitrator.

911
00:53:41,520 –> 00:53:45,120
He wishes that there could be
some individual that would be a

912
00:53:45,120 –> 00:53:48,480
go between between him and God.
He says, look, if God won’t talk

913
00:53:48,480 –> 00:53:51,920
with me directly, perhaps God
might be willing to talk with me

914
00:53:52,080 –> 00:53:55,920
through some other individual.
And therefore, if he could have

915
00:53:55,920 –> 00:53:59,720
this mediator, this arbitrator,
as a go between between him and

916
00:53:59,720 –> 00:54:04,240
God, why he felt that he was
absolutely right in his position

917
00:54:05,240 –> 00:54:07,640
and therefore the arbitrator of
course will be taking his side

918
00:54:07,640 –> 00:54:11,160
and not God’s side.
I wonder how often we’ve had

919
00:54:11,160 –> 00:54:14,840
that feeling in our own hearts
where we felt that we were right

920
00:54:14,840 –> 00:54:18,200
and if only we could have
somebody speak up for us to God.

921
00:54:18,720 –> 00:54:22,520
You know, it’s interesting in
regard to this days men, we

922
00:54:22,520 –> 00:54:26,520
can’t help but realize that this
is getting us awfully close to

923
00:54:26,520 –> 00:54:29,280
the Lord Jesus Christ.
And another aspect of his work.

924
00:54:29,960 –> 00:54:33,120
We realize that now Jesus sits
on the right hand of the Father.

925
00:54:34,080 –> 00:54:39,040
He’s the mediator between God
and man, the man Christ Jesus.

926
00:54:40,320 –> 00:54:43,680
But we find that when this
Daisman comes on the scene, and

927
00:54:43,680 –> 00:54:48,880
one does come on the scene for
Job, this daisman becomes a type

928
00:54:48,880 –> 00:54:52,400
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This daisman of course, is going

929
00:54:52,400 –> 00:54:54,760
to be the young man alive Who
that we’re going to talk about

930
00:54:54,760 –> 00:54:56,760
tomorrow.
We’re going to try to keep from

931
00:54:56,760 –> 00:55:02,120
going into his speeches, but
here we find that when Eli, who

932
00:55:02,120 –> 00:55:06,640
comes on the scene, instead of
taking Job’s side and

933
00:55:07,200 –> 00:55:12,440
approaching God, he takes God’s
side and presents God’s position

934
00:55:12,440 –> 00:55:16,360
to Job.
And isn’t this the exact same

935
00:55:16,360 –> 00:55:21,120
position that the Lord Jesus
took before he became the

936
00:55:21,160 –> 00:55:25,320
Advocate with the Father for
human beings making intercession

937
00:55:25,320 –> 00:55:29,840
for our sins?
He first makes God known to us,

938
00:55:30,720 –> 00:55:34,040
and consequently we come across
so many verses in the scriptures

939
00:55:34,280 –> 00:55:38,880
which the Trinitarians latch on
to very quickly, not recognizing

940
00:55:38,880 –> 00:55:42,400
the full significance of those
verses such as ye who have seen

941
00:55:42,400 –> 00:55:47,280
me have seen the Father.
God dwells in a light that’s

942
00:55:47,280 –> 00:55:50,280
unapproachable.
God can’t be put on a test to

943
00:55:50,680 –> 00:55:54,000
there’s no way that we can
examine an invisible God that

944
00:55:54,000 –> 00:55:58,040
cannot possibly be seen, that
never has been seen, or can be

945
00:55:58,040 –> 00:56:01,440
seen by mortal man.
The only way that we can

946
00:56:01,440 –> 00:56:06,040
understand God is by his
revealing himself to us, first

947
00:56:06,040 –> 00:56:09,920
of all in the pages of the
Scripture, and finally at the

948
00:56:09,920 –> 00:56:13,400
appointed time in the life of
his only begotten Son.

949
00:56:14,080 –> 00:56:19,640
And so here we find that God
indeed was revealed in the Lord

950
00:56:19,680 –> 00:56:22,520
Jesus Christ.
Now, tomorrow we’re going to

951
00:56:22,520 –> 00:56:26,240
take up the speeches of Elihu.
We’re going to recognize Elihu

952
00:56:26,280 –> 00:56:29,920
as the very days men that Job
had requested, and we’re going

953
00:56:29,920 –> 00:56:34,920
to see how that he first
demonstrates God to Job instead

954
00:56:34,920 –> 00:56:38,120
of taking up Job’s position
before God.

955
00:56:38,560 –> 00:56:41,200
So we’ll leave that and we’ll
consider it tomorrow.

956
00:56:56,160 –> 00:56:58,240
Thank you for listening to the
good Chris Adelphian Talks

957
00:56:58,240 –> 00:57:00,840
Podcast.
We hope this talk helped you in

958
00:57:00,840 –> 00:57:02,320
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959
00:57:03,520 –> 00:57:05,560
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960
00:57:05,560 –> 00:57:08,080
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961
00:57:08,080 –> 00:57:12,160
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962
00:57:12,160 –> 00:57:14,640
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00:57:14,640 –> 00:57:17,400
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964
00:57:17,400 –> 00:57:21,520
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965
00:57:21,800 –> 00:57:24,320
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966
00:57:25,720 –> 00:57:28,080
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00:57:28,080 –> 00:57:30,800
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968
00:57:30,800 –> 00:57:34,080
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970
00:57:36,000 –> 00:57:38,640
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971
00:57:38,640 –> 00:57:40,880
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972
00:57:41,440 –> 00:57:44,440
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00:57:44,440 –> 00:57:47,480
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974
00:57:48,080 –> 00:57:50,960
Thank you for listening.
God bless and talk to you next

975
00:57:50,960 –> 00:57:51,200
week.