415: Richard Morgan – Exhortation: My Servant Will Acquit Many

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Welcome to Good Christophian
Talks.

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Thank you for joining us this
week on this podcast.

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We select one talk a week to
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Daily News feed.
Each week we post a talk that we

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previewed from suggestions sent
in by listeners from around the

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world.
Then we record a short intro

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beforehand as a personalized
recommendation to you on why we

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are sharing the talk.
And now let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
Everyone, this is Jason Hensley,

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

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Richard Morgan given at the Simi
Hills Ecclesia in California.

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One of the things that I really
loved about this talk, this is

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an exhortation, is that Brother
Richard spent time looking at

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the connections between Isaiah
53 and the story of Job.

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I never looked at those before,
and I found those links to be

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really powerful because you can
see that they’re there.

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And even more, you can imagine
that as the Lord Jesus read

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Isaiah 53 and thought about
himself, he would have also made

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those connections back to Job.
And therefore, considering Job

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and Job’s response to his own
suffering, I think that would

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have really impacted Christ.
And brother Richard brings that

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out really nicely.
So that’s what I love about this

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talk.
I hope that you’re excited to

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hear it and I think that you’ll
enjoy it.

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This is Brother Richard Morgan,
my servant will acquit many, is

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what he is titled this talk and
it was given just in July of

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2026.
Have you ever suffered unjustly?

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You’re suffering through no
fault of your own.

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You’re suffering maybe because
of the actions of somebody else.

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Maybe you’ve been misunderstood.
Maybe you’ve been misjudged.

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Maybe you’ve been falsely
accused.

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And I think all of us, brothers
and sisters, throughout our

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lives experience times like this
when we suffer an injustice.

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So what should our reaction be?
How should we respond when we

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suffer unjustly?
Well, of course, this morning we

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come to the example of our Lord
Jesus Christ and his suffering.

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And this is the the subject of
what Peter talks about in the

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chapter that we just read.
By the way, I’m reading this

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morning from the New English
translation.

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That’s the, the version from
Isaiah 53 you have on the, on

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the screen there.
The reason I’m reading for the

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new English the NET is because
it brings out the meaning of

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Isaiah chapter 53 very well for
us.

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And Isaiah 53 is of course all
about the unjust suffering of

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the Lord Jesus Christ.
And it forms the background of

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what we’ve just read here at the
end of first Peter chapter 2,

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where Peter says in verse 19,
for this finds favour God’s

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favour, if because of conscience
toward God someone endures

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hardships in suffering unjustly.
And then at the end of verse 20,

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he repeats that, but if you do
good and suffer and so endure

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this finds favour with God.
Then in verse 21, he says for to

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this you were called.
Now that’s interesting, isn’t

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it?
We’ve been called to this.

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Suffering unjustly is going to
be part and parcel of being a

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brother or sister in Christ.
And we know that there’s a

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reason for this.
There’s a bigger story at play,

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isn’t there?
We don’t suffer for suffering’s

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sake.
We know that God, for instance,

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is developing our character.
He’s developing the mind of

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Christ in us when we suffer.
And tied to that is what Paul

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says to the Philippians.
He says we need to be conformed

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to the death of Christ,
fellowshipping his sufferings

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that we might attain to to his
resurrection.

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And the reason why we fellowship
the sufferings of the Lord Jesus

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Christ is because then we know
what it is like.

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We experience something of what
Jesus experienced, but people,

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other people through their
actions brought suffering into

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his life.
And that, brothers and sisters,

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should convict us because of
course we sin in ways that can

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bring suffering into the lives
of other people.

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So having been convicted by
that, it should persuade us

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instead to develop the mind of
Christ.

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So God allows us to go through
these periods of suffering so

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that we learn these lessons.
And so he says in verse 21 then

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so this you were called since
Christ also suffered for you,

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leaving an example for you to
follow in his steps.

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Notice what he says there.
Christ suffered for you.

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Christ did not suffer for
suffering’s sake.

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And it wasn’t just for him.
It was for you, it was for me.

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Keep that in mind brothers and
sisters, we’re going to come

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back to this point at the end of
our exhortation.

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And then in the next verse,
verse 22, he quotes from Isaiah

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chapter 53.
He committed no sin, nor was

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deceit found in his mouth.
So Jesus never did anything

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wrong and yet he still suffered.
So what was Jesus reaction?

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How did he respond to unjust
suffering?

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Well, that’s where we come to
verse 23.

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And this is really our
exhortation this morning,

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brothers and sisters.
Verse 23 says when he was

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maligned or insulted, or as it
says in the ESV, when he was

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reviled, he did not answer back
or he did not revile in return.

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When he suffered, he threatened
no retaliation.

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And really what Peter is doing
there is he’s interpreting our

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key verse that we have on the
screen there from Isaiah 53 and

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verse 7, that in the face of
unjust suffering, as it says at

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the beginning and the end of
that verse, he did not open his

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mouth.
And Peter interprets that in

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this verse, verse 23, that when
he was reviled, he did not

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answer back, He did not
retaliate, He submitted to it.

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And instead of answering back,
instead of opening his mouth, as

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it says at the end of verse 23,
he committed himself or was

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entrusting himself to God who
judges justly.

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So there we see the contrast.
Of course, wicked men put Jesus,

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for instance, through an unjust
trial.

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They placed him on the cross,
and then he was put in the tomb,

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falsely accused.
In contrast to that, we have the

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God who judges justly.
And God’s answer to that was to

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raise his Son from the dead.
By the way, that word in verse

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23 at the end, they’re committed
or entrusting.

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This is the only Greek word you
need to remember this morning.

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It’s the the Greek word
paradidomy.

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And it’s the word used
extensively through the Gospel

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records for the time when Jesus
was betrayed and handed over to

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the authorities.
So you can see what’s happening

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here.
Jesus, God allowed his Son to be

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handed over to those who falsely
accused him of put him to death.

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So what did Jesus do in
response?

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He didn’t open his mouth.
He didn’t answer back.

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He turned the other cheek and he
handed himself over to God.

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He put himself into God’s hands.
He let God take care of the

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situation.
Now, I could sit down now

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because that’s our excitation,
isn’t it?

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In the face of unjust suffering,
don’t open your mouth and commit

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yourself instead to the God who
judges justly.

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However, we don’t find that very
easy, do we?

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The last thing we feel like
doing when we’re suffering an

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injustice is to keep our mouths
closed.

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We want to do the right
opposite, don’t we?

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We?
We want to open our mouths wide.

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We want to gather everybody in
the room and explain to them why

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this is so unfair.
We want to defend ourselves.

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If we’re falsely accused, for
instance, we don’t want to

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submit to that.
And I think too, we find it hard

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to commit ourselves to the God
who judges justly because we

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want answers now.
We want resolution now.

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We want this fixed right now.
So perhaps, brothers and

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sisters, we have a lot of
empathy with another man who

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went through unjust suffering,
and that was Job.

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I want to have a look at his
example.

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Come with me if you were to Job
Chapter 1.

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And what we find with Job is
that in the face of unjust

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suffering in his life, he had, I
think, a very natural reaction.

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And I think we can see ourselves
in Job even if we don’t

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obviously suffer as much as he
did or as much as the Lord did.

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Now that is not to say that Job
doesn’t point forward to the

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Lord Jesus Christ because he
definitely does.

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If you look at Job chapter 1, it
says there in verse 8.

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So the Lord said to Satan the
adversary.

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Now we know that this adversary
is a key character in the story

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of Job.
And one of the questions in the

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book of Job is who is Job’s
adversary?

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And we’re going to come to that
question a little later.

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So God says to this adversary in
verse 8, Have you considered my

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servant, Job?
Now notice how God refers to Job

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here, My servant.
That happens to be the title

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that God uses for the suffering
servant in Isaiah 53 and its

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context, a series of chapters
about God’s servant.

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So Job definitely points forward
to Christ and you can see that

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in the rest of the verse.
There is no one like him on the

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earth, a pure and upright man,
one who fears God and turns away

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from evil.
So, so Job, yes, definitely

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points forward to the Lord Jesus
Christ.

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And in this first wave of
suffering in chapter 1, he has a

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very good reaction.
If you look at the end of the

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chapter, verse 20, it says Job
got up and tore his robe.

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He shaved his head.
By the way, that word shaved.

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It’s a very unusual word, but it
happens to be the exact same

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word as the Word Shearers in our
key verse on the screen.

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And what we find is that all the
language of the suffering

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servant in Isaiah is the same
language, the exact same Hebrew

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as we find to describe the
suffering of Job.

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Then if you come on to verse 21
of chapter 1, it says Job said

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naked, I came from my mother’s
womb and naked I will return.

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There the Lord gives and the
Lord takes away.

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May the name of the Lord be
blessed.

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So he had initially a very, very
good reaction.

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By the way, that phrase takes
away is also a key phrase found

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regarding the suffering of God’s
servant in Isaiah chapter 53.

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The Lord gives and the Lord
takes away.

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Now if we were to skip right to
the end of the story of Job,

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that verse 21 is reversed, isn’t
it?

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Job had things taken away from
him, but the end of the story of

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Job is glorious.
He was given back.

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For instance, he he lost his
offspring, but he was given back

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twice as much as he had before.
So that’s the end of the story.

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Brothers, sisters, the end of
the story of our suffering too

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is glorious.
We’ll come to that later, but

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let’s not get ahead of
ourselves.

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Let’s come back to what Job is
experiencing right now because

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there’s going to be a second
wave of suffering in chapter 2

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and a second conversation
between God and the adversary.

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So if you come to chapter 2,
verse 5, it says, and this is

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the adversary speaking, he says,
but extend your hand and strike

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his bone in his flesh and he
will no doubt curse you to your

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face.
By the way, that would strike

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there.
A keyword in this passage to

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describe Job’s suffering is also
a keyword found in Isaiah

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chapter 53 for the suffering of
God’s servant.

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Then it says in verse 6, the
Lord said to the adversary, all

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right, he is in your power, only
preserve his life.

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So God hands Job over to his
adversary.

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And by the way, in the
Septuagint in the Greek

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translation of verse 6, we have
our word paradidamy to be handed

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over.
So God allowed Job to be handed

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over to His adversary just as
years later He would allow his

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Son to be handed over to his
adversaries.

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Then it says in verse seven, so
the adversary went out from the

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presence of the Lord and he
afflicted again.

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That would afflicted.
A keyword to describe Job’s

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suffering.
Also a word used in Isaiah 53

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for the suffering of God’s
servant.

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He afflicted Job with a
malignant ulcer from the sole of

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his feet to the top of his head.
So Job is absolutely covered

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with ulcerous souls from head to
toe.

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It’s disgusting.
People don’t want to look at

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him.
He’s unsightly.

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So how does Job react now?
Well, that’s where we come to

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00:14:00,640 –> 00:14:07,120
chapter 3.
Have a look at chapter 3 and

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00:14:07,120 –> 00:14:12,640
verse one.
After this, Job opened his

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00:14:12,640 –> 00:14:15,440
mouth.
And now we begin to see the

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00:14:15,440 –> 00:14:21,720
contrast between Job, who opened
his mouth, and the servant of

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00:14:21,720 –> 00:14:25,880
Isaiah, who did not open his
mouth.

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00:14:27,400 –> 00:14:32,520
And it took brothers and sisters
37 chapters for Job to close his

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00:14:32,520 –> 00:14:35,440
mouth again.
And I think we can see ourselves

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00:14:35,440 –> 00:14:37,360
in Job when we’re going through
it.

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00:14:38,040 –> 00:14:41,520
We want to say something.
We want people to listen.

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00:14:41,520 –> 00:14:44,960
We want everyone to know that
this is not fair.

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00:14:45,320 –> 00:14:49,160
And of course we have then this
dialogue between Job and his

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00:14:49,160 –> 00:14:51,640
so-called three friends.
And what do his three friends

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00:14:51,640 –> 00:14:53,760
do?
They start to malign him, to

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00:14:53,760 –> 00:14:56,200
insult him, to revile him, don’t
they?

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00:14:56,520 –> 00:14:59,680
They say, Job, you must be a
terrible Sinner, you must have

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00:14:59,680 –> 00:15:03,280
done something terribly wrong to
deserve this punishment from

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00:15:03,280 –> 00:15:05,560
God.
And what does Job do in return?

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00:15:05,560 –> 00:15:06,920
Does he just sit there and take
it?

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00:15:06,920 –> 00:15:09,680
No, Job reviles in return,
doesn’t he?

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00:15:09,920 –> 00:15:13,000
For instance, he calls his
friends miserable comforters,

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00:15:13,320 –> 00:15:20,680
whitewashed with lies, worthless
physicians, and he accuses God.

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00:15:21,440 –> 00:15:28,520
Effectively, Job reviles God.
He says God has wronged me, God

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00:15:28,520 –> 00:15:33,640
has made me his target, and he
feels like God is against him.

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00:15:34,040 –> 00:15:38,000
Have a look at chapter 16.
Maybe you felt like this

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00:15:38,000 –> 00:15:41,200
sometimes.
Maybe you felt exactly like Job,

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00:15:41,600 –> 00:15:44,720
but when you’re going through
the thick of it that God is

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00:15:44,840 –> 00:15:52,880
against you.
Job chapter 16 and we’ll come in

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00:15:52,880 –> 00:15:55,000
here at verse 9.
He’s talking about God here in

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00:15:55,000 –> 00:15:57,680
verse 9.
God’s anger has torn me and

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00:15:57,680 –> 00:16:00,120
persecuted me.
He has gnashed at me with his

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00:16:00,120 –> 00:16:02,640
teeth.
My adversary locks his eyes on

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00:16:02,640 –> 00:16:06,720
me and I think there he’s
calling God his adversary.

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00:16:06,720 –> 00:16:13,400
He thinks God is against him.
Now he carries on in verse 10 by

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00:16:13,400 –> 00:16:16,720
saying people have opened their
mouths against me.

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00:16:17,160 –> 00:16:18,840
They’ve struck my cheek and
skull.

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00:16:18,840 –> 00:16:21,720
They unite together against me.
Now you can see Christ, can’t

254
00:16:21,720 –> 00:16:25,320
you, in verse 10.
But notice what Job is doing

255
00:16:25,320 –> 00:16:29,120
here.
He’s lumping God in with these

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00:16:29,120 –> 00:16:31,680
people.
He thinks everybody is against

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00:16:31,680 –> 00:16:36,720
him, including God.
Now he says in the next verse,

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00:16:36,960 –> 00:16:42,160
verse 11, God abandons me to
evil men, throws me into the

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00:16:42,160 –> 00:16:47,120
hands of wicked men.
Now that’s actually true, isn’t

260
00:16:47,120 –> 00:16:50,000
it?
Because He had been handed over

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00:16:50,440 –> 00:16:51,960
to the adversary.
And by the way, again in the

262
00:16:51,960 –> 00:16:56,120
Septuagint of verse 11, we have
our word parodidamy.

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00:16:56,520 –> 00:17:00,400
So Job had been handed over just
as Jesus later would be handed

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00:17:00,400 –> 00:17:03,040
over to into the hands of wicked
men.

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00:17:03,360 –> 00:17:05,640
But Job doesn’t understand why
this is happening.

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00:17:05,800 –> 00:17:09,240
He feels like God is against
him.

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00:17:10,480 –> 00:17:20,960
Have a look at chapter 19,
chapter 19 and verse 619, verse

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00:17:20,960 –> 00:17:23,960
6.
Know then that God has wronged

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00:17:23,960 –> 00:17:31,400
me and encircled me with His net
in the court of public opinion.

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00:17:32,080 –> 00:17:39,240
Job has been unfairly judged and
he thinks that God is part of

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00:17:39,240 –> 00:17:41,440
the problem.
God has wronged me.

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00:17:41,760 –> 00:17:45,440
He thinks God has falsely
accused him, that God is against

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00:17:45,440 –> 00:17:50,600
him, that God is his adversary.
And the next verse, verse 7.

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00:17:50,600 –> 00:17:55,720
Notice what he says here.
If I cry out violence, I receive

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00:17:55,720 –> 00:18:00,880
no answer.
I cry for help, but there is no

276
00:18:01,320 –> 00:18:07,080
justice.
This is how Job feels now.

277
00:18:07,080 –> 00:18:10,760
What kind of help did Job want?
Here he is in the court of

278
00:18:10,760 –> 00:18:13,080
public opinion.
He wants someone to defend him,

279
00:18:13,080 –> 00:18:14,680
doesn’t he?
He wants an advocate.

280
00:18:14,680 –> 00:18:17,320
He wants someone to intercede
under his behalf.

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00:18:17,600 –> 00:18:20,720
But he thinks there is no one.
There’s no one to help him.

282
00:18:20,720 –> 00:18:22,800
There’s no one to come to his
defense.

283
00:18:23,480 –> 00:18:27,360
There is no justice.
And, and maybe brothers and

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00:18:27,360 –> 00:18:30,760
sisters, when you’re going
through the thick of it, when

285
00:18:30,760 –> 00:18:34,880
you’re in the middle of
suffering, maybe you feel a

286
00:18:34,880 –> 00:18:41,560
little bit like that says in
verse 11, Oh, by the way, what

287
00:18:41,560 –> 00:18:45,520
we’re going to see is that the
suffering servant of Isaiah is

288
00:18:45,520 –> 00:18:47,920
going to answer Job, Job’s
complaint.

289
00:18:47,920 –> 00:18:51,720
We’ll see that in a moment.
But verse 11 says, thus God’s

290
00:18:51,720 –> 00:18:54,880
anger burns against me.
He considers me among his

291
00:18:54,880 –> 00:18:57,280
adversaries.
So again, he thinks that God is

292
00:18:57,280 –> 00:19:00,440
against him.
He thinks that God is the

293
00:19:00,440 –> 00:19:04,600
prosecutor.
So what does Joe want?

294
00:19:06,680 –> 00:19:10,440
He’s been judged unfairly in the
court of public opinion.

295
00:19:10,440 –> 00:19:13,200
He wants his day in court, isn’t
he?

296
00:19:13,840 –> 00:19:16,760
Come back a couple of chapters
to chapter 13.

297
00:19:19,240 –> 00:19:21,920
Have a look at some of the
things that Job keeps on saying

298
00:19:21,920 –> 00:19:24,880
in the face of this unjust
suffering.

299
00:19:24,880 –> 00:19:35,800
Chapter 13 and verse 18, he
says, see, now I have prepared

300
00:19:35,800 –> 00:19:38,960
my case.
I know that I am right, so I’m

301
00:19:38,960 –> 00:19:42,080
prepared to defend myself.
And Job keeps on saying this.

302
00:19:42,080 –> 00:19:45,000
I know that I’m right.
I didn’t do anything wrong.

303
00:19:46,920 –> 00:19:50,000
He keeps opening his mouth to
declare this.

304
00:19:50,000 –> 00:19:54,080
I know that I am right.
Then he throws out a challenge

305
00:19:54,080 –> 00:19:58,400
in the next verse, verse 19.
Who will contend with me?

306
00:19:58,400 –> 00:20:02,760
He says, who will contend with
me?

307
00:20:04,200 –> 00:20:06,560
Now what we’re going to see in a
moment is that the Suffering

308
00:20:06,560 –> 00:20:10,880
Servant throws out the exact
same challenge, but with a

309
00:20:10,880 –> 00:20:14,600
slight difference.
Then he says carrying on in

310
00:20:14,600 –> 00:20:17,640
verse 19, If anyone can, I will
be silent and die.

311
00:20:18,120 –> 00:20:23,720
If anyone can argue against me,
if anyone can prove me wrong, I

312
00:20:23,720 –> 00:20:26,560
will shut up.
But until then I am going to

313
00:20:26,560 –> 00:20:34,400
keep my mouth wide open.
He says in verse 23, how many

314
00:20:34,400 –> 00:20:37,400
are my iniquities and sins?
Show me my transgression of my

315
00:20:37,400 –> 00:20:39,920
sin.
Tell me, what have I done wrong

316
00:20:39,920 –> 00:20:45,480
to deserve this?
And then speaking about God

317
00:20:45,480 –> 00:20:47,000
again.
Well, speaking to God in verse

318
00:20:47,000 –> 00:20:52,840
24, why do you hide your face
and regard me as your adversary?

319
00:20:54,200 –> 00:20:56,800
He thinks that God is against
him.

320
00:20:57,680 –> 00:20:59,960
Look how he feels.
In the very last verse of verse

321
00:20:59,960 –> 00:21:03,120
28, He’s speaking about himself
here in the third person.

322
00:21:03,680 –> 00:21:07,480
He says I waste away like
something rotten, like a garment

323
00:21:07,480 –> 00:21:10,880
eaten by moths.
That’s how he feels.

324
00:21:12,040 –> 00:21:13,240
Now.
We’re also going to see Run

325
00:21:13,240 –> 00:21:16,960
Sisters, how the suffering
servant is going to echo those

326
00:21:16,960 –> 00:21:21,160
words of Job in verse 28.
But before we get to that

327
00:21:21,160 –> 00:21:23,400
servant, let’s not leave Job
here, shall we?

328
00:21:24,120 –> 00:21:26,200
Because Job did learn his
lesson.

329
00:21:27,320 –> 00:21:29,280
We go right to the end of the
story of Job.

330
00:21:29,280 –> 00:21:32,400
Come with me.
Our last reference in Job to Job

331
00:21:32,400 –> 00:21:38,600
Chapter 40.
Job finishes his discourses

332
00:21:40,640 –> 00:21:44,040
along with the three friends,
Allah who has his say, and

333
00:21:44,040 –> 00:21:48,720
finally God speaks.
And it is after God has finished

334
00:21:48,720 –> 00:21:54,760
speaking that we read this in
Job chapter 40 verse 3.

335
00:21:54,760 –> 00:21:57,160
So God has finished talking.
Job 40 verse 3.

336
00:21:57,480 –> 00:22:00,280
Then Job answered, the Lord,
indeed, I am completely

337
00:22:00,280 –> 00:22:02,240
unworthy.
How could I reply to you?

338
00:22:02,560 –> 00:22:10,240
I put my hand over my mouth to
silence myself, and now Job has

339
00:22:10,240 –> 00:22:16,440
learned to close his mouth and
to commit himself to the God who

340
00:22:16,440 –> 00:22:19,680
judges justly.
So what was it about what God

341
00:22:19,680 –> 00:22:26,640
said that convinced Job?
Well, just like all of us when

342
00:22:26,640 –> 00:22:31,080
we suffer.
When Job suffered, his whole

343
00:22:31,080 –> 00:22:34,120
world shrank down to that
suffering.

344
00:22:34,640 –> 00:22:37,040
Everything revolved around that
suffering.

345
00:22:37,280 –> 00:22:40,400
Everything was viewed through
the lens of that suffering and

346
00:22:40,400 –> 00:22:43,640
he became very self-centered and
very short sighted.

347
00:22:43,640 –> 00:22:45,040
And that happens to all of us.
So.

348
00:22:45,280 –> 00:22:49,480
So what God does for Job in his
speech and what God will do for

349
00:22:49,480 –> 00:22:53,240
you and me as well is he widens
his perspective.

350
00:22:53,480 –> 00:22:59,640
He tells Job that his suffering
is just a part of a bigger story

351
00:22:59,640 –> 00:23:01,560
at play.
And of course, that’s what the

352
00:23:01,560 –> 00:23:03,600
Lord Jesus Christ understood,
didn’t he?

353
00:23:03,800 –> 00:23:07,160
He understood that he suffered
not for suffering’s sake, that

354
00:23:07,160 –> 00:23:10,680
there was a bigger story at
play, and in understanding that,

355
00:23:10,680 –> 00:23:14,400
he submitted to it.
So now let’s go to Isaiah,

356
00:23:14,720 –> 00:23:22,200
Isaiah chapter 53 and have a
look at the Suffering servant,

357
00:23:23,520 –> 00:23:26,240
Isaiah chapter 53.
Now there’s an unfortunate

358
00:23:26,240 –> 00:23:28,920
chapter division here.
This is why we started earlier

359
00:23:28,920 –> 00:23:32,520
in chapter 52.
Chapter 53 really begins in

360
00:23:32,520 –> 00:23:39,080
chapter 52 and verse 13, which
says, behold, my servant,

361
00:23:40,400 –> 00:23:42,280
remember what God said, the
adversary.

362
00:23:42,800 –> 00:23:46,040
Have you considered my servant
job?

363
00:23:46,480 –> 00:23:50,840
And just as much as Isaiah
points forward to the Lord Jesus

364
00:23:50,840 –> 00:23:54,200
Christ, it also points backwards
to Job.

365
00:23:54,800 –> 00:23:57,000
For instance, look at the next
verse, verse 14.

366
00:23:57,160 –> 00:24:00,280
Just as many as were horrified
by the sight of you remember

367
00:24:00,280 –> 00:24:03,840
those horrible ulcerous swords
that covered Job from head to

368
00:24:03,840 –> 00:24:06,240
toe and people didn’t want to
look at him.

369
00:24:06,240 –> 00:24:13,880
So if you come into chapter 53,
it says in verse three, he was

370
00:24:13,880 –> 00:24:17,840
despised and rejected by people,
one who experienced pain and was

371
00:24:17,840 –> 00:24:20,280
acquainted with illness.
Think about Job here.

372
00:24:20,840 –> 00:24:23,640
People hid their faces from him.
He was despised and we

373
00:24:23,640 –> 00:24:27,520
considered him insignificant.
Then in verse 4 it says this,

374
00:24:28,600 –> 00:24:31,480
but he lifted up our illnesses,
He carried our pain.

375
00:24:31,840 –> 00:24:37,000
And the end of verse 4, and I’m
reading here as a reminder from

376
00:24:37,000 –> 00:24:39,880
the NET, the new English
translation, the end of verse 4

377
00:24:39,880 –> 00:24:46,400
says this, even though we
thought he was being punished,

378
00:24:46,880 –> 00:24:51,800
attacked by God and afflicted
for something he had done.

379
00:24:52,960 –> 00:24:56,040
Now, isn’t that what the three
friends kept on telling Joe?

380
00:24:57,480 –> 00:25:00,120
You’re going through this
because you are being afflicted

381
00:25:00,120 –> 00:25:02,720
for something you’ve done.
You’ve committed some terrible

382
00:25:02,720 –> 00:25:05,040
sin.
And isn’t this what how Joe

383
00:25:05,040 –> 00:25:07,520
felt?
Joe felt like God was attacking

384
00:25:07,520 –> 00:25:11,280
him.
He felt like God was against

385
00:25:11,280 –> 00:25:14,920
him.
But verse 4 is a

386
00:25:14,920 –> 00:25:20,480
misunderstanding, isn’t it?
Because that verse is answered

387
00:25:21,000 –> 00:25:24,400
in verse 6.
Verse 6 says this.

388
00:25:25,480 –> 00:25:27,760
All of us had wandered off like
sheep.

389
00:25:28,360 –> 00:25:31,160
Each of us had strayed off on
His own path.

390
00:25:31,160 –> 00:25:35,520
Now the end of verse 6, again
from the NET says this.

391
00:25:36,280 –> 00:25:42,880
But the Lord caused the sin of
all of us to attack him.

392
00:25:43,960 –> 00:25:49,920
The Lord caused the sin of all
of us to attack him.

393
00:25:51,200 –> 00:25:55,280
So no, it wasn’t God who was
attacking His Son.

394
00:25:55,280 –> 00:25:57,120
It wasn’t God who was attacking
Job.

395
00:25:58,000 –> 00:26:02,840
But He allowed it to happen.
He did hand Job over to the

396
00:26:02,840 –> 00:26:06,640
adversary who attacked him, just
as He would hand His Son over.

397
00:26:06,640 –> 00:26:09,920
And by the way, again in the
Septuagint verse 6, we have our

398
00:26:09,920 –> 00:26:15,360
word parodidamy handed over.
So God allowed it to happen

399
00:26:15,360 –> 00:26:18,160
because of the biggest story at
play.

400
00:26:18,440 –> 00:26:24,040
But it wasn’t God attacking.
It also says there you’ll notice

401
00:26:24,040 –> 00:26:27,200
it’s the sin of all of us that
attacked him.

402
00:26:27,880 –> 00:26:30,280
Yeah, that’s your sin and that’s
my sin.

403
00:26:31,240 –> 00:26:34,120
You see, every time we are
envious, every time we are

404
00:26:34,120 –> 00:26:37,560
hateful, every time we falsely
accused, we are committing the

405
00:26:37,560 –> 00:26:41,920
same sins that put that man upon
the cross and laid him in the

406
00:26:41,920 –> 00:26:46,360
tomb.
When we sin in these ways,

407
00:26:46,360 –> 00:26:50,040
brothers and sisters, we bring
unjust suffering into the lives

408
00:26:50,400 –> 00:26:55,600
of other people.
And so that realisation should

409
00:26:55,600 –> 00:27:01,240
convict us and persuade us not
to be like that.

410
00:27:04,360 –> 00:27:06,160
But this isn’t the end of the
story, is it?

411
00:27:07,880 –> 00:27:11,720
The last three verses of Isaiah
chapter 53 are the end of the

412
00:27:11,720 –> 00:27:18,520
story when we read about the
victory where God raised his Son

413
00:27:18,520 –> 00:27:22,440
from the dead.
Now what was God’s signaling

414
00:27:22,440 –> 00:27:24,000
when He raised his son from the
dead?

415
00:27:24,600 –> 00:27:28,480
Wicked men had taken his son,
put him through an unjust trial,

416
00:27:28,480 –> 00:27:32,600
falsely accused him, put him on
the cross, placed him in the

417
00:27:32,600 –> 00:27:37,120
tomb.
When God raised his Son from the

418
00:27:37,120 –> 00:27:41,800
dead, He was declaring his Son
innocent.

419
00:27:43,200 –> 00:27:46,360
He was declaring his son
innocent.

420
00:27:48,080 –> 00:27:53,200
But there’s more to that.
If you look at the end of Isaiah

421
00:27:53,200 –> 00:27:56,720
53, it says this.
Have a look at verse 11.

422
00:27:58,240 –> 00:28:00,840
It says having suffered, He will
reflect on His work.

423
00:28:01,120 –> 00:28:03,920
He will be satisfied when he
understands what He has done.

424
00:28:03,920 –> 00:28:08,280
So in other words, the Servant
of course pointing forward to

425
00:28:08,280 –> 00:28:12,080
the Lord Jesus Christ understood
the biggest story at play here.

426
00:28:12,280 –> 00:28:15,840
He was willing to submit to that
suffering because he knew that

427
00:28:15,840 –> 00:28:18,360
there was something bigger at
play here.

428
00:28:18,480 –> 00:28:20,920
What was the thing that was at
play here?

429
00:28:20,920 –> 00:28:23,000
What was bigger than his
suffering?

430
00:28:23,120 –> 00:28:28,320
It says in verse 11 there the
end of the verse, My servant as

431
00:28:28,320 –> 00:28:34,720
a result of all this, My servant
will acquit many or many will be

432
00:28:34,720 –> 00:28:38,440
accounted righteous as it says
in the ESV My servant will

433
00:28:38,440 –> 00:28:42,280
acquit many, My servant will
vindicate many, My servant will

434
00:28:42,920 –> 00:28:50,600
declare many to be innocent will
in New Testament language will

435
00:28:50,600 –> 00:28:55,840
justify many, not just himself,
but many.

436
00:28:56,520 –> 00:28:59,080
And this is what the Lord Jesus
Christ understood, that through

437
00:28:59,080 –> 00:29:05,520
his suffering it would produce a
wonderful glorious result that

438
00:29:05,520 –> 00:29:11,480
many would be declared innocent.
Now come back a couple of

439
00:29:11,480 –> 00:29:18,120
chapters to chapter 50, same
context, suffering servant, and

440
00:29:18,120 –> 00:29:20,840
you will recognize these words
as they apply to the Lord Jesus

441
00:29:20,840 –> 00:29:25,880
Christ.
Chapter 50, verse 6.

442
00:29:27,280 –> 00:29:31,440
I offered my back to those who
attacked my jaws, to those who

443
00:29:31,440 –> 00:29:34,560
tore out my beard.
I did not hide my face from

444
00:29:34,560 –> 00:29:37,600
insults and spitting.
This is what Peter says, isn’t

445
00:29:37,600 –> 00:29:39,040
it?
That Jesus was insulted.

446
00:29:39,040 –> 00:29:41,600
He was reviled, but he did not
revile in return.

447
00:29:41,880 –> 00:29:45,400
He turned the other cheek.
He even allowed himself to be

448
00:29:45,400 –> 00:29:48,520
spat upon.
By the way, that word spitting

449
00:29:48,680 –> 00:29:51,600
is only ever used in this verse
and in the story of Job.

450
00:29:51,840 –> 00:29:54,760
Job too was spat upon.
But the difference between the

451
00:29:54,760 –> 00:29:58,080
suffering servant and Job is
what it says in the next few

452
00:29:58,080 –> 00:30:00,040
verses.
Remember what Job said?

453
00:30:00,200 –> 00:30:04,800
I cried for help, but there is
no justice.

454
00:30:06,920 –> 00:30:11,440
Well, thankfully and Job learned
this Job was wrong because verse

455
00:30:11,440 –> 00:30:14,760
7 says, but the sovereign Lord
helps me.

456
00:30:16,680 –> 00:30:23,200
There is somebody to help, there
is somebody to defend, and it’s

457
00:30:23,200 –> 00:30:28,440
God.
Then verse 8 says this, the one

458
00:30:28,440 –> 00:30:32,520
who vindicates me, the one who
acquits me, the one who declares

459
00:30:32,520 –> 00:30:39,960
me innocent, the one who says
that I am right, the one who

460
00:30:39,960 –> 00:30:43,560
justifies me is close by, and
that’s God.

461
00:30:44,960 –> 00:30:47,400
You see, brothers and sisters,
God is not the accuser, God is

462
00:30:47,400 –> 00:30:49,440
not the adversary, God is not
against us.

463
00:30:49,440 –> 00:30:53,360
God is not the prosecutor.
And this is what Job had to

464
00:30:53,360 –> 00:30:56,240
understand.
In fact, the opposite is true.

465
00:30:56,240 –> 00:31:01,560
God is the one who delights to
vindicate, to justify that

466
00:31:01,560 –> 00:31:06,400
despite what we’re like, He
delights to set us free.

467
00:31:08,320 –> 00:31:11,240
And then if you look at carrying
on in verse 8 there, you’ll

468
00:31:11,240 –> 00:31:15,760
notice that the servant throws
out the same challenge as Job,

469
00:31:15,960 –> 00:31:20,760
Who dares to contend with me.
Remember, those are the exact

470
00:31:20,760 –> 00:31:23,280
words of Job who dares to
contend with me.

471
00:31:23,440 –> 00:31:25,920
The difference is that Job
thought he was alone.

472
00:31:26,880 –> 00:31:31,160
Job thought he was defending
himself, and he thought that God

473
00:31:31,160 –> 00:31:34,360
was against him.
The suffering servant

474
00:31:34,360 –> 00:31:36,120
understands that that is not
true.

475
00:31:36,760 –> 00:31:39,280
Who dares to contend with me?
Let us confront each other.

476
00:31:39,480 –> 00:31:42,280
Who is my adversary?
He asked at the end of verse 8.

477
00:31:42,480 –> 00:31:48,520
Let him challenge me.
Who can possibly be against me,

478
00:31:49,200 –> 00:31:52,200
is his question.
And then he says in verse 9,

479
00:31:52,200 –> 00:31:54,720
Look, the sovereign Lord helps
me.

480
00:31:54,920 –> 00:32:01,000
Who dares to condemn me?
Those are the sentiments of Job,

481
00:32:01,000 –> 00:32:04,160
aren’t they?
But now in the words of someone

482
00:32:04,160 –> 00:32:07,800
who understands, who dares to
condemn me.

483
00:32:07,960 –> 00:32:10,480
And then you notice at the end
of verse 9, he echoes the words

484
00:32:10,480 –> 00:32:13,280
of Job.
Remember, this is how Job felt.

485
00:32:13,400 –> 00:32:15,680
Look, all of them will wear out
like clothes.

486
00:32:15,680 –> 00:32:18,440
A moth will eat away at them.
Remember Job said this.

487
00:32:18,720 –> 00:32:20,680
I feel like a moth eaten
garment.

488
00:32:20,680 –> 00:32:23,680
But Job was wrong.
Yes, all of them will wear out

489
00:32:23,680 –> 00:32:28,320
like a garment to be moth eaten.
The false accusers will, but not

490
00:32:28,320 –> 00:32:32,000
God’s servant.
Not you, Joe, not you, not me.

491
00:32:32,240 –> 00:32:34,920
No, the opposite is true.
Let’s finish brothers and

492
00:32:34,920 –> 00:32:39,280
sisters in the book of Romans,
come with me to Romans and

493
00:32:39,800 –> 00:32:52,360
chapter 4, the very last verse
of Romans chapter 4 leads into

494
00:32:52,480 –> 00:32:56,280
what Paul says at the beginning
of Romans chapter 5 where he

495
00:32:56,280 –> 00:33:03,200
talks about suffering as it is
part of a bigger story, part of

496
00:33:03,200 –> 00:33:08,000
God’s purpose, part of God
developing the mind of Christ in

497
00:33:08,000 –> 00:33:09,840
US.
And it’s in that context.

498
00:33:10,200 –> 00:33:13,760
But Paul says this in the last
verse of Romans 4 verse 25,

499
00:33:14,000 –> 00:33:18,280
where he is going to encapsulate
Isaiah chapter 53, because he

500
00:33:18,280 –> 00:33:21,520
says at the beginning of verse
25, he was given over.

501
00:33:21,680 –> 00:33:26,920
That’s our word, paradidamy.
He was handed over because of

502
00:33:26,960 –> 00:33:31,240
our transgressions.
Isn’t that what we read of in

503
00:33:31,240 –> 00:33:35,440
Isaiah 53?
The Lord caused the sin of all

504
00:33:35,440 –> 00:33:39,480
of us to attack Him.
God allowed it to happen.

505
00:33:39,640 –> 00:33:43,160
He allowed His Son to be handed
over to His adversaries as He

506
00:33:43,160 –> 00:33:45,880
allowed Job to be handed over to
His adversary.

507
00:33:46,200 –> 00:33:48,880
And it was because of our
transgressions, it’s because of

508
00:33:48,880 –> 00:33:52,760
your sin and my sin that Jesus
was put upon the cross and laid

509
00:33:52,760 –> 00:33:55,560
in the tomb.
And that should convict us.

510
00:33:55,800 –> 00:33:58,280
As we think about this in the
bread and the cup this morning,

511
00:33:58,280 –> 00:34:02,240
brothers and sisters, we think
of what produced the suffering

512
00:34:02,240 –> 00:34:05,360
of our Lord.
That should convict me not to be

513
00:34:05,360 –> 00:34:08,440
like that.
But that’s not the end of the

514
00:34:08,440 –> 00:34:14,480
story, because the rest of verse
25 says this, that he was raised

515
00:34:15,239 –> 00:34:21,880
for the sake, not just for his
own vindication, but for the

516
00:34:21,880 –> 00:34:28,639
sake of our justification, our
vindication, our acquittal.

517
00:34:29,760 –> 00:34:35,400
And isn’t that what Job wanted?
He wanted acquittal.

518
00:34:35,400 –> 00:34:37,639
He wanted people to know that he
was right.

519
00:34:38,400 –> 00:34:40,320
He was just going about it the
wrong way.

520
00:34:44,679 –> 00:34:55,199
Let’s finish in chapter 8 and
Paul says here in chapter 8

521
00:34:55,199 –> 00:35:01,640
verse 18.
For I consider that our present

522
00:35:01,640 –> 00:35:04,760
sufferings cannot even be
compared to the glory that would

523
00:35:04,760 –> 00:35:07,200
be revealed to us.
Isn’t that the story of Job?

524
00:35:08,680 –> 00:35:10,840
There is a glorious end to the
story.

525
00:35:13,120 –> 00:35:15,600
We need to understand, brothers
and sisters, that our suffering

526
00:35:15,600 –> 00:35:21,560
is just part of a bigger story.
But as he says in verse 28, all

527
00:35:21,560 –> 00:35:24,840
things work together for good.
Yes, including your suffering

528
00:35:24,840 –> 00:35:27,360
works together ultimately for
good.

529
00:35:27,360 –> 00:35:30,840
If we can commit ourselves to
the God who judges justly.

530
00:35:31,040 –> 00:35:34,720
And so we read in verse 31, what
then shall we say about these

531
00:35:34,720 –> 00:35:40,000
things?
If God is for us, who could be

532
00:35:40,000 –> 00:35:44,240
against us?
God is not against us.

533
00:35:44,240 –> 00:35:46,760
Job was wrong.
God is not against us.

534
00:35:46,760 –> 00:35:49,600
God is not the adversary.
God is not the accuser.

535
00:35:49,880 –> 00:35:52,560
God is not the prosecutor.
The opposite is true.

536
00:35:52,560 –> 00:35:58,640
God is for us and he delights to
be on our team.

537
00:36:00,680 –> 00:36:02,360
He’s not on the prosecuting
team.

538
00:36:02,360 –> 00:36:05,560
He’s on the defense team.
He is the judge who will acquit

539
00:36:05,560 –> 00:36:08,400
us.
Verse 32.

540
00:36:08,840 –> 00:36:13,000
Oh, carrying on, sorry, in verse
31, who then can be against us?

541
00:36:13,800 –> 00:36:19,120
Yes, people might throw whatever
they like at us, insults, false

542
00:36:19,120 –> 00:36:29,120
accusations, misjudgments, but
if God is for us, who really

543
00:36:29,120 –> 00:36:33,000
can’t be against us?
Verse 32 Indeed, he who did not

544
00:36:33,000 –> 00:36:37,680
spare his own son, but again,
parodidomy gave him up, handed

545
00:36:37,680 –> 00:36:44,760
him over for us.
God was doing all of this for

546
00:36:44,760 –> 00:36:49,160
you and for me from the
beginning.

547
00:36:49,160 –> 00:36:54,480
It was for us.
As Peter said, Christ suffered

548
00:36:54,760 –> 00:37:00,960
for us the end of verse 32.
How will He not also along with

549
00:37:00,960 –> 00:37:05,440
Him, freely give us all things?
Yes, the Lord might give and

550
00:37:05,440 –> 00:37:07,680
take away.
We might have things taken away

551
00:37:07,680 –> 00:37:10,440
in this life, Brothers and
sisters, we might suffer now,

552
00:37:10,440 –> 00:37:16,560
but God is delighted to give us
as He gave to Job in abundance.

553
00:37:16,760 –> 00:37:22,240
Verse 33, who will bring any
charge against God’s elect?

554
00:37:24,680 –> 00:37:28,200
That’s Isaiah 50, isn’t it?
Who will contend with me?

555
00:37:29,480 –> 00:37:31,680
Who is my adversary?
Who will bring any charge

556
00:37:31,680 –> 00:37:34,000
against God’s elect?
And you can read the end of

557
00:37:34,000 –> 00:37:39,080
verse 33 like a question.
God who justifies.

558
00:37:40,840 –> 00:37:44,800
He is the one who vindicates.
He is the one who defends.

559
00:37:44,920 –> 00:37:48,880
He is the one who is willing
despite your sin and despite my

560
00:37:48,880 –> 00:37:52,040
sin.
He is willing to declare us

561
00:37:52,280 –> 00:37:56,680
innocent.
That’s God.

562
00:37:57,480 –> 00:38:02,840
Job was wrong.
Thankfully, Job learned that

563
00:38:03,640 –> 00:38:07,480
verse 34.
Who is the one who will condemn?

564
00:38:08,640 –> 00:38:11,080
Again, that’s Isaiah 50, isn’t
it?

565
00:38:11,080 –> 00:38:16,040
Who is the one who will condemn?
And read the end of verse 34

566
00:38:16,480 –> 00:38:20,720
again like a question.
Christ, is he going to condemn

567
00:38:20,720 –> 00:38:23,000
you?
Christ, the one who died, and

568
00:38:23,000 –> 00:38:26,760
more than that, who was raised,
who is at the right hand of God,

569
00:38:26,960 –> 00:38:32,160
and who’s also interceding our
advocate for us.

570
00:38:46,910 –> 00:38:49,030
Thank you for listening to the
good Christadelphian Talks

571
00:38:49,030 –> 00:38:51,590
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We hope this talk helped you in

572
00:38:51,590 –> 00:38:53,150
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573
00:38:54,270 –> 00:38:56,350
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588
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589
00:39:41,760 –> 00:39:42,000
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