God Is God And You Are Not Part 1

Transcription

1 God Is God And You Are Not Part 1 (Job 38:1-40:5 November 20, 2016) On Monday, I stood and watched a tiny little coffin lowered into the ground Alfie Brave Cotton. I asked Tim and Naomi if I could share a few thoughts I had at that time. I looked at the pain in Tim and Naomi. I looked at the pain in those who stood there. I knew the pain I felt. The death of this precious little one made no sense to me or to anyone who was there. No matter how I tried I simply could not understand how this was good, right and just. This side of heaven I know I will never understand. But what I have come to realize is that there is a sense in which I don t need to understand to find peace. This morning and next week, we come to a passage that shows us how to finally deal with the confusion and pain of this fallen world. We are coming towards the end of the book of Job. We have seen that from chapter 3 onwards Job has repeatedly asked: Why? When you go back and analyse all of Job s questions he is really asking two related questions. When you read chapters 3-31 Job pulls no punches. He is clear in his opinion this universe is poorly run God! I shudder to even read how brazen Job is. First he asks: 1

2 How can You be good if evil is unrestrained? God how can You be good and yet allow evil and suffering in the world? The mark of a good government is whether it restrains evil. So, the mark of whether God is good is if He restrains evil and its consequences. Job is certain evil in this world is unrestrained and that is God s fault. In chapter 3 Job accuses God of allowing children to be born into a fallen world where they suffer. In chapter 9 Job accuses God of creating a world in which natural disasters happen. In chapter 12 Job accuses God of running the universe poorly. In verse 9 he says the hand of the Lord does these things. If there are droughts or floods God did it. He raises up Kings good and bad so bad Kings are God s fault. In verse 22 he says God brings deep darkness to light which is a way of saying since God is sovereign He must take the responsibility for evil in the world. When a child dies of malaria, when an earthquake decimates a village, when a bride gets cancer God the One who runs the universe He has to ultimately take the responsibility. The second question Job asks is this: How can You be just if evil is unrestrained? How You be just and let drug dealers live in luxury and allow children to die in agony? Job 21:7 13: Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. Many wicked have great lives and You let them God. Job 24:1: Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? Why aren t lightning bolts falling from heaven to blast the evildoers to bits? In chapter 24 Job lists a litany of sins evil men commit. 2

3 Moving landmarks to steal flocks. Stealing the donkeys of orphans and the oxen of widows. Pushing the poor off roads. While evil men grow rich off the labour of the poor the poor are hungry and lie shivering and naked in the cold. They have no homes or worldly goods. And verse 12 God does not intervene to correct this evil. He continues. Evil men flaunt the laws of God. They murder the poor and needy, they steal, they commit adultery saying God does not see me. They have no fear of punishment. They wrong the barren, childless woman and do no good to the widow. And God prolongs their life. God makes them secure. Then Job proclaims if it is not so if I am wrong who will prove me a liar? Wow! This is almost akin to the atheist who stands in the town square and cries out God I don t believe You are there but if I am wrong strike me dead! Job feels quite confident that no one can deny these facts. I cringe at Job s words and yet which of us has not found ourselves suffering deeply and just wanting God to explain Himself? Be careful what you ask for. Job wanted God to answer him. Again and again Job complained that the heavens were silent that God did not speak that God did not appear to account for His poor governance of the universe and the manifest injustices that occur. Job wanted his day in court where all the facts of his case were laid out. Job 9:19: If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? I just need an audience with God. 3

4 In Job 10 he pleads again and again to be allowed to bring his case to God. Job 13:3: I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. Job ends his speeches in chapter 31. In Job 31:35 he says: Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!) This is my signature this sums me up I want God to answer me! A couple of points here. Part of me just shudders at these words. But remember, Job is a godly man. God Himself tells us that Job is blameless, upright, fearing God and turning from evil. Job s view of the world is rocked so badly the godliest man of his day accuses God of running the world poorly and injustice. I don t want to excuse Job but I do want to say have a little grace with fellow believers. Suffering and pain can make us say and do some very poor things not just to God but to those we love and minister with. And I want you to notice how hard-hearted and stiff-necked this godly man was. He is crying out answer me! God did. Elihu a prophet of God speaking the words of God comes to Job. This prophet is burning with anger at Job for justifying himself rather than God. He also says Job you are wrong God has already spoken to you your suffering is the voice of God to teach you some very profound truths. Elihu even told Job what those truths were: Suffering has a purpose such as pointing us to our need of a Saviour Suffering in the world NEVER makes God unjust Suffering is not always punishment from God 4

5 Suffering does not mean God does not care You could sum up the message of Elihu like this: Let God Be God Elihu finished his speech at the end of Job 37. The last words of Elihu are these: Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit. Fear him Job. Do not be wise in your own conceit. But Elihu s words are met with silence. Job did not repent in dust and ashes. Job was not happy enough with the voice of God from a prophet. Job still wanted to hear from God Himself. Today we see that Job does hear from God. But, this encounter is not at all what Job envisioned. God gives two speeches. The first speech the one we look at this morning says this: Trust that God controls every part of His creation including evil and works it for good. As we begin, remember that Job has not moved one iota from his position in Job 23:3 7: Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know 5

6 what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. I would be acquitted forever by my judge. Two comments. First, God does not owe Job or you or me an explanation for anything. The pot cannot say to the Potter why have You done this to me why have You made me like this? It is grace and love that moves God to respond not obligation. Second, be very careful what you ask for. These verses tell us how Job imagines an encounter with God would go. I would walk up to Him. I would ask Him all my questions about why He is running the universe so poorly. And He would say Yeah I messed up. Job sorry about what happened to you. Of course you are right and vindicated. Not going to happen! In chapter 38 God appears. In incredible grace and mercy God chooses to answer Job. But I can assure you this is not the encounter Job envisioned or wanted. But it is the encounter Job needed. Job 38:1: Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind. The word here is of a storm of unbelievable power and fury. This is the storm atop Mount Sinai where Moses met God or the storm surrounding God as He took Elijah to glory. When God speaks out of the whirlwind the response of man is never: Well it s about time You turned up to explain yourself. It is always the response of Isaiah. I am done for. Woe is me! For I am completely undone. I am a sinner and now I have seen the King, the Lord of hosts I know how deep my sin is and I am about to be incinerated. In a very real sense, Job had imagined God would be the One on trial. God would be explaining why His universe is so messed up. 6

7 Before any of us come down too hard on Job I suspect almost everyone here has had the same thought. I could not tell you how many people have told me the first thing the very first thing I am going to do when I get to heaven is find God and ask Him to explain Himself about some perceived injustice an earthquake, the death of child, the loss of a spouse. No you won t. Job said I am going to fill my mouth with arguments no he didn t. Job said God is going to answer my questions and I will understand them didn t happen. God appears and Job s questions never come out. In chapter 40 Job says I put my hand over my mouth now I have seen God there is no way am I going to ask what I thought I would. The tables are turned. Job is put on trial and God asks him questions. Around 70 questions. What I want you to see is that God answers Job s questions in two speeches. He answers Job s accusation How can You be good if evil is unrestrained? in Job 38:1-40. He answers Job s accusation How can You be just if evil is unrestrained? in Job 40:6-41:34. I might have expected that if God appeared and decided to answer Job s questions He would say something like this: Job you hard headed fool. You are looking at things so narrowly. You only see one snapshot of eternity. You just need to trust Me. I am working all things together for good. Some lessons are worth the pain. This one is. I did this to point you and millions of others to the Saviour My beloved Son who will come to end not just your suffering but the source of all suffering sin. God doesn t say this. The effect is this but look at what the Lord actually does verses 2 and 3: Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 7

8 Job who are you to question the way I am running My world? Who are you to cast dark aspersions on My governance when you speak without real knowledge and understanding? You wanted Me to speak well gird up your loins and get ready. But notice the end of verse 3 I will question you, and you make it known to Me. Remember in Job s mind this encounter would run very differently. Job would ask the questions and God would answer. No Job asked a question How can You be good if evil is unrestrained? and God answers with a series of questions. Have you ever noticed that when someone asks what they think is a difficult theological question that often it is the question itself that is flawed? And have you noticed that very wise people show up the flaw in a question by asking questions in response? There is a part of me that hates this asking a question and having the response be a question. But, if the person responding is wise their leading questions mean you end up answering your own question. Job asked what he thought was a great question. The Lord responded with a series of questions that showed Job s folly and totally silenced him and finally brought this proud man to repentance. The first question sets the tone for everything that follows. Job 38:4: Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Job what were you doing when I spoke and everything there is came into being from nothing? Look up your calendar what were you up to on that day? Job s Question was: How can You be good if evil is unrestrained? God s responds with a question: Is your might able to create and govern the universe? 8

9 What is going on here? When we were first married a young couple and their son Byron lived across the hall from Dena and I. I was over there one day when the dad asked Byron to do something and Byron threw a world-class nutty. He was up in his dad s grill Why? Why? Why do I have to? Why? After a short time of enduring this this is what his dad said: Because I am the daddy and you are the Byron. At first glance that might seem very close to the way God answers Job. In a sense you might read this as Job crying out to God why? And the answer he receives is: Because I am the Lord Almighty and you are the Job. The little boy Byron who lived across the hall from me I can tell you he really, really did not like this answer. Let me ask you a question. Does this answer satisfy you? When your wife dies at 28 of breast cancer? When your son commits suicide? When your best friend s two-year old dies of leukaemia? If you come to me seeking answers and I say to you: Because. Because He is the Lord Almighty and you are not. Does that answer your question? Does that satisfy your soul? Initially it sounds like a cop out. God can do what He wants because He is more powerful and He doesn t have to give you an answer. What I want you to see this morning is that it is no cop out. It is an answer a deeply satisfying answer. 9

10 In fact, Job finds this answer so compelling, so satisfying that it soothes the deepest questions of his soul. What I want you to see is that God s question is actually an answer: God s Answer: I control every part of My creation including evil for good. What we are going to see is that there is nothing that happens in God s creation that is outside of His sovereign control including evil. God is actually able to work evil for His good purposes. God starts His argument with a premise. The Creator gets to run His creation. We understand this. Look at the word authority. Notice that one s authority: Comes from being the author. The Author, the Creator gets the right to do what He wants to have total authority over His creation and the creature Job who is creature not Creator does not get the right to question that authority. In the thirteenth century, King Alphonso the Tenth, King of Spain, who was also known as Alphonso the Learned, made this statement: Had I been present at the creation I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe. The universe isn t bad. But, there are some obvious flaws that I could have corrected. I think I could have set the universe up to run better than the way God set it up. No he couldn t! Nor could Job! God makes this absolutely clear: I sovereignly control the universe I created 38:4-38 I sovereignly control the beasts I created 38:39-39:30 But what I also want you to see is that God makes it clear My control of all things is for good. Alphonso missed this Job missed this. Remember that in Job 34:12 13, Elihu already told us this: 10

11 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world? By definition the One who created the universe gets to run it. LET GOD BE GOD It is God s creation He gets to decide how to run it for good. No one gave God charge over the earth. There is no higher authority who sets the rules. We will now look at how God Himself makes this point. But I need to point out that what God is doing is using the creation to show that God controls everything good and evil, life and death, men and demons. Nothing is outside of his control and He is the only One who can work these varied strands together for good. We will look at his first statements. I sovereignly control the universe I created 38:4-38 I form and it is good and joyous in My creation vv. 4-7 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job if you want to tell me how to run my universe better surely you can tell Me how I formed it. Because I did a pretty good job. The angels sang with joy at My creation. They thought it was good. But more than that. Job do you really think I created something so good and would stand by and let evil run unrestrained through it? No: I control the evil that entered My creation vv Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed? 11

12 What God does is that He uses the imagery of creation to teach deeper truths. In wisdom literature the sea represents evil and chaos and ultimately death. A little earlier in this book Job asked God, Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me? Am I evil that you need to control me? Here God says evil burst into My good creation. But I didn t let it run unrestrained as you think Job. I prescribed limits for it. I set bars and doors. I said, Thus far shall you come, and no farther. God s point is this. If Job thinks this world is as evil and fallen as it could be he is wrong. If God removed His restraining hand evil would wreck far greater havoc. If you thnk this is bad it is nowhere near as bad as it could be. God gave man a conscience, and government, and the Holy Spirit to restrain evil. God prevents the full consequences of the fall from tearing the universe apart. God will not let evil intrude one nanometer more into your life than is necessary to work good for you. Weaning you from the world, making you long for heaven, teaching your perseverance. God will not let evil last one nanosecond longer in your life than is necessary for your good. Job is absolutely wrong to say evil is unrestrained. And what is more: I judge the evil that corrupts My creation Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. Throughout Job and other wisdom literature darkness is used to refer to evil and its effects and light dispels darkness. God says there is a time and a place for everything. I command and the sun comes up replacing the night with light. In the same way the day will come when I will command and the light of judgment will shake the wicked from the face of My creation. 12

13 As a seal transforms a clay so the light of my judgment will break the arm of the wicked. God s ultimate plan is to destroy sin, Satan, death, corruption evil and every consequence for all eternity. Do not say I fail to restrain evil. Job you can no more command the sun than you could deal with sin and evil. I control death in My creation vv Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. Job have you seen the dark places of the world the depths of the sea? I have. I know the gates of death. Nothing and no one dies apart from My command. I now the expanse of the earth. I know a man s days. They are under My sovereign control. In the same way: I control the good and evil in My creation vv Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! You know where light and dark good and evil come from don t you Job? You have lived since creation haven t you you know these things? Well I do and I control them. I wisely plan the events in My creation vv God then uses a series of events in the heavens snow, hail, rain, the movement of the stars to show Job and us that every event that happens is at His command. God sends snow, hail, rain, lightning where He wants. I say snow and it snows. 13

14 I say hail and it hails. Job can you tell the lightning where to strike? Didn t think so. Can you tell the stars in the constellations where to move? No? Job do you decide where rain falls? Do you send it to a desert where no one lives to benefit from it? No but I do. What is God s point? There is no bird that flaps across the sky but God sent it. There is no army that marches across a border but God sent it. There is no wife that dies of cancer but God is there in every part. But here is the awesome part God is able to work every event from creation to the new Jerusalem together for good. He restrains evil. He uses evil. He directs evil. He has given us a few glimpses of how this works. Joseph s brothers meant evil God used his enslavement for ultimate good. Pilate, Herod and Annas meant evil against Jesus God used His death for ultimate good. God is that wise and powerful and good. No one else is. But He is not done. God sovereignly controls the beasts He created 38:39-39:30 God turns from the heavens and earth to the birds and animals. Prey and predator vv God speaks of lions and their prey and ravens and their prey. Here is the point we watch the documentary where a lion stalks and kills a zebra and we cry for the zebra. We want it to get away. But if the zebra lives the lioness and her cubs die. If the mouse lives the raven chicks die. 14

15 God decides who dies and who lives in His creation. You want that responsibility Job? Birth and growth vv. 1-4 God decides when every animal gives birth. God decides which ones make it be self-sufficient. There is no mother nature there is only a sovereign father. Job you want this responsibility? Free and bound vv. 5-8 Who decides which donkey roams the hills free and which one is bound as a beast of burden under the shouts of a driver? God does. Obedient and obstinate vv Who decides if an ox is going to plough your field or fight you every step of the way? Who decides if he will grind your grain or sit in the corner? God does. Just because vv I love this one. Job why do you think there are ostriches in the world? Birds that make no sense at all. They have wings they wave proudly but they can t fly. Their feathers are feathers of love not function. They are stupid. They lay their eggs on the ground where anything can trample them. They are terrible parents. Who made them stupid and objects of mirth? I did. What is the point? 15

16 This world is filled with the weirdest creatures. Many of which live in places where no one seems them. Ask my son. Ask many of your sons and daughters. Their colours their shape their lifecycle makes no sense. Why did God put them here just because. Just because it pleases Him. It is His world and He does what pleases Him. Every time I watch a nature documentary I think God You are amazing. When we were in New Zealand recently we visited Lake Rotoiti. And there we saw these guys. New Zealand longfin eels. They are born in deep ocean trenches somewhere near Tonga as little 1 millimetre creatures which are transparent, flat, and leaf-shaped nothing like an eel. They float to the surface and ocean currents take them the 5000 kilometres to New Zealand. Most never make it. Those that make it to one river the Buller River transform into an elver a baby eel a creature which can live in fresh water and moves into the river. They grow there for a year or two before swimming up the river and climbing waterfalls into Lake Rotoiti or Lake Rotorua. There they grow slowly for years. They can reach 40 kilograms. Then suddenly, something tells them it is time. They transform into an eel that can live in salt water. Their head changes, their body changes, their colouring changes. They swim and climb back down the river. They swim 5000 kilometres to the ocean trenches near Tonga. They mate just the once. And after spawning they die. Who could ever come up with a life cycle like that? Ostriches eels just two of millions and millions of animals that make no logical sense. 16

17 Why bombardier beetles? Why hummingbirds? Just because He can. Just because these creatures make no sense apart from the will of a sovereign God. If Job ran the universe no ostriches, no eels no just because animals. We move on: Majesty and battle vv Job did you create the horse with this might? He is majestic and terrifying. He is a weapon of war. His ferocity is unmatched. Did you do this? No! Prey and predator vv Once again God returns to the idea of death being necessary for life. The young eagles suck blood to live. This is nature red in tooth and claw. God determines who dies that one might live. What is the point? If God determines life and death, food and starvation, birth and aging, freedom and domestication, stupidity and magnificence in the animal kingdom and does it with wisdom and power how much more is He sovereign over men and women made in His image? God knows when a raven chick cries for food. God knows when any event brings pain to your life. God never overlooked Job. God never missed Job s sufferings. 17

18 In fact we know that God orchestrated them. We know this we saw God paint a bullseye on Job and release Satan. Now, Job knows it. Finally, God concludes His first speech with these words. Job 40:1 2: And the LORD said to Job: Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it. Do you really want to argue with Me about how I run the universe? God says you view Me too small. AW Tozer is so right. What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. 1 Because you would run the universe differently does not mean the way God runs it is wrong. By definition He runs it perfectly. He works every strand for a purpose. Job was a good man His God was too small. He needed a greater view of God. Job can t understand simple stuff like how God created the universe let alone more complex stuff like who lives the lion cub or the zebra. So how could he ever comprehend the place of evil and suffering in the lives of men? God says to Job I know you are suffering but let My greatness and My goodness be enough. Let Me run the world and trust that I will do what is right. What soothes our suffering is not answers we can t comprehend it is a greater vision of who our God is. His power, might and love. This God I can trust to work all things for good. 1 A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1992), 1. 18

19 In the forward to his book The supremacy of God in preaching John Piper wrote this: Years ago during the January prayer week at our church, I decided to preach on the holiness of God from Isaiah 6. I resolved on the first Sunday of the year to unfold the vision of God s holiness found in the first four verses of that chapter. So I preached on the holiness of God and did my best to display the majesty and glory of such a great and holy God. I gave not one word of application to the lives of our people. Application is essential in the normal course of preaching, but I felt led that day to make a test: Would the passionate portrayal of the greatness of God in and of itself meet the needs of people? I didn t realize that not long before this Sunday one of the young families of our church discovered that their child was being sexually abused by a close relative. It was incredibly traumatic. They were there that Sunday morning and sat under that message. I wonder how many advisers to us pastors today would have said, Pastor Piper, can t you see your people are hurting? Can t you come down out of the heavens and get practical? Don t you realize what kind of people sit in front of you on Sunday? Some weeks later I learned the story. The husband took me aside one Sunday after a service. John, these have been the hardest months of our lives. Do you know what has gotten me through? The vision of the greatness of God s holiness that you gave me the first week of January. It has been the rock we could stand on. 2 The little boy Byron I mentioned. He couldn t understand why his dad wanted him to do these things. He doesn t need to. He needs to know his dad knows why and his dad loves him and that is enough. God s glory and greatness and goodness are enough. We don t need every answer. We need God. We couldn t understand the answers and even if we could they would not satisfy. What satisfies is God. Knowing the Creator and Sustainer has our backs. Job is learning a great truth. 2 Piper, J. (2004). The supremacy of God in preaching (Rev. ed., pp ). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. 19

20 The great question is not why am I suffering but who can end the suffering? God has a plan. God will end the suffering. God does not let evil run unrestrained. God has a plan to end it once and for all time. You may have missed this fact but In Job 38:1 we read then the LORD Yahweh answered Job. Yahweh is the personal name of the covenant keeping God. This is the name used in chapters 1 and 2 but has not been used since chapter 2. This name means that God will do what it takes to save His people. If God was the God Job thought He was a God who judges us on our righteousness when God appeared He would have incinerated Job on the spot. God does not owe Job or you an explanation let alone an apology. But Yahweh the covenant keeping God is a God of grace. He runs the universe to work all things for good including the salvation of His people. He will end the day of sin and suffering forever. But for now God is enough. Job wanted an explanation. Why? Why me? Why like this? What he got was a revelation. 20

21 He was given a vision of the majesty and glory and goodness of God and it was enough. Here is what Job is learning: He who has a who to live for can bear almost any why. The only answer to the question of suffering Job gets is God. He gets a WHO to believe in. We live on this side of the cross. In a sense we have an even greater who to believe in. There are things that hurt in this world. Alfie s funeral hurt. There are things that remain a mystery. I don t know why Alfie died. But I know Him who has everything including this under His full control. And I know His plan is for good. We have no reason none at all to question how God runs His universe. The who ultimately satisfies in a way the why never can. Job finally, finally realises this. Job s response is repentance. Job 40:3 5: Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further. I am small and You are not. I cannot answer You. I will be silent. I will not argue any more. 21

22 You are God and I am not. How you run Your universe is right. A number of years back Steven Curtis Chapman s son accidentally reversed the family SUV over their adopted Korean daughter and killed her. Steven struggled mightily with why? Why her? Why my son? Why? Job and especially these final chapters helped him. He wrote a song God is God. And the pain falls like a curtain On the things I once called certain And I have to say the words I fear the most I just don t know And the questions without answers Come and paralyze the dancer So I stand here on the stage afraid to move Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust God is God and I am not I can only see a part of the picture He s painting God is God and I am man So I ll never understand it all For only God is God And the sky begins to thunder And I m filled with awe and wonder Til the only burning question that remains Is who am I Can I form a single mountain Take the stars in hand and count them Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me He is first and last before all that has been Beyond all that will pass Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge How unsearchable for to Him and through Him and from Him are all things So let us worship before the throne Of the One who is worthy of worship alone 22

23 23

24 God Is God And You Are Not Part 1 (Job 38:1-40:5 November 20, 2016) Main Point: Trust that God controls every part of His creation including evil and works it for good. 1. What does Job mean when He asks: How can You be good if evil is unrestrained? 2. What does Job mean when He asks: How can You be just if evil is unrestrained? 3. What should you do if these type of questions arise in your mind? 4. How do you think Job imagined a meeting with God would go? Why was his view of this meeting so inadequate? 5. Why did the message of suffering and the message of Elihu not satisfy Job? Why did Job not repent after chapter 37? Why is it so hard for us to repent of our inadequate view of God? 6. Why did God answer Job s questions with questions? 7. What point did God s questions convey? 8. How does God s questioning about His creation answer Job s questions about suffering? 9. How does being Creator imply that His creation is by definition run justly and well? 10. Do you agree that there is more to terms like sea, dark, light behind the picture of creation? 11. What point does God make from His creation and control of the heavens and earth? 12. What point does God make from His creation and control of the animals and birds? 13. What can we learn from the ostrich? 14. How would the animal kingdom be different if we created it? 15. Discuss this statement: Job can t understand simple stuff like how God created the universe let alone more complex stuff like who lives the lion cub or the zebra. So how could he ever comprehend the place of evil and suffering in the lives of men? 16. Discuss the John Piper quote. 24

25 17. In what way does having a greater vision of the glory, grandeur, goodness and grace of God the who satisfy the deep questions of the soul? 18. In what ways do we have a greater who to trust than Job? 25