the laws of Moses. That pushes it back to 1400 before Christ. But even Elihu understood the concept of a ransom for someone s life, and the need for

Transcription

1 Job 33:23-30 Dear children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, and guests, when Job and his three friends ran stuck in their debate a fourth friend spoke up. Elihu. Remember what his name means, boys and girls? El-i-hu: My God is He. Elihu spoke words that ring true to God s will. When he spoke up, he did not discuss why Job is experiencing such misery. His concern was Job s attitude during the course of suffering. Job was upset at God, frustrated with God. On the one hand Job knew he was to expect salvation from God, and he was convinced that all would come good. Job persevered in faith. On the other hand, Job wanted God to tell him why all this is happening to him. And since God cloaked Himself in silence, Job had become angry. Job was so disappointed, so frustrated, he might well be done with God. Job s faith was under great pressure. Would Job give up on God? When Elihu spoke, it was not about a possible sin that had caused Job s horrible circumstances. It was about a sin that could cause an even worse situation. Job had begun to sin against God by demanding more of God than was proper. That s the matter Elihu addressed. And he did so in a sympathetic, positive manner. Elihu explained to Job: God is greater than man (Job 33:12). You can t tell God what to do. Elihu also indicated that Job might not be hearing God speak. For God does speak, though a man may not perceive it. God speaks, by means of dreams, through a sick-bed. There is a difference between those two: by means of dreams or through a sick-bed. After a dream, one may wake up and act as one thinks appropriate. But when you re sick, there s little you can physically do. Elihu s description of a sick person is very graphic: His flesh wastes away to nothing and his bones once hidden, now stick out. His soul draws near to the Pit and his life to the messengers of death. (Job 33:21-22). A fitting description of Job, one would think. But, what use is the message of a sick bed, if one is about to die? Is there any point to it for the sick person? Is redemption from death still possible? Is there a way out? That s the question answered by our text. On this score, Elihu is again different from the first three friends. The first three friends said that redemption is only possible if a person repents. One s well-being depends on one s own efforts. The older friends pushed a works-salvation doctrine. And Job kind of went along with it. For he figured God had no right to punish him for he did not live in sin. Elihu goes down a different path. If I may be anachronistic about it, Elihu takes the Reformed approach. Sola gratia. Elihu spoke of God s grace. God always provides a way out, by grace. We hear God s gospel of salvation summarized this morning with this theme: God always provides a way out. We ll consider four things: (1) The Mediator; (2) Salvation; (3) Gratitude; and (4) Life. 1) The Mediator A sick man is on his way to death, so Elihu said. But it is not a road of no return. There is a way out. It is possible for someone to intervene, to mediate between God and man. There is a Mediator. He s one out of a thousand, said Elihu. That s poetic language for saying that someone is unique, very special, one of a kind. Elihu called him an angel. Now we read that, and immediately think of spiritual beings. That s not necessary. For the Hebrew word for angel simply means messenger. Here is someone who brings a message on behalf of another. He could be a human being. He could be an angel. He could be something else. Whatever he is, this messenger is no ordinary messenger. He is unique, one out of a thousand. This messenger, this angel will speak of what is right for a man. What is proper, what is just. Do note that, brothers and sisters, the angel tells this to the person it concerns. In the concrete situation of our text: a unique angel will tell Job what is right for him. This is a very curious thing for Elihu to have said. Consider, Job s three friends said Job is guilty and that s why he s sick. Job said: I am not guilty, so, God, why am I sick? And now Elihu said: The man that is terminally ill will hear from a unique angel what is right. Is Job going to get the answer he s looking for? Is Elihu himself the messenger intended?

2 Let s reflect a little more on what the angel, the messenger will say. Tell a man what is right for him. A centuries old Bible commentary states What a man ought to do and not to do, to please God. (Dort Study Bible marginal note). To tell a man what is right for him is understood to mean to tell him what is right, is proper for him to do. Boys and girls, this messenger would tell Job and people like him what they ought to be doing. But that s not all. Verse 24 informs us the angel, the messenger says Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom for him. I have found a ransom for him. The payment needed to redeem the sick man s life from death has been found. By the angel. This makes the angel more than just a messenger. He is a redeemer, a saviour, a goel, to use the Hebrew term. The angel is a mediator, a go-between, a unique gobetween. A unique angel who tells a man what is right for him and who plays a mediating role in the salvation of man by finding a ransom for man. Hmmm. In the context of Job this is a very puzzling passage. Remember how Job once said I know that my Redeemer lives. Elihu spoke of the same person. But would Job and Elihu have understood who this was referring to? Or Moses? Or David? Or Isaiah? Or Daniel? I m sure we do. I m sure many of us here have already jumped the gun. We already realize what it is all about. And maybe you re amazed to discover such a clear Messianic prophecy in a Bible book as old as Job. Job and Elihu would not have fully grasped the depth of what they said. They stand close to the beginning of the revelation of salvation. They knew of creation, of Adam and Eve, of Cain and Abel. We don t know exactly when they lived, but their Bible would not have gone beyond Genesis. There was knowledge of a seed of the woman that would, one day, crush the head of the serpent. The history of the revelation of salvation is often described as a flower bud that slowly opens. Everything is there, in the bud, but it slowly unfolds over time. Using that imagery, one might say that in Job 33 we re told how the bud opened a little more, how another flower-leaf popped out. When reading Scripture, beloved, we need to realize that what follows in Scripture fills in and fills out what has preceded it. The further removed in time for the Christ, the more vague things would have been for God s people. Compare the history of salvation to a jigsaw puzzle. A typical BC scene: a blue sky with clouds, mountains capped with snow, trees, a still glacial lake reflecting the sky. Boys and girls, a jigsaw puzzle like that would have lots of blue and white pieces, right? Now imagine you d lost the lid to the puzzle. You ve got no clue what the jigsaw puzzle should reveal. That s a bit what the history of salvation as told in the Bible is like. The further back a person is from Christ, the less they would have known. We live in a time where much of the puzzle is completed. In a sense the puzzle is complete, because the Bible is finished. There s no need to add anything to the Bible. When we read these words once spoken by Elihu, 4000 years ago, maybe even longer ago, we immediately think of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God. He was indeed unique among the messengers of God. Hebrews 1(:4) speaks of Him as superior to the angels. The Son of God is the Word of God, come to tell us the Way of God. One thinks of the Gospel of John (1:14): The Word became flesh and dwelled among us, full of grace and truth. Think of the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus Christ spoke with such amazing authority on what is right for man. Set free from death by a unique angel, a unique messenger from God. That s about the Lord Jesus who saves people from Hell. I have found a ransom for him said Elihu, is what the angel will say. You were ransomed with the precious blood of Christ, wrote Peter (1Peter 1:18 ESV). We ve been allowed to see how the puzzle pieces all fit together (cf. 1 Peter 1:1-12). But it seems important to note that already in the days of Job, there was an indication that reconciliation with God would be by means of a ransom, by means of a payment, vicarious satisfaction. Some claim that vicarious satisfaction the doctrine that Christ paid for sin by substituting His life for ours is an invention of the early Christian church. In response, Bible believing Christians will often point to Isaiah 53. That was some 800 years before Christ. And it clearly speaks of vicarious satisfaction. Of course, so do the sacrifices prescribed by

3 the laws of Moses. That pushes it back to 1400 before Christ. But even Elihu understood the concept of a ransom for someone s life, and the need for a mediator. That pushes it back to at least 2000 before Christ! Salvation is by the ransom provided by a unique angel. I said some moments ago: Elihu was Reformed. Of course, it would be more proper to say, to be Reformed is to believe the same as Elihu. As we profess the Reformed faith, we find ourselves in the good company of My God is He : Elihu, the loving and loyal friend of Job. A unique messenger from God would proclaim a ransom had been found. There s a way out, there is salvation. 2) Let s, in the second place, pay attention to this salvation. And, given our text, we will go back to the days of Job and Elihu for that. So the almost finished puzzle as we know it is still, as it were, lying in many pieces on the table. Or, if you prefer the image of the flower, the bud is still almost closed. But Elihu is used by God to reveal more about God s plan of redemption. He not only told of a unique angel who is a mediator. He also told of what the salvation announced and brought by that angel is about. Elihu described it as consisting of three things. First, the sick man is set free from judgment. Spare him from going down to the pit. The pit, what is that? The NIV footnote indicates one might translate here the grave. And that s indeed a possibility. A grave as a hole in the ground is somewhat like a pit. The grave is the place where a body is put, when God takes a man s spirit to Himself again. It s the place where man who is but clay (Job 33:6) returns to clay. But the Pit can also be understood as a reference to Hell, to eternal death. We can t ask Elihu what he was exactly thinking of. Is it the grave, when the body is separated from the soul? Or is it eternal death, where both body and soul languish in a place of forsakenness, of torment? It may very well be that it wasn t even clear to him. Rather, it may very well be that in his words it becomes clear that one needs to think beyond the grave. For if the Pit simply points to the grave, then God s redemption would only be temporary. Eventually all people die. It would make more sense, also in view of Job s words on receiving vindication via a Redeemer following his death (Job 19:25-27), to think of salvation to be from eternal death. It is clear to us today that that s indeed the case. Think only of these words of the Christ, I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24). Salvation is thus, first of all, being saved from eternal death. The second thing Elihu notes is being saved from sickness as well. His flesh is renewed like a child s; it is restored as in the days of his youth. We live in an age of anti-wrinkle creams and cosmetic surgery. To have the healthy skin of a young person Elihu spoke of it too. And lest we forget remember who Elihu was saying this to. To Job. What did Job look like, boys and girls? He wasn t just an older man with wrinkles. He was skin over bones, with scabs and festering sores. He kept scratching himself with a piece of potsherd. To him Elihu speaks of flesh and skin like that of a child, a young person. Some might say, that s a very Old Testament way of speaking. God s blessings were very physical, very material in those days. It s different for us today. In the New Testament era things are more spiritual. We know more, our faith is deeper, so our trials are deeper too. Now that may indeed be so, but it doesn t yet make true what Elihu says. I mean, flesh like that of a child, skin like that of a teenager. Job was certainly blessed with a long rich life after his trials were over. But would his skin have become like that of a child? Scripture doesn t mention it, so we can t say for sure. Now one could argue that Elihu is using hyperbole. Hyperbole is the opposite of an understatement. He s as tall as a mountain is hyperbole. But we, who know the puzzle more fully, know that this piece of information does not need to be read purely figuratively. Placed in the perspective of eternity, we know there will be a form of physical, material life that never ends and knows no aging. No need for Olay s anti-aging products in the new creation. In the end, after the Day of Judgment, Elihu s words will prove true in a very literal sense.

4 Blessings of healthy wellbeing already a foretaste today and most certainly in the future. That s the second thing Elihu mentioned as part of God s salvation. The third thing mentioned by Elihu, we find it in verse 26, is spiritual restoration. Salvation has people put faith in God again. Job had reached a point in his suffering where he was done, almost ready to take leave of God. His prayers and petitions had become complaints. He was frustrated and angry with God. His prayer had become: God, why is this happening to me? Tell me. Explain it. When a person experiences God s salvation, prayer becomes again what it should be. Placing one s needs before God. It means saying amen, being convinced that God has most certainly heard your prayer, more than you even desire in your heart. You no longer live in fear of losing your faith. And prayer is accompanied by praise and worship. Would Job still have known quiet times, contemplating God s goodness? Or would he have avoided them, because quiet times with God made him all the more angry at God? I ve known people refuse to come to church for that very reason. That won t go to the Lord s Supper because they are upset with God. How they long to be part of the community, to praise God again. But it doesn t really happen. But, when you experience the salvation of God, then you join the crowd of worshipers again too. Spiritual restoration, restored to one s righteous state. Justified and being sanctified. Full access to God, and seizing the opportunity with both hands. That s the third thing Elihu mentioned as part of God s salvation. Three things. Deliverance from eternal death. Full restoration of the body in eternal life. A hearty and joyous communion with God. And all for nothing. For nothing. By grace alone. All one can say is, wow! The suffering of this moment does not compare with the glory to be revealed. The perseverance of Job is an example to us of what God can do, James wrote. Note the second phrase of that text: You have heard of Job s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11). Be convinced of that, brothers and sisters. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Have faith in God, count the blessings of your salvation. And let salvation change you. 3. We come to our third consideration: gratitude. In Job 33:27-28 we read how Elihu figured a saved person would react. He wants to share his new found joy with all who will hear it. You want to tell your story. Reformed people are not so big on such stories. That s because all sorts of wrongs have been done with such stories. To the point of, if you didn t have a story, you weren t really saved. But we shouldn t throw out the baby with the bathwater. I m sometimes asked How did you come to be a minister of the Word? and there s a story I ll gladly tell. So why not the story of how one came to be saved by God? That s telling the mighty acts of God. It s a special story, as Elihu told it. I sinned, and perverted what was right. An acknowledgement of sin. A confession. No one is pure before God. Not even Job. And indeed, we do have such a confession from Job. This is indeed how it went for Job. The acknowledgement of sin is followed by an acknowledgement of salvation. But I did not get what I deserved. You d almost think, Elihu learned this from the Apostle Paul. I did not get what I deserved. But no, Elihu lived some 2000 years before Paul, maybe even more. Already way back then, Elihu could speak of forensic justification, of God acting as if [a person] had never had nor committed any sin that s straight out of LD 23. Justification is by grace. Elihu already declared it. God had it revealed already in the days of Job. It s not something Paul invented. Salvation is by grace alone. That indeed is a reason for gratitude. Salvation by grace. When you note this, and you look back over our text, you see it elsewhere in Elihu s words. Verse 23 To tell a man what is right for him is not just telling of God s will, but also telling of God s Way, the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 24 To be gracious to him and I have found a ransom for him. Saved by the grace of God shown in Christ. Verse 28 as well. He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit. Who is the He here? Verse 27 does not tell us. It could be God. It could be that unique angel, that unique messenger from God. We today know it is both, in one person, our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Son of God become one of us to save us

5 from condemnation, sent by God as messenger to teach us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption (LD 12). Gratitude becomes a confession all may hear. A confession of faith. We ll be hearing one this morning, a few moments from now. We sing it, every Lord s Supper celebration. Thy grace alone, O Lord, I plead. Thy death is now my life indeed, for thou hast paid my ransom. (Hymn 28:5). 4) And so we come to our last thought, Life. God does all these things to a man. Elihu is very emphatic about it. All of it (all of it!) is the work of none other than God (God!). Job, think about it. Don t wind yourself up about all that s happening to you in life. You re running the danger of becoming so mad at God that you ll take leave him. Remember, God will do everything that needs doing to make sure you will remain with him. Cling to Him, also when the going is tough. Indeed, He ll do it, twice, even three times. Some Bible scholars consider this phrase limiting. God will save you twice, maybe three times. No more. But it makes more sense to read it in the opposite way. God will do it, not just once, even twice, even three times! God s grace stretches so far, that there is always forgiveness. When the Lord Jesus spoke of forgiveness, He spoke of a slave owing 10,000 talents, that s billions of dollars in our money today. Forgiveness covers more than we dare hope, than we are able to believe. The sacrifice of Christ is sufficient to pay for the sins of the whole world. We re inclined, at times, to doubt the reach of God s forgiveness. Is my repentance sincere? Do my sins truly bother me? Do I not fail God, time and time again? We find ourselves suffering, our faith being put to the test. A horrible illness. Treatment and medication. And then, a set-back. Another round of treatment. We go up and down on a roller coaster. It tires us. Will it never end? God promises it will. He saves us, by His grace. And as we can be so weak in our faith, God encourages us to celebrate the Lord s Supper often. So that we might be reminded, in a very physical way, and assured by our very use of the sacraments, that God s grace reaches far. He urges us to be under the preaching, each week again, to be reminded of His promises. All those who seek Him, will be found and saved. Thus we will have life, and have it abundantly. God always provides a way out. Elihu, My God is He was allowed to reveal the Gospel of Salvation by grace to Job. His words were recorded in Scripture. Israel read them. We read them. Just because you are sick, chronically ill, terminally ill, it doesn t mean God has written you off. There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God s own Son. A unique messenger from God. A messenger who is Himself the Mediator between God and man. He saves, even from the Pit! For Job and Elihu the flower bud was still mostly closed, the puzzle pieces not yet put together. They would not have known what the puzzle eventually would look like. But they believed. As do we. In a time when the puzzle is mostly completed. All we need to know for our salvation has been revealed. What we still await, is for promise to become reality. For the Kingdom of God to come in all its fullness. For the Christ of God, who is the Way out, the Way to the Father, to return again upon the clouds of heaven. He will usher in an era that lasts forever. An era with time but without aging, an era without illness and the threat of death. Then those who have faith in God will see His face and shout for joy. We re not there yet. Suffering is still part of our life too. Just think of the sick and the bereaved, as their names are mentioned in the congregational column, as we feel pain in our personal lives. But we ve been given to each other, to share each other s joys and burdens. Take an example from Elihu, and paraclete one another with these words. Hold on to your faith and confess it. God provides a way out. Perfection will come, by God s grace. Amen.