Title: The New Beginning By: Ray C. Stedman Scripture: Job 42 Date: January 1, 1978 Series: Let God be God Message No: 12 Catalog No: 3551 The New Beginning by Ray C. Stedman We last saw our friend Job flat on his face be- beasts. As Job learns that these are the problems in fore God. He had been shown two unforgettable his own heart, problems that God has to deal with, aspects of God’s glory and character. You recall he bows before him. Before this breathtaking vi- how God took him on a trip through the world of sion of God’s power and might and glory and wis- nature and showed him his creative power and wis- dom, Job repents in dust and ashes and cries out to dom, not in mysteries beyond men’s ken, but in the God. simple things all around him. God asked him Now, in Chapter 42, beginning with Verse 7, questions, but he could not answer. Neither can we come to a new beginning, and this is a very ap- we, with our advanced science today. By means of propriate section for this New Year’s Sunday. Job this, God showed Job that he was entirely out of his has learned his lesson now. He saw that there were league in trying to question God’s ways and God’s depths and degrees of pride and self-sufficiency in wisdom. What God did was so far beyond what himself that he was not aware of. Surely there is man can even remotely dream, there is no compari- nothing more difficult for us to learn than the fact son at all, and no possibility of challenge. that there are things in us that we are not conscious Then God took Job on a tour of the moral of. We think we are doing well. Our own view of problems of the universe. Using the symbolism of ourselves is rather superficial, and we think every- two great beasts, Leviathan and Behemoth, God thing is right. It is a shocking revelation to us to showed him the depth of evil in humanity, what the learn that what we thought to be love was really New Testament calls “the mystery of lawlessness,” nothing but self-centeredness, playing the game by and why it is that every generation has to struggle which we get something back in return. What we with the same problems. We make no moral ad- thought to be righteous behavior was really nothing vance from century to century, but wrestle with the but a manipulation of someone else. same difficulties that people wrestled with thou- This is what Job has learned. He thought he sands of years ago, even at the dawn of history. could trust God through any circumstance of life. There is some deep embodiment of evil in the hu- He was confident in his own ability to serve God, man heart that God shows to Job through the sym- like Peter saying to Jesus, “Everyone else will deny bolism of these two ferocious, unconquerable you but I will never do so; you can count on me,” Page 1 The New Beginning {cf, Matt 26:35, Mark 14:31, Luke 22:61}. So in who visited punishment upon those who did wrong, a sense Job, quite honestly and earnestly from his without exception and instantly, and he rewarded heart, had been saying to God, “I’ll stay with you those who did right with prosperity and blessing. no matter what.” For a while he held in there, but This was the kind of God they set before people, a now God has shown him that without divine help he great judge of all men, but not at all concerned with is totally weak, thoroughly undependable. Job has compassion, love, mercy, and patience. Thus the seen his guilt and admitted it before God, and has God they set before men was a God far from real- repented. ity. They did indeed distort the Being of God. Now it is the three friends’ turn, and in Chap- Now I find a lot of Christians like this. The ter 42, beginning with Verse 7, Jehovah summons God they picture before people is one who is Eliphaz, the leader of the three, before him. These wholly concerned with truth, as though that is all friends dropped out of sight for a while when Elihu there were; who is deeply offended by sin – and he came on the scene, but now God calls them before is – but who instantly visits it with some kind of him, Verse 7: condemnation and judgment. They picture God as a very stern and harsh Being who is leaning over After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the battlements of heaven, ready to cry “Cut that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My wrath out!” the minute anybody steps out of line. That is is kindled against you and against your two friends; why the world gets very distorted views of what for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my God is like. That is what these three friends were servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls doing, though they did not mean to. They meant to and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant uphold God’s righteousness, but they said nothing Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer about his mercy, his compassion, his patience, his not to deal with you according to your folly; for you willingness to reach out and wait for men and give have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant them opportunity to repent. Job has.” {Job 42:7-8 RSV} The Bible says that God sends the rain upon the just and the unjust alike {cf, Matt 5:45}. God’s That sentence from God must have had a blessings are not withheld from those who are stunning effect upon Eliphaz and his two friends, wrong and who are rebellious. He gives them fam- for the one thing they had been sure of all through ily life. He gives them joy, times of pleasure, and this account was that they were defending the right- times of peace. As Romans puts it, it is the good- eousness of God. They were zealous for God’s ness of God that is designed to lead to repentance, honor, and they must have prided themselves on the that men may understand where their blessings are fact that they were standing for God’s righteous- coming from {cf, Rom 2:4}. ness. They were upholding his sovereignty among That is why we in the West have been put men, they were scathing in their denunciation of through a school time recently as to who runs the human pride and evil and now, to their startled weather. Some of us thought it was the Weather amazement, they are charged by God himself with Bureau. Now we know better. We know they can- defaming him. That must have been a hard blow to not do a thing. It is God who sends rain, who, as their pride. Job so beautifully puts it, “tilts the wineskins in the This chapter seems to us to be filled with sur- heavens,” and lets the rain drop upon us. God al- prises. One of the surprising things to these men lows these things to come in order that we might was the discovery that all their vaunted concern and understand the basis of human blessing and repent zeal for the honor of God was regarded as worth- of our wickedness and our rebellion and turn back less in his sight. They are charged with defaming to him. This is what these friends have failed to set the name of God. before men. They set forth a distorted God. Well, what is it that they said that God took Then, as you look back through the book, re- such offense to? You recall that they formulated a member they charged Job with hypocrisy, and even theory of suffering that made God out to be nothing with outright wickedness, without any basis in fact but an arbitrator of justice, a great cosmic judge whatsoever. This man, who morally was perfect Page 2 The New Beginning and upright in his conduct – even God himself said that he did not understand, but to the point so – they charged with being a hypocrite and with where he did see things, he was always honest. hiding some deep and terrible sin in his heart. All There was no distorting or twisting of the facts his troubles came from the fact that he was unwill- to fit an inadequate theology. He did not try to ing to admit some awful thing that he had done, kid himself, and he did not try to admit to they said, and they increased the torment of this things that could not see were true. He was poor man’s suffering by these false accusations. In always brutally honest and forthright. doing so, they represented themselves as the mouthpiece of God; they were speaking as though · Third, as you remember the account, he took God himself was charging Job with this. Now God his problem to God, even though God was his takes offense at that. They were doing the devil’s problem. That is an admirable thing in Job. work. The devil is the accuser of the brethren {cf, You remember how all through the account he Rev 12:10}; is the accuser in heaven and the de- is breaking into prayer constantly.