GOD’S RESPONSE TO SUFFERING

Job 38 - 42

Two Realities God’s Response Reveals

God is transcendent.“God is great!”

God is immanent.“God is good!”

Overwhelms Job with His greatness

Job 38:1-3 -- Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: 2 “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

“Where were you when…”“Have you ever…”“Can you…”“Do you know…”

Overwhelms Job with His greatness

Job 38:1-3 -- Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: 2 “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

“Where were you when…”“Have you ever…”“Can you…”“Do you know…”

The transcendent greatness of God exposes our own

ignorance & limitations.

Overwhelms Job with His greatness

John Piper – “And so are we (surrounded by mysteries), because the scientific advancements of the last two hundred years are like sand-pails of saltwater hauled from the ocean of God’s wisdom and dumped in a hole on the beach while the tide is rising. God is not impressed.”

Job’s response to God

Job 40:1-5 The Lord answered Job: 2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who argues with God give an answer. 3 Then Job answered the Lord: 4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer You? I place my hand over my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply; twice, but now I can add nothing.

Job’s response to God

Job 42:1-6 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, “Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?” Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 You said, “Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform Me.” 5 I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. 6 Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes.

Job’s response to God

Job 42:1-6 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, “Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?” Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 You said, “Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform Me.” 5 I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. 6 Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes.

But, left alone, the transcendent

greatness of God will merely lead to Deism.

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

Job 38:1 “Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said…”

Job 40:1,6 1 The Lord said to Job: 6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

The LORD of all spoke to Job!!!

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

Job 42:7-10 7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

We need a mediator too!

Romans 5:8 -- But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

Romans 10:9 -- If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Mark 10:29-31 -- 29 “I assure you,” Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children, or fields because of Me and the gospel, 30 who will not receive 100 times more, now at this time—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Immanent goodness without transcendent greatness is ultimately useless…just a cozy little God…

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Rather than giving us the “why” answer, God gives us something much better…HE GIVES US HIMSELF!!!

Overwhelms Job with His goodness

your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Tim Keller – “If you have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn’t stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can’t know. Indeed, you can’t have it both ways.”