1 00:00:00,780 --> 00:00:04,980 Hi, I’m Kerry Duke, host of My God in My Neighbor podcast from Tennessee 2 00:00:04,980 --> 00:00:09,420 Bible College, where we see the Bible as not just another book, but the Book. 3 00:00:09,820 --> 00:00:13,660 Join us in a study of the inspired Word to strengthen your faith and to 4 00:00:13,660 --> 00:00:15,279 share what you've learned with others. 5 00:00:17,469 --> 00:00:20,330 In the Book of Job, God and the devil have a disagreement. 6 00:00:20,780 --> 00:00:22,720 God said Job was a good man. 7 00:00:23,130 --> 00:00:24,979 The devil said Job was not. 8 00:00:25,370 --> 00:00:29,629 He said Job only acted religious because God was making him rich. 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,690 Then almost unbelievably, the devil challenged God. 10 00:00:35,039 --> 00:00:38,470 He said if you take away everything you've given to Job, he will 11 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:42,650 curse you to your face—not behind Your back, but to Your face. 12 00:00:43,250 --> 00:00:45,449 Satan said Job was not sincere. 13 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,019 He insinuated that Job was a hypocrite, that he was just pretending. 14 00:00:50,559 --> 00:00:52,690 But God accepted his challenge. 15 00:00:53,170 --> 00:00:56,670 The Lord told Satan everything he has is in your power. 16 00:00:56,910 --> 00:00:59,060 That's Job chapter one, verse 12. 17 00:00:59,510 --> 00:01:05,599 “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only 18 00:01:05,599 --> 00:01:07,600 do not lay a hand on his person.’” 19 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:15,700 So God allowed the devil to test Job, to have, as the Bible says, power over Job. 20 00:01:16,140 --> 00:01:17,690 Now that power was limited. 21 00:01:18,340 --> 00:01:20,650 He didn't have any power over Job's will. 22 00:01:20,780 --> 00:01:23,520 He couldn't force him, let's say, to hate God. 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:29,189 The book of Job is one of the strongest cases for free will that you will 24 00:01:29,190 --> 00:01:33,920 find anywhere because the devil did everything he could to get Job to 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,020 quit, to curse God, but Job refused. 26 00:01:37,220 --> 00:01:41,259 And the limit that God put on Job here in Job chapter one is that 27 00:01:41,259 --> 00:01:45,789 he said don't lay a hand on Job's person, that is, on Job himself. 28 00:01:46,190 --> 00:01:48,100 Now, this is the beginning of the test. 29 00:01:48,660 --> 00:01:52,860 This is not the only test that the devil is going to give to Job. 30 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,780 We read about another one, of course, in Job chapter two. 31 00:01:55,820 --> 00:01:59,350 We're going to get to that later, and that's where he actually did lay a 32 00:01:59,350 --> 00:02:02,039 hand on Job, but he did have power. 33 00:02:02,190 --> 00:02:05,089 He had a power that God allowed him to exercise. 34 00:02:05,379 --> 00:02:10,130 Now remember as you study through the Book of Job that no one knew that 35 00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:12,430 the devil was doing all this to Job. 36 00:02:13,090 --> 00:02:15,380 They don't even mention that as a possibility. 37 00:02:15,700 --> 00:02:20,760 I'm talking about Job, his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, 38 00:02:20,929 --> 00:02:25,270 and then the young man Elihu, and not even God himself said anything 39 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,590 about this confrontation that we read here in Job Chapters one and two. 40 00:02:29,860 --> 00:02:35,010 If you didn't have Job chapter one and Job chapter two in this book, if it 41 00:02:35,010 --> 00:02:38,910 just went right into the sufferings of Job and this argument between 42 00:02:39,139 --> 00:02:42,769 Job and his friends, this book would be a lot different, wouldn't it? 43 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,400 But you see in the very beginning here, God pulls the curtains. 44 00:02:46,810 --> 00:02:49,160 He lets us see what's happening behind the scenes. 45 00:02:49,700 --> 00:02:54,589 Now, this means that Satan has some power over the physical 46 00:02:54,599 --> 00:02:57,230 realm, but it's not miraculous. 47 00:02:57,490 --> 00:03:03,260 A miracle in the Bible is the power of God which is displayed in a special way. 48 00:03:03,270 --> 00:03:04,570 In other words, people can know it. 49 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,679 Now we're not talking about demon possession in Job chapter 50 00:03:08,679 --> 00:03:13,640 one, but Satan is allowed by God to affect the physical world. 51 00:03:14,230 --> 00:03:17,109 How and when he does this today, we don't know. 52 00:03:17,660 --> 00:03:21,989 The only reason we know what happened in Job's case, that is, that the 53 00:03:21,990 --> 00:03:26,850 devil was working against him, is because God tells us in the Bible. 54 00:03:27,059 --> 00:03:30,929 He pulled the curtains to let us see what was happening behind the scenes. 55 00:03:31,309 --> 00:03:37,470 So what did the devil do to bring sorrow, pain, and loss in the life of a good man? 56 00:03:37,710 --> 00:03:41,030 Let's read Job chapter one, beginning in verse 13. 57 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:45,220 “Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking 58 00:03:45,220 --> 00:03:50,170 wine in their oldest brother's house, and a messenger came to Job and said, 59 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:54,860 ‘The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans 60 00:03:54,860 --> 00:03:56,929 raided them and took them away. 61 00:03:57,290 --> 00:04:02,200 Indeed, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and 62 00:04:02,270 --> 00:04:04,390 I alone have escaped to tell you. 63 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:10,399 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, ‘The fire of God 64 00:04:10,539 --> 00:04:15,410 fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, 65 00:04:15,790 --> 00:04:18,419 and I alone have escaped to tell you. 66 00:04:18,910 --> 00:04:23,959 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, ‘The Chaldeans 67 00:04:23,969 --> 00:04:29,849 formed three bands, raided the camels, took them away, yes, and killed the 68 00:04:29,850 --> 00:04:34,619 servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you. 69 00:04:35,020 --> 00:04:40,080 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, ‘Your sons and 70 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:44,070 daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. 71 00:04:44,340 --> 00:04:47,830 And suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck 72 00:04:47,830 --> 00:04:49,270 the four corners of the house. 73 00:04:49,500 --> 00:04:54,640 And it fell on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped 74 00:04:54,650 --> 00:04:59,990 to tell you.’ Then Job arose, tore his robe and shaved his head, and 75 00:04:59,990 --> 00:05:01,899 he fell to the ground and worshiped. 76 00:05:02,270 --> 00:05:07,730 And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return. 77 00:05:08,410 --> 00:05:10,810 The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. 78 00:05:11,070 --> 00:05:13,530 Blessed be the name of the Lord. 79 00:05:13,810 --> 00:05:18,520 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” 80 00:05:18,860 --> 00:05:21,700 Now, when Job's Day started, it started out well. 81 00:05:22,109 --> 00:05:22,860 He was happy. 82 00:05:23,190 --> 00:05:24,290 Everything was normal. 83 00:05:24,469 --> 00:05:25,740 His kids were fine. 84 00:05:25,970 --> 00:05:28,420 His workers and his livestock were okay. 85 00:05:28,620 --> 00:05:33,920 It seemed like just another day, and then unexpectedly out of the blue 86 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,219 from nowhere all this trouble hits. 87 00:05:37,490 --> 00:05:38,880 Does that sound familiar? 88 00:05:39,179 --> 00:05:44,770 How many times have you had a phone call or someone told you something or some 89 00:05:44,770 --> 00:05:48,740 kind of tragic event struck very suddenly? 90 00:05:48,900 --> 00:05:50,119 That's just life. 91 00:05:50,559 --> 00:05:52,510 It's a good thing that we don't know the future. 92 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:57,229 If we did know what was coming next, we'd be able to see all the bad things 93 00:05:57,230 --> 00:06:00,859 that we're going to have to endure, and life would really be unbearable. 94 00:06:01,570 --> 00:06:02,970 God has shielded us. 95 00:06:03,350 --> 00:06:07,909 God protects you by not letting you know what's going to happen tomorrow. 96 00:06:08,220 --> 00:06:09,900 That's why you don't need to worry about it. 97 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:14,069 That's why you don't need to get over into tomorrow and hold on to the things 98 00:06:14,070 --> 00:06:16,019 of the past in the other direction. 99 00:06:16,350 --> 00:06:19,420 You need to just live one day at a time as the Bible says. 100 00:06:19,420 --> 00:06:24,880 So the things that you need to do today in Matthew 6 34: the Bible says do not 101 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:29,469 worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about its own things. 102 00:06:29,889 --> 00:06:33,929 Sufficient unto the day is its own trouble or its own evil. 103 00:06:33,940 --> 00:06:35,409 That's Matthew six, verse 34. 104 00:06:36,299 --> 00:06:39,340 So what did the devil do here to cause havoc in this home? 105 00:06:39,380 --> 00:06:41,320 And I say that he did cause havoc. 106 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:42,800 He does that today. 107 00:06:43,230 --> 00:06:45,579 The Bible says that they were enjoying their lives. 108 00:06:45,610 --> 00:06:46,980 Everything was going well. 109 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,219 Job's sons and his daughters were eating and drinking together. 110 00:06:51,219 --> 00:06:54,429 They were enjoying a good meal like they oftentimes did. 111 00:06:54,580 --> 00:06:55,960 They got along with each other. 112 00:06:56,150 --> 00:06:59,919 There was peace and harmony and safety in this household. 113 00:07:00,140 --> 00:07:02,440 So what did the devil do to Job first? 114 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,370 Well, the Bible tells us in verses 14 and 15. 115 00:07:05,719 --> 00:07:07,850 It says that the oxen were plowing. 116 00:07:07,940 --> 00:07:09,719 Everything was going well in that way. 117 00:07:09,969 --> 00:07:11,960 The donkeys were feeding beside them. 118 00:07:12,100 --> 00:07:13,270 Everything was fine. 119 00:07:13,610 --> 00:07:16,420 And then the Sabeans raided them. 120 00:07:17,060 --> 00:07:20,810 The Bible says that as long as we're in this life, as long as 121 00:07:20,820 --> 00:07:24,430 we're in this world, there will always be the threat of thieves. 122 00:07:24,759 --> 00:07:28,669 Jesus said in heaven there will be no thieves to break through and steal, 123 00:07:28,670 --> 00:07:32,160 but while you're on the earth, there will always be that kind of danger. 124 00:07:32,670 --> 00:07:36,310 These Sabeans raided them and took them away. 125 00:07:36,310 --> 00:07:37,730 That is, they took the livestock. 126 00:07:38,270 --> 00:07:40,549 So what happened to the servants that were with them? 127 00:07:41,030 --> 00:07:41,740 They killed them. 128 00:07:42,179 --> 00:07:46,499 They murdered them with the edge of the sword, and there was only one of them 129 00:07:46,639 --> 00:07:50,200 that escaped, and that's the man that was the messenger that came to Job. 130 00:07:50,610 --> 00:07:53,950 These servants did nothing to these Sabeans that we know of. 131 00:07:54,510 --> 00:07:55,659 They didn't provoke them. 132 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,219 These Sabeans just wanted this property. 133 00:07:58,530 --> 00:07:59,400 They were thieves. 134 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:03,020 Now the Bible says that the devil is a murderer. 135 00:08:03,349 --> 00:08:06,489 In John chapter eight, verse 44, Jesus said that he was a 136 00:08:06,490 --> 00:08:08,450 murderer from the beginning. 137 00:08:08,970 --> 00:08:14,440 So it is in the nature of Satan to want people murdered, to want people killed, 138 00:08:14,559 --> 00:08:16,429 to want innocent people to perish. 139 00:08:16,620 --> 00:08:19,709 That's his desire, and that's what he instigates. 140 00:08:20,020 --> 00:08:21,489 That's what he wants people to do. 141 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:27,110 So somehow, some way, in a way that you and I cannot comprehend, the 142 00:08:27,110 --> 00:08:31,380 devil tempted, the devil was able to persuade, the devil, without 143 00:08:31,420 --> 00:08:35,329 appearing to these people and saying, “I'm Satan himself—listen to me”, the 144 00:08:35,340 --> 00:08:41,039 devil somehow influenced by temptation these Sabeans to do what they did. 145 00:08:41,529 --> 00:08:43,730 Now that shouldn't seem like some kind of miracle. 146 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:46,330 It doesn't mean that the devil took over their will. 147 00:08:46,650 --> 00:08:50,030 The devil is working behind the scenes here, but he is 148 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:51,750 only beginning his dirty work. 149 00:08:51,849 --> 00:08:53,500 He is by no means finished. 150 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,829 The Bible says in verse 16, “While he was still speaking…” Now that 151 00:08:57,830 --> 00:09:01,870 refers to the first messenger who had the first bit of bad news. 152 00:09:01,870 --> 00:09:05,860 This second messenger comes in while the first one is still speaking. 153 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:10,430 The first man is not even done telling the bad news yet, and the Bible says 154 00:09:10,430 --> 00:09:16,410 he came also and said this: the fire of God fell from heaven and burned up 155 00:09:16,430 --> 00:09:21,670 the sheep and the servants and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you. 156 00:09:21,830 --> 00:09:26,370 This man says that the fire of God did this, and by the fire of God he's 157 00:09:26,389 --> 00:09:31,630 evidently talking about lightning because God created nature and that 158 00:09:31,630 --> 00:09:33,740 means that He created lightning. 159 00:09:34,109 --> 00:09:38,390 It's interesting that when God addresses Job in the last part of this book, 160 00:09:38,610 --> 00:09:41,900 lightning is one of the many things He talks about in His creation. 161 00:09:42,410 --> 00:09:46,470 In Second Kings chapter one, the Bible says that Elijah called down 162 00:09:46,700 --> 00:09:51,060 fire from heaven to consume 50 men, and the Bible refers to that at 163 00:09:51,060 --> 00:09:53,670 least one time as the fire of God. 164 00:09:53,850 --> 00:09:57,140 Now, you'll find that also in Luke chapter nine, verse 54, where the 165 00:09:57,140 --> 00:10:00,260 disciples said do you want us to call down fire from heaven and consume 166 00:10:00,260 --> 00:10:02,699 these men just like Elijah did? 167 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,710 This man in Job chapter one said it was the fire of God that burned 168 00:10:06,719 --> 00:10:09,930 up the sheep and the servants who were taking care of them. 169 00:10:10,190 --> 00:10:11,540 Now, that brings up a question. 170 00:10:12,190 --> 00:10:17,439 If the Bible here in Job chapter one, verse 16 says this was the 171 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,760 fire of God, then how could the devil have been behind that? 172 00:10:21,139 --> 00:10:24,860 Now we know that the devil is behind it because God has given him leeway. 173 00:10:25,309 --> 00:10:29,680 God has given him some latitude, so to speak, with His physical creation so 174 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:32,720 that the devil can inflict harm on job. 175 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:37,060 And we know that because God said all that he has is in your power. 176 00:10:37,410 --> 00:10:42,410 Well, we have to remember when we read Job chapter one that the man 177 00:10:42,420 --> 00:10:47,200 who saw this did not know that the devil was behind it when he said the 178 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,040 fire of God fell down from heaven. 179 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,560 He didn't know anything about the devil's part in this. 180 00:10:51,930 --> 00:10:56,640 This man, like Job and the others in this book, tended to attribute everything 181 00:10:56,650 --> 00:10:59,120 that happened to God, right or wrong. 182 00:10:59,330 --> 00:11:00,979 That's the way that they looked at things. 183 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:06,699 So in Job chapter one, verse 16, we find a very important insight here, 184 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:13,469 and that is that God allowed the devil to use natural forces to afflict job. 185 00:11:13,860 --> 00:11:18,250 He allowed him to have some kind of power, some kind of latitude, over 186 00:11:18,250 --> 00:11:22,649 His creation in this instance in order to afflict Job his servant. 187 00:11:22,959 --> 00:11:26,550 So that shows that the devil does have some power in that area. 188 00:11:27,130 --> 00:11:31,270 Now, again, this is a unique case here because God is pulling 189 00:11:31,270 --> 00:11:34,740 the curtains and letting us see what happens behind the scenes. 190 00:11:35,250 --> 00:11:39,980 As to how and when and why and where the devil does this at other 191 00:11:39,980 --> 00:11:44,640 times in the Bible, much less today, God doesn't explain that to us. 192 00:11:44,970 --> 00:11:48,460 This is a unique situation that we're reading here in Job chapter 193 00:11:48,460 --> 00:11:53,330 one, but it does show that God sometimes allows the devil to do this. 194 00:11:53,900 --> 00:11:58,900 Here in Job chapter one, where lightning came down from the sky and burned up these 195 00:11:58,900 --> 00:12:03,540 sheep and these servants, we might look at it and say, “Well, that was a natural 196 00:12:03,540 --> 00:12:09,440 disaster.” But actually behind the scenes there was a supernatural element involved 197 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:12,040 in what we call a natural disaster. 198 00:12:12,330 --> 00:12:16,859 So his sheep, which were a main source of his income, are gone. 199 00:12:16,910 --> 00:12:17,900 They are burned up. 200 00:12:17,980 --> 00:12:22,880 All that wool that they would produce is now gone, and the servants 201 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,810 who took care of them are gone. 202 00:12:25,090 --> 00:12:30,569 So the first calamity, the first loss to Job in verse 15 was at the 203 00:12:30,570 --> 00:12:32,869 hands of human beings, the Sabeans. 204 00:12:33,339 --> 00:12:38,980 The second loss is in verse 16, and that came from nature itself by lightning. 205 00:12:39,330 --> 00:12:42,670 The third loss is also at the hands of men. 206 00:12:43,020 --> 00:12:48,030 Verse 17 says, “While he was still speaking…” Now that man who's still 207 00:12:48,030 --> 00:12:54,680 speaking is the second messenger in verse 16 who had also come in while the 208 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:59,630 first messenger was still speaking the bit of bad news that he was delivering. 209 00:13:00,090 --> 00:13:03,590 So you had one man in verse 15 who came in with bad news. 210 00:13:03,910 --> 00:13:07,869 You had a second messenger who came in with the second bit of bad news in 211 00:13:07,870 --> 00:13:10,760 verse 16 while he was still speaking. 212 00:13:11,039 --> 00:13:14,770 A third man comes in and he has more bad news. 213 00:13:15,110 --> 00:13:18,830 So what's happened here in one day all at the same time? 214 00:13:18,830 --> 00:13:24,420 Basically, Job finds out that his 500 yoke of oxen and his 500 215 00:13:24,420 --> 00:13:26,380 female donkeys have been stolen. 216 00:13:26,780 --> 00:13:31,140 No sooner does he learn that than he discovers that the 7,000 sheep he had have 217 00:13:31,140 --> 00:13:38,199 been burned up and now he finds out that the 3000 camels he owns have been stolen. 218 00:13:38,420 --> 00:13:42,030 So here are three tragedies that happened to Job in the same day. 219 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:48,709 Here are three pieces of very bad news that are delivered to him all at once. 220 00:13:48,940 --> 00:13:51,670 Isn't that the way that it oftentimes happens? 221 00:13:51,950 --> 00:13:56,660 If we only had one trial to happen once in a while and then we had a break 222 00:13:56,910 --> 00:14:00,760 for, let's say five or six weeks, or even one week, sometimes before the 223 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,999 next trial comes along, so that we are able to recover, so that we're 224 00:14:05,029 --> 00:14:09,490 able to get back up on our feet, then the calamities and the hardships of 225 00:14:09,490 --> 00:14:11,400 life wouldn't be so hard to handle. 226 00:14:12,020 --> 00:14:16,280 But when you have two or three things that happen all at once—you might have 227 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,839 something that happens in the family, you might have a death that occurs, 228 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,889 you might have a health problem, you might have an accident, you might have 229 00:14:23,889 --> 00:14:27,640 some kind of financial issue, or you might have some kind of conflict that 230 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,930 arises—and oftentimes they come in threes. 231 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:35,270 I've heard people say for years, “When it rains, it pours.” And that's oftentimes 232 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:40,029 true. I've also heard people say that death comes in three’s oftentimes, and 233 00:14:40,029 --> 00:14:41,160 they don't mean that as a superstition. 234 00:14:42,219 --> 00:14:45,970 They don't mean that as a law of nature where it always has to happen that way. 235 00:14:46,330 --> 00:14:50,329 They just mean that oftentimes you will find that when one person you 236 00:14:50,330 --> 00:14:54,490 know dies, there will be two others in the close timeframe related 237 00:14:54,490 --> 00:14:56,530 to that, that pass away as well. 238 00:14:56,900 --> 00:14:58,990 Well, what we find here in the case of job. 239 00:14:59,330 --> 00:15:00,959 Is that it's not just raining. 240 00:15:01,150 --> 00:15:02,010 It's pouring. 241 00:15:02,300 --> 00:15:05,970 This man is getting all kinds of bad news all at once. 242 00:15:06,310 --> 00:15:09,320 His life has completely changed in one day. 243 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:14,910 All of his assets and all of his sources of income have been wiped out, and when we 244 00:15:14,910 --> 00:15:20,110 think about everything he's lost, we have to wonder how much more can this man take. 245 00:15:20,630 --> 00:15:23,250 You may be thinking about some other men in the Bible we talked 246 00:15:23,260 --> 00:15:24,400 about in the first lesson. 247 00:15:24,890 --> 00:15:27,950 One of those men was Moses in numbers chapter 11. 248 00:15:27,969 --> 00:15:31,510 Virtually the whole nation of the Hebrews were upset with him. 249 00:15:31,790 --> 00:15:33,920 Now, that was when Moses cried out to God. 250 00:15:34,379 --> 00:15:38,609 He basically said that he couldn't take anymore and he told God if 251 00:15:38,610 --> 00:15:41,750 you're going to treat me like this, go ahead and take my life. 252 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,400 The other man was the great prophet Elijah. 253 00:15:44,820 --> 00:15:49,319 In First Kings chapter 19, when the vicious queen Jezebel vowed to 254 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,270 kill him, Elijah ran for his life. 255 00:15:52,730 --> 00:15:57,270 He sat down under a juniper tree and he prayed that God would take his 256 00:15:57,270 --> 00:16:01,020 life and end it all, but it wasn't over for either one of these men. 257 00:16:01,350 --> 00:16:05,879 God still had work for them to do, but at their lowest point, when they felt 258 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:09,520 that they couldn't carry any more weight on their shoulders, they thought that 259 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:11,339 they couldn't endure anything else. 260 00:16:11,820 --> 00:16:13,940 We feel like that sometimes, don't we? 261 00:16:14,630 --> 00:16:18,540 We can carry a heavy load for a while, but when more and more 262 00:16:18,550 --> 00:16:21,189 burdens are laid on us, we get tired. 263 00:16:21,610 --> 00:16:26,220 We ask for relief, we pray to God, and then we get discouraged, 264 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:28,839 and finally we get mad and upset. 265 00:16:29,330 --> 00:16:32,910 That's when we say, “I don't know how much more this I can take.” 266 00:16:33,540 --> 00:16:35,229 And what do we mean by that anyway? 267 00:16:36,140 --> 00:16:38,769 That if we have much more pain, we'll lose our mind? 268 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,719 That we'll have a heart attack and die that will collapse? 269 00:16:43,090 --> 00:16:46,539 Or if we have any more problems, we might lose our faith? 270 00:16:47,119 --> 00:16:50,790 You see, that's what the devil was hoping for in Job's case. 271 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,730 He wasn't trying to cause Job to have a heart attack or lose his mind. 272 00:16:54,940 --> 00:16:57,180 God wouldn't let him do that to job anyway. 273 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:01,900 The devil wanted to push Job to the point where he would curse God. 274 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:06,229 He's doing everything he can to antagonize and provoke him. 275 00:17:06,770 --> 00:17:10,830 If he can get Job to curse God, maybe God will take his life and 276 00:17:10,830 --> 00:17:12,169 the devil will be the winner. 277 00:17:12,780 --> 00:17:15,110 And the devil does antagonize. 278 00:17:15,579 --> 00:17:19,709 In Luke chapter 22, verse 31, Jesus told Peter that the devil 279 00:17:19,719 --> 00:17:22,110 wanted to sift him like wheat. 280 00:17:22,569 --> 00:17:27,570 In Bible times when people had to have wheat flour to bake bread, they had to 281 00:17:27,570 --> 00:17:30,140 separate the wheat kernels from the husks. 282 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:32,600 Now, they had several ways of doing this. 283 00:17:32,980 --> 00:17:36,379 Sometimes they would use large fans to remove the husks. 284 00:17:36,910 --> 00:17:39,140 Sometimes they would use a sifter. 285 00:17:39,759 --> 00:17:43,890 Sometimes they would pull a weighted palate behind an ox to crush the grain. 286 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:47,510 Now, that is the striking image Jesus used. 287 00:17:47,910 --> 00:17:49,400 The devil shakes us. 288 00:17:49,890 --> 00:17:52,120 He tries to crush our spirits. 289 00:17:52,730 --> 00:17:53,870 He antagonizes. 290 00:17:54,229 --> 00:17:58,259 He agitates, and he grinds our hearts without mercy. 291 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:03,290 That's what he's doing to Job, and the bad part is he's just getting started. 292 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,139 If you've already read the Book of Job, you know what's going to happen next. 293 00:18:08,490 --> 00:18:11,629 You know it's going to get worse for job much worse. 294 00:18:11,929 --> 00:18:14,679 But Job did not know what you and I know. 295 00:18:15,330 --> 00:18:17,019 He didn't know how bad it would get. 296 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,169 He couldn't see what was coming, which was again a good thing for him. 297 00:18:21,770 --> 00:18:25,010 But the good part is that God knows our limits. 298 00:18:25,330 --> 00:18:28,200 He knows how much pressure we're able to stand. 299 00:18:28,469 --> 00:18:29,140 We don't. 300 00:18:29,620 --> 00:18:34,419 But if we listen to experience as we get older, we'll trust in God more. 301 00:18:34,619 --> 00:18:39,669 We'll put our faith in Him that He won't put on us more than we're able to bear. 302 00:18:39,980 --> 00:18:45,560 God told the Jews in Isaiah 57, verse 16, “For I will not contend 303 00:18:45,599 --> 00:18:51,610 forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit would fail before me, 304 00:18:51,790 --> 00:18:53,639 and the souls which I have made.” 305 00:18:54,180 --> 00:18:58,130 Now this verse in Isaiah is a different situation than the Book of Job. 306 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,780 God punished the Jews in Isaiah for their sins, but God was 307 00:19:02,780 --> 00:19:04,590 not punishing Job for his sins. 308 00:19:04,870 --> 00:19:11,840 But at the same time, Isaiah 57, verse 16 does say that there are limits as to 309 00:19:11,850 --> 00:19:16,810 how much punishment, how much suffering God will give men in this lifetime. 310 00:19:17,370 --> 00:19:21,330 He said He would not punish them to the point that their spirits failed. 311 00:19:21,820 --> 00:19:26,130 The Lord broke their stubborn will when He punished these people in Babylonian 312 00:19:26,130 --> 00:19:30,460 captivity in the book of Isaiah, but He did not crush their spirits 313 00:19:31,060 --> 00:19:33,810 because God loved them and He loves us. 314 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,770 It can be hard to do this, but when Christians suffer great 315 00:19:37,790 --> 00:19:41,679 anguish and pain, they must not think that God doesn't love them. 316 00:19:42,490 --> 00:19:46,540 Paul said in Second Corinthians chapter four, verse eight, “We are hard 317 00:19:46,540 --> 00:19:49,689 pressed on every side, yet not crushed. 318 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:56,370 We are perplexed, but not in despair.” The word perplexed comes from a Greek word 319 00:19:56,370 --> 00:20:03,570 which means not to know which way to turn, not to know how to decide or what to do.” 320 00:20:04,039 --> 00:20:06,959 Doesn't that describe your life at times? 321 00:20:07,410 --> 00:20:09,150 That's how the Apostle Paul felt. 322 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:14,210 The same apostle who preached, debated, and worked miracles. 323 00:20:14,650 --> 00:20:18,639 And yet Paul said that even when he was at his wits’ end, 324 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,270 he said we are not in despair. 325 00:20:21,799 --> 00:20:23,320 There's always hope in God. 326 00:20:23,670 --> 00:20:28,190 There's always a future ahead, and as we say, and as we sing sometimes, 327 00:20:28,490 --> 00:20:31,060 God holds the future in his hands. 328 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,909 We think the future is in our hands or on our shoulders as it were. 329 00:20:36,370 --> 00:20:37,930 But it is in His hands. 330 00:20:38,270 --> 00:20:42,699 There's a case of God showing mercy to Paul in Philippians chapter two when he 331 00:20:42,700 --> 00:20:44,900 already had a lot of troubles in his life. 332 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,230 Paul had already been arrested for preaching the gospel. 333 00:20:48,620 --> 00:20:54,730 He was a prisoner in Rome, and a man named Epaphroditus was a dear brother to Paul. 334 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:56,450 He was a valuable worker. 335 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,520 Now that man became very sick and almost died. 336 00:20:59,910 --> 00:21:05,850 Paul said he was sick almost unto death, but God had mercy on him, 337 00:21:06,110 --> 00:21:12,439 and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon 338 00:21:12,500 --> 00:21:14,625 sorrow” [Philippians two verse 17]. 339 00:21:14,980 --> 00:21:18,359 Sometimes in life we feel that that's the way that our lives are going. 340 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:23,170 It's just one sorrow right after another, or one grief on top of another. 341 00:21:23,650 --> 00:21:25,150 Paul said that he was spared. 342 00:21:25,460 --> 00:21:30,149 If this dear brother Epaphroditus had died, it would've been a heavy burden 343 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:34,899 of grief on top of everything else Paul was carrying, but God spared him. 344 00:21:35,330 --> 00:21:40,660 Paul doesn't say that he would've died or lost his faith if his dear brother had 345 00:21:40,660 --> 00:21:46,890 died, but he was very, very thankful that his trouble in his own life wasn't worse. 346 00:21:47,309 --> 00:21:49,550 Now that should teach us how to look at our trials. 347 00:21:50,139 --> 00:21:54,720 Instead of us saying, “I can't take it anymore,” we should say, “I'm 348 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:59,250 glad it's not worse.” So the answer to the question “How much more can 349 00:21:59,250 --> 00:22:01,760 Job take?” is actually a lot more. 350 00:22:02,190 --> 00:22:03,840 much more than we might think. 351 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,720 And though we don't want to think about this and admit 352 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:08,889 it, the same is true with us. 353 00:22:09,339 --> 00:22:14,159 When life seems to be crushing us and the weight is so heavy it's hard to 354 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:20,130 breathe, we cry out, “How much more can I stand; Lord, help me.” And there's 355 00:22:20,130 --> 00:22:24,350 nothing wrong with praying for the Lord's help. But when we ask “How much more 356 00:22:24,350 --> 00:22:27,609 can I stand?” the answer is the same. 357 00:22:27,969 --> 00:22:32,830 More, maybe even much more, and maybe even a lot more than you think. 358 00:22:33,270 --> 00:22:36,419 Now, in Job's case, the answer is a lot more. 359 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:40,610 Now, if you've never read this book of Job, you might ask, 360 00:22:40,700 --> 00:22:44,790 “But how much worse can it get?” What can possibly happen next? 361 00:22:45,110 --> 00:22:48,080 We see the answer in verses 18 and 19. 362 00:22:48,549 --> 00:22:51,100 This is the fourth piece of bad news. 363 00:22:51,130 --> 00:22:55,480 On top of everything else, he's been told that he lost everything. 364 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,810 Now, if we were to lose all of our money and all of our income and 365 00:22:59,820 --> 00:23:03,740 all of our possessions, that would be devastating to say the least. 366 00:23:03,969 --> 00:23:06,720 That would be a trial; that would be a test of your faith. 367 00:23:07,300 --> 00:23:11,800 But even then, you could be able to say, if you have children, “At least 368 00:23:11,810 --> 00:23:16,080 I still have my children.” But poor Job couldn't even take solace in that. 369 00:23:16,670 --> 00:23:20,760 This fourth messenger delivers the worst news of all. 370 00:23:21,330 --> 00:23:24,580 That is, your sons and your daughters are dead. 371 00:23:24,980 --> 00:23:28,770 A terrible windstorm collapsed the house where they were eating and drinking. 372 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:34,570 The messenger's awful words must have pierced Job's heart deeper than anything 373 00:23:34,570 --> 00:23:36,530 he had ever felt before in his life. 374 00:23:36,969 --> 00:23:38,580 They are dead. 375 00:23:39,250 --> 00:23:41,530 Who or what was responsible for this tragedy? 376 00:23:42,100 --> 00:23:45,490 Again, the answer in this case was the devil. 377 00:23:45,990 --> 00:23:49,990 Now, that doesn't mean that every time the wind blows, the devil is in control of it. 378 00:23:50,650 --> 00:23:55,720 We only know his involvement in this case because God tells us in this chapter. 379 00:23:55,969 --> 00:23:57,799 Otherwise we wouldn’t know this. 380 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:04,400 So the devil was given some leeway from God Himself to use the forces of nature to 381 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,979 cause grief and pain and sorrow and death. 382 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,100 The first time he used lightning, and this time he uses a 383 00:24:11,250 --> 00:24:14,260 windstorm—10 children in one day. 384 00:24:14,900 --> 00:24:18,249 Those of you that have lost a child know how painful this is. 385 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,040 It's something that you never fully get over. 386 00:24:21,500 --> 00:24:25,640 You can learn to function and move forward, gradually and painfully 387 00:24:25,650 --> 00:24:28,100 move forward, but it's always there. 388 00:24:28,660 --> 00:24:33,389 That is why we need to draw close to God and not push Him away in times of tragedy. 389 00:24:33,830 --> 00:24:38,870 But imagine the heartache of losing all of your 10 children in one day. 390 00:24:39,460 --> 00:24:42,520 If anything seems unbearable, that does. 391 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:48,789 Alexander Campbell lost 10 of his 14 children and his first wife by the 392 00:24:48,799 --> 00:24:53,760 time that he was 61 years old, but they died over the course of several years. 393 00:24:54,059 --> 00:24:58,870 In the case of job, he lost all of his 10 children in one day. 394 00:24:59,230 --> 00:25:02,360 Now, I know that some of you who are listening have been through some 395 00:25:02,370 --> 00:25:04,890 very painful experiences in life. 396 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,990 I know that some of you are going through some severe circumstances 397 00:25:09,009 --> 00:25:10,410 in your life right now. 398 00:25:10,789 --> 00:25:15,080 Those situations may be financial problems, maybe even financial 399 00:25:15,110 --> 00:25:18,800 disaster, or you've lost loved ones just like Job did. 400 00:25:19,170 --> 00:25:23,500 But try to imagine losing everything that Job did in one day. 401 00:25:23,650 --> 00:25:28,250 It's impossible for us to fully empathize with this man and his loss, 402 00:25:28,529 --> 00:25:32,780 and it's even more impossible for us to answer the question “What would 403 00:25:32,830 --> 00:25:38,110 I do if I was in Job's shoes?” What would I do if I lost everything that 404 00:25:38,110 --> 00:25:40,240 Job lost here in Job chapter one?” 405 00:25:40,690 --> 00:25:44,939 We can only read Job chapter one, 20 and 22, and hope that we would have even 406 00:25:44,940 --> 00:25:46,949 a fraction of the faith that he had. 407 00:25:47,219 --> 00:25:49,450 So let's read verse 20 through 22. 408 00:25:50,020 --> 00:25:53,940 Now this is the description of job's response to everything 409 00:25:53,940 --> 00:25:57,129 that he's been through and all the bad news that he's received. 410 00:25:57,570 --> 00:26:03,310 The Bible says, “Then Job arose, tore his robe and shaved his head. He fell down to 411 00:26:03,310 --> 00:26:07,729 the ground” the Bible says “and worshiped, and he said, Naked I came from my mother's 412 00:26:07,730 --> 00:26:10,310 womb and naked shall I return there. 413 00:26:10,610 --> 00:26:13,040 The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. 414 00:26:13,330 --> 00:26:15,250 Blessed be the name of the Lord. 415 00:26:15,420 --> 00:26:19,690 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” 416 00:26:19,990 --> 00:26:21,220 How did Job respond? 417 00:26:21,290 --> 00:26:22,380 How did he react? 418 00:26:22,650 --> 00:26:24,940 Well, he wasn't angry, at least at this point. 419 00:26:25,210 --> 00:26:28,530 He certainly wasn't filled with rebellion or self-pity. 420 00:26:28,750 --> 00:26:30,350 He didn't turn to suicide. 421 00:26:30,590 --> 00:26:33,440 He certainly didn't turn to the bottle for some kind of relief, 422 00:26:33,599 --> 00:26:34,970 and he didn't become an atheist. 423 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:38,690 The first thing that he did was not to clench his fist and shake 424 00:26:38,690 --> 00:26:42,840 it toward heaven, but he fell down on the ground and he worshiped God. 425 00:26:43,180 --> 00:26:44,190 He tore his mantle. 426 00:26:44,390 --> 00:26:45,360 He shaved his head. 427 00:26:45,370 --> 00:26:49,510 Now, these were old ways of expressing shock and grief and heartache. 428 00:26:49,710 --> 00:26:52,320 He got down on his hands and knees and face. 429 00:26:52,429 --> 00:26:54,580 This was also common in Bible times. 430 00:26:54,580 --> 00:26:58,330 You find Abraham doing that in Moses and Joshua and Daniel and 431 00:26:58,330 --> 00:26:59,920 many other great men in the Bible. 432 00:27:00,100 --> 00:27:01,300 And he worshiped God. 433 00:27:01,650 --> 00:27:02,950 He didn't turn away from God. 434 00:27:02,950 --> 00:27:08,050 He turned toward God and he worshiped God after all this that had happened. 435 00:27:08,570 --> 00:27:12,940 Now that came naturally to him because he had always worshiped God 436 00:27:13,110 --> 00:27:15,349 continually and conscientiously. 437 00:27:15,910 --> 00:27:20,140 He had honored God and asked for God's mercy in good times. 438 00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:24,390 So it was natural for him to acknowledge God in these hard times. 439 00:27:24,790 --> 00:27:26,760 What did he say about losing all this? 440 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:31,629 He said I came from my mother's womb naked and naked shall I return there. 441 00:27:31,630 --> 00:27:36,409 That's exactly what we read in Ecclesiastes five, verse 15. 442 00:27:36,830 --> 00:27:40,139 He said the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. 443 00:27:40,540 --> 00:27:44,490 The Bible says in First Timothy six, verse seven, we brought nothing into 444 00:27:44,490 --> 00:27:49,389 this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out, and having food and 445 00:27:49,389 --> 00:27:51,790 clothing let us be therewith content.” 446 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,800 Job said the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. 447 00:27:54,820 --> 00:27:56,790 Blessed be the name of the Lord. 448 00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:00,300 Now there's something interesting and I believe something very important to 449 00:28:00,300 --> 00:28:02,490 point out here about the problem of evil. 450 00:28:02,910 --> 00:28:08,959 The Bible says that Job said these words: The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. 451 00:28:09,490 --> 00:28:11,210 Now, think about the context here. 452 00:28:11,210 --> 00:28:14,270 Think about what we've just read in Job chapter one. 453 00:28:14,830 --> 00:28:18,419 Who took these things away from Job: God or the devil? 454 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:19,740 It was the devil. 455 00:28:20,210 --> 00:28:23,919 God didn't do this, but Job thought that God did this. 456 00:28:24,210 --> 00:28:28,379 Now, this was a mistake in his opinion at the very beginning of this book, 457 00:28:28,740 --> 00:28:32,810 and there are several lessons in that, but one of them is that a mistaken 458 00:28:32,830 --> 00:28:35,460 opinion is not necessarily a sin. 459 00:28:36,120 --> 00:28:38,950 This man Job has the wrong opinion here. 460 00:28:39,010 --> 00:28:40,810 The devil has done all these things. 461 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,939 The devil has taken away these things from Job, but Job 462 00:28:44,940 --> 00:28:46,850 thinks that God has done that. 463 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:52,990 And the Bible says in verse 22 “in all this job did not sin.” So the 464 00:28:52,990 --> 00:28:57,700 mistaken opinion in verse 21 is not a sin according to verse 22. 465 00:28:58,500 --> 00:29:00,639 And another example of that would be Abraham. 466 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:06,220 The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11, 17 through 19, that Abraham thought that 467 00:29:06,220 --> 00:29:09,920 God was going to raise Isaac from the dead after he had offered him. 468 00:29:09,940 --> 00:29:12,550 In other words, after he had offered him as a sacrifice. 469 00:29:12,750 --> 00:29:13,930 And yet that didn't happen. 470 00:29:14,530 --> 00:29:18,310 But the fact that he had a wrong opinion about that did not affect 471 00:29:18,310 --> 00:29:23,100 his faith because he is commended for his faith in Hebrews 11 and James 2. 472 00:29:23,369 --> 00:29:26,460 But in spite of having a wrong opinion, which you and I sometimes 473 00:29:26,460 --> 00:29:30,340 do as well, the Bible says that Job blessed the name of the Lord. 474 00:29:30,500 --> 00:29:34,510 He did not curse God to his face like the devil said he would do. 475 00:29:34,849 --> 00:29:40,939 He blessed the name of the Lord and the Bible says in verse 22 in all this, in all 476 00:29:40,940 --> 00:29:46,320 of these problems that we've read about, Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. 477 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:49,800 So the next time that you feel like you have more than you can bear in 478 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,640 life, go back and read Job chapter one. 479 00:29:52,679 --> 00:29:56,639 And better than that, read this entire book because this is the 480 00:29:56,639 --> 00:29:59,230 book to read on the problem of evil. 481 00:29:59,570 --> 00:30:01,900 Thank you for listening to My God and My Neighbor. 482 00:30:02,030 --> 00:30:06,870 Stay connected with our podcast on our website and on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, 483 00:30:06,870 --> 00:30:10,710 or wherever fine podcasts are distributed. 484 00:30:11,290 --> 00:30:15,010 Tennessee Bible College, providing Christian education since 1975 485 00:30:15,010 --> 00:30:19,389 in Cookeville, Tennessee, offers undergraduate and graduate programs. 486 00:30:19,750 --> 00:30:20,990 Study at your level. 487 00:30:21,470 --> 00:30:24,030 Aim higher and get in touch with us today.