Copr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.
INTRODUCTION: EACH WEEK I TELL YOU THAT WE HAVE ANOTHER SPEECH BY
ONE OR MORE OF JOB AND HIS THREE FRIENDS. WELL, WE ARE COMING TO
THE END OF THE SPEECHES. CHPT 26 BEGINS JOB'S LAST SPEECH-AND IT
GOES THROUGH TO 31. ONE COMMENTATOR SAID THAT CHPT 26 IS THE ONE
OF THE GRANDEST RECITALS OF THE ENTIRE BOOK OF JOB. SO LETS GET
INTO IT.
I. GOD'S POWER
A. READ 26:1-4. LETS ANSWER JOB'S QUESTION TO BILDAD AND THE
OTHERS: WHO HELPED THEM UTTER THOSE WORDS OF HELP?
1. WHOSE SPIRIT SPOKE THROUGH THEIR MOUTH?
B. IF YOU SAY THE DEVIL, WEREN'T THEY CORRECTLY STATING THE
BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES: THAT YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW?
C. WASN'T IT JOB WHO INCORRECTLY SAID THAT GOD ATTACKS
THOSE WHO ARE GOOD?
D. WASN'T IT JOB WHO INCORRECTLY SAID THAT GOD DOES NOT CARE
ABOUT THE RIGHTEOUS?
E.SO WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE HERE? (THAT JUST STATING BIBLE
PRINCIPLES IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH, WE ALSO TO BE AWARE OF THE
IMPACT ON THE PERSON WHO IS SUFFERING AND BEWARE OF THE
PROBLEM OF PRIDE IN STATING THOSE PRINCIPLES.)
F. READ 26:5-6 OUR LESSON HAS A REAL INSIGHTFUL COMMENT ABOUT
THE THIS VERSE AND THE NEXT FEW, IT SAYS THAT THESE REVEAL THE
MAJESTY OF GOD THROUGH CONTRASTS:
SO LETS LOOK AT THIS.
G. VERSE 5 SUGGESTS THAT THE BURIED DEAD CANNOT BE SEEN BY
HUMANS. THEY ARE DEEP, THEY ARE BENEATH THE WATERS.
1. WHAT CONTRAST DO WE FIND IN VERSE 6? (THAT GOD SEES
IT ALL. HE SEES THE DEAD.)
2. WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE POWER OF GOD? (THAT
ALTHOUGH WE MAY FORGET, GOD DOES NOT FORGET. NOW THIS
SEEMS TO BE IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO WHAT JOB HAS PREVIOUSLY
SAID ABOUT GOD NOT CARING ABOUT THE RIGHTEOUS, AND IN
PARTICULAR HIDING HIMSELF FROM JOB.)
H. LETS READ 26:7-8. WHAT DOES HE SAY ABOUT GOD IN v7? (THAT
HE SUSPENDS THE EARTH AND SKY WITH NOTHING. NOTHING APPEARS TO
SUPPORT THE EARTH.)
1. WHAT CONTRAST DO YOU SEE IN v. 8? (THE SKY DOES NOT
FALL. THE WATER DOES NOT FALL OUT OF THE CLOUDS!)
I. LETS READ v. 9-10. THE OTHER TRANSLATIONS THAT I LOOKED AT
SAID GOD COVERED HIS "THRONE" INSTEAD OF THE "FACE OF THE FULL
MOON" AS THE NIV SAYS. I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHY THE NIV
TRANSLATES IT THIS WAY, THE WORD TRANSLATED "THRONE" MEANS
COVERING. LETS GO WITH THRONE HERE.
1. WHAT DOES JOB SAY ABOUT GOD IN v. 9? (THAT YOU CANNOT
SEE HIS THRONE.)
2. WHAT IS THE CONTRAST IN v. 10? (YOU CANNOT SEE GOD'S
THRONE, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE HORIZON AND THE CONTRAST
BETWEEN DAY AND NIGHT.)
J. LETS READ 11-13. WHAT DOES JOB SAY ABOUT GOD IN 11-12?
(THAT HE HAS THE POWER TO STIR UP THE SEA.)
1. WHAT IS THE CONTRAST IN v. 13. ( THAT GOD CAN ALSO
CALM THE SEA.) (THE REFERENCE TO RAHAB APPARENTLY REFERS
TO SOME CREATION MYTH AND NOT THE WOMAN WHO AIDED THE
SPIES WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF JERICHO?)
K. LETS READ v.14. WHEN JOB SAYS THAT THESE ARE BUT THE OUTER
FRINGE OF GOD'S WORKS (WAYS), THE FAINT WHISPER OF GOD, WHAT
IS HE SUGGESTING? (THAT WE CANNOT KNOW GOD. THAT WE HAVE TOO
LITTLE INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE WORKS.)
1. WHAT IS THE CONTRAST IN THE LAST PART OF v. 14? (THAT
ALTHOUGH WE KNOW ONLY A "FAINT WHISPER," WHAT WE DO KNOW
THUNDERS IN OUR LIVES.)
II. JOB'S VACILLATION
A. READ 27:1-5. JOB SAYS THAT GOD HAS DENIED HIM JUSTICE. HOW
CAN HE POSSIBLY SAY THIS IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT HE JUST
SAID THAT WE CANNOT UNDERSTAND GOD'S WAYS? THAT WE KNOW ONLY
ABOUT THE BOARDERS OF GOD? (TWO THINGS: FIRST, A MAN THAT IS
IN DESPAIR WILL VACILLATE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS. HE ARGUES WITH
HIMSELF ABOUT WHAT IS CORRECT. SECOND, HE IS SAYING THAT AS
FAR AS HE UNDERSTANDS JUSTICE HAS NOT BEEN DONE.)
B. DO YOU FIND THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN TROUBLE, OR HAVING A
PROBLEM THAT YOU CANNOT SOLVE, THAT YOU SOMETIMES GO BACK AND
FORTH ABOUT WHY IT HAPPENED AND WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TO GET OUT
OF THE PROBLEM?
(THIS IS TYPICAL OF A PERSON IN TROUBLE. PRESUMABLY IF THEY KNEW
EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND HOW TO GET OUT OF IT, THEY WOULD
NOT HAVE GOTTEN INTO THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.)
C. LETS SKIP A HEAD AND READ 27:13-15. DO YOU REMEMBER THE
DEBATE WE CONSIDERED LAST WEEK BETWEEN JOB AND HIS FRIENDS?
THEY SAID YOU SOW WHAT YOU REAP, JOB SAID THAT IS NOT TRUE,
HAVE YOU NEVER TRAVELLED? ie. ARE YOU SO NAIVE THAT YOU
DO NOT KNOW THIS? (21:29) AND THEN HIS FRIENDS SAID, "WELL IF
THE FATHERS DO NOT REAP WHAT THEY SOW, THE CHILDREN DO, IT IS
JUST DELAYED. TO WHICH JOB SAID IN 21:19 THAT GOD SHOULD
REPAY THE MAN HIMSELF SO HE WILL KNOW WHAT HE DID.
1. SO WHAT IS JOB SAYING NOW? (JUST THE OPPOSITE!) (HE
NOW RIGHTLY ADMITS THE ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT AND
DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED.)
D. LETS MOVE AHEAD. IN CHPT. 28:1-11 JOB HAS A VERY
INTERESTING DISCUSSION ON HOW MAN KNOWS HOW TO MINE PRECIOUS
METALS, AND TO SMELT ORE. IT GOES INTO DETAIL ON HOW MAN CAN
FIND THESE ELEMENTS, BUT THE ANIMALS CANNOT. LET PICK IT UP BY
READING 28:12-15.
1. CAN WISDOM BE FOUND BY THE SAME INTELLIGENT, DILIGENT
PROCESS THAT MAN USES TO MINE THESE PRECIOUS STONES AND
ORES? (JOB SAYS NO. FOR THREE REASONS. FIRST, MAN DOES
NOT UNDERSTAND THE WORTH OF WISDOM LIKE HE UNDERSTANDS
THE WORTH OF GOLD. SECOND, IT CANNOT BE PHYSICALLY FOUND
ON THE EARTH (THE GROUND AND THE SEA SAY, "ITS NOT
HERE!") AND THIRD, IT CANNOT BE PURCHASED.)
2. FROM v. 16-19 JOB WAXES ON ABOUT HOW VALUABLE WISDOM
IS.
3. ANY IDEA IF MAN CAN GET WISDOM? AND IF SO, HOW? (AT
FIRST IT SEEMS THAT JOB IS GOING TO ARGUE THAT ONLY GOD
HAS WISDOM. BUT HE DOES NOT SAY THAT. HE SAYS THAT GOD
IS THE WAY TO WISDOM (28:23). BUT FINALLY IN v. 28 HE
CONCLUDES THIS CHPT BY SAYING THAT WE GET WISDOM BY
FEARING GOD AND SHUNNING EVIL.) (v.28)
E. JOB'S DAYS GONE-BY.
1. IN CHPT 29 JOB REMINISCES ABOUT HOW LIFE USED TO BE.
HOW HE WAS HONORED AND RESPECTED AND HOW, "I THOUGHT, 'I
WILL DIE IN MY OWN HOUSE, MY DAYS AS NUMEROUS AS THE
GRAINS OF SAND.'" 29:18. AND IMPORTANTLY FOR THIS
SETTING, HE SAID THAT AFTER HE SPOKE, THOSE AROUND HIM
SPOKE NO MORE. (29:22)
2. THEN IN CHPT 30 HE RECITES HOW ALL OF THAT HAS NOW
CHANGED.
3. LETS READ TWO SMALL PARTS OF THESE CHPTS THAT SHOW
THIS DIFFERENCE: 29:2-5 AND 30:18-20.
4. HOW DOES GOD TREAT HIM THEN AND NOW?
5. WAS SATAN RIGHT? DID JOB SERVE GOD BECAUSE OF HIS
PROTECTION?
III. NEXT WEEK: JOB 32-37. ENTER ELIHU!