Sermon: It's Not Fair, Part 2 (Job): Pastor Tito Dizon

It’s Not Fair (Part 2)
Job

[This sermon was preached on 12 August 2012 at Folsom Community Church by Pastor Tito Dizon]

Here we try to follow Job after his terrible suffering. Satan wants to test Job to see whether his faith is true, or whether it is just because of what God gives him good things. After this, Job’s friends hear about his suffering and go to visit him.

What will you say to job if you were his friend?

The Ministry of Presence (2:11-13)

^11-13 Three of Job's friends heard of all the trouble that had fallen on him.
Each traveled from his own country—Eliphaz , Bildad from , Zophar —and went together to Job to keep him company and comfort him.

When they first caught sight of him, they couldn't believe what they saw—they hardly recognized him! They cried out in lament, ripped their robes, and dumped dirt on their heads as a sign of their grief.

Then they sat with him on the ground.

Seven days and nights they sat there without saying a word.

They could see how rotten he felt, how deeply he was suffering. 

Silence is more eloquent than words. Sometimes all we can do is be present, and all that they wanted from us is our presence. When visiting sick or wake of a loved one. We don’t know what to say. Presence speaks a lot.

Reaction#1: Eliphaz (ch. 4)

4 : ⁷ “Stop and think! Do the innocent die?
    When have the upright been destroyed?
⁸ My experience shows that those who plant trouble
    and cultivate evil will harvest the same.
⁹ A breath from God destroys them.
    They vanish in a blast of his anger.
¹² “This truth was given to me in secret,
    as though whispered in my ear.
In the silence I heard a voice say,

Eliphaz's view of why people suffer and his view of the basis for the divine-human relationship is found in verse 7. He believed good people always win and the bad always lose. He was asserting that Job's sins were finding him out. (vv. 7-9) You reap what you sow.

From our vantage point, however, we do not always see how God is ruling his world. Eiphaz  seems unable to allow that some principle of other than rewards and punishments may be in operation. Eliphaz falsely assumed that Job had deliberately rebelled against God.

The evil results of turning living faith into cold logic are also seen in the present time in the prosperity movements.  They argue that because God blesses the righteous, material prosperity is therefore a sign of divine blessing,  and therefore something we should seek instead for the quest for godliness and righteousness of life. 

"Unfortunately, and obviously without realizing it, Eliphaz sides with  Satan against God in offering this counsel, for he seeks to motivate Job to serve God for the benefits that piety brings."

Reaction #2: Bildad (ch. 8)

⁴ Your children must have sinned against him,
    so their punishment was well deserved.
⁵ But if you pray to God
    and seek the favor of the Almighty,
⁶ and if you are pure and live with integrity,
    he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.

Bildad's callous reference to the death of Job's children (v. 4) amounts to, "They got just what they deserved!" His point was that if Job was not sinning, God would be unjust in allowing him to suffer calamities. He asserted that God does not punish righteousness (v. 6). He erroneously assumed his basic premise that all suffering is punishment for sin, the retributive dogma.

Adding Insult to injury, he said further… Job 18:5-21 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁵ “Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
    The sparks of their fire will not glow.
¹² Hunger depletes their strength,
    and calamity waits for them to stumble.
¹³ Disease eats their skin;
    death devours their limbs.
¹⁵ The homes of the wicked will burn down;
¹⁷ All memory of their existence will fade from the earth,
    no one will remember their names.

Reaction #3: Zophar (ch. 11)

11 : 6b …Listen! God is doubtless punishing you
    far less than you deserve!

¹¹ For he knows those who are false,
    and he takes note of all their sins.
¹⁴ Get rid of your sins,
    and leave all iniquity behind you.
¹⁵ Then your face will brighten with innocence.
    You will be strong and free of fear.
^16a  You will forget your misery;
    
^18b…You will be protected and will rest in safety.
^19b…and many will look to you for help.

The step that would bring Job back to where he should be, according to Zophar: reformation (v. 14). He also painted the fruits of conversion for Job. These benefits were a clear conscience, strength, and confidence (v. 15); forgetfulness of his troubles (v. 16); rest (v. 18); popularity, and leadership (v. 19).

He is right- life of faith is to be based on penitence and obedience. But, he is only telling half-truth. He is wrong in forgetting that God also sometimes allows unpredictable and seemingly unfair suffering.

⁵ the triumph of the wicked has been short lived
    and the joy of the godless has been only temporary?
¹⁹ For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
    They foreclosed on their homes.
²⁰ They were always greedy and never satisfied.
    Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.

²² “In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble
    and be overcome by misery.

Effective counselors have the ability to communicate positive acceptance and genuine care. With empathy, where he should say that he too has suffered and has learnt through his suffering, a man can minister to another. Zophar has none of these.

So, what is the summary of the 3 friends’ responses?  Why did God allow it? Eliphaz, Bildad & Zophar believed that God rewards the righteous and punishes sinners in this life, the theory of retribution. They reasoned that all suffering is punishment for sin, and since Job was suffering, he was a sinner. 

Action Point: Let us not judge quickly…”makasalanan iyan” Man’s wisdom is partial. We must be careful not to judge others who are suffering. We may be demonstrating the sin of pride. We must be cautious in maintaining the certainty of our conclusions. When we congratulate ourselves for being right, we become proud. 

We should learn from this speech not to judge another person's relationship with God by what they may be experiencing, be it adversity or tranquillity.

A Comparison of Satan’s Theology w/ that of Job’s Friends:

Satan said: If J is blessed by God, then he will be faithful, OR if J is not blessed, then he will be unfaithful

Friends said: If J is faithful, then he will be blessed, OR   If J is unfaithful, then he will be punished

Almost the same! In contrast to these false views, the book of Job teaches that some sufferers are saints and that God is always worthy of the love and worship of His creation, whether or not he bestows blessings upon them,  and that God always has a purpose in permitting suffering, though one may never fully comprehend it.

What is Job’s wife’s theology? How about ours?   Why are we in church? To Worship or get something from God?  If a lot of problems/ trials, would we continue to worship God?

Reaction #4: Job (ch. 31)

What was Job’s response to the accusation of being a sinner? Continuing innocence.

God wrote these because it is good for us to know - as ethics in life. As we read, let’s examine ourselves….

1-4"I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes. Isn't God looking, observing how I live?    Doesn't he mark every step I take?  13-15 "Have I ever been unfair to my employees    when they brought a complaint to me? What, then, will I do when God confronts me?    When God examines my books, what can I say? Didn't the same God who made me, make them?    Aren't we all made of the same stuff, equals before God?  16-18 "Have I ignored the needs of the poor,    turned my back on the indigent, Taken care of my own needs and fed my own face    while they languished? Wasn't my home always open to them?    Weren't they always welcome at my table?  19-20 "Have I ever left a poor family shivering in the cold when they had no warm clothes? Didn't the poor bless me when they saw me coming,    knowing I'd brought coats from my closet?  21-23 "If I've ever used my strength and influence    to take advantage of the unfortunate, Go ahead, break both my arms,    cut off all my fingers! The fear of God has kept me from these things—    how else could I ever face him?   24-28 "Did I set my heart on making big money    or worship at the bank? Did I boast about my wealth,    show off because I was well-off? 31 "Didn't those who worked for me say,    'He fed us well. There were always second helpings'? And no stranger ever had to spend a night in the street;        my doors were always open to travelers. 33 Did I hide my sin the way Adam did,    or conceal my guilt behind closed doors Because I was afraid what people would say,    fearing the gossip of the neighbors so much That I turned myself into a recluse?    You know good and well that I didn't.

His friends’ accusations were piercing his heart especially since he was living a life of integrity.

Reaction #5: Elihu (ch. 36)

Elihu's views contrasted with those of the three friends as follows.

THREE FRIENDS                             ELIHU

Sin leads to suffering.                        Suffering leads to sin.
Suffering is retributive.                       Suffering is protective
Suffering is punitive.                          Suffering is educational.
Job should repent.                               Job should learn.
Job should initiate restoration.            God had initiated restoration.

Who was correct? Other Scriptures indicate that God uses suffering both to punish sinners and to produce spiritual growth.  In some cases He may have one purpose in view and in other cases the other.

Young Elihu- is partially true, sufferings purifies our faith and to humble him. But God is beyond our comprehension and we do not know why he allows each instance of suffering to come into our lives. It is easy to think that we have all the answers. In reality, only God knows exactly why things happen as they do, and we must submit to him as our Sovereign. Emulate Job and decide to trust God no matter what happens.

He uses suffering to instruct people. First the response of the godless (vv. 13-14)  and then that of the godly (vv. 15-16). Essentially the godless typically become angry and refuse to turn to God for help, and this often leads to a life of shame and an untimely death (vv. 13-14). The righteous who suffer, on the other hand, more often turn to God, submit to His instruction, learn from it, and live (v. 15). "God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

"Elihu has, in fact, steered the argument away from the justice of God to His wisdom, using His power as the bridge."