Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: SUM
Program Code: SUM000017
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00:35 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
00:38 Father in heaven, we thank you so much 00:40 for the opportunity of being here today 00:42 to study this magnificent book of Job. 00:46 We ask Father for the presence of your Holy Spirit. 00:49 Give us clarity of thought and give us willingness of heart 00:53 to receive the word that You will plant 00:57 and we ask this in the precious name 00:59 of Your beloved son Jesus, amen. 01:04 In our last study together, we analyzed the story 01:07 of this great patriarch Job and today in part II 01:12 we want to study the story of Job 01:16 from a different perspective. 01:18 We want to look at the messianic meaning 01:22 of the Book of Job, 01:24 because the Book of Job really is not only about Job. 01:28 It's first of all about Job, secondly about Jesus 01:34 and in the third place about what will happen to God's people 01:38 when they go through the end time tribulation. 01:42 Now, what I'm saying is that the Book of Job is actually 01:46 a type of what would happen with Jesus, a type of Christ. 01:52 Now we need to understand 01:53 that a type is never as perfect 01:55 as the fulfillment or the anti type. 01:58 In other words, Job is a sinful human being 02:02 who becomes an illustration of the experience 02:05 that Jesus would go through. 02:07 Now there are other types of Jesus 02:09 in the Old Testament as well, you know we have David, 02:12 Joseph and other individuals 02:14 in the Old Testament that prefigured 02:16 what Jesus would do in his life time. 02:18 And Job is no exception to this rule 02:23 that the Old Testament characters 02:25 are types or illustrations of Jesus Christ. 02:29 In other words, Job foreshadows the experience of Jesus 02:33 who would come about 2,000 years after this story transpired. 02:40 Now, something that we need to remember 02:42 about the first study that we had together 02:45 and that is that the entire heavenly council is observing 02:50 what is taking place in the story of Job. 02:53 In other words, this story is transpiring in- 02:58 on earth but it's been seen or it's been witnessed in heaven, 03:03 because God is trying to prove a very important point. 03:07 We also notice in our last study, 03:10 that Satan was the culprit working behind the scenes. 03:14 Job did not understand this, 03:17 but the story is very clear that all of the calamities 03:20 that Job suffered came to him as a result 03:23 of the work of Satan behind the scenes. 03:27 In other words, it was Satan who unleashed 03:30 all of the powers of hell against this man. 03:34 And as we noticed in the first study on Job, 03:37 the purpose of Satan's work was to lead Job 03:43 to let go of his relationship with God. 03:47 In other words, it was to prove before the universe 03:50 that Job served God not because he loved God 03:54 but because of everything that God did for him, 03:58 because God helped him and God prospered him. 04:01 So we are gonna take a look at the story of Job 04:04 from the perspective of the Messiah. 04:06 In other words, we are going to draw 04:08 a parallel between this Old Testament patriarch 04:11 and the experience of Jesus Christ. 04:14 The first point that I would like us to notice 04:16 is the moral uprightness of Job. 04:21 We are told in Job 1:8 04:24 the following about this great patriarch. 04:27 And by way, these are the words of the Lord. 04:31 It says, "Then the Lord said to Satan, 04:34 "Have you considered My servant Job, 04:37 that there is none like him on the earth, 04:39 a blameless and upright man, 04:43 one who fears God and shuns evil?" 04:47 Notice the description, He was blameless, upright, 04:51 he feared God and He shunned evil. 04:55 In other words, he had a sterling moral character. 04:59 Now, Jesus also had a sterling character, 05:04 moral character. 05:06 We find in the Book of Hebrews 7:26 05:10 a description of that character of Jesus. 05:14 We are told there in Hebrews 7:26 05:18 "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, 05:22 who is holy, harmless, 05:26 undefiled, separate from sinners, 05:30 and has become higher than the heavens." 05:33 Notice the description of the character of Jesus holy, 05:36 harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. 05:39 Very similar to the description that we find in Job 1:8 05:44 and which is repeated also in Job Chapter 2 05:48 the first couple of verses. 05:50 Another parallel that we notice 05:51 between Job and Jesus is the fact 05:55 that Job was a very rich man. 05:58 In fact, he was the richest man 06:00 in all of the east according to Job Chapter 1. 06:04 And of course we all know 06:06 that Jesus was the owner of the universe. 06:09 And we also know that Job lost all of his riches. 06:13 And Jesus also gave up all of His riches. 06:17 Notice 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 8:9 06:23 speaks about the riches of Jesus 06:25 and how Jesus gave up those riches 06:27 to come to this world. 06:29 We are told there by the Apostle Paul. 06:31 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 06:36 that though He was rich, 06:39 for your sakes He became poor, 06:41 that you through His poverty might become rich." 06:47 So very clearly the Apostle Paul tells us 06:49 that Jesus was rich, but Jesus became poor. 06:54 And according to scripture, He not only became poor, 06:57 He became the poorest of the poor. 07:00 He took the place of a servant 07:02 and He even humbled Himself more than a servant 07:05 dying the death of the cross. 07:09 Another interesting parallel 07:10 that we notice between Job and Jesus 07:13 is the fact that both of them 07:15 lost the support of their own family. 07:18 Their own family did not understand 07:21 the experience that they were going through. 07:24 Notice Job 19:13-15, 07:28 Job 19:13- 15 07:33 speaking about job we find this words 07:37 Speaking about God, 07:39 "He has removed my brothers far from me, 07:45 and my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. 07:51 My relatives have failed, 07:53 and my close friends have forgotten me. 07:57 Those who dwell in my house, 07:59 and my maidservants, count me as a stranger, 08:04 I am an alien in their sight." 08:08 In other words, forsaken by His own family, 08:10 misunderstood by His relatives and by His acquaintances. 08:16 Now, we find several instances in the gospels 08:19 that Jesus was also misunderstood. 08:21 We have for example in Mark Chapter 13, 08:24 the mother of Jesus and His brothers come 08:27 because they want to take Jesus home 08:29 because they feel that Jesus 08:30 is going to have a nervous breakdown. 08:32 Obviously, they don't understand His mission, 08:35 and in fact, in John 7:5 08:39 we find this very telling short statement. 08:43 John says, "For even His brothers 08:46 did not believe in Him." 08:50 Even His brothers did not believe in Him, 08:52 just as happened with the patriarch Job. 08:57 Another interesting parallel 08:58 is that Job was not only forsaken 09:01 by his relatives and his family, 09:03 he was also forsaken by his friends. 09:07 Notice Job 19:and I'm going to read verse 19 09:12 and verses 21 and 22. 09:14 Job 19:19 and then verses 21 and 22. 09:21 Here Job is speaking and he says, 09:23 "All my close friends abhor me, 09:28 and those whom I love have turned against me." 09:33 Verse 21, " Have pity on me, have pity on me, 09:38 O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! 09:44 Why do you persecute me as God does, 09:47 and are not satisfied with my flesh? 09:51 So we find in this passage 09:52 that Job is actually persecuted by his own friends. 09:57 He is forsaken by his friends, not only by his family. 10:01 Now it's interesting to notice 10:03 that Job was especially forsaken by three very close friends. 10:08 You can find that at the end of Chapter 2. 10:11 Now, we find in the New Testament 10:13 that Jesus also had three very close friends 10:17 among the disciples. 10:19 They were called Peter, James and John. 10:23 Notice Mark 14:33 and then we are going to read verse 50. 10:28 Mark 14:33 and then we will read verse 50. 10:34 It says here, "And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, 10:41 and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed." 10:45 Notice that he took three disciples to be with Him 10:48 in His greatest sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. 10:52 A little bit later on in verse 50 10:55 we find that these three close friends 10:57 as well as the other disciples forsook Him. 11:01 In fact, it says in verse 50, 11:03 "Then they all forsook Him and fled." 11:08 It's interesting also to notice 11:10 that Job even though God said 11:12 that he was blameless and upright 11:14 and he feared God and he rejected evil. 11:18 He was accused by his enemies as being a great sinner. 11:22 Notice the words of Eliphaz to Job 22:4 and 5, 11:28 Job 22:4 and 5. 11:34 Here Eliphaz says to Job, 11:37 "Is it because of your fear of Him 11:39 that He reproves you, 11:41 and enters into judgment with you?" 11:44 In other words, is it really because you fear God 11:46 that all of these things are happening to you. 11:49 Notice verse 5, "Is not your wickedness great, 11:53 and your iniquity without end?" 11:57 In other words, it's not because you fear God, 12:00 it's because you are iniquitous that these things, 12:03 these calamites are falling upon you. 12:06 Do you know that this is the very accusation 12:08 that was made against Jesus 12:10 when He hung on the cross by His enemies? 12:12 They said if this man was of God, 12:14 he wouldn't be going through all of these sufferings 12:16 that he is going through now. 12:18 In fact, allow me to read you a passage 12:20 that we find in The Desire of Ages, 12:22 pages 60 and 61. 12:24 Once again, The Desire of Ages, pages 60 and 61, 12:28 this magnificent biography of Jesus written by Ellen White. 12:33 Notice what she says, 12:35 "Satanic agencies confederated with evil men 12:41 in leading the people to believe Christ the chief of sinners, 12:46 and to make Him the object of detestation." 12:51 Detestation means, somebody to be rejected, 12:54 somebody to be refused. 12:57 So notice, satanic agencies confederated with evil men 13:01 just like in the story of Job. 13:03 In leading the people to believe Christ the chief of sinners, 13:06 and to make Him the object of detestation. 13:10 She continues saying, "Those who mocked Christ 13:13 as He hung upon the cross 13:16 were imbued with the spirit of the first great rebel. 13:21 He filled them with vile and loathsome speeches. 13:25 He inspired their taunts. 13:27 So notice that the enemies, 13:29 the enemies of Jesus taunted Him, 13:33 the enemies of Jesus filled their, 13:35 their mouths with satanic arguments 13:38 just like happened with the friends of Job 13:40 and with the enemies of Job. 13:43 Another interesting parallel between Job and Jesus 13:46 is the fact that both of them were physically disfigured. 13:51 Notice for example, 13:53 the description that is given up in Job, 13:54 in Job 2:7 and 8, Job 2:7 and 8, 14:02 it says there, "So Satan went out 14:04 from the presence of the Lord, 14:07 and struck Job with painful boils 14:09 from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 14:13 And he took for himself a potsherd, 14:16 that is a peace of pottery. 14:17 "With which to scrape himself 14:19 while he sat in the midst of the ashes." 14:23 Very interesting here, 14:25 that Job had to scratch himself with a potsherd 14:29 and we find a little bit later in the story 14:32 that when the three friends of Job come to visit him to- 14:35 to comfort him they actually don't recognize him 14:38 because he is so physically disfigured 14:41 according to the last couple of verses of Job Chapter2. 14:45 Now, what about Jesus? 14:47 Notice Isaiah 52:14 14:51 on the physical aspects of Jesus. 14:56 It says in Isaiah 52:14 15:00 "Just as many were astonished at you, 15:05 so His visage was marred more than any man." 15:10 Notice that the visage of Jesus was marred more than any man, 15:14 this is a messianic prophecy. 15:16 It says, "And His form more than the sons of men." 15:21 So this text indicates that Jesus was actually 15:25 disfigured in His sufferings in this earth. 15:29 Notice, Isaiah 53:2, 15:33 speaking once again about the Messiah, 15:35 "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, 15:39 and as a root out of dry ground. 15:42 He has no form or comeliness, and when we see Him, 15:47 there is no beauty that we should desire Him." 15:51 So clearly the Book of Isaiah indicates 15:54 that the Messiah was not going to be physically attractive, 15:58 in fact in His sufferings He was going to be disfigured. 16:03 Another interesting parallel between Job and Jesus 16:06 is the fact that both of them were mocked by the multitudes, 16:11 they were mocked by the nations. 16:14 We notice first of all that the family forsook Job. 16:18 Then we notice also that his friends 16:20 forsook him and did not understand him 16:22 but also the surrounding nations, 16:25 the multitudes scorned Job. 16:28 Notice Chapter 16:9 through 11. 16:31 Job 16:9 through 11, He is speaking about 16:37 what he appears to think that God is doing to him. 16:41 "He tears me in His wrath, and hates me, 16:45 He gnashes at me with His teeth, 16:49 My adversary sharpens His gaze on me." 16:52 And then he goes to the plural, 16:54 "They gape at me with their mouth, 16:57 they strike me reproachfully on the cheek." 17:00 I want you to remember these things, 17:01 they gape at him with their mouth, 17:03 they strike him reproachfully on the cheek. 17:07 "They gather together against me." 17:10 God has delivered me to the ungodly, 17:13 and turned me over to the hands of the wicked. 17:18 You know the description which is given of Jesus 17:20 while He was on the cross is very similar. 17:23 Notice Matthew 27:28 to 31. 17:27 Matthew 27:28 to 31, 17:31 it says, "And they stripped Him 17:34 and put a scarlet robe on Him. 17:37 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, 17:39 they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. 17:43 And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him" 17:46 notice the idea of mockery with Jesus also 17:49 "and mocked Him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!", 17:53 Then they spat on Him, 17:55 and took the reed and struck Him on the head." 17:59 We just read a few moments ago 18:00 that Job was struck on his face. 18:02 Verse 31, "And when they had mocked Him, 18:05 they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, 18:09 and led Him away to be crucified." 18:12 Another very interesting parallel 18:14 between Job and Jesus 18:16 is the fact that both of them were spit upon. 18:20 Notice Job 17:6, Job 17:6 18:27 it says there, "But He" speaking about God 18:31 what God he perceives God to be doing with him. 18:34 "But He has made me a byword of the people, 18:38 and I have become one in whose face men spit." 18:44 Notice also Job 30:9 to 13 the same idea 18:49 of the surrounding people spitting in his face. 18:52 Job 30 and beginning with verse 9, 18:56 And now, "I am their taunting song, 18:59 Yes, I am their byword. 19:02 They abhor me, they keep far from me, 19:06 they do not hesitate to spit in my face. 19:10 Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me, 19:15 they have cast off restraint before me." 19:18 In other words, there is no restraint 19:19 for these people that are abusing Job. 19:22 Verse 12, "At my right hand the rabble arises, 19:25 they push away my feet, 19:27 and they raise against me their ways of destruction. 19:30 They break up my path, they promote my calamity, 19:34 they have no helper." 19:36 Now, notice what happened to Jesus 19:38 in Matthew 26:67 and 68. 19:43 Job 26, excuse me Matthew 26:67 and 68. 19:49 Very similar to the experience of Job, 19:52 it says there, "Then they spat in His face" 19:56 that is in the face of Jesus 19:58 "And beat Him and others struck Him, 20:02 we already read this about Job struck Him 20:04 with the palms of their hands, 20:05 saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ! 20:08 Who is the one who struck you?" 20:10 His crown and glory were torn away. 20:14 In fact, let's go to our next point. 20:16 Job 19:9 speaks about the glory of Jesus 20:21 being removed from Him and His crown 20:24 being removed from Him as happened with Job. 20:27 Let's read first of all about Job 20:29 and then we will read a statement about Jesus. 20:32 Job 19 and we'll read actually verse 9 through 11. 20:37 Speaking about God once again, 20:39 Job is perceiving that God is doing this to him. 20:42 "He has stripped me of my glory," 20:45 notice he is saying, God stripped me of my glory. 20:48 "And taken the crown from my head. 20:52 He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, 20:56 my hope He has uprooted like a tree. 20:59 He has also kindled His wrath against me." 21:02 Notice that he is feeling the wrath of God against him. 21:05 "And He counts me as one of His enemies." 21:09 In a very interesting statement that we find 21:12 in the Desire of Ages, pages 22 and 23, 21:16 we find that Jesus also left aside His throne 21:20 and His glory to come to this world. 21:22 It says, there in Desire of Ages, 21:24 pages 22 and 23, speaking about Jesus, 21:28 "He might have retained the glory of heaven, 21:32 and the homage of the angels. 21:35 But He chose to give back the scepter" 21:39 that's what a king has the scepter into the hands- 21:44 of "into His Father's hands, 21:46 and to step down from the throne of the universe." 21:50 In other words, He set aside His glory 21:52 and He set aside His crown just as happened with the job. 21:57 Another interesting detail about Job 21:59 is it evidently after a period of suffering, 22:03 His body was- 22:05 actually his bones could be seen through his skin. 22:08 He was suffering so terribly. 22:11 Notice Job 19:20, Job 19:20 here Job says, 22:18 "My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, 22:24 I have escaped by the skin of my teeth." 22:27 In other words, he just barely hanging on to life 22:30 according to this and all of his bones can be seen. 22:34 Notice the very interesting messianic prophecy 22:37 in Psalm 22:17, which is referring to Jesus. 22:41 The whole Psalm 22 is a reference to Christ. 22:44 Jesus is speaking here and He says, 22:47 "I can count all My bones." 22:51 See His bones could be seen through His flesh. 22:54 "They look at Me and stare at Me." 22:58 Now, another interesting parallel 23:00 between Job and Jesus is the fact 23:02 that both of them cried out to God for answers, 23:06 but in both cases God was silent 23:09 and God did not answer their pleas immediately. 23:14 Notice Job 16 and verses 12 and 13. 23:17 Job 16 and verses 12 and 13, 23:21 Job once again is describing his experience 23:24 and he can't understand of course what's happening, 23:28 he wonders why God has turned against him and he says this, 23:32 "I was at ease, but He has shattered me," 23:35 speaking about God, 23:37 "He also has taken me by my neck, 23:41 and shaken me to pieces, 23:43 He has set me up for His target. 23:47 His archers surround me. 23:49 He pierces my heart and does not pity, 23:53 He pours out my gall on the ground." 23:55 That's an important detail, 23:56 He pours out my gall on the ground. 23:58 You remember that gall was given to Jesus. 24:00 It says, you have become cruel to me and do not hear me. 24:06 So he is suffering this terribly cruel experience. 24:09 He is crying out to God 24:10 and God does not immediately answer his pleas. 24:13 It appears like even God has forsaken him. 24:16 Notice Job 30:20 and 21, 24:20 the same idea of Job crying out and God not answering Him. 24:25 It says, there in Job 30:20 24:28 "I cry out to You, but You do not answer me, 24:32 I stand up, and You regard me. 24:36 But you have become cruel to me, 24:40 with the strength of Your hand You oppose me." 24:44 Both Job and Jesus were men of sorrows 24:48 acquainted with grief. 24:50 In fact, notice Job 16:16 and 17 24:54 that Job actually shed an abundance of tears 24:58 as he was going through his sufferings, 25:00 he was a man of sorrow, he was filled with grief. 25:03 Notice Job 16:16 and 17, 25:07 Job says, "My face is flushed from weeping, 25:13 and on my eyelids is the shadow of death." 25:16 And then he says, 25:17 "Although no violence is in my hands, 25:20 and my prayer is pure." 25:23 In other words, this is not happening to me 25:25 because I'm a big sinner 25:27 because I deserve what is taking place, 25:29 there is no violence in my hands, 25:31 my prayer is pure 25:33 and my face is flushed with weeping and on my eyelids- 25:37 and my eyelids are the shadow of death. 25:41 Notice that Jesus went through the same experience, 25:43 Isaiah 53:3, Isaiah 53:3 25:49 Once again this is a messianic prophecy, 25:52 speaking about Jesus it says, 25:54 "He is despised and rejected by men, 25:57 a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." 26:02 Notice the idea of sorrow and grief. 26:06 "And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; 26:09 He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." 26:15 We have already noticed that Job felt forsaken by God, 26:19 every earthly support was removed. 26:22 In other words 26:23 not only that Job lose all of his possessions, 26:26 he also for our practical purposes 26:28 lost the support of his family, 26:30 he lost the support of his friends, 26:32 he lost his physical health 26:34 and now it appeared that even God had forsaken him. 26:38 The same is true of Jesus when He hung on the cross 26:41 He had nothing in this world to lean upon. 26:44 Notice Job 31:35, Job 31:35, 26:50 Here Job wishes that there would be one in heaven 26:54 who would listen to him, he says this, 26:57 "Oh, that I had one to hear me! 27:00 Here is my mark. 27:01 Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, 27:05 that my Prosecutor had written a book!" 27:08 In other words, I wish that 27:10 God would answer me when I cry out. 27:13 Notice Psalm 69:20 and 21 27:16 it's speaking here about Jesus 27:18 and the fact that Jesus also had no one to listen to Him, 27:22 He had no one to answer His pleas. 27:24 It says there in Psalm 69:20, 27:28 "Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness, 27:34 I looked for someone to take pity, 27:38 but there was none, 27:40 and for comforters, but I found none. 27:44 They also gave me gall for my food." 27:47 Remember we noticed that in the story of Job. 27:49 "They gave me gall for my food 27:51 and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." 27:56 Both of these men apparently were forsaken by everyone, 27:59 they lost everything 28:01 and it appeared that even God had turned against them. 28:05 Notice in the case of Jesus, Mathew 27:46, 28:09 the words that Jesus speaks to His Father 28:12 while He is hanging on the cross. 28:14 Mathew 27:46, 28:18 this is slightly before Jesus dies on the cross of Calvary. 28:24 It says there, "And about the ninth hour 28:26 Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 28:29 saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" 28:32 that is, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" 28:38 You see Job and Jesus had basically the same prayer, 28:43 they felt forsaken by everyone including God Himself. 28:48 And they were going through suffering 28:50 without any apparent reason at all. 28:53 Notice Desire of Ages, page 753, Desire of Ages, 753 29:00 about these terrible sufferings of Jesus 29:02 where He actually sheds these tears and He suffers alone. 29:08 It says there, 29:09 "But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, 29:13 He cannot see the Father's reconciling face." 29:18 See Jesus could not see His Father's face. 29:21 "The withdrawal of the divine countenance 29:24 from the Savior in this hour of supreme anguish 29:28 pierced His heart with a sorrow 29:31 that can never be fully understood by man. 29:34 So great was this agony 29:37 that His physical pain was hardly felt." 29:41 You know, you read the story of Job, 29:43 you don't find Job complaining about his physical suffering, 29:46 you don't say oh, but you know, 29:48 I have this terrible disease. 29:50 You know, I have to scratch myself with the potsherd 29:52 and I'm bleeding and everything is so painful, 29:55 you never hear Job complaining about his physical pain 29:58 because his spiritual anguish is so great 30:01 because his friend apparently has turned against him. 30:04 His family all of his friends, 30:06 the multitudes have turned against him 30:08 and he can't understand why this is happening 30:10 and with Jesus the same transpired. 30:14 Notice another statement Desire of Ages, page 753, 30:18 same page different statement, 30:21 "Satan with his fierce temptations 30:25 wrung the heart of Jesus. 30:27 The Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. 30:32 Hope did not present to Him His coming forth 30:34 from the grave a conqueror, 30:37 or tell Him of the Father's acceptance of the sacrifice. 30:41 He feared that sin was so offensive to God 30:46 that their separation was to be eternal." 30:51 And meanwhile Satan is saying to Jesus 30:53 and as he said to Job 30:55 it's because you are bearing all of these sins 30:58 that this is happening to you 31:00 and if you go forward with it, 31:02 you are going to be separated from your Father forever. 31:05 The difference is that Jesus was actually bearing the sins 31:10 of the whole world upon Himself. 31:11 And the devil was saying to Him, 31:13 it's because of those sins that you are suffering this 31:16 and you are never going to see your Father's face again. 31:18 In the story of Job, in the Old Testament 31:21 the devil also accused Job of being a great sinner 31:25 but Job said, you can look at my life 31:28 and in my life 31:30 I have consecrated myself totally to the Lord, 31:32 I fear Him and I reject evil and the devil whispers to Jesus. 31:38 You know, how can you trust a God that treats you this way. 31:42 If God really loved you, do you think 31:45 that God would leave you 31:46 suffering on the cross like this? 31:48 He says, sin is so great that you are gonna be 31:51 eternally separated from your Father. 31:55 Notice Job 13:23 and 24 how Job feels this anguish 32:02 because he looks for sins 32:03 and he can't find sins in his life 32:05 that would justify the experience 32:07 that he is going through. 32:08 Job 13:23 and 24, here Job says, 32:14 "How many are my iniquities and sins? 32:18 Make me know my transgression and my sin. 32:22 Why do You hide Your face, And regard me as Your enemy?" 32:28 In other words, he is saying showing me my sins. 32:30 In fact, at the beginning of the story of Job, 32:33 we find that God Himself said that Job was a man 32:36 who feared God, he rejected evil, 32:39 he was blameless and he was upright. 32:41 In other words, God Himself confessed 32:44 that Job was a righteous man 32:46 and yet Job says show me my inequities 32:49 which would justify what is happening to me now. 32:53 You know with Job as I mentioned with Jesus, 32:56 his physical sufferings were secondary 32:59 to his deep spiritual anguish. 33:02 In fact allow me to read you from Job 9:32 and 33 33:06 and then I'm gonna read you a passage from Desire of Ages. 33:09 Job 9:32 and 33, "For He is not a man, 33:15 as I am" Job is speaking about God. 33:17 "That I may answer Him, 33:19 and that we should go to court together. 33:22 Nor is there" now notice this, 33:26 "any mediator between us, 33:29 who may lay his hand on us both." 33:33 In other words, Job here is pleading for a mediator. 33:37 He wants somebody to stand between Him and God 33:41 and yet there is no one 33:43 that mediates between God and himself. 33:47 Notice Desire of Ages, page 686, speaking about Jesus, 33:52 it says, "As the substitute and surety for sinful man, 33:57 Christ was suffering under divine justice. 34:01 He saw what justice meant. 34:05 Hitherto He had been as an intercessor for others, 34:09 now He longed to have an intercessor for Himself." 34:14 So just like Job, Jesus longed to have 34:17 an intercessor with His Father 34:19 because He knew that if He can present His case 34:21 before His Father, 34:22 His Father would see things as He did 34:25 and yet the answer of God was silence. 34:29 Now, you remember in our first study 34:31 that Job had these moments 34:33 where he was deep in the valley 34:35 and then he would come up to the mountain top. 34:38 In other words, his faith would rise and he would say, 34:41 I know that my redeemer lives, 34:43 I know that at the end of days God is going to resurrect me 34:47 and in this flesh of mind I'm going to see God. 34:50 The fact is Job 13:15, 34:54 Job in one of his higher moments says, 34:56 "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. 35:01 Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him." 35:05 Do you know, Jesus had the same experience? 35:08 Immediately after Jesus said, 35:11 "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 35:15 The next very words that He spoke 35:17 expressed faith and confidence in His Father. 35:21 In one breath He is crying out to His Father, 35:23 Father I feel that You have forsaken Me. 35:26 But in the next breath He says, "Father, 35:29 into your hands I commend my spirit." 35:33 That's Luke 23:46, "Into your hands I commend my spirit." 35:39 And having said this he breath his last. 35:43 In other words, Jesus and Job 35:44 even though they were going through this intense experience 35:47 refused to let go of the hand of God. 35:51 through 6, 35:56 Job 27:4 through 6. 35:59 Here we find that Job refuses to release the hand of God 36:04 even though the devil is telling him, 36:05 it's because of all of your sins that this is happening to you. 36:08 How can you trust the God that does this to you? 36:11 How can you love a God 36:12 that allows you to suffer in this way? 36:14 And the devil is trying to break his confidence in God. 36:17 Job hangs on for dear life to his relationship with God. 36:22 Notice Job 27:4, 36:25 Job says, "My lips will not speak wickedness, 36:29 nor my tongue utter deceit. 36:32 Far be it from me that I should say you are right, 36:36 Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me." 36:41 Notice, he says, till I die 36:43 I will not put away my integrity from me. 36:46 "My righteousness I hold fast, 36:48 and I will not let it go, 36:50 My heart shall not reproach me 36:53 as long as I live." 36:55 You know, Job realize that his experience 36:58 was actually a refining experience 37:01 that was going to benefit him in his future life. 37:05 Notice Job 23:8 through 10, Job 23:8 through 10. 37:12 Here Job understands that the experience 37:14 that he is going through is a refining experience 37:17 that is actually gonna make his character 37:19 come forth from the furnace as pure gold. 37:23 He says there, "Look, I go forward, 37:27 but He is not there, and backward, 37:30 but I cannot perceive Him." 37:31 See I can't find God anywhere. 37:34 Verse 9 "When He works on the left hand, 37:37 I cannot behold Him, 37:39 When He turns to the right hand, 37:40 I cannot see Him." 37:42 But then notice verse 10, 37:44 "But He knows the way that I take, 37:46 when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." 37:52 I know that this is a good experience 37:55 for the refinement of my character. 37:57 By the way, do you know 37:59 that Jesus also went through suffering 38:01 to prepare His character 38:04 so that He could serve as our mediator in the heavenly courts. 38:08 It was also a refining experience for Christ. 38:12 Notice Hebrews 5:7 through 10, Hebrews 5:7 to 10, 38:20 it's speaking about the sufferings of Jesus 38:22 and it says, "Who, in the days of His flesh" 38:26 that is while He was on this earth, 38:29 "when He had offered up prayers 38:31 and supplications, with vehement cries and tears, 38:38 " see the experience of Job there 38:39 "and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, 38:44 was heard because of His godly fear, 38:48 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience 38:52 by the things which He suffered." 38:54 Doesn't mean that Jesus was disobedient, 38:55 it means that He grew ever more in obedience. 39:00 And so it says, "Though He was a Son, 39:02 yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered 39:06 and having been perfected" that means refined, 39:10 having his character been set 39:12 once and for all, 39:13 "He became the author of eternal salvation 39:17 to all who obey Him." 39:21 Now, it's interesting also to notice 39:23 that Job seeks for sin in his life 39:25 and he cannot find any sin in his life. 39:28 and 6, Job 31:5 and 6, 39:35 here Job says, 39:37 "If I have walked with falsehood, 39:39 or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 39:43 let me be weighed on honest scales, 39:46 That God may know my integrity." 39:50 In other words, he says, 39:51 I'm willing to have God weigh me on His scales 39:54 and He is going to see that I have integrity, 39:58 that there is no sin in my life 40:00 which would bring this about that I'm suffering. 40:04 By the way, in Desire of Ages, page 761, 40:08 we find that Jesus as He hung on the cross was also sinless. 40:13 Notice Desire of Ages, page 761, 40:16 of course He was sinless in His own character 40:18 but He was bearing the sins of the world. 40:21 Ellen White says this, 40:23 "Could one sin have been found in Christ, 40:28 had He in one particular yielded to Satan 40:32 to escape the terrible torture, 40:35 the enemy of God and man would have triumphed. 40:40 Christ bowed His head and died, 40:42 but He held fast His faith and His submission to God." 40:47 Not one sin could be found in Jesus 40:51 other than the sins that He was bearing for the world. 40:57 In other words, both Job and Jesus 40:59 lost every earthly support. 41:02 The devil tried to shake their confidence 41:05 and their relationship with God the Father 41:07 but the devil could not do it with Job 41:11 and the devil could not do it with Jesus. 41:14 By the way, do you know that in the experience of Job 41:17 the wile character of Satan was revealed 41:19 before the whole universe? 41:21 We noticed in Job Chapter 1 and Job Chapter 2 41:24 that this experience is taking place 41:26 in the presence of the heavenly council. 41:28 In other words God is saying to the heavenly council, 41:31 look at Job 41:33 and he is saying to the devil take everything he has, 41:35 take his health only don't kill him. 41:38 And you will notice that he is gonna continue serving me 41:41 because he loves me even if calamities come. 41:45 God the Father said the same about Jesus 41:47 before the heavenly beings. 41:49 I'm gonna send Him to the world. 41:51 You can do your utmost to tempt Him, 41:53 you can do your utmost to make Him suffer, 41:55 you can take everything from Him 41:58 and you will see that He will be faithful to Me. 42:01 In fact, allow me to read you a very significant passage, 42:04 Desire of Ages, page 761, about the sufferings of Jesus. 42:09 Desire of Ages, page 761, 42:14 speaking about the death of Jesus on the cross 42:17 and the way that the devil made Him suffer, 42:19 "Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. 42:25 His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels 42:30 and before the heavenly universe. 42:33 He had revealed himself as a murderer. 42:36 By shedding the blood of the Son of God, 42:39 he had uprooted himself 42:41 from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. 42:44 Henceforth his work was restricted. 42:47 Whatever attitude he might assume, 42:49 he could no longer await the angels 42:52 as they came from the heavenly courts, 42:54 and before them accuse Christ's brethren 42:57 of being clothed with the garments of blackness 42:59 and the defilement of sin. 43:01 The last link of sympathy between Satan 43:06 and the heavenly world was broken." 43:10 In other words, the story of Job was given in the Old Testament 43:13 to show the heavenly intelligences 43:15 what was going to happen 43:17 when Jesus would come to this world. 43:19 In fact, I have no doubt whatsoever 43:22 that as Jesus was going through His experience, 43:25 the people in heaven, the being in heaven 43:28 were remembering the experience of Job 43:30 and they were saying, this experience of Jesus 43:33 is taking place on a much larger scale 43:37 than the experience of Job. 43:38 The experience of Job in other words, 43:40 illustrated the experience through which Jesus went. 43:46 Now, there are two senses 43:47 in which Jesus exceeded the experience of Job. 43:51 You remember that I mentioned 43:53 that we're dealing with typology here. 43:55 Job is the type and Jesus is the anti type. 43:58 Job is the shadow and Jesus is the substance or the reality. 44:02 You know, the shadow is never identical to the substance. 44:06 In other words, the type is never as great as the anti type. 44:10 In other words, Job is a small scale model 44:13 of the experience that Jesus would go through. 44:16 There are two senses in which Jesus exceeded Job. 44:20 First of all Job was not allowed to die. 44:26 Jesus did die. 44:28 And secondly, Job was not bearing upon himself 44:33 the sins of the world. 44:34 In other words, Job was innocent and yet He was suffering. 44:38 Jesus was innocent but He was bearing upon Himself 44:42 the sins of the whole world 44:44 and that is what lead to the sufferings of Jesus. 44:48 So in other words, Jesus was far greater than Job, 44:51 His sufferings were greater because He was bearing sin. 44:54 The devil hated Jesus all the more than He hated Job. 44:59 Now, what was the secret of the victory of Jesus 45:03 in His trials here on earth? 45:06 Well, it was the same secret that Job had when he overcame 45:12 the devil as the devil came 45:14 and put him through all of the suffering. 45:17 You know, Job was close to God in times of prosperity. 45:22 We noticed in our study last time 45:24 that Job kept his integrity when things went well. 45:29 He was a family man. 45:31 He offered the sacrifices for each of his children 45:34 on a regular basis, daily the Bible says. 45:37 In fact Job himself says in times of prosperity 45:41 I was clothing to the naked, I was eyes to the blind, 45:44 I was a blessing of giving necessary things to the poor. 45:48 In other words, I used all of my riches to benefit humanity. 45:52 We noticed that in our last study. 45:55 In other words, Job had a very strong relationship 45:59 with God in times of prosperity 46:02 and because he had this strong grasp on God 46:05 in times of prosperity 46:07 when times of adversity and difficulty came, 46:10 he could lean on the experience 46:12 which he had developed previously with God. 46:16 I want to read you a passage in Desire of Ages, page 756, 46:21 where Ellen White describes the secret 46:25 of the victory of Jesus. 46:27 Once again, the Desire of Ages, page 756, 46:33 speaking about Jesus as He hangs on the cross. 46:36 "Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, 46:42 " not really forsaken of God because Job wasn't forsaken 46:44 of God either, it just appeared that way. 46:47 "Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, 46:51 Christ had drained the last dregs 46:54 in the cup of human woe. 46:57 In those dreadful hours He had relied, 47:00 " notice this "In those dreadful hours 47:02 He had relied upon the evidence of His Father's acceptance 47:07 heretofore given Him." 47:09 In other words, the evidences of His Father's presence 47:12 up till this point in His previous experience, 47:16 she continues saying, "He was acquainted 47:19 with the character of His Father, 47:22 He understood His justice, 47:24 His mercy, and His great love. 47:28 By faith He rested in Him 47:31 whom it had ever been His joy to obey." 47:37 You will see that His past experience colored 47:41 the sufferings that He went through, 47:43 once again by faith He rested in Him, 47:46 whom it had ever been His joy to obey, 47:49 "And as in submission He committed Himself to God, 47:54 the sense of the loss of His Father's favor was withdrawn. 47:59 By faith, Christ was the victor." 48:03 Now, do you remember in the experience of Job 48:06 that after He went through these terrible trials 48:08 and tribulations that at the end of the book appears 48:13 the individual who caused all of the sufferings of Job. 48:18 At the beginning of the book, His enemy is called Satan. 48:23 At the end of the book, Satan is no longer referred 48:27 to with that name. 48:28 He is called what? He is called Leviathan. 48:32 And God asked Job, He says, Job, 48:35 are you able to fish Leviathan out of the sea 48:39 and to cut him in pieces or to take him as your servant. 48:42 Of course, Job would have understood immediately 48:45 when God spoke of Leviathan that this was the enemy of God. 48:49 Because in that cultural context, 48:52 it's been discovered archeologically 48:54 that there was a creature called Leviathan or Lothan 48:58 who had several heads who was considered 49:01 to be the enemy of the God. 49:03 And so suddenly it dawns on Job he says, 49:06 oh, it's Leviathan who is doing this to me. 49:10 And then after God shows Him this portrait of Leviathan. 49:14 Job says, now, I know that you can do all things. 49:19 You can even defeat Leviathan. 49:22 You can even defeat the devil. 49:25 By the way do you know, that we were told in scripture 49:28 that Jesus is going to defeat Leviathan. 49:33 He is going to defeat the devil and destroy Him. 49:37 Notice in the Book of Revelation if you go with me to Revelation, 49:41 let's read first of all in Chapter 12. 49:43 Revelation 12 and we are going to read 49:47 about this multi headed creature. 49:50 Revelation 12 and notice verse 9, 49:56 it says, "So the great dragon was cast out, 50:00 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, 50:04 who deceives the whole world he was cast to the earth, 50:08 and his angels were cast out with him." 50:10 Now, this casting out that is spoken off here 50:13 is the fact that the devil before Jesus died on the cross 50:17 could go to the heavenly couch representing this world. 50:20 But after Jesus died on the cross, 50:23 he was cast out of heaven 50:25 as the representative of this world. 50:28 Now, notice the names that he is given. 50:30 He is called the great dragon. 50:33 He is called the serpent of old, and he is called Satan. 50:38 You know, it's very interesting, 50:39 we noticed in our last study in Isaiah 27, 50:42 the Leviathan is called the dragon 50:46 and he is called the serpent. 50:50 So you put it together, the dragon, Leviathan, 50:54 the serpent, Satan mentioned in the Book of Job 50:59 make reference to Satan, 51:02 the enemy of Job and the enemy of God. 51:05 Now, the question is, what is gonna be the end 51:09 of this being who is called the devil, Satan, 51:14 the dragon and the serpent? 51:17 Notice, Revelation 20:7 and following, 51:23 and following. 51:27 "Now when the thousand years have expired, 51:30 Satan will be released from his prison 51:32 and will go out to deceive the nations 51:34 which are in the four corners of the earth, 51:36 Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, 51:39 whose number is as the sand of the sea. 51:42 They went up on the breadth of the earth 51:44 and surrounded the camp of the saints 51:46 and the beloved city. 51:48 And fire came down from God 51:50 out of heaven and what, and devoured them." 51:54 In other words, Satan, his angels 51:58 and all of the wicked people who oppressed Jesus 52:02 and the devil who oppressed Job 52:04 eventually is going to be destroyed by the Lord Himself, 52:09 just like He prophesied in Job Chapter 41. 52:13 And then you remember in the story of Job, 52:16 that Job received a double amount of the blessings 52:21 that he had enjoyed before his trials. 52:24 And of course, the Book of Revelation says that 52:27 God is gonna make a new heavens and a new earth 52:29 and those who have been oppressed by the devil, 52:32 Jesus Himself who went through these savior trials 52:35 is gonna sit on the throne of God 52:37 and He is gonna reign on this earth forever 52:40 and ever among His people. 52:43 And so the story of job will have reached 52:45 its fullest fulfillment at the end of the millennium. 52:50 Now, there is one further dimension of the Book of Job 52:53 which I'm going to mention only in passing 52:55 and that is that the experience of Job also is an illustration 53:00 of what's gonna happen to God's people 53:02 during the great final tribulation 53:05 in the history of this world. 53:07 There are many texts in the Bible, 53:09 I'll only mention the concept 53:11 perhaps those who are watching this now, 53:13 will be encouraged to go to scripture 53:15 and look for the final fulfillment 53:17 of this story of Job. 53:19 But the Bible tells us, that in the end time 53:22 God's people are going to lose the support of their family. 53:27 They are gonna lose the support of their friends. 53:29 You can read it there in Matthew 24 in Mark 13, 53:33 in Luke 21, they are gonna lose the support of friends. 53:36 The nations are going to arise against them. 53:41 And they are going to go through a severe time of tribulation 53:43 such as the world has never seen. 53:45 They are gonna lose everything that they have. 53:48 They are gonna lose houses, they are gonna lose automobiles, 53:51 they are gonna lose the money in the bank, 53:53 they are going to lose every single 53:55 earthly support on planet earth. 53:59 And when they go through the severe time of trouble 54:01 it's going to even appear 54:03 that God has forsaken them on this earth. 54:06 In fact, the story of the widow in Luke Chapter 18 54:09 where it says that this widow kept on coming 54:11 and coming and coming to the judge, 54:13 so that the judge would do justice against her advisory. 54:17 The advisory of course here is the devil 54:19 and finally the judge says, I'm going to do justice to her. 54:23 The same is going to happen during the time of trouble. 54:25 God's people will cry out day and night, 54:28 they will plead with the Lord to deliver them 54:31 from the hands of their enemies 54:33 who are being used by the devil 54:34 to persecute God's people. 54:37 And yet for a while at least, 54:40 God will keep His silence, 54:43 but just like in the Book of Job where God after Chapter 37 54:48 now is revealed in a great theophany. 54:51 In other words, He is revealed in creation at the end of time. 54:54 God is going to be revealed 54:56 in the midst of great scenes of nature. 54:58 He is gonna speak to His people 55:00 and He is gonna invite His people 55:01 to inherit the kingdom which was lost by Adam. 55:06 In other words, God's people are going to go through 55:08 the same experience that Job went through. 55:10 They are going to suffer 55:12 the same sufferings that He suffered. 55:13 They are gonna feel like God has forsaken them, 55:16 but God will not have forsaken them. 55:18 God will be as close as ever, 55:21 even if they do not feel Him. 55:24 Now, what can we learn from the story of Job. 55:28 We can learn the fact that Job was faithful to God 55:32 in these severe trials because He knew God 55:35 from the prosperous times. 55:37 In other words, he had a connection with God 55:39 when things went well. 55:42 Now these days we don't have persecution. 55:45 We have many material possessions. 55:49 We have every thing that the heart could desire, 55:52 but are we developing that relationship with God 55:54 in these times of prosperity, 55:56 because times of adversity are coming 55:58 where we are gonna lose every earthly support. 56:01 Are we so connected with God 56:04 that no matter if we lost everything 56:07 if we lost family, spouses, friends, 56:12 if the whole world turned against God's people, 56:15 if we lost all of our possessions, 56:17 if we lost our health. 56:19 If it appear like we were gonna lose our life. 56:22 Would our relationship with God be so strong 56:25 that we would say like Job, 56:27 "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." 56:31 That is the kind of faith 56:33 that we are going to have to develop in the end time. 56:36 In fact I'd like to end by reading a text 56:39 that we find in Revelation 13, 56:44 Revelation 13 here it says in verse 9, 56:51 "If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 56:55 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity, 56:58 he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword." 57:01 And then it says, "Here is the patience 57:04 and the faith of the saints." 57:06 Notice Revelation 14:12, 57:10 "Here is the patience of the saints, 57:13 here are those who keep the commandments of God 57:15 and the faith of Jesus." 57:17 Yes, my friends, God's people will keep the faith, 57:21 God's people like Job will be patient 57:23 and in the end they will be victorious 57:26 because they trust their life to the Lord. |
Revised 2014-12-17