June 25, 2025 • 58 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome into the Wednesday Bible Study. My name is Rick Burgess.
In case we haven't met, host of the Rick Burgess Show.
That's my day job Monday through Friday. If you'd like
to find out more about the Rick Burgess Show, go
to rickburgershow dot com. This is a Wednesday Bible Study.
We have been doing this for about a decade and
we thank you for being with us today. We are
(00:20):
currently in the book of Job. If you'd like to
go ahead and go where we are, you can go
to Job nineteen today and we will pick up there.
If you've missed any of this study or any study,
you can go to the manchurch dot com. You'll see
a drop down menu, click on map and you can
watch archives or you can listen to archives in this
(00:42):
current study, our studies pasted. Also at themanchurch dot com
you'll find a complete hub for men's ministry. We provide
a strategy that features high challenge followed by high equipping.
We have speakers for the high challenge. We'll work with
you with your event, and we also do our own conferences,
(01:02):
usually one anywhere from one to three conferences a year,
so look for those dates they'll be released for twenty
twenty six pretty soon. But you go there now you
can find all of our resources for your small groups,
and that's our main focus. We have curricula five different
one ones right now, forty weeks each, and then we
(01:23):
have number six coming out this fall. So if you're
one of the churches you're in five and you're kind
of wondering about six, it'll be out this fall, probably
by August September at the latest. It's called the Standard
and it is a forty week study of the Book
of Acts, so look for that coming up.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
We also have.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Individual resources for you if you would like to get
these for the men in your life, or you are
a man and would like to get those. We have
thirty one and forty day devotionals, including our first ever
full length book, which was released this year called Men
Don't Run in the Rain. Is a great opportunity for
me is I got to write a book about my
(02:03):
iconic father and having biblical application to some of the
things that he taught me throughout my life. And he
was a great influence to many people, and it's been
such an honor to share him with people that were
outside of his sphere of influence. Through this book, so
it's available wherever books are sold, but you can also
get it at Themanchurch dot com. Also, we have started
(02:26):
a new podcast about spiritual warfare.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It's called Strange Encounters.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Just look for wherever you get podcasts and search Strange
Encounters with Rick Burgess. And we have five episodes that
are already there this all important topic of what scripture
has to say about the supernatural, and will have episode
six out this week. So they kind of gets you
set up for who we are if you just joined us,
(02:52):
and a nice reminder.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
For those of you that may be familiar with what
we do.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So let's open up in a word of prayer and
we'll jump right into Job nineteen. Lord, thank you, thank
you for today. What an honor it is Lord to
open up your Holy Word, and Lord, we just we
want to glean today everything that you intend to the
power of the Holy Spirit. In this ongoing narrative about
Job and Lord, we're learning so much about you, we're
(03:17):
learning so much about him, and also we're learning a
lot about what it looks like to be a not
so good friend. All of this, Lord, we see and
help us to apply it to our own lives. And
your Holy name, we pray amen. So let's go to
Job nineteen. There's going to be some statements here that
ought to be pretty familiar to you as we get
(03:40):
deeper into this chapter.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
But let's kind of talk about where we are. Job.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
He has made his case over and over again that
he is innocent. He does not know why he is
being punished. He seems to be very aware that the
punishment is coming from God. I've had a number of
conversations even this week with people talking about the book
of Job, and we all do continue to find it
interesting that Job has never mentioned Satan, he has never
(04:08):
mentioned demons. I don't know during this time what he
and his friends may know or not know about Satan
and demons. But he seems to completely understand that this
involves his relationship with God. He doesn't know why, and
he wants to know why, and he's pleading to know
(04:29):
why God is allowing this to happen to him, or
even causing it to happen to him and his friends.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
They're not buying any of that.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
They say, this is the theology we always have had,
is the theology of retribution. The wicked get punished, period
and Job keeps saying, well, I think we need to
change that because I know that I don't have anything
between God and me. I'm blameless, I'm upright. Anything in
my life that is sinful I've dealt with. I don't
have any unrepented sin, nor do I have current sin
(05:01):
that I'm practicing, even though even though y'all seems so
convinced that that I'm lying. So Bill, Dad has just
wore them out again, and he just went back to
thank you for your speeches. But we're not moving off
this theology. So you're going to find now that Job
is going to plead with his friends in the first
(05:21):
six verses, and it really is kind of a sad
and pitiful place where Job has found himself because he's
in so much misery and he can't find any comfort anywhere.
He's not hearing from God. What he's hearing from his
friends is it's not helpful. And he is going to
plead with his friends to stop tormenting him with these
(05:46):
continued accusations. And he's really going to ask him, are
you enjoying this? Are you enjoying exalting yourself and humiliating me?
So he's gonna we know verse one is just telling
us we're back to Job as the speaker. We've learned
that ever since chapter four, that that's how the book rolls.
(06:07):
So we get into verse two and Job says, how
long will you torment me and break me in pieces
with words?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So, if you want to kind of see where we
are in the timeframe, we're at about the halfway.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Point of this ongoing debate. Now.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Now, God's going to show up eventually and he will
take hold of the conversation, but this is about the
halfway point between Job and his friends, and Job wants
a break in this. He realizes, we're going nowhere with this.
Raise your hand if you've ever been there, We're going
nowhere with this. Were discussing these things over and over again,
(06:47):
and you're not giving ground. I'm not giving ground. Can
we just stop? Can we just take a break from it?
And he says, why are you continuing to crush me?
If you look at the original language here, he's saying,
are you enjoying considering me worthless?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
How long will you continue to just destroy me with
these accusing words? And then he goes into verse three
and he says, these ten times you cast reproach upon me?
Are you not ashamed to wrong me? Now, let's not
take ten literal here. This is kind of language that
(07:30):
we use. Have you ever said this? I've told you
this one hundred times, but it's really not one hundred. Okay,
So so he's ten here. This use of this number
just means you guys have done this a lot. It's
probably more than ten, but he's using the word word
ten here just to mean a lot. Okay, you have
cast reproach upon me. And so this is this is
(07:56):
like you attack me, and you don't really seem to
be a shit aimed of this behavior. You're not even
stopping to think, what if I'm wrong? Maybe I'm being
a little rough on Job. We've known Job a long time.
Maybe I need to step back and think about this.
And he says, I don't see any of that. And
this is where he's starting to kind of even almost
(08:16):
suggests that they could be enjoying, you know, putting him
down and exalting themselves. And so he goes on him
for it, and he says, and even if it be
true that I've aired, my.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Error remains with myself. Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
The bottom line is this isn't between you and me.
Let's let's say there's something that is going on, even
though he's been clear he doesn't know what it is. Well,
even if that's true, you're not the judge of me. Okay,
this is not between me and you, guys. It's between
(08:57):
God and me alone. And what he's saying here is
what business is this of yours? You show up here
saying you're going to sit with me and comfort me,
and somewhere along the way you've decided to act as God.
Now you're going to be the one to tell me
what God is doing as if you represent God, and
(09:20):
is if you will now speak on God's behalf, And
he says, whatever's going on here is between me and God.
You really have put yourselves in a position that you
don't have the authority. And he wants them to understand that.
And he's just saying, just stop it, just just stop
with all this, and and verse five he says, if
(09:40):
you indeed, if indeed, you magnify yourselves against me and
make my disgrace an argument against me. See there it
is again, he saying, what you're doing here is you're
elevating yourself and you're doing this in one of two ways.
You're elevating yourself, either by putting me down or by
(10:03):
building yourself up.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
There's two ways to do this, and I got news
for you.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Y'all are doing both. You're you're not just putting me down.
You're you're you're you're building yourself up. You know some
people do one or the other. You're doing both.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
You guys are a double barrel shotgun.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Even though he didn't have double barrel shotguns there, That's
probably what I would have said.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Uh So in.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Verse six, know then that God has put me in
the wrong and closed his net about me. Now this
is this is interesting. Here's Joe again. God is dealing
with me. I acknowledge that he is my judge. I
acknowledge that not you. And then he uses notice the
(10:49):
net here who everybody here lasts have all of you,
either when you were here last week or you you've
gone back and caught up most everybody. You remember, Build
Dad used this net analogy. So he he wants to
take a specific analogy that Bill Dad used last week
and said that's not your analogy.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
That God would be the one that would that would
have me. Then that not you.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Okay, so he's being very specific, cause that's directed right
at build that. Okay, So now after six Job has said,
I've made my case with you guys, Okay, I want
this to stop. How long is this gonna go on?
Are you enjoying this? Putting me down and lifting yourself up?
(11:32):
But I want you to know I'm done with it.
I don't want to hear this anymore. Anybody ever got
to the point do you just finally say I'm done.
It's funny because even in my and I'm just gonna
be transparent with you, which I well those of you
that may be new here today or out there, I'm
always very transparent. I want to be teaching myself as
(11:54):
I'm teaching here. I don't talk at you. I talk
with you. We're all going through this, and I try
to always make sure you understand that I that I'll
share my shortcomings. I'll talk about the things I didn't
do right. I certainly don't do everything right, haven't always
done everything right. But the perfect standard is the God
that we're learning about. None of us are that standard.
(12:17):
So I will tell you this. This is a reputation
even in my own family, and it's gotten better through sanctification.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
My brother. Now my sister.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
She she's of course the favorite because she was ten
years younger than me and by the time she was born,
my parents were trying to get into heaven. Okay, so
she's she's gotten to do any all these things. She's
you know, nothing, nothing's wrong with her. But when you
get down to Greg and me, my brother who's close
to me, that we we shared a two twin beds
in a little bitty room all the way to we're
(12:48):
adults and out on our own, and so so Greg
has a short temper. He tends he had a temper
that will fly. I don't have a short temper. However,
my entire family will say, I'd rather Greg be against
me than Rick.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Rick has a long fuse. But when it goes, everybody
needs counseling.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You know, yeah, he said, you know, he said, you know,
Greg kind of just hits you with these little skirmishes.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
You know, he's upset for a minute.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
He kind of I build, and I build, I'm sitting
on I sit on that launching pad and when I launch,
it is it is an all out of sault. So
so anyway that that, but so if I get to
the point that I'm done, and I start saying I'm done.
Everybody take a note, because it's about to get ugly. Okay,
but I'm not short fused. But sometimes that loan build
(13:38):
can actually be a worse result at the end because
I'm gonna unload it all, okay. So Greg kind of
lets off the air as he goes, so it never
really builds up. I let it build and and so
I've gotten better about that though, So because I know
that's not not good if I'm upset or I got
a problem, I go ahead and start talking sooner before
I start getting really upset about it. But but and
(14:00):
I remember Greg, on the other hand, talking about this,
and I think, job is there. Greg give us an
outline here? He would count. And I tried to tell
a guy one time we were we were hunting in
Texas and the guy was was picking at Greg. He
was he for some reason decided to make Greg the
focal point of harassing and he said something about Greg
(14:20):
had made a shot or something and had missed a
do or something, and in front of everybody. Now Greg
didn't know this guy, I mean, we met him when
we got there, and he said something to Greg and
we were ride dating. Greg goes, that's one, and the
guy look to me says, what did that mean? I said,
you don't even get to three and uh and so
so so so anyway, but so so so so job
(14:44):
is done with this, and he said, I've had enough
of this.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So now he's gonna shift from these people.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
And now he's going, which we've seen him do, He's
going to complain to God.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Okay, I would take a note of this too. Now,
some of this, you know, I want to this is careful.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
We never want to be disrespectful, and we certainly will
not blaspheme God. But I will tell you that God
already knows what we're thinking. He already knows what our
heart is, and he's not afraid of our complaining. Are
even our questions? Now, we don't blaspheme God, but I've
(15:27):
been there. It's okay to to say I don't understand
what you're doing. I trust you, I have faith in you.
Any clarity you could give me be great.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I don't. I'm not tracking with you right now. I
don't know what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
You know, you remember, if you've read my wife's book,
she even got to the point you know where.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
She cried out to God.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
She said, I don't understand why you let children doc
I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Uh And and.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
She said, but then the Holy Spirit made it very
clear for her that in this process, because she even
said to God, she said, down at the farm, she said,
I said it out loud. I know that your son
was crucified, but you got him back in three days
three days. And she said she heard from God is
clear through the Holy Spirit. What about all my children.
(16:15):
You're gonna get your baby back too, But what about
those that reject redemption? Those are my children, and I
lose them every day. And she said, for the first time,
one of the most profound things Sherry has said. And
she said many She said, for the first time in
my entire life, I finally had compassion for God.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
We're always worried about him having compassion.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
For us, But when you see his children rejecting him
every now and then, it's probably all right to have
compassion for God and maybe understand that He may be
using you to save some of them, and at the
end of it, he's gonna make it right with you too.
So anyway, I mean, you go back to Stephen getting stoned.
(16:56):
Who's standing there watching that, Paul, So why didn't Jesus
step in and keep the stoning from happening when he
was standing watching Steven defend him. Stephen did everything right,
He even sees Jesus standing at the right hand the
Father honoring him.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But the stoning didn't stop.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
How many times I know once in the Book of Acts,
and then in First Corinthians, Paul reverences back to what
stoning of Stephen. So God allowed Stephen to die and
suffer in a way that Paul never forgot. It was
for the benefit of a child that was rejecting Jesus,
(17:40):
that was brought into the fold, that then began to
advance the kingdom of Jesus with the same gift set
that God gave him. He just had it going in
the wrong direction, and Stephen was used because Stephen's role
was to serve him for a time and suffer publicly
for the benefit.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Of possibly argue argue against it. Possibly.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Well let's just say this, I don't have to hastand
on this one of the greatest Christians that the world
has ever known. Okay, anybody think Paul hadn't had any impact,
that's pretty big ministry. Okay, so, and Steven played a
role in that. Steven played a role in that. So,
so as we're looking at this now, Job was going
to turn to God away from his friends, and he
(18:24):
says in seven, behold, I cry out violence, but I'm
not answered. I call for help, but there's no justice.
Here's Job begin going. Lord, I know you hear me.
Isn't that the thing that always kind of gets you
just a little bit? I mean, there's no voicemail. Sorry,
(18:49):
I'm not here right now. I mean when we're crying
out to God, he hears us, you know. And so
Job seems to know that. And he's saying, I've been
I've been I've been wronged by these people.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
God.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Uh you know what word he uses here in the
original hamas violence?
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Violence?
Speaker 1 (19:12):
And and I'm being ignored by you. God, don't don't
you see how I'm being treated? You know, not only
am I suffering, which I think you're you're letting that happen,
But now look a look at how I'm being talked to.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I you know what does he keep saying? You can
see it in a minute. I will defend me, help me,
And and and he says, I'm not hearing it. An eight.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass.
He has set darkness upon my paths. This echoes of
Jeremiah a little bit, doesn't it, When he was when
he was down and out. Make a reference if you
get time today or this week to Jeremiah three seven,
you hear similar language about being hedged in darkness.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
And you know what he's saying right here too. He says,
I sense that I'm at an impasse. I sense that
we're at a deadlock. You ever been there? I have
nothing else to say.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
You know that.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
This is one of the things even in what I
do for a living. When I we started getting into
the new show that I've been doing for six months,
one of the things that that that I really was
ready to move on, to move on from, is there
were certain topics that I just felt like in the
latter years of what I was doing, I didn't have
anything else to say about it. I mean, I had
(20:39):
said these same things over and over again. I'm like,
I don't have anything new to add to that topic.
It's been said. You may agree with it, you may not.
I don't have any new way to say fill in
the blank. So I'd just rather move on. Let's do
some new stuff. Let's talk about things that that that
that haven't been running to the ground. Uh, let's have
(21:00):
some new things to say. And that's kind of where
Job is right now. He's like, I just I just
feel like this is going nowhere, and maybe it's not
gonna get any better. Look at verse nine. He has
stripped me. He has stripped from me my glory and
has taken the crown from my head. Now I'll take
(21:21):
exactly what he's saying here. Remember that Job, before all
this was very well respected far and wide, very well
expected respected. He was a leader. Remember what they said.
He's out there at the gates. Everybody knows who Job is.
Let's hear from Job. Look at Joe Wow Job, And
(21:42):
he said, I'll tell what you've done. My self esteem
is gone. My self esteem is gone. And you know what,
the honor that I once had, you've just taken it
from me. Nobody wants to hear from me, and nobody
wants to be around me. I am not desired.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I have no self esteem, I have no honor. And
then he goes to ten.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
He breaks me down. Now this he he's referring to
here is God. I'm going to say that again. The
he he's referring to here is God, he breaks me
down on every side and I am gone, and my
hope he has pulled up like a tree. Now, notice
the point he's making here. You know this is that
(22:28):
this is another little counter Remember Bill Dad last week
he said, I'm gonna I've talked about how God sees things.
I want to talk about this theology of retribution for
the wicked. It is also universal. And he starts referring
to creation. Well, this is a little throwback over because
Bill Dad, I assume, is still listening, and he's using
analogies of nature too. He's saying, you know what, I've
(22:49):
been torn down, and I haven't just been torn down.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
You take a tree, right, you've seen this.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
If a tree goes down but it still has the roots,
it's got a chance it may bounce back. Job says, No,
that's not me. I not only have I been torn
down like a tree, I've been uprooted.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
There's no hope for this tree.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
This tree's never gonna be set back like and take
root again because the roots have been pulled up like
a tree. I've been broken down on every side. If
I got knocked down in the storm, you would come
over to me as a tree, and you would see
the roots are up to I got nothing. I've been
torn down and uprooted Verse eleven. He has kindled his
(23:31):
wrath against me. Well look at this. God has kindled
his wrath against me, and he counts me as his adversary.
Now remember everywhere here, if you're with me and you're
walking through this, everywhere you see he, you can put
the word God. You know, there's almost a little bit
(23:52):
of a we're a little squeamish with that. Ont we
were real to stay with He's we know that may
stand for God. It's a little bit squeamish. And because
we don't we understand what Job's saying, we may not
like what he's saying. We don't like to think that
somehow that God might deem for us the best thing
to be misery. We just rather not go down that road.
(24:13):
We don't want to think like that. We don't want
to be that. I don't want to consider that. That's
all right, that's pretty normal.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Now.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
It's one thing not to desire it. It's quite another
thing not to believe it.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
That's different.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Because you can find people out there that will tickle
your ears and say, not only do we not like it,
we don't believe it. And then you'll have to tell them,
do y'all ever do a Bible study on the Book
of Job, And I'm gonna bet the answer is no.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
We do not so.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
And so that's the bottom line. God is doing this.
He knows God is doing this, and he's trying to
figure it out. Look here, God has kindled his wrath
against me and counts me as his adversary. Now this
is where Job is incorrect. He doesn't have this right.
God's in control, He's got that right. But he thinks
(25:04):
God's got something against him. He thinks God is doing
pouring out his wrath on him over something that God's
mad about. That isn't correct. Now that's important too. That's
a big ee today. Okay, that's a big ee today.
Don't always assume that the difficulty that you're in is
because God's upset. There's many times that you have difficulty
(25:31):
and God's not upset at all. He just knows this
is what we need a for him to be glorified.
Could be that be for our own refinement. I mean,
the Bible tells us that difficulty produces a steadfastness. It
brings us into a more appreciation for the holiness of God,
(25:53):
makes us more dependent on God. It certainly humbles us,
doesn't it, which is happening here with Joe? So this
part Job does not have right. God is not angry
with him. His anger and wrath are burning against him,
he thinks. But here's the thing that's gonna blow your mind?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Does anybody?
Speaker 1 (26:15):
And I have a problem with this, even with shows
and movies, and I get ostracized for this. I'm about
to tell you something's gonna happen in the future of
our study. Are you okay with that? I'm also the
kind of guy that'll tell you if you're watching a movie,
don't get attached to that gutta.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
You know so?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
But but I'm gonna I'm gonna tell I'm gonna tell
you this right now. God's angry with his friends. He's
not angry with Job. God's actually angry with his friends.
And You're like, well, why are they sitting there so
comfortable while Job suffers? God does things the way he doesn't?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Okay? So so he he he trusts Job.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
He doesn't trust them. Try and try that again. You don't,
just don't just look down. That's that's a takeaway. Job
is suffering. His friends are not God's anger. When he
starts giving his speech to these friends, he's angry with them,
(27:11):
but they're not suffering.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
He trusts Job. He is suffering. Hang on to that.
That's a good one right there.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
So we're going to see that God is going to
get really upset with these friends, and you know why,
because their representation of God is incorrect. I'd write that
one down. God's angry because people claim to be representing
him and they're representing him incorrectly. We got some of
(27:46):
that going on in our society right now. So if
you don't know what a correct representation of God is,
you're gonna get food by these Charlatans.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
So that's why it's important to be here, and I'm
so thankful that you guys are so so devoted to
be in here every week. It's important and I commend
you for it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
So here we go. Verse twelve.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
His troops come on together and they have cast up
their siege ramp against me, and they camp around my tent.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
So he's here.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
A lot of commentators think, even though he's still talking
about God, he's almost seeing these friends, and he's comparing
them to an enemy, to enemy troops. You know, their
arguments against him are like a siege, a siege ramp,
you know, where they're coming into battle and unwilling to
(28:42):
refrain and listen. They are aligned together, all three of them,
against me. So he's not just saying that he thinks
God's against him. He looks over at this bunch and
he says, well, look.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
At this group.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
It's like a bunch of troops aligned together, all on
the same page, and every one of them are coming
after me. They're like a siege on me. They're like enemies,
enemy troops.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
So then.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
I'm just going to tell you if you have a
soft heart. Thirteen through twenty is probably one of the
more pathetic and pitiful parts of this entire book, because
Job feels like that he is he's leaving his argument
with God, and he's coming to the realization that he's
(29:33):
been forsaken by his friends and his family.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
And this is a low.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Moment for him here because he's still trying to figure
out what God's doing. But then he goes, but I
know what these people are doing that I can touch
and I can feel, and I have been abandoned by
everybody I thought that I could trust. Thirteen, He has
(29:59):
put my brothers far from me, and those who knew
me are wholly estranged from me. Now they do not think,
because he's going to get here, the commentators here do
not think he's talking about siblings, even though he will
get to that these are likely What he means is
(30:19):
fellow countrymen, even including these friends. He says, my own
relationships are strained, my fellow countrymen, my brothers, my friends,
I'm a stranged from all of them. Notice though who
(30:40):
he blames for it are blames or is saying has.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Done it God.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
God has turned my own my own friends against me.
God has turned my own countrymen against me because I'm
not being vindicated. So now they're mad at me for
something that God's doing and God's not defending me. So
then he gets into to fourteen. Now we're talking about relatives,
(31:09):
because it says relatives, My relatives have failed me. My
close friends back to friends again have forgotten me. So
all family and all friends have left me. Fifteen The
guests in my house and my maid servants count me
as a stranger.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
He's saying, those.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Who have known worked for me, worked with me, those
that at one time honored me in the past, they
see me now like somebody.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
They don't even know. They see me as a stranger.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
You've ever been in a situation like this, and you're like,
when did When did the person I was?
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Change? Y'all? Y'all knew me, you know how I do things.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
You've seen me past, test after test, you see me
do this, and all of a sudden, in this particular struggle,
you've decided that I'm not the person that you always
acknowledged I was. Now suddenly I'm a stranger. You know,
where did I ever show, y'all that there was anything
about me that you now can't trust? And you know
(32:20):
what a feeling that is. And it's been throughout the
book of Job. He continues to just be heartbroken, and
if you've ever been there, you will be too. That
they're not giving him the benefit of doubt because he's
lived his life with integrity for a really long time.
So Verse fifteen, the guest in my house and my
maid servants count me as a stranger. I have become
(32:42):
a foreigner in their eyes. Now look at sixteen. I
call to my servant, but he gives me no answer.
I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
I'm so far gone now that I even have to
beg my own servants, who at one time would the
(33:04):
minute I said something, they would jump to it. If
I said this is what we're going to do today,
they'd do it. And now these same people that I
used to have authority over. Now we're not talking about
slaves here. We're talking about people that were being taken
care of by job that worked his land, worked his
worked his cattle.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
And all his camels and all this.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
And he had a great relationship with them, he said.
But now the very people that used to work for
me and respect me, I have to beg them. I
have to beg them to show me mercy. Oh, how
the mighty have fallen. My breath is strange to my wife,
(33:47):
and I'm a stench to the children of my own mother.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
They're siblings.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Now, you got them, and also the wife. Now there's
a literal thing here, but there's also a figure thing here.
Is it likely that job does not have great breath
right now?
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Probably? So, okay, probably so.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
But but what he's really saying here in the figurative
sense he's using that as an example, is that I
got no relationship with my wife right now. My wife
has told me to curse God and die. She's devastated
by the death of our children. Do we see her
(34:29):
anywhere right now? I mean, it doesn't say the three
friends and his wife. Now, I want you to think
about this. If if your relationship with your wife, if
you're married in here, if your relationship with your wife
is where it needs to be and it's healthy, do
they just abandon you when you're struggling. No, my wife
will be right there with me. Wouldn't you think she
(34:50):
would be sitting right there with them. She might tell
these idiots to leave and stay there by ourself, you
know what. But she's nowhere to be found. And he says,
so I've even really I'm despised, I'm seeing as despicable
and undesirable by my own wife. And then he says,
and I'm a stench to the children of my own mother.
(35:14):
Apparently there are siblings involved, and he says, they don't
even want anything to do with me. My brothers and
my sisters or whatever they are. They don't want anything
to do with me either, And he says in eighteen,
this is something you see in our society so much today,
(35:35):
which makes me sick. Even young children despise me when
I rise, they talk against me. I mean, I'm so
far gone. I'm so I've lost any honor, any authority.
Kids don't even listen to me, Kids disrespect me, kids
will say anything they want to to me. They don't
(35:57):
think I'm of any value. You know, when you're an
elder and young people disrespect you and mouthed off at
you and don't don't show you any honor, it's a
terrible feeling. We got a lot of that going on
in our society right now. Young people have kind of
lost respect for older men and women.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
It's ugly.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
And if you look around, their decision to do that's
really worked out great. And so you know there's something
to the gray haired folks. We're worth listening to. And
Job says, you know what, I can't even get. I
can't even get Your children don't even like me. They
don't even want to be around me. So now look
(36:39):
look what happens next. In nineteen all my intimate friends
abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me.
Now what is this right here? You remember when we
talked about the circles. You know, you have your your
your strangers or the farthest circle out. Then the next
circle in and are lances, and then you get into
(37:02):
that little circle in the middle. This is what Job's saying,
the inner circle.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
They're gone. I mean the.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
People that were closest to me, those whom I have
loved and at one time they love me. These are
the people that I are, my confidants, these are my
two am people. These are the closest people family and
friends that I have that It doesn't get any closer.
Use the word intimate here. It doesn't get any closer
(37:31):
than our relationship. And now even these people have nothing
to do with me.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
They're gone. Verse twenty.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
My bones stick to my skin, to my flesh, and
I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. It's
he says, you know what, And I'll Calhoun County this
one because it can get a little convoluted.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
But the bottom line here is physically.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
I'm so far gone physically, I don't even know how
I'm still alive. It's a miracle that I am still alive,
and I must be hanging on by a thread, by
the skin of my teeth. I'm barely How am I
even here? How am I even here? And he's also
(38:26):
this is a complaint because you know, if you if
you've ever been with someone that you loved and they're
suffering and there's and there's no hope as far as
physically now hopefully they're redeemed. And you know, it's beautiful
(38:46):
about the redeemed. I mean this just hit me today
as I was kind of going over everything and I have,
you know, someone that that I love that is days
away from death, and I thought to myself, off, because
he's fully redeemed. And I'm talking about getting a well done,
good and faithful servant kind of thing, a life well
(39:08):
lived for the kingdom and for the Savior that redeemed him.
So right now, see I feel bad for him, But
in days, he's gonna feel bad for me. That's all
about to shift. See, right now, I feel like I
have the upper hand. I'm like, well, I have my
(39:29):
health and I have this and he's near death. But
when he takes that step and his spirit for the redeemed.
Now when that spirit is in glory and sickness and
death are no more for him, and he's standing in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will say
(39:52):
to him, well done, good and faithful servant. He will
not need me to pity him at all, and he'll
begin to pity me because I'm still here and all
the garbage and he don't have food with it anymore.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
It's a weird flip, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
You know, you've been there by their beds before and
you feel bad for them, but when they go, they
feel bad for you.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
So let's go to where they're going. They don't want
to come back to where we are.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
So so this is where he is. I'm hanging on.
I don't even know why I'm hanging on. I'm ready,
I just be ready. He's sorrdy told us he's ready
for this to end, right, So that's not that's not speculation.
He's told us that. So twenty one, have mercy on me. Twice,
have mercy on me, ohe you, my friends, for the
(40:47):
hand of God has touched me. Two he pleads to
his friends again, have mercy on me. Don't you see
that for whatever reason that I'm trying to figure out.
God is against me right now, and you know what
he's saying. Are you gonna be against me too? I mean,
(41:08):
you see that I'm in trouble. Why would you choose
to see that I'm in trouble that you too would
be against me? Where's the encouragement about let's work through
this and let's all figure out what God's doing. And
God's touching you right now. But I wonder why would
have been so much of it if you could have
maybe doubted your theology like me and say, well, you know,
(41:29):
I've never seen as opposed to saying and are we
supposed to change our theology because of Job?
Speaker 2 (41:34):
Maybe what they've already said.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Maybe you come in and say, I know Job, really, well,
hang in there. God's doing something. We don't know what
it is, but we're standing with you, and we know
your integrity, and we'll get to the end of it.
God will reveal this to you. We're standing with you.
You know what they said, God's against you, and you
know what, so are we, And he's begging them show
(41:58):
me mercy.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
He says it twice.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I think about Jesus, don't deny grace and mercy to
people that I didn't deny to you. I know this
is this is the We're not to the New Covenant yet,
but Jesus has already taught us that. You know what, Hey,
when you put me on the cross, I could have
asked for angels to come take me off that cross,
(42:23):
and I could have told my father.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
To wipe you out. And I didn't, and you deserved it.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
So don't take the grace and mercy that I didn't deny,
and then you deny that somebody else. And that's what
he's pleading for right now. So now we're going to
get into to twenty two. Why do you like, God
pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
(42:51):
I've given you a pound of flesh and you what
do you want two pounds? I mean, why are you
acting the way God is act to me right now
in pursuing me and just trying to pile on right
I mean, job's like somebody throw a flag. I mean
they're spearing me. I mean, God's got me on the ground.
(43:12):
I mean, there's no need to spare me just And
that's really what he's saying. So now comes a testimony
of hope. This is interesting right here, This is where
this thing gets chills on you. This is the interesting
thing about this book. It's almost like Job forgets everything
he knows, and then he starts remembering the things that
(43:33):
he knows.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Right, you ever been there?
Speaker 1 (43:35):
I have, you know where all of a sudden, like
I've forgotten all the things that God's done for me.
I've forgotten what I believed and my moment, it's almost
like I think something's changed, and God hasn't changed. And
watch this shift right here. Okay, this is interesting here
twenty three. Oh that my words were written, Oh that
(43:55):
they were inscribed in a book? Hey, Job, they were
We got them. And he's crying out for that. I wish,
I wish this could be documented. Well, God did document it.
Job is saying that I think people could learn from this.
I want everybody I want on record that I was
(44:16):
saying I was innocent. Well it is, we got it, Job.
I can't wait to talk to him. Abut verse twenty
three of chapter nineteen. I almost say, hey, Joe, remember
that the time you want it to be written down?
Speaker 2 (44:27):
How about that? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (44:29):
And uh so God did that? And look he wants it.
He wants it in there good to look at twenty four.
He didn't want it to be anything that's gonna be
you know, kind of sorta in there. Okay, he said,
I this may be seen as the highlight of this
entire book of Job.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
So so Job feared that he would die before he
was vindicated. He wished that this was being recorded. It is,
and this is, and he wants it to be something
that would last forever. Look at twenty four. Oh that
with an iron pen and led they were engraved in
the rock for ever.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
It is. Isn't that great?
Speaker 1 (45:10):
So what he's saying is I want this to be
if I go, let this be my epitaph. I wish
it was right there on the stone wherever my body's
going to be laid, that I was ben the I
was crying out that I was innocent.
Speaker 2 (45:27):
Well, it was Job, and you know what we.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Do have it Then comes twenty five, probably what you
are real familiar with when you saw when people quote Job,
they often quote this, and for good reason. Look at
look at look at down twenty five. I'm going to
ask you if you have something to write with and
remember what we've talked about for years. Adrian Rodgers, thank
(45:53):
you very much. The cheapest pen helps you with Bible
study more than the greatest memory. Okay, what a great
word of wisdom he had so many for I know,
I want you under lie in their highlight, and I
know for I know. I think that's interesting because he
seems like he's been vacillating and now he's gonna come
(46:14):
back and say, I know, you know, he almost seems
like he's forgotten, but then he's reminding himself.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
For I know that my redeemer lives.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
And at the last he will stand upon the earth. Wow,
I know that's huge. Redeemer. What is the word here?
A redeemer mean? Now we know that, but just want
to remind you. This means I know there's someone that
will deliver me to make this right. Remember, he's already
(46:49):
been asking for this. Now he says, I know this exists.
He's clinging to this is going to be made right now.
He doesn't know about the New Covenant. He didn't know
about the New Covenant, but he sure is foreshadowing in it.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
I need a redeemer.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
How good does it feel to know that we don't
have to wonder if a Redeemer is coming.
Speaker 2 (47:11):
He's already come. Have you been redeemed? Though? Do you stand.
Speaker 1 (47:17):
Guiltless before a holy God? Are you made fully righteous
by this redeemer?
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Do you know his name?
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Have you left your own authority? Have you left faith
in your own abilities? And just said I can't meet
the standard. But Jesus you did, and I just give
my life to you, and I turned from my sin,
and I say you forgave me on the cross. You
died for me on the cross. I acknowledge that had
to happen. I acknowledge I need to be made fully righteous. Hey,
(47:45):
partial righteous ain't gonna get it fully righteous under the
blood of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice and then the
eternal life we got when he walked out of that.
To him, I took care of the sin. I took
care of the death, and everybody and me will stand
(48:08):
before a holy Father fully redeemed.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
And vindicated. Which job is screaming for me? He says.
Speaker 1 (48:16):
I know it's possible, I know it's there. I know
God knows that I'm not wrong. I just don't know
how this is gonna work out, but I know it's
going to Watch this he doubles down. He really senses,
which is interesting because he seems like he's lost all hope,
and then all of a sudden he kind of bounces
back here and look at twenty six and after my
(48:41):
skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I
shall see God. He doesn't think he's going to hell.
He said, it may be that God doesn't do this
while I'm still alive. But I'm telling you, when I die,
I'm gonna stand before God and I'm gonna see him.
He's not saying that God's gonna crush me or send
(49:04):
me to hell. He is saying, I don't know why
you're making my last days on earth miserable.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
I got no idea what you're doing. But I know this.
Speaker 1 (49:11):
I know that I'm right with you, and I know
that if I'm not vindicated before I die, when I die,
I will be vindicated. Do you have that hope? Do
you have that hope? Can I go ahead and just
let you in on something. As long as you live
in this falling place, with all us falling people, we
ain't never gonna treat you right. We'll have moments where
(49:32):
we're okay. We're always gonna have some misconception about you.
We sometimes might get caught up in gossip we shouldn't
where we think things about you. We may see imperfections
and try to elevate ourselves and say, well, I'm not
as bad as that person. You know, there was one
time my whole purpose on earth was to make people
feel better about themselves and because of how wicked I was.
(49:53):
But I will say this, if we're right with God
through Christ. Cling to that, I know that I'm right
with God. I don't I'm not perfect. I keep making
mistakes because I'm being sanctified. But I know that when
I die, I'll be glorified, not because of anything that
(50:14):
I could.
Speaker 2 (50:14):
Do, but because what Jesus has already done right.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
And and you know, because just like we said before,
this whole thing of Paul's straining and pressing on and
working out his salvation, that's that's that sanctification, that's that fight,
that's that Look, I'm not gonna be satisfied where I am.
I want more of Jesus. I want more of the
Holy Spirit. I want to know his word. I'm working
it out. I want to grow. I want to be
able to handle the word. I want to be able
to advance the kingdom. I want to know what to
(50:41):
say when somebody asked me, where does my hope come from?
None of that's earning this redemption. It's the response to redemption.
It's sanctification. And then one day who glorification and the
fight's over and we can we can, we can just
stop the battle and say, flesh finally gone. Andy boy,
(51:01):
you have been a nightmare. I'm glad to see you go.
Right Well, job seems to know that's gonna happen. Look
at twenty seven whom I shall see for myself talking
about God now, and my eyes shall behold and not
another My heart faints within me. I will see God
(51:25):
and he will not be a stranger to me. And
just the thought of me standing there in front of
God just causes my heart to faint just thinking about
that moment. Can you imagine? That was another thing that
Adrian Rodgers always said. You can tell that I've been
greatly influenced by Adrian Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (51:44):
Right after I was redeemed.
Speaker 1 (51:45):
He's one of the first preachers I started reading and studying,
and he's such a great teacher and listening to old sermons,
and I remember he said you know, people keep talking
about the moment that they see God and the things
they may say and the things they may ask. And
he said, I I just want you to prepare you.
It's possible, if not likely, you may just fall on
(52:06):
your face and say Holy for a thousand years before
you ever get up and ask anything.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
He's that overwhelming. He's that overwhelming. I will go ahead
and tell you this.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
I don't think the great I am when we come
rushing in and go, well there's Rick, Rick, what's your
Q and A what are some things you want to
run by me?
Speaker 2 (52:25):
That's probably not the way that's going to go.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
I think the time will come when, but I have
a feeling when I first see his glory, I'll probably
uncontrollably go on.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
My face and just say Holy.
Speaker 1 (52:38):
So so anyway, because that's what job saying. I think
my heart will it faints within me to think about this.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
He gives a stern warning to his friends, Hey, he's
had enough, listen to this. He now turns. From that moment,
I think, don't y'all think you go with me here?
Brothers and sisters out there. I'm certainly not the final
word on this, but I tend to think because he
looked like he was kind of down, he was done
with him, he was upset, kind of lost his confidence.
(53:07):
And then he starts this this thing about I wish
all this would be written down. And then he gets
into the Redeemer. Then he gets sin to seeing God.
I think that gives him confidence for these last two verses.
I think it changes his whole countenance. I think he
turns down and going, you know what, and now that
I just remember that. Let me tell you people something,
right you ever had that where you just somebody has
to use just just like man, I'm not got no
(53:28):
wait a minute, just hang on just a second, and
you start kind of building yourself back up. Well, he's
building God up, and he knows he's right with God.
And he says to his friends, look at twenty eight.
If you say, how will we pursue him? And the
root of the matter is found in him. If you're
blaming me for this, if you think I've brought this
on myself.
Speaker 2 (53:47):
Look at this.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
Be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment
of the sword. That you may know there is judgment.
Now this is also Jesus t all a lot about
this job. Didn't know that yet, but you know what
he's saying. If y'all keep hounding me like this and
you keep saying I'm the problem, look at you, Look
(54:09):
at you, Look at you. You are the ones that
are about to be judged. And you're gonna be judged
because you made yourself judge.
Speaker 2 (54:18):
What did Jesus say?
Speaker 1 (54:20):
Just remember, when you're pointing out the speck in somebody's eye,
you better get the log out of your own eye.
And then he reminds us what you're gonna be judged
by the same standard, and what you judge that person. Now,
if you're pointing out that something is wrong, and you
acknowledge that if you were doing that, it was wrong too.
(54:42):
This Sometimes people take Jesus's teaching and they incorrectly interpret it.
We had a whole generation that did this that thought.
All Jesus ever said was.
Speaker 2 (54:49):
That, hey, don't judge.
Speaker 1 (54:52):
No, what Jesus said was don't judge incorrectly. Don't interpret
that to say we can never say something's wrong based
on biblical s standards.
Speaker 2 (55:00):
That's not what Jesus was teaching. He was saying, there'll be.
Speaker 1 (55:03):
A hypocrite, don't make yourself God, because you're not God.
Acknowledge that you're imperfect too, and be sure you have
your life in order before you decide to correct somebody else.
What he said is correct people with yourself corrected first.
Don't run out and be a hypocrite pointing to everybody
and not realize you're health to the same standard.
Speaker 2 (55:22):
That's what Jesus was saying. And you know what, Job's
kind of give us friends a little bit of that.
I tell you we're.
Speaker 1 (55:27):
Gonna find out y'all think y'all are judging me, and
you think I'm the one in trouble with God. I
want you to be real careful because this sword you're
slinging around, it's gonna be turned on you.
Speaker 2 (55:37):
By the way, that does happen. Job gave me just
a little bit of be careful.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
Now, be careful with your little end zone dance on
how bad I am, because I just remembered where I
stand with God. And if you continue to hound me
and say I'm the problem and God's punishing me because
I'm wicked, and you keep talking about how wicked I am,
let me tell you something. God's gonna point to you,
how wicked you are. Of course it has no impact.
(56:06):
They continue this narrative, but it's gonna start. It's gonna
start lose thing a little bit. But there's so much
to take away from this nineteen I just couldn't get
enough of it, and I hope that it's helped you today,
because the main thing to take away from this is
(56:27):
God's in control.
Speaker 2 (56:30):
God's actually upset with the.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
Friends, not with Job. He's suffering. They're not, but he's
upset with them, not Job, and that Job cries out.
I know that this is all gonna be made right.
I don't know how, but it is going to be
made right. And then he turns around and says, and
be careful how you treat the redeemed, and be careful
(56:52):
how you judge me, because you're gonna be judged by
that same standard. And if you're judging incorrectly, God's gonna
punish you for that. And if you represent God incorrectly,
God's gonna punish you for that. Let's pray, Lord, thank
you for today, thank you for these incredible words, thank
(57:14):
you for the study, thank you for the power of you.
And Lord, I pray that you'll continue to mold us
into the people that only you can make us. And
I always, Lord, I just sinse anytime somebody may have
stumbled across this Bible study, somebody is in the room
with us that because of the Holy Spirit, and because
of the cutting of the Word of God, that's you know,
(57:35):
it's cutting me as I teach, it's cutting people as
they hear. Maybe there's things that people right now go, Hey,
that's what I need to hear. I got to get
this straightened out. And today's day, for the first time
or the first time they ever meant it, they say,
I repent. I repent of this sin I keep justifying
my life. I repent of the way I'm doing whatever.
And they turn to you and they say, Lord, I'm
(57:56):
leaving my own authority because I keep messing things up.
It's time for me to toe submit to you, to
deny myself, to count the cost to enter that narrow
gate and just cry out, I can't redeem myself. You
are the redeemer. Redeem me, Jesus, and then mold me
into something that you're more comfortable with, and forgive me
(58:17):
for trying to make you something I'm more comfortable with.
And during our times of trouble or may we not
be upset with you, but be wise enough to look
to you if we're redeemed, and ask you, the teacher,
what are you teaching me that we learn not to
waste difficulty that you've allowed to be sure we get
(58:39):
every benefit from it, and the glorious name of Jesus,
we pray amen.
Speaker 2 (58:44):
All right, guys, thank you very much,
Welcome into the Wednesday Bible Study. My name is Rick Burgess.
In case we haven't met, host of the Rick Burgess Show.
That's my day job Monday through Friday. If you'd like
to find out more about the Rick Burgess Show, go
to rickburgershow dot com. This is a Wednesday Bible Study.
We have been doing this for about a decade and
we thank you for being with us today. We are
(00:20):
currently in the book of Job. If you'd like to
go ahead and go where we are, you can go
to Job nineteen today and we will pick up there.
If you've missed any of this study or any study,
you can go to the manchurch dot com. You'll see
a drop down menu, click on map and you can
watch archives or you can listen to archives in this
(00:42):
current study, our studies pasted. Also at themanchurch dot com
you'll find a complete hub for men's ministry. We provide
a strategy that features high challenge followed by high equipping.
We have speakers for the high challenge. We'll work with
you with your event, and we also do our own conferences,
(01:02):
usually one anywhere from one to three conferences a year,
so look for those dates they'll be released for twenty
twenty six pretty soon. But you go there now you
can find all of our resources for your small groups,
and that's our main focus. We have curricula five different
one ones right now, forty weeks each, and then we
(01:23):
have number six coming out this fall. So if you're
one of the churches you're in five and you're kind
of wondering about six, it'll be out this fall, probably
by August September at the latest. It's called the Standard
and it is a forty week study of the Book
of Acts, so look for that coming up.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
We also have.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Individual resources for you if you would like to get
these for the men in your life, or you are
a man and would like to get those. We have
thirty one and forty day devotionals, including our first ever
full length book, which was released this year called Men
Don't Run in the Rain. Is a great opportunity for
me is I got to write a book about my
(02:03):
iconic father and having biblical application to some of the
things that he taught me throughout my life. And he
was a great influence to many people, and it's been
such an honor to share him with people that were
outside of his sphere of influence. Through this book, so
it's available wherever books are sold, but you can also
get it at Themanchurch dot com. Also, we have started
(02:26):
a new podcast about spiritual warfare.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It's called Strange Encounters.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Just look for wherever you get podcasts and search Strange
Encounters with Rick Burgess. And we have five episodes that
are already there this all important topic of what scripture
has to say about the supernatural, and will have episode
six out this week. So they kind of gets you
set up for who we are if you just joined us,
(02:52):
and a nice reminder.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
For those of you that may be familiar with what
we do.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So let's open up in a word of prayer and
we'll jump right into Job nineteen. Lord, thank you, thank
you for today. What an honor it is Lord to
open up your Holy Word, and Lord, we just we
want to glean today everything that you intend to the
power of the Holy Spirit. In this ongoing narrative about
Job and Lord, we're learning so much about you, we're
(03:17):
learning so much about him, and also we're learning a
lot about what it looks like to be a not
so good friend. All of this, Lord, we see and
help us to apply it to our own lives. And
your Holy name, we pray amen. So let's go to
Job nineteen. There's going to be some statements here that
ought to be pretty familiar to you as we get
(03:40):
deeper into this chapter.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
But let's kind of talk about where we are. Job.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
He has made his case over and over again that
he is innocent. He does not know why he is
being punished. He seems to be very aware that the
punishment is coming from God. I've had a number of
conversations even this week with people talking about the book
of Job, and we all do continue to find it
interesting that Job has never mentioned Satan, he has never
(04:08):
mentioned demons. I don't know during this time what he
and his friends may know or not know about Satan
and demons. But he seems to completely understand that this
involves his relationship with God. He doesn't know why, and
he wants to know why, and he's pleading to know
(04:29):
why God is allowing this to happen to him, or
even causing it to happen to him and his friends.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
They're not buying any of that.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
They say, this is the theology we always have had,
is the theology of retribution. The wicked get punished, period
and Job keeps saying, well, I think we need to
change that because I know that I don't have anything
between God and me. I'm blameless, I'm upright. Anything in
my life that is sinful I've dealt with. I don't
have any unrepented sin, nor do I have current sin
(05:01):
that I'm practicing, even though even though y'all seems so
convinced that that I'm lying. So Bill, Dad has just
wore them out again, and he just went back to
thank you for your speeches. But we're not moving off
this theology. So you're going to find now that Job
is going to plead with his friends in the first
(05:21):
six verses, and it really is kind of a sad
and pitiful place where Job has found himself because he's
in so much misery and he can't find any comfort anywhere.
He's not hearing from God. What he's hearing from his
friends is it's not helpful. And he is going to
plead with his friends to stop tormenting him with these
(05:46):
continued accusations. And he's really going to ask him, are
you enjoying this? Are you enjoying exalting yourself and humiliating me?
So he's gonna we know verse one is just telling
us we're back to Job as the speaker. We've learned
that ever since chapter four, that that's how the book rolls.
(06:07):
So we get into verse two and Job says, how
long will you torment me and break me in pieces
with words?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So, if you want to kind of see where we
are in the timeframe, we're at about the halfway.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Point of this ongoing debate. Now.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Now, God's going to show up eventually and he will
take hold of the conversation, but this is about the
halfway point between Job and his friends, and Job wants
a break in this. He realizes, we're going nowhere with this.
Raise your hand if you've ever been there, We're going
nowhere with this. Were discussing these things over and over again,
(06:47):
and you're not giving ground. I'm not giving ground. Can
we just stop? Can we just take a break from it?
And he says, why are you continuing to crush me?
If you look at the original language here, he's saying,
are you enjoying considering me worthless?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
How long will you continue to just destroy me with
these accusing words? And then he goes into verse three
and he says, these ten times you cast reproach upon me?
Are you not ashamed to wrong me? Now, let's not
take ten literal here. This is kind of language that
(07:30):
we use. Have you ever said this? I've told you
this one hundred times, but it's really not one hundred. Okay,
So so he's ten here. This use of this number
just means you guys have done this a lot. It's
probably more than ten, but he's using the word word
ten here just to mean a lot. Okay, you have
cast reproach upon me. And so this is this is
(07:56):
like you attack me, and you don't really seem to
be a shit aimed of this behavior. You're not even
stopping to think, what if I'm wrong? Maybe I'm being
a little rough on Job. We've known Job a long time.
Maybe I need to step back and think about this.
And he says, I don't see any of that. And
this is where he's starting to kind of even almost
(08:16):
suggests that they could be enjoying, you know, putting him
down and exalting themselves. And so he goes on him
for it, and he says, and even if it be
true that I've aired, my.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Error remains with myself. Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
The bottom line is this isn't between you and me.
Let's let's say there's something that is going on, even
though he's been clear he doesn't know what it is. Well,
even if that's true, you're not the judge of me. Okay,
this is not between me and you, guys. It's between
(08:57):
God and me alone. And what he's saying here is
what business is this of yours? You show up here
saying you're going to sit with me and comfort me,
and somewhere along the way you've decided to act as God.
Now you're going to be the one to tell me
what God is doing as if you represent God, and
(09:20):
is if you will now speak on God's behalf, And
he says, whatever's going on here is between me and God.
You really have put yourselves in a position that you
don't have the authority. And he wants them to understand that.
And he's just saying, just stop it, just just stop
with all this, and and verse five he says, if
(09:40):
you indeed, if indeed, you magnify yourselves against me and
make my disgrace an argument against me. See there it
is again, he saying, what you're doing here is you're
elevating yourself and you're doing this in one of two ways.
You're elevating yourself, either by putting me down or by
(10:03):
building yourself up.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
There's two ways to do this, and I got news
for you.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Y'all are doing both. You're you're not just putting me down.
You're you're you're you're building yourself up. You know some
people do one or the other. You're doing both.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
You guys are a double barrel shotgun.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Even though he didn't have double barrel shotguns there, That's
probably what I would have said.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Uh So in.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Verse six, know then that God has put me in
the wrong and closed his net about me. Now this
is this is interesting. Here's Joe again. God is dealing
with me. I acknowledge that he is my judge. I
acknowledge that not you. And then he uses notice the
(10:49):
net here who everybody here lasts have all of you,
either when you were here last week or you you've
gone back and caught up most everybody. You remember, Build
Dad used this net analogy. So he he wants to
take a specific analogy that Bill Dad used last week
and said that's not your analogy.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
That God would be the one that would that would
have me. Then that not you.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Okay, so he's being very specific, cause that's directed right
at build that. Okay, So now after six Job has said,
I've made my case with you guys, Okay, I want
this to stop. How long is this gonna go on?
Are you enjoying this? Putting me down and lifting yourself up?
(11:32):
But I want you to know I'm done with it.
I don't want to hear this anymore. Anybody ever got
to the point do you just finally say I'm done.
It's funny because even in my and I'm just gonna
be transparent with you, which I well those of you
that may be new here today or out there, I'm
always very transparent. I want to be teaching myself as
(11:54):
I'm teaching here. I don't talk at you. I talk
with you. We're all going through this, and I try
to always make sure you understand that I that I'll
share my shortcomings. I'll talk about the things I didn't
do right. I certainly don't do everything right, haven't always
done everything right. But the perfect standard is the God
that we're learning about. None of us are that standard.
(12:17):
So I will tell you this. This is a reputation
even in my own family, and it's gotten better through sanctification.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
My brother. Now my sister.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
She she's of course the favorite because she was ten
years younger than me and by the time she was born,
my parents were trying to get into heaven. Okay, so
she's she's gotten to do any all these things. She's
you know, nothing, nothing's wrong with her. But when you
get down to Greg and me, my brother who's close
to me, that we we shared a two twin beds
in a little bitty room all the way to we're
(12:48):
adults and out on our own, and so so Greg
has a short temper. He tends he had a temper
that will fly. I don't have a short temper. However,
my entire family will say, I'd rather Greg be against
me than Rick.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Rick has a long fuse. But when it goes, everybody
needs counseling.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You know, yeah, he said, you know, he said, you know,
Greg kind of just hits you with these little skirmishes.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
You know, he's upset for a minute.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
He kind of I build, and I build, I'm sitting
on I sit on that launching pad and when I launch,
it is it is an all out of sault. So
so anyway that that, but so if I get to
the point that I'm done, and I start saying I'm done.
Everybody take a note, because it's about to get ugly. Okay,
but I'm not short fused. But sometimes that loan build
(13:38):
can actually be a worse result at the end because
I'm gonna unload it all, okay. So Greg kind of
lets off the air as he goes, so it never
really builds up. I let it build and and so
I've gotten better about that though, So because I know
that's not not good if I'm upset or I got
a problem, I go ahead and start talking sooner before
I start getting really upset about it. But but and
(14:00):
I remember Greg, on the other hand, talking about this,
and I think, job is there. Greg give us an
outline here? He would count. And I tried to tell
a guy one time we were we were hunting in
Texas and the guy was was picking at Greg. He
was he for some reason decided to make Greg the
focal point of harassing and he said something about Greg
(14:20):
had made a shot or something and had missed a
do or something, and in front of everybody. Now Greg
didn't know this guy, I mean, we met him when
we got there, and he said something to Greg and
we were ride dating. Greg goes, that's one, and the
guy look to me says, what did that mean? I said,
you don't even get to three and uh and so
so so so anyway, but so so so so job
(14:44):
is done with this, and he said, I've had enough
of this.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So now he's gonna shift from these people.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
And now he's going, which we've seen him do, He's
going to complain to God.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Okay, I would take a note of this too. Now,
some of this, you know, I want to this is careful.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
We never want to be disrespectful, and we certainly will
not blaspheme God. But I will tell you that God
already knows what we're thinking. He already knows what our
heart is, and he's not afraid of our complaining. Are
even our questions? Now, we don't blaspheme God, but I've
(15:27):
been there. It's okay to to say I don't understand
what you're doing. I trust you, I have faith in you.
Any clarity you could give me be great.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I don't. I'm not tracking with you right now. I
don't know what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
You know, you remember, if you've read my wife's book,
she even got to the point you know where.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
She cried out to God.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
She said, I don't understand why you let children doc
I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Uh And and.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
She said, but then the Holy Spirit made it very
clear for her that in this process, because she even
said to God, she said, down at the farm, she said,
I said it out loud. I know that your son
was crucified, but you got him back in three days
three days. And she said she heard from God is
clear through the Holy Spirit. What about all my children.
(16:15):
You're gonna get your baby back too, But what about
those that reject redemption? Those are my children, and I
lose them every day. And she said, for the first time,
one of the most profound things Sherry has said. And
she said many She said, for the first time in
my entire life, I finally had compassion for God.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
We're always worried about him having compassion.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
For us, But when you see his children rejecting him
every now and then, it's probably all right to have
compassion for God and maybe understand that He may be
using you to save some of them, and at the
end of it, he's gonna make it right with you too.
So anyway, I mean, you go back to Stephen getting stoned.
(16:56):
Who's standing there watching that, Paul, So why didn't Jesus
step in and keep the stoning from happening when he
was standing watching Steven defend him. Stephen did everything right,
He even sees Jesus standing at the right hand the
Father honoring him.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But the stoning didn't stop.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
How many times I know once in the Book of Acts,
and then in First Corinthians, Paul reverences back to what
stoning of Stephen. So God allowed Stephen to die and
suffer in a way that Paul never forgot. It was
for the benefit of a child that was rejecting Jesus,
(17:40):
that was brought into the fold, that then began to
advance the kingdom of Jesus with the same gift set
that God gave him. He just had it going in
the wrong direction, and Stephen was used because Stephen's role
was to serve him for a time and suffer publicly
for the benefit.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Of possibly argue argue against it. Possibly.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Well let's just say this, I don't have to hastand
on this one of the greatest Christians that the world
has ever known. Okay, anybody think Paul hadn't had any impact,
that's pretty big ministry. Okay, so, and Steven played a
role in that. Steven played a role in that. So,
so as we're looking at this now, Job was going
to turn to God away from his friends, and he
(18:24):
says in seven, behold, I cry out violence, but I'm
not answered. I call for help, but there's no justice.
Here's Job begin going. Lord, I know you hear me.
Isn't that the thing that always kind of gets you
just a little bit? I mean, there's no voicemail. Sorry,
(18:49):
I'm not here right now. I mean when we're crying
out to God, he hears us, you know. And so
Job seems to know that. And he's saying, I've been
I've been I've been wronged by these people.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
God.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Uh you know what word he uses here in the
original hamas violence?
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Violence?
Speaker 1 (19:12):
And and I'm being ignored by you. God, don't don't
you see how I'm being treated? You know, not only
am I suffering, which I think you're you're letting that happen,
But now look a look at how I'm being talked to.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I you know what does he keep saying? You can
see it in a minute. I will defend me, help me,
And and and he says, I'm not hearing it. An eight.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass.
He has set darkness upon my paths. This echoes of
Jeremiah a little bit, doesn't it, When he was when
he was down and out. Make a reference if you
get time today or this week to Jeremiah three seven,
you hear similar language about being hedged in darkness.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
And you know what he's saying right here too. He says,
I sense that I'm at an impasse. I sense that
we're at a deadlock. You ever been there? I have
nothing else to say.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
You know that.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
This is one of the things even in what I
do for a living. When I we started getting into
the new show that I've been doing for six months,
one of the things that that that I really was
ready to move on, to move on from, is there
were certain topics that I just felt like in the
latter years of what I was doing, I didn't have
anything else to say about it. I mean, I had
(20:39):
said these same things over and over again. I'm like,
I don't have anything new to add to that topic.
It's been said. You may agree with it, you may not.
I don't have any new way to say fill in
the blank. So I'd just rather move on. Let's do
some new stuff. Let's talk about things that that that
that haven't been running to the ground. Uh, let's have
(21:00):
some new things to say. And that's kind of where
Job is right now. He's like, I just I just
feel like this is going nowhere, and maybe it's not
gonna get any better. Look at verse nine. He has
stripped me. He has stripped from me my glory and
has taken the crown from my head. Now I'll take
(21:21):
exactly what he's saying here. Remember that Job, before all
this was very well respected far and wide, very well
expected respected. He was a leader. Remember what they said.
He's out there at the gates. Everybody knows who Job is.
Let's hear from Job. Look at Joe Wow Job, And
(21:42):
he said, I'll tell what you've done. My self esteem
is gone. My self esteem is gone. And you know what,
the honor that I once had, you've just taken it
from me. Nobody wants to hear from me, and nobody
wants to be around me. I am not desired.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I have no self esteem, I have no honor. And
then he goes to ten.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
He breaks me down. Now this he he's referring to
here is God. I'm going to say that again. The
he he's referring to here is God, he breaks me
down on every side and I am gone, and my
hope he has pulled up like a tree. Now, notice
the point he's making here. You know this is that
(22:28):
this is another little counter Remember Bill Dad last week
he said, I'm gonna I've talked about how God sees things.
I want to talk about this theology of retribution for
the wicked. It is also universal. And he starts referring
to creation. Well, this is a little throwback over because
Bill Dad, I assume, is still listening, and he's using
analogies of nature too. He's saying, you know what, I've
(22:49):
been torn down, and I haven't just been torn down.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
You take a tree, right, you've seen this.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
If a tree goes down but it still has the roots,
it's got a chance it may bounce back. Job says, No,
that's not me. I not only have I been torn
down like a tree, I've been uprooted.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
There's no hope for this tree.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
This tree's never gonna be set back like and take
root again because the roots have been pulled up like
a tree. I've been broken down on every side. If
I got knocked down in the storm, you would come
over to me as a tree, and you would see
the roots are up to I got nothing. I've been
torn down and uprooted Verse eleven. He has kindled his
(23:31):
wrath against me. Well look at this. God has kindled
his wrath against me, and he counts me as his adversary.
Now remember everywhere here, if you're with me and you're
walking through this, everywhere you see he, you can put
the word God. You know, there's almost a little bit
(23:52):
of a we're a little squeamish with that. Ont we
were real to stay with He's we know that may
stand for God. It's a little bit squeamish. And because
we don't we understand what Job's saying, we may not
like what he's saying. We don't like to think that
somehow that God might deem for us the best thing
to be misery. We just rather not go down that road.
(24:13):
We don't want to think like that. We don't want
to be that. I don't want to consider that. That's
all right, that's pretty normal.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Now.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
It's one thing not to desire it. It's quite another
thing not to believe it.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
That's different.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Because you can find people out there that will tickle
your ears and say, not only do we not like it,
we don't believe it. And then you'll have to tell them,
do y'all ever do a Bible study on the Book
of Job, And I'm gonna bet the answer is no.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
We do not so.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
And so that's the bottom line. God is doing this.
He knows God is doing this, and he's trying to
figure it out. Look here, God has kindled his wrath
against me and counts me as his adversary. Now this
is where Job is incorrect. He doesn't have this right.
God's in control, He's got that right. But he thinks
(25:04):
God's got something against him. He thinks God is doing
pouring out his wrath on him over something that God's
mad about. That isn't correct. Now that's important too. That's
a big ee today. Okay, that's a big ee today.
Don't always assume that the difficulty that you're in is
because God's upset. There's many times that you have difficulty
(25:31):
and God's not upset at all. He just knows this
is what we need a for him to be glorified.
Could be that be for our own refinement. I mean,
the Bible tells us that difficulty produces a steadfastness. It
brings us into a more appreciation for the holiness of God,
(25:53):
makes us more dependent on God. It certainly humbles us,
doesn't it, which is happening here with Joe? So this
part Job does not have right. God is not angry
with him. His anger and wrath are burning against him,
he thinks. But here's the thing that's gonna blow your mind?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Does anybody?
Speaker 1 (26:15):
And I have a problem with this, even with shows
and movies, and I get ostracized for this. I'm about
to tell you something's gonna happen in the future of
our study. Are you okay with that? I'm also the
kind of guy that'll tell you if you're watching a movie,
don't get attached to that gutta.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
You know so?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
But but I'm gonna I'm gonna tell I'm gonna tell
you this right now. God's angry with his friends. He's
not angry with Job. God's actually angry with his friends.
And You're like, well, why are they sitting there so
comfortable while Job suffers? God does things the way he doesn't?
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Okay? So so he he he trusts Job.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
He doesn't trust them. Try and try that again. You don't,
just don't just look down. That's that's a takeaway. Job
is suffering. His friends are not God's anger. When he
starts giving his speech to these friends, he's angry with them,
(27:11):
but they're not suffering.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
He trusts Job. He is suffering. Hang on to that.
That's a good one right there.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
So we're going to see that God is going to
get really upset with these friends, and you know why,
because their representation of God is incorrect. I'd write that
one down. God's angry because people claim to be representing
him and they're representing him incorrectly. We got some of
(27:46):
that going on in our society right now. So if
you don't know what a correct representation of God is,
you're gonna get food by these Charlatans.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
So that's why it's important to be here, and I'm
so thankful that you guys are so so devoted to
be in here every week. It's important and I commend
you for it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
So here we go. Verse twelve.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
His troops come on together and they have cast up
their siege ramp against me, and they camp around my tent.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
So he's here.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
A lot of commentators think, even though he's still talking
about God, he's almost seeing these friends, and he's comparing
them to an enemy, to enemy troops. You know, their
arguments against him are like a siege, a siege ramp,
you know, where they're coming into battle and unwilling to
(28:42):
refrain and listen. They are aligned together, all three of them,
against me. So he's not just saying that he thinks
God's against him. He looks over at this bunch and
he says, well, look.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
At this group.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
It's like a bunch of troops aligned together, all on
the same page, and every one of them are coming
after me. They're like a siege on me. They're like enemies,
enemy troops.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
So then.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
I'm just going to tell you if you have a
soft heart. Thirteen through twenty is probably one of the
more pathetic and pitiful parts of this entire book, because
Job feels like that he is he's leaving his argument
with God, and he's coming to the realization that he's
(29:33):
been forsaken by his friends and his family.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
And this is a low.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Moment for him here because he's still trying to figure
out what God's doing. But then he goes, but I
know what these people are doing that I can touch
and I can feel, and I have been abandoned by
everybody I thought that I could trust. Thirteen, He has
(29:59):
put my brothers far from me, and those who knew
me are wholly estranged from me. Now they do not think,
because he's going to get here, the commentators here do
not think he's talking about siblings, even though he will
get to that these are likely What he means is
(30:19):
fellow countrymen, even including these friends. He says, my own
relationships are strained, my fellow countrymen, my brothers, my friends,
I'm a stranged from all of them. Notice though who
(30:40):
he blames for it are blames or is saying has.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Done it God.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
God has turned my own my own friends against me.
God has turned my own countrymen against me because I'm
not being vindicated. So now they're mad at me for
something that God's doing and God's not defending me. So
then he gets into to fourteen. Now we're talking about relatives,
(31:09):
because it says relatives, My relatives have failed me. My
close friends back to friends again have forgotten me. So
all family and all friends have left me. Fifteen The
guests in my house and my maid servants count me
as a stranger.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
He's saying, those.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Who have known worked for me, worked with me, those
that at one time honored me in the past, they
see me now like somebody.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
They don't even know. They see me as a stranger.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
You've ever been in a situation like this, and you're like,
when did When did the person I was?
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Change? Y'all? Y'all knew me, you know how I do things.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
You've seen me past, test after test, you see me
do this, and all of a sudden, in this particular struggle,
you've decided that I'm not the person that you always
acknowledged I was. Now suddenly I'm a stranger. You know,
where did I ever show, y'all that there was anything
about me that you now can't trust? And you know
(32:20):
what a feeling that is. And it's been throughout the
book of Job. He continues to just be heartbroken, and
if you've ever been there, you will be too. That
they're not giving him the benefit of doubt because he's
lived his life with integrity for a really long time.
So Verse fifteen, the guest in my house and my
maid servants count me as a stranger. I have become
(32:42):
a foreigner in their eyes. Now look at sixteen. I
call to my servant, but he gives me no answer.
I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
I'm so far gone now that I even have to
beg my own servants, who at one time would the
(33:04):
minute I said something, they would jump to it. If
I said this is what we're going to do today,
they'd do it. And now these same people that I
used to have authority over. Now we're not talking about
slaves here. We're talking about people that were being taken
care of by job that worked his land, worked his
worked his cattle.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
And all his camels and all this.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
And he had a great relationship with them, he said.
But now the very people that used to work for
me and respect me, I have to beg them. I
have to beg them to show me mercy. Oh, how
the mighty have fallen. My breath is strange to my wife,
(33:47):
and I'm a stench to the children of my own mother.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
They're siblings.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Now, you got them, and also the wife. Now there's
a literal thing here, but there's also a figure thing here.
Is it likely that job does not have great breath
right now?
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Probably? So, okay, probably so.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
But but what he's really saying here in the figurative
sense he's using that as an example, is that I
got no relationship with my wife right now. My wife
has told me to curse God and die. She's devastated
by the death of our children. Do we see her
(34:29):
anywhere right now? I mean, it doesn't say the three
friends and his wife. Now, I want you to think
about this. If if your relationship with your wife, if
you're married in here, if your relationship with your wife
is where it needs to be and it's healthy, do
they just abandon you when you're struggling. No, my wife
will be right there with me. Wouldn't you think she
(34:50):
would be sitting right there with them. She might tell
these idiots to leave and stay there by ourself, you
know what. But she's nowhere to be found. And he says,
so I've even really I'm despised, I'm seeing as despicable
and undesirable by my own wife. And then he says,
and I'm a stench to the children of my own mother.
(35:14):
Apparently there are siblings involved, and he says, they don't
even want anything to do with me. My brothers and
my sisters or whatever they are. They don't want anything
to do with me either, And he says in eighteen,
this is something you see in our society so much today,
(35:35):
which makes me sick. Even young children despise me when
I rise, they talk against me. I mean, I'm so
far gone. I'm so I've lost any honor, any authority.
Kids don't even listen to me, Kids disrespect me, kids
will say anything they want to to me. They don't
(35:57):
think I'm of any value. You know, when you're an
elder and young people disrespect you and mouthed off at
you and don't don't show you any honor, it's a
terrible feeling. We got a lot of that going on
in our society right now. Young people have kind of
lost respect for older men and women.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
It's ugly.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
And if you look around, their decision to do that's
really worked out great. And so you know there's something
to the gray haired folks. We're worth listening to. And
Job says, you know what, I can't even get. I
can't even get Your children don't even like me. They
don't even want to be around me. So now look
(36:39):
look what happens next. In nineteen all my intimate friends
abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me.
Now what is this right here? You remember when we
talked about the circles. You know, you have your your
your strangers or the farthest circle out. Then the next
circle in and are lances, and then you get into
(37:02):
that little circle in the middle. This is what Job's saying,
the inner circle.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
They're gone. I mean the.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
People that were closest to me, those whom I have
loved and at one time they love me. These are
the people that I are, my confidants, these are my
two am people. These are the closest people family and
friends that I have that It doesn't get any closer.
Use the word intimate here. It doesn't get any closer
(37:31):
than our relationship. And now even these people have nothing
to do with me.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
They're gone. Verse twenty.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
My bones stick to my skin, to my flesh, and
I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. It's
he says, you know what, And I'll Calhoun County this
one because it can get a little convoluted.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
But the bottom line here is physically.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
I'm so far gone physically, I don't even know how
I'm still alive. It's a miracle that I am still alive,
and I must be hanging on by a thread, by
the skin of my teeth. I'm barely How am I
even here? How am I even here? And he's also
(38:26):
this is a complaint because you know, if you if
you've ever been with someone that you loved and they're
suffering and there's and there's no hope as far as
physically now hopefully they're redeemed. And you know, it's beautiful
(38:46):
about the redeemed. I mean this just hit me today
as I was kind of going over everything and I have,
you know, someone that that I love that is days
away from death, and I thought to myself, off, because
he's fully redeemed. And I'm talking about getting a well done,
good and faithful servant kind of thing, a life well
(39:08):
lived for the kingdom and for the Savior that redeemed him.
So right now, see I feel bad for him, But
in days, he's gonna feel bad for me. That's all
about to shift. See, right now, I feel like I
have the upper hand. I'm like, well, I have my
(39:29):
health and I have this and he's near death. But
when he takes that step and his spirit for the redeemed.
Now when that spirit is in glory and sickness and
death are no more for him, and he's standing in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will say
(39:52):
to him, well done, good and faithful servant. He will
not need me to pity him at all, and he'll
begin to pity me because I'm still here and all
the garbage and he don't have food with it anymore.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
It's a weird flip, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
You know, you've been there by their beds before and
you feel bad for them, but when they go, they
feel bad for you.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
So let's go to where they're going. They don't want
to come back to where we are.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
So so this is where he is. I'm hanging on.
I don't even know why I'm hanging on. I'm ready,
I just be ready. He's sorrdy told us he's ready
for this to end, right, So that's not that's not speculation.
He's told us that. So twenty one, have mercy on me. Twice,
have mercy on me, ohe you, my friends, for the
(40:47):
hand of God has touched me. Two he pleads to
his friends again, have mercy on me. Don't you see
that for whatever reason that I'm trying to figure out.
God is against me right now, and you know what
he's saying. Are you gonna be against me too? I mean,
(41:08):
you see that I'm in trouble. Why would you choose
to see that I'm in trouble that you too would
be against me? Where's the encouragement about let's work through
this and let's all figure out what God's doing. And
God's touching you right now. But I wonder why would
have been so much of it if you could have
maybe doubted your theology like me and say, well, you know,
(41:29):
I've never seen as opposed to saying and are we
supposed to change our theology because of Job?
Speaker 2 (41:34):
Maybe what they've already said.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Maybe you come in and say, I know Job, really, well,
hang in there. God's doing something. We don't know what
it is, but we're standing with you, and we know
your integrity, and we'll get to the end of it.
God will reveal this to you. We're standing with you.
You know what they said, God's against you, and you
know what, so are we, And he's begging them show
(41:58):
me mercy.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
He says it twice.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I think about Jesus, don't deny grace and mercy to
people that I didn't deny to you. I know this
is this is the We're not to the New Covenant yet,
but Jesus has already taught us that. You know what, Hey,
when you put me on the cross, I could have
asked for angels to come take me off that cross,
(42:23):
and I could have told my father.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
To wipe you out. And I didn't, and you deserved it.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
So don't take the grace and mercy that I didn't deny,
and then you deny that somebody else. And that's what
he's pleading for right now. So now we're going to
get into to twenty two. Why do you like, God
pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
(42:51):
I've given you a pound of flesh and you what
do you want two pounds? I mean, why are you
acting the way God is act to me right now
in pursuing me and just trying to pile on right
I mean, job's like somebody throw a flag. I mean
they're spearing me. I mean, God's got me on the ground.
(43:12):
I mean, there's no need to spare me just And
that's really what he's saying. So now comes a testimony
of hope. This is interesting right here, This is where
this thing gets chills on you. This is the interesting
thing about this book. It's almost like Job forgets everything
he knows, and then he starts remembering the things that
(43:33):
he knows.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Right, you ever been there?
Speaker 1 (43:35):
I have, you know where all of a sudden, like
I've forgotten all the things that God's done for me.
I've forgotten what I believed and my moment, it's almost
like I think something's changed, and God hasn't changed. And
watch this shift right here. Okay, this is interesting here
twenty three. Oh that my words were written, Oh that
(43:55):
they were inscribed in a book? Hey, Job, they were
We got them. And he's crying out for that. I wish,
I wish this could be documented. Well, God did document it.
Job is saying that I think people could learn from this.
I want everybody I want on record that I was
(44:16):
saying I was innocent. Well it is, we got it, Job.
I can't wait to talk to him. Abut verse twenty
three of chapter nineteen. I almost say, hey, Joe, remember
that the time you want it to be written down?
Speaker 2 (44:27):
How about that? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (44:29):
And uh so God did that? And look he wants it.
He wants it in there good to look at twenty four.
He didn't want it to be anything that's gonna be
you know, kind of sorta in there. Okay, he said,
I this may be seen as the highlight of this
entire book of Job.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
So so Job feared that he would die before he
was vindicated. He wished that this was being recorded. It is,
and this is, and he wants it to be something
that would last forever. Look at twenty four. Oh that
with an iron pen and led they were engraved in
the rock for ever.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
It is. Isn't that great?
Speaker 1 (45:10):
So what he's saying is I want this to be
if I go, let this be my epitaph. I wish
it was right there on the stone wherever my body's
going to be laid, that I was ben the I
was crying out that I was innocent.
Speaker 2 (45:27):
Well, it was Job, and you know what we.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Do have it Then comes twenty five, probably what you
are real familiar with when you saw when people quote Job,
they often quote this, and for good reason. Look at
look at look at down twenty five. I'm going to
ask you if you have something to write with and
remember what we've talked about for years. Adrian Rodgers, thank
(45:53):
you very much. The cheapest pen helps you with Bible
study more than the greatest memory. Okay, what a great
word of wisdom he had so many for I know,
I want you under lie in their highlight, and I
know for I know. I think that's interesting because he
seems like he's been vacillating and now he's gonna come
(46:14):
back and say, I know, you know, he almost seems
like he's forgotten, but then he's reminding himself.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
For I know that my redeemer lives.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
And at the last he will stand upon the earth. Wow,
I know that's huge. Redeemer. What is the word here?
A redeemer mean? Now we know that, but just want
to remind you. This means I know there's someone that
will deliver me to make this right. Remember, he's already
(46:49):
been asking for this. Now he says, I know this exists.
He's clinging to this is going to be made right now.
He doesn't know about the New Covenant. He didn't know
about the New Covenant, but he sure is foreshadowing in it.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
I need a redeemer.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
How good does it feel to know that we don't
have to wonder if a Redeemer is coming.
Speaker 2 (47:11):
He's already come. Have you been redeemed? Though? Do you stand.
Speaker 1 (47:17):
Guiltless before a holy God? Are you made fully righteous
by this redeemer?
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Do you know his name?
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Have you left your own authority? Have you left faith
in your own abilities? And just said I can't meet
the standard. But Jesus you did, and I just give
my life to you, and I turned from my sin,
and I say you forgave me on the cross. You
died for me on the cross. I acknowledge that had
to happen. I acknowledge I need to be made fully righteous. Hey,
(47:45):
partial righteous ain't gonna get it fully righteous under the
blood of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice and then the
eternal life we got when he walked out of that.
To him, I took care of the sin. I took
care of the death, and everybody and me will stand
(48:08):
before a holy Father fully redeemed.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
And vindicated. Which job is screaming for me? He says.
Speaker 1 (48:16):
I know it's possible, I know it's there. I know
God knows that I'm not wrong. I just don't know
how this is gonna work out, but I know it's
going to Watch this he doubles down. He really senses,
which is interesting because he seems like he's lost all hope,
and then all of a sudden he kind of bounces
back here and look at twenty six and after my
(48:41):
skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I
shall see God. He doesn't think he's going to hell.
He said, it may be that God doesn't do this
while I'm still alive. But I'm telling you, when I die,
I'm gonna stand before God and I'm gonna see him.
He's not saying that God's gonna crush me or send
(49:04):
me to hell. He is saying, I don't know why
you're making my last days on earth miserable.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
I got no idea what you're doing. But I know this.
Speaker 1 (49:11):
I know that I'm right with you, and I know
that if I'm not vindicated before I die, when I die,
I will be vindicated. Do you have that hope? Do
you have that hope? Can I go ahead and just
let you in on something. As long as you live
in this falling place, with all us falling people, we
ain't never gonna treat you right. We'll have moments where
(49:32):
we're okay. We're always gonna have some misconception about you.
We sometimes might get caught up in gossip we shouldn't
where we think things about you. We may see imperfections
and try to elevate ourselves and say, well, I'm not
as bad as that person. You know, there was one
time my whole purpose on earth was to make people
feel better about themselves and because of how wicked I was.
(49:53):
But I will say this, if we're right with God
through Christ. Cling to that, I know that I'm right
with God. I don't I'm not perfect. I keep making
mistakes because I'm being sanctified. But I know that when
I die, I'll be glorified, not because of anything that
(50:14):
I could.
Speaker 2 (50:14):
Do, but because what Jesus has already done right.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
And and you know, because just like we said before,
this whole thing of Paul's straining and pressing on and
working out his salvation, that's that's that sanctification, that's that fight,
that's that Look, I'm not gonna be satisfied where I am.
I want more of Jesus. I want more of the
Holy Spirit. I want to know his word. I'm working
it out. I want to grow. I want to be
able to handle the word. I want to be able
to advance the kingdom. I want to know what to
(50:41):
say when somebody asked me, where does my hope come from?
None of that's earning this redemption. It's the response to redemption.
It's sanctification. And then one day who glorification and the
fight's over and we can we can, we can just
stop the battle and say, flesh finally gone. Andy boy,
(51:01):
you have been a nightmare. I'm glad to see you go.
Right Well, job seems to know that's gonna happen. Look
at twenty seven whom I shall see for myself talking
about God now, and my eyes shall behold and not
another My heart faints within me. I will see God
(51:25):
and he will not be a stranger to me. And
just the thought of me standing there in front of
God just causes my heart to faint just thinking about
that moment. Can you imagine? That was another thing that
Adrian Rodgers always said. You can tell that I've been
greatly influenced by Adrian Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (51:44):
Right after I was redeemed.
Speaker 1 (51:45):
He's one of the first preachers I started reading and studying,
and he's such a great teacher and listening to old sermons,
and I remember he said you know, people keep talking
about the moment that they see God and the things
they may say and the things they may ask. And
he said, I I just want you to prepare you.
It's possible, if not likely, you may just fall on
(52:06):
your face and say Holy for a thousand years before
you ever get up and ask anything.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
He's that overwhelming. He's that overwhelming. I will go ahead
and tell you this.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
I don't think the great I am when we come
rushing in and go, well there's Rick, Rick, what's your
Q and A what are some things you want to
run by me?
Speaker 2 (52:25):
That's probably not the way that's going to go.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
I think the time will come when, but I have
a feeling when I first see his glory, I'll probably
uncontrollably go on.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
My face and just say Holy.
Speaker 1 (52:38):
So so anyway, because that's what job saying. I think
my heart will it faints within me to think about this.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
He gives a stern warning to his friends, Hey, he's
had enough, listen to this. He now turns. From that moment,
I think, don't y'all think you go with me here?
Brothers and sisters out there. I'm certainly not the final
word on this, but I tend to think because he
looked like he was kind of down, he was done
with him, he was upset, kind of lost his confidence.
(53:07):
And then he starts this this thing about I wish
all this would be written down. And then he gets
into the Redeemer. Then he gets sin to seeing God.
I think that gives him confidence for these last two verses.
I think it changes his whole countenance. I think he
turns down and going, you know what, and now that
I just remember that. Let me tell you people something,
right you ever had that where you just somebody has
to use just just like man, I'm not got no
(53:28):
wait a minute, just hang on just a second, and
you start kind of building yourself back up. Well, he's
building God up, and he knows he's right with God.
And he says to his friends, look at twenty eight.
If you say, how will we pursue him? And the
root of the matter is found in him. If you're
blaming me for this, if you think I've brought this
on myself.
Speaker 2 (53:47):
Look at this.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
Be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment
of the sword. That you may know there is judgment.
Now this is also Jesus t all a lot about
this job. Didn't know that yet, but you know what
he's saying. If y'all keep hounding me like this and
you keep saying I'm the problem, look at you, Look
(54:09):
at you, Look at you. You are the ones that
are about to be judged. And you're gonna be judged
because you made yourself judge.
Speaker 2 (54:18):
What did Jesus say?
Speaker 1 (54:20):
Just remember, when you're pointing out the speck in somebody's eye,
you better get the log out of your own eye.
And then he reminds us what you're gonna be judged
by the same standard, and what you judge that person. Now,
if you're pointing out that something is wrong, and you
acknowledge that if you were doing that, it was wrong too.
(54:42):
This Sometimes people take Jesus's teaching and they incorrectly interpret it.
We had a whole generation that did this that thought.
All Jesus ever said was.
Speaker 2 (54:49):
That, hey, don't judge.
Speaker 1 (54:52):
No, what Jesus said was don't judge incorrectly. Don't interpret
that to say we can never say something's wrong based
on biblical s standards.
Speaker 2 (55:00):
That's not what Jesus was teaching. He was saying, there'll be.
Speaker 1 (55:03):
A hypocrite, don't make yourself God, because you're not God.
Acknowledge that you're imperfect too, and be sure you have
your life in order before you decide to correct somebody else.
What he said is correct people with yourself corrected first.
Don't run out and be a hypocrite pointing to everybody
and not realize you're health to the same standard.
Speaker 2 (55:22):
That's what Jesus was saying. And you know what, Job's
kind of give us friends a little bit of that.
I tell you we're.
Speaker 1 (55:27):
Gonna find out y'all think y'all are judging me, and
you think I'm the one in trouble with God. I
want you to be real careful because this sword you're
slinging around, it's gonna be turned on you.
Speaker 2 (55:37):
By the way, that does happen. Job gave me just
a little bit of be careful.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
Now, be careful with your little end zone dance on
how bad I am, because I just remembered where I
stand with God. And if you continue to hound me
and say I'm the problem and God's punishing me because
I'm wicked, and you keep talking about how wicked I am,
let me tell you something. God's gonna point to you,
how wicked you are. Of course it has no impact.
(56:06):
They continue this narrative, but it's gonna start. It's gonna
start lose thing a little bit. But there's so much
to take away from this nineteen I just couldn't get
enough of it, and I hope that it's helped you today,
because the main thing to take away from this is
(56:27):
God's in control.
Speaker 2 (56:30):
God's actually upset with the.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
Friends, not with Job. He's suffering. They're not, but he's
upset with them, not Job, and that Job cries out.
I know that this is all gonna be made right.
I don't know how, but it is going to be
made right. And then he turns around and says, and
be careful how you treat the redeemed, and be careful
(56:52):
how you judge me, because you're gonna be judged by
that same standard. And if you're judging incorrectly, God's gonna
punish you for that. And if you represent God incorrectly,
God's gonna punish you for that. Let's pray, Lord, thank
you for today, thank you for these incredible words, thank
(57:14):
you for the study, thank you for the power of you.
And Lord, I pray that you'll continue to mold us
into the people that only you can make us. And
I always, Lord, I just sinse anytime somebody may have
stumbled across this Bible study, somebody is in the room
with us that because of the Holy Spirit, and because
of the cutting of the Word of God, that's you know,
(57:35):
it's cutting me as I teach, it's cutting people as
they hear. Maybe there's things that people right now go, Hey,
that's what I need to hear. I got to get
this straightened out. And today's day, for the first time
or the first time they ever meant it, they say,
I repent. I repent of this sin I keep justifying
my life. I repent of the way I'm doing whatever.
And they turn to you and they say, Lord, I'm
(57:56):
leaving my own authority because I keep messing things up.
It's time for me to toe submit to you, to
deny myself, to count the cost to enter that narrow
gate and just cry out, I can't redeem myself. You
are the redeemer. Redeem me, Jesus, and then mold me
into something that you're more comfortable with, and forgive me
(58:17):
for trying to make you something I'm more comfortable with.
And during our times of trouble or may we not
be upset with you, but be wise enough to look
to you if we're redeemed, and ask you, the teacher,
what are you teaching me that we learn not to
waste difficulty that you've allowed to be sure we get
(58:39):
every benefit from it, and the glorious name of Jesus,
we pray amen.
Speaker 2 (58:44):
All right, guys, thank you very much,
Host
Rick Burgess
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