07 Oct 10/18/26 Job 38:1-11, 40:3-5 “The Whipping!”
10/18/26 Job 38:1-11, 40:3-5 “The Whipping!”
One night not too long ago or maybe it was long ago, Sharon and I were sitting around and we began to discuss Einstein’s theory of relativity. I’m sure you have all done this on occasion. Anyway, I was saying that as we approach the speed of light, our mass approaches infinity. So when we reach the speed of light, we are infinitely big and probably need a diet. Say we start here on earth and go the speed of light and our mass becomes as big as the universe or infinite. Then all we have to do is, as we slow down, step off on the other side of the universe. Then the only thing we need for space travel is to travel the speed of light and we can step off anywhere. I want to tell you today that this physics stuff is not that hard. Now if you are an actual student of physics, you would probably tell me that I don’t understand a thing about it and you would be right. I don’t understand why an apple falls when you drop it. I don’t understand why water turns to steam when heated and ice when frozen while at the same time the mass changes. I do know that the world will survive by me not understanding these things. However, I won’t survive if I do not have a basic understanding of God. But I am only allowed a basic understanding because there is no way we will ever understand God until we get there. That is what we are going to be talking about today in our reading from Job.
Don Schultz tells of talking with a fellow pastor who described one of his parishioners as a modern day Job. One has to wonder why someone might be described as a modern day Job. It’s because of all the problems he had. This man used to be an airline pilot. Then for no reason, he began to have anxiety attacks. Well, you can’t fly an airliner with anxiety attacks so he lost his job. Then the backaches began. We would have to lie for hours on his back to get relief. About this time his child became terribly sick. So between lying on his back and looking for a job, he also spent much time at the hospital. Therefore this man was described as a modern day Job. I think a good definition of a modern day Job might be ‘a believing child of God who suddenly experiences bad things for no apparent reason.’ It is someone who has a legitimate reason to complain to God.
I think that we all might qualify under this definition at some point in our lives. There may be some today who think that Sharon might have been there when she had her bad bout with cancer. It’s true that she had a huge down turn in her life but all was not lost. She had a faith that was so strong that she knew that God would get her through. This is like Job in so many ways. Anyway, thank you again for all the help and prayers during that time.
Before we begin today, I think that we should review as to what has been happening in our story. Job had been a wealthy man with large herds. He had a large family that helped him run the business. But most of all he was the most faithful man to God who lived on the earth.
So now enter Satan. God and Satan get into a conversation as to how faithful is Job and God allows Satan to do whatever as long as he does not hurt Job physically. So Satan steals his wealth and his family. Isn’t this just what the devil does to us today? He steals our wealth by putting things that are a waste of time in front of us. He steals our families by having all this garbage around us telling us that God and the Bible are false. Anyway Satan is perplexed because Job remained faithful. So God and Satan talk again only this time Satan can hurt Job but he has to spare his life.
So Satan gives Job health issues to the point where he has no health left. Just think for a moment of all the people that Satan has robbed their health. Think of the drug addicts, the alcoholics and the smokers. Think of all the sexually transmitted diseases that Satan gives us. Anyway, then enter the so-called friends of Job. These three guys have all the answers and all the fault lies with Job. Job maintains his innocence and faithfulness to God all through these chapters of argument. That is the story of Job up to now in a nutshell. We pick it up today as God answers these guys.
Notice that God answers out of the storm, some translations will say whirlwind. Either way it seems that this storm came out of nowhere. And God came upon them with a bang. It is not any different than a few years ago when the ELCA voted for the homosexual issue and a tornado or a large whirlwind came out of nowhere and struck their church. Through God’s plan, no one was hurt but people noticed all the damage. God was upon them.
Then God asks the question, “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?” He is asking us the same question. Why do all our words have no knowledge when compared to God? These men had been arguing for a long time with the knowledge of the time. It was common knowledge at the time that misfortune like what Job was having was caused by Job’s sin or the sin of his ancestors. At this time this was considered to be fact just like it was a fact that the world was flat and the sun revolved around the earth! This argument involved all the latest facts of the day.
We have the same thing happening today. We know for a fact that the earth revolves around the sun and that the world is round. We know that if you mix certain atoms together you get water. We know that if you throw a ball into the air it will come back down again. Some of our knowledge has taken a lot of work to figure out and other knowledge has taken a while to prove. God just sits back and lets us go at it wondering when we will ever quit being so dense. When will they finally come to God for the answers?
There are millions of people who say that the creation story is just a fairy tale and that there was never a great flood. The miracles never happened because we have science to explain it all away. You all know people who believe like this and maybe someone is here today. These are the friends of Job who couldn’t understand anything. If you have friends like these guys, then I feel bad for you and maybe you should get some new friends.
However, Job isn’t much better. He also believes in the thinking of the times. He knows that disease and misfortune are caused by sin. But he knows that he has not sinned, at least not in proportion to the penalty he has received. He has remained righteous in all this as God had said he would.
Did Job question any of this? Of course he did. Pretty much all through this book Job is asking the question, “Why me?” This is a question that I would guess we have all asked, “Why me?” I don’t have the answer for this. No one has the answer for this and beware of those who tell you they do. But I do know a couple things about this. 1. When you suffer some sort of calamity, God didn’t do this to you. Sometimes we do things to ourselves, sometimes others do bad things to us and sometimes, most of the time, it’s Satan who is your undoing. God doesn’t do bad things. Remember that at all times. God can only do good. 2. God has only promised to be with us through these trials. He has never said He would take them away. As a matter of fact, He tells us that there will be trials and tribulations in the world. But He will be there to help us get through them. Ok?
So, when these things happen, it is ok to ask God “what in the world is happening?” It is ok to be mad at God. It is ok to argue with God. God is big enough to be able to handle anything you throw at Him. God has been listening to this conversation of Job and his friends since the beginning. Now it is God’s turn to talk.
I have read that in this next section; God asks Job a series of 43 questions of which Job is unable to answer any. Let me know if you can do any of these things. Who laid the foundations of the earth? Who marked off the dimensions of the earth? Who took a line, a tape measure and measured the size of the earth? People, even today no one can do these things. You might say the Big Bang Theory helps explain some of this and I would say to you it is the big baloney theory because most leading scientists now say that the Big Bang could not have happened. I do not know what is as farfetched as trying to believe that one atom exploded into all we see in the universe. You need some heavy-duty faith to believe that! Or just believe in God.
But that is just one facet of all this. I’m going to paraphrase and jump around a bit here so hang on for a minute. Can you make an ocean that is full of life? Not only that can you name every creature in the ocean? Can you put all the stars in the sky and be able to name the billions of them instantly? Do you know how to make a heart, lungs or liver? Can you put together all the parts of the body so that then move and function smoothly? Have you ever visited death and life at the same time? Can you make all the animals and insects so that they are all interdependent on each other? Can you call any one on earth by their names all at the same time?
Have you ever stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon and been absolutely awe struck by God’s work like Sharon and I were a few of years ago? Were you standing outside any time when the wind came up to 60 mph and the sky was darkened by dust? Have you ever taken a nature walk and seen all the trees, plants, bugs and animals and how they are in perfect harmony? Can you make these things happen?
Are you starting to get the gist of this? The smartest person on earth, the most talented or the most productive person pales in comparison to God. When John the Baptist said that he was not worthy of tying the sandals on Jesus’ feet, he was understating the situation. Then about half way through this one sided conversation, Job says, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?”
People, we are all totally unworthy. There is not a person in the world that can even do one of these things, let alone the thousands, millions of things that God does often at the same time. We can question, wonder and get mad at God but we cannot come close to understanding Him and I praise the Lord for that. I praise Him that he made us so unworthy. But He was not quite done yet.
I read a story about a young teacher who was just out of college and starting work in his first school. In his first school there was one particular class that was so bad that they had run off the last 3 teachers. This young man volunteered to be their teacher. The principal was very reluctant but finally he allowed the young man to teach this terrible class. The next morning he stood before the class and said, “Young people, I came here today to conduct school. But I realize I cannot do it myself. I must have your help.” Big Tom, who sat in the back, whispered to his buddies that he would not have any trouble licking this little guy. The young teacher said that they needed some rules to have school and he wanted some input from the students on what would be good rules. The kids thought that this was real different. One boy suggested ‘No Stealing’ and another called out ‘Be in time for class.’ Soon they had 10 rules on the board so the teacher asked what the punishment should be. Someone suggest that they should be given 10 strokes with a rod across their back with their coat off. The teacher thought this might be a little harsh but the class insisted so it was.
A couple of days later Big Tom came in all upset because someone had stolen his lunch. It did not take much to discover that little Timmy had stolen Big Tom’s lunch. So little Timmy was called up to the front where he confessed to stealing the lunch. The teacher said that he would have to remove the big coat he was wearing. But little Timmy told the teacher that he knew he was guilty. He was willing to take the punishment but he said, “Please don’t make me take my coat off.” The teacher said that the rules say you have to take your coat off. So little Timmy did and to the surprise of the teacher, Timmy had no shirt. He was also very thin with his bones sticking out. The teacher asked where the shirt was and Timmy said that because his dad had died, they were very poor. He only had one shirt and it was in the wash. He had borrowed his brother’s coat to stay warm for the day. The teacher didn’t know how he could ever strike this frail boy but he also knew he had to enforce their rules. He pulled back and was about to deliver the first blow when Big Tom stood up and asked, “Is there anything that says that I can’t take little Timmy’s whipping for him?” The teacher thought and then agreed. Big Tom tore off his coat and stood over little Timmy at the desk. Hesitatingly the teacher began to put the rod on Big Tom’s back. For some strange reason the rod broke after 5 licks. The teacher put his hands over his face and he began to sob. He heard a commotion and looked up to find not one dry eye in the classroom. Little Timmy had turned and given Big Tom a hug and apologized for stealing his lunch. Little Timmy begged for Big Tom’s forgiveness. Little Timmy told Big Tom that he would love him until the day he died for taking the whipping for him.
People, Jesus Christ has done the same for you. There isn’t a person here who is any more worthy than Job or his friends or Little Timmy or Big Tom or anyone else. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. But still, Jesus loves you and because of what He did on the cross, you have become worthy. Everything God has done or made, He has done for you. I praise the Lord every day that He loves us so much. Thank you, Jesus, for first loving us. Let’s pray.
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