The book of Job, along with Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, is considered to be part of the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament. It is not as if these are the only books of the Old Testament that have anything to say about wisdom, but rather it just seems that the real focus of these books is to instruct people in living wisely in relation to Yahweh. Thus, with the Proverbs we are given these wise, pithy statements that instruct us in living. In Song of Solomon, we receive instruction concerning love between a man and a woman. Yet, with Ecclesiastes and Job, we are given instruction in a different way. Ecclesiastes really stresses the meaninglessness of life apart from the fear of the Lord and gives us an example of prosperity apart from piety. On the other hand, Job presents us with a situation of piety without prosperity, or the suffering of the righteous. As we look this morning at this long section of Job I want us to consider this question together: what are we to learn about wisdom from the book of Job? We will begin, as we said last week, by looking at the structure of our text this morning.

I. Structure: Brief outline and comments on the text

Job 2:11-3:26: Our text begins this morning with an introduction of the three friends who have come to comfort Job. It is clear that these friends care about Job and have come to ‘show him sympathy and comfort him’ (2:11). After they set together for seven days, Job breaks the silence with his first speech. As we have seen, in this speech Job curses his birth and longs for death. Following this speech is three cycles of speeches involving Job and the three friends.

Job 4-14: This is the first cycle of speeches. In these speeches the three friends lay out their arguments and Job responds to each. Eliphaz identifies the retribution principle (see below) and argues that the wicked will not prosper. Bildad argues from tradition and ages gone by. Zophar likewise argues that the wicked suffer under God’s righteous judgments.

Job 15-21: This section makes up the second cycle. Here the friends become more pointed with Job in their accusations of his sin. Job, likewise, becomes increasingly frustrated with the friends and their speeches. Many consider Job 19 to be a real climax in Job’s faith as he speaks in verse 25: For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

Job 22-27: This is the third cycle of speeches and it includes the harshest remarks of the friends against Job. Eliphaz in chapter 22 becomes very specific with his accusations of Job’s sin. Bildad simply speaks of man as a ‘maggot’ and a ‘worm’ (ch. 25). In this cycle Zophar does not even speak, indicating the friends’ failure in offering a true solution to Job’s struggles. Some have arranged these cycles differently, but this seems to the best understanding of them.

Job 28: This chapter is very controversial to many. Many different suggestions have been made concerning its place in the book. It seems possible that this chapter is simply a hymn of wisdom written by the author of the book and is not necessarily credited to Job (or any of the other speakers). Yet, it could also be taken as simply part of Job’s response to Bildad. It does seem to serve as an interlude between the speech cycles and the rest of the book (which includes Job’s final speech, Elihu’s four speeches, the Yahweh speeches, and the epilogue.) Thus, there is no legitimate reason to question its place or placement in the book.

Job 29-31: These chapters contain Job’s final speech. In these speeches Job remembers how his life was formerly, laments how his life is at present, and a final oath of innocence and longing to hear from Yahweh.

Job 32-37: These chapters include the speeches of Elihu. After a lengthy introduction speech in chapter 32, chapters 33-37 involve three more speeches that focus on God’s sovereignty and might and offer an additional purpose for suffering that we will look at in a moment. His last speech emphasizes God’s majesty and foreshadows the Yahweh speeches of 38-41.

Let me add just a couple of comments concerning this text before we move on to what we can learn from it. First, the text we are considering is written in Hebrew poetry. There is much to be said about Hebrew poetry, but I simply want to mention that it involves high language and much symbolism, which makes it very difficult to understand at times. Yet, with time and diligent study it makes for extremely fascinating reading. Second, one might rightly ask why this section is so long? One reason why I think the author spent so much time on the dialogue between Job and the friends is to give us a picture in to Job’s great patience and steadfastness. The arguments that the friends bring against Job are often lengthy and repetitious. Yet, this only reaffirms for the reader the great endurance of Job’s faith. When studying through the book with Kyle Mathis, we both commented on how frustrated we were, as readers, with the friends’ speeches. It seems that the author is possibly using this stylistic ploy to really help us identify with Job as he struggles to dialogue with his friends. It may also serve to give us insight into how reluctant we are to admit that our thinking may be erroneous. Either way, as we will see, it is clear that there is much we can from this section of the book of Job.

II. Instruction: What can we learn from this text?

Since we are dealing with such a large text, trying to identify what we can learn from it in one sermon seems obviously overwhelming. Yet, the way I want to approach this question is by asking and answering some more limited questions. Therefore, I want to begin by asking the question: What can we learn from the three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar?

The three friends teach us that there is wisdom in knowing how and when to apply truth.
Although they approach it from different angles, seemingly the argument from all the friends goes something like this: God is a sovereign God. He is also good and just in his dealings with man. Therefore the wicked are punished and the righteous are rewarded. And since God is just, the punishment will fit the crime as well as with the reward. This can be called providential Lex talionis, which is a way of referring to an eye for an eye. It is also referred to as the law of retribution, or double retribution. Look again with me at Eliphaz’s opening speech to see an example of this. Job 4:7-9 reads: Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and so trouble reap the same. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed. This is the type of argument that the friends are bringing against Job. They figure that since the law of retribution is true, then Job must have sinned and he must have sinned greatly. Otherwise he would not be suffering. Over and over again they conclude from this principle that Job has sinned. For them there is no way around it. Simply put, God is using great suffering to punish Job because Job has sinned greatly. The only purpose behind such great suffering would be to punish great sin and therefore they conclude that Job has sinned and they encourage him to repent.

So then, have they simply got the principle wrong? Is God not really sovereign? No. Is God not really good and just? No. Does God not say that he will indeed punish the wicked and reward the righteous? Consider Deuteronomy 28 with me. The Lord makes clear to the Israelites that He will bless them for their righteousness and curse them for their disobedience. The idea that a man will reap what he sows is found throughout the Bible (see Galatians 6:7-9). In fact Job himself struggles with this principle. In chapter 9 we see him struggling in his response to Bildad. Job knows the principle, but he also knows that he has not sinned in such a manner that he would reap such great suffering. As he begins to come against this, the friends become more and more frustrated with his comments. In fact, Eliphaz gets very pointed in his remarks in chapter 15 and asks Job ‘do you limit wisdom to yourself?’ In chapter 21 we see Job argue that at times the wicked do prosper, sounding much like Psalm 73 only without the resolution. Thus, they continue to battle back and forth over who has true wisdom.

Since we know that God rebukes the friends in the epilogue of the book, we must then ask how they go wrong? Their problem is not in the principle per se, but rather in their application of the principle to Job. It is true that God justly punishes the wicked. Yet, to simply look at Job’s suffering and conclude that it is an obvious punishment of the Lord for some sin is an error on their part. Thus, their application of this principle to Job is an error. What they end up doing is tempting Job to sin by calling him to repent for sins that he has not committed in order for God to bless him. If Job would have heeded their advice, then he would have been guilty of doing exactly what Satan accused him of, namely serving God simply for gain. Even though there is truth in the principle of retribution, it is not a principle that we are to use in order to manipulate or manage God. We must be careful in this. Thus, we learn from the friends that there is wisdom in knowing how and when to apply truth.

As for Job, we learn from him that there is wisdom in knowing how to respond to suffering.
We see clearly from Job’s speeches that he is not stoic in his response to his suffering. We might wonder when we get to chapter 3 what happened to the Job of chapters 1 and 2. But is this not the reality of suffering. It is one thing to know truth and to respond in faith when suffering comes. Yet, as our losses settle in and we begin to process what has happened, it is not wrong for us to mourn and ask questions as we struggle. Often the hardest part of suffering is living with it. We may know that God is sovereign and good, but it is often hard to let that truth sink in and overcome our emotional battles that come from trying to live and cope with suffering. In the book of Job we get a picture of a righteous sufferer. And the picture includes struggles and questions and a longing for the answer to the why question.

One of the real difficulties of the book is the question: Did Job cross the line and sin in his speeches? We know that the friends said some things right and some things wrong because of the rebuke at the end. Yet, the Lord does not rebuke Job. We do see in 42:6 that Job repents in dust and ashes. But it is hard to know exactly what he is repenting of. He is not repenting of former sins like the friends call him to do, this would not agree with the rest of the book. So then we must ask if he is repenting of things he said and if so, what things specifically? Also, some would argue that in this context Job does not have in mind anything specific but is just acknowledging his low place before Almighty God. This issue is complex and difficult to answer from the text. I do think there are places that it could be argued that Job has crossed the line (for example 9:21-24 and 24), yet, we must be careful in how far we take this because the Lord does say that Job has spoken of him what is right in 42:7. In all this I think we see the kindness and greatness of God in our time of suffering. We do not have to be stoic in our responses to suffering, for God is great enough to handle our questions and our grief.

With Elihu we learn that there is wisdom in knowing that God uses suffering for our instruction and sanctification.
It is hard to know exactly how to approach the speeches of Elihu. In many ways, he argues much like the friends. He speaks of God’s greatness and sovereignty and accuses Job of being too righteous in his own eyes. Yet, we see in 33:14-20 that Elihu sees another purpose in suffering besides simply punishment for sins. Elihu sees that God may use suffering to instruct us and prevent us from disobedience. The idea that God would use suffering for other reasons than punishment is seemingly new to the argument. Elihu still does not explain Job’s suffering. The why question still remains. But he has at least identified another purpose for suffering. This is helpful for Job and it is helpful for us as well to recognize this intent in suffering.

Other passages support the idea that one of the purposes of suffering is our instruction and sanctification. We mentioned last week the struggles of Joseph. Although he could not exactly see why he was suffering so much, it is clear that the Lord used his suffering for good purposes (including instructing Joseph and his brothers). Likewise we read of Paul’s suffering in 2 Corinthians 12 and of his thorn in his side. He writes in verse 7: So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. He goes on to write that he is content with weakness because in his weakness he is made strong. In Philippians 4:10-13, a passage we often quote out of its context, Paul makes it clear that his suffering has taught him how to be content in all situations.

It is interesting that Elihu is not rebuked in the end with the other three friends. Although some of his arguments seem similar to the friends, the author wants us to understand that what he says concerning suffering is right. It is wise for us to understand that God often uses suffering to instruct us and sanctify us.

One last truth we learn from this text concerning wisdom is that God alone knows the way to wisdom and he has told us that it begins with fearing Him.
Chapter 28 of the book of Job is one of my favorite chapters of the book. The arguments of the friends have all been silenced. They have not been able to comfort Job. Job himself is still struggling with the why of his suffering. And in the middle of this tense scene, we are given this hymn to wisdom. And what does it teach us? Simply stated, as smart and resourceful as man is, he cannot find the way nor pay for the way to wisdom. Rather, wisdom belongs to the Lord. Man will only know wisdom if the Lord chooses to reveal it to him. Man is desperate for the Lord when it comes to wisdom. And yet, the Lord in his kindness has not left us in the dark. Even amidst the questions of the book of Job, the root of wisdom remains in fearing the Lord. If man is to know anything of wisdom on this earth, he must begin by fearing the Lord. This indeed is a great lesson from this text and from this book.

III. Application: How do we as believers apply this text to our lives?

First, we need to be wise and gracious in our application of truth.
We must avoid the mistakes of the friends. Good theology poorly applied is really not good theology at all. We must labor to understand wise principles as given to us in Scripture. Yet, we also must labor in applying them wisely in particular situations in our lives. I can give you an example of this struggle. We can all agree that educating our children is a responsibility that must be taken up by the parents. Yet, is there then only one way to apply this principle in our lives. Should we condemn each other for not agreeing with us on our particular application? No, we must labor to hold one another accountable to the principle while at the same time allowing for different particular applications. This is difficult and hard at times. Yet, we must strive to be wise in our application of principles. And I must add, as individuals and as a community of believers we must beg God to give us wisdom in understanding and applying the Word to our lives. May He give us great grace as we labor in this.

Second, like Job we need to respond to suffering biblically.
We need to allow ourselves and one another the room to struggle and question. God is big enough for our grief and we do not need to hide it or suppress it. This does not mean that we through out our theology when suffering comes. No it simply means that it is alright to struggle and wrestle when we go through times of suffering. Only by being real and honest with ourselves and each other and with God can we learn to rejoice in our suffering.

Third, it is appropriate for us to ask in our suffering, ‘What is the Lord trying to teach me through this?’
As I have wrestle with the question in my own life of Why diabetes, the Lord has been so kind in instructing me and drawing me closer to Himself. The Lord has taught me so much through my struggles with the disease. Thus, through asking these questions I have really been able to see the great kindness of my God in allowing me to have this disease. Now this does not mean that the answers will always be clear and it does not mean that answering this question will take away all the hurt, yet, it is encouraging for us to realize that our suffering is not pointless and that often the Lord will use it for our sanctification and thus His glory.

Last, I think this text calls us to simply trust in the wisdom of the Lord.
Paul calls the message of the cross foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Job 28 (and much of the book) points us to our desperate need for God to reveal wisdom and indeed He has. The world may come up with all kinds of ‘new’ knowledge and ‘new’ technology. The world will laugh and mock the simple faith of the believer. Yet, the foolishness of God is wiser than men. Our part is not to have all the answers to all the questions, but it is to trust in the wisdom of the Lord. This begins by trusting in the message of the cross, which is indeed the power and wisdom of God.

GOD, WISDOM, AND THE PLIGHT OF MAN

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