Job 27 - Defending The Faith

Defending the Faith

Job is getting quite serious with his friends. He has had quite enough of their foolish talk. He knows in his heart that he has done no bad thing deliberately and he is going to stand on that integrity until the day he dies. He knows that the Lord has allowed this to happen to him, but he doesn’t know why – yet. He is remaining steadfast in this – he will not allow himself to speak deceit. As despairing as he has been and though he has questioned God in all this maybe (one cannot know) a thousand different ways in his mind, he is still maintaining his integrity in the sight of God. And he is maintaining his faith in Him.

Heavenly Father;

Thank You for Your word to us, Your children today. Lord, whether we are new babies in Christ Jesus or seasoned and mature in the faith, there is always something new we can learn. In this life we cannot even scratch the surface of all that You are and want to show us. We ask You to open our hearts and spiritual eyes and ears to see, hear and receive all that You have for us today. Father, may Your word go out to us unhindered and unchecked by any flesh or outside force to accomplish Your good purpose. Thank You Sir for always watching over Your word to perform it in Jesus name. Amen. 

As Job continues to speak to his friends, he is telling them that there is no hope for the hypocrite. Those guys had seen the hope of the wicked and had certainly preached to Job on the ways and end of the wicked throughout this trial. Job asks them why they continue to ‘babble on’ so to speak with all this nonsense. He is going to teach them about the handiwork of God where the wicked man is concerned. We will also look at what the righteous man or woman will inherit from the things that the wicked store up – hallelujah!

When we get past the first 12 verses, we see an account of what happens to those who are wicked with God. What happens to those who are oppressors? What will they receive from God? People look around at the evil going on, just like we discussed in an earlier chapter and they wonder how the evil people are getting away with murder – and so much more. It seems like there is no end to what they get away with while the innocent people suffer endlessly. But every day they continue in their wicked deeds, they store up more and more wrath for themselves in the Day of Judgment. All their hard work and all the treasures they store up will be handed over to them that are right with God – hallelujah!

Let’s look at Psalm 37 in its entirety. We have looked at it before but this chapter brings it back wonderfully as Job stands his ground with his integrity before God and his faith in Him.  

We have got to look at Job as a shining example because as bad as it has been looking for him for a time now, he is sticking with God and ready to defend his integrity and faith in the ways of God. It makes us take this sentence and turn it upon ourselves and say the same thing – are we willing to stand our ground and be righteous and tell others about the ways of God? Through all the pain and suffering Job had gone through, he is not giving up on the Lord. Can you see it saints?

As bad as it was - and it was bad, he didn’t quit God. He knows that the wicked may be scurrying around storing up treasures for themselves and their families, but he also knows that those are just in God’s eyes will wear those beautiful things and divide the spoil among themselves – see verse 17. Oh there is so much here – we could go on for eternity in this chapter alone. Praise God!

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

As we proceed through this Psalm, you will think that God was using Job to do the talking. It sounds a lot like what he was telling his pals that day when his words were recorded. What we will see is that Job is maintaining his integrity and faith, standing on the goodness and the promises of God. A mere coincidence? I think not! How many fret today when they see the bad guys doing their thing and wreaking havoc in the world? And what good does it do to fret? Is it a man that can bring an evil doer to justice? Certainly not. God is the one watching. The vengeance belongs to him.

So why should we fret? While we who are born of God despise what the wicked do, their evil doings should never be a cause for us to fret. That word is the same as worry and Jesus told us not to do it. Worry is sin and it is a lack of faith in God. We need to stop fretting when we see the pestilence flying by day and the terrors flying by night. God will deal with all who do not repent – we can be certain of that.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

When we trust in the Lord - when we do good and continually feed on His faithfulness, we are free of worry, doubt and fear. Feeding on Him is to be in His presence every day and in His word. It is going to church and doing things with excellence. That’s what pleases Him. Then look at the next sentence. When we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us our hearts’ desires. How does that work, you ask? Well, first of all don’t be misled on this verse. We cannot go to God and ask for anything out of selfishness and expect to get it. But if we are really and truly delighting in Him, then everything He loves and wants done in the earth becomes our desire as well. And once that happens, He is faithful and well pleased to grant us those desires.

God saves us and then He changes us each day to look and act more and more like Jesus, our wonderful Master. Have you ever put an item down on a shopping list and just kept it there for a future time? You knew that you wanted that item and maybe you didn’t have the money or you were not sure if it was the right time to buy it. You allowed it to just stay on the list week after week until finally you no longer felt that you really needed it.

I have done this many times. I thought I wanted something, but over time that desire changed and I eventually crossed it off the list. It is like that with the Lord. We come to Him thinking we want this or that, like a little child wanting a specific toy. But as He changes us over time, that toy starts to lose its importance and we no longer desire it. Something else more important has taken its place of priority in our hearts. When we stop wanting foolish or useless things and start wanting what God wants for us, then we start getting what He wants. It is a glorious thing how He can turn the human heart like a watercourse as we submit to His care and leading. What we will buy, wear, eat, and where we want to go, what we watch, where we travel and why all begins to change as we delight ourselves in the wonderful ways of the Lord. Hallelujah!

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

When we commit all that we are doing to God and fully trust in Him, He brings things to pass in our lives we never imagined would be possible. He is so faithful and good. He brings our work, our ministry assignments, our relationships, and the items we need to do what He is calling us to do. He shows us where to live, who to marry, and what friends to have in our inner circle. He shows us where to go to church and even where to shop and when and where to go for a ‘play day’. He literally brings all kinds of good things to pass in our lives when we are truly committed to Him and His purpose. Our right and just ways will shine brightly to all who observe us without us ever having to open our mouths. Our actions will speak louder and shine far brighter than any words we can ever say.

Job would find this out. In our chapter today he is standing his ground with God. He is determined not to give up on doing good and he is not giving up on the goodness and faithfulness of God. This is an important lesson for all of us. It is easy to say we are committed to the Lord when everything is lookin’ rosy. But what about those days when the car breaks down or the air conditioner at the office doesn’t work and it is 90 degrees outside with 100% humidity? Will we be shining then? Will we stay committed then? When I was told I would lose my job for standing up for God in the workplace, I had to stand my ground and fully commit myself to God, even though I had no money in the bank and a 401k that the Lord would not allow me to spend at the time. We all have those moments when the heat comes. That is when we need to stay hooked with God and not lose heart. That’s when our faith can speak the loudest to God’s heart.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

What does it mean to rest in the Lord? That word means to trust Him by no longer striving in our own effort to bring something to pass. Let’s look at Webster’s 1828 description of the word…

REST, noun [Latin resto, if the latter is a compound of re and sto; but is an original word. See Verb.]

1. Cessation of motion or action of any kind, and applicable to any body or being; as rest from labor; rest from mental exertion; rest of body or mind. A body is at rest when it ceases to move; the mind is at rest when it ceases to be disturbed or agitated; the sea is never at rest Hence,

2. Quiet; repose; a state free from motion or disturbance; a state of reconciliation to God.

“Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls.”  Matthew 11:28.

A lot of running around trying to make things happen on our own is not peaceful and it isn’t trusting God. It is trying to bring about an end result to a situation that we cannot possibly accomplish on our own. I remember the Lord showing me Isaiah 30:15 multiple times as I have said before to get me to be calm and just trust Him. It took me a long time to even begin to understand what He was trying to tell me. Look at this…

Isaiah 30:15a

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

I needed to get back to God with my eating issues and stop trying so hard to achieve success in my own strength and stop trying to do it on my own. This is a huge problem in Christianity today. So many are trying, fretting and striving to do what only God’s power can do in us. We cannot strengthen ourselves like God can. When we do our part and really trust Him, we will see His power manifest in us in ways we never imagined. Let’s move on…

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.

Look at that! What does fretting (worrying) do? It causes harm. Being angry, getting mad at ourselves or others (wrath) – it all causes us great spiritual and physical harm. It takes away from God and puts us in harm’s way because by doing all of that we are giving place to the devil to work in our lives. It opens the door to sickness and disease. We must never submit to anger and worry. Those are the characteristics of the devil and no good result will ever come from it.

For evildoers shall be cut off;

The bad guys may have their ‘day’ for a season, but they will be destroyed. It happens suddenly. Until the Lord wraps this whole thing up we will have to deal with the enemy prowling around this world deceiving the minds of many who give place to his evil ways. Be we don’t have to be like those who are perishing. We know whom we have believed in and that He will keep us. Look at the next verse…

But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

Patience brings a great reward saints. Waiting is critical in this life. We will always have to wait for something so we might as well just get used to it and embrace it. After all, patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit living inside us and it really is a good thing. It certainly looks like Job was patient doesn’t it? He was sticking it out in spite of how awful he felt. No matter what the circumstances were, he was waiting on God to avenge him. This would most assuredly be to his advantage, as it will be to ours.

I remember the Lord giving me the verse about restoring to me “man and beast” and that they “would increase and bear young” – see Ez. 36:11. I had to wait 6 years from the time I arrived in Florida for that verse to come to pass in my life. While I have seen each piece of it unfold, I am still waiting for it to be completely worked out in my life. But God is faithful. He will do what He has promised for us as long as we do not faint and give up. Patience is the key that unlocks countless blessings. Glory to God! 

For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.

But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

What does the word meek really mean anyway? Let’s see what the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary has to say…

MEEK, adjective [Latin mucus; Eng. mucilage; Heb. to melt.]

1. Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.

Now the man Moses was very meek above all men. Numbers 12:3.

2. Appropriately, humble, in an evangelical sense; submissive to the divine will; not proud, self-sufficient or refractory; not peevish and apt to complain of divine dispensations. Christ says, 'Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls.' Matthew 11:29.

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.

Jesus was the perfect illustration of meekness. Though He was bold when He preached the word to the Pharisees and Sadducees, He was meek in His nature at all times. We who are meek, like Jesus will have a great inheritance. The treasures of the earth will be ours. And when we walk in meekness, we walk in peace. Nothing disturbs us. No problem or challenge can ‘rock our world’. That’s good news.

But how can a person truly get to that point? By submitting our will to the Lord every day. Is it possible to do? Absolutely. If it were not Jesus would not have said it. But He did tell us that a disciple who is perfectly trained can be like his master. See Luke 6:40. In a world gone haywire, peace is a rare and very precious commodity indeed!

The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

The bad guys are storing up wrath for themselves as we said earlier and their day in court is coming. And when it does, it won’t be pretty. Those who deny the salvation of the Lord by denying what Jesus did for them are looking toward an eternity without God. And that alone is all the hell one could ever dread to see, let alone the lake of burning fire. Without God and His Holy Spirit, our existence would be pure hell. What a dreadful thought. That is what makes hell – hell.

The pleasures of sin may last for a moment – that’s why people sin; because they like how they feel when they are doing it. But that which a man reaps will he also sow. His own evil deeds will whip around and land back on his own head. Job knew this. He had been around plenty long enough to see the hope of the wicked get cut off in a flash.

A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.

Saints, we must remember that no matter what we have we are better to have a little and be right with God than to trust in or love riches. We must not forget that a heart that is right with God the Lord will bless and He wants to make us rich. But when riches have us, it is another matter entirely.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

God is our strength. Evil people do not have that help from the Lord. He lets them go their evil way if that is what they are choosing. He won’t force them to do good. But a man or woman who is right in the sight of the Lord can depend on God to hold them up in difficult times. He has arms that are mighty and outstretched toward those who love and trust Him. Hallelujah! 

The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Look at this verse closely. Now think about Job for a minute. He is in an evil time in his life, isn’t he? He has been struck by the enemy and hit with all kinds of evil. But God knows all about His man Job. He knows the way Job had been living and that he had a heart after God’s own heart.

The Lord knew that Job was standing up for Him even in the midst of all this confusion. God knew that Job had yet to learn about why all this happened. But that never changed His love for His child. The Lord would step in to satisfy Job in his hungriest moments. In the crucible of this trial Job has already shown that he was hungry (earnestly desiring) to meet with God to plead his case.

The Lord did that for me too. All those days when I was living on McDonald’s dollar menu items to fill my hungry belly, the Lord was sustaining me as He was preparing to step in and move in a mighty way in my life. But I had to prove myself faithful in depending on God. I had to show Him that I meant business. God is not interested in having people cry out to Him vainly only when “it hurts” and then turn their backs on Him the minute He alleviates their pain. The Lord is looking for men and women who truly long for Him to be their “everything” – in good times and in bad. And in our chapter today, Job has not given up on God.

But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not repay,

But the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,

God’s true followers are merciful and reach out to the needy. Those are the very characteristics of God Himself. Again we see that His blessings bring us the inheritance of the earth. Folks, we have yet to discover the riches contained in this earth and the wealth that could be used to help people. But the Lord won’t give it to the wicked. He wants to give it to His children. Sadly, too many Christians are fully convinced in their minds that to be a real Christian means to be poor. It is a lie from the pit and cannot be proven biblically. One only needs to study up on the word – don’t take my word for it. Look it up and seek God on the subject for yourself. You’ll be glad you did. How can we help others if we have nothing to give? Hmmm…

But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.

Isn’t this verse the very essence of what Job has been saying? He has been around the block. He has seen how God has ordered his steps. He has known God to delight in him. He has had a wonderful relationship with his Creator for a very long time. Job knew that a righteous man in God’s sight and his descendants would not be forsaken. Even in the heat of this trial, he still knows that. Verse 17 of our chapter today proves Job’s thoughts on this very subject.

He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed.

We can only imagine how many people Job had blessed and helped when he was prospering so much. And how blessed his children must have been. Maybe that is why Job felt qualified to ask Bildad in yesterday’s chapter who he had been a blessing to. If God thought Job was the most upright man in all the east then we can make a correct assumption that he had used his great wealth (probably the equivalent to a billionaire in our world today) to bless many. And how many people had he counseled and helped with good advice, sharing godly wisdom to those in need? One can only imagine. Those details are deliberately withheld because the Lord did not see that they were pertinent to telling us about these events.

Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore.

A simple command given to anyone on the planet who will listen. If we do good, we will dwell forevermore with our Lord. Now that is worth shoutin about saints! Sure it is tough to crucify the flesh every day. Nobody ever said it would be easy. Jesus certainly knew it wasn’t easy. But He did it. And so can we. It is a choice. Our choice each and every day. Most of our life will depend on our own choices. If we choose God and His ways then we invite Him to work on our behalf.

For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever,

This is a verse, like every other word that proceeds out of the mouth of God that we can take to our spiritual bank! He will never leave us and He will never forsake us. He will preserve us. Do you believe it? No matter what you are going through right now, do you believe this? Really believe it?

But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice.

Job spoke wisdom in today’s chapter. He knew what would happen to the wicked. 

All that preachin’ his friends did to him about the destination of the wicked was like preachin’ to the choir. Unfortunately they were doing more accusing than they were preaching.

The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

When we hide God’s word down deep in our hearts it will keep us from stumbling in our lives. We will know how to react to every situation we encounter. And when we miss it, we will know how to get right back on course. The word of God was written and fully intended to guide our every footstep to keep us walking on solid ground. Praise His name forever! Spending time hiding God’s word in our hearts is the best investment we can make. It will pay eternal dividends that will never dry up. That’s good banking friends! Hallelujah!

The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him.

The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

This is something Job could look forward to. The enemy had been watching this prosperous man of God very closely to see how he could take him out. In just a few chapters we will see what God will do about getting Job freed from the hand of the enemy. For now – while the trial is still very intense, we have to remain calm, peaceful and trust God to come through.

If He would do it for any man, He will do it for you and me. I have seen Him come through for me so many times saints and I am a witness to His faithfulness. Glory to His name forever! That is where we pass or fail the test. It’s when the heat is on. Anyone can pass a test when they already have the answers. But what about when you don’t know? Like Job?

Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land;

Job started off today’s chapter saying that he was not going to speak wickedness or deceit. He was waiting on God and he was determined not to sin. He doesn’t understand yet the ways that he has sinned, so at the moment he is not accountable for what he does not know. All he knew was that he was going to maintain his integrity, his innocence and his position with God. That was the smartest thing he could choose to do. God was watching. He knew Job’s heart better than he knew it himself. And He knows ours too. God knows all things and we can’t hide a single thing from Him. So if we walk in integrity, trust me, God won’t miss that.

When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace.

Having a life of peace, on the inside and the outside is a life worth having. And it is possible to have it when the world is crying “where is peace?” An upright person with God walks among all this calamity trusting in the One who created the heavens and the earth and knows that he can trust in his God. Is that you and me saints? God is faithful. Will we trust Him so we can live a peaceful and abundant life?

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.

This would prove to be the bottom line for Job. His salvation in this mess would come from God. Job didn’t know when and he didn’t know how, but he knew it would happen. He still trusted in God.

Can you just look heavenward and imagine we are back there looking at Job and watching all this, and then peering heavenward seeing the Lord is all His glory smiling at Job and thinking, “That’s it Job! Keep the faith. It is going to pay off in a big way. Just keep trusting Me. I am going to come through for you in a big way and the enemy will be sorry that he ever messed with you. Just hang on.”

I have felt Him saying things like that to me in the Spirit before. I saw Him give me songs and words of encouragement to keep up the faith and not give up. I have seen it in His word and heard it in my heart. And He has always come through. I watched Him take evil people from my midst while bringing loving and godly ones in their place. I have never seen Him forsake me – no not ever. And Job wouldn’t either. We just have to ride it out a little further to see what God is going to do for Job. The question for you and me right now is this – will we do the same?

Job was bold in his faith in God even though this thing had been going on for a while. He didn’t faint in his ultimate trust in God. He still had faith. He defended his faith to his friends. Faith always wins.

Questions:

What did Job say in verse 4?

What is the summation of Job’s comments in verse 5 & 6?

What did he tell his friends in verse 11? 

What happens to the riches of the wicked according to verse 17?

What in Psalm 37 stands out the most to you today? Why?

1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—

our faith.

There are three main points to consider from today’s study…

No matter what we are going through we can maintain our faith in God

Wicked people will be cut off without hope

The Lord always comes through for the righteous man or woman

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for always working things out on my behalf when I put my total faith and trust in You. Thank You for all the wonderful faithful promises You have given me in Your word to encourage me to keep on believing – even in my most difficult moments. Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness and Your love. Help me through Holy Spirit to always remember that no matter how things may appear, You are with me and will never leave me without help. I praise You and thank You in Jesus name! Amen.

What promise are you standing on in today’s verses to keep your faith strong? 

And God Said… You fill in the blanks.

                                 

     Psalm 91:13-15

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.