Sermons and Biblical Studies

JOB 35–37 “If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up” (Job 37:20). Elihu’s main objection to Job is that he failed to hold his tongue in his complaints against God. At the root of Job’s sin was something that all believers struggle with to one degree or another: our inability to … Continue reading “THE INADEQUACY OF WORDS”

JOB 32–34 “Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion’ ” (Job 32:10). Chapters 32–37 present the discourses and moderation of the young man Elihu, who had been listening to the arguments of Job and his friends. As a young man should, Elihu hesitated to insert his opinion into the conversation because … Continue reading “ELIHU’S GODLY COUNSEL”

JOB 31 “Let me be weighed on honest scales …” (Job 31:6). In chapter 31, Job once again feels compelled to vindicate himself against his accusers. He specifically denies a number of sins with which he had been charged. As we take a general look at the various sins he vehemently claims he had not … Continue reading “JOB’S SUMMARY DEFENSE”

JOB 30 “But You have become cruel to me …” (Job 30:21). The root of Job’s spiritual and emotional anguish in chapter 30 is that he thinks God had become his enemy. While he always recognized that God is in control of everything, even his suffering, Job accuses God of using His sovereignty to be … Continue reading “BITTER COMPLAINTS”

JOB 29 “I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame” (Job 29:15). We learn from this discourse that Job valued not the honor, wealth, and dignity he had obtained in the days before his trial, but that he could use his strength, power, and influence to serve and protect his … Continue reading “LONGING TO BE USEFUL”

JOB 27–28 “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom …” (Job 28:28). Job proclaims in chapter 28 that only true wisdom can enrich our lives and sustain us through the hardships of life. But fallen humanity has no idea of the inestimable worth of wisdom, how it outshines all the riches of this … Continue reading “PURSUIT OF WISDOM”

JOB 26 “How have you saved the arm that has no strength?” (Job 26:2). Bildad smugly thought he had silenced Job with his eloquent counsel on the power and majesty of God. But, in the first four verses of chapter 26, Job chides Bildad for his inability to advise properly. When Bildad should have comforted … Continue reading “LET THE WISE GIVE COUNSEL”

JOB 25 “How then can man be righteous before God?” (Job 25:4). Believing Job had properly grasped the profound differences between God and man, Bildad takes it upon himself to instruct Job in the matter. His instruction honors God in that it exalts His greatness and proclaims His righteousness to a creation that cannot compare … Continue reading “MAN MADE RIGHTEOUS?”

JOB 23–24 “Look, I go forward, but He is not there …” (Job 23:8). Job’s friends counseled him to do something that he could not do. They advised him to seek God and get acquainted with His divine purposes, but Job found that he could not understand what God was doing in his life (23:8–9). … Continue reading “SEEKING GOD”

JOB 22 “Can a man be profitable to God …?” (Job 22:1). Eliphaz misunderstands Job as saying that God owes him mercy because of his righteousness. But Job never implies any such thing. He knows just as well as Eliphaz that God owes him nothing. But do people in our day understand such a profound … Continue reading “DOES GOD NEED US?”