JOB 4<\/b><\/p>\n
Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed?<\/i><\/p>\n
(Job. 4:7)<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Job\u2019s three friends came to sit with him in his troubles. Initially they showed great sensitivity to his plight, for they sat silently for seven days, recognizing that no words were adequate and sharing in his grief. After Job spoke up and cursed his birthday (Job 3), however, the friends began trying to help Job understand his situation.<\/p>\n
In his first speech (Job 4\u20135), Eliphaz the Temanite told Job that he should remember the pious advice he had given others in the past (4:1\u20136). He told Job that suffering is always the result of some specific sin or sinful tendency (4:7\u201311). He said that he had received a vision to this effect (4:12\u201321). He said that Job\u2019s protestations of innocence sounded like the words of a fool (5:1\u20137). He told Job that the solution was to repent and turn to God (5:8\u201316). If Job did repent, he would find that God\u2019s chastisements were but blessings in disguise, and that afterwards God would restore to him what He took away (5:17\u201327).<\/p>\n
We have to be careful when reading the speeches of Job\u2019s comforters, because much of what the friends said is objectively correct but misapplied in the case of Job. The gist of their remarks is this: God does not punish people for nothing. Job must have done something to bring these disasters upon himself.<\/p>\n
It is certainly true that we reap what we sow, eventually. It is true that God sometimes visits us with pain and chastisement in order to drive us back to Himself. It is also true, however, that some suffering is sent for the benefit of other people\u2019s growth, or even simply for the glory of God in mysterious ways that we won\u2019t understand until He tells us (John 9).<\/p>\n
Job\u2019s friends intended to be kind, but in fact they were cruel. As Job resisted what they said, they became more assertive and insensitive. Job\u2019s refusal to own up to some great sin was a thorn in the side of their neat moralistic theology. If Job was right and God was not afflicting him for some particular sins, then their theology and philosophy were wrong, and they would have to change. That was something they didn\u2019t want to do, so they strove to get Job to conform to their ideas about him.<\/p>\n
CORAM DEO<\/b><\/p>\n
Isaiah 19\u201321<\/p>\n
Ephesians 2<\/p>\n
Read Job 4\u20135 twice. Read the first time and notice that in the abstract what Eliphaz says is correct and even insightful. Then re-read the chapters as if you were Job, and notice how everything becomes wrong and painful. Learn from this to be careful of cheap pious advice to people in pain.<\/p>\n
For further study: Psalm 39:25\u201333 \u2022 Proverbs 22 \u2022 Galatians 6:6\u201310<\/i><\/p>\n
TABLETALK<\/p>\n
from ligonier ministries and teaching and encouraging believers \u2022 october 1991<\/p>\n
REPENTANCE<\/p>\n
Daily Studies From The Teaching Fellowship Of R. C. Sproul<\/p>\n
publisher<\/b> Ligonier Ministries<\/i> editor<\/b> Robert F. Ingram<\/i> assistant editor<\/b> Michael S. Beates<\/i> art director<\/b> David K. Freeland<\/i><\/p>\n
editorial assistants<\/b> Mike Renihan, R. C. Sproul, Jr.<\/i> marketing<\/b> Gordon Busteed, Gretchen L. Suskovic<\/i> production<\/b> W. David Fox, Melissa A. Prichard, Dawn Sanders<\/i><\/p>\n
circulation<\/b> Brenda M. Worden<\/i> writing consultant<\/b> Sharon J. Anderson<\/i><\/p>\n
Published by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. under license granted by Ligonier Ministries, Inc. Copyright 1991, Ligonier Ministries, Inc. The Bible studies are based upon teaching material by Dr. R. C. Sproul. Unless noted, all Scripture quotations in this publication are from the<\/i> Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.<\/i><\/p>\n
member evangelical press association<\/p>\n
Cover: The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Bartolome Esteban Murillo. Superstock, N.Y.<\/p>\n
robert f. ingram \u2022 editor<\/p>\n
Coram Deo<\/p>\n
Sometimes as Christians we are called upon to do some rather humbling things. Have you ever had to go to a friend that you have wronged in order to ask for forgiveness? This is a lost grace among Christians today. Some prefer the easy road of \u201ctime heals all wounds\u201d instead of trudging the rugged path of personal repentance.<\/p>\n
Even when we seek repentance we may not achieve it. Too often we approach the offended party with humility, saying, \u201cI am sorry for such-and-such. Will you forgive me?\u201d\u2014only to have the offended reply, \u201cIt\u2019s all right, don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d Case closed; reconciliation has taken place\u2014or has it? Modern cliches justify the sin with a wink; biblical repentance looks at sin with a glare.<\/p>\n
When we sin against our brothers and sisters, we need forgiveness for our wrong, not justification of it. Their response should be \u201cI forgive you,\u201d rather than shrugging off the offense with, \u201cOh, it\u2019s alright.\u201d<\/p>\n
This wrong response is typical of the misunderstanding of the biblical notion of repentance prevalent in some circles of the church today.<\/p>\n
In repentance we confess an actual offense, experience real guilt, see the need to turn from our sinful behavior, and then understand that we must seek reconciliation with our Christian friend and God through a restoration of that which has been lost.<\/p>\n
When we consider who man is contrasted with a holy God, we should be awestruck at the possibility of repentance. We stand in need of that which is beyond our grasp, the righteousness of Christ. Repentance is, therefore, not an easy thing. God does not \u201cwink\u201d at sin and say, \u201cIt\u2019s alright, don\u2019t worry.\u201d He says, \u201cHe who covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy\u201d (Prov. 28:13 nkjv).<\/p>\n
Covering our sin with comforting words just will not do. Repentance is the avenue to reconciliation in salvation and restoration in sanctification. As we live our lives Coram Deo<\/i>,<\/i> cultivating an awareness of God\u2019s presence, let us live life under His authority, and for His glory, remembering our need for continuing repentance.<\/p>\n
table of contents<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JOB 4 Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? (Job. 4:7). Job\u2019s three friends came to sit with him in his troubles. Initially they showed great sensitivity to his plight, for they sat silently for seven days, recognizing that no words were adequate and sharing in his grief. … Continue reading “JOB\u2019S \u201cCOMFORTERS\u201d”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11555\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}