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 8-6-2017 Weekly Message

The contemplation of the week: Job 38: 1-44

Text: Job 42:1-6

The title of the Word: Have You Heard Of God With Ear? Or Seen Him With Eyes?

           The first written one of the 66 books of the Bible is the book of Job. Through Job, God speaks to all unregenerate Gentiles, unregenerate Jews, and those in the Church of God.

         All who are born into the world are born in the midst of the death of the spirit, without the breath of life which God had given to Adam.   Therefore, they are not able to see God that is Spirit only walking in the things visible with eyes; some of them spent the whole life teaching of dead God.

         God chose Job, a man who was perfect and honest among the people at that time, about 4,000 years ago, who feared God and evaded evil. God allowed Satan to tempt Job for a little while. He has taken away all his children, all his possessions, and his wife from him, and puts his body in the torment of leprosy. He also sent his three friends to condemn him.

         Job was a righteous man when looked at humanly, but he was still a natural man who had no Spirit of God. He heard the judgment of his friends in the midst of extreme situation under God’s permission, and his own righteousness was revealed t that  was in him. Later, he cursed the day when he was born even  to grumble against God.

         Elihu, the spokesman of God who came with three of his friends at this time, finally told Job:

“ ⁸ Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of [thy] words, [saying],

⁹ I am clean without transgression, I [am] innocent; neither [is there] iniquity in me.

¹⁰ Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,

¹¹ He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.

¹² Behold, [in] this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

¹³ Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters. “(Job 33: 8-13)

            Finally, God appeared to Job and said:

” ²Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instructhim? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.   (Job 40: 2)

             Job, who heard the voice of God, finally realized what he was before God and replied, ” ⁴ Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

⁵ Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.“(Job 40: 4-5)

         God, who heard Job’s confession, again answered Job in the midst of the whirlwind:

“⁷ Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

⁸ Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous? (Job 40: 7-8)

          In the chapters 38 and 39, Job could not answer a word about what God had asked him. There is no one in the world who can answer the questions God has asked Job. Neither scientists, philosophers, educators, politicians, nor any other person who boasts of his own degree can answer a question for God’s questions.

          After hearing the words of God, Job finally confessed to God that he was a miserable sinner:

“² I know that thou canst do every [thing], and [that] no thought can be withholden from thee.

³ Who [is] he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

⁴ Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

⁵ I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

⁶ Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes. “(Job 42: 2-6)

           All the words of God, including the book of Job, are good for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction  in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). Firstly, we must  understand the doctrines that appear in the book of Job. Job is a model of the Jews who shall  be subject to severe persecution by the Antichrist in the Great Tribulation. Job was in the land of Uz where the Jews are to be in the period of the Great Tribulation.. The  42 chapters of Job are related to the second three years and half in the Great Tribulation when the Jews shall be persecuted extremely. . Still, they respect Moses who gave them the law more than  Jesus. They still insist of their righteousness of the law. But upon seeing the Lord Jesus Christ appearing before them in the midst of extreme persecution, they shall repent thoroughly  The prophet Zechariah foretold this:

” ¹⁰And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth forhis only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. “(Zech. 12:10)

       Through the Book of Job, the Holy Spirit is giving spiritual instruction to  rebuild the Church of God in the days of the Church of Laodicea. It is not just to hear about God, but to see the God who is present in the Word through  the spiritual eyes opened. Now is the time to be born with the Holy Spirit, to open the spiritual eyes to see the kingdom of God, and to regenerate the clean linen thorough repentance. Just as God chose a man Job to make him pour out all kinds of unrighteousness deeply rooted inside of him through the severe discipline,  God’s children must also strive to purify themselves as the Lord Jesus Christ is pure.

          The prophet Daniel prophesied of this in the last days, saying:

” ¹⁰Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. “(Daniel 12:10)

           The Apostle John also listened to the words of the angel of the Lord as he saw in Daniel’s prophecy in his Spirit through the book of Revelation:

” ¹⁰ And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

¹¹ He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

¹² And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

¹³ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. “(Rev. 22: 10-13)

          That is correct! God, who spoke to Job, has given all his words in the Scripture 66 through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit who came in his name. It is time to listen to the voice of the Lord who speaks like a thunder in the Word, not only to listen to the Word of God, but to look at himself in his presence and to make a thorough repentance. The apostle John, who recorded the book of Revelation, testified against the Saints who were waiting for Christ’s coming:

“ ² Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

³ And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. “(1 John 3:2-3)

Amen! Hallelujah!