Why?, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ that is just shallow trite joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word. Our world. I am amazed all these years how many people I know from my point of view and unimaginable just terrible horrific suffering using. If you haven't that's fortunate that for almost all of us. This kind of suffering can visit us and you can visit the best of us to visit Jeremiah visits Job visit Jesus. It can happen to anybody. I get so angry when I hear what I would call so-called teachers, especially on television telling people that if there faithful people that never suffer greatly at all about the never find themselves in a dark place that will always be victorious. That's a lie.

There's no truth in that at all to me that is just a shallow trite Christianity. Job then begins to speak here and Job said in right there. The whole book changes right up till now, everything in the book is been pros.

It's a historic narrative depicts that backup in chapter 42 and now it becomes a poem the rest of the way its Hebrew poetry, everything now and the rest from here through chapter 42 is it written in poetry so you have to interpret in incense poetically, but Job start speaking, and he speaks in the sense, through his poem, he said, let the day perish on which I was born and the night which said a boy was conceived.

I don't even want the day that I was born to exist and I don't want the night I was conceived to exist, I don't.

I have never been conceived and certainly never been born. What is you say that the pain unbelievable pain. He said me that day be darkness. He said let not got above care for it, nor light shine on it, that's what this chapter is all about darkness. Job loves this term in all the way through Scripture. You see, the idea of darkness and light. When God created in Genesis any creative lightly said it is good. Jesus said on the light of the world, but there's darkness and Job says I'm in a very, very, very dark place. He said let darkness and black gloom. Claimant let a cloud settle on it. Let the blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night. Let darkness seize it, let it not be rejoice among the days of the year. Let it not come into the number in case this into the number of the months behold but the night be barren. Let no joyful shout, enter it, how the day I was born. He said just wish it never existed. Please understand that the despair of his suffering. We read it and we go all that's terrible, but understand what is happening. It's not just that he lost all of his possessions and all the servants he lost his families had 10 children and that the Semitic world's legacy is extremely important to him. He has no legacy. He has no respect. He has no possessions and he does not have a relationship with his wife at this time and he sitting out on the city dump. How could he not feel this way.

Why was I ever born.

What's the point noticed Job doesn't curse God in this he doesn't curse God that's great and he doesn't talk about the present, because he believes that's up that's not up to Job but he knows he believes in his own mind. I don't think I have a future.

So all I can do is go back to the past when I wish I was never born. That's what I wish he says in verse eight let those curse it who curse the day who are prepared to arouse Leviathan. Now the idea of rousing Leviathan Leviathan is the this sea monster of chaos and those arouse Leviathan are known in that culture as the enemies of God in every once a while they would rouse Leviathan and the horizon would cause chaos so is just using a poetic picture here of what's happening he's expressing his own lament here and how he sees it, he said, let the stars of its twilight be darkened, let it wait for light, but have none, he said, neither let it see the breaking Dawn, he said, because it did not shut the opening of my mother's womb or hide trouble from my eyes.

How hurting you have to be soon. I mean if we only had one last time. Widow said what a great example Job is to us. They just took it like a man on the necessary he is taking it like a man. You see excruciating pain-and-suffering can have an enormous effect even on the very best of us. He then immediately goes the questions for questions. Three times he says why the other time it's inferred by the way, whenever you're really suffering.

What's the question you always bring up why why whenever being blessed we don't even ask that question too much. So often we think it's because of our own efforts and why were so good because I'm so successful but why that's his question.

Why did I not die at birth. What's the point of me being alive. I have no children, no legacy. I have no present why what can I just die at birth.

What children do. Why come forth from the woman ask and expire. Why can I just be stillborn. Why did the knees receive me and why the breasts, that I should suck. Why was life-giving to me from. That's because he suffered so much is for now I would have lain down and quiet moments that when you suffer as much as Job's and some people do.

Death is viewed as rest. I just want to stop. I just want to stop. I just need the rest. That's what you say. I just need rest and I wish I had been resting since the day of my birth goes on. He says I would've slept. Then I would've been at rest know what's interesting about this is Job now reveals something different to us. He reveals a very primitive view of death. Job doesn't have your view of death in mind, he might be the Rosemont most righteous man on earth at this time his back there about the time of Abraham, but understand something. Job has no Scripture. None. He has no Scriptures at all. This is faithful.

He's a good man but he doesn't have any of that. His view of death is a very interesting view any painted very clearly here.

He goes on. He says this with kings and with counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves or with princes who had gold, who were filling their houses with silver or like a miscarriage which is disregarded I would not be as infants. It never saw the light that you love those two verses terms as you know on and about the debt. It doesn't matter who you are.

You be a king or prince or stillborn.

Your dad may all go to rest or just all dead.

That's Job's perspective here.

He goes on, he says there the wicked cease from reaching and there the weary are at rest. The prisoners are at ease. Together, they do not hear the voice of the taskmaster. He said the small and the greater their and the slavers free from his master.

He said it really doesn't matter.

Everybody who's dead is dead. To be a place of rest.

We know better knowing death is not necessarily a place of rest. We know that everybody does die, but the worst thing that could ever happen to a human being is the guy without Christ, we know that separated and forever from God. We know that there's something much worse than physically dying its remaining spiritually dead. Job didn't understand that at this time. So then he starts doing again what he's been doing all along.

He starts asking questions why why that's what the why no understand as we move on the book. His friends are going to say we know why that's why were white. We know why because you did something wrong. We know why that you don't have an honest relationship with God. We know why. By the way, I think Job actually believed the same thing. I think his worldview would've been just like that, but Job know something they don't know.

He knows he hasn't done anything.

Remember how sensitive Job is to his walk with God that even when his children would have birthday parties for the boys we saw Job would go afterwards make offerings to God encase they send during the party. That's how sensitive he was about sentiment in life of his children, let alone his own life. So that leaves Job with his tremendous amount of questions and it's always the same. He says in verse 20 why is light given to him who suffers. I love the light there.

Think about it this way.

Why would you endow me with so much wisdom numbers. One of the great men of the why would you endow me with so much wisdom to have meeting sitting on the city dump either scraping sores on my body. Why, what does that represent. I have no legacy have no children.

I am nothing. I don't have health. I don't have a marriage I don't have anything.

Why would you do this, you see that is a great question. It's interesting why is light given him who suffers is singular in Hebrew. The next part of this diverse and life to the bitter of soul.

That's Paul means all of us who suffer why is light given to us to suffer so immeasurably you see why, why give us life and then we suffer. He said don't let me describe myself, who long for death.

But there is none. He longs the die, you can suffer that much in our culture we say differently. We can pull the plug as long the guy she that's Job's feeling. We long to die, he said and dig for more than hidden treasures that he just doesn't long to die, he longs to die.

Think of the 49ers goldrush in California. How is minors.

What were they like for their looking for right I mean no do anything they find the gold treasure hunters or treasure hunters are enthusiastic about the goal just as that's how I am about death want to die CII pray for death from. He said they rejoice greatly and exalt when they find the grave you want a happy moment for me to be my last. That would be happy all my wisdom was of no use. I just want to die.

He says in verse 23. Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, in whom God has hedged in Aquino's are likely there's an enemy but got you so you had me in recent blessed be the name, the Lord, the Lord gives the Lord takes away your taken away.

Why he says my cries pour out like water, what's the point of my life that are suffering to do to us.

He says for what I fear comes upon me and what I dread befalls me. I'm in perpetual suffering. This is excruciating pain. I am not at ease, nor my quiet.

I am not at rest turmoil comes why why why why why why why that's what enough suffering can do to people just like you and me and people better than us from a spiritual point of view. Remember, this is a man that God said is the most righteous man on earth, but he is suffering he is filling this incredible agony.

What a depressing chapter. I mean really, the friends who come but don't help see what suffering can do to even the best of us, but there's more here in this chapter, I think than meets the eye thirsting at say is this even in his darkness. Job can avoid God even in his darkness.

What is it he can avoid God. He says what was given to me will given imply something doesn't a receiver and a giver who gave me this is God I can avoid God in this and in his restlessness outputted, whether he realizes it or not. He has a glimmer of something here.

You have to think about this. He has a glimmer of hope. Is it not I think he was hopeless. When we try some. If you're hopeless, there's no point asking the question, why you see there's no point saying why if it's hopeless, there's no point saying anything, but he does talk about that. He talks about the why he says that he wants to die, but the why question betrays him.

Why is this happening to me. What a picture this is out of this darkness there something going on here very important for you and me.

God is at work in the middle of all this God is at work.

There is a man who came 2000 years after Job and came 2000 years before you and me.

Soon there was that man Job is a picture inasmuch as Job suffered even Job suffering can compare to what happened to Jesus Christ, the suffering would be overwhelming men hung on the cross, by the way when he was hanging there and suffering what happened in the world. What's his gospel writers tell us it became dark dark using Greek word to it means can't see your hand in front of your face, dark not really a solar eclipse. I know everyone was talk about that is became supernaturally dark and in the darkness. There is one crying. I avoid all my subplots today crying it out. My God, my God, why that's what he said in a lawyerly mom is a buzz in my God, my God, why that's with that kind of agony brings that question about why Jesus knew why he was born to die for the last year and 1/2 of his ministry. He told his disciples the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem be arrested be crucified. He knew that he knows why but in that agony and suffering. That's his question he cries out why and for all we know, there was silence but I think he understood something in the still small voice. Jesus said why and the father said because I love them and I have a plan and that's always the answer to why if your suffering and suffering, immeasurably in agony and you can identify with Job and you cry out to God, why you he says do you because I love you and I have a plan while see one thing I've learned from studying the Bible all these years. The Bible tells you when I that God will give us promises the loop on he does and he tells you and either we have to believe his promises. That's what he says you have to believe what I promised.

The Bible is big on promises in the Bible is small when explanations God doesn't explain himself find later. He doesn't explain himself.

The Job is he doesn't explain himself, and he may not explain himself to you, he says, look, here's my promise because I love you and I have a plan a spring father.

These are this kind of chapters 1 of those chapters. The means almost nothing to us when life is going well and everything seems to be wonderful, but unfortunately, for virtually all of us. We go through our own valley of the shadow of death, we go through excruciating suffering and agony. We grieve the loss of those who love we grieve the loss of our own health.

We grieve father. The loss of our meaningfulness and our purpose in life. As we lose it as we age and father in the midst of all that we often cry out to you why, thank you for the example Job it's honest, straightforward, and he is such a perfect picture of Jesus Christ. Father I pray for us that we have to come to this realization that living on a cursed planet as sinful people will bring a pain about in our lives.

It was never intended in your creation. But as a result of sin. Father, thank you for the rest of the book because we know that as believers in Jesus Christ, we will have father movies versus next pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship. If you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember that you can do a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellows of the word online that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.

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