God Is God And You Are Not – Part 2 (Job 40:6-42:6 ...

God Is God And You Are Not ? Part 2 (Job 40:6-42:6 November 27, 2016)

In 1966 the missionary Elizabeth Elliott published her one and only work of fiction ? No Graven Image. The book centres on an American missionary, Margaret Sparhawk, who at 25 chooses to devote her life to translating the Bible into the language of an indigenous South American tribe ? the Quechua people ? up in the mountains of Ecuador. It is a real struggle. Setback after setback. Little progress. Finally, she meets one man, Pedro, who knew the language she needs to reach the tribe. He became the key to translating the Bible for the tribe. Together they began the painstaking work of translation. Pedro, she believes, was the answer to her prayer. Margaret begins to imagine the possibility of bringing the Bible to a million people in remote regions of the mountains. God seems to be blessing her work. Then one day, after years of struggle, just when real progress was being made, Pedro cuts his leg and develops an infection. Margaret gives him a shot of penicillin ? but it turns out he is allergic ? and he has a severe anaphylactic reaction. She prays fervently. She cannot believe that God would let this one man ? the key to her work there ? die. She prays ? God I cant believe You would let Pedro die. But despite her fervent prayers, he does die. The family and the tribe blame her and turn on her. They destroy her years of work. She wrote, "It seemed, on the night of Pedro's death, as though Finis were written below all I had done." Then the book ends.

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There is no miraculous happy ending. No miracle breakthrough with the tribe being converted. Years of faithful struggle led to death and great loss. If you have read the book ? you may or may not like this tragic ending. But what is extraordinary is that Elizabeth Elliot wrote about the amount of hate mail she received concerning her novel. Christian after Christian ? including many who should have known better ? lined up to tell her ? she just didn't understand God. God does not treat His faithful servants like this. A young woman who gives up her life to serve God will not suffer such treatment. The question for us this morning is this. Is this unfair? Is this unjust? And thus, we come to the heart of Job's issue. Job is a man who lived many years ago. He loved God ? served God ? and God repaid his faithful service with a season of unrelenting suffering and misery. God painted a bullseye on His back and allowed Satan to decimate him. He lost all ten of his beloved children. He lost his wealth, and health. He was an outcast. Job was adamant ? it was unfair. It was wrong. Job wanted an audience with God. Job demanded an audience with God. He wanted God to tell him ? why? What about you? What about me? I suspect that every one of us sitting here this morning has a litany of things that we perceive as unjust and unfair. If I am honest ? my list is long ... really long:

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I think it is unjust that my mother had such a hard life. I think it is unjust that some of the finest people I know have such painful marriages and family lives. I think it is unjust that some wonderful Christians I know want to marry but don't, what to have children but can't or do have children who are handicapped, sick or have wandered far from the faith. I think natural disasters, financial inequality, discrimination ... are unjust. And I am just beginning. If the truth be known ? the things that really cause me to question the justice of God are when people close to me ? that I know are godly and serving the Lord wholeheartedly suffer: I think it is unjust that my daughter got cancer. I think it is unjust when a missionary is killed. Don't get me started on suffering and death in children. And I know I am the only one here who struggles with a litany of perceived injustices. Job was the godliest man of his day yet he felt the way his life went was manifestly unjust. He wanted God to explain things. After many pleadings ? a prophet of God did come to him in chapter 32. Elihu gave Job a great answer to the question of suffering. It wasn't enough. Job wanted two things and he wanted them from God Himself: He wanted an explanation. Why? Why me? Why like this? But even more than that: Job wanted vindication. He wanted the world to know ? Job was innocent. Job is suffering unjustly.

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Job has no great hidden sin. He hated that everyone thought there must be sin in his life. Then, last week we saw that God did appear. God could have and His justice said should have incinerated Job on the spot. God owed Job no explanation or vindication. God owed Job nothing. But in love the Lord spoke to Job from the whirlwind. God did not give Job a detailed answer. What Job got was a revelation. He was given a vision of the majesty and glory and goodness of God. If you go back and analyse all of Job's questions ? he was really asking two related questions. First he asks God: How can You be good if evil is unrestrained? God how can You be good and yet allow evil and suffering in the world? We looked at God's response to this last week. The second question Job asks is this: How can You be just if evil is unrestrained? How You be just and let drug dealers live in luxury and allow children to die in agony? How can You be just and let godly Job suffer such assaults? Again and again Job cried out to God to answer these questions. Last week we saw that when Job did hear from God ? this encounter was not at all what he envisioned. He picture himself plying God with questions. Didn't happen. He pictured God being on trial ? but Job was on trial. God gives two speeches which are in effect a series of penetrating questions. Each one answers one of Job's two burning questions.

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The Lord answered Job's accusation ? How can You be good if evil is unrestrained? ? in Job 38:1-40. We looked at this last week. He answered Job's question with His own question. Is your might able to create and govern the universe? This question was actually an answer. Job could not do this. It is God who created and runs the universe. I control every part of My creation ? including evil ? for good. Job ? you can't even understand simple stuff like how I created the universe ? let alone more complex stuff like who lives ? the lion cub or the zebra. So how could you ever comprehend the place of evil and suffering in the lives of men? God says to Job ? I know you are suffering ? but let My greatness and My goodness be enough. Let Me run the world and trust that I will work all things together for good. Job's response was: Repentance. I am small compared to You. I won't question your goodness again. Now, this morning we are going to look as the Lord answers Job's second question: How can You be just if evil is unrestrained? ? in Job 40:6-41:34. What we are going to see this morning is this: Trust that God judges every part of His creation ? including evil ? and works it for good. So turn with me to Job 40:6?7:

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: "Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Here we find the answer to Job's Question: How can You be just if evil is unrestrained? If evil gets to do what it wants ? have its way with good men and women ? how can God be just? Which of us has not thought this from time to time?

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