24. Shall Hope Perish?

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Hymns: 43 God Is Still on the Throne; 87 I Know Whom I Have Believed; 115 Constantly Abiding

Job 8:8-22

8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: 9 (For we are but ofyesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth area shadow:) 10 Shall not they teach thee, andtell thee, and utter words out of their heart? 11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? 12 Whilst it isyet in his greenness, andnot cut down, it withereth before any otherherb. 13 So arethe paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish: 14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall bea spider’s web. 15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. 16 He isgreen before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden. 17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, andseeth the place of stones. 18 If he destroy him from his place, then itshall deny him, saying,I have not seen thee. 19 Behold, this isthe joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow. 20Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: 21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing. 22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Shall Hope Perish?

OUTLINE

  • Evidence (v8-12)
  • Ethics (v13-19)
  • Eventuality (v15-22)

INTRODUCTION

It is purported by his friend Bildad that Job is a hypocrite, therefore his hope shall perish. He has not been a sincere follower of God. As such, he shall face God’s wrath upon him. 

By (1) the evidence of cause and effect (v8-12), by (2) the ethical principles of how God deals with one who forsakes Him (v13-14) (3) by the argument of deducing a matter to its end, the eventuality, he shall be overtaken.

Job, you are finished. There is no hope for a deserter of God. You have not walked in the counsel of the godly, you have not refrain yourself from sin in your life, you have mocked God by your pretense. 

Proverbs 11:9 An hypocrite with hismouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

The real hypocrite was Bildad who sought destroy Job’s hope, confidence and faith in God. We are given here a glimpse of his destructive words.

Job knew his God although he does not have full knowledge of his predicament, he was not presumptuous to charge or blame God. He could not understand his predicament. It was a secret to him, hidden from him. We know in hindsight. There is knowledge that God revealed to us in His Word that we know and knowledge that God has chosen not to reveal to us. We are to keep silent when Scripture is silent and we are not to misapply Scripture to destroy the spritual well-being of another person.

  • Evidence From Cause and Effect (v8-12)

8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: 9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:) 10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? 11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? 12 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

Bildad cited tradition, search the former age, the teaching of the fathers of old, wise men, let them impart some wisdom for this present generation. This was the authority that he cited to bring his argument that Job is a hypocrite.

He looked at the plight of Job’s health, his declining health, as evidence of his insincere life with God. He was not a true follower of God as such God’s wrath has come upon him to destroy him.

This was how he deduced from cause and effect as seen in nature, citing the plant that cannot grow without the nourishment of the soil and the water plant that cannot grow in the absence of water. Such plants have no self-sustaining power. It will surely perish.

If you are walking with God, He would have nourished you. Why does He not protect you and allow you to reach such a sorry state of affairs in your life having lost all your wealth, children, servants, even health? Surely it must be evidence of your departure from God.

Such words were meant to erode Job’s faith seeking to brainwash him with his humanly concocted evidence concerning Job’s predicament. 

Job has to stand firm upon God and His promises. He couldn’t explain the “how come?” of his predicament and he has to prevent himself from being misled into to be an unrighteous man before God.

  • Ethics (v13-19)

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish: 14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

By the ethical principles of how God deals with one who forsakes Him, surely there is no hope of a way forward for him. He is ethically one who chooses to abandon God. Therefore, as one who is not sincere in following God, surely, there is no hope for such a one.

His hope shall be like a spider’s web. The spider’s web or house is so fragile, easily collapsed, not enduring. Such is the predicament of Job in his departure from God.

16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden. 17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones. 18 If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

Bildad gives another illustration of a plant growing in a garden whose roots are bundled up in a place of stones where the root system is not strong due to the hardness of the ground, therefore the plant withers.

Again, building on the observation of the cause and effect in nature, surely it is evidence of Job’s forgetting God that is the result of his predicament.

  • Eventuality (v20-23)

20Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: 21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing. 22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Bildad was arriving at the conclusion that Job was not a man of integrity therefore he is being cast away by God in all that has befallen him.

You recall the conflict in heaven when we began this study.

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name wasJob; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.  

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there isnone like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

This was God’s assessment of Job. Bildad was not correct in his assessment.

Recall the challenge Satan raised with God concerning Job.

Job 1:9-12 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath isin thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

It is because God has placed a protective shield upon Job and his household that he continue to maintain his ways before God. In other words, Satan was raising the point that Job was a fake, his piety toward God was conditional upon God’s blessing upon him. Take away the blessing and he will deny God and depart from Him. He does not truly fear God. 

This was exactly how Bildad framed his argument to question Job’s integrity. He was a man who has now abandoned God.

Because Job is one who has not be sincere in his relationship with God therefore “look at him”, God judgment has come upon him.

If God is with him, surely he would be laughing and rejoicing, why is Job weeping and sorrowing? Surely, he must have been wicked. It shows clearly he hate God. That’s why he is “clothed with shame”.

Bildad equated Job’s sickness as God’s judgment upon him for being an insincere follower of God.

Indeed, the psalmist does speak concerning the judgment of the wicked.

Psalm 1:4-6 The ungodly arenot so: but arelike the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

God Himself will have to vindicate Job. Was he righteous or was he an ungodly sinner that shall perish?

Meanwhile, Job has to standfast and holdfast to his integrity before God and men.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

CONCLUSION

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10-11)