32. Justified (2)

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Hymns: RHC 95 My Savior’s Love, 253 Standing on the Promises, 284 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Job 11:13-20

13If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; 14If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. 15For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: 16Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: 17And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. 18And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. 19Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee. 20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost. (Job 11:13-20 KJV)

Justified (2) 

OUTLINE

  • By Doctrine (v1-6)
  • By Understanding (v7-12)
  • By Repentance (v13-20)

INTRODUCTION

A recap: How is a man be made righteous, that is, be right in the sight of God? How can he be just before God? How can a man be declared righteous? Who says it and it shall be counted upon him? Job vindicated himself in the sight of his friends that he is a man of honour, just and righteous in the sight of God. He told his friends that he is a man in touch with God. Although he could not understand all that the Lord was doing in his life, he was puzzled and perplexed by his current predicament, he nonetheless, was no less, a child of his Father in heaven. No amount of distortion and maligning could shake him from the stability of his permanent position of honour before God. It is a commendable state of spiritual well-being. A man’s response in the midst of his greatest trial in life deserves our careful study.

His friend chided him for his doctrine of God and question him concerning his understanding of God in relation to his predicament.

  • By Doctrine (v1-6)
  • By Understanding (v7-12)

Continue… 

10If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him? 11For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it? 12For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt. 

Zophar now goes on to speak about the sovereignty of God. He brings all things to pass according to His good pleasure, none can stay His hand. The wicked man shall experience and not escape God’s wrath. God has the power to see clearly the “vain men” as Jesus said Luke 18:10-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

A man in his self-conceit is like an untamed horse, how he needs to be humbled. Zophar was alleging that Job was such a man. One who is not attuned to the working of God in his life. It is time for Job to repent before God’s wrath will come.

As such, how can Job be justified before a holy God? As James Smith observed well, “Man by nature is without righteousness; he is chargable with many crimes; he is found guilty and condemned by God’s holy law; he has no excuse to make. Before God he is speechless. But the Lord who is our Judge has devised a way by which He can be just and yet justify us. It is the way of grace. He justifies or acquits us from all charges, pronounces us righteous, accepts us, admits us into his favour, friendship, and fellowship. He does this freely, without anything being done or incurred by us. He presents us with the perfect finished work of Jesus by which all our debts are paid; our righteousness is wrought, the law and government of God are honoured, and a worthy title to eternal life is freely granted. We receive this work of God by faith, and we are justified from all things. Not one charge remains: there is no condemnation , but we are justified freely by grace without the works of the law.

  • Repentance (v13-20)

13If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; 14If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. 15For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: 

The man of God will have no fear. He has nothing to worry for God will take care of him. It is important that Job would make right with God.

Job is biddened to repent of his ways. It is important that there is true repentance. And that is to have a desire and the strength to seek God, to turn toward God. That is the first step towards repentance. If there is no turning to God, there is no possibility of coming back to God. He seeks God by turning to Him. Coming to worship, seeking Him in prayer of repentance requires first that turning away from the devil and toward God.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The first preaching of the gospel in the garden of Eden to rescue Adam and Eve held captive and slaves to Satan is recorded in Genesis 3:15. God put enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed. This is the first pronouncement of salvation. Man cannot be saved while he is a friend of the devil and an enemy of God. He must be a friend of God; therefore, he must become an enemy of the devil. And God is going to give man power and grace defeat the devil. [Lloyd-Jones]

Zophar sought for Job to repent of his sins before, without which, he cannot be reconciled to God. Job is accused of morally sinning against God and therefore his sins has to be repented of before he can be restored and accepted of God again.

Matthew Henry observed well, “He would have him repent and return to God. Observe the steps of that return. 

He must look within, and get his mind changed and the tree made good. He must prepare his heart;there the work of conversion and reformation must begin. The heart that wandered from God must be reduced – that was defiled with sin and put into disorder must be cleansed and put in order again – that was wavering and unfixed must be settled and established; so the word here signifies. The heart is then prepared to seek God when it is determined and fully resolved to make a business of it and to go through with it. 

He must look up, and stretch out his hands towards God,that is, must stir up himself to take hold on God, must pray to him with earnestness and importunity, striving in prayer, and with expectation to receive mercy and grace from him. 

Togive the hand to the Lordsignifies to yield ourselves to him and to covenant with him, 2 Chronicles 30:8. This Job must do, and, for the doing of it, must prepare his heart. Job had prayed, but Zophar would have him to pray in a better manner, not as an appellant, but as a petitioner and humble suppliant. 

He must amend what was amiss in his own conversation, else his prayers would be ineffectual (v14): “If iniquity be in thy hand(that is, if there be any sin which thou dost yet live in the practice of) put it far away,forsake it with detestation and a holy indignation, stedfastly resolving not to return to it, nor ever to have any thing more to do with it.Ezekiel 18:31; Hosea 14:9; Isaiah 30:12. 

16Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: 17And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. 18And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. 19Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee. 

He assures him of comfort if he took this counsel (v15-20). 

If he would repent and reform, he should, without doubt, be easy and happy, and all would be well. Does Zophar mean that Job’s suffering would be lifted off? Surely, this is not what the Scripture teaches.

Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Suffering has a purifying effect in the lives of God’s people. And we are not exempted from suffering for even our Lord suffered, setting for us an example.

20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost. 

The soul of the man who rest in God shall be devoid of such trials as Job as suffered. Job must have been wicked. He must repent to save himself! Solomon observed well in Proverbs 11:7-8 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

Jesus related of the rich man who was consigned to inescapable hell fire because he rejected God in his life time. He was not justified, sins not forgiven. He faced the eternal judgment of hellfire. A frightening prospect!

Luke 16:23-26 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.