Job's Protector part one

Lesson six in the Job series.

Job is in big trouble. He is poor. He is needy. He is afflicted. He is destitute. He is dying. His enemy Elihu is railing at the dying man and calling for his ultimate damnation. Job has cried out for God to rescue him and plead his case and answer his prayers for vindication. And now Job's Savior has shown up--in the most dramatic entrance ever. The Lord answers Job in a whirlwind. Do you remember when King David was in a similar situation and God showed up in the same way? You can read all about it in Psalm 18:1-30. God showed up in a storm because he was so angry at David's enemies and he plucked David up and rescued him from them. In the Old Testament, any time God showed up in a storm or on dark clouds or in a whirlwind, it was because he was angry. Another good example is from Isaiah 66:12-16 which shows us again how God comforts his people while simultaneously judging their enemies. 

For thus says the Lord:

"Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river;

and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;

and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip

and bounced upon her knees.

As one whom his mother comforts,

so I will comfort you;

you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;

your bones shall flourish like the grass;

and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants,

and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

For behold, the Lord will come in fire,

and his chariots like the whirlwind,

to render his anger in fury,

and his rebuke with flames of fire.

For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment,

and by his sword, with all flesh;

and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

Whirlwinds are mentioned 21 times in the Old Testament and every time it was because God was coming in wrath to rescue his servants and destroy or bring calamity on their enemies.

Just for context here: Recall that Elihu is on the stage ranting about how Job is speaking "words without knowledge" like a wicked man. God suddenly interrupts Elihu in the whirlwind and says, "WHO is this that darkens counsel by "words without knowledge?" 

Understand that God has come in answer to Job's prayers. And when God shows up, he is not only coming as the Judge, but also as the Advocate (Arbiter) that Job so longed for. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit also shows up to convict the three wise men. So we have the entire Trinity taking center stage at this point. And all three have a part to play. God speaks TO Job, but whenever God speaks it is FOR everybody just like when he spoke to his other servants like Moses and David. For example, when the Israelites left Egypt and were complaining about having no food, God promised them manna. The rules were to collect only enough for one day for five days of the week and they were not to try to save some for the next day. Then on the sixth day they were to collect double because there would be no manna on the seventh day. As you know, several of the people disobeyed. Exodus 16:28 says, And the Lord said TO Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?"  Now we all know that it was NOT Moses who was squirreling food away in his tent and it was NOT Moses who was out searching for hidden manna on the Sabbath. But that is how God talks to his servants. He did the same when he spoke to Job.

Think of it this way--when your pastor preaches a sermon on Sunday morning, he has all kinds of people in the congregation. Some are saved, some are not. Some are on the way to being saved. But the message is the same for everybody even though everybody is in a different place and receives it differently. When God comes on the scene in Job, the same thing happens. When God says, "Dress for action like a man," that means one thing for Job who will be discarding his sackcloth and taking on the role of a priest for a new kind of service. It means another thing for Elihu who is facing his own day in court before the Judge, and it means something quite different for the three wise men who will soon be putting off the old man and putting on the new as the Holy Spirit convicts them. Each person has his own level of interpretation depending their circumstances, but the message is the same for everyone. 

After this, God launches into a long speech. Here is where you have to pay really close attention because this next part will be like solving a puzzle. In order to know who God is addressing, you have to look at the words God is using and then go back and see who used those same words and phrases before. Only after you do this will you be able to see what is happening here and how to interpret it. 

We will start that puzzle next time!