Job Sermon Series: Part 11 Devotion & Sermon Questions

A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin. We are continuing on a multi-part series on Job. Some of the devotion thoughts were inspired and quoted using the footnotes in the LSB (pp836) and from www.net.bible.org.

And the Lord said to Job: 2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” 6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 7 “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 8 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? 9 Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? 15 “Behold, Behemoth,  which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox 16 Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. 17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18 His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron 19 “He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! 41 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? 2 Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook 3 Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words?

4 Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever 5 Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls? 6 Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? 7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
8 Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again! 9 Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. 10 No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.   Who then is he who can stand before me 11 who has first given to me, that I should repay him?  Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine

We readers of the text know why Job is suffering and that his behavior is not the cause -- but Job does not know this. He is desperately seeking advice from his friends on what he thinks is an injustice from God. This week, through that dramatic whirlwind, God speaks the second time directly to Job.  This time it is more of a challenge to Job that he cannot even stand up to the all-powerful God. God also describes two huge creatures: Behemoth and Leviathan that He had made in addition to Job. Another way to show Job how powerful the Creator is in comparison to Job. Job, then, is in no position to challenge God for a perceived injustice. Job is starting to recognize his insignificance compared to God. He is starting to change from defiance back to reliance on the Lord. By the way, scholars do not agree on whether these two biblical beasts were mythical or real but now extinct. In our world, we can cage or tame most of the known animals but the beasts of war, disease, disaster, and turmoil continue to break free and trample us. Our only hope is to turn to the One in control and rely on Him to save us. Go to God in prayer!

Blessings,