Hope Satisfies

                                  Sunday School Lesson
              

Lesson: Job 42:1-10
                                                                                          
Golden Text: “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee” (Job 42:2).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  One way of refining silver involves the long process of heating it until all the other metals have been skimmed off.  After the silver cools, it’s reheated to remove any other impurities.  This process is repeated until there are no signs of anything except the silver.  The psalmist wrote that God refines us like silver (see Psalms 66:10), but then brings us to a place of abundance. The Lord uses good and bad events in our lives to form us into the persons He wants us to be.  Those events, both bad and good refine us so that we more closely conform to His image.  In this week’s lesson, we learn about the end of Job’s incredible journey of intense suffering and personal repentance.  We will see that by the end of Job’s story, God was the central figure and focus.  His sovereign character was confessed and His sovereign abundance was demonstrated     
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  During all of Job’s troubles, he steadfastly held to being innocent of any sin that caused his suffering (see Job 4:7; 9:22, 28-29; 13:15-18; 26:5-6; 32:1; 33:9).  Job was correct, but in all of this, he became arrogant and critical of God.  He believed that since he was innocent he had the right to confront God and plead his case (see Job 13:3; 23:3-4).  However, since God chose not to reply to him at this time, Job complained that God was silent, inaccessible and appeared not to be concerned (see Job 23:8-9).  After all three of Job’s friends had nothing else to say (see Job 32:15), Elihu became the fourth person to speak to Job and his friends (see Job 32:1-14).  Apparently he was a bystander who heard their debate and was much younger than Job and his friends (see Job 32:6-7).  While Job’s three friends said that he was suffering because of some past sins, Elihu had a different viewpoint and a better understanding of Job’s problem than his three friends had because he had a higher understanding of God (see Job chapters 32-37).  Elihu maintained that Job wasn’t suffering because of sin; he was sinning because of suffering.  He pointed out that Job had become arrogant as he tried to defend his innocence (see Job 33:8-13).  There was much truth in Elihu’s speech.  While his words were on a higher spiritual level than Job, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, Elihu still wrongly assumed that responding to suffering correctly always brings healing and restoration (see Job 33:23-30), and that suffering is  always in some way connected to sin (see Job 34:11).  Following Job’s dialogues with his three friends (see Job chapters 4-31) and the counsel of Elihu (see chapters 32-37), the Lord spoke directly to Job (see Job 38:1-39:30).  First He rebuked Job for questioning Him as the Creator of the earth and all its creatures (see Job 38:1-39:30).  The Lord then rebuked Job for questioning Him as the Creator of the mightiest of all those creatures, the behemoth which was possibly the hippopotamus, and the leviathan which was a large unidentifiable sea animal (see Job 40:6-41:34).  In Job 42:1-10 which is our lesson text, we have Job’s response to the Lord as well as Job’s restoration.
III. A RECOGNITION OF INADEQUACY (Job 42:1-6) 
A. God’s sovereignty (Job 42:1-2). 
1. (vs. 1).  After the Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind (see Job 38:1; chapters 39-41), our first verse says “Then Job answered the Lord, and said.”  This was Job’s second response to God.  In his first response (see Job 40:3-5), Job admitted that he was vile and that he couldn’t answer God’s questions (see Job chapter 38, 39; 40:2).
2. (vs. 2).  Job begins to respond to God saying “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”  After God had spoken to Job, he now admitted that God could “do every thing.”  Throughout Job’s troubles he questioned God’s sovereignty and justice, but now God had challenged Job to tell Him where was he when He created the universe.  Job repented of his questioning of God’s wisdom and acknowledged God’s great power.  In addition to being able to do everything Job said to God “no thought can be withholden from thee.”   The Amplified Bible translates this phrase as “no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.”  In other words, God is so powerful that no one or anything can prevent or stop His plans.  Job wanted his suffering to end on his own timing, but he failed to realize that his suffering was meant for his good and God’s glory (see Romans 8:28-32).  However now Job had to admit that even if we don’t understand God’s plans, they will still be carried out in His own time. 
B. Job’s admission (Job 42:3-4).  
1. (vs. 3).  In this verse, Job continued to say to God “Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.”  In Job 38:2, God had asked Job this same question.  Now Job repeated it back to God actually saying “(Lord) You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge (NIV)?’”  By referring back to this question Job was admitting that he was guilty of trying to understand God’s plans without having any real knowledge of Him.  So Job also admitted “therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.”  The Living Bible translates Job’s words as “I was talking about things I knew nothing about and did not understand things far too wonderful for me.”  The word “wonderful” refers to things beyond one’s understanding and also causes astonishment.  Job had claimed a higher knowledge of God when debating with his friends, especially when he inferred that God allowed the wicked to prosper without being judged (see Job chapter 24).  Elihu, the young man who stood by listening to the discussion between Job and his three friends had earlier rebuked Job for saying things he didn’t understand or had knowledge of (see Job 34:35; 35:16).  However, nothing except hearing directly from God could cause Job to realize how ignorant he was when it came to understanding the Lord.  So, now after hearing from the Lord, he realized that the entire conversation with his friends was foolishness.
2. (vs. 4).  In this verse Job said to God “Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.”  Job here again quoted what the Lord had stated earlier in Job 38:3; 40:7.  When God spoke those words to Job, He was demanding that Job answer the questions He posed to him (see Job chapters 38, 39; 40:1-2, 6-24).  But when Job repeated these same words he was asking God to speak to him and “declare thou unto me.”  The word “declare” means to instruct.  The word “demand” as used here means to “ask.”  Earlier, Job had asked for the chance to bring his case before God (see Job 13:18) and he would hear God’s response (see Job 13:22; 23:3-5).  However, the Lord didn’t honor Job’s request at that time.  But now having been chastised by the Lord for his lack of understanding, Job wanted the Lord to instruct him more.
C. Job’s humility (Job 42:5-6).
1. (vs. 5).  Job continued to say to the Lord “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.”  The phrase “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear” is an indication of Job’s humbleness.  He admitted that what he knew about God was second hand knowledge.  He had heard about the Lord from other people.  This included what Job knew about the Creation, because he wasn’t there to see it (see Job 38:4-11).  But now after a divine revelation of God, Job could say “but now mine eye seeth thee.”  Of course this doesn’t mean that Job actually saw God, for no one can see Him and live (Exodus 33:20).  Job likened God’s personal revelation to him (see Job 38:1) as seeing Him.  He had experienced God’s presence. 
2. (vs. 6).  The divine revelation of God caused Job to say “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”  This speaks of Job’s humility.  It was God’s revelation of Himself that humbled Job.  The word “myself” is italicized in the KJV indicating that it was added by the translators for better understanding.  The original text simply says “Wherefore I abhor.”  This would mean that Job completely despised himself, and was especially ashamed of the statements he had made accusing God of not judging the wicked.  As a result of his humility, Job added “(I) repent in dust and ashes.”  Job repented, or had a change of mind because he had a self-righteous attitude toward God when he received no answers from Him concerning why he was suffering.  The ash heap on which Job had been sitting (see Job 2:8) had now changed from a refuge for an outcast to an altar for a repentant sinner.  Note:   God may not choose to appear to us in spectacular ways today.  However, we have many vivid meetings with Him through His written Word, and we would do well to take these meetings seriously.  We must remember that because of our sin, we deserve only condemnation and eternal separation from Him.  But only through His grace and the imputed righteousness of Christ are we able to come before Him.
IV. A REVERSAL OF POSITIONS (Job 42:7-10)      
A. God rebukes Job’s friends (Job 42:7-9). 
1. (vs. 7).  This verse says “And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.”  God now turns his attention to the three friends who had given Job some erroneous advice during their discussion.  The Lord directed His statements to “Eliphaz the Temanite.”  Eliphaz was from Teman which was thought to be in the land of Edom.  He was the first of Job’s friends to criticize him.  Gods said to Eliphaz “My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.”   Job had advised his friends not to try to speak for God while judging him because the Lord would judge them (see Job 13:7-10).  That advice was now coming to pass.  Job’s friends correctly tried to defend God’s justice, but they incorrectly applied it to why Job was suffering.  They spoke as if they knew God’s mind.  The Lord said that He was angry with them because “ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.”  They saw God as a judge and failed to see Him as a God of grace, love, and mercy who, in His sovereignty could use suffering for teaching purposes as well as punishment.  On the other hand, Job had spoken of God “the thing that is right” meaning that Job had said what was right concerning the Lord.  Job had correctly argued that God would not punish the innocent unjustly.  Job’s friends had made the error of assuming that his suffering was caused by some great sin.  They were judging Job without knowing what God was doing.  We must avoid making judgments about a person because God may be working in ways we know nothing about.  The Lord referred to Job as “my servant.”   Before Job’s trials, the Lord introduced him to Satan as His servant (see Job 1:8; 2:3) and nothing had happened since that time to change God’s high esteem for Job.  The Hebrew word for “servant” is slave, but when used by God it’s a description of great position and honor.  In Scripture, in addition to Job, God has referred to only a few people as “my servant”---Abraham (see Genesis 26:24), Moses (see Numbers 12:7-8; Joshua 1:2, 7), Caleb (see Numbers 14:24) David (see II Samuel 3:18; 7:5, 8), Isaiah (Isaiah 20:3), and Eliakim (see Isaiah 22:20).   
2. (vs. 8).  Now God said to Job’s three friends “Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.”   Since Job’s friends had not spoken accurately about the Lord, He instructed them to “go to my servant Job” and bring seven bullocks or bulls, and seven rams and “offer up for yourselves a burnt offering.”  During this time which was before the Law, the “burnt offering” was a sacrifice to symbolize total surrender to God, because the sacrifice was completely burned up.  But after the Law was given, it also served as a substitute for the sinner for sins in general (see Leviticus 1:3-4).  The same Job whom these three men accused of being a great sinner now would serve as priest for them.  They believed that Job had sinned and was in need of restoration, but God declared that they were the ones who needed to be restored, and Job would be the mediator between them and God.  Once they brought the offering to Job, the Lord said “my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept.”   Job was the proper mediator, meaning the right one to pray or intercede for them, because God accepted him and his prayer for His friends.  In the last phrase of this verse we see that it was necessary for them to obey God for He said “lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.”  In other words, if Job’s friends failed to obey God by not bringing the demanded sacrifice, he would deal with them because they didn’t speak correctly about Him when they debated with Job.  If Job hadn’t performed this service as an intercessor, his friends would have been condemned by God.  Job’s friends would only be accepted by the Lord because He accepted Job.  In this, Job was a type of Christ (see II Corinthians 5:21; I Timothy 2:5).
3. (vs. 9).  This verse says “So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: the Lord also accepted Job.”  Job’s three friends obeyed the Lord’s command to bring the proper offering to Job, and God accepted Job’s intercession or prayer for them.  Interceding for his friends who had falsely accused him of some great sin demonstrated Job’s love and forgiving spirit.  This is the type of love that believers should show all the time. 
B. God’s exaltation of Job (Job 42:10).  Our final verse says “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”  The phrase “turned the captivity” means to restore one’s fortunes.  In other words, after Job prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again by giving him “twice as much as he had before.”  Notice that this happened only after Job prayed for his friends.  Up to the moment Job prayed, he was still afflicted.  Job’s prayer demonstrated godliness and a pure heart which removed all obstacles that would hinder his restoration.  Not only did God restore Job physically and materially, his family members who had deserted him (see Job 19:13) came and comforted him and even showed amazing generosity (see Job 42:11).  The remainder of chapter 42 gives the details of Job’s restoration.  Note:  Job’s restoration may give the impression that when God ends every experience of suffering He will always give back everything that has been taken away, both physically and materially.  However, we know that this is not always the case.  The book of Job teaches us that our sovereign God does what He wants, to whomever He wants, and for as long as He wants.  When we learn to appreciate that lesson, it will hardly matter to us what God gives or takes away.  We will still worship Him just because He’s God.
        
V. Conclusion.  Gossiping behind a person’s back as well as offering false advice can do much damage.  We must be careful about assuming we know what God is doing in another person’s life.  We may try to help people in their walk with the Lord with good intentions, but it’s very easy to give our opinions about why this or that happened.  We must recognize that we cannot understand the ways of God in our own lives, much less in the lives of others.  God revealed Himself to Job in a life-changing way. He demonstrated to Job that He is sovereign and not subject to the judgment of man.  Job responded to God’s revelation with humility.  He repented of his accusations of God and was able to gain a new perspective about himself, and his problems.  Many people like Job, struggle with life’s problems and need to catch a mental glimpse of the sovereign God.  When we see Him as He is, we are better able to cope with the trials that we face.

 







 

 

 

 

 

Hope Complains

                                                             Sunday School Lesson
                                           
Lesson: Job 24:1, 9-12, 19-25; Psalms 55:16;
                                                                                                  Golden Text: “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me” (Psalms 55:16). 

I.  INTRODUCTION.  Very often it appears to us that the wicked get away with abusing and hurting people and many other things.  Sometimes this may cause us to ask the question, “If God is all-powerful and able to punish the wicked, why does He wait?”  This week’s lesson addresses this question.  Like many other mysteries in life, the answer is in the timing---God’s timing.  In this week’s text, Job reflected on areas of life in which evil seemed to prosper and justice was trodden down.

II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  Upon hearing of Job’s troubles, three of his friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar came and sat in silence with him for seven days.  Job then broke the silence with a monologue in which he cursed the day he was born (see Job chapter 3).  This started three rounds of arguments between Job and his friends.  Eliphaz spoke in chapters 4, 5, 15, 22; Bildad spoke in chapters 8, 18, 25 and Zophar spoke in chapters 11, 20.  All three of Job’s friends held fast to the principle that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.  They therefore concluded that Job must have sinned greatly because of all the trouble that had come upon him.  As they spoke with Job, they called on him to come clean and admit that he had committed some sin.  The second round of debates begins on chapter 15 with Eliphaz basically repeating the same accusations as he did earlier, but this time he was more rude and threatening adding that Job’s words were empty and useless (see Job chapter 15).  Job answered him in chapter 16 by calling his friends miserable comforters.  They were no help to him at all.  In chapter 17, Job appears to be giving up hope for any future restoration of wealth and family, wrapping himself in thoughts of death and the rest from grief and pain death promised (see Job 17:6-16).  In chapter 18 Bildad speaks for the second time asking Job when he would stop his senseless talk (see Job 18:1-4) and gave his opinion of death (see Job 18:5-21).  Chapter 19 gives Job’s reply to Bildad’s second round of attacks.  After his friends brought accusations against him a second time, Job still held to his innocence.  In chapter 23, he expressed his frustration that he wasn’t able to bring his case to God personally.  He thought that if he knew where God’s judgment seat was, he could approach Him with confidence (see Job 23:3-7).  But of course he concluded that God couldn’t be found (see Job 23:8-9).  At this point Job understood that suffering would refine or cause him to mature spiritually (see Job 23:10).  However, he still remained troubled by his suffering (see Job 23:15-16).       

III. GOD’S APPARENT INDIFFERENCE TO INJUSTICE (Job 24:1, 9-12)    

A. The absence of the Judge (Job 24:1).  In our first verse, Job asks “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?”  The word “times” here refers to the times that God has set for judging the wicked.  Job knew that God has times set to judge the wicked (see Job 21:30), but he was troubled as to why God didn’t reveal those days of judgment to “they that know him.” In essence, Job’s question was “Since God has days set aside to judge the wicked, why doesn’t He share that information with those who know Him?”  The phrase “they that know him” refers to true worshippers of God who walk with Him in complete dedication.  But the times of the Lord’s judgment are hidden from those who know Him, and we don’t know whether or not God has righted the wrongs of the wicked.  God keeps to Himself the times when He will render justice to the wicked.  Some are judged and punished in their lifetime, and some are yet to be judged. 

B. The grace of the poor (Job 24:9-11).   Verses 2-8 are not part of our printed text but they lead into verse 9 of our lesson.  However, in those verses Job listed some of the things that the wicked seem to get away with.  The wicked moved boundary markers making it easy for them to take others’ property; they stole flocks of sheep and took away the only donkey or ox that the widows or orphans had (see Job 24:2-3).  The wicked also forced the poor to hide in terrible conditions of hunger and cold (see Job 24:4-8).  Our lesson continues with verse 9.

1. (vs. 9).  This verse says “They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.”  In addition to those things named in the previous verses, Job said that the wicked also “pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.”  This means that in order to collect the debt of a deceased man, a creditor would snatch a baby from the mother’s breast and the infant was taken as a “pledge” or collateral for the debt.

2. (vs. 10).  This verse says “They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry.”  The word “They” still refers to the wicked and “him” refers to the poor.  Job declared that the wicked deprived the poor of clothing causing them to go naked.  In addition, the wicked “take away the sheaf from the hungry.”  This means that the wicked also deprived the poor of food.  A “sheaf” was stalks of grain gathered and tied into a bundle after harvesting.  The poor worked the fields of their masters and harvested the grain, but were not permitted to take any sheaves for themselves.  The Mosaic Law later commanded that the poor could gather gleanings (what was left on the ground after gathering the sheaves) from the corners of the fields (see Deuteronomy 24:19).

3. (vs. 11).  Job continues to say “Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.”  The poor or servants suffered oppression in the vineyards also.  These servants made olive oil from the olives trees enclosed within the walls of their masters.  The servants also “tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.”  This means that the poor who served the wicked owners treaded the winepresses in the vineyards, but they were not allowed to drink any of what they produced.  Job noticed that the slaves worked all day in the winepresses but went away thirsty.  “Wine presses” were used to make wine and consisted of an upper vat or tub and a lower vat where juice from grapes were trodden out by workers and then collected into the lower vat or tub.

C. The violence of the cities (Job 24:12).  In this verse Job said “Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.”  Having just given his view of the oppression and wickedness taking place in the rural areas, Job here gives insight into what was going on in the cites.  He said “Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out.”  This refers to the dying groans coming from people in the cities suffering from senseless physical attacks.  The souls of those who die from their wounds cry out.  Job saw all of this happening and concluded “yet God layeth not folly to them.”  In other words, to Job it appeared that God wasn’t concerned nor was He charging the guilty for their wrongdoings.
IV. GOD’S MYSTERIOUS DEALINGS WITH THE WICKED (Job 24:19-25).    In verses 13-18 which are not part of our printed text, Job talks about the various wicked activities of the murderer, the adulterer and the thief and what they do during the night (see vss13-17).  Then in verse 18, Job explains that these wicked people through death soon disappear from the earth, leaving no inheritance for their children.  This takes us to verse 19. 

A. Despised and forgotten after death (Job 24:19-20). 

1. (vs. 19).  Continuing his thought from verse 18 illustrating the sudden end to the sinner, Job here said “Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.”  Just like the lack of rain and heat absorb melted snow, and there’s no trace of the water because it has no supply source, the sinner or wicked person also will soon be forgotten after death.        

2. (vs. 20).  Still talking about the sudden end to the wicked or sinner, Job continued to say “The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.”  The word “womb” is used to represent one’s mother.  Amazingly, the idea here is that the one who gave birth to the wicked person “shall forget him” because nothing good came of his life.  In addition, “the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered.”  In other words, his decayed body eaten by worms will be forgotten, never to be remembered again.  The last phrase of this verse “and wickedness shall be broken as a tree” means that the sinner’s life which is full of wickedness will be broken off by death just like limbs are broken from a tree.  This description doesn’t mean that the wicked will die early.  The broken tree indicates old age because young trees only bend in strong winds, but mature or older trees can be broken easily.  Describing the wicked in this way, Job didn’t feel that God afflicted the wicked like He did him.  He felt that the Lord didn’t treat the righteous and the wicked equally.

B. The wicked practicing injustice during life (Job 24:21).  Job went on to say “He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.”  The phrase “He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not” means that the wicked took advantage and mistreated women who couldn’t bear any children.  In addition, they didn’t treat the widows well either.  In ancient times, childless women and widows were probably the most vulnerable people.  Those who were “barren that beareth not” had no sons to protect or support them, and the “widow” had no support because her husband was dead.  These women could easily be taken advantage of by wicked schemers and tricked out of any family property they had.

C. The wicked enjoying immunity from trouble (Job 24:22-24). 

1. (vs. 22).  In this verse, Job now describes how God deals with the wicked, especially those in high places.  Job said “He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.”  The word “He” refers to God who Job said “draweth also the mighty with his power.”  The term “draweth” should probably be understood as prolonging or preserving.  It seemed to Job that God was prolonging the life of the wicked by His power.  The phrase “he riseth up, and no man is sure of life” means that even though the wicked appear to be established or exalted, he has no assurance of life.

2. (vs. 23).  Job continued to say “Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.”  In dealing with the wicked, God gives them a time when they feel safe and for a period of time they are able to rest.   Even though it may appear that the wicked are at times safe and at rest, God’s “eyes are upon their ways.”  In other words, the Lord still holds them accountable for their actions.  In essence Job was saying that in his eyes the wicked for a time seem to enjoy security and peace.

3. (vs. 24).  Still speaking about his view of the wicked, in this verse Job says “They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.”  Even though Job saw the wicked as enjoying security, he was also aware that it didn’t last long as he said “They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low.”  The wicked are given time to enjoy their greatness and high positions, but they soon are “gone and brought low” meaning that it all comes to an end and they die.  The phrase “they are taken out of the way as all other” refers to the fact that the wicked end up like everyone else in death.  They have no advantage or disadvantage when they die.  They experience the same thing in death as everyone else.  Job likened their death to being “cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.”  In Job’s mind, just like the tops of “corn” or grain are not cut off before the grain has matured, the wicked don’t die before their time whenever that may be.  God allows them to continue to live in their evil ways.  So Job’s question in all of this was “Where is God’s justice in all of this?”

D. Job’s claim to accuracy (Job 24:25).  In this verse Job says “And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?”  Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends accused Job of lying about being innocent of any sin that he was aware of.  So in this verse, after having given his view of the wicked, Job told his three friends that if what he said was not true, who could prove that he was lying and that his words amounted to nothing?  Job knew that his friends couldn’t.

V. THE RESPONSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS TO SUFFERING (Job 55:16).   The last verse of our text comes from Psalms 55:16.  This psalm opens with David complaining to the Lord as he personally experienced the oppression of the wicked (see Psalms 55:1-3).  He longed to flee to a safe place, away from the violence and strife he saw in the city of Jerusalem (see Psalms 55:6-11).  David, like Job wasn’t betrayed by an enemy, but by a close friend and even prayed for his destruction (see Psalms 55:12-15).  But in the midst of all this and despite the agony of his soul (see Psalms 55:4-5) David declared in our final verse “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.”  David, who had suffered at the hands of many whom he thought he could trust, had learned that God wouldn’t fail him in times of trouble, so he committed himself to call upon God who he said “shall save me.”   God is delighted when His beloved children cry out to Him for help.

     

                           

VI. Conclusion.  As this lesson teaches, Job was deeply concerned that the wicked seemed to prosper while the righteous suffered.  God’s timing in bringing retribution upon the wicked is as mysterious as His delay in rewarding and blessing the righteous.  Solomon also raised a complaint regarding God’s timing in judging sin.  He said “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (see Ecclesiastes 8:11).  Solomon, like Job eventually came to recognize the resolution to this concern.  He declared “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (see Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).  Yes, God may delay judgment, but He will ultimately judge every act.  Case closed.
 



 

 

 

My Redeemer Lives

                                                                     Sunday School Lesson

                                            
Lesson: Job 19:1-7, 23-29
                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25).
INTRODUCTION.  The book of Job addresses the question: “Why do righteous people have to suffer?”  We know that Job’s sufferings were brought about by Satan with God’s approval.  We also know that God only wanted good to come to Job from his sufferings.  But Job didn’t know anything about Satan’s conversation with God, and his so-called friends only made his misery worse by accusing him of sinning instead of providing consolation.  We all have had someone accuse us of doing something we didn’t do.  Although we knew we were innocent, others around us didn’t believe we were.  What we wanted and needed was for someone to defend us and prove our innocence.  Just like Job, we needed a redeemer.  Not the kind that saves us from the penalty of our sins for we already have that in Jesus, but someone who can save our reputation, and clear us of all false accusations.  Our lesson this week will reveal Job’s deepest despair as well as his glimpses of hope.
BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  It’s believed that Job lived during the days of the patriarch Abraham.  Job was a righteous man from the land of Uz who feared God and turned away from evil (see Job 1:1).  God had prospered him greatly and he was known as the greatest man in the east (see Job 1:2-3).  But this all changed dramatically.  In an appearance before God, Satan accused Job of being righteous only for what he could get out of it (see Job 1:6-10).  To prove Satan wrong, God granted him permission to attack Job on two different occasions (see Job 1:11-12).  First Satan destroyed all of Job’s possessions, including his children (see Job 1:13-22).  Then Satan attacked Job’s health (see Job 2:1-8).  To make matters worse, Job’s wife complained that he was still holding on to his integrity after all he was going through.  She suggested he curse God and die (see Job 2:9-10).  When they heard of Job’s troubles, three of his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar came and sat silently with him for seven days (see Job 2:11-13).  Job then broke the silence with a monologue in which he cursed the day he was born (see Job chapter 3).  This started three rounds of arguments between Job and his friends.  Eliphaz spoke in chapters 4, 5, 15, 22; Bildad spoke in chapters 8, 18, 25 and Zophar spoke in chapters 11, 20.  Eliphaz spoke first in chapter 4 claiming that Job was suffering because he had sinned (see Job 4:7-9) and advised Job to go to God and plead his case before Him (see Job 5:8).  But Job told him to take back his accusations because he hadn’t done anything wrong referring to his integrity (see Job 6:29-30).  When Bildad spoke in chapter 8, he inferred that Job was still suffering because he wouldn’t admit that he had sinned (see Job 8:1-7).  Job replied saying that he would ask God what he had done wrong (see Job 10:2-12).  Then Zophar spoke accusing Job of the same things as Eliphaz and Bildad that Job was suffering because of sin.  However, Zophar’s language was arrogant and full of anger, insensitive to Job’s unique situation (see Job 11:1-11).  Job replied by comparing his friends to doctors who didn’t know what they were doing (see Job 13:1-4).  Job ended this first round of debates by lamenting about how unfair life is (see Job 14:1-12).  The second round of debates begins in chapter 15 with Eliphaz basically repeating the same accusations as he did earlier, but this time he was more rude and threatening adding that Job’s words were empty and useless (see Job chapter 15).  Job answered him in chapter 16 by calling his friends miserable comforters.  They were no help to him at all.  In chapter 17, Job appears to be giving up hope for any future restoration of wealth and family, wrapping himself in thoughts of death and the rest from grief and pain death promised (see Job 17:6-16).  In chapter 18 Bildad speaks for the second time asking Job when he would stop his senseless talk (see Job 18:1-4) and gave his opinion of death (see Job 18:5-21).  Chapter 19 from whence our lesson comes gives Job’s reply to Bildad’s second round of attacks.
JOB’S LONELY PLIGHT (Job 19:1-7)  
A. Job vexed by words (Job 19:1-2). 
1. (vs. 1).  Our first verse says “Then Job answered and said.”  After listening to his friends attack him accusing him of suffering because he had sinned, this verse tells us that Job was about to respond to them again.
2. (vs. 2).  In this verse Job speaking to his three friends asked “How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?”  Earlier in Job 18:2, Bildad asked Job how long would he keep speaking useless words.  Now Job returns the favor by asking them “How long will ye vex my soul?”  As his friends these three men should’ve brought Job words of comfort, but instead their words vexed or troubled his soul.  In addition, Job said you “break me in pieces with words.”  This means that they used many words to try to break him down to get him to admit he was guilty of some sin.  They had already concluded that the kind of trouble Job was experiencing must be due to sin.  Bildad had compared Job with a wicked man whose family was destroyed (see Job 18:5-6) because of his own sins (see Job 18:7-10).  According to Bildad, just like the wicked man, all that was left for Job was death and no remembrance of his name (see Job 18:15-21).
B. Job misunderstood by his friends (Job 19:3-4).  
1. (vs. 3). In this verse, Job continues to say to his three friends “These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.”  The words “These ten times” does not refer to an actual number of ten times, but is a figure of speech meaning numerous times, or more than necessary.  Centuries later, Jacob accused Laban of changing his wages ten times, but in reality his wages were only changed twice, (see Genesis 29:15-20; 21-28; 31:7).  Job was saying that his friends “reproached” him numerous times.  The term “reproach” means “to charge or blame someone for something wrong.  It can also mean “to rebuke.”  Instead of Job’s friends comforting him in his afflictions, they were blaming him for his afflictions, and rebuking him for not admitting that he had sinned.   Job also said “ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.”  In other words, Job was saying that their behavior toward him was strange, and they without shame were insulting him by unjustly accusing him of sinning.  Note:  It’s easy to point out someone else’s faults or sins.  Job’s friends accused him of sin to make him feel guilty not to encourage or correct him.  If we feel that we must admonish someone, we should be sure we are doing it because we love the person, not because we are annoyed, inconvenienced, or just seeking to blame him.
2. (vs. 4).  Job went on to say “And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.”  Here Job told his friends that if he had “erred” or sinned, that was his problem not theirs.  Job was not aware of anything he had done wrong, but even if he had, he stated that “mine error remaineth with myself” meaning that any sin he may have committed was for him to deal with not his friends.  He had done no wrong to them, so they didn’t have the right to play God and condemn him.  Note:  Job’s friends weren’t aware of any sin that he had committed.  They simply looked at his sufferings and reasoned that he must be a sinner.  We must be careful not to assume that a person is guilty of sin when we see them suffering any hardship or sickness.  Only God knows the heart of the one suffering.  Our part is to be humble and pray for the person’s deliverance and that they learn whatever lesson God may be teaching.      
C. Job afflicted by God (Job 19:5-6).
1. (vs. 5).  In this verse Job continues to say “If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach.”  This verse actually introduces the next verse.  But here, Job began telling his friends that if they were going to “magnify” or lift themselves up above him as if they were God and “plead against me my reproach” meaning to continue to use his suffering to prove his sinfulness, there was something they needed to know.  He told them what that was in the next verse.
2. (vs. 6).  Here Job told his friends what they really needed to know.  He said “Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.”  The word “overthrown” means “to bend” or “perverted.”  Job was accusing God of doing him wrong and treating him in a perverted way.  Job had blamed God for his troubles earlier (see Job 3:23; 6:4; 9:22-23).  As far as Job was concerned, he had examined himself and couldn’t find any sin in his life that would cause his trials.  Therefore, he came to the conclusion that God was not treating him justly.  Bildad had previously accused Job of falling into a net or trap because of his own sin (see Job 18:7-10).  But now Job used the same word “net” declaring that God had “compassed (enclosed) me with his net.”  Job felt that God had set a trap for him and he unknowingly fell into it.  Note:  It may seem easy for us to condemn Job for so boldly blaming God for his problems.  But we must remember that Job was a godly man (see Job 1:1, 8; 2:3) who knew the difference between right and wrong (see Job 1:5).  As a result, when the calamities came upon him, he earnestly looked within himself for a reason why he was suffering.  When he found none, he concluded that his sufferings were due to divine injustice.  Job felt that God was treating him like an enemy, but in reality God was his friend and thought highly of him (see Job 1:8; 2:3).  In Job’s difficulty, he pointed at the wrong person.  It was Satan, not God who was his enemy.
D.  Job’s complaint unheard (Job 19:7).  Here Job says “Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.”   This verse reveals Job’s tremendous struggle.  The phrase “Behold, I cry out of wrong” can also be rendered “Listen, I cry that I’ve been done wrong, seeking help.”  Even as Job cried out for help, he said “but I am not heard.”  There was no answer from God to his cry for help.  He went further saying “I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.”  When he received no response, Job yelled out louder “help!” but realized since there was no answer, there was no “judgment” or justice.  No doubt he felt that God had turned his back on him.
JOB’S EXPECTATIONS (Job 19:23-29).   Verses 8-19 are not part of our printed text but those verses continue to reveal how deeply Job felt that he had been abandoned.  He said that God had hemmed him in and kept him in darkness (see vs. 8) and had taken away his crown of glory and crushed all his hope (see vss. 9-10).  Job also felt that God had fought against him and besieged him like an enemy (see vss. 11-12).  He said that God had turned his family against him (see vss. 13-17) and even mere acquaintances, including children, would have nothing to do with him (see vss. 18-19).  And then as he reached his deepest point of despair in verse 21, Job pleaded with his friends saying “Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.”  These words describe a deeply dejected man who believes that the Lord has deserted him.  Then in verse 22, Job asked his friends “Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren’t you satisfied with my anguish?”  This is where the remainder of our lesson begins.
A. A permanent record of innocence (Job 19:23-24). 
1. (vs. 23).  In this verse Job says “Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!”  It appears that Job believed that he wouldn’t be vindicated of any guilt in his lifetime, so he wished that his words would be written and “printed in a book” or scroll.  Spoken words can be blotted from a person’s memory, but written words can be preserved and become a permanent record.  As far as Job was concerned, his written words could be read carefully by future generations who would find him innocent of any sin that caused his suffering.  
2. (vs. 24).  It’s true that written words on a scroll could be permanent, but Job wanted something more permanent than a scroll.  Still talking about his words, in this verse he said “That they (his words) were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!”  Job’s desire was that his words be engraved “with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!”  An “iron pen” was an engraving tool used to engrave on surfaces.  Once words were inscribed on the surface of metal or rock, hot “lead” was poured into the engraved letters for visibility and permanence.  Job wanted his words cut into rock which would be a more lasting memory of his integrity.  Note:  Job was well aware that his spoken words most likely would die with him, but permanent records would live on.  Amazingly, his wish became a reality because today we have his complete story.  In his book, we can clearly see that he was innocent of any sin that would cause his suffering.  For sure, Job was not sinless, because he doubted God’s goodness.  But because of this record, we know that his suffering was not a result of his sin.
B. Job vindicated by his Redeemer (Job 19:25).  Job continued to say “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”  Through all that Job was suffering, he still expected to be vindicated of his integrity (see Job 2:3, 9; 27:5; 31:6) which would confirm that he had not sinned.  Therefore he was able to say “For I know that my redeemer liveth.”  It’s one thing to be vindicated by future generations who read his preserved words, but it is completely another thing to be vindicated or found not guilty by God.  Job placed emphasis on the word “I” indicating that others may doubt that God lives, but Job was certain and sure of this.  As his “redeemer” Job believed that God would be on his side and avenge him of the misconceptions his friends had about him.  The word “redeem” means to buy back or to repurchase.  The word “redeemer” refers to someone who frees or delivers another from difficulty, danger, or bondage, usually by paying a ransom price. Not only was Job sure that his Redeemer lived, but he was also positive that “he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”  The phrase “the latter day” can also be translated as “the last days” and refers to the end times when Job, by faith, saw his “Redeemer” or Avenger standing on the earth declaring him not guilty of his friends’ accusations and restoring his integrity or name.
C. Job’s vision of God (Job 19:26-27). 
1. (vs. 26).  Job continued in this verse saying “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”  Because his skin was covered with boils (see Job 2:7), Job thought that he would soon die.  So he said even when my skin is gone and my body has decayed, “yet in my flesh shall I see God.”   Job was sure that even after his body decayed, he would still see God in his “flesh” or his body.  Job believed that his body would be resurrected and at that time he would see God.  This is evidence of a bodily resurrection for all believers.  The doctrine of a bodily resurrection is clearly taught in the New Testament (see I Corinthians chapter 15), but it had only been partially revealed in the Old Testament (see Psalms 16:10; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2, 13).  We don’t know for sure what type of body we will have, but we do know that our resurrected bodies will be like Jesus’ glorious body (see Philippians 3:21) and we will see Him as He is (see I John 3:2).
2. (vs. 27).  Still speaking about God, Job here says “Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”  This verse can also be translated: “I will see my Redeemer with my own eyes , me and not another; my heart yearns for it.”  The word “reins” literally means “kidneys” but here it refers to Job’s inner being.  Therefore the phrase “though my reins be consumed within me” means that Job had a deep yearning to see His Redeemer who he now saw as his friend and not an enemy.
D. Job’s triumph of justice (Job 19:28-29). 
1. (vs. 28).  In this verse, Job again speaks directly to his three friends saying “But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?”  In other words, Job was saying “If you ask yourselves how shall you continue to pursue me considering that the root of the problem lies with me.”  Job’s three friends were determined to keep after him assuming that sin was the cause of his suffering.  If they continued to falsely accuse him of sinning, Job had a warning for them in the next verse.
2. (vs. 29).  The warning Job gave his friends for continuing to hound him about why he was suffering was “Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.”  In other words if they kept accusing Job of sinning they should be “afraid of the sword” which God would bring upon them for making Him angry over their treatment of Job.  God’s “wrath” or anger would rise against them and they will “know there is a judgment.”  Job wanted his friends to know that God was completely aware of their accusations and actions toward Job, and that they would certainly be subject to God’s judgment.
                     
V. Conclusion.  In this week’s lesson, Job thought his cries to the Lord for help went unanswered.  But God never left Job’s side, even though he thought God had abandoned him.  Job wrongly assumed that because God was silent, He had forsaken him.  We may have people who wrongfully slander us to our faces or behind our backs.  Sometimes it’s impossible for us to deal with these attacks. This week’s remarkable passage should also remind us that even in the darkest hour, saints can know that the Lord will eventually vindicate us and reward us with a vision of Himself.  But it’s also a stern warning against unjustly accusing a suffering believer of having brought on his condition through sin.

 







 

Rejoice Anyway

                                                                     Sunday School Lesson                                     

Lesson: Habakkuk 2:1-5; 3:17-19                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).
INTRODUCTION.  God’s ways and thoughts are as high above those of men as the heavens are higher than the earth (see Isaiah 55:9).  In this week’s lesson, the prophet Habakkuk faced a dark future for his nation.  God had revealed that Judah would be disciplined for its sin by the Chaldeans (Babylonians).  However, Habakkuk couldn’t understand how God could let the Jews sin and then be punished by the Chaldeans who were even more sinful than His people.  The prophet had to learn to put his personal trust in God for salvation and leave all other matters in His hands.  In this lesson we will see how Habakkuk responded God’s plan to chastise His people.
BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  Based on the message of his prophecy, it is believed that Habakkuk prophesied in Judah as the nation was declining, not long before the Babylonian invasion.  This would be between 627 and 586 B.C. Habakkuk’s prophecy is introduces as “the burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see (see Habakkuk 1:1).  The word “burden” means “oracle” and is sometimes used in prophetical writings to indicate a divine message of judgment (see Isaiah 13:1-5).  Habakkuk was about to predict judgment on both Judah (see Habakkuk 1:6) and her oppressors, the Chaldeans (see Habakkuk 2:4-19).  Habakkuk was a man who sought answers.  He saw a dying world and it broke his heart.  He couldn’t understand why there was evil in the world, nor why the wicked seemed to be winning.  The prophet boldly took his complaints to God in a series of questions.  Habakkuk witnessed sin all around him and wondered why God allowed sin to go un-judged (see Habakkuk 1:2-4).  Apparently, the prophet had been concerned about the wickedness in Judah for some time and probably had previously asked God to remove it.  But so far God seemed not to hear his cries.  This caused the prophet to ask “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou will not save” (see Habakkuk 1:2)? The prophet couldn’t understand why God had been silent and done nothing about Judah’s wickedness (see Habakkuk 1:2-3).  The Lord answered Habakkuk declaring that He would deal with Judah’s wickedness and would use the Chaldeans to do it (see Habakkuk 1:5-11).  But this answer caused Habakkuk to ask the Lord another question.  In essence he wanted to know how could a righteous and just God use an even more wicked nation to discipline Judah (see Habakkuk 1:12-17).  After asking this question, Habakkuk waited to hear the Lord’s answer.  This is where our lesson begins.    
THE LORD’S REVELATION (HABAKKUK 2:1-5)
A. The prophet’s anticipation (Habakkuk 2:1).  Having asked God why He would use a heathen nation to discipline His people, Habakkuk said in our first verse “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”  The prophet saw himself as a watchman sitting in a tower guarding a city.  Many prophets in Israel were likened to watchmen (see Ezekiel 3:17: Jeremiah 6:17).  It was understood that prophets would receive God’s message and pass it on just like a watchman on a wall would do for a city.  The prophet said that he would “watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”  In other words, Habakkuk would wait eagerly, but patiently for God’s answer to his complaint about how the Lord was handling the situation (see Habakkuk 1:12-17).  The phrase “and what I shall answer when I am reproved” indicates that the prophet was also aware that his complaint may cause the Lord to rebuke him for taking the liberty to question Him.  The term “reprove” means to rebuke.
B. The certainty of the revelation (Habakkuk 2:2-3).  
1(vs. 2).  The Lord answered Habakkuk in this verse. Habakkuk said “And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”  God instructed Habakkuk to “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables.”  The word “vision” is sometimes used to describe the message God gave His prophets (see Isaiah 1:1; Ezekiel 7:26; Obadiah 1:1).  Habakkuk was commanded to write down the “vision” or message indicating that it was important not only for the present generation but also for future descendents of Judah (see Exodus 17:14; Isaiah 30:8).  Most often writings were done on scrolls, but here the Lord told Habakkuk to write His message on “tables” or tablets.  These tablets were most likely made of clay.  They may have been the type used to post public notices in the marketplaces.  God also commanded the prophet to “make it (the message) plain” meaning it was to be legible and clear.  The reason Habakkuk was to write the vision or message plainly was so that “he may run that readeth it.”  This most likely means that the message should be written so clearly and legibly that anyone reading it could understand it and run and share the message with others.  This was important because the message would bring hope of deliverance from the Babylonians to the Israelites and also predicted the doom of the enemy.  Note:  The message God gave to Habakkuk was to be carried to the people.  It was to be given clearly.  There must be no mistake about it.  Those who read and believed what the prophet wrote were to carry the message to others.  God’s message always requires haste.  The command to communicate God’s message clearly should not be taken lightly.  Too often unbelievers have despised God’s eternal words because Christians have presented those words with poor organization, weak delivery and/or bad grammar.
2. (vs. 3).  Habakkuk had to preserve the message because God said “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”  The phrase “For the vision is yet for an appointed time” means that the fulfillment of the “vision” or prophecy would occur at the time designated by the Lord.  What God was about to reveal concerning Judah’s restoration and Babylon’s defeat wouldn’t happen immediately.  The Captivity had to take place first and the people needed a written record to remind them that they would be delivered and their captors would be judged.  The phrase “but at the end it shall speak, and not lie” means that the prophecy eagerly looks forward to the time of its fulfillment, but in the meantime it does not deceive those who read it.  The words “the end” referred immediately to the Babylonian Captivity which would end after seventy years (see Jeremiah 29:10).  However, it could also refer to the end of the “the times of the Gentiles” (see Luke 21:24; Revelation 19:11-21) when Christ returns to set up His messianic kingdom and all nations will come under Christ’s rule.  The last part of this verse says “though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”  The word “tarry” means “to linger.”  When God said “though it tarry” He was saying that it may appear that the fulfillment of the prophecy may be taking a long time, but even so the people were commanded to “wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”  This indicates that the fulfillment of God’s message or prophecy may be longer than many expected causing them to lose hope.  But we must remember that God doesn’t work on our schedule and everything He does happens at the right time and “it will not tarry” or take longer than God determines (see I Samuel 13:8-14; John 11:1-15; II Peter 3:3-9).  God’s purposes are steadfast and sure and can’t be hurried or delayed.  Therefore, we must submit to Him and wait patiently for His plans to unfold (see Hebrews 10:36-37).
C. The Lord’s condemnation of the Chaldeans (Habakkuk 2:4-5).
1. (vs. 4).  In Habakkuk 1:12-17, Habakkuk complained to the Lord that He was allowing a pagan, proud nation to discipline His people.  In this verse, God briefly answered Habakkuk’s complaint as He said “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”  The words “his soul” refers to the Chaldeans in general.  As a people, they were “lifted up” meaning “puffed up” or full of pride.  Like the Chaldeans, the person who is proud trusts in his or her own limited resources instead of recognizing God’s unfailing strength.  They trust in themselves and not in the Lord.  God said that the soul or the desires of the “lifted up” person “is not upright in him.”  In other words, the soul or desires of the proud are not honorable.  This prideful attitude would eventually lead to the downfall of the Chaldeans (see Habakkuk 2:6-8; Proverbs 16:18).  God answered Habakkuk’s complaint.  Yes, He would use the Chaldeans to chastise Judah, but they would have to answer to Him for their pride, cruelty and idolatry.  The Chaldeans’ failure to glorify God would bring His wrath.  But when would this happen?  The Chaldean (Babylonian) Empire would fall in the days of Belshazzar, king of Babylon (see Daniel 5:1-31).  However, in the meantime, God also said in contrast to the man who is full of pride, “the just shall live by his faith.”  The term “just” means righteous and here refers to any righteous person in Judah.  It identifies a person who lives by the moral standards of God.  In Judah, the “just” or righteous man believed God, and demonstrated his faith through good deeds while being surrounded by evil. The righteous in Judah were facing a certain invasion by the Chaldeans and also a yet unfulfilled prophecy of their enemies’ doom.  They would eventually enjoy deliverance and fullness of life because of their faith.  The Chaldeans would be destroyed because their pride would make faith impossible for them.  But the “just” or righteous in Judah would live because of their trust in God’s promise.  Note:  The statement that “the just shall live by faith” is the basis of the New Testament doctrine of salvation.  Paul and the author of Hebrews (also thought to be Paul) repeated this statement declaring that faith in Christ is the key to true righteousness and eternal life (see Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).  Too often the biblical emphasis upon faith is misunderstood.  God doesn’t call upon us to just have faith, or just to believe.  Instead, He wants us to have Him as the object of our faith.  There is no such thing as blind faith in the Bible.  Neither does the Word of God teach that the sinner’s faith alone saves him.  Christ saves and Christ alone (see I John 5:11-12).  No one can be saved without faith, but that faith must be in Jesus Christ.
2. (vs. 5).  In this verse, God continued to say “Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people.”  Still referring to the Chaldeans as one person, God continues to condemn them.  First He said “Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine” meaning that wine betrays him.  We all know the effects wine can have on a person (see Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35).  Babylon fell while Belshazzar feasted and drank wine (see Daniel chapter 5).  Second, God called the Chaldeans “a proud man, neither keepeth at home.”  Because of their arrogance and pride, the Chaldeans were not content to stay in their own land, the meaning of “keepeth at home.”  Third, the Chaldean “enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied.”  This is a description of greed that can’t be satisfied. It can also be translated as “he is as greedy as the grave, and like death is never satisfied.”  The word “hell” here is “sheol” in Hebrew and is the place of the dead or the grave.  Just as death continues to get more people and is never satisfied or has enough, the Chaldeans were never satisfied or content with the nations they conquered.  Finally, God said that the Chaldeans “gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people.”  In other words, the Chaldeans gathered and hoarded all the nations in the whole region.  The Babylonian Empire would extend from the Persian Gulf northwest through the Tigris-Euphrates Valley, and southwest along the Mediterranean coast to the borders of Egypt.
IV. THE PROPHET’S TRUST (Habakkuk 3:17-19).   The remainder of chapter 2 continues God’s condemnation of the Chaldeans including their pride and worship of idols (see vss. 6-20).  Chapter 3 is a psalm that was meant to be put to music (see Habakkuk 3:19) and begins with a prayer (see Habakkuk 3:1).  In most of chapter 3 (vss. 3-15) Habakkuk spoke of God’s majesty as He renders judgment and delivers His people.  In verse 16, the prophet said that upon hearing God’s answer to his complaint, he was afraid and trembled at the fact that his nation would be invaded.  But God’s answer also included the fact that He would punish the Chaldeans (see Habakkuk 2:7-8).  This caused a renewal of the prophet’s faith as we shall see in the remaining verses.    
A. The certainty of hard times (Habakkuk 3:17).  Now the prophet speaks and says “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.”  Having received an answer from God, Habakkuk’s faith was renewed and he anticipated the devastation the Chaldeans would bring to the land of Judah.  He realized that when the land was invaded “the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat.”  The Chaldean invasion would result in the destruction of all the crops.  In addition, Habakkuk foresaw that “the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.”  In other words, there will be no sheep in the sheepfolds and no cattle in their stalls.  This would deprive the people of milk and meat.  Anything that was not destroyed by the invasion would be carried off to Babylon.  These calamities that Habakkuk foresaw were prophesied long before as punishment if Israel sinned and fell away from God (see Deuteronomy 28:30-33, 38-43).  Now Judah’s punishment was about to come to pass.      
B. The perseverance of faith (Habakkuk 3:18-19).
1. (vs. 18).  In the previous verse, Habakkuk declared that even though the nation would be devastated by the Chaldean invasion, in this verse he continued to say “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”  Even though Habakkuk expected total devastation and loss, he was able to say “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”  Note:  This declaration by Habakkuk sounds very much like the testimony given by Job. Although Job had suffered extreme loss, he was able to say about His God, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (see Job 13:15).  Habakkuk’s feelings were not controlled by the events or circumstances around him, but by faith in his God who was in control.  Not only would the prophet rejoice in the Lord, but he also said “I will joy in the God of my salvation.”  Habakkuk was well aware that The Lord was also his deliverer who would deliver His people.    
2. (vs. 19).  In our final verse Habakkuk said “The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”  The prophet boldly declared “The Lord God is my strength.”  Habakkuk had faith in God’s ability to give him strength in the difficult days ahead.  When nothing makes sense, and troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that God gives us strength (see II Corinthians 12:9-10).   Since God was the prophet’s strength, Habakkuk said “he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.  The words “hinds' feet” refer to the feet of a deer.  This phrase pictures a swift and graceful animal jumping easily from one height to another not bothered by any circumstances below it.  Likewise, Habakkuk had faith that with God’s strength he could rise above the oncoming devastation that Judah would experience.  The idea of occupying “high places” in Scripture is a picture of someone occupying land and taking control of its rulers (see Deuteronomy 32:9-13; 33:29).  David also used this description to describe the exalted position he had over his enemies (see Psalms 18:33).  Here, Habakkuk used it to describe his exalted state of confidence in God’s strength.  For sure, like the surefooted deer, God will give his followers surefooted confidence through difficult times.  The last part of this verse says “To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”  This was a comment indicating that Habakkuk intended this psalm to be used by choirs in public worship.  He wanted his words to instruct others besides himself.    
                          
V. Conclusion.  Habakkuk’s experience teaches us that God is sovereign in all human affairs.  He brings judgment upon the disobedient and arrogant, but He gives confidence and strength to those who submit to His will, trust His Word, and walk by faith.  The prophet applied the principle of living by faith to the everyday circumstances of life.  This is also the greatest challenge for Christians today.  We usually don’t have a problem entrusting our souls to Jesus for eternal salvation, but we find it very difficult to rest upon Him as we face our daily challenges.  We must expand our concept of faith and draw upon His strength in all circumstances.  We can then walk on our “high places.”