LIVE DISCUSSION: "The Lord Answers Job" (Job 38), Part 5/5

Job is usually sold as a motivational poster about grit. We can’t read it that way anymore. The longer we sit with Job 38, the clearer it gets: the headline is God’s patience, not Job’s. When the Lord finally speaks from the whirlwind, He doesn’t hand Job a neat explanation for suffering. He asks questions that expose the limits of human wisdom and at the same time comfort Job with the steady reality of God’s rule.

We talk through what that means for real Christian life and real pain. Why does God deal with ignorance like a Father and not like an accuser? What do you do with seasons where Scripture feels closed, then suddenly a passage opens years later? We also wrestle with biblical interpretation, including the danger of building doctrine out of silence, and why humility is not optional when the gap between God and man is infinite.

Then we bring it where Job ultimately pushes us: creation displays God’s glory, and Jesus Christ displays God’s mercy. If you’re in suffering, the call is not to invent a story God never told you. The call is to know who He is, to trust His sovereignty, and to look to Christ for salvation and steady endurance when the “why” stays unanswered.

If this strengthened you, subscribe for more, share it with a friend walking through trials, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. What part of Job 38 do you most need to hear right now?

Transcript

God's Patience Reframes Job

SPEAKER_08 0:00

The cliche perspective that everybody has, which is Job is about patience and about Job's patience. But we're seeing something very different. It's not just about Job's patience, it's actually about God's patience, in my perspective, the Lord's patience, his patience with Job, his patience with Job's friends, you know, and showing us, showing us as we read it today, God's patience with us. If we don't understand this, this is what and this, and look how God is, look how he's sort of carrying Job along. This is not somebody who's being whipped. This is somebody who's being, who's being coddled. He's being coddled, he's being swaddled, hugged by God, and he's like, let me walk you through this, and let me show you who I am. And this is what God is showing him. And all these things that he's asking Job about himself, he's asking in such a way that there's an expectation because of who because of what Job has made him, I mean, because what God has made Job, that he will understand these things when he hears it. How many times have we, every one of us, all of you, myself included, how many times have you been, how many times have you read certain passages of scriptures, most of it, where you didn't understand everything that it was saying? And then one day, a year later, five years later, ten years later, the light bulb turns on. You know, you have that light bulb moment. Oh my gosh, I never saw this before. Who's showing you those things? God is showing you. He may not have shown you, he didn't show you before, but he showed you at the time that he decreed you needed to open up, he needed to open up your eyes and widen your heart to embrace these things for whatever reason. For whatever reason, he illuminated you at this particular time to learn that particular thing. This is what Job is have is happening to Job right now. It's almost as if everything that Job went through, even before it happened to him, what what was happening in heaven between God and the devil, all of that was happening to bring Job to this very point. A point in his experience that is going to make his understanding about God more illustrative than it ever has been. More than it ever has been. God is taking him to the next level. And so we see Job's life in this in this series of events being emblematic of our own individual journey as Christians. Because there's a reason we're all together tonight, as we were last night, as we will be in future nights, Lord willing. But we need to understand that we are here and to get and we're gathered together for a reason that God has called us all to be here, to learn these things, to talk about these things, to glorify him in having these conversations, to glorify him in acknowledging these very these very deep truths about God, which you look at it at first glance, you may think, well, maybe it's not that deep, talking about the animals and the prey for the lions and all that kind of stuff. But when we focus on how it all started, how the whole, how the whole, how this whole thing started that warranted God getting to Job at this place in time, but it goes back to the discussion between God and the devil. And we need to understand that he is involved in everything, in all these things. And God is making us, you know, making us as we go along understand this. You know, God is treating Job's ignorance the way we should expect and hope that he would treat. But notice, God is not condemning Job at all. He's not condemning Job at all. What he's doing is dealing with his ignorance, the way a father or a mother deals with a child who doesn't know all things, who can't see their way as clearly as the parent can. And this is how we have to see this. Job struggled, but as I said the other day, you have to remember a lot of the things that Job said that were out of line as far as God was concerned, these were Jobs expressing himself these things to God in prayer. He was talking to God. It's fine for us to ask God things, even if it may be ignorant. There are some times that we think that we shouldn't say something just because it's going to sound stupid or it's not going to sound smart or intelligent or whatever. But God wants us to bring whatever is on our heart to the Lord. Whatever it is, lay it before Him. Don't worry about how silly it sounds. Don't worry if you think you're troubling the Lord. Don't worry if you think you're annoying the Lord. In fact, you should do everything you can to annoy him as much as you can. If you are a believer, you should make it your goal to do whatever you can to annoy the Lord. Don't let him sleep. Lay out your complaints, lay out your joy, lay out your successes, lay out your failure. Ask him for what you're lacking. But the thing is, Job was a man who understood that I'm gonna lay it all out to the Lord. Where else can I go? I'm gonna lay it all out. And so he got a little sloppy. But here's the thing: he got sloppy at home with his father. Because the father understands. He is a good Lord. He's our good Lord, the Savior, our good King, our mighty Lord, our mighty God. But we have to have, we have to exhibit honesty and integrity and character like Job to speak freely to God, and he will gently carry us along and expose our ignorance as he should, in order to enlighten us. In order to enlighten us further than we were before. God asked Job dozens of questions. Where are you? Have you done this? Do you know this? But the tone is not like the tone of Job's friends. Notice how we all sort of, we all sort of collectively understood the tone of all of these men. And yes, we have some differences of opinion on Elihu, and rightly so, but what I'm saying is, but God doesn't accuse Job at all. Not only does he not accuse Job, but he doesn't even bring up the reason why Job was afflicted in the first place. God doesn't even bring it up. He doesn't even bring it up. So his ignorance was not sinful. It just shows that he was human. That he's at best just a man, just clay, who doesn't understand exhaustively who God is. But if you take all mankind has ever lived collectively, we would never understand the vastness and the breadth and the depth of God. We wouldn't. Nobody can. Nobody can. But there is a kind of humility that God does expect. And not knowing it, not knowing things is part of being human. Not knowing, not not, we we don't know everything, but that's human to know that. And we need to acknowledge that. But to make assessments, you see, Job, like Meg and I had a conversation the other day, and I may have said this to some of these people before. One of the things when it comes to biblical interpretation is that many men have gone into serious gross errors in making biblical arguments out of silence. Where God said nothing, these men wax eloquent on that nothing, on that which is nothing. Build doctrines, build and create religions of something the Bible never said. Never says. Listen, if you don't see the beauty of the Lord, the glory of his holiness and majesty, if you don't see it in creation, you better see it in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ came here to save sinners. Are you in a state of sin? Are you in a state of rebellion against the Most High? Everyone doesn't get that tender education that Job is getting here from God, beginning here in chapter 38. But many of us do get it. But we need to look to Christ for salvation. We need to look for that transformation in our hearts that causes us to embrace a need to have our Savior visit us, change our hearts, sanctify our lives, to cause us to endure in this faith, and to not shun trials and persecutions and whatever. I'm not saying that we're supposed to go out and live for this, but what I am saying is that when it happens by God's excuse me, when it happens by God's providence, don't be afraid. Be still and know that he is God. Christ is our Savior. And it is He who is in that whirlwind who speaks to Job and now speaks to us in these pages, in these verses, so that we too might humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord. Be provoked and be persuaded. Last words. I went a little long, so keep your last words short, no sermons. Last word.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Man, it it was a good good night. Good, good, good, good, good discussion, good learning. And yeah, brother, the the wisdom that God teaches us, that's the ignorance that departs. That's how we overcome the ignorance. That's how he helps us overcome that ignorance. And just when he was talking about the wind and and all that, I found it in Ecclesiastes where he talks about the wind goes south, then it returns back to the north, because he has it on a circuit, just like the rivers that run into the sea, but yet it doesn't never get full. But then it comes again, it returns again. And then just the the wisdom part where the king, where the king of Israel in Jerusalem says, And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly, and I perceived that this also is a vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increases his sorrow. But so again, you know, the more the more we learn, the more God reveals, and the more we we can see his mysteries and things that he wants us to know. And with that, he establishes everything, like, and it it will not pass away. It will pass as it's supposed to. It will do exactly what he created it to do. But his faithfulness is is so good. You know, um, I think it's in Psalms. I kind of just jotted a few things down here. It's his faithfulness is unto all generations, he has established the earth and it abideth, and they continue this day according to his ordinances. All are thy servants. So I'm just gonna leave it at this. Praise the name of the Lord, for his name is excellent alone. His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

SPEAKER_08 16:57

Amen, sister. Brother Rodney, last word.

SPEAKER_06 17:02

Yeah, I was actually trying to write my notes, but I got it here. Um, all right, I'll just try to sum it up here. So I learned tonight that you know God may he'll he may not tell you why we were hit by whatever we were hit in the sense of the ocean. He may not tell you why the wave hit us, but he'll remind us in a matchless and mysterious way that he rem that that he told the ocean this far and no further, right? That was the limitation that I'm taking away.

SPEAKER_03 17:30

Right.

Sovereignty And Testing Spiritual Claims

SPEAKER_06 17:31

He might not explain every dark thing that we go through, but he he commands the morning, as you guys are speaking about. I believe it was 20, 30, 20. Um, you know, just going through my notes as I was writing down and um he may not answer the questions the way we wanted. Like you said, he doesn't question it, he questions the who instead of the why. You know, um, and sometimes the questions that he gives back, as you say, can be the ratification to your initial theology, which will make you go ahead and leave because it's not interesting to you, right? Right, right. Um but the big takeaway was just that he got an explanation for it. You know, we got you got something out of it. Right. And sometimes that's it. It's not nothing big, it's not nothing you know, dramatic sometimes. Not the page, it's not gonna the page is not gonna be turnfolded in there for you to look right here. Hey, it may be, but if it is, you know, you just take what it is, you know. Yeah, it's sovereignty down like the hair thing, you know. I never heard that I'm gonna tell it to my daughter, just you know, understand nothing's random, you know. Um, county, man.

SPEAKER_08 18:46

I I'll tell you something, brethren. These these things that we're talking about, especially about sovereignty of God, I can't tell you how much this these understandings are gonna be important to us. And I tell you something else. This is not the kind of conversation that the devil and his host wants men having. This is not what he wants. This is not what he wants. I get it. You know, and and and you will see it when you see even other so-called Christians coming at you. You start talking about the sovereignty of God, you're gonna, you're gonna get a mouthful from the world of Christians. I call them unbelieving Christians. Because that's what they are. And and and so, and but God's people, they know. I'll give you an example real quick, and I'm the one that said no sh to keep it short, but I was listening to a a I'm gonna I was listening to this this guy, this this pastor in the pulpit talking about how he saw an angel. You know, now I've had people tell me these things before. You know, they've seen angels, all right? And I always asked them all my life, but everybody that's ever brought this up to me, I've always asked him the same question. What did you do when you saw the angel? What did you do? And they'd be like, like the guy today, on the pastor today, he's like, Yeah, I I saw him and I was in a bathroom, and he was saying that God is calling me, and he was wearing this particular uniform, and I realized after the fact that I didn't see his image in the mirror. This is a this is a pastor in a pulpit. Wow. And you guys know who it is. I'm trying to I'm trying to get out away from mentioning these people, but he's telling the story. Now, what happens, anybody, what happens when you read an account of someone encountering an angel?

SPEAKER_05 20:45

What happens? Unaware that it's an angel.

SPEAKER_08 20:49

Well, they But I'm talking about I'm talking about you're right, Vanessa. They it is unawares, but when when men have seen angels, when when when they work down to their feet. Huh?

SPEAKER_04 21:02

Say do not be afraid and they mention their name. What did you say afraid?

SPEAKER_02 21:07

They they drop down in fear of the angel. That's what happens because of his presence, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 21:14

That's what happens when they saw angels. They they be like even John said he became as a dead man. You know, and the angels had to tell people, no, I'm not the one to be bowing down to and fall on your knees, fall on your knees in front of. But and but you know, but the thing, but the thing is, um, this is like Vanessa said too, in many cases that Paul refers to, he says that men entertain angels without knowing it. But when they did know, when they did know, it was when they when they were seen as the angels that they were, men were struck with fear. Now, sometimes they saw angels that were in just human form. Um, and sometimes they they saw many. Like I said, they saw him in in angel form, but didn't know that they were angels. But it's just it's just just weird the way people talk about things sometimes. And um anyway.

SPEAKER_07 22:13

But I think can can we also mention that if he didn't have a reflection, he was probably Dracula. Because it isn't that vampires. So so there's a good chance he was a vampire.

SPEAKER_08 22:25

Just saying. Exactly. Exactly. Uh Sister Meg, last word.

SPEAKER_04 22:32

I I just get so humbled when we read things like this, and it just quiets my soul. You know, it's it's like, what would what would we do if we were in the presence? And um there's a verse that comes to mind when we're talking about all this, and the word of God says that the secret things belong to the Lord.

SPEAKER_03 22:51

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 22:51

But the things that are given to us, they are for us. I think part of our faith is to understand that there are mysteries, and we have to be okay with that. And I think that it develops trust in the Lord, and to truly believe in him is to truly trust him no matter what you're going through. And I think that I remember a verse when Job was talking about, you've given me these friends, and I know God, that I've if I could plead my case before you, then you would hear me. But standing in front of it in these verses that we've read today, with Job standing in front of him, in his knowledge, he would say that he would plead his case, but as we see, he's so silent. Because what case can you plead when God's speaking first? There's nothing that's gonna justify you but him. You know? Yep. It this is is so good, very humbling.

SPEAKER_10 23:54

Amen. Amen, sister. Um, sister Sean, your last word for tonight.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Yeah, I'm just uh reminded of a quote by Spurgeon, and he said, I have learned to kiss the waves that threw me against the rock of ages. This the the the suffering, right? It has through me, it has actually brought me closer to my creator. And I'm just um I'm humbled by Job and just the understanding that suffering has a purpose, and he gives you beauty for ashes. And so, you know, I really love Job and uh yeah, I'm just continuing on in his work.

SPEAKER_08 24:34

Man, I read a lot of Spursion, but I never heard that quote. The waves that struck him against the rock of ages. Wow. Hold on, I'm writing that down. Um, that's that I love that one. Nobody, no, nobody ever spoke like that man. Um, so good word there, sister. Um, Sister Lisa, last words.

SPEAKER_11 25:00

Well, I was um this this chapter is is so beautiful to me. Um, I think it's a lesson for us all. This whole book is such a blessing. I mean, you know, I was thinking about I think in one of the other lives, um, I don't know if it was Meg or somebody said, you know, they couldn't wait to speak to Job when we all get to heaven. And I I'm just so grateful for him. I I feel sad that that he went through what he went through, but I'm so grateful that he did that we have all of this, and for God to share all of this with us, to show us just a little bit of himself, you know, to tell us that when we suffer, it's not because of your sin, it's because, well, for in as in this case, you know, you know, it was something between him and Satan.

SPEAKER_10 25:56

Right.

SPEAKER_11 25:56

Like, man, oh man, this is yeah, this has been one of my favorites. I mean, it is now, right now, my favorite book. I'm I I love Romans. Romans was my favorite book. I'm sure I'm gonna go back once we do this video.

SPEAKER_08 26:12

Start that one next.

SPEAKER_11 26:13

Yay, yeah. So thank you all so much for you know all your input. And man, this is so good. Thank you, Jonathan.

SPEAKER_10 26:20

Oh, no problem, sister. It's good, it's good for us all.

SPEAKER_08 26:22

I I love it. No problem at all. I love this. Um, Sister Vanessa, last word.

SPEAKER_05 26:34

God is so awesome to me. I mean, I can't help it. But I said something earlier in the chat, and I was saying, you know, God says there's nothing new under the sun because he made it all.

SPEAKER_10 26:45

Right, right.

SPEAKER_05 26:46

And I was telling Bobby the other day, I said, you know, a man might have made my fan, but I thank God for it all the time. Because I know he gave a man the knowledge to make it.

SPEAKER_10 27:02

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 27:02

You know, and so I just, you know, he's so awesome to me. I just I just love him so much. And I, you know, and if he doesn't love you, he's not gonna chastise you.

SPEAKER_10 27:14

Right.

SPEAKER_05 27:15

And so, you know, we get chastised for a reason. And I really do believe when it came to Job, because he was such God's great servant, that God has chastised him with Satan. Right. And so, you know, that means he loves him because he loved him so much.

SPEAKER_10 27:34

That's right. He did.

SPEAKER_05 27:36

Yeah, and that's how I take things, you know. I just I put God before everything.

SPEAKER_08 27:42

As you should.

SPEAKER_05 27:44

Yes, I think we all should.

SPEAKER_08 27:45

Yeah, we all should.

SPEAKER_05 27:47

And I have learned that though. It's a learning, it's a learning experience that you have to learn who God is and trust in him because without without trust in the Lord, you have nothing.

SPEAKER_10 27:59

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 28:00

That's my last word.

SPEAKER_10 28:01

Amen, sister. Appreciate it. A good word it was. Sister Mariah, last word.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

Yeah, um, this is a beautiful chapter, and um I'm kind of just a little fixated on when God is saying um about the knowledge and the wisdom, and um, and I'm I can't help but to think how miraculous that is because when we're talking about miracles and what makes them a miracle is that they um they go they go um against nature, and our nature is not to acquire the wisdom of God, but to um actually run away from it. So I just I I'm just finding the beauty in that and um how just being grateful of how God actually has given us the wisdom and the knowledge to understand who He is.

SPEAKER_10 28:58

That's right. Amen, sister. Is the choir available? Or are they in a bed yet? She goes on, she goes on okay.

SPEAKER_08 29:12

Brother Pat. Last word and brother, and close us on if you would.

The Infinite Gap With God

SPEAKER_07 29:17

Yeah. Um, I've got something to say though. If you don't mind about this. No, go for it. This, what God taught Job in this section is that the gap between man and God is not slight. It's not a little gap that separates us from God. Right. It's an infinite gap. Okay, and I'm gonna go on a little bit of rant about our society, if you don't mind. Nope, just a small one. A small one. Go for it. If someone does not understand the sovereignty of God, it occurs to me. They do not have the fear of the Lord. If they do not understand the infinite gap, and they have some sort of religious system that can bridge the gap, or where God is a respecter of something that man brings to the table, they have no place in a pulpit. And I just want to say this our society is sick that we allow our minionism to be taught from the pulpit of God's church in our country, and it's normal to us. Right. How sick are we that it is tolerated, not only tolerated, but it is rampant, and it is the normal, normative teaching in our country. It's disgusting. It is. It's it's a disgusting thing because these are men who have no business being anywhere near a pulpit. They don't understand the gap between man and God at all. They don't fear the Lord at all. They might be religious, they might sound soft-spoken, they might be able to speak Christianese, but they don't have any understanding. Let me just say this one last thing, if you don't mind, Jonathan. Oh, go for it, brother. They've infected our thinking with their humanistic thought. They've taught us since we were children. And I just want to make a point here. We were taught the the story, first story I ever learned in Sunday school was the story of David and Goliath. And we were taught David, good guy, Goliath, bad guy. We we read the story of Cain and Abel, Cain bad guy, Abel, good guy, Jacob and Esau, Jacob, good guy, Esau, bad guy, on and on and on. Let me tell you something. These are all worms. Do you understand? The only righteousness they ever had was of God. That's right. None of them were good on their own. None. And so the reason this applies to the book of Job, and we'll exclude the controversial Elihu, but let's talk about the three friends and Job. We're not talking about one good guy and three bad guys, we're talking about four worms, right? And the one that God made righteous. That's what we're talking about. Because that gap between God and man is not bridgeable. So God Himself became the bridge. We have to get this. Have to get it. Yep. Our righteousness is of Christ and Him alone. We are made righteous.

SPEAKER_08 32:34

That's right, brother. I love that word, made righteous. Second Corinthians is so is so right. Man, brother Pat, look, you you don't need you never need permission to me to talk like that. So keep it up, brother. Keep it up.

SPEAKER_09 32:50

You want to close this out? Oh, go ahead. The kids ready?

SPEAKER_02 32:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 32:54

All right, listen. Good night. How are you? Hiya. God bless you. And I love you too.

SPEAKER_05 33:07

They sound sleepy.

SPEAKER_09 33:12

All right. All right. You guys have a good night.

SPEAKER_02 33:17

Yeah, it's too dark. Oh. Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_09 33:25

Oh, got Grace's kids in here too now.

SPEAKER_03 33:30

Is that you?

SPEAKER_09 33:31

Excellent.

Closing Prayer For Real Needs

SPEAKER_07 33:33

Brother Pat, you mind closing this out, brother? Absolutely. Let's join in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this night of fellowship, Lord, this night of being blessed with the precious word, the precious truths. And Lord, thank you for allowing us to plumb the jewels there within them, Lord, the endless riches, Lord. We pray that these truths take hold of us, Lord, and change us from the inside out, God. Lord, I want to bring in in prayer um our sister, our sister Cindy, Lord, her stepfather had a medical uh emergency today, Lord. We pray for his health and emergency, Lord, that you will have his hand, your hand on that situation, Lord, that you can save his life, Lord. If it's your will, Lord, and that it will be a learning experience. Perhaps draw him to yourself, Lord. We pray that this man is saved, Lord. I also want to pray for the other needs of many of our brothers and sisters, Lord, right here in this fellowship, Lord. Um, there are people that are looking for jobs, there are people that are looking for new places and situations, and a lot of people going through a lot, Lord. Please provide for all our needs, Lord. But Lord, most of all, I pray that the trials and tribulations of this world do not distract us, Lord. Let us seek after you, God, first and foremost. Let us finish this race, Lord, and live a life that is worthy of our calling. We pray this in your name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Testimony Announcement And Farewell

SPEAKER_08 35:18

Amen. Thank you, Brother Pat. Thank you, Brother Pat. Good fellowship, you guys. I really appreciate it tonight. It's really good. A lot of good feedback, a lot of good feedback. And so um I'm looking forward to seeing how the remainder of it unfolds. I'm sure it'll be a good time. Um, but God bless you all tonight. And uh tomorrow we have uh Tyson's, I believe it's Tyson's testimony tomorrow. So I'm looking forward to that as well. So um the testimonies are always a good time. So um I hope you guys can make it and we will all enjoy it. But tonight was great. So God bless you all, have a good night, and uh may you continue to prosper in the Lord's business. Be provoked, but be persuaded.

SPEAKER_03 36:00

Good night.

SPEAKER_08 36:01

Good night.