♪[dramatic theme music]♪ ♪[music ends]♪♪ >>John Bradshaw:
This is<i> It Is Written.</i> I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me. For many people it's
a troubling book of the Bible. It's twice as long
as the Gospel of John and almost as long as
Ezekiel at 42 chapters. In 41 of those chapters,
98 percent of the book, the main character
of the book suffers, so much so that he wishes
he'd never been born. His losses begin mounting up
just 15 verses into the book. Yet reading the book of Job
is like climbing a mountain; you get to the end, and you're
standing on the summit; you see the view that
God wants you to see. You get the point. You understand what
the book is all about. Maybe that's why one scholar
described the book of Job as "the Matterhorn of
the Old Testament." The book of Job has
challenged a lot of people, but it was written
to encourage you. It answers a lot of Christianity's
toughest questions, in reality some of life's
toughest questions. And it helps you understand
the character of God like almost no other
book in the Bible. The book of Job is a must read. We're continuing
our ongoing series "Great Characters of the Bible." There's no doubt Job
is one of those. So who was Job exactly? Well, not a lot is known about
him. He wasn't an Israelite, and he lived in an
Arabian desert setting. After that, specifics
are hard to come by. It's likely Job was the first
book of the Bible to be written, and many scholars believe
it was written by Moses. Moses lived for four decades in
Midian in northwestern Arabia, so he understood the culture. The book of Job
emphasizes God as Creator. And Moses wrote Genesis
and the Creation story. There are words in the book
of Job that are used in the book of Genesis
and nowhere else. So, it's reasonable, then, to
believe that Moses wrote Job. The oldest book of the Bible
helps us understand one of the oldest
stories of all: ♪[soft piano music]♪ the story of the battle
between good and evil, the story of tragedy
in this world, of why pain and hardship happen. And it's a how-to book. It shows us how we can survive
the severe challenges we often have to face. Everyone has witnessed
suffering and asked, "Why?" A child dies in a
drive-by shooting. Teenager gets cancer. A drunk driver takes
the lives of parents who leave little
children behind. Someone's diagnosed with early
onset dementia--cruel stuff. And the question that gets asked
is, "Why? Why, Lord?" That's the question.
Well, Job tells you why. How do you deal
with those things, and, and how do you
relate to a God who surely could have
prevented them? What the book of Job does is
it takes you behind the scenes like no other book of the Bible. It gives you the best
possible understanding of the cause of sin
and suffering. In literary terms, the book
of Job is a book of poetry, and the poem, well, that is, the
book, starts by saying this: "There was a man in the land
of Uz, whose name was Job; "and that man was
blameless and upright, and one who feared God
and shunned evil." We learn he had 10 children,
seven sons and three daughters. He owned thousands of animals:
7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, hundreds of oxen and donkeys. The Bible says Job was "the greatest of all
the people of the East." He took an active interest
in the spiritual welfare of his children. But here's where it gets
really interesting. "The Lord said to Satan, 'Have
you considered my servant Job, "'that there is none like him
on the earth, a blameless "and upright man, one who
fears God and shuns evil?' "...Satan answered
the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear God
for nothing?'" The devil suggested that
if Job were to suffer, he would curse
God to His face. He was saying, "Job is a
hypocrite and only serves God because of what God gives him." Now, let's pause for a moment.
That's worth thinking about. I wonder if it's true today,
people following God only because of what they
think they're going to get, like those in Jesus' time
who followed Him for the loaves and fishes. If your motivation for following
God is what you hope to get, Christianity has, for you,
become a selfish enterprise. Faith isn't about what God
gives us in the here and now, but really about what He
has done for us in Jesus. Christ died for you. That's what attracts us
to the God of heaven. How did God respond to
Satan's accusations? Well, He did so in a way that
troubles a lot of people. ♪[soft music]♪ "And the Lord said to Satan,
'Behold, all that he has "is in your power; only do not
lay a hand on his person.' "So Satan went out from
the presence of the Lord. "Now there was a day when
his sons and daughters "were eating and drinking wine
in their oldest brother's house; "and a messenger came to Job and
said, 'The oxen were plowing "'and the donkeys feeding beside
them, when the Sabeans "'raided them and took them
away--indeed they have killed "'the servants with
the edge of the sword; and I alone have
escaped to tell you!'" What a disaster. Job's oxen,
donkeys, and the servants who managed them were
all taken by raiders. But no sooner had Job heard this
then there was more bad news. In a separate incident
his sheep were destroyed along with more of his servants. And while Job was
reeling from that news, he was informed his camels
had been taken and more servants were killed. Thousands of animals and
many servants--all gone. And it got worse, much worse. "While he was still speaking,
another also came and said, "'Your sons and daughters were
eating and drinking wine "'in their oldest brother's
house, and suddenly a great wind "'came from across the
wilderness and struck "'the four corners of the house,
and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone
have escaped to tell you!'" His livelihood, his servants,
and now...his children--gone. And how did he respond? Well, he "arose, tore his
robe, and shaved his head; "and he fell to the
ground and worshiped. "And he said: 'Naked I came
from my mother's womb, "'and naked shall I return
there. The Lord gave, "'and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name
of the Lord.'" Moses wrote, "In all this Job did not sin
nor charge God with wrong." What a response, what
a depth of character! What spiritual maturity,
what equanimity. Now, you might say,
"Well, at least now it can't get worse for
poor Job." But it did. His toughest test lay ahead. Back with that in just a moment. ♪[music swells, then ends]♪♪ >>Announcer: Life often seems
to be full of obstacles, challenges, difficulties,
but with God on your side, you can turn obstacles
into victories. And today's free offer
will show you how. To receive "Turning
Obstacles Into Victories," call 800-253-3000 or visit iiwoffer.com. Don't let the challenges
of this world stop you from fulfilling God's
purpose for your life. Ask for "Turning Obstacles
Into Victories" today: 800-253-3000 or visit iiwoffer.com. >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on<i> It Is Written.</i> We're looking at Job
in our ongoing series "Great Characters of the Bible." The book of Job is raw;
it's gritty; it's real. It's not sugarcoated. Satan claims that Job
is faithful to God only because of the
blessings he receives. God allowed Satan
to afflict Job, and what you think of God
doing that might be related to how well you understand
how this whole thing works. So let's look. Job 2, verse 5: "'Stretch out Your hand now, and
touch his bone and his flesh, "and he will surely
curse You to Your face!' "And the Lord said to Satan,
'Behold, he is in your hand, "but spare his life.' So Satan
went out from the presence "of the Lord, and struck
Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot
to the crown of his head." Job's suffering was intense. "He took for himself a potsherd
with which to scrape himself while he sat in the
midst of the ashes." To make matters worse, his wife,
the only family he had left, added to his anguish by
telling her husband to "'Curse God and die!'
But he said to her, "'...Shall we indeed
accept good from God, and shall we not
accept adversity?'" Job understood what
a lot of people don't, and that is, it's
important to trust God even when things
aren't going well. Job lost everything. It looked like he was
going to lose his life. But his trust in God
was still strong. We can learn from that. But then...three of Job's
friends came to visit. At first they didn't
even recognize him, such was Job's affliction. And it's when these "friends"
arrive that we get to the crux of the issue in the book of Job.
The first to speak was Job: "Why did I not die at birth? "Why did I not perish when
I came from the womb? ... "Or why was I not hidden
like a stillborn child, like infants who
never saw light?" That's in Job, chapter 3. What follows is 35 or so
chapters of back and forth, Job and his three friends--
and eventually a fourth-- discussing the reasons
for Job's suffering. Job couldn't understand it, but his friends could--
at least in their minds. Job was, they believed, suffering because
of his sinfulness. And they were going to tell him. "Remember now, who ever
perished being innocent? "Or where were the upright
ever cut off? ... "Behold, happy is the man
whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the
chastening of the Almighty." "Job," Eliphaz was saying, "You're suffering
because of your sins." Bildad said, "How long will
you speak these [words], "and the words of your mouth
be like a strong wind? ... "If you would earnestly seek God
and make your supplication "to the Almighty, if you
were pure and upright, "surely now He would
awake for you, and prosper your
rightful dwelling place." The message is clear:
"Job, this is on you." And this is the question that
gets batted back and forth throughout the book of Job. The thing is, both
sides are right, and both sides are
very, very wrong. Job says, "I've done
nothing wrong." God Himself said that Job
was "perfect" and "upright," which can be translated
"complete and straight." In fact, God said that twice.
Job handled himself with integrity when he
lost everything he had, and he finds himself suffering,
evidently without cause. He, he's right, kind of.
He hasn't been wallowing in sin. He<i> has</i> lived with
integrity before God. But he forgets something. He lives in a sinful world,
and he's a sinner. Things happen, even to people
we think don't deserve it. And in Job we find out why. Job's friends say,
"You must have sinned. "This doesn't happen
to righteous people. You've offended God, and you're
getting what you deserve." Well, yes, "All have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God." Romans 3, verse 23
tells us that. But they're forgetting
that bad things do happen to what we might term
"good people." Jesus spoke of some people from
Galilee that Pilate had killed, saying, "Do you suppose
that these Galileans "were worse sinners
than all other Galileans, because they suffered such
things? I tell you, no." Then He mentioned 18 people who
died when a tower fell on them: "Do you think that they were
worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?" Jesus
asked. "I tell you, no." And this is where we wrestle. AIDS and COVID and
cancer and Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease
and, and tornadoes-- they happen, and the knee-jerk
reaction is often to look to God and say, "Why?" Especially
if we think it's unjust. A child dies. That teenager
dying in a car accident, a child seriously injured in
a playground accident, say. Freshman college student goes
away to college to pursue her dreams and loses her life. You hear these
heartbreaking stories, and there's no good answer,
until you read the book of Job. Job lets you see behind
the scenes and shows you that the devil is behind the sin
and suffering in this world. He afflicted Job, and he took away Job's
possessions and Job's family. Now, there are times
people manufacture their own misfortune, true. You smoke, and the likelihood of
getting lung cancer skyrockets. It's hard to blame God for that. Same with drinking alcohol--
you can't fault God when someone gets drunk and
loses control of their vehicle. But, of course, Satan
is behind that, too. In the parable of the
wheat and the tares, a man whose field is sown
with destructive weeds says, "An enemy has done this." An enemy caused Job's suffering. It's the same enemy who brings
pain and sadness and suffering and illness and grief
to people today. The devil is trying to
destroy every marriage, break up every home,
ruin every life. It's interesting that Job
and his friends don't mention the devil, who doesn't appear
in the book after chapter 2. The Bible writer establishes
that the devil is the cause of misery and suffering, but
this behind-the-scenes battle wasn't a concept they
readily understood. Their question was, what do
people do to deserve it? And where is God
when people suffer? The book of Job rises
to a dramatic crescendo and, in doing so, helps us make
sense of the big questions everyone's going to wrestle
with at some stage. We'll answer them
straight ahead. ♪[music swells, then ends]♪♪ >>Announcer: Life often seems
to be full of obstacles, challenges, difficulties,
but with God on your side, you can turn obstacles
into victories. And today's free offer
will show you how. To receive "Turning
Obstacles Into Victories," call 800-253-3000 or visit iiwoffer.com. Don't let the challenges
of this world stop you from fulfilling God's
purpose for your life. Ask for "Turning Obstacles
Into Victories" today: 800-253-3000 or visit iiwoffer.com. >>John Bradshaw: He spent 32
years in prison for a crime he did not commit, more than
half his life behind bars, even though he was
an innocent man. Junk science, false testimony,
and shoddy investigative work came together to send
a man to prison for more than three decades. Join me for "Not Guilty," where
you'll hear from the people at the center of the
exoneration of an innocent man. We'll look not only at
innocent people being freed but at the phenomenon of guilty
people being pardoned-- people who committed the
offense, who broke the law, and yet were set free
by God Himself. Every person alive has
"sinned, and come short of the glory of God,"
and yet God offers pardon and forgiveness to all,
absolutely free. Don't miss "Not Guilty,"
where you'll learn that no matter your past,
no matter your present, you can face the future with
confidence, without fear, and with absolute hope. "Not Guilty," brought to you
by It Is Written TV. >>John Bradshaw: The book of Job
isn't all suffering and gloom. The point of the book is
to answer the question of human suffering and to
explain to us that there's a vast spiritual battle
going on behind the scenes. The death and war and disease
and catastrophic loss we see today tell us we're
in a spiritual battle. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6
that "we wrestle not against "flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, "against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places." Ephesians 6, verse 12. There's a spiritual battle
going on that we can't see, but we can and do
experience its effects. Sitting on a village dust
heap, his friends adding to his anguish, Job can't
make sense of his situation. His friends tell him the cause
of his desperation is sin that he's
not admitting to. He lashes out at his accusers: "No doubt you are
the people," he says, "and wisdom will die with you!" He calls them
"worthless physicians" and "miserable comforters"
who speak "windy words." But his friends were relentless.
"This is your fault, Job." Job responds by saying, "How
long will you torment my soul, and break me in
pieces with words?" Now, on our way to
the mountaintop-- and we're getting there--Job
gives us some magnificent views. He says in Job 13:15, "Though He slay me,
yet will I trust in Him." Powerful! "The fear of the Lord,
that is wisdom, and to depart from evil
is understanding." Job 28:28. As you read chapter 19, you can
hear Handel's<i> Messiah</i> playing. "I know that my Redeemer liveth, "and that He shall stand at
the latter day upon the earth: "and though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh
I shall see God." Job lived in the hope of
the advent of the Messiah. People have commented
about the book of Job and said it tends
to get repetitive. Well, sure. Job's descent into misery
starts in the first chapter, and for almost 40 chapters he
deals with people telling him it's all his own fault. But
that might just be the point. Job's so-called friends
wouldn't let go of their idea that bad things
happen to bad people, none of them aware of the
behind-the-scenes maneuvering that was taking place. There's another place
we see that. After three weeks of
prayer and fasting, Daniel is visited by an
angel who says to him, "The prince of the kingdom
of Persia withstood me "twenty-one days; and
behold, Michael, "one of the chief princes,
came to help me, for I had been left alone there
with the kings of Persia." That's Daniel 10:13. What Daniel couldn't see
was that there was a spiritual conflict taking
place unseen to the human eye, but as real as anything visible. But after almost 40 chapters
of back and forth between Job and his visitors with absolutely
nothing resolved, God speaks. And what He says
settles it all for Job. "Then the Lord answered Job
out of the whirlwind, and said: 'Who is this who darkens counsel
by words without knowledge?'" In other words, "You don't know
what you're talking about." God says to Job, "Now prepare yourself like
a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." And then God begins what might
be the most remarkable speech of the entire Bible: "Where were you when I laid
the foundations of the earth? "Tell me, if you
have understanding. "Who determined its
measurements? Surely you know! "Or who stretched
the line upon it?" How do you answer that?
Job couldn't. "Or who shut in
the sea with doors, "when it burst forth and
issued from the womb? ... "When I said, 'This far you
may come, but no farther, "and here your proud
waves must stop!' "Have you commanded the
morning since your days began, "and caused the dawn
to know its place? ... "Have you entered the
springs of the sea? "Or have you walked in
search of the depths? "Have the gates of death
been revealed to you? "Or have you seen the doors
of the shadow of death? "Have you comprehended
the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this." God is helping Job and his
friends understand something, something that if we understand
will change everything. "Can you lift up your
voice to the clouds, "that an abundance of
water may cover you? "Can you send out lightnings,
that they may go, "and say to you,
'Here we are!'? ... "Can you hunt the prey
for the lion, or satisfy the appetite
of the young lions?" These are statements to
which Job has no response. In fact, he says, "I lay
my hand over my mouth," in Job 40 in verse 4. For almost 125 verses
across four chapters, God speaks to Job. And finally...Job gets it: God is God. Here's that high point I said
the book was building towards. It's Job 42, Job speaking: "I know that You
can do everything, "and that no purpose of Yours
can be withheld from You. "You asked, 'Who is this
who hides counsel "without knowledge?'
Therefore I have uttered "what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." Now, don't miss this. Job says, "I have heard of You
by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You." That statement, it'll make sense
of everything, if you let it. "I've heard of You by
the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You." I'd heard about You,
but now I know You. What changed everything for Job
was a simple potent realization. God is God. There are
things that we don't know. Job admitted to that. But he came to a
realization: God is God. We don't always understand, but
we can trust. You may suffer, but there's no reason to
think God has abandoned you or that God doesn't exist
or that God is unfair. Nothing could be
further from the truth. This is a sinful world
we live in. And with the devil
on the attack, people go through
stuff--everyone. Death comes to all. Grief
and loss affect everybody. But what doesn't change
is that God is God. He's not the architect
of pain and misery. He's the One whose mercies
are "new every morning," according to the
book of Lamentations. Yes, of course, it's human
to wonder why God allowed some, some, some desperately
difficult experience. God hurts when you hurt.
He feels your pain. He bears our griefs and
carries our sorrows. Can you trust Him even
when things aren't good? That's the question. The book of Job says,
yes, you can. And what became of Job? "The Lord blessed
the latter days of Job "more than his beginning; for he
had fourteen thousand sheep, "six thousand camels,
one thousand yoke of oxen, "and one thousand
female donkeys. He also had seven sons
and three daughters." ♪[soft piano music]♪ Does that mean that if you go
through hardship and loss, you'll get it all back? It does. If not in this world, then
definitely in the world to come. Life is challenging.
Things go awry. But you can choose to trust God. Are you in a situation now,
some, some difficult place that doesn't make sense to you? If not, you can remember
when you were. Well, where was God? He was with you, right there,
upholding you, sustaining you, and clearly, God doesn't
allow a person to endure more than they can bear. He took a risk, didn't He,
allowing Job to be taken so low. But He was confident Job
would maintain his faith, even if he didn't have
all the answers. The only one with
the answers is God, and if you choose to trust Him,
He'll see you through. ♪[music ends]♪♪ >>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written exists because of the kindness
of people just like you. To support this international
life-changing ministry, please call us now at
800-253-3000. You can send your
tax-deductible gift to the address
on your screen, or you can visit us online at
itiswritten.com. Thank you for your prayers and
for your financial support. Our number again is
800-253-3000, or you can visit us online at
itiswritten.com. >>John: Let me pray for you now.
Let's pray together. ♪[soft music]♪ Our Father in heaven,
what a story. Thank You for showing us
what the story reveals about a loving God. Thank You for helping us
to understand that behind the scenes,
away from our view, there rages a spiritual battle, where an ugly, malicious
enemy seeks to distract us, to discourage us, to lead us
out of the pathway of faith. And, Lord, You know
it's a challenge. When life presents
its difficulties, we find it so hard sometimes
to bear the weight. This is where we need You, Lord. We need faith, and we
need Your Presence. We need a firm grip on Jesus, and we need Your Spirit
upholding us. Friend, can you choose to
trust the God of heaven today? Can you say now, "Lord God,
I will trust You. I yield to You.
I believe that You are"? Lord, that's our
prayer today: You are. We know. We believe. Lord, take us and
never let us go, and give us Your grace so that
we would never let You go. We thank You, and we pray
in Jesus' name, amen. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time. Until then, remember: "It is written, 'Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'" ♪[dramatic theme music]♪ ♪[music ends]♪♪
