As we see, when we know the true God and walk humbly with Him, we can resist the devil and he will flee from us. He cannot take a true child of God down. He can interfere in the life of a true child of God. We see that in Job’s life. However, Job was not defeated.
The bulk of the book of Job deals with four other men, three are called Job’s friends, and one is a young acquaintance. It is a back and forth between these men and Job. Those men wanted to offer help to Job, but they had no idea how to help him or anyone else. They had developed a theology of God and had insisted that Job must submit to their faulty theology if he wanted to be restored.
The closing chapters show us that God was there the entire time. He was giving Job opportunity to learn humility. Job needed to understand that God’s ways are much higher than man’s ways. God’s ways are always right as well.
God began His personal interaction with Job by showing him His greatness. God had done so many wonderful works, which Job had never taken the time to fully consider. God did not just mention one work. He laid out many important works before Job. Job’s response to this intense and needful encounter was to further humble himself. He was done fighting with God. He was done seeking to demand things of God.
After God gained the proper attention of Job, He could move on to directing Job to intercede for these four men that had been so far off base. They could never be accepted by God in their present state. They needed to be forgiven. They also needed to see the need to be forgiven.
In particular God addressed the three friends of Job who were older men and should have known better. They had been so persistent in their false theology. God began by addressing Eliphaz. He seemed to be the most persistent in his false teaching.
God told him that he and his two friends had not spoken the right thing about God. God also told him that Job had been speaking the right thing. Even though Job had some things to learn, there was a right foundation to his life. This was important then, and it still important now.
I read an obituary yesterday of a man that I knew from my childhood. He was four years older than I was. He was an intellectual person as he grew up. He moved away from our town and pursued higher learning in Biblical studies. I did not know it at the time, but he became quite convinced in the Calvinist position. I learned from the obituary that he spent his adult years in studying and teaching Greek and Hebrew as well as some of the books of the Bible. His life ended in 2020. From what I read, he was a well respected man. I remember hearing him preach one sermon when I was in my early 20’s. His sermon definitely had more meat to it than the ones I grew up with. However, having read his obituary, he would certainly have tried to lead me astray had I sat under his teaching for any length of time. From what I read, he was a very influential man, not just in Canada, but in other parts of the world as well. I do not know where this man is now. From what I read about him, he would certainly have lost rewards if he entered heaven. You cannot teach false theology and get away with that, with God. God is right and He has given us right teaching. It is up to us to carefully and humbly submit to that right teaching. Those who believe they are called to be teachers and preachers need to be very careful to teach the truth, faithfully.
We do not know if Eliphaz and his two friends were true children of God. We know they were not able to bring a sacrifice to God in our text. They were under God’s wrath and needed a mediator to work on their behalf.
God chose Job as their mediator. Job, in this sense, is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not the “vicar” of Christ as the Catholics claim their popes to be. He was also not a priest of God such as the Catholics claim to have.
Job was a true man of God who was ordained of God to intercede on behalf of these false teachers. They needed to bring the prescribed offering to Job and he would bring it to God. These men had no right to bring this offering to God on their own.
This command would be very humbling for them. They had assumed a position that they were never given by God. They had assumed that they knew God and were clearly shown that they had no right to come into the presence of the thrice holy God. They were in grave danger and had ignored or rejected God’s working in their hearts up to this time. It was high time for them to show humility and repent toward God and seek His forgiveness.
God warned them that if they did not obey Him in this command, He would deal with them after their folly. He reminded them again that they had not spoken the thing which was right concerning the LORD. We see the longsuffering of God here again. He is not willing that any should perish. He wants all to be saved. These men were seeking to interfere with God’s design. No one gets away with doing that.
In verse 9 we read that these three men did as the LORD commanded them. At this point, they knew better than to fight against the truth. They had spread lies for a time, but when confronted directly by God, they knew to shut that down.
As we look at these verses we see that God did not condemn Job in any way before these men. Job had spoken out of turn. God had addressed this with Job in chapters 38-41. God was not going to put Job into the same category as these three men. Job was just, they were not. Job could bring an atonement to the LORD on their behalf. They could not do this for themselves.
We notice also in verse 9 that the LORD accepted Job. It does not say He accepted these three men. Job was right with God. Job had repented before the LORD. Job had acknowledged that he had been way out of line. These men did not do that. They brought the prescribed sacrifice, but whether their hearts were broken or not, we do not know.
We see as well that Job had no bitterness in his heart toward these men. He was willing to act on their behalf before God. Job also had no bitterness toward God. He loved the LORD and he desired to know Him better.
It is important for us to be careful in our approach to God. He is holy. He made all things. He knows what He is doing. We do not know everything. We can assume things at times. We need to be careful with that. We can know the things that God has given us in His Word. That is what we need to build on. God would want to use us for His glory in our time. Let us humbly submit to Him and let Him exalt us in due time. God accepted Job. Let us make sure that He can accept us.
Pastor Bartel