Job

I wanted to cover something today that in a sense leads into the spring holy days and the Passover. And I think most of us realize that during this time of year, you know, we are asked and we are to be thinking about examining ourselves. And I know there are a lot of different ways to do that, and yet I thought I would cover something today that I've not tried to cover before, but it is something that I think is very revealing. Now, a few months ago, I gave a sermon about Job. I gave it here in Columbia. I gave it at a rather difficult time because of the difficulties that were going on right then. I hope some of you remember that because there are really some very primary lessons that you learn when you read through the book of Job. And I want to continue in that vein today, but I want to point out just some of the lessons that we mentioned at that time. You know, the things that we can see when you read through the book of Job, you know, we're right together here. Esther and Job are within a few pages, you know, one right after the next here, as far as the way they are in the order that would be in most of our Bibles. But, you know, the things that we saw about Job were that, you know, Job was a very good man. He was a very righteous individual. God said so. You know, he's very honorable, very righteous, very obedient, very responsive. He's out giving sacrifices just in case his kids happen to have sinned. You know, that was the way Job was. He was caring for those who were in need. He was nurturing people. And of course, in many ways, it was difficult to see from what he had to say. It was difficult to see why he would go through the suffering that he did. And that's an entirely different topic that I don't want to try to cover today. But what we do find about Job were that there were some problems, problems that he didn't immediately see. Later in the book of Job, you find that it states very clearly that Job was self-righteous.

That wasn't something that he immediately realized, but it becomes apparent as you go along.

You find that Job was righteous in his own eyes.

We find that Job justified himself rather than God.

We also find that Job approached God in a somewhat irreverent way. You know, he had quite the arrogance of commanding God to do certain things that he had no business doing. You find that Job somehow felt that he had the prerogative to argue with God.

I don't know that most of us feel like we have the position to argue with God, but Job did. He was, of course, a righteous man. He was an obedient man. And yet he somehow felt that he should argue his case before God. And you read certain verses there, particularly chapter 23, verses 1 through 7. It just makes me cringe when I read that. And I'm not going to go through that right now. You can read it if you wish. But, you know, Job is very obsessed with how right he is and how wrong God is and how he'd be glad to argue his case before God because he's right. He is right.

But, of course, the final lesson, or at least a later lesson in the book of Job, that you find in chapter 42, is the fact that Job did come to repentance and he did yield to God.

You know, actually what you find was that Job came to see God in a far greater light. He had an awareness and a knowledge and a desire to obey God, which all of us should have. But see, our awareness of God, our connection with God, our respect toward God, is something that we might want to examine. And I would guess that we could say, perhaps, God allowed Job's suffering maybe in order to bring Job to a point where he could really examine himself. Maybe that's what we're seeing when we read the book of Job, and you see what it was that Job went through. Some of it seems needless, and yet ultimately what was produced was very good. It was very good. Job was greatly blessed beyond the suffering that he went in through. But maybe God was helping him examine himself, and clearly he didn't ask for that. He didn't want that, but that's what he got. And so perhaps as we think about this, it can help us in examining ourselves. And I'd like for us to also perhaps ask ourselves, we think back to what we recall about the book of Job, do you see the gospel preached in the book of Job? Can we gain any insight into the need for salvation through Jesus Christ? Those things are not directly stated, but I hope to show you today that they're clearly there. They're there, and I think it's exciting. I think it's interesting to be able to see how it is that God puts those in the pages of his Word. And actually it helps us to explore our relationship with God and our relationship with Jesus Christ. I'd like for us to focus primarily here this morning right now on not what Job said or what his friends said, but on what Eli Hugh said. Eli Hugh was the younger man who listened to everything that was going on, and perhaps there were other people who were listening as well. And yet in chapter 32, and through chapter 37, you find what Eli Hugh had to say. And actually what we find about this was that Eli Hugh appears to be a servant who was willing to speak some of God's words. Now whether everything that Eli Hugh said was exactly accurate, I don't know. I would guess that much of what he said clearly was very, very helpful. And yet in essence what God was doing, God had worked with Job. He had allowed him to suffer. He had allowed his friends, his three friends, to argue with him, plead with him, try to get through to him. You know, they were really unsuccessful because at the end, in chapter 31 and chapter 30 and 29, Job maintains his righteousness. I'm right. You're wrong. I'm right. God's wrong. I'm right. You know, this was not a great attitude for Job to have. And yet in chapter 32, you find, and maybe we could look at that here for a brief time, in chapter 32 you find Eli Hugh.

You find him coming onto the scene. He said, I'm younger. I've been waiting for you to finish. You all have, you all are older and you have my respect. But he says in verse 17, I'm going to give my answer and my opinion and actually I'm full of words and my spirit. The spirit within me constrains me. My heart is indeed like wine that has no vent like new wineskins. It's ready to burst. Eli Hugh just, he could not contain the message that he wanted to be able to convey to Job. Verse 20, he says, I must speak so that I may find relief. I must open my lips and answer. I will not show partiality to any person or use flattery toward anyone.

He said, I know who you are, Job. I know how impressive you are. I know that you are what would appear to be a type of king or ruler. That's at least the way that Job described himself. And I believe from what we have is internal and maybe external evidence that Job probably was a ruler of some type and probably around an area that would have been to the east of Jerusalem, east of Israel, and perhaps around the Euphrates, which you can kind of look that up on the map.

But that's all immaterial from what I want to point out. But see, Eli Hugh, he was moved to speak. And down in verse 3 of chapter 33, he told Job, please listen to my speech. My words declare the uprightness of my heart. In verse 3, of what my lips know, they speak sincerely. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Answer me if you can. Set your words in order before me. Take your stand.

See, he's mentioning that what I have to say is really, I just have to say it. I have to give you this information. And over in chapter 36, you see a little more about why maybe he had to do that. Eli Hugh says in verse 1, bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.

I'm going to bring my knowledge from a far away and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. To hear, in a sense, he was saying, you know, this is not just my information. This is information from God. See, this is information that God is guiding me in being able to speak through working with me and working with my spirit and with God's Spirit to provide this information to you, Job.

And so what we find in Eli Hugh was, in a sense, a little different friend than his other three. His other three friends, in a sense, condemned Job. They condemned him. They looked down upon him. They said, you've got to be wrong somehow. You wouldn't be reaping the penalties of sin if you weren't wrong. They were pretty condemning. They were quite superior the way they presented their information.

Eli Hugh seems to have a sincere desire to defend God's justice because Job was impugning that, and also to help Job. He really seemed to want to help somebody else, help another person, in this case, helping Job. And so what we find in this account, and of course, this is four or five, six chapters.

And I'm not going to try to go through all of those. You can read them if you like at some time. I do want to point out the things that he did tell Job. Here in chapter 34, what we find in this section, in chapter 34 mostly, is that Eli Hugh upholds God's justice. He says that God is just. Now Job has claimed that what God has allowed to happen to him is not right. It's not just. It's not correct. I haven't done anything to deserve it. And what God is doing is wrong.

Now that's what Job was proclaiming. But Eli Hugh says, starting here in verse 10, therefore hear me, you have sensed, far be it from God that He should do anything that's wicked. And from the Almighty that He should do wrong. For according to their deed, He will repay them according to their ways. He will make it be solvent. He said, surely, for the most part, God is a God of justice and of fairness and of righteousness.

And in most cases, you find that the wicked do get punished and the obedient or the righteous are blessed. He goes on to say in verse 12 of the truth, God will not do wickedly and the Almighty will not pervert justice. And so he made it very clear to Job that Job, you know, you are wrong when you say that God doesn't have the prerogative to deal with humans any way He happens to want to.

He normally does it in a certain way, but He can do whatever He wishes. And he goes on to say in verse 14, if God were to take back His Spirit, then everybody would die. Everyone would perish. And so we're all beholden. We're all beholden to God. It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how able or capable, how wealthy, how attractive. None of that counts. When God is working with us and God was working clearly with Job, He was going to help him. He did help him, as we know at the end of the book.

And yet you find that God's justice should not be impugned. It should not be run down like Job was doing. In chapter 36, you actually find that Elihu starts talking in chapter 36 and 37 about how good God is.

I think it's interesting to see. Verse 7 of chapter 36, he actually talks about something that looks like it's looking into the future. It says, He does not withdraw His eye from the righteous, but with kings on the throne, He will set them forever and they will be exalted. We're familiar with Revelation 5.10 about kings and priests ruling with Christ in the world tomorrow. Now this is kind of a reference to that in a way because God is the one who's going to work with people to get us eventually to that point. And what you find in the last part of chapter 36, and then all through chapter 37, is that Elihu wants Job to realize how majestic, how awesome, how powerful, far greater than you are, Job, far greater than any human being. Here in verse 24 of chapter 36, he says, remember Job to extol God's creation, His work, of which humans or mortals have sung. All people have looked on it. Everyone watches it from afar. Surely God is great and we do not know Him and the number of His years is unsearchable. See here, He extols how majestic God is and you see through the rest of this chapter in chapter 37 that He talks about how God rules over the elements. Now we've had beautiful snows out here and been able to watch those and I've driven around in a little ice and some of you have had to drive around and head to scoop ice and snow off of your roads to try to get out this winter. Talks about all of that and yet actually it almost appears that Elihu at the very end of what he was going to say was telling Job, well you need to take a look at what's happening. You know there's a tornado about to happen right out here by us. Maybe he was looking at it, I don't know, in chapter 37 verse 1 he says, "...at this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place." Listen! Listen to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. See it was almost as if Elihu and Job were sitting there and all of a sudden this big storm is starting to come up behind him and he you know he says, man I'm just I'm excited. I love to watch storms. I love big rolling clouds and black thunderheads. I love to watch them. I watched them when I grew up in Oklahoma. I watched them in Kansas. You know they're fabulous in Kansas and beautiful clouds but you know they remind me of what descriptions we see of what God is able to do and of course ultimately we find in 30 chapter 38 that God then begins to answer Job out of a whirlwind. See I think that was coming up behind him as he like he was talking. That would that would make sense. You know he says his heart is about to leap out of his chest. So he wanted Job to realize you know God's far more powerful than you. God's far more able than you are Job even though you're impressive and you've made quite the quite the you know what could you say quite the defense for yourself. You know that's even part of your problem and he wanted him to know that. He wanted to uphold God.

He wanted Job to hear what he was saying and what God would clearly be saying because you see very quickly when God starts dealing with Job that Job decides I'd better be quiet. He realized that you know I've had my friends tell me stuff and I feel like I'm kind of on par with them or I'm actually a little ahead of them. They couldn't tell me anything that I needed to know and here Elihu this young man comes and starts talking to me but in fact God was actually talking and giving some information through Elihu leading up to when God was going to make a real impact on Job's mind here in chapter 38 where in verse 2 he starts asking well who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge. Gird up your loins, Job. I'm going to question you and you are going to need to declare to me what the answers are. God was working with Job. He wasn't putting Job down necessarily except he was saying, Job, you don't even know what you're talking about. You have too big of opinion of yourself and you have many blessings but that's because of me. That's not because of you, that's because of me and of course he elaborates on that throughout chapter 38 and 39 and 40 and 41 and into 42 and yet in chapter 42 we find actually really just Job's statement that I've been way out of line. I've been way out of line and it's just fabulous to see how God was able to work with Job and to help him see something that at this point Job did not understand about God. He knew a lot about God and he was clearly a pretty very obedient person but see he didn't have the close intimate responsive loving relationship and dependence upon God that he had about midway in chapter 42. When he says, I've heard of you by the hearing of my ear but now my eye sees you and I repent. I despise myself and I repent seeing that I am simply dust and ash.

See that's what Job had to conclude. That's what God wanted him to understand. That's what he like you wanted him to understand. Look Job, you are also in need of help. You are also a dependent when it comes to God and clearly this is what Eli who elaborates on in chapter 33 and this is really what I want to cover here today. In chapter 33, now this is a section of the Old Testament that is actually a beautiful section. It's one that perhaps is not easily understood because it's not real real clear. Some of the wording may be a little bit difficult to understand but nonetheless it is clearly it's clearly what God wanted Job to learn. It's what God wanted Job to come to see. And I would say that this is clearly helpful for us too. Here in chapter 33, down in verse 6, Eli who says to Job, See before God I'm just as you are. I too was formed with a piece of clay and no fear of me need terrify you for my pressure will not be heavy upon you. Eli who came to Job in somewhat of a respectful way, he said I'm just a man. I need help too. I'm not coming to you as actually his friends had, somewhat judgmental, somewhat looking down on Job. Eli who was coming to him in a much more compassionate, a much more what can we say, a much more concerned way.

And in verse 8 he says, Surely you have spoken in my hearing and I've heard these words that you have said. And so Eli who was simply going to relay to him, you know, this is what you've been saying, listen to what this sounds like. Listen to how this is presented because, you know, this has a problem. Verse 9 he says, You say, Job, you have told us, I'm clean, I am without transgression, I am pure and there is no iniquity in me.

You hear he was bringing something up to Job that Job had actually said. He had reiterated over and over how righteous he was, how pure he was. He says, You say, I'm clean and I'm without transgression and I'm pure and there's no iniquity in me.

You've said, Look, God finds occasion against me. He counts me as his enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks. He watches all my paths. He was looking at God more or less like an adversary rather than his father, rather than his loving creator. And in verse 12, you know, a very direct statement, Eli Hugh is able to make, because all he is doing is just telling Job, Well, this is what you've said. This is how you've come across. This is what you're thinking. This is what's in your heart. In verse 12, he says, In this, you are not right.

He just had to tell him, Look, Job, you are completely wrong.

He says, I'm going to answer you and I'm going to explain to you that God is greater than any mortal. And why would you contend with God saying, Well, he won't answer my questions. He won't respond to me. He won't give me audience. That's what Job had been saying in numerous places. He demands I want to stand before God. I will bring my case before him and I will win. He actually said, I will succeed because I'm not wrong.

See, that's often, and certainly for me, that is, you can ask my wife, I'm very bad at admitting that I'm wrong. See, Job had a real problem with this. And I know I have a real problem with this, to admit that I'm wrong. To admit that I didn't know, or that I don't know, or that I did whatever was wrong, or that my tone was wrong, or whatever came out of my mouth, or even more so, whatever I conveyed with my face.

Whatever I might have said might have contradicted what I said with my eye, what I said with my face, what was really in my heart.

See, I think we all should think about that because it's clearly something that I see in myself, and possibly it's something that all of us have to some degree. You know, Job didn't like to admit that he was wrong. He did not want to admit he was wrong. It took quite the calamity to ever get him to admit he was wrong.

And yet we find Elihu going on here in verse 14. He said God speaks in one way or in another, even though people might not perceive it. And so here he's going to go through a little bit of explanation to Job that, you know, actually God may do a lot of different stuff to get people's attention. See, that's what he was saying. Now God might in a dream or in a vision of the night when deep sleep falls on mortals while they slumber in their beds. He might open their ears.

He might terrify them with warnings, which I would guess could be a nightmare or something. Although I'm not, you know, a proponent of that's the way God works with us for the most part. But God could do that. If he chose to do that, he could do that. And he goes on to say here again in verse 17 that he may turn them aside from their deeds and actually keep them from pride and spare their soul from the pit, from the grave, their lives from traversing the river. See, Elihu is bringing up something to Job that in some ways Job could argue about. He could confute. And yet, Elihu was pointing out something that, you know, God could do any of this. And he could do this to help people maybe see their pride. He goes on in verse 19. Sometimes they could be chastened. They're also chastened with pain upon their beds, with continual strife in their bones so that their lives loathe bread and their appetites dainty food. Their flesh is so wasted away it cannot be seen. Their bones, once visible, now stick out. Their soul draws near to the grave in their lives to those who bring death. See, those things could happen to people, whether dreams or visions, nightmares, or suffering and pain. God can work however he happens to want to in someone's life to bring them to see something that they don't now see. He goes on in verse 23.

And this is really the section that I want us to focus on today. Because he says in verse 23, and I will read this out of the New King James because I know that's what most of you are reading, and I'm usually reading something else, as you know. But it says, verse 23, he says, God can send warnings.

God can bring people to an awareness of their pride and their arrogance. He can bring them down, even like he has for you, Job.

But he says if there is a messenger, an angel, the same word is used for messenger and angel, if there is a messenger that is sent to man for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man his uprightness.

Now the translation that I'm usually reading here, the New Revised Standard, says if there's an angel or mediator, one who declares a person upright.

See, the person doesn't need to declare their own uprightness. Now Job had done that plenty. But he says if God actually sends a messenger or a mediator who is able to declare a man upright, to show a man his uprightness, and then he is gracious to that man, and he says, deliver him from the pit. Deliver him from the penalty of death. Deliver him from the wages of sin, which is death. Deliver him because... Why? Why? Deliver him because I have found a ransom.

I have found a ransom.

Someone has paid the ransom for your sin. That's what he was telling Job. He says every man, needs to come to recognize that we don't stand on our own. We don't stand unopposed against God. Every one of us need to be ransomed.

And he goes on to say if someone of this type, if this mediator, if this messenger actually comes and declares a person upright and offers that person grace, it says, talks about being gracious to that man, and points out how that your sins have been paid for.

That's going to be a real benefit to that person. In verse 25, his flesh is going to be young like a child. He's going to return to the days of his youth.

And it said that person, that person who has come to appreciate the ransom that has been paid for him, he's going to pray to God.

He's going to delight in God. Actually, he's going to be accepted by God. He's going to see his face with joy, for he restores to man his righteousness. He prays to God, is accepted by God. He comes into his presence with joy, and God repays him for his uprightness. In verse 27, that person looks at men, and he says, and so the person who was able to be used by God, the person who is yielded to God, the person who is repentant, is not going to be as Job had been up to this point. I am not wrong. He like he told him in verse 12, you are wrong. You are not right, Job. You are wrong, and God is the one who is providing you a ransom.

And so in verse 27, as a person recognizes that, that person is going to say, I have sinned, and I have perverted what is right.

And it did not profit me. See, it did not, or it was not paid back to me. See, that's a statement that we have often contemplated and thought about regarding the Passover, regarding the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as our Savior. He very graciously, God has extended to us a ransom. He's very graciously extended to us forgiveness. Now, we do need to recognize that I have sinned. I have perverted what is right, and I'm actually not getting paid what I deserve, which would be debt. See, that's what Elijah was telling Job. Job, you just deserve to die. That's all you deserve. But if you'll recognize what God is able to do, God is not just going to accept you because you are so obedient and righteous. As you claim, God is willing to accept you because there is a ransom.

And he says, as you acknowledge, as you say, I have sinned, I am wrong. See, Job wouldn't say that up to this point. Now, he did say that basically over in chapter 42.

He says, I'm wrong. I know I'm wrong. I'm dead wrong. I don't deserve to live. I deserve to die. I see I'm just dust, and all dust deserves is death. Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It doesn't say here, but it does say over in Romans. That that is what everyone has earned if we were to be given what we have earned. But when it says, I have sinned and perverted what is right, and yet it has not been paid back to me, he has redeemed. Or he will redeem my soul from going down to the grave.

He will redeem his soul from going down to the grave, and his life shall see the light. But behold, see now, Elihu has made these statements to Job, and Job apparently is listening now. He's beginning to realize that, well, not just God, but Elihu, being sent by God, is telling me that I'm wrong, and that I need to repent, and that I need to be redeemed. I need to be forgiven so that I will be able to see the light. See, what ultimately Job was later going to say is, I see God. Instead of only hearing about God, I now see God. In verse 29, he says, Behold, God will all these things. Twice, in fact, three times the man to bring from the dead may be enlightened with light of life.

Give ear, Job. Listen to me. Hold your peace. I must be if you have an answer, but at this point, Job didn't have anything to say. He says, I want to justify you. I desire to justify you. See, Job had tried to justify himself. It made a difference. The just-belief said, yet that didn't work. And see, brethren, that's what is the case with all of us. You know, anytime we try to justify ourselves, we'll find that that doesn't work. In this case, Elihu wanted to explain to Job how he needed a redeem. He needed to be forgiven. He needed the ransom that God could extend to him to extend mercy and forgiveness. And of course, it looks as if at the very end of the book that God restored Job. He granted him mercy, and he granted him the possessions and wealth that he had had before, even in a greater way. But see, what we find here in chapter 33, I think, is a description of the process of redeeming mankind. And see, that's what Job really needed to learn. He needed to realize that all of my obedience earns me nothing. All of my obedience only, you know, it's good for me and it's good for those around me, it isn't something that God wants me to focus on and to be so arrogant about. He wants me to appreciate the ransom. He wants me to appreciate what God has done for me. And of course, in verse 28 and verse 30, it talks about the light. And all of us are familiar with what we see in John chapter 1.

John chapter 1, of course, talks about Jesus Christ. It talks about John the Baptist, but also it talks about Jesus Christ. In John 1, in verse 4, it's talking about the Word, the Word who was with God, the Word who was God, the Word in verse 14 who had become human.

But in verse 4, it says, in Him, in this Word was life. And that life was the light of all people, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. And there was this man sent from God, whose name was John, John the Baptist. And he came as a witness to testify to the light so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light, that true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

So this is a direct illustration of what Jesus was. He's spoken to be the light of the world numerous times here in the book of John, and we're not going to read all of them. But numerous times, he points out that he was the one who came as the light. He was the one who came as the Redeemer. He was the one who came to pay the ransom, to pay the ransom for sin. And of course, that's what we find here in 1 Corinthians 6.

1 Corinthians 6, we read about the way that God has chosen to work with us, and he tells us to glorify God in our body and in our spirit which are God's. And he says in verse 15, do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

And down in verse 17, he says anyone united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. Shun fornication. Every sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body. Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?

You were bought. Verse 20, you were bought with a price.

Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's. Now, to all of us, as we think about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as we think about what He went through, as we read through the Gospels, as we keep in mind what Jesus endured for us, what He went through, the brutal murder that took His life, the abuse that He took before that time. All of us want to be reminded that the light of the world, Jesus Christ, was willing to give His life so that we could have life, so that we could see the light. Job needed to see the light. He didn't see it. He ultimately did see something that he hadn't seen before. And I would contend that what he like you was explaining was that he recognized that, well, I can't justify myself anymore and I need the mercy, the graciousness, I need the forgiveness that comes from God. Now, whether he understood Jesus Christ or not, I don't know. But I do see what it says about a ransom, about being redeemed. And I think that's important for us because when we think about our own lives, when we examine ourselves, we often examine ourselves regarding, you know, well, how well do we observe the law? And that's right. That should be something that we examine ourselves. But I think if we're going to examine ourselves in light of what's explained here in Job, we're going to ask God to help us see God more clearly, to see God in a more appreciative way, and maybe to examine areas other than just simply obedience, all of which aren't necessary and needful because we're responding to God. We're obeying God. We're walking with God in the way He would like for us to walk. But see, I want to examine, you know, does my faith need to increase? Does my humility need to grow? What kind of husband am I? What kind of wife might you be?

What kind of love do I have for other people? What kind of service do I extend to others because God has bought me with the price, and the price was enormous, as Mr. Luca read what I read out of the little section that he wrote. The enormous sacrifice of Jesus Christ is fabulous. It's absolutely fabulous, and it was given for each of us individually and personally so that we would not just hear about God, but that we would see God. That we would see the light of the world. That we would see the way that God is working in us through the power of His Holy Spirit to transform us, to transform us to be His servants. And so I think that if we think about it in this way, if we analyze just what it is that Eli Hugh presented to Job, well it's simply, Job, you need a Redeemer. But more than that, he was saying every man needs a Redeemer. Every man, every one of us, needs what God is offering through Jesus Christ. And as we more clearly understand that, just as there were clearly more things that Job needed to understand about God, there are more things that we can come to understand about God as we look into and look forward to the Passover, as we look forward to our indebtedness to God, as we look forward to the gratitude and the appreciation that we want to expand in obeying God, but also in serving others. And so I think as God allowed Job to see the greatness of God, he allowed Job to extol God in a far greater way, and to be just impressed with the awesome power that God had. That was what really got to Job. And I would hope that we, as we think about that, might also find that that can expand and that can develop our relationship with God as well. I think it's interesting and exciting to see, particularly here in chapter 33, how in a sense the Gospel is preached. The good news of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God is preached, even in the book of Job. But it comes down to us applying it to ourselves, and as Job did, as he came to see something that he had never seen before, if we ask God, then perhaps we will also see more about God, more about our relationship with God, and more about the way that he is working in our lives so that we can continue to do the work that God has given us to do. We have that calling, brethren. We have that responsibility. But also we have the opportunity to appreciate so much what God has done for us and also what God is doing in us as we serve him with our entire heart.