All right, my Bible in 365 brothers and sisters. We're at the tough one. We are at the book that I have not been looking forward to going through. And if you go through any of the other book summaries that I have done over the last several years, you might notice that I've never done an actual Bible study through this book because it bears some consequence. Now, let me give you a little bit of history here by what I mean when I say this. The last time I taught through the book of Job thoroughly, my mom went to go be with the Lord. I'm not going to go down the list of moments where I have taught through this chapter, through this book, where I have not seen immense consequences. And I think it's because of the same thing every single time God wants me to learn the lessons that I am seeking to teach the people that I minister to. And here's the thing, what God needs me to do is to obey His Word. What you need more for me, more than my ability to articulate clearly, more than my ability to give you answers to questions, more than anything else, what you need for me is you need a man who loves God more than he'll ever love you. So with that said, I got to obey God and I got to go through this. And it's a bit emotional, quite frankly, because let me just simply say I'm reflecting on a lot. Today, the day that I'm tracking this, this is going to be the 27th of January is the day after my dad went to go be with the Lord. Now that was four years ago. And every single time we come into these times of remembrance, I'm oftentimes met with immense grief and sadness. And there is anticipation in knowing that one day I will be with all of those whom I love. Charlie is one of those guys that I think about on a regular basis. But with all of that said, I thought that it would be really good to go through a section of Job chapter 38. Now I want to say this because this is really important. I told the girls this was going to be a longer Bible study. And I actually think this might not be super long like I thought it would be, but I do think it's going to be powerful. I think it's going to be powerful because just like the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord is absolutely burning in my heart. And I have this immense desire to be able to tell you what is being said and why it is so important for you in your walk with God. And in everything that you pursue with him, you guys, this is so critical. So with that said, let's get into a little bit of history. First and foremost, Job has just gone through immense tragedy. And when I say immense tragedy, I mean immense tragedy. Lots of pain, lots of suffering. As a father, I could not imagine thinking about what Job went through. He had all of his children taken away. That's the worst. You know, all of his money taken away. You know, I've made lots of money over the years and I've lost lots of money. And then I've made lots of money and I've lost lots of money losing money. Not the big deal. Not really the biggest deal. Losing a child. I can't even imagine what that would look like. He lost them all. He lost everything. The one person he didn't lose was his wife, but his wife was telling him to go curse God and die. No joke. So by the time we get near the end of Job, Job finds himself in a place where he doesn't curse God. He doesn't charge God. He doesn't put God down. But he does lay a series of questions to the Lord as into, in essence, why he's going through all of these things. And then God provides an answer. And it's not the type of answer that you would necessarily think of. And at the expense of sounding very controversial at this moment, and I want you to hear me. This passage means more to me than any other time in my history because of the liars and the naysayers and the evil wicked, demonically inspired people that are laying accusation at Erica and at the folks at turning point. I am dumbfounded at the type of nonsense that people are throwing out saying, is this what a grieving widow should do? Why is she going back to work? Why is this happening? Why is that happening? I lost my mom. I taught the Bible the next day. I lost my dad. I went right back to work the next day. Did a live show less than 12 hours later? Why? Why would we do it? Why would we put our hands to the plow? Why would the expression of our grief in a moment of tragic loss bring us to a place where we work harder, where we move forward with a certain level of intention that we've never moved with before in our life? Why in the world can we be motivated or are we motivated to do these things in the midst of such tragedy? You shouldn't act that way. You should go into a hole and just sort of live in darkness and obscurity for the rest of your life. You should just simply sit around and hug your children and do nothing and just cry, cry, cry into eternity. We don't do those things because we are children of the true and of the living God. And when the world asks the why questions and when the world continues to second guess who this is and who that is and why this person does that and why that person does that. God says this. Let me read it to you and boy is it powerful. Look at what God says in verse one of Job chapter eight. It says then the Lord answered Job. Notice this out of the world wind. You know, people coming to me. Oh, James, you're so loud. You're so aggressive. Well, read the section where God responded to Job out of the world when that is powerful stuff. This is the oldest book in the Bible. It literally has a place in the oldest portion of human history for a reason. It's spectacular. What it represents is spectacular. God begins to ask a series of rhetorical questions. And when I say rhetorical questions, meaning the answers to the questions are so obvious that they actually demand a simple statement. We ask rhetorical questions all the time, something like this. What were you thinking? Are you crazy? Are you nuts? Those are rhetorical questions. Well, God is about to bring the imposition of a series of rhetorical questions that are so literally infatic that they demand the attention of the people who are reading and listening. This is the functional beauty of Hebrew poetry. And this is why we call Job one of the books of poetry because it is in essence the most beautiful expression of that which God brings in a method of what appears to be raw emotion, but it is pure wisdom. It's pure knowledge. It's beautiful. Look what he says. I love this. Who is this that darkened its counsel by the words without knowledge? Boy, I sure want to ask all of these podcasters that are going nuts saying all kinds of things. Who are you? You're going to darken the wisdom of God by words that have absolutely no knowledge behind them? Go ahead. Say whatever you want about Erica. Say whatever you want about the turning point people. Say whatever you want about the people that are putting their hands to the plow and not looking back. Are you going to darken the counsel of God's word by using your empty rhetoric which has absolutely no knowledge? Good luck. If you're going through a difficult time right now, you do what God wants you to do and don't care about what the world says. Oh, I love this one because he's going to Joban, he's saying this. He's saying, GURT UP NOW THY LOINS LIKE A MAN. MAN UP! MAN UP, JOB. Why? Because I'm going to give you a real answer. You want to run your mouth with empty rhetoric that has no substance? I'm going to show you something. I'm going to ask you questions and you know what, Job? I demand an answer. Can you imagine? Can you imagine God saying? I'm about to ask you questions, MAN UP! And you better answer me. These are the questions I want to ask those people. These are the questions that I want to ask the people who say to hate Israel. And to walk against the counsel of God and to accuse the people of God and to create expressions of deep, just demonic action. Let me ask these questions. Here we go. Where was thou? When I laid the foundation to the earth, Job, where were you? Tell me, where were you when I built the earth? Declare if you have understanding. Who has laid the measures thereof? If you know, or who has stretched the line upon it? Were you the one that put the plum line on the earth when it was built? Were you there? Who have laid the measures thereof? The found-nowest? Or who have stretched the line upon it? Where upon are the foundations thereof? Fastened? Or who have laid the cornerstone thereof? In other words, reverse engineer the world. Tell me if you know how it's made. Tell me if you know how it works. Say that to the scientists and think they understand God. When the morning stars sing together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Were you there? Or who shut up the sea with doors when it break forth as if it had issued out of the womb? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! When I made the cloud the garment thereof and the thick darkness, a swaddling band for it, and break up for it my decreed place and set the bars, or set bars and doors, and set hither too, shout out, come, but no further. And there shall be thy proud waves be state. Are you the one who did that? Are you the one that put all that creation in the motion? Has thou commanded the morning sense by days and caused the day spring to know his place that it might take hold of the ends of the earth that the wicked might be shaken out of it? Oh, this is so cool. It is turned as clay to the seal, and they stand as a garment, and from the wicked their light is withholding, and the high arms shall be broken. Imagine the God of heaven saying that to you as you stand with your fist waved against him. Imagine that. Has thou interred into the springs of the sea or has thou walked in the search of the depth? The last time somebody tried to search the depth of the sea, there's some marine exploded. We can't even begin to understand what the depth of the sea even looks like, because the Creator, Almighty God, understands those areas that no man will ever be able to understand, folks. Has thou perceived the breadth of the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all. I stood outside of my house. At two o'clock in the morning, watching that space capsule enter back into the atmosphere. It was spectacular, spectacular to watch it in Southern California. Even with the knowledge that we have with the science that's taken us outside of the very environment that this earth provides for us, do we really know the breadth of it? We don't. Where is the way where the light dwelleth? And ask for darkness, where is the place thereof? Barely know anything about the sun. And we can't even get over there. That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the path to the house thereof. Knowest it thou because thou was then born? Or because the number of ideas is great? Oh, I love the description that he continues to go on with. He even talks about daily living who provides even for the raven. That's how far he goes. Starts asking him questions about animals. He starts talking about creatures that most of us have never even seen. God did it all. And Job provides an answer here. In chapter 40, I'll start in verse three. It says, then Job answered the Lord and said, I love this. Behold, I am vile. What shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer ye twice, but I will proceed no further. God does something pretty amazing at that point. God acknowledges the humility that Job shows, and he rewards them, rewards him with things he never thought he could ever be rewarded with. If you're going to listen to anything in this study, listen to this. Why do we go out and continue on? Why do we work harder than we ever have before when we've experienced such a loss? How is it that somebody so close to you can be murdered? And as the mother of his children, you immediately put your hands to the plow and start working. How? The same way that many mothers before have done, the same way that many widows before have done, the same way that we continue to do. We have the true living God. Where were you when he spun the earth into existence? You think because you have millions of followers that with your word, you can darken the counsel of God when your words have no knowledge? You don't pay attention to those people, folks. You don't pay attention to the lies. You don't pay attention to the naysayers that are in your ears, in your voice. You serve the true and living God. And guess what? His blessing is waiting around the corner. Why? Because he's a God of goodness. He has wisdom. We will never have. He has knowledge we will never have. And we will never be able to destroy his plans. That's what it means when it says darken his counsel. We will never be able to destroy his plans with our empty words that have no knowledge. And it may be said that we walk with the understanding that God's wisdom is superior. And we trust in his plans. Why? Because God is good. And although we may lose the whole world, God will always remain with us. Because he's faithful. And he loves us. And I want to simply say that the commitment you're making to reading the word of God is going to be useful for you in being able to understand the pain and the hardship and the hurt that goes with the life that we live, the tragedies that we experience. If it's a mother losing a son or a wife losing a husband or a baby girl or a baby boy losing their father, God is sovereign. And he knows exactly what he's doing. And we can find peace in it. And we can know that as we put our hands to the plow and we don't look back, we find God's wonder and God's blessing. And you get to be the recipient of it all. When you know God's word, you can find the confidence and understanding that as you move forward, you will be blessed by Him. God bless you. Keep fighting the good fight and folks do what you're called to do. Know the word of God. Understand the word of God. Dissurden the word of God. Give yourself to the word of God. Read it. Understand it. Know it. And watch God do great things. I love you guys. God bless you. You keep fighting the good fight.
