The reformers said that grace could be found on each page of the Bible. My mind was taken by this thought once again as I studied the book of Job. This week I will share some rich truths found in this study of my own.
The book of Job, as you may well know, is believed by most scholars to be the oldest book of the Bible. I felt it would be fantastic and wonderful if one could find the doctrines of grace in the book of Job. After all, God is the same God in the New Testament as He is in the Old Testament, is he not?
I had read the book of Job through a few times. I had studied Job more than once in group studies, such as Sunday School and Wednesday night Bible study, but grace just did not pop out of the pages, as the reformers claimed, that I can remember. Last month it was after reading Job once again that I went back though in search of this one thing. Is the gospel of grace found in Job? I poured over the words reading and re-reading Job several times over the course of three weeks.
Then I found it. When the message of grace was revealed to me in Job it was as if the words popped out of its pages just as the reformers said would happen, I didn’t know how I missed it when reading it so many times. It gave me goose bumps and great delight in my heart.
It wasn’t that I found one truth one day, and then kept reading and found another a few days later. All the doctrines not seen by me before, came as a water fall in ease, one right after another as I read the text.
Elihu had just finished addressing Job’s friends in Chapter 32 when he begins to talk directly to Job in Chapter 33. I personally feel Elihu is a picture of Christ. You will find that God does not mention Elihu when he rebukes the others near the end of the book, which would seem to mean there was nothing wrong with what Elihu had said.
We pickup Elihu’s words in verse 12 of chapter 33.
12 Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
13 Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
These verses of course are directed toward Job. But if we were to apply this truth to mankind as a whole, I feel we can learn some valuable things without hurting the text.
First notice that man is not “just” before God. (verse 12). This sounds like the first three chapters of Romans, does it not? In Romans Paul goes into great detail showing that all men are under condemnation. He moves from the condemnation of the Gentile, to the moralist and also the Jew. Paul sums it up by saying, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.
Also notice, “God is greater than man” found in verse 12 is addressing God’s sovereignty. His sovereignty is proclaimed even more in verse 13 when it says of God, “for he giveth not account of any of his matters”
14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
Notice in verse 14 that God speaks and man does not perceive or understand. Here we have the doctrine of man’s total depravity. The text goes on to speak of a man in a deep sleep, a picture of not being aware of just how bad that the sin nature has a hold of Him. Man shows total inability and acts as if he is in a deep sleep seeing no need to come to God.
16 Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
The word “he” found in verse 16 is God. It is in this sleep, this total inability that God comes on man and opens his ears. Without God opening the ears, which speaks of understanding, man will never know God. This opening is the doctrine of regeneration given by the Holy Spirit. Natural man does not understand God, but those born from above are given understanding to know Him.
17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
Pride is the first thing that must go as the sinner sees himself as a sinner in need of a savior. It is God that hides the pride of man in order that he may see himself as he really is, a poor lost sinner. The “withdrawing of man” found here in the text is the withdrawning from man’s own purpose. It is in fact the drawing of man away from self and unto God.
18 He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain:
20 So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.
21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers.
Verses 18 – 22 speak more of God’s sovereignty. Notice it is God that sustains life in verse 18. In verse 19 it is God that chastens. In verses 20 – 22 we see God bringing something tragic into man’s life. This is done many times by God in order that we would slow down and think about life and what we are doing, and even more important about death and where we are going.
John Newton the writer of the song “Amazing Grace” talked about a time such as this within the song. Newton wrote, “taught my heart to fear”. What Newton was talking about is when he was in the slave business on a ship at sea and God brought a great storm to pound the ship, causing Newton to fear for his life. Newton said it was the grace of God that brought this storm and made him think of dying and thereby led to his conversion. The same idea is given in verses 20-22.
23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:
24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
Notice Christ is the messenger in verse 23 and Holy Spirit is the interpreter that shows man his need to be right before God, then in verse 24 He (God the Father) through grace will tell Christ to deliver him (the sinner) because the ransom (atonement) was paid. Wow! Now that is good stuff there.
We have in these two verses the doctrine of the Trinity, and doctrine of the gospel of grace and the doctrine of the atonement.
25 His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth:
26 He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.
27 He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
Notice in verse 26 the verse says emphatically that he (the sinner) will pray unto God. It does not say “if” he will pray unto God, but rather he WILL pray unto God. Verse 26 shows what will happen if the events we see in verses proceeding this verse takes place.
Why do I say this? When the eyes of the sinner are opened and the sinners sees his true state in which he is before a Holy God, he realizes he needs Christ for salvation, grace then becomes irresistable and the sinner will indeed pray unto God as it says in verse 26 and God will render him righteous. This is the doctrine of the effective calling and irresistable grace.
I have said before and I need to point out again that irresistable grace does not mean a person is forced into salvation. Nor does it mean that man will not resist the call to salvation. We have just seen that natual man does not understand his need to be saved, and will indeed resist Gods call time and time again. However, when Holy Spirit opens those eyes of the sinner, the light of the truth shines on the sinners heart and the sinner will ask God to save him. He is not forced down the hallways of salvation, but rather now that he understands his needs he runs down the hallway of salvation.
28 He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
29 Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
Author John Gill writes of verse 29..
This is a summary or recapitulation of what goes before, from Job 33:15; God is an operating Being, he is always at work in a providential way: "my father worketh hitherto", John 5:17; sometimes on the minds of men in dreams and visions; and sometimes by affliction; and sometimes by his prophets, messengers and ministers of the word; he works with and by these, and all according to the internal workings and actings of his mind, his eternal purposes and decrees, which are hereby brought about: and these he works "oftentimes", or, as in the original, "twice" {w}; therefore when once is not sufficient, he repeats it in dreams and visions; when men are not admonished by one, he comes to them in another: and afflictions, when one does not bring men to repentance, or answer a good purpose, he sends another; and continues the ministry of the word, in which he waits to be gracious, till all his people are brought to repentance, and all his ends answered by it: and all this he works "with man", his darling object, the special care of his providence; and for whom his great concern is in redemption and salvation. He works with men distributively considered, with various men, in the several ways before expressed; and with men personally and individually; to one and the same man he has often appeared in dreams and visions, and on the same person has laid his afflicting hand again and again; and to the same individual has given line upon line, and precept upon precept. And because this is certain and to be depended upon as truth, and is worthy of notice and consideration, as well as is very wonderful and astonishing, that God should thus be mindful of man, and work with him and for him, "lo", or "behold", is prefixed unto it: the ends for which all this is done follow.
Grace is indeed found in Job. God’s grace is found throughout the Bible. May we all live with the fear of God in our heart, and take hold of the grace that God gives.
This study was a real blessing to me and I hope a blessing to you as well.