sermons by IVOR POWELL

JOB, WHOSE PROMISE SHONE IN THE DARKNESS

"Behold, I go forward but he is not there; and backward,

but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work,

but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand,

that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take;

when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:7-10).

This statement made by Job was not exactly a promise; it was an

affirmation of his faith. His world had been shattered. Friends insisted

God had forsaken him, his family was dead, and his possessions

were gone. The future remained bleak, yet in the darkness a

light shone. He believed God and exclaimed, "When he hath tried

me, I shall come forth as gold." Job was not a trained theologian.

He was intensely human; every part of his life suffered except his

faith. It is believed that Job was the first book of the Bible. If this

view is correct, Job had no Scriptures to read and no prophets to

whom he could go for advice. Job was one of the first saints to walk

the earth. No sanctuary had been erected, and any knowledge gleaned

from historical records was limited. Yet he communed with the

Lord; his faith was mature, and although he failed to understand the

reasons for the distressing circumstances, he believed God would

help him to overcome.

The Ceaseless Annoyance... Frustrating

The account of the catastrophes that devastated the life and property

 of Job chills the human spirit. Within a short space of time he

went from success to failure, prosperity to poverty, and supreme

happiness to misery. Yet those terrible events could not compare

with the frustration that haunted his soul. It appeared that God had

deliberately hidden Himself, that He was indifferent to His servant's

predicament. As the initial text indicated, Job said, "Behold, I

go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive

him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold

him; he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him."

The distressed man looked in all directions hoping to find evidence

of the Lord's compassion, but unfortunately, he searched in vain.

He said, "I looked where he doth work," and that probably meant he

remembered earlier places or circumstances when he had enjoyed

fellowship with the Lord. Something had changed! God was no

longer in the old haunts. He could not be dead, but was He offend-

ed? Other people have endured similar crises. Any man can praise

God in times of supreme happiness, but only saints glorify Him

when problems appear to be insurmountable.

The Courageous Acceptance... Faithfulness

Job never blamed God, but one of his statements indicated the

limitation of his knowledge. 'He said, "Why died I not from the

womb?... For now should I have lain still and been quiet... There

the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary be at rest"

(see Job 3:11-17). His outlook was dismal. Death was the termination

of existence. Therefore, it would be better to be dead than to

remain alive suffering. Later in his experience that idea was challenged

when he asked a very important question, "If a man die,

shall he live again" The value of the man's faith must be measured

against the times in which he lived. He did not have the accumulated

blessings of the Christian faith. He lived in a period when understanding

of the Lord was limited. That enhanced the value of his

testimony, "When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." The

patriarch did not understand the reason for his prolonged suffering,

but his faith in the goodness of God remained unshaken. He believed

that the Lord knew what was happening and seemed to be

saying, "As long as God knows what He is doing, why should I

worry? Eventually, I shall come forth as gold."

The Complete Assurance... Fabulous

Even in his lifetime Job knew the method used to refine gold. He

looked upon his experiences as fire controlled by God who desired

to see His reflection in the character of the tested saint The patriarch

apparently was willing to accept the process so the Refiner

could gain His objective. That he ultimately came forth as predicted

is proof of his spirituality. Even his loyalty toward friends remained

undamaged. "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he

prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he

had before" (Job 42:10). The saint did not realize he was the object

of a direct attack from the powers of evil. He endured, and God was

proud of him. His testimony should encourage all Christians who

feel the Lord is slow answering prayers. A light shining in darkness

is far more effective than one shining in the daylight!