Job Chapter 38:ALL

Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee, Weekend Edition. Pastor David McGee is internationally recognized for his unique conversational verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter teaching through the Word of God. We have hundreds of his teachings through the many books of the Bible and encourage you to visit crossthebridge.com to study the scriptures along with Pastor David. But right now, open your Bible to the Old Testament Book of Job and follow along for today's teaching. Pastor David has been teaching practical lessons from the life of Job.

We are finding out that what needed to be learned back then still needs to be learned today. I think you'll find that to be true today and tomorrow as we take a closer look at chapter 38. Now, here's Pastor David. So let's all turn to Job chapter 38.

If you don't have a Bible, if you'll just raise your hand, one of the ushers will come and bring you a Bible so you can read along with us. We're within four chapters of the end of the Book of Job. There's a lot of things that we can learn from the Book of Job, and some of them are obvious and some of them are not quite so obvious.

If we watch, overall, Job's response to what happened, it really is amazing. Because you know, things in life are going to happen. Some really awesome, glorious things.

Now we're going to have some painful things. Our tendency when we go through painful things is to say, why? As if, if only we had the answer, then somehow if it made sense, then we would understand. And somehow that would make it all okay. Let's read through Job 38. We'll review some of the life lessons from last week. If you weren't here, no big deal.

You'll catch the flow pretty quick. Most of us know kind of the foundational story. If you've been here for very long, you understand that in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Holy Spirit would come upon people, surround people, but He would not fill people. And Jesus made it possible for us to receive the Holy Spirit. When we are saved, we get a portion of the Holy Spirit, and we are sealed at that moment. Sealed.

What does that mean? Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13 and 14 talk about how we're sealed with the Holy Spirit. What do we have to do to do that? Just be a child of God.

Believe. You're sealed. Now, we also saw that we should be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, but we're sealed. That was not available in the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament. It's available to us now. So now, in addition, we have a hedge of protection around us, and we're sealed.

We're safe. And again, if the enemy – Jesus goes to Peter and He says what? The enemy's been asking for you.

A lot like the book of Job. So, Jesus says to Peter, the enemy desires you. He wants to sift you like we. And of course, Peter said, well, you told him no, right? I mean, you can say yes to that child. I mean, come on. And Jesus said, but I'm praying for you.

Wow. So once again, the enemy has to ask permission. The enemy comes up to Father God and says, hey, I want to go mess with Pastor David down there in Kernersville. Father God says, well, you're going to have to get permission to do that so you can go ask Jesus, but I got to tell you, he's not real keen on you, Mr. Satan.

Ever since that old desert, stone, rock, bread thing, well, even before then, but you can ask him, but he don't like you too much, and he likes David. Now, insert your name in that. What does that mean? What was it? Anything. Say anything.

Anything. Anything you go through has had to go through the process and the permission of Father God. Anything and everything you go through, he has allowed. Well, Pastor, what about when we go through hard stuff? For some reason, God's allowing it. And we go, well, why?

Well, sometimes we know, sometimes we don't know. Let's read this chapter and we'll chat some more about it. This is Job chapter 38, verse 1. And so, again, Job's three friends have gotten to speak. Job has gotten to speak. This new guy, Elihu, who really seems to be from the Lord, has spoken. And now God says, okay, you spoke, Job. It's my turn. And then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Now, prepare yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding, who determined its measurements?

Surely you know. Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God or the angels shouted for joy?

Or who shot in the sea with doors? And when it burst and issued from the womb? When I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band?

When I fixed my limit for it and set bars and doors? When I said, this far you may come, but none further. And here your proud waves must stop. Have you commanded the morning, since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take a hold of the ends of the earth and the wicked be shaken out of it? It takes on form like clay under a seal and stands out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld and the upraised arm is broken. Have you entered the springs of the sea or have you walked in search of the depths? Have the gates of death been revealed to you?

Or have you seen the doors, the shadow of death? It was important for God to clear up something that Job had said earlier. He talked about the rest and the peace in death. And God said, wait a minute, what do you know about death?

Because what you're saying is wrong. Verse 18, have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me if you know all this. Where is the way to the dwelling of light and darkness? Where is its place? That you may take it to its territory, that you may know the paths to its home.

Do you know it because you were born then, or because the number of your days is great? Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? But what way is light diffused, or the east wind scattered over the earth? Verse 25, who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, or a path for the thunderbolt, to cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, a wilderness in which there is no man, to satisfy the desolate waste, and cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? Has the rain a father? Who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?

The waters harden like stone, and the surface of the deep is frozen. Can you find the cluster of Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you bring out Maseroth in its season? Can you guide the great bear with its cubs? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that an abundance of water may cover you?

Can you send out lightnings that they may go, and say to you, here we are? Who has put wisdom in the mind, and who has given understanding to the heart? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, when the dust hardens and clumps, and the clods cling together?

Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens, or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? Who provides food for the raven, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food? It's interesting, those last few verses, there's a lot of ties to prophets. If you start to think about, first of all, he's asking questions. He doesn't expect Joe to give these answers. He doesn't expect you to give these answers. He's simply pointing out he has all of these answers, and some of us, through the grace of God.

We may have some of them, but we don't have all of them. But as children of God, we've already been given so many answers that the world is still looking for. Before you envy somebody like Bill Gates, do you realize when you lay your head on the pillow, you know who made you. You know what happens when you take your final breath. You know who created the earth and the heavens. You know that you've been forgiven of your sins. You know that you have eternal life.

I'm not sure Bill Gates knows all those things, with all of his money, which he would probably trade a lot of it to have the answers that you have. Be careful about envying people, especially unbelievers. I mentioned committed and faithful men, and somebody who's been very committed and faithful here for years and years, and has been through a lot, gone through a lot, done a lot, and that's Pastor D.A. He's been such a blessing to this fellowship, because so much of what happens is behind the scenes.

You don't know. I've had days in the ministry where I asked, why? One day here, we got a call from a lady who attended here, who was somewhat hysterical, and it was kind of difficult to get information, but we knew where she was, so we went to her and started talking, and went to the Department of Social Services in Winston-Wither, and it was a couple weeks before Christmas, and her daughter had been killed by her son-in-law in front of one of the kids.

It was a five-year-old who was a witness, and then the father went and hung himself. So we were ministering to her, and trying to help her get the kids released to her care. So we prayed with them, talked to them, and I said, so what are you doing now? She said, well, I need to go back to the house and get the kids medicine. I said, no, no. I said, no, you can't do that.

You won't go by there. I'd like to do that for you, and I'll go in the house, get the medicines, and bring them out to you, and then we can go over to the other house we were going to. For EMTs and whatnot, you guys go through an awful lot, and I thank the Lord for you. For those of you who haven't done that, let me assure you, it's very different than television, and we went in, and the whole time, DA's just right with me.

Never once during that day did he say, you know, let's just go back to the church, man. This is, you know, just right there. We got the medicine. It was a violent scene, and I'm so glad that she didn't go in there and see that. So then we went with her and the kids, and then her sister came in, and brother-in-law, we were all praying and talking, and it started to get late in the evening, and I said, well, you know, we'd gotten food brought in, different stuff, and I said, well, I think I'll pray for you, and then leave and come back over tomorrow if there's anything we can do, and one of them said, the children know that mom's gone, but they think dad's in jail, and they stopped, and I said, do you want me to talk to them and tell them?

They said, please. There's nothing you can do to prepare yourself for moments like that outside of learning to be very dependent on God and to realize that man's answers fall far short of really bringing any sort of comfort. That day, I was tempted to say, wow, what was this about? But in the midst of that, driving home, I thought of how faithful and committed DA had been before that day and how committed he was that day, that he followed me right in in the midst of all this stuff and stood right there by my side and never once questioned what we were doing or how we were doing. That man has been a huge blessing to me and to his body, and I thank God for him and his family. When we get into these moments, we say, wow, as if that's going to make it okay.

It doesn't make it okay to know. And what did God tell us about that? It's interesting, as Job was going through these things, the one person who mysteriously stays alive in the book of Job is his wife, and she comes to him and says, now let me translate.

I bring it to the modern vernacular of verbiage. Job, after all we've been through, surely we're not going back to church this Sunday again, are we? Pastor David will be back in less than one minute as he continues teaching in the book of Job. A great way to start out each day is with a practical email devotional every morning from Pastor David. Visit crossthebridge.com to start receiving yours for free. If you have a cell phone, you can also text the word ENCOURAGE to 94253 to receive a short encouraging text from us each day.

That's 94253. And now back to the teaching. Job, after all we've been through, surely we're not going back to church this Sunday again, are we? Surely finally you're going to stop giving to those Monty Yahoos and we don't have to go there every weekend, surely? And Job's answer was basically, we're going to be there because we're supposed to be there and we're committed to being there every time the doors open.

Amen. Throughout the whole book of Job, and in addition to all the other stuff, his health was messed up to the point that he had these boils, which are like big zips. I mean basically it was so painful that he'd taken a broken piece of pottery and was trying to bring relief at him on his face and when his friends showed up they didn't even recognize him. And Job and his friends spent a lot of time going, well why?

Well I think God did it because of this and I think Job you did this and God did that and you did this and God did that. So he spent a lot of time trying to act like they had answers. Job didn't have a lot of answers, but he had some. And friend, when you fall into a situation where you're not sure of what's going on, fall back on what you do know.

Fall back on what you do know. In Job 19 and 25, there's something that Job knew, not something he thought, not something he was questioning. He says, I know. What did Job know that could have possibly helped him with this situation? Job knows in chapter 19 verse 25. For I know that my redeemer lives and he shall stand at last on the earth.

Be encouraged. When you're not sure of things around you, fall back on what you do know. And also when you're confused, go back to the ore in the military.

They call them the last standing orders. You continue with what God told you to do until you know that he's telling you to do something else. And then Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25, talking about what we know, talking about Jesus, our high priest, it says, Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost, or the guttermost, those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For who?

For us. Jesus is right now making intercession for us, praying for us. In John 15, 16, 17, and hopefully you're rereading that gospel, we get a glimpse into the heart of God. And he says, Look, I'm not praying for the world. I'm praying for you and the people that believe.

Beautiful. In Proverbs, we are told, warned, if you will, not to lean on our own understanding. You know, there's some things that your own understanding, and probably lean on it, and there's not a lot of danger, not a lot of harm, you know, your understanding of how the remote works or something like that. But there's certain things that if you lean on your understanding, it's like leaning on a sharp stick.

And the moment you begin to put in your real weight on it, it's going to get painful. Proverbs chapter 3, verse 5 tells us, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Don't lean on your answers.

Don't count on your understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. The chapter is a beautiful chapter.

It goes on. Also, don't trust in your stuff and things and honor the Lord with the firstfruits, but don't lean to your own understanding. There's an interesting thing that Job says in chapter 38. There's different little sections, and one of the sections in verse 31 of chapter 38, he says, Can you block the bind, the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you bring out the Maseroth in its season, or God the Great there with its clips? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?

Can you set their dominion over the earth? That's talking about stars and constellations. And it's very interesting, because again, we mentioned this, and I mentioned going to Israel, and sometimes we'd go off the beaten path. We went through a little dairy farm. I don't think a lot of people went to this particular place. It was an old synagogue. I mean, old, old, old. Old over there is old. And I saw it looked like a zodiac, and so it kind of confused me.

I said, Whoa. That's like unclean to my mind, because I'd been taught and well that we don't depend on horoscopes for our future. We don't look to horoscopes for our future. If you're looking to horoscopes for your future, stop. Begin to read your Bible instead of your horoscope, and you'll be the much better for it, I promise. So, I was kind of confused, and I asked the man, you know, my son, what is it? He said, It's the Mazeroth. So then I studied the Mazeroth, and there's a lot of very interesting things, and it's beyond, you know, just one teaching.

So I would encourage you, if you're curious to do, do some dig and do some research. If you're familiar with horoscopes, what are you? I'm a Pisces. What are you? I'm a Scorpio. What are you? I'm a child of a living God.

That's what I am. Praise God. But those pictures, those pictures inside the horoscope were taken from the ancient Jewish Mazeroth, and what that was was dividing the year up into 12 movements of the constellations of the stars. First of all, you've got, right off the bat, you've got three that were animals involved in temple sacrifice. The ram, which is Ares, the goat, which is Capricorn, and there's the bull, which is Taurus. So right there, we've got three temple animals. So again, I'm not endorsing horoscopes. I'm telling you where they came from. We should look to God for our future. But it's very intriguing because then when you start thinking, you know, the goat, the scapegoat and Yom Kippur, you think of Leo, the lion of the tribe of Judah.

So again, if you're interested in that, you can dig up more than that, but just even going through the 12, just quickly. Virgo, it's the virgin holding the child. It's the who? It's the virgin. What's a virgin? Well, that's somebody who's never had a child, who's never had intercourse with a man. And up to that point, everybody assumed and thought that that was necessary to have a child. But then we've got this constellation that somehow is a virgin who's holding a baby.

What's that speaking of? When else in history has a virgin had a baby other than Mary and Jesus? No point in history, but it's the constellation.

I mean, it goes on and on. Libra is the scales showing that we need mercy. Scorpio probably speaks of the enemy. And again, if you're a Scorpio, that doesn't mean you're tied to the enemy. You're tied to Christ if you've been forgiven. And then you've got Sagittarius, which is the archer, which probably speaks more of Nimrod.

So some of these are good, some of these are bad. Capricorn, we've got the goat, the goat of atonement, slain for the redeemed. Aquarius, we've got the water, water bearer, the living water. Pisces is the twins.

It speaks of the meal of fishes and bread, the multitudes and the blessings of the redeemed. Ares is the ram, which is one of the sacrifices. Taurus, the bull, again, another one of the sacrifices. Gemini, again, speaks of the twins, or the two natures. And then Cancer is the crab, and speaks of coming together in some ways.

And then Leo the lion, the tribe of Judah. Now, the interesting thing is that all this would just be conjecture, except that we have to realize that people were watching the stars, writing these things down, and were very familiar with what they did, and how they moved. So much so that they were able to tell when there was a difference. When something happened that hadn't happened before, we don't know exactly what happened.

I've been to a wonderful presentation down at, of all places, UNC Chapel Hill, who's not known for their conservative stances. But this one thing in their planetarium. And they showed these things, and it very possibly could have been a movement associated with the lion, that something happened, that it reversed. And they noticed that. And because they had been watching those things, it brings us to a life lesson.

Here's the life lesson. The ancient people watched the stars for signs from the beginning of time. And it was only through patiently watching the stars for a long time, recording where they were, when they were, that one day after many, many, many years, they saw a star that was different. That star led them to Bethlehem. It's such a cool story, you just ought to think of it. Because these guys are watching the stars, and you know people are giving them a heart, what are you doing?

Star watcher, you know, you're wasting your time. And yet some of these people were called by God to do that. And they couldn't stop, they kept going. And praise God they kept going.

Amen? Understand wanting answers. Job thought he wanted answers. Job's friends thought he wanted answers.

Elihu thought he wanted answers. Answers aren't enough. They're really not. And I say that as somebody who, I've been in a lot of those moments, where people are asking why. The death of parents or the death of children. And sometimes we can say, well, God did this because, or maybe somebody was sick and hurting, and well God was merciful. But sometimes, sometimes words aren't enough. Again, we're all going to have things happen to us. But we're measured by not what happens to us.

We're measured by our response to what happens to us. How you respond when something happens. How do you respond when something good happens? Do you give the glory to God and you're thankful?

Or do you pat yourself on the back? When something tough goes on, do you reach out to God first or last? You've been listening to Pastor David McGee on Cross the Bridge weekend edition. Tune in again tomorrow afternoon as Pastor David continues teaching on most stations.

Remember that you are not alone and you are loved. Also, don't forget to visit CrossTheBridge.com to discover more resources provided at no charge to help you learn more about the Bible. If you'd like to help us share God's Word with others, click on the donate button and support this program with your regular gifts. And tune into Cross the Bridge weekend editions each Saturday and Sunday on this station or on the CrossTheBridge.com website. God bless you and have a great day!