A Cup No One Wants
July 8, 2018

Scripture: Job 16 & 17

All Christians are going to drink from the cup of God’s wrath against sin. See Mark 10:38-39.

I. You can comfort your suffering friends by understanding they feel opposed by God.

A. After Job listens to his three friends, we find his assessment of their comforting ability in Job 16:2: “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all.” If Job were giving a grade to his friends, he would give them all an F in terms of their ability to comfort. They failed. How did Job feel in his suffering? Job feels like he has been opposed by and attacked by God. It is not Job who has attacked God. It is rather God who has attacked Job. In vs. 7 we read Job say that God has worn me out. In vs. 8 we see that God has shriveled Job up.

B. In vs. 9 Job says that God has torn Job in his wrath and hated him and gnashed His teeth at him. Then, Job says in vs. 11, God has betrayed him. Then, God wrestled with Job and defeated him in vs. 12. And in vs. 13 God shoots arrows at Job like an archer. God then draws a sword in vs. 13 and slashes open Job’s kidneys. God is like an enemy warrior to Job in vs. 14. Romans 8:31: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” It is possible to suffer greatly, and yet be a dearly beloved son or daughter of God.

II. You can comfort your suffering friends by reminding them of their mediator.

A. In Job 16:17 Job reminds us of who he is, “there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure.” Because Job is innocent he is confused by his suffering. But Job still prays to God even though he is suffering (vs. 18). Job had faith that God is always good. And God’s goodness is expressed in two of His attributes: His justice and His mercy. God is just. He will punish every sin. And God is merciful. He will forgive those who come to him in faith and repentance.

B. Job is confident that there is someone in heaven who would testify on his behalf that he is an innocent man (vs. 19). And who is that someone? We see in vs. 20 that Job’s eye pours out tears to God. Job believes that God would take up his case as a witness on Job’s behalf. But then Job says in vs. 21 that he – God – would argue the case of a man with God. Job is appealing to God against God. Job does this because He trusts that God is both merciful and just. And Job appeals to one who has the status to argue with God as an equal. He appeals to a mediator – Jesus.

III. You can comfort your suffering friends by bringing them hope.

A. In his great suffering Job was looking for hope. And in chapter 17 the word hope is used three times. Suffering people long for hope. At first, Job seems to think his hope is in death as an escape from the pain of this life (vs. 13-15). But there is a sign in chapter 17 that Job still has hope. That sign is found in Job 17:3, “Lay down a pledge for me with yourself; who is there who will put up security for me?” This prayer is very similar to the prayer Job prayed at the end of chapter 16. When Job asks God to lay down a pledge with yourself, he is asking God to pay for Job’s debt to God. He is asking God to guarantee the payment of Job’s debt. While Job is innocent of any great sin which would have caused his great suffering, he still sinned. Job then wanted his debt covered with God by God so that he could live in a right relationship with God.

Application:
Comfort your suffering friends by pointing them to the hope we have in Jesus.

Sources:
The book of Job
Commentaries on Job by Christopher Ash and Francis Andersen
“For the Love of God” by D.A. Carson