Job 36: Kings in Fetters (Part 2)
This is a continuation from Part 1 of last week’s message:
John 16:7-11 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."
To reprove means to prove with Scripture, with “right words” as in:
Job 6:25 "How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?"
The Holy Ghost will reprove, and the Spirit of God cannot depart from the written word of God. He will reprove everything with Scripture: he will conclude the world of sin with Scripture because they believe not the gospel, as much as he will conclude believers of righteousness with Scripture because we believe in the word of God. There are Christians who are truly born again, as well as Christians who are only Christians in name. The Spirit of God knows the difference and he will reprove all with Scripture. He will conclude those who are truly born again of righteousness and those who are only Christians in name with unbelief. He will bear witness with our spirit, whether or not you and I are truly a child of God.
Romans 9:1 "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,"
Our conscience is a book in us that keeps record of our deeds, and this book will be open in the day of judgment.
Revelation 20:12 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."
The dead, small and great, will be judged according to the book of life, and they will be judged out of the things which were written in their conscience. The Holy Ghost who beareth witness with our spirit (Romans 8:16) will reprove us either of righteousness or of sin (John 16:7-11), and this will be recorded in our conscience which will bear witness according as it has happened with us. Again we go back to:
Job 36:4 "For truly my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee."
This verse is a second witness to Romans 9:1, and it tells us that the Spirit of truth who is perfect in knowledge was with Job, as much as the same was also with Paul. He will bear witness of the word of truth according as it was delivered by the holy men of God who spake as they were moved by him.
John 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of truth and he shall testify of the word of truth (Jesus Christ), the words that are written in the 66 books of the Holy Bible. By the way, the Holy Ghost is called the Comforter in this verse and other verses. It is not coincidence that the word “comfort” is found exactly 66 times in the King James Bible. We continue our study in:
Job 36:5 "Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom."
The word “any” in this verse means anybody, any man and woman, great or small, whosoever will come unto God.
Psalms 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
This verse tells us that only those who have a broken and contrite heart will seek God. A broken and contrite heart is an “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). Out of the four ground types in the Parable of the Sower, only the good ground can bring forth fruits meet for repentance.
Psalms 34:18 "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
The good ground is a broken ground. This is just like how the ground must be broken up before seeds can be down in it. With a broken and contrite heart is a broken and contrite spirit. The world may reject someone like that, but God will not despise him. These are the men and women which God shall save.
Isaiah 66:2 "For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."
A man of an honest and good heart is also one of a contrite spirit who will tremble at the words of the LORD. In fact, that is what that happens when a grain of seed falls upon good soil. The soil will tremble a little at the gentle impact of the seed, and the seed will settle in. Only men and women with such kind of heart will tremble at the truth, and they shall receive the fear of the LORD.
1 Corinthians 1:27 "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;"
These are the men and women which the wise and the mighty of this world despise, but God who is truly mighty in strength and wisdom have chosen them, that they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.
John 15:19 "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
The world hates them because they are not their own. These are the men and women, God’s elect, whom God the Father who knew the end from the beginning did foreknow, and he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son Jesus Christ according to Romans 8:29.
Job 36:6 "He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor."
This verse goes along with all the things that we have been studying so far. The “poor” in this verse is a reference to the man who is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at the word of God in Isaiah 66:2. He is the person whom God did foreknow and he shall save.
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
A contrite spirit is a humble spirit, and God will revive the hearts of men and women with such a spirit:
Isaiah 57:15 "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
This verse is a prophecy of Jesus who is of a contrite and humble spirit. Moreover, there are also those who are like Jesus, and God will do a work in these men and women and will cause them to bear fruit in their lifetimes. He will not leave them nor forsake them. While God preserveth not the life of the wicked, he “giveth right” (Job 36:6) to the poor in spirit. This word “right” is a reference to the spotless righteousness of the Son of God who came to redeem the elect of God from the power of death by his own death. The righteousness of God upon them is the reason why God is favourable unto them. We have covered it in great detail in our 13-part series “Salvation: God alone makes Christians”.
I will continue on Part 3 next week. Have a blessed weekend!