Job 36: Kings in Fetters (Part 6)
We continue from Part 5 where we left off last time.
Job 36:8-9 "And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction; 9 Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded."
Those are the believers who have exceeded in their transgressions, and they continue in sin against God and against that which they have believed in their hearts. God will destroy them by the sword and they shall die without knowledge, yet their souls shall be saved. But before God destroy them, the Spirit of God will reprove them by the words of the Lord. If they obey and repent from their sinful ways, God will still chastise them but after that, he will continue to bless their lives and they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not and continue to transgress against that which they have believed in their hearts, then only shall God destroy them.
Ezekiel 3:20-21 "Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul."
A righteous man by definition of this passage is a man who will turn away from sin at the warning, at words of the LORD. While he may continue to sin against God, and even exceed in his transgressions, he will repent at the words of the LORD by the church, just like king David who repented at the words of prophet Nathan. Did not David know by Scripture that he had transgressed against God when he committed adultery with Beth-sheba and plotted against Uriah and got him killed? Surely he did, and that was Spirit of God who witnessed once to him. But David continued in his sin, and then God sent his words by prophet Nathan to witness to him the second time. At that point, David finally repented. The Spirit of God will witness once to a born again believer by Scripture, and if he continues in his sin, the same Spirit of God will witness to him the second time by the church. A righteous man will repent at the second admonition, but a hypocrite will not.
Titus 3:10 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;"
This also goes to show that the reason why a righteous man remain in sin is because the spiritual leaders whom he has trusted have failed to warn him against his sins but choose to ignore them. This righteous man shall die in his sin, but his blood will God require at the hand of his pastor and leaders.
The words of the Lord is food and drink to the soul of a born again believer.
1 Corinthians 11:29-30 "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."
This passage is Paul expounding on the Lord’s supper. Jesus Christ is the Word of God, and the body of the Lord is the substance of the Word of God, which is food and drink for the soul of a born again believer. Believers who eateth and drinketh the body of the Lord unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to themselves. Because of this, many are weak, sickly and many died. For the lack of spiritual discernment, it has caused many to exceed in transgressions. If they continue in ignorance, they shall perish by the sword, and shall die without knowledge.
Galatians 5:16-18 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."
To walk in the Spirit is to live by the word of God, and if a born again believer live by the word of God, then he shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Psalms 19:7-11 "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward."
The word of God will warn against sin, and in keeping the words of the LORD, there is great reward. That’s why as born again believers, we ought to search, study and meditate upon the word of God every day, and if we live by the words that we believe in our hearts, there is great reward.
Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
The 66 books of the Holy Bible is the book of the law, and it is the only book in this world that has the power to break every yoke and bondage in our lives that comes in the form of fetters and cords of affliction, as in:
Job 36:8 "And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;"
What are “fetters” according to the Bible? According to this verse, fetters are “cords of affliection.” The first-mention of the word fetters is in:
Judges 16:21 "But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house."
That was Samson whom after he has lost his supernatural strength, the Philistines took him, bound him with fetters of brass, and threw him into prison.
2 Samuel 3:34 "Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him."
Fetters are used to bind the hands and feet of prisoners so that they cannot escape. In Job 36:8, it is not physical fetters and cords that bound a born again believer, but spiritual fetters and spiritual cords.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
God has a cord that is not quickly broken, and that is the two or three witnesses by which every word of God may be established.
Proverbs 14:5 "A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies."
The Devil too, has a threefold cord in the form of two or three false witnesses. A false witness will utter lies, and when two or more false witnesses come together, they will confirm one with the other and seek to establish their lies against the truth.
1 Kings 21:7-10 "And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. 9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die."
The context of this passage is about king Ahab who coveted after the vineyard that belonged to Naboth, but he could not get it even though he was king and he wanted to pay Naboth for it or else give him a better vineyard. However Naboth could not give him the vineyard or sell it to him because it was prohibited by the law of Moses. That was when Ahab was greatly displeased and he told it to Jezebel, who then plotted in secret to kill Naboth and obtain his vineyard. Notice she set in plan two men, sons of belial, to witness against Naboth and accuse him of blasphemy. These are the two false witnesses that utter lies, and the witnesses they bear will set itself against the truth. The people in the city with Naboth is a picture of the soul. They had a choice to either act for the truth (Naboth), or believe in the lies (the two false witnesses). They had a choice to either stone Naboth or stone the two false witnesses, and they stoned Naboth. In fact, we also have a second witness in the trial of Jesus leading to his crucifixion.
Matthew 26:59-61 "Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days."
The children of Israel too, had a choice of whom they choose to release: Barabbas or Jesus.
Matthew 27:20 "But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus."
The keyword here is “persuaded.” Just like how the faithful witnesses in every word of God are able to persuade a sinner to repent, the false witnesses too, are able to persuade. The multitude chose Barabbas according as they were persuaded by the chief priests and elders to do so.
Matthew 27:22 "Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified."
Among those that were persuaded were people whom Jesus had healed, and they heard him preach and saw him perform miracles among them, and yet they all asked for him to be crucified. Even among the 12 disciples, Simon Peter who said that he would not deny Jesus denied him three times.
Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
The great conflict within a born again believer is that his spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak, so that he could not do that which he would, but that which he would not, that he do.
Deuteronomy 26:6 "And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:"
The Devil’s cord of affliction is to add bondage to a believer so that he finds it even harder to do that things that he would, and the “two false witnesses” will witness against the truth with their lies just so to keep the believer in bondage to sin. We will continue on our studies of Job 36, and will study spiritual fetters in greater depth and how the Devil use them to keep believers in bondage. If Lord be willing, we will also look at the difference between a true believer and those who say they believe the Bible, but are hypocrites in heart according to:
Job 36:13 "But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them."
We will continue our studies on this topic in Part 7.