1 00:00:00,633 --> 00:00:04,733 In the name of our Redeemer, Jesus, who lives. Amen. 2 00:00:06,666 --> 00:00:14,866 Over the last few months, I've been exposed for the very first time to a very exciting and new genre of literature. 3 00:00:15,933 --> 00:00:21,800 This genre can only be described with words like lofty and sophisticated and scholarly. 4 00:00:22,733 --> 00:00:26,533 I'm referring, of course, to the genre of baby books. 5 00:00:28,166 --> 00:00:33,533 And before you get too concerned, this is only because my daughter, Freya, was born just three months ago. 6 00:00:34,933 --> 00:00:41,466 And people have been showering Freya and, by way of connection, us with baby books. 7 00:00:42,833 --> 00:00:53,266 Freya doesn't know this yet, but she has been showered with a disproportionately large collection of various versions of Baby's First Bible because, of course, she's a PK. 8 00:00:54,233 --> 00:01:03,566 And I bring all of this up just to say that there's something peculiar that I've noted about all of these Baby's First Bible collections. 9 00:01:04,966 --> 00:01:09,666 And that is that there's always one story, without fail, that is never included. 10 00:01:11,666 --> 00:01:20,766 It seems as though every single choosing baby stories for, choosing Bible stories for Baby's committee meetings around the entire world, 11 00:01:20,766 --> 00:01:27,333 this story, without exception, has been deemed as unfit for those tender baby ears. 12 00:01:28,866 --> 00:01:32,866 Can you guess what story it is? The story of Job, of course. 13 00:01:33,966 --> 00:01:37,033 Job, whom we commemorate this morning. 14 00:01:38,366 --> 00:01:41,933 And we don't have to ask why Job is never included in these baby stories. 15 00:01:41,933 --> 00:01:59,233 We know why. Who wants to introduce your child to the world, but then also to the Bible, with the story of a man, a righteous man, an innocent man, who suffers days that can only be described as straight from the depths of hell. 16 00:02:00,233 --> 00:02:01,466 As they were, literally. 17 00:02:02,700 --> 00:02:07,500 I don't want to turn to my daughter Freya and say, Freya, welcome to the world, we're so happy to have you here. 18 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:11,233 Job would like to welcome you to the veil of tears. 19 00:02:13,533 --> 00:02:15,833 Not exactly a good way to begin. 20 00:02:17,933 --> 00:02:24,666 The story of Job, of course, begins by saying, in the land of Uz, there was a man whose name was Job. 21 00:02:25,900 --> 00:02:31,366 He was upright, he was blameless, he feared God, and he shunned evil. 22 00:02:32,033 --> 00:02:40,266 You might remember how this story continues. Some angels come to the throne of God to present themselves before him one day, and Satan also shows up. 23 00:02:40,766 --> 00:02:42,666 And God asks Satan what he's been up to. 24 00:02:43,366 --> 00:02:47,533 And Satan sort of glibly gives a response, just roaming around. 25 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,033 Just wandering to and fro around the world. No big deal. 26 00:02:53,366 --> 00:03:01,966 Now, of course, we don't hear why he's been roaming, but we know, given the context, we know that Satan has been prowling. 27 00:03:03,233 --> 00:03:11,233 Prowling like a roaring lion, seeking someone, anyone, to devour, as St. Peter would describe him many centuries later. 28 00:03:13,066 --> 00:03:18,033 And then we come to the very first hard to understand detail of the book of Job. 29 00:03:18,033 --> 00:03:20,800 God offers Job to Satan. 30 00:03:22,133 --> 00:03:30,000 He says, well, Satan, have you considered my servant Job? He's blameless and he's upright, he serves, he fears God, and he shuns evil. Have you considered him? 31 00:03:30,833 --> 00:03:32,266 He's unlike anyone on earth. 32 00:03:34,166 --> 00:03:40,966 And Satan responds to God just as those who scoff at Christ and his Christians respond today. 33 00:03:40,966 --> 00:03:49,766 Satan says, God, just so you know, your righteous ones only fear you because you give them good things. 34 00:03:50,900 --> 00:03:57,733 In other words, you, God, are a means to an end, and the end is not you. The end is their happiness. 35 00:03:57,866 --> 00:04:01,733 So take away the happiness, take away the end, and the means become irrelevant. 36 00:04:02,233 --> 00:04:07,466 You will become irrelevant. More than irrelevant, Job will be cursing you straight to your face. 37 00:04:09,466 --> 00:04:13,700 So God hands Job into the hands of Satan. 38 00:04:14,633 --> 00:04:19,333 And then the first day of hell is unleashed upon Satan. 39 00:04:20,666 --> 00:04:32,166 First thing in the morning, first messenger comes to Job and says, hey, sorry to mention it, but a group of murderous thieves called the Sabeans have come and they've stolen all of your oxen and donkeys and they've killed their shepherds. 40 00:04:33,333 --> 00:04:35,466 Bad way to start the day, but it gets worse. 41 00:04:36,766 --> 00:04:44,833 Another messenger comes and says, the fire of God came down from heaven and killed all of your donkeys and their shepherds. 42 00:04:46,133 --> 00:04:48,933 A really, really bad day, but it gets worse. 43 00:04:50,066 --> 00:05:00,533 Third messenger, Job, sorry to say it, but another group of murderous thieves, not the Sabeans this time, but the Chaldeans, they've come, they've stolen all of your camels and they've killed their shepherds. 44 00:05:01,233 --> 00:05:05,700 Really, really, really bad day, but it gets worse. 45 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:13,966 If all of that were not enough, the fourth messenger comes to Job and says, I've got really bad news for you. 46 00:05:14,066 --> 00:05:16,266 There's been a terrible windstorm that swept through town. 47 00:05:16,566 --> 00:05:22,533 It gained momentum coming through the wilderness and it caught the four corners of a house in town and it collapsed. 48 00:05:23,266 --> 00:05:26,266 And even worse, all the people inside died. 49 00:05:27,033 --> 00:05:33,566 And Job, this wasn't any house, this wasn't any group of people, this was your oldest son's house. 50 00:05:34,333 --> 00:05:36,866 And all of your kids have died, every single one of them. 51 00:05:37,166 --> 00:05:40,466 Seven sons, three daughters plastered by this house. 52 00:05:42,533 --> 00:05:44,200 A day straight from the depths of hell. 53 00:05:46,033 --> 00:05:56,800 Suffering comes in all shapes and sizes, of course, but I have to admit that when I read the story of Job, it almost seems embarrassing to talk about, to think about any suffering in my own life. 54 00:05:58,300 --> 00:06:07,133 Really, the only thing more unbelievable than the quantity of misery that Job endured was his response in faith. 55 00:06:07,133 --> 00:06:13,166 Job says, naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I will return. 56 00:06:14,233 --> 00:06:19,333 The Lord gave, now the Lord has taken. Blessed be the name of the Lord. 57 00:06:22,133 --> 00:06:34,600 Now it's really hard with this story to have a glass half full kind of perspective, but if you're really, really optimistic and you're really digging for something, you might come along and say, well, at least Job was healthy. 58 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:42,233 At least he was in good physical condition so that he could withstand these horrible events that were occurring to him. 59 00:06:43,233 --> 00:06:47,933 But alas, you know the story, more hell was on the way. 60 00:06:49,366 --> 00:06:56,366 Some time later, the text says that the angels come to present themselves before the Lord just as before. Satan presents himself just as before. 61 00:06:57,133 --> 00:07:03,066 God asks him what he's been up to just as before. Satan says, I've been roaming around just as before. 62 00:07:03,633 --> 00:07:15,233 And then God says, remember Job, my servant? You remember how you incited me against him to make a ruin of him? Well, guess what? He's maintained his integrity. 63 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:30,433 And this time Satan comes with the argument that he used before, but a slightly revised version. He says, okay, okay, granted God, Job is still faithful, sure, but what won't a man give up for his own life? 64 00:07:30,433 --> 00:07:42,933 If you stretch out your arm and afflict him in his own body, then he'll really be cursing you to your face. And so once again, God delivers Job into the hands of Satan. 65 00:07:45,433 --> 00:07:55,466 Horribly painful, disgusting sores break out all over Job's body, from the crown of his head to the foot, to the sole of his foot. 66 00:07:56,233 --> 00:08:06,400 And it's at this point that finally his wife jumps in with words that can only be described as coming from the deepest pit of despair in a grieving mother's heart. 67 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:21,633 She says, Job, just curl up and die. Just give up. And you know what? As you do, the last words that should roll off of your sore infested lips should be a curse. 68 00:08:21,633 --> 00:08:31,533 A curse to God for allowing all of this misery. And again, Job's response is quite unbelievable. 69 00:08:32,633 --> 00:08:39,133 He says, you speak only as foolish women speak. Are we to accept good from God but not also evil? 70 00:08:40,433 --> 00:08:45,166 And the text says that Job still did not sin against the Lord with his lips. 71 00:08:47,733 --> 00:08:53,166 Whew. A story fit for children? It's a difficult one. 72 00:08:54,100 --> 00:09:02,766 It would be a little bit more palatable if I could turn to Freya and say, look, God tried his best. He really did love Job. It's just that the forces of evil were too great to overcome. 73 00:09:02,766 --> 00:09:09,866 But that wouldn't be true. That wouldn't be a very comforting message about God. He's really loving, but he's pretty powerless. 74 00:09:11,266 --> 00:09:20,066 No. Just like a mean dog on a leash, Satan was only able to bite Job because God gave him the slack to do it. 75 00:09:22,033 --> 00:09:38,966 Much of the rest of this 42 chapter book consists of Job and his friends trying to figure out the reason behind the suffering, trying to find the why's behind the what, trying to make the Deus absconditus, that hidden God, a little bit more revelatus, a little more revealed. 76 00:09:40,433 --> 00:09:48,366 And so again, it would be nice if I could turn to my daughter and say, God was hiding it from Job for a while, but now he's revealing the grand plan. 77 00:09:48,933 --> 00:09:54,233 It's all going to make sense. Just wait for the last couple chapters, but that doesn't happen either. 78 00:09:56,066 --> 00:10:05,033 Instead, when God finally does answer Job, the only response is to paraphrase, I'm God and you're not. 79 00:10:06,466 --> 00:10:12,166 Job, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Answer, you weren't there. I'm God, you're not. 80 00:10:13,633 --> 00:10:21,733 Job, have you ever wandered to the springs of the sea or walked around in the recesses of the deep? I'm God and you're not. 81 00:10:22,633 --> 00:10:36,466 Job, can you pull Leviathan out with a fishhook and rope his tongue down? No, you can't. I'm God, you're not. You be still, Job, and know that I'm God. 82 00:10:38,066 --> 00:10:49,466 Not exactly the answer that we as humans who love to be in control want to hear, is it? No wonder I can't find Job's story in any of Freya's books. 83 00:10:51,100 --> 00:11:01,866 Let's just stick to Noah's Ark, please. Let's just stick to the smiley, fluffy, happy animals walking up the ramp like they're hopping on a cruise ship to the Bahamas. 84 00:11:01,966 --> 00:11:05,333 Don't worry, we're going to cut the story before the flood part. 85 00:11:08,666 --> 00:11:23,233 Job is an utterly humbling book. It reminds us that before the almighty creator of the universe, we creators, no, creatures, are utterly, to use Job's language, naked. 86 00:11:24,033 --> 00:11:34,833 We're utterly stripped. Stripped of power, stripped of understanding, stripped of any illusion of control that we have, stripped of our idols of comfort and pleasure, 87 00:11:35,333 --> 00:11:45,966 stripped even of our pretense of having rock-solid faith when confronted with the sad reality that oftentimes Satan's argument rings true in our lives. 88 00:11:46,833 --> 00:11:56,566 That it's easy to fear, love, and trust God as long as he keeps us happy. We're stripped and naked, and that's a terrifying thing. 89 00:11:58,933 --> 00:12:04,866 The story of Job reminds us that the mere existence of this sort of God is not good news in the least. 90 00:12:06,166 --> 00:12:12,133 Think about it in a different context. If somebody were to come to you and say, hey, one of the most powerful people on earth is coming to your place tonight. 91 00:12:12,833 --> 00:12:17,666 Your first reaction is not going to be, fantastic, honey, we've got visitors coming, get some cookies in the oven. 92 00:12:18,900 --> 00:12:28,733 It should be, it would be, why are they coming to my house? Is the power going to be used for me or against me? Are they happy with me or are they angry with me? 93 00:12:30,166 --> 00:12:37,133 Well, God, of course, is not just one powerful person among many. He is the all-powerful. He is the omnipotent. 94 00:12:38,533 --> 00:12:49,033 He is the one who sits in the heaven and watches the nations that rage, and he laughs at them for plotting in vain against him and his anointed. 95 00:12:50,366 --> 00:12:57,966 The reality of that God is not good news unless that God is for you instead of against you. 96 00:12:59,366 --> 00:13:02,933 And that brings us to Job's words in our reading today from chapter 9. 97 00:13:04,033 --> 00:13:11,500 Did you notice that two letter word that he uses that makes all the difference in the world? He doesn't say, I know that a redeemer lives. 98 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:19,433 He also doesn't say, I know that the redeemer lives. No, he says, I know that, what? My redeemer lives. 99 00:13:21,233 --> 00:13:28,833 It's only because of that that Job can say, let the Lord take just as he has given. Let me return naked just as I have come. 100 00:13:28,833 --> 00:13:40,233 Let anything that the Lord sees fit to do be done. Why? Because my redeemer lives. And because of that, my redemption is on the way. 101 00:13:43,066 --> 00:13:51,466 That redemption, that redeemer is yours. He's yours. It's hard to believe it when we're suffering, of course. 102 00:13:51,466 --> 00:14:05,733 But you confess it by faith in your catechism, just like I do. We say, I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is what? My Lord. 103 00:14:08,133 --> 00:14:16,166 There's that all-important two letter word once again. The same inscrutable God who says, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? 104 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:23,566 That same God has come to the earth to lay his hands on the cross to be pierced for your redemption. 105 00:14:25,466 --> 00:14:42,933 The same God who says, where were you? Were you able to pull Leviathan out with a hook? The same God who says that comes and allows Leviathan to bruise his heel so that he might fulfill all righteousness, be raised on the third day, and crush Leviathan's head forever. 106 00:14:44,266 --> 00:15:02,000 Not just for the fun of it, of course, but so that he could purchase you and win you from sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. 107 00:15:02,733 --> 00:15:11,833 That Redeemer is Job's Redeemer, that Redeemer is your Redeemer, and that Redeemer is my Redeemer. And that Redeemer, he lives. 108 00:15:14,266 --> 00:15:26,266 And so, let Satan rage all that he wants. Let God even allow all that he wants, as hard as it is to understand at times, no, as impossible as it is to understand at times. 109 00:15:27,133 --> 00:15:38,500 Let all of that happen. Even let your story, like Job's, be cut out of every choosing happy stories for babies committee meeting around the world, if that needs to be done. 110 00:15:39,366 --> 00:15:43,400 Why? Because your Redeemer lives. 111 00:15:44,100 --> 00:15:58,666 And at the last, he will stand upon the earth, and after your skin has thus been destroyed, yet in that flesh, in this flesh, we will see God. And that is enough. 112 00:16:00,466 --> 00:16:02,633 In Jesus' name, Amen. 113 00:16:03,900 --> 00:16:07,733 He is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia.