Bible Passage: Job 1:13-22
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: February 25, 2024

Bulletin February 25, 2024

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.  May the name of the LORD be praised. (v. 21)  Those are the words Job speaks at the end of our text.  Have you ever paused to consider how utterly absurd these words seem?  Also consider, they are prefaced with these words, He fell to the ground and worshiped. (v. 20)  Job is worshiping!  He is praising his God!  Some would say, “He can’t sing that hymn now!”

 I mean, how could he?  Just look at his day!  A messenger has arrived to tell him that all his oxen and donkeys have been stolen and his servants killed by a Sabean raiding party.  While that messenger is still talking, a second messenger runs up out of breath.  This one tells Job that the Chaldeans came and killed his servants and took all his camels.  Lest you think this is no big deal – “He just lost some animals and servants.” – this is how wealth was measured long ago.  They didn’t have bank accounts.  A man had animals and servants.  Job lost it all.  For us it would be like the market crashing and losing all our investments in one day.

But the worst was still to come.  While the second servant is still delivering his horrible news, a third messenger arrives.  He bears the worst news of all.  Your sons and daughters were eating and were drinking wine in the house of their oldest brother.  Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and struck the fours corners of the house and it collapsed on the young people, and they died. (v. 18-19)  All seven of Job’s sons and his three daughters were dead.  I have heard of, and even attended double funerals for family members who died together.  But I have never heard of a funeral service for ten family members!

And it is precisely at this point in Job’s horrible day that he feels it is time to worship!  He gets onto his knees and “goes to church.”  He worships God.  Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will return. (v. 21)  Job confesses he didn’t have any camels or donkeys or oxen when he was born.  He didn’t have any children.  He had nothing.  And now he has nothing again.  It was nice for God to give Job the blessing of possessions and family to enjoy for a time.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.  A gracious God had given them to Job.  The same gracious God had taken them away.  May the name of the LORD be praised!  “He can’t sing that hymn now!”

The devil had bet God that Job would not sing that hymn.  Job wasn’t aware of the celestial conversation that had taken place between the LORD and Satan.  How Satan had called into question the sincerity and depth of Job’s love and trust in God.  Satan had challenged God, Stretch out your hand and strike everything that is his, and he will certainly curse you to your face. (Job 1:11)  Satan’s contention was this, “Job only likes you, only sings your praises, because you give him stuff!  If you take the stuff away, he won’t be so quick to sing your praise!”  I wonder if as the messengers were running to Job the devil was thinking to himself, “He won’t, he can’t sing that hymn now!”

But Job fell down and worshipped.  Do you?  When trial and difficulty come, what do you do?  When the Lord sends a heavy cross, there is the question, “Will you love this God?  Will you trust this God?  Will you worship this God?  Will you still praise the God who is allowing you to experience this?”  And Satan is right there with his tempting question,  “Why would you stick with such a mean God?”  Why would you worship such a mean God?  You can’t sing that hymn of praise now!”  Satan always wants us to curse God to his face.

Are we fools?  Are we the abused party that inexplicably and foolishly stays in the abusive relationship?  No!  For we know something about this God that keeps us by his side when trials come.  We know something that makes us sing when messengers come to our door and deliver bad news.  We know the same thing Job knew about this God.  Tucked inside Job’s heart was the thing that makes all the difference.  Job would speak it out loud in the 19th chapter of this book.  I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon my grave.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. (Job 19:25-27)  Job saw his living Redeemer, and so he saw his own death and resurrection.  With the eyes of faith we too see our living Redeemer.  We have come to know, and trust, and sing, “A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth.”  We see the final “out” from all our pain and suffering.  It is death and resurrection! And we have it!  Because we have a risen Jesus!

And so we sing the strangest hymns at the strangest times.  One historian wrote about the death of Christian martyrs being burned at the stake.  He wrote: “They prepared for the fire as if they were going to a marriage feast. They uttered no cry of pain. When the flames rose they began to sing hymns; and scarce could the vehemency of the fire stop their singing. What is it that the people hear coming from that sheet of flame? ‘Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’” The world says, “They can’t sing that hymn now!”  Those who know Christ say, “Yes, they can.”

Every pastor has his “little book.”  The little book that he takes with him out to the graveyard for what is called the “Committal Service.”  Many a Christian has been to the graveyard and has stood close to the casket of a husband or a wife, a grandma or grandpa, a mother or father, a child for the committal service.  One man even buried all ten of his children.  The truth is palpable:  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  At the end of the service is a blessing, and the word “Amen.”  But that is not the final word.  There is one last little sentence in the little book:  CW 334…may be sung.  Hymn 334.  “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!”  “You can’t sing that hymn now!”  Yes, we can!  Yes, we must!  For Jesus’ sake!

Amen.