The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1940-07-19

permission.
JOBS REPENTANCE AND
RESTORATION
LESSON TExT0Job 42:l-l3
GOLDEN TEXT-And the Lord turned the
i 70 %s:io. "'" ne prayed Tor his
The problem Of suffering, like
| every other question arising in
mans inquiring heart, finds its true
solution in right view Of God. Job
found 1t to be 30. AS long as he
and his friends concentrated their
attention on his person and his
troubles, they only became more
deeply involved in confusion and
doubt. Much of their discussion was
on . high moral and philosophical
| plane, and they were all doubtless
earnest and capable men, but in the
end Job learned, and they learned
through him, that the real difficulty
was that they did not know God.
Then God himself appeared and
brought before Job panorama of the
glorious works of God and His bless
ings upon mankind (chaps. 38-41).
Where was Job when the world was
created $3.50? Who holds the
world together 1886? What is the
origin Of light (38:19)? What about
the glory Of the snowflake (38 :22)?
Job is told to consider the hand Of
God in the animal kingdom (chap.
39) and upon those that dwell in the
sea (chap. Az. 1t dawned upon Job
that he had been arguing against the
providences Of the all-knowing and
all-powerful One-the eternal God.
In that conviction and the repent
ance which it brought forth, he ex-
perienced-
I. Renewed Fellowship wv. 1-6).
Job came to the realization that
he had not really known God Him
self until now. His religious expert
ences and convictions hitherto, pre-
cious and important as they were,
had been by "the hearing of the
ear" but now he had met God
and all was changed. Fellowship
with the Lord was renewed, but on
an infinitely higher plane. Job had
real revival in his life which
caused him to "abhor" everything
that he had said and done; yes, even
to set himself aside and to take God
to be all and in all.
Our churches are full of people
who only know God by hearsay.
They have heard about Jesus Christ
since their childhood, but they have
never met Him. They have read Of
the Holy Spirit, but they have never
known His power. We need a God
sent revival, one like those of the
past which "have broken out like
fire consuming dead and out
worn systems, burning sin like a
roaring flame, and casting a new
light across mems pathways" (E. L.
Douglass).
III. Restored Usefulness wv. z
10a).
Gods rebuke of Jobs friends is
significant, for it centers, not in
their failure TO deal rightly with
Job, but their failure properly to
represent God. 1t is a tremendous
ly serious matter to attempt to tell
others about God, for in doing so
we must not in any way misrepre-
sent Him. To stand before men as
religious teachers and leaders and
not to know Him so well that we rep
resent Him rightly, is to invite His
judgment and condemnation.
Job, on the other hand, was re-
stored to place Of honor and use
fulness. His friends, who thought
they knew so much more than he
about God, are told to ask Job
to pray for them. He thus was af-
forded the opportunity Of returning
good for evil and was again enabled
to serve God in serving his fellow
men. Salvation is by faith (Eph.
2:8, 81; but being saved, we are re-
stored to the place of usefulness to
God.
III. Returned Prosperity wv. lob
49,.
The abundant blessing Of God
upon Job is described in oriental
terms of money, herds Of cattle, and
Of q large family. These are the
tangible evidences Of Gods bless
ing, and even to us today they speak
Of a liberal and loving God. God
can and does prosper His own obedi-
emit children even in material things.
Such outward mercies, however,
only feebly represent the blessings
of the soul, the ultimate and eternal
joys of the spirit. They point US,
it is true, to the assurance that
as we yield ourselves in uncondition-
al obedience to Gods will, we may
confidently trust Him with the dark
days Of sorrow and affliction, as well
as the days of sunshine and pros
perity. No matter how tangled may
seem the threads on this side of the
loom, we know that the heavenly
Father behind the scenes is weay-
ing the pattern of beauty which shall
one day be revealed as we stand
complete in Christ.