It is nice to be here and it seems like all my thoughts have already been spoken. When Ann mentioned Job, I thought she was going to speak about Job, and then she went on to speak about David, and the very things she said about David is the same thing I was thinking about Job. What does that mean? It is the same everywhere. I came all the way from North Dakota, and my thoughts have already been spoken! Job 33: It tells us some marvelous things about this perfect way of God. God had a very high esteem of Job, didn’t He. He was challenging the devil to try Job. He said he could do anything – but he couldn’t touch his life. He nearly killed him, didn’t he. He lost his home, children, property, livestock, treasure and above all, he lost his health. He had a terrible time in life it seems to me. It seems a lot of us have a terrible time in this life because of poor health. None-the-less, in all these things, he kept his faith. He seemed to be doing and he was wealthy and healthy – and then one day it all fell apart. The ruthlessness of the enemy seeks to destroy the heart of God’s children. His wife even said to curse God and die. God was pleased with his victory and it was a wonderful victory. He had many struggles. At the end of his life it says in Job 42:10, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” and then v.12, 13 “So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters.” The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than at the beginning. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, and there were none in the land that were as fair as they were. God wants to bless our latter end and to bring us into things we have not yet dreamed about. The glorious future that God has planned for them that love Him can’t even enter into our minds. He has given us many, many wonderful blessings to enjoy; but He has our latter end in view. Friends, there are better things ahead. I know for me, it has been very good, but it is better ahead. Friends, we have got to make it! A new body, no more sickness, no more tears. No more aches and pains – a glorious body. I don’t know what it is going to be like, but it is going to be glorious. I think he is talking about eternity, those latter days. Who knows the magnitude of the greatness of the blessings for those who have kept the faith and hang their shield of faith with honor. We have already heard that He will bless us in our latter end. Now I want to go to that 33rd chapter. Elihu – I don’t know much about him, but it seems he came sort of in the spirit of God. Sometimes some of God’s young servants have just what we older servants need. I like what we heard about recall and remembering the former days. I remember when I was without God and without hope, and then I saw the truth in Jesus. We like to look back and remember the way we have come. 33:14 “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.” God, our God, is still speaking – He is a speaking God and wants to speak to us! He has spoken to everyone here, or you wouldn’t be here today. We have heard the voice of God before, but He wants to tell us more. Do you ever pray, “God, speak to me” ? He wants to speak to us again. Maybe what He has told us, we haven’t done so well, but He wants to speak to us again. I don’t care how old we are – our latter end is still up front. I have often prayed at night and sometimes we have felt it and dreamed dreams – He was speaking to us, and He wants to speak to us again. God is anxious to draw men from his own way and show man His will. “keep his soul back from the pit.” He wants to redeem us and keep us from a lost eternity. I hope that we are listening today to hear Him. He wants to bless the latter end more than your former days. v.19-21 “He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.” Have you ever seen an old skinny dog? They look terrible. This is how a soul is that doesn’t know God. He is so impoverished he is just a rack of bones and is nearly gone. He is not talking about the natural man – he is talking about the spiritual man. We might be fat and flourishing in this world, but our soul is starving - perishing and famishing. What is the hope of the person who is dying spiritually and there is no hope. v.23 “If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness.” “show unto man what is right for him” it says in the revised version. God sends His messengers our way. It says, “lo, I am with you always.” I know the Holy Spirit is with His servants, but the Lord is with us too. When we were listening to God’s servants, we were listening to the voice of the Lord because He interprets their message to our hearts. v.24 “Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” The Lord is gracious unto you if you will hear His voice. The messenger comes and tells us about this One who wants to give us life and peace and joy now – but He wants to bless our latter end. What ransom would the servant tell you about? Would he not tell you the servant came to the world to die and you hath he delivered? That is the ransom I heard and is it not the same message you heard? Jesus took our place – He is the One who died that we might live – He is our ransom. v. 25-26 “His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.” He will show man what is right for him. “your flesh will be like that of a little child” Don’t you just love to touch the skin of a little child? It is beautiful and so soft – don’t you grandmas think so! He was born again – he became a new person and had a new nature. If you chose not to come, who is the loser? You or God? We have already heard about that also, haven’t we. He is going to show men what is right. When I saw what was right, then I knew I had to go preach like Jesus. I went to the worker and said, “I professed last night and I want to follow Jesus. I want to go out and preach. I can’t today, but I will be ready at 8 o’clock in the morning.” Some time later, that worker took me out into the harvest field. I gave my life and I want to give it all – excuse me for being such a failure, but I tried and want to keep on trying. It is still just as great to me as it was 55 years ago. When we come to know the Lord, it is with joy that we look into His face. What are the conditions of salvation? v.27 “He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;” He is looking for men that will say, “I am a sinner”. My young companion said, “what are you going to tell that bunch of religious nuts – they don’t even know the Lord.” In that very visit, 3 of them stood and said, “I don’t know the Lord.” That same companion that came in a submarine, left in an airplane – he was so thrilled. One man who was going to beat a man up, said he was just about going and then he saw Jesus. I asked him what He looked like. He didn’t “see” Jesus, but he felt what Jesus would do and he didn’t fight. That man that he was going to fight came to him one day and asked if he still had those meetings in his home and could he come. He did, and he made his choice to follow Jesus. Do you think he would have asked that if he had beaten him to a pulp that day? Then I knew what it was to “see” Jesus. v.28, 29 “He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,” He brings them out of the pit and shows them what it is like to be like Jesus. We know what it is to see Jesus, to see the light, to see the truth. Who are the living? What is the light of the living? It is the light that is in you and it is the light that is directing us – it is the light of life. Wonderful fellowship to be brought into fellowship with those who are in the light. We aren’t going to forget, are we, that He has given us all these things to enjoy; but He wants to bless us in the latter end. That is what he did with Job. It was given by God because He kept true to God. God appreciated and respected Job. I have appreciated these things because it relates to us. Don’t lose hold to what God has shown you. Hang in there, continue and finish, because it has a glorious end.
D. Spencer The Book Of Job
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