1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. 4 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Job chapter four 5 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the New English translation. Then 6 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: Elephaz the Temanite answered, if someone should attempt a word 7 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: with you, will you be impatient? But who can refrain 8 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: from speaking? Look, you have instructed many, You have strengthened 9 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:44,279 Speaker 1: feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled, and 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: you have strengthened the knees that gave way. But now 11 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: the same thing comes to you, and you are discouraged. 12 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: It strikes you, and you are terrified. Is not your piety, 13 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: your confidence, and your blameless ways your hope? Call to mine? Now, 14 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: Who being innocent, ever perished? And where were upright people 15 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: ever destroyed? Even as I have seen those who plow 16 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same. By 17 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: the breath of God they perish, and by the blast 18 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: of His anger they are consumed. There is the roaring 19 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,279 Speaker 1: of the lion and the growling of the young lion, 20 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: but the teeth of the young lions are broken, the 21 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: mighty lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs 22 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: of the lioness are scattered. Now a word was secretly 23 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: brought to me, and my ear caught a whisper of 24 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 1: it in the troubling thoughts of the dreams. In the night, 25 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: when a deep sleep falls on men, a trembling gripped 26 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: me and a terror and made all my bones shake. 27 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: Then a breath of air passes by my face. It 28 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: makes the hair of my flesh stand up. It stands 29 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: still ill, but I cannot recognize its appearance. An image 30 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: is before my eyes, and I hear a murmuring voice. 31 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 1: Is a mortal man righteous before God, or a man 32 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: pure before his creator? If God puts no trust in 33 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: his servants and attributes folly to his angels, how much 34 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: more to those who live in houses of clay, whose 35 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like a moth, 36 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: They are destroyed between morning and evening. They perish forever, 37 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: without anyone regarding it. Is not their excess wealth taken 38 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: away from them. They die yet without attaining wisdom. Let's pray, Lord, 39 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: we thank you for your word, and we thank you 40 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: for the privilege of being able to look at it 41 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: together today. And Lord, as we look at this portion 42 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: of scripture, we could see that after spending some time 43 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: in silence, Job's friend, Elephaz, starts to speak to him, 44 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: and many of the things that he says here in 45 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: this passage seem to ring true to our minds. And 46 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: certainly there are a lot of true things stated here, 47 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: but we also start picking up on a self righteousness 48 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: that Eliphaz is communicating to Job. Instead of looking at 49 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: Job and grieving with him and weeping with him, Elfhaz 50 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: seems to cast a sense of doubt on Job's innocence, 51 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: and he begins speaking as a know it all. Lord. 52 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: We know that this is something that you caution us 53 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: against elsewhere in scripture, as you displayed humility during the 54 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: course of your earthly ministry. We know, Lord, that it's 55 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: your desire that we mirror your humility, as you empower 56 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: us to do so. That just as you wept with 57 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: those who wept, and you mourn with those who mourn, 58 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: and you show compassion to those who need compassion, you 59 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: call us to do likewise, as men and women who 60 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: have been saved through Jesus Christ. We're called to recognize 61 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: that our righteousness does not come from ourselves. Any righteousness 62 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: we have comes as a gift through Jesus Christ, and 63 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: we should never try to hold ourselves up as righteous 64 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: in and of ourselves, particularly in speaking to others who 65 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: are in the midst of grief. Lord, thank you for 66 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 1: this portion of scripture, and thank you for revealing these 67 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: things to us when we look at the total council 68 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: of your word. And Lord, we're grateful for your presence 69 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: with us today. We commit this day to your care, 70 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: and we thank you for all of these things in 71 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,239 Speaker 1: Jesus's name. Amen.