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Text: Job 36:22-25
You could say that the current circumstances of Job make God’s grace look very small. In fact, you could say that the current circumstances of Job make God’s love look very small. In fact, you could say that the current circumstances of Job make God’s faithfulness look very small. And all of that is the work of the devil!
Magnify the work of God
- Elihu’s advice is remember that thou magnify his work…
- First of all this is what Elihu is doing, he is magnifying the Lord his Maker.
- The righteous magnify the wonderful work of God.
- Job is being encouraged to magnify the work of God in the midst of terrible tragedy and pain.
- Praise God where the praise is very small.
- Honor the Lord where the honor seems like just a speck.
- Thank God where the gratitude seems to disappear.
The inevitable magnification of the Lord
- Elihu is going to fetch his knowledge from afar (vs 3) meaning he’s going to the end of the world and the coming King and his kingdom and report on what’s there. It’s like turning to the end of the book to see how it ends then explaining the present situation in light of that end.
- Revelation 1:4-8 provides a great outline for this chapter of Job. In those verses there are four things about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are four times Elihu says to behold something about the Lord in this chapter: verses 5, 22, 26, 30. These form the outline of Elihu’s instruction to Job and correspond to the four elements of the Second Coming found in Revelation 1:4-8.
- The kings are priests unto God, showing righteousness is the currency in the coming kingdom.
- The King of kings comes and every eye shall see Him and his work.
- The King of kings comes in the clouds.
- The Lord’s use of the clouds at His coming is finally described.
- The second behold in this chapter of Job describes every eye seeing the work of God (vss 22-25).
- Every eye will behold the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom
- The Lord exalts those who have been made righteous according to verse 7.
- By force he will exalt the righteous when he violently puts an end to this world.
- Psalm 37:34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
- Revelation 1:5-7 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
- Revelation 6:14-17 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
- The question WHO is now a statement that no one is like Jesus Christ
- Notice that’s what Elihu said is the question; WHO?
- Who has been the Lord’s instructor? Who teaches like him?
- Who has commanded Him? Who made an urgent demand to force God’s hand?
- Who can accuse Him?
- Isaiah 52:10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Application for our lives
- Remember that thou magnify his work!
- Praise God where the praise is very small.
- Someone says I can’t see where you can praise God in that. And you say, Let me show you. Let me give you a closer look.
- Paul called it the sacrifice of praise.
- And what Satan has blinded men and women to about your loving Maker, you magnify so those men and women can see the Lord clearly.
- Honor the Lord where the honor seems dishonorable.
- Thank God where the gratitude seems to disappear.
- You understand that if you trust God’s word, for every complaint you have about his life there are 10 things you could be grateful for!
- The thumb in front of the eye can’t see. You’re either the one that puts the thumb in front of their eye or the one that takes the thumb away from their eye.
- You’re life either makes the work of the Lord Jesus Christ smaller or bigger.
- Isaiah said of Israel that their disregard for God’s word made the other nations blaspheme God.
- You’ll either make much of the Lord or stand in the way of the Lord’s work.
