All of you parents out there this morning can probably remember many of the enjoyable phases your children went through or are going through. But there is 1 phase which is not always enjoyable. It is the “why” phase. Remember that phase – where they ask “why” after almost every sentence they say. And I won’t ask how many of you have been guilty of saying to your child after that 50th “why” – “Don’t ask me why again!” Yes, I see some of you have been there.
But after a few months or a year they grow out of that phase or do they? For you see, as adults we may not vocally ask “why” but in our hearts we have a tendency to ask God “why” quite frequently, don’t we?
-when we do not understand,
-when God allows difficult things to happen,
-when God tarries longer than we feel He should,
-when it simply makes no sense, we ask
God “WHY!”
"Why” - it is such a simple word but oh, how it creates such tension, turmoil & doubt within us.
I would like for us to look at a man this morning who was struggling with this issue. You are quite familiar with his story. In fact, there is a whole book devoted to his story. His name is Job. And you are aware of all that happened to him so I will not go over it again this morning. Needless to say, he was in the trial of his life. He had been receiving counsel from some of his “friends.” The basic thinking of that time was that if you obeyed God good things happened but if you disobeyed God bad things happened. Therefore, with that kind of theology, it was quite easy to determine how someone was living. Yet that kind of thinking was not just limited to Job’s time period for much of that same thinking carries over to our day, probably more so than we acknowledge.
The problem was Job had not committed some secret sin that brought on this crushing trial. And while his friends did not believe him, Job knew he was innocent of some deep sin against God so he was greatly perplexed. As you read through the book you observe different swings in his thinking and responses. At some points, he was a rock of faith, but at other times he bordered on irreverence. Today I would like for us to pick up his story in chapter 10, where he is really struggling as this trial continues to linger on.
-10:1-7... (read from the NASB)
-v.3 NIV – “Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?”
Job has reached the point where feels like he is being unjustly treated, that he is being judged when he has committed no crime. He knows he has not committed some wretched sin as he is being accused by his friends. And because of this he cannot find an explanation as to why God is allowing, even causing, these terrible things to happen to him.
If you remember Job’s initial response to this trial it causes us to stand back in utter amazement – Job 1:20-22...
Job worshipped.
Worship (Webster) - “to regard with extravagant respect, honor or devotion.” And in his deep hurt that is what Job did. I suggest to you that Satan could not have been more defeated than at that moment for he was so sure Job, when stripped of all his blessings, would curse God. And yet, instead of cursing Him, he worshipped Him and in his worship, as v.22 states, he did not blame God. What a defeat for Satan. Let us learn from this example.
But as you are aware when a trial begins to continue on longer than we thought it would, longer than we thought it should, especially when we have responded biblically, it then becomes harder & harder to stand firm, to trust in God, to have hope and to continue to respond appropriately. And as that trial continues it also grows more difficult to live without some kind of explanation of “why,” of “Lord, what are You trying to do here?” We know that we are to live our lives based on promises, not explanations, but the longer a trial drags on the more intense our desire grows for an explanation. And that is what is beginning to happen with Job.
In the beginning, he responded phenomenally. If you were writing the script of a model response that is how you would write it. But this trial has now been going on for months and his foundation is beginning to crumble. He is beginning to question God’s goodness. He is beginning to question all the things he has believed about God. And he has reached the place where he desperately feels he needs to know WHY. Promises are no longer good enough; he needs some type of explanation. And so he says in 10:2b(NASB) – “Let me know why You contend with me.”
Quite frankly, we think we have a right to know why. That’s the way we think in our American culture, but that is not true. Do your children have a right to know why you tell them this or that? They think they do, but do they? Now you may choose to tell them but they do not have a right to know. Does a person in the military have a right to know why his commanding officer orders him to do something? Can you imagine a football player calling a time out in order to ask the coach to explain why he called a certain play? No, we don’t have the right.
So if that is true on the human level, is it not more true when it concerns the sovereign King of the universe and His created beings? Yes and I don’t think I would get any disagreement on that issue even though we still may not like it at times. So Job does not have a right to have some explanation from God and neither do we. I think it is important to declare that in light of the culture we live in.
But let me move on to something else that I want to communicate to you this morning that is essential for us to grasp in this story of Job and it is this: not only was it not Job’s right to have an explanation or to know why but it was critical that he NOT know why all this was happening to him. It was critical for him NOT to understand why he was going through this. Do you see that?
What would have happened if he had known what we know as a result of reading the 1st 2 chapters?
What would have happened if he had known that this was a test between God and Satan?
What would have happened if he knew that God was allowing this to answer/silence Satan’s blasphemous accusation that mankind would not worship God if He allowed them to suffer, and that by giving good things to them and preventing bad things he, in essence, paid them off so that they would worship him.
That was the whole premise behind Satan’s argument, was it not? “You are not a God worthy of worship. You have to pay people to honor You. Of course, Job serves You – look at what You’ve done for him.”
According to Satan’s thinking self-service is the fundamental law of life – the old what’s-in-it-for-me philosophy. He cannot imagine anyone serving God from other than selfish reasons. To him, every human act can be explained by a selfish motive. The opening chapters of Job exposes Satan as the 1st great behaviorist for his argument was that Job was conditioned to love God. Take away all his awards and blessings and his special privileges and his faith will crumble and disintegrate.
So one of the reasons why God allows the godly to suffer is to answer the blasphemous accusations of Satan and prove throughout the seen but also, dear brothers and sisters, throughout the unseen world that man will honor and worship God even though he has lost everything, even though he knows God allowed it to happen – he will worship God simply because of who God is. It is so important for us to comprehend this truth. We have a witness to declare, not just before the people who know us but literally before the whole unseen world. It is so much bigger than we can imagine.
But back to our question: what would have happened if Job had known all this, if he had known the whole unseen world was watching him and how he was going to respond? What would have happened?
It would have completely nullified the whole test and Satan could have completely and justifiably continued with his accusation. In addition, if Job had known why he would not have had his ideas about God changed and enlarged. He would have continued to think along the exact same lines as his friends. And his pride would not have been dealt with.
So many times we look at things through human eyes and we think what a waste. That is what Job thought. He said several times, “why was I ever born?” [read 10:18-19] He cries out, “Why can’t I die” for as he surveyed the situation he thought his life was a waste. It did not make sense. And in his thinking, it would have been better if he had never been born.
When William Whiting Borden died in Egypt in 1913 while on his way to the mission field, some people may have asked, “Why this waste?” But God is still using the story of his brief life to challenge people to give Christ their all.
When John and Betty Stam were martyred in China in 1934, there were some who asked, “Why this waste?” But “The Triumph of John & Betty Stam” by Mrs. Howard Taylor has been a life-changing book since it was published in 1935.
When the 5 missionaries were martyred in Ecuador at the hands of the Auca Indians, some called the event a “tragic waste of manpower.” But God thought differently, and the story of those 5 heroes of the faith has been ministering to the church ever since.
And we could go on and on many other examples from our own Alliance family.
Job asked, “Why was I born?” In light of his losses and his personal suffering, it all seemed such a waste. But God knew what He was doing then and He knows what He is doing now. Let me ask you: How many of you are glad Job WAS born? I wonder what Job thinks now as he sits in heaven and witnesses how God has used his story over and over and over again down through the centuries? What do you think must go through his mind? I imagine him sitting there just continually shaking his head in amazement & saying, “I’d had no idea. I just had no idea.”
Here’s the point we are trying to get to: Do you realize that sometimes it is important, in fact, essential, that you do not know why, that you do not have an explanation?
Let me tell you, this hits home for me:
-Why does He allow a beautiful young girl to be born with cystic fibrosis?
-Why does He allow her to battle this horrible disease for 15 years?
-Why does He grant to one who loved him and so enjoyed life, who lived without complaint & was an example to many people – why did He only grant her 15 years of life?
Where is the explanation? I remind you again, it is true you do not need to know and it is also true you do not have a right to know, but sometimes, maybe most times, it is IMPERATIVE that you do not know why. That you are not given an explanation. Do you see that in Job’s case? If he had known why then it would have been a waste. It was imperative, necessary, and critical that he not know why.
We do not have the time this morning, but you might want to take this truth and look at other Biblical characters and observe how this principle was true in their lives, in certain situations they faced. It was not something unique just to Job.
Think about Joseph for 1 example: Do you think he would have developed the godly character if he had known in the beginning what the end would be? It was imperative that he not know why all those unjust things happened to him. It could be an interesting study.
In conclusion, let me ask you a question: do you think any of the things God is allowing you to go through, personally or professionally, fit into this category we have been talking about? Are there things happening to you, to your family, at work or school right now that is absolutely critical for you not to know why, not to have an explanation? Could that very well be possible - that the scenario of Job is being played out in your life, your ministry, right now? You see, Job’s time is past. He has gone on to his reward. It is our time now. We’re the ones who are now being called to answer Satan’s blasphemous accusations.
You and I do not know what is going on behind the scenes. God usually does not pull back that curtain as he did with Job and allow us to see. But you can bet God’s enemy is still there hurling his accusations before God. Saying, “Chuck, only serves you because things are going well at his church. Chuck, only serves You because attendance is up, giving is up, because there is unity in the Body, because people are being saved and maturing in the Lord. You remove those things and let some people accuse him unjustly. You let some squabbles break out. You let some leader oppose him, let the finances & attendance drop. Let some key people leave his church and he’ll leave the church. He’ll leave the ministry. He only honors You because You pay him too. Remove the blessings and see what happens.” “Make his child suffer. Let her battle a terrible disease and then cause her to die early in life and see what happens.”
And so it is now my time and it’s your time to declare to the seen and to the unseen world “OUR GOD IS WORTHY and WE SERVE HIM BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS and even if everything goes sour in my church, even if I lose my daughter at the young age of 15, I will still bow before Him and declare with Job of old, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, & naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." And it is when you and I respond in this way that I think Satan must go into his most devilish rages because every time we make this kind of choice and respond in devotion and worship, he is soundly defeated.
See, dear brothers and sisters, the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Does it not then make sense that God is going to allow things to happen to test and increase our faith? And one of the best ways to teat and increase your faith is through allowing some trial to touch your life without any explanation of why.
You may say, “that’s hard.” I realize that. I realize it might not make any sense why God is allowing this, but I also realize it quite likely is imperative that you don’t have an explanation.
So I encourage you this morning: Stand firm. Press on. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding or lack of it and allow Him to use you to declare to the entire universe how worthy He is of your devotion and worship. Never again in all of eternity will we have this privilege and honor to make this declaration in the midst of these types of situations! For such a time as this – it is your time and my time to hold the banner high for every created being to see. And every time we do it is like a tolling of a bell that reverberates throughout the universe stating, “GOD IS WORTHY!”
I cannot promise you that you will receive some explanation in this life. That is not the most important thing, anyway. But as you declare how worthy of worship God is, in spite of your circumstances, you just may find yourself one day in heaven, sitting beside Job and I even believe, beside my daughter, Elizabeth, shaking your head in agreement with them as you look at how God has used your devotion and saying right along with them, “I had no idea. I just had no idea. Lord, it wasn’t a waste. And I see now why You could not give me any explanation. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
In just a few moments, we will be partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Maybe things are tough for you right now, personally and/or professionally. But as you come to this table, here is another opportunity to declare before that whole unseen universe, that even though you do not have an explanation of why – you will still bow in humble devotion & worship and pledge yourself again to this One for indeed He is worthy.
As we close I would like for us to sing the little chorus - God Is Worthy
God is worthy His name be praised.
God is worthy His name be praised.
God is worthy His name be praised.
Give praise, give praise to the Lord.
