it's day 12 of heart dive 365 I'm your Bible study friend kenoi welcome to the heart dive [Music] podcast welcome back friends yesterday we heard the closing arguments from job and today we hear from someone in the audience this new fella eliu who probably feels like the rest of us he just can't take listening to these fools arguing nothing anymore so he's going to have his moment well five chapters of a moment to speak his peace but before we get into it if you could please help us out partner with us by hitting that like button if you are here on YouTube making sure you are subscribed to our podcast also hit that notification Bell if you want to make sure that you know exactly when these videos or these podcasts drop so that you can dig into the word if you are new here we welcome you we want to let you know that we have got a website heart.org where you can sign up for our newsletter so you can receive each day's lesson in your inbox every single day as well as a a free download of our Bible reading plan this is a chronological reading plan that we are following and we are reading out of the ESV translation by Crossway if you have any questions at all you can look in the show notes or the description box for all the info that you will need for everything about this podcast so it's Friday I know people got places to be so let's go ahead and pray and get into it Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed Be Your Name You Are Holy and we treat you as such we stand in awe of you today we humble ourselves before you our great Almighty God the one who was who is who is still yet to come you are the same God we thank you Lord that as we read about the days past that we can hold on and Trust the promises that have already been spoken for we know that they still remain true today your kingdom come Lord your will be done yours we don't want anything else we don't want anybody else to dictate our lives and we don't even want to dictate it ourselves Lord because we know that you have our best in mind and so we surrender ourselves to that today and ask that your will be done here on Earth as it it is in heaven please give us today our daily bread our nourishment our spiritual Mana everything that we need to be able to sustain us for this day and please forgive us for our sins Lord anything that we've done to hurt your heart to hurt anybody else and I just pray that if we have done something that has gone over the line or that has stopped short I pray that you will reveal it to us so that we can go make it right we can reconcile where we have failed and any words that you have spoken to us where we were not obedient where we didn't listen forgive us now Lord we confess of all of our Wicked Ways and we repent from them we turn from them lord it's an about face it's walking away and it is walking forward in your will for our lives help us also to forgive others when people come against us when they hurt us when they say things that are ill-willed or completely out of character help us not to hold on to that Lord but just to let it go we just place it at your feet today we want to be free Lord and so I just thank you for giving us that opportunity today today please do not lead us into temptation but Deliver Us from Evil keep the enemy far from us for yours is the kingdom and power and Glory forever we pray this in Jesus name amen so Eli who starts off here in chapter 32 rebuking job's three friends so these three men ceased to answer job because he was righteous in his own eyes then eliu the son of barel the buite of the family of ram burned with anger so his name means he is my God barel means bless by God so a godly man some people say that this was a relative of David or a nephew of Abraham he burned with anger at job because he justified himself rather than God he burned with anger also at job's three friends because they had found no answer although they had declared job to be in the wrong now eliu had waited to speak to job because they were older than he and when Eli who saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men he burned with anger so I don't know if you catch the sense that he El who is pretty darn annoyed now he didn't have the privilege of sitting behind a screen and being able to just type out his angry comments whenever he wanted to like we can nowadays he actually had to wait his turn and the entire time his anger was just welling up within him and it was righteous anger I mean you can tell by his response he doesn't start by just spewing accusation but he speaks slowly maybe a little too slowly I mean five chapters worth of very slow work but heart check how do you react when anger starts to well up within you are you able to control it or do you immediately spout off and eliu the son of barel the buzite answered and said I am young in years and you are aged what a very profound statement right just kidding therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you I said let days speak and many years teach wisdom but it is the spirit in man the breath of the almighty that makes him understand it is not the old who are wise nor the Aged who understand what is Right therefore I say listen to me let me also declare my opinion so eliu is challenging traditional wisdom here by saying that age ain't nothing but a number he recognizes that there are some old folk that act like toddlers And Then There are some younger who are actually sprouting spiritual gray hairs he was making the point that true wisdom doesn't actually come with age but rather by the spirit of God that's true but what about you are you able to respect the wisdom that comes from someone younger than you or if you're younger are you able to remain confident around those who are older because I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle I mean I see how valuable both experiential wisdom and fresh Insight is and we need both of those things to be able to maintain a healthy balance within the church verse 11 behold I waited for your words I listened for your wise sayings while you searched out what to say I gave you my attention and behold there was none among you who refuted job so he's saying you guys didn't prove anything you didn't present any sort of evidence that held any ground or who answered his words beware lest you say we have found wisdom God May Vanquish him not a man he has not directed his words against me and I will not answer him with your speeches so he's kind of taking a little dig at them here because remember how they all kind of use each other's words against each other and he's saying I'm not going to do that I'm going to speak my own words and I don't know if it's because I know how he drones on and on that I'm already feeling annoyed but verse 15 they are dismayed they answer no more they have not a word to say and shall I wait because they do not speak because they stand there and answer no more I also will answer with my share I also will declare my opinion for I am full of words the spirit Within Me constrains me behold my belly is like wine that has no vent like new wine skins ready to burst I must speak that I may find relief I must open my lips and answer I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person and I wrote here uh except for himself I feel like he continues to talk just to hear himself talk because he feels like he's impressing himself or something and the reason why I think this and say this is because he actually gets no mention from God later on I mean God rebukes the Three Friends and says nothing to eliu so to me he's just spouting off a bunch of hot air for I do not know how to flatter else my maker would soon take me away he has basically just spent an entire chapter saying I've got something to say so let's get on with it in chapter 33 but now hear my speech oh job and listen to all my words Behold I open my mouth the tongue in my mouth speaks I'm sorry I just it just feels a little bit cringy I mean it's it's like me saying and now I'm going to pick up my pen and write on this paper a word is it just me I don't know if I'm having a bad day if I feel a little bit more annoyed than normal but just keeping it real here people my words declare the uprightness of my heart and what my lips know they speak sincerely so he's basically saying I have no ulterior motives here the spirit of God has made me and the breath of the almighty gives me life so he's basically declaring that he is not only anointed but he's also imp EMP powered by the spirit of God answer me if you can set your words in order before me take your stand behold I am toward God as you are I too was pinched off from a piece of clay behold no fear of me need terrify you my pressure will not be heavy upon you so he's kind of saying you know we're on the same team and I think when I first read this I was like this is a good guy I mean compared to the last three he seems kind of like a saint at this point and it sounds like he's going to go pretty easy on job which is good good news but again I know the end of the story so let's continue surely you have spoken in my ears and I have heard the sound of your words you say I am pure without transgression I am clean and there is no iniquity in me first of all false and this is where I started getting irritated behold he finds occasions against me he counts me as his enemy he puts my feet in the stalks and watches all my paths so this is his perception of the words that job has spoken and job never said that he was sinless he may have said he was blameless that he didn't deserve what he was getting but he has never claimed to be without sin behold in this you are not right I will answer you for God is greater than man why do you contend against him saying he will answer none of man's words for God speaks in one way and in two though man does not perceive it in a dream in a vision of the night when deep sleep falls on men while they Slumber on their beds then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal Pride from a man he keeps back his soul from the pit his life from perishing By The Sword so I don't know if there's a bunch of implications in here but it sounds to me like first of all he is saying that job is declaring that he is an equal with God which at some points it really does seem like job is acting that way in the way that he talks to him and here in verse 13 eliu is rebuking job for complaining that God isn't answering his please now what we have to remember is that God always answers us but his answer is either yes it's no or it's not yet just because we can't hear the answer doesn't mean he doesn't hear us so heart check how do you deal when God's answers seem silent and then I don't know if he was referring to job speaking about having nightmares in chapter 7 and then he's saying you know maybe God was trying to warn you in those nightmares and I asked myself over here how can we determine when God is speaking through dreams and visions and I wrote this here because I thought I want to do a deeper study on this and so if anybody has any kind of insight on that can you write it in the comments I would love to be able to read that and start to kind of dig into it for myself later on whenever we're not doing daily studies but for myself I just know that anytime God speaks it should not terrify you to the point where you are paralyzed by your fear because God doesn't give us a spirit of fear right he gives us a spirit of power love and a sound mind and so I know that he is also the prince of peace and he gives us peace and so knowing that to me that says that if he ever speaks in a dream or Vision we shouldn't be scared we can have a healthy fear that motivates us to change something or to do something that may feel a little bit challenging but in that we then begin to rely more on him it shouldn't be something that terrifies you the way that he's saying over here and then in the end of this section it seems like he's implying that job has been prideful verse 19 man is also rebuked with pain on his bed so he first said God speaks through dreams and visions and now he speaks through pain and with continual Strife in his bones so that his life loathes bread or he has no appetite and his appetite the choicest food his flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seen stick out his soul draws near the pit and his life to those who bring death now while eliu is implying that job's pain is perhaps a rebuke from God we can draw some wisdom from this because there can be found a purpose in our pain and I am not saying so please hear me that God's going to inflict pain on you in order to make a point but we can shift our perspective when we do deal with pain in our lives you see it's easy to sail through life whenever everything is roses and butterflies but the moment you hit some Thorns you're jolted awake again so pain can be a good thing because it tells your body that something is wrong in fact if you remember back in the day whenever leprosy was a big thing it would actually kill the nerve endings in the bodies of those who were affected to the point that when they would sleep at night the rats would then come eat their noses and their fingers and their toes and while the doctors at the time thought that leprosy was what was making these people lose their fingers and hes and noses it was actually because the rats were eating on them because they had no feeling of pain so perhaps sometimes we do need to feel a little bit of pain so that we do go to the doctor and get well and sometimes it will be the pain in our lives that brings us back to the great physician so heart check are you able to reconcile purpose and pain and now here in this section starting in verse 23 it sounds like eliu is is anticipating the coming of Jesus so keep in mind as you read through this if there be for him an angel a mediator one of the Thousand to declare to man what is right for him and he is merciful to him and says deliver him from going down into the pit I have found a ransom let his flesh become fresh with youth let him return to the days of his youthful vigor then man prays to God and he accepts him he sees his face with a shout of joy and he restores to man his righteousness he sings before men and says I sinned and perverted what was right and it was not repaid to me he has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit and my life shall look upon light now several sources that I read all said that this does look toward Jesus whether or not he was actually speaking prophetically for us it's hard not to see Jesus in these verses the fact that he is our mediator that he will de declare to us what is right for us he is merciful he is our deliverer he does give us a new body and a new lease on life he does accept us he brings us joy he restores us to our righteousness he redeems our soul from going to hell and verse 29 behold God does all these things twice three times with a man that he may be lighted with the light of life so he is doing this not to punish job but for not only his good but for our good as well God knew that job could handle this he knew that through this so many people would be healed so many people would have a restored hope in who God is as Our Redeemer pay attention oh job listen to me be silent and I will speak if you have words answer me speak for I Desir to justify you and again I was like okay Eli who's doing some good here like he wants to be able to help job out and he's given him an opportunity to speak I mean I've got so much hope here for him if not listen to me be silent and I will teach you wisdom so he ends this chapter by telling job if you're not going to say anything then don't interrupt me because I've got a lot to teach you and by the way this is not me rolling my eyes at Eli who even though I may have once or twice when I have read this story but I drew this here because I said I wonder if job actually rolled his eyes at some point that made eliu tell him hey you got something to say to me yeah I didn't think so you need to be quiet so that could be one other way to look at why he spoke this right here and then he continues here in chapter 34 then Eli who answered even though job didn't solicit his wordy lofty advice and he said here my words you quote wise men I don't know if he was being factious there and give ear to me you who know for the ear tests words as the pallet tastes food there's one of his profound statements again let us choose what is right let us know among ourselves what is good so I don't know if he was kind of teaming up with them at this point saying you know what let's go ahead and figure this out together for Joba said I am in the right and God has taken away my right in spite of my right I am counted a liar my wound is incurable though I am without transgression again he did not say that what man is like job who drinks up scoffing like water who travels in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men so he's basically saying he's been hanging out with the wrong people for he has said it profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God well he didn't actually say that it sounds like he is answering the question that job asked in chapter 21:1 15 therefore hear me you men of understanding far be it from God that he should do wickedness true and from the almighty that he should do wrong so eliu is kind of teetering here on bearing false witness because he's got the right information but the wrong implication he is implying here that God God is punishing job because of what he has done wrong so now we're starting to see the true Eli Who come out as he starts to partner himself with the other three friends and saying that this retribution theology is taking place where God punishes the wicked and he's good to those who are good where you will reap what you sow now while that can be true it is not an absolute for according to the work of a man he will repay him and according to his ways he will make it befall him of a truth God will not do wickedly and the almighty will not pervert Justice again truth but overly confident in the way they think that they know it is being applied here who gave him charge over the Earth and who laid on him the whole world if he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath All Flesh would perish together and man would return to dust and now he starts speaking specifically to job if you have understanding hear this this listen to what I say shall one who hates Justice govern will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty who says to a King worthless one and to Nobles Wicked man so he's saying isn't he fair with all people who shows no partiality to princes nor regards the rich more than the poor so he's saying isn't he fair to all people for they are all the work of his hands in a moment they die at midnight the people are shaken and pass away and the mighty are taken away by no human hand for his eyes are on the ways of man and he sees all his steps so basically nothing is hidden from God there is no Gloom or deep Darkness where evildoers May hide themselves for God is no need to consider a man further that he should go before God in judgment so in other words God doesn't need to listen to your testimony anymore because he knows the truth he knows what is going on and this is pretty unfair I think that eliu is sitting here saying you have condemned God just because he's crying out in this Agony because the thing is is that job cried out in agony to God because of the fact that he loves God if he didn't love God he would have no reason to cry out to him shatters the mighty without investigation and sets others in their place thus knowing their Works he overturns them in the night and they are crushed so basically no one gets away with anything he strikes them for their wickedness in a place for all to see so he does public punishment because they turned aside from following him and had no regard for any of his ways so that they caused the Cry of the poor to come to him and he heard the Cry Of The Afflicted when he is quiet who can condemn when he hides his face who can Behold Him whether it be a nation or a man that a Godless man should not Reign that he should not ens snare the people so who are you to question God's quietness he can be quiet if he should so please for has anyone said to God or this implication is here for has job said to God I have borne punishment I will not offend anymore teach me what I do not see if I have done iniquity I will do it no more so he's asking him have you even confessed job will he then make repayment to suit you because you reject it and this reminded me of when I was little I remember going to my Filipino uncle's house when I was a little girl and it would be a Koke Fest every single weekend and my uncle would always sing the song I did it my way and I just remember that it rings in my head every time I read anything about doing life our own way because that singer was claiming to have no regrets about life because he lived the way he wanted and eliu is rebuking job here by asking do you really think God should do things your way and I couldn't help but ask myself how much of my life am I actually trying to live my own way so let that serve as a heart check how much of your life are you expecting God to do your way see we can even learn from foolish talk for you must choose and not I therefore declare what you know men of understanding will say to me and the wise man who hears me will say job speaks without knowledge his words are without Insight so he's saying everyone agrees with me job that you are out of your mind would that job were tried to the end because he answers like wicked men for he adds Rebellion to his sin he claps his hands Among Us and multiplies his words against God and I just said wow so much for not being harsh on him he is accusing him of being rebellious of not taking wise counsel from those who are trying to speak into his life and for speaking up against God and while he has stated a lot of truths here in these chapters he has also taken the words that job has spoken and completely overinflated them taken them out of context and is applying it to his own agenda so again he is edging on bearing false witness that's what that is it means you've got some information in your hand but you're going to twist it all up to make a person look bad and that Grieves the heart of God especially when a person is innocent in the matter so with that let's take a look at some of our Deep dive questions in what ways were you able to see God's heartbe through this reading does it challenge or affirm your understanding of who God is what can we learn from Eli who's restraint and response in today's keyboard Warrior Society can you tell the difference between righteous and unrighteous anger when is a reaction warranted and what should it look like and how can you determine when God is speaking through dreams and Visions so we just thank you Lord for being our Defender whenever we are kicked to the ground like job is here even in the midst of those who may have good intentions with their rebukes we know that you have the full story and you're the one who knows the whole truth and nothing but the truth I pray that our eyes will always be open to that as well may we also see the value in every single generation knowing that wisdom does indeed come with age but it doesn't always mean that our age determines that wisdom and so I pray that we will honor those who have gone before us Paving the way but also welcome the fresh perspectives of those who are coming up after us and I pray that we will never be the type of people who rebuke simply for the sake of looking or sounding good help us to always go about it in a Godly way with love and grace and help us also never to think so highly of ourselves that we begin to twist and misinterpret what others say based on our own agendas the way that eliu has done here give us discernment oh God to be able to test the SP Spirit of those who may speak against us and forgive us where we thought that we knew better than you and demanded our own way oh God I pray that we will always maintain a submissive heart that desires your purpose and your will for our lives for you are indeed greater than we are and always will be help us always to be open to hearing your voice whether through dreams and Visions or even through our pain but I pray that we will never confuse what it means to have a healthy fear and respect for you but never a heart of Terror and when we go through those seasons of Silence God please help us to trust that you are indeed speaking in the quiet even if we cannot hear it thank you so much for letting us see a glimpse of you Jesus today you are indeed our merciful mediator the one who accepts us who delivers us and restores our righteousness thank you for redeeming our soul and working for our good and I thank you especially that you are are so extremely patient with us we are eternally grateful for that we love you so much we pray these things in jesus' name amen heaven and salvation is a Divine gift that is given to us by Grace none of us deserve it in fact the Bible says that the wages of sin is death and every single one of us have fallen short and then we desperately need someone to pay that price and Jesus did it he didn't do it because we are righteous on our own Merit he did it because he loves us and he wants to spend eternity with us but it won't happen if we don't receive him before we leave this earth as Lord and Savior hell is a very real thing and there is no second chance after we take our last breath here so I want to be able to give someone the opportunity today who is saying I'm ready I've never given my life to Christ I don't know where I'm going to end up after I die but I don't want to live another day without knowing Beyond a shadow of a doubt where I am going to end up I see now that this is real and I want to believe so if that is you we're going to say a prayer and I'm going to put the words on the screen so that you can say them audibly with your mouth because the Bible says that when you believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that he died and rose again then you will be saved so we're going to say this prayer together believe it in your heart speak it with your mouth and know that this is indeed the day of your salvation dear heavenly father thank you for Jesus Jesus thank you for dying for me I believe that you came you died and you Rose again I confess my sins to you today and I turn from them and I now live my life for you I know that I am forgiven of all my sins so I receive you now as Lord and Savior and I belong to you Jesus I pray these things in Jesus name [Music] amen