The Bible Breakdown

Job 24: Why is God so Chill?

September 10, 2024 Brandon Cannon Episode 517

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What if life's greatest injustices could actually bring us closer to understanding divine wisdom? This episode tackles the perplexing question of why the wicked often thrive while the innocent suffer, drawing deeply from Job, chapter 24. Pastor Brandon engages with Job's profound lament, highlighting the stark contrasts between material prosperity and spiritual maturity. As we explore Job's vivid depiction of the suffering of the poor and needy, we are reminded that God's wisdom transcends our immediate grasp. The discussion is not just an ancient reflection but a relatable struggle that challenges us to reconsider our own perspectives on justice and prosperity.

Prepare to be inspired as we emphasize the importance of trusting in God's plan and timing, particularly when faced with life's most daunting challenges. Reflecting on Job 1:21, we delve into the crucial concept that earthly success doesn't equate to eternal joy, and vice versa. Pastor Brandon encourages us to accept God's sovereignty over our lives and possessions, urging us to seek wisdom and trust in His divine guidance. Tune in for a heartfelt prayer, and don't miss tomorrow’s insightful exploration of Job, chapter 25. Join us as we journey through these timeless lessons, fostering a deeper faith and understanding.

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Speaker 1:

Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, job, chapter 24, and today's title is why is God so chill? Why is God so chill with what's going on? I don't know about you, but there's been times when I've said God, do you see what's going on? I mean, I know you do, but I just need to ask you are you paying attention? And we see that Job is going to ask that question today. He's going to go God, why are you not bringing some of these fools to judgment? And we're going to see kind of what he has to say and see if the Lord will kind of speak to our hearts. We've had those moments as well. But before we do all of that, make sure you like, share, subscribe to YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you're leaving us a five-star review. Also, make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. The more we dig, the more we find, and I always want to let people know that, because there are some amazing devotions coming out every day and I love the work that our team is doing over there. Make sure you're going there and you're enjoying what God is doing through them. Today. Right, we have your Bibles.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to open up with me to Job, chapter 24. Job is going to say something today that we've all thought before. Remember, the overall idea of the book of Job is trusting God's wisdom in suffering. And this is a long process where Job is innocent, but he's suffering. He's lost his health, he's lost his family. All he's got is a complaining wife and a bunch of friends that are just not getting it Well. As Job is continuing to suffer, he's continuing to kind of process with all of us the difficulty he's going through. Job asks why the wicked are not punished. And you notice, if you remember, he said this a couple of days ago and he's going to say it again. And you know what I love, if nothing else is, it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one that's ever asked this question. Let's read this together and see if we can kind of relate to Job and see if God's word will speak to us today. So if you're ready, job, chapter 24, verse 1, says this why doesn't the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Why must the godly wait for him? In vain Evil, people steal land by moving the boundary markers.

Speaker 1:

They steal livestock and put them in their own pastures. They take the orphan's donkey and demand the widow's ox as security for alone. The poor are pushed off the path. The needy must hide together for safety, like wild donkeys in the wilderness. The poor must spend all their time looking for food, searching even in the desert for food for their children, and they harvest a field they don't own. They glean in the vineyards of the wicked All night. They lie naked and cold without clothing or covering. They are soaked by mountain showers and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home. But the wicked snatch the widow's children from her breast and taking the baby as security for alone. Verse 1. From thirst, the groans of the dying rise from the city and the wounded cry for help. Yet God ignores their moaning.

Speaker 1:

Wicked people rebel against the light and they refuse to acknowledge its ways or stay in its paths. The murderer rises in the early dawn to kill the poor and the needy At night. He is a thief. The adulterer waits for twilight, saying no one will see me. Then he hides his face so no one will know him.

Speaker 1:

Thieves break into houses at night and sleep in the daytime. They are not acquainted with the light. The dark night is their morning and they ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness, but they disappear like foam down a river. Everything they own is cursed. They are afraid to enter their own vineyards, and the grave consumes sinners, just as drought and heat consume snow. Their own mothers will forget them. Maggots will find them sweet to eat. That's disgusting. No one will remember them. Wicked people are broken like a tree in a storm. They cheat the woman who has no son to help her and they refuse to help the needy widow. God, in his power, drags away the rich. They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life. They may be allowed to live in security, but God is always watching them. And though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain. Can anyone claim otherwise? Who can prove me wrong? So what's Job saying?

Speaker 1:

Job starts off with saying something that, if we're honest, most of us have also said, and that is God. Why does it seem like bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? Why is it that it seems like there are so many innocent people suffering and there are so many evil people prospering? God, why have you ever asked that question? You ever been in those moments? You ever felt like you were in those moments?

Speaker 1:

I've talked to people who, before, have said I felt sometimes ashamed because I knew I didn't need to be, I knew I wasn't where I needed to be, but yet I felt like God was blessing me. Well, first of all, material blessing is no indication of spiritual maturity. But I've talked to people who've said I've felt that way before, and then also people who have said I'm doing everything I know to do, I'm tithing to the Lord, I'm seeking after God and spiritual disciplines, I'm giving, I'm doing all these, I'm giving of my time and I'm doing all these things, but it seems like bad things are happening. Well, job kind of gives us an answer here, and he says that God, in his power, does what's right, drags away the rich, that even if we don't see it, we don't know what's going on on the inside. He says they may be allowed to live in security, but God is always watching them. And he said, though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all the others. They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life. So, in other words, all that they are doing is just like smoke and mirrors it's here and it's gone.

Speaker 1:

And what we said a couple of days ago we'll say again, and that is that there are some people and this is according to God's wisdom there are some people that they experience seasons of prosperity and wealth on this life only to then experience an eternity of suffering. And there's other people who experience seasons of suffering in this life only to then experience an eternity of suffering. And there's other people who experience seasons of suffering in this life and experience joy in eternity. Now, because we have a very difficult time grasping the concept of the eternal now, eternity outside of time and space. We think of time as when we're born and when we die. That's all we can grasp until we get into eternity. I really do think that when we get to heaven one day, we'll look back and we'll get it, and so God's ultimate justice will show. But it's in this life where we sometimes struggle to understand God. Why does it seem like the wicked prosper? I think the answer is in the question why does it seem like?

Speaker 1:

I've told you before, I've had the wonderful honor of talking to people who have attained wealth beyond measure, wealthy people and when you talk to them, a lot of times you think that they're actually the poorest people in the room. They're bitter, they're greedy, they're paranoid and they're not able to enjoy anything they have. I remember one time being around someone who was multi-multi-millionaire and this particular person was so busy doing the next deal, doing the next thing. Everybody else was enjoying their wealth, but this person was miserable and they would say they'd say, pastor, I wish I could just get rid of all of it so I could rest. Everyone else thought that this person must have everything. They would say. They'd say, pastor, I wish I could just get rid of all of it so I could rest. Everyone else thought that this person must have everything they ever dreamed and they did, but couldn't enjoy any of it.

Speaker 1:

I've talked to people who slowly built wealth over time and their heart was so humble that they didn't enjoy it because they almost felt ashamed of it. And then they would give because God had blessed them. But it wasn't in the getting that was blessed, it was in the giving that was blessed. And so why does it seem like the wicked prosper? Well, many times it seems like it does, and, to be fair, it is a lot easier to suffer in silk sheets. I'd rather suffer with money than suffer without money.

Speaker 1:

Right, but don't allow the enemy to cause you to think that God is not doing something about it. Allow God to deal with them as he sees fit. And allow God to deal in your life as he sees fit, because there are some people who go through seasons of prosperity on earth only to go through an eternity of suffering, and that there are some people who go through seasons of suffering on earth but have joy in eternity. Allow God to be the judge of the universe and we trust him. Let's pray together right now.

Speaker 1:

God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god. That life is so complicated. There's so many things we don't understand and we don't know, but we trust you. We trust you with the things that we understand. We trust you with the things that we don't. We ask you to give us wisdom, to trust you and to allow you to take the next step in our lives, and we will hold on to you through every valley. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen, amen. Well, job, chapter 1, verse 21, says naked, I came from my mother's womb. I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord. Job is saying God gave me everything I have, so I trust him. What he does with it is his business. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Job, chapter 25.

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