83. Breaking Impasse (5)

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Hymns: RHC 364 ‘Tis the Blessed Hour of Prayer, 381 Sitting at the Feet of Jesus, 351 He Leadeth Me

Job 32:17-22

 17 I said, I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion. 18 For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me. 19 Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. 20 I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer. 21 Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. 22 For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away. (Job 32:17-22 KJV)

Breaking Impasse (5)

OUTLINE

  • Speech of Elihu (32:1-37:24)
    • Elihu joins debate breaking impasse (32:1-22)

                                        i.     Anger with Job (32:2)

  1. Justifying himself (32:2)

                                       ii.     Anger with 3 friends (32:3-5)

  1. Condemning Job unjustly (32:3-5)

                                     iii.     Profile of Elihu (32:6)  

  • Plea for Audience (32:6-33:3)

                                        i.     The reason for his initial silence  (32:6-9) 

  1. Teaching of the Holy Spirit Through God’s Word (v6-9)

                                       ii.     The reason for his speaking  (32:10-22)

  1. A Vindicating Word (v10-16)A Spirit-Contrained Word (v17-22)

                                     iii.     The desire for Job’s attention (33:1-3)[1]

  • Justice of God (33:4-34:37)
    • Sovereignty of God (35:1-16)
    • Justice and Power of God with man and His Sovereignty and Benevolence with Nature (36:1-37:24)

Continue…

  • A Spirit-Constrained Word (v17-22) 

 17I said, I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion. 18For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me. 19Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. 20I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer. 21Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. 22For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away.

When a man is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. A new love for souls. This was the Apostle Paul’s testimony. The love of Christ motivates him to serve, to share the gospel. He has been forgiven of his sins and gloriously saved. He understood the privilege of the new nature in Christ. He felt the great movement within him to share his Saviour to others. He became an ambassador for Christ. 

2 Corinthians 5:12-21 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answerthem which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it isto God: or whether we be sober, it isfor your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 

Andthathe died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we himno more. Therefore, if any man bein Christ, he isa new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things areof God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now thenwe are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech youby us: we pray youin Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to besin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Elihu felt the need to speak for he cannot forbear; as did the psalmist and so too the prophet Jeremiah.

Psalm 39:3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: thenspake I with my tongue,

Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his wordwas in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

He has a message to share and he will not be silent, rather, he was constrained to speak – the spirit within me constraineth me.

1 Lord, speak to me, that I may speak

In living echoes of Thy tone;

As Thou hast sought, so let me seek

Thy erring children lost and lone.

2 O lead me, Lord, that I may lead

The wandering and the wavering feet;

O feed me, Lord, that I may feed

Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.

3 O strengthen me, that while I stand

Firm on the rock, and strong in Thee,

I may stretch out a loving hand

To wrestlers with the troubled sea.

4 O teach me, Lord, that I may teach

The precious things Thou dost impart;

And wing my words, that they may reach

The hidden depths of many a heart.

5 O give Thine own sweet rest to me,

That I may speak with soothing power

A word in season, as from Thee

To weary ones in needful hour.

6 O fill me with Thy fulness, Lord,

Until my very heart o’erflow

In kindling thought and glowing word,

Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

7 O use me, Lord, use even me,

Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,

Until Thy blessed face I see,

Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share!

May God use His people to be peace makers for His Name’s sake.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

The 7th beatitude has more to do with conduct, the conduct that comes out of a peaceable spirit. The Lord Jesus calls those “blessed” who are peacemakers. He means those who use their influence to promote peace and charity on earth, in private and in public, at home and abroad. They are doing what Jesus Himself is doing.

The“peacemakers” are those who by their deliberate action promote peace to those whom they reach out to. They are ambassadors of God’s peace. This world is struggling to find that elusive peace within the human heart that the peacemaker seeks to enlighten by his testimony. 

This world has failed to secure that most elusive commodity called “peace”. The dictionary meaning of “peace” describes the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations or the world, a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations and the normal freedom from civil commotion and violence of a community. Peace is described a state of tranquillity and serenity, a state or condition conducive to, proceeding from, or characterized by tranquillity. This world has yet seen true peace. War characterizes all the history of mankind. 

When God created the earth, it was to be a peaceful paradise. But Adam forfeited the harmony when he sinned. One writer put it succinctly that Adam’s sin “was like a declaration of war against God’s right to rule His own creation. It broke the peace of Eden. Adam’s rebellion against God had disastrous long-range effects. It set the entire human race at enmity with God. All the evils that disrupt the peacefulness of our earthly existence stem from the curse of sin that began with Adam. Redemption history is the long saga of how God Himself intervenes to save the human race from its own sin, overthrow evil and restore peace to His creation.” It is sin that plunged all humanity in animosity and perpetual war. It is the result of the inherent sin nature, that fallen nature, descended from Adam. 

It has been estimated that in the past 4000 years there have been less than 300 without a major war. “Peace is merely that brief moment in history when everybody stops to reload.”

Humanity made an early start to his career of militancy as far back as Noah’s day Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. From then on, the Old Testament echoes to over a thousand years of armed conflict.

What is the root of the trouble? What is man’s problem? Why the tension, bitterness, strife, conflict, violence, bloodshed and wars? Why is it that while peace is the most significant word in man’s lexicon, it is one of the most elusive word in his experience?

Albert Einstein, who won the Nobel Peace Price for physics in 1921 and whose theory of relativity revolutionized man’s thinking about the nature of time and space. In the course of his lecture in 1948, he made the following comment on the threat of nuclear warfare: “It is not a physical problem, but an ethical one. What terrifies us is not the explosive force of the atomic bomb, but the power of wickedness of the human heart, its explosive power for evil.”

The best way of being a peacemaker is that we learn not to speak. Beware of the fire the uncontrolled tongue kindles. The next peacemaking principle is “If thine enemy hunger, feed him.” The last practical thing as peacemakers should be endeavouring to diffuse peace wherever we are. We do this by being selfless, by being lovable, by being approachable and by not standing on our dignity. If we do not think of self at all, people will feel, “I can approach that person, I know I shall get sympathy and understanding, I know I shall get an outlook based on the New Testament.”

 18For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me. 19Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. 20I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer.

Referring to the conviction that it was the divine Spirit which urged him to speak. [Barnes]

That he was under a necessity of saying it: “The spirit within menot only instructs me what to say, but puts me on to say it; so that if I have not vent (such a ferment are my thoughts in) I shall burst like bottles of new winewhen it is working” (v19). 

See what a great grief it is to a good minister to be silenced and thrust into a corner; he is full of matter, full of Christ, full of heaven, and would speak of these things for the good of others, but he may not. [Matthew Henry]

That it would be an ease and satisfaction to himself to deliver his mind (v20): I will speak, that I may be refreshed,not only that I may be eased of the pain of stifling my thoughts, but that I may have the pleasure of endeavouring, according to my place and capacity, to do good. It is a great refreshment to a good man to have liberty to speak for the glory of God and the edification of others. [Matthew Henry]

Truly, we cultivate our souls for a spiritual demeanour that may dispense godly thoughts and righteous words that strengthens and builds up the body of Christ. We can do nothing less. 

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and beready always to givean answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech bealway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Ecclesiastes 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth aregracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Psalm 37:30-31 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God isin his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

21Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. 22For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away.

Elihu speaks not to flatter, neither was he a respector of persons. He has the burden to speak impartially to discharge a duty to make right and untie the knots of falsehoods and false accusations.

Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: butin righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

Proverbs 31:9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

It is good to keep ourselves in awe with a holy fear of God’s judgments. He that made us will take us away in his wrath if we do not conduct ourselves as we should. He hates all dissimulation and flattery, and will soon put lying lips to silenceand cut off flattering lips. 

Psalm 12:3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, andthe tongue that speaketh proud things:

The more closely we eye the majesty of God as our Maker, and the more we dread his wrath and justice, the less danger shall we be in of a sinful fearing or flattering of men. [Matthew Henry]

[1]Hannah’s Bible Outlines.