Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: A person that is not a Christian and they're suffering, they're sick or they're going to die, I've seen them so many times, they don't even call upon the name of the Lord. They're cursing. So many times I've seen in the hospitals, it breaks my heart. They're just getting ready to die. And what has God ever done to them? Nothing but loved them. And all they have to do is just call upon him and they shall be heard.

I am falling, I am falling in love, I am falling in love, I am falling in love with you.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. As we return to the book of Job today, Raul will urge us to avoid blaming God for our suffering. We may not openly admit it, but adversity can make us question the Lord's goodness.

We may also get angry or frustrated believing that we don't deserve our trials. Stay with us for assurance that the Lord is both sovereign and loving, worthy of our trust and surrender. Here's Raul Ries in the book of Job chapter 36.

Raul Ries: This is his fourth speech now. God's ways are just but incurable, he says. Verse 1: "Elihu also proceeded and said: Bear with me a little, and I will show you that there are yet words to speak on God's behalf." He is defending God, and Elihu has limited knowledge. He thinks he can defend God and yet he's limited in knowledge. I mean, who has full knowledge of God? Nobody.

"I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you." Literally, he's saying that is only God has perfect knowledge. He's the only one that knows everything about everything. Why? Because he's the creator.

"Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding." So now, again, here it is. This is so true about God. Because why? Suffering is like a purifying factor that God uses in a person's life. It's a refining agent. When we get sick, what does God do? He's purifying our lives. He's actually drawing us close to himself so that God can use us even in a greater way.

"He does not preserve the life of the wicked, but He gives justice to the poor or the oppressed. He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; but notice they are on the throne with kings, for He, God, has seated them forever, and they are exalted." This is so true here. Notice God chooses what? His own leaders, whoever he wants to lead. He chooses them, nothing by coincidence.

He says, "And if they are bound in fetters, in chains, held in the cords of affliction," so here he's talking about God's design of suffering to lead people to what? To repent of their pride. The problem with men is pride. They need to repent of their pride, their boastfulness. "Then He tells them their work and their transgressions—That they have acted defiantly." I mean, God tells you what the problem is, and he wants you to take care of the problem. How? By repenting, by getting right with God.

"He also, God, opens their ear to instruction, and commands that they turn from their sin." This is so true. God always is speaking to us, but the problem is we don't listen the way we should listen. Verse 11: "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures." It does not mean physically, financially. No, spiritually.

You see, if you obey God, what a better life you will have before the Lord. And the years of your life will be even greater and more powerful as a testimony to your children and your children's children. Verse 12: "But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge." Wow. The judgment of God.

You see, God doesn't mess around. If people don't want to listen, he's not going to force them. If they don't want to have knowledge of God and learn about God and learn about salvation and repentance and faith and heaven, then God's not going to force them. They will perish and they'll end up in hell, fully and completely.

"But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; they do not cry for help when He binds them." I mean, here, a person that is not a Christian and they're suffering, they're sick or they're going to die, I've seen them so many times, they don't even call upon the name of the Lord. They're cursing, clinching their fist. So many times I've seen in the hospitals, it breaks my heart.

They're just getting ready to die. And what has God ever done to them? Nothing but loved them till the end of their death. And all they have to do is just call upon him and they shall be heard. And yet people don't do it. He says again, verse 13: "But the hypocrites in heart are storing up wrath; they do not cry for help when He binds them. They die in youth, they die when they're young."

Notice, "and their life ends among the perverted persons." They die as sinners. "He delivers the poor in their affliction, and opens their ears in oppression, in oppression notice. Indeed, He would have brought you out of dire distress, into a broad place where there is no restraint; and what is set on your table would be full of richness." God was seeking to free Job from his distress.

But Job was so caught up with his problem that he could not see what God was trying to do. Until chapters 38, 39, 40, and 41, and 42 you'll see his eyes are finally opened. But here he can't do it. Verse 17, a solemn warning here to Job: "But you are, Job, filled with judgment due to the wicked; judgment and justice takes a hold of you. Because there is wrath, beware lest He, God, take you away with one blow; for a large ransom would not help you avoid it." Job, you better be careful.

You better be careful. Verse 19: "Will your riches and all the mighty forces keep you from distress?" No one can buy their way with God. No one. I don't care how much money you have. Job, you can't pay your way out. Nobody can. God will do what he has to do with people to get them to repent.

Then he says, "Do not desire the night, when people are cut off in their place." Job wanted to die. That's what he talks about the night, he wanted to die here. Job should not be so concerned about the night when the people are involved in sin. They should come to the light. All you have to do is turn on the light and the darkness will be gone.

"Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, for you have chosen this rather than affliction. Behold, God is exalted by His power; who teaches like Him?" Elihu here then turns to Job's attention to God, and now here Elihu is speaking to Job about what? God's power. Job, don't you understand that God has power to heal you and to touch you? Turn to him. And of course, Jesus is our great teacher. So God is using here these things to teach Job.

"Who has assigned God His way? Or who has said, You have done wrong?" I mean, nobody has. I mean, who's going to tell God that he's wrong? He's never wrong. He's always right. He's God, you see. "Remember to magnify God's work, of which men have sung. Everyone has seen it; men looks on it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered." Wow.

It's going to take all of eternity to discover God, because he's so limited here in this earth. There's no possible way. But he's telling Job, if you really want to know God, it's going to take all eternity to do that. "For He draws up drops of water, which instill as rain from the mist here." God's sovereignty here in the actual storm.

"Which the clouds drop down when it rains, and pour abundantly on man. Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, and the thunder of His canopy here?" God's greatness here precipitated in the storm. There's a storm coming. He's trying to tell there's a storm coming, Job. "Look, He scatters His light upon it, and covers the depths of the sea." Who's that? God. The lightning. Talking about lightning. Lightning is a mystery, it's amazing when you see it in the sky.

"For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance. He covers His hands with lightning, and commands it to strike." So he's saying God is in charge of the lightning, God's in charge of the light, God's in charge of everything. "He covers His hands with the lightning, commands it to strike. His thunder declares it, the cattle also concerning the rising storm."

"Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling but that comes from His mouth. He, God, sends it forth under the whole heaven, His lightning to the ends of the earth. After it voice roars, He thunders His with His majestic voice, and He does not restrain them when His voice is heard. God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend."

I mean, it's so hard to really understand the things of God, and yet God can do it through his Holy Spirit and speak to our heart. Chapter 37:6, he says: "For He says to the snow, Fall on the earth; likewise to the gentle rain and heavy rain of His strength." This is so cool. The natural power of God and the natural wonders of God—the rain, the snow, the wind, the lightning—all these things that he's in control of.

"He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work." Notice God gives us time to learn about God, by being able to work and because of what? Because we can see it in the weather. The weather declares the glory of God too. "The beasts go into the dens, remain in their layers. From the chamber of the south comes a whirlwind, that's a tornado; and cold from the scattering winds from the north. Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds, He scatters His bright clouds. And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of the whole earth." It's not mother nature, okay?

They keep telling us mother nature. Believe it or not, he uses lightning, he uses hail, in times of war he has used hail, snow, rain, tornadoes. He does whatever he wants. He's the creator of the universe. He's in control of human beings. He does whatever he desires.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Visit somebodylovesyou.com for Bible-rich resources to help guide your steps wherever God leads. Our Somebody Loves You app also provides a variety of ways to include the Bible's uplifting truth into your life, including digital Bible studies and live-streamed Bible teaching. Let's continue now with more of our study from Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: Again, notice how beautiful this is. Verse 13: "He causes it to come," notice, "whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy." You see, every tragedy that takes place is for mercy or for what? Notice what he said, for correction. God is trying to correct people when things happen, disasters come.

"Listen to this, O Job; stand still and consider the wondrous works of God, Job." And then he jumps into chapter 37:15: "Do you know when God dispatches them, and causes the light of His cloud to shine? Job, do you really understand what God is doing? Do you know how the clouds are balanced? I mean, did you study the clouds? Do you know how they're held up in the air? Those wondrous works of Him who's perfect in knowledge." God has perfect knowledge, notice that. Complete knowledge. He's challenging Job, do you know really God, Job?

"Why are your garments hot, when He quiets the earth by the south wind?" When it gets hot, he brings a south wind to cool it out. "With Him, have you spread out the skies, strong as a cast metal mirror? Teach us what we should say to God, for we can prepare nothing because of the darkness. Should He be told that I wish to speak? If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up. Even now men cannot look at the light, when it is the bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them." When there's blue skies you go out there, there's not one cloud, man, God clears it by blowing them away. Notice that.

Verse 22: "He comes from the north as a golden splendor; with God is awesome majesty," he says, awesome majesty. "And as for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; God is excellent in power, in judgment, and abundant in justice," he says. "And He does not oppress. Therefore men fear Him; and God shows," listen, "no partiality to any who are wise in heart." No partiality, there are no respecter of persons with God when he does speak.

Now chapter 38, here's the good chapter now. Now we're going to see the light. Now God's going to speak to Job. It's so cool what he says to him, notice verse 1: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, out of the tornado, and said: Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" He's opening with a rebuke to Job. Job, I'm rebuking you. Notice this. Job, if you're so smart, now tell me about life. Tell me about creation a little bit, since you think you know it all, Job.

He says, "Now prepare yourself, Job, like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me." Whoa. Notice God. He says, "Where were you, Job, when I laid the foundations of the earth?" Wow, man. Where were you? "Tell Me, if you have understanding. If you really, really understand oceanography, meteorology, astronomy, all these sciences, if you understand biology, tell Me and then please, because I'm the creator and you're just a man, so give me some knowledge and wisdom."

Verse 5: "Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched out the line upon it? Who sets all this up? Notice that. To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Joy, he says. Now look at Job. When all the angels were created and they started singing, where were you? How did that happen?

"Or who shut in the sea with doors?" I mean, look at the balance between the oceans and the land and the mountains. If we had no mountains, the oceans would cover the earth completely, 6,000 feet of water. But look what God says. He created the actual upthrust of the mountains to keep away a balance between the ocean and the land. God knew what he was doing when he did it.

He says, "Or shut in the sea, its doors, when it burst forth issue from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; and when I, God, fixed my limit for it, and set bars and doors; when I said, This far you may come, but no further, and here your proud waves must stop." When he created the sea by bringing the mountains out of the earth and uplifting them, it keeps the sea from actually running us over, you see, the tides.

And then he says, "Have you commanded the morning since your day began, and caused the dawn to know its place, Job?" Notice that. "That it might take a hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It takes on form like clay under a seal, and stands out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld, and the upraised arm is broken."

"Have you, Job, entered the springs of the sea? Job, have you been to the springs of the sea? Have you walked in search of the depths of the sea? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, Job? Or have you seen the doors of shadow of death?" I mean, here Job was talking about dying, and God is saying, do you really know what's beyond the grave, Job? That there's heaven and there's hell?

Job, you don't know. You do not know what you're talking about. Why? Because Job, and that's where people get that thing about soul sleep, and God is saying no, when you die, you die. You go to heaven or you go to hell. There's no sleeping in the grave. You're dead.

"Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?" Notice how wide the breadth of the earth is. "Have you comprehended? Tell Me, if you know all this." Well, the earth is what, 25,000 miles in circumference and 8,000 miles in diameter. Imagine that. Job, do you know that?

Again, "Where is the way to the dwelling of the light? And darkness, where is its place, that you may take it to its territory, that you may know the paths of its home?" I mean, here again, I mean, Job, do you know all these things that I'm asking you? Do you know it? Verse 21: "Because you were born then, or because the number of your days is great?"

And then here's a question asked about the sky: "Have you entered the treasury of the snow, on the snowflakes that there's not one alike, the same one? There's no two alike in the snowflakes." Imagine that, the way God created the snowflake. "Or have you seen the treasury of the hail, when it hails? Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war." God has helped the United States in so many ways.

"By what way is light diffused or divided, or the east wind scattered over the earth? Who has divided a channel for the overflowing waters, or the paths of the thunderbolts," notice that, or the canyons. "To cause it to rain on the land where there is no one, on the wilderness in which there is no man." I mean, imagine how do the flowers grow in the wilderness area by God bringing forth rain? Or if it's desert, everything would die, but God makes sure that he takes care even the desert. God is aware of creation.

"Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? The waters harden like stone." You know when you put water in the freezer, what happens? It freezes over. It becomes a big piece of ice. "And the surface of the deep is frozen, notice that."

He says, "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades?" The Pleiades, the constellations now. The seven sisters that we see in the north, straight up in the winter. It's a winter constellation, you can see it. "And loose the belt of Orion?" Another constellation, from the winter constellation here in the southern skies.

"Can you bring out Mazzaroth," which is the zodiac, notice, "in its seasons? Or can you guide the Great Bear or Arcturus? Arcturus eighty times as bright as our sun and thirty times bigger than our sun." Oh man, imagine that. Arcturus. "Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?" Job, do you know astronomy? Can you understand it?

"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that an abundance of water may cover you? Can you send out lightnings, that they may go and say to you, Here am I, here we are?" God is talking how he's in charge of creation—lightning, snow, everything that he does.

"He has put wisdom in the mind, or has He given understanding to the heart? Notice that. Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven? When the dust hardens in clumps, and the clouds cling together. Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions?" Of course not. God can in the wilderness, notice that.

"When they crouch in their dens, or lurk in their layers, to lie in wait. Who provides food for the raven, who is in the young ones when they cry to God, and wonders about a lack for food?" Who's that? God provides for the sparrow. They come to my fig tree, they eat off of that. I mean, it's amazing how God says I'm taking care of the sparrows, I'm taking care of the crows, the eagles, the hawks, everything. I created everything, Job. I'm taking care of all of them, the creation. Who provides food for the raven when his young ones cry out and wonder about for lack of food?

And then he says this in chapter 39, so cool: "Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth, Job? Now do you know a lot about zoology? I mean, do you really know about the animal kingdom? Tell me, please. What can we teach God? Zero."

Guest (Male): When we think about God's creation, we can see that His love is on display in all of its beauty, and His power is made manifest in its expanse. So, if you're going through a season of suffering today, we hope you'll take comfort in creation's own affirmation of the Lord's compassion and control.

You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. If you'd like to hear today's lesson in its unedited form, we'll be happy to send a copy to you for a donation of five dollars or more. Simply call us at 800-634-9165 and ask for part two of Raul's teaching from Job chapters 35 through 38.

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I am falling in love with you.

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