`READ: JOB 15:1-13 TEXT: v11 SMALL CONSOLATIONS FROM GOD?
Are the consolations of God small with thee? (Job 15:11)
The words/Eliphaz who was one of Job’s infamous comforters
His pastoral theology and approach left much to be desired
Like his friends, he had concluded that Job was in the wrong
Seems that they tried to hector him back into fellowship/God
We may be certain that Eliphaz himself never went through the trials that Job was facing at this time
Perhaps he was one of the more fortunate high fliers in life who had never any real cause to shed real tears or to despair
Even if so, this was no reason for him to bully poor Job
Do well to bear in mind that most wise rule that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us
This observation is based on the just policy of God that as we judge others, so too we will be judged
It would be an awful thing if when we were down in the depths that some
Hooray Henry came along and started to rebuke and insult and kick us
when we are down us as Eliphaz is doing here
Whatever his approach, Eliphaz’s words, as they stand, can be
made to be most useful if spoken alright and applied properly
The words can be rhetorical i.e. used in the sense whereby the question
is not so much open to a yes/no answer, but rather to the idea that the
consolations of God are not small, but rather large and sufficient for
the end to which they are given
Word “Are” at the beginning/text is in italics and some render it “Seem the consolations etc.,” and so reduce the sting
The consolations of God are not small, but they may often seem to be when we are in the midst of our sorrows
3 reasons why the consolations of God are not small
1) YOUR GOD IS NOT SMALL GOD:
A/ One who feels that his consolation from God is small has allowed his sorrow to distort his knowledge of God
He has fallen into the trap of allowing his sorrows to become bigger than God and supposes that God is struggling to cope
We have all seen pictures of rescue missions at earthquakes etc., where the authorities can hardly stay on top/disaster
Immediately they appeal for outside help and begin to struggle against the great tides of need that swamp them
They stand helpless against the force of the disaster – the
weather perhaps working against them – the extent/injuries
– the need to supply basic things like food/clean water etc.,
When we think about God, let us think that He is not limited like us
He is the God of unlimited power and authority
Not subject to the dictates of what He Himself has created
God never threw His hands up/air in helplessness in His life
He never knew a sinking feeling of despair/frustration
Our God is a Big God
B/ We get an idea of how big He is from comparing Him with the gods that man’s wicked imagination have thrown up
In a famous OT incident in 1 Kings 20 the COI had a great victory against the Syrians and routed them
In the inquest, some bright spark came up with this analysis:
And the servants of the king of Syria
said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were
stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and
surely we shall be stronger than they. (1 Kings 20:23)
But they soon found out that “their
God” (singular) was the God of the entire Universe
He succours His
people in the plain or in the hills or on the sea or wherever they are
found
C/ God is not only big in His power and influence, but he is also big in His attributes of love, kindness, compassion and grace:
These are not in short supply with God
Sometimes lesser mortals have to watch how much they give
Recognise: you can be a soft touch and that to be seen to give too much attracts unneeded attention leading to your downfall
Therefore there is a scaling down in help that is offered/given
Our God is big in all His attributes
There is no danger of overdoing anything and so contributing to His own downfall
We get a lovely picture of this in another OT incident
(How rich are these OT incidents! - they are God’s picture book)
Elijah visits a widow woman in her distress (famine) who is gathering a few sticks ere she and her poor sin dies
However, Elijah by God’s power, enables her to survive
For
thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste,
neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD
sendeth rain upon the earth. (1 Kings 17:14)
Barrel/meal nor the cruise/oil never fails when God is for you
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
Are the consolations of God small you?
Cannot be when He is a big God/every compartment: His being
The consolations/God cannot be small because…
2) YOUR BURDEN IS NOT A SMALL BURDEN:
A/ We have thought just a little about God and His attributes
We have already ascribed to Him power and mercy/grace
Let us think a little about another attribute: His wisdom
I remind you that God’s attributes are all held in perfection
Not only in themselves but in relation to one another
B/ Let us suppose that you have a burden/sorrow
Some day, we all will if we have not already had:
Man in born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward (5:7)
[i] Some of these sorrows hardly qualify for the description
Life has its ups and downs – barely more than inconveniences
But others are real sorrows bringing real pain in their wake
[ii] Some of these sorrows are ongoing sorrows
Many things ease over time and then go away for ever
Other sorrows fall into the category which Jacob described:
My
son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left
alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall
ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. (Genesis 42:38)
[iii] Others are of a severe nature and are described:
I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it. (Psalm 39:9)
Here the Psalmist is troubled into a dumb silence because he perceived the affliction to come from God’s hand
We cannot adopt a get up and shake yourself down type approach
There is a need of consolation and that from the hand of God
C/ Before we leave this point, let us consider that man cannot supply the answer to some of these afflictions
Doubtless, some afflictions have simple solutions
One of the most practical passages/NT is in Matthew 25:31-46
I was hungry and ye gave me food etc.,
Do not ignore the practical for the spiritual
But do not think that the practical alone can help some folk
God is our refuge/strength; a very present help in time/trouble (46:1)
I accept: we can often make things bigger than they really are
I trust none of us have embraced a state of victim hood etc.,
But let us recognise: many afflictions of the saints are great
3) THE CONSOLATIONS OF GOD ARE NOT SMALL EITHER:
This is the text put into plain English – the rhetorical answered
A/ They do better than merely taking the afflicted out from affliction – they bring him through those same afflictions
If this was not so, then we would be very sickly people indeed
–Hot house plants unable to survive one night’s frost or
wind
Unfruitful and practically useless
The Apostle went through many deep traumatic experiences
Many of these came solely because he was a Christian
Yet he could see the usefulness of it all:
Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our
tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any
trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
(2 Corinthians 1:4)
A man who can say “I have been there” beats
every time the man who is reduced to saying: “I can only imagine what
it must be like”
B/ The consolations of God often give the afflicted one what the Bible calls: “songs in the night” (35:10) e.g. Paul and Silas
Surely this is the language of great faith, borne up by no small consolation from the hand of God
C/
These consolations can never be considered small because they bring the
soul closer to God and into closer fellowship with Christ
Two types of people are afflicted yet the result is basically/same:
[i] An unsaved man may come under the affliction/God
Although he might deny God’s presence – God does not deny him
It may be (not always) that the affliction might drive him/Christ
There are many who have testified that their salvation experience may be traced back to some period of affliction/lives
Consider the many/gospels etc., who were greatly afflicted but found deliverance in Jesus Christ e.g. Mary Magadalene
Of course, some in their wicked folly only increase their bitterness
Even when the consolation of God to them is not small
But such forsake/own mercy (Jonah 2:8) and cannot blame God
[ii] The saved man might even come under the chastening rod/God
God’s people are not immune from afflictions
The wise among them use these afflictions to flee to God
Not for salvation in the evangelical sense, but for comfort/growth
It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. (119:71)
The more he thought about it, the more he was inclined to say:
Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. (119:67)
In the sovereign purposes/God, David was brought through his afflictions into a closer fellowship with God
A living man cannot complain if he is afflicted for his sins (Lamentations 3:39) – let him improve upon it and flee to God
Hear the rod and him that has appointed it (Micah 6:9)
D/ Another reason why these
consolations are not so small is that remind us of the Man of Sorrows
who suffered more than what we will ever suffer
Even our darkest sufferings can never match His sufferings
But they can remind us that He too fell under the awful rod
He was the Man who saw affliction by the rod of His wrath (Lamentations 3:1)
There was of course a penal element to this: Hebrews 9:14
But there was also the element of identity with us:
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)
E/ Not small consolations because they prove the great worth of God’s salvation:
We have already commented on Paul and Silas singing/prison
Do you not think that this had a part to play in the conversion of their wicked jailer?
I
have never heard nor even heard of any Christian who came under the
afflicting hand/God who denied the wisdom/God etc., in what was done
upon them
I’ve seen some struggle under the apparent blows as they fell
I would not expect anything less
We are not robots nor zombies, void of natural sorrow
I do not doubt that some offered up the tearful “Why Lord?” in the secret place before God
David: I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. (Psalm 6:6)
But are there any who would formally let their Lord go?
I think not – truth is too deep
It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good. (Eli)
Remember what Job said in the very crucible of his sufferings;
Though he slay me, yet will I trust him (13:15)
F/ These consolations are not small because they match blow for blow the affliction and cause our cup to run over
Job himself is the perfect example of this:
We are all familiar with his story
Bible is very careful to affirm that his latter end was greatly increased than at the beginning
The greater therefore the affliction, then the greater the consolation that will accompany it
If David sat down in the midst of his enemies, then he knew the consolation of having the Lord spread His table there
If
John was exiled to the Isle/Patmos, then he knew also the joy of being
in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day and seeing the Risen Christ
G/
They are not small consolations because they sustain the soul until it
is taken at last to the place where there is no more sorrow
And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4
In the light of Eternity…this is all that we need
For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (2 Corinthians 4:17)
In closing:
Recognise the present reality/these words: Are…
Or seek to separate the mere feeling from the reality: Seem?
Fasten on the reality that God does not leave/forsake His people in any circumstances nor at any time:
Apply the word personally to yourself: with thee?
Take as much consolation as you need and do not stint:
They are not small but ever flowing: He giveth more grace
THE END
