The Religion of the Man of Uz

The Religion of the Man of Uz
THE RELIGION OF THE MAN OF UZ
Job 23:1-10.
R. D. SMITH.
"Then Job answered and said,
Even today is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.
Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.
There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered forever from my judge.
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and back­ward, but I cannot perceive him:
On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I can­not see him:
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." As the curtain is lifted upon the mighty stage of past activity permitting a view of the wondrous drama of human life and experiences for thousands of years, lo! we behold one by one God's great men as they come trooping forth till they stand an awful array of giant forms rising above all, and gazing down from their terrible grandeur upon the world of mankind.

Amongst these and in the very first rank, tower­ing in his mighty majesty and radiant with everlasting glory, stands the man of Uz; and it is out of the words of this wonderful man of God, who lived in that far off land and in that far away time, that we bring this lesson to you. From the scriptures read, it is seen that four great truths are set forth. Truths that are also set forth elsewhere in the word of God and emphasized with great strength. These are as follows: (1)The religion of THE ONE GOD is a matter of Faith. (2) God Cares for His own. (3) He puts them through the Crucible. (4)The ultimate glorious results. These truths appear from the following words taken from the reading:

"Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might go even to his seat!"—"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I can­not perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: but he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

(1) RELIGION IS A MATTER OF FAITH
Job would know. "Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!"—"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him. How human indeed! The wise of all time have felt just so; and they have exerted every power to discover the great mystery. The ancient philosophers spent much time and energy in trying to demonstrate the existence of God, but the matter is not susceptible of physical demon­stration. With the wisdom of all the ages meeting in this the twentieth Century, we are compelled to content our­selves with his mighty declaration, "No man hath seen God at any time. "Oh that I knew where I might find him." said Job; but his efforts to make physical demonstration of the existence of God availed nothing. For after exploring every realm possible to man, he pronounced it all failure. Search all nature, the earth, the sky, the land, the sea, but no positive, visible proof of his existence is found. Noth­ing, which the five senses may lay hold upon and say this is God. And yet Job does not follow blind feelings nor super­stition, nor is he among the doubters, but on the con­trary is a man of unbounded faith in God. The reading given abounds with ample proof of this fact; and beside we hear him declare in another place,

"I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth:
And though after my skin worms destroy
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold,
and not another; though my reins be consumed within me." And at still another place, "If a man die shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call and I will answer thee." Job would know, but he cannot, and yet he believes that he shall one day see God with his own eyes. And so "We walk by faith and not by sight"; and the child of faith rejoices to sing:
"I know not what awaits me;
God kindly veils mine eyes;
And o'er each step of my onward way
He makes new scenes to rise;
And every joy he sends me, comes A sweet and glad surprise."
"So on I go not knowing,
would not if I might;
I'd rather walk in the dark with God Than go alone in the light;
I'd rather walk by faith with Him Than go alone by sight."

(2) God is Mindful of His Children.
"He knoweth the way that I take." The psalmist recognized this truth when he exclaimed:

"O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me.
Thou knowest my down sittings and mine up risings, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up to heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." But the language, "He knoweth the way", means more than to merely perceive of the way or to be cognizant of the way.
Know is eido, and is defined, to Perceive—Notice—Discern—Discover—Pay attention to—Observe—See about—Consider of—Inspect—Examine—Look at, Behold—Experience Interview—Have knowledge of—Have Regard for—Cherish—Pay attention to.

Thus, "He knoweth the way that I take", would seem to suggest THE FATHER'S watchful care, and even his guidance. God's care for his children is most strongly emphasized by the Saviour in the following beautiful language: "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. "Are ye not much better than they?"—Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solo mon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" And again, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all num­bered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." This Divine care and guidance has been recognized by great men of all ages; and their beautiful confidence in THE ETERNAL GOODNESS sends a thrill of ad­miration through our very souls. It was our great Ameri­can poet of nature, who, standing at nightfall and watch­ing the waterfowl in its migratory flight, exclaimed:

"Whither, 'midst falling dew,
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day Ear,
through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way?
Vainly the fowler's eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,
As, darkly painted on the crimson sky,
Thy figure floats along.
" Seek'st thou the plushy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide,
Or where the rocking billows rise and sink On the chafed ocean side?
There is a power whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,
The desert and illimitable air—
Lone wandering, but not lost.
AH day thy wings have fanned,
At that far height, the cold thin atmosphere,
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land,
Though the dark night is near,
And soon that toil shall end;
Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest.
And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend,
Soon o'er thy sheltered nest.
Thou'rt gone, the abyss of heaven Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart.
Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given,
And shall not soon depart.

He who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight.
In the long way that I must tread alone
Will lead my steps aright." And thus does God preserve an anxious watchful care over his children. "He knoweth the way that I take."

(3) God's Children must pass through the Crucible.
"When he hath tried me," said Job. Thus, in the many so called and apparent calamities through which Job was called upon to pass, he recognized and acknowledged the presence and the high purpose of the Eternal Good­ness. "When he hath tried me."

Now God always tries or tests his children. One of the most notable examples is that of the offering of Isaac. Isaac had been given to Abraham in his old age; and was the child of promise. God had said to him, "In Isaac shall they seed be called." "In him shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." And yet God came to him one day and said, "Abraham," and he said, "I am here Lord;" and God said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Come now and let us behold while Abraham carries out the divine injunction. "Early in the morning, Abraham rose up" and proceeded to the work. The beasts of bur­den and the servants are arranged for the journey, and the wood for the altar is prepared. Then leaving the beasts of burden and the servants at the foot of the moun­tain, whither they had come, Abraham with the fire for the offering and with the "knife," and Isaac with the wood for the altar, ascend the mountain; " and they went both of them together." And as they went thus on to­gether Isaac said to his father, "My father: And he said, Here am I, my son. And, said Isaac, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for the offer­ing? And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb." So saying he laid hold of Isaac and bound him and laid him on the altar and stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay him; but the angel of the Lord called out of heaven, and said, "Abraham. Abraham: and he said. Here am I. And he said, lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." Then rested Abraham's hand for he had been "Tried".

Also we remember how he tried his people, the chosen ones, in ancient times. We call special attention to that period known as "The Wilderness of Wanderings," and of the many trials through which God led his people. Of this particular period of God's dealings with his people he says: "And thou shall remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart." "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger." And he says it was "To PROVE" them, "to know what was in" their hearts. And too, the story of the author of our text is full of pathos. Behold him the prosperous and successful man and yet the faithful, patient child of God, turned over to the devil to be "Tried". See him robbed of property; of children and health; ami as he thus sits in the gloom his professed friends come to commune with him, and they taunt him with the insinuation that all these troubles have come upon Job as the result of his unrighteous life. But the trial is not yet complete for his wife who should have been his stay and strength joins the opposition. Said she, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die." Of the trials of God's people in olden times the psalmist has said: "For thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water." And so does He try us today. Paul, after having described, in Hebrews the eleventh chapter, the severe trials that God's ancient faithful ones endured, then ad­monishes Christians as follows: "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." And moreover the apostle Peter when writing to the Strangers scattered in various parts, exhorts:"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you."

"When he hath tried me," implies that Job recognized in all that he had been called to pass through, the pres­ence of the Eternal Goodness; and that he acknowledged the firm grasp of the never failing hand that was leading on through conflict to victory. When the redeemed host shall stand in countless numbers around the everlasting throne, this throng shall be composed of those "Which came out of great tribulation." God's children must pass through the crucible.

(4) THE ULTIMATE GLORIOUS RESULTS
"When he hath tried me," I SHALL COME FORTH AS GOLD." Beautiful comparison and exalted conception. God's children, when tried, come forth as gold. How fitting indeed this comparison. Gold is subjected to the fire that the dross may disappear and the gold in its purity only be left; and in this state it is the symbol of purity; the emblem of that which does not rust, tarnish nor decay. We follow Abraham through the testing as step by step he moves to the wonderful climax at the top of the mount, when with drawn knife his arm is upraised to offer his own son on the altar, till we hear the angel of the Lord say it is enough. We see his arm lowered and hear the voice of the angel of the Lord call out of heaven, saying, "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." We delight to refer to this great man as "the father of the faithful and the friend of God"; and no brighter name adorns the pages of Holy writ, nor is there a name that proves a greater inspiration to the faithful today. He comes "forth as gold". And here we mention other great characters, the Hebrew captives in Babylon. The three who went through the furnace of fire and Daniel who passed through the lion's den in the testing. We would emphasize the wonderful and glorious results. The three passed through the fire without the smell of fire having passed upon their garments and were promoted to great honor; and the king ordered that all worship the God of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, and their names have been handed down to succeeding generations as the synonym of faith, and we are taught to emulate their example. They came "forth as Gold." Likewise did Daniel pass through the den of lions, but he came out with no harm or hurt upon him. The king then decreed that all dominions of his kingdom fear the God of Daniel, and it is stated that Daniel prospered. The name of Daniel has lived on through the ages and we delight to teach men to emulate his faith. Daniel came "forth as gold".

What shall we say then of this man who said in the midst of the severest trials, "When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold?" Suffice it to say that Job rose from the men of his day like some tall mountain, towering above all; and that he so far outshown all other stars in that firmament that their light was completely obscured. And that he held a place in the very first rank of the great men of Old Testament times must be ad­mitted by all Bible readers. But perhaps that which indicates most strongly the glorious results of Job's test­ing, is that he is amongst those Old Testament characters who have been thought worthy to receive honorable mention in the New Testament, and whom we are exhorted to imitate. He comes "forth as gold".

Thus the Christian, though he must necessarily meet with trials of the severest sort today, may feel as as­suredly as did Job, "When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold." The apostle Peter comforts his brethren in these words, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though It be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." And again he says, "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffer­ings; that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." Then James tells us, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptations: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

"When he hath tried ME I SHALL COME FORTH AS GOLD." The trials may be severe, "But he knoweth the way that I take: When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." He watches over and tries his own, but successful outcome is assured. To emphasize this thought may we offer those remarkable words from one of our great poets, Lowell. The quotation is from Till'". PRESENT CRISIS, as follows:

"Careless seems the great Avenger; history's pages but record
One death grapple in the darkness 'twixt old systems and the Word;
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,—
Vet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own."
"Oh that I knew where I might find him"—"Behold, I go forward,
but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
On the left hand, where,he doth work, but I cannot behold him:
he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

"And so beside the silent sea; I wait the muffled oar;
No harm from him can come to me ()n ocean or on shore.
I know not where his Islands lift Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift Beyond his love and care."

"He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."