We’re continuing our series on “A Man Called Job” and this week we’ll be in Job 18-19.  These are unusual chapters in that chapter 18 is the second speech by Bildad and contains some of the harshest words in the whole book.  If you remember, Bildad is the cold, calculating one who’s debating Job’s situation at the intellectual level.  And then in chapter 19, we see Job respond to these harsh words (which had to wound him greatly), causing him to fall to great emotional depths. 

I don't know about you, but I think that if most people were on the receiving end of the kind of vitriol and judgmentalism that Job received, they would respond in kind.  At some point, most people would reach some limit and the gloves would come off.  They would try to fight fire with fire.  But Job doesn't do that.  And so we have to ask, “Why not?  How does Job keep from doing that?”

That would be good for us to know, so that when wounding words come our way, we might be equipped to respond in a similar way.  In our world, it’s easy to get hurt by the words spoken behind our backs or when we hear people gossiping about us.  Furthermore, it’s easy to be offended by what we read and hear online.  But the verbal jabs in the Book of Job are very pointed, very personal, and said right to his face.  And when you’re denounced to your face, it hurts even more.  And that’s what’s happening to Job.

But then something amazing happens, and we see Job rise to great heights.  How does that happen?  How do we learn to trust God when life is so hard?  And that’s what we’re going to look at this Sunday.  And that’s something that should be helpful for all of us.  See you then, Dr. Dave