I had a chance to preach at the
Korean Youth Group at our church. We have the English Jr High Group led by
Pastor Clark and the English Sr High Group led by Pastor Edward. And then we
have the Youth Group for those who prefer the Korean language. That’s where I
spoke last Sunday right after our worship.
The Korean Youth Group was
formed some time back when the church realized that some of our youths were
recent immigrants and so couldn’t speak English well. And so the Korean
speaking youth ministry was formed. At the present, this group consists of 6th to 12th graders and they number
50 or so. I’ve always felt sorry for them because they worship inside the
portable trailer by the parking exit. It gets stuffy real quick (I was sweating
profusely), and because their walls are thin, and because they are located
right next to our neighbors to the south, they are always asked to quiet down.
I preached on the Book of Job
from the Old Testament.
It’s a great book. But Job is
not an easy book to read. What we usually understand about Job is contained in
the first two chapters and the last five chapters. The beginning chapters
describe the background and introduce to us to the righteous man named Job and
the undeserved suffering that is inflicted upon him by the devil and God – the
devil did it, but God gave him permission. The answer to Job’s suffering is
given by God’s entrance and speech from chapter 38-41, and the resolution
appears at the final chapter 42. Essentially, the first two chapters introduce
us to perplexing question of life – “Why do the righteous suffer?” And the last
five chapters respond with, “God’s will and purpose are unfathomable since He
is God and we are mortal; He is infinite and we are finite. God’s goodness and
fairness cannot be questioned because we don’t know all the facts – the past, the
present and the future.”
But there are chapters 3-37!
Those chapters are usually discarded as less important. But they address
another teaching important to Job. That is the relationship he has with his
three friends.
His three friends are special to
him. They appear when Job has lost all of his possessions (he is now absolutely
broke), and lost all of his children (they are all murdered). Job is sitting in
the garbage dumps outside the city gate when his friends come to grieve with
him. They are sensitive to Job’s struggles and cautious with their approach.
The Book of Job records that they sit with him for 7 full days, in silence.
They are close friends indeed!
And beginning chapter 3, Job
lets out his frustrations. He is angry with life and his situation, he can’t
understand why all of these things are happening to him, and he wants God to
speak up. To this Job’s friends attempt to correct him. They criticize Job’s
complaints to remind him that he must have sinned and was getting his due. He
must have sinned greatly for God to punish him so. In chapters 3-37, the
exchanges between Job and his friends are recorded, and their exchanges
increase in hostility until Job charges, “you are worthless physicians, all of
you!” (13:4), and “miserable comforters are you all!” (16:2).
Job is reminding them of an
important characteristic of friends. Friends, if they be true friends, are
supposed to support and to encourage, rather than criticize and blame. He
continues, “Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you
keep on arguing? I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could
make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. But my mouth would
encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief” (16:3-5).
Important lesson on being good
friends.
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