9th December 2025

9th December 2025


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Job 36) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The ancient Greeks believed that there were twelve "gods" with the chief among them being Zeus. If you know any of Greek mythology then you will know that at times the Greek "gods" toyed with humanity and treated them like pawns. What about the Lord? Is He a disinterested deity who plays games with creation?


Job had wondered where God was while the wicked seemed to be doing whatever they liked. Elihu pointed his friend to the truth that God is sovereign over both the righteous and the wicked (36v6). Job may have felt utterly alone but the Lord always keeps His eye on the righteous (36v7) and He doesn't desert us even when trouble comes (36v8). How does the Lord help us when we are in distress? He speaks to us and opens our ears to His Word causing us to return to His side (36v9-11). The wicked are not so as they do not willingly receive the Lord's correction. They do not listen (36v12), they store up anger and they do not cry to the Lord when in distress (36v13). The Lord God does not play games with humanity, He is sovereign and He can be trusted to do what is right.


Elihu warned Job that he needed to be careful in what he was saying and believing about the Lord. In his anguish Job had suggested that God was silent and blind to the wicked's evil deeds. But brothers and sisters, no matter our level of suffering we have no right to call the Lord's integrity into question. God is greater than all - who can teach like Him (36v22)? Who can say to Him "you have done wrong" (26v23)? I think we need to become more comfortable with the grandeur of God. What do I mean? Our minds cannot imagine the immensity of our God but we sinfully reduce Him to a level where He is just a slightly better version of us. He isn't. He is unimaginably great.


The right response to the greatness of the Lord is to extol His work (36v24). To extol is to "praise enthusiastically" and this is the right response to the glory of God. How so? Because we know that God is great and yet we know so little about Him (36v26). He is eternal (36v26) and He is the One who sends the rain and commands the lightning (36v27-30). Is the Lord bored and disinterested? No. Does he sit upon His throne playing silly games with humanity? Absolutely not. He is sovereign, He is great and He has put the entire world on notice by raising Christ from the dead (Acts 17v31). Fall before Him and extol His work.


Sing


WSC


Q40 What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.
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