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JOB 23:12

"THE VALUE OF GOD'S WORD"

Intro: In the third and final speech of Eliphaz to Job, he advised him to
       acquaint himself with God and be a peace. Receive His law and lay
       up His words in his  heart.

I. THE DlFFlCULTY OF FINDING GOD, verse 2.
        A. Job has deep convictions concerning God, he lust can't find
           Him.
                1. Some say they find God in nature.
                        a. You become very conscious of God.
                        b. You cannot find Him to the satisfaction of the
                           soul.
        B. He is conscious of the work of God around him.
                1. Forward, behind, on right and left.
                        a. Cannot, perceive, behold, see Him.
                2. Why didn't Job look up?
        C. We are often convicted of God's work in our lives but we just
           can't see it.
                1. That is, we do not understand His works.
                2. "We know that all things work."
                        a. So impossible to see the good.
                        b. We cannot see His purpose.
                        c. God said, "My ways are not your ways, My ways
                           are beyond..."
                        d. Yet we struggle so often to know what is
                           beyond our finding out.
        D. We like Job look around us, but we don't look up.
                1. Many times our problem lies in our earth bound view.
                2. We look at the temporal while God looks at the eternal.

II. THE NECESSITY OF REVELATION.
        A. In an earlier speech, Zophar had said, "Who by searching can
           find out God."
                1. That's the problem with religion, It is:
                        a. Man's search and quest for God.
                        b. Seeking to build towers to reach heaven.
                        c. Final result confusion.
        B. It was essential that God reveal Himself to man.
                1. So that all men might know God.
                2. That he might have unified knowledge of God.
                3. The revelation would have to come early in the
                   history of man and be retained to present day.
                        a. Reject dead religions of past.
                        b. Reject any new thought systems.
        C. God has revealed Himself to man.
                1. The Bible is that revelation.
                2. Almost 4000 years ago Job said: "I have esteemed the
                   words of His mouth more than my necessary food."
                   (God's word that brought comfort to Job brings comfort
                   to us.
                        a. Men in that era had come to highly value God's
                           word.
                        b. Times change, men don't. We still need the
                           word of God for: understanding, guidance,
                           strength.
                        c. We take in our necessary food three times a
                           day. How often do we take in God's word?
        D. The most important thing in life is to know God.
                1. The only way we can know Him is through His Word.