RASH VOWS - JOB
(Message by Tanny Keng)
0. Introduction
a) Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, "Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God."
b) Scripture records the vows of many men and women. Some of these vows proved to be rash and unwise, and others, though extreme, were kept to the letter by those who made them.
c) Let us learn from the examples in God's Word not to make rash vows.
1. Job
(Text: Job 27:2-23)
i) 2 “As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, 3 As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, 4 My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. 5 Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. 7 “May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. 8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life? 9 Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him? 10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God? 11 “I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 12 Surely all of you have seen it; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense? 13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty: 14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. 15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And their widows shall not weep, 16 Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay—17 He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver. 18 He builds his house like a moth, Like a booth which a watchman makes. 19 The rich man will lie down, But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes, And he is no more. 20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night. 21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. 22 It hurls against him and does not spare; He flees desperately from its power.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place. (Job 27:2-23 NKJV)
2. What was his vow?
a) That he was not rebelling against God.
3. What was the result of his vow?
a) His fortunes were restored.
4. What is the text all about?
a) In the midst of all the accusations, Job was able to declare that his conscience was clear. Only God's forgiveness and the determination to live rightly before God can bring a clear conscience. How important Job's record became as he was being accused. Like Job, we can't claim sinless lives, but we can claim forgiven lives. When we confess our sins to God, he forgives us. Then we can live with clear consciences.
b) Job agreed with his friends that the end of the wicked will be disaster, but he did not agree that he was wicked and deserving of punishment. Most of the punishments Job listed never happened to him. So he wasn't including himself as one of the wicked. On the contrary, he continually pleaded for God to vindicate him.
The End ...
0. Introduction a) Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, "Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God."
b) Scripture records the vows of many men and women. Some of these vows proved to be rash and unwise, and others, though extreme, were kept to the letter by those who made them.
c) Let us learn from the examples in God's Word not to make rash vows.
1. Job
(Text: Job 27:2-23)
i) 2 “As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, 3 As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, 4 My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. 5 Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. 7 “May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. 8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life? 9 Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him? 10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God? 11 “I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 12 Surely all of you have seen it; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense? 13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty: 14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. 15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And their widows shall not weep, 16 Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay—17 He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver. 18 He builds his house like a moth, Like a booth which a watchman makes. 19 The rich man will lie down, But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes, And he is no more. 20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night. 21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. 22 It hurls against him and does not spare; He flees desperately from its power.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place. (Job 27:2-23 NKJV)
2. What was his vow?
a) That he was not rebelling against God.
3. What was the result of his vow?
a) His fortunes were restored.
4. What is the text all about?
a) In the midst of all the accusations, Job was able to declare that his conscience was clear. Only God's forgiveness and the determination to live rightly before God can bring a clear conscience. How important Job's record became as he was being accused. Like Job, we can't claim sinless lives, but we can claim forgiven lives. When we confess our sins to God, he forgives us. Then we can live with clear consciences.
b) Job agreed with his friends that the end of the wicked will be disaster, but he did not agree that he was wicked and deserving of punishment. Most of the punishments Job listed never happened to him. So he wasn't including himself as one of the wicked. On the contrary, he continually pleaded for God to vindicate him.
The End ...
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