by Sam Waldron | Feb 26, 2024 | Biblical Worship, Practical Theology, Systematic Theology
*Editors Note: This article was originally written and published on the CBTS blog in 2015. Due to its usefulness, it is being republished now (2024).
As we consider the biblical teaching on this subject, I want you to consider with me the purpose of the amen, the proof for the amen and the practicality of the amen.
I. The Purpose of the Amen
What does it mean?
The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says: “The derivative ‘men’ “verily” is carried over into the New Testament in the word amen which is our English word “amen.” Jesus used the word frequently (Mt 5:18, 26 etc.) to stress the certainty of a matter. The Hebrew and Greek forms come at the end of prayers and hymns of praise (Psa 41:13 [H 14]; Psa 106:48; 2Tim 4:18; Rev 22:20 etc.). This indicates that the term so used in our prayers ought to express certainty and assurance in the Lord to whom we pray.… ‘men’. Verily, truly, amen. (Generally, the same in ASV, RSV.) The word expresses a certain affirmation in response to what has been said. It is used after the pronouncement of solemn curses (Num 5:22; Deut 27:15ff; Neh 5:13; Jer 11:5) and after prayers and hymns of praise (1Chr 16:36; Neh 8:6; Psa 41:13 [H 14], etc.). Twice the term is used to describe the Lord (Isa 65:16), and once simply to approve the words of a man (1Kings 1:36). Finally, Jeremiah uses the term once sarcastically in response to the false prophets (Jer 28:6).”
When was it said?
After Curses—Number 5:22; Deuteronomy 27:15-26; Nehemiah 5:13; Jeremiah 11:15. Nehemiah 5:13 is exemplary: “I also shook out the front of my garment and said, ‘Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.’ And all the assembly said, ‘Amen!’ And they praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.”
After Praises—Psalm 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48; 1 Corinthians 16:14. Psalm 41:13 affirms: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.”
After Proclamations—Jeremiah 28:6; Revelations 1:7; Revelation 22:20. Revelation 1:7 records: “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”
After Benedictions—1 Corinthians 16:24; Galatians 6:18. Galatians 6:18 says: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.”
After Doxologies—Romans 1:25; 9:5; 11:36; 16:27; Galatians 1:5; Ephesians 3:21; Philippians 4:20; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Peter 5:11; 2 Peter 3:18; Jude 1:25; Revelations 1:6 (15 times in the NT doxologies conclude with amen.) Romans 16:27 reads: “to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.”
This list of times when the amen was used in the Bible explains why we say it when we do in our services. We say amen in response to the Word when it is read or preached. We say it in response to the prayers when God is petitioned and thanked and blessed. We say it after the singing of the praise of God. We should say amen in response to the benediction. We say amen and we ought to say amen at these times. It is biblical.
Why was it said?
This word expresses hearty agreement with what has just been said. This agreement may take various forms and the amen may have several, slightly different meanings depending on the nature of what has just been said. To divine truth it responds, It is so. To divine promises it responds, Let it be so. To divine predictions it responds, It will be so. In a word, the amen embodies the response of the heart of faith to the Word of God.
II. The Proof for the Amen
One is fighting both human tradition and the dulling effects of sin when he calls people to say the amen in worship. Here, then, I want to prove to you that it must by divine warrant have its place in our corporate worship. I have three arguments.
The Saying of the Amen was Part of the Corporate Worship of the Old Testament. Now I know that even in stating this argument, I raise questions. Is not our worship to be regulated by the ordinances of the New Testament, you may ask? It is true that there is a change in the outward forms of corporate worship in the New Covenant, but it is not true that the Old Testament has nothing to teach us about how to worship God. Should we ignore the first four of the Ten Commandments in understanding how we ought to worship God? Of course not! The ceremonies and types and shadows of the Old Covenant have been done away, but does this mean that the teaching of the Old Testament is irrelevant to us? Absolutely not! Much in the Old Testament is relevant. The question is simply this. Is saying the amen a part of the ceremonial shadows of the Old Testament? We can see how the levitical priesthood is. We can see how the blood sacrifices are typical and shadowy. But how is the saying of the amen is typical, ceremonial, and shadowy? I don’t think it is. Consider the following supporting passages: Deuteronomy 27:15-26; 1 Chronicles 16:36; Nehemiah 8:6; and Psalm 106:48.
The Saying of the Amen is Part of the Corporate Worship of Heaven. The worship of the church should be and is very much the anticipation of the worship of heaven and the new age. But we know plainly that the amen is heard in the worship of heaven. See Revelation 5:14; 7:12, and 19:4.
The Saying of the Amen was Part of the Corporate Worship of the Apostolic Church. 1 Corinthians 14:16 is the key passage here: “Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?” This verse comes in a passage that has for its very theme the giving of general rules for the conduct of the worship of the church. Verses 1-26 lay out the rule of edification and conclude with the exhortation: Let all things be done for edification. Verses 27-40 lay out the rule of order and conclude with the exhortation: But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner. Verse 16 assumes that the saying of the amen in response to the worship of God’s people when they blessed and thanked God was a normal and even mandatory part of their worship. Paul uses the fact that people were supposed to say amen as the very premise of his argument against people speaking in tongues without translating in public worship. Saying the amen was such a normal and natural and necessary part of the corporate worship of the apostolic church that Paul could assume it as the very premise of his argument in this chapter. The saying of the amen was and is clearly to be part of the worship of the New Testament church. Some traditionalists feel very uncomfortable when anyone breaks the dead silence of their traditional worship. They are apt to say that someone saying the amen is unedifying or disorderly. You can see what Paul would have thought of that idea. In the very chapter where he is emphasizing the importance of the rules of edification and order in corporate worship, he assumes that there will be and ought to be vocal amens punctuating the praise of God.
III. The Practicality of the Amen
What are the practical implications of all this? First, it is the corporate duty of the people of God to respond with vocal amens to all appropriate public expressions of praise petition and proclamation in the worship of God. Second, this whole matter instructs us concerning the nature of true biblical worship: (1) True worship in the church should be an expression of corporate unity. (2) True public worship should manifest sacred involvement. (3) True worship involves an emotional response to the truth. (4) True worship demands a heart of faith and holy confidence. Third, the saying of the amen or the inability to say it appropriately from the heart is an indication of our spiritual condition before God. Richard Sibbes remarked: “Amen is a short word, but marvelously pregnant, full of sense and full of spirit. It is a word that seals all the truths of God, a word that seals all the truths of God’s promises and seals every particular promise of God. It is never likely to arise in the soul unless there is first an almighty power from heaven to seize on the powers of the soul to subdue them and make it say amen. There is such an inward rising of the heart and innate rebellion against the blessed truth of God that unless God by His strong arm bring the heart down, it never will nor can say amen.”
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
by Jim Savastio | Feb 19, 2024 | Practical Theology, Preaching
To the ancient mind, the unattended sheep would be seen with the same horror as we would view an unattended child. The world of the sheep was dangerous. Some would seek to destroy and consume the sheep. The sheep found protection in the midst of the flock, but especially under the watchful gaze of a loving and attentive shepherd. Christ’s sheep live in a world filled with predatory men and ministries. False prophets propagating a false gospel abounded in the day of the apostles and the warning sounded that such would always be the case. Zechariah addresses the dangers of false doctrine and the lies that people are susceptible to believe when he says, “They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.” (Zech 10:2) What is the job of the shepherd in this regard? It is, at the very least, threefold. The first duty of the pastor to protect his flock is to feed them with the truth. The best way to prevent an embrace of a false gospel is an affectionate and knowledgeable embrace of the true gospel. The second aspect of protection is the faithful exposure of false teaching and, in some cases, of the false teachers themselves. You see this in a passage like 2 Timothy 2:16-18: “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.” The false doctrine is exposed and those teaching it are identified. A true shepherd after God’s own heart must take seriously the charge laid out to the church in Rome in Romans 16:17-18, “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.”
The hearts of the simple must be protected by courageous and faithful men willing to confront and expose dangerous errors. The third and final aspect of protecting the sheep can prove to be more painful and difficult: watchfulness in among your own eldership. Paul addresses this in Acts 20 in his final ministry to the elders of the church in Ephesus. In verses 28ff we read, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
If a pastor suspects that a fellow elder is abusing his office in any way, he must stand between that false shepherd and the precious sheep. Too often elderships have been accused of circling the wagons and protecting their own at the expense of Christ’s blood-bought sheep. It is not the job of shepherds to protect other shepherds. Shepherds are tasked with the work of protecting the sheep. It is in regard to this aspect of ministry that Jesus speaks of himself, “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.” (John 10:12-13)
I acknowledge that there are pastors for whom these words are like red meat to a dog. Some men love to fight and are drawn to controversy. I assert that such a spirit is not encouraged in the bible (see 2 Tim 2:24,25 and 1 Tim 3:3) There are times, however, when the glory of God and the authority of truth and the safety of the flock demands that pastors take a forceful stand.
There are truths which encourage God’s people, that promote holiness, bring about conversion and bring great glory to God. There are errors that dishonor God, confuse the sheep, and keep people from the Savior. Not only must the truth of God be proclaimed in clear and unmistakable terms, but the errors assailing God’s people must be exposed.
Jim has been with RBC since 1990. He was set aside by the church for full time ministry in November of 1991. Jim was brought to faith as a teenager and soon began to experience a desire to preach God’s Word. He trained for the ministry at Columbia Bible College in Columbia, SC (now Columbia International University) and at the Trinity Ministerial Academy in Montville, NJ. He married his wife, Becky in 1989 and they have been blessed with three daughters and one son.
by Tom Hicks | Feb 13, 2024 | Ecclesiology, Practical Theology, Preaching
What are some essential aspects of pastoral ministry?
Much of what passes for pastoral ministry today is nothing other than the application of philosophies and methods of corporate America in the church. Too many pastors think of themselves as doing their jobs, and they don’t think of themselves as God’s men who are called to a whole-life pastoral ministry among God’s beloved people. But I would suggest that the following five aspects of biblical pastoral ministry are absolutely essential.
1. A Pastor Watches Himself
True pastoring always begins with personal holiness. In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul tells Timothy “Keep a close watch on yourself.” The word “watch” means “to be vigilant” or “to pay close attention.” A pastor needs to give careful attention to his own soul because he is called to be a holy man. He seeks to be a student of the streams of sin as they run inside of his own heart. And he learns to apply the gospel of grace for the mortification of his sin. He must be a man who knows the great love of Christ for him, whose heart is conquered by a crucified and risen Savior, and whose hope is everlasting life in Him. Because of Christ’s love, a pastor is faithfully committed to prayerful personal communion with Him, and he prays for his family, the church, his community, and the world. He learns to repent quickly of sin, and he’s deeply devoted to studying Scripture and keeping God’s good commandments as an expression of his love for Christ.
A pastor also watches himself by being a faithful husband to his wife and father to his children, loving them and serving them just as Christ has served him. He loves and teaches his wife and children the Word of God. And he’s involved in his family life, sharing life with his wife, enjoying his children, and taking a sincere interest in them. Faithful pastors watch themselves.
Only when a pastor faithfully watches himself is he able to watch others faithfully.
2. A Pastor Watches His Teaching
In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul tells Timothy, “keep a close watch … on the teaching.” There is a heresy made for every one of us. Heresy is a form of false teaching that undermines the gospel. Sadly, there is a heresy made for every pastor. Heresies tell us that we can have our idols, and we can have Jesus too. Some heresies puff us up in self-righteous religious pride, while other heresies promote sensual worldliness. Pastors can be tempted to adopt forms of false teaching that serve themselves rather than Christ and His people. Even when a pastor begins with good doctrine, he can drift into error over time, if he is not very careful to watch his teaching.
A pastor must be very careful to teach what the Bible says is true, not what he wants the Bible to say is true. He is responsible to repeat what God says in His Word. A pastor simply delivers what he has received, adding nothing, and subtracting nothing. That means a pastor studies the Bible carefully and holds fast the word of life for his own soul and for the souls of others by faith. God’s beloved people are only fed when pastors proclaim sound doctrine clearly and consistently, even though it will cost them their idols, and it may cost them their very lives.
3. A Pastor Preaches Jesus Christ
In 1 Corinthians 2:2. Paul says, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Like Paul, pastors must never tire of preaching Jesus in a pastoral way. Pastors must never preach the words of men. They must not preach themselves, their own wisdom, or man-made techniques. They are to preach Christ and Him crucified. Jesus Himself is the very heart of our message. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus. Christ is all.
Some teachers insist that it’s impossible to preach Christ from every passage of the Scriptures. They say, “Not every passage is about Jesus. We should only preach Christ when He is explicitly mentioned in the text, or when there is somehow a clear connection to Christ from a particular passage.” But I want to respond briefly to that error in three ways.
First, Jesus preached Himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” If Christ preached Himself from all the Scriptures, then so should we.
Second, the Bible’s covenant theology is centered on Jesus. Scripture teaches that there is only one covenant, or promise of grace, running through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation (Heb 9:15-16). Therefore, the only way to faithfully interpret any particular passage of the Bible is in light of the overarching promise of redemption for sinners in Jesus Christ.
Third, the goal of preaching is worship. If a pastor merely explains a text and doesn’t hold forth Christ, then the church cannot worship, or if it does worship, it does so in spite of the sermon. It’s impossible for the church to worship unless it is set upon Jesus, who is the chief revelation of God to men. We need to see God in the face of Jesus by the Spirit speaking in His Word if we are to worship. Unless the preacher shows how Christ is at the center of every text, then he will fail to lead the congregation to worship.
What happens when Christ is faithfully preached week in and week out? Jesus Himself encourages the fainthearted, admonishes the obstinate, and gives strength of faith and obedience to all who belong to Him. Jesus begins to form His people after His image, more and more, and they begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit and keep the Ten Commandments as the very definition of what it means to love God and love men. And when Christ is preached every week, Jesus prepares His people for sufferings and trials in their lives. The whole church’s eyes are set upon the things above, where Christ is, and they don’t love this world too much. And more and more, the church is able to say with Paul, “To live is Christ, but to die is gain.”
4. A Pastor Does Personal Work
Pastors are to love God’s people personally. Personal work includes conversations with people at church, pastoral counseling, visiting hospitals, performing funerals, officiating weddings, living among people in the community, and being generally available.
Some popular preachers and teachers today say that pastors shouldn’t waste their time doing personal work. They say a pastor’s job is to pray, study, preach the Word, and nothing else. A pastor’s work is public, not private, they say. But this is a very serious error.
Consider the many places in Scripture that show examples of personal work in pastoral ministry. Jesus ministered personally. He ministered personally to Nicodemus, to the woman at the well, to Zaccheus, to the Roman Centurion, to Mary and Martha, and to many others. He ministered at funerals, and weddings, visited the sick, and He counseled people individually. Jesus also ate with His disciples, fished with them, slept with them, and lived life with them. Acts 20:27 tells us that Paul ministered the Word publicly but also house to house at Ephesus. Paul wrote a very personal letter to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:3 to “instruct certain men.” Personal pastoral work is found all throughout the New Testament.
Personal work is important because much of a pastor’s power in public teaching and preaching depends on the goodwill and the relationships he has with the people. People are willing to listen to a man when they know he cares for their souls. His preaching will become more and more useful to the people the more he learns who they are so that he can apply the Word to them wisely. Some parts of pastoral ministry absolutely require personal work. When people lose loved ones or are going through severe trials, they need a pastor to help them think clearly and to set their minds on the Lord Jesus. When people are struggling with personal sin or temptation, or marriage difficulties, they need pastoral counsel about how to handle their sin wisely. When people have specific questions about the Bible or doctrine, or personal decisions that they are making in their lives, they need to feel free to approach their pastor to ask him personally.
Much of the power of true pastoral ministry depends greatly on a pastor’s faithfulness to do personal work.
5. A Pastor Ministers to the Community
A faithful pastor is not merely concerned with his own church. He thinks of the lost people in the community as in Adam, under the condemnation of the covenant of works. They need the mercy of Christ in the covenant of grace. He’s not cold to unbelievers in the community but thinks of them as souls in need of a Savior. He also thinks of the other believers in the community as part of the one covenant of grace, and he sees himself and his church as joined together with them in Christ in the kingdom of God. Consider that Jesus ministered to the community throughout His life. The book of Acts shows how the Apostles and the church ministered to the community. And in 1 Timothy 3:7, Paul says that one qualification of a pastor is that he is to have a “good reputation with outsiders.” How can he have a good reputation with outsiders, if no outsiders know him?
Practically, what does ministry to the community look like? It looks like participating in community events. It means being available for funerals and counseling for people in the community when asked. Getting to know people through regular business dealings with them. And getting to know other pastors and working with other churches wherever that is possible.
Pastoral ministry is both public and private. It’s based on sound doctrine, rooted in personal holiness, and centered on the Lord Jesus Christ. Pastoral work is both formal and informal, involving a whole man who seeks to minister to whole men. Pastors who are faithful and called by God have the most joyful and sanctifying calling in this world. May God give the church more faithful pastors for His great glory.
by Tom Nettles | Feb 8, 2024 | Old Testament, Practical Theology
Finally, in the effort to smash Job with a submission of conscience to hypocrisy, guilt, and divine retribution, Bildad issues his final speech (25). Some suggest that the shortness and apparent inconsequential nature of this speech indicates that text has been lost in the transmission. It is more probable that the text is intact, but Bildad is not. He utters truisms but has run out of any ability or nerve to seek to make headway with Job. He asserts that God is more powerful and more pure than any part of his creation, including man. And who would say otherwise? But what is the point in this particular existential encounter between one “who is a maggot . . . and . . . a worm” (25:6) with one in whose sight even “the stars are not pure?” (25:5). Does the reminder of the exalted power and purity of God, a point with which Job agrees, give any insight into the purpose of God’s ways in this fragmenting encounter? What Bildad asserts, while true, has no distinguishing application to Job’s trials. The absoluteness of Bildad’s statements means one of two things. First, in his effort to condemn Job with these absolute and universally true statements, he condemns all and thus all should have the same sufferings as Job. Or, Bildad’s universal absolutes only confirm that God maintains a hidden and particular wisdom in his dealings with all members of humanity, even as he has with every sparrow that falls and every lily that fades. The possibility that this is the entire speech of Bildad seems confirmed by Job’s response to him.
Prompted by Bildad’s fidgety Job now begins his final response to these friends. It seems that they have realized that their efforts have been fruitless. Eliphaz has vented his bitterness against Job’s tenacious maintenance of his integrity, Bildad has given a final, and short, presentation of the distance between God and man, and Zophar has run out of anything to say. He remained silent.
Job mocks the repetitive irrelevance of the presentations of his comforters. He particularly derides the speech of Bildad for his restatement of the obvious that God is more powerful than his creatures. With seething sarcasm, Job quips, “How you have helped him who has no power!” Just telling me that God is stronger than I is neither enlightening nor particularly insightful in expanding our understanding of the ways of God with his creatures.
Job then (5-14) shows that he fully concurs with the reality of the unutterable greatness of divine power and his present control of all things. His friends do not give him information of which he is ignorant; he does not reject either the power, the present control, or the righteousness of God. “The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke.” The images employed by Job are strikingly beautiful, particularly the expression of the created spheres being suspended in space, a more accurate cosmology than that of others of his era. “He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them” (7, 8). Even, however, with the massive displays of his power and his wisdom manifest in the heavens and the earth, Job knows there is far more beyond that: “Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him!” (14) Job’s awareness that God’s intelligence, wisdom and power are truly inexhaustible and finally incomprehensible by any creature makes God’s final confrontation with Job (38-41) all the more impressive.
Though he knows that God’s ways are inscrutable, Job does not relinquish his claim to integrity. The theology being espoused by the comforters does not explain his situation. Furthermore, Job’s conviction of personal integrity does not mean that he rejects the reality that God will in fact judge the wicked. Though Job agrees that God is powerful and that his ways are beyond finding out by the created intellect of man, he does not consent to his accusers that their presentation has explained anything about his own suffering. He can not submit to mere platitudes that give no more insight than already is a matter of conviction with him. Thus he stated, “Far be it from me to say that you are right; Till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me” (27:5).
In verses 7-23, Job teaches them what he knows about the ways of God with the wicked. He gives a strong warning that those who give him such small comfort might be construed as wicked and eventually be taken away in divine judgment. “Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous” (7). When God moves in punishment of the wicked, the judgment is irremediable and swift. It is not designed to restore the wicked but to obliterate his unfounded hopes. Unlike Job, the wicked, when they are taken away, will not seek for God in a more profound way that they might delight in his ways and wisdom (8, 9, 10).
Job himself has observed God’s ways and he is as qualified to speak for his observations as those pompous, judgmental friends that have so derided and belittled him (11-13). Every gain of this life in which the wicked has placed his hope will be removed from him without remedy (14-23). Any who relish present security in worldly things and give no thought or demonstrate no affection for eternal treasures in the presence of God will be cut off like the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21. “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”
Job concludes that the meaning of the events in a man’s life are not easily discerned. Shallow observation of immediate phenomena will hardly ever yield a true picture of what God is doing. One does not find the most precious things of the earth on the surface. Neither silver nor gold, neither iron nor copper merely appear fully ready for use but must be taken from ore that is hidden far from view (28:1, 2 and 5-8). Man does not hesitate to pursue the recovery of this ore and will spare no energy nor reject any measure that will give the opportunity to collect the valuable resource (28:3, 4 and 9-11). “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots.” (9).
Wisdom, moreover, is harder to come by than the most precious metals and jewels that the earth can provide. As difficult as the collection and the crafting of it may be, it is nothing compared to the attainment of wisdom (28:12-19). Those who study these matters of the earth’s treasures can tell where they are and devise means to obtain them; but who, by mere observation, can tell where wisdom dwells? Wisdom does not present itself to rigorous human endeavor, though we should search for it with all our energy. We put prices on gold and silver and barter for merchandise of equal value, but no one can place a value on wisdom for it is not something that is the product of any created thing (28:12, 13).
Everything of precious value of this creation looks upon the idea of wisdom and recognizes that it transcends all of them in value. Gold, silver, onyx, sapphire, coral, crystal, pearls, and topaz—all of them rare and beautiful and of value in comparison to their scarcity and relative appeal—are created things and eventually perishable. The stupid, vain, insolent, rapacious, brutal, covetous, and savage can own any of these things, admire them, and want more of them. This is not so with wisdom. “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir . . . the price of wisdom is above pearls” (16, 18).
If none of the energetic efforts of man in seeking earthly wealth, if the value of these things so sacrificially sought to have no commensurate relation with wisdom, where is it to be found? Neither in the sight of “everything living” nor in the hidden recesses of the dead does wisdom appear. Everything that can be observed in the entire created order by living beings does not contain the source of wisdom. Nor do the dead find the source of wisdom (20-22).
Wisdom is possessed by God alone and created things only reflect infinitesimally small facets of the uncreated wisdom. God puts this in the amazing operations of the created order and the interconnections of purpose in all things. Wisdom dwells with God alone for he alone is the expression of infinite wisdom. To the degree that he communicates to us in his word and by his Spirit both the nature and the power of wisdom, our created lives may engage this wisdom. It begins, therefore, in the reverent worship of God, “the fear of the Lord,” and will have an initial effect on human conduct of turning from evil (28).
Job anticipates the substance of James 3:13-18. James declares the difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God as it may be exhibited by men made in God’s image. There is a wisdom from below that always points toward selfish ends; but as men receive the wisdom from above an entirely different spirit flows through them. Proverbs 1:20-33 personifies wisdom, for wisdom indeed is a person. Wisdom calls for persons to repent of their focus on this world and seek the life that is life indeed (1 Timothy 6:17-19), those riches of eternity that never can perish. Job anticipates the statement of the apostle Paul, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:20, 21).
Job could well have authored the powerful and tantalizing words of Paul, “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).
Dr. Tom Nettles is widely regarded as one of the foremost Baptist historians in America. He joined the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary after teaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he was professor of Church History and chairman of that department. Previously, he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a B.A. from Mississippi College and an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Southwestern. In addition to writing numerous journal articles and scholarly papers, Dr. Nettles has authored or edited nine books including By His Grace and For His Glory, Baptists and the Bible, and Why I Am a Baptist.
Courses taught: Historical Theology of the Baptists, Historical Theology Overview, Jonathan Edwards & Andrew Fuller.
by Tom Nettles | Feb 1, 2024 | Old Testament, Practical Theology, Systematic Theology
We are moving toward Job’s soliloquy on wisdom in chapter 28. It is set in the middle of his final reply to his accusers. They have finished their efforts to break down Job from his claims to integrity, have increased in the stridency of their accusations, and have not changed from their formulaic approach to the stimulus-response view of good=reward and evil= punishment. Zophar has given his final resentful brutalization of Job (chapter 20). Two more clumsy attempts at applicatory remain.
In Job 22, Eliphaz vents his anger at Job in a rant against Job’s conduct and again calls him to repentance for restoration to favor. He makes wild, unwarranted, and unverifiable accusations against Job. “Is not your evil abundant?” he asked. He accuses Job of greed, cruelty, possessiveness, and favoritism toward the powerful. (Job denies the charges in very specific ways in chapter 29:12-17 and chapter 31). These sins, (“Therefore”) have brought on Job’s present calamity (22:10, 11) Later Job will counter that temporal calamity is not a quid pro quo response from God. Often the wicked have peace even in the midst of their horrible wrong-doing (24:18-23).
Eliphaz represents Job as treating God as if he were ignorant of the ways of men. Job, so the accusation implies, manifests an unwarranted self-righteousness even in the face of the evidence that God punishes the wicked while the righteous rejoice in the quick justice of God (22:12-20). Eliphaz applied the positive side of his simple theological idea by assuring Job, “If you turn from your greediness and see God as your true treasure your ways and your words will prosper” (Verses 21-30). The “gospel” of prosperity has been with us for a long time.
On the contrary, Job claims to have sought an audience with God earnestly that he might see what cause has brought on this horrible season of affliction (“My hand is heavy on account of my groaning.”). He observes that God does not inflict immediate judgment on the wicked for their crimes.
It is true that God is in deep darkness, and Job searches for some key to gain an audience with God. If he knew where to find him, Job could present his case. That presently he has not discovered the way to “find him” does not mean that God is unobservant. Could Job find the right words and the right arguments, he knows God would listen. God must be addressed in conformity to his character and his revelation. “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). Even though he is omnipotent (6), God would not refuse to listen to the case of an upright man.
He has looked for God’s presence in every situation (in which Job is convinced that God himself is working), knows that at some point he can be invoked, and when God has finished with this purposed affliction, Job shall emerge purified and unalloyed. “When he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (8-10). In the beautiful progress of revelation, we find that Job’s surmising and developing conviction gains great clarity. “And we know,” wrote the apostle Paul, “that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NASB). Farther along in the progress of revelation, Peter gives precision to this developing conviction of Job: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes though tried by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love” (1 Peter 1:6-8).
Job professes that in spite of his affliction and in the midst of his urgent cries to God for answers, he has not departed from him. Rather, his hunger for God’s presence and knowledge of his immutable purpose has increased. Job has “treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (11, 12).
God has purposes built on his unchangeable decrees—“And what his soul desires, that he does” (13). His immanent working often cannot be detected by us. This mystery about God’s secret counsel terrified Job, as well it might since it has resulted in his loss of everything (14, 15). Nevertheless, Job does not allow the mystery and the immutable decree to stop him from wanting an audience with God. Neither the mental darkness nor the emotional gloom has silenced his quest (17).
The mystery of God’s decree extends not only to the unexplained affliction of pain and loss on the one who has “not departed from the command of his lips,” (23:12). Also, Job’s words in chapter 24 give a sober reminder that one must think with a sense of mystery when face to face with the reality that there is no clear pattern of judgment and punishment visible for those that plot, plan, purpose, and lay in wait for evil.
The poor and the widows are ground to dust by rapacious men and yet they continue with apparent free hand. “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty? . . . yet God charges no one with wrong.” (1, 12). They are horrendous oppressors of the poor (2-12) while Job sought to give relief. They are murderers (14), while Job sought to protect life in every circumstance. They are adulterers, not merely by the flash of a sudden impulse of lust, but by a well-developed scheme (15-17). Job has systematically and by clearly expressed principle avoided these evils. His accusers’ contention that the evil are judged immediately simply does not bear the scrutiny of observable phenomena.
In spite of these appearances, however, Job is convinced that evil persons eventually will be cut off (24, 25), even as he knows that he eventually will be vindicated (23:10). More convinced than ever is Job that his Redeemer lives.
Dr. Tom Nettles is widely regarded as one of the foremost Baptist historians in America. He joined the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary after teaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he was professor of Church History and chairman of that department. Previously, he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a B.A. from Mississippi College and an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Southwestern. In addition to writing numerous journal articles and scholarly papers, Dr. Nettles has authored or edited nine books including By His Grace and For His Glory, Baptists and the Bible, and Why I Am a Baptist.
Courses taught: Historical Theology of the Baptists, Historical Theology Overview, Jonathan Edwards & Andrew Fuller.
