Following Job’s dialogue and claims of self-righteousness, in Job 38:4, God questions Job and demands an answer to a series of questions.
The first is, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand”, and the second, (somewhat humbling to say the least), “Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!”
In other words, “Were you there?”
Job was not there when God displayed His power and glory in creation, and God gives Job a gentle reminder of this fact in Job chapters 38-41.
Job’s experience is a stark reminder to us that God did not need us in creation, we weren’t there, and He doesn’t need us now. He chose to create us and relate to us.
Self righteousness is no good.
Adam was there when Eve sinned. Adam sinned by failing to protect his wife, the garden, and humanity from evil. He was there when God administered justice and took the first blood sacrifice to clothe the naked Adam and Eve. The first man, Adam was a literal man who literally sinned and gave every future generation the problem of sin nature.
In Job 40:14, God proves to Job that he cannot save himself.
In fact, we are each powerless to save ourselves. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
One of history’s greatest Christian opponents was Saul of Tarsus. Saul was present and consenting at the murder of Stephen, (Acts 7:58), yet the awesome power of God displayed was too great for Saul to resist when he met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. See Acts 9 and 26 and other passages of scripture which detail Paul’s conversion for further study.
Saul, the tough, passionate, zealous enemy of Jesus was there when Stephen was murdered. He was there when other Christians were being persecuted. He was there when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him on his journey. He was there in a personal encounter with Jesus.
Isaiah 53 is a beautiful Old Testament prophecy of the coming Saviour, Jesus.
Verse 6 shows the problem that sin creates by distancing us from God: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;” but also provides the solution: ...”and the Lord has laid on him” (that is, Jesus), “the iniquity of us all.”
We each have a sin problem that separates us from God.
There’s a nineteenth century negro-spiritual song titled “Were you there?” This song has been varied, adapted and sung by many artists over the past century but the words of each variation contains a heart-wrenching series of rhetorical questions to ponder.
The truth is that we each were there when Jesus was crucified. We were there in the respect of our future sin separating us from God and requiring punishment. We were there in the respect that Jesus died for each of us for the sin we would commit. We were there in the respect that Jesus took our punishment.
We were there in the respect that our sin took Him to the cross, nailed Him there, held Him there and crucified Him.
But there’s good news, and Job saw it coming when he declared, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25). His Redeemer is our Redeemer, Jesus!
Jesus is there to hear our prayer and redeem us. He has already accepted and received the punishment for our sins. Jesus bought us by His own blood.
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1. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
2. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
3. Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
4. Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
5. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
6. Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Sometimes I feel like shouting 'Glory, glory, glory!'
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
2. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
3. Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
4. Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
5. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
6. Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Sometimes I feel like shouting 'Glory, glory, glory!'
Were you there when he rose up from the dead?
Listen here: https://youtu.be/LRaFdFkOVyY
Artwork: Artist unknown