Good Advice – Bad Advice

Job. I don’t know, you might pronounce it Job and Job, chapter number thirteen. Typically when I preach from the book of Job, we spend a lot of time in the first couple chapters just dealing with the trials and things that he goes through. But we’re going to look at chapter thirteen tonight and we’re going to deal with some things, some truths, and give some pointers in this area of giving advice. And here we know that Job’s friends were coming to him during his trial. And the Bible says at the end of chapter two that his friends, his three friends, sat with him for seven days in silence. Now the best thing that they would have done for him would be to stay in silence. But once they open their mouth, they begin to accuse him of all these different things. And here we see that he begins to rebut some of the stuff that’s being fed after they give him that advice. And so we are going to look at some advice that is given and kind of how to handle some of the advice that we receive. Now let me ask you a question real fast. How many of you ever had somebody come up to you and say, let me give you some quote unquote friendly advice? Ok, most everybody in here, alright? Especially all of us adults, we have had people that have come up, tried to give us friendly advice and it didn’t turn out that it was friendly or that it wasn’t even good advice at all. And so we’re going to try to differentiate between some good advice, some bad advice, and look at some of the things here that Job dealt with in Job chapter number thirteen. We’re going to work through the whole chapter, but we won’t start off reading the whole chapter. So look at verse number one, if you would. It says, lo, mine eyes hath seen all this. Mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know, the same do I know also I am not inferior unto you. So here again, they’re rebutting some of the things that were going on. They’re telling him things that they think they know. And he’s telling them and rebutting to them in these first couple of verses. I already know all that verse three. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. But ye are forgers of lies. Ye are all physicians of no value. Oh, that ye would altogether hold your peace. He’s literally saying, would you just be quiet here? And it should be your wisdom, Hear now my reasoning and hearken to the pleadings of my lips. Will ye speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him. Will ye accept his person? Will ye contend for God? Let’s go ahead and pray. We’re going to get into some of the truths here tonight. I want to show you, Father, we love you. We thank you for the word of God. We thank you, Lord, that the Bible has the answer for everything we need in life. Many times we feel inclined to share our opinions. Many times we want to tell other people what we think. And many times we fall into the same category that Job’s friends fell into right here. We begin to share advice. We begin to share opinions. But the advice and the opinions, although it makes us feel better, it was of no value and it didn’t help the person that we were trying to help. And Lord, I pray that you’d help us to be able to differentiate. Use some wisdom in our lives to understand what’s good advice, what’s bad advice, and what things should be held as far as holding our peace to begin with, help us to see these truths, help us to apply them to our lives and to understand this passage a little bit more clearly. We’ll praise you. We’ll thank you for it all. We love you. We ask these things. In your name we pray. Amen. Now, we’ve all been subjected to good advice, to bad advice. Sometimes we don’t always know what category that advice falls into until after we’ve received it or after we’ve even tried it. There have been times where people may have given you some advice and they said, hey, you need to try this. This works for me. And then you go and you try that. And it was probably one of the worst ideas you were ever given in life, and it didn’t work out for you at all. We don’t know how it worked for the other person, but it definitely didn’t work in your situation. And we can all say that we’ve been there at least once in our life. Those of us that are adults been around for just a short period of time. But here we’re going to look at Joe’s friends and we’re going to see how to categorize some advice. So if we, if we’re going to put a title on this, we’re going to title it Good Advice versus Bad Advice. Good Advice versus Bad Advice. So real simple. I’m a simple guy. We’re going to look at three things in this passage of scripture in this chapter tonight. First, I want you to notice, number one, the futility of admonishment from worldly sources. So when we get admonishment or we get advice from worldly sources. It’s very futile. It’s very wasting, ok? It’s very vain. It’s of no value. It’s futile. And so here we have the futility of admonishment from worldly sources. Here, these friends, if you go all the way back to chapter number two, go with me back to chapter number two. At the very end here the Bible tells us in verse number eleven, Job, chapter two, verse number eleven. Now, when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came, every one from his own place. Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the shoe height. Now, he’s not the shortest character in the Bible, I promise you, although some people think he is. It was actually Peter. Peter slept on his watch. Never mind. Ok, Then Zophar the Naamathite, for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. So here, brother Roberto, we see their intentions were to help bear the burden. Galatians six tells us to bear you one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. So here they’re trying to bear a burden that he’s carrying. Here they’re trying to mourn with him. The Bible says, weep with them that do weep, and rejoice with them that do rejoice. And here the Bible says specifically that their purpose for coming together was to comfort him. Now he tells them in chapter thirteen that they were miserable at their job. If you came here to comfort me, Job tells them in chapter number thirteen, he says, you have failed miserably. You have not succeeded at all in what you are trying to do. You’re horrible at this. Now, verse twelve. When they had lifted up their eyes afar off and knew him not, they lifted up their voice and wept. And they rent everyone his mantle and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights. None spake a word unto him, for they saw that his grief was very great. And then Job opens his mouth in chapter three, and then Eliphaz opens his mouth in chapter four. And then the friends begin to talk to him. But here you’ll notice when they first come to him, their presence there was enough. Let me go ahead and make this statement. It’s not even part of the message. But you go back to chapter thirteen. There are times where people are going through trials and people are going through hard times, and we want to go there, and we want to be a blessing to them. We want to be a help to them and we want to give them advice. And one of the best things that we can do for somebody during a time and a trial that they are facing is just simply being there for them in body and in spirit, being there for them, just them knowing that we’re there. There are times where I’ve sat with folks that were going through trials and going through hard times, and they just needed somebody to sit with them and listen as they wept or listen as they worked through whatever problem they were going through. There are times, Brother Thoreau, where, you know, as pastor, where people come to you and they’re bouncing these ideas and then they go through all these different things and you can’t even get a word in because they’re talking so much. And at the end of it, they said, thank you so much for listening to me. Thank you for the advice you give. I didn’t say anything but praise the Lord. Glad I could help. And they worked it all out themselves. You were just there. And some of the best things that we can do for somebody is just simply being there and them knowing that there’s people that care for them during the trials they’re going through. But here they begin to give some advice. You can label this as friendly advice. And sometimes when you receive friendly advice in your life, it’ll fall into this category that we’re going to see here in verses one through twelve, where it’s going to meet these criteria. Sometimes when somebody gives you quote, unquote, friendly advice, notice in verses one and two, he says, lo, my eyes have seen all this. Mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know the same do I know also. I’m not inferior unto you. He says, do you think I’m dumb? I saw the same thing you saw. I went through the same thing. I know what’s going on here. You think you’re telling me something I don’t see. You think you’re telling me something that I don’t know. That’s the response here. Sometimes friendly advice is really not all that informative. People come to you and they try to give you friendly advice, and it turns out not being informative at all. They tell you everything you already knew. And you’re like, okay, so what am I supposed to do about that? I don’t know. Well, you’re not telling me anything I don’t know already. It’s kind of like when you go to the doctor and the doctor tells you everything that you thought was already the problem, and then he doesn’t tell you how to fix any of it. Anybody ever had visits like that? Happens often? Yes. Okay. Verse three. Sometimes your quote unquote friendly advice is not informative. In verse three, we find out that sometimes friendly advice is not even inspired. Notice it says, surely I would speak to the Almighty. I desire to reason with God. He said, I’m trying to talk to God. I’m trying to have a communication with the Lord. And you’ll see that back in chapter number two, where. Where Job goes down and he sits down in ashes. And you’ll find when you study this out, the ashes that he’s sitting down in are not the ashes from the house that burned down. They were the ashes from the altar he used in chapter one to pray for his children. Because that’s the last time you’ll find ashes that’s mentioned. And using the first mention principle in the Bible, you’ll find ashes to ashes from chapter one to chapter two. It’s the very same ashes he’s sitting in. And so he was trying to pursue a relationship with God. He’s trying to go to God and find out why this is happening in his life. There are times where people give advice and we’ve all been subjected to it. People come and they tell us their opinion, and you know that it didn’t come from God. There are times where people will give you their advice and you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that’s not inspired. That’s not of God. That doesn’t help me a bit at all. That feeds the flesh and not the Spirit. And this is here how Job’s responding to his friends. He realizes their advice was not even inspired. Notice verses four and five. He says, but ye are forgers of lies. Ye are all physicians of no value. He says, you’re just making stuff up. They were accusing him. Even back in chapter number ten, they accused him of adultery. They were accusing him of all these different things and that he had fallen into sin, which is why the judgment of God was reigning in his life when in all reality, God said he was a perfect and an upright man in chapter one. And in chapter two, he didn’t do anything wrong. He was just allowing the devil to tempt him and to try him to prove Job’s faithfulness to God. And here he says, you’re forgers of lies. You’re physicians of no value. Verse five. Oh, that you would altogether hold your peace, and it should be your wisdom. He says, if y’ all would just be quiet and not even talk at all. You would show more wisdom than what you’ve shown already. That’s great advice. There are times where people’s quote unquote friendly advice is not even innocent. We saw where it’s not informative, it’s not inspired, and now we see where it’s not even innocent. Here they had ulterior motives, they had an agenda. When they came to Job, they had their opinions and they just had to let him know what their opinions were. You ever had somebody give you advice like that? They just had to tell you why they thought you were going through the things you were going through. Yeah, they didn’t have innocent advice at all. And here, sometimes it ends up doing more harm than it does good. Notice verse six. We find out that it was not even insightful. Hear now my reasoning and hearken to the pleadings of my lips. He’s trying to explain to them his reasoning and the things that he. The conclusion that he’s come to as to why he’s gone through, the trial he’s gone through. So here it wasn’t even insightful from them. Verses seven through nine, we’re going to find that their reasoning and their friendly advice wasn’t even intelligent. It says, verse seven. Will ye speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him? Will ye accept his person? Will ye contend for God? Is it good that he should search you out? Or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him? He says, Guys, you’re not even using common sense when you’re talking to me at all. You’re trying to speak in the place of God. You got no business speaking on his behalf here. They weren’t even being intelligent. They were just spouting their own opinions and their own mind. And there are times where you’re going to get advice in your Christian life and people are going to tell you everything that they know. And you’re going to be able to tell it’s everything they know because it’s going to be very, very dense. It’s not going to be very insightful at all. Not going to be very intelligent. I’ve made the statement before, I’ll say it again. It’s okay. People will say, let me give you a piece of my mind. Some people need to be careful making that statement. They don’t have much to give up. Amen. We all got friends like that. Hold on to what you got there, buddy. You’re not working with everything. You’re a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Praise the Lord. You’re not the brightest crayon in the box, not the sharpest tool in the shed. Look at verse ten. Says, he will surely reprove you if you do secretly accept persons. Here, their advice, their friendly advice, so called, was not even impartial. Notice, it says, he will surely reprove you if you do secretly accept persons. Again, they’re ulterior motives. They are preferring one over another. Verse eleven. We find that their advice was not inclusive. It says, shall not his Excellency make you afraid and his dread fall upon you? They didn’t realize, even though they were sharing all their opinions, they didn’t realize that what happened to Job could have happened to them. See, there are times where we want to be quick to judge somebody and quick to give pronounce judgment on what’s happening in someone’s life. When the reality is, hey, we’ve not walked a mile in their shoes. We don’t know what they’re going through. We don’t know the trials they’re facing. We don’t know the burden they’re carrying right now. And the reality is that could have happened to us were it not for the grace of God. But God chose to allow it to happen to them. And then notice in verse twelve, their advice wasn’t impressive. Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay. What happens with ashes? They blow away with the wind. What happens to clay? It rots and it disintegrates. It was worthless. It wasn’t impressive. It had no value whatsoever. So here, the worldly sources that give us advice is very futile. It’s worthless. Now let’s notice in the next section here of this chapter, the focus of advice from weighty sources. So not from worldly sources. But now let’s look for the weighty sources and the focus that we get here. Look at verse thirteen and fourteen. Hold your peace. Let me alone that I may speak. And let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my flesh and my teeth and put my life in mine hand? He said, now you’ve said your peace, you’ve spoken your opinion. Now let me go ahead and tell you what really happened. Let me go ahead and tell you what’s really going on in my life. Now. Here there are times where we’ll notice in Job’s case, here we see the truths that we must preach. There are times where people will come and give you advice and they’re going to share with you their opinion. But they only know one side of the story. They don’t know the full story. You understand, there will be times where people come to you and they’re going to tell you everything they think they know about the situation, when in reality you’ve got the whole picture and you’ve got to shed light upon that picture for them to be able to see what’s going on. And so here he says, hold your peace. Let me alone that I may speak. And let come on me what will. He said, let me go ahead and tell you what happened. And God’s going to do what God’s going to do. Then notice here in verses fifteen and sixteen, we see the trust that we must place. Here’s the important part. Look at verse fifteen. It’s nestled right in the middle of this chapter. Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. Regardless of what they had said, regardless of everything that he had gone through. At this point he comes out and the first thing that he says to him, he says, listen here, let me go ahead and give you my peace. Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. God can do whatever God wants to do in my life. The reality is I’m going to still trust God. And here they were blaming him for sin in his life. They were blaming him for not trusting God. They were blaming him for all these different avenues that they thought were happening in his life when in reality he had to give them the truth. And here we see the trust that we must place. He says, yet will I trust in him, but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He says, just like the psalmist says in Psalms chapter number twenty six, that I have walked in mine own integrity. Remember in chapter two, was it not Job’s wife that says, dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die? He said, are you still going to be a man of character even after all of this? Are you still going to hold on to the character and the trust that you have? Why don’t you just curse God and die? Just let all this go to rot. Let’s just curse God and die. Job said, no, no, I’m not going to do that. Because the Lord gives, the Lord takes it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. I’m going to walk in the integrity of the character that I have, because the real you is going to show forth. When you’re in hot water, how do you find out what’s inside a teabag? You put it in water and you boil it. Amen. And the real you is going to come out in the midst of the fire. You see, there are times where we want to put on this pseudo spiritual mask. And the reality is the real us is going to come out when we’re going through the trials. The real us is going to come out when we’re in the flames. The real us is going to come out. When things aren’t going well in your life, you see, when everything seems like it’s against you and you wake up and you just got a bad day like Job did, the real you is going to come out. Notice verse sixteen. He says, he also shall be my salvation for an hypocrite shall not come before him. What was Job saying here? He’s saying that a hypocrite is not going to come before God. What he’s saying, he says I’m not going to be a hypocrite for. Because I know I can’t go before God in that state. He said, I’m going to trust God. Just like I trusted God before, I’m going to trust God today. I trusted him in the good times, I’m going to trust him now in the bad times. What he’s saying to his friends, he’s saying, listen, I’ve got a faith that is real. And he was able to stand on that. And here he says God was his salvation. Now, yes, God may be the one that allows some destruction to happen in your life, but God is also the one that can bring salvation in your life. He’s the one that delivers you from the problems. You see, the reality is just like in Matthew chapter fourteen, when the disciples were in the boat with Jesus Christ. Remember, they were all going through a storm. Jesus Christ was in the belly of the boat asleep. They go down to the belly of the boat and they ask Jesus, do you not care that we’re up here dying now? Were they dying? No, they weren’t dying. They were fishermen. This story has always kind of baffled me. These guys were fishermen by trade. They grew up on the Sea of Galilee. They knew how rough the storms got. They’ve been stuck out in the Sea of Galilee many a times before, before they even trusted Jesus Christ as fishermen. Now, any of you that spend any time out on the water, there’s times where you’re out on a boat, you brother, we’ve been out on boats before and it begins to rain and stuff didn’t show up in the forecast, but it’s there and you’re working on getting back. There have been times where we’ve been out in boats and then the horn Sounded there at Little Red. And we’re trying to work our way back to the boat dock. And you’re hitting the waves that are coming in and you’re fighting for every inch of it. Amen. Because that motor wasn’t working good. And there are times where we go through things. It’s always baffled me, that story that the same fishermen that had faced the same storms time and time again before they met Jesus, now they knew Jesus, and now they forgot how to handle a storm. That always blew my mind. The same storms they’ve always faced. The reality is they thought that everything was going to be perfect just because Jesus was in the boat. And that’s the deception that we fall into as Christians. We think just because Jesus is in our life that everything’s going to be smooth. Everything’s going to be. Going to be rainbows and unicorns. I understand it’s the month of June, but everything’s not rainbows and unicorns. Okay, here. The reality is this. Everything in your life isn’t going to go the way you planned for it to go. Some days a monkey is going to show up with a wrench. Some days things are just not going to be the way they’re supposed to be. And the reality is our faith and our real faith will come out. You see, the disciples showed their immaturity in Matthew fourteen when they went down to Jesus Christ and said, do you not care that we’re dying down here? And Jesus said, o ye of little faith. What? Did he question their faith. Why? Because their lack of faith showed here. I believe that Jesus Christ was able to watch and the devil was able to watch as Job responded to his friends. And his faith never quivered. His faith never wavered. His faith never failed. He said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. He said, I came in on this ship and I’m leaving out on the same ship. Jesus is my salvation. And Jesus is going to be my protector through all of this. I know he’s the one that’s going to make things better in my life, so I’m just going to hold on. It’s like one preacher said, when you get to the end of your rope, you tie a knot and you hang on for dear life. Amen. Here we see the trust we must place. Then notice verse seventeen and eighteen. Notice the thesis that he prepares. He says in verse seventeen, hear diligently my speech. He had a whole speech prepared for them. He had a whole thing that was. He was working up. You ever have people give you advice and begin to talk to you. And you’re just sitting there in your mind rebutting everything that they’re saying. And you’re just waiting for them to shut their mouth so you can tell them everything that’s wrong with what they just said. Yeah, that’s what Job had. He had it all right here. All right, now you’ve spoken. Now hold your peace and let me give my speech. Let me deliver this to you. I’m going to serve it up on a platter, nice and delish. Hear diligently my speech and my declaration with your ears. Behold now, I have ordered my cause. I know that I shall be justified. What’s he saying? He’s saying, I’ve already gone to God on behalf of this. Notice what he says. He says, I’ve ordered my cause. That tells me that back in chapter two, when he was sitting in the ashes, those ashes were the altar, and he was praying before God. In chapter two and chapter three, where he was begging God, he says, I’ve ordered my cause. In verse number eighteen, he said, I know that I shall be justified. He said, God’s going to prove it all in the end. God’s going to work it all. You see, there are times in your Christian life where people are going to accuse you for different things that happen in your life. And they think they’re doing right. They think they’re giving you good advice. And the reality is the God’s always going to have the last word. Here. He says, I know I’m going to be justified. You stay faithful to the Lord and your cause will always be justified. Notice verse nineteen, the teachings that we must practice. It says, who is he that will plead with me? For now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. Here his friends have already declared whose side they were on. I’ll give you a clue. It wasn’t Job’s. They had already declared that Job was the reason for his trials. And so here he’s saying, who is he that will plead with me? He says, you’re not on my side. So who’s on my side? There was nobody. Nobody was on his side. And what does he say? If I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. He’s saying, if I don’t speak up, I’m going to end up dying. I’ve got to speak up and speak out and tell you what the Lord’s doing. Here we see the focus of advice from weighty sources. Then lastly, I want you to notice at the end of the chapter, verses twenty to twenty eight. Notice Job’s transition. He goes from speaking to them to speaking to God. Alright, we’ll show it to you here. But notice thirdly, we saw the futility of admonishment from worldly sources. We see the focus of advice from weighty sources. Now lastly, I want you to notice the faith in appealing to wisdom source. Wisdom source comes from above. It comes from God. We know that. The Bible tells us that in James chapter three. The Bible tells us that in the book of Proverbs as well. And here we see Job transitioning from talking to them to beginning to communicate with God. Notice it says here, verse number twenty, verse nineteen. This is where the transition begins to take place. He looks at them and he says, who is he that will plead with me? And he begins to transition from talking to them because he knew they were not on his side, to now them no longer being his audience, but now him talking to God. And here he says, for now if I hold my tongue, I shall give the ghost. And now he’s talking to the Lord. He says, only do not two things unto me. Then will I not hide myself from thee. Here he’s talking to God. Withdraw thine hand far from me, and let not thy dread make me afraid. Here we see some requests that he makes. He’s asking God for two things. And he says, God, if you do these two things, I’m not going to hide from you. I know this is going to come to pass. I’m going to stay faithful. But notice God, I want you. I ask that you do this. Verse twenty one. Withdraw thine hand far from me. You see, the same hand that was the hand of protection was the hand that had allowed this punishment to come. It’s the same hand. You see, as a parent, there are times where we take the same hand that we love our children with and we hug our children with, and we have to use that same hand to discipline our child with. Many times it’s the same hand. And God doesn’t do that in our lives as well. He will protect us and he will uphold us with his right hand. And he will give us the strength that we need in life. But there are times where that hand’s going to be removed from us. There’s going to be a time where that protection is gone. And here he’s asking not from the for the hand of protection to be withdrawn. He’s asking for the hand of punishment to be withdrawn. All right. And then he says, and let not thy dread make me afraid. What he’s telling God is His God, I, I understand that you are in control. And no matter how bad it gets, let me not be afraid of what you’re doing in my life. Now if we’re going to be honest, most of us are not that spiritual. Most of us cannot say with an honest voice that we would respond this way. That God, no matter what you do, let me not be afraid of what you’re trying to do. That’s a hard prayer. Okay, just being honest. That’s a hard prayer to pray. Where you become so vulnerable and open to God, where you tell God, God, I’m trusting you no matter what. Help me not to be scared of whatever the product is. Help me not to be afraid during it, but help me to trust you. See, because that’s where we find out where the rubber meets the road in our faith is during the trial. Are we trusting God or are we fearful of what God’s trying to do? I understand. If you’re anything like me, me and my wife, we like to know details of things and there are times where we don’t know details. And when you don’t know details, what happens? You automatically begin to get afraid of things just because of the lack of knowledge. There are times where if somebody would just call and give me some news at all, it could even be bad news. Sometimes bad news is better than no news because at least you know something. You know how to plan, you know how to prepare. And here Job is asking God for his faith not to be afraid during this trial. Then notice verse twenty two. He says, then call thou and I will answer. He says, God, if you just respond, if you just talk to me, I’m going to keep talking to you. I’m going to keep begging, I’m going to keep praying, I’m going to keep asking God, I’m just asking for an answer. I dare say the vast majority of us that are adults in here, maybe even some of you young people, you’ve been through this in your life where you’ve begged and you begged and you begged and you pleaded with God and you’re just begging for him to answer. Just give me an answer. That’s where Job’s at. He says, or let me speak and answer thou me. He says, call and I’ll answer, or just let me talk and you just answer me. Either way I want to hear from you is what he’s saying. He’s saying, God, this can’t be a one way street as far as communication is concerned. I need to hear from you. Notice verse twenty three, how Many are mine. Iniquities and sins make me to know my transgression and my sin. Here he’s asking God, if I’ve sinned against you, just let me know and I’ll confess it. Honestly, he doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong. And the Bible says that he hasn’t in all this, Job sinned. Not what the Bible says. So we know that he does nothing wrong. But I know several folks that have taken this verse out of context, and they said that Job sinned. No, because that would make God a liar. At the end of the Book, when God says, in all this, Job sinned. Not here, he’s legitimately asking the question, God, if I’ve done something wrong, please tell me so I can confess it. So here he’s appealing to wisdom sources. He’s trying to to confess. He’s trying to do everything he can to make sure that God knows that he’s serious about what he’s doing. No, look at verse twenty four. He says, wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemy? Wilt thou break a leaf? Driven to and fro, wilt thou pursue a dry stubble? Notice now what Job is saying. He’s saying, God, I feel like you’re hiding yourself from me. You ever felt like you were playing hide and seek with God here? Job felt this way. Then notice the question that he asks at the end of verse twenty four. And holdest me for thine enemy, he says, God, I don’t understand what’s going on. We’ve had a sweet relationship. God, I come to you and I pray and I beg for my children. And I come to you and I beg for my family. And he did that in chapter number one, verse number five. And according to God’s testimony of Job, he was a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God and escheweth evil. That means he hated evil. He did everything that he did, and he did it right every single time. And here he’s saying to God, God, it’s like I’ve become your enemy for some reason. It’s like you’re treating me like I’m an enemy and not your son. What happened? It’s a legitimate question. Many of us have probably been there as well. I know we go through trials sometimes. You go to the doctor and you find a diagnosis, and then you wonder, why is this happening to me? Why am I going through this? God will try to live for you. We’ve gone through some of that this year. I’m Trying to do right. Why? I’m sure there’s been a lot of those. We go around the room, and I’m sure every one of us have a testimony about that in our own personal lives. I know my wife was raised in church, got saved at a young age, lived right, did right. She’s had some why questions about some different things in life. Why? Because we all have those moments in our lives where our faith gets tested and we got to figure out are we going to trust God or not. Here Job was going to trust God. Notice what he says. We saw the request. Notice the reproaches that are mentioned. Verse twenty six. It says, for thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth. He says, God, I don’t understand this. God, I don’t know why this is happening. I know there’s a reason, but, God, I don’t understand the reason. I don’t know why you’ve taken all the money that I’ve had. I don’t know why you’ve destroyed all the cattle that I have. I don’t know why you’ve destroyed the homes that I built for my children. I don’t even know why you took all ten of my kids away. Here you’re writing bitter things against me, and I don’t know why he’s making me to possess the iniquities of my youth. So he’s. Some of the advice. Listen, listen. Some of the advice that his friends gave him are now playing tricks on his head. This is the importance of making sure that we get good advice. Because there’s some people that you go to and they’re going to give you bad advice, and that bad advice is going to cause you to doubt God. And here the bad advice that his friends gave him and the fact that they were accusing him for the wrongdoing and for the effect of what’s happening in his life. He’s now asking God this question. Is it because of something that I’ve done? Why? Because words have meaning. You understand that when you speak words, you can’t take them back. And words have meaning. Well, I didn’t mean to say that. Yeah, you did. That’s why it came out of your mouth. You just didn’t mean to say it out loud. You didn’t mean for them to know what you actually thought. That’s what that was. Often times we use that excuse. I didn’t mean to say. Well, then why did it come out of your mouth? Because it was in Your head long before it came out of your mouth, Right? We thought about it. That’s why it came out of our mouth. We just didn’t mean for them to hear it. I’m just being honest. That’s how we operate. That’s how the flesh is. We can make whatever excuse we want to make, but we can’t take those words back and we can’t take the hurt back. Notice now what he says in verse twenty seven. We see thou puttest my feet also in the stocks. Notice, he says, I feel like I’m in prison. And look as narrowly unto all my paths. Thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet. Here I feel. I feel like I’m a slave. Notice verse twenty eight. And he as a rotten thing consumeth as a garment that is moth eaten. Here he was getting discouraged. Why? Because of the advice that his friends gave him. See, there are times where we try to give some friendly advice. We try to be a help, we try to do certain things, but we end up doing more harm than good. Now, the crux of this whole chapter, we’ll go back to it, we’ll be done, is verse fifteen where he says, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. Now here at the end of the chapter, he’s questioning some things. And you’ve heard me say it. Brother Thoreau said it when he was pastor. You’ve heard other preachers say it. It’s not wrong to question God. Jesus Christ even said, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It’s not wrong to ask a question. It’s not wrong to question God, but it is wrong to accuse God. You see, the questions that we have should draw us closer to our relationship with God, not set a wall up in a division between us and our relationship with God. You see all the questions. For all the questions that Job had, he still relied on the fact that though God slayed him, yet he would trust God. So regardless of all the questions that Job had in his life and regardless of all the advice that he was given, whether it was good or bad advice, and we’d all say it was probably bad advice, regardless of all the advice that he was given, he still chose that he was going to rely on the integrity that was in his heart and he was still going to trust God because God was always true in his life. And so, more than having a communication with the friends that were there with him, he redirects and begins to communicate with his God, begins to have a conversation with his Heavenly Father. He begins to talk in chapter fourteen about the brevity of life. Man’s a few days and full of troubles. If you go all the way to chapter sixteen and verse number seventeen, it says, not for any injustice in mine hands. Also, my prayer is pure. What he’s saying, he says, even though I’ve got questions, my intentions are pure. I’m not accusing God of anything. I’m trusting in God in all of this. But what’s he doing? He’s pulling back the curtain to show that he’s still human, too. And there are times where we’ve got questions, legitimate questions as to why certain things happen. But we need to be mindful of where we get our advice from. You see, we all have friends, but sometimes what we tend to do. And Brother Throw made this statement many times when he was pastor. What we tend to do when we get advice from people is. Is we’d like to go to people who are less spiritual than us and get advice that makes us feel good. When in all reality, we need to go to somebody who’s going to give us the word of God. You see? What was Job asking for? He was asking for an answer from God. So what was he asking for? He was asking for the Word of God. You see, when we go to give advice to people, you can tell whether it’s good advice or whether it’s bad advice, if it’s somebody’s opinion or if it’s the word of God, you see, because all advice that is not the word of God is futile advice. It’s not worth it. When we go to give advice to folks, we need to give advice based on the Word of God and based on the understanding of what God is trying to do in our lives now, there are times where, yes, we’re not going to be able to give an answer for what happens. The question people ask, why do bad things happen to good people? I don’t have a clue. I know that God allows things. And I know that in every situation, every single trial, God allows something to happen in our lives for the purpose of drawing us closer to Him. That’s always, always the purpose. He wants to rebuild a relationship with us. Sometimes that takes breaking us so that he can mold and shape us into what he wants us to be. But the whole crux of the chapter is verse fifteen where he says, though he slayed me, yet will I trust him? So the question I have tonight is, when you’re getting advice from folks and you’re going through your hard times, have you resolved that regardless of what God does, that you’re still going to trust him. Job resolved this in his heart before the trial came. That’s why his wife said, dost thou still retain thine integrity? See, if we don’t purpose in our hearts before the trial comes, it’s very unlikely we’ll stay faithful through the trial. It’s very unlikely. We’ve got to be rooted and we’ve got to be grounded in the things that we believe according to the word of God. That regardless of the advice that people give us and regardless of all the noise from the outside, we’ve got to be able to turn our attention from them and focus on our Savior and hear a word from heaven. How do we do that? Though I speak to you, that’s prayer. Or though you speak to me, that’s the Bible reading, right? Isn’t that what Job said was a verse? Verse twenty two. Then call thou and I will answer. So give me a word or let me speak. That’s prayer. And. And answer thou me. So either through Bible reading or prayer, whatever it is, we’ve got to have our relationship with God. You see, when we go through our trial, we’ve got to trust in the Lord. Turn off the noise, get rid of all the other advice we can weigh. Is it good advice or is it bad advice based on one thing? What’s the source? If it’s man’s opinion, it’s bad advice. If it’s the word of God, it’s good advice every single time. Stand with me with heads bowed, with eyes closed.

Scripture Reference

Job 13 (selected): 1-3, 13-16, 20-22. Lo, mine eye hath seen all this; mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. … Hold your peace, and let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. … Withdraw thine hand far from me, and let not thy dread make me afraid. Then call thou, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer thou me.

Introduction

Title: “Good Advice – Bad Advice” preached by Dr. Terry LeQuieu. This sermon uses Job chapter 13 to teach how to recognize the difference between counsel that helps and counsel that harms. Job’s situation is familiar: well-intended friends who mean to comfort but end up accusing, and a tested saint who must choose whether to be driven by mere human opinion or to trust God. Young adults and every church member face decisions about where to get counsel. The KJV Word teaches us that source matters. Advice that is not grounded in God’s Word often proves futile; advice from weighty, God-centered sources points us to trust; and ultimately, wisdom that comes from above must be sought when life presses hard.

Quote from Preacher

Sometimes when you receive friendly advice in your life, it’ll fall into this category that we’re going to see here in verses one through twelve, where it’s going to meet these criteria.

Outline

The Futility of Admonishment from Worldly Sources
1. Uninformative
  Job points out that his friends told him what he already knew (Job 13:1). Good counsel adds new, godly insight; worthless counsel simply repeats the obvious and offers no help.
2. Uninspired
  Their words did not arise from a God-centered heart (Job 13:3–5). Advice that lacks the Spirit’s breath will feed the flesh, not strengthen faith.
3. Not Innocent
  Ulterior motives and accusation mar their comfort. The very ones sent to mourn with Job accuse him instead (Job 13:5–6).
4. Unintelligent and Unimpartial
  The friends speak as though they stand in God’s place (Job 13:7–11). Good counsel uses sober judgment; bad counsel elevates opinion into verdict.
5. Unimpressive, Unlasting
  Worldly counsel is like ashes and clay—fleeting and worthless (Job 13:12). If the counsel cannot endure trial, it cannot shepherd a soul to maturity.
The Focus of Advice from Weighty Sources
1. Let the Truthful Person Speak
  Job asks his friends to hold their peace while he explains his heart (Job 13:13–14). Weighty counsel listens, then speaks truth, not mere reaction.
2. Trust Anchored in God
  Central to Job’s testimony is verse 15: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Mature counsel anchors life decisions in trust of God’s character, not in human comfort.
3. Integrity before God
  Job refuses hypocrisy (Job 13:16). Advice from weighty sources will call for transparent faith—walking with God openly and honestly.
4. Order your Cause to the Lord
  Job had “ordered his cause” before God and expected vindication (Job 13:18). Wise counsel helps a person take burdens to the Lord in prayer and Scripture, not only to human sympathizers.
Faith in Appealing to Wisdom Source
1. Transition from Man to God
  When human voices fail, Job turns his plea to the Lord (Job 13:19–22). Faith moves counsel from the marketplace of opinions to the throne of grace.
2. Ask God to Remove Fear, Not to Hide Himself
  Job requests two things: withdraw the chastening hand if it be God’s will, and do not let awe of God’s ways produce terror that destroys faith (Job 13:20–21). Mature believers pray boldly and humbly together.
3. Desire for Clear Answer
  “Then call thou, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer thou me” (Job 13:22). Wisdom seeks God’s Word and God’s voice—Scripture and prayer are the final forums for counsel.
4. Confession Ready
  Job asks God to show him sin if there be any (Job 13:23). True spiritual counsel prompts self-examination and confession, not merely accusation of others.

Summary

Job 13 demonstrates three clear lessons about counsel. First, advice from worldly sources—even friends—can be futile, unhelpful, and destructive when it is uninformed by God and unguided by Scripture. Second, weighty, God-centered counsel focuses on trust, integrity, and bringing our cause to the Lord rather than pronouncing final human judgment. Third, mature faith appeals to the wisdom source: prayer and the Word. The crux of the chapter is Job 13:15—though God slay me, yet will I trust in him—which shows the heart of a tested believer who chooses God over the noise of human opinion.

Quote to Ponder

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.

Application for the Week

Practical steps to apply Dr. LeQuieu’s teaching this week:

Weigh the source
Before receiving or giving advice, ask: “Is this rooted in Scripture or merely opinion?” If it’s not Scripture-based, be cautious about acting on it.
Practice the presence
When a friend is suffering, often the best counsel is your presence. Take time to sit, listen, and pray—not always to speak.
Bring your cause to God first
Make prayer and Scripture your first response to trials. Journal a short prayer like Job 13:22 this week: “Lord, call Thou, and I will answer.”
Speak only what builds up
When you must give counsel, let it be humble, Scripture-saturated, and aimed at restoration, not accusation.
Resolve in advance
Like Job, purpose in your heart before trials come: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Write this verse and put it where you will see it daily.
Seek weighty counsel
Meet with a mature, Scripture-loving mentor or elder this week if you face a hard decision. Ask them to point you to biblical wisdom, not merely personal preference.
Confess promptly
If God shows you sin, confess quickly (1 John 1:9). Do not let bad counsel cause you to harden your heart.