Job 12:14  Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
15  Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16  With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
17  He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.

The “ancient” in verse 12 is a reference to God. He is the ancient in that He has always been. He is not ancient in that He is out of date or out of touch. He is the ever present, all wise God. As Job noted, wisdom is found in Him. He did not become wise over time. He is wisdom.
God created all things, but He also has the power to break things down and they can never be built again. We know that the flood of Noah’s day changed the topography of the earth. There are mountains now that were not there before. No one builds on the top of the tall mountains. God also sends earthquakes and floods that destroy things that man has made and they are never rebuilt. God does this to show His power. God is far more concerned with the soul of man than He is with the material things of this world.
When God silences a man there is no opening up that man again. Zacharias found out that he needed to listen to and trust God. He doubted God’s Word with regard to the birth of John the Baptist. God shut his mouth until the birth of John. Zacharias could write, but he could not speak. He was dumb for that entire time. When John was born, God opened his mouth again so that he could announce the name of this son. No man could have intervened and given him the ability to talk during that time that God said he would be silent.
When God ends a person’s life, it is over. That person will not speak again. We know there are false teachers who want to be able to raise the dead. They are fools and those who follow them are equally fools. God can never be silenced, but He can silence man.
We know that God has the ability to cause a drought. King Ahab looked for water all over the land. God shut off the rain for over three years. God is in charge. Job understood this. God can also send a flood that causes destruction. God can do both.
In verse 16 Job acknowledged that God is strength and wisdom. God has demonstrated His strength in the recent earthquake in the Middle East. He has demonstrated His power in Creation. God is also wisdom. He created the world and He did not need to rearrange anything afterwards. Everything that God did is perfect. It is wise to seek His wisdom in all things. Job’s three friends did not seek God’s wisdom. They distorted God’s truth for their own benefit.
God holds the deceived and the deceiver accountable. Those who want to spread lies will answer to God for that. That would include Job’s three friends. God also holds the deceived accountable for their gullibility. No one needs to accept the lies of deceivers. Kenneth Copeland and Joyce Myers and Joel Osteen and Joseph Prince and many others are deceived. However there are many who listen to these deceivers. Not only do they listen but the also support the deceivers.
God has given us the truth. God has given us a conscience. We can know when we are being lied to. God gives us curiosity. Man wonders about things. God wants to direct man to seek after Him. Thus if man ignores what God is doing in his heart, God will hold Him accountable for his choices.
In verse 17 Job stated that God exposes bad counsellors and He also exposes foolish judges. Those who are led by God can see this. Many are not led by God and they think those who know the Lord are weird.
Job was outnumbered by his three friends. Job was closer to the truth than they were. Yet they were ganging up on him and trying to shame him into accepting their lies. Job had discernment and even though he had things to learn, he knew better than to fall for their lies. God is good. He is there to protect His own from deception.
As we look at the book of Job, for many, what sticks out is Job’s physical suffering. Some cannot understand nor accept why God allowed Job to suffer this way. There is no doubt that the sufferings of Job were real and they were quite severe. However, what is of greater importance is the spiritual aspect of this book. God tells us in the beginning of the book what was going on. God shows us throughout the book of the spiritual attack that Job was under. He shows us the nature of false teachers. They can take a truth and twist it into a lie. Unless a person is led by God, they will fall for the lie. They will be so sure they are right, even though they are wrong. It is very important for the true child of God to have his or her confidence in God. If you don’t you will accept the lies of the deceivers. We cannot stand against the wiles of the devil in the flesh.
Paul tells us we need the armour of God on to be able to withstand and to stand against the devil’s tactics. We do not do that by attacking the devil ourselves. The Charismatics think they have that authority, but they expose themselves as fools. Those who are saved protect themselves by putting on the armour of God. We trust in Him to guide us and to show us the way. We reject the lies when we know the truth.
Job was able to reject the lies he was being told because he knew God. Remember, God said that Job feared Him. That fear was a holy reverence for God. It was not a debilitating fear. We need that holy reverence for God that causes us to believe Him even when we cannot see the way clearly. Job needed to learn this more and he did do so. He was a better man for going through what he faced. His new family benefited from his learning.
We cannot often see the big picture. We get caught up in the present. If we like it, we are happy. If we don’t we look for a diversion. We need to let God draw us to Himself. First of all we need to be saved, and then we need to get into a good church that will teach us how to properly understand and apply God’s Word to our own lives. God is still strength and wisdom today. Follow Him and be blessed.
Pastor Bartel