It’s imperative to understand this message. Thoughts on whether there are ghosts or not vary. Some believe it; others do not. It deals with the realm of perception we have little knowledge of. Society, that is the natural world, has five senses. Then, there are things not explainable. They have become distorted through superstition or folklore. They happen, and we don’t know why. Then, we have the supernatural—the things unseen. They are eternal. The existence of a person after death is true. The body goes to the earth, but the spirit lives forever in either heaven or hell.
Here is a message from a long time ago. Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. Three of Job’s friends came to visit him in his distress. For some reason Eliphaz related an experience he had. It seems to have come through a ghost in our way of thinking of ghosts. Whatever it was, it was very real to Eliphaz. This message from long ago is relevant to us today. The truth of it is to be believed.
Job 4:12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? 18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: 19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? 20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it. 21 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.5:1 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
Here is what appears to be an encounter with a ghost; at least Eliphaz leads us to believe that. He’s unclear himself, but whatever it was, it was real. He thought he was awake. It’s the classic ghost story told just like ones our grandparents used to tell. I’ve had experiences I can’t explain, but that doesn’t lead me to conclude it’s supernatural. Just because we’ve never seen God doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. I’ve had a taste of him. I’ve not seen heaven, but I’ve had a taste of it. Heaven is real, and so is hell.
Whatever it was taught Eliphaz a true lesson. Whether it was a physical apparition or not, it’s message gave it credibility. Could it have been made up? Some things can be, but this one agreed with scripture. This is a vital part of everything we believe. Eliphaz felt every bit of it; he was not joking. He gave a meticulous description of what it was, and it is the classic description of a ghost as we think of it. The sight of it was scary enough in itself, but what it said scared him more. It caused him to realize how precious the day he had been given was. It was a gift. He realized that he thought very little about living. We do that. We don’t repent; we don’t’ try to get closer to the Lord. We must, and we must do it now. He got a sermon that reminded him that the breath we have and enjoy today can all be gone today. One will go to heaven or hell depending on how this life is lived. It is more precious that any of us realize. I’m not trying to be morbid. The fact is death will come whether we believe it or not or whether we’re ready or not. There is a supernatural God in charge of it all. By saying “super” natural I mean he is greater, bigger, and better than anything else. We get our spiritual being because we’ve been bought by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our bodies will go to the dust, but we’ll live forever. Then we’ll realize and know the truth about heaven or hell. Life is brief. We say “I’ll do better, but I’ll do it tomorrow.” The “ghost” said wake up. The greatest sin is to neglect the chance of life. Don’t wait until it is too late. Not one thing can be done after death.
Consider this encounter. What is written in verses 12-16 scares me now. It would pay for all of us to have such an encounter. It would bring us down a notch or two. It would also tell us the truth. It would pay for us to be shocked and reminded of our own mortality. We’re like a vapor. We come and before we know it, we’re gone.
Eliphaz was at his most vulnerable. It was night time. He was ready for bed. He felt it before he saw it. He went from warm to icy cold. His senses perceived it. It glided in. Have you ever felt life was passing you by? We’re nearer and nearer to the end. I pray we’ll feel our mortality. Though he could not recognize it, he knew it was the image of one who was once alive. It spoke in a somber tone. The intention was not to scare him but to make sure he knew the truth about life. Perhaps our greatest sin is wasting our life away. The dead are only dead as far as the body is concerned. They live on in soul and are more in the spiritual realm that they were in the physical. Eliphaz was being invited to see what this thing saw from eternity.
We too are being invited to take stock of life and where our eternity will be. Don’t get hung up on the details of this. Don’t use it only as an excuse to make a case for ghosts. Look at what it says. We’ll do that in the next message.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 