Job 11-15 January 17, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Job, Wisdom.Tags: God-centred, Job, sin, troubles, Wisdom
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SScripture
Job 13:15 – Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
I will surely defend my ways to his face.
Observation
This verse is an astonishing example of Job’s resolve in the face of trial. He attributed everything in his life as coming from God, both the good and the bad, and so was thankful for his blessings at the start of the book, and when those were taken away, knew that it was God’s doing for some reason. Job is convinced that he hasn’t sinned against the Lord, at least, not in such a major way as to warrant the punishment he gets, whereas his friends are persuaded that sin is the reason for Job’s troubles. They go through this verbal dance for many chapters – “You’ve sinned!”, “I haven’t!” – and eventually God speaks, but here we have Job stating unequivocally that he still believes that he worships a good God, though he doesn’t understand what’s going on with him.
Application
There’s something about this God-centred worldview that doesn’t really exist any more. An ‘act of God’ in modern parlance is a generally a disaster of some kind, and people ask why God doesn’t just stop suffering in the world, but blessings that are received are often put down to good luck, or results of hard work, or being in the right place at the right time. Even Christians don’t tend to put everything down to God acting in their lives. But what if we did? Perhaps we’d be more grateful for the good things that he gives us… But when life goes wrong, would we have the strength to be like Job, and say, “Fine, I don’t get it, and I don’t like it, but I’m still going to worship and believe in you God”? What would the world be like if there were lots more people like Job?
Prayer
God, help me to see your hand in my whole life, not just Sundays. Help me to give thanks for the blessings you give us, and to continue loving and worshipping you through the trials and difficulties that come our way, whether big or small. Praise you Lord!
Job 1-5 January 3, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Job, Wisdom.Tags: God-centred, Job, praise, troubles, Wisdom
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Scripture:
Job 2:9-10
His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
5:17-18
“Blessed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
For he wounds, but he also binds up;
he injures, but his hands also heal.
Observation:
The comment from Job’s wife comes shortly after all his wealth is either stolen or destroyed, along with his sons and daughters, and his body has been ravaged by sores, inflicted by the devil himself. And Job responds in a way which matches exactly with what we have heard about him so far in the book – that he is righteous, and loves the Lord. Then 3 chapters later we get the first comments from one of Job’s friends (Eliphaz in this case). In the rest of the book, lots of what they say is quite unhelpful towards Job, trying to convince him that it must be some great sin that has caused his woes, but looking at these 2 pairs of verses together, it’s clear that they were not so far apart in their thinking. They both tell the reader that while God can give abundantly, he can also take away; though God expressed his love through blessing, he also shows it through discipline.
Application:
The books of the Bible which come under the ‘Wisdom’ genre are, as far as I know, the closest we get to ancient philosophical writings, and many scholars think that Job is one of the most ancient texts we have access to. And it certainly is a book where the writer is expressing, or struggling with, various ways to understand the world, and dealing with what is encountered in life. And in the verses I’ve selected today, we have a God–centred mindset dealing with the extreme troubles that presented themselves in Job’s life. If He can bless me, then He can bring trouble too – and Job managed to praise God despite losing all his children. Can I continue to praise him when things aren’t going well? I’ve never had such an extreme set of ‘misfortunes’ befall me, and to my knowledge I don’t know anyone who has, so do I have any reason to stop praising God?
Prayer:
Thank you lord, for the example of Job, and his ability to accept everything you gave him in his life. Help me to keep a God-centred mindset in everything I do, and to keep praising in good times and in bad.
