Job 24

Job 24...

As I read the second half of Job's current monologue (started in Job 23), he is going all over the place: on one hand, the wicked getting away with it, on the other, the vulnerable suffering, and yet on another hand, the wicked getting whacked by God.

The wicked getting away with it...

Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
There are those who move boundary stones;
they pasture flocks they have stolen.
They drive away the orphan's donkey
and take the widow's ox in pledge.
They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.

I'm guessing moving boundary stones would be a way to rob somebody of their land or extending the reach of one's own. And how evil is it to steal someone's flock? And to top that evil they take advantage of the orphan, the widow, the needy and the poor. It is bad enough to cheat and steal but to do so at the expense of the downtrodden is a double dose.

The vulnerable suffering...

Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go about their labor of foraging food;
the wasteland provides food for their children.
They gather fodder in the fields
and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
They are drenched by mountain rains
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
Lacking clothes, they go about naked;
they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
They crush olives among the terraces;
they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.


image source: http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20071228/2007_12_27t125755_450x347_us_pakistan_bhutto.jpg

Injustice is commonly cited in the argument against God.

But what if God has asked us to be guardians of justice?

How much of the injustice in the world is the fault of the wicked and how much of it is the fault of the good who fail to act?

There is a saying: all that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

Nonetheless, Job presses his case against God...

But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.
The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, 'No eye will see me,'
and he keeps his face concealed.
In the dark, thieves break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness.

Job is upset... God, these people are getting way with being evil!

Yet, Job backtracks...

Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;
their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one goes to the vineyards.
As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,
so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
The womb forgets them,
the worm feasts on them;
the wicked are no longer remembered
but are broken like a tree.

The wicked do pay a price! Which do you really believe Job? Job is all over the map! Don't we get that way sometimes? I know I do and Job has "given us permission" to bare the wrestling match of our souls before God.

They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow show no kindness.

Job returns to the wicked briefly but again slams back to God is going to get them...

But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
but his eyes are on their ways.
For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?

Job ends chapter 24 where he began in chapter 23... with confidence in the ultimate justice of God.

Lord, today, evil reared its head in the killing of Bhutto and many others in Pakistan. It looks like the wicked are marching to victory in that country. You are the king of all kings and the nations are but a drop in a bucket compared to you. I do not know how to pray and what to ask for. Yet, I'm compelled to express my anguish before you. I pray that the wicked see the wickedness of their ways and surrender to the authorities. And if they do not see the evil of their chosen path, then I ask that you bring justice to the evil doers who would kill so wantonly so that they would not take more life. I place these requests before you and trust your justice and mercy and sovereignty. Amen.

Job 23

image source: http://www.ffrf.org/fttoday/2006/nov/images/addis-doubt-church-cartoon.jpg

Job 23

Then Job answered and said:
Today also my complaint is bitter;
my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.

Ever felt like this?

I can think of a few things I could (and do!) complain to God about.

Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his seat!
I would lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; he would pay attention to me.
There an upright man could argue with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

Job believes that if he got an audience with God, he would be heard.

I have to confess I wonder if Job is over reaching here?

I think of Isaiah who got an audience with God in Isaiah 6. In verse 5, Isaiah says: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!

Yet, as one who lives on the other side of Jesus, I can call upon Hebrews 10:19: Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus.

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.

The great question for those who believe: how do I know that God is actually there?

None of Job's senses can detect God, yet ...

But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

Do I believe that God is working in my life and that my faith will come out as good as gold after going through tough times?

My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

Makes me think of that phrase, "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Deut. 8:3, Matt. 4:4, Luke 4:4)

Job is oscillating between doubt and faith. He goes on to make great statements of faith in the sovereignty of God ...

But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
What he desires, that he does.
For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.

This ineffable and unfathomable aspect of God leads to tremendous humility and even fear ...

Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;

Yet, God has in his wisdom preserved this wrestling match of faith and doubt for believers for all time because what Job went through, we do as well and Job says this in the face of his fears and doubts ...

yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.

Lord, let me not be silent. There are doubts that I feel and complaints that I have and I bring them to you. Though human eyes reading this blog will not know and human ears of my friends may not understand, I know I can enter into your presence with a mixture of boldness, humility and fear. As I await wisdom, correction and vindication, give me the strength to walk in your ways and in obedience to your words. Lord, help friends of mine who have given up seeking you to seek you once again. Help friends who are in the midst of trial to be affirmed. Help friends who have never sought you to somehow realize that you are closer than they think and that Christmas is more than just stuff but about life with you. Amen.

Job 22

Am back!

To recap Job:
Ch. 1-2, sets the stage
Ch. 3-14, 1st set of monologues where Job speaks, friends respond, Job responds and so on. All three friends speak
Ch. 15-21, 2nd set of monologues, all three of Job's friends speak and Job responds.
Ch. 22-26, 3rd set of monologues, only two of Job's friends speak and Job responds.
Ch. 27-31, Job speaks at length
Ch. 32-37, Elihu, a fourth friend speaks at length
Ch. 38-41, God and Job speak
Ch. 42, conclusion.

Picking things up at Job 22 ...

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
"Can a human being be of benefit to God?
Can even the wise benefit him?
What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?

Eliphaz is simply wrong.

The god described by Eliphaz is (1) unmoved by his creatures doing right and (2) only interested in zapping those who go astray as described by Eliphaz later on.

We know from Job 1 God is aware of Job's righteousness and is pleased by it.

"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?
Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
though you were a powerful man, owning land -
an honored man, living on it.
And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.
That is why snares are all around you,
why sudden peril terrifies you,
why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.

We have no indication that Job sinned and if that is correct than Eliphaz is slandering Job.

If I were Job at this point, I'd punch Eliphaz in the nose!

"Is not God in the heights of heaven?
And see how lofty are the highest stars!
Yet you say, 'What does God know?
Does he judge through such darkness?
Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us
as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.'

Eliphaz returned to the idea that god is too powerful and distant to really care what is going on. I suppose Eliphaz is holding onto a "deist" kind of god where god simply doesn't interact with us with the possible exception of a final judgement when we all die.

The materialist would say there is no god at all. The pantheist would say god is in the creation.

A theist would believe there is a god and god actually cares what is happening and can interact with us.

Will you keep to the old path
that the wicked have trod?
They were carried off before their time,
their foundations washed away by a flood.
They said to God, 'Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?'
Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,
'Surely our foes are destroyed,
and fire devours their wealth.'
"Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you.

Interestingly, Eliphaz appears to backtrack on the remoteness of god by advising Job to go to god and own up to sin which he believes that Job committed but didn't admit to.

The following are fine sounding words and would be appropriate in other contexts. But in this one it is just more salt in an open wound ...

Accept instruction from his mouth
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:
If you remove wickedness far from your tent
and assign your nuggets to the dust,
your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
then the Almighty will be your gold,
the choicest silver for you.
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty
and will lift up your face to God.
You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
What you decide on will be done,
and light will shine on your ways.
When people are brought low and you say, 'Lift them up!'
then he will save the downcast.
He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."

This last part is indeed fine sounding. As typical Christian people, we have probably said such words to others or have heard such sentiments in sermons.

But what we should say is by context.

You might say that Eliphaz was about 33% right in this passage. But in context he was 100% wrong.

Lord, I don't get to give advice often. But when i do have that opportunity, help me to be wise. Help me to spend more time listening than talking. Grant me discernment to know if there is sin how to address it and when there is not to comfort the suffering soul. As the Christmas season is here, people's emotions may be closer to the surface. Open my eyes to be perceptive to the needs of others. Amen.

Taking a break

Will be back to Job in a little bit!

Haven't stopped contemplating the message of the Bible though. Just thinking about things in a topical fashion for a little while.

Job 21

Job 21 is the halfway mark in the 42 chapter drama of Job.

The structure of the book has been a speech by one of Job's three friends with a response by Job and it is a back and forth between them.

Here Job speaks again ...

Then Job replied:
Listen carefully to my words;
let this be the consolation you give me.
Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.

Job is exasperated! He has essentially given up trying to argue his case to his friends. All he can do is ask them to listen even if in the end they aren't convinced and decide to poke fun at him.

Is my complaint directed to man?
Why should I not be impatient?
Look at me and be astonished;
clap your hand over your mouth.
When I think about this, I am terrified;
trembling seizes my body.
Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?

The friends had been arguing that the wicked falter. And by implication, since Job's life had gone down the drain, then he must have been wicked.

Job continues to argue, it isn't that simple, the wicked often do very well in this world.

He elaborates with the following examples:

They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.
Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not upon them.
Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
They send forth their children as a flock;
their little ones dance about.
They sing to the music of tambourine and harp;
they make merry to the sound of the flute.
They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.

And not only are they, the wicked doing well, they mock god while they are prospering ...

Yet they say to God, 'Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?'

Yet, though the wicked prosper, Job doesn't want anything to do with them ...

But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.

However, its a struggle for Job. Even if he doesn't want to be a part of the ways of the unrighteous, he wonders what is God up to? He wonders why doesn't God strike them down?

Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does calamity come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?
How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a gale?
It is said, 'God stores up a man's punishment for his sons.'
Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it!
Let his own eyes see his destruction;
let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
For what does he care about the family he leaves behind
when his allotted months come to an end?

Despite his obvious frustration, Job still allows God to be God.

Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since he judges even the highest?
One man dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,
his body well nourished,
his bones rich with marrow.
Another man dies in bitterness of soul,
never having enjoyed anything good.
Side by side they lie in the dust,
and worms cover them both.
I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
You say, 'Where now is the great man's house,
the tents where wicked men lived?'

Job saw that in the end, death is the great equalizer. But somehow, it seems not quite right to Job that good people and bad people wind up dead and that the bad people didn't seem to receive their just punishment while they were alive.

He challenges his friends, grab some people on the road and ask them if I am right about this?

Have you never questioned those who travel?
Have you paid no regard to their accounts-
that the evil man is spared from the day of calamity,
that he is delivered from the day of wrath?
Who denounces his conduct to his face?
Who repays him for what he has done?
He is carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over his tomb.
The soil in the valley is sweet to him;
all men follow after him,
and a countless throng goes before him.
So how can you console me with your nonsense?
Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!

Indeed, if the grave is the very last stop and calamity and wrath and payment for sin must take place in this present life then one would be quite stuck: life is truly totally unfair.

If we believe that justice is an absolute concept and we look at our life experience then we have to conclude either (1) we are incorrect in our beliefs because the wicked can prosper in this life or (2) there must be an afterlife where the scales of justice are righted.

On the other hand, if there is no God to right the scales of justice in the afterlife then we have to say that justice is not an absolute concept but merely what those with power can enforce.

God, there are terrible injustices in the world today. It is horrible to know that people are bought and sold in human trafficking. Help those who are fighting that evil. Strengthen our poor power to fight such wickedness. In addition to strengthening the hands of those who stand against such wickedness, move in the hearts of those who do perpetrate such sin. Just as you opened the eyes of slave ship captain John Newton, open the eyes of today's slave traders to see they are wrong and need to make it right by stopping what they do. Lord, have mercy! Amen.

Job 20

Previously, in Job 1-2 the stage is set for the drama of Job's sufferings.

Job 3-14 is the first set of speeches where we hear Job followed by a friend in dueling monologues.

This pattern is continued in Job 15-21 with a second set of dueling monologues.

Here in Job 20, we hear Zophar give his second speech ...

Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.
I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
Surely you know how it has been from of old,
ever since man was placed on the earth,
that the mirth of the wicked is brief,
the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
Though his pride reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
he will perish forever, like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'
Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found,
banished like a vision of the night.
The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.
His children must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.
The youthful vigor that fills his bones
will lie with him in the dust.

Do you think what Zophar says is true?

Indeed, death is the great equalizer. The good and the bad, the great and the lowly, the rich and the poor, all of us share the same fate.

True enough. But does it address where Job is at?

Job knows this is true. What he is complaining about is, where is God?

Job's concern is: I've really tried my best to live a right life and my situation seems just as bad or even worse than the fate of wicked people. What gives?

Zophar goes on ...

Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,
though he cannot bear to let it go
and keeps it in his mouth,
yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;
it will become the venom of serpents within him.
He will spit out the riches he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit them up.
He will suck the poison of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.
He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.
For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;
he has seized houses he did not build.
Surely he will have no respite from his craving;
he cannot save himself by his treasure.
Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.
In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;
the full force of misery will come upon him.

Do you think Zophar is taking a jab at Job?

One could say that Job was "In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him..."

Indeed, distress and misery overtook Job. In Zophar's paradigm, it is the price to be paid by the wicked.

When he has filled his belly,
God will vent his burning anger against him
and rain down his blows upon him.
Though he flees from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.
He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors will come over him;
total darkness lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire unfanned will consume him
and devour what is left in his tent.
The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.
A flood will carry off his house,
rushing waters on the day of God's wrath.
Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God.

Zophar mobilizes very vivid word pictures to describe the fate of the wicked.

I think this passage, along with a lot of other ones where Job's friends speak, illustrates the perils of making judgments about people's lives.

In isolation, what each of Job's friends say is mostly true. But in the context of Job's life, what they say is not pertinent.

The wrong lesson to draw from Job is to say we never make determinations about people's lives.

In life, we are asked to be discerning. After all, Jesus, in one of many picturesque statements, says, Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Jesus could be as tough as nails as he was with the religious leaders of the day. He could also be compassionate like he was in the various people he healed. And in some interactions, he was a mix of both.

So indeed, it may be cliche to say, what would Jesus do?

But he is our example.

We have to be honest and admit Jesus did have tremendous advantages in that he had a hotline to God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit!

We have access as well through prayer and the filling of the Holy Spirit, but humility demands I acknowledge that my heart isn't always pure, nor is my mind constantly focused God-ward and I'm a broken and leaky vessel for the Holy Spirit to be poured into.

Thus, I come to exercise discernment about people's lives with great caution and humility. Yet, we are asked to help each other in life and when necessary helping may mean reading someone the riot act. Hopefully, we will do a better Job than Job's friends.

Lord, clear the clutter of my mind so I focus on you. Keep working on my heart clearing away things that are wicked within me. Strengthen my will to want what you want. Nurture the coals within me that burn for you and stamp out the ones that lead me away from the paths of righteousness. Help me to be wise in how I lead others onto that same path. Amen.

Job 19

Job 19 was this morning's reading.

Then Job answered and said:
How long will you torment me
and break me in pieces with words?
These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
are you not ashamed to wrong me?

The old cliche is sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. I suppose in some situations that may be so. But when you are in pain and your friends are saying hurtful things, it can be pretty tough to bear.

Job said "10 times you have cast reproach" reflects how badly beaten down he feels by his friends. He could be counting specific insults given by his friends in which case maybe there were 10 zingers that he has counted. If you are keeping score at home, up to this point Eliphaz has spoken twice, Bildad twice and Zophar once. Zophar is about to speak in Job 20. Thus, the friends have spoken five times which would make 10 an exaggeration. But I think the point is taken in any case that he feels broken up by his friend's lack of support.

And even if it be true that I have erred,
my error remains with myself.
If indeed you magnify yourselves against me
and make my disgrace an argument against me,
know then that God has put me in the wrong
and closed his net about me.
Behold, I cry out, 'Violence!' but I am not answered;
I call for help, but there is no justice.
He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
and he has set darkness upon my paths.
He has stripped from me my glory
and taken the crown from my head.
He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone,
and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
He has kindled his wrath against me
and counts me as his adversary.
His troops come on together;
they have cast up their siege ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.

Job's recitation of his woes used word pictures of battles and nature torn down. As he saw it, it was as if God was at war with him. The next part of his monologue took the pain to another level as he felt abandoned by the people in his life ...

He has put my brothers far from me,
and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
My relatives have failed me,
my close friends have forgotten me.
The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
My breath is strange to my wife,
and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
Even young children despise me;
when I rise they talk against me.
All my intimate friends abhor me,
and those whom I loved have turned against me.
My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh,
and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has touched me!
Why do you, like God, pursue me?
Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?

Brothers, relatives, close friends, guests, servants, wife, children, intimate friends ...

Job feels everyone close or far in relationship have abandoned him.

Is there any hope in Job right now?

Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
If you say, 'How we will pursue him!'
and, 'The root of the matter is found in him,'
be afraid of the sword,
for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
that you may know there is a judgment.

Probably the most famous part of the Book of Job!

The great statement that God redeems and that those whom God redeems will stand before God in the flesh.

There are many ideas of the afterlife: there isn't one, only the soul survives but the body is destroyed or the soul migrates to another body. But here, Job in this life will die (my skin has been thus destroyed) but Job, as himself, will meet God (yet in my flesh I shall see God).

And what might Job feel upon meeting God?

"My heart faints within me!"

We only know God partially right now and at times we glimpse the greatness of God but I admit a lot of times God seems hard to figure out. But one day, I, like Job will meet God and will fall down before him!

What else does Job say here?

" ... wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment."

Justice. We all feel there is something not quite right about the way things are and so we work to make them right. But we know for those who "get away with it" in this life, they will have to face the God of Justice.

Lord, Job was battered by the suffering of this life and wounded by the words of his friends. Yet, he kept seeking you however imperfectly. In the final analysis, what is the alternative? To take the path of Job's wife and say curse God and die? You are the author of life, you are the righteous judge and you are the redeemer. Where else am I going to go for true life? Lord, help me to lay my sin before you for you to take away. God, help me to lay before you my burdens and sorrows for you to weave into my life making me a more holy and loving person. Amen.

Job 18

Job 18 tonight.

I link to Biblegateway.com because with ease you can change to another translation and you can even get translations into many languages other than English!

I've tended to post using NIV, TNIV, ESV, NKJV. I've occasionally gone with the NLT and once in a while the Message. I personally like the NASB because I grew up with it. But cutting and pasting it from the Biblegateway.com is tough because I have to remove so many footnotes!

On the spectrum of more literal to less literal, I believe the order would be NASB -> NKJV -> ESV -> NIV/TNIV -> NLT -> Message.

For personal reading, I've been going with the NIV/TNIV. But for more serious examination, I'd supplement with the NASB. Within this blog, I've mostly used NIV/TNIV but have and will occasionally use one of the other ones to keep things fresh!

But back to Job 18 ...

Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
How long before you stop talking?
Speak sense if you want us to answer!
Do you think we are mere animals?
Do you think we are stupid?
You may tear out your hair in anger,
but will that destroy the earth?
Will it make the rocks tremble?

Paraphrase: Job, shut up, you think we are dummies?

There is a time and place for "an intervention" when you whack somebody with a frying pan to knock some sense into them. I think this might not be one of those occasions!

Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
The sparks of their fire will not glow.
The light in their tent will grow dark.
The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.
The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened.
Their own schemes will be their downfall.
The wicked walk into a net.
They fall into a pit.
A trap grabs them by the heel.
A snare holds them tight.
A noose lies hidden on the ground.
A rope is stretched across their path.

Paraphrase: the wicked will get their just punishment in time.

Generally true but irrelevant to Job because he is not wicked. He has sought as fully and sincerely as possible to keep a right standing with God. Bildad is giving knitting instructions to a guy trying to land a plane in rainstorm.

Terrors surround the wicked
and trouble them at every step.
Hunger depletes their strength,
and calamity waits for them to stumble.
Disease eats their skin;
death devours their limbs.
They are torn from the security of their homes
and are brought down to the king of terrors.
The homes of the wicked will burn down;
burning sulfur rains on their houses.
Their roots will dry up,
and their branches will wither.
All memory of their existence will fade from the earth,
No one will remember their names.
They will be thrust from light into darkness,
driven from the world.
They will have neither children nor grandchildren,
nor any survivor in the place where they lived.
People in the west are appalled at their fate;
people in the east are horrified.
They will say, This was the home of a wicked person,
the place of one who rejected God.

Paraphrase: Look Job, if you don't turn around and fly right, this is what is going to happen to you. I didn't flap my gums with all this poetry just because I like the sound of my voice (well, maybe I do). I'm telling you all this because you are going down this path!

Application question: When do we do "an intervention?" How do we know if a situation warrants taking a frying pan to someone to get them to see straight? Jesus definitely did that on some occasions! And once we decide an intervention is necessary, how do we do it?

I'm sure Bildad and the others think they are helping Job see things more clearly. But of course, we know they are wrong!

So I suppose we can learn the "negative" lessons here... how not to do an intervention!

(1) Saying things that aren't even applicable to the situation. The friends keep insisting Job sinned but Job has declared that he has tried his best to be in good standing before God.

(2) Strong words are sometimes necessary but personal attacks don't help. The beginning part of Bildad's statements are way too sarcastic!

(3) Say your piece and leave it at that. In the end, people have free will. You can take a horse to water but you can't make her drink. Some of the poetic rhetoric by Bildad is just that: a way to be emotionally manipulative. We can't control people. If we think they are on the wrong path, you tell them so but in the end if they are adults, they are responsible for their lives.

Lord, give me wisdom when I even dare think about giving advice to people. And give me humility should I share that advice. And give me love that is seeking the welfare of the other person and not trying to prove a point. And indeed, sometimes, the wisest, humble and loving thing to do is just listen. Help me to know when to do which. Amen.

Job 17

Job 17 this quiet Saturday afternoon while the laundry is going.

My spirit is broken,
My days are extinguished,
The grave is ready for me.
Are not mockers with me?
And does not my eye dwell on their provocation?

As a young person, most of the time I am filled with a "fighting" spirit... BRING IT ON ... and other such Die Hard-ish kind of bravado.

But there have been times when I feel so beaten down that I can relate in a small way to Job's despair here. He wants to raise the white flag of surrender, to throw in the towel, to tip the king over in resignation.

Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself.
Who is he who will shake hands with me?
For You have hidden their heart from understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
He who speaks flattery to his friends,
Even the eyes of his children will fail.

For today's reading, I clicked on the NKJV text. The phrasing ... Who is he who will shake hands with me? is interesting. Too bad I don't read Hebrew. I wonder what it says because in the NIV the phrasing is ... Who else will put up security for me? I wonder which is the more "literal" translation? Or are they both trying to bring into our language and culture an idea from the Hebrew language.

But anyway, using the NKJV imagery, is Job asking, God will you promise me to be with me? Will you shake hands with me on that God?

Job seeks vindication and the presence of God?

Job then takes a poke at his friends saying they don't understand.

But He has made me a byword of the people,
And I have become one in whose face men spit.
My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow,
And all my members are like shadows.
Upright men are astonished at this,
And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite.
Yet the righteous will hold to his way,
And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.

Job feels he is the object of derision. He is in the land of sorrows and shadow. Yet, he believes there are upright who see his situation and are astonished unlike his friends who assume he must have secret sin he won't release. Job believes the innocent are riled up by the situation. He believes the righteous will stick to their guns even in light of what is happening to him.

When I look at the world and see injustice there is the temptation to just toss up my hands and join in. You know, what the heck, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. BUT, if we believe there is a God who cares about righteousness then we can't do that. Job despite everything is still hanging onto this thread. It seems a thin thread right now but he is hanging onto it!

But please, come back again, all of you,
For I shall not find one wise man among you.
My days are past,
My purposes are broken off,
Even the thoughts of my heart.
They change the night into day;
‘The light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness.
If I wait for the grave as my house,
If I make my bed in the darkness,
If I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
And to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’
Where then is my hope?
As for my hope, who can see it?
Will they go down to the gates of Sheol?
Shall we have rest together in the dust?

Job again slips back into despair talking of death as the next stop in the journey of life for him.

I'm not certain how certain the translators are about the paragraph divisions in these texts. But this chapter had four stanzas.

The first one is quite bleak. The second and third ones exhibit some glimmers of hope. In the second he calls on God to shake hands with him as a promise and in the third he takes comfort that there are some who are outraged at his situation and aren't assuming the worst like his friends. But in the fourth, the existential realty of death is a heavy burden on him.

I was at a church camp and the speaker made an interesting remark that has stuck with me. Part of the job of the people in the church is to help each prepare for death.

Job's friends weren't being much help were they?

Lord, sustain those saints who are long on years and experience the aches and pains of this life. In the proper time, release them from the bonds of this earth that they may experience the fullness of your healing and joy of your presence. For us younger saints, help us to use the vigor of our youth for you and not waste it on things that do not last. Amen.

Job 16

Continuing onward to Job 16.

Job punched back at his friends...

Then Job replied:
I have heard many things like these;
miserable comforters are you all!
Will your long-winded speeches never end?
What ails you that you keep on arguing?
I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head at you.

His friends didn't say anything that Job didn't know already. He felt, c'mon guys, you are no help at all! I have heard everything you have said because I've said them to myself already!

But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Real wisdom is needed in life on what to say to people in pain. How does one encourage and comfort?

Often times words do seem awfully useless. But yet, sometimes words are all we got to give someone. Can't help but think of James 3 where the power of the tongue (words) for good and evil are directly discussed.

If there is sin there, how do we speak truth that can restore?

If there is suffering there, how do we speak truth that encourages and comforts?

Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.

Ever been there?

What is there to do when there is nothing that can be done?

Tearful nights, sleepless dawns.

Can't help but think of Robert Kennedy quoting Aeschylus' Agamemnon on the night Martin Luther King was assassinated:

"In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

Job continued to bare his heart to God and his friends ...

Surely, O God, you have worn me out;
you have devastated my entire household.
You have bound me - and it has become a witness;
my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
God assails me and tears me in his anger
and gnashes his teeth at me;
my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.
Men open their mouths to jeer at me;
they strike my cheek in scorn
and unite together against me.
God has turned me over to evil men
and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
All was well with me, but he shattered me;
he seized me by the neck and crushed me.
He has made me his target;
his archers surround me.
Without pity, he pierces my kidneys
and spills my gall on the ground.
Again and again he bursts upon me;
he rushes at me like a warrior.
I have sewed sackcloth over my skin
and buried my brow in the dust.
My face is red with weeping,
deep shadows ring my eyes;
yet my hands have been free of violence
and my prayer is pure.
O earth, do not cover my blood;
may my cry never be laid to rest!

This is the power of poetry at work: the visual words, the cadence of phrases, the deep emotions pour forth giving form to thoughts from within.

Yes, it sounds sacrilegious to be this angry at God!

As a "religious" person, I often think of myself as "a sinner in the hands of an angry God." And that picture is true! But here the tables are turned somewhat where God is in the hands of an angry sufferer.

Later on in Job, God responded and Job cowered in the presence of God and rightly so.

The choice was before him: "curse God and die" or engage God honestly and see what happens.

Indeed, Job goes on knowing he needed help ...

Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
My intercessor is my friend
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as a man pleads for his friend.
Only a few years will pass
before I go on the journey of no return.

Job didn't know about Jesus and what that would mean theologically. However, Job knew the human condition. He knew his condition. If he, if we, are to stand before God, we need help.

Lord, thank you that Jesus is my advocate before you. I can pour out tears to you and you will hear because Jesus has restored my relationship to you, O God. Amen.

Job 15

Previously,
Job 1-2 Narrative Prologue
Job 3 - Job's lament
First cycle of poems
Eliphaz - Job 4-5, Job replies - Job 6-7
Bildad - Job 8, Job replies - Job 9-10
Zophar - Job 11, Job replies - Job 12-14

I was recently at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in San Diego. One highlight of the exhibit was the videos from the UCLA Qumran Visualization Project.



One of the scrolls on display was an Aramaic translation of the Book of Job. It was kind of a strange moment to think that I had just a little bit in common with that scribe 2000 years in the past and 1/2 a world away!

What did he think about when he wrote out Job 15?

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
Would a wise man answer with empty notions
or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
Would he argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?

Them is fighting words!

He goes on with more jabs.

But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.
Your sin prompts your mouth;
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.

It seems that each speech by the friends of Job is getting progressively more aggressive. Eliphaz's prior speech in chapter 4 seemed downright mild in comparison!

Are you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?
Do you listen in on God's council?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?
The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
men even older than your father.

It is certainly true enough that Job probably wasn't the first man to suffer and wonder what the heck is going on. In someway, Job is "everyman" or at least every man who has tried to live rightly with faith in God. Someone who hasn't tried to live rightly would have no right to complain. And someone with no faith in God would have no God he or she would want to complain to!

Are God's consolations not enough for you,
words spoken gently to you?
Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
so that you vent your rage against God
and pour out such words from your mouth?
What is man, that he could be pure,
or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?
If God places no trust in his holy ones,
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
how much less man, who is vile and corrupt,
who drinks up evil like water!

Such powerful words!

Sometimes when I'm feeling like the score is disappointment in life 5 me 0, I feel pretty low. As a person of faith, I ask myself, Are God's consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? Do I really have the right to complain?

One thing I live by (I confess I often don't succeed) and I wonder if you think it is wrong of me to do this but I try to act happier than I actually am. Friends who know me will tell me I often fail at this! However, this is something I strive for. You see sometimes by acting happy you soon become happy. And even if that doesn't happen, I might still have an impact on those around me in a positive way. Do you think this is a good thing?

There is a scene in the film Cinderella Man when the character played by Rene Zellwegger is at the end of her rope with the children. When she is with them, she maintains a positive outlook. However, she then steps outside her home and breaks down and cries. She tried to act more happily than she felt because she wanted to protect her children.

The whole premise of the film Life is Beautiful is similar to this.

However, when I'm alone with God. I am at more liberty to be myself. Is this the right approach?

One last thought, from Job 1-2, we find that God has placed trust in Job in contrast to Eliphaz's point If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water!

Eliphaz continues very confidently and belligerently ...

Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,
what wise men have declared,
hiding nothing received from their fathers
(to whom alone the land was given
when no alien passed among them):
All his days the wicked man suffers torment,
the ruthless through all the years stored up for him.
Terrifying sounds fill his ears;
when all seems well, marauders attack him.
He despairs of escaping the darkness;
he is marked for the sword.
He wanders about - food for vultures;
he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
Distress and anguish fill him with terror;
they overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
because he shakes his fist at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.
Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,
he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,
houses crumbling to rubble.
He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,
nor will his possessions spread over the land.
He will not escape the darkness;
a flame will wither his shoots,
and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away.
Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,
for he will get nothing in return.
Before his time he will be paid in full,
and his branches will not flourish.
He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb fashions deceit.

Such vivid word pictures!

It is passages like these especially that tell me this story isn't "literal" in the sense this is a transcript of Job and his three friends sitting on the porch contemplating the mysteries of life. Do you and I talk in poetry to each other?

What probably happened was that the author of Job put into beautifully imaginative poetry the kinds of thoughts people have when they wrestle with the age old questions of justice, suffering, faithfulness, God and friendship.

Shakespeare's works aren't literally true but they are based loosely on real life events and embody real life experiences of the human condition.

So on the substance, is Eliphaz right?

9 times out of 10, people do get their comeuppance. The wheels of justice in this life sometimes do work and those who do wrong pay a price for their ways. But the difference in the story is that it is one thing to see the foibles of the rich and famous documented on the television news and then for them to wind up in jail. They are getting their just dessserts.

It is another thing to see someone suffering and assume they have some sin which we haven't seen.

Is Job suffering because he sinned?

Thus, as one may say, the premise of the question doesn't apply.

Lord, help me to take consolation in you during the difficult times. Help me to be loving to those around me who are in pain. Help me to be discerning about my sin and other's sin and slow to make judgments about others. And when I do make judgments on others, help me to do so with extreme humility and ready to give mercy and compassion with the goal of restoration and not to tear down. Amen.

Job 14

Am looking at Job 14 this morning.

Job is continuing the monologue he started back in Job 12.

Man who is born of woman
Is of few days and full of trouble.
He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
And do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And bring me to judgment with Yourself?
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
Look away from him that he may rest,
Till like a hired man he finishes his day.
For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
But man dies and is laid away;
Indeed he breathes his last
And where is he?
As water disappears from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dries up,

Do you think about death a lot?

I don't. Certain events in life (death of someone I know, a personal health problem, some tragedy in the news) will cause me to think about death. And when I sit and think about it, I do have to say what Job is saying here: we are here and gone just like that.

Can I wake up every morning and think, I'm going to die today? I suppose it might focus my mind more on gratitude and making the most of the opportunity of life? Or would it just be depressing leading me to not even bother going out the door?

Of course, we have to allow Job this time of reflection because of his circumstances.

As one pastor shared with me, I don't have to preach too loud at funerals. At other times, pastors can get a megaphone in our face and we don't listen!

So man lies down and does not rise.
Till the heavens are no more,
They will not awake
Nor be roused from their sleep.
Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait,
Till my change comes.
You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.

Do you think Job believes in an afterlife?

A lot of times, Job talks of death and it seems like he is saying, that's it, you are in the ground and there is nothing more.

This passages seem to hint that he believes there might be something more.

What do you think?

Is it the part of me that knows of Jesus and the resurrection that biases me to think that Job had at least a hint of an afterlife?

From the next passage, I can't help but feel that Job is of two minds about the afterlife. At times, it seems like he thinks there is nothing more and at other times he seems to be hinting he believes there is more.

For now You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You cover my iniquity.
But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,
And as a rock is moved from its place;
As water wears away stones,
And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
So You destroy the hope of man.
You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
His sons come to honor, and he does not know it;
They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
But his flesh will be in pain over it,
And his soul will mourn over it.

It does seem bleak doesn't it?

I think the "hint" of an afterlife is that Job seems to care about justice as he talks about sin.

For now You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You cover my iniquity.

Job believes he has sin in his life but that God has forgiven him of his sins.

The simple calculation is that he is suffering right now and so he must have sin. If there is no afterlife, where is the vindication of his standing before God?

Perhaps, that is a reach of convoluted logic.

Lord, the physical life is precious to me. You want me to do justice in this life but I know there is still lots of injustice. You want me to show mercy to people in this life but sometimes that just doesn't seem like enough to make up for has happened. You want me to walk humbly with you but it seems hard when things happen that don't make a lot of sense. Help me to be like Job to be able to say like him,
If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait,
Till my change comes.
You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
Amen.

Job 13

Onward to Job 13.

Job goes into a thrust and parry mode.

He takes a poke at Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar and says their arguments are not unfamiliar to him.

Behold, my eye has seen all this,
my ear has heard and understood it.
What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

What Job wants is an audience with God.

But I would speak to the Almighty,
and I desire to argue my case with God.

Job pokes his friends again!

As for you, you whitewash with lies;
worthless physicians are you all.
Oh that you would keep silent,
and it would be your wisdom!

Job switches back to wanting to make his case.

Hear now my argument
and listen to the pleadings of my lips.

He slaps at his friends again.

Will you speak falsely for God
and speak deceitfully for him?
Will you show partiality toward him?
Will you plead the case for God?
Will it be well with you when he searches you out?
Or can you deceive him, as one deceives a man?
He will surely rebuke you
if in secret you show partiality.
Will not his majesty terrify you,
and the dread of him fall upon you?
Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.

He demands silence from his friends so he can have the floor to make the case with God.

Let me have silence, and I will speak,
and let come on me what may.
Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and put my life in my hand?
Though he slay me, I will hope in him;
yet I will argue my ways to his face.
This will be my salvation,
that the godless shall not come before him.
Keep listening to my words,
and let my declaration be in your ears.
Behold, I have prepared my case;
I know that I shall be in the right.
Who is there who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.

The phrase that really jumps out at me is Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face. Whoa. Audacious. Chutzpah. Any other words you want to use to describe Job here?

Job straddles that fine line of respect for God ... he realizes he could be zapped on the ground he is standing on ... and intimacy with God ... he wants to get in God's face!

He goes on and demands two things from God ...

Only grant me two things,
then I will not hide myself from your face:
withdraw your hand far from me,
and let not dread of you terrify me.
Then call, and I will answer;
or let me speak, and you reply to me.

Paraphrasing Job by drawing from my own prayer life when sometimes I feel anguish such that all I can barely croak out in prayer is, God I'm in pain (emotional or physical), make it stop, talk to me, listen to me. HELP!

How many are my iniquities and my sins?
Make me know my transgression and my sin.
Why do you hide your face
and count me as your enemy?

Job knows he isn't a perfect man. He pleads, God, did I mess up somewhere? I know its possible, tell me!

He brings all his doubts to God's feet

Will you frighten a driven leaf
and pursue dry chaff?
For you write bitter things against me
and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
You put my feet in the stocks
and watch all my paths;
you set a limit for the soles of my feet.
Man wastes away like a rotten thing,
like a garment that is moth-eaten.

To be continued into Job 14 ...

Lord, Job, one of the oldest books in the Bible reads and sounds as real today as prayers anguished believers pray each night as they bring their sorrows to you. God, I have heard words from my mouth no where near as eloquent as Job's words but they come from the same heart. Lord God, grant comfort to those people in my life for whom I know sorrow is their portion at this moment. Grant me some of that blessing too as I face difficulties in day-to-day life. Amen.

Job 12

Previously, in chapter 1-2 we got the behind the scenes look at the cosmic struggle for faith and its meaning to God.

Job's opening lament was chapter 3.

Eliphaz spoke in chapter 4-5. Job replied in chapter 6-7.

Bildad spoke in chapter 8. Job replied in chapter 9-10.

Zophar spoke in chapter 11. Now Job launches into a reply in Job 12. His reply extended into chapters 13-14.

Then Job replied:
Doubtless you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!

A little sarcasm here, dear Job?

But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?

Job comes out swinging saying he has thought about all the arguments his friends have been making about his suffering.

I have become a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called upon God and he answered --
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!

He felt as if his friends are mocking him. He feels he has not only lost his possession, his family and his health but also his dignity and the respect of others. He feels alone in his belief that as far as he could tell he was righteous and blameless before God.

Men at ease have contempt for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
The tents of marauders are undisturbed,
and those who provoke God are secure --
those who carry their god in their hands.

He blasted his friends saying, it is easy for you to criticize me because you have it easy right now.

Job then launched into a tour of the grandeur of the physical world as evidence that God is the Creator.

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?

What does the animal world tell us about the nature of life?

Ever watch a nature documentary?

You see animals killing each other! We sometimes romanticize animals because in cartoons they talk and are singing songs. But real life, in the wild, is bloody and filled with death.

Is Job saying that humans are under the same scenario as the animals?

Job sees the creation and knows God is behind it. And if God is behind it, then questions of life and death and wisdom have to come from God.

In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.
Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?
Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?

Is Job being sarcastic again saying that his buddies are old and they really "understand?"

Or is he saying, he is the one who is truly wise because of his life experience and perspective sitting on the ash heap?

Either way, he launches into an incredible poetic statement of the power of God.

To God belong wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.
What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man he imprisons cannot be released.
If he holds back the waters, there is drought;
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.
To him belong strength and victory;
both deceived and deceiver are his.
He leads counselors away stripped
and makes fools of judges.
He takes off the shackles put on by kings
and ties a loincloth around their waist.
He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows men long established.
He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.
He pours contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.
He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into the light.
He makes nations great, and destroys them;
he enlarges nations, and disperses them.
He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;
he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.
They grope in darkness with no light;
he makes them stagger like drunkards.

23 verbs. Count them. 23 times. God tears down, God holds back, God leads, God reveals ...

There is an abstract theological debate about God's relationship to time and God's balancing of human free will and divine sovereignty.

I don't have any answers. I have ideas but certainly nothing I could "prove." I think it would be the height of folly to claim I can prove my views on God.

God has to have a "strange" relationship to time because time appears to be a function of the created universe. If God exists "prior" to the universe and time only exists because their is a universe than God's relationship to time must be quite beyond our comprehension.

As for divine sovereignty, I have a somewhat nuanced view which I don't know if it lands me as a heretic or not but I'm very careful when I describe the power of God. Some might say, God is so powerful, God can do everything. I feel that is not precise. God can do everything God wants to do. Do you see the difference?

For instance, can God do something evil? I say no. So that means God can't do everything! To which I reply, I believe God can do whatever God wants to do. God doesn't want to do evil so God doesn't do evil.

So what is the relationship to human free will?

How about a trivial example?

I suppose one might ask, does God make me put on that loud green tie today?

I suppose if God really wanted to make me put on that silly tie, God could do so. I suppose if God really didn't want me to put on that goofy tie, God could stop me. However, I believe that God can do whatever God wants to do and maybe, just maybe, God says, Rene, you can put on any tie you like. Has God's sovereignty been preserved? Has my free will been preserved?

Obviously, this gets a lot more complicated with matters more significant than the color of the tie I put on in the morning.

Sorry, dear gentle readers, I've gone from the sublime poetry of Job that attempts to describe the ineffable aspects of God power to talking about ties.

But I hope you see where my meditation has been going this morning.

Lord, you are powerful and can do what you want. But in your deciding what you want, you have given us incredible freedom and the consequences of that. Dear Jesus, there are days I'm deeply saddened by what I see happening around the world. I'm hurt to the core to see loved ones suffer. And yes, in my selfishness, I often bitterly complain to you about my own hurts. But I lay them all at your altar knowing my duty is to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before you. Job tried to do that his whole life and he is sitting on an ash heap and pretty upset. And for all his faults, he knows where wisdom is found and he is wrestling with you about it. Lord, help me to do the same in my life. Amen.

Job 11

Am looking at Job 11 this morning.

Zophar, the third of Job's friends spoke here.

Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
Are all these words to go unanswered?
Is this talker to be vindicated?
Will your idle talk reduce men to silence?
Will no one rebuke you when you mock?
You say to God, My beliefs are flawless
and I am pure in your sight.
Oh, how I wish that God would speak,
that he would open his lips against you
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.
Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than the heavens - what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths of the grave - what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.

When I read Job, I sometimes think about what is needed in a pastoral sense. In most cases, a human response, an emotional response is the first response and are often wordless. When one sees pain in a beloved person, there is the desire to comfort with one's presence and to offer meaningful touch in a hug, in holding hands, in offering a shoulder to cry on.

One could then move toward a verbal response. These verbal responses would still be in the realm of the human and emotional response. They would include expressions of love, support, understanding and promises of continued presence.

When does one move to a verbal and theological response?

I suppose in fairness to Job's friends, Job did start talking in emotional as well as theological terms and thus opened the door to their responses.

We may fault the three friends for not being very sympathetic to the emotional parts of Job's tirades and going straight for the theological.

Indeed, Zophar has done this here.

To his credit, some of his response mirrors what God will say later on: God is beyond our full comprehension!

But Zophar couldn't resist going into ground trodden by the other two friends.

If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?
Surely he recognizes deceitful men;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?
But a witless man can no more become wise
than a wild donkey's colt can be born a man.
Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.
But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
their hope will become a dying gasp.

The bottom line: you sin, you suffer, you do good, you are blessed.

Theoretically it is all pretty straightforward.

What Zophar says is usually true. What Job's friends have been saying is usually true.

One of the things in life is that we have our "big premise" which we hold to be true. However, individual cases will vary.

I can think of two films in recent memory where the film makers play with the idea of "you think this way about this person" and then they show you, yes, it is partly true but the story of their life is a little more complicated.

The films American Beauty and Crash very much played into stereotypes and dash those stereotypes to drive their stories. The films are R rated for all the reasons you would expect so I wouldn't recommend them to everyone. But the point of the films are that things aren't always what they seem. The "bad" guy might actually have some redeeming qualities. And the "good guy" might not be so good after all.

But back to Job ... when we see the righteous man suffering, we have a stone in our shoe. We feel there is something wrong with this movie. As humans, we naturally feel the need for an explanation and so we come up with some obvious one:
(1) Job messed up and he is now paying the price
(2) God messed up and we should walk away from God or accept there is nobody out there at the controls.

As humans living our day-to-day life, we do need to exercise discernment. We do need to the best of our ability, call them as we see them. God gave the 10 Commandments and other things like that as a guide for life. And to the best of our ability we make determinations in our life how to live up to it and how to what extent someone else is living up to it.

Theoretically it is all pretty straightforward but this must be all done with humility in recognition that things aren't always as they appear to be.

I do fault Job's friends for endlessly plowing the same ground. I do give them credit for showing up. So much of friendship is showing up. They did drop the ball on the verbal empathy part though!

Lord, some days I look around and see the unfairness of the world in the lives of others and sometimes I feel life has been unfair to me. At those moments, I feel sad. I do wonder if perhaps I have sinned in some way and I deserve my lot in life. But I bring my sin to you and trust that you forgive me of them. I desire to live as full a life as possible. Living in the USA, I have so many opportunities for which I'm grateful. As a sinner, I know I fall short of the high standard you set and am thankful for forgiveness. And I trust in your strengthening to help me live a life to do the right thing more often than not and to love the people you bring into my life. But I often feel that what I have to give them may not be what they need or what I have to give them is not wanted. Yet, you have called me to love others and I realize I may have to often love completely without complete understanding of those I love. And because of the mysterious of how you work and because of the illusiveness of the people I love, I am humbled and must walk in humility before you leaving into your hands so many things that are beyond my control. Please bless me today that I may be a blessing to others. And please bless me because I trust in your goodness to me for my true happiness. Amen.

Job 10:1-22

Job 10.

Wow!

I don't know about you but when I'm discouraged to the point of being in the fetal position I have almost zero ability to articulate what it is I'm feeling. Job here in vivid poetic language described his despair.

I loathe my very life;
therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.
I will say to God: Do not condemn me,
but tell me what charges you have against me.
Does it please you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your hands,
while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?
Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees?
Are your days like those of a mortal
or your years like those of a man,
that you must search out my faults
and probe after my sin -
though you know that I am not guilty
and that no one can rescue me from your hand?
Your hands shaped me and made me.
Will you now turn and destroy me?
Remember that you molded me like clay.
Will you now turn me to dust again?
Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese,
clothe me with skin and flesh
and knit me together with bones and sinews?
You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your providence watched over my spirit.
But this is what you concealed in your heart,
and I know that this was in your mind:
If I sinned, you would be watching me
and would not let my offense go unpunished.
If I am guilty - woe to me!
Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,
for I am full of shame
and drowned in my affliction.
If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion
and again display your awesome power against me.
You bring new witnesses against me
and increase your anger toward me;
your forces come against me wave upon wave.
Why then did you bring me out of the womb?
I wish I had died before any eye saw me.
If only I had never come into being,
or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!
Are not my few days almost over?
Turn away from me so I can have a moment's joy
before I go to the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and deep shadow,
to the land of deepest night,
of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.

What could one possibly add to that?

What pastoral and devotional message can we get from here?

I took at look at the notes of one of my study Bibles and this is what the editor said: Job imagines that God is angry with him, an innocent man (Job 9:28), and that he takes delight in the wicked. Such words are a reminder that the sickroom is not the place to argue theology; in times of severe suffering, people may say things that require a response of love and understanding. Job himself will eventually repent, and God will forgive (Job 42:1-6).

Lord, grant to those who minister to the sick wisdom. Help me in my journey of faith to have understanding upon those who are in difficulty. And when I'm the one in difficulty, may I receive your comfort and the gracious understanding of those you have given me to share the adventure of life with. Amen.

Job 9:25-35

Looking at Job 9:25-35 this morning. Job continues the rant ...

Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
They pass by like swift ships,
Like an eagle swooping on its prey.

With great imagery, Job recognizes the shortness of his life. Though I think he, and us for that matter, may regret that life passes by so swiftly, the main source of angst is the sense that at times it seems all rather futile ...

If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
I am afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that You will not hold me innocent.
If I am condemned,
Why then do I labor in vain?
If I wash myself with snow water,
And cleanse my hands with soap,
Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes will abhor me.
For He is not a man, as I am,
That I may answer Him,
And that we should go to court together.
Nor is there any mediator between us,
Who may lay his hand on us both.
Let Him take His rod away from me,
And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
Then I would speak and not fear Him,
But it is not so with me.

Those who don't think there is a god who "balances the scales of justice" in the afterlife will often say, why can't humans do good for the intrinsic worth of doing good? Why do I need a god to punish and reward me for doing the right thing and avoiding the wrong thing?

Indeed, we want to believe that we would "do the right thing" even if nobody saw us do so or would reward us after the fact. I'm sure parents want their kids to do the right thing simply because it is right.

That is a nice argument. But I guess the problem is the reality that many people don't do the right thing. The reality is that people do the wrong thing and get away with it. So with one hand, the skeptic will say I don't think we need a god to reward us to do the right thing. And with the other hand they will say, so many people get away with stuff, where is god anyway?

Seems to me like the classic heads I win, tails you lose scenario. The skeptic says we don't need god to reward us for doing the right thing and we blame god for the evil in this world. So I suppose the only "logical" solution is to say there really isn't any such thing as the right thing and the wrong thing? How do you feel about that?

But back to poor Job, he really feels that life is unfair. Can't dispute him on that point.

But doubt and difficulty has two sides much like the famous Chinese word for crisis: When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

Job is on a knife's edge. He is honest about his pain. He is honest about trying to honor god and as far as he can tell, he has, yet the reality of his pain can't be denied. What will he do? What will he do?

Lord, I know I can complain and whine too often. Part of it is emotional venting. But at the core, I have a choice... what do I do next? Lord, help me to have a more grateful attitude and a more courageous mindset. Help me to say, Bring IT on. But as the disciples said, Lord, I believe help my unbelief. Amen.

Job 9:11-24

Continuing on in Job 9:11-24...

Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not;
he moves on, but I do not perceive him.

God is different from us. I can't claim I have "seen" God. However, I believe that God is at work in this world. One can't see the wind but one can see the effect of the wind.

But in any case, Job is feeling very abandoned at this moment.

Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back?
Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?'

Would you ever have the nerve to tell God, "What *are* you doing?" This passage tells us that Job is tremendously honest. It is kind of like a private in the army asking the 5 star general, what are you doing?

Job continues ...

"God will not turn back his anger;
beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab.
How then can I answer him,
choosing my words with him?
Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him;
I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.
If I summoned him and he answered me,
I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.
For he crushes me with a tempest
and multiplies my wounds without cause;
he will not let me get my breath,
but fills me with bitterness.
If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty!
If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?
Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me;
though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
I am blameless; I regard not myself;
I loathe my life.
It is all one; therefore I say,
He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
When disaster brings sudden death,
he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
he covers the faces of its judges --
if it is not he, who then is it?

Pretty harsh words, eh?

Job accuses God of being indifferent to his situation, that God crushes both the blameless and the wicked and that life is not fair.

In Yancey's book, Disappointment with God he makes that point: we know life is not fair and we then equate life with God, therefore, God is not fair. We may feel this way but is life and God actually this way?

One of my Christian guy buddies way back in the high school and college days used to off-handedly say, yeah, I suppose if God was really fair to us there would be two smoking holes in the ground right now. I suppose to many people that sounds harsh. But if we think about it, if God is totally holy and we are not, how can we stand?

But of course poor Job has been trying real hard to be right before God and as far he knows, his slate is clean. And we know from Job 1-2, indeed, his accounts are regarded as clear with God!

The reality of this world is that bad things happen to good people so life is unfair but life is not equal to God. The rain falls on the good and the bad. Drought befalls the good farmer and the bad farmer. That is the way of the world right now.

As for the problem of sin, God has made provision through the Cross.

My "theology" allows for God to intervene in other ways but my understanding of the "omnipotence" of God is not that God intervenes all the time but rather God can do what God wants to do whenever God wants to. Because God wants humans to have free will means that God often opts to back-off. Yancey called this "divine shyness." God is really caught between a rock and a hard place: intervene too much people and God will seem overbearing, hold back and people wonder where is God? Thus, God is trying to draw the "inside straight flush" of accomplishing God's purposes yet respecting the free will of human creatures.

At this moment in the story, I think Job would find this explanation unsatisfying and understandably so. I suppose by the end of the story though, he would agree with Yancey.

So what do I take from this story: when people shake their fist at God, don't get too worked up. If Job, a really righteous guy, did so and it is in the Bible then God isn't stunned to hear it.

Lord, life at times can be quite difficult. In my prayer times, I can bring to you some of the tough situations in the lives of people I know. I trust in your wisdom as to when you decide to intervene and when you decide not to. I also want to take to heart that I am my brother's keeper and that on some occasions your answer to the prayer is for me to do something. Help me today to keep my eyes out for how you are at work in those subtle ways that led my friends to say, hmm, maybe that was a God thing. Amen.

Job 9:1-10

Previously, in Job, we got the "behind the scenes" look in Job 1-2.

Job 3 is Job's first monologue where he laments his situation.

Job 4-5 is Eliphaz's first monologue where his argument is mainly, God blesses the good people and won't mistreat the innocent. The hidden message: Job you must have sinned.

Job 6-7 is Job's reply which contains the disappointment in his friend for the implication of his words. Job acknowledges the finite and transient nature of his life but wonders what God is up to.

Job 8 is Bildad's first monologue where he picks up Eliphaz's argument but is explicit about the connection between sin and suffering.

Job 9 is Job's reaction.

Will look at his speech from verses 1-10 only though the speech runs through chapter 10.

Then Job replied:
Indeed, I know that this is true.
But how can a mortal be righteous before God?

In Job's response to Eliphaz, he was much hotter under the collar. This time, Job is a bit more restrained. He acknowledges the "logic" of what Bildad says. Indeed, can anyone of us truly stand before a holy God? The answer is obviously no.

Though one wished to dispute with him,
he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.

Nonetheless, Job would like to have an audience with God but he knows he would stand no chance. And Job is quite realistic about where he stands before God ...

His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
He moves mountains without their knowing it
and overturns them in his anger.
He shakes the earth from its place
and makes its pillars tremble.
He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;
he seals off the light of the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.

Job is upset with God yet he doesn't lose sight of the fact that God is God and he isn't. He is keenly aware that the creator of the universe is very powerful and with a mere word the features of the physical world could be altered.

As a someone who loves the sciences and grew up with the NASA space program and astronomy shows on PBS, I love the next part ...

He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

Since I don't read Hebrew, I wonder how literal are these translations? I suppose the translators might have inferred these constellations from the text?

I wonder if Job had in mind "Ursa Major?"



Image source: http://stardate.org/nightsky/constellations/ursa_major.html

Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations. If I pointed to it today and Job was with me, would he say, yup, that is what I had in mind when I said that?



Image source: http://stardate.org/nightsky/constellations/orion.html

One of the most famous star clusters is the Pleiades ...



Image source: http://stardate.org/resources/gallery/gallery_detail.php?id=32

I find it heart warming and compelling that Job who lived thousands of years ago would look at the sky with awe and wonder at the same things I do today. Though separated by time and cultures, our common humanity is seen in this bit of astronomy. And it takes the breath away and Job says ...

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

I hear you Job. Amen.