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.