Continuing on ...
Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
What jumps out at you?
For me ...
"foreigners here in reverent fear"
and
"chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times."
I think one of the struggles of living out the Christian faith is finding the healthy tension between recognizing a higher calling (we belong to God) which leads us to be foreigners yet not become isolated from this present life in the process.
As an ethnic minority, I have experienced some of that "foreign-ness" in that there is sometimes not full acceptance by the majority culture. Some differences are innocuous and fall into the realm of mere "taste" or "preference." But some differences are real values clashes.
If we are living out the Christian faith, there will be times we feel like "foreigners." For example, today, there is a very aggressive strand of atheism that views Christians as intellectually deficient and the source of many problems in society. For less aggressive atheists, they view Christians as odd people but tolerable as long as they don't say too much.
Because of this, it will be easy to retreat to one's own enclaves.
But, of course, the life of Jesus and his message calls us to influence the lives of others by demonstrating love, calling people to turn back to God and building bridges. Thus, the temptation to retreat to a private precinct is to be resisted.
Its mind blowing to consider "chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times."
The mission of Jesus was planned before the creation of the world? Whoa.
As humans, we think in linear time: creation of world --> fall of humanity --> Jesus.
This passage says that Jesus was chosen to the sacrificial lamb before the creation... before the fall ... before it was necessary (in our sense of linear time)!
Jesus, as the sacrificial lamb, at that moment in human history, is effective not just for those in the first century but for us in the 21st century and for that matter for all time?!
And in God's time line, Jesus' revelation is "the last times."
People sometimes object to the Christian faith because it isn't rational.
In most people's mind, people believe that means Christianity is irrational and thus not true.
I propose for your consideration that that is inaccurate.
Rather, I consider Christianity supra-rational.
Is that a real word?
Yes.
Love cannot be comprehended by reason alone. It involves reason in that we observe the beloved and interact with words and deeds. But the choice of love, the commitment to love, the cherishing of the beloved requires more than reason.
Christianity posits that God is a person who is seeking to reconcile wayward creatures to himself and each other. Since this existentially is about relationships it cannot be exclusively a rational endeavor.
Do you buy it?
Lord, thank you for redeeming me. I was stuck in a futile path. I was alienated. I was without hope. But you have paid a price to transfer me from that lost life. Through Jesus' life, example, teaching, death and resurrection, there is hope and life and love. Help me to live in this truth with reverence. Amen.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
1 Peter 1:13-16
Its Christmas!
Can we get an Advent perspective on this reading from 1 Peter?
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.
When is "when Jesus Christ is revealed?"
At one level, when Jesus came to be born in a manger, he was revealed!
Most didn't notice.
But Jesus will come again ...
Some think this passage describes Jesus return, At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. If so, there will be no missing it!
And so Peter appears to be encouraging us to set our hope on that future event. But suffice to say, hope and grace has already begun breaking into the world with the arrival of the Christ child!
The hearers of 1 Peter didn't live to see the day of Christ's return. And 2000 years later, we wonder when Jesus will return. Will it happen in our lifetime?
Mark 13:32-36 tells us no one except God knows when Jesus will return.
And what advice did Jesus give while we wait?
Be on guard ...
Be alert ...
Be about our assigned task ...
And Peter echoes Jesus words:
Prepare your minds for action
Be self-controlled
Set your hope on grace
Do not conform to evil desires
Be holy
Thank you Lord for Christmas! Grace has been given in the Christ child, grace is given each day and grace will be given to your people when you return. But for today my prayer is as the words of the Christmas Carol ...
Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Amen.
Can we get an Advent perspective on this reading from 1 Peter?
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.
When is "when Jesus Christ is revealed?"
At one level, when Jesus came to be born in a manger, he was revealed!
Most didn't notice.
But Jesus will come again ...
Some think this passage describes Jesus return, At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. If so, there will be no missing it!
And so Peter appears to be encouraging us to set our hope on that future event. But suffice to say, hope and grace has already begun breaking into the world with the arrival of the Christ child!
The hearers of 1 Peter didn't live to see the day of Christ's return. And 2000 years later, we wonder when Jesus will return. Will it happen in our lifetime?
Mark 13:32-36 tells us no one except God knows when Jesus will return.
And what advice did Jesus give while we wait?
Be on guard ...
Be alert ...
Be about our assigned task ...
And Peter echoes Jesus words:
Prepare your minds for action
Be self-controlled
Set your hope on grace
Do not conform to evil desires
Be holy
Thank you Lord for Christmas! Grace has been given in the Christ child, grace is given each day and grace will be given to your people when you return. But for today my prayer is as the words of the Christmas Carol ...
Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Amen.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
1 Peter 1:10-12
Continuing in I Peter ...
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Jesus changed everything.
The prophets of old pointing were pointing to that change. But they didn't get to see it in their lifetimes.
The angels "long to look ..." I wonder what does that really mean?
image source: http://www.binoculartips.com/
Imagine if you will, angels in the presence of God and God speaks to them of His plans to initiate a salvation plan through Jesus. The angels wonder, what is going to happen?
God, being God, can see how it will unfold ... down to the details of ...
people sneering at a pregnant Mary...
Joseph feeling the cold shoulders of people who think he's clueless...
Jesus experiencing the joy of people responding...
and the pain of people rejecting...
the agony of bearing the cross...
the power and glory of the resurrection...
the birth of the church...
and how the church will sometime embody the grace God wants to extend to God's delight...
and how the church will all too often fall into self-righteousness and cold heartedness grieving God...
the culmination of all things when God turns the kingdoms of this world into his kingdom...
But the angels, not being God, can't see how the future unfolds.
They wonder what is going to happen?
They know something wonderful is going to happen and so they in their own way, in ways we don't understand, do as God directs them and participate with us in the unfolding of what God is doing?
Thank you Lord that grace has come. Reconciliation with You and our fellow human beings is unfolding. The suffering of Jesus has opened the gates of salvation and that glory flows out and the angels watch with awe and wonder. May this Christmas season see a renewal in my own heart of the amazing thing you have done and a renewal of my commitment to take part in what you are doing in this world. Amen.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Jesus changed everything.
The prophets of old pointing were pointing to that change. But they didn't get to see it in their lifetimes.
The angels "long to look ..." I wonder what does that really mean?
image source: http://www.binoculartips.com/
Imagine if you will, angels in the presence of God and God speaks to them of His plans to initiate a salvation plan through Jesus. The angels wonder, what is going to happen?
God, being God, can see how it will unfold ... down to the details of ...
people sneering at a pregnant Mary...
Joseph feeling the cold shoulders of people who think he's clueless...
Jesus experiencing the joy of people responding...
and the pain of people rejecting...
the agony of bearing the cross...
the power and glory of the resurrection...
the birth of the church...
and how the church will sometime embody the grace God wants to extend to God's delight...
and how the church will all too often fall into self-righteousness and cold heartedness grieving God...
the culmination of all things when God turns the kingdoms of this world into his kingdom...
But the angels, not being God, can't see how the future unfolds.
They wonder what is going to happen?
They know something wonderful is going to happen and so they in their own way, in ways we don't understand, do as God directs them and participate with us in the unfolding of what God is doing?
Thank you Lord that grace has come. Reconciliation with You and our fellow human beings is unfolding. The suffering of Jesus has opened the gates of salvation and that glory flows out and the angels watch with awe and wonder. May this Christmas season see a renewal in my own heart of the amazing thing you have done and a renewal of my commitment to take part in what you are doing in this world. Amen.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
I Peter 1:3-9
1 Peter 1:3-9 launches into a uplifting reflection of the end of our stories and how that helps us in the day-to-day.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
image source: http://www.callbox7.com/a-complete-guide-to-ambulance/
2000 years separate us in the USA from the recipients of this letter from St. Peter. In some ways, we are quite different from those people. I think that the shadow of death hung over them much more than it does today. In a time with no medicine or hospitals, death was probably something the average person saw quite often. A trauma on the street with no ER to rush them too, an infection with no antibiotics and on goes the list of things that could strike someone down that today we could do something about was a potential death sentence for the hearers of St. Peter's letter.
And so the living hope of Jesus would be very powerful. The idea that something that would not perish, spoil or fade would be immensely re-assuring.
How about us today?
Though we have banished many causes of death with medicine and technology, our essential mortality remains.
And so suffering is still as real today as it was then ... maybe here in the USA we can push it from our minds a little more easily ... but it still lingers and haunts in moments ...
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
... and so suffering remains a fact of life ... but rejoicing is possible ... how?
These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
image source: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/eduoff/vt-2004/Background/Infol2/EIS-D1.html
Pain, suffering, grief, death ... these remain constants in the human story. The slave in ancient Egypt worked to near death, the farmer in the early church seeing a loved one dying for reasons he does not know, John Donne wondering for whom the bells were tolling ...
And so we believe that this can be gone through and redeemed.
Humility, compassion, gratitude, trust ... these can come from suffering. These things, worth more than gold, could be won from the dark nights of despair.
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Lord, through a glass darkly, I see. But I see. And I await the full dawning of the salvation you have begun. Help me to get a taste of the inexpressible and glorious joy. Amen.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
image source: http://www.callbox7.com/a-complete-guide-to-ambulance/
2000 years separate us in the USA from the recipients of this letter from St. Peter. In some ways, we are quite different from those people. I think that the shadow of death hung over them much more than it does today. In a time with no medicine or hospitals, death was probably something the average person saw quite often. A trauma on the street with no ER to rush them too, an infection with no antibiotics and on goes the list of things that could strike someone down that today we could do something about was a potential death sentence for the hearers of St. Peter's letter.
And so the living hope of Jesus would be very powerful. The idea that something that would not perish, spoil or fade would be immensely re-assuring.
How about us today?
Though we have banished many causes of death with medicine and technology, our essential mortality remains.
And so suffering is still as real today as it was then ... maybe here in the USA we can push it from our minds a little more easily ... but it still lingers and haunts in moments ...
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
... and so suffering remains a fact of life ... but rejoicing is possible ... how?
These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
image source: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/eduoff/vt-2004/Background/Infol2/EIS-D1.html
Pain, suffering, grief, death ... these remain constants in the human story. The slave in ancient Egypt worked to near death, the farmer in the early church seeing a loved one dying for reasons he does not know, John Donne wondering for whom the bells were tolling ...
And so we believe that this can be gone through and redeemed.
Humility, compassion, gratitude, trust ... these can come from suffering. These things, worth more than gold, could be won from the dark nights of despair.
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Lord, through a glass darkly, I see. But I see. And I await the full dawning of the salvation you have begun. Help me to get a taste of the inexpressible and glorious joy. Amen.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
I Peter 1:1-2
It took quite a while to work through Job. The subject of suffering is both a theological and existential concern.
In this life long project of blogging through the Bible, I thought I'd continue to examine suffering.
As far as I can tell, there is no other Bible book that deals with suffering as directly as Job. But I think 1 Peter and 2 Peter do touch on the subject a bit more than many other writings of Scripture. These two books discuss many other topics as well.
So buckle up and let's continue the ride ...
Let's get to the introduction.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
image source: http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Exterior/StPeterStatue/StPeter-Apos.jpg
I hope someday to visit St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
I would venture to say that Peter was probably the most famous of the 12 disciples as he was the most outspoken of the bunch sometimes to his detriment!
It is generally believed by scholars that the Gospel of Mark was influenced strongly by Peter's preaching. The Book of Acts which chronicles the growth of the early church has much material about Peter (Chapters 1-12). The Book of Acts eventually followed the role of Paul in the advancement of the church (Chapters 13-28).
Some scholars question whether Peter could have written I and II Peter because he was a plain old fisherman from Galilee.
Though Peter would not have had the high level of education of a Jewish rabbi, being a good Jew, he would had a solid knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures. He would also, of course, have had the benefit of sitting at the feet of Jesus!
It should be noted also that he give up the fisherman's life and would have spent much more time contemplating the teachings he heard from Jesus, re-examining the Hebrew Scriptures in that light, discussing with the other Apostles and the Holy Spirit was promised to the disciples to help them.
We can also speculate on the role Silas may have had in helping him craft this letter.
To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
image source: http://www.bible-history.com/maps/asia_minor.html
Today, Turkey is an almost exclusively Muslim country with a small number of Christians. But way back at the beginning of the church, Jesus followers could be found there, a small number also, in what was probably a society dominated by Greek and Roman polytheism.
who have been chosen
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Isn't this re-assuring?
These believers, whom Peter called strangers in the world, were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God!?
Won't delve into the philosophical implications of that here! 8-)
But it is re-assuring to know that God knew!
There is also the sanctifying work of the Spirit ... we are being made holy and pure.
This work was begun by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus for the purpose of our being obedient to Jesus.
All three persons of the Trinity are involved in our lives!
Thus, abundant grace and peace can be available to us.
Thank you Lord that you were not content to see us lost in this world alienated from you and living in turmoil. Instead you sent Jesus. Instead you sent the Spirit. You have called us to something better... to yourself. Thanks be to God! Amen.
In this life long project of blogging through the Bible, I thought I'd continue to examine suffering.
As far as I can tell, there is no other Bible book that deals with suffering as directly as Job. But I think 1 Peter and 2 Peter do touch on the subject a bit more than many other writings of Scripture. These two books discuss many other topics as well.
So buckle up and let's continue the ride ...
Let's get to the introduction.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
image source: http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Exterior/StPeterStatue/StPeter-Apos.jpg
I hope someday to visit St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
I would venture to say that Peter was probably the most famous of the 12 disciples as he was the most outspoken of the bunch sometimes to his detriment!
It is generally believed by scholars that the Gospel of Mark was influenced strongly by Peter's preaching. The Book of Acts which chronicles the growth of the early church has much material about Peter (Chapters 1-12). The Book of Acts eventually followed the role of Paul in the advancement of the church (Chapters 13-28).
Some scholars question whether Peter could have written I and II Peter because he was a plain old fisherman from Galilee.
Though Peter would not have had the high level of education of a Jewish rabbi, being a good Jew, he would had a solid knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures. He would also, of course, have had the benefit of sitting at the feet of Jesus!
It should be noted also that he give up the fisherman's life and would have spent much more time contemplating the teachings he heard from Jesus, re-examining the Hebrew Scriptures in that light, discussing with the other Apostles and the Holy Spirit was promised to the disciples to help them.
We can also speculate on the role Silas may have had in helping him craft this letter.
To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
image source: http://www.bible-history.com/maps/asia_minor.html
Today, Turkey is an almost exclusively Muslim country with a small number of Christians. But way back at the beginning of the church, Jesus followers could be found there, a small number also, in what was probably a society dominated by Greek and Roman polytheism.
who have been chosen
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Isn't this re-assuring?
These believers, whom Peter called strangers in the world, were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God!?
Won't delve into the philosophical implications of that here! 8-)
But it is re-assuring to know that God knew!
There is also the sanctifying work of the Spirit ... we are being made holy and pure.
This work was begun by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus for the purpose of our being obedient to Jesus.
All three persons of the Trinity are involved in our lives!
Thus, abundant grace and peace can be available to us.
Thank you Lord that you were not content to see us lost in this world alienated from you and living in turmoil. Instead you sent Jesus. Instead you sent the Spirit. You have called us to something better... to yourself. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Job 42:7-17
The Epilogue to Job ...
After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.
And so after all the turmoil and shouting and questioning and arguing, we do reach, "and they lived happily ever after ..."
Did Job know he was on the center stage in a spiritual battle described in Job 1-2?
We don't know.
If he did know, he didn't appear to make any comment about it. If he did know, God's "answer" of I am the Creator and you are not was enough for Job.
And so what if Job never knew about the spiritual battle?
God showing up was enough.
Each of us faces struggles in life. In my humanity, I know I have sometimes, often times, asked WHY?
Yancey in his book, Disappointment with God suggested getting an answer to the WHY question might not actually help us because God's perspective is so much larger than ours.
And so our WHY question is washed away when we sense we are not alone. God "showing up" through Jesus. God "showing up" by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. God "showing up" when we are loved by family and friends. And indeed, God "shows up" in the kindness of strangers.
Is the story of Job true?
It is definitely true in the existential sense that all of us struggle with suffering and that we can argue ourselves into knots trying to explain it to ourselves and each other.
It is definitely true in that God "showing up" makes all the difference in the world.
But was the story "literally" true?
Will we meet Job in the afterlife?
If Job is a moral story than Job may or may not be a literal person. He could be a stand-in everyman for all who have faced suffering. The power of this tale doesn't rest on Job existing as is.
But, if Job was a literal person, did the story happen as literally described?
Job as a book has literary style. It is Hebrew poetry.
We do not talk to our friends in poetry. We talk in prose. We can reflect on life in poetry.
And so perhaps Job was a real man who suffered and his story was memorialized in the poetry of this book.
Another hint of "editing" or "stylizing" in Job was the speeches of Elihu.
Job was visited by his three friends and Job prayed for them.
As a side point, isn't it interesting how in life we go to comfort the sufferer and the sufferer winds up comforting the comforters?
But back to the idea of literary forms... Elihu isn't mentioned as one of the three friends yet he spoke in chapters 32-37 in pretty strong terms!
He was younger than the other three and held back until the end.
Yet, he isn't mentioned in any other way with the three friends.
Was he there all along and omitted in the friends list? Maybe he wasn't really close at all?
Or perhaps those chapters were added later?
Elihu's comments do have elements in common with God's speech at the very end. Maybe it was added by the editors of Job to foreshadow what God would say?
Don't know.
But whether Job's story is more or less as it was in here, underwent some editing or was a moral tale, I think the message stands regardless: suffering is real and our only comfort is having God show up not so much to explain it but to show us he cares for us as individuals.
"God with us" ... Immanuel = Heb. God with us. Jesus the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Lord, thank you that you invite me to bring my complaints to you. You hear my prayers. Thank you that you were not content to allow the world to continue in its course and so sent Abraham, Moses, the Prophets and most significantly Jesus. Though things seem lost now, you are at work restoring. Help me to receive that restoration and be an agent of it. Amen.
After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.
And so after all the turmoil and shouting and questioning and arguing, we do reach, "and they lived happily ever after ..."
Did Job know he was on the center stage in a spiritual battle described in Job 1-2?
We don't know.
If he did know, he didn't appear to make any comment about it. If he did know, God's "answer" of I am the Creator and you are not was enough for Job.
And so what if Job never knew about the spiritual battle?
God showing up was enough.
Each of us faces struggles in life. In my humanity, I know I have sometimes, often times, asked WHY?
Yancey in his book, Disappointment with God suggested getting an answer to the WHY question might not actually help us because God's perspective is so much larger than ours.
And so our WHY question is washed away when we sense we are not alone. God "showing up" through Jesus. God "showing up" by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. God "showing up" when we are loved by family and friends. And indeed, God "shows up" in the kindness of strangers.
Is the story of Job true?
It is definitely true in the existential sense that all of us struggle with suffering and that we can argue ourselves into knots trying to explain it to ourselves and each other.
It is definitely true in that God "showing up" makes all the difference in the world.
But was the story "literally" true?
Will we meet Job in the afterlife?
If Job is a moral story than Job may or may not be a literal person. He could be a stand-in everyman for all who have faced suffering. The power of this tale doesn't rest on Job existing as is.
But, if Job was a literal person, did the story happen as literally described?
Job as a book has literary style. It is Hebrew poetry.
We do not talk to our friends in poetry. We talk in prose. We can reflect on life in poetry.
And so perhaps Job was a real man who suffered and his story was memorialized in the poetry of this book.
Another hint of "editing" or "stylizing" in Job was the speeches of Elihu.
Job was visited by his three friends and Job prayed for them.
As a side point, isn't it interesting how in life we go to comfort the sufferer and the sufferer winds up comforting the comforters?
But back to the idea of literary forms... Elihu isn't mentioned as one of the three friends yet he spoke in chapters 32-37 in pretty strong terms!
He was younger than the other three and held back until the end.
Yet, he isn't mentioned in any other way with the three friends.
Was he there all along and omitted in the friends list? Maybe he wasn't really close at all?
Or perhaps those chapters were added later?
Elihu's comments do have elements in common with God's speech at the very end. Maybe it was added by the editors of Job to foreshadow what God would say?
Don't know.
But whether Job's story is more or less as it was in here, underwent some editing or was a moral tale, I think the message stands regardless: suffering is real and our only comfort is having God show up not so much to explain it but to show us he cares for us as individuals.
"God with us" ... Immanuel = Heb. God with us. Jesus the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Lord, thank you that you invite me to bring my complaints to you. You hear my prayers. Thank you that you were not content to allow the world to continue in its course and so sent Abraham, Moses, the Prophets and most significantly Jesus. Though things seem lost now, you are at work restoring. Help me to receive that restoration and be an agent of it. Amen.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Job 42:1-6
And so we reach the end of the story ...
Then Job replied to the LORD :
I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.
When confronted with God, what is there to say?
God is holy. But what does Holy mean?
One simple answer I heard was that holy is all that makes God God and not us!
Though we are made in the image of God, that image is now marred. That is why we look at the world with a sense of unease and a sense that things are not the way they should be. Thus, in many ways God is so completely different than us. He is so "other" (holy) compared to us.
When Isaiah met God, he said, "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Are we stuck in this place of ruin?
Yes ... unless ... we recognize our state and allow God to restore!
For Isaiah, it came out this way: Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Lord, have mercy. On too many occasions I have walked in the opposite direction you want. All too often my thoughts are of self and not You and others. Yet, though you are holy and totally other than me, you have made a path for restoration. Thank you for such a gift. Help me to live in that. Amen
Then Job replied to the LORD :
I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.
When confronted with God, what is there to say?
God is holy. But what does Holy mean?
One simple answer I heard was that holy is all that makes God God and not us!
Though we are made in the image of God, that image is now marred. That is why we look at the world with a sense of unease and a sense that things are not the way they should be. Thus, in many ways God is so completely different than us. He is so "other" (holy) compared to us.
When Isaiah met God, he said, "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Are we stuck in this place of ruin?
Yes ... unless ... we recognize our state and allow God to restore!
For Isaiah, it came out this way: Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Lord, have mercy. On too many occasions I have walked in the opposite direction you want. All too often my thoughts are of self and not You and others. Yet, though you are holy and totally other than me, you have made a path for restoration. Thank you for such a gift. Help me to live in that. Amen
Friday, October 09, 2009
Job 40-41
Continuing toward the end of Job ...
Usually don't cover two chapters in one bite. But I figured addressing the "behemoth" and "leviathan" in one shot might be the way to go.
The LORD said to Job:
"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!"
Job had pretty strong words in lamenting his situation to God through the many chapters.
And God went face-to-face with Job in return.
I suppose we can take comfort in the fact that when Job went toe-to-toe with God that Job didn't become a smoking hole in the ground.
Now, before we get too comfortable, God can turn cities full of people into ashes as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18-19.
Why the difference?
Sodom and Gomorrah was truly wicked ... Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous ... but Abraham begged God to spare the cities if 10 were found righteous. God said yes. Alas, not even 10 were found righteous and so Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
How about Job?
We know from the beginning of the story that he was a righteous man. He wasn't sinless because no man is sinless. But he was right with God by seeking to live rightly and when he went astray confessing and seeking God's forgiveness.
Was his complaints about God ... was that sin?
It seems that God would rather we go face-to-face with Him with our complaints than go off and live a life of sin ignoring God.
Then Job answered the LORD:
"I am unworthy - how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer -
twice, but I will say no more."
Job wanted an audience with God and got it. The questions melted away and he had nothing really left to say.
God continued to dwell on His power as His response to Job's complaints...
Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
Prepare to defend yourself;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God's,
and can your voice thunder like his?
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
Some scholars think behemoth was the hippopotamus!
image source: http://animal.discovery.com/mammals/hippopotamus/
Look at the behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?
I've seen some hippos while on safari. I suspect the fact that I saw them at a pretty safe distance inside a large vehicle made them seem less fearsome!
We now get a description of the leviathan.
Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
Can you put a cord through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
Will it keep begging you for mercy?
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?
Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.
No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
Some experts say the leviathan is a crocodile while others say a whale.
What does it sound like to you from the description so far?
Did the ancients in the Middle East hunt for whales?
I suppose you could throw spears and harpoons at crocodiles.
I will not fail to speak of Leviathan's limbs,
its strength and its graceful form.
Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
Its back has rows of shields
tightly sealed together;
each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
Now this part sure sounds more like an armored beast like the croc!
image source: http://colquitt.k12.ga.us/tsmith/new_page_14.htm
Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Flames stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
Smoke pours from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
Its breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.
Fire-breathing dragon of fantasy tales?
Or is it poetic license in describing how fearsome a crocodile is?
Strength resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.
When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they retreat before its thrashing.
The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
Iron it treats like straw
and bronze like rotten wood.
Arrows do not make it flee;
slingstones are like chaff to it.
A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
Nothing on earth is its equal -
a creature without fear.
It looks down on all that are haughty;
it is king over all that are proud.
Again, the ruggedly look of this creature seems more in line with a crocodile than a whale or some other ocean faring beast.
Some insist that these two creatures were dinosaurs because they seemed so terrible and frightening.
I think that might be a stretch.
To us, the hippo and croc aren't as fearsome because we now have guns.
But to the ancients, these beasts would be quite scary for they had mere spears.
As Job listened to God speak of these mighty creatures, he is reminded that God made them. GOD is mightier than the mightiest. And God deigns to speak with Job.
Lord Jesus, you are the God who speaks the words of this story of Job. Yet, you set aside the rights of that divinity to make yourself like us, like Job. You even humbled yourself to dying on a criminals cross. And so you are vindicated and exalted to the highest place so that we have nothing to say against you and instead bow down and thank you for your grace and love. Amen.
Usually don't cover two chapters in one bite. But I figured addressing the "behemoth" and "leviathan" in one shot might be the way to go.
The LORD said to Job:
"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!"
Job had pretty strong words in lamenting his situation to God through the many chapters.
And God went face-to-face with Job in return.
I suppose we can take comfort in the fact that when Job went toe-to-toe with God that Job didn't become a smoking hole in the ground.
Now, before we get too comfortable, God can turn cities full of people into ashes as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18-19.
Why the difference?
Sodom and Gomorrah was truly wicked ... Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous ... but Abraham begged God to spare the cities if 10 were found righteous. God said yes. Alas, not even 10 were found righteous and so Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
How about Job?
We know from the beginning of the story that he was a righteous man. He wasn't sinless because no man is sinless. But he was right with God by seeking to live rightly and when he went astray confessing and seeking God's forgiveness.
Was his complaints about God ... was that sin?
It seems that God would rather we go face-to-face with Him with our complaints than go off and live a life of sin ignoring God.
Then Job answered the LORD:
"I am unworthy - how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer -
twice, but I will say no more."
Job wanted an audience with God and got it. The questions melted away and he had nothing really left to say.
God continued to dwell on His power as His response to Job's complaints...
Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
Prepare to defend yourself;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God's,
and can your voice thunder like his?
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
Some scholars think behemoth was the hippopotamus!
image source: http://animal.discovery.com/mammals/hippopotamus/
Look at the behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?
I've seen some hippos while on safari. I suspect the fact that I saw them at a pretty safe distance inside a large vehicle made them seem less fearsome!
We now get a description of the leviathan.
Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
Can you put a cord through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
Will it keep begging you for mercy?
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?
Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.
No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
Some experts say the leviathan is a crocodile while others say a whale.
What does it sound like to you from the description so far?
Did the ancients in the Middle East hunt for whales?
I suppose you could throw spears and harpoons at crocodiles.
I will not fail to speak of Leviathan's limbs,
its strength and its graceful form.
Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
Its back has rows of shields
tightly sealed together;
each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
Now this part sure sounds more like an armored beast like the croc!
image source: http://colquitt.k12.ga.us/tsmith/new_page_14.htm
Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Flames stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
Smoke pours from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
Its breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.
Fire-breathing dragon of fantasy tales?
Or is it poetic license in describing how fearsome a crocodile is?
Strength resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.
When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they retreat before its thrashing.
The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
Iron it treats like straw
and bronze like rotten wood.
Arrows do not make it flee;
slingstones are like chaff to it.
A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
Nothing on earth is its equal -
a creature without fear.
It looks down on all that are haughty;
it is king over all that are proud.
Again, the ruggedly look of this creature seems more in line with a crocodile than a whale or some other ocean faring beast.
Some insist that these two creatures were dinosaurs because they seemed so terrible and frightening.
I think that might be a stretch.
To us, the hippo and croc aren't as fearsome because we now have guns.
But to the ancients, these beasts would be quite scary for they had mere spears.
As Job listened to God speak of these mighty creatures, he is reminded that God made them. GOD is mightier than the mightiest. And God deigns to speak with Job.
Lord Jesus, you are the God who speaks the words of this story of Job. Yet, you set aside the rights of that divinity to make yourself like us, like Job. You even humbled yourself to dying on a criminals cross. And so you are vindicated and exalted to the highest place so that we have nothing to say against you and instead bow down and thank you for your grace and love. Amen.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Job 39
Job 39 ...
Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?
They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied his ropes?
I gave him the wasteland as his home,
the salt flats as his habitat.
He laughs at the commotion in the town;
he does not hear a driver's shout.
He ranges the hills for his pasture
and searches for any green thing.
Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will he stay by your manger at night?
Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness?
Will he till the valleys behind you?
Will you rely on him for his great strength?
Will you leave your heavy work to him?
Can you trust him to bring in your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
God continues to give Job a tour of the natural world.
Check this page out and this one for some of the creatures that live in modern Israel.
Am guessing this Yael is some kind of goat?
image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:YaelEilat_ST_07.JPG
The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork.
She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.
She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.
Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.
image source: http://www.spectacularplanet.com/tag/ostrich
Do you give the horse his strength
or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?
Do you make him leap like a locust,
striking terror with his proud snorting?
He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength,
and charges into the fray.
He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
he does not shy away from the sword.
The quiver rattles against his side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground;
he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
At the blast of the trumpet he snorts, 'Aha!'
He catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
Image source: http://www.freedesktopwallpapers.ru/desktop.php?pid=1878
Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread his wings toward the south?
Does the eagle soar at your command
and build his nest on high?
He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag is his stronghold.
From there he seeks out his food;
his eyes detect it from afar.
His young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there is he.
image source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/wallpaper/red-tailed-hawk-flying_image.html
And so Job was sitting there with his friends, amidst the ashes of his life in pain and sorrow ...
image source: http://www.biblicaltheology.com/job/job_01_01.html
... gets a zoology tour from God ... ?
A couple of months ago, I heard a sermon at church and the speaker mentioned the children's story, The Runaway Bunny.
Amazon.com summarized the story:
Since its publication in 1942, The Runaway Bunny has never been out of print. Generations of sleepy children and grateful parents have loved the classics of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, including Goodnight Moon. The Runaway Bunny begins with a young bunny who decides to run away: "'If you run away,' said his mother, 'I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.'" And so begins a delightful, imaginary game of chase. No matter how many forms the little bunny takes--a fish in a stream, a crocus in a hidden garden, a rock on a mountain--his steadfast, adoring, protective mother finds a way of retrieving him. The soothing rhythm of the bunny banter--along with the surreal, dream-like pictures--never fail to infuse young readers with a complete sense of security and peace. For any small child who has toyed with the idea of running away or testing the strength of Mom's love, this old favorite will comfort and reassure.
We all face hardship in a cold hard world. Job was not the first nor the last to feel the weight of crushed dreams, wealth disappeared, death of loved ones, lost health and sorrows which doesn't not sleep.
And so where is comfort found?
Is it in theological answers? Is it in any intellectual answer?
I suspect the only comfort is knowing that God is greater than all the great creatures of this world and that he stoops to meet us.
Job didn't get an answer, he got a visit. First, from his friends and then from God.
Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to this world. Thanks for visiting Job. Thanks for revealing yourself to Moses and to other people of faith over the generations. I don't have answers to every question but I have You. And that is enough. Amen.
Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?
They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied his ropes?
I gave him the wasteland as his home,
the salt flats as his habitat.
He laughs at the commotion in the town;
he does not hear a driver's shout.
He ranges the hills for his pasture
and searches for any green thing.
Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will he stay by your manger at night?
Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness?
Will he till the valleys behind you?
Will you rely on him for his great strength?
Will you leave your heavy work to him?
Can you trust him to bring in your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
God continues to give Job a tour of the natural world.
Check this page out and this one for some of the creatures that live in modern Israel.
Am guessing this Yael is some kind of goat?
image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:YaelEilat_ST_07.JPG
The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork.
She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.
She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.
Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.
image source: http://www.spectacularplanet.com/tag/ostrich
Do you give the horse his strength
or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?
Do you make him leap like a locust,
striking terror with his proud snorting?
He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength,
and charges into the fray.
He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
he does not shy away from the sword.
The quiver rattles against his side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground;
he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
At the blast of the trumpet he snorts, 'Aha!'
He catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
Image source: http://www.freedesktopwallpapers.ru/desktop.php?pid=1878
Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread his wings toward the south?
Does the eagle soar at your command
and build his nest on high?
He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag is his stronghold.
From there he seeks out his food;
his eyes detect it from afar.
His young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there is he.
image source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/wallpaper/red-tailed-hawk-flying_image.html
And so Job was sitting there with his friends, amidst the ashes of his life in pain and sorrow ...
image source: http://www.biblicaltheology.com/job/job_01_01.html
... gets a zoology tour from God ... ?
A couple of months ago, I heard a sermon at church and the speaker mentioned the children's story, The Runaway Bunny.
Amazon.com summarized the story:
Since its publication in 1942, The Runaway Bunny has never been out of print. Generations of sleepy children and grateful parents have loved the classics of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, including Goodnight Moon. The Runaway Bunny begins with a young bunny who decides to run away: "'If you run away,' said his mother, 'I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.'" And so begins a delightful, imaginary game of chase. No matter how many forms the little bunny takes--a fish in a stream, a crocus in a hidden garden, a rock on a mountain--his steadfast, adoring, protective mother finds a way of retrieving him. The soothing rhythm of the bunny banter--along with the surreal, dream-like pictures--never fail to infuse young readers with a complete sense of security and peace. For any small child who has toyed with the idea of running away or testing the strength of Mom's love, this old favorite will comfort and reassure.
We all face hardship in a cold hard world. Job was not the first nor the last to feel the weight of crushed dreams, wealth disappeared, death of loved ones, lost health and sorrows which doesn't not sleep.
And so where is comfort found?
Is it in theological answers? Is it in any intellectual answer?
I suspect the only comfort is knowing that God is greater than all the great creatures of this world and that he stoops to meet us.
Job didn't get an answer, he got a visit. First, from his friends and then from God.
Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to this world. Thanks for visiting Job. Thanks for revealing yourself to Moses and to other people of faith over the generations. I don't have answers to every question but I have You. And that is enough. Amen.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Job 38
God speaks...
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
We do know a lot more about the natural world these days compared to when Job was written down.
Here is something from KidsGeo.com about how big the earth is.
Or who stretched the line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’
Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the upraised arm is broken.
Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
With modern technology, humans have found the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean: 10,924 meters (35,840 feet) deep in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench.
Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
Have you entered the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
By what way is light diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
From whose womb comes the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is frozen.
I would imagine in Job's day they did see small bodies of water freeze over. They would know of snow capped mountains. I wonder if they had seen or had heard of from other peoples from other parts of the known world of icebergs?
image source: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02arctic/logs/sep6/media/icebergs.html
Have you seen icebergs calving into the water? Its pretty impressive!
Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
Image source: http://www.pleiade.org/hubble_m45-large.html
Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
Who has put wisdom in the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
Who provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?
image source: http://www.zazzle.com/hungry_birds_poster-228272826118380415
We do know a lot more about the natural world than Job did. And so have we in our knowledge gotten so full of ourselves that we think that that knowledge has killed God?
Or do we ponder still ... that there might (must) be something far greater than ourselves?
In the sermon at church yesterday, the speaker spoke of how humans fall into several categories: those of us stumbling in the dark looking for God, those stumbling in the dark looking for something but not quite ready to call that something God and those who don't even know they are in the dark in need of anything.
His take home message was that God was found in the place people least expected: Jesus on the Cross.
Lord, the wonders of the natural world are marvelous and grand and beautiful and wonderful. They stir in me a sense that there is something far beyond myself out there. Thank you that you came to us in the Cross to bring us back to yourself. Amen.
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
We do know a lot more about the natural world these days compared to when Job was written down.
Here is something from KidsGeo.com about how big the earth is.
Or who stretched the line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’
Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the upraised arm is broken.
Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
With modern technology, humans have found the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean: 10,924 meters (35,840 feet) deep in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench.
Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
Have you entered the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
By what way is light diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
From whose womb comes the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is frozen.
I would imagine in Job's day they did see small bodies of water freeze over. They would know of snow capped mountains. I wonder if they had seen or had heard of from other peoples from other parts of the known world of icebergs?
image source: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02arctic/logs/sep6/media/icebergs.html
Have you seen icebergs calving into the water? Its pretty impressive!
Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
Image source: http://www.pleiade.org/hubble_m45-large.html
Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
Who has put wisdom in the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
Who provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?
image source: http://www.zazzle.com/hungry_birds_poster-228272826118380415
We do know a lot more about the natural world than Job did. And so have we in our knowledge gotten so full of ourselves that we think that that knowledge has killed God?
Or do we ponder still ... that there might (must) be something far greater than ourselves?
In the sermon at church yesterday, the speaker spoke of how humans fall into several categories: those of us stumbling in the dark looking for God, those stumbling in the dark looking for something but not quite ready to call that something God and those who don't even know they are in the dark in need of anything.
His take home message was that God was found in the place people least expected: Jesus on the Cross.
Lord, the wonders of the natural world are marvelous and grand and beautiful and wonderful. They stir in me a sense that there is something far beyond myself out there. Thank you that you came to us in the Cross to bring us back to yourself. Amen.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Job 37
Elihu makes his closing remarks ...
At this my heart pounds
and leaps from its place.
Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.
After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'
and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'
So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labor.
The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.
He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earth and show his love.
Even the ancients understood the "water cycle" of steam, water and ice. They attributed these things and various meteorological events to God's direct action. Of course, today, we know (though we can't predict) these phenomena are a complex interaction of various physical forces.
Does this mean God has nothing to do with them?
Some feel that as we discover more of the natural laws, God disappears. But what if God put in place those laws?
Elihu continues this theme of God at work in nature ...
Listen to this, Job;
stop and consider God's wonders.
Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning flash?
Do you know how the clouds hang poised,
those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?
You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
can you join him in spreading out the skies,
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?
Tell us what we should say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.
Should he be told that I want to speak?
Would any man ask to be swallowed up?
Now no one can look at the sun,
bright as it is in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.
Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
God comes in awesome majesty.
The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
Therefore, men revere him,
for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?
Beyond our reach ... exalted in power ...
The charge is leveled at God that because evil exists God must not exist.
The traditional response is the mystery of free will.
If there were no human beings on the earth, would there be injustice?
So much of what ails the world today is what humans do to other humans.
No one would say it is unjust for a lion to eat a kudu. The lion has no free will in the matter: she has to kill an animal lower in the food chain to live and feed her cubs.
But we feel injustice when humans kill weaker humans.
We have a sense of "ought-ness." We ought to do this; we ought NOT to do that. And we feel that God OUGHT to do something about it when things go wrong.
And so we wonder why God is waiting around and appears silent.
Beyond our reach ... exalted in power ...
If God is good then somehow it will be "fair" in the end.
If in the end, there is no God then it was all just a dice throw as to what happened in our life. But if there is a God at the end of all this, then all the above that Elihu said makes sense. Scriptures gives us a peek at the end of the story or the whole story. Of course, it requires faith to believe that that story is actually true.
Lord, quite a choice? I suppose one could say I'll live rightly even if there is no "rest of the story" because it makes me feel good to live right. But I do feel it is more compelling to live right whether it feels good (sometimes it does) or not because you are bringing about the "rest of the story." And so I look at the wonders of nature and its vastness and think: we are either in this alone or there is a mighty and loving God who actually cares what is happening to little people on this pale blue dot. Strengthen my spirit to live rightly. Bolster my sense of ought-ness in terms of doing what is right. Amen.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Job 36
Job 36 ...
Elihu continued:
Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God's behalf.
I get my knowledge from afar;
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
Be assured that my words are not false;
one perfect in knowledge is with you.
Hmmm ... Elihu self-described as "one perfect in knowledge" ... don't know about you that sounds a bit arrogant!
God is mighty, but does not despise men;
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
He does not keep the wicked alive
but gives the afflicted their rights.
He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
he enthrones them with kings
and exalts them forever.
But if men are bound in chains,
held fast by cords of affliction,
he tells them what they have done -
that they have sinned arrogantly.
He makes them listen to correction
and commands them to repent of their evil.
If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
and their years in contentment.
But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword
and die without knowledge.
The godless in heart harbor resentment;
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.
They die in their youth,
among male prostitutes of the shrines.
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.
This is the picture of God I think most people have: the unrepentant bad guys get punished and those who stumble but turn back to God when God prompts get restored.
And when we look around and don't see this, we wonder if God is really around.
This feeling that "this is the way it ought to be" is an interesting one.
In the natural world, the strong survive and the weak die. Yet, in the "soul" of the human being, there is a urge to protect the weak. Where does that urge come from?
Where does our sense of "this is the way it ought to be" come from?
He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place free from restriction,
to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
Would your wealth
or even all your mighty efforts
sustain you so you would not be in distress?
Do not long for the night,
to drag people away from their homes.
Beware of turning to evil,
which you seem to prefer to affliction.
And indeed, we have this sense of "ought-ness" and we then have to decide: do we trust in God who at times feels distant and unseen or do we trust money we can see?
And so Elihu then dove into a recitation of God's power especially displayed in the natural wonders of the world ...
image source: http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/fall05/ymaini/thunderstorm.htm
God is exalted in his power.
Who is a teacher like him?
Who has prescribed his ways for him,
or said to him, 'You have done wrong'?
Remember to extol his work,
which men have praised in song.
All mankind has seen it;
men gaze on it from afar.
How great is God - beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.
He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streams;
the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind.
Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders from his pavilion?
See how he scatters his lightning about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.
This is the way he governs the nations
and provides food in abundance.
He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.
His thunder announces the coming storm;
even the cattle make known its approach.
God, the world is in chaos. Crazy dictators build bombs and missiles and starve their own people. Schools that should be places of learning are endangered by drugs and violence. There are many injustices and tragedies in this world. Lord, I trust that you will one day restore this lost and dying world. Until then, help us who call you Lord to work in your name to win what victories we can for justice and mercy. Amen.
Elihu continued:
Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God's behalf.
I get my knowledge from afar;
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
Be assured that my words are not false;
one perfect in knowledge is with you.
Hmmm ... Elihu self-described as "one perfect in knowledge" ... don't know about you that sounds a bit arrogant!
God is mighty, but does not despise men;
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
He does not keep the wicked alive
but gives the afflicted their rights.
He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
he enthrones them with kings
and exalts them forever.
But if men are bound in chains,
held fast by cords of affliction,
he tells them what they have done -
that they have sinned arrogantly.
He makes them listen to correction
and commands them to repent of their evil.
If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
and their years in contentment.
But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword
and die without knowledge.
The godless in heart harbor resentment;
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.
They die in their youth,
among male prostitutes of the shrines.
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.
This is the picture of God I think most people have: the unrepentant bad guys get punished and those who stumble but turn back to God when God prompts get restored.
And when we look around and don't see this, we wonder if God is really around.
This feeling that "this is the way it ought to be" is an interesting one.
In the natural world, the strong survive and the weak die. Yet, in the "soul" of the human being, there is a urge to protect the weak. Where does that urge come from?
Where does our sense of "this is the way it ought to be" come from?
He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place free from restriction,
to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
Would your wealth
or even all your mighty efforts
sustain you so you would not be in distress?
Do not long for the night,
to drag people away from their homes.
Beware of turning to evil,
which you seem to prefer to affliction.
And indeed, we have this sense of "ought-ness" and we then have to decide: do we trust in God who at times feels distant and unseen or do we trust money we can see?
And so Elihu then dove into a recitation of God's power especially displayed in the natural wonders of the world ...
image source: http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/fall05/ymaini/thunderstorm.htm
God is exalted in his power.
Who is a teacher like him?
Who has prescribed his ways for him,
or said to him, 'You have done wrong'?
Remember to extol his work,
which men have praised in song.
All mankind has seen it;
men gaze on it from afar.
How great is God - beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.
He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streams;
the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind.
Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders from his pavilion?
See how he scatters his lightning about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.
This is the way he governs the nations
and provides food in abundance.
He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.
His thunder announces the coming storm;
even the cattle make known its approach.
God, the world is in chaos. Crazy dictators build bombs and missiles and starve their own people. Schools that should be places of learning are endangered by drugs and violence. There are many injustices and tragedies in this world. Lord, I trust that you will one day restore this lost and dying world. Until then, help us who call you Lord to work in your name to win what victories we can for justice and mercy. Amen.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Job 35
Job 35 ...
Elihu continued ...
Then Elihu said:
Do you think it is right for you to claim,
‘I am righteous before God’?
For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me?
What’s the use of living a righteous life?’
As you can see, am using a more contemporary translation today!
Elihu seemed to be putting up a bit of a straw man here. I don't know if Job has gone this far. I guess I'd summarize Job's situation as, I'm not perfect, without sin, but I've tried to live rightly and right now it seems that whether I live right or not, I'm suffering!
I will answer you
and all your friends, too.
Look up into the sky,
and see the clouds high above you.
If you sin, how does that affect God?
Even if you sin again and again,
what effect will it have on him?
If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
What could you possibly give him?
No, your sins affect only people like yourself,
and your good deeds also affect only humans.
Elihu seemed to overstate here. On one hand, if we sin or don't sin, that doesn't change who God is. God is God and what we do or don't do has no impact on God's "godness." On the other hand, we have ample testimony from the rest of Scripture that God is pleased when we live rightly and saddened when we sin. Thus, in that sense, what we do matters to God.
People cry out when they are oppressed.
They groan beneath the power of the mighty.
Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator,
the one who gives songs in the night?
image source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/hubble6.htm
Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals
and wiser than the birds of the sky?’
And when they cry out, God does not answer
because of their pride.
But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen,
to say the Almighty isn’t concerned.
You say you can’t see him,
but he will bring justice if you will only wait.
You say he does not respond to sinners with anger
and is not greatly concerned about wickedness.
But you are talking nonsense, Job.
You have spoken like a fool.
Elihu backtracked on his earlier remarks that God doesn't care. Indeed, God does listen and justice will arrive (not necessarily on our timetable) and those who are evil who seem to escape now will eventually be called to account.
Lord of the universe, thank you that you have cared for us on this earth. You have given your laws in Scriptures and in our consciences. You have sent your Son as a demonstration of your love and initiative to restore your lost people. Injustice remains an ill in this world. I trust one day you will bring it fully to pass. Until then, help us who try to follow you to do justice, love mercy and do both with humility each day. Amen.
Elihu continued ...
Then Elihu said:
Do you think it is right for you to claim,
‘I am righteous before God’?
For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me?
What’s the use of living a righteous life?’
As you can see, am using a more contemporary translation today!
Elihu seemed to be putting up a bit of a straw man here. I don't know if Job has gone this far. I guess I'd summarize Job's situation as, I'm not perfect, without sin, but I've tried to live rightly and right now it seems that whether I live right or not, I'm suffering!
I will answer you
and all your friends, too.
Look up into the sky,
and see the clouds high above you.
If you sin, how does that affect God?
Even if you sin again and again,
what effect will it have on him?
If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
What could you possibly give him?
No, your sins affect only people like yourself,
and your good deeds also affect only humans.
Elihu seemed to overstate here. On one hand, if we sin or don't sin, that doesn't change who God is. God is God and what we do or don't do has no impact on God's "godness." On the other hand, we have ample testimony from the rest of Scripture that God is pleased when we live rightly and saddened when we sin. Thus, in that sense, what we do matters to God.
People cry out when they are oppressed.
They groan beneath the power of the mighty.
Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator,
the one who gives songs in the night?
image source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/hubble6.htm
Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals
and wiser than the birds of the sky?’
And when they cry out, God does not answer
because of their pride.
But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen,
to say the Almighty isn’t concerned.
You say you can’t see him,
but he will bring justice if you will only wait.
You say he does not respond to sinners with anger
and is not greatly concerned about wickedness.
But you are talking nonsense, Job.
You have spoken like a fool.
Elihu backtracked on his earlier remarks that God doesn't care. Indeed, God does listen and justice will arrive (not necessarily on our timetable) and those who are evil who seem to escape now will eventually be called to account.
Lord of the universe, thank you that you have cared for us on this earth. You have given your laws in Scriptures and in our consciences. You have sent your Son as a demonstration of your love and initiative to restore your lost people. Injustice remains an ill in this world. I trust one day you will bring it fully to pass. Until then, help us who try to follow you to do justice, love mercy and do both with humility each day. Amen.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Job 34
Elihu continued in Job 34 ...
Elihu further answered and said:
“Hear my words, you wise men;
Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
For the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
Let us choose justice for ourselves;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
As a tangent, I can't but help but feel that in today's society, words seem to mean less. It is so easy to send an email where it is informal, casual and often filled with misspelled words and poor grammar. I'm guilty of this. Or text messaging where everything is truncated into short hand abbreviations and other moves to say keystrokes.
Elihu, agree or disagree with him, recognized that words have weight.
For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
But God has taken away my justice;
Should I lie concerning my right?
My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
What man is like Job,
Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
That he should delight in God.’
Very pointed pokes by Elihu. He restated Job's lament. Yes, a good key to communication; reflect back the content and emotion of what you have heard!
But the second half is a pretty severe beat down of Job. Not such a good thing to do in communicating with someone who is suffering.
Leaving aside the head slap, what theological point does Elihu bring up next?
Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
For He repays man according to his work,
And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
Surely God will never do wickedly,
Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
If He should set His heart on it,
If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.
Bottom line from Elihu: God is not evil and won't do injustice and so Job's claims that God is unfair is rebutted.
Elihu continued ...
If you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words:
Should one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn Him who is most just?
Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’
And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
Yet He is not partial to princes,
Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;
For they are all the work of His hands.
In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.
More defense of God "the most just."
The strong defense of God's justice resonates with the intellectual part of me.
But I must say, I am moved by the word pictures of the fragility of human existence in the last part of the last two paragraphs .
If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.
.....
In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.
image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Sand_sculpture.jpg/250px-Sand_sculpture.jpg
I can craft my life ... but fast or slow, it will be swept away.
For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
For He need not further consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
Therefore He knows their works;
He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
He strikes them as wicked men
In the open sight of others,
Because they turned back from Him,
And would not consider any of His ways,
So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;
For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
That the hypocrite should not reign,
Lest the people be ensnared.
Theologically, God is considered omniscient.
Recently, some theologians in the open theism movement contract the meaning of omniscience away from God knowing the future. I'm not sure that is a valid move logically. Because since Elihu argues for a linkage between God's justice and God's omniscience (e.g. God's justice can only happen because God is omniscient). Thus, would taking away God's knowledge of the future be injurious to God's justice?
I have sympathy with open theism's attempt to address free will and theodicy but I am concerned it might compromise God's justice. Thoughts anyone?
Elihu sums up this part of his monologue with more hits on Job.
For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastening;
I will offend no more;
Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
Should He repay it according to your terms,
Just because you disavow it?
You must choose, and not I;
Therefore speak what you know.
Men of understanding say to me,
Wise men who listen to me:
‘Job speaks without knowledge,
His words are without wisdom.’
Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,
Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
For he adds rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.
One of the things we have to remember when we call the Bible, God's word: there are human words and actions which may run counter to what God wants. And so those negative things are in the Bible to show us deeds and ideas that are wrong which we should learn to avoid.
I think Elihu makes some good theological point but he seems less than helpful in the sympathy dimension. But he hits an important point here at the end: Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom. Job is without knowledge of some parts of Job 1-2. Now, would that knowledge make him feel any better? I don't know. Maybe not. And because of his deep physical and emotional pain, he is brutally honest with God and so should we expect his words to be "wise?" The point maybe not so much about answers to suffering but expressing how a faithful man wrestles with suffering.
Lord, I look around the world and see wickedness in every corner. I have to trust that you see all of this and will one day bring about justice. Grant me wisdom to do what little I can where I can to bring justice. Enable me with insight to know when to share theology with people in love and when to simply share love. Amen.
Elihu further answered and said:
“Hear my words, you wise men;
Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
For the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
Let us choose justice for ourselves;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
As a tangent, I can't but help but feel that in today's society, words seem to mean less. It is so easy to send an email where it is informal, casual and often filled with misspelled words and poor grammar. I'm guilty of this. Or text messaging where everything is truncated into short hand abbreviations and other moves to say keystrokes.
Elihu, agree or disagree with him, recognized that words have weight.
For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
But God has taken away my justice;
Should I lie concerning my right?
My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
What man is like Job,
Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
That he should delight in God.’
Very pointed pokes by Elihu. He restated Job's lament. Yes, a good key to communication; reflect back the content and emotion of what you have heard!
But the second half is a pretty severe beat down of Job. Not such a good thing to do in communicating with someone who is suffering.
Leaving aside the head slap, what theological point does Elihu bring up next?
Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
For He repays man according to his work,
And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
Surely God will never do wickedly,
Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
If He should set His heart on it,
If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.
Bottom line from Elihu: God is not evil and won't do injustice and so Job's claims that God is unfair is rebutted.
Elihu continued ...
If you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words:
Should one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn Him who is most just?
Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’
And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
Yet He is not partial to princes,
Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;
For they are all the work of His hands.
In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.
More defense of God "the most just."
The strong defense of God's justice resonates with the intellectual part of me.
But I must say, I am moved by the word pictures of the fragility of human existence in the last part of the last two paragraphs .
If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.
.....
In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.
image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Sand_sculpture.jpg/250px-Sand_sculpture.jpg
I can craft my life ... but fast or slow, it will be swept away.
For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
For He need not further consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
Therefore He knows their works;
He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
He strikes them as wicked men
In the open sight of others,
Because they turned back from Him,
And would not consider any of His ways,
So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;
For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
That the hypocrite should not reign,
Lest the people be ensnared.
Theologically, God is considered omniscient.
Recently, some theologians in the open theism movement contract the meaning of omniscience away from God knowing the future. I'm not sure that is a valid move logically. Because since Elihu argues for a linkage between God's justice and God's omniscience (e.g. God's justice can only happen because God is omniscient). Thus, would taking away God's knowledge of the future be injurious to God's justice?
I have sympathy with open theism's attempt to address free will and theodicy but I am concerned it might compromise God's justice. Thoughts anyone?
Elihu sums up this part of his monologue with more hits on Job.
For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastening;
I will offend no more;
Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
Should He repay it according to your terms,
Just because you disavow it?
You must choose, and not I;
Therefore speak what you know.
Men of understanding say to me,
Wise men who listen to me:
‘Job speaks without knowledge,
His words are without wisdom.’
Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,
Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
For he adds rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.
One of the things we have to remember when we call the Bible, God's word: there are human words and actions which may run counter to what God wants. And so those negative things are in the Bible to show us deeds and ideas that are wrong which we should learn to avoid.
I think Elihu makes some good theological point but he seems less than helpful in the sympathy dimension. But he hits an important point here at the end: Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom. Job is without knowledge of some parts of Job 1-2. Now, would that knowledge make him feel any better? I don't know. Maybe not. And because of his deep physical and emotional pain, he is brutally honest with God and so should we expect his words to be "wise?" The point maybe not so much about answers to suffering but expressing how a faithful man wrestles with suffering.
Lord, I look around the world and see wickedness in every corner. I have to trust that you see all of this and will one day bring about justice. Grant me wisdom to do what little I can where I can to bring justice. Enable me with insight to know when to share theology with people in love and when to simply share love. Amen.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Job 33
It is Holy Saturday as I write.
In the season of remembering what Jesus did on the Cross, Holy Saturday is the one I know the least.
In the Southern Baptist church that I grew up in, the special days of these season we marked were Palm Sunday which recalls Jesus entry in to Jerusalem. Good Friday, the day of Crucifixion. And Easter Sunday, the day of Resurrection.
In more liturgical churches, there is also Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. The ashes marked on the forehead in the shape of a cross is a sign of repentance which is an essential element of preparing the believer in remembering the events of holy week.
There is also Maundy Thursday which recalls the last day before the Crucifixion with emphasis on the foot washing of the disciples, the Last Supper, the prayers at the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal by Judas.
And lastly, there is Holy Saturday where in the more liturgical churches the services held are very sparse. This is in line with what the disciples would have felt on that day after the death of Jesus but prior to the Resurrection.
And so, I find myself drawn back to the tale of Job.
In a sense, we live in Holy Saturday. The work of Jesus, the Christ has been done on the Cross, yet we await His return in full glory. We live with trust in the significance of the Cross and anticipation that His Return will release us from the sorrows of this life.
And so onto Job 33.
Elihu had been silent until Job 32. He would speak from Job 32-37.
Elihu is bold in his addressing Job directly:
But now, Job, listen to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.
I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
My words come from an upright heart;
my lips sincerely speak what I know.
The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Answer me then, if you can;
stand up and argue your case before me.
But I do appreciate Elihu's humility in the next few lines:
I am the same as you in God's sight;
I too am a piece of clay.
No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.
Nonetheless, Elihu is concerned about some of the things Job had said in his monologues.
But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
I am pure, I have done no wrong;
I am clean and free from sin.
Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.
He fastens my feet in shackles;
he keeps close watch on all my paths.
But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.
Thanks to the study notes in Zondervan's NIV Study Bible, I'm reminded that Job did not actually claim to be sinless (see Job 7:21 and 13:26) but rather that as far as he knows he has acknowledged all his sins and that he has avoided egregious sins.
Why do you complain to him
that he responds to no one's words?
For God does speak—now one way, now another—
though no one perceives it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,
to preserve them from the pit,
their lives from perishing by the sword.
Elihu tries to counter Job's assertion that God is silent.
image source:
http://www.ncbusinesslitigationreport.com/danger%20sign.jpg
Indeed, one ongoing question for those who believe in God is how does God "speak" to me?
Elihu here seems to be arguing that God speaks to us in the voice of the conscience to keep us away from wrongdoing, pride, the pit and perishing by the sword.
Elihu continued on this theme:
Or they may be chastened on a bed of pain
with constant distress in their bones,
so that their bodies find food repulsive
and their souls loathe the choicest meal.
Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.
They draw near to the pit,
and their lives to the messengers of death.
And thus, pain is another "messenger" of God to steer us onto the correct path.
Reminds me of a C.S. Lewis quote ...
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
Elihu then addressed the possibility of rescue apart from "self rescue."
Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger, one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,
and he is gracious to them and says to God,
'Spare them from going down to the pit;
I have found a ransom for them—
let their flesh be renewed like a child's;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth'—
then they can pray to God and find favor with him,
they will see God's face and shout for joy;
he will restore them to full well-being.
And they will go to others and say,
'We have sinned, we have perverted what is right,
but we did not get what we deserved.
God has delivered us from going down to the pit,
and we shall live to enjoy the light of life.'
"God does all these things to people—
twice, even three times—
to turn them back from the pit,
that the light of life may shine on them.
"Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
If you have anything to say, answer me;
speak up, for I want to vindicate you.
But if not, then listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."
The great "R" words of the Bible: rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation.
image source:
http://www.outtatown.com/photos/06site2/wp-content/photos/the_cross.jpg
And so Elihu is telling Job that rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation is all possible.
For us today, on this Holy Saturday, we know that it has been done at the Cross. But we still suffer. We await the completion of the rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation.
The prayer for Holy Saturday from the Book of Common Prayer:
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the
crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and
rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the
coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of
life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
In the season of remembering what Jesus did on the Cross, Holy Saturday is the one I know the least.
In the Southern Baptist church that I grew up in, the special days of these season we marked were Palm Sunday which recalls Jesus entry in to Jerusalem. Good Friday, the day of Crucifixion. And Easter Sunday, the day of Resurrection.
In more liturgical churches, there is also Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. The ashes marked on the forehead in the shape of a cross is a sign of repentance which is an essential element of preparing the believer in remembering the events of holy week.
There is also Maundy Thursday which recalls the last day before the Crucifixion with emphasis on the foot washing of the disciples, the Last Supper, the prayers at the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal by Judas.
And lastly, there is Holy Saturday where in the more liturgical churches the services held are very sparse. This is in line with what the disciples would have felt on that day after the death of Jesus but prior to the Resurrection.
And so, I find myself drawn back to the tale of Job.
In a sense, we live in Holy Saturday. The work of Jesus, the Christ has been done on the Cross, yet we await His return in full glory. We live with trust in the significance of the Cross and anticipation that His Return will release us from the sorrows of this life.
And so onto Job 33.
Elihu had been silent until Job 32. He would speak from Job 32-37.
Elihu is bold in his addressing Job directly:
But now, Job, listen to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.
I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
My words come from an upright heart;
my lips sincerely speak what I know.
The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Answer me then, if you can;
stand up and argue your case before me.
But I do appreciate Elihu's humility in the next few lines:
I am the same as you in God's sight;
I too am a piece of clay.
No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.
Nonetheless, Elihu is concerned about some of the things Job had said in his monologues.
But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
I am pure, I have done no wrong;
I am clean and free from sin.
Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.
He fastens my feet in shackles;
he keeps close watch on all my paths.
But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.
Thanks to the study notes in Zondervan's NIV Study Bible, I'm reminded that Job did not actually claim to be sinless (see Job 7:21 and 13:26) but rather that as far as he knows he has acknowledged all his sins and that he has avoided egregious sins.
Why do you complain to him
that he responds to no one's words?
For God does speak—now one way, now another—
though no one perceives it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,
to preserve them from the pit,
their lives from perishing by the sword.
Elihu tries to counter Job's assertion that God is silent.
image source:
http://www.ncbusinesslitigationreport.com/danger%20sign.jpg
Indeed, one ongoing question for those who believe in God is how does God "speak" to me?
Elihu here seems to be arguing that God speaks to us in the voice of the conscience to keep us away from wrongdoing, pride, the pit and perishing by the sword.
Elihu continued on this theme:
Or they may be chastened on a bed of pain
with constant distress in their bones,
so that their bodies find food repulsive
and their souls loathe the choicest meal.
Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.
They draw near to the pit,
and their lives to the messengers of death.
And thus, pain is another "messenger" of God to steer us onto the correct path.
Reminds me of a C.S. Lewis quote ...
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
Elihu then addressed the possibility of rescue apart from "self rescue."
Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger, one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,
and he is gracious to them and says to God,
'Spare them from going down to the pit;
I have found a ransom for them—
let their flesh be renewed like a child's;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth'—
then they can pray to God and find favor with him,
they will see God's face and shout for joy;
he will restore them to full well-being.
And they will go to others and say,
'We have sinned, we have perverted what is right,
but we did not get what we deserved.
God has delivered us from going down to the pit,
and we shall live to enjoy the light of life.'
"God does all these things to people—
twice, even three times—
to turn them back from the pit,
that the light of life may shine on them.
"Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
If you have anything to say, answer me;
speak up, for I want to vindicate you.
But if not, then listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."
The great "R" words of the Bible: rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation.
image source:
http://www.outtatown.com/photos/06site2/wp-content/photos/the_cross.jpg
And so Elihu is telling Job that rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation is all possible.
For us today, on this Holy Saturday, we know that it has been done at the Cross. But we still suffer. We await the completion of the rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation.
The prayer for Holy Saturday from the Book of Common Prayer:
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the
crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and
rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the
coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of
life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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