-
Face to Face
Job 13
“Behold, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it. What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. But I would speak with the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. As for you, you whitewash with lies; worthless physicians are you all. Oh that you would keep silent, and it would be your wisdom! Hear now my argument and listen to the pleadings of my lips.”
Job 13:1-6Job continues his reply to Zophar – I already know all of this! I’ve probably said some of these things to you over the years. I’m not less than you. I’m not stupid. Stop speaking to me like I’m a child. Job calls his friends out for what they are – liars and fakes. You can’t cover this up with a coat of paint. This kind of suffering isn’t hidden by a decorative bow, or by a mound of flowers. You are “worthless physicians,” spiritual hacks. Job wishes they would just stop talking. That they would actually listen to his complaints with a desire to understand. They once sat silently with Job, in his suffering, for seven days. Job longs for that silence again. He warns his friends – they are walking an unstable path. They presume to speak for God, giving Job fake reasons.
“Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him? Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God? Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him as one deceives a man? He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show partiality. Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him fall upon you? Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.”
Job 13:7-12There is a tangible fear that suffering just might be contagious. If I get too close to it in my life, will it jump onto me and sink its talons in, not letting go? Drawing near to someone in their suffering is meaningful and holy. Jesus paved the way for us in this by welcoming the sick, the suffering, sinners and untouchables. There is no fear in that space – love is greater than fear. Much of the advice and counsel Job’s friends offered came from a root of fear: fear of being judged by God, fear of losing everything as Job had, fear of suffering at this same level. They feared the contagion of suffering. To ward off this fear, they built a separation between themselves and Job – He must have sinned grievously for God to punish him like this. This won’t happen to me because I won’t sin like Job has sinned. God won’t judge me like this. Do we not see that this is a vain attempt to make God seem controllable and safe, tied up in a neat box with a tidy little ribbon? Job punches this false teaching in the teeth when he asks, “Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him fall upon you?” He most certainly will search you out, friends.
Job longs to bring his argument before God. His friends have failed him; unable to hear his complaints without accusing him of grave sin. He only wants to take his argument to God, so he can be judged rightly and his sins be revealed, though he maintains his innocence.
“Behold, I have prepared my case; I know I shall be in the right. Who is there who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die. Only grant me two things, then I will not hide myself from your face: withdraw your hand far from me, and let not dread of you terrify me. Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and you reply to me.”
Job 13:18-22What a bold request! Job is asking God to remove His hand of affliction. He is also asking to stand face to face, on even ground with the Almighty, so that they can have a conversation. Job has questions for God, and desires them to be answered. I relate so much to Job’s description of himself as a “driven leaf” and “dry chaff.” These are hearty descriptors of how suffering and trauma suck the life out of a person and leave nothing but dry twigs behind.
“How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy? Will you frighten a driven leaf and pursue dry chaff?”
Job 13:23-25Let’s back up a little to verse 15. This has long been one of my favorite verses to quote and consider. I’ve used it as a measure of my own faith – do I trust God in the midst of adversity, suffering, trial, struggle, hardship, calamity? Do I trust God as Job does?
“Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.”
Job 13:15In the footnotes of my ESV journaling Bible is an alternate translation for this verse. I love footnotes…usually. This one was weird.
“Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope; yet I will argue my ways to his face.”
Job 13:15 noteIs it just me, or do these translations say opposing things? The part that remains the same is well within the context of the whole passage. Job longs to argue his case before God. That is consistent throughout all of Job’s complaints. The alternate phrases for the beginning of the verse have me baffled. Is God going to slay Job? Is there hope for Job? Does Job trust God? This verse variation derailed me in my study for a few days. I had to dig for understanding. Sometimes, it’s so good to ask, “But, what does this MEAN?!” And then, to be frantic for the answer.
But, guess what? I didn’t find an easy answer. So, I zoomed back out on the whole chapter, and ultimately the whole book, to remind myself what the over-arching message is. What is the book of Job about, and why is it important for me to read and understand it? I know, this book is not about a man named Job. Sure, he’s a leading character, along with Bildad, Zophar, Eliphaz, and Elihu (he has a cameo towards the end of the book). The book isn’t about Job’s suffering, or his faith, or his failures, although they are part of the information in the book. This book is ultimately about God, the Almighty, as Job and his friends frequently call Him. This is a book about the character of God, His sovereignty, His goodness, His power over all things, His love for His children. My understanding of God has already been greatly expanded by this book. I’ve been reminded of truths I already knew that needed stronger roots, and I’ve been challenged in my perspective of God’s sovereignty in and through suffering.
Job has had enough of this suffering. In Job 7:1-3, we read that Job had already suffered for months. Months. The days must have blurred together, a gray lake in his mind. Chapter 13 is Job’s cry of complaint against seeming injustice and affliction from the hand of God. He is begging God to just stop. This is familiar ground. Like many others, I can say a hearty “Amen!” to Job’s request that God withdraw His hand of affliction.
Whether we read verse fifteen, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him,” or, “Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope,” we can be certain of the following:
- God decides when we die; our lives are in His hands (Deuteronomy 32:39; Acts 17:24-28; Psalm 39:4-5).
- We cannot hope to escape God’s determined time of our death (Psalm 139). Our lives are not our own (I Corinthians 6:19-20).
- God is completely trustworthy in all things: life and death (Psalm 73). He is our hope and our salvation (Psalm 71).
- When we die, we will be face to face with God at last (II Corinthians 5:6-10).
This past Sunday, our congregation sang together the words of Psalm 23. God provided an answer to my question about Job 13:15 using this Psalm of David. God does not leave us in the midst of our suffering, even if that suffering leads to the “valley of the shadow of death.” God is there, with us in our suffering, guiding, comforting, strengthening, protecting. We are His, and He is good to us.
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever." -Psalm 23
Job’s desire to speak with God face to face to argue his case is echoed in Psalm 13. The final statements in this Psalm are key to living with and through suffering for the glory of God. Lord, may these words not be missing from my heart.
"How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed over him,' lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me." -Psalm 13
**When I have questions about what a passage means, I usually seek out commentators I know I can trust. I have found solid, helpful sources in John Stott, John Gill, John Calvin, C. S. Lewis, C. H. Spurgeon, Albert Barnes, and many others. My main source, and usually the first source I ask, is my husband, who also is my pastor. He has a wealth of wisdom and knowledge in the Word of God, and I would be stupid not to ask him for clarity and/or for direction to a good commentary. If you have questions about what you are reading in God’s Word, let me direct you first to your pastor. Second, I would direct you to C. H. Spurgeon. It is easy to simply google his sermons and his expositional comments on the passages he preached from.**
-
Ask the Beasts, the Birds, the Trees…
Job 12
My desk sits near a window in our old farmhouse. It allows a good view of the side hill and woods and, if I lean back enough, the old apple orchard where the deer meet each morning. There’s a Christmas tree graveyard in these woods, where my boys have dumped our old trees for four seasons now. The squirrels love to play in those discarded trees. They race and chase each other over stumps, fallen trees, our old conifers, and up the harsh, thorny locust trees. I see thin, fretful red squirrels and fat, gray, agreeable fellows on a daily basis. But my favorite is the black squirrel. There’s an argumentative pair of them that have regular fights in these woods. They’re mad at each other. All the time. Just mad. Well, so it seems to me from my desk inside my warm house, watching them hunt for food and treasure in the iced over snow mounds and dead Christmas trees. Sometimes I talk to them the way my grandmother would, scolding and chuckling over their antics, giving advice on where to hide their walnuts and acorns.
According to the hunters in my life, if you see squirrels in the woods when you’re hunting, be assured, they will ruin your hunt by alerting every living thing within earshot that you’re there. Camouflaged or not, your excellent hiding place will be revealed. And, if the squirrels don’t reveal your spot, when you pull your bow back and take aim, they will talk smack, causing you to lose your focus. And then, when you miss, and you will, they will laugh and laugh. Or, they will wait until you are sufficiently settled in your tree stand, and then crash through the branches, sounding convincingly like a moose in the tree tops above you. How does such a little fellow make such a big noise? Bless them.
I do bless them, and I feed them. I fill the bird feeders with seed I know they’ll like. I don’t use squirrel-proof feeders. I tried that once. The squirrels called a bear to open it for them. That feeder was never usable again, and my dog was traumatized by the strong smell of bear for weeks.
I have found, as I age, that the behaviors and characteristics of the animals around our home speak to me more and more of the care, sovereignty, and humor of our good God. I once cried from the cuteness overload of a racoon, emerging from his hollow in a tree in our front yard for his evening snack. So precious! His perked-up ears, his tiny fingers, the little mask. God provides food for each of these creatures and gives us a sense of care over them as well. Nothing makes me happier than finding a bag of feed corn ripped open on my picnic table and fat squirrels nibbling at the fragrant yellow kernels.
We confess with other believers that the divine purpose of all humanity is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. All of creation shouts His glory. Each red, gray, black, fluffy chatter box in the woods does exactly this just by existing. Job reminds his friends, and now us, that this is so.
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”
Job 12:7-10But let’s back up a bit. Job starts this response with a healthy serving of sarcasm (am I just reading it this way? You know, those who have a hammer think everything is a nail…). He is wise and witty in his pointed statement. Obviously, when his friends die, all the wisdom on the earth will be gone.
“No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these.”
Job 12:1Let’s review: The “such things as these” that Job is referring to is the Sunday School explanation given by Zophar in the last chapter. Zophar had to make sure Job knew that God can not be understood by feeble people. He reminded Job that God’s thoughts and ways are too deep for humans to grasp. Yes, true. And Job’s reply indicates that he felt patronized by Zophar. Job already knew this to be true. All of creation knows this, even the beasts and the trees. God’s wisdom goes beyond our comprehension, and His ways are His.
“With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.”
Job 12:13-14Some additional passages to consider in light of this huge concept:
“‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and beside me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I am God. Also, henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?’”
Isaiah 43:10-13“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:15-17Everything…made by God and for God’s purpose, and for God’s glory; made by Him and held together by Him. From the smart-mouthed squirrels, the helpful bears, the adorable racoons, to you and me and all humanity. He has made us, and we answer to Him. Nothing is hidden from Him. Our sins are known by Him. Our weaknesses, our hurts and needs. He sees it all. Is this uncomfortable? Does it seem intrusive? Or, am I comforted and strengthened by it?
“With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his.”
“He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.”
Job 12:16, 22
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:12-16Lord, use Your Word to point out the darkness in me, to reach in and grab it and pull it out like the weed it is. Let it wither in the light of Your truth. I am so grateful that you see it all, understand it all, and still sympathize with me in my weakness. You are good to the squirrels in the woods, the birds in the trees, and You are good to me. Let me join the chatter of the squirrels, the birdsong, the cry of creation, in talking much and big about You.
-
A Broken Record
Job 11
Does it seem as though Job’s friends are stuck in a loop? As if they keep telling the same story and the listener is expected to nod and smile as if it was new information? My mom calls this being “a broken record.” I heard that phrase a good bit growing up when I would ask the same questions or make the same comments on repeat. I have a sweet mom. She has lived to tell the tales of all three of her Italian hooligans. And she still knows how to laugh.
Job must be sick to death (pun intended) of his friends’ inane comments and impotent advice. He is looking for real answers, and finding only smoke. In this chapter, his friend Zophar is blowing that smoke, and lots of it.
“Should a multitude of words go unanswered, and a man full of talk be judged right? Should your babble silence men, and when you mock, shall no one shame you?”
Job 11:2-3I will answer Zophar’s questions with another of my mom’s fun phrases: “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!”
Zophar is calling Job an empty talker, a mocker, a babbler. He warns Job that God’s judgment is less than Job actually deserves. I don’t disagree with Zophar in this one, specific statement. I recognize the total depravity of humanity. And…But, God’s mercy is real! I see a big problem with telling a wounded man that his wounds are a whole lot of nothing. Zophar is diminishing the pain Job feels with a super-pious, it-could-be-worse dismissal. Don’t do this to hurting people.
“But oh, that God would speak and open his lips to you, and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.”
Job 11:5-6Next, Zophar says something good and true. It’s so hard to sift through the statements Job’s friends make. They mix truth with confusion, understanding with misinformation…it’s like reading the current news. What is real? What is true? But this statement is real. I know, because we read it elsewhere in Scripture as God’s words about Himself.
“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven – what can you do? Deeper than Sheol – what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back? For he knows worthless men; when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?”
Job 11:7-11“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9And now we get to my favorite Zophar statement in this chapter…
“But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.”
Job 11:12Or, using another of my mom’s fun hyperboles: “When pigs fly!” It makes me laugh a little. Zophar, after braying his accusations at Job, says a foolish man will never become wise. The irony…so thick…can hardly breathe…
And then, perhaps feeling badly about his harsh words and judgment, Zophar exhorts Job to confess…and be blessed! Here, Zophar promotes retribution theology – the belief that God is good to good people and punishes the wicked in this life as they deserve. He encourages Job to confess his sin and live a righteous life, and God will bless him! Guaranteed! A little bit of a lie mixed up with some truth, is still a lie. This is a form of self-salvation.
“If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will left up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security. You will lie down, and none will make you afraid; many will court your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last.”
Job 11:13-20I Peter offers a beautiful, truth-filled contrast to Zophar’s false teaching. In chapter 4, Peter exhorts believers to arm themselves with the mind of Christ – His mind that did not shy away from suffering; His mind that walked, flint-faced, toward sacrifice. Peter encourages us to live as Christ lived, with the same purpose He lived – the glory of God alone. I urge you to read the whole chapter; it is brilliant. Here is the last portion of it:
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’ Therefore, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
I Peter 4:12-19Suffering according to God’s will is a difficult trial to accept. But, what if it is God’s will for me, for you, to suffer? Then we do good in His name as we struggle, trusting that He is faithful. It isn’t a comfortable thought, is it? To consider that God may allow us to suffer for His glory. But it is good to walk toward suffering with our faces set like Christ who has walked this path before us. There is joy here.
One last thought: Don’t let Zophar’s misuse of confession derail you from the truth. Confession is vital to our faith. There is a true, humble confession the believer must engage in regularly, not to win favor or merit with God, which we cannot do, but in grateful submission to His commands and in response to His grace. Psalm 51 gives a beautiful example of this type of confession.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…”
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.”
Psalm 51:1-4a, 10-13 -
A Little Cheer Before I Go
Job 10
Ah, a cup of strong coffee in the morning. Or, a cup of peppermint tea to warm the heart after dinner in the evening. A glass of wine with friends, where the laughter and conversation is more heady than the wine. A good book on a quiet afternoon. Just a little cheer before I go. Comforts are the good parts in life, the small, joyful habits that settle our souls. Life would be bleak without the comforts we love so well.
Job asks for space to have a little cheer before he goes. Life is hard enough; let me have some peace and comfort before I die. But first, he wishes for death. He lashes out – no holding back on his feelings. He’s pouring his heart out before God – all the anger, bitterness, questions, the hurt and the doubt.
A quick thought: God already knows. I can safely tell Him. Nothing I say is going to surprise Him. Let God banish secret sins and shameful thoughts with His truth. The broken heart can be laid in pieces before Him. He mends broken things. Why do we pretend? He knows. All of it. If I stay silent, will my bones waste away from the inner turmoil (Psalm 32)? Pouring my heart out to God reminds me that I trust Him. He is my refuge (Psalm 62:8). And, there is safety from temptation when I take my unrighteous thoughts captive and obediently turn them over to Christ (II Corinthians 10:3-6).
“I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me.’”
Job 10:1-2“I hate my life!” I have heard these same words come out of my own lips. The teenage years were especially difficult. These are real feelings – enormous, overwhelming, valid and important. Deep heartbreak can drive me to Jesus quicker than an easy road can. I spent many hours in prayer as an angsty teenager. I’m still quick to run to Him in stormy weather. I often feel like that sixteen year old girl with a broken heart. Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are tired and worn-out, overwhelmed by the load we are carrying. He promises real rest for our souls.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30But Job is buried deep under a monstrous load of suffering. He feels there is no escape from it. He suspects that God has done all of this on purpose – a purpose he longs to know! His theology of God’s sovereignty is correct, but he questions God’s motives.
Isn’t this a common theme song? The trials we face in life can bring doubt about God’s care and goodness. We trust that He is sovereign over all, working His will in everything, yet we wonder if He loves us, or if we have become an annoying disappointment to Him. Is He who He says He is, loving and holy, kind and just? Is He good?
“Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose.”
Job 10:8-13We know that God, who made all things for His own glory, can do whatever He wills and desires with His creation – with me and with you. He has fashioned us from dust and breathed His breath of life into us. We have purpose and meaning because, and only because of Him. Our purpose is Him, His glory, and our enjoyment of Him.
“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles.’? Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”
“Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: ‘Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.’”
Isaiah 45:9-12Job proclaims his own righteousness (v. 7), and then questions the goodness and justice of God who made him. This is the false thinking we drop into when we answer before we hear the whole question, or when we make a decision with half of the pertinent information missing. Job doesn’t know the whole story. He sees from a veiled perspective, earthly, human. He has made an assumption about God based on limited understanding mixed with a healthy dose of his own pride. Is he guiltless? None are.
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Psalm 14:1-3“as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’”
Romans 3:10-12Job continues his lament and complaint. If he is wrong, he feels God will not acquit him; if he is right, he feels he will still stand in shame before God. If he can stand without shame, he says God will still be against him. In short, Job believes that nothing he can do or has done will bring mercy from God. He is on his own against the Almighty. His terror is understandable! He questions the purpose of his life.
“Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go – and I shall not return…”
Job 10:18-21“I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD who does all these things.”
Isaiah 45:5-7Job asks God to leave him alone, to just go already, and let him live out his miserable days with as much cheer as he can muster.
There is no cheer where God is not. Without God’s presence there is only darkness and death. There is no coffee strong enough to bring comfort to a life lived without God. There is no wine sweet enough, no cup-of-tea-book-by-the-fire-fuzzy-socks-cozy enough. But when God is near, there is joy. Joy that strengthens and lifts up. Joy that comforts in the midst of suffering – through suffering, to the other side of suffering.
“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.’”
“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.”
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:1-2, 8-9, 11 -
The Testimony of Orion
Job 9
He is my favorite constellation. In Winter, Orion stands in the southern sky. Which means, when I pull into the farmhouse driveway on a clear night and shut off the car lights, I have a pretty good view of the Hunter over the closest corn field. Some nights, the sky takes my breath away. An arm of the Milky Way is visible just overhead; stars are sharp points against a field of deep purple-black. My breath puffs in front of my face which starts to hurt in the icy air. I crane my neck to see as many stars as possible as I hurry to the warm comfort of my kitchen…murmuring, “Don’t slip on the ice; walk in the snow…” It’s cold here. The sky is clear, and Orion is shouting God’s glory from the heavens.
“He is wise in heart and mighty in strength – who has hardened himself against him and succeeded? – he who removes mountains and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleaides and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number.”
Job 9:4-10Job knows the majesty and power of God. He knows his arguments are frail before the Holy Judge, but he longs to bring them before God even so, to lay his complaint before the Almighty. He has confidence in his own righteousness, and questions God’s justice. This is dangerous ground to tread, filled with pits and covered in ice.
“Though I am in the right; I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser. If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause; he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness. If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?”
Job 9:15-19Breathless, not with wonder, but in panic. That long, suffocating inhale, driven by fear. “He will not let me get my breath…” Yet, God has breathed life into each one of us. Every breath in, every exhale, each oxygen molecule we take in and every carbon-dioxide molecule we breathe out is a gift from Him. In times of great blessing, and in times of deep sorrow, God deserves our praise, even if it must be breathless praise – a sacrifice of praise
“Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.”
Psalm 147:1-4“Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
Psalm 150He has determined the number of the stars and given them each a name that He knows. He “seals up the stars,” and he will one day send the stars down like rain (Mark 13:24-27; Revelation 6:12-17). How do you gather your feeble arguments together against Creator God, the Holy Judge? Job understands his frailty, that he is a drop in time, beseeching the Eternal God. He longs for an advocate, one who will stand between him and God.
“If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint; I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,’ I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent. I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain? If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.
For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.”
Job 9:27-33There is Jesus. We have an advocate (I John 2:1-2), interceding on our behalf (Romans 8), speaking peace between us and the Judge: Jesus Christ, the Righteous. He is our peace, binding us together with God the Father in the Spirit of adoption. Nothing will separate us from that love.
-
When Words Burn
Job 8
Let’s talk about words. Let’s use words to discuss the power of words, the power of the tongue. A tiny part of the human body with a megaphone attached. Let’s string some words together in a fine pearl necklace to explain how words can heal or wound. Not a long strand of pearls, just a choker really.
Words hold power, and power holds its words. You can gather sound and breath together on your lips to motivate, encourage, comfort, cheer, inspire, captivate, enthrall and build up. Your words, my words, can bring life to the listener. Or, they can kill, you know. Our words have the strength to decimate a friendship in a few short years or in a few long moments, even a friendship that is built on years of loyalty and good talk. A word can humiliate, manipulate, discourage, and tear down. The tongue can be filled with the venom of hell. Jesus said that the contents of the heart spill out of the mouth. The treasures of the heart bubble over into the lungs, and the breath fills the thought-sails while the brain supplies the syllables. And those heart-words push their way up through the throat into the mouth and across the lips into the ears and heart of the listening friend.
Let’s talk about Bildad. A friend who chose his own words. The irony is thick in his opening line:
“How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind?”
Job 8:2Well, bless your heart, Bildad. Do share about Job’s windy talk with your own blast of arctic air.
“Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right?”
Job 8:3Well, no. You’re quite right, Bildad. God does not pervert justice. He is the Judge of all. Careful, careful now. You are so close to that edge there…careful, steady…back up slowly...
“If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.”
Job 8:4That’s the edge, Bildad. You just plowed right through…no hesitation. Those are death words for a father’s heart. You’ve thrown all compassion aside and gone straight for Job’s neck. His children are dead, Bildad, or did you miss that announcement? All ten of his children are dead, friend, and you have gut-punched a man who has nothing left to give but his own life. Did you gasp at your own words when they came out of your mouth, Bildad? Did your eyes widen and your mouth hang open a bit after you shot those poison darts at your friend’s heart?
I’ve been here before. I’ve said stupid words from a loveless heart. I’ve watched my own words fly out of my mouth like swarming bees. I’ve seen them sting the listener, the friend I was supposed to encourage and comfort. This often happens at home, with the ones we are closest to.
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
James 3:1-6Your words had hell-fire in them, Bildad. They cut with sharp heat. How do you stop a forest fire like that? Well, at least you offer some fragments of cheer to Job.
Bildad’s “cheer” is almost a false prosperity gospel, a message of karma from someone who says he knows the Almighty. He reassures Job that confession and a pure life will bring God’s blessings down – that Job will have his old life back, if only he follows the three step program.
“If you will seek God and plead with the Almighty for mercy, if you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse himself for you and restore your rightful habitation. And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.”
Job 8:5-7Bildad goes on to remind Job that the life of the one who forgets God is without structure or strength. He reminds Job that the end of the unrighteous is destruction. “…the hope of the godless shall perish.” And he slaps a closing band-aid phrase on Job’s suffering – suffering further expanded by Bildad’s own heartless words.
“Behold, God will not reject a blameless man, nor take the hand of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting.”
Job 8:20-21The facts we know: Job was called both upright and blameless by God Himself in the Halls of Heaven. His suffering was not a punishment for sin. He is on display, not because he is himself mighty, able, or righteous; Job is on display on God’s behalf, so that God can show HIMSELF mighty through Job’s suffering.
And now, one final fresh-water pearl for my choker strand: Be cautious; take heed; speak with care; don’t fly over that edge like Bildad; settle the bees in the hive. We may not know the whole story behind the suffering of those we hope to encourage.
Lord, let our words be filled with love and life.
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Ephesians 4:29“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”
Psalm 141:3 -
Targeted – Job’s Reply
Job 6
**I couldn’t fall asleep the night I wrote the following in my journal. I was awake, worried about my son, who was recently diagnosed with a very difficult and rare auto-immune disease. He can live with this disease, but it will be a daily challenge, no let-ups, no breaks from it. I was grieving for the changes and losses and feeling guilty for the grief – he can LIVE with this – it’s hard, but not impossible. I prayed, cried, started to panic, then pulled myself out of bed, grabbing my Bible and notebook on my way downstairs to a comfy spot on the couch. I had some questions for God, and the book of Job was on my mind. I opened to the next chapter in my daily reading and found strength and solace there…**
“Then Job answered and said: ‘Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash. For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.’”
Job 6:1-4What is it like to have the arrows of the Almighty lodged in you? To know that God Himself chose the arrow from His own quiver, set it to the string, pulled back, took precise aim, and let His arrow fly? Not just sharp arrows, but poisoned arrows – they strike; the poison sinks in; “my spirit drinks their poison.” And then to be overwhelmed by the paralyzing fear and confusion: God Himself has sunk His arrows deeply into you. “The terrors of God are arrayed against me.” Jeremiah (the weeping prophet) also knew the arrows of God. He says…
“He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrows. He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver…”
Lamentations 3:10-13What if I am already carrying the weight of the sands of the whole world in my heart, and now, I am fearful and wounded before my Maker? Is there any who could understand this kind of suffering and sorrow? Is there any who can sympathize with Job in this suffering? Is there any who can have compassion on us in our sorrows? There is One.
“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
“Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”
Isaiah 53:3-5, 10-11Job wishes to be crushed by God, to be demolished by the Almighty. It is his hope.
“Oh that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off! This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.”
Job 6:8-10Job is done. Well, he thinks he’s done. He has no strength; he can offer no help; his hope is gone. It is all too heavy and too hard and too sharply painful. I’m drawn back to Lamentations, where Jeremiah finds hope after bearing the arrows of God.
“Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Because of the steadfast love of the LORD, we are not cut off; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore, I will hope in him.’”
Lamentations 3:19-24Job turns his attention back to his friends – these are not the kind of friends you really want to share your heart with. They come close to you in your disaster so they can be in the limelight as comforters and confidants. Secretly, these friends are afraid of the same calamity happening to them. Good for them for showing up with the casserole dish; shame on them for withholding kindness and compassion for their dear friend.
“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away, which are dark with ice, and where the snow hides itself.”
“…you see my calamity and are afraid.”
Job 6:14-16, 21Job longs to be heard and seen, truly known by his friends. If they knew him they would know he isn’t speaking evil against God with his lips. They would know he isn’t harboring some secret sin. They would know he is speaking the truth from his own heart. But they don’t hear, or see, or know. And Job is left, alone in his misery, with miserable reproof from miserable people.
“But now, be pleased to look at me, for I will not lie to your face. Please turn; let no injustice be done. Turn now; my vindication is at stake. Is there any injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?”
Job 6:28-30Job 7
Isn’t life hard enough. Just normal, everyday life – the daily struggle. Isn’t it enough of a challenge? Especially now, in 2022, in these times of pandemic, chronic illness, political uncertainty, global unrest, wars, earthquakes, famines, and every other imaginable calamity. Isn’t it hard enough, dear God? All we do is work to live, live to work, paycheck to paycheck for most, meal to meal for many.
“Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand? Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me. When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn.”
Job 7:1-4Job laments his situation – really the human situation: I can’t even get a good night’s rest! I look forward to rest at the end of each day, but at night – fear, panic, terror, nightmares, tossing. My life is really only a breath, a vapor, or a mist, anyway – does it have to be so hard?
“…you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
James 4:14“I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. What is man that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?”
“Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?”
Job 7:16-18, 20-21Job bookends his speech with more archery symbolism: why am I your target, God. What is so special about me that you have set your attention on me, trained your arrows at me, and hit your mark?
It isn’t wrong to ask why. God doesn’t have to tell us. The arrows can strike deeper than we expect. His aim is perfect; He hits just what He aims at, and He never misses. Let that sink in.
-
What Friends Say – Part 2
Job 4 & 5
**When Job’s friends speak, I have a hard time sifting out the truth from their limited understanding. I keep reminding myself that they didn’t know the whole story, that they were not aware of God’s purpose in all of Job’s suffering. I try to imagine myself in their shoes. The following is a conversation I would have with Eliphaz, the first of Job’s friends to speak into his suffering. My personal journal is filled with comments at Job’s friends like these. I’m annoyed by their glib comfort and harsh judgement. And, I’m ashamed that my own attitude towards suffering in others looks like Eliphaz’s sometimes, lacking compassion, full of self-righteous piety. I’m also surprised by their occasional wisdom. It’s a mixed bag. God grant us all the wisdom to understand, and the humility to be convicted as needed.**
Every time you speak, Eliphaz, I find myself taking issue with your words. Will anyone answer the child of God who calls on God? Yes. God will answer! What is this question, Eliphaz? Smoke in the wind. A puffed up, know-it-all question. Where is your love?
“Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?”
Job 5:1Perhaps you mean to be encouraging and motivating in your questions, Eliphaz. Perhaps it’s just your delivery…terrible bed-side manner and all that. I see how you walk it back a little:
“As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause.”
Job 5:8Is this you offering sound advice at last, Eliphaz, or is this you just saying, “If I was you, and I’m not…I’d talk to God about all this.” I can’t tell, Eliphaz. See, my own sarcasm and cynicism keep getting in the way as I read your comments. I see my own self-righteousness blasting through your phrasing. I think I get you – I understand where you’re coming from, Eliphaz, and that brings a guilt level that feels pretty awful.
You have some messed up ideas, Eliphaz. Your view of God is missing key pieces. You say that man is born for trouble, but you forget that man is born to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. You claim that the wicked get their due, but that’s not my experience, or the experience of most people on this planet. In fact, I’ve seen some righteous people in some really hard times, and it’s made me wonder about the goodness of God. If we’re being honest, here, Eliphaz, which I’m not sure you are, we would say that humanity is born into trouble and that humanity is trouble, but that God is good…even when it doesn’t look like that. Your ideas twist my brain around until I’m not certain what is up or down.
“For affliction doesn’t come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.”
Job 5:6-7I’ve read it over again, Eliphaz, and it still doesn’t ring true. Man is not born to trouble. I know that humanity is born for glory! We are born to glorify God and enjoy Him. We are made close to the angelic beings…see, here is proof:
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet, you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
Psalm 8:3-5Eliphaz, are you ignorant of this when you tell Job that humanity is born for trouble? Are you unaware of the place you hold in the universe, crowned with glory and honor? Are you confused about suffering as I am, thinking it can’t be gloriously remade into something beautiful? Do you, like me, question the goodness of God, and so you question the motives of your friend? Does it terrify you that you could do all the right things and still face the suffering of Job? We are more alike than I want to admit then. I thank God for His WORD in front of me that reveals the truth of who He is. Without it, I would be singing your song, Eliphaz, the song that says God might not be good, or loving, or kind. The song that begins and ends with man in trouble up to his neck and no way out.
“…who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.”
Job 5:9-11I see that you remembered some truths and tacked them on at the end of your long speech, Eliphaz. I see that God reminded you of His great majesty, power, and holiness. Did you notice the stars that night, or the sun coming up again in the morning? Did the rain fall on you as you sat in the dirt with your dear friend? Did God break your stubborn heart with His beauty and majesty in creation? I’ve been there, Eliphaz. I’ve driven that road, when the radio is playing a song of praise, and all nature, flying by my driver side window, is shouting that God is big, and He is real, and He is good, even as the tears fall over something truly painful. I’ve preached to my own soul in dark nights.
“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.”
Job 5:17-18This is the nugget of gold in your little speech, Eliphaz. This is the good stuff. This is a rock I can cling to in a storm. You nailed this one. I feel a glimmer of hope, friend. This truth is repeated in other Scriptures:
“For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.”
Jeremiah 3:31-33“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”
Proverbs 3:11-12“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
Hebrews 12:7“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11Dear Eliphaz, I see that you still couldn’t help yourself at the end; you just had to turn it into a reprimand for Job. Sigh.
“Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear, and know it for your good.”
Job 5:27I’m not even mad at you, Eliphaz, it’s just that I see my own judgmental face in your words, my own look of disappointment towards others. I see my lack of compassion mixed with piety. This has been a good reminder to me, friend.
-
What Friends Say – Part 1
Job 4 & 5
Oh, Eliphaz…so pious! You speak from your place of health and comfort into the misery and sorrow of your dear friend. Could you not sit silently just a few more days?
“If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?”
Job 4:2Eliphaz summarizes Job’s situation, condensing Job’s sorrow into one narrow thought: You must have done something sinful to deserve God’s punishment like this. What did you do? You were always the one we came to – everyone came to you – for advice and wisdom and comfort and strength. Now you are the one who is in the wrong.
“Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands, your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees. But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed.”
Job 4:3-5Sadly, aren’t most guilty of this line of thinking? That when the wise or wealthy or strong suffer it is God’s judgment on them? Finally! It’s their turn now. They have offered counsel; let them take their own advice. We are all so pious in our own sight.
Eliphaz points his words at Job’s heart, settling his attention on the sin he imagines must be responsible for all of this disaster in Job’s life. He places his focus, like a finger against the imagined stain and presses, expecting Job’s cry of guilt.
“As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.”
Job 4:8-9He isn’t wrong. Sin does lead to death. James outlines the progression:
“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
James 1:14-15But that isn’t what’s happening here in Job’s situation. The reader knows this. A behind-the-scenes look shows God at work to glorify Himself through Job’s suffering, not to punish Job for sin. Is a Job a sinner? For certain, as we all are from birth. Is his current suffering a result of his sin? Not this time, friends. Gratefully, God knows Job’s heart, and will point directly to his sin before the end of the book. The takeaway lesson here: Don’t assume that suffering in the life of another is due to their sin. We don’t know the half of any of it. Also, when God points out sin in our hearts, He is very clear. There isn’t any guessing about what we have done that goes against His righteousness. It isn’t a game of hide-and-seek with the Almighty.
Eliphaz shares his nightmare with Job. Maybe he had this nightmare while sitting on the ground in silence for those seven days. This nightmarish vision has the feel of a Dickens novel – goose flesh and apparitions, voices in the dark, whispering.
“Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice:
‘Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?’”
Job 4:13-17There is a glorious answer to this question that Eliphaz has posed. Yes, in Christ alone, a believer stands righteous before his Maker, made perfect and complete because of Christ’s finished work on the cross; alive in Christ, because He rose from the grave, victorious over death. This is the truth of the Gospel. Job and Eliphaz were standing on their tiptoes, peering over the edge of a time to see the answer. The reader can skip ahead to the Gospel accounts, Romans, the Epistles, Revelation to find this answer for herself. Sometimes, its a good thing to read the last page of the book first.
“…there was silence, then I heard a voice: ‘Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error; how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth. Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it. Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’”
Job 4: 16b-21There are some holes in Eliphaz’s philosophy of life, his worldview. He doesn’t have the whole story. He doesn’t know all of the information. But, I do love his poetry and imagery. He describes the fragility of human life so well…“houses of clay” describe our bodies, and “foundations are in the dust” refer to our humble origins. But the phrase that keeps pulling me back: “Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them…” This is a powerful word picture.
My husband and I both grew up in camping families. We have many collected experiences in the woods, hiking, sleeping in tents, swimming in lakes, fishing, cooking over an open fire. We do our best to get our own family out in the woods each summer for at least one camping trip. I remember one childhood camping trip when the tent-cords and stakes were pulled up on one side of the tent my sister and I shared. A tornado came through the area at night. I woke up to the confusion of howling wind, driving rain, and a tent roof falling down on us. We were able to make a dash through the storm to my parents’ tent, soon joined by my older brother whose pup-tent had also collapsed. Those tent-cords keep the shelter anchored to the earth, much like our bodies keep our souls anchored to earth. When the body dies, the tent-cord is “plucked up within” us, the house of clay crumbles, and the body returns to its foundation of dust. Beautiful words from Eliphaz the Temanite, but his philosophy is off the mark. Consider II Corinthians 5:1-10 for more on our body as a tent, temporary and burdensome.
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
II Corinthians 5:1-5 -
A Simple Bible Study Method
One Chapter a Day
Each New Year, Christians throughout the world start new Bible reading plans. It’s a wonderful opportunity to start fresh in God’s Word. Some make the commitment to read through the Bible in a year. Some choose to follow a longer plan, reading one book of the Bible for a whole month, focusing on repetition. The goal in any Bible reading plan should be to know what God’s Word says – to be saturated with the truth so that it spills out of us in action and conversation. No matter which reading plan you choose, the very act of reading God’s Word is beneficial…scratch that…I mean, VITAL. Some very helpful books on this topic are How to Eat Your Bible by Nate Pickowicz, Women of the Word, by Jen Wilkin, and Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible, by Michael F. Bird.
I’ve tried multiple reading plans over the years, but have finally settled on a plan that works well for my attention span and reading/study style. I use my own three-year plan, reading one chapter a day. This year, I recruited my family to join in. We’re all reading the book of Job currently, each of us on different chapters as we miss days here and there (life happens).
The blog posts I share here are my personal notes on the chapters I have read in Job. I’m currently reading Job 18, however, my blog posts run well behind that schedule. Here’s a glimpse into my process.
Step One: Pray.
It is important to start your time in God’s Word with prayer. This step is easy to skip. The Bible is open in front of you, and you just want to check the reading off your list and move forward with your day. But don’t skip this key step. It settles your mind right into the Word in front of you. It opens your heart to the truth. It shuts up the noise and chaos around you and zooms in on Scripture. Before you read, pray for understanding, for focus, for wisdom. Pray to be changed by the passage. Pray to know God more because of the passage. Pray for God to search your heart and show you any sin you need to confess. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and consider.
Step Two: Read the Chapter, and Write in Your Bible.
Read the chapter, and take notes in your Bible. Yes, it really is okay to write in your Bible. Imagine your children or grandchildren finding your Bible one day with all of your notes in it. What a treasure! I use an ESV, Single Column, Journaling Bible from Crossway. During the initial reading of the chapter, I write in my Bible. A lot. I underline key thoughts, circle verse numbers, draw boxes around sections that are catching my attention, and mark up the margins in my journaling Bible. As I’m reading, if another passage comes to mind, I look it up and add the reference in the margin. Often a quote will come to mind, so I’ll add that to the margin as well. I’ve also been known to draw pictures and color shapes around words and passages. In short, I do whatever is needed to draw my mind and heart into the chapter so that I’ll remember as much as possible for as long as possible.
Step Three: Read the Chapter Again, and Write Notes in a Notebook or Journal.
Now, read the chapter again. This time, take more detailed notes in a journal or notebook. A simple spiral bound notebook or journal works great to record thoughts on each chapter. I admit, I’m drawn to leather bound journals, but a fancy journal is not necessary…a composition book works great. This is where I add personal application and struggles; where I vent or complain, and where I work out my own challenges on paper. It offers space for honest dialogue about the chapter, including questions about the meaning, intention, or purpose of the chapter.
Step Four: Consider Any Questions About the Chapter, and Look for Answers from Trusted Sources.
After I have read, re-read and taken notes on the chapter, I do some research on any questions I might have about what the chapter is saying. I may look up maps of the locations, or try to understand why phrases were translated certain ways. For example, in Job 13:15, there is an alternate translation offered in the notes of my Bible. I did a little digging to find out why there are two different translations of the same phrase, and tried to determine if my thoughts on the passage change based on either translation. I happen to be married to my pastor (*wink*), so I have another in-house theologian available for discussions about the text. And, like I said, our whole family is reading the same book, so we’re able to converse about each chapter as we read it. The supper table is a great place for this sort of conversation. “Please pass the salt, and what did you think of Eliphaz telling Job he’s being judged for being a sinner?” It makes for lively talks over spaghetti.
Step Five: Pray…Again.
I try to end my reading and study time as I began, with my heart turned towards God. This is when I confess any sins He brought to mind during the reading, and this is when I pour out my heart to Him. Sometimes, I’ll listen to worship music that follows the train of thought from the passage. I have several playlists connected to different books of the Bible that I’ve studied over the last couple of years. These songs are helpful to maintain a mindset of worshipful learning throughout my day. Listening to Scripture focused music reminds me of the truths I’ve been feasting on each morning. This leads into step six, meditating on what I’ve read and learned.
Step Six: Meditate on the Truths From the Passage (and “accidentally” memorize it in the process!).
Choose a verse or even a phrase from the chapter and meditate on it throughout the day. Write the verse in your notes. I will sometimes write the verse on a notecard so I can carry it around with me to look at off and on. It works well to set it on the kitchen counter or stick it to the refrigerator. I seem to be pulled to the kitchen all day long as a mom and the family cook. I’ve also tucked the notecard into my cell phone case as a gentle reminder. I check my phone constantly throughout each day – emails, texts, calls, social media – the verse is there to draw my mind back to what I read in the morning. As I read the verse throughout the day, over and over, I find that my brain starts to recall it better and better. I end up memorizing the verse!
Step Seven: Do What it Says, and Teach it to Others.
Now is the time to practice what we have learned. This is the obedience part, where become doers “and not hearers only.” As I’m reading through a book of the Bible, I find myself talking about it to others. It comes up in various ways. This is a great outward exercise for the truths I’m internalizing. In a recent conversation with another mom friend, I found myself sharing some thoughts on depression from the book of Job. It turned our minds toward Scripture in the middle of a difficult topic. As God works understanding, knowledge, and faith IN to us, we must work it out…exercise it, act on it, obey it. It’s an ongoing overflow of faith from the inner person to the outward expression. This is how we live our faith out loud. Over time, we see change – a growth in our character; we move from self-exaltation to a deep longing to glorify God in all we do and say. This is a lifelong process, and the steps are many times small and slow.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12-13After reviewing these steps, it makes even more sense that One Chapter a Day is a good method for me. My brain needs process time. There are big truths on every page of God’s Word, and I don’t want to be in too big of a rush that I miss any precious piece.
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Christina Grubb 