So for the past two weeks I've been reading the book of Job. It's amazing, I must say. There's so much insight on good counsel, bad counsel, God's power, trials and tribulations, and our response. I can honestly say that, before reading this book, I was going through somewhat of a dry spot in my Christian walk, but reading it has given me new perspective on God and his work.
Job is talked about as being "blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil." He was basically the outstanding person - the Noah, if you will - of his time. Everything was going well for him: God's promise of blessing had benefited him both physically and spiritually. But Satan, being the way he is, doubted Job, and I think you know where the story goes from there. Anyways, As I read through the book, I realized a couple of things about Job's reactions: he was arrogant at times, but he also kept his faith. Throughout the first part of the book, he asks God why he is being punished, despite his righteousness. Now I realize that Job was called righteous in the first few verses of the book, but still, "all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." God would have had every right to punish Job the way he did for even just one sin.
However, this is not the cause of what happened to Job. Of course, Job doesn't know this, because he didn't watch the whole scene with Satan play out. It's tough to say without being the person experiencing it, but God has every right to put us through trials even if we didn't do anything wrong. This makes Job's response just as wrong as it would have been if he were being punished for a sin. For me, this is tough. How am I supposed to endure hardship with a righteous attitude if someone who was "blameless and upright" couldn't? Thankfully, I have something that Job doesn't - the Spirit - and I am ever so thankful for His work in my life.
Regarding counsel, I think Job has points of warning and encouragement. It warns against being like Job's friends, who were quick to offer their counsel to their friend, not taking a moment to think that they might be wrong. If we do not look at all of the options of what God may be doing in a person's life by looking at God's Word, we cannot give helpful counsel. On the other hand, the book of Job shows what better counsel can look like. In chapter 32, Elihu comes onto the scene, first condemning Job's three friends for their inaccurate and hasty evaluations of Job's situation, and secondly rebuking Job for questioning God. Though he doesn't know the whole picture, Elihu definitely helps the situation by shifting the discussion of the cause from Job's morality to God's purposes.
My favorite part of the book that is both humbling and awe-inspiring is God's response. Just a quick note though - God waited until chapter 38 to respond to Job. Now, I don't know how long this is in days, months or years, but it definitely shows that God may wait to give you his response to your prayers and petitions. When God does give his response in chapters 38-41, I can only imagine a booming voice from heaven that knocks Job flat on his face. Any one of the questions that God asks would be enough to convict me, but he instead decides to speak for four full chapters that reveal his majesty and sovereignty. The fact that Job's response in the middle of these chapters is only two verses shows that he is pretty terrified and/or humbled at what God is saying.
Overall, the book of Job is fantastic, and I'd recommend that you read it if you never have or haven't lately. No matter what, we must remember that God uses us to accomplish His purposes, and this will include trials and tribulations. All we can do is cling to Him, find hope in Christ, and be strong in the Spirit. If we find our joy in Him, nothing on this earth will be able to take away our satisfaction in doing His work.
0 comments:
Post a Comment