January 3, 2007

Reading through the Bible this year: Genesis 5-6, Matthew 3

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

Job 23 (NLT)
¹ Then Job spoke again: ² “My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try hard not to groan aloud. ³ If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his court. ⁴ I would lay out my case and present my arguments. ⁵ Then I would listen to his reply and understand what he says to me. ⁶ Would he use his great power to argue with me? No, he would give me a fair hearing. ⁷ Honest people can reason with him, so I would be forever acquitted by my judge. ⁸ I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. ⁹ I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed.

¹⁰ “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. ¹¹ For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. ¹² I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food. ¹³ But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind? Whatever he wants to do, he does. ¹⁴ So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny. ¹⁵ No wonder I am so terrified in his presence. When I think of it, terror grips me. ¹⁶ God has made me sick at heart; the Almighty has terrified me. ¹⁷ Darkness is all around me; thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.^[1]

To start with, let's do a little comparison between the verses.  Compare verses 2 & 10, 3 & 11, 4&12, 5&13, 6&14, 7&15, 8&16, 9&17 the concepts seem to rhyme in these verses.  I may not have it exactly right, but it's fairly close. 

Considering what he states here, Job does not even answer the charges that Eliphaz makes toward Job having a false religion.  Job replies that he has a relationship with God.  His defense is not based on tangible items that he can show where God has blessed him, but rather on a tangible relationship that Job is able to experience with God. 

Notice also that Job does not even pretend to have a corner on the market.  He states that he simply does not understand God, or how God works.  Job doesn't even pretend to know where God resides. Job speaks to Eliphaz about the benefits of following God, and of the awe of standing in His presence.  How many of us can relate to that? 

Even with all of this wisdom, and perception in how awesome God is, Job is still deeply depressed.  Understanding is helpful when you are going through difficulties, but it does not ease the pain of the problems.  Job stated that darkness surrounded him, God is concealed, and he has little tangible hope outside of the knowledge of who God is and how God relates to Him. 

When Shelley and I were going through the surgeries, I could relate to Job's thinking here.  We couldn't point out how God was moving, or sing praises during the pain.  We just got through it, trudging on from one dark day to the next learning to cope with the pain and scrambling for ways to make it through one more day.  Yet God carried us, gave us hope, and taught us to endure.  I don't know how to write the lessons.  Job got it in this chapter, when tragedy hits, lean on your understanding of who God is, and look to Him for strength.  He will often seem silent, yet the relationship that is in place will stand as a constant support to hold you up.

The important thing here is not to wait until tragedy strikes to build this relationship.  Build the relationship with God now; learn to lean on Him now, and when the dark days come along, you will be able to lean without having to learn how.  God controls our destiny as believers, He holds the plan for our lives, why resist learning from Him? 

In closing, too often we will wait to develop our relationship with God.  Tragedy will strike and we are not prepared for walking with Him.  The relationship that could teach us to draw from His strength has not been established and the tragedy is used to teach us to relate.  If the relating is learned before the tragedy, then it will be easier to endure and we will come from the tragedy stronger, better, and more intensely understanding God.  I am still learning the lessons, still learning to relate to God, and for me the tragedy that stuck us hit somewhere in the middle.  We are learning to walk, and learning to follow God. Remember He is an awesome God who is intimately interested in our lives.  Religion has answers, relationship develops as it goes, Job makes that clear in this passage.

Father, as we ponder Job's response, build in each one of us a willingness to learn to relate to You before tragedy strikes.  Teach us to listen intently to your Holy Spirit speaking in our hearts.

In Him,