Job 31-33
Today we
have Job's final argument of innocence to God. His friends will finally be
silenced, but unknown to us, they brought along a young disciple who really has
been listening. Elihu has seen the error of both Job and his friends. Elihu is
a little off track too, but he will show Job some things he had not considered.
Because of this, Job remains silenced and is ready to hear and be humbled when
God speaks.
Job 31
IF you are
having a hard time keeping up with Job, or IF you are falling asleep, highlight
the word If. In looking at the things Job avoided and the things Job
did, you have to look deeper than the if.
He lists these actions along with other words also. So, you'll see a lot of
"If….and" combinations. And then there is let.
What is
interesting in reading this is that Job lived after the flood and before the
great civilizations of that time were organized. The list of things that Job
said were violations of moral law are very up-to-date. Not only that, compare
Job's list to what Jesus says will be the "list" at the close of the
age. (Matt. 25:34-46)
Vs. 1-4
This was Job's resolve not to be immoral. A man of Job's standing would have
had power and access. Look at kings like Solomon and Xerxes and their huge
harems. Look at Hollywood, Wall Street and Capitol Hill. Look at the internet,
or rather, don't. Job saw this as a very dangerous thing and listed it first.
Vs. 5-8
Lying, cheating, stealing or abusing power to get ahead was next on Job's list.
Vs. 9-12
Notice the severity of what Job says here. Remember how much Solomon said at
the beginning of Proverbs warning his son against adultery? Remember how David
nearly destroyed his heart, his family and Israel through his adultery? We
glorify adultery and romanticize it on TV and in our stories, but everyone who
is wise calls it deadly. The immorality of vs. 1-4 may affect a few, but
adultery affects many. Look again at the life of David after he did this with
Bathsheba. God has shown us David's life for a reason. If one of the greatest
men in the Bible couldn't escape the consequences, neither can we.
Vs. 13-15
This is tolerating injustice. Job says that a godly man will, must, act. Notice
v. 15. That sounds like the preamble of the US Declaration of Independence. All
men are created equal.
Vs. 16-23
This was Job's attitude toward the poor, needy, naked, widows and orphans. It
wasn't just an attitude; it was a call to action.
V. 23
Deeply ingrained in Job's thinking toward God was fear. We could use more fear
in our thinking about God. We still have it in our thinking that God is just a
good old boy who chuckles at our sin and looks the other way, and even more now
because of grace. Job's fear of God was at the root of what both he and his
friends didn't understand about God. They were focused on blessing and
punishment having a one-to-one relationship to God's justice. God's
sovereignty, wisdom and eternal plan weren't part of their thinking. The fact that
God could do things, in love and wisdom, didn't make sense; and that He could
bring pain without judgment and allow the wicked to grow and prosper wasn't yet
in their thinking. Trusting God's wisdom, love and sovereignty brings health to
our fear of God, and it brings maturity to our view of God and our place on the
planet during this time. And the fear of God is still the beginning of wisdom.
Vs. 24-28
Although Job was rich, his treasure was not on earth. And look at v. 27, he
didn't "kiss his hand," thinking he was blessed by his own hand. He
knew God had blessed him.
Vs. 29-34
Job blessed and helped his enemies; he welcomed strangers; he openly confessed
his sins to God, and lived in the fear of God. What a guy.
Vs. 35-37
This is Job's last appeal for help and justice before God. Job will gain his
audience with God in a few chapters.
Vs. 38-40
If Job had sinned, he himself wanted justice.
Job 32
Enter
Elihu.
V. 1 The
friends stopped because Job proved he was righteous and all they had were blind,
brutal accusations.
V. 2
Notice that Elihu caught that Job never justified or defended God. It never
entered Job's thinking that what God was doing could be right, not because of
justice, but because of his eternal wisdom. It is one of those things where
even if you don't understand God, you not only say, "blessed be your
name," but you also go out of your way to justify the Lord. Job would
learn this.
V. 3 He
was mad at the friends because of their groundless accusations.
Vs. 4-5
This is interesting. We think of a young man as….well, young. But in those
days, a man of 50 could have been a youngster. Imagine some guys sitting around
the fire. One of them is 735 years old, another is 521 years old and one is 384
years old. They are joined by someone who is 101 years old, a mere child. Of
course, Elihu could have been in his 20's. Also, notice that Elihu burned with anger. Do you remember what
happened to Samson when the Spirit came upon him? It looked like anger. I think
this was the Spirit.
Vs. 6-10
The rest of this chapter is Elihu, in some convoluted near eastern way asking
permission to join in the discussion.
Vs. 11-14
Notice that Elihu had been carefully listening. This was directed at Job's
friends.
Vs. 15-22
Still speaking to Job's friends, Elihu says he noticed they ran out of gas. On
the other hand, Elihu is ready to burst. At that time the belly, not the heart,
was the seat of emotions. Interesting imagery.
Vs. 21-22
This is basically saying that he has no agenda. What he'll say is simple and
sincere. This sounds like what Paul has been saying in 2 Corinthians.
Job 33
Vs. 1-7
Elihu is the only one who uses Job's name. He is asking Job to listen, and telling Job he will not
blindly hammer him like his friends did.
Vs. 8-11
He has been listening. He repeats the kernel of Job's argument back to Job.
Vs. 12-33
This is the key to Elihu's entire message to Job and he doesn't beat around the
bush. God does what He does sometimes to prevent sin and to bring men to a
place of closeness and humility before God. God does speak, just not the way we
might think, or the way we might like. Can you see the ways that Elihu suggests
that God speaks?
Vs. 12-18
Elihu suggests that God speaks to warn us and to keep us from doing stupid
stuff before we fall into sin. This was something that no one had
thought of.
Vs. 19-28
Elihu is saying that God uses pain to get our attention before something
happens, not as a judgment, but as a help, a warning. In this section there is
a sense of learning humility and crying out to God. He also suggests that there
is a sense of self-awareness that comes through suffering that makes a person
look into their life, activities and heart. This leads to perception into one's
motives, and a person catches their attitudes and actions before they develop
into full-blown sin. What this person confesses as sin is the sin they perceive
was growing in them.
Vs. 29-33
Elihu suggests that God does this repeatedly in our lives. Job's silence is
evidence that Elihu was speaking in the Spirit and was speaking truth. In the
coming chapters, God's actions will be described as going even deeper than just
working with us. Yet, isn't it cool that Elihu got right to the matter and gave
Job something to think about immediately?
So here we
are as disciples, working in the harvest, and something "bad"
happens. Here is the real question: How long does it take you to understand
emotionally that it was God and not others who blocked you? I say
"emotionally" because it is easy to "think" the right
answer and still get incredibly depressed and bitter. How long does it take us
to redirect our following in the harvest once we grasp this, or do we mourn for
the door of opportunity or season of life that just closed? Even as I write
this, I know how important and hard it is to learn these lessons. I've gotten
better, more mature, but I still bear some scars from not having grasped this
truth, years ago. But then, the Lord knew I needed those scars to learn. So
even in failure there is victory if we learn to love Him, if we grow to know
Him better and learn to trust Him as we keep on following in the harvest. I had
a little motto above my desk in Germany: “The only way to fail in Christ is to
quit.” Boy, did I learn the truth of that the hard way. And happily, I'm still
learning and trusting and following. Christ is enough, and that's enough.
2 Corinthians 3
V. 1 After
describing how the Lord worked in his heart, Paul realized that talking about
himself like this was going to cause some of his critics to voice this
complaint against him again. Apparently, some of these critics were very Jewish
and demanded that visitors who came to the church should bring a letter of
recommendation stating that they were "kosher."
Vs. 2-3
This is very simple and powerful. The work of God was done by God through Paul
& Co. God was their recommendation and the Corinthians were proof, like a
letter. The work of the Holy Spirit cannot be faked. What happened to the
Corinthians was proof that Paul was genuine. I'm wondering if the critics had
fruit. I wonder if they could show that God had used them to save the lost and
to make disciples, who made disciples, or were they "teachers" and
not "evangelists." Jesus said, you
will recognize them by their fruits. There are a lot of Christians who are
all argument and opinion, but no fruit.
Notice
here that Paul uses the tablets of stone
vs. human hearts. That suggests that
these super-apostles were very Jewish, trying to bring the church back to a
more Jewish look. God promised in the OT He would give the Jews hearts of
flesh. That would be the work of the Spirit. The message of the gospel was that
forgiveness was found in Christ and life was lived following/worshiping God in
the Spirit. That didn't mean that the Word wasn't necessary, but it did mean
that the law hadn't worked righteousness and the law was not to be followed as
a way to be in communion with God.
Vs. 4-6
Notice how Paul refers again to his weakness and that God brings about the
blessing almost involuntarily. The message of Paul and his coworkers was the
message of loving Christ and following Him in the harvest through the Spirit.
The "letter," living by adherence to the principles of the law, would
kill grace. Following God in the Spirit of Christ is what brings freshness and
life.
Vs. 7-11
Notice the contrasts here. The ministry
of death is contrasted to the ministry
of the Spirit. The law could only lead to death and judgment; because, like
a mirror, it showed sin without being able to clean it. The Spirit, on the
other hand, leads to understanding the Word and the love of Christ; and He,
Himself, helps us to obey and follow God. The law couldn't do that. Even though
the law had glory, it was totally dwarfed by the glory of the new covenant in
Christ.
Vs. 12-18
The law brought a veil of misunderstanding. The sin within us rebels against
God and His authority in the law. But in the Spirit, the heart opens when
confronted by the grace of God and the love of Christ. The letter and ritual of
the law focused the stubborn on compliance. There is not a lot of ritual and
strain involved in standing before the Lord with an unveiled face, grateful for
salvation and forgiveness. This is the freedom of knowing Christ. It was the
Spirit that gave Paul the power for bearing fruit in ministry, not Paul
himself. Salvation and living for Christ doesn't come from works, but from the
Spirit. Now, following the Spirit we prove the love of Christ over and over and
grow closer to Him as we follow in the harvest. That is the increasing glory of
knowing Christ.
Psalm 43
Vs. 1-2
The trial of waiting on God was intensified because of others. We've seen this
in Job.
Vs. 3-4
The prayer for God's guidance and light. This yearning for God is tied to the
altar (cleansing and worship) and the presence of God.
V. 5 As we
read yesterday in Psalm 42, the head might understand; but the soul, the
emotions of this body of death, can still be in turmoil. As Job learned, we
have to have total trust in God. He is our hope and our salvation.
The very
fact that we have psalms like this, inspired by the Spirit, means that God
knows we will always struggle with our emotions and with waiting on Him. This
struggle brings us closer to the Lord. I guess that is a part of what Elihu was
telling Job.
Proverbs 22:8-9
Amen.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but
only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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