Job 20-22
As I read this again today, it reminded me how some of the stuff Job's friends say is really good. The last part of what Eliphaz says in chapter 22 reads like a psalm. But what are we learning here? Life on earth is not heaven on earth. The global spiritual and earthly drama is deadly. In the plan of redemption and purpose of God, He works in complete love and justice and wisdom. We don't see that, but that doesn't change Him. In His plan, He didn't even spare His Son, but as Paul says in Romans 8:31-32, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"
Job 20
Zophar is determined that the wicked never win on earth. As he describes their demise and their crimes, he is probing to see if he can touch a nerve with Job. Nice guy.
Job 21
This is Job being very dark in his words. Although justice will be executed by God, that doesn't mean it happens on the earth. Job is telling them to really look around instead of just spouting religious baloney.
V. 5 The key here is that Job is righteous, and look what happened to him. If the only things that matter in the world are blessing and justice, then they should be appalled at what happened to Job.
V. 7 What Job said here made me think of what Paul said in Romans 9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."
In God's redemptive purpose He allows the ungodly to prosper for His reasons. Surely one of the reasons God allowed William Randolph Hearst to have the influence he had, was to tell his reporters to "puff Graham" (give big exposure) during a crusade in 1949. The media exposure helped propel Billy and his crusades onto the front page and the front room of America. That example is visible and obvious. There are millions of examples happening around us where God allows those who hate Him to prosper, but He is using them for His ultimate purpose. And in His wisdom and power, God is able to do this with perfect righteousness, justice and love, honoring our free will to whatever degree that free will exists.
Job 22
This begins round three.
Vs. 5-9 is Eliphaz just guessing as to what Job might have done. There is good truth in much of what he says, but he is completely wrong about Job. These blind accusations were criminal. And we know Job is innocent.
Vs. 21-30 This would have given Job hope if this destruction in his life was because of sin, but because there was no sin, these words would hurt Job instead of heal him.
2 Corinthians 1:1-11
When you think of Paul, you see that he was no stranger to suffering. In fact, when Jesus called Paul He said, Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." A lot of Paul's deep suffering came from believers, and particularly from this church.
Corinth was a trial for Paul. Not only did Paul speak strongly in 1 Cor., but he will speak strongly here too, but only at the end. In both letters he had to defend himself; in fact, some say that 2 Corinthians is nothing but Paul having to defend himself, not for his sake, but to correct and balance the church. No other church that we know of had this many letters written to it. According to what we find in both letters, there were actually four letters written and two were lost. In 1 Cor. 5 Paul mentions a letter he had written, then came the writing of 1 Corinthians. Later Paul wrote a letter mentioned in 2 Cor. 2:2-3 which was very strong, and got lost, and now he is writing 2 Corinthians. This was a high maintenance church. This is the only church where Jesus appeared to Paul to encourage him to persevere.
But, like Job, as a result of the problems and Paul's suffering, we get some amazing teaching and we see into the heart of this model disciple following Christ in the harvest, making disciples who make disciples. Just like Job's confrontation with his friends, much of what Paul expresses here from his heart would never have been put on paper if he hadn't suffered emotionally because of these people. God had a purpose for Paul and the Corinthians and for us in what happened here. Basically, Paul shares how God has soothed him and made sense of this in Paul's heart in chapters 1-9. It is like Paul explaining how God has helped him. Chapters 10-13 are Paul taking up the challenge against him by the Jewish super apostles who were ruining Corinth.
How do you start a letter of correction? Paul begins by focusing on how this all made sense to Paul. God was working in him, molding him through suffering and adversity to make him a minister for Christ and a blessing for others.
Vs. 3-7 Job couldn't yet see that his sufferings were going to used by God to encourage many generations of men and women. Paul was experiencing this as it was happening. As disciples, nothing happens to us that is random. The Father prunes us, not because of disobedience, but so we will be more fruitful. In Paul's case, the suffering was not just a part of following Christ, it made him more skilled in following Christ.
Vs. 8-11 This might have been the horrible night of shouting in Ephesus in Acts 19. The effect was that they thought they would die. In addition to this fun, Paul was deeply worried for the church in Corinth. Apparently he had made a quick unplanned visit to Corinth after sending 1 Cor., and this meeting must have been a fight and very upsetting. So he sent them a very strong letter via Titus (a letter after 1 Cor. which was lost) and then he was terribly worried about the response of the church. Oh, and did I mention he thought he was going to die?
Somehow we get the idea that if we are really, really, really mature in Christ we won't get stressed. I always think of Paul here, the guy who had been in the third heaven, getting rattled in the danger and heat of the moment, thinking he would surely die. But even in that emotion and fear, God used it to teach Paul what we're reading here, equipping us for the harvest. There was no way to burn this on Paul's heart except to take him through the furnace of adversity. Reading books and seminary classes only go so far. And we are no exception.
Psalm 40:11-17
You feel David's desperation in this psalm. Reading this psalm along with Job and Paul gives you a sense of weight, needing God and His help. You sense the hope and understanding of eventual victory, but it is straining under the present weight of danger. In this danger you see the weakness of the body of death in its despair, its fear, its loneliness, its desire to run and seek immediate comfort and security. That's us too, even as disciples.
The second video below is a skit done to "Everything" by Lighthouse. What I like about the skit is that it deals with someone who already knows Christ. Even as believers we need deliverance daily and our track record of being full devoted followers of Christ in the harvest, does not look good. We need deliverance, but only find it when Christ and His Word and mission are everything to us.
The first video is the skit and the song. If you have good hearing, you only need the skit. You'll enjoy it.
The second video is the song and the text. If you'd like to see the song text as you watch the skit, and would like to try something fancy, start the second video (song and text) and then put the cursor on the start button for the first video. When the second video has run for 9 seconds, start the first video and mute it. I enjoy complex stuff like that, but if it's too much for you and you'd rather watch it full screen, just watch the first video. You'll enjoy the skit and its message of deliverance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDojEOiMcE
Proverbs 22:2-4
We're OK up until verse four. How do we understand this? I would understand this with Jesus' words about our treasure being in heaven and living here, serving in humility. Paul had riches, honor and life in Christ, though as he told the Corinthians, "to the present hour we hunger and thirst, and are ill clothed and buffeted and homeless." Working in the harvest makes you rich in the closeness of Christ and the blessings of the gospel.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/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 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment