Scripture
“If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.” Job 9: 33-35 (NIV)
Observation/Application
I get uncomfortable when I read certain accounts from the Old Testament. Old Testament books often describe a vengeful and merciless world. While God’s people are often the victims of such violence, they are sometimes the perpetrators. Witness the Jews’ response to Haman’s evil plan in Esther 9, which we read about a week ago. God, himself, takes vengeance as we learned when we read the accounts of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah. I find myself wanting to rationalize these acts, so they make sense to me. As if God needs me to justify his decisions. And now we read about Job. “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) God basically allows one of his most faithful and obedient followers to be abused by Satan. God allows Satan to strip Job of his family, his possessions, and his health. What??? I am becoming reconciled with the fact that there are some things about God’s ways that I will never understand this side of heaven.
But this I do understand:
Job suffered the despair of not knowing the redemption of Christ.
I, however, am secure in the hope that
there is someone to arbitrate between God and me;
someone who lays his hand upon us both
and removes God’s rod from me,
so that his terror frightens me no more.
Prayer
Almighty God, thank you that you provided a way, The Way, for me to stand righteous in your presence. Though my suffering may never be as intense as Job’s, it is so comforting to rest in the knowledge that you have redeemed me through the sacrifice of your Son. While the trials and the storms that I face may be real, they are temporary. Thank you that you have already notified me that my story ends with a “happily ever after.”
Greg (gmd40187)


