Job 36:1-39:12

We all know of the story of Job and how God allowed Satan to attack him causing Job to lose all his family, health, possession and wealth.

In Job 36 one of Job’s friends called Elihu was trying to comfort Job and after talking about God’s splendour and majesty ends with implying in Job 37:13 that God may be punishing him for what he has done wrong “He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love.”

This is the mistake people make when consoling people going through hardship by implying its their sin that maybe the source of the challenges they may be facing. In this case Elihu was wrong because the Bible clearly stated Job was a righteous man and God boasted about his righteousness to the devil.

From Job 38:1 – 39:16 God Himself responds to Job and talks about things He does as the Sovereign Almighty God which radiate His splendour and absolute power. I believe what God is implying here is that we must respect Him as absolute Sovereign who can do whatever He choses and what happened to Job was allowed by God in that capacity.

The lesson to learn from this scripture is no matter what we go through wether good or bad we must remember that our Sovereign Lord is always in control even when things don’t make sense which is why he says in Romans 8:38(KJV) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” So we must learn to trust Him through the pain and disappointments as our Sovereign Lord whose creative capabilities means He can create something beautiful out of difficult and ugly situations that we may be going through. Hallelujah!! Glory to God!!

In Him

BM

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Job 32:11-35:16

Pride exposed.

After the failed attempts from Job’s three, so-called friends, to cause Job to repent, another rises to the task. Elihu, younger than the others, but filled with wrath toward Job and his companions goes straight to the heart of Job’s complaints. About himself, Elihu says, “My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge. The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Next, Elihu prepares Job to meet his God.

Elihu’s arguments: 1) God speaks to man in dreams, visions, in deep sleep, to turn him away from sin and pride; 2) God chastens with pain when ma n is sickly and bedridden; 3) Job is scornful and befriends the wicked who believe that delighting in God does not profit a man; 4) Job should confess that he has sinned and perverted what was right if he wants God to redeem his soul from the Pit; 5) God sees man’s iniquity, even if others do not or even if the sinner disavows wrong doing; 6) God repays man according to his work; 7) Job’s complaint is tantamount to calling the king worthless and nobles wicked; 8) Job does not have a legal right to question God’s righteousness and to imply that his ethical standards are highter than God’s.

Does God have to reward a person who is obedient? (That is, what we consider to be our good works?) Does God owe Job something for being righteous? (Salvation is by grace apart from our good works.) And how are these assumptions related to pride? C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, devoted a chapter about pride, titled “The Great Sin.” Lewis stated that Pride is essentially competitive – one is not content to have something, only satisfied from having more of it than the next man. Also, that a proud man is always looking down on things and other people, and therefore cannot be looking up to his God. Job’s religious life made him feel good, even better than others (his friends?); yet he could not see this. The real test of humility, as Lewis put it, is that in the presence of God, “… you forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object.” Job thought he was good and so could not see the vanity in his estimation of himself. He could not recognize pride motivated him in performing religious duties. Job’s complaint to God was even to throw up his own dignity and good works, as if God would delight in these. Job had yet to meet his God and to, as Lewis said, “get rid of the false self, with all its ‘Look at me’ and ‘Aren’t I a good boy?’ and all its posing and posturing.”

I find that Job’s distress is too close to my own striving to do well and to receive praise for my good works. Honestly, I cannot count the number of times that God has used humbling situations to get my attention. There is relief in letting go of what I assume is important to hold onto; that is, when walking toward humility. Lewis writes, “To get even near it, even for a moment, is like a drink of cold water to a man in a desert.”

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, even in our worst moments of arrogance and pride, you are nearer than is comfortable – ready to give correction, guidance, forgiveness. Once we drop the pretense, stop holding onto what we have accomplished or gained in this life, and reach for You with empty hands; then we will rest in Your peace and rejoice in Your presence. Nothing else can compare with knowing and being known by You!