We need to be aware that there will be a confrontation when the two kingdoms (light and dark) collide - just as warm and cold weather collide and produce the fog. The fog confuses us and makes it difficult to navigate our way...this causing our exhaustion, and lulling us into a slumber. This is where the enemy wants us. The devil doesn't want to be front page news, because he operates in the darkness. He is slimy and he slithers around causing a fog to distract us from the Lord. It's time we wake up from that slumber and realize where we are and what time it is! The second coming of Christ, and the enemy is irritated because he knows his time is running out! THE FOG IS THICK...constantly look to the beacon; the only light that cuts the fog is the One who created that light - Elohim - creator God!
Now let's look at the 'grace' portion of the study...
During this second round of speeches, the fire grew hotter as the three friends focus more on proving Job wrong than on giving him help. After all, their own peace of mind was at stake, and they were not about to surrender. If Job was not a sinner being punished by God, then the three friends' understanding of God was all wrong. But that meant they had no protection against personal suffering themselves! If obedience is not a guarantee of health and wealth, then what happened to Job might happen to them. God forbid!In chapters 16 and 17 Job replies to Eliphaz's sharp rebukes by stating five characteristics of those who lack grace - pride, a tendency to hurl insults, the use of guilt-inducing tactics, a condemning attitude, and words of sarcasm. Let's break those down:
- First, Eliphaz had a haughty manner and a proud heart. He began his self-righteous speech by suggesting that he knew exactly what Job should not do (15:2). His tirade consisted of a series of rhetorical questions meant to silence Job's protests of innocence before God. This friend's pride, coupled with his suggestion that Job was 'full of hot air' and speaking words that meant nothing, contributed to a speech that was less than comforting for Job. Instead, it discouraged and humiliated him.
- Second, Eliphaz insulted Job. He called Job's words 'useless talk', 'not profitable', and 'irreverent'.
- Third, Eliphaz implied that Job was guilty of sin. He suggested that Job was simply receiving he just deserts for that sin...insinuating that he was acting in a sneaky, underhanded manner instead of confessing his 'hidden sin'.
- Fourth, Eliphaz condemned Job. He suggested that Job presumed to 'own wisdom' and that Job took a 'better-than-thou' attitude toward his friends. In addition, Eliphaz's bitter words revealed that he had been envious all along of Job's close, blessed relationship with the Lord. Now, he was finally letting Job know what he thought.
- Fifth, Eliphaz used sarcasm and harsh words to last out at Job. Eliphaz saw himself as God's messenger, sent to give Job the advice that he so desperately needed to hear!
- His grace is the only safe place to be...He gives us grace for today and hope for tomorrow!
- Thankfully we received His grace at the third hour and not at the eleventh hour...this way we have longer to enjoy His grace!
- You never know what someone else is dealing with...grace is always appropriate and always needed!
- We ask for His eyes to see, and by God's grace He will give us just enough of His sight so that we have compassion for others...if we had His full sight we couldn't handle it - and He wouldn't be God!
Chuck shares a story one author tells about riding in a subway car in New York one Sunday afternoon. It had been a pretty quiet until a man and his kids entered the car. The father sat down beside the man and closed his eyes. The kids were being loud and rambunctious and it was quite obviously disturbing the other people. After a while the man was irritated enough to say to the father of the children..."Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?" ...(the story finishes this way...)
The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly, "Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either."
Can you imagine what I felt at that moment? My paradigm shifted. Suddenly I saw things differently, and because I saw things differently, I thought differently, and felt differently, I behaved differently. My irritation vanished. I didn't have to worry about controlling my attitude or my behavior; my heart was filled with the man's pain. Feelings of sympathy and compassion flowed freely... Everything changed in an instant.Chuck writes...What an important reminder for us to be grace givers! We often don't know the pain and the sorrow that others may be experiencing or the hurtful situation that may be causing them to speak or act in a certain way. Let's make it a point to offer a kind word and a helping hand to those around us who may be desperately in need of grace.
When Job replies to Eliphaz in chapter 16 and 17, we see his response divided in to four parts;
- First, Job expressed disgust with his so-called friends.
- Second, he was distressed by the way God was treating him.
- Third, he was depressed over his prospects in life.
- Fourth, he was despondent, seeing the grave as nearer than ever.
Job didn't mince words! He expressed his emotions fully and cried out to God for answers. Don't you appreciate the fact that the Bible is full of stories about real people who faced real trials? Life's not a fairy take full of handsome knights in shining armor charging up on their white steeds to rescue beautiful damsels in distress from their castle-tower prisons. Life's tough, and not everyone lives happily ever after.
Not only that, but as time goes on, life doesn't get easier; it gets harder. Marriage becomes more difficult. Our careers grow more demanding. Child rearing gets more complicated. Our dreams and goals become harder to achieve. Our responsibilities multiply. Our losses mount. We flounder spiritually. Our health gets worse.
That's why Christ died and rose on our behalf - because we can't make it through this life on our own. We need God's grace to redeem us because we're utterly unable to measure up to His standards of righteousness on our own merit. We need the eternal hope that only faith in Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection can give us. And we need peace and hope for today that comes only through a growing, vibrant personal relationship with Jesus. (emphasis added)So, let's try to remember to look to the Lighthouse when we're in the thick of the fog. After all, He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! And as we going about our daily routines, keep in mind that we don't know the news buddy in traffic that cut us off has just received; or that the crusty sales clerk just found out she's been let go. If we extended only a little bit of the grace we are given from our heavenly Father...imagine the ripple effect it would have on this world!!
Until next time,
'K'
