Job Study: Chapter Twenty-Two - "What Job Teaches Us About God"

WOOHOO!!!  We've arrived at the last chapter of the 22 week study on Job!  What a test of endurance eh?!  Lots of meat'n'potatoes to chew on that's for sure.

The opening line in this chapter got my asterisk and highlighter!  It says:

It's amazing how miscommunication can lead to misunderstanding. (emphasis added)

So true, so true.  I can't think of the number of times I've seen this to be the case in my own life, let alone the lives of those around me.  The stories we read in Scripture can be surprising and troubling - just as we have read in Job.  One of the questions that always comes up when hard times fall on 'good' people is, 'if God is a god of love, then why would this happen to such a good person?'.  We must remember that Almighty Sovereign Creator God doesn't 'cause' bad things to happen, but he certainly 'allows' it to happen.

He's a God with a purpose and a plan.  He wants us to become mature and faith filled, but sometimes we must suffer in order to grow.  And no one embodies this faith in the face of suffering better than our hero, Job.

'Treasures from the text' section this week lays out seven aspects of God's character that we see by the light of Job's faith.

1. There is nothing God cannot do:  Job now knows that nothing and no one can limit, put conditions on, or in any way hinder the activities, acts, and works of our heavenly Father.  God created us from nothing without losing one volt of His energy.  He sustains all life without assistance.  He even raises from the dead those He wishes to raise.  Nothing stands in God's way.  That's why only He deserves to be described as "awesome".
2. It is impossible to restrain or nullify God's purposes: Author John E. Hardey writes: "Yahweh's words have reaffirmed Job's conviction of his wise and judicious governance of the world.  With an enhanced awareness of Yahweh's lordship, Job concedes that no purpose of Yahweh's can be foiled or thwarted.   Job's concession means that he believes that everything occurring on earth takes place withing the framework of the divine wisdom.  No hostile force, be it earthly or heavenly, prevents God from carrying out his purpose".  God's intentions ca be neither altered nor disrupted.  His purposes will transpire without delay, without hindrance, and without failure.  Nothing surprises God.  Nothing catches Him off guard.  He knows the past hurts and sorrows that you carry with you.  He also knows your present needs - emotional, physical, and spiritual.  No matter how impossible your circumstances may seem, God's sovereignty and love are great enough to handle them all.  (bold emphasis added - with a huge 'AMEN' written in my side notes!)
3. God's plans are beyond our understanding and too deep for us to explain:  Some suggest that the verse from Job 42:3 ("Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know") represents the core message of the entire book; that the mystery of God's plan is too wonderful and too deep for us to fathom.  But because we can't see ahead to the end of the story, we tend to wrestle with this mystery.  And often we feel just plain disappointed with God.  We recognize that He has a plan, but we don't know it's full extent or its details.  We don't know what part we're supposed to play in it.  We don't know what to do next.  We don't understand why certain things happen to some people and not others...We tend to channel our disappointment with life's circumstances into a misguided disappointment with God.  What we don't realize is that God is the only One who will NEVER disappoint us.  People, situations, material things, our careers, our plans for the future - all these can and will disappoint us at one time or another.  Only God can assure us that He'll always be the same (Hebrews 13:8).  He'll always be there when we call, and He will always answer, though perhaps not according to our timeline or in the way we might think is best.  Injustices happen as a result of sin in the world, not as a result of God's failure to keep His promises.   He's faithful!
4. Only through God's instructions are we able to humble ourselves and rest in His will:  Once God arrived on the scene, Job humbly recognizes that he had misspoken: "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;  but now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6).  Notice that God made no threat.  He didn't force Job to get down on his knees.  He just showed up, and Job immediately prostrated himself in humility and worship.  In essence, Job pleaded, "Lord, instruct me.  I will willingly submit to You.  I will humbly accept the lessons that You have to teach me."  Instead of clinging to his rights, Job released them.  He didn't approach God with a sense of entitlement.  He didn't bring expectations or demands.  He didn't come to the Lord with arguments or a sullen demeanor...He had lost everything, and he wasn't sure that God would ever restore his fortunes and family.  Yet he still knelt in the dust in repentance before Yahweh.
5. When the day of reckoning arrives, God is always fair:  You can rest assured that God is keeping tabs on every person who has ever lived.  Not a single idle thought, word, or action slips His attention.  According to His timetable, He blesses those who walk with Him and deals severely with wrongdoers...God doesn't forget our words or actions.
6. No one can be compared to God when it come to offering blessings:  The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends...He poured out words and acts of grace upon His suffering servant Job.  In our culture, which seems to thrive on bad news and shocking exposes, we cling to stories like this one that so clearly demonstrate God's love, grace, restoration, and forgiveness.
7. Only God can fill our final years with divine music that frees us to live above our circumstances:  (CONTENTMENT is the word I had written in my book after this aspect!)

I love the quote given by Eugene Peterson about the mystery of God and the positive results that suffering brings into our lives:

The mystery of God eclipses the darkness and the struggle.  We realize that suffering calls our lives into question, not God's.  The tables are turned.  God-Alive is present to us.  God is speaking to us.  And so Job's experience is confirmed and repeated once again in our suffering and our vulnerable humanity.

As Chuck closes our final chapter of this very lengthy study on Job, he leaves us with these words (all by which are highlighted and underlined with asterisk in my book!);

Saying good-bye to Job is like saying good-bye to an old friend.  As we've studied his blameless character and his fire-refined life, we've grown to appreciate the legacy of faith that he has passed on to us.  James wrote:

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12)

As we have traced the steps of Job's journey, his remarkable story has become part of our lives.  Taking the seeds of Job's experiences and planting them in our hearts equips us with biblical principles and vital faith lessons that will bring forth fruit when we endure similar trials.  Now, press forward with renewed faith and confidence, keeping your eyes on the crown of life that God has promised you!

What I wrote in my book after that I believe is worth sharing as well, so we'll close our Job study with that!  "We have to endure things GOD'S WAY; it won't be easy, but we won't be alone in it and when the dawn comes it will all have been worth it!  He WILL be glorified!!"

Until next time,
'K'

Job Study: Chapter Twenty-One - "What Job Teaches Us About Ourselves"

So in keeping my word about making sure I finished blogging the 'JOB' study, I now conclude with the first of the final two chapters remaining!  I could get all down on myself for not having stayed 'on track' like I had intended, but that would be feeding the quilt the enemy would love me to dwell on.  So...instead, I'm a little behind, but I'm finishing like I said I would! 

Alright, we've made it to the end of the book of Job...and what a book it is!  After walking through Job's story, Chuck outlines what it teaches us about ourselves.

Through his suffering, Job recognized his utter dependence upon God.  His faith enabled him to withstand his trials, yet his excruciatingly painful experiences left certain questions unanswered.  When God met him in the midst of the storm, though, all that mattered was that the Almighty One was on the throne.

Wow, what a statement!  I live for this to be my mantra.  All that mattered was that the Almighty One was on the throne.  That sure puts things into the proper perspective doesn't it?!

We receive seven great principles we can apply for today in our 'treasures from the text' portion this week.  They are as follows:

1. We never know ahead of time the plans God has for us.  ...Job had no clue when the sun came up on that fateful day that his entire life would soon be turned completely upside down.  He saw no early-morning skywriting.  He received no angelic visit.  He heard no tap at the window.  He sensed no omen suggesting that all hell was about to break loose...Yet even on that darkest of days, Job clung to his faith in God`s love and His divine sovereignty.  Job`s trust is evident in his remarkably humble response to his calamity...When we're blindsided by life's calamities, we can hold fast to the promises that we find in God`s Word.  We read in Jeremiah "For I know the plans that I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."  (Jeremiah 29:11-13).  Notice that God doesn't tell His people 'Ì know the plans that I have for you, and I'll tell you all about them ahead of time so you`ll know what to expect'.  He simply says, 'I know the future.  Trust Me.  Call upon Me.  Pray to Me.  Seek Me.  Search for me.'  Not only that, but He promises us that when we seek Him, we'll find Him.  He promises to hear our prayers and to respond with grace, love, peace, and forgiveness.
2. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic.  Job never once blamed God (or Satan,for that matter) for his suffering.  In fact, he had no awareness of the dialogue that had occurred between God and Satan in the heavenly realm.  Yet Job kept a vertical perspective.  He knew that God had allowed this calamity to befall him, but he also knew that God provided his only hope for restoration.
3. Great discernment is needed to detect wrong advice from a well-meaning person.  Job`s wife meant to help end his suffering, but her advice was flawed.  She actually encouraged Job to do what Satan wanted him to do: "curse God and die." But Job refused to compromise his faith: "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.  Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?  In all this Job did not sin with his lips."  (Job 2:10)
4. When things turn from bad to worse, sound theology helps us remain strong and stable.  Sound theology does have a way of easing our minds in tough times.  Just as emergency drills help us prepare for a disaster, knowing God's Word and having a strong relationship with Him provide us a shelter from life's storms.  The knowledge and wisdom that we glean from Scripture enables us to stand on God's truth when suffering comes.
5. Sensitive and caring friends know when to show up, when to stay quiet, and what to say when the time is right.  Those of us who have been hospitalized or have been through a crisis know how reassuring the presence of a friend or family member can be.  Even a small gesture like a simple touch, a pat on the back, a sympathetic squeeze of a hand, or a whispered prayer can make an enormous difference in the life of a suffering person. 
6. It's easy to be "armchair quarterbacks" when we encounter and respond to another's suffering.  When we read Job 3, we can sense that Job had reached the bottom of the pit of his despair.  He cursed the day of his birth, wishing that he had never seen daylight.  But instead of commiserating with Job, his friends judged him for uttering such strong words.
7. The cultivation of obedient endurance is a mark of maturity.  As we continue to obey God, even though we don't know all the answers, we gain maturity as an outworking of our faith.  Author Henry Blackaby writes, "Faith is developed in real-life situations.  "Sight" in not "faith".  We constantly want God to "show us Your will for my life" even after He has assured us that He is doing just that.  But God will do it in His way and in His time...He does not need our help; we need His help!  The "silences" of God do not mean He is late, or inactive, or not working.  It means that this is where faith works!" 

Wasn't that a great bunch of fridge-worthy nuggets!  I mean, even if you haven't gone through the entire study of Job with us, just reading those principles and pinning them on your fridge or mirror is truly beneficial in and of themselves.

There was another portion that was written by Author and pastor Eugene Peterson that I felt was great to glean from as well:

When we rush in to fix suffering, we need to keep in mind several things.  First, no matter how insightful we may be, we don't really understand the full nature of our friends' problems.  Second, our friends may not want our advice.  Third, the ironic fact of the matter is that more often than not, people do not suffer less when they are committed to following God, but more.  When these people go through suffering, their lives are often transformed, deepened, marked with beauty and holiness, in remarkable ways that could never have been anticipated before the suffering.
So, instead of continuing to focus on preventing suffering - which we simply won't be very successful at anyway - perhaps we should begin entering the suffering, participating insofar as we are able - entering the mystery and looking around for God.  In other words, we need to quit feeling sorry for people who suffer and instead look up to them, learn from them, and - if they will let us - join them in protest and prayer.  Pity can be nearsighted and condescending; shared suffering can be dignifying and life-changing.  As we look at Job's suffering and praying and worshiping, we see that he has already blazed a trail of courage and integrity for us to follow.

Beautifully written, eh?!  Again, definitely something worth posting on a mirror or fridge!

In the 'nuggets of wisdom' section this week, we are given more great gems to hold tight to...

Along with Job and other Old Testament saints, many New Testament believers maintained their passion for loving and serving God in the face of severe trials and faith tests.  The apostle Peter wrote letters to suffering, persecuted believers scattered throughout Asia Minor.  He warned them to be aware of Satan's destructive schemes and encouraged them to stand firmly rooted in the truth of God's Word.  Peter exhorted his struggling brothers and sisters in the faith to love one another, to follow the example of Christ, to share Christ's sufferings, and to server God willingly.  He wrote:

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.  After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to |His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."  (1Peter 5:6-10)

 As we come full circle in the story of Job, we recognize that Phillip Yancey was right: The book really does center on faith more than it focuses on suffering.  Job's trying time of suffering finally ended, but his legacy of faith has remained as a source of hope, comfort, and encouragement for every generation to follow.  Hebrews 11:1-2 reads, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.   For by it the men of old gained approval."
When we faithfully, passionately seek after God, we find ourselves paying less attention to the temporal and the externals.  We give increasingly more time to the eternal - to what is going on deep within.  Soul searching replaces channel surfing.  We start asking questions that are hard to answer.  We think much more deeply about the things Job is teaching us.  We focus on what matters - what would be lift if all our material possessions and our lesser priorities were stripped away.
Friedrich Nietzsche referred to our lifelong faith journey as "a long obedience in the same direction".  When we follow the example of our forefathers and choose to follow in their footsteps of faith, we gain the Lord's approval...and greater spiritual maturity as well.

Lord God, as we close this post, I pray that we would tuck these truths in our hearts, ponder them, and strive to apply them daily.  I pray too, Lord, that wherever we are in our lives that you would break us to the point of FULL surrender to You.

Until next time,
'K'

     

"I seem to have blinked and missed this past month!"

Boy oh boy!  I seem to have blinked and missed this past month!  So much has been happening that I don't even know where to begin! 

I suppose I'll post about my Colorado trip!  What a great time away!  So many 'firsts' for me; from the smallest thing - eating my very first Big Mac; to a bigger one - taking my first plane ride!  Many great little adventures in between as well!

I wasn't really going on this trip with any expectation of man...but with great expectation of God.  I wanted to meet Him there.  The setting was beautiful, which reminded me just how awesome our Creator - 'Elohim' - is!  The Rocky Mountains were breath-taking, even being as far away as they were.  It reminded me just how BIG God is and how SMALL I am.  Truly glad I captured what I could, the best way I could.

For me, I felt that the conference was a time of many confirmations for me.  I don't know what it meant for anyone else, but my going was a benefit for sure.  There was such a wealth of information - some I already knew, and some I learned for the first time.  All of it though, strengthened my foundation in Christ Jesus.

I took a lot of notes (surprise, surprise!), and am just now starting to 'unpack' it all.  One of the things about this conference and the speakers was that it was all very Bible based...everything was backed by scripture!  Which is the way it's to be.  Unless His Word says...it falls to the side and fades away.  His Word remains forever, and if God said it - it's truth...He cannot lie!

If I tried to summarize everything in this entry from my notes, we'd be here for an extremely long time.  So I won't.  I'll keep this post short and just say it was a very worthwhile trip.  One that I know, without doubt, will be beneficial for myself and those who come into my life for many years to come! 

It always amazes me who God Almighty is and how He works!  How sovereign He is.  His majesty simply isn't something we can begin to comprehend, and yet He knit us together and knows every little detail about each and every one of us - better than we know ourselves!  That rocks!  HE ROCKS!

I'll sign off again for now, and (hopefully*) will do a better job with posting!
Until next time,
'K'