Job 42: The Desire of God's Heart

Then Job replied to the LORD:
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
Epilogue
After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. - Job 42:1-7 NIV

What was the difference between Job and his three friends?  (Notice that God does not name Elihu in the group with which he was angry)  Job is disappointed with God and his friends do not appear to be so.  What is the difference?

Unlike his friends, Job had a relationship with God and, rightly or wrongly, felt that God owed him an answer.  Job's friends had a head knowledge of God, but no heart knowledge.  They could describe God in a fearful way: 
Dominion and fear are with him (Job 25:2 KJV).  They knew that God punished evil:  the triumphing of the wicked is short (Job 20:5 KJV).   They could describe Job's shortcomings:
Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? (Job 22:5 KJV).  In all of their discourse with Job, there is no indication that they really knew God.  They knew about him, but that was a deep as the relationship went.  Job didn't just want to hear God, he wanted to see him as well.  That was the cry of his heart.  For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another (Job 19:25-27 KJV)
I fear sometimes, that many of the Christians today are more like Job's friends than Job.  They can spout all the right religious phrases. They call sin a sin and single out the sinners for their contempt when they should be searching for God and his truth instead. Don't get me wrong. Sin is sin, but God so loved the sinner that he provided a means for their sins to be blotted out. God has always been looking for friends, for companions, for those he can have a relationship with, for those who truly want to know and see him.  That is the reason why we were created.  That is the desire of God's heart.  

John 3: No condemnation

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. - John 3:16-19 KJV

Sometimes I think that we are ineffective at drawing people to Christ because of our condemning attitude.  We spend our time attacking those that we perceive to have sinned when that is God's job.  It is not, and has never been, our duty to judge.  'Judge not', Jesus said, 'lest  you be judged.' Yet we persist.  We take  inordinate pleasure in pointing out the sins of others.  With the anonymity of the internet, we call complete strangers vile, hateful, names on behalf of the Lord.  But, if we think we are being 'Godlike" we are sorely mistaken.  If God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, what right do we have to judge?  Our heaping coals of fire on the sinner does not change their lot one bit.  It only points out the condition of hatred in our own hearts; hearts that bear the darkness that Jesus said we would love more than we love the light.  John 3:16 is an effective way of spreading the gospel only if we have no condemnation in our hearts.

Job 36: Trivial Pursuits

“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. - Job 36:16 NIV

Is this our vision of God?  Do we see him with eyes of love for us, as one lovesick for our company, for our attention, for our affection?   Can we see him begging us to draw near so he can lift us up out of the pit of despair?  Do we see him as Hosea prophesied:

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. 
There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. 
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master. ’ 
I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. 
In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. 
I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. - Hosea 2:14-19 NIV

Can we see how much he loves us, how he wants to be wed to us forever?  Can we see the banquet table he has set before us? Can we see that in the midst of all this earthly chaos, there is something marvelous awaiting God's chosen?  If so, what should our response be?  We are so loved, loved by the creator of the universe, and yet we spend most of our time chasing after earthly rewards.  Our pursuits are all trivial when compared to what God has for us.   

John 1: The True Light

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:4-10 NIV

Anyone who professes to be a Christian should memorize these words for they are the entirety of the gospel, from creation to the present time.  Jesus is God.  He was with God at the beginning of time. Man had such difficulty believing and keeping true to God, that he came in person to show himself to his creation.  Even when God appeared in the flesh, creation did not accept him and does not to this day. 

Some of us, though, have received him, some of us have become the children of God.  Imagine that, we are the children of God.  Even if the world does not receive the gospel, even if the world does not receive us, it does not change the truth.  There was a beginning and one day there will be an end.  Those who have accepted this message are now witnesses to the light, the true light, the provision of light for everyone who has ever been born.

Luke 24: Why Look for the Living Among the Dead?

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!  Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’”Then they remembered his words.
 - Luke 24:5 NIV

I think we're all as guilty as the women at the empty tomb.  We're crushed because we don't see God at work.  It wouldn't be so bad if we went in search of where God is alive and working when we encounter those dead spots, but usually, instead of looking for the living water, we wander off in search of life in the worlds terms; a place where we are not likely to find any life at all.  At first glance, it may look like there is life.  There is certainly activity, but is that activity life giving.  Does it produce anything that makes us truly feel alive?

Jesus promised to give us life and life more abundantly.  He promised to give us peace.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  - John 14:27 NIV

Jesus put himself in the line of fire, in the hands of sinful men, so that we would not have to put ourselves in the same position.  We only need trust him.  He is the one with the answers.  He is the life giving force. 

Job 18-28: I Know

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! - Job 19:25-27 NIV

What do we do when our prayers are unanswered?  What do we do when misfortune assails us doe to no fault of our own?  That is the dilemma that Job was facing.  He wanted answers.  He wanted to know why God was doing this to him.  Why was he being punished?  Unlike most of us, Job knew that he had lived a blameless life.  While his friends asserted that he must have done something wrong Job maintained his innocence.  'Why', he keeps asking, 'is God doing this to me?'

In spite of all his questions, Job knows one thing.  That God is sovereign and that one day, he will be able to see Him, the creator of the universe, the great I am.  He will stand before Him and he will know the answers.  So for the time being, Job will continue being faithful even though he lives in misery.  He doesn't know the answers to his questions, but he knows the one who has the answers.

And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’” - Job 28:28 NIV

Luke 23: What Will Happen When It Is Dry?

 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” - Luke 23:31 NIV

Jesus asked this question as he was being led to his crucifixion.  The people had witnessed his miracles, healings, casting out demons and even raising the dead.  They were part of the birth of his ministry, but what was once new had become old and familiar.  Even Herod, who had heard of Jesus' work and at one time wanted to meet him, was no longer impressed.  Here was a man who would not even answer his questions.  How important could he be in the overall scheme of things.  Jesus is shuffled back to Pilate, who decides to give the people what they want.  'Give us Barabbas', they cry, 'that old rabble rouser.  Give us someone who will create a little excitement around here, not that tired worn out itinerant preacher who doesn't even have the words to defend himself.' 

These words of Jesus were in response to the wailing of a few women who followed him to the cross.
Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.  For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 
Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”  - Luke 23:28-31 NIV

Contrary to what the majority of the population felt, Jesus was still very much alive.  His ministry of three years was only the beginning, this was just the birth of the gospel.  There were centuries ahead where the message would go forth until it was proclaimed to the entire world.  Perhaps Jesus was referring to this time when he asked the question.  Is this the dry time in God's history?  Should we be surprised at what we see happening around us?  What will happen when it is dry?