QT 31 Mar 16, Job 4:13-16,5:6-8,27, Mixing principles and developing bad theology

Job 4:13–19 (RSV)

13 Amid thoughts from visions of the night,

when deep sleep falls on men,

14 dread came upon me, and trembling,

which made all my bones shake.

15 A spirit glided past my face;

the hair of my flesh stood up.

16 It stood still,

but I could not discern its appearance.

A form was before my eyes;

there was silence, then I heard a voice:

17 ‘Can mortal man be righteous before God?

Can a man be pure before his Maker?

18 Even in his servants he puts no trust,

and his angels he charges with error;

19 how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed before the moth.

…

Job 5:6–8 (RSV)

6 For affliction does not come from the dust,

nor does trouble sprout from the ground;

7 but man is born to trouble

as the sparks fly upward.

8 “As for me, I would seek God,

and to God would I commit my cause;

…

Job 5:27 (RSV)

27 Lo, this we have searched out; it is true.

Hear, and know it for your good.”

NOTE: Eliphaz's vision is correct, although incorrectly applied. It is true that no man can be righteous before God on their own merit (vss 13-19). That is why Jesus had to die for our sins, because no man can meet God's standard of perfection, except God himself. But then Eliphaz confuses things by suggesting that people bring trouble upon themselves. And that one can avoid suffering by seeking out God. As a general piece of wisdom, there is much truth in those principles, but they are not absolute nor do they explain all suffering. In fact, if Eliphaz was to stop and think, if no man can be perfect before God, then all men should expect suffering. But he would probably argue on the degree of suffering as dependent upon our efforts. His last statement makes it very clear that he sees Job at fault, since it is for Job's own good that he listens to Eliphaz and his friends. God's anger against Eliphaz and his friends is because of their skewing of practical wisdom with a works-oriented message, ala the Health and Wealth Gospel.

QT 30 Mar 2016, Job 4:1-8, Subtle inaccuracies can easily cloud our theology

Job 4:1–8 (RSV)

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?

Yet who can keep from speaking?

3 Behold, you have instructed many,

and you have strengthened the weak hands.

4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,

and you have made firm the feeble knees.

5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;

it touches you, and you are dismayed.

6 Is not your fear of God your confidence,

and the integrity of your ways your hope?

7 “Think now, who that was innocent ever perished?

Or where were the upright cut off?

8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity

and sow trouble reap the same.

NOTE: Job's friend starts out well and also gives us insight into the other "issue" in Job's life--he was extremely smart and wise, and could always be counted on to help and instruct others.  Secondly, we get some insight into Job from an outside observer. Even from the very beginning, Job was impatient and dismayed, which is very different from the first response of stoicism. Job is not reprimanded for his emotions, although God does challenge his "impudence" later in the book ("Who is this …?"). The problem we see starts with a very subtle theological view in verse 6. It is true, to a degree. The problem is that the integrity of our ways is not our real hope, God is our hope. The fear of God is our confidence, but not because we fear God, but because we exalt God and trust God. Verses 7 and 8 are also true … to a degree. We do see the innocent punished, the upright cut off. It may have not been to the same degree as today due to a diminished effect of sin, but the health and wealth gospel does not work then and does not work today. As a principle, there is great wisdom in living right, but how we live is not the guarantor of our life's results.

QT 24 Mar 16, Job 3:20-26, Sometimes the hurting, just need to vent

Job 3:20–26 (RSV)

20 “Why is light given to him that is in misery,

and life to the bitter in soul,

21 who long for death, but it comes not,

and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

22 who rejoice exceedingly,

and are glad, when they find the grave?

23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,

whom God has hedged in?

24 For my sighing comes as my bread,

and my groanings are poured out like water.

25 For the thing that I fear comes upon me,

and what I dread befalls me.

26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;

I have no rest; but trouble comes.”

NOTE: Job's stoic response gives way pretty quickly to depression. Whatever happened in the past was now meaningless and worthless. All his accomplishments, anybody he ever helped, and all the relationships he developed in life -- everything he ever experienced is not worth the pain he is now experiencing. And to a degree he is right, because it really does feel that way. And if one knew ahead of  time about the suffering, would a person still want to go through life? That is a hard question. But what is good in this section is that Job is becoming real. Job is opening up and letting his emotions out. Unfortunately his friends believe the questions are real questions and not the expression of a broken man, and so they begin to solve his problem, and in the process, only make things worse.

QT 23 Mar 16, Job 2:11-13, Learning to comfort those in great pain

Job 2:11–13 (RSV)

11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to condole with him and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him; and they raised their voices and wept; and they rent their robes and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

NOTE: Job's friends started out so well. They comforted him without saying a word, which is the best thing a person can do. They did not throw out "trite" religious phrases, or try to convince him how special he was that God would test him. They started out well. They wept with him and they said nothing. Of course, the problem was that they had to find a solution, and so they would talk, and they would conclude that there must be something Job had done wrong to be the victim of such horrendous pain--it really is a variation on the health and wealth gospel--do good and be blessed; do bad and not be blessed (suffer pain). But at this point, their behavior is exemplary. The other interesting thing is that they could find 7 days to just sit with Job. Today, we would be lucky to find one hour to just sit with a friend. If it was family, we would do better, potentially staying at the hospital for days. But this is not family, only a close friend. I wonder what that says about us? We would do well to learn a lesson from Job's friend. The importance of time and the importance of silence, when a person is in great suffering.

QT 17 Mar 16, Phil 2:3-6, My decisions need to consider others and not only my interests

Philippians 2:3–6 (RSV)

3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, …

NOTE: It is not an easy command, but Jesus is my example. Jesus was God; He was better than anyone around him; He was smarter than everyone; He was more powerful than everyone; He created and owned everyone. And yet, he was a servant to everyone, to the point of death on the cross. This passage is interesting in that it does not deny the 'right' or desire to look to your own interests, but it challenges you to look farther--even to the interests of others. As I face some decisions on my future, am I looking only to my interest or am I considering others? My decisions do not just affect myself, but have an impact on others as well. And looking to others is not just my family, but my coworkers and friends. How do my choices affect them? Where is my greatest ministry? Is it where I am or is it somewhere else? These are the questions to ask as I seek God's guidance on my future.

QT 16 Mar 16, Ps 23:1-2, God leads us to still waters (peace)

Psalm 23:1–2 (RSV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;

2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters;

NOTE: We all want things, but we also want a quality of life that is not dependent on things. We want peace. We want relationships where we are affirmed, loved, respected, and supported. But, sometimes we seek "things" as the 'end-all' that will provide all of our needs, not realizing that we have greater needs that things will never satisfy. "Things" are like a drug. They feel good at first but quickly lose their ability to provide the same feeling over time. They make us happy but then we are discontent and need a new "thing." But peace does not let us down, at least until it leaves, and then we realize how important it is. And usually peace leaves because of some poor decision on our part. Of course, peace also comes and goes because we live in a fallen world. But God promises to lead us to places that provide the peace that we so desperately desire. Even just meeting with him every morning, provides a type of peace that few people truly understand. God thank you for your gift of peace in my life.

QT 9 Mar 16, Ps 73:21-23, It is okay to vent to God

Psalm 73:13–17, 21-23 (RSV)

13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean

and washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all the day long I have been stricken,

and chastened every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”

I would have been untrue to the generation of thy children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me a wearisome task,

17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;

then I perceived their end.

21 When my soul was embittered,

when I was pricked in heart,

22 I was stupid and ignorant,

I was like a beast toward thee.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee;

thou dost hold my right hand.

NOTE: I think one of the mistakes that believers make is not being honest to God with their feelings. Of course, we can't actually hide our feelings with God, so we fool ourselves into believing that we are okay on the inside. We put up facades and we present ourselves as stoic--a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining (google definition). We even go so far as to believe that stoicism is the Christian ideal! Or that faith and a stoic response have some equivalency. How foolish we are! The prayer warriors of the bible were honest with God about their feelings. Even Jesus in his prayer to the Father expressed his heartfelt emotion, not what he felt he was required to say. It is sad that we place on pedestals those who are strong stoics as our examples of faith. And if you want to point to Job, then you haven't read the whole book. It is okay to vent at God. He is big enough. He can take it. There are many Psalms, where David, the man after God's heart, vents toward God. It is a good thing to do. And then after releasing our emotions, we can hear God and we begin to realize that what we want most in life, is not those things, but God himself.

QT 7 Mar 16, Isa 43:13, God is in control, but not as we want

Isaiah 43:13 (RSV)

13 “I am God, and also henceforth I am He;

there is none who can deliver from my hand;

I work and who can hinder it?”

NOTE: In the grand scheme of things, I certainly recognize God's sovereignty. And even in the smaller things, He still remains in charge. But these are actually two different things in my mind. In the former, he is bringing about His will and His plan. He is active and intervenes as necessary to accomplish that will. In the smaller areas, He allows man free will, and evil men exercise that will against His children. He is not unaware and He can intervene if necessary, but the scripture suggests that intervention is the more rare event. Romans 8:28 teaches us that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. In other words, God takes the bad things the world throws at us (and the things that God chooses not to intervene or change) and works good in our lives. Working good does not mean it will be pleasurable or that we will not experience pain, only that it will be for our ultimate good and according to His will. So these areas, the grand scheme and the small individual day-to-day things are really quite different in how God's sovereignty is exercised.

QT 2 Mar 16, Ps 115:2-8, Our idols are man-made, but the God of the universe mad man

Psalm 115:2–8 (RSV)

2 Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in the heavens;

he does whatever he pleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold,

the work of men’s hands.

5 They have mouths, but do not speak;

eyes, but do not see.

6 They have ears, but do not hear;

noses, but do not smell.

7 They have hands, but do not feel;

feet, but do not walk;

and they do not make a sound in their throat.

8 Those who make them are like them;

so are all who trust in them.

NOTE: This repeats the thought of yesterday regarding idols. The world asks the question, "Where is (our) God?" The implied statement is that he does not show himself as 'we' think he should, therefore he must not exist. The Psalmists answers the question and the implied statement, "(He) is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases." God is not a man with limitations of a man. His thoughts, we cannot begin to comprehend their complexity. And so, not surprisingly, he does not behave as our puny minds expect him to behave (as if our minds can judge God's mind--what absurdity!). The problem is that we can compare God to the gods of old, idols that man made (which incidentally can do very little). Yet it is the other way around, God made man, although man continues to try to make God in man's image of what God ought to be. We have improved quite a bit in idol creation. Our idols are very complex and capable nowadays (for some, their smart phone is their idol today). But our idols are still man-made, and pale in comparison to the God of the universe. We really should be much more humble in our approach to God--we know so very little.

QT 1 Mar 16, Judg 10:6-10, Our modern day gods

Judges 10:6–10 (RSV)

6 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and served …, the gods …, the gods …, the gods …, the gods …, and the gods …; and they forsook the Lord, and did not serve him. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them …, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the children of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel (on the other side of the Jordan) … 9 And (they fought) also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sorely distressed.

10 And the people of Israel cried to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken our God and have served the (other gods).”

NOTE: I have heavily edited the above section so as not to be distracted by the names, but to focus on the themes and the message. Israel gave up God for other things. Yes, the passage says 'gods' over and over again. But a god can be anything that draws our attention away from the one true God. It is anything that captures us, stirs our emotions, draws our interest, and happily uses our time. When we love something above God, that thing is a god. When we think we can gain true happiness with that thing instead of through God, that thing is a god. We still worship gods today; we just use different names, like entertainment, technology, toys, and sexual immorality. Those are our modern gods. They do have specific names; I have just used categories because everyone's gods are different to them. Just like the pagan nations who created individual gods and put them on their mantle or a shelf on the wall, we do the same thing. God wants our attention and our devotion. It is okay to enjoy the things of the world, but God demands first place in the lives of those called by His name. It is not optional. God requires it and we would be wise to obey. Not to avoid discipline, although that is an option for God, but to enjoy life in a much deeper and richer way.