Chapter 30
Job had been a man known for his integrity. His reputation was above reproach. Until now. Now, even the young men are mocking him. Not just young men, but young foolish men. And Job knows he has done nothing deserving this kind of treatment. How hard that must've been! Especially after all his conscious efforts to follow God.
Chapter 31
The consciousness of Job's efforts is one of the things that struck me about this passage.
Job 31:1 I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.
Not only did Job purposefully avoid having an affair - he avoided even looking at a woman with lust. And he was so serious about this that he made a covenant with his eyes to not do it. And that is precisely how you do avoid having an affair! Sexual sin is definitely one of the most seductive sins. It is so easy to give in. To premarital sex especially I think. If you do not have a line firmly drawn, like Job did, it will be extremely difficult to maintain your purity. And extramarital affairs do not usually happen in an instant. It is often a continual pattern of small, poor decisions that add up to a one moment decision that changes your life and the lives of the people you love forever. The key is to not even make one of those first small mistakes. Protect your marriage, pray for your spouse, stay in the Word. And pray for the marriages of those around you.
Job 31:13-15 If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance against me, what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
What a great passage this is in regards to the sanctity of life. All human life!
It's a call to treat everyone with respect - no matter their gender, race, culture, status, etc. God formed the poorest soul in Africa just as surely as he formed the richest man in America. And neither is worth less or more than the other in His sight. They both have value because God made them, and because He made them in His image.
And, obviously, this is a great verse regarding the sanctity of unborn life as well. God forms us in the womb. He knows us. He knows every detail about our lives. He has created us unique from everyone else on this planet. And this clearly starts in the womb. At the moment of conception everything about us is imprinted on us already.
Job 31:24-25 reminds us not to put our trust in riches or status or power. This is another very easy sin to fall into. And we tend to justify it by saying that that's simply the way society is. It is not wrong to be wealthy or to have a powerful position in the company you work for. But it is wrong to put our trust in that wealth or power. It is wrong to strive for it at the expense of our relationship with God or our relationships with our families and even at the expense of taking care of ourselves for our bodies are the temple of God.
Other reminders in this passage include being honest (31:5-6), caring for those less fortunate (31:16-23), worshiping the creator and not creation (31:26-28), loving our enemies instead of gloating over their misfortunes (31:29-32), and confessing our sins (31:33-34).
And Job was intentional and conscious of doing all these things and avoiding all these sins.
And still disaster struck.
And still he remained faithful to God.
The fact that disaster still struck is a strong reminder to not put our hope in things of this world. Though it is obviously God's will for us to invest in the people around us, our hope should not be in them - it should be in God. He alone will always be there. We can never lose God. He will never leave us or forsake us.
We cannot take our stuff with us to heaven. We cannot take our money or our power. But our families and friends who believe in Jesus will be there with us. And that can give us hope to get through the tough times. We shouldn't place our hope in people (they cannot be the Holy Spirit to us, they will not be perfect, they will disappoint us even if only unintentionally). But we absolutely invest in them and love them. And thanks be to God for giving us the undeserved opportunity to worship Him together with them for eternity!
And the fact that Job remained faithful inspite of his life being destroyed before his very eyes is an inspiration for us to do the same, even if it's likely to be on a smaller scale. Chances are not many of us will experience devastation to the same degree Job did. If he can praise God in that storm, I will praise Him in mine.
Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns
I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Tomorrow's readings are Job 32-34. Click here to read online.
2 comments:
Great thoughts, Tammy. I appreciate your insights into this passage. I picked up on a lot of it myself while reading, but there are some things you noticed that I didn't, so thank you.
oh, man, that song was one I gave to my dad when he was diagnosed...it is so excelent but I can hardly listen to it now because it makes me cry pretty hard.
I felt desparate for Job when I read about the foolish men mocking him. HE had been faithful and above reproach and I'm sure part of their mocking was kind of a "what good is your God now" kind of mocking knowing that they were unlike him in their foolish ways. It is a hard thing to imagine him not only in misery but being a laughing stock to the wicked.
I thought you pointed out refreshing verses and highlighted new thoughts from them.
Your reminder to not place our trust in people is so true. He can use them to guide us but we have to keep in check with Him and let Him have the final word becuase we are not wise as He. IT makes me thing of Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You?And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
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