Job: Part 2 - (Job’s final words to his friends):

I don’t deserve this...

“I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me. I would face the accusation proudly. I would wear it like a crown. For I would tell him exactly what I have done. I would come before him like a prince.” Job 31:35-37

Student: “I don’t believe I deserve a zero on this test.”

Teacher: “I don’t believe you do either but, it’s the lowest grade I could give you.”

When the U.S. Constitution was written, the founders worried that there weren't enough protections in the constitution to protect Americans from the worst of the abuses they had seen from the British crown. Therefore, the Bill of Rights was added which provided the first ten amendments spelling out specific protections that U.S. citizens would enjoy from their federal government. The sixth amendment guarantees the right of the accused to confront witnesses against him/her. Also known as the Confrontation Clause, it affords defendants the opportunity to face the witnesses against them and dispute their testimony. This right includes the opportunity to question (cross-examine) any witness brought before him in court.

I wonder if our founding fathers read the 31st chapter of Job...

In his final defense against the accusations made by his friends, Job lays out his defense point by point; He is faithful (“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” -31:1). He is just (“[I have not] denied justice to any of my servants” -31:13). He is merciful (“[I have not] denied the needs  of the poor” -31:16). He is not covetous ( “[I have not] allowed my heart to be enticed by material wealth” -31:24-27). He is humble (“[I have not] rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune” -31:29).

He can think of nothing else to say so he simply says “write it all down...I’ll sign it! If my accuser would do the same thing I would wear those accusations as a badge of honor because they are empty and false.”

Of course, Job made one miscalculation; he mistook a test for a judgement and it precipitated an inappropriate response. He actually implied his own position was superior to God’s. But, God had never accused Job of anything. Neither, in fact, had Satan. Satan was only needling Job to see if he would walk away from the God who had given him everything. The devil knew Job was righteous and would naturally have to view his calamities as unfair...if that were the standard. He would have to confront God with the demand, “tell me why you’re doing this!”

Well, the standard is not fairness. If it were, we’d all be in trouble. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, we have all sinned (Rom. 3:23) and the consequence for sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Yet, here we are, as believers, enjoying the promise of eternal life and guess who paid for our sin...not us!

It’s not fair!

If we aren’t careful, we all do this when trouble invades our lives...because it’s not fair. We  say “I’m a good person I don’t deserve this!” Some of us are more fortunate than Job; we are well aware of our sin so we humbly take our punishment. But...we make Job’s mistake. This is not Crime and Punishment.  Calamity is not evidence of an accusation. Calamity is part of the fabric of life...Satan testing our limits to see if we will give up on God.

Sure, life would be easier if God had not given Satan license to push us. But, God believes in us. He knows we can endure if we don’t buy the lie that He is not worthy of our worship.

No, the standard is not fairness...it is endurance. “He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved” ( Mark 13:13). I might know why. Our endurance is God’s proof to Satan that he doesn’t really have any power at all. 

So...we are not the victims, we are the evidence.

Live boldly out there today...

Job: Interlude - Job Ponders His Dilemma

“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom”Job 28:28

On December 4, 1872, a British-American ship called the “Mary Celeste” was found empty and adrift in the Atlantic. It was found to be seaworthy...with its cargo fully intact...including supplies sufficient for six months. Yet, not one passenger was found. Mariners generally agree that to precipitate the abandonment of a seaworthy ship, some extraordinary and alarming circumstance must have arisen. However, the last entry on the ship's daily log reveals nothing unusual, and inside the ship, all appeared to be in order. We may never know because no one on board was ever heard from again.

There are mysteries in life that are inexplicable...like Job’s troubles.

In chapter 28, Job is clearly frustrated so he takes a break to ponder this enigma; “I’m suffering like a wicked sinner yet, I know in my heart I am innocent. We are four pretty smart people. Why can’t we figure out what’s really going on here?”He opines on the intellect of humanity. People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold. They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock. They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore. They find treasures no bird can see...

But...they couldn’t explain Job’s dilemma. Because...knowledge is not wisdom. Knowledge is information, wisdom is understanding. 

So, how can people with so much knowledge be so unable to understand what they know? For example...water. A complete mystery. A simple principle of matter is that a liquid fills less volume when it freezes into a solid. That's because the molecules are closer together, which is why it gets hard. But water, unlike anything else, actually expands when it freezes. This is why ice cubes float -- unlike any other substance, the frozen version is lighter and less dense than the liquid version. Why is ice slippery? Why does hot water freeze faster than cold water?

Nobody knows...

Some mysteries are benign and we muddle through life without a need to understand because they just “work”; like my smart TV. 

Other mysteries bring us alarm. Why did residents in Minneapolis destroy their community (280 businesses) because they were (justifiably) angry about the death of George Floyd? How did they achieved justice when these innocent shop owners now have nothing? And the residents can no longer walk down to the corner to purchase bread and milk...or medicine? 

I’ve heard a lot of answers. But...they don’t  offer wisdom, just explanations.

So, what do we do when our mysteries are so disruptive that they truly require understanding? Where do we go to find wisdom...hidden from the eyes of all humanity...so we can finally say “ah, now I get it!” We’d have to find the “Answer Man.” The guy who recognizes all the parts and pieces of our lives and understands how they work because...he designed and built them. That would be God...with a capital ”G”. As Job said, “God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens”. (Job 28.28)

Of course, this is also why we’d rather just blame God for our troubles. If He understands it, why won’t He fix them? Many use God’s mysteries as an excuse to walk away. Andy Stanley said, “You don’t have to understand everything to believe in something.” In John 9, Jesus met a man who was born blind and forced to beg just to get by. Jesus’ disciples wanted to know whose fault it was that the man was blind: Was it his fault? Or his parents? Christ’s answer? “Neither this man nor his parents sinned… but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)

Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar weren’t even close...Job didn’t sin. Job’s troubles were merely an opportunity for God to show His stuff. So...here is wisdom; when we struggle with our mysteries move toward the Answer...not away.

Live boldly out there today...