In the past couple of days, we have seen Job’s troubles and sufferings, and we have met his three friends – Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. In chapter 3, Job spoke and “cursed the day of his birth” (3:1). Job entertained no thoughts of suicide, but like Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), Jonah (Jonah 4:8), and even Paul (Philippians 1:21-23) he wanted the Lord to take him home (Job 6:8-9) – which is “better by far” (Philippians 1:23). Sometimes, we – like Job’s wife – have had enough, and we feel like throwing in the towel. Eliphaz was not very comforting to Job, who felt that his situation was hopeless. In chapter 7, Job accuses God of being unfair and says, “Let me alone” (verse 16). Whereas the Psalmist wonders why God pays any attention at all to man (cf., Psalm 8:4-8), Job asks God the same question but from the opposite point of view: “What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention?” (verse17). I am thankful that God attends to us at all – we need His attention and His care. But Job has overlooked that we live in a sin-cursed world, and he is not in possession of all the facts. In chapter 8, Bildad speaks and implies that Job has sinned and forgotten God (verses 5 and 13). In chapter 9 and from his misery, Job responds with some incredible truths to Bildad: God “moves mountains; shakes the earth; stretches out the heavens; and performs wonders” (9:5-10). Without a Bible, where did Job get this wisdom? In chapter 10, Job proclaims his conviction before God - that he has not sinned (cf., 10:7) – that sin cannot be the reason for his afflictions. In John 9:1-5, the disciples thought that sin was the cause of the man’s blindness from birth, but Jesus corrected this kind of thinking: “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (9:3). Here in Job, we see the degree to which physical pain and emotional anguish can affect our thinking. This is why the Word of God is so important to counteract such faulty thinking.
In Proverbs 3:11-20, we read that “Nothing can compare” with biblical “wisdom, understanding, or His knowledge” (Proverbs 3:15-20). By these elements, God in Christ created all things, and in them we are blessed to find the “tree of life” – which is personified by “wisdom” (cf., verse 18). Adam and Eve rejected that tree in Eden – in favor of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I will always maintain that they made a bad choice (foolish, actually; something we have been writing about a lot), and the consequences left over after their choice have been horrendous. May God grant that we take Proverbs 3 to heart.
In Matthew 19:16-30, we read about the rich young man who came to Jesus and asked what he “must do to get eternal life” (verse 16). Jesus told him what to do, but “the man went away sad because he had great wealth” (verse 22). Before God, wealth is a curious reason - but certainly no excuse - for sadness. The young ruler confused riches with following and serving Christ. These matters are not mutually exclusive. This misunderstanding in the rich young ruler’s heart and mind left him with a vacuum that was greater than all his wealth. He “went away sad” because (1) he concluded that rich people cannot follow Christ, and out of hand, (2) he rejected our Lord’s divine wisdom. Jesus reveals this when he addresses Peter’s question in verse 29: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much ….” On the other hand, consider again what Job stated: “God’s wisdom is profound” (cf., Job 9:4), and although he is unjustly afflicted, Job humbly recognizes and emphasizes God’s majesty, authority, and power. Of course, he hates what has happened to him (who wouldn’t?), but Job – who lost all his wealth - says, “You gave me life and showed me kindness” (10:12). If this is our own position before God, we are truly wealthy. We can offer Him no merit of our own whatsoever – neither our riches nor our afflictions are ever an excuse for our condition before Him. Ultimately, all we can hope for is God’s provision of lovingkindness based on His mercy - which we do not deserve – but by His grace, He lavishly pours it out on us.
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