Greetings Dear Reader,
As we saw yesterday Eliphaz is wrong in his opinion that
there must be some secret sin that Job has committed. Eliphaz is not wrong that God shows
mercy. He is aware that God sees all sin
and the he restores those who acknowledge the sin of which they are guilty.
Eliphaz is very insensitive here. He talks about what he has done to promote
God’s justice. He talks about someone’s
children dying just days after Job loses his own children. So far Job’s “friend” is doing more harm than
good.
In the last quarter of his statement to Job he is correct
about the character of God. We need to
remember that his conclusion that Job has some secret sin is incorrect. Eliphaz is right that God protects us in ways
that we do not imagine. God does care
for us, bless us, and protect us in ways that we do not see.
Everyone benefits from the blessings that God pours on
us. Even when I am in my most dire
circumstances God is there for me. The
pain is eased if I think about those blessings.
They do not fix the problem. They
do remind me that I do not move through the pain alone.
I have neither the righteousness nor the suffering of
Job. Still my pain is real and my heart
yearns to follow Christ faithfully. I
need to remember in the midst of pain and sorrow that God is constantly there
for me. He is there in ways I take for
granted. He is always there to gift,
guide, and carry me is necessary.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store."
Job 5:1-27
"Cry out! Is there anyone to
answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? Certainly, anger kills a
stubborn fool, and jealousy murders a gullible person. I have seen a stubborn fool take root, but I
quickly cursed his house. His children
are far from help. They are crushed at the city gate, and no one is there to
rescue them. What a stubborn fool gathers, hungry people eat. They take it even
from among the thorns, and thirsty people pant after his wealth. Certainly, sorrow doesn't come from the soil,
and trouble doesn't sprout from the ground.
But a person is born for trouble as
surely as sparks fly up from a fire. "But I would seek God's help and
present my case to him. He does great things that we cannot understand and
miracles that we cannot count. He gives
rain to the earth and sends water to the fields. He places lowly people up high. He lifts
those who mourn to safety.
He keeps shrewd people from carrying out their plans so that
they cannot do anything successfully. He
catches the wise with their own tricks. The plans of schemers prove to be
hasty. In the daytime they meet darkness and grope in the sunlight as if it
were night.
"But
he saves other people from their slander and the needy from the power of the
mighty. Then the poor have hope while
wrongdoing shuts its mouth.
"Blessed is the person whom
God corrects. That person should not despise discipline from the Almighty. God
injures, but he bandages. He beats you up, but his hands make you well. He will keep you safe from six troubles, and
when the seventh one comes, no harm will touch you: In famine he will save you from death, and in
war he will save you from the sword. When
the tongue lashes out, you will be safe, and you will not be afraid of
destruction when it comes. You will be
able to laugh at destruction and starvation, so do not be afraid of wild
animals on the earth. You will have a
binding agreement with the stones in the field, and wild animals will be at
peace with you.
You will know peace in your tent.
You will inspect your house and find nothing missing. You will find that your children are many and
your descendants are like the grass of the earth. You will come to your grave
at a ripe old age like a stack of hay in the right season. We have studied all
of this thoroughly! This is the way it is. Listen to it, and learn it for
yourself."
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