Ray Comfort's Blog, page 29

A Study in Job

Job then calls God the “Watcher of men,” and asks why he was a “target.” It is because the eye of the Lord is in every place beholding the evil and the good, that each of us is a target for eternal justice. God personally witnesses our crimes, and His goodness must seek retribution. He witnessed Hitler’s atrocities, and He will therefore see that perfect justice is eventually done. On that day we will see that Hitler didn’t get away with anything. God will see to it that mass murderers are punished. He would not be good if He allowed anyone who did such terrible things to escape justice. But He is so good He will punish rapists, thieves, liars, fornicators, blasphemers, adulterers, homosexuals, pedophiles, in fact Jesus warned that we will give an account even for every idle word we have spoken. That leaves all of us in big trouble in Judgment Day. Look at Scripture’s warning:

“But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:2-11).

Job then asks why God, “Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity?”  Little did he know how God would graciously deal with his and our transgressions a thousand years later. He would be manifest in human form and, as a perfect sinless man, suffer and die for the sin of the world. That meant that God could legally, once and for all, pardon our many transgressions and let us live.

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A Study in Job

In his pre-scripture ignorance, Job asks questions for which we have answers. He asks, “Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity?”

It would be wonderful if this wicked world would ask, “Have I sinned?” But without a confrontation with the moral Law there is no knowledge of our sinful condition. We think we are good people until the Law is applied to the conscience, and it’s awakened to do its God-given duty.

Job then asks, “What have I done to You?” The answer is that we have all greatly offended God. We have angered Him by our many sins. When lie, steal, kill, blaspheme, commit adultery, or break any of the Ten Commandments, we sin against God. This is why a guilty King David cried, “Against You and You only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight.”

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A Study in Job

Outside of such faith, Job’s terrible suffering was comfortless. There was no consolation. Satan had killed his children, taken his health and wealth, and stolen the joy of living. He had thrown him into the dirt face down, and ground his grimy heal into the back of Job’s head. Job not only bemoaned his sad state, saying that his flesh was caked with worms and dust and his skin is cracked and broken, but he began to finally rail against God. He wasn’t going to retrain his mouth any longer—“I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” He looked to the heavens and said,

“Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, that You set a guard over me? When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’ then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath.”

It’s important to keep in mind that Job didn’t have the insight that we have through the Scriptures. We know that it wasn’t God that destroyed Job’s life, it was Satan. It wasn’t God who had killed his children and afflicted him with disease, it was Satan. This is confirmed by Jesus in the New Testament, when He warned that the devil came “to kill, steal and destroy” (see John 10:10). The Scriptures further say,

"And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, ‘Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?’” (Luke 13:11-16)

When Job was first afflicted, he kept his integrity by saying, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” He understood the sovereignty of his Creator. But he now he begins weaken and complain against God.

Of course there are some afflictions in life for which we can’t blame anyone but ourselves. They are self-afflicted afflictions such as lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking, liver or heart disease after a life-time of drinking alcohol, or those who suffer because they become gluttons, or get sexually transmitted disease. However, we are told that the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers. It may have been those powers that inspired Job’s wife to tell him to curse God and die. Such poison came from the place he more than likely least expected it—his own wife. But that’s often how the enemy works. He attacks our most vulnerable position from the place least expected. When Peter tried to stop Jesus going to the cross, Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan.”
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A Study in Job

Again, it is natural for most who think about life, to want to have an explanation. Who wants to read a mystery without finding out who committed the crime? This was the attitude of the disciples in John chapter 9:

“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:1-5).

Obviously, the man had been punished with blindness, so who was the guilty criminal? Was it the blind man himself or was it his parents? Jesus said that it was neither. He was blind so that the works of God could be revealed in him, and as we read on in the passage, that was the case. Jesus healed him of his blindness, and he became a witness for healing power of God.

But that’s not the case for millions who are afflicted with all kinds of diseases. They trudge through life in misery, fighting pain and terrible suffering. There’s no miracle from God, and so we are left with the dilemma as to why would God let them suffer. The “dilemma” that is, if we leave out faith in God. If we follow our natural inclination to want an explanation we will have a wearisome quandary. But trust looks past the problem and rests in the knowledge that God is faithful. He knows what He’s doing even if we don’t, and in most of these cases we clearly don’t know. But this is how it should be: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9)—“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5).
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A Study in Job

The lesson is clear. If a Christian suffers, we must always remember that his righteousness in Christ infinitely exceeds that of Job. When we repent and trust in Jesus, God inputs the righteousness of the Savior to our account. We are morally perfect in the sight of God, because God sees us in Christ, clothed in the virtue of His Son. So we dare conclude that a Christian is suffering because of God’s hand. That may be the case, but we don’t know and therefore should never entertain such thoughts, let alone speak them. The fear of God should keep us from going there. In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus addresses this very subject. Scripture says,

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’”

It is human nature to want to solve the problem of suffering by saying that every tragedy, sickness, accident, etc., is some sort of divine retribution. It is karma. Suffering comes to us because we either did something evil in this or in a previous life. Problem solved. But notice how Jesus addressed it. In essence, He said, “So you have concluded that those who died, did so because they did something to deserve such a fate. But your sins also call for Heaven’s wrath. You are still alive only because of God’s mercy, so repent and have your sins forgiven before you are dealt with by justice instead of mercy.”

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A Study in Job

Eliphaz didn't openly say, “Job, you have sinned against God, and He is chastening you,” but he infers it by speaking of the benefits those get who seek and serve God. He firstly honors God by singing His praises, saying that He does great things without number. He gives rain to the earth and exalts the lowly. He frustrates the devices of the crafty and catches the wise in their own craftiness. But Eliphaz then says that those whom God chastens are happy. This is true. The writer of Hebrews even quotes this verse when speaking of God’s chastening hand upon His children. Eliphaz says that no evil shall touch those who seek the Lord. They shall laugh at destruction and famine, not be afraid of the beasts of the earth, and they shall have peace in their tents. They shall visit their dwelling and find nothing amiss. Their descendants shall be many, and their offspring shall be like the grass of the earth. Then he said, “Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear it, and know for yourself.”

But this brought some confusion. Job’s descendants had been killed. He had no offspring. No doubt God did bless the righteous. No doubt He did chasten his children when they went astray, but Job maintained that he hadn’t done anything amiss; he'd done nothing to deserve his suffering. He firstly answers Eliphaz and then directs himself to God. He humbly confesses that his words have been rash, but justifies them by speaking of his suffering. He likens the pain to poisonous arrows that have pierced his very soul and seeped poison into his spirit. Even the tastiest of food turns his stomach. He had nothing for which to live, and longs for God to take him into the refuge of death. He then says to his friends, “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend…” and asks, “Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’? Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?” He added, “…you overwhelm the fatherless, and you undermine your friend. Now therefore, be pleased to look at me; for I would never lie to your face. Yield now, let there be no injustice! Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands.”

Here begins the famous contention between Job and his friends. They maintain that his suffering is just in that he has clearly done something to bring God’s disapproval. Job says that he hasn’t, and we know that Job is in the right because we have seen behind the veil. We have seen that God Himself said of him, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So while it is sometimes true that suffering comes to us by the hand of God, to chasten those He loves, it wasn’t the case with Job.
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A Study in Job

It didn’t take long for the news about Job and his wife to spread to his friends. When they heard of his adversity, three of them quickly went to comfort him. When they arrived they were horrified by what they saw. He was in such a sad state that they didn’t even recognize him. They wept, tore their robes, threw dust on their heads, and sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. Job’s grief was so evident that they didn’t speak a word to him for that entire time.

Job finally broken the silence and began to lament the day he had been born. He wished to God that he had never seen the light of day. He was so bitter and in grief, he wanted to die, saying, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” He had lost his beloved children, his great wealth, his health, his looks, his dignity, and the support of his wife. But he still had friends. He had three faithful friends who had come to comfort him; wonderful friends who had dropped everything to be by his side.

Oliver Wendell Homes said “friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.” Eliphaz the Temanite sweetly complimented Job. He said that Job had instructed many and strengthened weak hands. Perhaps Job's spirits were slightly lifted by his words. But then Eliphaz said, “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off? Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.”
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A Study in Job

Oncoming Traffic

When I first arrived in the U.S. back in 1989, I was horrified to see cyclists riding towards oncoming traffic. I had never seen it before, and I thought it was thoughtless, until I thought about it. When I did that, it made sense. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration between the turn of the century and 2009, there were 466,000 bicycle injuries and a massive 7041 deaths, just in the United States. [1] Tragically, many a dead cyclist with his back to oncoming traffic, wouldn’t have known what hit him.

It makes sense to be prepared for tragedy, but we won’t avoid its fatal blow it if we are hit unaware. The way to avoid being crushed by life is to have faith in God to a point where we can say, “Though He slays me, yet will I trust Him.” Are you at that point? Get there quickly, because the problem isn’t with God. He is one hundred percent trustworthy.

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[1] http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/faqs/answer.cfm?id=40

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A Study in Job

But there was something even worse to be considered. In the past, God had blessed them beyond words. The terrible implication was clear. Despite Job’s godly integrity, they had lost Heaven’s blessing. God was clearly very angry at Job and his wife. They had obviously done something that had unleashed the wrath of Heaven. And the result was so bitter, to Job’s wife death was a way of escape from the pain. God is the giver and taker of life. He was already mad at them. Perhaps her intent was that her husband should provoke Him further, and let death come quickly.

But Job refused. Instead, he worshipped. In speaking of his sacrificial worship, Charles Spurgeon said,

“When you are bowed down beneath a heavy burden of sorrow, then take to worshipping the Lord, and especially to that kind of worshipping which lies in adoring God, and in making a full surrender of yourself to the divine will, so that you can say with Job, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.’ That kind of worshipping which lies in the subduing of the will, the arousing of the affections, the bestirring of the whole mind and heart, and the presentation of oneself unto God over again in solemn consecration, must tend to sweeten sorrow, and to take the sting out of it.”

Experts tell us that if we are ever in a building that is on fire and in a smoke-filled room, we shouldn’t take even one small breath. The smoke is filled with carcinogens and will kill us in seconds. Instead, very quickly, we should drop to our knees and crawl. The air is hot and will cause the smoke to rise, leaving life-giving oxygen close to the ground. In such a fiery environment we should get low and do it speedily. That’s what Job did in his fiery trial, and it’s what you and I must do when the heat of tribulation suddenly traps us. It’s there that we will find life-preserving oxygen.

If you are a Christian, you have the consolation that you have God’s favor in Christ. He is your righteousness, and you must keep in mind that you have the promise that God will work all things for your good. Unlike Job, his wife, and the poor mothers of Bethlehem, and millions of others who are blindsided by life, we have amazing consolation in Christ. If you are unsaved, to survive you must repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ.

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A Study in Job

Think of the mothers in Bethlehem, who, two thousand years ago, had their children slaughtered by Herod, simply because he was peeved that he had been deceived by the wise men. Scripture says that those grieving mothers “would not be comforted.” No one could put their arm around them and say, “God is in control. This tragedy will work for your good. It’s okay.”

Each mother had conceived a child in joy, carried it for nine months, birthed it in pain, and no doubt gloated over their children with the delight that only a mother can know. They had embraced, feed, nurtured and suckled, listened to the child’s first word, and seen his first stumbling step. In that culture they would have looked deeply into the wide eyes of her children and heartily thanked God for such a wonderful blessing. Children bring a joy to life to which nothing can compare. But suddenly, for no real reason, each one little child felt the sharp and merciless Roman sword thrust through their soft flesh. The mothers of Bethlehem embraced her dead children, their trembling hands covered in blood! The sweetness of life suddenly turned bitter, and according to Scripture, no amount of consolation could help them rid themselves of grief. Multiply such grief by ten and you have a taste of the bitterness of soul experienced by Job’s unfortunate wife.

Perhaps, she had been present as each of her precious children’s crushed and blood-stained bodies were pulled from the dust and rubble. No doubt she wailed in typical Middle Eastern fashion at such a sight, and then wept until she could weep no more as each one of her beloved children was buried.

If at any time in her life she needed to the love and support of her husband, it was now. But Job wasn’t able to stand up and put his strong and loving arms around her, and at least try and comfort her in her grief. He was hardly recognizable, as he sat in the dirt, clothes torn, head shaven, and his body was covered in raw and agonizing boils.

Continued tomorrow...

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