Good News! The Bible is Not All Good News. Job 5:7

Some Christians greatly dislike Ecclesiastes–preachers, included. I think they don’t understand it. Ecclesiastes is a gut-check. If you are optimistic, if every message you speak is “turn that frown upside-down,” you are missing the gut of the Bible. THE BIBLE IS FOR PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS—REAL problems, that can’t be fixed by clichés and bumper-sticker theology. When you stand staring into the grave of your best friend, or when your child is dying of leukemia, or you are jobless for months and about to lose everything, you need reality and truth, not sugary-sweet but hollow answers. 

God’s word speaks the hard truth. When you are grieving and depressed, everyone tries to cheer you up, and you get sick of it. What you need is someone to agree with you, to validate your feelings, to admit it: life is HARD. IT HURTS like a broken bone. Of course, you are in pain. You should be. Jesus said, “In this world, you WILL have trouble.” You WILL! Ignore the “cheer up” messages of those who have forgotten the feeling of real pain. God KNOWS what you’re going through.

Job said, “Man was born for adversity as sparks fly upward” 5:7. LIFE HURTS.

But Job’s friends said: “good guys always win, bad guys lose, life is fair—so if you’re suffering, you need to repent because you are obviously one of the bad guys.” FALSE. God showed up and told THEM to repent. Life is hard, and sometimes the GOOD GUYS suffer! And sometimes bad guys seem to have it so easy! THAT is the dose of reality that hurting people are desperate to hear! And that is the message of Job and Ecclesiastes. Job says ‘you will suffer, but God is sovereign, and He will redeem your life,’ and “though He slay me, yet will I praise Him” 13:15. Jesus said, “In this world, you WILL have trouble, but be encouraged, because I have OVERCOME the world.”

God, your truth gives us courage & faith. Thank you!

ΑΩ

Job Had Great Friends. Job 2:12-13.

Are you a true friend? Do you have true friends? Proverbs 17:17 says, “A brother was made for adversity.” But sometimes a true friend is the one you can really rely on.

Job had true friends. Yes, that’s right—Job. Everyone criticizes and mocks his friends. We judge them harshly because they saw all that Job endured and they told him the only answer they had: repent and beg God to forgive you. We charge them with judging Job and accusing him falsely. But we do the same thing. When we see tragedy, we too have thoughts like, I wonder what he did?, or it looks like God’s trying to get someone’s attention. But Job was innocent and God came and confronted Job’s friends with their error. The moral of the story is, bad things happen to good people–and sometimes inconceivably horrible things happen to the best people, even one God describes as “a perfect man.”

But I want to focus on something else about Job’s friends. The story begins as they arrive together:

“And when they lifted up their eyes and did not recognize him… they WEPT and TORE their clothes, and put DUST on their heads, and they SAT with him on the ground SEVEN DAYS and nights, and SPOKE NOT a word, for they saw that his grief was very great.” Job 2:12-13.

Can you imagine friends who would sit with you for seven days? Men who would weep with you? And tear their clothes? Put ashes in their hair? And—most incredible—say NOTHING for seven days? Can you imagine EVER going seven days without talking? That is truly AMAZING. These are incredible, godly, serious, true friends. Sure, their advice may have been mistaken. But they earned the right to speak by sitting with Job in silence for SEVEN DAYS. I can’t get over how incredible that is.

Tragedy has a way of showing you who your friends are. I experienced a three-car accident in 1997 that was an example. The people who visited me in the hospital arrived almost perfectly in order of importance. Family first. Then closest friends. Then others… 

Dear God, make us true friends. Show us when to show up for people, and when to speak and when to be silent. Use us to spread mercy and love.

ΑΩ

Perfect Integrity. Job 1:1.

“There was a man in the land of Uz named Job. He was a man of perfect integrity who feared God and turned away from evil.”  Job 1:1.

What is meant by “perfect integrity”?  Integrity means “wholeness,” so perfect integrity means being whole—there are no empty places inside you, no bricks missing in your wall.  “Perfect integrity” means Job was honest and held himself to the highest standard. 

But after Job loses everything (sheep, donkeys, oxen, camels, servants, children, and health), his wife questions him: “Do you still maintain your integrity? Why not curse God and die?” Job 2:9.  Job tells her she’s foolish.  Nevertheless, Job had lost everything; he could not have been more hurt. He wanted to curse something.  But first, he praised God:

“Naked I came into this world, and naked shall I leave it. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord” Job 1:21.

Then Job is silent for days. When he finally complains about his incomprehensible losses, does he curse God? No. Does he curse his enemies? No. Does he curse his wife or his friends (whom he calls “miserable comforters”)? No. Job curses the day of his birth.  He spends all of chapter 3 elaborating on how awful the day of his birth was and saying he wishes he’d never been born. 

–And that may sound cynical and negative, but remember: 1) he had lost EVERYTHING, including ten children, and 2) he NEVER questioned the goodness of God.  He maintained his “perfect integrity” and stayed pure in thoughts and words.

Application? BE CREATIVE.  When you are upset, you can “vent” without sinning against God. Curse the day you were born, if you must.  Don’t curse God.  If you have anger to release, do it the right way. Be careful what you say and whom you attack. It is possible to express overwhelming pain WITHOUT turning your back on God.  Find ways to vent your feelings without doing harm to others or being unfaithful to God.

ΑΩ

Job: A Great Father. Job 1:5.

What do think of when you think of dads? A man tossing his baby in the air? A daddy-daughter dance? Little league? Learning to ride a bike, use tools, do chores?

What about Biblical fatherhood? Joseph adopted Jesus as his own, Abraham took Isaac to the altar and put God first. Jacob moved to Egypt—with 69 family members—to be taken care of by Joseph…. There are so many stories. One that’s easy to overlook, falling as it does in the opening lines of a report of overwhelming suffering, is the story of Job. You hear a lot of talk about “the patience of Job.” And he did endure. But he was also an exceptional, extraordinary father. 

“When the days of [his kids’] feasting were over, Job sent and sanctified them, and rose in the morning and offered burnt offerings for each of them…. Thus did Job continually.” Job 1:5

That’s amazing. Why did he do that? TEN burnt sacrifices? Regularly? But this is a BUSY, BUSY man, with 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys, and hundreds of servants to manage it all. Job is a KING with an EMPIRE to run, yet he takes the time to make sacrifices for each child—”continually”?

And, by the way, they’re NOT children! They are grown, living in ten houses of their own, with their own adult responsibilities. Can’t they worship God on their own? 

But this is between the Lord and Job. He loves God, and loves his children, so he intercedes on their behalf following every party thrown by the rich young men and women. He knows they were drinking and thinks, “It may be that they have sinned and cursed God in their hearts” v.5. He has no evidence, of course, but just in case, Job goes before the Lord and presents a sacrifice on behalf of each adult child.

That strikes me as incredible fatherhood: this super-busy man makes time to regularly come to God on behalf of his adult children. Job truly embodies the phrase “high priest of the home.”

May we all take our faith and the spiritual health of our loved ones that seriously.

Pray for the energy and passion to serve God & your family with all your heart!

ΑΩ

Do We Blame God When Bad Things Happen?

Job was the wealthiest man of his time, “the greatest man among all the people of the east.” He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, and thousands of other animals, servants without number, and ten grown children he adored. Then in a single moment he lost it all—including his children. Did he blame God? Here’s the way the Bible reports his reaction:

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshipped, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Through it all, Job did not sin or blame God for anything. Job 1:20-22.

JOB DID NOT BLAME GOD.

That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Why do we blame God? Because He is God—so we figure He could have stopped the thing from happening, right? A failure? An illness? A death? A betrayal? God chose not to intervene, so we blame Him for that, right? But Job, a “man of perfect integrity” did NOT blame God, and he lost more than we will ever own. Throughout the book, God offers Job as a role model. We are to follow his example. Thus, we are to WORSHIP God in our trials, not curse God. We need to praise God, NOT blame Him.

What do you blame God for? Ask Him to show you—are you carrying a grudge? Are you allowing a hurt from the past to keep you from God? Can you talk to God and confess your bitterness? Until you do, you will STOP growing in your faith.


Is it your nature to blame God? Job’s wife was a God-blamer. When tragedy struck, she said to him, “Why do you still maintain your integrity? Why not curse God and die?!”
Job answered, “SHALL WE INDEED ACCEPT GOOD FROM THE LORD AND NOT ACCEPT ADVERSITY?” Job 2:9-10.


We must accept the good and the bad. When tragedy strikes, we must WORSHIP the way Job did. We must “forgive” God for hurts in the past. Confess them. Confess the pride that allows you to dare to blame the God of the universe. Worship Him and thank Him and ask Him to change your heart and help you trust Him with even the worst tragedies.


Dear God, we confess our pride and the bitterness that tells us it is okay to blame you for tragedies. Help us trust your wisdom, and worship you when bad things happen.

ΑΩ

Report Cards.

What if God offered a report card on the state of your heart? In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus evaluates seven churches, praising them when He can, but also pointing out weaknesses: “You have lost your first love… You are lukewarm….”  Job likewise received a “report card” but he got perfect grades.  Twice God says the same thing about Job: “He is a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil” Job 1:8; 2:3.

I want perfect integrity.  But do I fear God and turn from evil?  The internet and cell phones have made turning from evil harder than ever. Most believers do turn away.  But we turn away EVENTUALLY.  Right?  Sometimes I read an article, I find out about the new movie or the song with the filthy lyrics that won some award—and I read the lyrics and have a conversation, and complain about the state of pop culture and what we are doing to the children.  Then eventually, maybe after the topic has become boring, I finally TURN AWAY FROM EVIL. 

Do you struggle to balance the desire to know what’s going on in the world with the desire to keep your mind and heart pure?  Finding that balance can be a struggle, particularly for parents and teachers, because we invest so much energy in caring for children while so many aspects of youth culture seem harmful to children.

Let’s take a tip from the words God used to praise Job:

“HE IS A MAN OF PERFECT INTEGRITY, WHO FEARS GOD AND TURNS AWAY FROM EVIL” Job 1:8. 

God commended this man who turned away from evil.  Paul adds, “It is shameful TO EVEN MENTION what the disobedient do in secret….”  Ephesians 5:12.  We should EXPOSE the deeds of darkness (5:11).  But we must watch ourselves.  Are we turning away?  Can we expose wrong while having NOTHING TO DO with the darkness?  Most importantly, are we being led by the fear of God?

Let’s be like Job: fear God and turn away. 

Let’s spend less time “researching” evil and more time turning away from evil.

ΑΩ

Bless Your Children.

Even a casual reader of the Old Testament will notice that people took spoken words—blessings and curses—more seriously back then.  Genesis is filled with powerful blessings spoken over people.  Each patriarch blesses his sons: Abraham blesses Isaac, Isaac blesses Jacob and Esau, Jacob blesses his twelve sons, and more.  Some of Jacob’s blessings are poetic:

“Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the kill. He crouches, he lies down like a lion—who dares to rouse him?… Asher’s food will be rich, and he will produce royal delicacies.  Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine beside a spring; its branches climb over the wall….” Genesis 49:9-22.

As parents, God gave us blessings for our children. For our daughter, He gave the name “Twila,” meaning “woven of two threads,” indicating she will be strongly tied to God because her spiritual heritage is strong in both her father and her mother’s lines.  For our son, God gave a Bible verse indicating he will be a blessing to our family and others.

But a keyword search of Genesis reveals that the word “bless” is preceded far more often by “God” (as in “God blessed Joseph”) than by the name of anyone else.  God does much more blessing than even the best parents.  The patriarchs understood this: IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE GOING TO BE BLESSED, GOD MUST BE BEHIND IT.  When the pagan Potiphar prospered, he knew God was blessing Joseph, 39:3.  The jailer too saw that God was with Joseph, 39:23. Later Pharaoh recognized the Spirit of God in Joseph, 41:38. Certainly God’s children (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) would have understood this too: blessings come from God, not merely the words of your parents. 

Nevertheless, the words of parents have overwhelming power. Encouragement can change the direction of a child’s life—but so can criticism. In no other relationship can your words do more harm—or more good.  Choose words wisely and bless your children!

Dear God, bless us as only you can!  Bless our work and our time the way you blessed the work of Joseph. Make us honorable, filled with integrity as he was—and BLESS the work of our hands, because we know blessings come from you.  And bless our words, so we can be a blessing to our children.

ΑΩ

“It Was Not You, But God…”

By God’s grace, terrible things can have positive outcomes. Romans 8:28 says “God causes all things to work together for good….”  God is sovereign—He is the Ruler and King of the universe. He fashions the worst things into good.

More than twenty years after they sold him into slavery, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers. “But they could not answer him because they were terrified” Genesis 45:3.  They were thinking ‘it can’t be him, but if it is, he’s going to kill us.’  Joseph anticipated their fears:

“Don’t be worried or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because GOD SENT ME ahead of you to preserve life….  GOD SENT ME ahead of you to establish a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Therefore, IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SENT ME HERE, BUT GOD” Gen. 45:5-8.

This is not passive voice, right? Joseph says: GOD DID THIS.  “GOD SENT ME… GOD SENT ME… IT WAS NOT YOU.”  Joseph KNOWS this was God’s plan. He KNOWS God wanted him in Egypt, in Potiphar’s house, and even in prison. He KNOWS it was not just his brothers being cruel (though they were). Joseph says “GOD DID IT.” After Jacob died years later, Joseph had to say it again:

“Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? YOU MEANT IT FOR EVIL, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, to bring about the present result—the salvation of many people” Gen. 50:19-20.

Never be so focused on your problems that you can’t see that God might be doing something amazing. Forgive people who hurt you—and beg God to show you the GOOD he will do through those hurts.

God, give us forgiveness and gratitude in the face of problems. Show us your amazing grace to bring good out of pain. Give us wisdom and hearts like Joseph, so we can truly forgive and see your hand at work.

ΑΩ

A “TYPE OF CHRIST” (Have You Heard the Phrase?)

At the age of 147, Jacob is in his final days.  He calls his sons to himself and blesses each one—although some of the blessings sound like curses as he notes their colossal failures. Jacob reserves the greatest blessing for Judah, which reads in part:

“The SCEPTER will not depart from Judah or the STAFF from between his feet until He whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him” Genesis 49:10. 

This is a Messianic prophecy.  Not only will David and most of the nation’s kings come from Judah, but the Messiah will descend from Judah. 

Why bless Judah?  He was a scheming, ruthless man.  But he did one great thing that not only endeared him to Jacob, but made him a “TYPE” of Christ. A type is a prophetic symbol of someone coming in the future, ‘type’ being the word for an impression left behind by a stamp or by the tiny letters sculpted on the type bars of an old typewriter.  When Judah’s life strikes the page, it leaves a print that matches Jesus. Judah’s life points to Jesus.  

But when? When does Judah ever look like Jesus?  Judah is “Christ-like” when he offers his own life as a substitute for the life of his brother Benjamin.  In that moment, Judah becomes a TYPE of the Savior who would offer His life as a substitute for ours.  This is Judah’s greatest moment; this is why Jacob blesses Judah and God makes him the father of a race of kings, culminating in the birth of the KING OF KINGS, who to this day is known as “THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH” Revelation 5:5.  (Learn the phrase “type of Christ.” There are dozens of other people who are types of Christ, including Isaac on the altar, Joseph, Moses, and David.)

Judah’s one great shining moment is also his chance to redeem his past.  Perhaps he has learned his lesson, finally doing something selfless and noble.  Some of his brothers may never have learned.

God, give us the integrity of Joseph. But when we lack it, help us move past our failures and make new and better choices as Judah did.  Remind us it’s never too late to change.

ΑΩ

Forgiving is Easy When You See God’s Hand.

When Joseph insists on keeping the “thief” Benjamin as his slave, Judah asks to take his place:

“My father’s life is wrapped up with the boy’s life.  When he sees that he is not with us, he will die…. Now please let your servant [Judah] remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy….  For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father” Genesis 44:30-34.

Joseph can bear no more.  He turns to his brothers: “I am Joseph!’ But they could not answer him because they were terrified” 45:3.  The brothers are stunned.  (I wrote in my Bible: “history’s ultimate jaw-dropping moment.”)  Little brother’s dreams came true.  Joseph rules the world.  What will he do now? Each knows the vengeance he would execute were he in Joseph’s place.  They are ruthless schemers.  But Joseph is different.

“Don’t be worried or angry with yourselves… GOD SENT ME AHEAD OF YOU TO PRESERVE LIFE…. GOD SENT ME ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God.  He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt….  Tell my father about all my glory in Egypt and about all you have seen. And bring my father here quickly” 45:5-8,13.

Can you look at injustices and see God’s hand at work? Sometimes you can, sometimes you cannot.  But you can always forgive. Remember Romans 8:28 “God causes ALL THINGS to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”  He will bring good from your suffering!

Dear God, help us to see YOUR PURPOSE in all that we suffer. And help us to forgive those who do horrible things to us.  Give us the integrity of Joseph.

ΑΩ