Surely God will never do wickedly, nor the Almighty pervert justice. Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? If He should set His heart on it, if He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. “If you have understanding hear this; listen to the sound of My words: Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just? Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,?’ And to nobles, ‘You are wicked?’ Yet He is not partial to princes, nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; for they are all the work of His hands…” Job 34: 12-19, NKJV.
Heavenly Father, as we come before You today, may Your wisdom speak to our hearts; and may Your justice be made plain before our faces. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!
The words for our meditation today, are taken from the speech of one of the persons, who came to visit Job, during his calamity, Elihu. There is so much to the story of Job, that we perhaps will never understand in this life! Because of this, it is difficult to know where to begin, or which side of the story to comment upon! Therefore, it behooves us, at every step of the way, to ask God for His wisdom, and to listen carefully, as He responds!
The Bible mentions three men, who came to visit Job when they heard of the tragedy that had befallen him, and describes them as his friends. Even the Lord does not question their friendship; what He will eventually denounce are their arguments! As a matter of fact, It is with Job that God enters into discourse, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you and you shall declare to me. Where were you when I…? So what does God, mean, after His dialogue with Job, when He says to Eliphaz, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of [M]e what is right, as [M]y servant Job has” (42: 7)? And who is this Elihu, who after Job has ended his speech, begins to speak, in very much the same terms, as Job’s friends?
It would seem that questions constitute the pathway that leads to a study of the book of Job. By God’s grace and leading, we will be spending some time in the study of this book. Therefore, at the beginning of the study, is as good a time as ever, to set forth our questions, and begin to ask God to lead us in the study of His Word. With this in mind, I would like to point out, that, under observation, the main subjects of the Book of Job, seem to be: Human suffering, God’s justice, and the Unknown! What I will refer to as the unknown, are, the issues behind the calamities that befall human beings, as portrayed by Job; of which we know nothing. Because of this, we should be very, very, careful, how we pass judgment on the reactions of others, especially, when calamities befall them.
Somehow we feel that we have the right to appoint ourselves as members of the District Attorney’s office, and aid in the prosecution of the “guilty.” At the very beginning, let me submit, that we have been invited to attend this court scene, not to become members of the jury, or witnesses, but as spectators. Our job is to observe with fear and trembling; and pray, that our eyes might be open to the controversy between Good and Evil; as it is portrayed in miniature, in this story. One last word, as we lay the ground for our study, God is both Defense Attorney and Judge. He has all the facts, and knows all the circumstances; and if we will observe with awe and reverence, perhaps when we leave this study, we will understand Him a little bit better; and love Him a whole lot more! This is my prayer!