Job
chapter 11 reminds me of the old joke; “minor surgery” is defined
as an operation on somebody
else.
Most people desire for wrongs to righted and sin to be punished IN
OTHERS. We are quick to notice when someone else fails, but we want
them to overlook our transgressions. The chapter begins with Job’s
third friend taking his shot at trying to convince Job to confess his
hidden sin. Zophar
the Naamathite replied: “Are
all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated?
Will your idle talk reduce men to silence? Will no one rebuke you
when you mock?”
It is clear that he just wants God to set Job straight, “Oh,
how I wish that God would speak, that He would open His lips against
you“.
Kind of like the feeling you get when a cop pulls over the speeder
that just passed you. We root for that “menace” to get caught.
With disgust, he adds “God
has even forgotten some of your sin“.
Do you hear any compassion in his tone? Isn’t it interesting that
Jesus taught, “Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”
(Matthew 5:7). I believe the Bible is clear, the more you have
personally experienced God’s mercy, the greater your capacity to
forgive others. In Luke 7:47, Jesus describes a woman that could not
hold back her expression of thankfulness as she washed His feet with
her tears. He says of this woman, “her
sins, which
are
many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is
forgiven, the
same
loves little“.
Have you been forgiven much?
Job’s
friend continues his rebuke with a lesson about God’s sovereignty.
Although what he says is true, there is a strong implication that Job
deserves all of his pain because he was a bad boy. “Can
you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the
Almighty? They are higher than the heavens… They are deeper than
the depths of the grave…Their measure is longer than the earth and
wider than the sea… Surely He recognizes deceitful men; and when He
sees evil, does He not take note?”
I have met so many people that view God in this way. As if God is
some kind of evil accountant, keeping track of all our mistakes;
waiting for our total to exceed the limit. God judged the world at
the time of Noah because the world had become so corrupt. But
Genesis 6:6 says of God, “He
was grieved in His heart“.
God is a righteous judge, He disciplines with a purpose. 2
Corinthians 7:10 explains, “For
godly sorrow produces repentance leading
to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world
produces death“.
Feeling guilty is not enough, will you open your heart to receive
the freedom of forgiveness?
The
chapter ends in another lecture
to Job. Job’s friend unfortunately describes forgiveness as
something that must be earned, as if God must reluctantly be
convinced. “Yet
if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if
you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell
in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will
stand firm and without fear“.
Many are defeated by this misunderstanding. Every time we try to
make ourselves righteous, we stumble. We take two steps forward and
slide one step back. I do not trust in my own goodness, I trust in
God’s promises. Zophar concludes with another common error. He
says, everything will be dandy and you won’t have any more
problems. “You
will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.
Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like
morning“.
I believe this false advertising is the reason some fall away from
the faith. When we ask for God’s forgiveness, we are spiritually
restored completely, but the scars of our past remain. The apostle
Paul describes our human dilemma, “For
the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh”
(Galatians 5:17). Never forget, those scars remind us of where we
once were and offer hope to others. Zophar ends with a jab, “But
the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their
hope will become a dying gasp“.
If this describes you, I have some great news. “But
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us”
(Romans 5:8). The sin that separates you from God has been removed.
The work has already been done by SOMEBODY ELSE. All you have to do
is believe.