Job
chapter 7 reminds me that we are a unique balance of three
inter-dependant parts. Our body, mind and spirit work together to
make us who we are. Each part affects the other parts, so we have to
be careful to keep all three well nourished and cared for. As
the chapter begins, Job clearly believes he is dying and seems to be
waiting for the inevitable. “Does
not man have hard service on earth? Like a slave longing for the
evening shadows, or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages“.
His life has become continuous labor without rest. “Nights
of misery have been assigned to me. When I lie down I think, ‘How
long before I get up?’ The night drags on, and I toss till dawn“.
“My days…come to an end
without hope“. Listen to Job
explain his overall condition. He describes his physical
condition, “My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is
broken and festering“. His details his emotional condition, “my
eyes will never see happiness again“. And finally he expresses
his spiritual condition, “As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he
who goes down to the grave does not return“. Perhaps this
describes where you are today, or where you once were. Please
understand that Jesus sent out the apostles “to
preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke
9:1). Friend, God allows us to remain on earth in order to bring
hope and healing to those around us that are hurting.
Remember
earlier, Job’s friend had suggested that Job has brought God’s
wrath upon himself by committing some kind of hidden sin. The
chapter is a continuation of Job’s response, but with a subtle
difference. He also expressed his frustration to God. Basically
he says, since I have little time left to live, I will speak my mind
without holding back. “Therefore
I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul“.
Job has been pushed to the very limit of human endurance. “I
think my bed will comfort me… even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions… I despise my life…
my days have no meaning“.
I think more people have said this than we know. Job cried out to
God, “If I have sinned, what have I
done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your
target?“. Finally Job asked the
direct question that is really bothering him. “Why
do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?”
The physical pain is causing him to fear and doubt. Job is
beginning to believe the lie.
In
Luke chapter 10, Jesus tells a parable to teach all of us how to help
someone in need. He explained that a man had been beaten and robbed
and left for dead. Then along came a man from Samaria, “And
when he saw him, he had compassion.
So
he went to him
and bandaged his wounds… set him on his own animal, brought him to
an inn, and took care of him“.
We
are also told, “When
he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them
to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever
more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you“.
Notice
the stranger did not start by preaching at the unconscious victim.
No, he first took care of his physical needs, then his mental
concerns (paying for his stay). I believe, only then could the
stranger have ministered to his spiritual needs of the man that was
beaten. It is interesting that Jesus ended His parable by telling
the disciples, “Go
and do likewise“.
Hebrews
10:24 reminds us this is one of the reasons we should go to church
every week. Sometimes we need to be lifted up, and other times we
can encourage someone else.
“And
let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is
the manner of some, but exhorting one
another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching“. If
you have come through difficulty, look around. You might find
someone dealing with that same burden.