NO CONDEMNATION,,,

Job begins Chapter 27 by defending his righteousness (1-12) and ends (13-23) by making it clear that the wicked do not go unpunished, but that that did not explain why he was suffering.  Job was a righteous man...and yet he was faced unrelenting suffering and grief. 

Where did my heart focus in Chapter 27? I looked at verses 1-10 and thought on righteousness. Christ is my righteousness.  

Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

“As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, As long as my breath is in me,
 And the breath of God in my nostrils, My lips will not speak wickedness,
 Nor my tongue utter deceit. Far be it from me
 That I should say you are right; 
 Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. “May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
 Though he may gain much,
 If God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry
 When trouble comes upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty Will he always call on God?” ?--Job 27:1-10

Job holds on to his integrity. He maintains his righteousness.

He refuses to feel personal condemnation for the secret sins his friends suspected he had committed. Which you know...we know he did not.  God Himself told us Job was righteous way back in Chapter 1. Job said that his heart would not reproach him as long as he lived. First John 3, verse 20 says this:

For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

There is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. That is our position in Christ.

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Christ gave His life for us...He is not going to turn around and condemn us. His sacrifice on the cross made our justification possible. We have what Job wanted...an Advocate with the Father, Jesus the Righteous is on our side.

Job so wanted to take God to court and get his grievances aired and settled. God was not working according to Job's plan. We all want to do this very thing from time to time especially when we feel we are being unfairly treated.

How blessed we are, then, that our righteousness comes from Him...it is His job, not ours, to defend it. Once we are declared righteous by God we cannot be declared unrighteous. He is the God who sees. He knows the truth and is a righteous Judge. The battle is not ours to fight..it is His. Girls, this is one of the hardest things for us humans...to acknowledge our own helplessness and trust God to fight the battles. We want to jump in and when we do we only wind up hurting ourselves and others around us. Wait on God...His timing and plans are perfect! The next time you are offended, falsely accused, or betrayed be still and know that He is God and commit yourself to Him. Follow Jesus' example who was delivered to death for our offenses and "And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth."





CLANGING CYMBALS...JOB 26

But Job answered and said:“How have you helped him who is without power?
 How have you saved the arm that has no strength? How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?  And how have you declared sound advice to many? To whom have you uttered words?
  And whose spirit came from you? “The dead tremble,
  Those under the waters and those inhabiting them. Sheol is naked before Him,
  And Destruction has no covering.


TO MY DAUGHTERS,

We find Job rebuking Bildad in the first four verses of this chapter for his lack of concern for him, showing that all his friend’s “knowledgeable words” completely missed the point of his need and had been no help. Their words were hurtful rather than encouraging. No matter what their intentions they lacked love and were but clanging cymbals.

Job then goes on to say how no one escapes the eye of God. No matter where you are...God sees. There is nowhere you can flee from His Spirit...earth, sky, waters below or stars above...not even the dead can escape. The final verse of this chapter tells us that we only see the mere edges of His ways....that we hear only a small whisper of Him. But the thunder of His power who can understand?

My mind camped out on the verses...where I saw Jesus. These are the ones you see at the top of this study. Jesus had all wisdom, all knowledge, all power and all might. He was God and yet put aside His deity while He walked the earth. He did all in the power and strength of His Father. He was completely and utterly submitted to His Father in Heaven. Jesus came as a Servant. He came to heal the broken hearted. Luke 4:18 says this:

“ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
   Because He has anointed Me
 To preach the gospel to the poor;  He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,  To proclaim liberty to the captives
 And recovery of sight to the blind,
 To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

Read the gospels and see the heart of the Father in Heaven for His people. His desire is to heal. His desire is that none of us should perish, but that all would come to life in His Son. God the Father could have annihilated us, but instead He sent His Son to die for us. Our words and our actions here on earth should reflect the essence and character of our Father in Heaven. His heart of love should be evident to all we meet. Job's “comforters” missed the point of love.

Love those around you with the love that the Holy Spirit has shed abroad in your hearts. As you speak to them, remember love. Remember humility. Meet them at their point of need.  

None of us sees the whole picture while we walk the earth. 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 says

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

Truly, we only see the mere edges of His ways and the whispers of His power. 

Love 

Mom