Respect and Emulate the Lord

Psalm 2

In Psalm 1 it is  written to "delight in the law of the LORD and to meditate on the law day and night."  Here in Psalm 2 it is written to "respect" the Lord.   We are to live in fear of the Lord because His might and wrath is great for those who rise up against Him.  As we are all sinners we are all guilty of rising up against God.  Perhaps we can rationalize that our sin is not as great as those who more prominently seek to rise up against God but that is not our judgement to make. 

While it is written hear to be fearful -

Serve the LORD with fear
   and celebrate his rule with trembling.

- my view is that we are not so much to live in fear of a God that angry, but instead to live with a healthy fear of God.  The healthy fear starts with a recognition that He is God of all and capable of all.  We then appreciate how He created all of us and loves each us as His children.  And He died for us to give us a new life - one that is hopeful and eternal.  We take in all of this and can only be left with respect and admiration to the extent that we must try and emulate in our own life the ways of Christ; with a goal to glorify Him.  While I can appreciate that God can strike me down at any moment, I am not driven in my daily life by this fear.  Instead I am driven to know and love a great God that cares for me and wants to bless me (as He has already and will continue to).  This is the balance I see between Psalm 1 and 2.  Delight and fear.

My Prayer: Lord, you ARE creator and ruler of all.  Forgive me as I "rise up" against you daily by seeking other Gods, whether that is through my own reason and powers, or other Gods that I employ as masters in my life.  Please forgive me Lord.  Help me focus on You as creator and ruler of all - a God that has created me and loves me beyond words.  Help me emulate you and serve you.

You Must In Your Heart of Hearts Acknowledge and Accept God's Greatness and Sovereignty

Job Chp 42

Through his trials, you can see questioning of Job's faith.   After surrounding himself with the words of his friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Elihu - a much younger man and one who is not expected to have the wisdom of the three friends, speaks truth to Job and lays the groundwork for a softening of Job's heart.

“I am young in years,
   and you are old;
that is why I was fearful,
   not daring to tell you what I know.
⁷ I thought, ‘Age should speak;
   advanced years should teach wisdom.’
⁸ But it is the spirit in a person,
   the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
⁹ It is not only the old who are wise,
   not only the aged who understand what is right. (Job Chp 32)

Elihu reinforces that we should be prepared to allow anyone t o speak truth to us as truth can come from any source.

Once Elihu is done speaking, the Lord speaks directly to Job and confronts Job for his righteousness.

“Who is this that obscures my plans
   with words without knowledge? 

Once the Lord confronts him, Job acknowledges that his faith weakened and he repents.  He also acknowledges how faith is a matter of in your "heart of hearts" you must truly acknowledge and accept God's greatness and sovereignty.

My Prayer: Lord, I acknowledge both Your greatness and your sovereignty.  Forgive me for my questioning of this and for my weakness.  Please help me strengthen my faith and purify me of earthly distractions and also of my own righteousness.  Help me in my "heart of hearts" truly acknowledge and accept your greatness and sovereignty and love and serve you with all of my heart.

 

Clarity for Job: “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Job Chp 28

Although there is much "thinking out loud" and exasperation by Job, from time to time, there are moments of great clarity, even in the eye of the storm.

Here is one such moments of clarity:

¹² But where can wisdom be found?
   Where does understanding dwell?
¹³ No mortal comprehends its worth;
   it cannot be found in the land of the living.
¹⁴ The deep says, “It is not in me”;
   the sea says, “It is not with me.”
¹⁵ It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
   nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
¹⁶ It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
   with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
¹⁷ Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
   nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
¹⁸ Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
   the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
¹⁹ The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
   it cannot be bought with pure gold.  

For sure wisdom is not an earthly matter.  This is distinct from knowledge...knowledge of "things" which are of earthly matters.  Wisdom exists I believe to glorify God....and wisdom can only come from God.

²⁰ Where then does wisdom come from?
   Where does understanding dwell?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
   concealed even from the birds in the sky.
²² Destruction^[b] and Death say,
   “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
²³ God understands the way to it
   and he alone knows where it dwells,
²⁴ for he views the ends of the earth
   and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ When he established the force of the wind
   and measured out the waters,
²⁶ when he made a decree for the rain
   and a path for the thunderstorm,
²⁷ then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
   he confirmed it and tested it.
 

²⁸ And he said to the human race,
   “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
   and to shun evil is understanding.”

The key to this chapter is of course verse 28 which says it all..."[t]he fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

My Prayer: Lord, You are Truth and You are Wisdom.  I have no wisdom except from You.  Forgive me for making decisions in my life based on my own discernment and based on my own earthly knowledge.  Through all things I know I should seek Your will and Your glory.  Please forgive me Lord.  Help me seek You out for all things big and small.

Don't Stop Seeking Him...and Recognize It When He Speaks to You

Job Chp 23 

What is striking here is that Job's struggle is one of engagement.  He does not run from God.  He is crying out in pain to God and to anyone else who can hear that he feels forsaken.  Certainly God will take us any way He can get us...that last thing He wants is for His children to neglect Him and to run from Him. 

Job continues to seek Him:

³ If only I knew where to find him;
   if only I could go to his dwelling!
⁴ I would state my case before him
   and fill my mouth with arguments.
⁵ I would find out what he would answer me,
   and consider what he would say to me.
⁶ Would he vigorously oppose me?
   No, he would not press charges against me.
⁷ There the upright can establish their innocence before him,
   and there I would be delivered forever from my judge. 

Despite his desire to seek God, Job claims he cannot find Him:

⁸ “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
   if I go to the west, I do not find him.
⁹ When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
   when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. 

Even though Job claims not to find God as he seeks Him, he acknowledges the greatness of God.  And he is not deterred...he will continue to seek Him out.

¹³ “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?
   He does whatever he pleases.
¹⁴ He carries out his decree against me,
   and many such plans he still has in store.
¹⁵ That is why I am terrified before him;
   when I think of all this, I fear him.
¹⁶ God has made my heart faint;
   the Almighty has terrified me.
¹⁷ Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
   by the thick darkness that covers my face. 

My Prayer: Lord, I know You are great and Your ways are great.  You have blessed me beyond what I deserve and yet I am lazy and wicked....I act in ways to others at home and at work that are not pleasing to you and certainly not in ways that glorify you.  Please forgive me Lord - please forgive me!  Help purify me of my wicked behavior, my laziness and my harshness to others.  Help me be to others what You have been and are to me.  Help me never stop seeking You out and help me proclaim Your greatness so that others know who You are - God of all!  Help me also listen closely to know where You are what You are saying to me so that when You do talk to me I can hear Your voice and Your message for me.

Fear of God is Healthy and the Wicked Will be Judged!

Job Chp 20

Through this ongoing back and forth between Job and his friends, we see Job claiming how God has forsaken him and how this is unfair relative to how those who are wicked avoid scorn.  We also see how Job's friends try and remind Job that God is watching the wicked and they will be judged.

²⁹ Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
   the heritage appointed for them by God.” 

For me, this pattern is familiar.  Looking at my own circumstances I often complain that others have it easier, even those with whom I can find fault.  I then, at least in my mind, scorn these people and pump up myself through pride.  Yet clearly this is not right in God's eyes.  My circumstances are my own and they are God intended or the result of my own sin or decision.  Others' circumstances are their own and either God intended or the result of their decisions.  Either way I need to:
- avoid scorn of others
- avoid self righteous behavior where I pump up myself by judging others
- understand that wicked behavior of others is NOT something I should concern myself with, unless it is that of a fellow believer where I can speak truth to a brother or sister (in an encouraging way)
- be on the lookout for my own wicked behavior and know that God is in control and one way or another wicked behavior will be judged, and God will use my circumstances for good if I follow His will

My Prayer: Lord, You create everything for a purpose and You are able to use me even though I am far from perfect and clearly broken!  How great you are!  Forgive me for my neglect and forgive me for my pride and own wicked behavior.  Help me draw near to you and I pray that you will purify me of my sin and pride.

Indeed...We Must Protect Ourselves From "Bribes"

Job Chp 15

Again, one of Job's friends - Eliphaz - responds to Job.  What strikes me in Eliphaz's response is the following:

³⁴ For the company of the godless will be barren,
   and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes. 

Eliphaz is admonishing Job for speaking so harshly of God and he warns Job that his continued rage against God may lead Job further away from God and this of course will not be a good outcome for Job.

As I view this statement through the lens of my own experience, I can truly say that life is meaningless and barren without God.  And yes, there are many "bribes" that distract us from our focus on God, and on His commandment to love Him and serve Him with all of our heart and that there not be other Gods.

When you look up the definition of bribe, you see that one of its definitions and the one that applies to the scripture here I believe is "something that serves to induce or influence".  In other words, we are easily distracted as Eliphaz warns Job...WE love bribes don't we?  Certainly speaking for myself there are many things when dangled in front of me, distract me and influence me.  The key is to focus on truth and on Him.

My Prayer: Lord, I know you are the Great Protector.  You are full of love, grace and mercy, and my life on earth is not deserving of such love, grace, mercy, and protection.  Yet you continue to love on me...You are a great God.  Please forgive me for being easily bribed, influenced, and distracted.  Help me focus more intently on You and on Your will for my life.  Please protect little Dustin with His surgery (tubes) tomorrow and help this go successfully. Help me return home safely tomorrow and help me be the man You intend me to be.

There Is Hope...However Glimmering...Even For Job

Job Chp 14

Even as Job continues to feel the pain of loss and despair, he has a faint hope which we know has already arrived - and this is the hope of Jesus Christ.

¹³ “If only you would hide me in the grave
   and conceal me till your anger has passed!
If only you would set me a time
   and then remember me!
¹⁴ If someone dies, will they live again?
   All the days of my hard service
   I will wait for my renewal to come.
¹⁵ You will call and I will answer you;
   you will long for the creature your hands have made.
¹⁶ Surely then you will count my steps
   but not keep track of my sin.
¹⁷ My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;
   you will cover over my sin. 

Job's hope for a renewal is something that all of us have right now, all of the time - Christ Jesus!  Job's desire and hope that God will cover over his sin is again something all of us have right now - Christ Jesus!

We don't have to suffer in vain.  We have Christ Jesus - and for this I am thankful beyond what words can express.

My Prayer: Christ Jesus, that You provide both renewal and a washing away of my sins is something for which I feel I am not worthy.  Yet you provide...and you provide even more.  How awesome is this that You love us SO much...that You were willing to die so that we can have You as our God and as our savior!  Please forgive me for my laziness and for my lack of desire in You in how I am living out my life.  Help me become a stronger disciple...help my faith and efforts grow stronger and more bold.

Am I On Purpose or Am I Wasting Away?

Job Chp 13

Similar to a theme being echoed in sermons at our church, we are entrusted with many things and God calls us to be on purpose, regardless of our circumstances.  

In this chapter of Job, you see Job who is unable to see how God's great and glorious will is being worked in his life.  While it is not for us to judge Job here, and it would be difficult for any of us to react any differently, Job wallows is his troubles here...questioning how this could serve any purpose for God's glory:

²⁸ “So man wastes away like something rotten, 
   like a garment eaten by moths.


The question is not so much whether Job sees God's glory in his difficulties, it is rather that with our own circumstances do we act like Job does and "waste away" opportunities to glorify God?


I know for myself it is too often "Yes" to this question.  


My Prayer: Lord, Your ways are great and your wisdom, love and mercy are also great.  You have awesome plans for all that we experience and You orchestrate all of it for us to be part of Your great plan - how awesome is that - we get to be part of Your plan!  Yet however awesome this is, we act selfishly and we disobey...complaining like a child that we don't want to do this or that.  Instead we fritter away our days, our talents, and our treasure and allow them to "waste away".  Please forgive me for this Lord because I know for myself that I am guilty of this and I need Your strength to stay on purpose.  Help me lean on You Lord so that I can fulfill my role in Your great plan.