"Perspective"

Scripture Passage for Today

Job 40:6-42:17

Scripture Focus

1 Then Job replied to the LORD:

2 “I know that you can do anything,
       and no one can stop you.…
5 I had only heard about you before,
       but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
       and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
                                             (Job 42:1-2, 5-6 NLT)

Observation

One Wednesday night at our church, we had a young fellow who was simply a handful. More than one adult had already spoken him to when I had reason to speak to him myself. More than just disruptive, he was utterly disrespectful.

After the young man was dealt with and sent back to his classroom, I complained to one of our leaders, suggesting that if the young man wasn’t going to obey, he wasn’t to come back. “We invest too much in time, money, and volunteer energy, “I said, “to have kids who don’t want to be here disrupting the progress those who do!”

That leader then began to explain to me the student’s background, and the neglectful, almost abusive treatment he experienced regularly in his own home. My attitude turned as suddenly as Job’s does here:

“I take back everything I said,
      and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
                                                          (Job 42:6 NLT)

We’ve all had those moments when everything gets turned on its head. For chapter after chapter, Job has chased every extreme in his battle to affirm his own righteousness and question God’s justice—to call God on the carpet so that God might explain Himself to Job. God, instead, has now put Job on the witness stand and done a little questioning Himself! In a series of questions befitting a Law and Order courtroom closing, God has not bothered to answer Job, because God has shown that He has no obligation to do so—that His greatness does not require Him to answer to anyone—least of all, Job!

And because that is so—because Job recognizes that as so—God’s “non-answer” is enough. Job knows something about God he did not know before. Job knows God in a way He did not know Him before. Job’s questions, then, become to Job of no significance.

I have found that a fresh experience of God’s presence does seem to put things in perspective. To experience a rich sense of the presence of God…to experience—in a fresh way—His love, His grace, His care…tends to make whatever seemed so troublesome even moments before insignificant by comparison. For all else Job does, he reminds me again of how desperately I need to regularly experience the presence of God.

"Hey, Snowflake!"

Scripture Passage For Today

JOB 38:1-40:5

Scripture Focus

“Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of hail?
(Job 38:22 NLT)

“Can you shout to the clouds
and make it rain?
(Job 38:34 NLT)

Observation

Wow. Finally. Verse after verse of Job’s laments. Verse after verse of ineffective response by Job’s friends. Let’s face it—I *am* part of the microwave generation—one who regularly wishes people would just get to the point—who often wonders even if there *is* a point when someone rambles on and on and on (like, say, now)!

And finally, God speaks. The Lord answers Job from the whirlwind. And God’s answer to Job’s questions consists of a delightfully pummeling series of questions for which Job has no answers—for which none of us have any answers! How can it feel so good to be so powerfully put in your place?

I write as a guy who cares not at all for winter weather. And by the way, did I mention I don’t like winter weather? I haven’t enjoyed surviving this Kansas winter, what with sub-zero temperatures and five-foot snow drifts.

But I do find it fascinating to think that every snowflake that blankets the countryside—you know, those tiny, little specks that stack to become the heaps of miserable snow we’ve had to shovel off our drives, those layers and drifts of wretched snow that have needed to be pushed off of parking lots and roadways—every single snowflake is not only unique, but beautifully so. Who can match that? Who can match that?

I love the image of a guy standing in the middle of nowhere, shouting at the clouds, commanding them to rain. What a wonderfully preposterous image! And yet, how often do we seek to control that over which we have no control—to direct that which will not be directed!

Much too often, we live with an arrogant mirage of control—some foolish notion that things are “under control” (finances, relationships, whatever), when…well, perhaps they are under control—but not under ours! God’s questions to Job remind me again of His greatness, and my smallness.

"Receptivity...(even when the signal's bad)"

Scripture Passage For Today

JOB 35:1-37:24

Scripture Focus

13 But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen,
       to say the Almighty isn’t concerned.
14 You say you can’t see him,
       but he will bring justice if you will only wait.
                                       (Job 35:13-14 NLT)

Observation

Perhaps I spoke too soon. Perhaps I was too critical. In yesterday’s post, I wrote harshly of Elihu’s arrogance, suggesting that his tidy theology was a little too simple, and sucked the mystery out of who God is.

(In defense of my first impression, the guy did take 25 verses to say, “Hey, I’m fixin’ to say something here!”)

Still, the more I read and re-read Elihu’s words (and others’ assessments of them), the more I see ways in which Elihu actually softens some of the harshness of Job’s other detractors, and (more gently than they did) points Job to the possibility that God may not be ignoring him, but rather, may be wishing to speak to him in the midst of his difficulty.

Though I do think Elihu still presumes Job’s sinfulness is behind his tribulation, Elihu promises that God will answer Job’s pleas—that “he will bring justice if [Job] will only wait” (Job 35:14 NLT).

And Elihu is right. After Elihu, the next speaker is God. Elihu prepares for what God will say by speaking, himself, of the majesty of God:

15 Do you know how God controls the storm
       and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds?
16 Do you understand how he moves the clouds
       with wonderful perfection and skill?
                                           (Job 37:15-16 NLT)

The next thing you know, God is asking the same kinds of questions of Job himself—in a way that makes Elihu’s brief remarks pale by comparison.

My response to all this is not especially “spiritual” or “theological”—it’s relational. I wonder how well Job took it. If I was, in fact, a bit too critical in my initial response about Elihu; if Elihu does, in fact, raise valid points for Job to consider; if Elihu does, as some suggest, serve to transition the book of Job towards God’s appearance in chapter 38 and toward what God would say to Job…I wonder how well Job took it.

I took Elihu as arrogant and verbose. Too much ego and too many words. And yet, perhaps, he had some valuable things to say to Job. I wonder how well Job took it—if Job was able to receive it. I wonder, how well do I take it when God’s imperfect messengers (for, outside of Christ, He has no perfect messengers) deliver God’s wisdom to me?

"The Arrogance of Youth"

Scripture Passage For Today

JOB 32:1-34:37

Scripture Focus

4 Elihu had waited for the others to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily. (Job 32:4-5 NLT)

Observation

This is one spot where the challenges of only reading a few chapters of Scripture at a time really start to show up. These specific chapters mean very little apart from the whole—as is true for any few chapters within Job. To dissect too thoroughly anything Elihu has to say here is a bit like assessing a delightful recipe by eating only one ingredient. The taste of paprika tells you nothing about the delight of chicken cordon bleu! (Might be the only recipe I know anything about!) Still, it’s a daily blog, so I’m diving in…

We get introduced to a new voice in the dialogue—Elihu, son of Barakel the Buzite. Buz was the son of Abraham’s brother, Nahor, so perhaps Elihu was a distant relative of Abraham. Outside of that, the only thing we really know about Elihu is that he describes himself as the youngest of those involved in this chapters-long debate.

Bottom line, Elihu has waited for the others to shut Job down, to reveal the foolishness of his arguments, to bring Job to a place of confession and repentance for the hidden sin that *must* be behind his suffering. Their inability to do so has left Elihu steaming, and he can’t keep quiet anymore.

Elihu is angry over both what he sees as Job’s arrogance, and what he sees as the inability of the elders to bring Job’s arguments to naught.

Does that remind you of anyone you know? Somebody waiting on the sidelines…ruminating, cogitating, and growing increasingly frustrated…until they simply can’t take it any longer and must burst forth to share from their rich vein of insightful knowledge? Someone who’s not only sure they’re right, but also sure that everyone else is wrong, and that they are (apparently) the only competent one around?

(But enough about me…)

Elihu is arrogant like that, and it’d be easy to blame that on Elihu’s youth. (Indeed, there may be some validity to that characterization. Otherwise, why would the book of Job make it such a point that Elihu was younger than everyone else?) Perhaps this sort of know-it-all arrogance *is* more prevalent among the young—but it’s certainly not limited to the young.

The fact is, Elihu really has nothing to say that hasn’t already been said. And none of Job’s detractors have made an accurate assessment of the situation yet. There’s information the reader knows that neither Job nor his friends knew. No one involved in the dialogue—including Job—knew about the conversation whereby Satan had been given permission to test Job. Nobody but Job knows that Job isn’t suffering because of some hidden sin.
 And that’s the challenge with Elihu’s words—and the words of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They speak of things they do not know. They’ve eliminated the mystery of God, and simplified the mystery of humanity. They’ve made life formulaic—sinful people suffer, righteous people win. They are living obliviously.

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
(Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

I understand Elihu’s arrogance. It’s frustrating to live with the unknown, to not have pat answers, to not be able to declare “Thus saith the Lord” in any and every circumstance. But “upon further review”, I’m not sure I’d want a God that simple, or a theology—a life—drained of mystery. Rather, I’m with Job—just give me a connection…a hearing…a place of conversation…with that majestic God who remains beyond my full comprehension!

"The Connection"

Scripture Passage For Today

JOB 30:1-31:40

Scripture Focus

35 “If only someone would listen to me!
       Look, I will sign my name to my defense.
Let the Almighty answer me.
       Let my accuser write out the charges against me.
36 I would face the accusation proudly.
       I would wear it like a crown.
37 For I would tell him exactly what I have done.
       I would come before him like a prince.
                                  (Job 31:35-37 NLT)

Observation

Here’s the bottom line for Job: “Oh, that the Almighty would listen and respond!”

In chapter 29 (from yesterday’s reading) and chapters 30 and 31, Job summarizes his life to this point. Early on and for an extended time, Job experienced great success and great respect—and managed it well. He took advantage of the opportunities his wealth and stature afforded him to meet the needs of others and to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

But now, all the outer evidence of success has been taken away, and with it, the respect and stature Job once enjoyed. Job has instead become an object of ridicule—someone to be mocked and scorned.

In all this, Job asserts (contrary to the opinion of his comforters) that there isn’t some hidden or unconfessed sin at the root of his troubles. To the contrary, Job declares without reservation that he has lived uprightly. His words are strong, and challenge the mediocre righteousness most of us seem to satisfy ourselves with.

What Job feels, it seems to me, is distance. And what Job wants is simply an audience with the King! It’s only my opinion (but it is, as someone has said, *my* opinion, and I value it highly!)…it’s only my opinion, but I think even more than vindication, Job simply wants connection.

Job certainly believes he’ll be vindicated, but what seems most lost to Job is that bond, that union, that relationship with God that once seemed so intimate and now seems so distant.

Again today I rejoice that what Job longed for is met in Christ. Not that there won’t be challenging times and “dry seasons” in our walk with Christ, but that in Christ, God has reached so powerfully to humanity…reached to us in a way that identifies with and brings healing to our brokenness, in a way that brings intimacy to our fellowship, in a way that gives us place—by His grace—to “come before him like a prince”! (Job 34:37 NLT).

"Mining the Depths"

Scripture Passage For Today

JOB 26:1-29:25

Scripture Focus

23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom;

       he knows where it can be found…

28 And this is what he says to all humanity:

       ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;

             to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

                                          (Job 28:23, 28 NLT)

Observation

Job responds to Bildad’s questions (chapter 25) by assuring Bildad again that neither one of them “get it” completely—that God is too massively and mysteriously incomprehensible for any person to “sort him out”:

“…Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?” (Job 26:14 NLT)

In chapter 29, Job speaks again of his distress (please reread chapter 29 again tomorrow—it’s part and parcel with chapters 30-31).

But in chapter 28, Job speaks powerfully to the value of genuine wisdom, and the pertinacious intensity required of those who would grasp it. Humans, Job says, tenaciously mine the earth—trekking where no one else has gone, and risking their very lives in the heart of the earth—for what are considered valuable minerals and precious jewels. But even more tenaciously than that must people plumb the depths of the fear of the Lord and the forsaking of evil to come to a place of true wisdom and understanding.

23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
       he knows where it can be found…
28 And this is what he says to all humanity:
       ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
             to forsake evil is real understanding.’”
                                       (Job 28:23, 28 NLT)

I’ve pursued a lot of things in my life—some tenaciously. I want to pursue the true wisdom—the fear of the Lord, and the forsaking of evil—most of all.

"Connecting the Dots? Not Always..."

Scripture Passage For Today

JOB 22:1-25:6

Scripture Focus

13 But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
       Whatever he wants to do, he does.
                                                 (Job 23:13 NLT)

Observation

The language of Job’s accusers grows stronger than ever. At first, it seems, Job’s friends have attempted to kindly assert that perhaps there’s some sin—some offense against God—that Job has somehow overlooked; that if Job would just examine his life again, he would discover the error of his ways, and could repent, and be restored.

The more firmly Job asserts his innocence, however, the more strongly his friends suggest otherwise—until it’s no longer a suggestion, but an outright indictment! Listen to chapter 22:4-5…

4 Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you
       and brings judgment against you?
5 No, it’s because of your wickedness!
       There’s no limit to your sins.
                                                 (Job 22:4-5 NLT)

Job’s response is a study in honest conversation with God.

Job affirms God’s awareness of his life, and affirms the purity of that life…

10 “But he knows where I am going.
       And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
                                                (Job 23:10 NLT)

Job affirms the authority of God to ultimately do as He pleases…

13 But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
       Whatever he wants to do, he does.
                                                (Job 23:13 NLT)

Job questions why evil seems to persist without judgment from God…

1 “Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment?
       Why must the godly wait for him in vain?
                                                (Job 24:1 NLT)

But Job ultimately affirms the empty destiny of the wicked:

24 And though they are great now,
       in a moment they will be gone like all others,
       cut off like heads of grain.
                                                (Job 24:24 NLT)

The thing is, for all the conversation with God, Job reaches no real conclusions. He only is able—at this point—to declare things he knows to be true.

That’s a frustrating place to be. I’ve been there many times. Only able to say to God, “I know *this* is true, and *this* is true, and *this* is true…but I don’t really know where that leaves me! I don’t yet know the conclusion I’m to draw from that! I know what I know…but not all I *want* to know!”

I’m thinking today that perhaps this is the point a person has to get to before any hope of a solid conclusion can be reached. This is part of the process, part of the journey, of a growing understanding of God and His ways. That before any conclusions about God can be secure, all the pillars on which they stand need to be tested and affirmed. And it’s possible that, plenty of times, we’ll not quite understand how the dots connect—only that the dots are true. When that happens, I wish to agree with Job:

13 But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
       Whatever he wants to do, he does.
                                               (Job 23:13 NLT)

For me, that’s not a complaint about a capricious God, it's an affirmation about a sovereign God.  And though sometimes I wish the dots connected better—or at least I saw how they connected better, ultimately, I'm both glad I'm not the one in charge, and glad I know the One who is.

"The Wall"

Scripture Passage For Today

JOB 19:1-21:34

Scripture Focus

21 “Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
       for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Must you also persecute me, like God does?
       Haven’t you chewed me up enough?
23 “Oh, that my words could be recorded.
       Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
24 carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
       engraved forever in the rock.
25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
       and he will stand upon the earth at last.
26 And after my body has decayed,
       yet in my body I will see God!
27 I will see him for myself.
       Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought!
                                      (Job 19:21-27 NLT)

Observation

I can’t pick one verse for today, or even five or six, apparently! For me, this whole section of Job 19 captures so much I just don’t think I can ignore.

Verses 21-22 register Job’s complaints toward his friends. And those complaints connect with me because of what Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich say in a book titled “The Critical Journey”. (Yeah, I know—we’ve all got a copy of that one!)

In that book, Hagberg and Guelich describe stages in the journey of faith, including a place they call “The Wall”. At “The Wall”, they say, we question, explore, doubt, feel uncertain—our life of faith feels different and more uncertain than it ever has before—and we must “decide anew whether we are willing to surrender and let God direct our lives.” Ever been there?

“The Wall” is a place of significant spiritual crisis—and seems to describe, to me, where Job finds himself. The pertinent point (for now) is that Job gets no help from his friends—they have no ability or willingness to understand the crisis he’s walking through.

22 Must you also persecute me, like God does?
       Haven’t you chewed me up enough?
                                         (Job 19:23 NLT)

That caught my attention because Hagberg and Guelich say that “The Wall” is where the church does its poorest job of helping people progress in faith. We don’t know what to do with questions people don’t have answers for—how to let people discover their own answers. We often aren’t willing to simply be present in supportive ways while waiting patiently for struggling believers to sort out whatever might be challenging them. (And BTW, I plead guilty as charged!)

It seems to me that that’s what verses 23-24 are about. “Oh, that someone would simply listen to my complaint; simply hear what I’m trying to say!”

And then, in verses 25-27, Job arrives at a moment of insight—a spark of faith! Yes, it appears to be only for a moment, and then the conversation resumes. God won’t deliver a full answer to Job—one that settles the issue for Job—until the closing chapters. But in one of the great prophetic declarations of the Old Testament (again, given especially that we’re reading from the oldest book of Scripture), Job declares…

25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
       and he will stand upon the earth at last.
26 And after my body has decayed,
       yet in my body I will see God!
27 I will see him for myself.
       Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought!
                                       (Job 19:25-27 NLT)

Job’s words—even in the midst of a faith crisis—prophetically affirm the promise of a Redeemer who stands upon the earth, the assurance of a resurrection for Job, and a confidence of the face-to-face for which Job longs!

As for me, I want to more skillfully serve those who struggle in a way that affirms their worth—and even the value of their crisis—while letting God supply their answers.

"History Was Wrong!"

Scripture Reading For Today

JOB 15:1-18:21

Scripture Focus

10 On our side are aged, gray-haired men
          much older than your father!
                                  (Job 14:14 NLT)

Observation

Job has three “friends” (at present, anyway) who have arrived to “encourage” him with their wisdom. Each time Job speaks his heart—raising a question, lamenting a wound, declaring his convictions and assurances—these guys take turns mowing him down! Job is mercilessly battered with conventional wisdom that contradicts Job’s knowledge of himself and of his God. It’s not that Job has all the answers—he simply knows something his friends don’t yet know, even if he doesn’t know quite yet what he knows!

In chapter 14, Eliphaz the Temanite (yeah, if that was my name, I wouldn’t be passing out counsel, either!) brings out the big guns. “What do you know?” he says…

7 “Were you the first person ever born?
          Were you born before the hills were made?
8 Were you listening at God’s secret council?
          Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we don’t?
          What do you understand that we do not?
10 On our side are aged, gray-haired men
          much older than your father!
                               (Job 14:7-10 NLT)

“There’s a whole history,” says Eliphaz, “that stands in opposition to you!”

In this case, though, history—even if true—wasn’t the whole story…or the final answer.

Eliphaz’ argument leaves me wondering when I’ve listened to history—my own history and the voices that affirm it—rather than God. Wondering how often I’ve let “conventional wisdom”—what everybody believes to be true…assumes to be true…argues to be true—keep me from seeing and acting on what *is* true because God has spoken it. How difficult it can be to discern God’s voice in a world filled with competing voices! How challenging it can be to hold tightly to truth God has spoken in sacred moments—especially when bombarded with the shouts of a quite secular world! And yet how essential—how absolutely necessary—even in times of challenge and questioning and sometimes painful growth, to secure in our hearts the loving character of God, the generous promises of God, and the life-giving truth of God.

Today I will choose God’s voice over all others.

"Primal Urges"

Scripture Passage for Today

Job 12:1-14:22

Scripture Focus

14 Can the dead live again?
          If so, this would give me hope…
                            (Job 14:14 NLT)

Observation

I love the honesty of Job. In chapters 12-14 Job candidly reveals a diverse range of challenging thoughts and strong emotions. His attitude towards his “comforters” is sharp and biting (“You people really know everything, don’t you?” 12:2). His sense of distance from God is enormous (“Why do you turn away from me? Why do you treat me as your enemy?” 13:24). His sense of loneliness then morphs into frustration—and (I think) grows into anger.

“Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature…?” (14:3)

“…leave us alone and let us rest!” (14:6)

The honesty of Job reassures me that emotions are a normal part of the human experience. Though emotions certainly need to be managed, they’re not to be ignored or suppressed. Rather, God knows the emotions I experience, and they’re not taboo in my relationship with Him.

Ultimately, Job feels such distance and injustice that he would hope for the sleep of death—but only until God’s anger has passed (14:13). He cannot, however, dare to think that such is possible. Still, Job raises the call for *something*…some expression of life…beyond the grave.

14 Can the dead live again?
          If so, this would give me hope through…
                                             (Job 14:14 NLT)

And so it is that, just as in chapter 9, where Job called for a mediator (a cry met in the person of Jesus Christ), so here in chapter 14, Job calls for life beyond the grave (again, a cry met in the person of Jesus Christ).

It makes me wonder again how fundamental these urgings are—the deep desire to somehow connect with an awesome God, and the longing for more to life than can be contained in a lifetime. And I marvel again that these genuinely “primal urges” are met in the person of Christ.

"The Mediator"

Scripture Passage for Today

JOB 8:1-11:20

Scripture Focus

32 “God is not a mortal like me,
     so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
33 If only there were a mediator between us,
     someone who could bring us together
                               (Job 9:32-33 NLT)

Observation

It’s amazing. This oldest of all Biblical writings—probably physically written before the book of Genesis itself was written (though obviously not written before the events of Genesis—duh!)… This oldest of all Biblical writings still cries out for a mediator!

In this case, the call for a “go-between” isn’t a call for atonement, per se. It’s not that Job sees the need for a sin-covering. (It’s not that he failed to see that, either—notice how he regularly offered sacrifices for his children on the possibility that they might have sinned against God.)

It’s simply a call for someone to bridge the gap between an awesome God and frail humanity. Even while Job proclaims his innocence—while he affirms that there is no “hidden sin” somehow responsible for his difficulties —he still sees the vastness of the gap between who he is and who God is.

I propose he’s seen something of how big God is, but nothing of how good God is. Job makes some strong accusations against God.

13 “‘Yet your real motive—
     your true intent—
14 was to watch me, and if I sinned,
     you would not forgive my guilt.
                         (Job 10:13-14 NLT)

“All you were after when forming me,” Job says to God, “was to create one whose sins you could point to—one whose faults you could spotlight.”

But when the mediator Job longs for does appear (hint: born in Bethlehem, laid in a manger), his every word and action serves to disprove Job’s accusations. In the “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5 NIV), it’s made crystal clear that God’s intent toward us is forgiveness, healing, and restoration.

I want to see both. I want to live with a sense of the vastness—the greatness—of God Almighty…and to know that the heart of the Mighty One towards me is exceedingly, inexpressively good!

"Love Believes the Best"

Scripture Passage for Today

Job 5:1-7:21

Scripture

21 “But consider the joy of those corrected by God!
Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.”
(Job 5:21 NLT)

14 “One should be kind to a fainting friend,
but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty…

29 Stop assuming my guilt,
for I have done no wrong.”
(Job 6:14,29 NLT)

Observation

Job is a pretty tough book to take on a day-by-day basis. It’s a wonderfully lengthy and poetic account—but the full point won't be understood until the whole book has been read. Still, in just a few verses, a person can catch the drift of the various perspectives being offered.

In today’s reading, the first of Job’s “friends” comes along to suggest that Job’s troubles are God’s disciplinary measures, and that Job ought not to “despise the discipline of the Almighty”. Job asserts that his conscience is clear, and that to toss about accusations without basis may be as much an affront to God as any sin Job’s being accused of.

I read this and know that, for me, it’s really easy to presume I know more about people’s circumstances than I do. More than that, it’s easy to presume I know people’s hearts and motives—and easy to assume the worst about people’s hearts and motives. I confess—much too often I am much too quick to pronounce others "guilty as charged" (charged by me, of course). But more often than not, an honest conversation reveals a simple misunderstanding, and a discovery that people’s intentions are almost always for the best.

I don’t want to be a “Job’s comforter”. I don’t want to be in partnership with the “Accuser of the Brethren”. Love believes the best (cf. 1 Cor 13). I want to live in that place!

"Blessed Be the Name of the Lord!"

Scripture Passage for Today

Job 1:1-4:21

Scripture Focus

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.

Praise the name of the Lord!”
(Job 1:21 NLT)

Observation

The opening language of Job is “off the chain” (a new-to-me phrase I heard my teenage son declare recently). It’s over-the-top. I don’t mean that it’s untrue. I simply mean that the Bible’s praise of Job could not be stronger.

Job is described as “blameless—a man of complete integrity…[who] feared God and stayed away from evil.” It was Job’s regular practice to not only live uprightly himself, but offer intercessory sacrifices on behalf of his children—on nothing more than the *possibility* that they might have sinned against God. Even God says about Job, “He is the finest man in all the earth.”

Job is also—presumably as a result of his righteousness—“the richest person” in his entire area. His wealth includes vast holdings in livestock, numerous servants, and many children—seven sons and three daughters.

And in less than one day, everything is gone: His livestock, servants, and even his ten children, all dead, destroyed, or stolen.

Now, the argument over the “why” of his loss becomes the subject of the rest of the book of Job. But the fascinating (and wonderfully healthy) thing about Job is his response to calamity.

“Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” (Job 2:10 NLT)In spite of the emotionally draining, spiritually trying, theologically challenging discussions that will follow in the rest of this book,

Job seems to have a fundamental understanding that any blessing grows only from the grace of God and never from our own merit. There is no evidence of any entitlement mentality on Job’s part.

I, by contrast, am inclined to wonder about the justice of it all when the car doesn’t start or the microwave popcorn burns! I need to be reminded that—simply by being born as an American—I am (by default) among the wealthiest 2% of the world’s population, that I did nothing to earn or deserve that status, and that all of my material, relational and spiritual blessings are a result of the grace of God. Having understood that, I need to be submitted so completely to God my Redeemer that—even if He takes it all away—I’m able to honestly declare…

“Praise the name of the Lord!”
(Job 1:21 NLT)

The Intercessor

Scripture Passage For Today

Genesis 47:28-50:26

Scripture Focus

“The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendents,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor.”
(Genesis 49:10 NLT)

Observation

There is, for me, a lot to like in today’s reading—much to think about. I love that Jacob lives aware of his death, and prepares for his demise. Now obviously, a guy who’s fast approaching his 147th birthday is going to be more cognizant of his impending death than most. Still, it’s amazing how so few people will admit that someday—maybe even today—they’re going to die…and recognize the need to prepare for that reality—not only for the handling of their remains (of some important) but for the destiny of their soul (of unequaled importance)!

I love that Jacob blesses the younger over the older—Ephraim over Manasseh—not just because I *am* a younger sibling, but more so (and legitimately so) because (like the blessing of Jacob over Esau) it speaks to God’s blessing as a gift—graciously bestowed on those who cannot claim it as a “right”. I have no right to live in God’s richness, but I can live there—because He has chosen to be gracious to me.

Most wonderful, though, has to be this prophetic word through Jacob regarding a descendent of Judah who will rule like no one else! Judah has risen to prominence among his brothers in the course of their interaction with Joseph. It was Judah who offered to his brothers the alternative of selling Joseph into slavery rather than killing him outright. (I understand that to sell your brother sounds cruel, but of the two alternatives, which was the more compassionate?) It was Judah who guaranteed Benjamin’s safety to Jacob when a second grain-buying trip into Egypt was required. It was Judah who offered himself as a slave to Joseph when Joseph threatened to keep Benjamin from returning to his father, Jacob. It was Judah, then, who ultimately lead his family members into the land of Goshen—a place that would provide sustenance for Jacob’s descendents while there was famine in Canaan.

Judah, then, rises to a place of leadership because he is willing to serve as intercessor for his brothers. From Judah’s descendents, then, will come the Master-Intercessor…the One who steps up to intercede like no other…the Eternal Word, who takes on flesh and blood to “go between” for us and act on our behalf. Because this Intercessor so fully embraces His role—even to the point of death on a cross—God exalts Him to a leadership role like no other—King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The parallel is described, I think, in Philippians, chapter 2, which—speaking of Jesus Christ says…

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:6-11 NIV)

I stand in awe at the mix of divine grace and human will…of how God chooses and people respond…and how generations—and the eternities of generations—are transformed as a result.

"God's Majestic Plan"

Scripture Passage for Today

GENESIS 45:16-47:27

Scripture Focus

“So altogether, there were seventy members of Jacob’s family in the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 46:27 NLT)

Observation

I confess: I wouldn’t have noticed this had someone not pointed it out to me—“Seventy” is the number of nations in the “Table of Nations” supplied in Genesis 10 (immediately following the account of Noah and the flood). Now “seventy” is the number of identified descendents of Abraham in Egypt. So in Genesis 10, “seventy” is the number of the whole of humanity. In Genesis 46, “seventy” is the number of the whole of the redemptive linage for all nations—the number of the linage through which “all peoples on earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

You don’t have to wait for Revelation, then—or even the Gospels—to discover that God both *has* a plan and is working His plan. Already in the first book of Scripture, God is making it clear that He will redeem a people as His very own. In the blood sacrifice of an animal to provide a covering for Adam and Eve (Gen 3:21), in the deliverance of Noah, who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen 6:8 KJV), in the promises to Abraham, who “believed God, and it was credited unto him as righteousness” (Rom 4:3 NIV), and now—in the deliverance of Abraham’s descendents through the life of Joseph, and even in the number of descendents of Abraham who went down into Egypt—equal to the number of nations God would redeem, as it were (*all* of them!)—God has launched His redemptive process…and it will not be halted.

It’s majestic—this work of God. Bigger than I ever understand…and more intimate and personal, as well. Why should I imagine that the events of my day are any less orchestrated by the God of Heaven? Help me, God, to trust that my life—my days—are in your hands!

"A Good Landing"

Scripture Passage for Today

GENESIS 42:1-45:15

Scripture Focus

“Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them.” (Genesis 42:7 NLT)

“Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and wept over them, and after that they began talking freely with him.” (Genesis 45:15 NLT)

Observation

I generally don’t do well with surprises. More than once, I’ve responded negatively to an act of kindness on someone else’s part—simply because it “came at me” unexpectedly. I understand how silly that seems when I write it out like that, but it still remains my default response to something unexpected.

And so, even while some of Joseph’s actions towards his brothers seem a bit manipulative—deceitful, even—and therefore difficult to explain, I’m inclined to cut Joseph a whole bunch of slack here. What a gut-wrenching surprise the appearance of his brothers must have been for Joseph! He’s named his two sons in a way that closes the door on a past he thinks he’d rather forget, and then—as if with a sudden gust of wintery Kansas wind—the door is blown wide open again. Here are the brothers who have betrayed him standing flesh-and-blood before him…and in need of him!

He holds in his hands the lives of those who cost him the life he had. What emotion that must have stirred in Joseph! What turmoil! I simply cannot imagine how internally tumultuous a time that must have been. We get only a glimpse or two of the intensity of it in those moments when Joseph excuses himself to weep privately—and later weeps so loudly that word of his distress “quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace” (45:2).

The thing that’s so powerful—and compellingly beautiful—is where Joseph lands: Forgiveness and grace. What starts with harsh speech ends with tears and kisses. I want two things for myself when I read these verses (okay, three)—First (though honestly, I don’t see this one happening), I’d love to find a way to reprogram my default response to surprise—less like Joseph, and more like Jesus (say, patient, open-hearted, and—when appropriate—grateful). Second, I want more patience and wisdom when dealing with others—patience to wait for them to process whatever it might be that they’re working through on their way to more grace towards me…and wisdom to help them get there! Third, I want my heart to reflect Joseph’s forgiving heart. When wounds from the past get opened again—even surprisingly so—I’d like my response to be one of grace and forgiveness, too.

"Gratitude"

Scripture Passage for Today

GENESIS 40:1-23, GENESIS 35:28-29, GENESIS 41:1-57

Scripture Focus

Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. (Genesis 40:23 NLT)

Observation

Can you imagine being restored to an esteemed place of service to the king, and “never giving…another thought” to the one responsible for your restoration?

That’s what happens for Pharaoh’s cupbearer in today’s reading. Imprisoned for offending Pharaoh, the cupbearer has a dream, and Joseph—his prison-mate—interprets the dream and it’s promise of restoration. Joseph has one simple request of the cupbearer: “Please remember me. Mention me to Pharaoh.”

Simply put, the cupbearer doesn’t. Not even for a moment. Perhaps his joy at his restoration simply overran his good sense. Perhaps his duties as cupbearer resumed immediately, and the challenges of those renewed responsibilities captured all his time and energy. Regardless, the one who gave him hope was soon forgotten in his responsibilities to the king.

The cupbearer’s forgetfulness serves as a word of warning—especially to those of us deeply involved in serving Christ’s kingdom. I don’t wish to lean so heavily on the analogy that it collapses, but I am challenged to wonder how often the One who’s given me hope is forgotten in the thick of my “responsibilities” to the King—how often I’m busy with “Kingdom tasks” at the expense of gratitude and relationship with the One who’s erased my offense against the King and restored my opportunity to serve again.

I want my gratitude towards, and connection with, my Hope to be a genuine, consistent and natural priority.

"He Told The Dream"

Scripture Passage for Today

GENESIS 37:1-38:30, 1 CHRONICLES 2:3-6, 1 CHRONICLES 2:8, GENESIS 39:1-23

Scripture Focus

4 But his brothers hated Joseph… 5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. …9 Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. …10 This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers… (Genesis 37:4-5,9-10 NLT)

Observation

“You don’t have to tell everything you know.” That’s been a leadership principle for me for many years. Beyond just leaders, it’s a valuable standard for everyone.

What we know from the Scriptures about Joseph’s younger years isn’t as complete as we wish it were. Some people, then, believe the worst about Joseph—that he was (at least, when young) the “spoiled baby” of an incredibly dysfunctional family unit. Others believe the best—especially given his later ability to withstand the temptation presented by Potiphar’s wife, live patiently and righteously through an unjust prison sentence, and ultimately forgive his brothers for the wrongs they committed against him.

Honestly, I’m not sure which childhood description I lean towards, but I do believe—whatever other pluses or minuses Joseph exhibited—that, in the case of the dreams he had (certainly the second one, at least), Joseph should have kept his mouth shut. Instead of telling everything he knew, Joseph should have perhaps only ruminated a bit, to himself, over what God might be up to.

Circumspect people don’t always say everything they know—certainly not as soon as they know it. The reason is never deceit or dishonestly. Rather, prudent people take time to consider why they know what they know…what the implications might be…how this knowledge fits into God’s big picture, so that what they know is known in its relation to “the whole” and used for God’s good purpose.

In that sense, knowledge is no different than any other resource, and should be stewarded as wisely. Yes, it is only my opinion, but—especially when Joseph’s telling of his first dream only lead to more hatred on the part of his brothers—he should have had the sense to know there wasn’t anything to be gained by telling of the second.

"Kings In Edom"

Scripture Passage For Today

GENESIS 36:1-19, 1 CHRONICLES 1:35-37, GENESIS 36:20-30, 1 CHRONCLES 1:38-42, GENESIS 36:31-43, 1 CHRONICLES 1:43-2:2

Scripture Focus

“These are the kings who ruled in Edom before there were kings in Israel” (1 Chronicles 1:43 NLT)

Observation

I’ll say it again—when it comes to the Biblical genealogies, my eyes glaze over.

A list of Esau’s descendents does nothing for me. I’m sure they were all nice guys—well, okay, I’m not even sure of that. I’m sure that—like me—they wanted their lives to have meaning, to be significant. But because I’m not real big on the details, I just don’t care much to read a list of names of guys who lived centuries ago.

I do, however, know that often my perspective on things (life, history, the world) is way too small. And I’m reminded of that by this simple verse in 1 Chronicles. As a lover of Scripture and a lover of God’s redemptive plan, I still sometimes forget that history is bigger than I make it, that God is bigger than I make Him, and that His redemptive work begins only as a simple, single thread in a vast tapestry of darkness. It’s kinda cool for me, today, to think that if you could back up and take a look at the whole of human history as one big tapestry, you’d have to have a really keen eye to pick out God’s “thread of redemption” early on. Only in His time does the redeeming act of God in Christ take on the epic, world-wide proportions we see today.

Even at that, many today (more than I can imagine) live unaware of God—of who He is, of His lavish grace, abundant love, and atoning sacrifice. And I often live as unaware of them as they live unaware of the God who created them, loves them, and gave Himself to redeem them. Today I want a bigger perspective—a broader worldview.  Today I want to know—today I want to remember—that there were “kings who ruled in Edom before there were kings in Israel.

"You Promised!"

Scripture Passage For Today

GENESIS 32:1-35:27

Scripture Focus

“O LORD, you told me…” (Genesis 32:9 NLT) “You promised me…” (Genesis 32:12 NTL)

Observation

Today’s reading includes one of the most poignant passages in all of Scripture—Jacob’s night of “wrestling with God”. I’m convinced it was a night of Jacob coming to terms with himself—coming face-to-face with the “deceiver” he had been throughout his life—and then a night of letting go of that, and embracing the person God was calling him to be. This wrestling match with God, then, became the culmination of every battle Jacob had ever fought, and the consummation of God’s invitation, to Jacob, to let God “be God” in full over Jacob.

The verses highlighted above (Genesis 32:9,12) quote bits of Jacob’s prayer just before the night of wrestling with God. They are the prayers of a desperate man. Jacob fears Esau’s retribution. Jacob is fairly sure that the years have done nothing to lessen the offense he had committed against Esau. Jacob has legitimate reason to believe that his life and the lives of his wives, children, and servants are all in grave danger.

And so—desperately—Jacob prays. And one of the things he does is to passionately remind God of promises God has made. “O LORD, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly’” (Genesis 32:9 NLT). “But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’” (Genesis 32:12 NLT)

Because—for the last few years—I have found “praying the Scriptures”…using what I discover in God’s Word as a basis for much of my prayer time…I love the thought that Jacob, here, does essentially the same thing. In spite of how bleak the situation seems, Jacob—though it perhaps was only out of desperation—…Jacob reminds God, passionately, fervently, insistently…of what God had said He would do.

And what do you know? God did just what He’d promised.

Would God have done it anyway, had Jacob not prayed? Perhaps. But would Jacob have been the same man for it? Or was Jacob better off—did it grow Jacob any—to have cried out to God in a season of great need, to have reminded God of what God had already promised, and then, to have see God come through—exactly as He had said He would? I think Jacob was better for the experience…and I think we will be, too.

"Hey, Shifty"

Scripture Passage For Today

GENESIS 30:25-31:55

Scripture Focus

”Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”  (Genesis 31:3 NLT)

Observation

If ever a couple of chapters of Scripture were filled with deceit…

You do have to read between the lines a little bit. You do have to imagine Jacob and Laban as the shifty, manipulative characters they were. But the thing about today’s passage is that you can hardly trust any thing either one of these guys says!

“Hey,” says Jacob. “I want to start providing for my own family.”
“Sure,” says Laban. “Tell me what I owe you.”
And then Laban immediately arranges to cheat Jacob out of the terms they agree to—payment in the form of the spotted, speckled, and black sheep from Laban’s flock.

So Jacob arranges to outmaneuver Laban’s maneuver through the use of “peeled branches” during mating season. This is either superstitious magic on Jacob’s part, or a tangible expression of faith that God could honor. (I tend to see it as the latter.)

Later, Jacob takes off under without saying goodbye, and Laban rushes after him, protesting that if he’d only left properly, Laban would’ve sent him off properly—with all the bells and whistles! Rachel gets in the mix by stealing the household gods, and then lying to cover her theft!

The only one to be trusted in this whole mix is the Lord, who said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:3). And that’s the way it is some days.

Nobody wants to go around trusting nobody, but it does seem (some days) that honesty and transparency in relationship is in short supply. Genesis 31-32 reminds me that—even if I’m feeling spotty in every other relationship I’m part of—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has always been true to His word…and remains trustworthy even to this very day. 2 Timothy 2:13 comes to mind:

if we are faithless,

he will remain faithful,

for he cannot disown himself.

(2 Timothy 2:13 NIV)