Job is grateful – 2016.09.16

Job is grateful – 2016.09.16

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Job 1,21f

Job had lost all his wealth.: everything he loved and cherished was gone. Then he said the verse above. And then it continued: he lost his health. His wife reacted as people do: do you still cling to your integrity? Curse God and die! But Job replied: you speak like a foolish woman. If we take the good from God, should we not also take the bad? In all this, Job did not sin with his lips (Chap 2,9f).
Here we realise why Job counts as the patriarch of our faith: he did not sin with his lips, said no bad words against God and did not complain (although he had enough reason to).
We react differently when something does not suit us. We moan and complain and we accuse God: couldn’t You at least have prevented it?- so the doubts arise about God’s goodwill and mercy. Through our complaints and accusations our faith is destroyed and we fight with God. As if it were His responsibility to ensure our welfare all the time!
Job knows God. He does not understand why things are so bad, but he continues to trust God. He thanks and praises Him, and has deep reverence for the Almighty. He does not sin, not with one single word or thought.
Job’s friends come to visit and try to comfort him. They try to find guilt that Job can confess and rectify, but even Job finds no sin. He feels righteous and good. His questions is: how can a righteous person suffer so?
Actually, we also feel quite good and self-satisfied, at least we aren’t bad people, and in comparison to others, God should be quite happy with us. And yet bad luck hits us. How do we react?
At the end of the book of Job, God speaks to Job personally. Once again He shows Job how great He is. How He created everything with wisdom and strength, and everything in its place. Job understands: nobody is as strong, mighty and wise as God; who could teach God anything. Job is forced to remain silent before God.
And then God has mercy on Job. After Job and his friends bring God an offering of peace, God restores his health completely and grants him more wealth than ever before.

Help me, Jesus, to remain humble and to not rail against You! I know You are the Creator of all things. How good, almighty and wise You are. You hold my life in Your hand, and I know you’ll handle it well;- even though I do not understand everything. I know You will always save me, because You are with me. Thank You for this confidence!!

Bible study for today: John 4,27-42


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