Perhaps This Was Job's Biggest Test of All

  Does Job's intercession foreshadow Jesus?

Vitaly Gariev

JOB ENDURED NUMEROUS trials, but his last test may have been the most difficult.

After his encounter with God, Job admitted he had "uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know" (42:3). And, in response, he said:

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

    but now my eye sees you;

therefore I despise myself,

    and repent in dust and ashes. 

Job 42:5-6

Such is the natural response when confronted by a pure, holy God. Think of Isaiah who said, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (6:5). Or recall Simon Peter's response to Jesus after the miracle of the large catch of fish. He fell before the Lord and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8).

When confronted with God's holiness, one cannot help but "despise" himself, for we are all sinful people with unclean lips and unclean hearts. Even the best, most faithful of us pale in comparison to a holy, perfect God. As Isaiah wrote, "All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (64:6). And as the Psalmist wrote, "There is none who does good, not even one" (14:3).

But if fear and self-loathing are the natural responses to an encounter with God, what Job had to do next was anything but instinctual.

How the Wise Respond to God's Wrath

 A preview of February's email-only article.

Ben White

DO YOU EVER think about the wrath of God?

I know our heavenly father's final judgment is everyone's favorite pastime, but those who are wise do not shy away from the subject.

In this month's email-exclusive article, we'll examine Proverbs 16:14, its spiritual applications, and why God desires repentance, not penance.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and if you'd like instant, free access, fill out the form below. (If you are already a subscriber, check your inbox!)

Here's a snippet of this month's exclusive:

I LOVE THE multidimensionality of advice offered in the book of Proverbs. On the one hand the book provides practical guidance for life with passages like, "The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there" (20:4, BSB). And on the other hand Proverbs pours out spiritual salves in verses such as "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (4:23). 

Often, you get both levels of insight within the same verse. 

Proverbs 16:14 is a good example: "A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it." The verse may not seem too practical since we do not answer to kings. Nevertheless we all have authority figures in our lives--bosses and teachers to name a couple--who have the power to impact our lives. Their wrath may not bring about death in a literal sense, but a termination or failed course can ruin one's livelihood. As a result, we would do well to prevent, if possible, their ire and, if not possible, to appease it.

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Deus intra Machina: The Incredible Story of When God Subjected Himself to His Own Creation

A preview of December's email-only article.

Jill Sauve

Did you know I write a monthly article just for email subscribers? It's true!

This month we're discussing the incredible story of Immanuel--God with us--and what that means for you and me this Christmas season.

Here's how it starts:

 

As the creator of our universe, it is no big deal for God to restore the material. For the Israelites in the wilderness he supplied bread out of thin air in the form of manna. He provided water from a rock so they could drink. He restored Job's fortune and health at the conclusion of the man's trials. And God even restored the life of Lazarus though he was dead for four days.

Nevertheless for God to restore humanity from the curse of their sins, something radical had to occur. You see sin, no matter how innocent it may seem, must have a consequence. The most extreme of these consequences, as God warned the first couple, is death.

This isn't some kind of power play or overreaction to eating a piece of fruit, although such a result is certainly the right of an omnipotent, omniscient, God. Instead, death is a natural consequence of sin. All sin results in death.

 

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Dear Flawed Person: God's Not Done with You

Hi. My name is Andy, and I’m a perfectionist.

It sounds romantic, I know, but it’s not. It’s paralyzing. I don’t take on new endeavors because of fear of failure. I never believe I’m good enough because there’s always room for improvement. Tasks take twice as long while I work on every detail.

kellinahandbasket (CC)

Yet no matter how hard I work, one thing has become clear: I’m still flawed. Maybe you are too. But there’s good news for imperfect people like you and me.

The Real Reason Jesus Turned the Water into Wine

Jesus' first miracle was kind of mundane as far as miracles go.

Yes, changing water into wine is, no doubt, an amazing feat, but it seems kind of out of place in the oeuvre of Christ. Typically Jesus' miracles involved meeting a deep need: healing, feeding, saving His disciples from storms.

But water into wine? No one was going to die if they ran out of wine.

Loci Lenar (CC)

Perhaps this is why Jesus was reluctant when his mom came to him for help. Providing more booze for an unprepared wedding party was hardly an urgent matter.

But I think Jesus saw it as an opportunity to make a larger point.