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.

Why Do the Wicked Still Sacrifice?

A preview of June's email-only article.

Mouaadh Tobok

WE CANNOT MANIPULATE God.

That sounds obvious, right? But if it's so apparent, why do people still attempt to do so?

Solomon wrote about the sacrifices of wicked people and how they are an abomination to God, which lead me to ask why. Why would the wicked even bother offering sacrifices to the Lord?

I attempt to answer that very question in this month's email-exclusive article. And, while the concept of sacrifice might seem foreign to us, we still do the very same things Solomon warned against.

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:

THE WORD SACRIFICE is a foreign term to our ears. Sacrifice carries tones of ancient mythologies, Eastern mysticism, or Central American temples. We still use the word, but it carries a different connotation, often in the context of time or money. A good man might sacrifice to provide for his family, for example. 

Readers of the Old Testament are familiar with concept of sacrifice in the Jewish context, but the notion still rings odd in the 21st century Western ear because of our lack of first hand knowledge. It's a little like learning about music from a book; you have to experience it for yourself to understand. 

Nevertheless, sacrifice was an essential part of the ancient world.

 

 Want to read the rest?

Just enter your email address to join the list, and I'll send it to you right away:

You got it!

Check your email inbox to confirm your address and receive the article.

I send two to three emails per month, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

See you next month!

The Importance of Christ's Recklessness

A preview of April's email-only article.

Daniel Thomas

What does the Bible say about cosigning loans?

Perhaps you're familiar with the proverb advising that those who cosign for strangers will suffer harm (Pro. 11:15). Sound advice, right?

Yet, I think there's another angle to this discussion worth bringing to light.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers. This month we're looking at the reckless decision Jesus made, and why that decision is so critical in our lives.

If you'd like instant, free access to the article, fill out the form below. If you're already a subscriber, check your inbox.

Here's a snippet from the article:

I MET KATIE IN THE HALCYON DAYS of senior year at Norman High School. Life sped by at a thoroughbred's pace, and I did my best to maintain my grip on the reins; it seemed I went from a twerp teenager to man-child in a matter of days.

Two years after graduation, we were married.

One struggle of twenty-year-old newlyweds is leasing an apartment. We had jobs, but no credit, and they were part-time jobs. So even though our rent was something like $375, they wanted a cosigner—someone to fulfill the yearlong commitment were we to flake out.

My dad signed the paperwork.

It was probably stupid for him to do it, but he loved us and trusted in our work ethic and financial savvy.

Lest you think this is one of those financial horror stories, we paid our rent. Every month on time.

But the story could have turned out differently.

 
Want to read the rest?

Just enter your email address to join the list, and I'll send it to you right away:

You got it!

Check your email inbox to confirm your address and receive the article.

I send two to three emails per month, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

See you next month!

The Only Thing Harder than Following God

I have a son who loves to do anything but go to bed when it’s time to go to bed. Perhaps you can relate.

On his way, he’ll find a piece of trash that needs to go in the garbage. Or he’ll pick up a toy and put it away. He does this every night even though I tell him explicitly to go to bed.

Jeremy Bishop

The activities he does aren’t intrinsically bad—picking up after yourself is a good thing—but the context makes them wrong. Essentially he’s doing the right thing the wrong way.

King Saul had this same problem.

Maybe Vegetarians Know Something We Meat-Eaters Don't

Fifteen years ago I almost died. Not literally, but I felt like death, and I may have been okay with that outcome. What happened?

I stopped eating meat.

Photo by Monica Infiesto

This was one of those Lenten convictions I had back in my more pious days. And what better to give up for Jesus than the one thing I love the most? What’s next? Coffee and football?

I know I’m making light of it, but I assure you the decision was born out of a desire to please God and get nearer to Him, and I think I accomplished that goal.

But when I do something, I like to do it right. So I gave up eggs and fish too. But not dairy. Then I literally would have died. Suffice to say I ate a lot of Mac and Cheese and minestrone those forty days. (If only I had known about hummus back then.)

I felt drained and fatigued much of the time during those forty days. These sensations were perfect for accomplishing my Lenten goals of relying on God more, but as a way of life? I shudder at the thought.

On the other side now, I wonder how vegetarians and vegans do what they do and survive. Thrive even. One of my favorite athletes, hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, turned pseudo vegan while still playing professional football, consuming only 20% of his protein from animals—primarily fish.[1]

And yet, as untenable as it sounds to me, maybe vegetarians are on to something. Maybe deep down they know something we carnivores don’t understand.

One Thing Jesus’ Birth Taught Us about Being Human

"Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands" (1 Chron. 21:13b).

Kiuko (CC)

David calculated the risk, and he decided. His words sounded wise, but soon seventy thousand of Israel would be dead, their corpses rotting in the streets.

And not enough tombs to hold them all.

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.

Why Wearing Deodorant Is Biblical

God says to sacrifice burnt offerings as “an aroma pleasing to the LORD” dozens of times in the Old Testament (Numbers 29:8 for example).

We no longer have to sacrifice animals under the New Covenant, but Romans 12:1 tells us to “offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”

So if sacrifices give off a pleasing aroma, and we are supposed to be a living sacrifice, that means we should smell good, right?

Wear deodorant. Take a shower.

For God’s sake.

--

For regular content delivered straight to your inbox subscribe by email; click here.

Don’t Forget This 1 Fact About Christ’s Death

I’d rather have been crucified.

That’s the thought I had in my head one morning in the shower.

A few months ago, my pastor preached a moving sermon using the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste as an illustration--a story I had not heard before.

Let me briefly tell it here:

What Does God Really Want From You?

Do you ever read something in the Bible that makes you do a double take? Something you had no idea was part of the holy word of God?

If you ever read through Leviticus and Numbers you'll probably have many of these moments.

Photo Credit: Tom Thai (Creative Commons)

One such instance is the abrupt mention of testes in the twenty-second chapter of Leviticus. At first glance it seems bizarre and not important, but though it may not seem to apply to 21st Century Christians, I assure you that the principle behind it will never be irrelevant.

Sacrifice Is Still Relevant

The verse in question relates to Jewish practice of animal sacrifice. God gave Moses guidelines for beasts that are unacceptable as an offering:

You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. Leviticus 22:24

Who said the Bible was lacking in imagery? This is one of many Mosaic regulations for sacrifice.

But I know what you’re thinking. We don’t sacrifice animals. How is this relevant?