TO READ: Job 22:1-30

At Odds with G.o.d

Stop quarreling with G.o.d! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you. Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. If you return to the Almighty and clean up your life, you will be restored.

Job 22:21-23

Jobas friend Eliphaz was remarkably good at jumping to conclusionsa"and landing in the wrong place. For example, when he witnessed Jobas sufferings, he a.s.sumed that his friend must have been doing some terrible things to warrant such catastrophe (22:6-7). aYou must havea done this and ayou must havea done that, he reasoned, despite that there was no basis upon which to construct such an indictment. For it appears that Job was innocent of everything of which he was accused.

Eliphaz didnat get everything wrong, though. If Job had indeed been guilty of the things of which he was accused, he should have taken Eliphazas words to heart, because these instructions provide the right direction for a guilty man to take. aStop quarreling with G.o.d! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you. Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. If you return to the Almighty and clean up your life, you will be restoreda (22:21-23). Good advice, especially for those at odds with G.o.d.

I doubt very much that Job needed this advice, but I am certain that many men do need it. Many a man is at odds with himself and the world because heas at odds with G.o.d. Nothing goes right for him. Heas out of sorts and bent out of shape, and he doesnat even know what bothers him. He experiences inner turmoil, his relationships are tenuous, and he derives little or no satisfaction from all that he does. He may interpret the problem as a physical issue and determine to take more time off and get some rest. Or he may decide the roots of his restlessness are relational, so, accordingly, he changes his job or his wife or both. But such a man needs to recognize that his lack of outer order arises from a lack of inner peace. And that is evidence that he has a broken relationship with the Lord, from whom he came, to whom he will go, and through whom and for whom he exists. Without the Lord, there is little left, and the inner vacuum produces a lack of peace.

A decision to aagree witha G.o.d (22:21), the source of all truth and wisdom, is common sense; and to astop quarreling with G.o.da is obviously the smart thing to do. You cannot win an argument against G.o.d. Ceasing to try leads to the inner peace from which a deep-rooted sense of order takes hold. Then contentment and satisfaction are not far behind. Paul called it apeace with G.o.da (Rom. 5:1).

November 11

TO READ: Job 40:1-14

Brace Yourself like a Man

Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.

Job 40:7

Children love to ask their fathers why, but fathers are not always able to answer. G.o.d is always able to give an answer, but he does not always choose to. This poses problems for men. Like their own children, men not only expect an answer to every query, they expect the answer to meet with their approval.

G.o.das silence had been unbearable for Job. With no answer to his questioning why and his beseeching please, Job resorted to drawing his own conclusions while his friends resorted to their own theories. Both got it wrong. There were flashes of insight, there were elements of truth. Yet in the end Job accused G.o.d and the friends abused Job.

At last it was time for G.o.d to speak. aBrace yourself,a G.o.d told Job, and itas a good thing he warned him. Jobas request for an audience with the Lord had been granted, and it was overpoweringa"Job was engulfed in a torrent of questions. The Maker made it clear that Jobas questions, as well as his friendsa explanations (42:7), had been full of foolishness. G.o.d is G.o.da"he alone has the power, wisdom, and justice necessary to be G.o.d. In response, Job recognized his impudence and put his hand over his mouth in silence. At the end, as at the beginning, silence was the best posture in the presence of almighty G.o.d.

Modern man is not always so reticent. Has he not explored the galaxies with his telescopes, trod on the moon, and sent his ingenious machines to rove on Mars? Certainly he has!a"only to find that the more he discovers, the more lies undiscovered. His acc.u.mulated knowledge serves to demonstrate the depth of his ignorance; his examination of creationas mechanics simply plunges him further into the darkness of creationas mysteries. Modern man should brace himself for questions about the gaps in his knowledge and the limits of his experience, and then learn humbly to bow himself at G.o.das feet. Sadly, more often than not man wants to brag about himself than to brace himself, to say, aWow is me!a rather than aWoe is me!a When the great Creator questions one of his tiny creatures about how much the creature knows or can do in comparison with G.o.d, the only appropriate response is to humbly bow in total recognition of oneas own nothingness. As the great wise man, Solomon, once said, aG.o.d . . . is in heaven, and you are only here on earth. So let your words be fewa (Eccles. 5:2).

November 12

TO READ: Psalm 95

Little G.o.ds and the Great Creator

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our G.o.d. We are the people he watches over, the sheep under his care. Oh, that you would listen to his voice today!

Psalm 95:6-7

Our world is full of little G.o.ds. These G.o.ds are not only to be found in temples in the Easta"they reside in garages in the West, on beaches in the south, and in ski lodges in the north. You can find them hidden in vaults, stored in musty attics, hung on walls, and draped around shoulders. Some of them are tied up alongside a dock, and others wrap their arms around our neck. That doesnat make sense, you say? Consider this: G.o.ds are objects of veneration, articles that demand and receive our unbridled adoration. They are things and people that take our mind off G.o.d himself and usurp his place in our life.

What exactly is his place? It is the central place, the superior position, the ultimate throne of authority in the core of our being. Why should he expect the superior place? The answer is, because he is superior to all things. G.o.d made all things; he is as superior to all things as a craftsman is superior to his tools. He towers above all things, including the tiny people that have made themselves G.o.ds. He created them to be his servants! a"not to worship things or people, but to worship him, their Creator! People have the temerity and audacity to accept veneration and the idiocy to worship created things. They should know that the Creator is greater by far.

Our world, which is full of little G.o.ds, needs to heed the call, aCome, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our G.o.d. We are the people he watches over, the sheep under his care. Oh, that you would listen to his voice today!a (95:6-7). But there is a reluctance to do that. Not only will it mean tearing some little G.o.ds from the positions they have usurped, but there is also a general feeling abroad that if you become too involved with G.o.d you might find him tyrannical and you may become fanatical.

Fortunately those who know G.o.d know better. They know him not only as the great King but also as a loving shepherd who awatches over, the sheep under his carea (95:7). Who could possibly care for G.o.das creation more than G.o.d, the Creator? Who can be trusted more than he can? And who is worthy of our adoration and veneration more than he is? So let us be done with the little G.o.ds; aCome, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our makeraa"the Creator who cares!

November 13

TO READ: Job 42:1-17

Questioning G.o.d in Ignorance

aYou ask, aWho is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?a It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me.a Job 42:3

G.o.d believes in freedom of speech. He made us capable of thinking and gave us the tools to articulate our thoughts, and he expects us to use these divinely imparted gifts. He allows us to say what we think about him, even uncomplimentary and erroneous thoughts. Incredibly, he gives us the freedom to blaspheme him and to question his justice, righteousness, and integrity. But he also holds us accountable for what we say.

Having listened to Jobas questions and complaints, and having endured the answers of Jobas friends, G.o.d pointedly asked, aWho is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?a (38:2). The question required an answer, and Jobas reply was brief and to the point: aIt is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand. . . . I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentancea (42:3, 6).

G.o.das powerful self-revelation served to show Job the depth of his ignorance: aI had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyesa (42:5). It isnat simply that G.o.d is too big to be contained in one manas intellect, even though he is. But the way G.o.d does things is so different from the way we think he should do things, that when we begin to grasp the fringes of his workings we ought not think that we understand the wonder of it all. As Job said, aI was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me.a There was no point in Jobas denying that he had been questioning G.o.d or, more importantly, that the questions were the queries of ignorance. Even though Job did not get a complete answer to the why of his predicament, he did get a revelation of Who is in control. And his response was appropriatea"humble submission to the G.o.d whom he now knew much better, but whom he knew he would never fully understand.

Like Job, we can speak with seeming authority from the depths of our ignorance, and we can utter profundities that further revelation shows to be false. That is why we should be slow to speculate and cautious about questioning G.o.d. It is right and proper for us to speak with authority when Scripture speaks with clarity, but on other subjects we should exercise a becoming modesty of opinion. Otherwise, we can all too easily drift into subjects afar too wonderfula for us.

November 14

TO READ: Proverbs 1:1-9

Getting Wise

These proverbs will make the simpleminded clever. They will give knowledge and purpose to young people.

Proverbs 1:4

The information age has dawned. So now, we can asurf the Web.a Not long ago, surf was something bleached-blond youths rode to sh.o.r.e, and webs were things that spiders worked hard to create. But now one surfs the Web from the comfort of home to seek information. We aaccessa it, adownloada it, and store it in computers that allow us to gather vast amounts of information about the world in which we live.

But ama.s.sing information is not the same as being wise. Information informs us, to be sure, but wisdom tells us what to do with the information. Collected information tells you what is possible, while wisdom tells you what is prudent. Not all knowledgeable people are wisea"sometimes they do bad things with good information. Not all wise people are among the worldas most knowledgeablea"some of them donat know much, but they do wonderful things with very little. Wisdom cannot operate without information; but information does not guarantee wisdom.

Proverbs are pithy sayings that stick in the mind, conveying a needed truth. Proverbs lead to wisdom. Some of them beget discipline. For example, aIf you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!a (11:27). Good information there; but wisdom says, aAha! Iad better watch what Iam looking for!a Other proverbs teach good conduct. Hereas a proverb that helps in this regard: aIt is better to be poor and G.o.dly than rich and dishonesta (16:8). A wise man takes that to heart, sees the truth of it, and decides that honesty is not only the best policy but the only policy for the wise. And so he deals honestly.

Proverbs need to be read, remembered, meditated upon, and performed. They impart pure knowledge, they offer sweet rewards, they administer stern warnings, and they demand disciplined responses. When proverbs are considerd carefully and embraced wholeheartedly, they nourish deeply, redirecting convictions and dramatically changing lives.

Man is in danger of becoming a giant in information and a pygmy in wisdom: as he concentrates on a.s.similating facts, he runs the risk of neglecting matters of faith. He is at risk of dressing himself in information with nothing to clothe his life. That is why we need to learn the proverbs: they awill make the simpleminded clever. They will give knowledge and purpose to young peoplea (1:4). Wisdom will crown us with grace and clothe our lives with honor (1:9). Thatas much better than bare information!

November 15

TO READ: Proverbs 5:1-23

s.e.xual Freedom

An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly.

Proverbs 5:22-23