Tag: Job 9

Links for today’s readings:

Jan 9  Read: Job 9 Listen: (3:22) Read: John 9  Listen: (4:56)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Jan 10  Read: Job 10 Listen: (2:12) Read: John 10 Listen: (4:44)
Jan 11  Read: Job 11 Listen: (2:01) Read: John 11 Listen: (6:37)

Scripture Focus: Job 9.24

Reflection: If Not Him, Who?

By John Tillman

One thorny issue Job and his friends wrestle with is God’s sovereignty.

The friends express a simplistic theology where God says, “You do A, and I’ll do B,” and never breaks this formula. Their version of “sovereignty” makes God transactional and predictable—a machine-god who outputs blessings when you input righteousness.

Job rightly calls the machine-god a lie but struggles to reconcile God’s sovereignty with the reality of evil. God seems to destroy the blameless and the wicked without distinction. Job lays human corruption at God’s feet, saying that God blinds judges, causing nations to fall into wicked hands.

“If it is not he, then who is it?”

Good question. Does God cause evil? If not, who does? If God is sovereign, how can it be anyone else?

The book of Job reveals that God’s sovereignty restrains evil, it doesn’t motivate it. From the beginning, Satan complained that God protected Job from Satan’s evil influence. God allowed Satan greater freedom to harm Job to test Job’s faith, but never completely removed his protection. Evil is limited by God’s sovereignty, not caused by it.

God did not choose or carry out Job’s sufferings. He did not command them nor did they enter his mind. (Jeremiah 19.5) Satan chose Job’s sufferings and carried them out within God’s limits. Satan’s purpose went beyond destroying Job. Satan wanted to prove that God buys faith with blessings and bribes worshipers with wealth. “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1.9) Satan wanted to prove God to be exactly the transactional, machine-god Job’s friends described.

God’s sovereignty is not a simple topic with easy, comforting answers. When (not if) we suffer illnesses, losses, or living in a corrupt country with wicked leaders and blind judges, our faith will struggle. Like Job, we may never be satisfied with why God prevents some evils and allows others. We may never understand how present evils will be twisted by God to bring about a future good. (Romans 8.18-28)

To begin to understand, look to the mediator Job called for. Jesus is God’s sovereign answer to evil. God steps in for Job, overturning evils with new life, relationships, joys, and growth. Jesus steps in for us, crushing the serpent’s head, defeating death, wiping tears, and bringing eternal and abundant life.

Not only does God’s sovereignty limit evil, it ends evil through Jesus. Come Lord Jesus. All our answers are in him. If not him, who?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on me.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on me.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, grant me your peace.

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Christ, Our “If Only…”

Thank God that he is the God who does the unthinkable on behalf of the unworthy.

Christ, Our “If Only…”

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Scripture Focus: Job 9.32-35
32 “He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, 
that we might confront each other in court. 
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us, 
someone to bring us together, 
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me, 
so that his terror would frighten me no more. 
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him, 
but as it now stands with me, I cannot. 

Reflection: Christ, Our “If Only…”
By John Tillman

Job cries out for a mediator.

Job speaks with expansive, idiomatic imagery, recognizing an uncrossable gap between himself and his creator. God could no more come down than we could go up, and if God did step down…mountains would melt seas would flee…making Job’s problems inconsequential. 

Job had no illusions that he could actually speak to God. He only asked, “If only…”
If only, he would hear me…
If only I could face him…
If only he could hear my case…
If only I could stand in his presence…
If only there was a mediator…
If only there was a go-between…
If only there was a redeemer…

In the context of the beliefs of his age, Job’s request was foolish, impossible, and inappropriate. To propose God lower himself to address Job was unthinkable. Even as great a man as Job was reported to be, this was considered to be a prideful and sinful desire. Job’s friends, who, out of love, sat in the dust with him for days without speaking, considered this a scandalous bit of madness. This is why Job’s friends seem so harsh to us, so callous. Job is asking not only for the impossible but for the inappropriate.

But thank God that he is the God who abandons propriety to run to us. God’s love for us is foolishly, scandalously undeserved. He is the God who does the unthinkable on behalf of the unworthy.

God is a God for whom there is no uncrossable gap. He crosses the distance to us. God does not step foot on Earth to melt mountains but to melt hardened hearts, turning them back to God. God told Moses he was the Israelites’ “I am.” Christ holds out his hands to Jerusalem, Job, us, and all humanity, longing to be our “If only…”

Jesus did not wade into humanity, timidly cringing at the grossness of flesh, but rejoicing in living among us. He joyfully ate our fish, paid our taxes, touched the diseased, and spoke to (and raised) the dead.

Christ is our mediator if we let him. He stands between us and God. He removed God’s rod from us and placed it on his own back. He will remove our terror of God and allow us to perfectly see God’s tender mercies.

Christ applied for Job’s job posting and did the job. It is finished.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
From the sermon of St. Paul to the people of Antioch: “To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Savior, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed the baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John ended his course he said, ‘I am not the one you imagine me to be; there is someone coming after me whose sandal I am not fit to undo.’ My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you godfearers, this message of salvation is meant for you.” — Acts 13.23-36

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Job 9 (Listen 3:22) 
John 9 (Listen 4:56)

Read more about Greater Footstool, Greater God, Greater Redeemer
As Job begins, Satan walks the Earth and has power over it. Before Job ends, he declares the promise that the Redeemer will stand upon the Earth to reclaim it.

Greater Footstool, Greater God, Greater Redeemer

Listen to Pause To Read!
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Pause To Read Podcast

Scripture Focus: Job 9.33-35
      If only there were someone to mediate between us, 
         someone to bring us together, 
      someone to remove God’s rod from me, 
         so that his terror would frighten me no more. 
      Then I would speak up without fear of him, 
         but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

Reflection: Christ, Our “If Only…”
By John Tillman

Job cries out over the course of his many speeches for mediation.

Job’s speeches flow with expansive, idiomatic imagery that recognizes an uncrossable gap between Job and his creator. God could no more come down than we could go up, and if God did step down…mountains would melt seas would flee…making Job’s problems inconsequential. 

Job had no illusions that he could actually speak to God. He only asked, “If only…”
If only, he would hear me…
If only I could face him…
If only he could hear my case…
If only I could stand in his presence…
If only there was a mediator…
If only there was a go-between…
If only there was a redeemer…

In the context of the beliefs of his age, Job’s request was foolish, impossible, and inappropriate. To propose God lower himself to address Job was unthinkable. Even as great a man as Job was reported to be, this was considered to be a prideful and sinful desire. Even Job’s friends, who, out of love, sat in the dust with him for days without speaking, considered this a scandalous bit of madness. This is why Job’s friends seem so harsh to us, so callous. Job is asking not only for the impossible but for the inappropriate.

But thank God that he is the God who abandons propriety to run to us. God’s love for us is foolishly, scandalously undeserved. He is the God who does the unthinkable on behalf of the unworthy.
God does not step foot on Earth to melt mountains but to melt hardened hearts, turning them back to God.
God does not wade into humanity, timidly cringing at the grossness of flesh, but rejoicing in living among us. He joyfully eats our fish, pays our taxes, touches the diseased, speaks to (and raises) the dead.

God is a God for whom there is no uncrossable gap. He crosses the distance to us. 
Christ comes, applying for Job’s job posting. He would be our mediator if we let him. He stood between us and God. He removed God’s rod from us and placed it on his own back. He will remove our terror of God and allow us to see perfectly God’s tender mercies to us.

God told Moses he was the Israelites’ “I am.” Christ holds out his hands to Jerusalem, to Job, to us, and to all mankind, longing to be our “If only…” 

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
The Lord Lives! Blessed is my Rock! Exalted is the God of my salvation!
Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O Lord, and sing praises to your Name. — Psalm 18.46

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Job 9 (Listen -3:22)
Romans 13 (Listen -2:35)

Read more about Greater Footstool, Greater God, Greater Redeemer
As Job begins, Satan walks the Earth and has power over it. Before Job ends, he declares the promise that the Redeemer will stand upon the Earth to reclaim it.

Greater Footstool, Greater God, Greater Redeemer

Read more about Taking Sin Seriously
Jesus doesn’t “let the woman go.” He sends her out. Jesus, instead of taking the woman’s life, redeems it. He buys it for his own.

Taking Sin Seriously