Good Deeds and Genuine Love

But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs. A lot of good they are to me—those worn-out wretches! They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands. They pluck wild greens from among the bushes and eat from the roots of broom trees. They are driven from human society, and people shout at them as if they were thieves. So now they live in frightening ravines, in caves and among the rocks. They sound like animals howling among the bushes, huddled together beneath the nettles. They are nameless fools, outcasts from society. [Job 30. 1-8]

This says a man who claims innocence because of all his good deeds for the poor and outcasts!

Does anyone besides me see this? How could a truly benevolent man look at another human being with such disgust and angst?

The answer is simple: He can't.

While Job has said some pretty harsh things to his friends prior to this point, this one outburst reveals Job's true heart. It matters not what he has "done" for others when his words reveal his heart toward those less fortunate. He finally let the truth be known - "They are," in Job's sight, "nameless fools, outcasts from society."

However, as the narrative following the passage above will reveal, Job doesn't get it. He doesn't even realize what he has divulged about himself as he continues to claim innocence! Amazing! But Job's day is coming, he will get his verdict from God.

It is worth reminding ourselves that God originally pointed out Job to Satan. It is worth reminding ourselves that God knows our hearts. It is worth reminding ourselves that Satan does not know our hearts. It is worth reminding ourselves that God will deal with unrighteousness in His own. It is worth reminding ourselves that the Accuser is rightly named because he, Satan is just that. It is worth reminding ourselves that Satan did not first accuse Job because he could not know Job's heart. It is worth reminding ourselves that because God could see Job's heart, it became necessary, even with Job's spotless spotless outward moral appearance, that his heart be revealed and dealt with, and therefore God brought him to Satan's attention.

God didn't lie to Satan when he declared Job upright - He simply only pointed out what Satan could perceive (without the ability to know Job's heart). But God knew all along what lay beneath Job's good deeds.

Wow, God knows our hearts regardless how well we hide them, even with good deeds.

Here's an accurate takeaway from Job: Genuine love will always be accompanied by good deeds, but good deeds will not always be accompanied by genuine love.

Father, is Job's story finally becoming clear to me? Please help me to take to heart, where it matters, what this story reveals and implies about good deeds and genuine love.