“You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me. [Job 17.3]
Once again today, it seems there is simply too much talk going on in Job's drama. Funny thing is, both Job and his friends all see it and each one repeatedly accused the other of too much talk!
Mental note: Just shut up. When things go wrong, just shut up and pay attention.
Okay, so let's think about the verse above. Job claimed innocence. Interestingly enough, God is often said to have claimed Job's innocence as well, but did He?
Here is what God said about Job to Satan:
Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” [Job 1.8]
Everything God said about Job had to do with Job being "fine, blameless," and having "integrity." But does that mean Job was innocent? Let's think before we answer.
This is what strikes me today: if Job was human, then how could he be innocent if he was a descendant of Adam? The 'Fall' in the Garden of Eden planted a nasty seed of guilt in every human heart from that point forward. The fact is, no matter how innocent Job might appear on the outside, his heart was desperately wicked (I am just quoting scripture here - Jeremiah 17.9 - spoken by God Himself to Jeremiah).
I think God was "schooling" everyone in this story.
First, Satan, that stupid, lame, destroying deceiver, was so dumb that he was so fooled by Job's outward appearance that God had to ask him about Job. Second, Job had apparently fooled himself as well, evidenced in his demand of God to defend his innocence above. Third, Job's friends were clueless about inherited guilt and so foolishly accused Job of wrongdoing (the funny thing is though, they seemed to know to ask, "Can a human be innocent before God?").
Lastly, I think God is "schooling" me with Job's story too. And I see in myself, in my own body, that when things go wrong there (in my body) is when I start to get whiny before God... just like Job. He did pretty good when he 'simply' lost everything (I don't really get that), but when Satan attacked his body, Job's mouth began to fly. And the rest is history.
What could Job have said in Job 17.3 that might have been more scriptural? How about this: "I am guilty because I am human, Your Promise of blessing is all I have to ask for." Why? Well, depending on when Job's saga took place, the promise to Abraham could have already been known or if Job's story was earlier, then the promise to Adam and Eve that One was coming Who would bruise Satan's head could have been relied upon. But Job relied on neither - he claimed his own innocence.
My take on this is that I deserve every bad thing that happens to me. However, I have been given faith with which to transcend from what I deserve to what I am graced with - Jesus Christ. If it weren't possible, Jesus would never have instructed us to live and work as He lived and worked (John 14.12).
Father, I don't wish to make stupid claims here myself. I understand that grace is obtained through faith. I understand that I do a miserable job of walking by faith. But I want to be more effective - remaining mindful that I am nothing apart from Your saving grace. In my body - in my life - be glorified in the innocence of Jesus making me whole and bringing me into Your blessing.
No comments:
Post a Comment