This past week has been one of frustration, but also victory!  Not victory in the sense that I have it all nailed down, or even that I’m on top of my reading, but rather victory because I stuck with it.  I was behind, on average, 6 chapters each day.  Yes, each morning when I would normally be starting my current day’s reading, I was reading the last several chapters of the prior day.  I have been playing catch-up all week and I’m not happy about it! I did stick with it though, and as of today I am caught up, again.

Since we spent the better part of this week reading the Book of Job, I wanted to share some thoughts about it.  I have read parts of Job before. I have heard many, many sermons preached about Job, but I have never actually sat down and read the entire book, until now.  What I see in this book, I don’t recall from the sermons.

First, the man had EVERYTHING… favor with God, a family, home, servants, land, and many animals.  In his time this means he was a wealthy man, and since he was faithful to God, he was also probably looked upon as an important person and someone others admired. Why God decided to test Job by allowing Satan to come against him, but didn’t allow him to test other faithful souls in the OT, I’m unclear about.  One thing that is abundantly clear though, is that Job was God’s man through and through.  Even when his friends came to comfort him, and began to give him reasons for his afflictions– maybe he was in sin, maybe he didn’t have enough faith– Job still stuck to his faith even though he spent the majority of the book complaining to God about everything he was going through.

“Then I would still have this consolation– my joy in unrelenting pain– that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.” Job 6:10

The back and forth between Job and his friends was rather amusing, actually, because it seems to me that in his grief, Job couldn’t tell that his friends weren’t trying to upset him but to comfort him, however poorly their words expressed it. “But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” Job 5:8-9 Job was already doing this.

Later, as Eliphaz brings to light sins that Job had committed (sending widows away empty-handed, withholding food from the hungry, etc) Job admits the God’s hand is heavy upon him. Never once does Job curse God for allowing his suffering. How many of us would actually be able to do that?  But this is what I want to be able to say when my life is over:

“But he knows the way I take; when he has tested me I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps. I have kept his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:10-12

I’m seriously looking forward to the TweetChat on Monday evening. I have missed the past two weeks, and I don’t want to miss this week! Hope I’ll see you there!