Job 23:10-12; 30:16-23, A Letter to Edna (8)

Read Job 23:10-12

Here is assurance for the believer that he will eventually end the struggle of grief with success.  There is much to be said.  First, note that the success is dependent on God. "He knows the way I take."  I have kept HIS way and treasured the words of HIS mouth.

Notice too, the goal.  Connie's death is certainly a time of testing.  And the goal is to come forth as gold.  Testing reveals impurities in our lives, dross, that which must be removed.  Job has some impurities.  He doubted that God knew his situation.  He questioned God's sovereignty.  Yet he knew he would eventually come forth as gold.  Peter said the same thing.  I encourage you to stop and read 1 Peter 1:6-9 and take to heart its truth.  The goal is to be for the praise and glory of God and only testing can uncover the selfishness or self-reliance or self-glory that is tucked away in my heart.

 

One other thought: note how important it is to be in the Word of God.  Job treasured God's Word more than his necessary food.  Perhaps his grief was so intense at times that he meditated on God's Word instead of eating.  That Word is the source of perfect comfort.

Read Job 24:22

A simple thought that I'm sure has hit home: "no man is sure of life."  If nothing else we must learn that from Connie.  Remember the simple prayer of the Psalmist: "teach me to number my days" (Psalm 90:12).  Each day has its opportunities and we must "redeem the time" (Ephesians 5:16).  We are not permitted to count on tomorrow -- we can only count on God's will (James 4:13-16).  There’s an old bluegrass song entitled, “Short time here, Long time gone!”  Thus, as Paul put it, The night is far spent, the day is at hand (Rom. 13:12a).

Read Job 30:16-23

This passage in Job's final discourse is an expression of human frustration when the human cannot understand the ways of God.  You may feel the very same things Job feels.  He feels that God does not listen to him.  He believes God has made life unsuccessful.  Passages like this help us to know that God understands our feelings.

But note what is underneath this!  Job's feelings are based in the idea that because God did not answer when or as he wanted that therefore God was not listening.  God spoiled his success according to Job's definition of success (for us a successful life is one that is relatively free of trouble, comfortable, etc.; but that is not God's definition).  Job has, in essence, taken a place superior to God.  They are true feelings but they are revealing feelings.  Let us be careful lest our feelings become the gospel by which we live.  They are not.  They express where we are and reveal what God must yet do for us.