Day 239

Job 23:1–27:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12–2:11; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 22:5-6

AS WE CONTINUE to journey through the book of Job, we’ve observed the conversation move from Job’s friends offering comfort into them having a full-blown existential debate over what God does and does not do. In today’s reading, we heard Job’s impassioned descriptions of what he had observed of God’s movements in the world. As has been the case throughout Job, his friends then attempted to explain why God did what He did. But these explanations to the Why? questions didn’t suffice. For Job, no one could really answer why God does or does not do a thing except God Himself —which is what he’d been saying all along:

If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his court. I would lay out my case and present my arguments. Then I would listen to his reply and understand what he says to me.

Job and his friends had gotten themselves into a bit of a circular argument. On the one hand, Job was looking for answers from God Himself but couldn’t find Him. On the other hand, Job’s friends kept trying to tell Job that only the righteous can hope to find God —therefore, Job must not be as righteous as he believed himself to be. But Job would not be talked out of his pursuit —or his innocence:

As long as I live, while I have breath from God, my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies. I will never concede that you are right; I will defend my integrity until I die. I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

In this regard, Job had thrown down the gauntlet. He would pursue God’s presence even if it killed him, and he would hope in God even if it proved hopeless.

We are certainly dealing with subject matter that we usually avoid, unless we are suffering. It’s much easier to offer or receive the “right” answers when life is reasonably stable. But Job’s life was anything but stable. His life was upside down, and the only thing he felt would give him any sense of equilibrium was an encounter with the Almighty. But what would he find there? Even Job couldn’t know the answer, and he said as much:

Once he has made his decision, who can change his mind? Whatever he wants to do, he does. So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny. No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.

This gives us the chance to consider our own posture when we’re asking Why? questions. Are we pursuing God so that He will take our struggle away? Because we think He will give us appeasing answers? What if He doesn’t? Wrestle with your own heart’s posture today —if you could choose answers or you could choose God (even if you don’t get the answers), where would your heart lead you?

MEDITATION:

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The LORD rescues them when they are in trouble.