Job: Elihu's role

As I was working through the book of Job, I was grappling with what the role of Elihu was meant to be (see chapters 32-37). Commentators seem reluctant to applaud his words to Job, as the book itself doesn't give much comment on whether they are right (though God's vindication of Job suggests Elihu is not 100% on the mark). However, he does bring a new dimension into the discussion, which so far has been about why God could bring such suffering on Job when in his own eyes he was blameless. Elihu feels that Job has become too self-preoccupied in his perspective on his own suffering, and he may well be correct in this. What profit has come from the long debate Job has been having with his friends? Certainly no peace.

Elihu's intervention reminds Job he is just a man, and 'God is greater than man' (33.12). Although Elihu perhaps misinterprets Job's words as him claiming to be sinless (which his making offerings would contradict), I think he does have a certain level of discernment and wisdom in his counsel. He says firstly that to Job's complaint he has no answer for his suffering, that God is speaking all the time and uses suffering to discipline man and remind him of his mortality (ch 33). He describes a man brought to the point of death and redeemed; his joy is therefore great (33.27-28). The suffering has worked good in his life by bringing him to a place of praise and gratitude. Given that Job doesn't die, but is later restored, this pattern plays out in his life and may show us some meaning behind it.

Elihu also gives some statements of truth which serve to remind Job -and the reader- of the core truths about God's character that suffering has made Job question: 'Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.' (34.12) He also reminds Job that God doesn't owe us anything -in fact, He could make everything perish if He wanted to, and it would be comparable to our own sense of right to knock down and rebuild our own house if we wanted to.

With his statement that 'His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps' (34.21), it reminds Job that God wasn't looking the other way when all this tragedy came upon him. This ties in with the beginning of the book where God brings Job to Satan's attention; He sees Job in his loyal faithfulness.

Elihu also points out (perhaps similarly to Eliphaz in 22.2-3) that God does not profit from Job's righteousness. 'If you are righteous, what do you give to Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?' (35.7)

In chapter 36 a host of lyrics from the Psalms are used to reinforce the central message: it is worth trusting God and serving Him because ultimately those who do not 'perish' and 'die without knowledge' (v12). For a man of God, his story is that of the Psalmist's: 'He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness.' (v16 - see Ps 4.1, 18.19, 31.8, 118.5, 23.5 and 36.8) As a side note, quite a few of the Psalms really sum up Job's journey and story such as Psalm 4 'You have given me relief when I was in distress. the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin... Offer right sacrifices,and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.'

Elihu urges Job to remember that though he may be righteous, he is still just flesh. God is God! And so above us, beyond our comprehension in every way. I find these lessons helpful and instructive, even if Elihu isn't completely 100% accurate in his assessment of Job's situation.

'Behold, God is great, and we know him not;
the number of his years is unsearchable.' (36.26 - see Ps 90.2, 102.27)

'The Almighty—we cannot find him;
he is great in power;
justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.' (37.23 - see Ps 99.4)

On 'just doing something' - risk-taking faith for the kingdom of God

Reading 'Nevertheless', John Kirkby's story of how he started CAP (Christians Against Poverty), an amazing charity that offers free debt counselling and has helped many many people get debt-free and also come to faith in Christ, has massively encouraged me with just its main message of perseverance despite circumstances. John had personal debt, he was in danger of his own home being repossessed, and the charity had few sources of income. He had several discouraging letters from Christians who said they wouldn't support CAP, that the fact the charity was struggling for money meant that they were doing something wrong, and John should seriously rethink what he was doing. Yet looking at the international work that CAP are doing now, and the huge numbers of those who have come to faith through their work, and it is clear that John was totally right to hold on to his belief that this was what God had called him to do.

There is undoubtedly scepticism regarding the notion of a 'call' in many Christian circles today. Instead of looking for specific guidance, many would advocate using the Bible to discern if something is sinful (in which case, don't do it), commanded (in which case, do it), and if it is neither, then use wisdom and try it, and if it's not right, the door will shut. I have to confess I am one of the first to get uncomfortable when people start talking about 'prophecies' and 'words' they have, which have directly impacted their decisions. And yet, when we were praying about moving to Garndiffaith, God did clearly confirm it was the right decision through Scripture for us. Since being here, nothing has really turned out as we expected -- in fact I'm not even sure what our expectations were to begin with anyway-- and yet we know this is the right place to be. If we were judging things on human results and circumstances, we'd have probably put our house on the market again and tried to jump ship!

The key illustration in the book for me is on p57:

'A seed which receives no water will only survive if it sends its root deep underground trying to find the water. The eventual tree that results is strong and fully able to use the rains when they come. God needs to ensure that we will be able to manage what he has for us.'

There are times when, from a human perspective, things don't make sense. They don't look good. It seems as if you are banging your head against a brick wall. But the fact is, God often brings His people to those kind of places in order to grow a deeper trust and faith in His power and provision. Just thinking through the heroes of faith in Scripture: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua... The list goes on! They all went through times of great testing, times where nothing was happening, times where they had nothing else to do except hold on to the promise God had made them. What would it have been like building the ark before the rains came? What about believing that God would give you a son when you were a hundred years old? And how about the burden of leading a people who were continually rebellious, ungrateful and critical of everything you did?

The way God works is not the way we work. He often allows things to happen that we would not, if we were the ones in control. He does let things get bad sometimes, from the uncomfortable to the heart-rending, grief stricken circumstances you just want to get out of as soon as you can. I worry sometimes that the rationalisation of the Christian life (to 'just do something') has eroded the very meaning of faith and what it means to live expecting God to speak and lead your life, even when He takes you into unexpected and not-very-nice places.

The danger is, that if we leave everything up to 'wisdom', then we will never take risks for the kingdom. We can all too easily find excuses why we shouldn't give up our job / move to that estate / give that money away / get more involved with that difficult person... I know my own propensity to kid myself that I am making a decision for the 'right' reasons when actually I'm just justifying staying in a more comfortable situation.

The stuff which inspires me in John Kirkby's story is the same which inspires me about the lives of the great pioneers, missionaries and preachers of the past (Muller, Whitefield, Taylor etc), and ultimately which I see in the men and women of faith in the Old and New Testament. They don't look at their circumstances and then draw their conclusions: this mission has failed, God is not with us, I should give up and go home. No! They look at their God, and they say, "we don't know exactly what's happening, we don't know when things will change, but we know You and we believe and trust that You are good and what You do is right. We will obey You in what You've called us to do." That's the kind of faith I want.

Bible bashing

I typed 'Bible basher' into Google and the Urban Dictionary gave me these definitions:

A Bible Basher is someone who constantly goes around forcing the word of the bible on everyone else, and claims that everything BUT the Bible is evil.

A religious person who is obsessively you could say, and insanely into his or her religion. They tend to 'bash on' about their religion and try to feed it to you. No disrespect to their religious beliefs, but knowing a bible basher can sometimes get sticky. They tend to be very protective over their religion, and know nearly everything about it. They will argue the point, and during times of bashing, can become quite violent.

A bible basher is one who lives their life by the bible, and tries to force the bible upon all they meet.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bible+basher

Wow! I'm guessing all these people have had a pretty negative experience with Christians. Faced with this definition, who wants to be a 'Bible basher'?

Well in this post I want to try to explain why the Bible is so important to me (and therefore why so much of my blog is based on the Bible), and also try to explain how I have no intention of bludgeoning people in an insensitive and emotionally detached manner, but I do want to confront people with the truth that the Bible claims has relevance for their life as much as mine.

The Bible is a unique book. It's made up of many different types of literature, written by different people at different times in history. It makes astonishing claims about who we are, why we are here, who God is, and how we can know Him. Many people look at the world around and think 'There must be a God behind all this'. But it's only in the Bible that we find out exactly who this God is. I believe this because, having read the Bible over and over since my childhood, I have never found a book like it which holds together so well, considering it was written under so many different circumstances as I mentioned above.

I love reading. I studied English at university and read many books by the same author (Dickens and Eliot being my favourites). What has always interested me is the way that a writer's ideas change over time. Even when you find ten books written by the same author, they will not always be consistent in ideology and morality or politics. And yet, despite the fact that so many different individuals contributed to the Bible, there is a striking coherence and unity throughout the various books. The main idea is that God is real, He made everything and wants to know us. Over the centuries that the Bible texts cover, there is a recurring cycle of people turning away from God to 'do their own thing' and live life the way they want to. God is never happy with that. He keeps on calling people to follow Him and go his way. But man's disobedience has separated him from God, so God sent Jesus, His Son, to come into the world and die on the cross to be punished for the sins of the world. He raised Jesus to life and calls people everywhere to follow Him and believe that their sins can be forgiven through Jesus.

All the Bible books in some way contribute to this message. They could be establishing the fundamental disobedience of humanity, as seen in Genesis. They could be calling men back to follow God, as seen in the prophets such as Isaiah. They could be predicting the coming of Jesus, such as the prophet Micah. They could be telling the story of Jesus' life, like the gospel of Matthew. All of the books in the Bible provide a piece to the puzzle. Together, they give a wholistic picture of who God is and how we can know Him.

So really, you have to read the Bible through and through before you judge it. So many people have said to me that the Bible is not trustworthy, that it's full of contradictions. But many of these people have not read it thoroughly. Perhaps their knowledge is based on taking some words out of context. The Bible is not always easy to understand, but I have found that the more I study it, the more it makes sense. It really does fit with what I see around me: people suffering with broken lives, desperate for meaning, but unable to find that meaning in human relationships, money and status. I see a world that needs Jesus. I can testify to how He has changed my life, and the lives of many others too.

Ultimately, I follow the Bible because Jesus did. Jesus is the most impressive person that ever existed, to me. He had an astounding impact on history and on the lives of those who met Him. And He identified the scriptures as the indestructible and authoritative word of God. He upheld the Bible at every turn, as an authority about God (Mt 21:42, Mt 22:29), as true promises which will always be fulfilled (Mt 26:54), as never becoming void (Jn 10:35, Mt 5:18). He saw the Bible as coming from God, revealing the truth and being utterly reliable. His life was based on scripture, and His life was amazing. Therefore I decided to follow Jesus, and so I am trying to base my life on scripture too.

The writer of Hebrews suggests that the word of God is 'living and active', 'Sharper than any double-edged sword... it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart' (Heb 4:12). I have always found this to be true. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 that scripture is 'God-breathed', and it certainly speaks with authority that seems to be more than human; divine. The Bible says many things which are difficult for us to accept -such as the existence of hell and the reality of God's judgement, which I have been blogging about recently- and I don't know why any human would make such terrifying stuff up! The Bible is full of genuine insight that makes sense with reality and does indeed judge the heart of anyone who reads it- again in a way that no human finds comfortable. Of course, humans physically wrote the Bible, but they were 'carried along by the Holy Spirit' (2 Peter 1:21), and it is God's words rather than the words of mere mortals.

The thing is, it's difficult to say that the Bible is only partially true and worship God. Surely you don't want to be friends with a liar? God has to be 'the true God' (Jer 10:10) or He is a false god. The Bible has to be truth, or lies. I don't think you can have it both ways.

The post-modern attitude towards texts and textual analysis is that there is no absolute truth and every reader brings something different to a text. For example, a Marxist will read Dickens and take away a Marxist message. English degrees are a lot about this! But I don't think you can approach the Bible as the same as any other text and just 'get something' from it. Either something is true, or it is false. If the Bible is true, it's worth building your life on it. If it's false, there is no point bothering.

And it follows that if the Bible is true, it is universally true. That means it's not just 'true for me'. It applies to everyone. That is why my blog is based on the Bible, and why I try to respond to people's questions, to the books I read, thinking about what the Bible says. I am sorry if it comes across as emotionally detached Bible-bashing! But in my view, what I personally say has very little value for the world. What God says does! That's why I look to Him for answers, rather than my own thinking.

Of course, I apply my thinking to the Bible. God doesn't ask us to switch our brains off when we open His word. But I think the tendency in our culture to come to the Bible with our own ideas of what is right and wrong, and judging its 'truth' on how it fits into our current worldview, is a fundamentally flawed concept. If it is the words of God, a God who is eternal and all-knowing and all-seeing, how can we possibly deem it our place to judge it against our standards? That would be like me handing my dissertation on George Eliot to a five year old who had just learned to read. My dissertation is nothing special, but I don't think the kid would have a chance of understanding it!

I don't want to bash the Bible, in both senses of the phrase. I don't want to crush people with it, but I don't want to under-value it and over-value my words and thoughts. I want people to know the truth, and I think the Bible contains better answers than my befuddled brain.

Panic attack

Isaiah 7

'If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.' (9)

This is the resounding message of this chapter. Ahaz panics at a military threat, and Isaiah reminds him that God is in control, and he needs to have faith.

God wants to glorify Himself by a sign, and Isaiah prophesies Jesus' birth. He speaks of a time when Israel would experience pillaging and shame, and this would be fulfilled in the exile to Babylon and the coming of the Romans.

But throughout all these things, God would be with them, and the fact that Jesus is called Immannuel shows this unique presence as God amongst His people.

Psalms 58-59: Responding to enemies

Lessons from David- Psalms 58-59

Hate their behaviour, don't imitate it
David's rants against unjust men, and calls for God to punish them, may seem unpalatable to modern taste, but at least he does not descend to act like them. In so many films and books, heroes repond to their enemies by treating them in exactly the same way. We are not to be enticed to become like them.

Leave it to God to judge them
David is calling on God to act, not for God to authorise his own vigilante campaign. He recognises that it is God's place to deliver and punish others.

Keep trusting in God and praising Him
'O my Strength, I watch for You;
You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God'. (9)

'But I will sing of Your strength in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.' (16)

David keeps praising God- he doesn't just moan about his enemies all the time! We too need that perspective.

Psalm 37: Reasons not to worry

Lessons from David- Psalm 37

Don't worry! Because...
-enemies of God will wither and die away (1-2)
- need to trust in the Lord, delight in Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart (3-4)
- you have committed your way to Him, so believe in His promises (5)
- need to be patient in God's timing (7)
-worrying leads to anger and other sins- cut it off now (8)
-The Lord upholds the righteous (17)
-your inheritance will endure for ever (18)
-disaster will not be your end (19)
- you have a God who blesses, so you can give generously to others (21-22)
- God makes your steps firm (23)
- Remember other believers: God never forsook them, why should He forsake you?
- You are protected forever by God (28)
- You have a future (37)
- You have a salvation (39)
- God delivers all who take refuge in Him (40)

Psalms 20-21: Trusting in God

Lessons from David- Psalms 20-21

These two psalms hold similar messages- we as humans need to recognise our limitations and trust in God completely. He will answer us and help us (1), and as David prays 'May He give you the desire of your heart' in Ps 20, he testifies in Ps 21 that God has done this (2).

The Lord saves His anointed (6), so instead of trusting in chariots and horses, we need to trust in the Lord (7).

Then we will be able to praise God more, as we see His glory more clearly. David spends most of Ps 21 thanking God for granting his requests (4-5)- but more than this, for giving him 'eternal blessings' and the 'joy of His presence' (6). This is the best of all.

Ultimately, David knows that his stability as a king depends not on his own strength but on God's grace (7). And David has the wisdom to look forward to the time when God will return to judge the wicked (8-12). God will be exalted in this as much as in saving the faithful.

Psalm 24-25: How to search for God... and find Him

Lessons from David: Psalms 24-25

In Ps 24, David reflects on God's purity and majesty and how men can worship Him. Earth belongs to Him (1), He is the King of glory (7), strong and mighty (8). Therefore 'He who has clean hands and a pure heart' (4) can seek Him and worship.

Ps 25 elaborates more on what it means to seek God. It involves trusting in Him (1), and looking to Him for guidance- 'Show me Your way, O Lord, teach me Your paths.' (4)

It involves asking for forgiveness (7) and deciding to live God's way instead (8). But it is not just one-way. God is loving and faithful to those who obey Him (10). He makes His covenant known to us (14), and comforts us in loneliness, and anguish (16-17). He actively rescues us and gives us refuge (20).

It is a relationship to wonder at and rejoice in.

Psalm 22: When David saw Jesus

Psalm 22

I've been looking at the connection between David and Jesus, and Psalm 22 is a pretty massive connection!

It's a psalm which David wrote, and it clearly prophesies about Jesus' death on the cross, an event which would not take place for hundreds of years.

On the cross, Jesus cried out v1: 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?' This showed that at that point in time, the Trinity was ripped apart as God the Father poured out His wrath for sin on His Son, the innocent and perfect atoning sacrifice.

But Jesus' quote also pointed His observers to what was happening. The psalm contines in v3-5 to talk of God's sovereignty, and the way He has always saved those who trust in Him. Those watching Jesus die see Him as one rejected by God, and their words virtually repeat v8: 'He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue Him.'

The people could not see that Jesus was enduring the shame of the cross so that they could be saved if they believed.

Jesus also quoted the psalm to show how prophecy was being fulfilled. Being poured out like water, being parched, being pierced in hands and feet, having garments divided- all these details came to pass.

Ultimately Jesus quoted this psalm to remind Himself of the promises of God-
'He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one' (24);
'The poor will eat and be satisfied' (26);
'All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord' (27). 'They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn- for He has done it.' (31)

On the cross, Jesus thought of us. When He proclaimed, 'It is finished', He died knowing He would be raised... and so would all those who died in faith.

David could not have known this, but God's Spirit rested on him, and in this psalm, he had a glimpse of Jesus. How much more privileged are we, to have the full picture in the New Testament!

Psalm 70-71: True hope

Lessons from David- Psalms 70-71

True hope in a situation of despair, like David's, can be found only in God. Note how David:

a) knows God can rescue him from ANY situation v1

b) knows God will protect him in any situation-
'Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go' (3)

c) knows that God will definitely save him from hell and give him eternal life-
'You will again bring me up' (20)

d) accepts that God knows what He's doing, and his job is to trust and praise Him-
'But may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You' (4)
'You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From my birth I have relied on You.' (5-6)
'My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, of Your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.' (15)
'Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again' (20).

When God doesn't intervene

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 21-22

It seems that this whole situation has really brought out the worst in Saul. While David is reduced to nibbling on consecrated bread and feigning insanity, 85 priests are killed by Saul's sinful rage. This could all have been prevented if God had killed Saul and made David King. But God did not intervene in this way. Why not?

He had good reasons! He is perfectly good and all His ways are just. He wanted to teach David more about trusting in Him, and whilst we may not always understand His ways, we need to trust that He is in control and knows what He's doing.

The scenario with the priests gives us two important lessons:
1. Don't be spiritually complacent- Saul was anointed by God... and now he's a killer.
2. Don't obey an evil request- the king's officials were right to disobey him.

Overall, there may be many times in life when we don't understand what God is doing. He may allow things to happen that we don't like. But we need to trust that He is doing everything for our benefit, because He loves us, and for His glory, because He is great and good.

Pursued but not alone

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 19-20

David's situation in these chapters is not good. In fact, it is dire.

For a while he lives precariously in Saul's house (again evading Saul's deadly spear), and runs away to find Samuel- the prophet who anointed him. Why? To reaffirm his calling? To ask what God was doing? To be with someone Saul feared and respected? Maybe all these things.

It is understandable that so many Psalms speak of anguish, but affirm a trust in God. Even in dark times, David saw evidence of God's hand providing for him and protecting him:
-the warnings he received from Jonathan and Michal
-Jonathan's intervention
-the Spirit working on those who came to capture David, even Saul himself
-the arrows signal

God provided Samuel and Jonathan to comfort, reassure and help David to escape Saul's wrath. They were able to affirm his innocence ('He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel... Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David' 19.5) whilst still giving glory to God.

Jonathan particularly stands out as a model of sacrificial friendship, placing his relationship with his father on the line to save David. He doesn't think of his own satus and power, but of David's- he evidently believes and supports God's anointing (20.15).

Jonathan loves God, and his care for David is an outworking of that. David has to face a time of lonelienss and persecution, but Jonathan will be praying for him.