The Joy of Glory

Discovering endless joy in the boundless glory of God…

Category: Job

April 10, 2014

Lent Devotional: Job 29-30

Job 29-30 (click here)
Then I thought, “I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand, 19 my roots spread out to the waters, with the dew all night on my branches, 20 my glory fresh with me, and my bow ever new in my hand.” (Job 29:18-20)

Reflection
Job reflects on his life as it was in all his prosperity. He reveals to us why he was known as a man who was blameless and upright, fearing the Lord and turning away from evil. Job was not just a wealthy man who offered sacrifices, but he offered his very self to all.

Job helped the poor and the powerless, the blind, the needy, the lame, the widowed, the orphaned, etc. He used his blessing to bless others. Job was not self-centered, but God-centered. Yet…in all his material wealth, certain unhealthy thoughts crept into Job’s mind as expectations of how God would/should act towards him.

Job thought that life would continue on as always until the day he died peacefully in his sleep. Trouble, bankruptcy, sickness, were not a part of Job’s future calculations. He may have known they were possibilities, but they were not his expectation.

For how many of us is this the dream ending to our lives? To die “in our nest,” peacefully, in our sleep after a long life that has had days/years like the sands. This is our expectation, but it is not what we are promised. Most of our disappointments with God are due to unmet expectations which we un-rightly place on God, not unmet promises which he has graciously held out to us.

God has promised us that we will experience suffering and trouble and hardship. The odds of dying peacefully in our sleep are not very high for the Christian. Yet, he has promised to be with us amidst our suffering…all the way up to death’s door and even on the other side of it! That is the kind of promise which brings true peace. Job will soon learn much about the peace brought about by the presence of the Lord.


*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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April 9, 2014

Lent Devotional: Job 28

Job 28 (click here)
Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots. 10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. 11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light. 12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? (Job 28:9-12)

…Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding. (Job 28:28)

Reflection
How often do we mistake knowledge for wisdom? Job lists marvelous technological accomplishments which mankind has achieved by the power of intellect…yet despite all these “advances” we are no wiser.

Is this not true amidst our “advanced” culture. We have seen so many advances in technology over the past several decades. Everywhere you turn, there is another celebration of human accomplishment. We have come so far!…but have we really?

Our world is still one covered in brokenness… and more so than ever before. The 20th century saw the greatest technological advances in history and the greatest human atrocities. For all our increased knowledge we are no wiser.

Wisdom cannot be found in us. It must come from outside us. Wisdom comes from God. The good news is that he is a gracious giver of wisdom to those who humble themselves and seek it in him instead of in themselves. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5).”

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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April 8, 2014

Lent Devotional: Job 27

Job 27 (click here)
Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. (Job 27:5-6)

Reflection
Job will never agree with his friends that he is being punished for some hidden sin. To have a relationship of integrity with God is more valuable to him than life itself. His friends say, “Repent and you will have favorable circumstances again,” but Job says, “I haven’t sinned.”

Let’s imagine for just a moment that Job did what his friends asked. He repented (even though he had not sinned) in order to experience God’s good gifts again. If he did that… he would actually be proving Satan’s accusation in chapter 1, namely, that Job only follows God because of God’s good gifts.

Job will not try to manipulate God! He will not give into his friends who are actually serving as tempters on behalf of Satan. No. He will hold fast to his integrity and value God above all!

Temptation to sin can come from anywhere…even through people attempting to give us “Godly” counsel. Job was able to spot the temptation because he knew the Lord intimately and he knew he’d done nothing to harm that relationship. We will be able to spot and fight temptation more effectively when we know the Lord more intimately.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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