November 19 ~ Job 13
I'm Taking My Case to God
1-5"Yes, I've seen all this with my own eyes, heard and understood it with my very own ears.
Everything you know, I know,
so I'm not taking a backseat to any of you.
I'm taking my case straight to God Almighty;
I've had it with you—I'm going directly to God.
You graffiti my life with lies.
You're a bunch of pompous quacks!
I wish you'd shut your mouths—
silence is your only claim to wisdom.
6-12 "Listen now while I make my case,
consider my side of things for a change.
Or are you going to keep on lying 'to do God a service'?
to make up stories 'to get him off the hook'?
Why do you always take his side?
Do you think he needs a lawyer to defend himself?
How would you fare if you were in the dock?
Your lies might convince a jury—but would they
convince God?
He'd reprimand you on the spot
if he detected a bias in your witness.
Doesn't his splendor put you in awe?
Aren't you afraid to speak cheap lies before him?
Your wise sayings are knickknack wisdom,
good for nothing but gathering dust.
13-19 "So hold your tongue while I have my say,
then I'll take whatever I have coming to me.
Why do I go out on a limb like this
and take my life in my hands?
Because even if he killed me, I'd keep on hoping.
I'd defend my innocence to the very end.
Just wait, this is going to work out for the best—my salvation!
If I were guilt-stricken do you think I'd be doing this—
laying myself on the line before God?
You'd better pay attention to what I'm telling you,
listen carefully with both ears.
Now that I've laid out my defense,
I'm sure that I'll be acquitted.
Can anyone prove charges against me?
I've said my piece. I rest my case.
Why Does God Stay Hidden and Silent?
20-27 "Please, God, I have two requests;
grant them so I'll know I count with you:
First, lay off the afflictions;
the terror is too much for me.
Second, address me directly so I can answer you,
or let me speak and then you answer me.
How many sins have been charged against me?
Show me the list—how bad is it?
Why do you stay hidden and silent?
Why treat me like I'm your enemy?
Why kick me around like an old tin can?
Why beat a dead horse?
You compile a long list of mean things about me,
even hold me accountable for the sins of my youth.
You hobble me so I can't move about.
You watch every move I make,
and brand me as a dangerous character.
28 "Like something rotten, human life fast decomposes,
like a moth-eaten shirt or a mildewed blouse."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I’m a list maker. I make grocery lists, “to-do” lists, etc. Lately I’ve been working on my Christmas lists – a gift list, a holiday meal planning list, and a Christmas card list. I mark things off as they are accomplished, and it’s a good feeling to make that mark and get something done.
Job is wanting God to give him a list of his sins, so that he can mark them off and get out of the trouble he is experiencing. He’s so desperate that he has made some pretty serious ultimatums… 1) he’s accused God of hiding from him; and 2) he has announced that he has suffered enough, and God needs to stop punishing him! Job is headed down a pretty slippery slope here!
There are 2 points I want to make today… 1) we don’t need a “list” of our sins, because Jesus has already marked off all of them. All we have to do is invite Christ to live within us… and then live for Him each day, and He will pay for every sin we will ever accumulate; and 2) God is not hidden from us. He is right here with us, ready to hear our cries for help. He may not answer as fast as we would like or in the way we want, but He does hear our cries. We aren’t supposed to deliver ultimatums to God… we must recognize His power and supremacy. But we can ask for mercy… we can call on Him to comfort us and deliver us, and in His timing and according to His will, He will answer.
So save your lists for Christmas cards and gifts and groceries, and walk with God each day secure in the knowledge that He is in complete control.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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November 18 ~ Job 12:13-25
From God We Learn How to Live
13-25 "True wisdom and real power belong to God;
from him we learn how to live,
and also what to live for.
If he tears something down, it's down for good;
if he locks people up, they're locked up for good.
If he holds back the rain, there's a drought;
if he lets it loose, there's a flood.
Strength and success belong to God;
both deceived and deceiver must answer to him.
He strips experts of their vaunted credentials,
exposes judges as witless fools.
He divests kings of their royal garments,
then ties a rag around their waists.
He strips priests of their robes,
and fires high officials from their jobs.
He forces trusted sages to keep silence,
deprives elders of their good sense and wisdom.
He dumps contempt on famous people,
disarms the strong and mighty.
He shines a spotlight into caves of darkness,
hauls deepest darkness into the noonday sun.
He makes nations rise and then fall,
builds up some and abandons others.
He robs world leaders of their reason,
and sends them off into no-man's-land.
They grope in the dark without a clue,
lurching and staggering like drunks."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever driven down a street in a pouring rain, and then all of a sudden, it’s as if someone drew a line on the pavement, and it is bone dry… not a drop of water anywhere. One time when we were in college, we had a really warm February day with tornadoes and rain and wind, and the next day we had four inches of snow on the ground! Maybe you have heard of people who are about to be evicted because they can’t pay their rent, and the next day, an envelope with just the right amount of money “appears” in the mail. Or someone has a serious illness or a tumor, and they go to the doctor for a checkup and the problem is “mysteriously” gone! Or maybe you have heard of people who were almost in a car accident… or maybe they were in an accident but not seriously hurt, and the police said, “had it been 2 minutes earlier, they would have been killed or thrown into a ravine, etc.”
These are not accidents… there is evidence every day of God’s power. God is in control… of even the seemingly smallest of events in our lives. Now that I have reminded you of His power and presence, does it change how you will live today?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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November 17 ~ Job 12:1-12
1-3 Job answered:
"I'm sure you speak for all the experts,
and when you die there'll be no one left to tell us how to live.
But don't forget that I also have a brain—
I don't intend to play second fiddle to you.
It doesn't take an expert to know these things.
4-6 "I'm ridiculed by my friends:
'So that's the man who had conversations with God!'
Ridiculed without mercy:
'Look at the man who never did wrong!'
It's easy for the well-to-do to point their fingers in blame,
for the well-fixed to pour scorn on the strugglers.
Crooks reside safely in high-security houses,
insolent blasphemers live in luxury;
they've bought and paid for a god who'll protect them.
7-12 "But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;
let the birds tell you what's going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn't it clear that they all know and agree
that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—
Every living soul, yes,
every breathing creature?
Isn't this all just common sense,
as common as the sense of taste?
Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom,
that you have to grow old before you understand life?
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Isn’t it funny how so many people assume that rich and famous people “have it made” and don’t have problems. Yet look at the “beautiful” men and women who can’t seem to make a marriage work. Look at the celebrities in Hollywood who have serious problems with alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, physical violence and abuse, and more. And how many times have you looked at someone at church and thought, “they have it all together – they don’t have any problems.” Or, “they are so lucky!” Or you know someone who seems to have a “direct line to God.”
Sadly, so many times people are happy when someone rich and famous has troubles. Even worse, it seems to be human nature to see a faithful Christian with problems and say to ourselves, “See, even he/she doesn’t have it so tight with God!” And somehow we feel better for that. This is what Job is saying to his friends… he feels like they are laughing a little at his expense and saying, “yeah, Job… you have it soooo together, and yet God is giving you a pile of trouble – so ha, ha, ha!”
The truth is, we are none of us any better than anyone else or “luckier” than anybody else. In God’s eyes, we are all His children – we can all enjoy His blessings… but we are each one accountable for our behavior and our choices… AND we are all responsible for how we react to the trials and temptations and struggles of an earthly life.
To look at another person and make a judgment about their life is simply not our job. And that’s what Job is telling his friends… nobody’s life is perfect… but as a friend told me recently, “it’s not what you’ve got, but what you do with it.” So how are you doing?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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November 16 - Job 11:13-20
"Still, if you set your heart on God
and reach out to him,
If you scrub your hands of sin
and refuse to entertain evil in your home,
You'll be able to face the world unashamed
and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless.
You'll forget your troubles;
they'll be like old, faded photographs.
Your world will be washed in sunshine,
every shadow dispersed by dayspring.
Full of hope, you'll relax, confident again;
you'll look around, sit back, and take it easy.
Expansive, without a care in the world,
you'll be hunted out by many for your blessing.
But the wicked will see none of this.
They're headed down a dead-end road
with nothing to look forward to—nothing."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Can I tell you something? The day I fully surrendered to God was the day I felt completely free. For the first time, I didn’t have to struggle with, “should I or shouldn’t I?” God decided for me, and I just did whatever He said to do. It hasn’t always been easy, and there are days when I say, “Yeah, but God, this would be so cool!” And sometimes I even try it my way… but less and less often these days, and always with unsatisfying results.
There is something so incredibly joyful about being able to just “let go and let God.” There is something so comforting about being able to say you did what was right instead of what was popular or what felt good.
My maternal grandmother was often a very difficult person in her later years, and she made a lot of days miserable for my mother and me, especially. One day a dear precious lady from our church stopped my mother and touched her hand and said, “Someday the bad memories will fade and you will only remember the good things.” She had observed what was happening, and she offered some wise counsel. I have never forgotten those words, and some 13 years after my grandmother’s passing, they are very true. I remember the happier times, her homemade brownies and “sleepy-eyed eggs”, and how much she loved God and her family.
It was so tempting to say, “Why are you treating us this way?” and to lash back at my grandmother. Even when you know it is Parkinson’s and dementia, you still are angry and frustrated. But God gave us strength to persevere, and today we have the joy of knowing we treated my grandmother lovingly and with dignity, and we honored God by honoring His commandments about how to treat your parents (and grandparents). We “let go and let God” – and He took care of something we could not handle on our own.
What is it with you? Where are you trying to “have it your way” instead of God’s? What causes your struggles and your frustrations? Can’t you give them to God and let Him have control? It could be the best day of your life… so what are you waiting for?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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November 15 ~ Job 11:1-12
1-6 Now it was the turn of Zophar from Naamath: "What a flood of words! Shouldn't we put a stop to it?
Should this kind of loose talk be permitted?
Job, do you think you can carry on like this and we'll say nothing?
That we'll let you rail and mock and not step in?
You claim, 'My doctrine is sound
and my conduct impeccable.'
How I wish God would give you a piece of his mind,
tell you what's what!
I wish he'd show you how wisdom looks from the inside,
for true wisdom is mostly 'inside.'
But you can be sure of this,
you haven't gotten half of what you deserve.
"Do you think you can explain the mystery of God?
Do you think you can diagram God Almighty?
God is far higher than you can imagine,
far deeper than you can comprehend,
Stretching farther than earth's horizons,
far wider than the endless ocean.
If he happens along, throws you in jail
then hauls you into court, can you do anything about it?
He sees through vain pretensions,
spots evil a long way off—
no one pulls the wool over his eyes!
Hollow men, hollow women, will wise up
about the same time mules learn to talk.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
You go, Zophar! You are really putting Job in his place!
See, we are so proud and puffed up. We think we have it all figured out. We think that we are living “good” Christian lives, or we are “religious,” and that this is enough. Why on earth would God allow US good religious people to suffer. And yet, as Zophar points out, we haven’t gotten half of what we deserve.We have to realize that we are small seemingly insignificant specks in the scheme of God’s universe. Yet He knows how many hairs are on our head. If the God of the universe has that kind of power and knowledge, who are we to question His ways, or to claim to have great Spiritual wisdom.
It’s time for a slice of “humble pie,” here. It’s time for us to realize that we serve a mighty, mighty God, and to understand that it’s His job to decide when and where and how much joy or suffering we endure in this life, and it’s our job to continue to serve Him in humility and gratitude. That may not sound very cool or enjoyable, but I assure you, it is more than worth it!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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November 14 ~ Job 10:13-22
"But you never told me about this part.
I should have known that there was more to it—
That if I so much as missed a step, you'd notice and pounce,
wouldn't let me get by with a thing.
If I'm truly guilty, I'm doomed.
But if I'm innocent, it's no better—I'm still doomed.
My belly is full of bitterness.
I'm up to my ears in a swamp of affliction.
I try to make the best of it, try to brave it out,
but you're too much for me,
relentless, like a lion on the prowl.
You line up fresh witnesses against me.
You compound your anger
and pile on the grief and pain!
18-22 "So why did you have me born?
I wish no one had ever laid eyes on me!
I wish I'd never lived—a stillborn,
buried without ever having breathed.
Isn't it time to call it quits on my life?
Can't you let up, and let me smile just once
Before I die and am buried,
before I'm nailed into my coffin, sealed in the ground,
And banished for good to the land of the dead,
blind in the final dark?"
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I find it very interesting that Job goes on and on about how he wishes he had never been born, and then he asks God to “let me smile just once before I die and am buried.” In other words, he knows deep down that God has not left him. Why else would he ask for one more chance for a “day in the sun”? This verse, in the middle of such a desperate passage of brokenness and futility, gives us hope. It’s never too late for God to restore us. It’s not over until GOD says it’s over. No matter what is heaped on us, until God decides we have had enough and either delivers us or calls us home to Him, He give us strength and courage and see us through our struggles.
So don’t call it quits. Rise up and smile in confidence that the same God Who designed you is guiding your steps even now.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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November 13 ~ Job 10:1-12
1 "I can't stand my life—I hate it! I'm putting it all out on the table, all the bitterness of my life—I'm holding back nothing."
2-7 Job prayed:
"Here's what I want to say:
Don't, God, bring in a verdict of guilty
without letting me know the charges you're bringing.
How does this fit into what you once called 'good'—
giving me a hard time, spurning me,
a life you shaped by your very own hands,
and then blessing the plots of the wicked?
You don't look at things the way we mortals do.
You're not taken in by appearances, are you?
Unlike us, you're not working against a deadline.
You have all eternity to work things out.
So what's this all about, anyway—this compulsion
to dig up some dirt, to find some skeleton in my closet?
You know good and well I'm not guilty.
You also know no one can help me.
8-12 "You made me like a handcrafted piece of pottery—
and now are you going to smash me to pieces?
Don't you remember how beautifully you worked my clay?
Will you reduce me now to a mud pie?
Oh, that marvel of conception as you stirred together
semen and ovum—
What a miracle of skin and bone,
muscle and brain!
You gave me life itself, and incredible love.
You watched and guarded every breath I took.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever said, “I hate my life!” or some version of this phrase? Quite often, we say things like this rather casually, without realizing the seriousness of this comment. Your life is a gift from GOD! He made you then threw away the mold, so to speak. You are unique – a one-of-a-kind creation! I can’t begin to even try to describe His love and joy as He formed YOU!
Did you ever make something with your hands? Maybe you created a clay dish in Bible school or kindergarten. Maybe you drew a masterpiece for your mom when you were little. Imagine coming home and finding your precious creation busted to smithereens or your art work wadded up and in the trash. Now imagine saying “I hate my life!” and how that must feel to God! He made each of us, and saying this is like breaking his creation or tossing it in the trash. Do not trivialize your life – not even casually.
Job is basically asking God, “How could you do this?” He wants to know “How could you let your artwork be disfigured and torn and broken?” He knows better, but he is so beaten down that he is at a point of desperation and frustration, and he is venting to the only One he feels can hear and help. And sometimes, we have to come to a point where we are totally worn down before we turn to God and ask Him, “How did I get here?” and more importantly, “Will you please help me?” God wants us to ask. He wants us to call out to Him and humble ourselves before Him. YOU are His masterpiece… what shape are you in today?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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