Job Was Better than I

Today’s Reading: Job 30-31; Acts 13:26-52

Job is still stating his case for why he feels that he is being treated unfairly by God. As I read through this it got me thinking one thing in particular:

Job sure is a better man than me.

Let’s go through some of chapter 31 so that you can see what I mean.

 1 "I made a covenant with my eyes
       not to look lustfully at a girl.

Yep, I’ve done that. Strike one. But geez… look what he goes on to say.

 9 "If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
       or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,

 10 then may my wife grind another man's grain,
       and may other men sleep with her.

 11 For that would have been shameful,
       a sin to be judged.

Whoa whoa whoa! Ummm… dude you’re willing to swear by your wife in such a graphic adulterous fashion? Nope, not I sir. All this time I never realized how serious he was. I knew he was serious but this really put it in context. My man Job is willing to condemn himself in ways that I’d never think of. He is THAT sure that he is blameless.

Rock on sir.

 13 "If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants
       when they had a grievance against me,

 14 what will I do when God confronts me?
       What will I answer when called to account?

 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
       Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

He really gets the great commandment. He really gets that he is no better than anyone else. He really gets the importance of loving his neighbor. It’s pretty inspiring.

 21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
       knowing that I had influence in court,

 22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
       let it be broken off at the joint.

That’s a bit dramatic… But I guess I would be too if I had lost all my children, my possessions and was covered head to toe with boils for no apparent reason.

 24 "If I have put my trust in gold
       or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,'

 25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
       the fortune my hands had gained,

I know I have worried too much about money and didn’t trust enough in faith. Yep. I can’t claim this one either.

 26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
       or the moon moving in splendor,

 27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
       and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

 28 then these also would be sins to be judged,
       for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

Ok ok… I’ve checked my horoscope on occasion… But hey, my fellow Virgos and I have a lot in common. Umm.. I’ll stop now.

 29 "If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune
       or gloated over the trouble that came to him-

Yep, another strike… definitely done this before.

33 if I have concealed my sin as men do,
       by hiding my guilt in my heart

Yep and that too…

Goodness gracious Job must have been the illest! I cannot imagine actually wanting to stand before God to lay out a case for my righteousness and being able to say all that this man is saying. It’s so easy to understand now why he is so mad. I’d be mad too if I believed all of these things about myself.

But what does make me feel good is that we aren’t judged by our deeds. Of course we won’t be perfect. Of course we will make mistakes. Perfection is not the standard that we are judged against.

Rather, we are viewed in the context of our faith and love; by how much our love for God is revealed in our endeavor to love each other.

I have a feeling that as long as I stick with those two things everything else will fall into place.