Study from God’s Word… Job, Chapters 8 – 10 … Passage for Reflection: Job 9: 14 – 15 … NIV 14 "How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him? 15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.
My Journal for Today: The title for today’s devotional from Dr. LaGard Smith comes from the old 60s song by Jim Croce; and it gives a pretty clear reference to the way Job must’ve felt as he described his dilemma to his second “friend,” Bildad, the Shuhite. And also in Job’s reply to Bildad, he begins his plea to God, feeling very low, which we could certainly understand, given his horrible physical and emotional state. Remember Croce’s song, “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, and you don’t spit into the wind.”
I like Dr. Smith’s word picture as he compares Job’s feelings of smallness to the image of what we might feel like if we were the size an ant and we’re in the hands of someone the size of a human. Being the size of an ant in the hands of a human, we’d likely feel totally at the mercy of this giant creature; and we would feel it impossible to plead our case for mercy from the human to refrain from squashing us like the “bug” we know we are.
Have you ever felt about as big as an ant and being in the hands of a God Who seems so big and uncaring? Perhaps you’ve seen an ant on your kitchen floor and squashed him like the bug he is, having invaded your space. And maybe, given your set of circumstances, you image that God may see you like that ant, way too big to hear you; and maybe you feel like you don’t deserve to be in His presence.
As one reads and meditates through Job’s retort to Bildad, as I did this morning, you get the idea that Job felt way too small to plead his case before the God Whom Job dearly loved and the One he had followed so faithfully in his life to that point. But here he is, broken completely, knowing that God is God and could have prevented this from happening; and knowing that he really doesn’t deserve – at least in his estimation – to be where he is.
Ever been there; – or at least emotionally felt that way? Sometimes, because of our circumstances, we feel that God is distant; and because of God’s promises to always be with us, we can’t understand His seeming absence or distance. Well, my friend, those are times when our beliefs are tested, probably beyond the limits of human understanding; and our faith is bent almost to the breaking point (or maybe past that point). These are the times when – if we’re believers in Christ’s sacrifice as the God-man and we believe that God’s word is ALL COMPLETELY TRUE – our understanding and belief in passages like Romans 8 or Ephesians 1 is tested to the human limits of understanding. Do we really believe what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 116: 1 – 2 [linked]? Does God really [and ALWAYS] want to hear what we have to say? Again I take you back to Romans 8 or Ephesians 1 [each linked for your study]; … does God really care about us that much?
Well, if we believe that 2nd Tim. 3: 16 is true and we hold to the truth that ALL SCRIPTURE is the inspired word of God Himself, then we must conclude that God, though He may SEEM far away, is lovingly always within earshot; and His word must be true that He wants to hear our laments, our pleas, our confusion, and yes, even our anger.
So, if you’re feeling like you’re that ant who’s crawling in the hands of a WAY BIG GOD, cry out to Him. He will not only hear you, He will lovingly listen; and if you’re one of His, He’ll keep you in His loving arms forever. So go ahead, tug on His cape; … and yeah, even spit into the wind.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are way too big for me to comprehend You. But I feel Your love; and I’m thankful for Your loving presence. Amen
Showing posts with label confusion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confusion. Show all posts
Friday, September 10, 2010
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
2010 – April 7 – Making Sense of Seeming Unfairness
Study from God’s Word…2nd Sam 5: 6 – 8 [1st Chron. 11: 4-5]; 2nd Sam. 5: 9-10 [1st Chron. 11: 6-9]; 2nd Sam. 5: 11-12 [1st Chron. 14; 1-2]; 2nd Sam. 6: 1-5 [1st Chron. 13: 1-8]; 2nd Sam. 6: 6-11 [1st Chron. 13: 9-14]; 2nd Sam. 5: 17-25 [1st Chron. 14: 8-17]; 2nd Sam. 22: 1-51 [Psalm 18] … Passage for Reflection: 1st Chronicles 13: 9 – 10 … NIV 9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
My Journal for Today: This study today, especially the highlighted passage and devotional, points to how we can be confused and perplexed, seeing “acts of God” being carried out in our times or in history when those events seem so unfair or inexplicable.
That was the way it was for Uzzah, David’s loyal servant and soldier who was just doing what David had commanded by bringing the Ark back to the new City of David; and in the process, Uzzah reacted instinctively when the Arc began to fall precariously, touching the Ark of the Covenant in the process, something that no one was to do but the prescribed Levites. And ZAP, God struck him down … dead! Wow! Why would God do such a thing? And this is an example of other things in our lives when a complex set of circumstances, some of which are totally out of our purview, might cause an event or occurrence which is out of the realm of our human explanation.
Dr. Smith this morning used the analogy of a plane crash which may have been labeled to take place because of “pilot error;” but if the examiners had all the information available they may have discovered a lot of factors which led to the pilot’s decision which led to the accident. But in the case of God taking action against Uzzah, on the surface it seems like a capricious action on God’s part to take his life just because this man instinctively tried to keep the Arc from falling. But, as Dr. Smith points out in today’s devotional, what if David, remembering God’s prescribed way of transporting the Ark had done what God said should be done to move the Ark, having the Levites carry it on their shoulders. So, perhaps it was David’s fault that Uzzah took the rap and died for the incident in question.
I just don’t know; and I’ve come to realize, as it says in Isaiah 55: 8-9, that there will always be things which God does which I cannot, or will not ever, explain. And so, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, I just have faith that God knows what HE is doing and why HE is doing it … especially when I don’t understand it when HE does it.
And so, when God takes a life, like Uzzah, where the circumstances seem unfair; or He wreaks havoc on a people as He did in Haiti; or there are things in my life which just don’t seem right, by my understanding, I’m coming to the place in my life where I realize that I must believe and accept the truth of Romans 8: 28 (I hope you know that one by heart), and move on, … trusting God, as His word also says in Prov. 3: 5-6; and letting Him do what He must do to guide my life.
I hope and I will pray today that you join me in this step of faith in our discipleship.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help all who read here, and certainly myself, to recognize that You are God and You love Your children no matter what we may see happening in our lives which is not explainable by finite minds such as my own. Amen
My Journal for Today: This study today, especially the highlighted passage and devotional, points to how we can be confused and perplexed, seeing “acts of God” being carried out in our times or in history when those events seem so unfair or inexplicable.
That was the way it was for Uzzah, David’s loyal servant and soldier who was just doing what David had commanded by bringing the Ark back to the new City of David; and in the process, Uzzah reacted instinctively when the Arc began to fall precariously, touching the Ark of the Covenant in the process, something that no one was to do but the prescribed Levites. And ZAP, God struck him down … dead! Wow! Why would God do such a thing? And this is an example of other things in our lives when a complex set of circumstances, some of which are totally out of our purview, might cause an event or occurrence which is out of the realm of our human explanation.
Dr. Smith this morning used the analogy of a plane crash which may have been labeled to take place because of “pilot error;” but if the examiners had all the information available they may have discovered a lot of factors which led to the pilot’s decision which led to the accident. But in the case of God taking action against Uzzah, on the surface it seems like a capricious action on God’s part to take his life just because this man instinctively tried to keep the Arc from falling. But, as Dr. Smith points out in today’s devotional, what if David, remembering God’s prescribed way of transporting the Ark had done what God said should be done to move the Ark, having the Levites carry it on their shoulders. So, perhaps it was David’s fault that Uzzah took the rap and died for the incident in question.
I just don’t know; and I’ve come to realize, as it says in Isaiah 55: 8-9, that there will always be things which God does which I cannot, or will not ever, explain. And so, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, I just have faith that God knows what HE is doing and why HE is doing it … especially when I don’t understand it when HE does it.
And so, when God takes a life, like Uzzah, where the circumstances seem unfair; or He wreaks havoc on a people as He did in Haiti; or there are things in my life which just don’t seem right, by my understanding, I’m coming to the place in my life where I realize that I must believe and accept the truth of Romans 8: 28 (I hope you know that one by heart), and move on, … trusting God, as His word also says in Prov. 3: 5-6; and letting Him do what He must do to guide my life.
I hope and I will pray today that you join me in this step of faith in our discipleship.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help all who read here, and certainly myself, to recognize that You are God and You love Your children no matter what we may see happening in our lives which is not explainable by finite minds such as my own. Amen
Sunday, February 28, 2010
2010 – Feb. 28 – Mixed Signals from the Law
Study from God’s Word… Deut. 5: 17; Exod. 21: 12-14; Lev. 24: 17, 24b; Num. 35: 20-21, 16-19, 29-34; Exod. 22: 2-3; Num. 35: 22-25; Deut. 19: 4-6; Num. 35: 9-15; Deut. 19: 1-3, 7-10; Num. 35: 26-28; Deut. 19: 11-13; Num. 35: 32; Exod. 21: 25; Exod. 21: 16; Deut. 24: 7; Lev. 24: 19-20; Exod. 21: 26-27; Deut. 22: 25-29; Exod. 21: 15-21; Deut. 25: 11-12; Deut. 5: 19; Exod. 22: 1-4; Deut. 19: 14; … Passage for Reflection: Exodus 21: 20-21 … NIV 20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlighted passage (oh, I wish Dr. Smith had not chosen this one) is a case where my human comprehension cries out for explanation from God; but from our so-called “modern day” concept of justice; God’s word, in this regard, is nothing but confusing to me.
For centuries, and even into the 19th century in this county, I can imagine that this passage was used to justify the horrible enslavement of other humans, especially the stench on our country which was our enslavement of our African-American brothers/sisters. I know that there were those, even into the 20th century, wearing KKK robes and calling themselves “christian,” who spouted out this very passage as justification for their beatings of our darker-skinned brothers/sisters in Christ, whom they felt should have been retained as their “property.”
So, how do we explain many of the laws and rules of justice which I have studied today as the precursors for the system of law we have today? I’m afraid my heart, and especially my mind, is not astute enough to be able to do so with any great clarity. Dr. Smith feels that it may have been God moving His children through a cultural milieu which was much more cruel and punitive with regard to justice than those laws about which I was reading today which He imparted through Moses to His people. The pagan cultures surrounding the Israelites in Moses’ time were much harsher than would God’s Law be for the Hebrews as they were being prepared to go into the Promised Land. So, … maybe God had to give them laws which they could accept and use in their culture and their times; but by today’s standards, these laws, at times, seem bizarre at best and unusually vindictive at times.
Hence, here’s where I am forced, by my very limited ability to grasp these concepts of justice, to trust that God knew EXACTLY what He was giving His children for their just needs and cultural limitations in those days. I have to trust that God was moving His people toward the realization of justice which would come in the Person of The Messiah, Who would become the fulfillment of THE LAW. So, I’ll not try to speculate with “perhaps this” or “perhaps that” when it comes to understanding why God set His law in motion through Moses with laws like the one quoted as a study passage today.
As Dr. Smith closes, he asks a provocative question, ”If I am ever tempted to give up on God when I don’t understand how He acts (i.e., through His word and truth), what would be my alternative?” And to that I say, “Right on, brother!” When I don’t understand God’s word, I know that I’m being challenged to dig deeper into God’s full counsel (i.e., His entire Word) to get to know Him more deeply and intimately and to find His wisdom; and I know that every time I do that, I come out loving Him more, wanting to obey Him more diligently, and desiring to serve Him with more fervor. And that I know is a good and Godly pursuit, drawing me ever closer to my Savior.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to understand; but even more, help me to trust You when I don’t. Amen
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlighted passage (oh, I wish Dr. Smith had not chosen this one) is a case where my human comprehension cries out for explanation from God; but from our so-called “modern day” concept of justice; God’s word, in this regard, is nothing but confusing to me.
For centuries, and even into the 19th century in this county, I can imagine that this passage was used to justify the horrible enslavement of other humans, especially the stench on our country which was our enslavement of our African-American brothers/sisters. I know that there were those, even into the 20th century, wearing KKK robes and calling themselves “christian,” who spouted out this very passage as justification for their beatings of our darker-skinned brothers/sisters in Christ, whom they felt should have been retained as their “property.”
So, how do we explain many of the laws and rules of justice which I have studied today as the precursors for the system of law we have today? I’m afraid my heart, and especially my mind, is not astute enough to be able to do so with any great clarity. Dr. Smith feels that it may have been God moving His children through a cultural milieu which was much more cruel and punitive with regard to justice than those laws about which I was reading today which He imparted through Moses to His people. The pagan cultures surrounding the Israelites in Moses’ time were much harsher than would God’s Law be for the Hebrews as they were being prepared to go into the Promised Land. So, … maybe God had to give them laws which they could accept and use in their culture and their times; but by today’s standards, these laws, at times, seem bizarre at best and unusually vindictive at times.
Hence, here’s where I am forced, by my very limited ability to grasp these concepts of justice, to trust that God knew EXACTLY what He was giving His children for their just needs and cultural limitations in those days. I have to trust that God was moving His people toward the realization of justice which would come in the Person of The Messiah, Who would become the fulfillment of THE LAW. So, I’ll not try to speculate with “perhaps this” or “perhaps that” when it comes to understanding why God set His law in motion through Moses with laws like the one quoted as a study passage today.
As Dr. Smith closes, he asks a provocative question, ”If I am ever tempted to give up on God when I don’t understand how He acts (i.e., through His word and truth), what would be my alternative?” And to that I say, “Right on, brother!” When I don’t understand God’s word, I know that I’m being challenged to dig deeper into God’s full counsel (i.e., His entire Word) to get to know Him more deeply and intimately and to find His wisdom; and I know that every time I do that, I come out loving Him more, wanting to obey Him more diligently, and desiring to serve Him with more fervor. And that I know is a good and Godly pursuit, drawing me ever closer to my Savior.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to understand; but even more, help me to trust You when I don’t. Amen
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
2009 – Day 243.Sept 01 – A Lot of Grace
September, 2009 Topic: Job … Continued from Aug. 31, 2009
====================
Passage of the Day: Job 17 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: I agree whole heartedly with Chuck Swindoll today about why he says he loves the Bible. His reason; – “It is so real!” And that’s what we read in Chapter 17, … Job’s very real and very human appeal to God for relief.
Here, the man has lost everything, including his kids; and he’s now encumbered with horrible, painful boils; and then he’s been enduring absolute foolishness from his so-called “friends.” And as we’ve read through those speeches from Eliphaz and the others, I agree with Swindoll. If I had been God I would have pushed the button on mercy long before this; and I would have visited some relief for Job and some very severe retribution on the three stooges, especially Eliphaz. Swindoll had it right, … maybe having the lips fall off of Eliphaz would have been a nice touch. But as I say so often here in my quiet place, “God is God; and I am not.” And the Lord has chosen to make Job wait on God some more … to ponder and pursue God’s mercy with prayers like the one we read in today’s passage.
And it’s the waiting in faith that becomes the hard part of this relationship with God, isn’t it? It’s holding on to the trust, which is demanded in a passage like Prov. 3: 5 – 6. I hope you know that one by heart. If not, please look it up and meditate on its truth. And remember, it closes by saying, “In ALL your ways, acknowledge [God]; and He will make your paths straight.” [NIV] And that’s exactly what Job is doing in Chapter 17, … pleading with God to give him a straight way out of all of what he has confronted. Job wants to see some light to make it through the fog of his life.
And Swindoll closes with the quote of quotes from the old hymn again, Amazing Grace, which says …
Thru many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
And as Swindoll closes, “Even through the fog, grace will lead us home.”
My Prayer for Today: Oh, my Lord, the world is so foggy. Please lead us home with Your grace. Amen
====================
Passage of the Day: Job 17 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: I agree whole heartedly with Chuck Swindoll today about why he says he loves the Bible. His reason; – “It is so real!” And that’s what we read in Chapter 17, … Job’s very real and very human appeal to God for relief.
Here, the man has lost everything, including his kids; and he’s now encumbered with horrible, painful boils; and then he’s been enduring absolute foolishness from his so-called “friends.” And as we’ve read through those speeches from Eliphaz and the others, I agree with Swindoll. If I had been God I would have pushed the button on mercy long before this; and I would have visited some relief for Job and some very severe retribution on the three stooges, especially Eliphaz. Swindoll had it right, … maybe having the lips fall off of Eliphaz would have been a nice touch. But as I say so often here in my quiet place, “God is God; and I am not.” And the Lord has chosen to make Job wait on God some more … to ponder and pursue God’s mercy with prayers like the one we read in today’s passage.
And it’s the waiting in faith that becomes the hard part of this relationship with God, isn’t it? It’s holding on to the trust, which is demanded in a passage like Prov. 3: 5 – 6. I hope you know that one by heart. If not, please look it up and meditate on its truth. And remember, it closes by saying, “In ALL your ways, acknowledge [God]; and He will make your paths straight.” [NIV] And that’s exactly what Job is doing in Chapter 17, … pleading with God to give him a straight way out of all of what he has confronted. Job wants to see some light to make it through the fog of his life.
And Swindoll closes with the quote of quotes from the old hymn again, Amazing Grace, which says …
Thru many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
And as Swindoll closes, “Even through the fog, grace will lead us home.”
My Prayer for Today: Oh, my Lord, the world is so foggy. Please lead us home with Your grace. Amen
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