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Job 4:7-8

7 “Remember: who that was innocent ever perished?

Or where were the upright cut off?

8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity

and sow trouble reap the same.

            The words above are those of Eliphaz the Temanite, one of Job’s “friends” who came to “comfort” him during his time of distress. Immediately after Job spoke of his misery, his pain, his depressed desire to have never been born, Eliphaz offered Job a rebuke. Eliphaz just knew that Job was in the wrong, and he was going to straighten him out.

            In verses 7-8, we see Eliphaz respond to Job with the same teaching that is often connected with the prosperity gospel on the one hand and an over-developed sense of God’s punishment on the other. The logic goes something like this: God always blesses the faithful; you are not blessed; therefore you must not be faithful. The funny thing is, God declared in chapters 1 and 2 of Job that Job was indeed faithful. Job’s suffering had nothing to do with him failing God in any form.

            What’s the big problem? The problem in verses7-8 is a foolish view that the faithful people of God should not and will not suffer in the here and now. This has never been the message of Scripture. Yes, God made promises to Israel that, if they obeyed him as a nation under his special covenant, he would grant the nation great success and prosperity. However, that promise was not an all-inclusive, no-holds-barred, name-it-and-claim-it promise that no person who follows God will ever have a hard time. God has quite often seen fit to challenge his people with hardships in order to allow them to experience his faithful comfort, support, and provision as well as to prove their faith in him by something more than a good thought or simple lip-service.

            Christians, if you see someone, whether a godly or ungodly person, going through a hardship, please be wise. Do not ever assume that you know the reason why God allowed this to happen. You do not. Let me say that again: You do not! God is good. God’s purposes are perfect. And God’s reasons are his own. Why did God allow that sickness, that accident, that earthquake, that tornado, or that financial collapse? You don’t know. He is wiser than you. He is greater than you. And for you to tell another person, city, or nation that you know that the reason something happened is for you to communicate a false gospel, one of good behavior leading to perfect ease in this life.

            I’m not at all suggesting that you do not warn people of the consequences for sin or for foolish choices. If I choose to eat too much, I will be unhealthy—simple cause and effect. If I choose to spend more than I earn, I will have financial difficulties. But, if I get sick or am in an auto accident, you cannot faithfully argue that this is because my prayer life was not up-to-speed or because God is actively doing this or that in my life. Yes, God is sanctifying me, even through my hardship, but that is all you can know for sure. And, the only reason you know that for sure is because God has told us in Scripture that he is using all things worked together to conform me to the image of Christ (cf. Romans 8:28-30).

            I know that we often want to help a hurting person by telling them about what we know to be God’s intent. We want to make suffering make sense. But I’ve never seen it help. How about, instead of telling someone about what you believe is the reasoning behind something, just care. I’m not saying that there is no reason to bring Scripture to bear here. Of course you comfort people with the Word of God. Of course you may remind someone that God is good and in control. But, as I have heard John Piper teach, the hospital room is not the place to teach your people theology. If they do not have a solid theology of suffering put in place before the tragedy, you will not help them by trying to bring them a theology of suffering in the middle of the pain. Weep with those who weep. Express your sorrow for them that they are hurting. But, please, avoid a smug assertion that you know what God is up to. Love will go much farther than explanations in many cases.

            What about you? What has actually helped you when you experienced suffering? How would you want someone to respond to you in the midst of pain?

Matthew 18:7

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!”

            This verse shows us an interesting balance between sovereignty and responsibility. Jesus makes it plain that it is “necessary” that temptations come. Thus, temptations are going to happen. it is unavoidable. It must happen. Thus, under the sovereign decree of God, temptations come. At the same time, these temptations are not from God, caused by God, the responsibility of God, etc., because we know that God does not tempt us toward evil.

            Yet, God clearly pronounces woe on the one who brings the temptation. Even though the temptation will come. Even though it is necessary for temptation to come. The one who , by his own choice, brings that temptation—that sovereignly decreed temptation—is someone who will very righteously receive woe, a curse, from God.

            One point here is that we cannot ever, under any circumstances, make excuses for sin under the guise of the ultimate sovereignty of God. God is just. He is sovereign. He can actually, in his sovereignty, say that something like temptation is necessary. Yet, at the same time, God can justly punish the one who brings that sovereignly decreed temptation.

            This topic is a tough one for us to wrap our brains around. In fact, we cannot fully grasp the ways of the Lord. But this we can say for sure: God is sovereign and man is responsible for his own actions. We cannot be freed from responsibility by pleading the sovereignty of God. Neither can we accuse God of doing us wrong, as our own actions are always by our own choices. Yet, when we do rightly, we can also be assured that any right we do is a mercy granted to us by God, and this to his glory.

Ecclesiastes 11:5

As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

            Without overemphasis, I want to make a simple pro-life argument from a verse that I have never seen used for that purpose. Ecclesiastes 11:5, in making the point that we do not understand the ways of God, points out to us that we have no idea how God gives “the spirit” to a child in the womb. We do not know how a living soul is put into the flesh of a child, and so how can we possibly know the ways of the Lord.

            Now, here is the simple argument that comes to me this morning. If we do not know how God gives life, the soul or spirit, to a child, how dare we destroy it? If we are going to make a mistake here, the mistake simply must be on the side of the preservation of life. There can be no credence given to any argument that declares a child only alive or only to have value when it is of a certain size, a certain age, or in a certain location (outside its mother’s womb). No, as we do not know anything about how God gives “the spirit” to a child in the womb, we must make it our choice to protect all children in the womb. Babies have life (“the spirit”) given to them by God. WE must protect that life as we protect all people who are created in the image of God.

            Of course there are more arguments, clearly biblical arguments, for the protection of human life. This one could even be much better formed. However, it is another fascinating truth to be held to by the people of God as we strive to honor God in every arena of life.

Matthew 11:2-3

2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

            I’ve always found this question from John the Baptist fascinating. John had seen the Holy Spirit of God come down and rest upon Jesus at his baptism. John knew that this was the sign promised to him by God that he would prepare the way for the Lord’s anointed, the promised Rescuer from God. Yet, here John asks Jesus if he was right. Was Jesus really the one God has promised?

            Why would John ask this? John was suffering. John was in prison. John was about to be executed. An evil human ruler had put John in jail, would soon take off his head, and was facing no apparent consequences. The man John had proclaimed as the coming King promised by God was doing nothing to put a stop to this.

            Why was John confused? He wanted Jesus to turn the world upside-down. He, like others of that day, wanted to see Jesus set up an earthly kingdom that would set right the wrongs of the world and put down the oppressors of God’s people. John knew that Jesus was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” However, John did not know how this would all work out any more than did Jesus’ disciples who showed constant confusion about Jesus’ ultimate plan until his resurrection. John was confused, because things did not at all work out like he had hoped.

            Jesus responds to John’s messengers with the reminders of the way that Jesus was pushing back the darkness in the world. Jesus was healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, healing those who could not walk, and even raising the dead. IN all that he did, Jesus was defeating the effects of the fall of man. Jesus was bringing the Kingdom of God, but in a different way and in a different timing than John expected. But, John was not to doubt, Jesus is exactly who John had proclaimed earlier, the Promised One from God.

            There is something that we should consider as we think about John’s question and his predicament. John knew Jesus. He proclaimed Jesus. Jesus himself would declare that John was among the greatest born of woman. Yet, for all this, John suffered. John’s life did not go smoothly. He was abused. He was eventually murdered. No matter how faithful John had been, he did not find the payoff in this life.

            The truth is, we will not always have it easy. Some faithful Christians suffer greatly. Others suffer in small ways. For some, ministry is a joy. Others suffer great hardship and pain. Some see churches grow. Some feel the betrayal of those they have trusted. Some live in financial peace and give to kingdom causes. Others suffer poverty. Some are free. Some are persecuted. Some have big families. Some never find a spouse though a family is their desperate desire. Some are healthy. Some are sick. Some seem to succeed. Others never seem to get it together.

            Christians, knowing and loving God is no guarantee of ease in this life. Suffering is often part of the life of a believer. This is not a sign that Jesus is not who he claimed to be. Jesus always told us that we would suffer for the sake of the kingdom. Until Jesus returns and sets everything right, finally right, we will wrestle through hardships and joys, tragedies and triumphs, as we march on toward the promise of the Savior.

            John was discouraged and a little confused. Jesus reminded him that John’s original view of Jesus was correct. Even though John suffered, Jesus is still the Savior and the Promised Rescuer. We too need to press on and continue to trust Jesus, even when things do not find our picture of how life should go.

Proverbs 18:1

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;

he breaks out against all sound judgment.

            In our modern culture, the concept of privacy has become a coveted and protected “right.” However, in the words of scripture, clinging to privacy is a very dangerous thing.

            I think particularly now about a friend of mine who has been a friend for a long time. I can always tell when he is doing well and when he is doing poorly. How? The more private he becomes, the more in shambles is his Christian walk. The more open he is with me, the better he is doing. Rest assured, I do not believe that I am any sort of deciding factor in his life. But, the truth is, when he tries to keep things to himself, to hide from others, to drop off the edge of the planet, it is generally because he is also hiding sin and foolish behavior about which he does not want to be confronted.

            And, the truth is, I am also similar. If I’m being foolish, I try to hide it. If I am leaning away from godliness, I often turn inward. I don’t want to share my life with friends who might show me that I am heading in a wrong direction.

            The point of this proverb is obvious. Are you one who hides his or her actions? If so, you are in danger. Are you one who relies on your own counsel alone? You are foolish. You need Christian friends around you to help you to grow. You cannot make it in this life alone; you were not designed to. Find a church. Find Christian friends. Be open and honest. Do not fight for privacy. Tell the truth. Walk with others. This is the path of wise Christian living.