June 28, 2006 - Job 11-13 and Acts 9:1-21
God is always right. Are you convinced of that fact? He is All-Wise, and He knows everything past, present, and future. He sees everything at once, too, because He is not bound by time. Therefore, He never makes a mistake. He always does the right thing in every situation. This fact is crucial in what we are reading today. I hope you will let God speak to you about His righteousness as you read.
Job 11 gives us the words of Zophar to Job. He urges Job to repent before God, because he assumes the suffering is caused by sin. However, all suffering does not come from sin. This was one instance in which Job's sin did not cause what was happening, so repentance would not change a thing. However, Zophar is correct in what he says about the mercy of God. (v.6b) He is also correct about the need for repentance for sin and the results of repentance. (v.13-17) The problem is that his remarks were insensitive, since he did not know all of the facts. That is why we must be very careful not to assume that we know everything. Only God knows everything.
Job's response shows us that he still wanted to know why this had happened. He felt that he needed to contend with God. He felt the need to reason with God. (13:3) Job did not stop trusting God. (13:15) However, even when he proclaims his faith, he says that he wants to defend his ways before God. I believe that this shows that Job was having a hard time believing that God was doing the right thing in his life at this moment in his life. He knew the wisdom and power of God. He knew God was in control, but in this case, he thought God was missing something. God never misses anything, and He always has a good reason for what He does, so there is no need to reason with God. At the end of the book we will see that Job comes to that conclusion. Job needed to trust God. He needed to rest in the fact that God never makes a mistake. That is hard when we are hurting, but it is a truth that will help us through the pain. It will help us wait until we can see what God is doing.
In Acts 9 we read about Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. His heart was ready to receive Christ because of Stephen's faith even in death. Jesus revealed Himself to Saul, and Saul confessed Him as Lord. (v.6) It was dramatic, but God knew it was the right way to appear to Saul. He knew just how to appear to you, too. Do you remember how He revealed Himself to you? It may not have been as dramatic, but it was just as real. It did not have to be like Saul, because you are not Saul. However, I like to focus on Ananias in this story. He is a regular Christian in Damascus. He is afraid of Saul, because of what he has heard. However, he trusts that God knows what he is doing, and he goes to meet Saul as God commanded him. Isn't that great faith from an ordinary guy? I think he should get a medal. May we all have trust in God like Ananias. Afterward, everyone could see the change in Saul, but he went before he saw any visible evidence of Saul's conversion.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 14-16 and Acts 9:22-43.
Job 11 gives us the words of Zophar to Job. He urges Job to repent before God, because he assumes the suffering is caused by sin. However, all suffering does not come from sin. This was one instance in which Job's sin did not cause what was happening, so repentance would not change a thing. However, Zophar is correct in what he says about the mercy of God. (v.6b) He is also correct about the need for repentance for sin and the results of repentance. (v.13-17) The problem is that his remarks were insensitive, since he did not know all of the facts. That is why we must be very careful not to assume that we know everything. Only God knows everything.
Job's response shows us that he still wanted to know why this had happened. He felt that he needed to contend with God. He felt the need to reason with God. (13:3) Job did not stop trusting God. (13:15) However, even when he proclaims his faith, he says that he wants to defend his ways before God. I believe that this shows that Job was having a hard time believing that God was doing the right thing in his life at this moment in his life. He knew the wisdom and power of God. He knew God was in control, but in this case, he thought God was missing something. God never misses anything, and He always has a good reason for what He does, so there is no need to reason with God. At the end of the book we will see that Job comes to that conclusion. Job needed to trust God. He needed to rest in the fact that God never makes a mistake. That is hard when we are hurting, but it is a truth that will help us through the pain. It will help us wait until we can see what God is doing.
In Acts 9 we read about Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. His heart was ready to receive Christ because of Stephen's faith even in death. Jesus revealed Himself to Saul, and Saul confessed Him as Lord. (v.6) It was dramatic, but God knew it was the right way to appear to Saul. He knew just how to appear to you, too. Do you remember how He revealed Himself to you? It may not have been as dramatic, but it was just as real. It did not have to be like Saul, because you are not Saul. However, I like to focus on Ananias in this story. He is a regular Christian in Damascus. He is afraid of Saul, because of what he has heard. However, he trusts that God knows what he is doing, and he goes to meet Saul as God commanded him. Isn't that great faith from an ordinary guy? I think he should get a medal. May we all have trust in God like Ananias. Afterward, everyone could see the change in Saul, but he went before he saw any visible evidence of Saul's conversion.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 14-16 and Acts 9:22-43.