If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! – Job 41:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 30, 2018): Job 41

For most of history, the Sperm Whale was a strange beast, the largest of the whales, that was only really viewed from a distance. And the size of the whale alone made the animal seem fierce. Add to that size the barnacles and the scars that appeared on the whale, and the resulting image only served to deepen the mystery of this majestic whale. We know now that the Sperm Whale is more vulnerable than maybe it once seemed, that it is a “gentle giant” in the deep. But for most of history, it was a fierce giant of the deep

Of course, the struggle of Captain Ahab against the Sperm Whale in “Moby Dick” is an excellent illustration of exactly what God is saying to Job. No, we do not know that the leviathan of Job was a mysterious Sperm Whale. Biblical experts have argued that the Leviathan was anything from a mythical creature, maybe a dragon - which I believe might have been inspired by the sightings of these giants of the sea, to a very large crocodile. But either way, the struggle of Ahab against the White Whale illustrates God’s point. Battling the great beast of the sea is not something that, even now, we would do without proper preparation.

But God, on the other hand, is the creator of the leviathan. Job needs to pay attention to this God of the storm because even the leviathan listens in his presence. This creature, which is beyond Job’s understanding and power, purrs like a kitten at the touch of God

The words are intended to give Job, and the readers of the story, some perspective on God. There is no creature, and no problem too big for him. And, therefore, we should live in great respect of this God, and we should also gain an understanding that we, his creation, moving with his Spirit, can solve the problems that confront us. Like Job, there may be a moment when we are left questioning our place in this world, and there may be a moment when the God of the storm has to come and remind us of his power, but “in Him” we have all the power we need to take care of the problems of this life.

But first, we must consider the leviathan and the God who created even the giants that scare us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 42

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. – Job 40:6-7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 29, 2018): Job 40

President Donald Trump likes, or maybe better described as liked, to employ a familiar handshake technique in his meetings with other men. To be honest, it is a technique that most of us males have employed at some time, however, usually in our teens; an age which President Trump left behind a few decades ago. The technique is to squeeze your opponent’s hand, and opponent is the most appropriate word because the technique essentially turns the handshake from a greeting into a contest, as hard as you can. As kids, the technique meant that we squeezed the hand until our opponent cried for release. As an adult, the release comes when your opponent relaxes his (this is a primarily testosterone driven challenge) hand, implicitly giving up on the challenge. President Trump brought us to tears with laughter with his attempt to play the game with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and possibly employed the method a little more cautiously after that contest, especially with much younger opponents.

God has already begun his instruction of Job and his friends, and he has injected some humor into the conversation, but it is important to note that God has not softened his approach to Job and his friends. He still speaks from the storm or the whirlwind, displaying his overwhelming power. And he tells Job that the time has come for him to man up. The words of God to Job are clear. “I am not done with you yet. I am going to question you, and you are going to answer me. We are going to come to an understanding.” There is no doubt that the stance of God will soften, it’s just that the eventual softening isn’t going to happen yet.

And so Job prepares himself for a handshake with an all-powerful God. In his discussion with this friends, his language has changed. He has treated God more like an opponent to be challenged than a friend to be greeted. Now the Almighty God returns the favor. If you can forgive me for being a little sacrilegious in this moment, the difference between God and President Trump when they employ the handshake contest is that God knows he will win, President Trump only thinks he can win. And sometimes it is evident, and funny when the President of the United States loses. But in the midst of the challenge with God, we begin to recognize our lack and all that we thought we understood, but in reality about which we have no idea.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 41

“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork. – Job 39:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 28, 2018): Job 39

Have you ever tried to read Dr. Seuss without smiling?

A train! A train!
Could you, would you
on a train?

Not on a train! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! Sam! Let me be!
I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.
I will not eat them with a mouse
I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them here or there.
I will not eat them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

“Green Eggs and Ham” is one of a range of possible bedtime stories for which my grandchildren might ask as the sun sets and it is time once more to prepare for the inevitable moment of sleep. And I admit, one of my grandsons is named William, so the occasional “Will-I-Am” gets thrown into the mix when I read the Dr. Suess classic. My own love affair with Dr. Suess dates back to a dreadfully boring visit that my parents made to the home of some friends. I am not sure what was wrong with me that day, but playing with the children, all of whom were at least slightly younger than me and female, simply did not appeal on that visit. So, while the adults sat and talked (what is fun about that?) and the younger children played, I discovered the full Dr. Suess library in one of the rooms. I sat on the floor and read, and smiled because reading Dr. Suess is always a ridiculous experience.

Do you smile when you read the Bible? My bet is not, and admittedly the Bible is filled with serious, and sometimes boring, bits. But it is also filled with the ridiculous. Job is a fairly serious book, but even here God places some humor. I mean, have you ever seen an ostrich flap its wings? It is a scene worthy of Dr. Suess.

            Have you seen an ostrich flap its wings?

            Have you watched an ostrich when it sings?

            It flaps and flaps but can’t go high.

            Why give it wings when it cannot fly?

(I know, a poor imitation, but I had to try.) But just like reading Dr. Suess without smiling, it is equally impossible to watch an ostrich flap its wings without feeling at least mildly amused. Theologian Rex Mason sums up the scene presented here with this remark. “This passage is remarkable in that it continues the first and only real humor in the book of Job. Leave it to God to pull a stunt like this, forcing a smile out of Job at a time when the poor fellow has been so intent on his misery.” Leave it to God to bring a smile to our lips even in the midst of our worst moments, if we are willing to hear his voice.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 40

On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? - Job 38:6-7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 27, 2018): Job 38

I was listening to part of an old lecture given by Stephen Hawking recently and was interested in his comment that scientists, by in large, have fallen out of love with the “Big Bang Theory” of the origin of the universe largely because of its implications. And by implication, he meant that the “Big Bang Theory” implies the existence of God or some other “Prime Mover.” For the rest of the lecture, Hawking contemplated a “Big Bang Theory” without God, but the truth is that the theory works better with a “Prime Mover” or “First Cause” – or God.

But the controversy also reveals something else. The argument reveals that we all have conceptions of reality that shape our beliefs. No belief statement is developed in a vacuum. If you begin with the assumption of God, then you will find evidence of God. If the reverse is true and you begin with an assumption that the universe just exists without the presence of a grand outside force, then you will find evidence of that. People who are angry with the church are often surprised at how easy it is to find evidence that disproves God. But the evidence is often more due to our anger than anything else. We are not objective beings. We develop theories that echo whatever feeling is raging ay the core of our beings. And the truth is that there is so much that we do not know, on both sides of the argument, about God and this earthly existence.

In some ways, God’s comment here to Job and his friends is, well, mean. I know that is hard to believe, but consider what God was saying. Job and his friends believed in a three-tiered universe, with heaven and the sun and the stars above, and hell below. The earth was simply a tier of construction; it was a floor in a three-story building. And every building that stands well is set into something solid. The stronger the footings and the cornerstone, the stronger the building, at least under normal circumstances. Job and his Jobites would have understood this method of construction. In fact, they would have used it in their own building.

Enter God. And the question he asks is a simple one. You believe in a three-tiered building of which the earth is the middle floor but, if that is true, then into what are the footings placed. The footings of the earth can’t be placed in heaven, because that is above. And they can’t be placed in hell because that would not be stable. There must be something else. There is so much that you don’t know.

And the fact that God’s question made sense is an indication of how much they didn’t know. We, of course, know more. The earth has no footings that Job would have understood. We know that there is an interconnectivity, an unseen force, that connects the earth, the sun, the moon, and the planets that hold the earth in place. But before we go patting ourselves on the back too hard, there is still much that we don’t know. Stephen Hawking, and people like him, are always pushing the boundaries of our knowledge and exploring what it is that we haven’t figured out. And in the process, I believe that they explore God in their own way. But of course, I also recognize that that is partially because I am willing to use God as the starting point – and the one who knows what it is that I don’t know. And while some physicists may rail against the “Big Bang Theory” because it implies a “Prime Mover,” I am comfortable with the idea that if we push our theories backward long enough, we will always reach a place where the answer is God.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 39

Personal Note: Happy Anniversary to my parents. I hope you both have a great day.

Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. – Job 37:2-3

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 26, 2018): Job 37

As a child, there was nothing I liked better than to wander outside in the early evening and watch the sky darkening with the approach of a storm. I just loved to watch the dance of the lightning and hear the roar of the thunder and, on a very hot day, feel the chill of the wind as the storm made its approach. And then, as the rain began to fall, to move inside and watch, through the living room picture window, drops of rain pound the yard, and the lightning as it lit up the sky, and once again feel the vibration of the thunder as the storm passed over our head. Maybe I should have become a storm chaser. There was just something intriguing about the raw power of the storm that could not be contained by our own feeble efforts.

Elihu feels that Job needed a lesson in the power of God, and there was no greater lesson than in watching a thunderstorm. For Elihu, the voice of God was heard in the thunder, vibrating the earth with its force, and speaking its decision with finality. The nineteenth-century pastor and theologian Adam Clarke agreed.  

“Nor is there a sound in nature more descriptive of, or more becoming, the majesty of God, than that of thunder. We hear the breeze in its rustling, the rain in its pattering, the hail in its rattling, the wind in its hollow howlings, the cataract [a large, powerful waterfall] in its dash, the bull in his bellowing, the lion in his roar; but we hear God, the Almighty, the Omnipresent, in the continuous peal of thunder! This sound, and this sound only, becomes the majesty of Jehovah” (Adam Clarke).

We can almost picture the conversation between Job and his friends happening as the wind begins to pick up and dark clouds gather in the distance. Lightning and the distant roar of thunder announce the approach of God. And Elihu makes use of the storm to once more drive home to Job the severity of his situation.

In Job, Elihu’s words foreshadow what it is that is about to take place. It is not just a storm that is approaching. God has heard enough, and now it is his turn to make his argument. The voice of God is about to be introduced into the discussion. He will be the next to take his turn in the discussion.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 38

He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. – Job 36:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 25, 2018): Job 36

A story is told about Queen Elizabeth II on an incognito walkabout in Scotland. Apparently, as she was walking around, and likely without the bright colors that normally adorns her, someone recognized “her Majesty.” Well, kind of. Someone pointed to her with the words “She looks just like the Queen.” Queen Elizabeth paused and remarked “How reassuring.”

I am convinced that there is something deep inside of us that wants to be noticed. Celebrities often rail against it and complain that they no longer possess any kind of a private life, but the reality is that, while the constant barrage of fans might be annoying, their absence would be equally disturbing. We all want fans, and to be recognized. Facebook might be proof of that fact. We will do anything (almost) to get our audience (fans) to press the “like” button. Maybe we should be glad that there isn’t a “dislike” button to even things out. 

In the midst of all that is going wrong for Job, the patriarch remarks that he feels like God has taken his eyes off of him. It was all that Elihu needed to hear to convict Job off wrongdoing. Obviously, if God had removed his eyes from Job, that action was a direct result of Job’s sin, at least in the eyes of Elihu. In Elihu’s world, God never removes his eyes from the righteous, and because the eyes of God are on the righteous, their circumstances reflect that attention (they are enthroned with kings and exalted forever.) Job’s situation is once again evidence of Job’s sin.

But the words of Elihu are the most damaging of lies. He begins by saying that the eyes of God are always on the righteous. This is completely true. However, the fact that God’s eyes are on us does not mean that we always feel like we have garnered his attention. Our reality, in the ups and downs of life, is that we often feel alone and unrecognized. The last statement in this verse is equally true; the righteous will be exalted forever. As with most dangerous lies, it is the middle section that presents the problem – the righteous are enthroned with kings. Job, sitting in a patch of burned ground, covered with sores for which there was no relief, and having lost his family and most of his material possessions, was not enthroned. This lack was proof of two things in the eyes of Elihu – Job was not righteous, and God had indeed taken his eyes off of him.

It is this lie that is often present in our own lives. Your circumstance does not mean that God no longer sees you. It doesn’t matter that you might be on a bit of an incognito “walkabout.” God sees you, recognizes you, and he knows who you are.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 37

“Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I am in the right, not God.’ – Job 35:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 24, 2018): Job 35

“Good Morning!" said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.

"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

"All of them at once," said Bilbo. "And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain.”

Words can mean many things, at least according to Gandalf in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit;” even if the words are just a common greeting. And it might be the common greetings of which we sometimes forget the meaning that becomes the most bothersome, like Bilbo’s Good Morning. We say “Goodbye,” or we don’t, depending on our outlook on parting, but often forget the root of the word. Goodbye is a contraction of “God be by ye” or in a little more modern English “God be with you.” So, if you are a believer in God, but you maintain that you don’t believe in saying “Goodbye,” what is it that you are saying. Do you not wish God to be with the one who is leaving your presence? Is the withholding of your “goodbye,” inserting a casual “see you later” or “until we meet again” instead, a message of malice that you hope that harm comes to your departing friend? Probably not. Unless that is exactly what you intended with your words, or you are good friends with the wizard Gandalf, and it is he who is doing the leaving.

Elihu returns to a familiar theme, the one that had been already presented by Job’s friends. He has searched the situation of Job, and he has listened to the words of Job, and now Elihu gives the situation and words a meaning that suits Elihu. No one argues that the situation of Job is bad. Elihu and the friends of Job argue that the situation is bad because Job has offended God and stands in the wrong. Job admits that the situation is bad, but he is at a loss to explain why. (And there are moments in all of our lives when we inhabit that same plane; things have gone dreadfully wrong, but we have no idea why.) And now Elihu steps up and gives meaning to Job’s confusion. It is obvious from the pain of Job that Job has sinned against God. Job then compounded that sin when he ignored the wise counsel of his friends, and then again in his refusal to repent of his sin. In fact, according to Elihu, Job’s refusal to repent has spoken clearly that Job believes that he is in the right and God is in the wrong. And according to Elihu, it does not matter if that is not what job intended to imply. It is the reality of the situation. Here Elihu becomes a Gandalf like character with his analysis. He supplies the meaning with confidence. God would not inflict this kind of pain on Job if Job were not in the wrong. Elihu thinks that this interpretation is plain and available to anyone who is willing to use their heads.

Of course, the message of the story is that we need to be careful when we are seeking out the meaning of words and situations. Because, sometimes, there is a different answer than the one that we think is plain. And sometimes stuff just happens, and we need to pause with Bilbo in the light of the sun and accept the moments which God has provided.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 36

Can someone who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? – Job 34:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 23, 2018): Job 34

It appears that the United States of America has restored the Monarchy that it ran from a little more than two hundred years ago. In a land that had maintained for decades that Lady Justice was blind, we are now waking up to a new truth. The Lady has undergone radical eye surgery and has regained her sight. The result is that Black Lives don’t matter, only white ones do. And the King is above all of this petty justice argument. The Mueller Probe is a witch hunt and grand waste of time and public money. Because in the end, the verdict doesn’t matter. Lady Justice has regained her eyesight, and the king has decided that all he has to do is to pardon himself if it happens that he is found guilty. Of course, the king is pretty sure that won’t happen now that Lady Justice has regained her eyesight. After all, he is white, male, and rich. If Lady Justice sees him, she will not dare to stand against him.

So it doesn’t matter which side of the political spectrum on which you might live. Because the question of whether you see the world from the right, center, or left doesn’t matter anymore. Neither does the name that you attach to that political belief, Republican or Democrat. Now the real question is whether or not you are a monarchist. A king, who is above justice, now sits on the throne. And as with the kings who have gone before him, all that matters is what he believes is right. Justice is a matter of concern only to those who are not kings or queens. They are the ones who have to work hard to curry the favor of the King.

Elihu asks an important question. Can someone who hates justice govern?  If age rules, then can those like, and the accusation seems to be directed against Job himself, the one who has been up until this point declaring his innocence, be placed in a position of governance. There is a slight difference between the idea of governing and that of ruling. One who governs is concerned with questions of ultimate justice. Admittedly they govern from a clear set of rules set out by the society. But whether it is landowners, or people of a certain racial background, or believers in a particular God, they believe in the idea of justice within that group. Much of contemporary Western Society is built around the idea of the equality of people, regardless of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or a myriad of other characteristics that may separate us. To govern, the governor has to assume a place within the society and declare that justice is uninfluenced by these things.

To rule, all one needs is a blanket authority. Whatever the ruler says or believes is law. And they, the ruler, are above the law. And that is the question to which Elihu is trying to ask. Is Job a governor or a ruler? Does he govern against the backdrop of absolute authority of God, or does he rule in place of God? It is an important distinction. And one that the American king has answered. He will rule over the people as one to whom justice does not matter. He will never be a governor charged with maintaining justice in the society.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 35

And they will go to others and say, ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved. – Job 33:27

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 22, 2018): Job 33

A friend’s car was broken into over the past weekend. Some damage was caused, and there was some theft of the things that had been left inside of the vehicle, including the change that was found in the ashtray. (Just as an aside, it is evidence of our extreme wealth that we keep money in what is essentially a garbage can; just sayin’.) And my friend was suitably upset. Being a religious man, he also called down hellfire on the perpetrators. If there was a bright side in the whole affair, it was the sure knowledge that he was going to heaven, but the lowlife idiots (his words were a little more colorful) who broke into his car would being going someplace else; someplace much hotter.

His emotional outburst was a little amusing (don’t tell him), and a little disturbing. I know we all do it, but it was based on what it is that we think that we deserve. Somehow, when someone wrongs us, we begin to think that we are the perfect ones. Donald Trump does something stupid, and Van Jones reacts as if there was never a moment when he did something as equally stupid. We speak about the racists who mar our societies, and then turn around and put down Muslims (or insert the faith group that annoys you the most here) and think that it is somehow okay because we do it on religious grounds. Maybe that tells us something about ourselves, although I am not sure that we are listening.

Elihu stumbles onto the truth. Job has been working hard to argue his innocence. But the problem is that none of us are truly innocent. There is some wrong that we have all committed. Essentially all that any of us might be able to argue is that we are less wrong than someone else, or that making a racial slur is not as wrong as making a religious one. But none of us, including Donald Trump and Van Jones, can maintain that we have never committed a wrong or a sin for which we require forgiveness from someone.

Job had sinned. He had also made sacrifices for his sin and the sins of his children. At best, Job had worked hard at keeping short accounts with God, asking for forgiveness in the evening for sins that had been committed in the light of the day. And he was working at living a life that could be considered righteous. But he was not innocent. Centuries later, Paul would put together a summary of the biblical understanding of man by writing:

   “There is no one righteous, not even one;
    there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).

Is this a pessimistic outlook on human life? Yes! But if we are honest with ourselves, we also recognize the truth. We are a fallen people. And Elihu’s summation is meant for all of us, including Job. None of us ever truly receive what it is that we deserve. At some point, God’s grace always interferes with that reality.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 34

But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. – Job 32:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 21, 2018): Job 32

“I believe what really happens in history is this: the old man is always wrong; and the young people are always wrong about what is wrong with him. The practical form it takes is this: that, while the old man may stand by some stupid custom, the young man always attacks it with some theory that turns out to be equally stupid.” It is in this way that G. K. Chesterton describes the battle of the generations. And in the end, everyone is wrong. In my society, the effect is often reversed. We have lost the respect for age. It is the young voice that is sought after and valued. I listened as one young pastor complained to me about the great age of his board. He had hoped that I could help him figure out a way to replace the aging voices with younger ones. Chesterton would argue that the result would be exchanging one wrong voice for another. And so the answer continues to elude us

As Elihu attempts to enter the conversation between Job and his friends, but he needs to find a way to justify his voice. In a world that values age, he is young. He has sat quietly by as the older men discussed the situation, but at least to Elihu, the conversation has been unfulfilling. There is no doubt that in the mind of Elihu, there have been arguments that were not being raised. There were things that he would say if he were just given a chance. But no one invites him to speak; age would seem to have no respect for his youth.

And so Elihu decides to force his way into the conversation without an invitation. And his justification for his voice is that it is the spirit inside of us, that which God has breathed into each of us, that brings true wisdom. Elihu, like Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, possesses that breath of God. Therefore, at least in the mind of Elihu, that gives him a right to give voice to the thoughts that are carrying on inside of his head. The older ones, bound by tradition, are wrong. Elihu will speak the voice of youth, but the problem is that the voice of youth will be no more correct than that of age. Elihu will simply be wrong for different reasons.

However, Elihu, like the others, has stumbled onto a truth. The breath of God does bring wisdom, and that wisdom is in all of the participants of the conversation. The problem is that it is the conversation that is important. In all of our interactions, truth and wisdom are found somewhere in the midst of our communication. Much like the story of Job, when we commit ourselves to speak with each other, God eventually appears – even though sometimes we don’t recognize him.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 33

It is a fire that burns to Destruction; it would have uprooted my harvest. – Job 31:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 20, 2018): Job 31

Oscar Wilde in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” remarks that “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” Wilde was a mistaken. As those of us who have given into temptation know, giving into temptation only increases the hold that temptation has on us. The only way to weaken the hold that temptation has on us is to resist its approach; to not even consider the possibility of giving in to it. And to understand the destruction that comes along with the giving into whatever it is that tempts us.

Job is talking about the temptation of being enticed by a woman who is not his wife. Job does not say that he has never been tempted by another woman. He has been enticed, but he had never given in to the temptation. And part of the reason for his resistance of temptation is that he understood the terrible consequences that would result because of his actions. Giving into that temptation would not just be a mark on Job’s character, it would destroy everything that Job had worked hard to build up, including the family that Job valued so consistently, and now missed. Job calls giving in to this temptation a fire that burns to “Abaddon,” a Hebrew word that is often used to describe the Devil or Hell.

I am currently teaching about Hell, but I hope not in the traditional sense. I am not sure that I believe that God sends us to hell, although I do believe in Hell in a very real sense. The problem is not that a vengeful God sends us to burn forever with this fire of Abaddon. The problem is much more evil than that. The problem with hell is that we choose it, in fact, we would not be happy in heaven

As Job talks about this temptation that can burn his life, destroying everything that he has built up, the reality that he realizes in his mind is all about how easy it would have been to choose that fire, to have followed the words of Oscar Wilde and freely given into the temptation. He could have chosen the fire. As Job looks around him, there are others who have done precisely that; they have chosen the fire. But Job doesn’t understand. He has not given in to the temptation because it is the resulting fire that scares him. But know his life lies in ruins. He has been burned to the core anyway.

One more note about hell. Job’s comment here about the fire of Abaddon or Destruction or Hell is an indication of how long this association between fire and hell has existed. But we need to be careful that we do not think that Hell is literally fire. I do not believe that this true, and Job’s comment here seems to support the idea that hell is made up of a figurative fire and not a literal one. For Job, it is not that giving into the temptation of Hell is literally going to burn his life and uproot his crops. But fire has long been seen as a force of complete destruction. Just like some had chosen to destroy their lives with an affair, so hell is like that, a place where we choose to be, and yet a place where we can only be destroyed.  And the fact that we freely choose destruction only makes hell an even sadder, and scarier place.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 32

My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing. – Job 30:31

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 19, 2018): Job 30

The Eagles released their hit “Hotel California” in February 1977. Don Henley described the song this way; "Lyrically, the song deals with traditional or classical themes of conflict: darkness and light, good and evil, youth and age, the spiritual versus the secular. I guess you could say it's a song about loss of innocence." “Hotel California” is a mournful song of loss. The music was written by the Eagles guitarist Don Felder, and it features one of the great guitar solos of all time, a solo that most guitarists have tried and failed to replicate. The lyrics were a result of the collaboration of two of Felder’s bandmates, Henley and Glenn Frey. The meaning and significance of the song, as revealed in several of Henley’s interviews, is fluid. Depending on the moment, it can mean very different things. But no matter what the meaning of the moment might be, the song is always about loss.

What is maybe most impressive is that the lyrics and the music are married beautifully in the composition. Both the lyrics and the music speak of loss. The song is written in the key of B minor. And while a song written in a major often feels uplifting even without the lyrics, a song written in a minor key feels sad. Consider Cat Stevens “Wild World,” the Rolling Stones “Angie,” or even the Led Zepplin classic “Stairway to Heaven,” all of which were written in a minor key. The music of these songs alone, without any lyrics, all sound sad and mournful. The music of these songs reveal a time of loss.

Job says that his lyre is tuned to mourning. Maybe a more contemporary understanding of the feelings of Job is that the music of his life, which was once played in a major key, has now been replaced by the minor scale. Even without knowing the events of Job’s life, the key in which his life is now being revealed is sad. Even the pipe no longer carries a joyful tune but is now content to simply wail out its remorse.

Or maybe Job is simply singing the blues. In any event, the sad story of Job’s life is now being played with music suitable for a tragedy. There comes a time in all of our lives that we sing a sad song, and for Job, that time has arrived. The music itself consoles us and reminds that we are not alone, after all, at some point everyone sings the blues.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 31

Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house … Job 29:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 18, 2018): Job 29

Here is an interesting question (admittedly stolen from Facebook). If you didn’t know your birth date, how old do you feel? Our age, in some ways, is a meaningless number. You are not the age that is revealed by your birth certificate. You are as old as you feel. I have friends in their thirties who often seem ready for retirement. The energy and vigor are gone, and it takes everything that they have to make to through the day. Others, who are much older, have a spring in their step and the energy and adventurous nature that often hides their birth certificate age.

My physician for many years retired a couple of years ago. He maintained that your best decade of life was the sixth decade. According to him, most of us still have enough health in our sixties to enjoy life, while at the same time having both the means and possibly a reduction of responsibilities to enjoy life. His retirement came half-way through that decade, but there was a wistful feel to his retirement plans that indicated that he wished he had retired earlier.

The major difference between the sixth and the seventh decade is health. More health issues begin to creep up in your seventies than in your sixties. But the reality is this; no matter how old you might be chronologically when health issues begin to impact your day-to-day life, that is the age at which you have become old. The sad part for all of us is that, while we seem to chase after our youth in some ways, there are some very basic things that we can do (don’t smoke, watch your alcohol consumption, maintain an active lifestyle, watch your weight) in our youth which will allow us to feel healthy, and therefore young, well into our sixth and seventh decades. But we, including me, refuse to do this when we are young, and we pay the price for our sins as we get older.

What has changed in Job’s life is his health. When he had his health, he was in his prime. He felt closer to God. But now, health issues have not only made him feel older, but they have also provided a barrier between him and God. And that is something that we understand. When we are sick, often we feel further from God. The truth of Job’s story, one that we need to remember in times when our health suffers, is that there has been no change in his relationship with God. God is still there, as close as Job’s next breath. God still loves Job.

And we are still loved by God, even when our health declines. God still values us, even as we grow older – and it doesn’t matter whether it is an age that is revealed by our birth certificates, or just revealed by the way that we feel. You are still special in the eyes of the one who created you. And how you might feel will never change that.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 30

Destruction and Death say, “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.” – Job 28:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 17, 2018): Job 28

Isaac Asimov argued that “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Our technological abilities outstretch our ability to act wisely with the technology. We have harnessed the power of the atom without the wisdom of knowing how that power should be used. We know much more about what we can do but have yet to answer the questions of whether or not these are things we should do. Wisdom is hard. And the unfortunate truth is that Wisdom seldom stands with the majority, which led Mark Twain to quip “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.”

The book of Job questions our capacity for wisdom. The book focuses on the central idea that wisdom rarely surfaces in our day to day interactions. We are filled with bluster, and we are certain about things of which Wisdom might argue that we need to be less certain. Both Job and his friends are in dire need of wisdom to understand the events of the day, but they do not possess it. The human race spends so much of its time chasing after the material wealth offered by this world, but they seldom find Wisdom in the process.

Even the omnipotence of Destruction and Death only know of the existence of Wisdom because they have heard the rumor, much like the rest of us. So much of this world is simply beyond our understanding and beyond our wisdom. And it is maybe our prejudices that reveal evidence of our chronic lack of wisdom.

Isaac Asimov suffered a heart attack in 1977. The doctors determined that he required triple bypass surgery, but as a result of the blood transfusion during that surgery in 1983, Asimov contracted HIV. It was AIDS that killed him in 1992, although his family for a decade after his death would insist that Asimov died of heart and kidney failure. Doctors had convinced them that AIDs prejudice would likely extend to the family if the public found out. It might be more likely that the reputation of the Doctors might be tarnished if news of Asimov’s HIV influenced death, as a result of surgery, was released to the public. Maybe the saddest part of Isaac Asimov’s life is that we had possessed the technology and knowledge to extend his life, but, in the midst of our prejudice, we lacked the wisdom and compassion to confront his death. And once again, Death and Destruction could only reveal that they had heard of wisdom, and not that they had experienced it.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 29

As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter … - Job 27:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 16, 2018): Job 27

I think that it is a common prayer. “God, if you are really there, then …” Life is filled with trials, and often those trials are the beginning of our loss of faith. “God, why would you allow this to happen.” I believe that the prayer is born out of a misunderstanding. If we could see everything, if we could truly understand, then maybe things could be different. But we can’t, or don’t, and we begin to question the very existence of God.

What is important to note here is that while Job is moving through his trial, he has not doubted the existence of God. “As surely as God lives …” There is no doubt in that statement. God lives. From the point of view of Job, this God who lives has denied him justice and has made his life bitter, but there is no doubt that God was really there. What Job does not do is cry out to God, “if you are really there, then change this about my life.” God, if you are really there then heal me. God, if you are really there then change my economic situation. Get me a job. There is no question that Job is in distress, his life is bitter, a fact that is magnified by his friends, but he understands that God is really there.

We all face trials and moments when we are tempted to question the reality of God. We all misunderstand God’s role in our lives. But true faith, the faith of Job, begins with our crying out in fear and pain, “God my life is bitter, and yet I know you are there.”

Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon he entitled “A Vexed Soul Comforted.” In the sermon, he made this comment.

Child of God, are you vexed and embittered in soul? Then, bravely accept the trial as coming from your Father, and say, ‘The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?’ ‘Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’ Press on through the cloud which now lowers directly in your pathway; it may be with you as it was with the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, ‘they feared as they entered the cloud,’ yet in the cloud they saw their Master’s glory, and they found it good to be there. (Charles Spurgeon)

What was true of the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration was also true of Job. In the moment of his fear and discouragement, he was about to walk out into the glory of God. Job was about to declare that even the cloud of his trial was a good place to be.

Sometimes, the only places where we get to experience the glory of God is in the midst of our trials and our fears. It would have been a tragedy for the disciples to have given up before entering the cloud that terrified him. And it would have been a tragedy for Job to have totally given up his sure knowledge that God lives before he witnessed the Glory of God. Sometimes, glory exists just on the others side of the cloud that you are walking through right now. Don’t give up on God because of your trials. I know that he has not given up on you.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 28

How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the arm that is feeble! – Job 26:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 15, 2018): Job 25 & 26

Some years ago I was asked to speak to what I was told was a multicultural congregation. It was early on in my speaking career, and I was more than a little nervous at the prospect. But I agreed and appeared on the doorstep of the church at the appropriate time. I was met by a friendly woman, who I later discovered was the Pastor’s wife, and was vigorously welcomed. And then I told her my name. Her reaction was memorable. She looked at me, realized that I was the speaker of the morning service and uttered the words “But your Wh---.” She was expecting a Black speaker. And I understand that I have a significant disability. I am really White.

My experiences that morning have left a mark on me. I was told that the congregation was multicultural, and for someone who believes in the equality of the races, that is something that excited me. But after my experiences that morning, I have to admit that I was left wanting. I would not have described the church as multicultural. It was a Black church. In fact, it was a unicultural Black church; it was populated mostly with Black people who had immigrated at some point from the Caribbean. And I have to admit that I was disappointed.

In contrast, while the church that I normally attended was labeled as predominately White, it also featured Caribbean Blacks, African Blacks, people of Oriental descent, as well as Whites from some European nations. While it was labeled as a predominately White church, its essence seemed to be more multicultural than the multicultural church that I spoke to that morning. My experience left me wondering if a true multicultural expression was even possible. I wanted that kind of unity more than anything, but I was becoming more unsure how to get there.

I also discovered that we often understand our culture through a mirror. Whenever there is a cry for change, we often need to look into ourselves first. A cry that goes out demanding that churches become more multicultural is often because the church we see in the mirror is not multicultural, even though we may describe ourselves that way. Often we seem to preach inclusion without living the message in our lives. We look in the mirror and assume that everyone is just like us. On that morning, many years ago, the message that was driven home was that inclusion and racial equality is a struggle for all races, not just for Whites. The radical message is that being excluded does not make the process of inclusion easier. After all, Archie Bunker and George Jefferson are both bigots, just bigots from different racial, social and economic sides of the track.

Job realizes that the criticism coming from his friends is originating in a very dark spot. Their criticisms are revealing their lack. They have not helped the powerless, and so they assume that Job hasn’t helped them either. The air of superiority that they are presenting is unearned. They are no better than Job and, therefore, Job responds with sarcasm.

Maybe this is the basic equality that we all need to understand. We are all weak and powerless, and we all need to be saved. We all need each other to help us up and to achieve the things that we dream. An equal world starts, not with recognizing the equality of our power, but rather the equality of our need and our lack. In an equal world, we all need each other to simply stand. We are all powerless to change this world alone, but unstoppable if we are willing to stand together as a global community, understanding our weakness, and in the presence of a Holy God.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 27

They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding. – Job 24:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 14, 2018): Job 24

There is a rumor that the Royal Wedding between Harry and Meghan (May 2018) actually displaced many poor and homeless people from the parade route that the couple took following their wedding. I have not been able to verify the truth of the statement, but it would not surprise me. Any major event in almost any city on the planet requires the poor and the homeless to be sent somewhere else. We just don’t want to see them as the parade passes. We don’t want to be reminded of their existence as we celebrate life. Almost every night, beat cops in the major cities of the world are armed with the same phrase – move along. We don’t want you here. You create a nuisance. We need to be able to protect ourselves from the knowledge of our existence.

Some years ago I took some teens on an emotional scavenger hunt in the downtown area of a city of just under a million people. The task that was given to them was to see what emotions they could observe on the streets of the city. We passed the poor and the homeless. We saw prostitutes of the cheap (economically) variety trying to eke out an existence. We saw drug deals going down just off of the path on which we were walking. And when I say we, I mean to say that this is what I saw during the first part of our evening walk. The teens, on the other hand, were blissfully unaware of everything that was around them. Their attentions were caught up in the glitzy displays of the store windows and in the conversations that they were having with each other. They saw none of the poverty and pain that was on display all around them. And so at the halfway point, we changed things up. We banned conversation and I began to point out the poverty that existed all around them; the poverty that they were missing. And, yes, I was criticized for the event from both sides. Some wanted to protect the teens from the idea of the poor and the homeless living in their city. Others believed that I was unfairly placing the poor and homeless on a stage as entertainment for a group of rich kids. But I defended the event because I know we will not change what we cannot see.

Job tries to present his friends with an image of real evil. And for Job, evil lurks in the desire to hide the poor from our eyes; evil is found in those moments when we displace the poor and homeless because of some other event when we just don’t want to be confronted with their existence.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta made this comment about poverty.

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

But the truth might be that, in the West, economic poverty is often accompanied by the disease of “being unwanted, unloved and uncared for.” And there is a deep truth in her statement. We need to set ourselves to the task of curing the disease of loneliness and poverty in our world. But to cure it, first, we need to be willing to see it.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 25 & 26

Would he vigorously oppose me? No, he would not press charges against me. – Job 23:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 13, 2018): Job 23

There is maybe no scarier a notion in legal matters than the comment that charges have been laid. Up until that point, there is an investigation and suspicion, and what some might label as a witch hunt in the search for the truth, but during the investigative phase no one knows exactly who knows what. But all of that changes the moment that charges are laid. With the laying of charges comes the sure knowledge that someone believes that they have a case against us. While in the cultural west we often rely on the idea that we are innocent until proven guilty, it doesn’t work that way in every part of our world. And even in the West, often we are guilty until we are proven innocent, and sometimes we are guilty even after we have been declared to be innocent (just ask O. J. Simpson).

And in some matters, the verdict really doesn’t matter. It is the charge that will damage our reputations. We are emotional people, and often it is our emotions that carry us into a verdict. If we think that someone committed a crime, then the evidence doesn’t matter. They have already been declared guilty in the court of public opinion, a court that operates outside of the legal niceties of lawyers and judges and juries and the belief of innocence. We just know.

In the court of public opinion, Job has already been declared guilty. His friends have laid out the case against him. They have even imagined the crimes that he might have committed. They suppose that in his affluence he neglected the needs of the poor and that Job treated the commands of God without proper gravity, using them only when they coincided with what Job wanted to do. And all of this has been declared with an absence of proof. It is as if Job’s friends can conjure up charges out of thin air as if they could know the truth without any need of evidence.

But in the face of these charges and declarations, Job remains sure of his innocence. He has examined his conscience and the things that he has done, and he is sure that he has committed no crime. He does not understand his situation, but he is sure that he is innocent of the charges. While his friends have already tried, convicted, and sentenced him, Job is convinced that there is not enough evidence for God to even bring charges for a trial. If God were found and the case was made, God would dismiss all the accusations that Job’s friends had laid at his feet.

The story of Job is a reminder of all that we do not know. I still hear people like Job’s friends declare that they “know the truth” in the absence of any real evidence. They cite their intuition or knowledge. You may not see it, but they do. They know. And in making the comment, they place themselves solidly on the side of Job’s friends. The truth is that we know very little. And we need to extend the assumption of innocence more often in the day to day events of our daily lives than we do. Judging in the absence of solid evidence is a pathway that only leads to pain, division, and our own mutual destruction. If we are to survive, we must find another way – a better way.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 24

When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast. – Job 22:29

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 12, 2018): Job 22

Journalist Germany Kent writes that “Kindness is universal. Sometimes being kind allows others to see the goodness in humanity through you. Always be kinder than necessary.” Our world often seems to lack simple kindness. I am a critic of social media because it often seems to bring out the worst in us. Things that I might never say to your face I am willing to tweet about in the midnight hours. We have lost the idea that we can love and disagree with each other. Bishop Michael Curry, fresh off his sermon at the Royal Wedding in May 2018, was interviewed by Don Lemon on CNN and said this of the “Reclaiming Jesus” movement, of which he is a part.

We reject nationalism and racism in any form no matter who it comes from, whether it comes from the left or the right. It doesn’t matter who it comes from. Every person is created in the image of God and we have to treat each other that way. And we must fashion social policies that reflect that, and in the way that we engage in debate, because this “love thy neighbor stuff’ is not sentimental stuff. This is tough love. This is the love that means if I disagree with you, I gotta love you (Bishop Michael Curry, CNN, May 23, 2018).

Kindness and love are universal. And we need to be kinder than necessary and love more than is needed.

As with so much of the responses of Job’s friends, there is an element of truth in what they are saying. Eliphaz, in his final words in the book of Job, lifts up a beautiful image of what the people of God should look like. Eliphaz echoes the ideas that we need to be kinder than necessary and love more than is needed. As followers of God, we are to be involved in the process of lifting people up when they are down, and of loving them no matter whether or not they live in the same echo chamber that we like to spend our time. We need to reach out to those with whom we disagree and love them in the midst of the disagreement.

The problem with Eliphaz’s words is that he doesn’t seem to be living them. He talks about reaching out and lifting up those who are struggling, and then leaves Job in his mess and preaches a sermon on repentance. He speaks of love and then refuses to give it. He talks of kindness when he does not seem to possess any in his character.

The nineteenth-century theologian Adam Clark made this comment about Eliphaz’s remarks. “Thus ends Eliphaz the Temanite, who began with a tissue of the bitterest charges, continued with the most cruel insinuations, and ended with common-place exhortations to repentance, and promises of secular blessings in consequence.” God demands so much more from us. He demands the tough love that means if I disagree with you, I still gotta love you, and be involved in the process by which you are lifted up.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 23