Today's Scripture Reading (September 11, 2024): Job 32
I have a friend who
ridicules me and my Christian friends because, in his words, we think we are "perfect."
In all honesty, there is a language barrier that my friend refuses to
acknowledge. I do not believe I am perfect if that means I never make a mistake
or am perfect in my actions. The best that I can say is that I am on the road
toward being perfect in intention. I want to intend to do good and react as God
would even if I fall short of that kind of perfection from time to time. I
really believe the idea that Christian Churches are the places that can
proclaim that "No perfect people are allowed." That means that the
church is a place where all of us are invited to show up.
If I struggle with the
story of Job, it is summed up in this verse. Did Job really believe that he was
righteous, or was that just a charge that had been made against him? I do not
feel that I am righteous. I live my life, and I know all of the ways that I
have fallen short, from frustrated words and actions toward suffering friends
to speaking words when I know I should have remained silent in various
circumstances. I get to the end of my day and struggle with how I feel I have
blown it, either through my actions or inactions. Every evening, I acknowledge that
I am glad that I am covered by the sacrifice of Jesus, who makes me righteous
through his action, and that my righteousness is not up to me; it is based on
him.
So, what do I do with
the righteousness of Job? That is my struggle. Maybe Job was better than I am,
and he really was secure in his righteousness. Yet, at the story's beginning,
we are told that Job made sacrifices daily for his children.
Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt
offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have
sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular
custom (Job 1:5b).
If he offered sacrifices for his children, wouldn't
he have recognized the need for a sacrifice for himself? Of course, the central
message of the Book of Job is a confirmation of something that Jesus said. Job's
God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:43b). The bad
that had happened in his life was not due to sin, even if sin was present in
Job's life. Sometimes, in this broken world, stuff just happens.
Maybe Job's friends are like my
friend; they think that Job must be righteous if he thinks he does not deserve
the penalty that has fallen on him. However they saw it, it is at this point
that Job's friends decide to shut up. They have not convinced Job of the logic
of their theology. And I suspect that, if they are honest with themselves, they
might even wonder why some of the penalty had not fallen on them. Unless Job's
friends were delusional, they must have recognized the sin in their own lives.
Job's reality is not that he is better than his friends but that he is equal
with them, and if Job's struggles were a result of sin, then he should have a
lot of company as he sits contemplating the adverse events of his life.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: Job 33
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