A Bigger Picture

Friday January 2, 2015

My daughter posed an excellent question to me : What´s the connection between Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job? The first two seem so.. contradictory. And the book of Job is a saga all on its own!

Philip Yancey points out the irony of Ecclesiastes following Proverbs in the Bible. Proverbs portrays life as it ought to be : do good things and prosper. Do bad things and suffer. Ecclesiastes, conversely, reads almost like a biblical Eeyore (from Winnie The Pooh) : Oh well, what´s the use? We´ll all end up dead anyway.

Job brings perspective to those viewpoints. Industrious and moral, Job lived well and life had been good. But then disaster struck. His friends insisted that only the wicked suffer (therefore, Job was wicked). His wife advised him to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9). They were so wrong.

These three books work together. Proverbs is not a book of promises, but of instruction in how to live wisely. Ecclesiastes describes the folly of living for this life only. Job shows us that there is much more to life - and to God - than meets the eye. Many things remain beyond our understanding.

In the span of four chapters (Job 38-41), God gave Job a litany of unanswerable questions, prompting Job´s stark admission : "I am nothing - how could I ever find the answers?" (40:4). He then concluded : "I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me" (42:3).

It´s good to make wise choices, and Proverbs can help us to do that. It´s also good to understand life on this earth, and Ecclesiastes helps us to see that. Job shows us a glimpse of the mystery behind the curtain. God is there, and He is great. He´s also good. - Tim Gustafson

Read
Job 40:1-14
The Lord said to Job :
"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? 
Let him who accuses God answer him!"
Then Job answered the Lord : 
"I am unworthy - how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer -- 
twice, but I will say no more."

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm :
"Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God´s
and can your voice thunder like his?
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at every proud man and bring him low,
look at every proud man and humble him,
crush the wicked where they stand.
Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you."

Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits -- 
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle´s.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppreseed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel;
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord´s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children´s children --
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, O my soul

Question to Ponder
What big questions do you want God to answer?
What do you think He might be teaching you these days?

** Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue