Insightful Musings on the Scripturesby
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67
Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.
Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray has followed, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010 and 2011.
| Sparre Home Page | Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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16 November 2011
Job 26
Focus: “Death is naked before God; Destruction lies uncovered.” Job 26:6.
I don’t know exactly what Bildad said in his mini-speech to set off Job’s caustic sarcasm, but he’s hot. I’m feeling the heat from here—almost enough for roasting marshmallows. Let me cite the first four verses: “Then Job replied: ‘How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the arm that is feeble! What advice you have offered to one without wisdom! And what great insight you have displayed! Who has helped you utter these words? And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?’” Job proceeds to launch into his longest spiel ever—6 chapters worth!
Is there any topic more negative than death? Yet I’m convinced that the reality of death serves a very positive purpose. What would we do without it? Wow!—unregenerate immortality!—that’s about as scary as it gets! Perpetual self-centered sin without accountability or consequence?—man!—that would be HELL! Sin is usually the arrogant aggressor because it demands. Righteousness is usually the humble victim because it yields. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it, thought it, or stated it quite like this before. But I think I agree with me.
Some discussion Becki and I had on this note leads us to raise this question: Is it possible that God graciously shortened the average life span of mankind following The Flood? He can do that, you know. It would only require a slight adjustment to the aging and regeneration controller within the human body. Prior to that judgment event the average length of life was in the hundreds, with Methuselah being the Sweepstakes winner with 969 years! Just think how much more suffering a self-centered power-hungry sinner could inflict over a period of hundreds of years! That seems to have been the very cause for this drastic judgment. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Psalm 90 makes reference to the current average: “All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. The length of our days is seventy years — or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9-10).
I’m captivated with the idea Job expresses—“Death is naked before God; Destruction lies uncovered.” If it is true that the basic material consistency of matter (atoms) is indestructible, but only undergoes change over time, then death and destruction are never really absolute this side of eternity. Am I going too far out? Maybe. But the encouragement that I glean from this is that DEATH, DECAY, OR DECOMPOSITION IS NO BIG DEAL WITH THE GOD OF THE BIBLE. After all, He created it all. And He has promised a RESURRECTION that has to entail the re-assembly of all your atoms and molecules no matter how long ago you died and decomposed. If this were put up for a vote, I’ll vote for a God like that!
Following Job’s heated beginning in this round of speaking, he proceeds to expound on more of the transcendent awesome works of the Almighty. I find happy resonation with his last statement of this chapter—“And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who can understand the thunder of his power?” (v. 14). Knowing that the God of the Bible is unknowable (in human terms) and infinite in every way not only inspires me, it delights me! Is something wrong with me?
“Death is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity.” - John Milton