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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12 November 2011
Job 22
Focus: “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” Job 22:21.
Round three from the “Termite!”—“Eliphaz the Temanite.” He is unrelenting in gnawing away at the heart-level structure of Job’s life. For him, it’s a matter of simple math—Job’s prosperity has been clearly destroyed by God, therefore Job has to be a rotten sinner! Period! It cannot be otherwise!
Has your life structure ever been infested with termites? It wasn’t that long ago that I struggled through a chapter of such an infestation. And I admit that, for a time it really weakened my framework. The accusations were heaped upon me without warning. I went to examining my internal world up one side and down the other, actually hoping to find some evidence of the detestable dirt for which I was being charged, just to appease and resolve the attack. I longed for some big bad ugly sin to be identified for which I could repent. If I were to flow with the perspectives and judgments of my accusers, I had cause to doubt my own integrity and suspicion that I was so overloaded with blind spots that I was little more than a worthless inconvenience to society. Even as I read again what I’ve just written, I’m re-examining my own words and their meanings, wondering if I’m getting carried away with exaggeration and over-statement. My conclusion—I’m not. That was a very real chapter of my personal history. However, I’m now happy to report that by means of simply seeking God, by consumption of His Word, by a serious effort to be as transparent before Him as I possibly could (He sees and knows anyway—which means that the alternatives are stupid!), and by simply holding on to my personal integrity like a life ring, He has rescued and refurbished me and my framework is stronger than ever! Praise Him! If this is so, I guess I need to be thankful for the whole dreadful experience.
This oratory by Eliphaz helps to illustrate the intense difficulty we all have in sorting out the voices and viewpoints of those around us. Almost always serious error is a subtle mixture—almost always contains truth. For example, YES, we need to repent of sin before a Holy God, but NO, that repentance does not guarantee all the prosperity that Eliphaz promises. “Submit to God…in this way prosperity will come to you…If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent…then you will find delight in the Almighty…You will pray to him and he will hear you…What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways” (vv. 21-28). Sounds almost like a “name-it-and-claim-it televangelist” who says, “If you will repent and send me all your money, you’ll be blessed beyond measure.” There is no evidence that Eliphaz wants Job’s money (He doesn’t have any!), but he sure wants Job to give submission to his perspective. He lusts for a time when Job would break down in weeping and confess his terrible secret corruption.
Some notes in my Bible make an important point: If Job had embraced the perspective of Eliphaz, he would actually be supporting the accusation of Satan—that Job is just serving God for personal gain.
So why do you serve Him?