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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24 Nov 11
Good morning, dear ones.
Well, are you thankful yet? There is actually some sunshine out my window…at least a little. I’m thankful for that. Becki is busy with some dinner preparations. She’s pooling here efforts with her sister, Lorna. We’ll be going up to their place for the main feed.
I saw a great bumper sticker the other day. “I’ll keep my guns, my freedom, and my money. And you can keep the ‘change!’”
I’ve made some frequent reference to “my New Testament reading.” It’s not really mine. But it refers to a reading schedule that I’ve promoted over the years. I’ll stick one on here as an attachment for whatever it’s worth.
May your day be specially blessed as you honor the Source of our blessings.
Love, Dad/Ray.
24 November 2011
Job 34
Focus: “Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man!” Job 34:36.
Being the man of “compassion” that Elihu is, he intercedes for Job with a kind of a prayer that God would intervene in Job’s behalf. Sounds good so far. If I were to read between the lines and paraphrase his prayer it would go something like this—“Oh Sovereign God Almighty, I hereby make my humble request—that You would NOT allow Job to recover—that You would turn up the heat of his affliction and hit him harder than ever! Please don’t let up in Your punishment of him until he repents of his rebellious wickedness, confesses, and learns to agree with me, Your wonderful servant!”
We’ve already detected Elihu’s unbecoming arrogance and dogma. But let’s raise another question: WHY?—why is Elihu given to so much of that? On one hand he displays a commendable and healthy regard for the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. He clearly believes that God has every right to do as He pleases. But here’s the subtle danger to which I believe Elihu has fallen prey: Just because he has a solid “fear of the LORD,” just because he sees and appreciates the evidence of God’s awesome handiwork all around him, just because he engages in praise and worship of this Awesome Sovereign God, and just because he recognizes the personal gifts God gives that convinces him the He loves and cares for him personally—these are not adequate and justifiable grounds for Elihu to presume that God is thereby placing His full stamp of approval on EVERYTHING relative to his thinking, viewpoint, and behavior. That error in reasoning is very commonplace among people of faith. A healthier and safer mindset is one represented by that disclaimer button that reads, “PBPGINFWMY”—meaning, “Please be patient—God is not finished with me yet.”
I have to admit that Elihu says some very good things. For example, I fully agree with the conclusion he draws concerning the Almighty—“If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust” (vv. 14-15). My view is that it really is the Spirit of God that holds together the entire physical world around us—everything from the cohesive activity of atoms to the mighty law of gravity and the precise orbiting of the earth around the sun. “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17-18). I believe that this basic belief goes a very long way toward successfully working out our own “salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12-13).
In this portion of Elihu’s speech, he articulates again the central premise of his argument against Job. Of course, it is the same one used by the other “friends” as well. “He (God) repays a man for what he has done; he brings upon him what his conduct deserves” (v.11). While that premise is ultimately true, he adds presumption—presuming that the observable realm of time is the final measure of that rule. Therefore he feels quite comfortable in accusing Job. “What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water? He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with wicked men” (vv. 7-8). He has no proof that Job has been doing that. He is simply forcing the presumption of specific guilt to fit his general model. “Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent?” (v. 33). Repent of what?!?! That’s the question that drives Job nuts!
Hey, Job—just do what you’re doing—don’t waste your time and effort arguing with these guys any more. Just continue to cry out to God and trust Him in the confident belief that He knows what He’s doing. Just wait and see.
Let’s leave this scene of conflict and tension and listen to Jesus pray according to my New Testament reading for today—John 17. Wow! What a prayer! Please take time to read it again.
“The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” - Roy Z-M Blitzer