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“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.
Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
—Job 1.20-21 (NIV)
In Africa, the son of a family friend caught a ride on one of the local “taxis”. It was actually a truck with people loaded precariously up on top of the load—8-10 feet above the ground. Road conditions aren’t much better than riding conditions; fortunately speed is not usually an issue. Unfortunately, one lurch and bump apparently caught our friend’s son by surprise. He was tossed from the back of the truck and landed hard, hitting his head. He died.
The young man’s father had been away on church business at the time. In those days the distance was prohibitive for radio, telephones did not span the country and there was no internet. His son was buried before he returned or knew anything of the accident. My dad had the responsibility to pick Mr. Butso up at the airport, and break the news.
I will never forget the reply: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” There lived a man of integrity!
Today that sort of response is all too rare. Far more frequently do we take the counsel of Job’s wife to forsake our integrity, curse God and die. Instead of gratitude to God for the privilege of children, or the blessing of some benefit he has provided, when it is taken away we whine over lost “entitlement” forgetting that we have no natural claim on God—by nature we are objects of wrath. From beginning to end, we are the beneficiaries of grace. Any taste of his goodness is undeserved and a rare privilege for which to be grateful.
Come what may, blessed be the name of the Lord, for he is good.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
—Hebrews 4.15-16 (NIV)
“I remember that when I was an examiner we used to...”
This response from a supervisor at work guarantees irritation among the staff. It is our contention that times have changed, the work is done differently today. So, it is almost entirely irrelevant how the supervisor used to do things more than 10 years ago. On the other hand, when a currently successful colleague says, “This is how I handle that situation...” I pay attention. Why? Because she does understand what’s being dealt with now.
If God had simply sent prophets along or revealed his will in dreams or published it only in a Book perhaps the same sort of response would be justified: “But God, you don’t understand. You can’t, you’ve never been in our shoes.” However, the Incarnation denies that. God has become a man. Jesus has endured that same stresses, pains, extenuating circumstances and temptations that we do.
Yet, he was without sin.
It is our privilege because of this both to have him as our Mediator and our Advocate. He understands our weaknesses, from the inside. So we may boldly come to God, seeking mercy for our failure and grace for our endurance.
Let us!
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
—Psalm 23.4 (NIV)
“The biopsy showed that you have cancer.”
With these words (or their approximate) several of my friends have recently entered the Valley. For some the walk will be short and quickly completed. For others it is a more time consuming journey. With all, there is reflection, reassessment, even worry.
The text makes three points worth holding close in the Valley. First, it’s a walk through. The valley of the shadow of death is not the final destination. For some the way out comes with recovery and return to good health thanks to medication or perhaps by a miraculous change of events. Many, on the other hand, will find that heaven lies at the Valley’s end. It opens into the Lord’s antechamber.
Secondly, though evil descends in the Valley it can be faced bravely, with confidence. I think cancer is a rotten disease, often wrecking lives. Similarly, car accidents, crime, or getting caught in natural catastrophes are evil. But we need not live in fear of these, vainly attempting to insulate ourselves.
This is because of the third point—”you are with me.” It is the presence of God in the Valley that makes it passable. Jesus has promised never to leave or forsake us, not even in the valley of the shadow of death. Come hell, high water, or any other hazard, he will be there with us to lead, guide, mend and assist. His intention is to see us safely through.
We can rely on that, on him: “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’
but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”
—James 2.15-16 (NIV)
Somehow the villager had caught a Ross’ Turaco. The bird’s bright plumage led him to believe he might be able to sell it to the missionaries’ kids up at the mission station. It was a long walk and a wet, cold day, but he got there. Unfortunately his asking price was above our purchasing power, and he didn’t want to dicker. As we went in to dinner our dorm parent bid him adieu, intending to send him on his way.
Then it dawned on him. This man was probably cold, hungry and frustrated. What kind of message would he be sending by telling the villager to go home unsuccessful and without even a semblance of hospitality? James 2.15-17 required more of him: “Faith without works is dead.” So, Mr. Brown invited the villager in, gave him something to eat and drink, then bid him Godspeed.
With 30 years of hindsight two things stand out to me here: 1) that Mr. Brown was familiar enough with the Scripture that an ordinary encounter called to mind a particular text 2) that he felt accountable before God to conform his behavior to the pattern he understood was being promoted by the Bible. Today we need more of that—more familiarity with what the Bible says, and more humility before it, to do what it says.
Mr. Brown, thanks for a living sermon!
“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.”
—Proverbs 21.31 (NIV)
The Scripture is full of illustrations of this: Sennacharib mocked Hezekiah and called into question the power of the LORD to deliver his people from the might of the Assyrians. The LORD had the last laugh. In one night 185,000 soldiers died as the angel of the LORD passed through the Assyrian camp (2 Kings 19). Similarly, the Egyptians thought Israel was trapped before the Red Sea. Hurriedly they closed the gap between them until the wheels of the chariots bogged down. The horse and his rider were hurled into the sea (Exodus 14)! In vain King Herod posted 16 soldiers to prevent Peter from escaping. God had other plans (Acts 12).
Are there modern examples of this?
Probably the best known is the former USSR’s boast to parade “the last Christian” on TV. Open Doors called for a 7 year campaign of prayer for the Soviet Union in 1984 with the specific goal of complete religious liberty and Bibles available for all (Operation World). In 1990 and 1991 this was achieved as the Soviet state disbanded.
God still has the final say, in the affairs of men.
Formally, David is never a match for Goliath. But God does not save by sword, spear, horsepower, technology or lightning reflexes. He acts to preserve his name and reputation. So the shepherd defeats the soldier. The Almighty is not cowed by our military prowess.
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed...
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
—1 Peter 1.18-19 (NIV)
How different is the heavenly economy from ours!
On earth silver and gold are regarded as the sort of investments that retain their value when all else goes up in smoke. They’re called “precious metals” and their value is quoted by the ounce. Stable weddings are honored by reaching their “silver anniversary” and those who marry young and stay together 50 years celebrate a “golden anniversary.”
The Bible says that in God’s city, gold is used for cobblestones and mortar work. Silver is not even mentioned in the description of New Jerusalem (Rev 21). So much for what we crave and fight over. What the Bible, what God sees as precious was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. By the spilling of his blood, God did what no stack of bullion could ever hope to accomplish. By his death Jesus atoned our sin. His spilled blood covered the penalty our sin incurred, his voluntary submission unto death turned aside God’s righteous wrath against our unholiness, unbelief and unrighteousness.
“Because the sinless Saviour died,
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the just, is satisfied,
To look on Him, and pardon me.”
—C.L. Bancroft
Precious blood indeed!
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
—Ecclesiastes 1.2 (NIV)
Strange words these, to appear in the Bible.
They represent the conclusion of a man who tested and tasted everything. He observed nature and history—the wind blows, the water flows, the sun rises and sets, but what difference did it make? He gave himself to wisdom. Unfortunately the wise and foolish man are reduced to the same stature by death. He tried pleasure and human delights. Eventually the gaiety gave way to sobriety and bitterness as age, hurt feelings and boredom set in. He tried building, amassing a fortune, pursuing wisdom—little brought him lasting peace.
One of my seminary professors compared the experience of the “Teacher” here, with the childhood pastime of blowing soap bubbles. No matter how big we blow them, how carefully we shape them, or how expensive the ingredients—they’re still soap bubbles. And they pop. Solomon—the Teacher—found life to be just like that. Soon the bubble we’ve invested in bursts.
Which is why the conclusion of his efforts bears repeating: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole of man” (12.13). Life apart from a vital relationship with our Creator is soap bubbles.