November 7, 2018: Bring It to the Cross

Today’s Bible Reading: Ezekiel 20-21, Job 7, John 8:48-59, 2 Peter 3:10-18 Job 7: Job continues in his response to Eliphaz’s words in chapter 5. First he has argued that Eliphaz is not much of a friend for accusing Job of having done something wrong to deserve his suffering. Now Job turns his attention from Eliphaz to God. There are some remarkable words in this chapter, words that are hard to believe are found in the Bible. And yet, glad we are that they are here—especially when we ourselves go through suffering. Consider what Job says (7:11):

I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; 

Job is unembarrassed about voicing his real complaints to God. Note this is different from complaining about God to other people. Here he is praying to God. But still Job is real, and not just real, he is raw (7:16):

I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.

This is not the sort of thing you would expect a man of God to say to God. “Leave me alone.” Job is in despair—and he is telling God what he is feeling. He even brings into focus a possibility that if he had sinned, then so what (7:20)?

If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?

“What do I do to you?” How does Job’s sin affect God? We can have good theological answers to that—that our sin is an offense against the holy God. But that is the language of reason, not the language of feeling. Here we have Job telling God, in raw and real emotive terms, what he feels is true about God and about his relationship to God. This then is a great secret of surviving real agony with your faith in God intact. God can withstand the storms of your anguished pain. Bring them to him, bring them to the cross.]]>