Monday: Who Our Father Is

Oswald Chambers writes, “Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is.” — My Utmost for His Highest (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour & Company, Inc., 1963), Jan. 2.

What do you think Chambers means by this idea?

As we know, the book of Job begins with great personal tragedy for Job. He loses everything, except his life and his wife, and she suggests that he “curse God and die!” (Job 2:9, NIV). What follows is a discussion in which his friends try to work out why it has all happened. Throughout all of these discussions, God remains silent.

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Then suddenly in Job 38:1-41 God appears and speaks: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2, NIV). Without pausing, God asks Job some 60 jaw-dropping questions. Open your Bible and scan through these in Job 38:1-41 and Job 39:1-30.

After the last question, Job replies, “I am unworthy — how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer — twice, but I will say no more” (Job 40:4-5, , NIV). But God is not finished. He then begins again and asks another set of “big” questions in succession.

Read Job’s final response in Job 42:1-6. What was God trying to tell Job, and what was the effect on him?

God never answers any of the “why” questions of Job’s friends. But God does paint a picture of His unparalleled greatness as revealed through the astonishing works of creation. After this, Job certainly does not need any answers. The need for explanations has been eclipsed by an overwhelming picture of the magnificence of God.

This story reveals a fascinating paradox. Hope and encouragement can spring from the realization that we know so little. Instinctively, we try to find comfort by knowing everything, and so we become discouraged when we cannot know. But sometimes God highlights our ignorance so that we may realize that human hope can find security only in a Being much greater than ourselves.

Are things that you just can’t understand happening now? If so, focus on the character of God. How can doing that give you the hope that you need to persevere through what’s for now incomprehensible?

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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A friend and I were discussing one of the dilemmas facing the Seventh-day Adventist church some decades ago. My friend, who was quite a well-known theologian said, "When this topic comes up I just keep talking and talking because I don't know the answer!" While his comment was said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I think we all know what he meant. Some of the most difficult questions produce a lot of talk and discussion without producing a lot of clarity.

When we read the book of Job from beginning to end, we ultimately realise that there are not a lot of answers, and there are a lot more questions.

I propose that there is an a practical answer in the story of Job and you do not need to read to the end to find it. It is found in Chapter 2

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. Job 2:11-13 KJV

Job's friends came and suffered with him for a week without saying anything. It was only after they opened their mouths and started trying to explain everything that they got into trouble.

It is true that God does not thunder his explanations from the heavens. Rather, his compassion and understanding is revealed through his human agents who show his compassion and understanding through their actions.

Carmel loves sharp kitchen knives. She reckons that the sharper the knife the less likely you are to cut yourself when you are cutting up vegetables. When she does cut herself, as inevitably happens, I race to the first-aid cupboard and get the appropriate bandaid and bind up the wound. Then I finish the job of cutting the vegetables myself while Carmel recovers her spirits and dignity by sitting in her favourite chair. I learned long ago, that offering explanations and, worse, instructions, does little to soothe the problem.

If we are going to make any headway at all in this pain, suffering, sin problem we have to show compassion and empathy rather than explanations.

I submit that we often get very forensic about the plan of salvation, the cross and the crucifixion, we write and preach explanations ad-nauseam. God suffers with us. It was an act of unselfish love; action, not an explanation.

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Comments

Monday: Who Our Father Is — 11 Comments

Maurice Ashton on August 7, 2022 at 10:12 am said:

A friend and I were discussing one of the dilemmas facing the Seventh-day Adventist church some decades ago. My friend, who was quite a well-known theologian said, "When this topic comes up I just keep talking and talking because I don't know the answer!" While his comment was said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I think we all know what he meant. Some of the most difficult questions produce a lot of talk and discussion without producing a lot of clarity.

When we read the book of Job from beginning to end, we ultimately realise that there are not a lot of answers, and there are a lot more questions.

I propose that there is an a practical answer in the story of Job and you do not need to read to the end to find it. It is found in Chapter 2

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. Job 2:11-13 KJV

Job's friends came and suffered with him for a week without saying anything. It was only after they opened their mouths and started trying to explain everything that they got into trouble.

It is true that God does not thunder his explanations from the heavens. Rather, his compassion and understanding is revealed through his human agents who show his compassion and understanding through their actions.

Carmel loves sharp kitchen knives. She reckons that the sharper the knife the less likely you are to cut yourself when you are cutting up vegetables. When she does cut herself, as inevitably happens, I race to the first-aid cupboard and get the appropriate bandaid and bind up the wound. Then I finish the job of cutting the vegetables myself while Carmel recovers her spirits and dignity by sitting in her favourite chair. I learned long ago, that offering explanations and, worse, instructions, does little to soothe the problem.

If we are going to make any headway at all in this pain, suffering, sin problem we have to show compassion and empathy rather than explanations.

I submit that we often get very forensic about the plan of salvation, the cross and the crucifixion, we write and preach explanations ad-nauseam. God suffers with us. It was an act of unselfish love; action, not an explanation.

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- Brigitte Humphery on August 9, 2022 at 9:08 am said:
  
  Maurice - Thank you for your encouragement to always trust God and continue to express our love for Him through continued kindness, compassion and empathy of our fellow man!
  
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Larry Flynn on August 7, 2022 at 10:50 am said:

Study asks:
Are things that you just can’t understand happening now?

Job 1:1-5
1 There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of complete integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil.
2 He had seven sons and three daughters...
..
5 Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned, having cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice...

This is a #type# of the eternal plan of salvation in the Godhead.
(Father and Sonship in unity of purpose in Holy Spirit)

I'm sure you can see the anti_types !

Who/What is Job ultimately ?
Who are we?
Do we share suffering for priesthood?

Colossians 1:15-20
Ephesians 1:9-14
1 Peter 1:18-20
1 Peter 2:6-10
Colossians 1:24
2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Keep on Trucking (meme)
Shalom in his endurance 🙏

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- Pete A Villarreal on August 8, 2022 at 7:45 am said:
  
  But what does Job 1:3 mean where it says that Job was the greatest man of all the men of the east? Was Job the wealthiest of all the men of the east? Did Job have more children?, more wealth? More wisdom? More what?
  
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  - Larry Flynn on August 8, 2022 at 8:32 am said:
    
    What WEALTH did the WORD of God have with his Father in eternity?
    Proverbs 8:30
    
    Matthew 6:19-20
    Google/study types and anti-types in scripture .. letter to the Hebrews is a great example.
    
    What do you consider as wealth that lasts ?
    
    Shalom brother!
    👍🏻🙏
    
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  - Larry Flynn on August 8, 2022 at 8:51 am said:
    
    Born of the Spirit Children are regarded as Jesus's children.
    Isaiah 8:18
    Hebrews 2:8-14
    
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Shirley DeBeer on August 7, 2022 at 11:53 pm said:

The LORD does reveal Himself and what He is going to do. The Word of the LORD is full of prophecies about what is going to happen. When we compare Scripture with Scripture we learn more about the character of the LORD.

Amos 3:7 MKJV For the LORD will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Joh 15:15 MKJV No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Deut 29:29, Gen 18:17-19, 2Tim 3:15-17, Ex 34:6-7

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- Tammy Danitz on August 8, 2022 at 5:28 am said:
  
  Agreed!
  
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- Janene Simmonds on August 9, 2022 at 1:56 pm said:
  
  Shirley, I'm so glad that you pointed this out. We just saw in Sunday's lesson how God told Habakkuk what He was going to do when He said that He was going destroy the wicked, so I was questioning why Chambers statement was even in our lesson. To me it seems to be contradicting.
  
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Phil van der Klift on August 8, 2022 at 6:57 pm said:

While it is true that "God does paint a picture of His unparalleled greatness as revealed through the astonishing works of creation", that is not all that God does.

It is easy to skip over a key question Job asks at one of his most desperate points in his outcry in Job 9:24 - if it is not God who is causing injustice to happen, who then is it? This question echoes the conversation between God and Satan where Satan initially portrays God as the one who would afflict Job (see Job 2:5). However, God corrects this misportrayal by His response in Job 2:6 - placing the causal responsibility squarely upon Satan.

And it is no coincidence that later, in Job 41, God devotes considerable focus to discussion of "Leviathan" (note especially a couple of the characteristics of Leviathan explicitly outlined by God Job 41:24,34). The significance of this is easily overlooked unless we are aware that ancient near eastern mythologies typically also included stories of a 'cosmic conflict' between a creation god/s and leviathan - with leviathan being synonymous with chaos and evil/maleficence. It is after this portion of God's discourse that Job states that he now sees something he didn't previously see. In light of this we can see God answering Job's question from Job 9:24 - it is Leviathan that is causing injustice, however I have him on a leash (Job 41:2) and he can only do what I will allow within my overarching orchestration. Though it is not explicitly stated what this overarching orchestration is leading to (eg Job 42:1), from Job's authentic response (Job 42:5) it is apparent that Job now sees this as a hope-inspiring orchestration rather than a distressing one that he previously mis-concluded.

It is also interesting that Job is commended for speaking rightly about God in contrast with his friends (Job 42:7). Thus the idea that God shut's down Job's questioning and speaking out is, I believe, mistaken.

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Brigitte Humphery on August 9, 2022 at 9:49 am said:

Phil’s comments bring up the question – does God want to show us that we are more than flesh and bone; that we have a spiritual relationship with Him? Is God’s willingness to ‘gamble’ with Job’s life callous and cruel, or does He want to establish a Truth which, when understood, overcomes all the challenges of Job‘s experiences?
Does He want to show us that keeping our faith in Him, regardless the circumstances, will ultimately bring about that which we all need to understand – peace in our heart and spirit and oneness with God?

God tells Satan to ‘spare his life’; this is a curious statement in light of the power only God holds over Life and Death. I am trying to understand "Who our Father is" – what does God want to show His faithful servant Job and us? Is it that He is most powerful, or is it that we are more than flesh and bones - maybe both?
I see Him demonstrating that we are more than our body, we are His spiritual children, formed in His Image and encouraged to be and remain part of His Spirit’s family by faith.
Phil.4:19 - ”And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus”.

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