Thursday: The Manifold Wisdom of God
Earlier in the book of Job, amid the back and forth between the characters, Eliphaz the Temanite said to Job: “ ‘Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?’ ” (Job 22:3, NKJV).
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That’s a very ironic question, given what we know about what was happening behind the scenes in heaven. Yes, it is a pleasure to God if Job was righteous, and it was gain to Him if Job lived blamelessly. And this is true not just with Job—the same goes for all of those who claim to be followers of the Lord.
Read Matthew 5:16. How do those words help answer the question that Eliphaz threw at Job?
The immediate issue in the book of Job was, would Job be faithful? Satan said he wouldn’t; God said he would. Job’s faithfulness then was definitely to God’s advantage, at least in this specific battle with Satan.
This story, though, is just a microcosm of bigger issues. The first angel’s message tells us, in part, to “give glory” to God (Rev. 14:7), and Jesus explained in Matthew 5:16 that by our good works we can bring glory to God. This is what Job did; this is what we can do, too.
Read Ephesians 3:10. How was the principle expressed here revealed in the book of Job, but on a smaller scale?
What we see in this text, and in the book of Job, are expressions of the fact that God is working in the lives of His followers to change them, for His glory, into His own image. “The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671. The life of Job was an example of how human beings may reveal this principle, even though Job lived many thousands of years ago. God’s people in every age have the privilege of living their lives in the same way, as well.
| What in your life brings glory to God? What does your answer tell you about yourself and how you live and what you might need to change? |
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As we near the end of this year and the close of the study of the book of Job and the man called Job,I just want to say thanks to the writers and all who contributed to making this an awesome study. The challenge is now for all of us to apply what we have learned and like Job to practice living in His presence daily.. I believe the "world " is looking for "Christians" who are living transparent lives that represent the character and the love of Emmanuel . Above all the noise of lips service, can God trust me as He trusted Job? I pray that 2017 we all will totally surrender ourselves by the help of the Holy Spirit to be used to reach one.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven. Our purpose on earth is to do good. Whatever you do, whatever you say, do it in the honor and glory of God. The heart of a Christian is not the passers-by of the ones who are suffering in this world. There is enough for each of us to do even for one suffering soul . Being humble and unknown in well doing, will reflect the character of Jesus. Will reflect our inner self, the love of Jesus Christ. Matthew 25:40 Inasmuch as ye have done it onto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.May God help us to shine our light on Him and not on ourselves. God bless you all.
Eliphas's question to Job just makes me think of the fact that those who have a shallow relationship or no relationship with God always come down on those who have. They are uncomfortable when one is walking with God, because it makes them sense their lack of commitment. When guilt comes in it causes them to come down heavy on those who hold on to God, especially when under pressure. It's almost like they're happy to see God's displeasure on you.
The greatest gift and purpose in life is to live in close connection with God. So close that His voice is heard and even in His silence, we trust Him.
That closeness and trust isn't always a picture of mild uneventful experience. Authenticity means sometimes we cry, complain, are frustrated and voice those emotions to Him.
He is faithful. We are then privileged to see Him work or rest in His promises. Psalm 138:7:8.
"Let your light so shine before men,that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."(Matthew 5:16).Jesus described His followers in all ages as the light of the world that shines through good works. Nietzsche the German atheist philosopher is reported to have said that if he would see redeemed persons he'd be inclined to believe in their Redeemer. People are looking for Christians who live a life of Christ. Let your light shine. Our lives are to be transformed by the Word so much that the inward presence of Christ is reflected in our daily conduct and in our acts of kindness. Jesus as described by Paul is "the light that shines in the darkness" (John 1: 5). Paul in 2 Cor. 4:4 speaks of "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ". Our words, thoughts, attitudes, and deeds must show that light. If, however, no light shines from our lives it means that there's no relationship that we have with Christ. We cannot afford that situation. God help us please!
I have purpose man's life in two ways.First,the the life one live is either to boost God's moral to profess the faith and the name of person before the devil or God even dare to mention the name of the person before the devil.Where are you positioned?
Every action and every choice I make are according to God's plan and His will, and thus glorify Him, His name and His reputation before men, Satan and his hosts, and the universe. Alternatively, it is an act of rebellion, glorifying myself, and my chosen leader, Satan.
The question could be; why would God point out to Satan the righteousness of Job if it was meaningless to Him?
@ Robert Whiteman. The answer to your rhetorical question is obvious. Eliphaz was simply voicing his distorted and untrue viewpoint about God's character and His love for mankind.
In our world, as the battle rages in the great controversy between the Adversary of our souls and Lord Sabaoth, each of us has a choice to make about who leads us and what principles direct our lives. This battle is all about character and destiny, and God and all the intelligences his universe have a stake in the outcome. Will circumstance and situation, ruled by the whims of self, dictate our course in life or will the principle of God's selfless love?
As God leads, we will encounter trials and these will be our opportunity to expand his territory in our characters and in the lives of others. We can covenant with God (as did Job) to claim the troubled territory we are on for his kingdom. In his name, we go forth with him conquering and to conquer. (See Rev 6:2 & Rom 8:37.) It is not just our characters that we are claiming for God, but our witness influences and encourages (or discourages) others whom God puts in our lives to commit to him.
Job’s trials were a witness to his three friends, Elihu and the leaders of the whole community who gathered to listen to their dialogue. All of these would have “seen” and heard God as he spoke out of the whirlwind. Through all of these witnesses, God would be revealed to the whole community and the recounting of the event would awaken the interest of all the nations near and far who heard the story. All this to the glory of God by the true and righteous witness of his servant Job.