Thursday: Repenting in Dust and Ashes
Read Job 40:1–4 and Job 42:1–6. What was Job’s response to God’s revelation of Himself?
Obviously Job was overwhelmed by what God had shown him. In fact, in Job 42:3, when he says, “ ‘ “Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?” ’ ” (NKJV), he was simply repeating God’s first question to him. Job knew the answer now: it was Job himself who spoke about what he really didn’t know.
Image © Erik Stenbakken from GoodSalt.com
Notice, too, what Job said in Job 42:5. Though he had only heard about God, now that he saw God—that is, now that he got a better view of God—he saw himself for what he really was. That’s why he reacted as he did, abhorring himself and repenting in dust and ashes.
Read Isaiah 6:1–5 and Luke 5:1–8. How do the reactions described there parallel that of Job?
What we see in all these cases are manifestations of a key Bible truth, and that is the sinfulness of humanity. Job was “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1, NKJV). And despite Satan’s best attempts to turn him against God, Job stayed faithful through it all. We are dealing here with a solid, faithful believer in the Lord.
And yet—what? As with Isaiah and Peter, a glimpse of the holiness and power of God was enough to make Job cringe with a sense of his own sinfulness and smallness. That’s because we are all fallen, sin-damaged beings whose very nature itself brings us in to conflict with God. That’s why, in the end, no one can save himself; no one can do enough good works to merit any favor before God. That’s why we all—even the “best” among us, those who like Job are upright and blameless and who fear God and shun evil—need grace, need a Savior, need Someone to do for us what we can never do for ourselves. Fortunately we have all that, and more, in Jesus.
| Imagine yourself, right now, standing face to face before God. What do you think your reaction would be? |
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To some extent God's conversation with Job suggests to me my/our judgement. What if these questions were (as indeed they are) asked to me/us? What defence would I/we have? I suggest none except to plead the righteousness of Christ and His cleansing blood. We have nothing with which to recommend ourselves and in truth do we even know ourselves or our true condition? Thank God for His grace and mercy.
How shall I stand in that great day???
Lord help me to accept the sacrifice of Jesus so that my sins are washed away and I will not be found wanting.
Jane, the help that you plead for is found in Romans 8:24-28.
Just imagine the frequent and intense pain that Job had to go through, you can glorify God and say Lord i plead guilty as a great sinner who lives under grace not that I deserve it but for your mercies. How many times have we ever glorified God for the pain that you go through?
This takes the issue of faith, cliff. I guess pain can do two(2) thing; it can either build you or break you. I call them two "B"s. When it builds you, the greatest thing that will happen is that God will be glorified through you and the opposit will happen with the other B.(break). It takes seeing Gods'presence in the midist of the storms of life to learn to glorify him even in pain/trial. We need his grace which is sufficient all the time. Stay blessed.
I wish I could be face to face with God, which could only happen by his grace, because then it would mean I was in heaven and all these earthly trials would be over for ever! Amen!
I believe that all that happened to job were a reflection of what to come during end days(Today)
Job went through alot of suferings not because he was not faithful but because of his total FAITH in the LORD.
God would rejoice if we put our total trust n faith in Him that He's Everything,just like a child we should be...
It is amazing that a man upright as Job in his 'correct' defense against accusations of his friends had no right whatsoever to question the workings of the almighty, his understanding of God correct but so limited that God amounts it to less than nothing compared to the depths of his might. In our doubts, grief and disappointments surely we have no cause to question one whose depth are beyond the reach of righteous minds and holy Angels to fully comprehend hence in faith we should say 'whatever the Lord commands we will do, whatever the Lord does we will submit'
Only the grace of God can save us. What do we know about ourselves? that we are all in need of grace and Jesus is our ONLY ANSWER.The choice is ours.May God help us all to choose Him now and never change our choice.
I stated in the beginning of this quarter, with all the attributes God gave to Job, He never calls him good, "for there is none good but God." Matthew 19:17. Let's give Job credit. He did all that he knew to do. What about us?
We live on a fallen planet. Genesis 3:1-13. "We are born in sin and shaped in iniquity." Psalm 51:5, God knew that once Job saw Him that he would realize his sinful state and his need of a Savior. Job 42:5.
God gave us Job to show us the work of the Holy Spirit. That is to reveal to us those things in our character that separate us from God. Those things that are known or unknown to us, so God alone can fix us. Our character is the only thing that we will leave earth with. Job finally realized God's ultimate will for his life. What about us? Will we allow God to show us ourselves, so He can fix us.
Despite the fact that Job was upright and blameless before God..but He needed a Savior who is Jesus,The crucification of Jesus pay it all from Adam to you and me today.Thanks God
In all of God's answer He never told Job about Satan's challenge and the reason for Job's suffering. He told Job that He thought he was a "perfect" man. God never discussed suffering at all as one would expect. STRANGE!
We don't put on sack cloth and douse ourselves with ashes publicly. We do it in our hearts, and with prayer to God---Job was brought to the foot of the cross, if you will. There is where we find repentance, peace, and forgiveness. Job got to know God better. God did call Job good, reread Job 1:8. The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”
It's the love of christ that granted us pardon for sin. Pls God we need you as we journey home,Just as you did to the faithful Israelites pls lead us on this earthly journey as we go home.Because Job was a faithful servant of yours ,may we also be faithful to thee till you come.amen
I thank God for the truth expressed in the study of 12/7/16, " Repenting in Dust and Ashes"!
A KNOWLEDGE of God is foundational to an acceptable, working relationship with God (Jer 9:24; Jn 17:3; Col 1:9-10). Of course, not just ANY knowledge establishes THAT foundation (1 Tim 2:3-4; Philippians 3:8-9).
As I studied this lesson, I wondered, "How could God (Job 1:8) and Job (Job 40:4) seem so far apart in their views?", and wondered, "Who was correct?". I also wondered whether one accused (Job 40:2) and admitting (Job 10:1-2) to "contending" with God, could be deemed "blameless" (Job 1:1,8)? How is it that Scripture portrays such a one in the role of a mediator (Job 1:5; 42:7-8)?
I am glad that the lesson declared, what it termed, "a KEY Bible truth" regarding the universal "sinfulness of humanity" to which I add...Job included! In fact, Scripture is emphatic (Rm 3:9-11; Act 14:11, 13-15; Js 5:17). Job's understanding of himself after his whirlwind encounter with God was as correct as was God's, because of abundant, amazing GRACE (Rm 5:20)!
And so ancient, "blameless", Job was as much a beneficiary as modern me/us (Col 1:21-23). God wants His people, more than anything else, to "understand and know" Him (Ex 33:13,17; 34:5-7). Unfortunately, most, like Job are unaware of aspects of our Father's character, not understanding how our "vile" (Job 40:4) nature, in all it varied manifestation, obscures such knowledge of our Father (Col 1:21). All praises belong to Him who lovingly and patiently oversees the painful work of separating us from our "vile" selves (Heb 12:6, 10-11, 15) through the STRENGTH of His GRACE (Tit 2:11-12; 2 Pt 1:2-4)!!