How to answer to Pharisees: reflections from the Book of Job, 2023 edition

Confession: this year, I’ve not really been wanting to read through the book of Job this time through the “Bible throughout the year” reading program (the reading program places its entire book between chapters 11 and 12 of Genesis, thereby placing its reading in early-to-mid January). Part of my lack of enthusiasm this time around is because I’ve studied it many times and feel like I’ve gleaned everything of significance that I possibly can, especially the middle parts where it features an argument between Job and his three colleagues. I don’t particularly care to read about Job’s complaining, nor his compatriots’ judgmental accusations. However, given that over the last year this has been a growing grate on my nerve, I’m finding the below section from a recent reading to be of particular interest. Read on:

(Job 22:1-11)

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: “Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? “Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you? Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end? For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it. You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed. Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you, Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.1,Job.22.2,Job.22.3,Job.22.4,Job.22.5,Job.22.6,Job.22.7,Job.22.8,Job.22.9,Job.22.10,Job.22.11&version=NKJV

There is so much in the above passage, from Eliphaz’s accusations that I’m finding makes great sense to me. Not that I agree with them (I don’t), but rather I’ve experienced individuals where it seems that they may agree with thoughts similar to what Eliphaz expressed above, and as a result I have struggled with said persons. I don’t want to go into any further detail about the folks in my life where I experience this, but rather go line-by-line into what Eliphaz said to Job in Job 22:1-11 and counter his false accusations with what I know to be true about God and me:

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: “Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.1,Job.22.2&version=NKJV

Eliphaz may actually have a point. In short, this is what makes this so, so frustrating for me. Someone who I experience as a Pharisee is often technically correct in what they say, at least some of the time. But the thing about Pharisees is that even when they are technically correct in what they say, they often are wrong in their hearts when they say it. My study of the book of Job over the years has shown me that Eliphaz, along with his other two friends, are all wrongly motivated in trying to correct Job. Eliphaz opens up with a fair question for Job to consider. However, the next verse immediately shows the motivation of his heart, which I will display below.

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.3&version=NKJV

Um, the answer is “yes” to both of Eliphaz’s questions.

“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.4&version=NKJV

Eliphaz wrongly assumes that God is correcting job, when he hasn’t even checked the facts about what is going on. At this point, no one on earth except God and Satan knows what is going on or why all the sufferings come to Job. One of humanity’s most common missteps is that we tend to make assumptions about what is going on so as to fill the gaps in our mind. In my opinion, this is because, in our sinful nature, not knowing what’s going on makes us feel weak and vulnerable, which tends to be very uncomfortable for us. Moreover, also in our sinful nature, instead of being willing to trust God in our discomfort, our inclination is to find a way to identify what we think is the problem and come up with our own solutions.

As a result, we have record of Eliphaz’s idiocy, because he is trying to convince Job that God is correcting him because he fears Him. No, that is not God’s nature. God corrects His children because He loves them and wants to root out their sinful behavior and conform them to His good and perfect will. And as it is written:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prov.9.10&version=NKJV

As such, the fear — and reverence — of the Lord is a good thing. God wants this. It would be contrary to His nature to correct us for fearing Him. Therefore, Eliphaz is wrong.

Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.5&version=NKJV

First off, we have no proof of this. Second, yes, Job is a sinner like the rest of us, but thanks to God’s Word we have the privilege of knowing why Job has been undergoing these trials. Again, Eliphaz simply assumes that Job did something wrong, or perhaps, has done many things wrong. But this is where someone who claims to “mean well“ and/or have “good intentions“ not only falls into sin, but also does everything in their power to drag the person they’re trying to “help“ down with them. Jesus addresses this:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.23.15&version=NKJV

Let us continue with Eliphaz’s soliloquy:

For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.6&version=NKJV

Eliphaz, how do you know that this is true? It sounds like an empty accusation to me.

You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.7&version=NKJV

Ditto.

But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.8&version=NKJV

Ditto.

You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.9&version=NKJV

Ditto.

Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you, Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.22.10,Job.22.11&version=NKJV

So, Eliphaz, Job basically “got what he deserved”, huh? No, you are just spouting nonsense because you like to hear yourself talk.

But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.23.5,Matt.23.6,Matt.23.7&version=NKJV

I have nothing of substance to add. Jesus made the above very clear. Eliphaz continues, of course, but I have no desire to continue picking apart every verse that he spoke to Job.

Jesus continues in his response to the Pharisees:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.23.25,Matt.23.26,Matt.23.27,Matt.23.28&version=NKJV

And what I find to be His defining point to them:

“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.23.31,Matt.23.32,Matt.23.33&version=NKJV

Even so, after God chastised Job and Job repented, God spoke this to Eliphaz afterward:

And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.42.7,Job.42.8&version=NKJV

This is the power of spending time in God’s word: I began this post by stating my disinterest in reading through the book of Job this time around. But I am finding that more and more that when I do, God does unlock something else that I likely would not have otherwise considered.

I therefore close this post by stating that I am glad for the privilege of getting to read through the book of Job, including the uncomfortable parts. I teared up reading through the last Bible passage I quoted, particularly the line: “My wrath is aroused against you [Eliphaz] and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” God used this—and everything that I’ve been reading—to minister to the remaining pain and anger I realize I still hold regarding people that I experience as arrogant with Pharisaic spirits in them. The pain is due to the fact that their arguments often contain just enough truth to make me second-guess myself and whatever position that I was holding. The anger is due to the arrogance and selfishness I often have experienced them exuding even as they preach their “just barely true enough” statements. But God‘s presence trumps all. After all, unlike the Pharisees or Pharisaic-like individuals (including Eliphaz), God can back up any argument He makes. He created the universe. He (through Jesus) let Himself be subject to torture, humiliation, crucifixion, abandonment, and death, only to endure and win against all these things, and more.

If I can be proven wrong on my feelings about the book of Job, then it means I can always learn and gain something each time I read the Bible, even when I think I’ve gleaned all that I can glean. Praise God for that!

Sermons from Good News: Start the year with worship

Church 1/7/2023

Offertory scripture:

Psalm 35:27

Being humble means saying what God says about you. Continually.

Proverbs 3:9-10

God wants to bless you more than even you want to be blessed.

Sermon message:

Thesis: Start the year with worship

Worship is praising God, gathering in fellowship, and spending time in His Word.

Worship is to esteem something important, to revere it/Him.

Start the year this way. It will set the tone for the whole year.

Characteristics of worship from the Christmas story that we can learn and examine.

Wise people in the Bible:

Zechariah: he was worshiping and God talked to him. Elizabeth and Mary as well. The shepherds too. And Simeon, Anna, along with others.

And the wise men.

Matthew 2:1-2

The wise men arrived sometime around 18-24 months after Jesus was born. They walked ~850 miles to get to Bethlehem.

Point #1: worship involves personal sacrifice.

Matthew 2:1-2

The wise men saw something that they were called to do and followed through on it.

Point #2: worship opens our eyes to spiritual realities

Matthew 2:3-9

When you worship God, He will open your eyes to see and hear things others don’t see or hear.

Point #3: Worship brings us great joy.

Nehemiah 8:10

Matthew 2:10

Point #4: worship involves giving to God.

Matthew 2:11

Point #5: worship changes you

Matthew 2:12

Deeply rooting as His tree, New Year's 2023, God returned a friend to me

 My heart is full after a wonderful start to 2023 yesterday. Church in the morning (my second church), followed by not one but two New Year's Day celebrations focused on fellowship as well as praise and worship, one with folks from my first church, and one with folks I used to hang out with at my previous church. Words cannot express the fullness of God's goodness revealed to me yesterday through these events, and even if they could, I won't have the time to take in order to do so. (After all, I announced my blogging break in August for a reason, and the entirety of last fall from September through most of December lived up to my expectation as such. With my semester class beginning in two weeks, I expect more of the same this spring.)

While words cannot express all that I would hope to express from yesterday, I still want to use this space to share some important items from yesterday that God shared with me about 2023 to remind myself, especially during these next few months as things get crazy busy yet again.

I will begin with posting the Bible passages themselves. I couldn't find the translation used by my friend for these passages, so I will instead use my standby translation (New King James Version) and interject notes to point out key words from the translation that was used:

Psalm 1

• Verse 1: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

The translation used opens the first verse thusly: What delight comes to the one who follow's God's ways! Key word highlighted: "delight"

• Verse 2: But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

In the above verse, the given translation showed the following key phrase: "meditating day and night"

• Verse 3: He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

The above verse is God's promise -- that if I am meditating in His Word day and night, I will be deeply rooted and unswayed by circumstances, no matter what comes.

• Verses 4-5: The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

The above two verses are another of God's promises, and it answers an emotion that has continued to be stuck in my craw -- the question of whether people who harmed me or those I care about will ever have to pay for the pain and suffering they caused. The key phrases highlighted from the other translation are: "But how different are the wicked" and "nothing they do will succeed or endure for long." As such, the answer, according to His word, is unequivocally "yes." 

• Verses 6: For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Highlighted section from the alternate translation: "But how different it is for the righteous!" Combined with "how different [it is for] the wicked," I felt God highlight this as another reminder of His promise.

Therefore...

Proverbs 3:5-6

• Verse 5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

The alternate translation for the above verse reads: Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. (My addition: opinions, thoughts, and feelings.) With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. This translation revealed this verse as another of God's promises. Highlighted phrase: "with all your heart"

• Verse 6: In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Highlighted phrase from the above verse: "become intimate with him in whatever you do..." Again, another of God's promises in the second half of the verse: "and he will lead you wherever you go."

Because...

John 15:1-5

• Verses 1-2: I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

The key phrase from the alternate translation used for this verse reads: "He cares from the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest." Another of God's promises. Interestingly, this translation appears to clash with the NKJV's translation. Here is my limited understanding to explain this apparent discrepancy: God will (and has) removed people from my life that have brought me down, as well as removed connections where, in previous seasons of life, I brought them down. In this respect, He has taken people away from me (and me away from others), as stated in the NKJV. However, He has not cut me off utterly. There have been many, many, many times over the last decade-plus specifically (although really, over my whole life!) where He has propped me up (and where I have desperately needed Him to prop me up), even and especially when I may have been a fruitless branch. But He has poured into me. I will state more on this further down in this post, but for this paragraph, I can see how both translations can be true.

• Verses 3-4: You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

Key phrase from the alternate translation: "...your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine." Key word from this phrase: "intimately"

• Verse 5: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Key summary notes from the above passages:

• Don't rely on your feelings (VFR = airplane term for Visual Flight Rules, where a pilot primarily controls and navigates the aircraft using outside visual references)
• Rely on God's Word (IFR = airplane term for Instrument Flight Rules, where a pilot flies the aircraft using only the instruments with no visual references to the outside world)
• Rely on God's Word, even with things don't make sense, and even when you don't want to.
• According to His Word, God promises that if you regularly abide intimately in Him and with Him you will be able to withstand any circumstances.
• God promises that the wicked will pay for their wrongs, even if it appears to take forever for it to happen.
• God promises that He handles the wicked (those who don't care about doing right) differently from the righteous (those who do care).
• God promises that if I rely on Him with all my heart, He will guide me in every decision that I need to make.
• God promises to continually deal with all branches connected to Jesus: to prune (fine-tune) fruitful branches (those who are faithful) and to take care of the fruitless branches (those who aren't) depending on their fruitlessness, whether that is utterly cutting off a person from Him, or severing certain connections due to at minimum one of those persons negatively influencing the other.
• God promises that if I live my life intimately connected to Jesus the Vine, then my life will be fruitful.

The short version of the above reflection time was that I got a sense (reminder) of instructions and promises. If I do what I'm instructed to do, God has promises in store in my life.

There were also a few extra reflection questions. As I read, reviewed, and prayed through the questions, some of the answers that came to me were fresh as of the time of reflection, while other answers were reminders of what I've already been hearing or sensing God pointing out to me before:

1.) God, do you have a word or phrase that You want to speak to me about for 2023?

Twenty-twenty three / Deeply-rooted tree / Psalm One, One through Three (Psalm 1:1-3)

2.) If 2023 (or part of 2023) were a chapter in a book, what would its title be?

Deeply-rooted tree.

I also have previously gotten this sense of 2023 being a year of preparation, since my love and I are planning to marry in 2024. There's a lot of work ahead for the both of us, wedding planning on top of both us projecting to work 2 jobs each, and for a short time at least, with both of us also being in school (my love graduated from school already and is pursuing an internship; I'm further behind so I expect to be in school for quite a while yet).

3.) God, what aspect of You do You want to reveal more of to me in the next year, that You want me to get to know better?

Spirit.

Key phrase, from "As the Deer," which was being played at the time for reflection music: "To You alone may my spirit yield" -- I heard the two words: "spirit yield," and from it, the phrase: "To Your Spirit I yield."

4.) God, is there anyone in my life, a person or a group of people, that You want me to pray for or invest in over the next year?

I believe God has been already highlighting someone to reach out to more. At my second church, there's a young man, a few years younger than me, that used to be in the choir with me at St. Luke's a couple decades ago when he was a boy soprano and I was a teenager. I've already been praying for how to connect with him, and what I finally got yesterday from the Lord was to keep it simple: be friendly with him, take the initiative and greet him, and spend time with him. I did pray further about how I would be able to spend time with him, given my anticipated already-crazy schedule. Then again, I'm talking to the God who makes ways, and I asked Him to do as such. Either He will clear space in my schedule, or He will reshape my expectation on what it means to spend time with this young man (which has led to me questioning how this would work based on what I can see right now). Or, He will do both.

5.) God, as a part of the Body of Christ, what part of His Body do You see me as in 2023? (Or, is there a way You want to grow me in 2023 related to this question?)

This question was harder to grasp, and even as of this posting I am still praying and meditating on it. I think part of is due to being somewhat immersed in churches who preached "be the hands and feet of Jesus," and as such I've generally taken that to heart over the years. But, when I'm given something and I buy into it, I've typically gone into "tunnel vision mode" with it to the point that even now I cannot imagine what other "body parts" of Christ's Body that I could potentially be. Also, it is kind of a strange question, but my friend who posed it, I know that it came from a genuine and Biblical place, so I'm not doubting the validity of the question. It's just I have to own and admit my own failing to grasp this from a zero-sum approach.

Finally, we closed our time together by praying for one another. Below are the notes I took when receiving:

• God wants to surprise you with something awesome, because He loves you, and because you are His child.
• Image of a Boot: boots (and not merely shoes) of the Gospel of peace, a peace despite circumstances.
• Also: Gospel of peace - rooted and established in God, not just for foundation but also for nutrients.

One other gift God gave back to me was the guy who hosted the gathering from which all the above reflections (Scripture, 2023-related questions, and prayer time) came. We had fallen out of touch, for various reasons, and he had been on my mind more lately. I wasn't sure at first what to make of his invitation for this gathering, but I am glad that 1.) he invited me, 2.) that I went, and 3.) that our reconnection went well.

The first gathering I went to was very wonderful as well (a group of about 15 from my main church gathered for fellowship, food, and music), but what God did at the second gathering in giving me this unexpected wonderful surprise, has taken most of my heart and attention from all of yesterday's events. For that, and for all the above reflections, I am grateful.

Starting tomorrow, it will be truly "back to the grind." Don't know yet when I will surface again.