Job 35 & 36
We are now coming to the end of Elihu's assessment and opinion on Job's situation. He continues to berate Job for implying he is more righteous than God - God who is so great that our actions are of no hurt or profit to him.
He again accuses Job of speaking without knowledge, and then proceeds to speak on God's behalf of his righteousness, might, strength and wisdom.
As I read through these chapters two verses seemed to stand out to me:
Elihu is admonishing Job to look at the greatness of the heavens above him and consider whether man can make any difference to God - either by sin or by goodness. God, Elihu was saying, is so great that whether we sin or behave righteously we cannot oppress or benefit God in the way that one man might affect another.
How humbling this is!
It makes me think of the words, 'What is man, that thou art mindful of him?' - in fact the verse before this speaks exactly as we have been thinking, 'When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?' (Psalm 8:4,5)
Not only do we have the wonder of this great God, who made all creation, you and me, who is higher above us in power than the clouds above us, but even more is that 'he withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous'.
His people, his precious church, his bride, are so precious to him that he never, ever takes his eyes away from them. His overseeing care is always there.
In our Daily Light reading this morning we had the verse, 'for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple (pupil) of his eye' (Zechariah 2:8). This great, wonderful and powerful God who never takes his eyes off his children cares about them so much that if anyone touches or harms them in anyway it is as if they are touching the most sensitive part of his eye.
If we inadvertently touch our pupil we have an immediate reflex reaction and we feel the slightest touch. Think how spiritually this tells us of God's intimate knowledge and care of us.
What a comfort this is, that whatever path we are in, whatever lies before us today, whatever happened yesterday, whatever worries we have, whatever joys we are currently experiencing - he knows all about it, and this great God, who is greater than the beauties and height of the sky and clouds, is overseeing it.
We can be comforted as we think how God moves on undisturbed in his plans for mankind and eternity. When 'the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing...the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD...He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision' (Psalm 2:1-4).
It makes me think of the hymn:
The Psalmist says, 'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth' (Psalm 121:1,2). Although the hills and the skies themselves do not in themselves help us, they point us to their Creator, our great God, and Heavenly Father of his children.
May we look up in our spirits when discouraged!
May we take time during our day to look up at the heavens as the disciples did - they gazed at the point where they had last seen the beloved Lord Jesus disappear from their sight as he ascended up into a cloud.
But may we look in anticipation of the time when Jesus will 'in like manner' come again. May we be alert, watching and looking for him, for no man knows when he will come again, and it will be so sudden - as the twinkling or blinking of an eye!
There will be no more time to 'be ready' to meet him. No more time to confess our sins, ask for his forgiveness and follow him.
Dear reader, what if it is today?!
Are we ready to meet him, the great King of Kings?
Does he come as our long awaited, beloved Saviour, our best Friend or does he come as one who we have been putting off getting serious about - 'there's always another day' - one whom we have rejected, despised and turned from - our Judge who will now declare our sentence?
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May the Holy Spirit so move in your heart today that these thoughts will follow you around until you have to come to the dear Lord in confession and repentance, crying, 'Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief'.
May your longings to know that the promises of the Bible are yours, be impressed on your heart by words such as these, 'But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; Thou art mine' (Isaiah 43:1).
What joy there is in knowing these words are yours!
How it fills your heart and soul with deep happiness as you go forward into the day, knowing you are God's and you are precious to him!
How it moves your soul in love and gratitude to him and gives you those desires to live in and for him!
Look at the sky dear reader - look at it's greatness and think how the eyes of it's Creator, the great LORD God of heaven and earth are upon you. He can do and does seemingly impossible things in your life, your soul, and for your eternity.
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