Blogging the Bible

The book of Isaiah is a clear call to live by faith in the midst of darkness and difficulties. King Ahaz was besieged for a confederation of kings who were against him. Humanly talking he didn’t have chance of winning this war, but when he was trying his best to face this reality, God sent Isaiah to him with a powerful message of victory, and the only requirement for him was “just believe” and I think this message is very valid for us today too.

It is very interesting what the Lord told Ahaz: “if you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all” (7:9)

I am really impressed for the great patience that God showed Ahaz, even though he was not very enthusiastic with this prophecy, anyway God gave him a sign and a new word of hope and warning.

In chapter 8, we can see that if the people as whole do not pay attention to God’s word, at least God is expecting the individuals to respond according the hope that he was giving them. He says: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy, do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (8:12-13)

It does not matter what other people think or decide about God’s word to them, it does not matter how difficult or challenging a situation can be, what really matter is your personal decision to trust God or not. Like prophet said: “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him” (8:17)

As usual, prophet Isaiah will retain his message of hope for the present and future of the people of Israel. Chapter 9 is another great reminder that independently of human realities, God is already creating and bringing a new order to this world. The way that the prophet put it, is remarkable: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined” (9:2)

The question is, why he said so?  “For a child has been born to us, a son is given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders ; and he is named  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace“ (9:6)

Because our Great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will come to the world, and will come to reign! Alabado se su nombre.

Chapter 4 is a reminder to Israel that God’s plans for them are going to find its fulfillment, even though their present situation does not match with God’s plans at all. God is also telling them that he is going to do that, even if he has to repeat the same wonders that made with them after they were delivered from the Egyptians’ bondage (4:5-6)

Chapter 5 is a wonderful poetic expression of the careful love of God for his people. Also is a clear declaration that God bless people with clear expectations. In this particular situation God was disappointed because his people did not matched his expectation, the prophet says: “For the vineyard of the Lord of the hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry” (5:7).

Have you realized that God is expecting things from you? He had been blessing us in many ways, but also he is expecting some results from us.

  Chapter 6 is the calling of God for Isaiah, but also is God’s call for Israel as well as for us to see this world and our lives in a very different perspective. When we see the world and our lives from the holiness of God, then everything is not the same. Now you understand that we cannot talk or act carelessly, we need to think what God will have to say about it, now we understand that with everything we will praise him or not.

We also will understand that many things that are actually happening could be the result of not hearing God’s voice. The Israelites were so busy taking care of their business that they were not able to hear or to see God’s holiness and God’s expectation for them.

The prophet is summarizing the whole issue by the attitude and worship of the Seraphs “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (6:3)

Isaiah is a wonderful book of prophecy that you really can enjoy. Some scholars call it the “Evangelical Prophet” because is the book that has the major influence in the New Testament writings.

This book begins with the clear declaration that the people of God do not know and obey him “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3). The hard reality is that actually Israel was very strong in keeping the traditions and rites, but was unable in developing a strong relationship with God and God’s purposes for their lives.

Nothing different from us today, we are willing to do many things for God and his kingdom, but also we tend to forget that the most important thing is not what we do for him, but actually, what he does in us through a close relationship with him.

Isaiah also is going to present us a God who is always willing to give us a new opportunity. Even though Israel had sinned strongly against the Lord, he is telling them: “Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken”

  In other words Isaiah is the continuing invitation of God to his people to come back to him. Also is the continue declaration of God that they always will be in a better situation when they do what they were called to be and to do.

 This is a book of hope in the midst darkness and rebellion. This is a book of grace and forgiveness as well as a book of punishment and discipline. This is a continuing reminder that God has not finish yet with the people of Israel, but also he has not finish with you and with me.

According to Isaiah there is always hope and grace for the people of God.

The wise man repeats the phrase, “All is vanity.” All is vanity if we are left to our own musings about life. But the wise man also says that all of life is in God’s hands (9:1). This is the positive side. We are not in control of life and it is meaningless to pretend we are or to try and understand it all. But it is NOT meaningless when we realize that life is in God’s hands. This is why the author also repeats the suggestion that we should eat and drink and enjoy life while we can. This is the “acuna matata” of the scripture. It is what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33. Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink or wear, seek first God’s rule (kingdom) in your own life and everything else will be taken care of.

I love the instruction of 11:4. I practiced it recently and it really did make a difference! The wise man says that “calmness can lay great error to rest.” We have a choice whenever error happens. We can make a mountain out of a mole hill (go ballistic!) or we can be calm and it will cover significant error. I confess that my natural tendency is to go ballistic. Only the Spirit of God is able to work in me to allow calmness to be my response. I have experience that the power of calmness is much greater than the power of anxiety.

The wise man’s final conclusion, after all the back and forth of life is good/life is meaningless, is that EVERYTHING IS MEANINGLESS (under the sun!) 12:8. But the last word of this wise man is equally clear. EVERYONE should FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS (12:13). This is the duty of humankind. And even in all of his despair this very wise, but limited man who is under the sun, affirms that the God who is above the sun will bring justice in the end. Verse 14 states clearly that God will bring every deed to judgment. Deeds, good or bad, will be ultimately judged by God who DOES know what is going on under the sun!

Be slow to speak, careful when you make a vow, and stand in awe of God. This trilogy opens the 5th chapter of Ecclesiastes. They go together. When approaching God (going to the house of God) we need to listen more than we speak. We need to learn more than we need to inform. And if we listen, we will be much less likely to speak meaninglessly and less likely to make shallow promises (vows we will not keep).

The author then talks about two kinds of rich people. He describes a person that can never get enough money. No matter how much they accumulate it is never enough and their wealth actually keeps him or her from enjoying (5:12). The one who hoards will never have enough. On the other hand, the person who sees their possession as from the Lord–a gift–is able to enjoy life with a glad heart because he is not consumed with accumulating or managing his wealth (5:18-20).

In 7:18 the author summarizes his sense of the vanities of life–avoid extremes. Moderation in all things is his counsel. Even in this book the author seems to express extremes. he says over and over again that ALL is vanity, and yet, if you read carefully, there are interludes of hope expressed when God is acknowledge in the proper way, whatever the circumstances of life, i.e. 8:12. Then the very next verses go back to the meaninglessness of life where the just are punished and the wicked rewarded! The conclusion of this section is in 8:16-18 where the very wise author, the very wealthy author, admits a person really cannot know all that goes on under the sun. No amount of human wisdom is going to reveal or explain life as we know it. Of course, the key phrase is “under the sun.” Unless we get a work from “above the sun” we cannot know what life is all about. Under the sun human beings are limited in their perspective and understanding. Above the sun, God sits in the heavens and laughs at or puny attempts to explain life. This is what we just finished reading in the book of Job. Job’s wise counselors thought they knew what was going on. They did not. At least the author of Ecclesiastes is honest. Wise as he is, he knows it is no match for the wise and wonderful God who has created all that is. Man cannot discover lifes meaning. But, alas! God can choose to reveal life’s meaning. And through scripture, he does! Through books like Job and Ecclesiastes and even Leviticus and Deuteronomy, God over time and through the story of his interaction with humankind, reveals what life is all about. Stay tuned!

What a depressing book! Solomon, one of the wisest and richest and most powerful men in all human history is despairing of life. With all of his success and possessions his conclusion is that life is meaningless. Everything is vain. There is nothing new ever and no one is ever remembered after they die! The wise man and the fool have the same end. They die and are not remembered.

Solomon says that he tried wisdom to find meaning in life. Nothing. He tried pleasure. He says that he did not deny himself anything that his heart desired! Nothing. It, too was meaningless. Like chasing after the wind, finding meaning in life is impossible. 2:17 he says that he hated life ad in 4:3 he says the luckiest man is the one never born! This is absolute despair.

But already in 2:25-26 Solomon hints at what is final conclusion will be. It is the life experienced and perceived without Godthat is meaningless. When we try to live our lives focused on the creation, the immediate world around us, we will be sorely disappointed. We were created to be in relationship with the Creator of all things, not just the creation. When a person puts all of their stock in this world and its things, it is meaningless. The soul longs for more. The human person longs for the connection with the Creator he or she was designed to know and be known by. All is vanity, chasing after the wind, meaningless when God is not in the picture.

Sometimes it takes experiencing despair before a person can look up!

After all the agony of Job’s loss of family and possessions and after all of his lament for his pain and suffering the brevity of the end of the story could be misinterpreted. The appearance is that Job “lived happily ever after.” The sad story with a good ending. The tragedy turned blessing. However, God’s outpouring of blessing in Job’s later years does not negate his loss.

I have worked with many families who have lost children and it is an unspeakable loss. Mothers and fathers describe their arms as always longing to hold the child that has been lost. And although subsequent children are a blessing and a joy, no child can take the place of another. It is hard to imagine what it feels like to lose even one child. Job lost ten children! He lost seven sons and three daughters and I am sure that his arms never quit longing to hold those ten children. This would be a very deep longing! The Lord gave him seven more sons and three more daughters but they could never replace the ones that he lost. There is no doubt that the pain and suffering of Job left a deep mark in his soul. The mark helped him trust God more and I am sure that he was able to minister to others in time of great loss because of what he had suffered. And, I will bet you that he did not try to advise others on why they were suffering! I hope his friends learned that lesson, too. I want to remember this lesson. God always is at work behind the scenes in caring for us and accomplishing his purposes in and through our lives. Though we can never be sure of exactly why we go through difficulties we can always be sure God is with us and God is working for us. This is a great comfort even in the face of great loss. We can come alongside of people who suffer and offer them this hope. We cannot explain their suffering. Only God can do that.

Today and tomorrow we will reflect on the Lord’s answer to Job and to his friends. For 37 chapters we have heard what Job says to God and what Job’s friends say to Job. Now, God speaks.

The Lord says one sentence and it summarizes his entire answer. God asks, “Who is it that darkens my counsel with [using] words without knowledge?” All the words and thoughts of man, compared to the word of God, are like speaking without any knowledge at all. God knows everything and in comparison we know nothing!

Then God asks the question that really underlies every other question he asks Job. God asks him, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” Where was Job when God created all that exists? Here the Lord uses some beautiful and amazing language to describe his power and majesty.

God set the boundaries for the sea. He tells it where it can go and where it cannot go! God gives orders to the morning. He is the one who makes the sun rise every single day! God knows the gates of death. He knows every persons beginning and end! God knows all about light and darkness. He controls them! God has absolute say over all precipitation. He stores and unleashes rain, hail, lightning and thunder! God provides for every creature on earth. He feeds them all!

Then Job answers briefly and says in 40:1-5, I have spoken but I am not worthy to speak. He will cover his mouth now and not speak. The Lord continues to speak.

God challenges Job for questioning his justice? God asks Job what wickedness he judges? What person does he have the ability to condemn and crush? The implication is clear: there is not one injustice, not one wicked person, not one wrongdoer that God does not judge! Then God compares his power to do this to the greatest and most powerful animal on the earth. We are not sure what animal he speaks of. God calls it the “behemoth” which in Hebrew means “beast of excellence.” Some scholars suggest the hippopotamus or elephant. In 41 he calls it the “leviathan” which was a large sea animal. Both the behemoth and the leviathan are meant to convey that the greatest and most powerful creature on earth is no match for the power and greatness of God who created them. If man cannot control these animals, how much less can he control (or comprehend!) God?

Job speaks briefly again in 42:1-6. He simply says, before he thought he understood. He did not. Now, he sees and as a result he repents. The many words of Job challenging the justice and mercy of God and his questioning of God’s actions are reduced to two words–I repent! This is the only proper response when we really see God for who God is. We are silenced and can only repent of our puny thoughts and attitudes.

It is very informative however, that in chapter 42:7-16 God directs his comments to the three friends of Job. He calls Job “my servant” four times. God says that Job was right and they were wrong! How can this be after such a long rebuke of Job? God actually tells the friends that they have sinned (their folly) and need to bring a sacrifice to Job and ask him to pray for them and THEN he will listen and forgive them. The clear implication is that Job was honest with God and spoke directly to God about his doubts and fears even though his understanding of God was inadequate. The friends never did speak to God, only to Job about God, and they were wrong on both counts! They tried to explain why Job was suffering and attributed it to Job’s sin. They were wrong. They were wrong in trying to explain Job’s suffering and they were wrong in their conclusions.

Perhaps one of the biggest lessons we can learn from the book of Job is to NOT try to explain the suffering of another person! This happens often. In trying to comfort a person we often try to figure out why they are suffering. One of the greatest gifts we can give to a suffering friend is simply to be with them and say nothing! According to the book of Job, we cannot know why people suffer, but we can know that God is in control and that we can trust him no matter what!

The final verses of chapter 42 seem to make a “happy ending” our of a tragic story. Not so fast. Tomorrow we will think about the reality of this ending.

If you read job ONLY with a microscope, it is troubling. But if you read with the macroscope, remembering how the story was set up by being allowed to peak into the throne room of the ruler of the universe (God’s place) and his visit from the one who stalks the earth looking to make trouble with God’s people (the devil) then it is not troubling at all. It is amazing and encouraging. Job’s suffering is hard to even imagine. The salt added to the wounds by his “friends” counsel is hard to read let alone understand. Yet, we have to keep in mind two things. First, God really is in control and has our best interest in mind. Second, all the suffering in the world cannot be compared with what God has promised for those who trust him. This is what Paul says in his lsecond etter to the Corinthians, chapter four. And, we must also remember that we do not have a God who is not touched by our weakness, but one who also suffered, to the point of death on a cross! That is the easter story we are preparing to hear again.

If the God we trust and serve were a far off God who knew nothing of our daily lives, it would be a hard pill to swallow to accept suffering like that of Job’s. However, we do not have a far off aloof God untouched by sorrow and pain. Philippians 2 reminds us that Jesus suffered to the point of death and 1 Corinthias 10:13 says that he was tempted in ALL ways like us, only he never sinned. He always responded correctly to whatever life dished him. In the Garden, facing excruciating death and abondonment by God the Father, Jesus prays, “if possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will, but they will be done.” Whoa! This is an amazing example for us to follow in whatever we suffer. I hope and pray that when my day of suffering comes, I will be ready to follow Job’s example and say, even if God were to take my life, I will trust him!

Now, we find out a fourth “friend” shows up. He has listened to the other three and is not satisfied with their response to Job. OUt of exasperation and anger, the text says, he speaks out. But his response is no different. Elihu, thinks he is defending God and he thinks Job is way out of line in his personal claims and his characterization of God. Much of what Elihu says about God is correct–that he is powerful and mighty and totally above reproach. But his understanding of Job’s circumstances is totally wrong. Soon we will hear from God to set the record straight.

But for now we need to ask the question, how do we determine what God does and does not do? Job’s counselors did not have the advantage we have. That did not have the completed scripture, old and new testaments. We have God’s Word–the bible, and we have the Word of God–Jesus Christ. The scripture tells us that with these we have everything that we need in order to live a life of godliness (2 Peter 1:3ff). We do not have to guess from our circumstances or from the counsel of others. We can go to the scripture and with reading and meditation and disciplined study we can know many things about God that we need to know to live faithfully. We will not find an answer to all questions, but we will find enough to be faithful and follow the Lord. That is what 2 Peter says and what the rest of the scripture says. The only question really is are we spending enough time in the Word in order to know what it says about God and what direction it gives for life? Do we know enough about what Jesus said and taught in order to follow him?

This is not a once in a while endeavor. It is a life-time task. Every day we need to be reading and learning and applying the scripture. It is not a book to be memorized. It is a book to be lived and in living it we understand it even better and we understand God even better. God wants a relationship with us, not just rote behavior. He wants us to live each day submitting to his ways and his will and desiring more and more to follow him. The Spirit of God revelas to us what we need to know as we need to know it. It convicts us of sin. It gives us direction in decision-making, and it shapes our character if we allow it. That is the real purpose of all of God’s revelation–to reveal who he is and to shape us into the persons he created us to be. We have a lot of work to do and plenty of direction from the Scripture if we will attend to it.