Job defends his innocence

We have another week of this dialog, so hang in there. Sometimes, in books of poetry or in lengthy genealogies or census numbers of the tribes or extensive listings of the miniutia of the Law, I glaze over. JD says I am like a man, because I just want the facts! I want Job and his buddies to get to the point and not belabor it! However, we know that if something is included in the Bible, it is worthy of our consideration. So, keep reading and expect that there is something contained in each day's reading that will speak to you. Here' s mine for today...

Job continues on in "why me?" mode but is not disrespecting God in the process. He is merely stating his feelings about the tragedy that God has set before him. He is in anguish and recognizes that God has allowed every bit of it. He blames God, but he does not curse God. He continues to have reverence for God, as evidenced by 16:20, "my friends scorn me but I pour out my tears to God". He is still seeking God, even in his anger and despair. I think that is what prevents his rants from crossing over into irreverence.

In verse 16:19, Job says "Even now my witness is high in heaven. My advocate is there on high." The verse following, 16:21 says "I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends. For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return". Again, an acknowledgement of Jesus as an advocate, in this life and in the next. I'm still floored by these references. We know that Jesus has been with God since the beginning, as evidenced by the plurals in "let us make man in our own image". But how could Job have known this? Remember that there was no written Word, no Jesus, no Holy Spirit, and the Law had not yet been given. And yet, somehow Job knows that he has a "witness" in heaven! As one of my girlfriends noted in a recent post, it is a thrill to discover how thoroughly the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of the Savior.


Tomorrow's reading: Job 19-21