40 Days with Job – Day 32

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 32 – Chapter 33

“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I heard the sound of your words: ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me. Behold, He invents pretexts against me; he counts me as his enemy. He puts me in the stocks; He watches all my paths.’ Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this, for God is greater than man” (33:8-12).

I don’t know where Elihu came from but he is a real test of my restraint. It was not enough to impugn the integrity of Job’s ‘friends’ and accuse them of lacking good sense, now he claims to speak for God. I cannot begin to tell you the issues today’s text highlights for me, but let me attempt to keep my composure and address just a couple of them.

First of all, it frustrates me to no end when people set themselves up to speak for God. It happens far too frequently among God’s people and especially in Church. Whether one claims to be prophesying or just making a comment it is a slippery slope to be on if attempting to speak for God. It would not be so bad if they would stick to scripture or at the very least address something that remotely resembles what a person has heard from God, but more often than not such is not the case.

Second, it troubles me that anyone would claim to have the mind of God as if they alone have heard from God on a certain subject. We must be very careful that we do not claim exclusivity when reporting how we have heard from God. God does not speak to us alone, that’s why it is so exciting to me when I hear the same Word coming from women and men of God who do not know one another and have never heard from one another. It is clear then that they are hearing from God.

Third, and I know this is becoming repetitive; it sets me on fire when anyone will challenge another without having all the necessary information. Elihu has no idea what has happened to Job or why. He knows nothing about the meetings that took place in Heaven. He knows nothing about Job’s life, what he has or has not done. It sort of reminds of how jealous people can be, and you may never know until something happens that affords them the opportunity to draw false conclusions.

I want to sound the alarm today. Do not be so quick to interpret another’s situation without first gathering all the facts. Be very careful that you do not set yourself up to speak for God or to be the only one to whom God speaks clearly. There, I’ve vented enough, now go glorify God in your living.

Lord, You know how some of Your people really get on my nerves. I imagine I am guilty of doing the same from time to time. Forgive me for projecting a ‘greater than Thou’ attitude, and assist me in maintaining my composure when confronted with people who do. Let me hear clearly from You, but keep me from using it as a weapon against Your people, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 31

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 31 – Chapter 32

“Job’s three friends now fell silent. They were talked out, stymied because Job wouldn’t budge an inch—wouldn’t admit to an ounce of guilt. Then Elihu lost his temper. (Elihu was the son of Barakel the Buzite from the clan of Ram.) He blazed out in anger against Job for pitting his righteousness against God’s. He was also angry with the three friends because they had neither come up with an answer nor proved Job wrong. Elihu had waited with Job while they spoke because they were all older than he. But when he saw that the three other men had exhausted their arguments, he exploded with pent-up anger” (32:1-5, The Message).

There is no one who knows your situation better than you. Others, having the luxury of looking in from the outside, can sometimes see things about you and your situation you are unable to see, but even still their knowledge is limited. In our text today we meet a new player in this drama, Elihu, that is angry that Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were unsuccessful in establishing Job’s guilt or coming up with an answer to all his troubles. His entire tone is insulting and demeaning not only to Job but to his three so-called friends as well. He has the audacity to suggest that he is the one with wisdom and that these three older men’s failure to properly indict Job is proof that age and experience do not guarantee good sense (v. 9).

The manner in which Elihu builds his case points to a quirk in human nature and that is the tendency to believe that we know the intricacies of a person’s personal situation just because we have observed a few things or heard a few things. Perhaps one of the reasons the body of Christ is often so disjointed and isolated from one another is because of this penchant to make assumptions and accusations. The tragedy is that the assumptions and accusations force the one who has been victimized to be on the defensive, because if the assumptions and accusations are allowed to go unchallenged they run the risk of becoming factual to those who have itching ears to hear.

For our part, to counter the accusations and assumptions of others, we need to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God about our situations. If we are innocent God will ultimately vindicate us. This was Job’s hope and the very thing his detractors could not countenance in him. But if we are guilty we need to own it and then take the necessary measures to correct the situation. Ultimately God is our final judge and arbiter. The ones making the assumptions and accusations have neither Heaven nor Hell into which to put you so don’t allow them to pull you out of your time and place.

Heavenly Father, come and vindicate us quickly. Our enemies, disguised as friends, are gathering and the accusations are flying. We are growing weary of the relentless attacks and the never-ending presumptions of guilt. Cover us with Your mercy and grace. Keep us from becoming bitter with our ‘friends.’ Help us to hold on to the truth and to discard that which is false. Look within us and show us our failures and faults, and give us the strength to make the right decisions that will impact our circumstances and give You glory and honor. We ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 30

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 30 – Chapter 31

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? And what is the portion of God from above or the heritage of the Almighty from on high? Is it not calamity to the unjust and disaster to those who work iniquity? Does He not see my ways and number all my steps? If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hastened after deceit, let Him weigh me with accurate scales, and let God know my integrity. If my step has turned from the way, or my heart followed my eyes, or if any spot has stuck to my hands, let me sow and another eat, and let my crops be uprooted” (31:1-8).

In this chapter Job asserts that which is most lacking in many people today, his integrity. It is not a common word in our conversations any longer but it is an important element that no Christian should be without. To understand the notion of integrity one has to understand it’s meaning. Integrity is “the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity” (yourdictionary.com). Everyday our moral principles are systematically being tested with the end goal of enticing us to compromise. It is hard to get away from because so much of our daily life is filled with compromise. But our integrity demands more.

The psalmist tells us that God upholds us because of our integrity (Psalm 41:12), integrity and uprightness preserves us (Psalm 25:21), we should walk in integrity (Psalm 26:1, 11), we are judged according to the integrity in us (Psalm 7:8), those who walk in integrity walk securely (Psalm 10:9), and it is the integrity of the upright that guides them (Psalm 11:3). The only place the word ‘integrity’ is used in the entirety of the New Testament is in the Book of Titus. Paul writes, “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us” (Titus 2:7-8).

It is not easy to maintain one’s integrity, to be consistently seen as a person of sound moral principal, but without one’s integrity what do they have? There will always be things to test one’s integrity. One must be careful because many of the tests will be in the small things. It is relatively easy for most to avoid the big-ticket items, but where one is most prone to get caught is in the little things. The little things are dangerous because they quickly become habitual and because they are the ones that cumulatively do great damage. Remember the words of wise King Solomon, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes who are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom” Song of Solomon 2:15). Today make a special effort to protect your integrity.

Dear Lord, we are more often guilty of compromise than we want to admit. We have told ourselves that the little compromises do not matter because they are insignificant, but in the process we have wounded our integrity. Help us today to hold our personal integrity in high esteem and give us the ability to protect it at all costs. Give us special discernment so we will not be blindsided by the enemy of our souls or his agents charged with seducing us out of our integrity. Regardless of the cost, strengthen us to be people of integrity today. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 29

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 29 – Chapter 30

“Fools, even those without a name, they were scourged from the land. And now I have become their taunt, I have even become a byword to them. They abhor me and stand aloof from me, and they do not refrain from spitting at my face. Because He has loosed His bowstring and afflicted me, they have cast off the bridle before me” (30:8-11).

Of the many residual effects of experiencing trouble and trial are the feelings of humiliation. The higher the esteem with which one was held the greater the humiliation. But the humiliation is generally mostly the manufacture of the one who is in trouble. At most times few really care all that much about the trouble you face. We are the ones who tend to be the most concerned, especially when reputation is at stake. No one, you see, really wants to have their private struggle become public knowledge, but that is generally what happens when a successful person, a prosperous person, a person in an enviable position with enviable opportunities experiences destruction somewhere in their life.

Job is absolutely humiliated. He has lost everything materially and physically he can lose. The only thing left is his dignity and that is under serious jeopardy given the fact that his life has become a byword (30:9). What Job has yet to discover is that none of what concerns us matter much to God. He is not bound by our emotions or our sense of propriety. He is not moved by our feelings of humiliation because He is God and above Him there is none other. He is not concerned about them because He can turn them around in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. Let’s face it; those feelings are ours and ours alone. We have to learn how to handle them, tame them and keep them under control rather that allowing them to control us. Today grant it to be so.

Dear Father, the trouble and trial with which we often must contend have us embarrassed because of the humiliation we feel. Everywhere we go we think people are looking at us and talking about us. Forgive us for wondering why we are suffering. Forgive us for forgetting that there is nothing too hard for You to do in our lives. Give us the capacity today to turn our struggles and every feeling of embarrassment and humiliation over to You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 28

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 28 – Chapter 29

“And Job again took up his discourse and said, ‘Oh that I were as in months gone by, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shone over my head, and by His light I walked through darkness; as I was in the prime of my days, when the friendship of God was over my tent; when the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were around me; when my steps were bathed in butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!’” (29:1-6)

It is not uncommon to rehash and rehearse the past, especially when the present is not so glorious and the future looks rather bleak. That is precisely what Job does in this 29th chapter. His past was glorious. He was content with his life. He was revered and respected. He was honored as an elder among his people. His family surrounded him. He was known to be an advocate for the poor and a deliverer for the oppressed. He worked to meet the need of the widow and the orphan. When he spoke people listened, in fact, they sought out his counsel. Clearly, in his own estimation he was the man God said he was in the first two chapters. But now all of that has changed and he is left with only memories and his hope seems to be fading.

Job is not alone. As I pointed out before, we are Job. We can more than empathize with him; we understand. When we are going through rough patches and hope for the future appears to be dim, we, too, look to the past and reminisce about how things were so much better than they are now. It is perhaps one of the most natural things to do, except it is a very dangerous trap. Rehashing the past may only be helpful in so far as we analyze it to learn from it. But when we begin the process of replaying all the good times as compared to the present we run the risk of getting stuck, unable to move on. The danger in getting stuck in the past is that we lose hope for the future wondering how it could possibly be better any than what we have had.

God has done some wonderful things for us in the past. We should celebrate them, but remember that He is the One who also makes all things new (Isaiah 43:19; Revelation 21:5). He is the One who promised through the prophet that the glory of the latter house would be greater than the former (Haggai 2:9). Our God is not bound by whatever He did in the past. With Him every round goes higher. All He wants from us is our trust, obedience and confidence that He will finish in us what He started (Philippians 1:6). So be encouraged today, don’t allow yourself to get stuck in the successes and glory of the past. Look to God who holds your future in His hand, for your best days and blest days are yet in front of you.

Thank You, Great God for all the marvelous things You have done for us. You have brought over a road filled with successes and failures. You have promised good to us and shown Yourself ever faithful. Keep us this day from becoming fixated on our past. Open our eyes to the wonder and glory of the future yet to be revealed. Allow us to know and believe that You are indeed behind the scenes working for our good. We offer this prayer to You in the name of Your Son, Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 27

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 27 – Chapter 28

“Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where they refine gold. But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding’” (28:1, 12, 28).

Wisdom is the one thing we all should seek, but it is very elusive. It is the one thing that has been lacking in the comments Job has endured from his so-called ‘friends.’ It is also the one thing every one needs. Clearly Job needs it to understand his situation, and yet it is not forthcoming. In its place, then, Job is exposed to the supposed wisdom of those who have none, and all it does is contribute to his misery. It is also a precious commodity, more precious than the treasures of the earth. We know where to find gold and silver, as well as precious jewels. Wisdom, as a commodity, is an entirely different thing.

Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge [God’s] people to discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9). He could have asked for anything, long life, riches, total defeat of his enemies, but because he asked for “discernment to understand justice,” God gave him a wise and discerning heart. Why did Solomon ask for wisdom? He asked for it because he understood the value of it, in stark contrast to Job’s statement when he declared that “man does know its value” (Job 28:13).

It is apparent that many have not changed much in their own understanding and discernment today. It seems that people still do not know the value of wisdom. They understand and laud the acquisition of knowledge, but knowledge is little more than the accumulation of facts if it is not accompanied by wisdom. What was lacking in Job’s day among his ‘friends,’ is still lacking today among many. Education is good, advisable, and everyone should endeavor to be lifelong learners. There are many who are filled with facts. We love to have them on our teams when we play trivia games, but they do not always have common sense, let alone wisdom. The writer of Proverbs advises, “The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). Someone once said, “Learn all you can, and can all you learn.” But don’t stop there, go to God and get understanding.

Lord, we are filled with so many facts, but it is often little more than useless information. We know many things but are guilty of not knowing You. You know everything. There is nothing hidden from Your view. You know why we are suffering and in trouble. You know the habits of our hearts, the secret things unknown to anyone else. You know the end of the matter before the beginning. You know our needs and just how and when to provide for them. Help us today to submit all of our acquired knowledge of facts and figures to You and to trust You to lead us in the way of wisdom, insight and understanding. Help us to trust in You with all our heart, and lean not to our own understanding so that you can make our paths straight. We ask it in the strong name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 26

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 26 – Chapter 27

“Then Job continued his discourse and said, ‘As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul, for as long as life is in me, and the breath of God is in my nostrils, my lips certainly will not speak unjustly, nor will my tongue mutter deceit. Far be it from me that I should declare you right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days’” (27:1-6).

Job now continues his response to Bildad’s statement and implied accusation by affirming his allegiance and devotion to God. He refuses to do the very things these so-called friends want him to do and steadfastly holds on to his righteousness. He refuses to give in to their ranting and raving and begin to speak unjustly about God. Job is suffering and yet remains determined to keep his tongue from either agreeing with Bildad or muttering deceit. His integrity is far too precious for him to acquiesce to he barrage of misguided counsel coming his way.

Have you ever noticed how the words of others you know to be false can program you? Just by the sheer weight of repetition accusations and inferences made by others about you can begin to have a negative impact on you to the point that the enemy’s work of derailing your destiny is complete. Numbers of people have had the course of their lives completely altered by the words spoken over them by others. If there is no one to counter-balance those life-altering words entire lives can be destroyed and the divine destiny in them aborted.

It is great and advisable to seek and receive counsel. It is what makes us wise, but when we know the counsel is erroneous, off-base, and misguided, we have no choice but to reject it entirely out of hand. The God we serve cannot lie. All of His promises are yes and amen. Counsel that negates these promises and causes us to betray our confidence in Him or surrender our integrity must be rejected. Many of the position changes occurring in our churches, and in the lives of individual believers, have come not through honest study in God’s Word, but through the relentlessly repetitive pontificating of those with specific agendas to promote. Just as Job refused to put away his integrity let us do the same.

Lord Jesus, we confess today how easily we are swayed by the words of others. We confess how often we have been guilty of putting away our integrity just to conform to the counsel of well intentioned but misguided advisors. We confess how easily we have traded expediency for perseverance. Forgive us for not standing our ground and not holding on to our righteousness. Give us the capacity to affirm the truth while remaining committed to Your leading in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 25

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 25 – Chapters 25-26

“Dominion and awe belong to Him who establishes peace in His heights. Is there any number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not rise? How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? If even the moon has no brightness and the stars are pure in His sight, how much less man, that maggot, and the son of man, that worm?” (25:2-6)

In the continuing disputation with Job, Bildad now asserts his belief that man is inferior. To him, humans are worth very little because of their humble origin. One commentator describes his reasoning in the following manner; “If God does not consider the moon and stars to shine brightly, he considers human beings to be even less. To him they are maggots and worms”; “When God looks at the moon and the stars he considers them to be dim lights. When he looks at human beings they are nothing more to him than maggots and worms.”[1] Bildad’s purpose is to point out to Job just how insignificant humans are to God.

Job’s reaction is quick and acerbic. “Well, you’ve certainly been a great help to a helpless man! You came to the rescue just in the nick of time! What wonderful advice you’ve given to a mixed-up man! What amazing insights you’ve provided! Where in the world did you learn all this? How did you become so inspired” (26:1-4, The Message)? I thoroughly understand Job’s reaction here. Clearly Bildad does not have the kind of relationship with God that Job enjoys. There is no way to get around the fact of his suffering, but Job, to this point, still refuses to sin against God. If you really want to find how committed a person is in their relationship with the Lord, watch and see what they do under pressure. I’m not referring to getting angry, everyone does that; but what does a person do or even say when pressed to or beyond the breaking point?

I have occasion to listen to prank phone calls on a certain morning radio program and while they are often funny I am struck by how easily the objects of these prank phone calls are pulled into a carnality of which they are normally ashamed. Everyone has a breaking point, but one should never allow situations they may encounter or counsel given without wisdom to cause them to sin against God. Job demonstrates two very important things for us today. First, one does not need to passively take the false accusations and foolish advice and counsel of those who call themselves helping. Second, one can say what needs to be said without debasing themselves or bringing shame to the name of our Lord. The Apostle Paul counseled us to be angry, but to not sin (Ephesians 4:26). Today let us adhere to that counsel.

Gracious heavenly Father, We are not always able to control our anger and frustration. We have said things that did not honor You and were hurtful to those to whom they were directed. Forgive us when we have lived beneath our privilege and dishonored Your name and our calling. Help us to own our anger without committing sin. Keep us from making excuses to explain away our sin and help us constructively channel our emotions to the glory of Your precious name. Amen.

[1] William David Reyburn, A Handbook on the Book of Job (UBS Handbook Series, New York: United Bible Societies, 1992), 468.

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40 Days with Job – Day 24

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 24 – Chapter 24

“Why are times not stored up by the Almighty, and why do those who know Him not seek His days? From the city men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out; yet God does not pay attention to folly. They are insignificant on the surface of the water; their portion is cursed on the earth. They do not turn toward the vineyards. They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up; even like the heads of grain they are cut off. Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, and make my speech worthless?” (24:1, 12, 18, 24-25)

Does God ignore wrongs? It is a bit of a rhetorical question but it is what Job now contends. God, who has to this point been silent, seems to Job to ignore the wrongs that people do around him. His inference is that not only does God ignore wrong but also fails to reward righteousness. On the surface it appears to be a foolish thing to contend, but in God’s silence and delay in responding to his situation, it is what Job feels. One cannot indict or chastise Job because of what he feels because if we are honest we have had times when we felt the same thing, and our trials could not begin to compare with that of Job’s.

So, does God ignore wrongs? Of course not, but God does not always speak when we have questions. There are times when God is purposefully silent, maybe even creatively silent. These are not times to take matter into our own hands or to make sweeping assumptions about His love and concern. I imagine that Job was unaccustomed to silence from God, and now when he needed Him most silence is deafening. For our part, we have become so accustomed to instant gratification that we are frustrated beyond description whenever we have to wait for an answer from God.

Know today that God cares for you. Remember Jeremiah’s cry and God’s implied answer. The way of the wicked prospers only for a season. God is not distant as some suppose. He is not uncaring or unkind. He is not dispassionately detached from you. He has empathy for you and is passionately in love with you. In those moments when we desperately desire to hear from Him and He is silent, retreat to His Word for assurance, encouragement, and comfort. Remember His faithfulness from the past. The same God who took care of your yesterday is the same God who will take care of you today and all your tomorrows.

Holy God, the weight of trouble at times seems too heavy to carry. Cause us to remember the words of Your Son Jesus who told us His yoke was easy and His burden light. Call to our remembrance the words of Peter when he declared we could cast all our cares on You because You care for us. Help us to wait on You and be of good courage believing that You will strengthen our heart. Prevent us from becoming jaded when we think about You and all You have done and continue to do for us. Enable us hide ourselves in You knowing that You will work things out for our good. We ask this in faith today through the matchless all-powerful name of Jesus. Amen.

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40 Days with Job – Day 23

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 23 – Chapter 23

“Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning. Oh that I knew where I might find him, that I might come to His seat! Behold, I go forward but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way I take; when He had tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (23:2-3, 8-10).

Job’s response to the baseless accusations of Eliphaz is to admit that he is in the midst of rebellion just by voicing his complaints, especially since his groaning changes nothing. Of everything Eliphaz had to say Job could only admit to complaining too much. But his complaints were reasonable. He is suffering and God is saying nothing. He is enduring the false accusations of his ‘friends,’ and God is silent. He wonders where God is in the midst of his storm. Everywhere he looks he comes up empty. His own personal assessment is that he has been faithful to God, “My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside” (23:11); yet, there is still no answer from God concerning his dilemma.

If Job were like so many of God’s people God’s silence would be enough to confirm that either God does not care or He is not there and we must fend for ourselves as best as possible. Job does not come to such a conclusion. Presented with the perfect opportunity to turn his back on God he instead affirms the sovereignty of God, “But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does” (23:13).

Most of us know what it is like to feel disconnected from God. There are those moments when it seems that God is not present with us in our circumstances and our distress. It is in those moments that we should, like Job, desperately seek God. How should we seek Him? Job says, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (23:12b). Is our desire for God that passionate? Isaiah writes, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). But Job does more than just seek God, He reaffirms his belief that God will ultimately vindicate him, “When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (23:10b). Let these words be on our lips this day, “I shall come forth as gold.”

Dear Father Almighty, I do not pretend to understand Your ways. They are too lofty for me to attain but I trust You to perform in me Your good and perfect will. I confess to the times when I have been unable to feel or perceive Your presence. In my loneliness let me know You are present with me. Wrap Your arms about me today and reassure me that I am never alone. Satisfy my longing soul and fill my hunger with good things, and when You have tried me, bring me forth like God, in the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

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