The reasons for suffering in a person’s life are not necessarily related to human explanations of personal unrighteousness, but are within the scope of God’s good and powerful providence resulting in the defeat of evil and glory to himself
I still find it amazing that God thinks I am worth living, that I should ride the boarders of death and life and there be a purpose. When all my heart wishes I would have died in my accident rather than put my family through what they have had to go through. And what they will have to go through. I feel that I have lost it sometimes. I don't understand the purpose but it is not for me to understand. I fight the constant emotion of guilt and pain. But every time when it matters He gives me the strength to do His work. Leaving no doubt that it is Him doing everything and not me. In my mind I will never confuse the two again. I must admit I am in aw of His power over me and this world and life I live. But the fact remains I feel very cowardly as I beg for Him to bring me home. That I don't want to do it anymore. That I feel like I have nothing left to give. But as His power embraces me I give more each time.
Last night I was listening to my iPod and on came a song whose chorus stated, "Give me something to die for..." We often hear the phrase, "Give me something to live for," but this other way of saying it seems more profound. There are plenty of things out there to live for, there is no short supply, but that rarely seems to be enough for most people. I remember reading a book about the English Hooligans. The conclusion of the book was that these English males (mostly) needed a sense of belonging which, in the past, was supplied by National pride during times of war such as WWI and II. With the lengthening time since those wars, men in England looked to something else to bring back that National pride. They found it in their football clubs. But it wasn't enough to just go to the matches and support their clubs. They had to move it to a feeling of war. With all the prejudices that arise in war and the colors and violence. We have often focused on the English but there are smaller versions of this all around Europe. It seems that a club worth living for wasn't enough. These people needed a club worth dying for. So they raised their support up to a level that certainly could bring the possibility of death. And are these football fanatics an isolated example? I am beginning to wonder. We see it in the military, in militias, on the roads, in gangs, in the political realm, in religious conflicts, and even in pacifists. When I started to think it through it was quite amazing to me how pervasive this idea is throughout all of culture. It manifests itself in many different ways. There are violent gangs, there are militias and warlords, there are homicide bombers, there are vigilanties, and there are even peace protesters who put themselves in harms way. What do all of these people have in common? They all seem to have a need for something more, something to die for. If a leader asks his people to live for him, some follow and some don't but nobody does it with much vigor, but when a leader asks his people to die for him, the support is overwhelming and intense. We see this most often at times of war. When a speech is made by a president or a prime minister and the people rally around the cause. When a country goes a long time without some life and death situation the people seem to loose the passion for life. Things get dull. Then I thought about the fact that we are all created in God's image and wondered about what this idea said about God. Is He interested only in having something that is so important that it is worth dying for? And is that the sort of passion that He instills in us? That we have this inner desire to be involved in something so important that it is worth dying for? And what happens when there isn't anything like that? I can see two things ending up happening. Either people become self absorbed and ultimately depressed and live in a sense of hopelessness and apathy or they begin to attribute greater importance to lesser things. The classic example would be the English Hooligans. They, without a real thing of value in their lives to pour their passion into, elevated football to a thing of utmost importance. Important enough to die for. And many did. Some people increase risk through dangerous activities. And some take usually mundane protests to the extreme. I think that all of these things point to an inner passion that drives us to finding something in our lives of such paramount importance that it is worthy of death itself. Somehow it seems that death is more important to us than life. And life, without the threat of death does not interest us. To the point where we will go to great lengths to invent things that involve the threat of death. Ultimately, for some, choosing to die by suicide rather than live life without that thing that is worthy of dying for. Of course it is not that I am saying we want to be oppressed and live under the threat of death such as what might occur in an abusive relationship or slavery or tyrrany. No one desires that, but what I am talking about is a positive thing that we can believe in, get behind and support to the point of death if necessary. You might ask how gangs or drug cartels can be positive. To most of us they are not positive but when you hear the people involved in them talk, they view it as positive. A family sort of system. They belong to something bigger than themselves. I think that is the key to the whole thing. Each one of us knows within that we are not the biggest thing in the universe. We all know that there is something bigger than us out there. And it is a burning desire within each of us to belong to that thing that is bigger than we are. There are millions of things that people choose to be a part of but, as a Christian, I believe the thing we are desiring so deeply is God, Himself. That thing inside us is really desiring to be a part of God. And don't think that isn't dangerous. Don't think that is void of the possibility of death. In fact, it requires standing against evil. Evil that certainly is not remiss in killing when the opportunity presents itself. And actually, belonging to God requires death. And in death, victory. It seems to be what we are made for. So how do we work that into what we do? Without turning it into some new "holy war". How do we keep it positive? Or, maybe it is God's plan to change our propensity towards death to a deep desire for life. And if it is, I can only imagine that happening in a place completely different from this place. Someplace like Heaven, maybe? I haven't finished thinking about this and don't have any conclusions to offer you in closing. So please bring your own comments to the table. I think this could be very interesting.
ARE YOU READY to Die for Jesus?
A. Job’s Piety: 1:1
B. Job’s Prosperity: 1:2-3
C. Job’s Posterity: 1:4-5
A. Two Interviews of Yahweh with Satan--The Presenting Problem:4 1:6--2:13
1. First Interview of Yahweh with Satan, a Test and Reaction: 1:6-22
a. Interview with Satan: 1:6-12
b. The Disasters: 1:13-12
c. Job’s Reaction: 1:20-22
2. Second Interview of Yahweh with Satan, a Test and Reaction: 2:1-13
a. Interview with Satan: 2:1-7a
b. Job’s Affliction: 2:7b, 8
c. Job’s Second Reaction: 2:9-10
d. Transition--The Arrival of Job’s Friends: 2:11-13
B. Dialogue of Job with His Friends--The Solutions of Job’s Three Friends and Elihu: 3:1--37:24
1. Three Cycles of Debate with Job 3:1--31:40
a. Job’s Opening Lamentation: Job wished that either he had not been born, died at birth, or would have died then 3:1-26
1) Desire Not to Have Been Born: 3:1-10</>
2) Desire to Have Died at Birth: 3:11-19</>
3) Desire to Die: 3:20-26</>
b. Dialogue/Debate in Three Cycles:5 4:1--27:23
1) Cycle One of Speeches and Job’s Response--God Punishes the Wicked and Blesses the Good: 4:1--14:22</>
a) Eliphaz & Job--Principle Stated: 4:1--7:21</>
(1) Eliphaz: Eliphaz accused Job of being inconsistent since suffering results from sin and no one is pure before God; thus he urged Job to ask God to help him and affirmed that God would deliver him after He had disciplined him 4:1--5:27</>
(2) Job: Job responded by affirming that his suffering was causing his rash desire to die, Eliphaz’s response has disappointed him, and by asking for forgiveness if he has sinned 6:1--7:21</>
b) Bildad & Job--Principle Illustrated: 8:1--10:22</>
(1) Bildad: Bildad affirmed that history has confirmed that if Job is righteous God will restore him, unlike the ungodly who parish 8:1-22</>
(2) Job: Job responds by affirming God’s wisdom and power, asking why He is against him, and requesting to die 9:1--10:22</>
c) Zophar & Job--Principle Applied to Job: 11:1--14:22</>
(1) Zophar: Zophar rebukes Job by affirming that God should show him true wisdom and by affirming that if he would turn to God, he would be blessed 11:1-20</>
(2) Job: Job responds by criticizing Zophar for not telling him anything new, not helping him, and not representing God well, whereupon, he again asks God to let him die 12:1--14:22</>
2) Cycle Two of Speeches and Job’s Response--The Wicked Suffer and Perish because They Are against God: 15:1--21:34</>
a) Eliphaz & Job II: 15:1--17:16</>
(1) Eliphaz: Eliphaz affirms that Job’s words are meaningless, that he is guilty, and that he is like the wicked because he is in distress 15:1-35</>
(2) Job: Job responds rebuking his friends for being no help, desiring to plead his case with God, and affirming is situation of despair 16:1--17:16</>
b) Bildad & Job II: 18:1--19:29</>
(1) Bildad: Bildad rebukes Job for his arrogant words about them, and affirms that the wicked, like he, are weakened, ensnared, diseased, insecure, forgotten, hated, and alone 18:1-21</>
(2) Job: Job rebukes his friends for tormenting and insulting him, affirms that God has wronged him, urges his friends to have pity on him, and affirms that God will prove his innocence after his death and judge his friends 19:1-29</>
c) Zophar & Job II: 20:1--21:34</>
(1) Zophar: Zophar accuses Job of insulting him and reminds him that the wicked may be blessed, but they will then loose their riches 20:1-29</>
(2) Job: Job retorts that his impatience is excusable and reminds Zophar that the wicked prosper and live (unlike he) 21:1-34</>
3) Cycle Three of Speeches and Job’s Response--God Is Majestic, but Job is Wicked: 22:1--27:23</>
a) Eliphaz & Job III: 22:1--24:25</>
(1) Eliphaz: Proclaiming God’s disinterest in Job for his social deviations and spiritual defiance, Eliphaz urges him to repent for God is great 22:1-20</>
(2) Job: Job longs to plead his case before God 23:1--24:25</>
b) Bildad and Job III: 25:1--27:23</>
(1) Bildad: Bildad affirmed that because God is great and man is small and impure there was no hope for Job to be just and clean 25:1-6</>
(2) Job: Job affirms that his friends are not help to him since he knows that God is great and powerful over nature 26:1-14</>
(3) Job’s Conclusion: Job concludes the discussion by continuing to proclaim his innocence and the hopelessness of the wicked 27:1-23</>
c. Job’s Closing Affirmations: 28:1--31:40
1) Transitionary Discourse on God’s Wisdom: Job affirms that although man is skillful in mining, wisdom is harder to find for it is God who knows where wisdom is 28:1-28</>
a) The Skill of Man in Mining: 28:1-11</>
b) Hidden Wisdom: 28:12-22</>
c) The Ability of God: 28:23-28</>
2) Job’s Desire for His Former Estate of Glory: Job wishes that he was in his former days of spiritual blessing, material prosperity and social prestige which occurred because he helped the needy, exercised justice and counseled others 29:1-25</>
a) Job’s Wish: 29:1-11</>
b) Reason For Job’s Former Prosperity: 29:12-25</>
3) Job’s Lament of His Present Miserable Humiliation: Job proclaims his misery as he is mocked by poor young men and vagabonds, and his humiliation as he is in pain and nobody helps him 30:1-31</>
a) Mocked by Poor Young Men and Vagabonds: 30:1-15</>
b) Helpless Pain: 30:16-31</>
4) Job’s Ultimate Challenge--An Oath of Innocence which ‘Legally’ Calls God to Answer” 31:1-40</>
a) Job Has Not Lusted: 31:1-4</>
b) Job Has Not Lied or Deceived: 31:5-8</>
c) Job Has Not Committed Adultery: 31:9-12</>
d) Job Has Not Failed to Help His Slaves: 31:13-15</>
e) Job Has Not Failed to Help the Poor and Needy: 31:16-23</>
f) Job Has Not Trusted in His Wealth: 31:24-25</>
g) Job Has Not Turned to Idolatry: 31:26-28</>
h) Job Has Not Treated His Enemies Unfairly: 31:29-30</>
i) Job Has Not Been Stingy: 31:31-32</>
j) Job Has Not Hidden His Sins: 31:33-34</>
k) Job Wishes God Would Hear Him: 31:35-37</>
l) Job Has Not Been Unfair to His Farm-workers 31:38-40</>
2. Four Speeches by Elihu: 32:1--37:24
a. Introduction of Elihu: 32:1-5
b. Elihu’s First Speech--God’s Instruction to Man through Affliction: 32:6--33:33
c. Elihu’s Second Speech to the Three Friends and Job--God’s Justice and Prudence Vindicated: 34:1-37
d. Elihu’s Third Speech to Job--The Advantages of Piety: 35:1-16
e. Elihu’s Fourth Speech to Job (and Friends)--God’s Greatness and Job’s Ignorance: 36:1--37:24
C. Two Interviews of Yahweh with Job--Yahweh’s Solution: 38:1--42:6
1. First Interview with Yahweh and Job--Limits in Knowledge: 38:1--40:5
a. Yahweh: 38:1--40:5
1) Yahweh Challenged Job: 38:1-3</>
2) Yahweh Questioned Job Regarding Two Areas of Creation:6 38:4--39:30</>
a) Yahweh’s Questions Regarding the Physical World: 38:4-38</>
b) Yahweh’s Questions Regarding the Animal World: 38:39--39:30</>
3) Yahweh Challenged Job to Reply to His Questions: 40:1-2</>
b. Job Replied in Silent Humility:7 40:3-5
2. Second Interview with God and Job--Limits in Power:8 40:6--42:6
a. Yahweh: 40:6--42:6
1) Yahweh Challenged Job to Listen: 40:6-14</>
2) Yahweh questioned Job Regarding Two animals of Creation:9 40:15--41:34</>
a) Yahweh Questions Regarding the Behemoth: 40:15-24</>
b) Yahweh Questions Regarding the Leviathan: 41:1-34</>
b. Job Replied with Repentance:10 42:1-6
A. Yahweh’s Verdict on Job’s Friends: 42:7-9
B. Yahweh’s Restoration of Job’s Fortunes: 42:10-17
The day is coming, burning like a furnace!