Job CXVIII

 Job 9:14-20, “How then can I answer Him, and choose my words to reason with Him? For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge. If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice. For He crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness. If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court? Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.”

Because no one can stand to see themselves in the light of God’s glory, they take to comparing themselves to their contemporaries, thereby concluding that their righteousness cuts the mustard, meets a standard, or is otherwise superior to a majority.

Job was not so hedonistic as to compare himself to his contemporaries, nor did he highlight his righteousness in an attempt to prove his case. Notwithstanding Jesus, who was sinless and walked in perfection, no matter how righteous one may seem in their own eyes, when juxtaposed with the righteousness of God, theirs is as filthy rags.

Comparing one’s righteousness with God’s righteousness is akin to comparing a flickering candle to a 200,000-lumen flashlight. There is no comparison, and when we have the temerity to insist that we deserve either health, prosperity, or prominence because of our righteousness, it is nothing more than base vanity.

Yes, Job was a righteous man. He was blameless and upright because God declared it to be so, yet by his own estimation, in light of God’s righteousness, his own mouth would condemn him if he were to boast of it, and though he were blameless, it would prove him perverse. Job did not see himself in contrast to his friend, his family, or his contemporaries but in contrast to a holy God, and that made his own righteousness so insignificant as to be unmentionable.

Well, then, if we’re always falling short, why even try? Why walk humbly with our Lord? Why be sober-minded and circumspect in all our ways? Why strive to walk in obedience? Because that is the duty of man in light of God’s will. It is our duty to keep His precepts diligently as faithful servants and children of God.

Psalm 119:1-5, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!”

If God commanded it, it is not optional. It is not a take-it-or-leave-it proposition or something we can opt out of. He commanded us to keep His precepts diligently. It’s not work; it’s obedience. It’s not earning our way into heaven; it’s doing the things God commanded us to do.

We are great at trying to find shortcuts in pretty much every area of life, and serving God is no exception. I have a friend who was very enthusiastic about starting a ketogenic diet and wouldn’t stop talking about it. It was her first day, and as the conversation progressed, she started detailing all the available hacks she’d uncovered, wherein she could still hold to the diet but kind of cheat a little bit because life without pasta is no life at all, and everyone deserves a treat at the end of the day.

Since I’m usually honest to the point of bluntness, my only response to her was, if you’re already looking for ways to cheat, you might as well give up today because you’re likely going to give up tomorrow anyway.

I’m not a nutritionist, nor do I purport to be. However, if you want to know how to shed a few pounds, find a fat person and pick their brain because they likely know more about losing weight than the hippie chick with the kale smoothie who’s always been a size zero ever will. All told, I’ve probably lost a few hundred pounds throughout my life. The problem isn’t taking off the weight; it’s keeping it off, and the quickest way to gain it all back is trying to find hacks and shortcuts, which will inevitably lead to greater allowances in your diet to the point that you find yourself back right where you started with a few extra pounds to boot.

If we approach our service to God with the mindset of how much we can get away with and still be pleasing in His sight, we will flounder, stagnate, and return to our previous rebellion as a dog returns to its vomit.

A soldier remains a soldier whether they are on active duty, deployed, or awaiting fresh orders. They never cease being a soldier, and throughout their time, they are duty-bound to obey orders, regardless of how it makes them feel or whether they deem the task set before them as difficult. There is a reason Paul compares the life of the believer with a soldier or an athlete, and it’s because both of these require total commitment, total focus, and total dedication.

An athlete strives to be the best he can be, not allowing for mediocrity to be an acceptable recourse, but ever striving, pushing themselves, knowing that stagnation is death, and the absence of progress will doom their chances of claiming the prize.

There are rules for every race that every participant must abide by. There are no exceptions and no carveouts. If you are unwilling to abide by the rules, then you are not an official participant. You can run alongside those who are, and pretend to be in the race, but come the finish line, you will not be awarded any prize due to your unwillingness to submit to the rules and regulations governing it.

Likewise, there is a chain of command that every soldier must adhere to. Orders come from the top down, not from the bottom up. God commands, and we obey. That’s the way it works, and anyone who insists that they can subvert God and make up their own rules as they go is an army of one with no command structure or allegiance.

Job was a man who fundamentally understood these things and did his utmost to suffer well. Did he fall short of it at times? Likely, but there’s falling short, then there’s finding fault with God, and that he never did.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.