CCXXXVIII

 Job 21:27-34, “Look, I know your thoughts, and the schemes with which you would wrong me. For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked?’ Have you not asked those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs? For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; they shall be brought out on the day of wrath. Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done? Yet he shall be brought to the grave, and a vigil kept over the tomb. The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; everyone shall follow him, as countless have gone before him. How then can you comfort me with empty words, since falsehood remains in your answers?”

Job knew his friends well enough to predict what they would say in response to his oratory. Even in the midst of the pain and loss he was suffering, he still had presence of mind, he still heard their words, and was able to formulate a cogent, coherent retort in kind. It’s undeniable that Job was made of sturdy stuff, not only possessing a noble character, a pure heart, but also a steel spine that refused to bend to the onslaught of words and accusations spewed at him by his friends. Job was a man of character who held to his convictions and stood on principle. It would be refreshing to see likewise in much of Christendom today, especially when it comes to the self-titled spiritual elites who boast of little to nothing, then somehow always make their way back to sacrificial giving so they can do more of the same.

When the ratio between those who wilt like a plucked rose every time they are called upon to stand for the truth and defend it, and those who will speak the truth, well aware of the backlash they will likely endure, is ten to one, you no longer have to wonder why the church is in the shape it’s in, or why it seems as though we’re spinning our wheels doing little more than going through the motions hoping for something different to occur.

One of the great lessons of life that many today fail to learn is the ability to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. We were never called upon to be man pleasers; we were called upon to be God pleasers. If my words or actions are intended to please men, placate them, or compel them to accept me in their clique, rather than be pleasing to God, I have failed in my mission and will be called to answer for my timidity and disloyalty. Yes, it is disloyal when, knowing what the Word of God says, we choose to dilute it, twist it, and reinterpret it for the sake of acceptance.   

The sifting that is coming upon the household of faith, and some might say the sifting that has already begun, is not undeserved. God didn’t suddenly decide to lay down the law or insist upon righteousness among those claiming to be His. His standard has always been clearly defined in His Word; men just thought they could get away with not even striving to live up to it.

Job knew his friends would either try to twist his words or insist upon evidence regarding the wicked and their seemingly prosperous lives. He likewise knew that their reasoning wouldn’t come from an honest desire to understand, but because they saw their interactions with him as a tug of war, a war of wills, and one they were determined to win, even if they had to play dumb and ask for proof of the obvious.

You speak of these things, but where is the house of the prince, and the dwelling place of the wicked? We don’t see them; can you point them out? I’ve been faced with the same reaction when confronting sin in the church, and how far too many choose the flesh over their spiritual man. Where are these sinners you speak of? Where is all this sin you’re insisting exists in the church? My answer is the same as Job’s was to his friends: just open your eyes and look around. It’s not hard to find. It’s not something hidden anymore; it’s prevalent, cross-denominational, and not reserved to the laymen, but to those who are in authority, and who insist they are the shepherds of the flock of God’s people.

This was to be Zophar’s last attempt at convincing Job he was in the wrong, that he had sinned, that he’d committed wickedness of such offense in God’s sight as to deserve what he was getting and more besides. Job’s final words to his friend were honest and heartbreaking all at once because his friend had not set out to cause him to despair, but rather to comfort him. Somewhere along the way, whether knowingly or unknowingly, he’d turned into his accuser, and once he set out upon his path, he never looked back.

I’ve had a counterargument for everything you’ve said. I’ve shown you that it’s not black and white, but that sometimes what occurs doesn’t make sense, and is incongruent with how we view the world, and existence itself. Sometimes the wicked do prosper, sometimes the righteous do suffer, but you’re unwilling to allow for the possibility that you were wrong in your assessment. How then can you comfort me with empty words, since falsehood remains in your answers?

In the end, we all return to the earth. In the end, we will all stand before an omniscient God who judges with righteous judgment, not based on the titles we held, the wealth we amassed, the honor we received from men, or the image we projected. We will stand before God, who does not see as man sees, but who judges the heart and from whom nothing is hidden.

Joel 2:13, “So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.”

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.