Job CCLXXIV

Had I been a hypocrite, I could not rightly know what I am about to tell you. Had I had a superficial relationship with the Almighty, I would be as in the dark regarding His sovereignty, power, and majesty, but since I am not, I will teach you about the hand of God, and what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

You already know this, but chose to ignore it because your pride demanded that I fit neatly into the box you’ve predetermined I should be in. Surely you have seen it; why, then, do you behave with complete nonsense?

It seems as though Job caught his second wind, and this will be the longest of his speeches, spanning some four chapters in total, with gems of wisdom strewn throughout as he verbally processes his life up to this point, as well as his understanding of God. It wasn’t forced; he didn’t sit at a desk with a quill and parchment to iron out his autobiography. He spoke from the heart, from experience, with his lifelong worship of God as the firm ground upon which he would build his case.    

Job 27:13-17, “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of the oppressors, received from the Almighty: If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those who survive him shall be buried in death, and their widows shall not weep, though he heaps up silver like dust, and piles up clothing like clay – he may pile it up, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.”

Divine truth is timeless. It neither expires, grows stale, nor does it become irrelevant with the passage of time. What was true millennia ago is as true and relevant today, and when Job describes the portion of a wicked man with God, and what heritage he will receive from the Almighty, one can’t help but look around and see the truth of it in plain sight.

How do the offspring of some of the most prominent individuals who have every privilege and opportunity to make something of themselves, to succeed, to be productive members of society, become little more than ambulatory train wrecks, and cautionary tales of what not to do in life?

How is it that someone born in poverty, with no discernible advantages, can outperform and eclipse the offspring of those who have need of nothing and should by all rights excel at any endeavor they put their minds to?

How is it that the offspring of the wicked are not satisfied with bread, with living lives others dare not dream about, and feel the need to mutilate themselves, destroy their lives, and surrender to ultimately fatal addictions?

Job insists that these things are not accidental, but rather the heritage of the oppressors. If the one thing you instill in your children is not the fear of the Lord, the love of God, and the vanity of pursuing anything other than fellowship with Him, no matter how much you’ve squirreled away in their college fund, no matter what inheritance you leave behind, you have failed as a parent.

That may have come off as harsh, but it was as much for me as it was for anyone else, because I often find myself resisting the urge to ensure that my girls have an easier life than I did growing up, in lieu of teaching them that all the things the godless value are little more than vanity.

It is a constant battle, and one that is purposefully waged. Yes, it would be easier for me to buy them a couple of cell phones so they can fit in with the rest of their class, or have a tablet as the proverbial co-parent, wherein every waking minute is spent staring at a screen, but since children are a heritage from the Lord, I will do my utmost to raise them as such.

Every year, it becomes harder to push back against the norm, the status quo, the things that the majority accept as inevitable, but the reward of that labor is evident in the hobbies they choose to pursue, the things that interest them, and the manner in which they interact with those around them.

It’s not so much about the generational curses some people are obsessed with nowadays, but about the fact that the wicked have no frame of reference to what it means to raise up your children in the way they must go, nor do they possess the fear of the Lord, so that they can pass it down to their offspring.

The generational rejection of God and the unwillingness to humble oneself in the sight of the Lord is itself the curse that is passed down to the offspring of the wicked as their portion. Having not come to the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, having not repented and humbled themselves at the foot of the cross, the wicked ensure that their offspring are for the sword, and they will not be satisfied with bread.

Any joy they might experience in this life is fleeting and temporary, and though they have need of nothing, they feel no satisfaction in the things they possess, the things others told them would make them happy and fulfilled, the things that would bring warmth, comfort, purpose, and meaning into their lives.

It’s a stark picture Job paints, but not an unrealistic one. Men spend their entire lives amassing, only for their earthly goods to be bought up for pennies on the dollar by strangers or to end up in a landfill somewhere, because what they thought had value had value only to them.

As a father of two bright, bubbly, effervescent, beautiful daughters, I can say with sincerity that your children would rather have your presence than presents, and the only way for them to know the way they must go is if you teach it to them, consistently, repetitively, and purposefully.

In a year’s time, one of them will be a teenager, and the other won’t be far behind, and it’s as though it’s been a breath, the blink of an eye. No man can get back the time he’s squandered, but he can make use of the time he has left. When it comes to being present in your children’s lives, being an active participant rather than a spectator, better late than never is the best course of action.         

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.