Job 34:10 “Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong.”
Observation: This chapter finds Elihu on a roll, convinced he has the root of Job’s trouble all figured out: it’s Job! Though Elihu’s theories will require some adjustment down the road, he did make a point worth further consideration when he said, “Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong.”
Application: To the casual reader, Job’s situation may seem remarkable for the breadth, the depth, and the extent of his troubles. Yet thoughtful reflection will bring remembrances that I have similar dark places in my life. Without such seasons, how could I ever hope to be conformed to the image of Christ?
His life was anything but the cakewalk I so often feel I deserve. Yet lurking in the depths of my spirit is the dawning realization that to get an invitation to the wedding banquet at the end of this deal first requires that I pick up a cross. Not just any cross, but “my” cross, the one He has crafted just for me. The truth is, He knows I would never do that voluntarily. Flesh cries out for comfort and relief; my sense of self is convinced I deserve to have things go my way.
One of the maddening things about God is that because He lives outside of time, He always remains exactly where I last dug in my heels. I may not freely move on from my last point of resistance even though years have passed. But when petulance has ended, He remains where I last encountered Him, gesturing lovingly toward my cross, saying, “Pick it up, beloved.”
Elihu got one thing especially right: God’s very nature is justice personified. No unjust impulse ever entered the mind of God. “But if that’s true,” I sputter,” why is this, this … thing I’m dealing with so hurtful? Why do I feel so alone in it?”
Then I remember it is the potter, not the clay, who sets the standard for beauty. It is only in His eternal mind that the image of me made perfect resides. I have captivated the heart of God yet I remain staggered by that thought precisely because His view of me is so different from my own.
What I view as His unjustness, unfairness, even meanness, He knows to be essential considering His passion that I would one day be like Christ.
Prayer: Father, Your ways are so vastly different from mine, I wonder sometimes if I’ll ever get it right. I’m so thankful that You see the end from the beginning. Cause me to cooperate with Your processes in my life, Lord. I surrender!