I have been reading through Job for the last few days. I find it challenging. Both because of Job’s negativity and because sometimes his friends say things that seem so right, yet I know that at the end of the book God tells them to repent and ask Job’s forgiveness. Job and his friends seem to repeat themselves. On this read through it seems like the book is longer than it needs to be, yet I know from other passages in the Bible that on different occasions different parts will speak to me.
I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Job responds to Eliphaz by saying that he wished that he knew where to find God and His court. He has looked for Him in all directions, but has not found Him. However, despite his inability to find God, Job tells us that God knows where he is going. He may be unable to find God, but God has found him. Job claims that in all of this he has kept to God’s path and followed God’s commands. Job then asks why God does not punish the wicked. Why do they get away with the various evils which he lists? Yet despite asking that question, he concludes this speech by noting that the wicked will be consumed by death just as snow disappears in the heat.
Bildad replies and asks Job who can possibly be innocent before God? Job responds once more by sarcastically praising the wisdom of his friends. He then goes on to speak of God’s great power. Job vows that despite the suffering he has experienced at the hand of God, he will not speak evil. As long as God continues to give him breath he will not speak lies. He acknowledges that the wicked will suffer the penalty for their acts in due time.
Paul tells the Corinthians (and us) that he has not written anything which they cannot read and understand, even if they have only managed to understand in part what he was writing. He hopes, and believes, that they will come to understand what he had written fully as they thought about it more. He wants them to be as willing to boast about knowing him on the day of Christ’s return as he intends to boast of knowing them.
Paul goes on to say that he had planned on visiting them on his way to Macedonia and on his way back from Macedonia. However, he changed his plans because he had heard news about what was going on in the Corinthian Church that made him so angry he feared being overly harsh. In addition, he wanted to give them a chance to address the issue themselves. He did not want to cause grief and hurt feelings among those in the Church who were not part of the problem. So, in order to make sure that they understood the gravity of the situation, without causing unnecessary hurt feelings, he wrote them a letter about the issue and chose to bypass them on his way to Macedonia.
He goes on to say that the man who was responsible for the problem had caused more hurt within the Church at Corinth than he had caused Paul. The majority of the Church in Corinth opposed his actions and only needed the support of Paul’s letter to take the appropriate action. That action was sufficient punishment for the man’s sins. Now that the man has repented it is time for Church to welcome him back in and comfort him so that he will not be overcome by grief over his sin. The Church needs to reaffirm that they love the man and welcome him back into their fellowship. Paul had written as he did to see if they would be faithful and discipline the man in love. Now that the man has repented, if the Church will forgive the man for his sins, Paul will do so. And when Paul does so, he will be extending God’s forgiveness to the man as well. In fact, Paul has already forgiven the man in the name of Christ.
This passage appears to refer back to the man mentioned in 1 Corinthians who was sleeping for his father’s wife. Combining these two passages seems to me to give us an example of the early Church disciplining someone according to Jesus teachings in Matthew 18:15-19. In that passage Jesus gives instructions for dealing with a fellow believer who sins, Paul follows that up by showing that once the person has accepted the rebuke by the Church they should be accepted back. In addition, Paul shows that when Jesus spoke of binding and loosing in that passage, He was referring (among other things) to the forgiveness of sin.
Paul makes another important point. It is important that when someone repents of their sins and changes their ways that we accept that change in love. We need to do this so that the sinner is not tempted beyond they can bear to return to their sins.
Those who are kind to the poor and have regard for the weak will experience joy. God will protect them and raise them up when they face trouble of any sort. Even when their closest friends, those they trusted implicitly turn against them, God will stand by them. God will nurse those who aid the poor and look after those weaker than themselves back to health when they are ill.
The path trod by the wicked is full of snares and pitfalls, those who value their life will stay far from the wicked and the dangers that they court. If you teach your children to follow the path of righteousness when they are young, they will not turn from it when they are older.