Job 7 & 8: A Perfect Man
Verse of the Day: (8:20) Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:
1. Preserver (7:1-21)
I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? (7:20)
Job cried to God to take him home to heaven as his intense pain and agony of his severe ailment and the loss of his precious children and possessions overwhelmed him. He knew that God is a Preserver and Taker of lives, and he wished that He would take his life so that he could be with Him and his loved ones in heaven. He confessed to God that he had sinned against Him, and that he should be the one that God would take his life instead of his precious children. Indeed, when God takes away our loved ones, we wish we can be with Him and our loved ones in heaven, yet we must learn to wait upon Him that He preserved us blameless till He calls us home or His glorious return. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
2. Pure (8:1-19)
If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. (8:6)
Bildad, Job’s friend, encouraged Job to confess and repent his sins as he believed that his tragic loss was the result of his sins against the Almighty God. Indeed, it is logical for people including Christians to think that tragedy happens to people because of the consequences of their wicked deeds as in the sowing and reaping principle. However, in God’s spiritual realm it may not be always the case. Here God was testing Job’s faith because of the Devil’s false accusation that he would definitely deny Him when all his loved ones and possessions were taken from him. It is not that God does not know Job’s faith, but it was to prove to the Devil, and to Job himself, that he truly had great faith in his God amid tragedy. Let us therefore continue to keep a pure and holy mind and heart amid tragedy knowing that God’s peace is with us now and forever. (Philippians 4:6-9)
3. Perfect (8:20-22)
They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought. (8:22)
Bildad asserted that God would not allow Job to suffer so much if he was a perfect man in God’s righteousness. Therefore Job must have done much wickedness to deserve these punishments, and that God shall only forgive him when he truly confessed and repented his sins. Let us thus be humble, sober and vigilant knowing that the Devil is like a roaring lion seeking to destroy our testimony with false accusation and we must keep trusting God that He shall help and make us perfect in Him through His grace. (1 Peter 5:6-11)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to become a perfect man only in Your righteousness.
