Spoken To...

Have you recently spoken advice to anyone? I have. It seems as if I am always speaking advice to someone, especially my children. Well this week God spoke to me... This is not abnormal, God speaks to me all the time through His Word, through promptings in my heart, through others, through things that happen to cross my path, there are several ways God speaks to me.


But this one is different. This talkin' to from the Lord is sticking with me pretty firm. As I go through my days this message is lingering in my mind and in my heart. These are the lectures that change hearts, but only hearts that are willing to be changed. Praise Him for His relentlessness.


Todd and I are participating in a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program with our Sunday school class. I am embarassed to say that I have yet to read though the Bible cover-to-cover. I guess there is a season for everything and this is my 'read-through-the-Bible' season. This week I finished Job, all 42 chapters of Job.


The book of Job has raised several questions and issues for me. In some ways I admit I am more confused about God's ways now than I was before reading Job. But I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, and Job deeply loved God, so I know that even though I may not understand several things in the book of Job God's goodness is at work.


In a very short synopsis the book of Job is about a man who is fully devoted to God. God allows Satan to wreak havoc on this man's life guarenteeing that Job's devotion would not change regardless what hell Satan brought into his life. Through Job's sufferings three friends rallied by his side. They came and they sat and they offered advice...


Eliphaz...Zophar...Bildad... Friends??


Each of these men came from far distances during Job's deepest sufferings. Each man listened to Job's pleas to God and claims to innocence. Then each man took his turn to offer advice to Job explaining why they thought this suffering had befallen him.


Eliphaz - "You are supposed to be a wise man, and yet you give us all this foolish talk. You are nothing but a windbag. It isn't right to speak so foolishly.... Have you no fear of God, no reverence for him? Your sins are telling your mouth what to say. Your words are based on clever deception. But why should I condem you? Your own mouth does!" Job 15:2-6


Zophar - "Shouldn't someone answer this torrent of words? Is a person proved innocent just by talking a lot? Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn't someone make you ashamed? You claim, 'my teaching is pure,' and 'I am clean in the sight of God.' If only God would speak; if only he would tell you what he thinks! If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom is not a simple matter. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!" Job 2-6


Bildad - "How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer! Do you think we are cattle? Do you think we have no intelligence?" Job 18:2-3


What is so disturbing to me is that each man truly believed he was giving Job sound advice. Several times these men spoke 'for God' telling Job exactly what God was thinking and why this calamity came upon him. While much of what they were saying about God's laws and God's character were true I believe they were wrongly applying it to Job's situation.


How often I do the same... I have my opinion, I have scripture that I feel applies to a certain situation so I spout it out. Have I sought God's direction, sometimes, not always. Most of the time when advice is given it is in the heart of the conversation, the moment at hand. It is quite disruptive to the flow of a conversation to say, 'hmmm, I really don't know what God would say about that, let me pray on it and I will get back to you." But I believe we should be doing this a lot more than we do, seek the Lord.


I am not saying it is wrong to advise our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Word tells us to do so. All I am saying is that I am guilty of preaching of my own accord. I must be ever so careful when giving counsel to my family and friends. Have I first sought God before I give counsel or am I 'torturing them, trying to break them with my words'? Job 19:2