The First Sunday
after Christmas Day.
The Collect.
A
|
LMIGHTY
God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and
as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate,
and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy
Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with
thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
1 Then answered Zophar the
Naamathite, and said, 2 Should not the multitude of words be answered? and
should a man full of talk be justified? 3 Should thy lies make men hold
their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? 4 For
thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. 5 But
oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee; 6 And that he
would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is!
Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. 7 Canst
thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what
canst thou know? 9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and
broader than the sea. 10 If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together,
then who can hinder him? 11 For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness
also; will he not then consider it? 12 For vain man would be wise, though
man be born like a wild ass's colt. 13 If thou prepare thine heart, and
stretch out thine hands toward him; 14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put
it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. 15 For then
shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and
shalt not fear: 16 Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it
as waters that pass away: 17 And thine age shall be clearer than the
noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. 18 And thou
shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and
thou shalt take thy rest in safety. 19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none
shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee. 20 But the
eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall
be as the giving up of the ghost. (Job 11:1-20)
Enter now the
constant example of doubter and human reasoner, Zophar. According to the
ancient tradition, Zophar is likely the youngest of the three friends of Job,
or the one most junior in position, since he speaks out last. Being perhaps
less schooled in learned discourse, Zophar is the harshest of the three in his
remarks to Job. The scene is a bit like the growing emotionalism of a mob. The
first remarks are not as wild and furious as the latter – so it is with this
discourse. Zophar has heard his two colleagues hammer at Job's sensitivities.
As he listens, he conjures up even more vile charges against Job in order to
impress the others.
There
are no `lies' yet entered into evidence – only the weak opinions of men
(including Job). Job has not denied God, or disclaimed His Power. Job has only
stated unwise opinions about his own plight and the cause for it. Should
not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be
justified? Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest,
shall no man make thee ashamed? Zophar claims that he has now
heard enough! He will now set Job, the elder, right. Zophar makes the careless
and unsubstantiated charge of liar against Job. Are we well blessed with such
friends who, at the moment of our greatest need, hurl false charges against us.
Satan has charged Job with a lack of strong faith. Now comes Job's friends and
side with the greatest enemy of men's souls – the Devil. When a friend
expresses confusion in moments of great trial, does God need our efforts to
defend His Person? I think not! God knows our frailties, and He knows those of
Job under such hard trials. But Job's friends do not.
For
thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.
Job does, indeed, say this in Job10:7. It is true that Job is no accounted
wicked by God as are none of those who lay claim to Christ. Ignorance is brave,
and Zophar is the most valiant of them all for ignorance! Zophar actually tries
to enlist the judgment of God on his own side of the argument, rather than
striving to insure that he (Zophar) is on God's side. But oh that God
would speak, and open his lips against thee. It would greatly
please Zophar is God would openly rebuke Job (his so-called friend).
And
that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to
that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine
iniquity deserveth. God's wisdom is far more than double
that which man can comprehend, but Zophar is absolutely correct in his latter
statement: God does, indeed, exact less from His children than their obedience
deserves. In fact, God's love covers ALL sin. "….. love covereth all
sins." (Prov 10:12) When I was in elementary school, I had
difficulty understanding this principle, but having come to a more intimate
knowledge of the nature of God in Christ, I do understand that God, like an
obsessive parent, does not ascribe our frailties of obedience to our conscious
intentions. He has given His only Begotten Son to cover those inadequacies of
all who believe unto salvation.
Canst
thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto
perfection? Though I wish it were not so, this same failing of
Zophar in understanding is so very much like the prideful theologian in its
latter application. What learned man of Scripture can you ask for an honest
interpretation without being bombarded with big, sophisticated-sounding terms?
It is quite difficult to find any mysteries between the pages of Holy Scripture
that they feel incapable of discovering. They believe that their little
pea-sized brains can comprehend the mysteries fully. The first part of Zophar's
allegation above is what we here echoed constantly in the public square:
"Can you prove God's existence by factual discovery?" To be honest,
the existence of God is not a matter of science because God is the Doctor of
Science itself. It is interesting that the Bible contains so many scientific
facts of which the learned elders of science were oblivious until recent
decades and centuries. (the Science of Metereology, for instance).
In the
next verses, Zophar utters profound proof to prove a false premise: It
is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou
know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader
than the sea. This is immutable Truth. It reminds me that
every characteristic of God is just as measureless as Zophar describes.
Remember the beautiful old hymn found scribbled on the walls of an insane
infirmary? I do not believe there is a more complete human expression for the
depth, height, or width of God's love than those recorded in this hymn:
The Love of God
by
Fredrick Lehman
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever
tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with
care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.
O love of God, how rich and
pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms
fall;
When men who here refuse to
pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains
call;
God's love, so sure, shall still
endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race—
The saints' and angels' song.
Could we with ink the ocean
fill,
And were the skies of parchment
made;
Were every stalk on earth a
quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the
whole,
Though stretched from sky to
sky.
If
he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him? For
he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
Zophar has an accurate, if judgmental, view of God here. But it is the very
fact that "He knoweth vain men" that gives us a means
of salvation in Christ. We are weak as water, and coherent as dust; yet, God
loves us enough to die for us.
Please correct
me if I misapply Zophar's next words to Zophar himself: For vain man
would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt. Zophar
is the one that appears vain to me in this comment – very much like the wild
ass's colt to which he refers.
If
thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If iniquity
be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy
tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt
be stedfast, and shalt not fear: Because thou shalt forget thy
misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
Zophar has just run out of sound theology! No man can prepare his own heart
towards Christ! How often have we heard a sinner, under conviction, say,
"I cannot profess Christ now. I am not ready yet. I must get my life
straight first?" Well, if we could attain righteousness first, we would
not have needed Christ to die for us. We are incapable of "preparing our
hearts." Let us leave that task to Christ whom we invite into our hearts
as Sovereign, Lord, and Savior. If we were able alone to become righteous, we
would not need Christ to clean out the cobwebs and sink holes in our hearts.
Let us allow God to put our iniquity away for we cannot! As far as the
east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
(Psalms 103:12)
There is little doubt that Zophar, and his companions, actually believe their
counsel will benefit Job; but the counsel of man withers away before the
consuming fire of God's Word. And thine age shall be clearer than the
noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. And thou
shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and
thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none
shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee. This is a
very true statement, but one which is apparently totally misunderstood by its
speaker. It is true that Job, in time to come, shall be brighter than the
noonday sun. His future eternity will be as the morning dawn as it is with all
who are born of God. Job shall, as well, be as secure in the Ark of Christ as
Noah and his family in the Ark of the Deluge.
But
the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope
shall be as the giving up of the ghost. Another profound truth uttered
by Zophar with only half-knowledge. It is very true that the eyes of the wicked
shall fail for there is no need of vision in the dark halls of Hell. Their only
hope, and it is a false one, is that of death. Even death shall not grant a
reprieve to the wicked. The moment of death to them only introduces a nightmare
of eternity in the fires of Hell. Best to seek life in Christ rather than death
in Hell with Satan and his fallen demons.
