The First Sunday
after Christmas Day.
The Collect.
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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 And
Job answered and said, 2 No doubt but ye are the
people, and wisdom shall die with you. 3 But I have understanding
as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as
these? 4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon
God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn. 5 He
that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him
that is at ease. 6 The tabernacles of robbers
prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth
abundantly. 7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and
the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or
speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall
declare unto thee. 9 Who knoweth not in all
these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? 10 In
whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. 11 Doth
not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat? 12 With
the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. 13 With
him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. 14 Behold,
he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there
can be no opening. 15 Behold, he withholdeth the
waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the
deceiver are his. 17 He leadeth counsellors
away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools. 18 He
looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle. 19 He
leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty. 20 He
removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of
the aged. 21 He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the
strength of the mighty. 22 He discovereth deep things
out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. 23 He
increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and
straiteneth them again. 24 He taketh away the heart
of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a
wilderness where there is no way. 25 They
grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken
man.
(Job 12:1-25)
A great
man will not abide foolish words without challenge. Job, though subject to the
same human frailties of us all, is a great example to us of perseverance under
stress and duress. As the captain of a great Man-of-War would do, Job will now
marshal all hands on board, and bring all guns to flank position, and bring
them to bear on the target at hand. Though he may not fully comprehend
the reasons for his predicament, he nonetheless knows that there is a God in
Heaven. Despite his weakness in the face of severe troubles, he has no doubt
God has all power and all knowledge. He describes with majestic language the
greatness and beauty of God and his Creation. Such beauty of expression is rare
in coming from lips oppressed and tortured, and is evidence of greatness of character
and faith. Even when hard pressed, if we remember the greatness and compassion
of God, we will be strengthened and encouraged. He will not suffer his people
to bear pain endlessly and without reason. In spite of his fears and doubts,
Job remembers this. He is a fine specimen of the patriot of Heaven.
A wise
man will recognize arrogance and pride in others even before its head has been
reared. Job's friends, like many modern know-it-alls in science and religion,
have gone a bridge too far in their judgmental and unfair indictment of Job. No
doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
I love the smooth reference to snidely pride given here by Job to his friends.
They are so full of wisdom, and the sole proprietors of it, that they will
carry all knowledge and wisdom of man to their graves. I like it!
But
I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who
knoweth not such things as these? I am as one mocked of his
neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man
is laughed to scorn. Here is food for thought for the
modern mind: In ancient times, and even the ancient times of my youth, there
was a general knowledge, among the population, of God – His righteousness, His
justice, His Law, and His nature. These are qualities that Job's friends,
though unfairly, have shared with Job. Who today uses such Godly words of
counsel in advising a friend? But a friend is one to whom we turn when the
whole nation may turn against us. If that friend to whom we turn condemns us as
well, to whom do we turn? Why, we turn to that friend that sticketh closer than
a brother, right? The author of the renowned historical classic, History
of the Reformation, M. D'Aubigne, was once reproached by Henri IV of
France for continuing his friendship for M. de la Tremouille, who had recently
been banished from court. D'Aubigne replied--"As M. de la Tremouille
is so unfortunate as to have lost the confidence of his master, he may well be
allowed to retain that of his friend." Would it not have been
fitting that the friends of Job had considered this principle? It is not only
the knowledge of the Holy that is important, but also how it is applied. The
devil knows Holy things as well, but he uses them to destroy the Holy people of
God. It is true that the righteous, from Noah to John and Betty Stam,
missionary martyrs in China, have been laughed to scorn in their humble desires
to love and help others. You may count on it: the scornful tongue shall be
turned from scorn to wailing.
It is
true that those who live in ease have few questions, while those who live in
misery have few answers. Job will now turn the words of his accusers back upon
them as a herd of deer spotlighted in the open field. He that is
ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought
of him that is at ease. Job sets his light to high-beam, and
proceeds to reveal the provincial attitudes expressed by his `friends'. It is
no secret that the devil hates light. If he is after you, which he always is,
shine the bright Light of God's Word in his face and he will flee. "Get behind me, Satan!" is a fine
remedy!
The
tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into
whose hand God bringeth abundantly. The American, and world,
landscape are abundantly supplied with "tabernacles of robbers" that
prosper more than the tabernacles of the righteous – seemingly. The visible
treasures of gold and silver are apparent while the hidden treasures on deposit
in Heaven are hidden from eye. God will usually provide us with that for which
the heart yearns above all. If it is the dust and dirt of the world, we shall
have it in abundance. But gold will enjoy no currency in Hell.
We have
many sophisticates of science and social prominence who know less of real
science than the beasts of the field. Ironic, is it not? But ask now
the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall
tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of
the sea shall declare unto thee. It is an amazing wonder
that men believe that they can define the God of natural law through their own
worldly experimentations. They question that there is a God, even, when all of
the evidence is in them, around them, and in the very air they breathe. Because
that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto
them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when
they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and
fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (Romans 1:19-23) The fish of the
sea will inform us if we lack an understanding of God and His Creation. So will
the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and even the earth itself whose
orbit is so perfectly devised as to be precise in its maintenance of life from
the Sun. Our SUN is God!
Who is
so foolish to believe that man `evolved' from lower forms such as apes,
monkeys, and chimpanzees. The only evidence of this science might be the
brazenly ignorant and goateed professor standing before the biology class. They
claim that the evolutionary process is continuous. This nails the last plug in
their coffin. If ongoing, where are the transition forms today between monkeys
and man? Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord
hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living
thing, and the breath of all mankind. The scientist takes
breath for granted until his Maker withholds his last breath. At that moment,
too late, the scientist remembers the value of life and breath and the God who
made it. Job mentions the Hand of God. Do we forget that our mortal lives are in
His Mighty Hand moment by moment? And what a glorious thought. The One whose
eye is on the sparrow, values us far above sparrows. It is a comfort to the
Elect, unknown to the lost, to know that our final rest will be at God's Hand. Into
thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of
truth. (Psalms 31:5)
Can our
ears not hear with understanding? Who made this intricate organ for our
benefit? Do our mouths not savor the sweet taste of meats? Who made it so that
our labors of eating would not be a chore, but an edification? Do not our
marvelous minds accumulate large stores of knowledge and wisdom over time? Why
does the modern mind resent the wisdom of the elders? It is perhaps so because
wisdom comes from God – the source of all righteousness and wisdom – and this
reviles the spirit of licentiousness of the modern mind. Doth not the
ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat? With the ancient is
wisdom; and in length of days understanding. With him is wisdom and
strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Is not
wisdom stood on its head by the modern mind which venerates youth and despises
wisdom of the aged? When events are not as we think they should be, the world
seems to us `turned upside down.' When the combined armies of American and
French forces defeated the British under General Cornwallis at Yorktown,
General Cornwallis sent General O'Hara in his stead to surrender. Cornwallis
feigned illness rather than surrender to an `inferior' people who had just
given him a good switching. O'Hara first appealed to the French Comte de
Rochambeau to receive his surrender rather than lose face by surrendering to
the `country-bumpkins' under Washington. Rochambeau refused, so General O'Hara
surrendered to General Lincoln (a subordinate of Washington) while the British
band played, "The World Turned Upside Down." Of course, among the
most ancient is most wisdom, and the Lord is the Ancient of Days – hear ye Him!
Whatever dreams are erased by the Hand of God are erased forever, and whatever
dream He creates in the heart of man shall come to fruition – is it not so? Behold,
he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there
can be no opening. Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up:
also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. With him is
strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
The puny charms and claims will not free him from the justice of God. He,
too, belongs to God as do the beast of the field – without blessed souls.
He
leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools. He looseth
the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle. He leadeth
princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty. He removeth away the
speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged. He
poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty. He
discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow
of death The discordant voices and cacophony of devils cannot
withstand His withering fires. Even those dark secrets that linger in the
shadows of death, He brings to light. Though the Light Brigade at Balaclava
brought great glory to the British colors in their sacrificial attack, they
brought light out of darkness to a world that yearned for men of courage in the
cause of right. Their rallying cry was to redress the blood of women and
children crying from the dust. That kind of Light Brigade is nothing compared
to the True Light Brigade of Christ.
There
was a beloved Country and Land of Liberty whose destiny has turned from
abundance to ashes. May God shed His Light again in this fair land to restore
the hearts and minds of her people to the God of their fathers. America
would do well to heed the next words of Job: He increaseth the
nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again. He
taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them
to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. They grope in the
dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
These last sentences strike dismay into my heart – dismay mingled with
righteous indignation for the knavery that has taken over our land. The heart
of the chief of our people has been taken away and we wander, as drunken men,
in darkness. Remember, America, we are the ones whose hands have done evil and
exalted the wicked! Shall the Holy Spirit move, once more, upon the face of the
waters of our Land and speak the words of restoration: And the Spirit of
God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light:
and there was light (Gen 1:2-3)
