MAGNIFY ~ Day 23

~ Day Twenty-Three ~

MAGNIFY

No Other Name

The Book of Job ~ Chapter Twenty-Three

"But He knows the way that I take;

when He has tested me,

I shall come forth as gold.

My foot has held fast to His steps;

I have kept His way and not turned aside."

(Job 23:10, 11)

MORNING MEDITATION

Treasure

Every seven years, when the land was given its rest in the year of Jubilee, the law was read in the presence of the general assembly of Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles. "At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing" (Deuteronomy 31:10, 11). All of Israel, men, women, children, and strangers, were gathered together to hear the Word of God read, so that the present generation might learn God's Word, grow in the knowledge of Him, walk in obedience to His commands, and experience His covenant blessings. At the dawn of the day after the Feast of Tabernacles, where Jesus had just revealed the "living water" that would be provided to all who would come to Him by faith (John 7:37, 38), Jesus was met by the scribes and Pharisees who wanted to throw the Law in His face (8:1-11). After demonstrating the purpose of the Law in a powerful action sermon, Jesus spoke again, this time saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (v.12). Jesus came to bring light to the Law and show them that it was meant to be a tutor to lead the people into freedom and liberty, it was not to be used as a weapon to keep people in bondage and lead them to death.

"The words of the LORD are pure words,

like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

You shall keep them, O LORD,

You shall preserve them from this generation forever."

(Psalm 12:6, 7)

This world would be a very dark place if not for the light of the sun which our Creator has provided; but how much more dungeon-like and dismal this dark, prison world would be if not for the greater light of the Son of God who was sent into the world to bring the brighter light of spiritual life to all humanity. Just like it was Israel's duty to follow the Law of God and obey it, it is our duty today to follow the True Light to which all the Scripture points to, and to believe in Him and walk in all His ways as He leads us to that greater promised land of deepening intimacy with Him in this present world and everlasting joy in His presence in the world to come. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). We have been given a priceless treasure in the Word of God, which our Lord has preserved throughout all generations, so that we might also hear the truth and be brought out of our darkened state and made to stand in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. It is our duty (and privilege!) to mine God's Word for all the brilliant gems and bright light that hidden within which the Lord has purposed to enrich our understanding and enlighten our path, so we can walk confidently and obediently in the Lord's commands and experience His greatest blessings for our lives and others. "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him" (John 6:27). There will be dark seasons in our lives, like there were in Job's, where we will not be able to see with our eyes, but we can trust that there will always be light for our feet. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). Let us praise the Lord for the vast treasury He has given in His Word and the rich spiritual blessings that are ours each day to nourish and satisfy our souls and comfort our burdened hearts as we diligently study and meditate upon His Word. Let us come to the lavish banqueting table He has prepared for us and feast meal-by-meal and day-by-day on divine love! "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law!" (Psalm 119:18). "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:3).

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."

(Psalm 34:8-10)

AFTERNOON DEVOTION

Read: Job Chapter Twenty-Three

"I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;

I have treasured the words of His mouth

more than my necessary food."

(Job 23:12)

Job sat through another long-winded, critical speech from his friend, Eliphaz, patiently holding his tongue until he was finished. Surely his friends were doing all they could to drain the last ounce of strength from him that he had left; though he couldn't understand why they were wasting their time with him. If they truly believed the wicked were perishing in their sin, then why were they wasting all their time trying to convince him to repent; after all, he was a righteous man who already had a relationship with God. Job knew it was a waste of his time and his limited energies to continue these endless and useless debates with his friends. There was only One who could truly help him in his time of need; there was only one Voice that he longed to hear. If only he could get an audience with God. "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!" (v. 3). Job had been stripped of everything he had in the world, including his health, yet there was only one thing he desired - only one thing that he believed could feed and satisfy his weary, wounded, aching, and agonizing soul. He longed for the presence of God. He knew in God's presence he would find forgiveness, understanding, and love. "One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple" (Psalm 27:4). Just one word from heaven would be a feast for his soul. "Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live" (Isaiah 55:2b, 3a). Job could live without everything else (this was being proved day by day in his present circumstances), including his daily meat and drink, which could only sustain his physical life, but he could not live without the Word of God, which was the only means for nourishing and satisfying his soul and strengthening his life to withstand the constant pressures aimed at crushing him to the point of despair (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9)! "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (v. 12b). Job trusted in God's Word, it meant more to his life than his daily bread. The promises of God's word were keeping him alive; God's commandments where what taught him how to truly live, even when he couldn't understand the plans of God or see the Lord as he had in times past. The Lord was leading His servant to a new realm of understanding, that he never would have achieved if not for the trials he was facing. "But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does" (Job 23:13). Job was learning to trust God in the dark, as he leaned on the light of God's Word to guide him to greater heights of faith and trust, even when he couldn't see the Lord's hand at work or sense His presence (Psalm 119:105). God uses the difficulties and trials He sovereignly permits in our lives to deepen our relationship with Him and develop in us a solid gold faith and trust. He is building within us a treasury of divine strength that we can draw from to withstand the pressures of this life that seek to destroy our faith and rob us of our intimacy with Him, so that our lives will radiate His marvelous works and bring glory to His majestic name. May we trust Him day by day to lead us in the path He has purposed for our lives no matter how painful it may be for the moment. His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9)! "But He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (v. 10).

"Your words were found, and I ate them,

and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;

for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts."

(Jeremiah 15:16)