MAGNIFY ~ Day 33

~ Day Thirty-Three ~

MAGNIFY

No Other Name

The Book of Job ~ Chapter Thirty-Three

"Look, in this you are not righteous.

I will answer you,

for God is greater than man.

Why do you contend with Him?

For He does not give an accounting

of any of His words.

For God may speak in one way,

or in another,

yet man does not perceive it."

(Job 33:12-14)

MORNING MEDITATION

Grace

Elihu was concerned with the way Job spoke to and about Jehovah God. It is true that Job may have had an intimate relationship with the Lord, and was even considered His friend, but he was in no way equal to holy God. The Sovereign Lord is transcendent; He is the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise God of infinite moral perfection and grace, Who abounds in lovingkindness, mercy, and forgiveness; the one, true, living God of all goodness and Truth, Who is righteous and just in all His ways. Who dares to find fault with Him? Who are we to expect Him, the High and Lofty One, to give an accounting of His unfathomable working and ways to weak, foolish creatures such as us? "For God is greater than man. Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words" (Job 33:12b, 13). Job felt like God was silent in his sufferings, but Elihu was about to shed some light on his darkened understanding, and show him that God was speaking to him through his afflictions.

"For since the beginning of the world

men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,

nor has eye seen any God besides You,

who acts for the one who waits for Him."

(Isaiah 64:4)

Jesus came into the world to shine the light of spiritual life on captive mankind. He came to penetrate the dark shadows of men's hearts, exposing sin and freeing them from their prison state, and releasing them into the true light with restored spiritual sight. However, the brightness of His light repelled many of the religious leaders of His day, and revealed their blind condition. The Pharisees were unwilling to accept His testimony, because no man on trial in a Jewish court was allowed to testify on his own behalf to safeguard against the lies of an individual (Deuteronomy 19:15). So, Jesus offered other witnesses, like John the Baptist, who was a witness to the Light, even though He did not receive testimony from man (John 5:34). He then showed them the witness of the Father [Feast upon: John 8:12-19] "Even If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me" (vv. 14-16). Jesus had just claimed to be the Light of the world (v. 12), and yet the Jewish leaders would not allow Him to bear witness to Himself - even though light bears witness to itself - you know it is there! Only the blind can't see the light! Just like Job's miserable counselors, the Jewish leaders were judging Jesus based merely on externals, and so their judgment of Him was faulty. Jesus judged on spiritual knowledge and used the law to show their lack of understanding and to shine light on their sinful hearts. Jesus had the two witnesses that the law required: His own witness and the witness of His Father found in the Word. "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life" (John 5:37-40). The Pharisees did not know the Father, therefore they did not know the Son, who was standing right before them bringing light and revelation to all the Law and the Prophets. Elihu revealed to Job that God speaks in visions and dreams, in pain and sickness, and also through the ministry of the mediator, the divine messenger sent to deliver sinful man from going down to the Pit (Job 33:23-30). "He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, and his life shall see the light" (v. 28). The Lord will use all these means not just once, but two, three times, and more to save men and give them the light of life. Jesus stood before the religious leaders of His day as that gracious Mediator, providing them opportunity after opportunity to repent and come into the Light, but they could not perceive their own sinful condition or the One who was lighting the path for them to be saved. In His first Advent, our Lord came full of grace and truth, to expose our sin and bring the light of salvation to mankind (John 1:14). Sadly, men are not always so willing to accept the Hand of grace that reaches out for them, but will only respond to times of adversity. Sometimes pain is the only thing that will get our attention. Let us offer praise for the marvelous and mysterious ways in which or great and mighty God works to save our souls from the Pit, and pray for the hearts of all mankind to respond to His amazing offer of grace while we still have the light of day. "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:3).

"And He said, "Go, and tell this people:

'Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'

"Make the heart of this people dull,

and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart,

and return and be healed."

(Isaiah 6:9-10)

AFTERNOON DEVOTION

Read: Job Chapter Thirty-Three

"Behold, God works all these things,

twice, in fact, three times with a man,

to bring back his soul from the Pit,

that he may be enlightened with the light of life."

(Job 33:29, 30)

Elihu did not like the way Job's friends spoke to Job, nor did he like the way Job spoke to God. In his opening speech, Elihu addressed Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, then he turned his attention to Job and spoke directly to him. Elihu was compelled to bring new light to the conversation and breathe new life into Job's situation. He had a new perspective he desired Job to consider, if only Job would listen and take his words to heart. Unlike Job's other counselor's, Elihu assured Job that his words were from God, and what he had to say would be helpful. Elihu wanted Job to know that God was in fact speaking to him, even though he had accused God of being silent. God speaks in many ways, but man doesn't always perceive it. "For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it" (v. 14). From the start, Elihu purposed to correct Job's thinking of God. He wanted to elevate Job's concept of God and help him to see that it was not right to question or argue with God. "But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this? Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" (Romans 9:20, 21). Job felt that God had treated him unjustly and had made him, who was once a friend, His enemy. He questioned God on many occasions why He made him His special target for all His arrows. His three friends had tried to convince him that his sufferings were his own fault, a direct result of his sin, and that he was simply getting what he deserved. Elihu wanted to correct their faulty counsel and lift Job out of the ashheap and into the throne room, so he could fix his thoughts on God and not on his circumstances, and tune his ears to the wisdom of heaven and not the unwise counsel of his friends. "Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, he keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword" (Job 33:16-18). Elihu wanted Job to see that God had been speaking to him all along, just not in the manner Job had expected. The Lord communicates in manifold ways to get our attention. "In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds" (v. 15). He even uses suffering to get our attention. "Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, and with strong pain in many of his bones" (v. 19). God has purpose in our suffering. Elihu wanted Job to see that God allows suffering in order to keep man from sin. Instead of punishing him for sin, as Job friends had accused, God was preventing him from sinning. All along Job sought to gain an audience with God to find out what sins he had committed. "How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. Why do You hide Your face, and regard me as Your enemy?" (Job 13:23, 24). Job had misinterpreted his suffering as an act of cruelty, when in reality it was an act of love. Pain is God's gift to us. He uses pain to alert us that something is wrong. If we feel pain, it means we are alive. Pain awakens us to our need, both physical and spiritual, so we will seek help from a physician or submit to the hand of the Great Physician. God allows pain to humble us not harm us; He purposes it for our restoration, not for our destruction. Pain is the first step on the path to restoration and healing, if we will heed its warning signs! Let us pray that the Lord will keep our ears open to all the ways He is speaking us today, and for a humble heart to respond to the voice of pain and allow it to transform us for our good and His glory. "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

"And lest I should be exalted above measure

by the abundance of the revelations,

a thorn in the flesh was given to me,

a messenger of Satan to buffet me,

lest I be exalted above measure.

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord

three times that it might depart from me.

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,

that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,