JOB’S PATH TO GLORY
The glory came eventually.
For months Job had to endure
a perplexing spiritual spin of circumstances. The unique nature of this
book is in the context of Satan saying, “this perfect, wealthy individual
leads a charmed existence”. Or, “take away the blessings and he’ll curse
you to Your face!” The war of wicked works descended quickly, authored
by the devil, yet allowed by God. A second war, of words, remorselessly
continues inspired by evil spirits (read chapter 4: 12 – 21 and chapter
32: 18, 19). However, the smitten man held on to his integrity and persevered,
discovering future happiness and the awesome glory of God.
We all move forward in a
path to glory through various counsellors who fail to see the whole picture,
propose false gospels, and think themselves more spiritual. To read the
book as a dialogue between Job and “the worthless physicians” will cause
us to fight better in the future. Of course, we must forgive and pray for
any wrong counsel we have received. Another profound aspect is the weight
of suffering endured by those who lead an interior life in the gospel:
hidden ones who before the Lord, know the intimacies and infinite dimensions
of the gospel.
FALSE COUNSELLING
Much of what Eliphaz, Bildad,
Zophar and Elihu say is true but utterly out of context to Job’s despairing
situation. For example, the prophecy of Eliphaz (22: 21 – 30) has “Word
of Faith” clarity and charismatic eloquence, but is unsuitable for the
person it has been directed to. This becomes clear in Job 23: 10:
“But He knows the
way that I take; when He has tested me I shall come forth as gold.”
We are on an individual path
to glory that contains many crosses of perplexity, disappointments, vilifications
and the destruction of all carnal ambition, with abandonments and God’s
special chauffeur: the journeying companion of sorrow. Why does God allow
the negative side? Why does He permit counsel into our life that cannot
bring the balm of Gilead? Let us look at the four counsellors who think
they can probe Job’s condition.
1. Eliphaz
When someone is in dire
straits with an inexplicable mystery of suffering hanging over them, only
the Word from the mouth of the Lord (the rhema) will work. When that works
no man or no demon can reverse it. Eliphaz thinks he is a prophetic counsellor
(Job 4: 12 – 21), but the evidence is that he has heard a religious demon
(Job 4: 14, 15, 16). The voice was not from God because the experience
is clearly from the demonic, and the theology fails to fit Job’s dilemma.
Job was being accused of being more righteous than God, which was certainly
not his heart (4:17). Theology, even when it is in line with scripture,
cannot relieve a sufferer unless the Holy Spirit elevates the truth to
be a prophetic, living rhema of God. Job’s reply in 5: 17 – 27 is nearer
the context of the first two chapters. How important it becomes for a counsellor
to be led of the Spirit and to know an accurate history of the sufferer;
including knowledge of the hereditary past. When Job complains, “Oh, that
my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales!”
in Job 6: 2, he is saying the weight of this oppression is very unusual,
and Eliphaz, “you’ve not touched it!”
Eliphaz has charged Job with
hypocrisy (4: 5) and accused him of being in his awful state as a result
of error and deception (4: 7 – 11). We can sympathize with Eliphaz at this
point.
Punishments and
trials can look identical to concerned outsiders.
Upright people who shun evil
can be annihilated by the breath of pure love says Madame Guyon. Their
reputation for holiness has to be destroyed, and this is happening to Job,
unknown by Eliphaz!
2. Bildad
The extraordinary “war of
words” continues to torment hapless Job through Bildad (19: 1, 2). Job
has already asked, “Have I sinned?” (7: 20). Examining our own heart is
always a first step, but sometimes a step that will not bring desired peace.
Our problems can be further back than personal sin. Always remember who
introduced sin to the human race! Bildad’s onslaught begins with crudeness
(8: 2) – always beware a counsellor whose words are loquacious or lewd
and loose. Every counsellor must know the guard of the Holy Spirit over
their tongue. Their qualification to counsel is surely Psalm 17: 3:
“You have
tested my heart,
You have visited me
in the night,
You have examined
me and found nothing evil:
I have purposed my
mouth shall not transgress.”
Bildad has already missed it
by accusing Job and his sons of sin (8: 3 – 7). Our days on earth are a
shadow when seen from the substance of heaven’s viewpoint (8: 9), but we
can rise above ignorance. The woman of Samaria knew not the gift of God,
but later received. Bildad pursues pessimism, thinking joy only belongs
to God viewing the procession of our descendants (8: 19). Was envy allowing
Bildad to give a skewed, judgemental approach? In chapter 18: 5 – 21 Bildad
compares Job with the wicked. He feels that Job is treating him as utterly
carnal (18: 3) and therefore goes on the offensive. Job’s reply in chapter
19 moves us deeply; especially the acknowledgement of spiritual imprisonment
in verses 8 – 12. It seems as though God looks on us as an enemy, we are
road-blocked, utterly curtailed; and in this state we should wait, be patient
and refuse to make a path of escape. We are sometimes forsaken by spiritual
friends, family and children (19: 13 – 20), but out of utter abandonment
to the Lord comes a glimpse of resurrection glory! See Job 19: 25 – 27.
True counsel will focus on these four aspects:
(a) Vindication:
(19: 23, 24) a service to new generations… permanent blood-bought, blood-taught
counsel.
(b) Victory: (19:
25, 26) the success of resurrection awaiting us after ceasing correspondence
to this form of life.
(c) Vision: (19:
27) the seeing of hope, as we have the confident expectation of beholding
Jesus we will purify ourselves in this life (see 1 John 3: 1 – 3).
(d) Vengeance: (19:
28, 29) the sword of judgement comes to us all and will divide soul and
spirit, revealing our true selves.
Resurrection realities answer
all pessimism!
3. Zophar
Zophar quotes back to Job,
“my doctrine is pure” in chapter 11: 4. It can be to the point of received
light, but it is still not sufficient for Job’s present distress. Our problem
at certain critical moments in our experience is that the gospel we know
up to the present experience is not big enough to take us on to greater
usefulness. Zophar fails to grasp this and quickly jumps to a conclusion
of judgementalism (11: 5; 11:13 - 20). His argument is a choice of repentance,
or loss of life. When we jump to conclusions there will be inconsistencies.
Zophar talks about double prudence – a prophetic hint on Job 42: 10 in
11: 6, and then curses mankind as empty-headed with no prospect of wisdom
in 11: 12. In today’s world much counsel when dissected has wrong conclusions
and inconsistencies, because of a lack of a holy logic from a Spirit-renewed
mind. The length, breadth, height and width of the dimensions of the gospel
are not found in one ministry. There are often serious gaps of bible knowledge
today in many popular preachers and teachers. This is why we need to be
open to different kinds of ministry. The Lord help us not to jump to conclusions
as many do, when they fail to grasp the fullness of the gospel and the
demonic dimension.
Zophar gives the game away
in 20: 3 “…my understanding” and 20: 2 is surely a bad start! We never
minister out of anxiety, but out of peace and rest. The authority of the
name of Jesus works when fears and anxieties are gone (John 14: 27). Zophar’s
attack includes Job being enriched with the spoils of another (20: 19).
So often people attack in others what they are guilty of themselves.
4. Elihu
He is not restored as the
other counsellors through the prayers of Job (42: 7 – 10). Why?
He was the young man who
dared not declare his opinion in the presence of the other much older counsellors.
However, this was not humility, when we discover the number of “I’s” from
verse 10 – 22 in chapter 32. This proud and envious young man had an appalling
secret: evil spirits locked up in his belly were driving, enticing and
compelling him to speak (verses 18 – 20, particularly brought out in study
of the original Hebrew).
In chapter 33: 2 Elihu says,
“…my tongue speaks in my mouth”, his argument seems to be that we are to
listen to him because his words come from an upright heart (33: 3). However,
his logic is that they are so because, “The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (33: 4). Our words don’t
link heart and mouth with pure knowledge on the basis of creation by God
– but only on the realities of the new creation: redemption and sanctification
and consecration in a person’s life. This error of believing that what
we say is always from God is prevalent today.
Some charismatics believe
every prophecy they utter must be pure, because the Holy Spirit indwells
them. This mistake has brought confusion and destruction to many lives.
Job 33: 6 speaks of priest-craft pride, “I am as your spokesman before
God.” We are individually accountable to God for our lives and no ministry
can come between our life and God. The pride of youth contradicts this
truth and we have seen the shepherding error of the 1980’s that sought
to dominate another’s faith. We also see the busybody spirit of 1 Peter
4: 15 which seeks to manage that for which they are not responsible for.
Paul places this “allotrio – episkopsis” word next to murder and thief.
Absalomism still waits in the wings to take over many churches and para-church
organizations. The outright condemnation of Job by Elihu (34: 8, 9, 36,
37; and 36: 17) is a thinly veiled attempt to become the new wise man of
the east. The Leviathan spirit is associated with him: see Job 38: 2, it
was Elihu who had been speaking. After the Leviathan chapter 41, we find
42: 3, a description of the misrepresentations of the enemy. Therefore,
we can assume Elihu cannot be restored as the other three counsellors.
THE END INTENDED BY THE
LORD
The perseverance of Job brought
a wonderful reward: God’s outstanding mercy and grace in giving double.
His humility is seen by taking the rebuke of, “Who is this who hides counsel
without knowledge?” to his own heart. The path to glory was through repentance
and patience – an endurance that carried on under a terrible weight of
terrible words. Many in pursuing God have had the same perplexing path
to paradise, as pure priests, who are misunderstood and abused by carnal
believers or those who purport to know God.
Will we pray
for those who spitefully abuse us?
Will we bless those who
curse us with lies?
Will we be of a heavenly
disposition and love our enemies?
It is those who do these things
who truly ascend the hill of the Lord and behold His glory.
The great mark of spiritual
strength is to help the weak. Romans 15: 1 goes on to tell us not to please
ourselves. Love is sacrificing self for the benefit of others. Job had
to pray for his comforters who had given him 9 months of false counsel.
If we please ourselves we shift our power source…
FROM THE HOLY
SPIRIT TO THE FALLEN LIFE OF OUR SOUL POWER.
False counsel contains false
logos from our soul power. When Job forgave them, only then did he truly
prosper.
One last word – check out
James 1: 5 and 6. We desperately need wisdom when we are in a spiritual
spin of circumstances like Job. Consider the two references to “ask” in
James 1. To ask of God is to cuddle up into the warm embrace of Father
God. To ask in faith is to make a demand on the basis of our new creation
rights. “Without reproach” means that God will not withhold any information,
insight, or explanation. He gives liberally with an open hand. The explanations
came enveloped in the atmosphere of glory. God works for those who wait
for Him. The glory came eventually! The key to a Job experience is not
to doubt the sovereign love of a loving Father. The winds of adversity
want us to see the circumstances as an impossible Goliath. The enemy always
desires to gnaw away our trust, as David well knew. Job had five smooth
stones of his own. The largest being his integrity. Another would be his
perseverance, another humility. Another is the prayer from the heart, even
if it is silent. Job was baffled by his experience but, in the words of
Oswald Chambers, was baffled to fight the battles of life better.
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