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Morning Thoughts |
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James
5:11, "Behold, we count them happy which endure, Ye have heard of the
patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is
very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
This
morning, it helps people to know that others share similar experiences
with them. People who can empathize with you (relate to your
sufferings) are generally more welcome than those who can only
sympathize (feel sorry for the suffering but without any firsthand
experience). When I lost my father about 12 years ago, expressions of
grief and compassion from others that had lost a parent - particularly a
father - seemed to resonate the strongest with me. As they described
their feelings and emotions going through their loss, I could relate to
the feeling as I had it too. Part of the joy that comes with marriage
is that two people living as one have mutual "high times" to share and
experience together. These joys seem doubled as the couple enjoys them
together. It is one of the trademarks of our makeup, and the Lord's
infinite wisdom employs this characteristic when He inspired His Book.
The
Bible is replete with examples - both good and bad - that we can easily
relate to in many circumstances that we face in life. Have you been
tempted or succumbed to temptation lately? If so, reading David's
prayer in Psalm 51 can be more poignant and quite powerful during such a
time. Have you had a mountaintop experience with the Lord in recent
days? If so, then recounting Moses' experience seeing the hinder parts
of God's glory can have special experiential significance. In our study
verse, James has been describing reactions to suffering in the context.
One of his primary points through the lesson is to exhort and encourage
his readers to patience in the situations of life. However, he does not
stop short with just some intellectual discussion on the concept of
reaction to suffering or the outcomes of suffering. James affords us a
real life example to not only show the experience of suffering but the
correct way to endure it with a promised outcome on the other side of
suffering.
James
points us to Job, who endured as much - and possibly more - than any
other person, save Jesus Christ Himself. He had a "day" that I would
suspect all of us find impossible to empathize with and probably even
imagine. In Job 1, he lost all of his children and his entire
livelihood through possessions of livestock. This day was followed by
another hard day in chapter 2 when he loses his health as well, and in
the midst of all of this suffering, his wife tells him to curse God and
die, and 3 "friends" show up like an inquisition to beat a confession
out of him, already judging him guilty. What a complete tragedy of
one's life circumstances!
James
points us to Job as our example of how to endure sufferings. He was
patient (though not perfect) in his trial, and he is worthy of
patterning to a point when we experience loss and tragedy in our own
lives. Too often, we like to play the "blame God" game when things go
wrong, but Job did the opposite. He blessed God in the midst of his
toughest season. He endured patiently, and as such, James holds him up
as a shining example of patience even in the midst of life's sorest
trials. However, James also points us from Job to the Lord with a
promise of the Lord's character in the outcomes of trials.
Not
only is Job's case one to draw strength from with Job's patience in
trials, we can glean even more consolation from an understanding of the
Lord's character in how Job's case ended. The Lord is described as
being very pitiful and of tender mercy. This means that the Lord grants
compassion and has an infinite supply of pity for our sufferings and
state. So, how did Job's case end? In the last chapter of Job, we read
that the Lord has set the record straight. He commends and rebukes
Job. He rebukes him for speaking on behalf of God (God can and does do
that Himself), and He commended him when speaking in condemnation to
Job's 3 "friends." God said Job was upright, whereas they were not.
Finally, Job received twice as much at the end as he had at the
beginning.
James
points us to this end of the Lord for our consolation and strength for
our trials, and the unchanging character of the Lord demands that we
understand that the Lord's pity and mercy to Job will be to us as well.
Now the obvious question arises, "Does this mean that if we stay
faithful and patient to the Lord that we can expect a pleasant end to
our lives here?" The obvious answer is "no." The Bible is brimming
with examples of people that died in tragedy and never attained any kind
of "well off" status on earth. A quick perusal of the prophets of the
Old Testament shows that many of them lived and died in ignominy in the
eyes of the people for standing for the word of God that they faithfully
proclaimed. Jeremiah is a good example of this very thing. Hebrews 11
even tells us that one of the outcomes of living by faith is being able
to do great things like stop lion's mouths, quench fire's violence, and
wax valiant in fight. (Verses 33-34) However, it follows up that list of
glory by saying that a life of faith can also yield torture, bonds,
stoning, and being sawed asunder. (Verses 35-38)
So,
which is it? Does the life of faith and patience in trials yield
desirable or undesirable outcomes? Notice the verse says the "end of
the Lord." Though God showed in glorious fashion that Job's life was
more blessed and desirable at the end, it is the principle that James is
pointing us to that all of us can share in and enjoy. I sincerely hope
that I will not lose my children, possessions, and health to be followed
by scorning from my wife and miserable accusation from my good friends.
If I do, perhaps I will endure and stand fast patiently. However, I
should not expect that before I die I will necessarily receive twofold
from the Lord of all that I lost. Job did literally receive those
things, but consider the principle of the end of the Lord. What was
manifested to Job literally in the natural realm will be manifested
literally to all of us in the better world to come.
The
Bible tells us in many places that the Lord gives us abundantly more
(twice as much) in goodness for our evil. Isaiah 40 promises double
blessing from the Lord for all of our iniquities, and Romans 5 promises
that grace much more abounds in spite of abundance of sin. However,
when it comes to suffering and trial, what comfort yields the most
precious strength and hope? Job was not guilty but suffered anyway.
Though we do suffer for our sins, what grants the comfort and strength
needed for the day when we suffer having done nothing that merits it?
Zechariah tells us that we need to turn to the stronghold as prisoners
of hope. (Zechariah 9:12) Though we have battles and soreness of trial
in this old world, there is a refuge and stronghold that we can lean on,
latch onto, and draw strength from. What is the root source of that
strength? The verse says that the promise upon which hope is anchored
is the Lord turning to render double to us. Just as Job received twice
as much at the end as he had at the beginning, so we can faithfully say
that the Lord will render double to us in the world to come. This
promise of double equates to many things, but consider that the Lord
gives us a double inheritance (as joint-heirs with the firstborn in
God's house), double security (being in both the Father and Son's
hands), and double standing (we were taken from the throes of sin and
depravity past the innocence of Adam to a position of pure holiness and
righteousness). The Lord lifting us soaring through the clouds to the
gates of glory is something that this world is not worthy to be compared
to. And when the Lord blesses us with that rich experience, He will
also set the record straight. Though we may die at the hands of unjust
men with our blood crying out to God, God will appear and have “His Day”
when the mouths of the wicked are stopped and the righteous are
exonerated before all. (Matthew 25:31-46)
What
do you need to help you get through the trials of life? James supplies
the case of Job for many reasons. One reason is that none of us will
say, "I suffered more than he did." Another is that none of us can say,
"But how do I know that things will be better for me later?" Because
Job's case is our example, we can feel the closeness and association
with others in trials, but because the Lord manifested His eternal
promise through literal blessings to Job, we can look up and see by
faith that those gone before us have entered into the great land of
"double" where the presence of the Lord emanates throughout every soul
in complete glory and majesty. Dear fellow soldier, remember that
others have gone before, and others are coming after: all to have
similar experiences and afflictions. More than anything remember the
same Lord with immutable character is all in all with the promise of a
pitiful and merciful outcome.
In
Hope,
Bro
Philip |