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Been slow-studying the book of Job and I want to share a few things I think the Lord teaches through this amazing book. And also what I see as the books key takeaway lesson.
But before I get to the key lesson here are some other useful lessons that I observe in this book.
Life is horribly unfair sometimes, even without considering what mankind does to fellow man. But even in the face of that reality, we should accept it and personally trust the will and purpose of the Lord at every moment.
There are conversations going on in the spiritual realms that can directly affect us.
Sometimes we are kept in the dark about why things are happening to us.
God himself watches and sometimes even brags about our lives.
Devout, godly, blameless, intelligent and well-studied people can have incomplete theology. Which makes them error in what they say, counsel others, and argue. This can cause them to eloquently teach falsely. Spreading confusion to their hearers, so be careful who you give ear to.
Eloquent, intelligent, an persuasive people are sometimes flat wrong, even with accurate (yet incomplete) theology.
Eloquent and intelligent people can be so impressed with their own words and thoughts that only God can correct them, and he sometimes does.
Sometimes we should just listen and encourage others and not try to correct or teach them uninvited. Because we often don’t know the whole story.
Most believe and teach that the key teaching in the book of Job is why good people suffer. But that is not directly addressed by God. It is only generally described in the first two chapters but even that is just one example of many reasons good people do and are allowed to suffer.
Instead I think the most important lesson, the book of Job’s key takeaway teaching, is the supremacy of God over the entire universe. That is the overwhelming emphasis when God finally speaks beginning in chapter 38.
“Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?” - The Lord out of the whirlwind
Job 38:33 (ESV)
The pride of life is a difficult thing to see in oneself. The heart is deeply deceptive.
For one person the pride of their life is their million dollars in the bank:
For others it is:
•The big sounding corporate career they daily give themselves to.
•Their house or houses.
•The business they joined, built or purchased.
•The large church they built, or joined.
•The superior mothering or fathering abilities.
•The superior family they have.
•The careers or success of their children.
•Their ability to debate and be right about most things.
•Their ability to succeed at whatever they put their mind to.
•Superior political beliefs (or so we think).
•Superior theology (or so we think)
•Superior activism and making the world a better place (according to our shallow thoughts of the world).
•Any other ability or talent that we are pleased with about ourselves.
That is the best way we can identify the Pride of life. Pleased with ourselves, and the flip side of that coin. Being glad we are not like those other people who we see as inferior in some ways to us.
The pride of our lives makes good things bad, for us.
I’ve experienced even many sermons at church appeal to and strengthen the pride of our lives without realizing it. And accidentally do spiritual damage to the very young people we are trying to educate or inspire.
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