Job 27: A Tenacious Response

Today’s Scripture Reading: Job 27

2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

When we have faced troubling times and moments of injustice, the broken nature of our humanness tends to go the opposite way from that which is good. We rarely cling to righteousness and goodness in moments we’ve been ticked off by those who cut us off on the highway and nearly take our lives. Instead some of us will speed up, and become as aggressive and offending as the offender. Although some have much more intense tempers than others, we may have cursed away in our hearts just the same.

There is nothing wrong with being angry. In fact it does not say there is anything wrong with being angry in the bible! No, but it tells us not to sin because of our anger (Ephesians 4:26); it also tells us that we should not let our anger lead to rage (Prov. 29:11); and not to be provoked by it (Ecclesiastes 7:9). So in perspective, it is not wrong to be angry, but it certainly is dangerous when we let it overtake the best of us. It is the most dangerous thing when anger becomes our arrogance, when it suggests I am better than they, and when it hurts those around us. Then what ought to be our Godly response to times of trouble and events that push us off the rails in anger?

Amos was certainly angry. The most chilling thing about this passage is that he seems certain to be angry with God. But this is not the case. He is expressing his anger at God. There is a clear difference, which we must also make a distinction of in our own lives. We see later in chapter 24 that he is fed up with injustice. The answer to the question if it is right to be angry with God is then – no, it is not right and we should never be angry at God because it suggests we certainly know more than he does, and that we are more righteous than Him! Amos was furious and as distraught as he could ever possibly be with the injustice committed against him. But what is most profound about Amos’ response to his pain was that he tenaciously held to his integrity and righteousness as his cry to God. He did not rebel nor deny Him.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you

Proverbs 25:21-22

When we have so much going against us, it is easy for our response to be “Screw it, I’m not following God anymore!” But if we are desperate enough that we should cry out to God in our anger and dissatisfaction, then a more courageous and a shouting exclamation ought to be “No, I refuse to sin and satisfy the enemy. I will be blameless and do everything that is right in God’s eyes!” A tenacious righteousness ought to be a sign of our faith and our love for God. It is a refusal to become what we despise most – sin and injustice. What more could be an act of faith and trust than to respond in such a way? If we get angry and walk away we have lost the battle against the real enemy who is Satan. The moment we chose to be angry with God and sin and rebel against him is when we have given the enemy the right of passage within us.

Tenaciously cling to God’s righteousness.

Live completely and fearlessly in His Word when troubles come near. This is how we endure our pain, and how we face injustice.

ONE YEAR BIBLE:

JOSHUA 24:1-33
LUKE 21:1-28
PSALM 89:38-52
PROVERBS 13:20-23

Photo by: Patrick Fore, https://unsplash.com/patrickian4