READINGS FOR FEBRUARY 23, 2024: JOB 4, MATTHEW 15, PSALM 10:12-18 JOB 4 Job’s friend Eliphaz gingerly ventures a first word to Job. He begins by recounting how respected Job has been in his community (good start), but while supposedly giving spiritual advice, subtly turns into an accuser. He suggests that Job’s expression of agony is evidence of his lack of faith. (Wrong!) He pontificates that Job’s personal tragedies are proof of his sin because the innocent never suffers. (Wrong Again!) In just the first weeks of our readings, here are a few innocent people who have suffered: Abel, Canaan, David, John the Baptist, and the children around Bethlehem. Jesus has already prepared his disciples for suffering and has predicted His own epic suffering. This view that suffering is caused by sin more nearly describes karma in Eastern religions than Biblical truth.
In Job 4:12 Eliphaz claims revelation from a dream. God has indeed used dreams to communicate in the Bible (e.g., Joseph the husband of Mary, Joseph the son of Jacob, the wise men, and Daniel to name a few). There are numerous stories of this happening in Muslim countries today. However, not all dreams are divine revelations, certainly not those that contradict the Bible. False prophets and teachers run through the Old and New Testaments, the history of the church, and to the present time. How can we tell if they are false? READ AND OBEY THE BIBLE!
As with most false teachers, there is partial truth in Eliphaz comments. After the fall, mankind is not 100% pure before a Holy God, but that does not mean God never trusts any of them for anything. Consider Abel, Noah, Enoch, Shem and Abraham among the early patriarchs. God either blessed or gave important tasks to each of them. Eliphaz also says all the angels are untrustworthy. As we learned from the book of Matthew, God placed angels in positions of trust announcing the birth of Jesus and ministering to Jesus after the time of His temptation in the wilderness.
MATTHEW 15 Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus with a question, which could be good thing. Either because of their tone of voice or Jesus’s ability to read their thoughts, He could tell they were trying to catch him in an inconsistency. They asked why His disciples failed to follow the elders’ tradition of washing their hands when eating. Jesus responded by asking why they maintain their tradition rather than obeying God’s fifth commandment to honor their parents.
Their “tradition” was to give away money set aside for their parents under the pretense of giving to God. Before social security, Medicare, and pensions, older parents depended on their children financially: “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8).
READINGS FOR FEBRUARY 23, 2024 CONTINUED: MATTHEW 15, PSALM 10:12-18 Jesus called the Pharisees and scribes hypocrites (talk about being direct). His quotation from Isaiah implied they had problems of the heart, making their worship and extra rules worthless. He then circled back to their question. He said unwashed hands are not a spiritual problem, but a contaminated heart is. Following manmade traditions that sound spiritual but violate God’s Word is a problem in churches today. READ AND OBEY THE BIBLE! The disciples then informed Jesus He had offended the Pharisees (as if He didn’t know). Referring back to His sower parable, He implied the Pharisee were not believers and were leading others astray.
The story of Jesus with the Canaanite woman has become hot topic lately. A well-known figure in the church cites it as an example of Jesus sinning, showing He is more like us than the Bible claims: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). He thinks Jesus’s responses to the woman lacked compassion. A better interpretation is that Jesus was drawing her out toward a deeper confession of faith, which as we have seen is more significant eternally than physical health. Notice how profusely He compliments her faith in verse 28.
PSALM 10:12-18 In the first half of this Psalm (read yesterday), it appeared the wicked had gained the upper hand. In this second part, David remembers that the Lord is “King forever and ever.” By keeping that in mind, we can consider the totality of reality, not just the sliver of depressing events we might experience or see on the news. David rightly appeals to God on behalf of those most vulnerable: the orphan, the oppressed, and the humble. David is confident God will “strengthen their heart and vindicate them.” His outlook for the future is rightly positive.
Yes, David strays from expressing love for his enemies, but at least he, himself, took no violent action. Knowing what we know about Jesus’s teaching and possessing what we possess with the Holy Spirit, our battle plan today is well described in Rom. 12:17-21: “Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
