READINGS FOR APRIL 3, 2024: JOB 32, ROMANS 15, PSALM 26:7-12 JOB 32 All this time, Elihu, a younger man, had been listening to this dialogue. He had been silent until now because of respect toward his elders. (As an elderly person, this sentiment is appreciated.) Yet, the content of the discussion has increasingly angered him. He finds Job too self-justifying, and his friends condemning, without being responsive to Job’s comments. He certainly has a point about Job’s friends. He laments that his elders are not as wise as they should be and feels led to share his thoughts, which he implies are different and better.
Have we ever felt like Elihu? Filled with words enough to burst. Elihu even used the same metaphor that Jesus used: new wineskins that burst (Matt. 9:7). Who thinks Jesus knew the book of Job well? As was mentioned earlier in these guides, about a tenth of Jesus’s words were quotations from or references to the Old Testament. A looming problem that one can already discern is that Elihu’s stated motivation for speaking is to vent, not to help Job be comforted or gain understanding. This is a good question to ask ourselves whenever we feel the urgency to share our opinion. Is our purpose in speaking an honorable one or merely a selfish one? While these comments are merely introductory by Elihu, he is off to a dubious start. Let’s try to be positive about the young fellow, though, and suspend judgment until he says more.
ROMANS 15 The opening of this chapter responds across the centuries to Job’s friends. Elihu and the others seek to vent and prove themselves right, not to help Job. But goal of a follower of God should not be to please himself or herself. Paul points to Jesus as our example on this point. He even says any taunts we experience for our faith fall on him. The point is our goal should be to help our neighbor, not to maximize our own pleasure or comfort. This glorifies God. Is this how we set our priorities in life? Do we get up each morning thinking how we can do this? Paul connects this to wisdom we can receive from studying the Bible, which he says is vital to our instruction, perseverance, and hope. Have we experienced this at all during our current Bible-reading activity?
Paul was writing to a church that was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. He urged them to accept each other due to their far greater commonality in Jesus. If we are believers in Jesus and obedient to His Word, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to bridge any differences we may have in age, education, social class, or race. Part of this life together as believers includes admonishing one another for each other’s benefit. Very few churches reach this level of functionality. What would Paul’s opinion be of Yorktown Methodist Church on this point?
Paul then migrates to a discussion of his own unique ministry: sharing the Gospel with Gentiles who had never heard this message before. As mentioned earlier, Paul was certainly blessed
READINGS FOR APRIL 3, 2024 CONTINUED: ROMANS 15, PSALM 26:7-12 to know exactly what his mission in life was. Many of us are still seeking such precise understanding of our mission, even though it is late in life. Let’s not give up. God can still use us. Paul then gets around to what some scholars believe was the main purpose for his letter. He was hoping to visit the church in Rome on his way to a missionary outreach in Spain. He mentions hoping to be “helped” by them, which possibly meant financial support for the trip. One reason to think this is that he not too subtly mentions the generosity of several of the other churches toward the poorer believers in Jerusalem. Our church has the opportunity to support those sharing the Gospel in other countries and to help poorer believers in our community. This is appropriate and may we continue our generosity in these ways.
Paul completes this chapter by requesting prayer for himself in his ministries. Perhaps it would be appropriate for us to pray for some of those ministries our church supports: Foster Family, Covenant Partners, Yorktown Connect, Kids-in-the-Meadow, REACH, Christmas Baskets, Senior Cafe, UMCOR, Sewing Circle, Boy Scout Troop, Prayer Team, Brian and Denise Luke, Paul and Marty Law.
Psalm 26:7-12 The last several verses seem to have three interweaving themes: 1) a plea to God not to lump David in with those non-followers of God who deserve judgment; 2) a statement of commitment to be faithful in the future—as illustrated by David’s repeated use of the word “will”; and 3) an expression of delight David feels whenever he worships the Lord with other believers.
Maybe these three strands tend to reinforce each other in a virtuous cycle. When we meet with other believers in praising God, we are more likely to commit our lives to being faithful and avoid the circumstances that lead to evil behavior, which results in negative judgment. Some folks believe they can be spiritual or even good Christians without gathering together with other believers. This is not recommended anywhere in the Bible.
Consider this clear statement from Hebrews 10:23-25: “Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
