March 4, 2011

Job 33
As a 9th grader I gave in to my older brothers’ pressure and went out for the 9th grade basketball team. It was one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life. I was so bad that I was the only guy who went out that never even got to suit up for a game. I didn’t even get to warm the bench. Nobody at my school identified me as a jock, especially when I was in the 9th grade. I have a cousin two years older than me that went to OSU on basketball scholarship. When I was a senior, my FCA club invited my cousin to come to an FCA event to give his testimony. I was unaware that he was scheduled to speak that night. Our mothers are sisters, so we have different last names. No one had any idea that we were related. We were kind of surprised to see each other that night. I was because I did not know he was on the agenda. He was because I had not earned any athletic recognition. Of course as cousins we enjoyed good conversation when we saw each other that night. All of my acquaintances wanted to know how I knew this OSU basketball player. “Oh, he’s my cousin.” Few could believe my declaration. Not much family resemblance in athletic ability.
Elihu sees a few things as being wrong with Job’s defense: 1) Job claims to be pure and innocent. 2) Job claims that God views him as His enemy. 3) Job’s argument implies that God must give an account of Himself to man. As for Elihu, he is right. Job was claiming to be completely innocent. As we have seen before, Job was right and he was wrong. Job was a sinner, but he repented and clung to God. We know from elsewhere in Scripture that as such, God had removed his sin from him. In that sense He had been declared by God to be righteous—not that he had never sinned, but that his sin was removed. God did not claim Job as His enemy; on the contrary, He viewed Job as a great ally. After all it is through Job’s suffering that God is revealing something to all successive generations of the role of suffering in relation to the glory of God. He is a co-laborer with Him. Finally, God is never bound to give an account of Himself to mere men. What a tragic reality this would be if the infinite God had to give an account of Himself to finite man!
Don’t these three issues really reveal the great glory of God? I mean after all, isn’t it wonderful that by simply repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ that even I can be declared not guilty? Get this! John Chaffin is declared to be perfect in righteousness in the sight of God because my sin has been washed away by the blood of His precious Son! Now that is Glory! Wow, not only am I now declared just, but I am also equipped to be a co-laborer with Him to declare His Glory to all of creation! Hey! Let me introduce you to my Co-worker. He is the God who created the Universe! Does the infinite God ever give an account of Himself to His creation upon our demand? I don’t think so! He is after all, God! Let me introduce you to my brother, the Creator of the Universe, the Perfect One. Not a whole lot of family resemblance to begin with. But He has declared it so, and it’s kind of growing on me! How could I ever hold Him to account for Himself? Wow, Isn’t He something? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john