Slices
Prepare
Do you feel close to God or far from him today? Acknowledge where you are with him.
Bible passage
23 Then Job replied:
2 ‘Even today my complaint is bitter;
his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!
4 I would state my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would find out what he would answer me,
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me with great power?
No, he would not press charges against me.
7 There the upright can establish their innocence before him,
and there I would be delivered for ever from my judge.
8 ‘But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
13 ‘But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?
He does whatever he pleases.
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.
15 That is why I am terrified before him;
when I think of all this, I fear him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Explore
Have you ever felt the kind of desperation Job expresses in this chapter? We all have seasons when God feels far away, and our prayers seem like they are just hitting the ceiling.
What a contrast from Psalm 139, when the psalmist talks of the impossibility of escaping from God’s presence and the futility of trying to hide from him. When we don’t want him, he is everywhere; when we do, he is apparently nowhere to be found. And yet, in verse 10, Job reminds himself of the truth: ‘But he knows the way that I take.’ Even when we can’t seem to find God, we are never out of sight to him.
God knew everything that was going on with Job. If you know the book, you’ll know that at the end God shows up in all his glory and reveals that he has been listening to every word Job and his friends have said. The same is true for us. Even when we can’t see him or detect his presence, he is always with us, and his plan is to bring us forth as gold (v 10).
Respond
It can be hard sitting, like Job, waiting in the silence, but one day our waiting will be over. Christ will return to live with us, and we will never have to search for him again (Revelation 21:2–4). Thank him for that coming day.
Deeper Bible study
‘Oh God, the suffering I see is unbearable. God, come quickly, bring swift relief and sweet comfort.’1 In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I feel like using the phrase from old westerns, ‘There’s gold in them thar hills’,2 about this chapter. It is a high point in Job’s defence and reveals some of the secrets of his survival through so much pain and criticism. He longs to appear before God to state his case (v 4). Job believes that a mortal man can gain access to the throne of God. Well ahead of his time, he sees a day when God’s throne will touch earth, like John who saw ‘the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven’.3 What Job fails to grasp is that he is indeed taking part in a trial before God, not as a defendant but as a star witness.
The gold continues to be produced in verse 10, literally. I held on to Job’s words in this verse throughout two decades and more of intense pain and serious illness. Faith needs to be refined by fire, just like gold, and the end product will reflect the refiner’s face as he gazes upon it.4 God knows the way we are taking, even when we do not. Our calling is to walk in his footsteps, carefully placing our own puny feet in the marks left by his, nail-prints and all. God was testing Job: he may be testing you. You do not get a testimony without having a test. When Jesus was tested in the desert, by hunger, thirst and raging temptations, he repeated the ancient maxim that man does not live by bread alone, but by God’s word.5 Job is an example of this great truth. God’s words can feed us spiritually in ways that cannot be gained by physical food. We need that sustenance today. Our souls are hungry. There certainly is gold in them thar hills!
Pray that God will strengthen your faith today by his Word. Give thanks that he knows the way you are taking and is refining you to be like gold.
1 Kate C Bowler, ‘A blessing …’, www.instagram.com/p/CEZbVrznHR4 2 Mark Twain, The American Claimant, 1892 3 Rev 21:2 4 1 Pet 1:7 5 Deut 8:3; Matt 4:4
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Numbers 12–14; Psalms 28,29
Pray for Scripture Union
Praise God for continuing to meet our financial needs during the pandemic, so that we are ready and able to support churches in developing mission to children and young people at this crucial time. (This week's prayers all relate to this story.)
