Bend it Like Job

Julie Cosgrove

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“Show me my offense and my sin…You keep close watch on all my paths by putting marks on the soles of my feet.” (Job 13:23b, 27)

God agreed to let Satan take everything from Job – his family, friends, property, and health – in order to test Job’s faith. But there is one thing Satan could not take away: He could not snatch Job’s free will to choose faith in God.

It was a common belief in Job’s day that God’s wrath came upon us if we did something wrong. His friends figured Job must have committed a heinous sin to have so much misfortune befall him. In fact, Job began to think the same thing. But the One Job did not wonder about was God. Instead of being like Adam, who hid from God and then played the blame-game, Job stood firm, bent a knee, and asked God to forgive him for all his sins. His belief that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and that we are by nature sinful and unworthy to approach His throne resonates throughout the whole book.

Hide Or Seek? - The sin we try to cover up will eventually bring us down.

by Mart De Haan

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Read: Isaiah 30:8-18

He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. —Proverbs 28:13

Bible in a Year:
Psalms 16-17; Acts 20:1-16

An Indianapolis patrolman ran into trouble while he was investigating a routine traffic mishap. He had interviewed witnesses, arrested one of the drivers, and written up the accident report. Then he noticed that the offending motorist was chewing on something that wasn’t gum. He was eating the report! 

Despite the officer’s efforts to retrieve the report, it was destroyed. But the delay was only temporary. The patrolman tracked down the witnesses again and recompiled the evidence.

The resistance and coverup that this Indiana officer encountered is similar to what Isaiah saw in the people of Israel centuries ago. 

The prophet was grieved as he watched his countrymen try to ignore and conceal the evidence of their sin. They, in effect, stuck their fingers in their ears while the Lord spoke (Isa. 30:9), and they encouraged their prophets to tell them only what they wanted to hear (v.10). They would rather hide than seek the mercy of God. Consequently, the Lord sent judgment on them (vv.12-17).

We can learn from Israel’s mistakes that an attempt at coverup won’t do any good. It’s only temporary. We must confess our sins to God and forsake them. Then we will know the joy of God’s forgiveness.

The sins that would entangle us
Must never be ignored;
For if we try to cover them
They'll pierce us like a sword. —Sper

The sin we try to cover up will eventually bring us down.

http://odb.org/1999/07/16/hide-or-seek/