There was a man...whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job 1:1
When we turn to this ancient book in our Bibles, we find that God searched the world over, not for the worst man, but for the best, and He tells us Job's strangely pathetic story and shows how that good man was brought to repentance that thus "every mouth may be stopped" (Romans 3:19), and all the world of men might be brought in guilty before Him. For if a man of Job's character must repent, what shall be said of me, and of you, who come so far behind him in righteousness and integrity and have sinned so deplorably and come so far short of the glory of God? Can you not see the wisdom of Jehovah in selecting such a man to show the need that all men should repent?
Consider the case of Job. A wealthy Oriental sheik, apparently, he lived in the days before the knowledge of God had been lost. Romans 1 shows us men turned from the living and true God to vain idols, and "for this cause God gave them up" (Romans 1:26) to all sorts of unclean practices. Job had escaped all this. He was perfect in his behaviour, upright in all his ways, one who reverenced God and detested iniquity. In chapters 1 and 2, we get a remarkable revelation of things in the unseen world. Job is the subject of a conversation between God and Satan, the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10) who accuses them before God day and night.
The Lord challenges Satan, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth...one that feareth God, and escheweth [shuns] evil?" (Job 1:8). Note Job was all that God said he was--a man of faith, a true child of God. This book give us, then, not the repentance of a sinner, but the repentance of a saint. Satan denies the truthfulness of the divine estimate of Job and particularly declares that Job does not love and reverence the Lord for what He is in Himself, but for what Job received at His hand. To prove the contrary, the devil is permitted to wrest from the patriarch all that He possessed. Instead of renouncing God, Job exclaims, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Unless You Repent-H. A. Ironside
N.J. Hiebert - 20274
April 10
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9
"Let us not lose heart in doing the right."
It is a different word from the "good things" we read of in verse 6. It is often translated "beautiful." These truly are good things--beautiful things, noble things, honourable things; these are the things every one of us may do every day. We call them little things very often; perhaps giving a drink of cold water to someone who is thirsty. But that deed will get its reward; It will have a harvest.
Most of our lives are filled up with little things--often we think useless little things that are of little profit, but, have to be done--meals have to be cooked, dishes have to be washed, children have to be cared for, our business or our daily job has to be done, and often we long for for something "bigger and better," as we suppose, to do for our Lord. Brother, sister, these little, daily duties may be the good, the noble, the honourable thing, "the right thing" for you to be doing.
The Lord says to you two things: Do not lose heart; do not relax. We first lose heart, it seems to be so useless. Perhaps you teach a Sunday school class, but the children are not converted. Do not lose heart, do not relax; in its own time you shall reap. It is God's own promise, and it must be true.
The word "relax" is what happens to a bow string if it becomes loose; and then the bow is useless. The bow is only useful while the string is tight. So if I relax in my work for the Lord, I become useless also; and remember in "its own time" (and that may be a long time, for seeds do not all grow quickly), in "its own time" we shall reap if we do not relax. Meditations on Galatians - G. C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 20275
April 11
And Judah said, what shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants!" Genesis 44:16
Joseph's brothers no longer attempt to justify themselves as to the present, they do not attempt to clear themselves as to the past. They are convicted sinners "found out" by God; and they entirely submit to Joseph, "We are my lord's servants," (V.16) they say. This indeed is excellent, but these are words and may be but empty profession. Words must be proved by deeds.
Judah, therefore, comes forward on behalf of the brethren, and proves the reality of their words by what they are prepared to do. He can say, "Let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren."(V.33). Moreover; the pleading love that breathes throughout Judah's touching appeal proves how deep the repentance that has been wrought in their souls.
The heart of stone has indeed been changed into a heart of flesh. As a son he pleads for Jacob. He is our father, he is an old man, he loves Benjamin (v.20), "his life is bound up in the lad's life" (v.30). How can "I see the evil that shall come on my father?" (34) As a true brother he pleads for Benjamin. He is "a lad," "a little one" (v.20), "Our youngest brother."
But this appeal to Joseph shows that not only repentance has been wrought but confidence has been in measure won. A beautiful picture of that "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21) which always accompanies a true work of grace.
Joseph - Hamilton Smith
N.J. Hiebert - 20276
April 12
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17
In one respect, law and grace are alike, for both set before us a very exalted standard. In all other respects they are exact opposites. At mount Sinai, the law of Moses was given (Exodus 19-20). God explicitly laid down His righteous and holy demands. If men obeyed, they were blessed; if they disobeyed, they came under the law's solemn curse. Grace, on the other hand, means that all of God's righteous and holy demands have been met in Christ's death and resurrection.
To all who believe, forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit are granted, so there may be power to conform to the standard, which under grace is nothing short of Christ Himself. The very essence of law, then, is demand; the very essence of grace is supply. Under law, God stands before us saying, "Give! Render to Me your love and dutiful obedience." Under grace, He stands with hands outstretched, saying, "Take! Receive of My love and saving power." Law says, "Do and live." grace says, "Live and do."
Believers are not under law but under grace. In Galatians 4:4-5, we find how this change has come about: "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." The change, then, is found in one word: REDEMPTION. and that involved the death of the Redeemer.
He was made a curse for us by dying on the tree (Galatians 3:13), and therefore the believer is entitled to regard himself as "dead to the law" (Romans 7:4). The law did not die; Jesus died beneath its curse, but now God suspends His wrath and proclaims grace available to all. The believer died to the law in the Person of his great Representative. Now he is controlled by another power, and that power is in a Person--the risen Son of God. F. B. Hole
N.J. Hiebert - 20277
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