“If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored, if you remove unrighteousness from your tents, if you treat gold like dust, and gold of Ophir like the stones of the torrent-bed, and if the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and lift up your face to God.” Job 22:23-26 (NRS)
When people have suffered great sorrow and tragic events, it is easy for their friends to come by with so-called “conventional wisdom” and all sorts of theological prescriptions. This is what Job’s friends have done, despite their lack of empathy for his circumstances. And when Job tries to reply, his friends are offended because he does not accept their diagnoses. He cannot accept them because he is unable to understand the tragedies himself. In such a state of despair and pain, Job doesn’t need the diagnoses and judgments of his friends. Job simply needs time alone with God. What his friend Eliphaz says to Job is unjustified, but never the less true principles of wisdom for us all.
Who wouldn’t want to rejoice in the presence of the Almighty God? Who wouldn’t want to look God in the face? Yes, every believer for certain! We want to be happy in God and have God be happy in us. We want to hold our heads up without shame in His presence!
When one is away from the Father’s house, he/she only has to return in order to be restored into His love and fellowship. This is no simple returning to church attendance after an extended absence. This returning involves repentance, because without Godly sorrow there is no repentance, and without genuine repentance there is no genuine surrender or return to God. The truth of this statement may be seen from Eliphaz’ next remarks: “if you remove unrighteousness from your dwellings.” Both our delight in God and His in us is dependent upon our forsaking a sinful lifestyle (i.e., removing sin from our house).
Yet, there is another element of wisdom from Eliphaz. If we consider gold simply as dust and gravel from the river-bed, and value God as our gold and silver, then we can rejoice without shame before God. The world makes wealth its god, but believers make God their wealth. And why are gold and silver the world’s gods? Material wealth is the world’s defense against economic dangers and ruin. So, God is also our defense against both economic and spiritual destruction. And when we place our faith in God and value Him above everything else, we may truly expect Him to defend us against every destructive danger . . . both earthly and eternal. When we place our faith in God and value Him above everything else, we can truly delight in Him and look in His face without shame.
Dear Father, thank you for the defense we enjoy through Jesus Christ our Savior. Grant that we may firmly value you as our protector and defender against the enemy of our souls. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today in the defense God provides,