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On Atheists and Foxholes

“Do you know the multiplication tables? Long division?”

“I know of them…”

This hilarious exchange took place on S08E02 of the Simpsons. Barts knowledge OF these mathematical principles is of no use when the time comes to actually employ them. Bart needs direct, useful knowledge of what these methods are, how to make use of them, and when each is required to solve a problem.

It’s not that different with our man, Job. He was a righteous man. He had heard about the Lord of Adam and Noah, and sought to serve Him and live by the words and edicts that had been passed down about Him. But Job did not KNOW God. He says as much in Chapter 42, and verse 5, “I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” (NLT)

Many years ago I was chatting with an older mentor of mine who grew up behind the Iron Curtain. I had heard terrible stories of life under communism in the USSR and I asked him what it was like. Was it bad? What was the worst thing about it? The best? I must have asked him 5 or 6 questions before I bothered to let him respond. When I finally paused to give him the floor, he shrugged.

“Yeah, communism was bad,” he said casually, as if giving the time. It was clear from his delivery that the next part of the sentence was where the meat of his assessment lie. He continued in his unmistakable Eastern European accent, “but we had God.” He smiled.

…

That’s it?!? I was incredulous and trying (perhaps poorly) to hide it. ‘It was bad, but we had God’?? Everyone has God! What does that even mean?! My disappointment was palpable. I wanted the nitty gritty stories about the horrors behind the Iron Curtain, but this is what I got instead. Some time later I began to understand what he meant by that. Having nothing forced his family to look to and rely on God. There was nothing else. Even as a poor college student my life was so relatively comfortable that I had no need of God. I loved God and wanted to serve Him… but I didn’t NEED Him. The difference is a critical one.

When you come to a place — as Job did — where everything is gone, where this is nowhere to turn and nothing to cling to. Finally, at last, you turn to God. And those among us who have been pushed to the edge by the circumstances of life at the request of the Accuser… we will see God with our own eyes. We will understand Him and what He can do in a way those of us who live in constant comfort never truly can.

This is why they say there are no atheists in foxholes.

Job 40:6-42:17 | 031/365

This Isn’t For You

A phrase oft spoken in my house. My wife and I will be discussing something within ear-shot of our children, and not infrequently one or both of them will ask follow-up questions about the thing they have overheard. “Who did that, Dad?” or “Where did they go, Mom?” And most of the time our reply is the worst thing a kid with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) can hear: “This isn’t for you”.

By this we mean that their overhearing of the conversation isn’t bad, the content won’t hurt them, but I also have no compulsion to go back and explain the full context of something that was never intended for them in the first place.

So it is with God. We can look around and see some of the story (the General Revelation we talked about yesterday), but God had not revealed everything to us this way. God also directly reveals things to us. This is called Special Revelation. The Bible is a prime example of Special Revelation.

Yet even among those who have spent their lives studying the Bible, a great many questions linger about Heaven, Hell, the nature of salvation, the end times, and why Samson is included in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11.

A wise pastor — Steve Anonby — once told me that all the questions we have saved up to ask God will seem childish and stupid once we stand before Him with unveiled faces. God will ask us about those questions we had and we will sheepishly insist that ‘it was nothing!’

God — unlike Job’s friends — never tells Job that he is a filthy dirty sinner who has incurred the wrath of the Almighty. God simply points Job to His creative power, knowledge, and authority. And suddenly Job no longer feels the need to ask those questions. This Special Revelation of God has led Job to be quiet before Him.

God has shared with us the things we need to know. Never stop being curious, keep digging for answers. But don’t think your lack of understanding gives you the right to stand in judgement of God or demand that He satisfactorily answers every question you may have. It could be that this isn’t for you.

Job 38:1-40:5 | 030/365

God, Revealed

He fills His hands with lightning bolts and hurls each at its target.

This is a description Elihu offers of the God of Adam & Noah. At first it seems quaint a funny. It reads more like a Greek mythological description of Zeus than one of the true living God. But the wider context is God’s control. No lightning bolt touches down without God’s knowledge of the event beforehand. No rain, no heat, no snow. All of it points to God’s power and provision. His love.

In this way, we can see God’s grace poured out on us. And through that common grace we can see His love. And through His love we can understand His value to us personally. This is what we call General Revelation. When we can see glimpses of God in his creation. Jesus tells us that if the people don’t praise Him, the very rocks will cry out. I think this is such an example. Creation points us to its creator. We should do the same.

Go point someone to your creator today.

Job 35-37 | 029/365

Light in the Darkness

Once again Job declares his innocence. And rattles off a list of offences for which he feels he cannot be found guilty. Perhaps some of these will convict you, as they have convicted me. While there is one I will bring focus to at the end, pause after each once to let the Spirit speak to you and check your own heart.

Job cites murder, stealing, lust, adultery, deceit, unfairness, physical violence, refusal to help those in need, trusting in money, idol worship, rejoicing in the destruction of one’s enemies, lacking in care for those you have authority over, accepting crooked justice, and concealing sins.

I collect vintage video games. A common issue with some of these older consoles like the NES or Gameboy is that the plastic yellows over time. Something to do with the chemical composition of the plastic. Well, if you want to restore these consoles, this is done by mixing up a gel of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, then — this is key — placing it in the sun. The sunlight is the magic ingredient that allows the others to be effective. The sunlight undoes the corruption of the plastic and restores it to new condition. It is actually kinda remarkable.

In the same way, only exposure to the light can heal the festering wound of sin and begin the process of restoration. This is why concealing sins is in itself a sin. Because the concealment allows it to grow. It gives sin exactly what it needs to flourish. Privacy. Secrecy. Hiddenness. Darkness.

If there is a sin that has been ‘impossible’ to break, coat it with a mixture of God’s Word and prayer EVERY DAY, and then put it in the light! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Job 30-31 | 027/365

The Bravado of Youth

All of Job’s… er… friends… have finished with him and suddenly a new challengers emerges. Elihu — who has apparently been here the whole time — ceases his silence. Frustrated that none of the older men are able to show Job why he is wrong. As a young man I had so many strongly held (though typically poorly informed) opinions and just about any answer you might be seeking. If only people knew they had this fount of knowledge and wisdom standing right in their midst!

Just one small downside. I was kind of an idiot. I had some things right. Some important things. But I had just as many if not more things wrong. And the worst part of it all is the certainty with which I clung to my positions. I lacked at least one virtue: humility.

I think Elihu is in a similar position. He actually has a lot of good things to say and keeps the focus on the Lord and His justice. But He misses some key things… like the fact that God Himself said that Job is the most righteous man alive. He does not have the fullness of knowledge, but acts like he does.

And while this is an easy — and common — trap for the young, we all can find ourselves ensnared in it. Let’s walk humbly. Appealing to the Lord for guidance and clarity. And endeavour to speak the truth with clarity and kindness. Emphasizing grace. Emphasizing love. Emphasizing unity.

It’s as useless to be right the wrong way as is it to just be wrong.

Job 30-31 | 027/365

The Physical and the Metaphysical

In Chapter 28 of his eponymous book, during a lengthy monologue Job expounds on all the incredible works of mankind. In plumbing the depths of the earth mining and exploring. Harvesting every precious metal the earth has to offer. Creating fine delicacies like crystal and glass and jewlery. In searching out the far recesses of the globe; discovering, charting, and conquering everywhere that is ‘hidden in darkness’. In working the land and bringing forward crops of every sort to benefit mankind. It is impressive what we were capable of so relatively early in human history. Remember the events recorded in Job happen some time between the recession of the Noahic Flood and the establishing of the Mosaic Law.

But Job has no idea what is to come! Oh the places we’ll go! We will explore the depths of the oceans, turn rocks and minerals into amazing devices that continue to impress, amaze, and terrify. We will send drones out to the far recesses of the galaxy to take photographs of the outer reaches of the universe. We will send human beings beyond the earth’s atmosphere to explore space first-hand. The way we — as a species — have conquered every facet of the physical world with an insatiable appetite for more and more and more is impressive to say the least. Our curiosity, it seems, cannot be exhausted.

But! As Job says in 28:28 and Solomon echos in Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10, fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. What is wisdom? Ancients understood wisdom to be a comprehensive understanding of not just the whats, but also the whys and hows. What is this thing? How does it work? Why does it work that way? When we look at a thing we can see instantly that it was designed. Something as simple as a row of stones. That they are ordered neatly in a row would be a sure sign that an intelligence ordered them that way.

So it is with life, the universe, and everything. The ancients correctly understood that if we want to understand what something is, we must know how it functions. A shoe is useless until we understand that it covers our feet. But it seems that our curiosity has succumbed to our desire for self-governance. Because we have answered every why question with ‘it’s just random’ or an indifferent shrug. Why is that? Why don’t we care about ‘why’? Because we KNOW that “why” is a God question. And that is why the beginning of wisdom (understanding) is fear of the Lord.

Job 26-29 | 026/365

What is Your Value to God?

“What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?” (Job 22:3, NIV) The previous questions are part of Eliphaz’s third response to Job. A response in which Eliphaz goes on to tell the grieving Job that there is no limit to his sins, before rattling off a litany of misdeeds Job is likely to have committed to earn such wrath from God.

But the questions remain; What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?

God knew, like Eliphaz implies, that no human could achieve these things under their own power. The entanglement of sin is too great. But that only underscores the value God sees in our righteousness, in our blamelessness.

And His desire for us to hold this status was so great that He had to intervene and do something about it. This is exactly what Jesus’ death and resurrection sought to accomplish. His work made us righteous. His punishment rendered us blameless. So, what then does it pleasure or benefit God if these things were true?

You!

God loves you more than you can know. He literally died to make a way for you. Don’t let Satan, or the circumstances of life, or highly questionable council from friends distract you from this fact. And more than that, don’t leave God’s gift unopened or unused. Devote yourself to His teachings, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. Submit your life to God.

Job 22-25 | 025/365

Solutioneering

‘Blue Sky Solutioneering’ is a phrase I first heard from Merlin Mann on the Back To Work podcast. The idea was that you (singular or plural) would just pluck solutions to complex problems out of thin air and then worry about how to realize them later. This is a common male problem, though I wonder if perhaps some women suffer from this as well. Men need to provide answers. We need to fix problems. We are natural-born solutioneers. My wife is helping me to understand scenarios where solutioneering is not helpful.

Such is the case with Job… or, more accurately, Job’s friends. In the case of grief, loss, and tragedy, this is not what we should be doing. These types of problems are not ones to be ‘fixed’. These types of problems are ones that need healing. And the business of healing is really God’s domain. It takes time. We need to talk about what has happened. We need to wrestle with our sometimes (often?) unreliable emotions. We need to come to the centre of what it is that has wounded us, and we need to allow the scar to form. The problem still is not ‘solved’, nor is it ‘gone’. It shapes us and informs how we will respond and react to similar events both in our lives and the lives of others going forward.

Job’s friends try to apply logic and reason to a soul wound. This is not the way. Their approach is cold and cliché and trite. Even if their words – for the most part – are true. The Apostle gives solid advice to this problem. Romans 15:9-13, 15 says:

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

I can’t help but wonder if Job’s friends drove Job’s frustration with God via their cliched responses and solutioneering. Our role is simply to ‘be there’ for people, God will heal the soul wound. We can look at the logical, reasoned response once the scar is formed.

Job 19-21 | 024/365

Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People?

When people propose the oft-asked question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” there are several assumptions. That bad things exist (who decides what events go into each category), that there are good people (same question as before), and that the aforementioned ‘bad things’ should happen to the assumed ‘bad people’.

We have this sense of fairness that runs through us and the assumption is that “good things” ought to happen to “good people” and “bad things” ought to happen to “bad people”. But that’s not really what happens. The secular world points to this phenomenon and says, “Clearly there cannot be a God (because there is no cosmic justice)!”

There is also an assumption built into this statement: that God has the same goals and values that we do. This is false. Somehow we got it in our heads that God’s desire is NOT to see as many as possible saved from their own sin and destruction, but rather to make a comfortable home for his human pets here on earth.

Job likely had no idea that his experience would be recorded for all time and that people suffering grief and loss would find solace in it’s pages for millennia to come. In fact, I know one young man who found faith by reading the book of Job. When God confronts Job later in the book says, “were you there when I laid the foundations of the world?” this young man was convicted by the Lord and submitted his life to God after recognizing His power and authority, and lack of answerability to His creation.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. — Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

Job 15-18 | 023/365

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

Do not be afraid. We hear God and his angels say this so often when they appear in the Biblical narrative that one wonders if perhaps it is the standard greeting in Heaven. But I think this phrase has another application. Job accuses his friends of lying in order to defend God. I think this is a challenge we should receive as Christians today… and every day, for that matter.

How often are we tempted to soften God’s truth. We like to shave off the corners, and sand down the rough edges until we’ve taken the brick for building and turned into a smooth river stone. God does not need our defence. Especially if we are going to misrepresent Him. That judgement will get overturned on appeal anyway.

God flooded the world, drowning almost the entire earth’s population.

God killed the guy who touched the ark, who was only trying to help.

God authorized the slaughter of the Canaanites, He created, He destroys.

God chose to bless and use people who were terrible, like Saul or Saul.

God doesn’t want us to like Him, He wants us to understand who He is. So don’t bother trying to win people to kinder, gentler, fuzzier god… that is NOT the God who created the universe. Once you start changing God so that He better fits our contemporary ideas of what a god should be, you are headed down the slippery slope of preaching what the Apostle Paul calls “another gospel”.

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth. So help me God.

Job 12-14 | 022/365