January 14, 2022 -- Job 16:6-22 -- The Witness in Heaven

People loved by the Father, by the power of the Spirit: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,
and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
7 Surely now God has worn me out;
he has made desolate all my company.
8 And he has shriveled me up,
which is a witness against me,
and my leanness has risen up against me;
it testifies to my face.
9 He has torn me in his wrath and hated me;
he has gnashed his teeth at me;
my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
10 Men have gaped at me with their mouth;
they have struck me insolently on the cheek;
they mass themselves together against me.
11 God gives me up to the ungodly
and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, and he broke me apart;
he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his target;
13 his archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare;
he pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breaks me with breach upon breach;
he runs upon me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin
and have laid my strength in the dust.

16 My face is red with weeping,
    and on my eyelids is deep darkness,
17 although there is no violence in my hands,
    and my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, cover not my blood,
    and let my cry find no resting place.
19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
    and he who testifies for me is on high.
20 My friends scorn me;
    my eye pours out tears to God,
21 that he would argue the case of a man with God,
    as a son of man does with his neighbor.
22 For when a few years have come
    I shall go the way from which I shall not return.
Job 16:6-22 ESV

Perhaps one of the most difficult things to read—deep insight into the pain of one who suffers greatly. What a graphic description of his agony. Job lost his beloved ten children. His flocks and herds were ripped from him by marauding bands of raiders. His camels taken as well. His wife mocked his faith in God. And now Job’s body is filled with sores which he scraps and scratches with bits of broken pottery. His friends are now visiting him, telling him why God is punishing him for his sins…though the reader knows, from chapter 1, Job is a righteous man.

What is amazing in all of this? First, that Job pours out his complaint, in faith, to God, the Living God. Second, He looks for a witness in heaven. His anguished prayer anticipates Jesus Christ, our witness in heaven, Who took our place in bearing punishment and wrath. As one who has recently experienced two concussions and has for more than a decade wrestled with depression, this strong faith of Job’s, in spite of his great suffering, is an inspiration.

Friends, New Brunswick is back in lockdown. That means for the next 16 days, no gathering for church, no social visiting with friends, gyms are closed, and restaurants are closed. It is a suffocating time for those who are already struggling financially, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically. The words of Job inspire me today—we have a witness in heaven—one Job spoke of prophetically, whom we know as Jesus Christ! He is our Mediator and the Prayer-Warrior bringing the needs of the world to His Father in heaven. Take comfort. Trust in God.

Today’s prayer is a powerful reading from Psalm 73.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    that I may tell of all your works.
Psalm 73:25-28 ESV

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