Blameless Before God

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” Job 1:1-3

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

In this glimpse of Scripture, we see that the righteous prosper. It is a nice tidy box. Be good and honor God and everything will go well for you and you will prosper.

Only there is a slight problem. Within one day, Job lost his children, all his animals, and almost all of his servants. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” Job 1:20-21 The big question then that Job’s friends ask is, “Job, where did you mess up? What did you do to have God’s wrath turned on you? Surely you must have sinned because the righteous prosper.”

“O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me ‘God will not deliver him.’ But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.” Psalm 3:1-8

The Psalmist is obviously in a bad way – enemies on every side. Only God can deliver his people from the hands of these enemies. Yet, he lies down to sleep and wakes again because the Lord sustains him.

This box of prosperity doesn’t quite fit. Both are choosing to walk with God. Both are in a bad way. Where is the prosperity?

Both cry out to God and speak truthfully from the anguish in their hearts. In their anguish, they remind God, “If I perish, you’ll miss me because I won’t be here to praise you.” Job says, “The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more.” Job 7:8 and David says, “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” Psalm 6:5

After they mourn their pain and discomfort, both end up praising God. Job says, “The name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21 and David says, “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 7:17

Both Job and David recognize God's righteousness. They do not believe that only the righteous prosper in worldly wealth and physical well being. But they understand that the righteous prosper in their walk with God. They understand that God has authority and wisdom and power. They trust that he will do what is best. They don’t have to like their circumstances – they are truthful with their grief, but that doesn’t keep them from trusting God.

So many people walk away from God, blaming him for all the bad in their lives. Is it because the church has put God in a box saying only the righteous prosper in this world? I want to let him out of that box. I live in a real world with real problems. I can’t deny that. But God is a personal God who loves me and will walk with me through whatever the circumstances are. He will sustain me.

Oh God, open my eyes to see that you alone are God. There is no other. “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” Job 9:8-10

I don’t need to understand everything that God does or doesn’t do. He is God. It’s comforting and freeing to know that I don’t have to figure out how to manipulate God in order to prosper. I can trust him and his love for me no matter what my circumstances on this earth are. As Paul says, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21