I've been reading through the book of Job lately, and I've been struck by the unifying theme--awe of God. Now, I'm sure I'm not the first to notice this, but I feel like modern interpretations of the book of Job focus on Job and his miserable comforters. As is the case with most modern theology, we make this tale very anthropocentric. It's all about how we need to stay the course in troubled times or how we need to remember that people going through tough times are not always sinners. These applications are good to make, of course, but they are not the main focus of the narrative. The main point is that God is ineffably greater than His Creation.
We see this theme in a few different ways. Firstly, on several occasions we see different speakers express the same sentiment--that man could not possibly be found just in the sight of God. The most telling example is Job 9:2 where Job himself says this. It is telling because he spends most of the book asserting his own innocence/righteousness, but even he knows that he is not perfect before God. He knows that his righteousness would melt before the presence of God.
Secondly, we see this theme in the descriptions of God's character and power throughout the book. Especially emphasized are God's creative power and transcendence. In Job 11:7 Zophar asks Job if he can find out the deeps things of God or find his limits. Job 9 describes how God created the heavenly bodies and the Earth. Numerous other examples could be listed.
Thirdly and finally, God Himself steps in at the end and reminds everyone of who He is. In Job 40 we see Job humbled and silenced in the presence of God. God challenges Job to correct or inform Him. He directs Job's attention to the Creation, citing beasts like Leviathan and Behemoth, which displays His creative power. After Job is thoroughly humbled, God turns His attention to Job's miserable comforters. The effect is the same. The devil, whose role is so prominent in the first part of the book, is nowhere to be found. God dominates the climax and resolution of the narrative.
We seem to have lost this awe of God. There was a time in this country when even unbelievers would be reverent when it came to the things of God. Now irreverence and antagonism towards religion, Christianity in particular, are commonplace. That is not unexpected, however, coming from unbelievers. What is more disturbing is the lack of awe that Christians display. This is evident in our worship and our attitude toward the ordinances of God, but it is most apparent in our attitude towards sin. Is there any sin we cannot excuse? The Church in America has compromised time and again to the point that our standards for holiness are pitiful. We allow the world to dictate to us what is right and wrong, what is appropriate and inappropriate. Addressing this issue is complicated, but recapturing this awe of God, I believe, would go a long way towards restoring a concern for piety and holiness in the American Church.
We see this theme in a few different ways. Firstly, on several occasions we see different speakers express the same sentiment--that man could not possibly be found just in the sight of God. The most telling example is Job 9:2 where Job himself says this. It is telling because he spends most of the book asserting his own innocence/righteousness, but even he knows that he is not perfect before God. He knows that his righteousness would melt before the presence of God.
Secondly, we see this theme in the descriptions of God's character and power throughout the book. Especially emphasized are God's creative power and transcendence. In Job 11:7 Zophar asks Job if he can find out the deeps things of God or find his limits. Job 9 describes how God created the heavenly bodies and the Earth. Numerous other examples could be listed.
Thirdly and finally, God Himself steps in at the end and reminds everyone of who He is. In Job 40 we see Job humbled and silenced in the presence of God. God challenges Job to correct or inform Him. He directs Job's attention to the Creation, citing beasts like Leviathan and Behemoth, which displays His creative power. After Job is thoroughly humbled, God turns His attention to Job's miserable comforters. The effect is the same. The devil, whose role is so prominent in the first part of the book, is nowhere to be found. God dominates the climax and resolution of the narrative.
We seem to have lost this awe of God. There was a time in this country when even unbelievers would be reverent when it came to the things of God. Now irreverence and antagonism towards religion, Christianity in particular, are commonplace. That is not unexpected, however, coming from unbelievers. What is more disturbing is the lack of awe that Christians display. This is evident in our worship and our attitude toward the ordinances of God, but it is most apparent in our attitude towards sin. Is there any sin we cannot excuse? The Church in America has compromised time and again to the point that our standards for holiness are pitiful. We allow the world to dictate to us what is right and wrong, what is appropriate and inappropriate. Addressing this issue is complicated, but recapturing this awe of God, I believe, would go a long way towards restoring a concern for piety and holiness in the American Church.
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