Do You Take Sin Seriously?

Do You Take Sin Seriously?

Machelle McDowell

March 12, 2024

Leviticus 8-

I am not going to lie! I was dreading the day in which our Bible reading plan for the year brought us to the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus becomes mundane and boring very quickly…so I thought!

I find myself intrigued. Chapter 8 prompted me to consider just how serious God looks at sin in our lives and how it effects our Christian walk. The whole book reeks of forgiveness and stresses holy living and spiritual growth!

In chapter 8, Aaron and his sons become much more than men & servants of our God. They become consecrated Holy Priests. Ironically enough, we are all a part of the royal priesthood if we claim Jesus as our Savior, (I Peter 2:9). All believers will one day participate in God’s kingdom!

I find a strong correlation in this chapter of Aaron and his son’s being set aside to serve as Priests very similar to what God does in our lives through Jesus:

  • We too are set aside for His purpose and will in our lives.

  • We too walk through life in a constant state of sanctification, being holy because He is holy is part of our calling as Christians.

It makes me wonder? What was Aaron’s true calling? He left Egypt to be Moses’ right hand man and help lead the Israelites across the wilderness, but in Leviticus 8, he receives his true calling to the holy priesthood.

The tabernacle has been built! Now, it is time to set Aaron and his son’s aside for the purpose and will God had for their lives. There is a lot for us to learn about ourselves through this word, consecrate.

Aaron and his sons stood before the people at the door of the tabernacle and was washed by Moses before they entered in. A humble act of being cleansed of their sins before entering God’s Holy presence.

Praise God, we have been blessed with a New Covenant! Jesus’ work on the cross cleanses us of our sin! He stood in our place and paid the price for our sin.

Reading through Leviticus 8 gives a lengthy step by step process of what it took for Aaron and his sons to become consecrated before they began their Priestly duties. Sanctification is a lifelong process for all of us.

Not only did Aaron and his sons experience the humbling act of being washed of uncleanliness but they had to dress the part.

They were dressed in Priestly attire. This was putting on a garment that consisted of layers of hand sewn beautiful ornate tunic/robe and turban specifically designed for their role. They were to be worn to glorify God.

We experience this symbolism when we accept Christ as our Savior and proclaim it through baptism. 2Cor 5:17- “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new.”  Take off the old and put on the new!

Moses then took anointing oil and sprinkled it on the things inside the tent but poured it on Aaron and his boys. This was to symbolize God’s spirit being placed upon them. This act sealed their calling in a sense.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior something incredible takes place. His Spirit comes to dwell within us and we are filled with His power to be set apart for His work on earth!  The moment we receive Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit,

(I Cor 12:13).

Praise God we no longer have to participate in sin offerings (found in Leviticus 2:14-17) as part of becoming consecrated.  Aaron and his sons presented a sin offering by sacrificing a bull! The had to lay their hands on the bulls head to symbolize the transference of any sin they had in their life.  It gets more bizarre- Moses then puts blood on the horns of the altar. This was the process of making the altar holy.

Friends, Jesus took our sin upon His body and bled and died for payment of our sins-all our sins- past, present, and future. He made a way that we can come directly to God and not have to go through any other means. HE was the perfect sinless sacrifice.  He conquered death and He is alive and well! We wait patiently for him to come back and take his saints to heaven to dwell there forevermore.

God leads Moses step by step with specific detailed instructions on the process of consecration and sanctification in this chapter. Nothing was to be omitted.

This convicts me. I feel like we have watered down the seriousness of sin in our lives and service to God. Christianity without sanctification is nothing but a title.

We misstep when we come before His tabernacle. We enter the sanctuary week after week carrying the guilt of sin in our lives. We enter powerless due to that sin and are confused as to why God is not working in our lives. And further still leave the tabernacle unchanged with quenched spirits.

What would have happened to us if we had lived during the days prior to Jesus’ birth?

Something to think about??

How Many Golden Calves do you have in Your Life?

How Many Golden Calves do You have in Your Life?

By Machelle McDowell

March 7, 2024

(Bible Text: Exodus 32)

Psalm 115: “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.”

How do I become like a golden calf? Can a golden calf hear? Can it speak? Can it move? Can it feel?

Each time we put something in the place of God we step further and further from Him which means we become powerless because we are away from the power source.

It is not long before we cannot hear God speak to us. We cannot feel His presence. We cannot sense Him moving in our lives. We become powerless.

Throughout God’s Word we are warned against idolatry.  God hates it when we become enslaved to gods which are actually not gods at all. They are manmade things that take the place of God.

When we find ourselves spending more of our time, energy, finances, and even our devotion on something that takes us away from the presence of God long term, we have a problem.

Idols are powerless and make us powerless when we put our trust into something that is made by the human hands.

Friends, we can make even our family and idol- our spouses, our children, our grandchildren. Something that is such a blessing must be handled with a sense of priority.

God first should be our mindset, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” but we live our lives based on what we perceive important at the time.

When we choose to put God first- His Word is more valuable than any other message. His will supersedes all else on our agenda. Putting God first means that we strive to keep our lives free from idolatry.

An idol is anything that replaces God in our hearts.  When we think about idols our minds go to the Old Testament and that worshipping idols is something you see happening a long time ago.

We have created modern day idols but struggle to recognize them in our lives.  Some examples we should be cautious about becoming idols in our lives: cell phones, social media, television, sports, money, beauty, food, etc. The list is lengthy.

The Israelites made a costly mistake. They did not fully trust their leader, Moses and they certainly didn’t fully trust God.

While Moses was having a mountaintop experience with God on Mt. Sinai and given the Ten Commandments to share with the Israelites they were busy doubting Moses and taking matters into their own hands.

The people wanted gods to go before them to the Promised Land. Where was Moses? Where was God? It had been 40 days and no word. They knew that God led them thus far but were willing to trust a god they could make to finish the job.

This makes you wonder, did they (really) know God at all? To think, they could create a god that could not see, hear, talk, move, breath, taste, feel, but just exist is frightening to me!

What did they truly believe about the one true God? The all powerful, all consuming, all knowing, all Holy, creator and king of kings, Lord of Lords, so many titles and names and adjectives to describe Him…that the Israelites would diminish him to be a golden calf!

We do the same thing.  We diminish God and elevate things in our life that have captured our devotion.

I have yet to understand why Aaron thought this was a good idea. I am assuming out of impulse Aaron felt he had to do something to appease the people.

To make matters worse not only did Aaron come up with the idea; he created it!  Maybe, he enjoyed the attention it was bringing him from the people?

God knew exactly what they were doing. He was furious. Enough so, that he wanted to wipe them out! His wrath was ignited! God becomes furious with us as well when we choose our manmade idols over Him.

Moses intercedes on their behalf. Moses reminds God that the Israelites were His people and begged Him to deal with them by His grace. God was moved to forgiveness, ( a lesson on how important prayer is!).

Moses comes down and confronts Aaron. His anger consumed him and he broke the tablets. Israel broke the covenant by their idolatry and immorality. Moses burned the calf and made the people drink it.

What did it cost them?  God’s presence or at least being able to sense his presence. God did not abandon them but sent His angel to guide the people but his presence was not felt. There were 3000 people that lost their lives that day due to their role in the golden calf debacle. God takes idolatry seriously.

Each time we put something in the place of God we step further and further from Him which means we become powerless because we are away from the power source.

First Commandment- There is only one God.

Second Commandment- Do not bow down to idols.

These two commandments are at the top of the list of ten. This should shout to us loudly God’s heart. He wants to be all we need or desire.

Idols Always Break the Hearts of their Worshipers- C.S. Lewis

Together is better

      I pray your week has been blessed with much time in the presence of God in prayer and Bible study! We're still in the book of Exodus this week, and man, what an account it is!  What we read in the book of Exodus is cinematic movie material in every sense of the word.  In chapter 18, we read about Moses getting a visit from his father in law, Jethro.  Jethro has heard of what just went down with the people of Israel, which was a large amount of people. Through Moses, God led the Israelites out of 400 plus years of slavery in the land of Egypt.  This was a big deal. It was such a big deal, that Jethro had to come see for himself.  He came to visit Moses in the wilderness, where he was camped out with the Israelites.   One morning during his visit, Jethro watched as Moses sat to attend and minister to the people of Israel.  We're talking thousands and thousands of people.  Some scholars say up to 600,000 plus.  That's a lot of people. Moses would sit from morning to evening and the people would come to him to inquire about God, and bring their disputes to him for direction. Jethro quickly noticed something real quick.  He noticed how much of a task this was, and how much it would soon take a toll on the well being and sanity of Moses.  Jethro gave Moses some godly advice.  He told Moses that all the need he was seeing among the people was too great for one man to handle.  He suggested to Moses to find some able bodied men among the people that could be trusted.  He then suggested that Moses place these men over divided groups of Israelites and tend to each group given to them.  All the small matters would be handled by these appointed men, and Moses would only handle the larger issues.  You know what Moses did? He took Jethro's advice.  And it worked. I assume Moses had a few more less gray hairs after taking his father in law's advice.  He probably slept better at night, and a lot of the burden he was feeling was lifted because He didn't carry it alone any longer.  His burden for the hurting and confused was great, but that day he quick realized he wasn't alone in carrying it.  He quickly discovered that he was surrounded by like minded people that loved God, and had the same burden that he did.   So they joined together in their ministry.  Moses learned that day that together is better.  
     If you're a true follower of Jesus, one thing you notice is how you see things in the world around you in a different light.  The Holy Spirit gives us a new set of eyes.  We began seeing things the way God does.  We see the brokenness and hurt in a way we used to be blind to.  Or, maybe we even used to notice it, but now it breaks our hearts.  And, it may even weigh us down because some days, it feels like we are literally surrounded by pain and heartbreak.  And, we feel called to action.  But, if we're not careful, we can get this spiritual tunnel vision of sorts.  And, what I mean by that, is we can begin to see it as "me against the forces of evil and darkness."  We then attempt to take on this role of rescuer, healer, hero, and the only source of light in this dark world all on our own.  Everybody's problems then become our problems. Everybody's sin issues becomes ours to solve.  Every person we know that makes bad choices becomes ours to help them sort out.  Everyone in need of direction and a word from God becomes our audience to listen to us.  We're then tempted to see ourselves as some Christian superhero.  One of those superheroes that seems to single handedly take on the world of evil around them with no help.  See where we're going with this? 
     As Christians, we will be burdened by the lost, hurting, evil, and sin we see all around us.  But the key to victory in these things, and the only way to not let these things weigh us down to the point of a mental breakdown, is found in the advice of Jethro to Moses.  We can't do it alone.  Ya'll, we were designed to take on the work of ministry all by ourselves.  And, when I say ministry, that doesn't just include pastors and church staff. We're all in ministry. Every single Christian is a minister.  When we develop a Messiah Complex of sorts, which says "if it's meant to be, it's up to me," we will very easily be overwhelmed. Besides, one pice of humbling truth we need to remember is this : God doesn't need us for anything.  He doesn't.  God can take care of the world's problems of evil, sin, and hurting all on His own. He actually did that by sending His son, Jesus, to this earth.  When he died on the cross and was risen from the dead, he defeated death, sin, and evil once and for all.  We are therefore surrounded by things that have already been defeated. It's just a matter of time before Jesus returns and wipes theses things all away for all eternity.  All that being said, God doesn't need us to do His work.  But, in His grace, He has chosen to use us to be His hands, feet, and more importantly, His voice to a world that desperately needs it.  So, take a look around this Sunday morning at church.  These are your brothers and sisters in Christ.  And, they are your coworkers in Kingdom work.  They have the same burdens you do for the world. They hate sin and evil just like you do.  And, they may even struggle with feeling like it's too much for one person to bear. Just like you.  That's because it is.  One Man came down from heaven and has already changed the world, so we don't have to try. We must link arms with those God had blessed us with, the Church, and do the work God has given us together.  We must share our burdens with each other.  We must share the burdens we see in the world around us with each other.  and most importantly, we must do Kingdom work together.  So don't feel like it's all up to you to fix. It's really not.  God has it all under control. His will for you is to take on the darkness along with other Christians, in His power. Together is better.  

-Brandon Walker

His Banner Over Me is Love

By Machelle McDowell

February 25, 2024

In this week’s Bible reading format I found my feet planted in Exodus 17:8-14. I love picturing Moses standing on top of a hill with the “staff of God” raised in prayer for the Israelites and surrounded by brothers who he trusts and loves to give him strength, (literally).

We are also introduced to a young man named, Joshua! He is instructed to lead the Israelite army into battle.  Little does he know, God’s plan for his life is about to unfold in chapters to come!

But, for now he is being empowered by God through the prayers of Moses who by the way is surrounded by his brothers, Aaron & Hur for support! Yep, Christians, sometimes we need a little help when life hits those bumpy roads.

To bring you up to speed, the Israelites have been blindsided by Amalek, (apparently, Amalek is a grandson to Esau, the older brother of Jacob)…who knew?

God is not happy about this situation! This attack was not initiated by the Israelites. Moses instructs Joshua to go fight on behalf of the Israelites.

Moses raises his staff to God and God empowers Joshua in the battle against Amalek. When Moses grows tired he drops his hands and the Israelites begin to lose. So, Aaron & Hur took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it while they held his hands steady!

These are the kind of friends we need in our lives, Christians! Those that are there for comfort and strength in a time of weakness. To help hold us up when we can no longer fight the battle! AMEN?

Through the prayers of a Godly man, Joshua overcame Amalek and his people!

God told Moses to write down what had happened and recite it to Joshua as a memorial. The Lord told that he would blot out the memory of Amalek.

Moses built an altar and called it, “The LORD is my BANNER.”

The Lord was a banner to Moses and Joshua that day and continues to be a banner for the world!

Psalm 60:4

“You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow.”

How many of you remember singing the children’s song, “His Banner Over Me is Love?” The lyrics read:

Jesus is the rock of my salvation

His banner over me is love

Jesus is the rock of my salvation

His banner over me is love

Jesus is the rock of my salvation

His banner over me is love

His banner over me is love

The definition of banner- a long strip of cloth bearing a slogan or design, (hung in a public place), or carried in a demonstration or procession.

Remind you of anyone?  Who hung in a public place bearing the message of LOVE? His banner is over us today! He is the rock of our salvation!

Our Jesus, Our Savior, Our Lord! God loves the world so much that he sent His own son, Jesus to die for us that we may have eternal life with Christ. He paid the ransom for our sin through his blood. He hung on that cross to demonstrate that love while we were still sinners.

What a banner of love that God would wave for the the world to know the love He has for us that he would allow his own son to die for it!

Jesus….the son of God was displayed on the hill of Golgotha for the world to see.

His banner over us is love.

Equipped For The Task

 In our Old Testament reading this week, we began the book of Exodus. If there was ever a book in the Bible that would translate into an epic movie, or even a drama series on Amazon Prime or Hulu, Exodus would be at the top of the list.  As a matter of fact, there have been many films made pertaining to the events in the book of Exodus.  When we began reading Exodus this week, we see one of the most well known accounts in Scripture, and that's the account of God appearing to Moses in the form of a burning bush.  We read that Moses noticed this fire inside of a bush, and the bush wasn't being consumed by the flame. I assume in all my logic that would be something that would catch my eye as well.  When Moses approaches the bush, God speaks.  He informs Moses that He will using him to deliver the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery they were currently in under the rule of the Egyptians.  He tells Moses that He will be sending him into the presence of Pharaoh himself to bring his brothers and sisters of Israel out of captivity.  Imagine getting that type of assignment from God. This isn't simply God telling Moses to walk across the street to his neighbor and bring them some baked goods and invite them to church.   This is a major assignment.  And immediately, Moses has his reservations.  He also at first wants some details of how to somehow carry this task out.  He needs God to instruct Him in how to tell the nation of Israel that He will be leading them out of hundreds of years of slavery.  Just previously, Moses had killed and Egyptian in a fit of rage in the name of justice as the Egyptian was beating one of his fellow Israelites.  Pharaoh already wanted to kill Moses because of the incident.  Moses had some pretty serious concerns that anybody would follow him at all, or listen to what he had to say. And, on top of that, God just asked him to go in front of Pharaoh, the guy that wanted him dead, and demand that he let his people go.  Moses asks God concerning his fellow Israelites, "who do I say sent me if they ask?"
     
     God says "Tell them 'I AM' sent you."  Just think about that.  God calls Himself "I AM."  In our life, I'm fully convinced from experience of how much peace we can obtain from our Heavenly Father when we remember that He is Lord.  There's a reason He is called Lord.  Lord implies the truth that our God oversees and is in authority over every single thing in this universe He created.  

     God goes on to give Moses the ability to perform some pretty miraculous signs to prove that He was indeed sent from God.  Even when Moses tells God that he isn't an eloquent speaker, God reminds Him that He was the one that created him, and He was aware of all of Moses' challenges.  He then tells Moses to take his brother, Aaron with him, because Aaron could speak well.  God equipped Moses for the daunting task ahead of him.  

     So what about you and me? How do we respond when God gives us the assignment of being His hands and feet? Well, I can tell you that some things are easier to say "yes" to than others.  And, let's be honest, we feel ill equipped for whatever assignment is given to us sometimes. God will give us work to do that will make us question our ability to carry it out.  But, just exactly like Moses, God will equip us with all we need to accomplish his work.  Just like He did Moses, God created us, and knows our weaknesses and insecurities. He knows our abilities.  He also creates us with an inability to carry out His work within our own strength.  I firmly believe He does that on purpose.  I've often heard it said, and I believe, that God doesn't call the "equipped" to do His work, He equips those He has called.  Brother and sister, never look at your abilities and qualifications, or like Moses, look back on your past failures, as a reason why you can't carry out the tasks ahead of you given by God Himself.   Whether that's speaking truth in love into the lives of those in your life that need to hear where they have sinned and fallen short, or whether it's to pack up your stuff and become a missionary on the other side of the world.  Or, anything in between.  Maybe He's calling you into some kind of ministry, or maybe He's calling you to make your kid's spiritual growth more of a priority.  Whatever it is, He promises to give us all the tools to carry it out.  And, it will be nothing short of a miracle, because our strength to carry these tasks out is most definitely of the supernatural type. The Great "I AM" can and will accomplish His purpose in our life and in this world.  What a joy it is to simply be a part of it all. 

-Brandon Walker

Wisdom Wrapped in Opinion

“What did the wise book say to the reader? Chapter by chapter wisdom awaits.” (Trapp)

Wisdom Wrapped in Opinion

By Machelle McDowell

February 20, 2024

“Before I speak I have something important to say.” Groucho Marx

As we close out of the book of Job we patiently wait for God to speak wisdom into Job’s situation. We have sat through 37 chapters of listening to four men who claim to show wisdom into Job’s situation. Really? All of them had something to say! Was it wise?

Wisdom…what does that even mean? Wikipedia say: The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.

I don’t see anything in this definition that points to opinion? These men base their arguments upon opinion, (in my opinion), LOL.

We sometimes get a skewed perspective on how wise a young person is. We presume that wisdom comes with age, does it? Logically speaking, it should, but there are times when exception is the rule. Elihu brings (some) wisdom to Job’s situation even though he did not see the situation clearly either.

This young man had a lot to say about the subject!  Have you ever shared a conversation with someone who cannot wait to speak. It’s like you can read the body language. They swell up like a tick feeding off of an animal. They are about to explode! (Too graphic?) LOL. You get the point.

Elihu had sat quietly and listened to Job and his friends debate over why Job was experiencing the level of suffering that he was. He could not keep silent any longer.

Once again opinion outweighs wisdom here. Granted Elihu is right about one thing, Job lost his perspective on the situation. It became more about proving his innocence and in the midst of it all he became arrogant towards God…which sparked a nerve in the listening bystander, ….Elihu.

Elihu reminds me of a balloon with a pin hole. Once he began to speak, his words lingered on for (5) chapters! He was very long winded. He spends one chapter just making an announcement he is going to speak! I don’t think Elihu realized how his wordy introduction made him look? I’m sure the others probably were thinking…is this wise or a know it all?

Elihu spoke with authority.  His main point of his address is that God is powerful and brings perfect justice. Job’s arrogant behavior towards God prompted Elihu to put Job in his place.

In his long and windy speech he succeeds in painting a picture for Job that points to the fact God did not owe him anything. Elihu wanted to remind Job just how great God is. He wanted to make Job see that he had stepped back and took his eyes off of his creator and placed them on himself. Elihu was right in his thinking but wrong in his conclusion.

I feel, the story took a turn when God’s spirit moved Elihu to speak as he did in the last part of chapter 36. What a perfect stage to reveal God’s majesty and power than in a storm! I feel like It was through Elihu’s description of God’s power displayed in the storm that drew Job’s mind back to its rightful place with God.

Job has been in the worst storm of his life and did not feel God’s presence but all at once God speaks out of the storm as to say, “Look Job, I know you are in a storm and I am here with you!” “I have been with you all along!”  Elihu sees God in the storm-

Job 37:1-4 “At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place.  Keep listening to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that comes from His mouth. Under the whole heaven, he lets it go and His lighting to the ends of the earth.  After it his voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.  God thunders marvelously with HIs voice; He does great things within we cannot comprehend.

Even though things seem out of control God is in control of every little detail.

Elihu’s final advice to Job was to remind him that he did not know as much as he thought he did. Elihu has the right idea but his argument comes from the wrong motive. He too believes Job is struggling with sin.

Ironically, NOW Job is sinning by being self-righteous towards God, but this sin had nothing to do with his suffering! He remains blameless in it all! He instructs Job to stop trying to speak to God and fear him instead!

To wrap this up:  God hears enough. He confronts all involved, but He speaks to Job directly.

Interestingly enough God does not answer Job’s questions but turns the situation around and gives Job a laundry list of questions in which the answers to those questions points Job back to a position of humility and conviction.

“What did the wise book say to the reader?  Chapter by chapter wisdom awaits.” (Trapp)

At the end of the book of Job….WISDOM spoke. No opinion needed.

In 42 chapters of the book of Job, we are taught an important lesson about gaining wisdom. It all boils down to waiting on God to speak.

We spend so much time putting our trust in the opinions of man and ourselves that we miss out on the biggest blessings God has for us.

“What did the wise book say to the reader?  Chapter by chapter wisdom awaits.” (Trapp)

At the end of the book of Job….WISDOM speaks….God himself.

When You are at the End of Your Rope

Hanging By a Thread

February 13, 2024

By Machelle McDowell

“When you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”~(Franklin Roosevelt). This is where we find our friend, Job in this week’s Bible reading. He is hanging on by a thread!

We are unsure as to how long Job endured his time of suffering but at this point his rope is running out.

In chapter 31 Job reflects on his entire life in search for answers to his misery! Maybe he missed something? Maybe he has some sin that he forgot about and never repented of. He questions why God is being relentless? Job is making an appeal to God in this chapter. He is pleading for God to show him why he is under heavy enemy artillery.

Job goes through a lengthy list of possible culprits that may have slipped by his conscious. Something that may question his integrity. He begins in verse one, “Did I sin with my eyes?” He is addressing the issue of lust. Lord, show me, if I am guilty I will be able to endure this punishment.

He checks off a list: Did I minister to the poor, the fatherless, the widow?  Did I provide clothing for the needy? Did I demonstrate greed? Did I worship the sun?  Was my heart secretly enticed and I failed to recognize it?

In verse 32, he cries out, “If you have any words, answer me; speak for I desire to justify you.”

Job is saying he just needs to know what he has done to deserve this treatment…he requests God to give hime a reasonable answer.” Job is adamant that his integrity is in check, (I feel, he crosses the line, here).

We never have a right to demand answers from God using such arrogance and later in the book Job repents for his outbursts. At the same time I have to weigh in on the side of empathy for this man!

His rope is certainly getting shorter and shorter and he is feeling a sense of hopelessness in that he has nothing to hold on to but his innocence in all of this and his belief that God is still in control.

There are times in our own lives when we are at the end of our rope! We tend to forget that we do not see the things that happen in the spiritual realm. We react to what is evident.

This is where Job finds himself in chapter 31. He cannot see what God is doing on his behalf at the end of the rope.

The truth is… the shorter the rope the closer He comes to seeing God in all of this! How ironic!  He just needs to hang on a little longer!

We are all guilty of falling short of a blessing right before it comes! We often let go of the rope too quickly. A lot of the time a breakthrough is within reach but our flesh is weak and we cannot see the heavenly realm of things.

Psalm 30:5- “Weeping endures for the night, but Joy comes in the morning.” We get satisfied with small stuff and don’t hold out for the big!

Job is done listening to the abusive remarks of his friends!  God wants Job to hold on to the rope to the very end! But he is beginning to slip into his own vanity.

When Job’s hands begin to slip, God uses Elihu to tie a knot so Job’s grasp would be secure to the end… He sends Elihu in as a breath of fresh air and a voice to reckon with.

Elihu rebukes Job’s (3) friends for their behavior towards Job.  He also gently reminds Job that God is greater than man.

It appears that Job was so righteous that it led him to be self-righteous, does that make sense? God allowed Elihu to give Job proper perspective.

Job had become so self absorbed in justifying himself he could not see the underlying rebellion he was showing God. Elihu called him out and basically accuses him of his own vanity being his problem.

The next few chapters Elihu unveils God’s greatness and His majesty that raises the curtain for the grand finale! The Lord answers Job!

Chapter 42 is one in which God flexes his muscles! Job confesses and repents. The Lord rebukes Job’s friends. God restores Job’s fortune twice as much as he had before.

And, the icing on the cake the Lord blesses the latter days of Job more that his beginning. He blesses him with seven sons and three daughters!

Job passes the test! He never let go of the rope, even when he could barely hold on. He came close to letting go but held out for the blessing of a lifetime!

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”

Franklin Roosevelt

A Friend Loves aT all Times

February 6, 2024

By Machelle McDowell

Proverbs 17:17- A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. This verse means that a true friend will love you no matter what, but when bad times come, they become as close as a brother or sister.

(We can learn much about how to be a good friend from the book of Proverbs.)

Back in the 80’s Michael W. Smith wrote a song that was popular among the youth around the world.  The chorus spoke these words- Friends are Friends Forever (if) the Lord is Lord of them.  There is so much truth in this thought. Everyone desires to have a true friend.

This week as we dive deeper into the life of Job, we meet his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. I find it interesting that we spend 21 chapters listening to Job & his friends discuss his situation? Doesn’t it make you wonder why such emphasis was placed on Job’s friends?

At first, Job’s friends seem to be super thoughtful! They get together and decide to go as a group and sit with their friend. Job ch. 2 tells us they cried, they empathized, they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. They spent time with him! They sat at his side for (7) days and didn’t say a word. They were just there for him! And then, the silence was broken.

Why do think we have to give our opinion on matters in which we know nothing about? Why do we spend 21 chapters listening to Job & his friends discuss his situation? All manner of this discussion is based on opinion and human perspective.

Proverbs 27:9- A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Well, that verse applies to Job’s friends at the beginning of the book. But, something starts to happen~

There is something to be said about friends influencing each other through constructive criticism. Job’s friends take Proverbs 27:17 to a whole new level- “Iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another.”

It is our responsibility as friends to hold each other accountable. But, that does not mean we put ourselves in the place of God and speak for Him in a manner unworthy. Job’s friends were convinced that Job was suffering because he had done something wrong. They pleaded with him to repent so God would bless him again. They accused him and belittled him.

Now granted, there is some wisdom in their advice if it were the real reason for this trial Job was placed in. But, as the story unfolds we learn it is far from why Job is suffering. The sweet behavior of Job’s friends at the beginning of the chapter de-escalates to a bitter attack on his character and added to his suffering instead of refreshing him!

The only iron being sharpened was the ones being used to stab Job with insults and untruths that hurt more than his diseased body was already hurting.

Sometimes God allows Satan to use our own friends as vessels in times of trial and tribulation. Unfortunately they may not be used in a good way. They may be more of a discourager than an encourager as in the case with Job.

A smart tactic on the part of the enemy because we trust our true friends.  We value their input. And (after all we are human) we all can be led astray at times, especially by our friends.

I feel like that is what happened with Job’s friends in this book. They had a weak moment in which they were unknowingly caught up in the enemy’s plan and when one spoke… a snowball effect took over and the next thing you know, an avalanche of condemnation occurred.

God sends a man of reason to the scene:

We certainly should not bring judgement on someone based on assumption.

I am assuming this is why Elihu shows up in chapter 32. He is also a friend but not one of the 3 who came to comfort Job in the beginning of the book.   

He not only lifts up the Lord but condemns Job’s 3 friends for their behavior and confronts Job about his behavior in all of this as well.

I love that Elihu deals with the the situation through Godly wisdom and not from a human perspective. He respectively addresses all parties and acts like a good friend!

I love how God stands up for Job in chapter 42! He addresses his anger towards Job’s friends because they did not speak with wisdom in that they voiced their own selfish thoughts and did not speak the truth.

In looking at chapter 42, God rebukes Job’s friends and instructs them to repent. Then, a beautiful reconciliation takes place in Job 42:10 “The Lord restores the fortunes of Job when Job had prayed for his friends and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Job forgives his friends! His true heart reflects God in that he modeled how we must forgive others as the Lord has forgiven us.

Maybe there have been times you did not give the most Godly advise to a friend and leaned on your own human opinion. I am guilty, you?

We can learn a lot about being a good friend in a time of suffering in the book of Job. Sometimes, our physical presence is all that is needed.

“There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.” (Anonymous)