THE LORD SPOKE (August 3)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Job 39-42

Every instance in Scripture where a person comes face-to-face with God records a similar reaction:

• “Abram fell facedown” (Gen. 17:3)
• “Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence” (Josh. 5:14-15)
• Manoah and his wife “fell with their faces to the ground” (Jud. 13:20)
• Ezekiel said, “when I saw it I fell facedown” (Ezek. 1:28)
• when Peter saw Jesus he said, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man” (Lk. 5:8)

Those “tele-evangelists” and radio-preachers who speak of chatting with Jesus when He appears to them in their mirror while shaving are liars. They may have seen something but it wasn’t God Almighty or they would be down at Sears looking for some sackcloth. Whenever man comes face-to-face with the Lord he falls facedown to the earth in recognition of his utter unworthiness.

Like Job. When God spoke directly to him his reaction was:

• Job 40:4 - “I am unworthy...I have no answer”
• Job 42:6 - “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes”

It’s of note that sandwiched between these two instances are the stories of Behemoth and Leviathan, two magnificent beasts created by God (Job 40:15 - “which I made”; i.e. they’re not mythical creatures). Behemoth’s name simply means “big beast”. He’s a land creature who’s description (Job 40:15-24) sounds like what we know of dinosaurs. Leviathan (Job 41: 1-34) is a water creature about whom it says, “If you lay a hand on him you won’t forget it.” Yet, in both cases, they too fall before their Creator.

When God spoke to Job “out of the storm” (Job 40:6ff), His rhetorical questions are a good reminder to us too. We have not the might nor the splendor of Almighty God. We can’t even save ourselves (Job 40:14), much less the whales or the world around us. So, where’s the room for pride? With Job (Job 42:2) we humbly say, “I know that you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted.” And that brings sweet relief as we rest in the hands of a merciful God who is able to lift us up and restore our souls, just as He did Job’s (Job 42:10-17).


New Testament: Hebrews 11

The Bible repeatedly affirms that there is an unseen world that is greater and more important than the seen world. The world that we see with our physical eyes is the shadowy and uncertain one. Reality and certainty are obtained by faith. Contrary to common perception, believing is seeing - not the other way around. Faith is not a leap in the dark - it is the genuine substance that results from our hope in God.

And so, Hebrews 11 presents us with this grand “Hall of Faith” to encourage us. All these ancients faced the same struggles and temptations that we do. Some far worse (see Heb. 11:33-38). By faith they overcame great obstacles. By faith they conquered their own fears. By faith they trusted God’s promises.

Many died without seeing deliverance. In fact, not one mentioned in this chapter lived to see the ultimate Promise. They were all Old Testament saints who died before the Messiah’s birth. “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (Heb. 11:39). They all experienced the love and presence of God and were thus enabled to persevere, sometimes amid great trials. God’s sustaining grace was the reward for their faith. But none of them lived to see the Promised One.

Their registry in the “Hall of Faith” was the result of their trust in God’s promises. In a summary statement midway through the chapter, we’re told that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). This faith runs on two rails: first, that God exists and, second, that He “rewards those who earnestly seek Him”.

Now we’re back to the unseen world that is greater and more important than the seen world. “No man has seen God at any time” (I Jn. 4:12) yet He is greater and more real than anything that exists! In His presence, all else is mere shadow by comparison.

But it’s easy for us to trip over the second rail. That He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him can be easy to forget when we take our eyes off Him. Like Peter, when we begin to look at the tempest all about us we begin to sink. The blessed truth that God rewards those who are fixed on Him needs to be remembered. It needs to be believed! In the previous chapter we were told, “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Heb. 10:35).

One of the prime examples is found right here in the middle of this chapter. Moses had all the treasures of Egypt at his disposal but he regarded his relationship to Christ of greater value. That’s not an anachronism. It’s surely a thought worth deep consideration, since Moses lived 1400 years before the Incarnation! It could only be because Moses “was looking ahead to his reward” (Heb. 11:26).

How about you? Are you believing God right now in your life? Are you pressing for your eternal reward?