7-1-14. Job 9:1-35. We Are In Need Of A Mediator –my devotional

Job 9:1-35                                                                                  Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 9:33                                                                          7-1-14

“If only there were someone to mediate between us,someone to bring us together” (NIV)

Lord, heavenly Father, thank you for being our truly wise counselor and friend. You help counsel us and shepherd us with you infinite grace, mercy and wisdom. You show us things; you love us unconditionally; you hope in us; you equip us for life; you nurture us so that we can grow and mature in fruitful ways; you apply truth to our lives; you guide us all the way through this world to the Kingdom of God. You are indeed the best Father that any person could ever have. I am a mere fraction of one percent of the father you are. But I pray that you make me into a parent with your heart. Help me to speak truth, combined with mercy and grace. Always help me to realize that any bad things my kids may do, I have done worse. Grant me deep understanding of all they are going through so that I may strive to understand. Help me to have joy in my kid’s presence and not just when they perform well. Give me your loving and merciful heart as a serve as a mentor for them. Work through me to lead them to Jesus and the narrow path that leads to eternal life. Please grant me your word through this passage today. I pray all this in the name of the one who love us unconditionally, Jesus Christ.

Part 1: There Is Only One Way To Stand Before The Creator..Faith (1-13)

Verses 1-13, “Then Job replied: ² “Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God? ³ Though they wished to dispute with him, they could not answer him one time out of a thousand. ⁴ His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.  Who has resisted him and come out unscathed? ⁵ He moves mountains without their knowing it  and overturns them in his anger. ⁶ He shakes the earth from its place  and makes its pillars tremble. ⁷ He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. ⁸ He alone stretches out the heavens  and treads on the waves of the sea. ⁹ He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. ¹⁰ He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. ¹¹ When he passes me, I cannot see him;  when he goes by, I cannot perceive him. ¹² If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ ¹³ God does not restrain his anger;  even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet.”  (NIV)

Job’s conversation turns to some deep questions that humanity has been asking for generation after generation. The first question can be found in verses 2b-4, “…But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God? ³ Though they wished to dispute with him, they could not answer him one time out of a thousand. ⁴ His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.  Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?” The answer to this is that we can not prove our innocence before God. It is because we are not innocent. Since The Fall, the Bible tells us all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all blameworthy and in need of a Savior. I think that a short, honest examination of our lives will prove this to be a fact. We can try to prove our innocence to God, by talking about all kinds of human philosophy that strives to prove the innocence of humanity, but that will really get us no where. God declares us guilty and in need of a Savior. It is that simple.

Who can speak against God’s wisdom? God’s wisdom is deep and his power is limitless. He shakes the earth; he moves mountains; he alone stretches out the heavens and arranges the stars in constellations. The most powerful “sea monsters” cower at his feet when he passes by. Who can ask him, “What are you doing?” or “why do you judge me and accuse me of sinning?”

Look at the question in 9:2b, “…But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?”  Job could be asking, “How can a mortal be righteous before God?”

The answer can be found in Romans 3:21-29, “21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[a] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,” (NIV)

We simply need to take God at his word, knowing that through faith Jesus is now our righteousness. We are justified to come to our Father God as one of his beloved children and confess, “Lord, I have sinned in what I have done and what I have failed to do.”  Then we need to hold onto the grace and forgiveness that Jesus has procured for us on the cross and walk, with confidence and assurance, into the loving arms of our heavenly Father and spend eternity with him in the Kingdom of God.

Part 2: Confess and Surrender Your Heart And Receive God’s Mercy (14-31)

Verses 14-31, “¹⁴ How then can I dispute with him?    How can I find words to argue with him? ¹⁵ Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;    I could only plead with my Judge for mercy. ¹⁶ Even if I summoned him and he responded,    I do not believe he would give me a hearing.¹⁷ He would crush me with a storm    and multiply my wounds for no reason. ¹⁸ He would not let me catch my breath    but would overwhelm me with misery. ¹⁹ If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!    And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him? ²⁰ Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;    if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.²¹ “Although I am blameless,    I have no concern for myself;    I despise my own life. ²² It is all the same; that is why I say,    ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ ²³ When a scourge brings sudden death,    he mocks the despair of the innocent. ²⁴ When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,    he blindfolds its judges.    If it is not he, then who is it? ²⁵ “My days are swifter than a runner;    they fly away without a glimpse of joy. ²⁶ They skim past like boats of papyrus,    like eagles swooping down on their prey. ²⁷ If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,    I will change my expression, and smile,’ ²⁸ I still dread all my sufferings,    for I know you will not hold me innocent. ²⁹ Since I am already found guilty,    why should I struggle in vain?³⁰ Even if I washed myself with soap    and my hands with cleansing powder, ³¹ you would plunge me into a slime pit    so that even my clothes would detest me.”  (NIV)

The second question can be found in verses 14-16, “How then can I dispute with him?    How can I find words to argue with him? ¹⁵ Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;    I could only plead with my Judge for mercy. ¹⁶ Even if I summoned him and he responded,    I do not believe he would give me a hearing.” Job knows that a mortal person cannot be righteous before God (1). But he feels that he is innocent, for he can’t think of any sin that he has committed. (This is where he is blinded). He feels that can’t protest his innocence, because he is convinced that he has already been pronounced guilty for he is suffering so much. He thinks it is of no use to bring his plea to God. He wants to forget about his complaints and in great sorrow and despair endure his suffering.

Job had it wrong too. God is ready and willing to give us a hearing. The curtain of the temple is torn in two. We have access the Holy of Holies though faith in Jesus. Based on the shed blood of Jesus we can come and parlay with the Creator God, as a child comes to talk to his father.

Job is convinced that God will reject him because God is a judge. Look at verses 30-31, “Even if I washed myself with soap    and my hands with cleansing powder, ³¹ you would plunge me into a slime pit    so that even my clothes would detest me.”  Job knows that no amount of human effort can wash our souls clean enough to be made acceptable to the Lord. He is right. But this cannot stop us from approaching the Lord. God has provided a way. 1 John 1:9 reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Romans 5:8 reads, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV) We just have to give it up, surrender our hearts to God, confess our sins and hold onto Jesus. We will experience so much peace if we stop trying to justify ourselves and simply surrender and rest in the grace and mercy of God. Just give it up!  Again, confessing our sins is an imperative. To confess, we need the Holy Spirit to help us see our sins, care about them enough to agree that they are present and a serious problem. We need to care about the separation from God that our sins have caused. We need to Holy Spirit’s convicting work to get to this point. It is God’s grace to be able to confess and repent. When we respond to the Spirit’s prompting, confessing and repenting and holding onto Christ, then we will receive the forgiveness of God. We will be seen as white as snow, in the eyes of the Lord.

Part 3: We All Need A Mediator And God Provides One (32-35)

Verses 32-35, “³²He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,    that we might confront each other in court. ³³ If only there were someone to mediate between us,    someone to bring us together, ³⁴ someone to remove God’s rod from me,    so that his terror would frighten me no more. ³⁵ Then I would speak up without fear of him,    but as it now stands with me, I cannot.” (NIV)

Job knows that there must be some kind of mediator in order for him to have the correct relationship with God. Job is longing for as Savior like Jesus, who is the one Mediator between God and people. 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.” He is longing for the One who speaks in our defense to plead his case before God . 1 John 2:1,2, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (NIV)

We all need a mediator. Think about going to court, if you are accused of a crime. How far will you go without the help of a good lawyer? Do you think you will be successful if you plead your own case? We will need a good lawyer. In the spiritual realm, we need one who can plead our case before the throne of God. Jesus is the perfect one to do this, for he is sinless and holy.  He has gone through it all and yet came out victorious. He understands us and has compassion for us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. Jesus is our perfect mediator. We can have confidence and assurance, that with Christ on our side, we will be completely forgiven and made acceptable to the Holy God. Praise God for the peace and assurance that Christ, the only Mediator provides.

Prayer: Lord, I can never stand before you, the Sovereign Creator on my own. But thank you for Jesus, the one Mediator. I have such confidence in you Lord.

One Word: There is only one Mediator between God and people.