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Daily Reading: February 19th

#DailyDevotion You Ever Wish God Didn’t Love You So Much?

February 19th

Read Job 14:1–22

Job 14:1-6  “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.  (2)  He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.  (3)  And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you?  (4)  Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.  (5)  Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,  (6)  look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day…14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come.  (15)  You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands.  (16)  For then you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin;  (17)  my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.

 

In this first section perhaps we can hear those who doubt God, don’t trust in him or who may even hate God, at least the God they perceive the Church proclaims.  Job does say some true things here.  Our days are few and full of trouble.  We cannot bring clean things out of ourselves because without Christ, we are unclean and produce unclean works.  The number of our days are limited by God.

 

Verse 6 is where we meet our friends and perhaps ourselves on one of those really bad days.  Lord, don’t look at me.  Leave me alone.  Act as if I don’t exist.  Pretend I’m just one of those hired men you don’t even look at or know.  For it seems if God knows us and looks at us and pays any attention to us, we’re in trouble. I’ve heard people say, if the Lord is disciplining me because he loves me, I wish he didn’t love me so much.

 

Job then thinks about his present state and the future. He wishes he was dead.  All his troubles would be over if he were dead he thinks.  Even if death is a miserable existence it has to be better than what he is undergoing.  Then he has a ray of hope enter into his thinking.  God may renew him.  If the Lord would call him from the grave, he would answer him and gladly work for him.  Then the Lord would number his steps, that is, he would care for him.  The Lord would no longer watch over his sins, his transgressions would be sealed up and his iniquity covered.

 

The good news is Jesus, the Lord, indeed is our resurrection and our life.  Even as he is with us now and our spirits return to him at death, he will call us out of the grave because he has promised as much.  We shall be rescued from the grave and given eternal life.  Even now, because of Jesus’ death, the Father does not look at our sins.  Jesus’ has reconciled us to the Father and he no longer holds our transgressions against us.  The blood Jesus spilt at Calvary covers all our iniquities.  Job’s hope is fulfilled in Jesus.  Jesus is your hope as well.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, grant us faith to believe our sins are no longer watched, our transgression are sealed up in your grave and our sins are covered by your blood that on the day of your return we are raised to life everlasting. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

Comments (2)

  1. Thanks Gui, this is very helpful. Love you.

    1. Thank you Linda!

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