#DailyDevotion Thank God Job Is Wrong. We Do Have An Arbiter Between Us And God
February 13th
Read Job 9:1–35
Job 9:2-4 “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? (3) If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. (4) He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?— …32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. (33) There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. (34) Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me. (35) Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself.
Really, who would invent a God like this? It isn’t the sort of God I want. I want one that is more like a powerful genie who has to listen to my every whim. But that is not the kind of God Job has or that has any existence or is being. Job says rightly, “how can a man be in the right before God?” Ecclesiastes tells us there is not a righteous man who does not sin. We may hate it. In fact, many times we do. We are nothing to tell the Lord God, our Creator how he must act with us. We are putty in his hands. Paul recognizes this in Romans: Rom 9:20-21 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (21) Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
But in verse 33 Job just not realize that he has an arbiter between himself and the Almighty. It is the angel of the Lord, it is our Lord Jesus Christ. We need someone to speak to the Father and stand before him on our behalf. John writes, 1Jn 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Nothing like having the judge’s son be your lawyer in court.
Paul also reminds us, Rom 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (33) Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. (34) Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Christ Jesus, the Son of God is interceding at the right hand of the Father, right now, for you, on your behalf. Whatever it is you are going through, those who belong to Christ Jesus have him as one who intercedes for you at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. So you can know that whatever it is you are currently undergoing as a child of God it isn’t because God isn’t angry with you . It must be for your good even if the devil means it for evil. It must be good for you and for those around you. So we need not despair like Job. We know and believe the very Son of God is standing between us and the Father.
O Holy Advocate and Intercessor at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, may your intercession keep at bay all that is harmful for us and may it sustain us in faith when it is deemed necessary for us to undergo all sorts of fiery trial. Amen.