Amen, Pastor Sean! As I read today's chapter, my mind was led to better understand how sad is our understanding of the Book of Job. It has never been so clean in my mind what Job's problem was. Yes, I understand why he sinned, but today's reading made is ever so clear. My hopes are that those who are reading along with us will also see Job's difficulty in a clearer manner.
As the disciples had seen the success of their labors, they were in danger of taking credit to themselves, in danger of cherishing spiritual pride, and thus falling under Satan's temptations. A great work was before them, and first of all they must learn that their strength was not in self, but in God. Like Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, like David among the hills of Judea, or Elijah by the brook Cherith, the disciples needed to come apart from the scenes of their busy activity, to commune with Christ, with nature, and with their own hearts.
Great men, those who have given their hearts to Christ and been a reflection of Him in time of trial are in great danger of thinking there is something good in them apart from Christ. It is easy to see in the lives of some in the Bible. There is Elijah who after his great victory on Mt Carmel fled from Jezebel. There is Moses who was faithful in all of the house of the Lord. God spoke face to face with him, then he was angry with Israel and too the glory which belonged to God to himself when he struck the rock. We think of King David and how he slew Golaith, but then had Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, murdered. Then, in history closer to our time we read of the two men who were given the gospel truth in 1888 and then fell from grace. There was Dr. Kellogg who had been blessed with the medical missionary truths and also fell from grace and was forever lost. Ellen White understood the danger of being chosen by God and she at first refused to accept the role God had offered her. God understood the very real danger and promised He would help her when she was in danger of pride. What as the "help" He used to keep her from pride? Does this have anything to do with Job? Yes, it does.
And, the greatest example of the danger of taking the glory to one's self when God has blessed mightily is Lucifer as the "covering cherub". Pride brought him down. He thought he was something he was not. He was so blessed, held such a high position in the government of God, he thought he could be higher than his Creator! Such silliness, such wickedness, such stupidity!
And, yet, when many the story of Job, they are blinded to the truth of Job's great sin of taking the glory which belonged to God to Himself, even though we read of him telling his friends how great he had been. And, at the end of the Book, we read for five chapters of what God had to say to him about his self righteousness. And what had Job failed to do which brought him down? He failed to talk with God about his need of Him. Instead he talked with his three friends who also thought themselves better than they were. Where is the gospel in the Book of Job? Where do we hear Job praying for strength, for grace to minister to others? Where do we hear of the great sacrifice of Christ that Job could continue to be His servant to a fallen world? Only at the end of the Book when God tells Job to pray for his three friends. It is then Job has turned his mind from his greatness to the greatness of God and his duty to minister to others. Then his trial was over. The lesson was learned the hard way.
We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. Here alone can true rest be found. And this is the effectual preparation for all who labor for God. Amid the hurrying throng, and the strain of life's intense activities, the soul that is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. The life will breathe out fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men's hearts.
God sent a true friend to Job before He spoke to him out of the whirlwind. Elihu reproved Job and pointed him to Christ. Then, God finished the work by repeating the reproof that we might learn from Job's sin. God doing great things through us can cause us to think there is something innately good in us when there is nothing good in us apart from God. We must guard against losing our connection with Christ so we do not repeat the lessons that are before us in the life of many who have been greatly used by God as witnesses of His love and power.