Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Job 34: Do You Love God For His Sake - Or Your Own?

Elihu argues in chapter 34 that Job slanders God by insinuating that there is "no profit" in loving Him (vs. 9).  Previously, Job's friends had stated that everyone knows that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.  These are very mercenary reasons to strive to live a life that pleases God.  But the Lord does not want mercenaries - He wants children.

Wasn't that the whole point of Satan's wager with God about Job in the first place?  It was a contest to see if Job only obeyed God because of what he got out of the deal - blessings, and children, and wealth, and health.  That is why Satan stripped everything away from Job to see what would remain.  Satan accuses Job of only loving God for what he could get out of it.  According to Satan, Job is a gold-digger, and nothing more.

But God knew that Job was righteous for altruistic reasons, not selfish ones.  Job didn't obey God just because of the riches he could get out of being good, or the punishments he could avoid for not being bad.  Job loved God because God is lovely, and beautiful, and righteous, and holy.  Whether or not there are rewards or punishments associated with Job's relationship with God, he persists in obedience to God because it is the right thing to do.

But his friends consider Job's self-described position as a "righteous sufferer" to be a grievous insult against God.  For Elihu, it is simply a matter of the truth of the statement, "According to their deeds he will repay them, and according to their ways he will make it befall them" (vs. 11).  Rather than having compassion on Job for his plight, Elihu wants to turn the screws even more: "Would that Job were tried to the limit, because his answers are those of the wicked" (vs. 36).

It's enough to cause any of us to stop and ponder: Do we only love God for what we "get" out of it?  Entry into heaven, escape from hellfire, warm spiritual fuzzies, blessing galore?  Or would we love God even if there were nothing in it for us?  Even if, in fact, our righteousness and integrity led us to suffering rather than to rejoicing?

If the only reason we follow God is for what we get out of it, I daresay that there is something deficient in our spirituality.




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