Monday, April 7, 2014

Keeping Our Heads in Consumerist Culture. Job 20-21; Second Corinthians 12

May the mumbling commence!

There are always at least two-sides to every story.  So, there is always at least two ways to view something… most of the time it is much more.  Compare the views of Zophar (from Job chapter twenty) with the views of Job (from Job chapter twenty-one:

"He enjoyed the taste of his wickedness, letting it melt under his tongue
He savored it, holding it long in his mouth
But suddenly, the food he has eaten turns sour within him,
a poisonous venom in his stomach. 
He will vomit the wealth he swallowed. God won't let him keep it down. 
He will suck the poison of snakes. The viper will kill him. 
He will never again enjoy abundant streams of olive oil
or rivers of milk and honey. 
His labors will not be rewarded. His wealth will bring him no joy. 
For he oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
He foreclosed on their homes. 
He was always greedy but never satisfied.
Of all the things he dreamed about, nothing remains. 
Nothing is left after he finishes gorging himself;
therefore, his prosperity will not endure.” (Chapter 20:12-21)

According to Zophar, the wicked may bask in the sun for a moment, but they will get their just dessert.  The food in the wicked person’s stomach turns sour… it turns into poisonous venom.  The evil person will see the fortunes come to naught, and even when he has wealth it will bring him no joy.

God will punish the wicked people because their greed never let them be satisfied and led them down the path of oppressing the poor and destitute.  Well, it sounds much like the rat race of today.  Do I see some of this dissatisfaction today?  You bet.  But there’s more to the story.  Read the views of Job on this subject:

"Yet the wicked get away with it time and time again.
They rarely have trouble,
and God skips them when he distributes sorrows in his anger
Are they driven before the wind like straw?
Are they carried away by the storm? Not at all

'Well,' you say, 'at least God will punish their children!'
But I say that God should punish the ones who sin, not their children!
Let them feel their own penalty
Let their own eyes see their destruction.
Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty
For when they are dead, 
they will not care what happens to their family.” (Chapter 21:17-21)  

Job rails against the unfairness that he sees in life.  Good people get more than their fair share of the suffering.  Wicked people wallow in the wickedness and see little repercussions in their own lives.

Though some people claim that the wicked people’s children will sow the consequences, Job thinks the wicked people themselves need to taste the bitter fruit of the wickedness.

Who is right?  Both of them have instances where they’re right.  So let us seek the wealth that we find only in the Lord and not worry about these earthly things.

God, help us to keep a level head.  Help us to stay on your path, so that our lives will show the Good News of Christ’s transforming way in our lives.  Read from Second Corinthians chapter twelve:

I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message, even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. (Verses 6b-7a)


Be the message.  What good advice!  

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

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