Job Reply to Eliphaz

 

Job 6:1-13

 

February 6,2018

 

 

Then Job answered and said: “Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!  For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore, my words have been rash.  For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass, or the ox low over his fodder?  Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?  My appetite refuses to touch them; they are as food that is loathsome to me.  “Oh, that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!   This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. What is my strength, that I should wait?  And what is my end, that I should be patient?  Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?  Have I any help in me, when resource is driven from me?

One must not forget God’s word to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”  Do not forget Satan’s reply in verses 9-11, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”  Job becomes the pawn in a superhuman struggle.

 

His three friends show up and we have Job’s reply to Eliphaz, the first to speak after Job.  Over all his words are kind and yet he is doing what many do when they have no understanding of the vastness of the pain and suffering.  

 

In Job’s answer one comes to understand the massiveness of Job’s pain and loss, Job compares it to the sand of the sea and tells the reader it would be heavier than that.  Job has no doubt that he is the object of God’s attack.  He refers to God as a mighty warrior that has shot his arrows and the poison has made his words rash.  He goes on to talk about the animals and how they do not complain when they are well-fed.  Job is telling his friend his council is like contaminated food.

 

Job’s understanding of what Eliphaz has shared is to not put his hope in his piety, or God’s disciplinary action, but in death.  Job tells us that would be sweet and that he has not denied the words of the Holy One.

 

When one loses hope it’s not a good thing, verses 11,12,13 tell us Job is at such a point.  He has no strength left, his future looks very dark, and he cannot fix this mess he has been brought into because he has no real understanding of the why.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Eliphaz's sound Consel

 

Job 5:8-16

 

February 5, 2020

 

 

“As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause,  who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.   He frustrates the devices of the crafty so that their hands achieve no success.  He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.  They meet with darkness in the daytime and grope at noonday as in the night.  But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the mighty.   So, the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.”

 

What sound counsel is coming from Eliphaz's lips! If all people were wise enough to apply these words to their lives, how different would things be? I read this morning that it is a hymn of praise found in verses 9-16, often used in worship ceremonies.

 

Job 5:17-27

 

“Behold blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore, despise not the discipline of the Almighty.   For he, wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.  He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.  You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue and shall not fear destruction when it comes.  At destruction and famine, you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.  For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.  You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.  You shall know also that your offspring shall be many, and your descendants as the grass of the earth. You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season.  Behold, this we have searched out; it is true.  Hear, and know it for your good.”

 

The Author of Hebrews also tells us in chapter 12:4-6, the same thoughts; “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives.”

 

The apostle Peter gives insight into the discipline of the Lord, in first Peter 1:6-7, “In this, you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  No one in their right mind would desire what happened to Job to take place in their lives, but the apostle Peter tells us that our faith in Christ is more valuable than gold, and in trials, our faith is tested.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

 

A Long-Winded Eliphaz

 

Job 5:1-7

 

February 4, 2020

 

 

“Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?  To which of the holy ones will you turn?   Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple.   I have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.  His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them. The hungry eat his harvest,
and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his^[ wealth.  For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.”

 

Watch out for the person who always has the answer, Job’s three friends met the requirements of good friends and ministers in that they showed up and cried with Job over the disaster that had come on him.  They did great for seven days and waited for Job to speak, and still, they encouraged Job with their words.  They were long-winded and seemed to have all the answers.  We have only heard from Eliphaz up till now and it seems as if he is telling Job, that you need a mediator, and maybe he is talking about himself, that’s not clear.

 

He is telling Job that anger is not of any value and will only bring more problems and concerns.  Eliphaz is one hundred percent correct, anger and hate will destroy a person.  It is like drinking poison and expecting the person you are angry with or have hate in your heart for to die.

 

He is also telling Job that trouble and disasters are part of life and Jesus made that very clear, in this world you will have tribulation!

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Seeking the Face of God

 

 Seeking the Face of God

 

August 8, 2024

 

 Shall we look at several Scriptures that address the Subject? 

 

2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”   This Scripture is not referring to those who go by the title of Christian, but to those God calls His Church, who have entered into a personal relationship, by confession and faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

 

Psalm 105:4, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”  Most of you have experience seeking the presence and many have said I want to do this continually.  You enter into a dating relationship, and after a while, it is just not enough, so you get married.  

 

John 15:4,  ^“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”  In verse one Jesus has shared that He is the Vine.  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”   Do you recall Philips's exchange with the Lord, in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”  May I encourage each of us to not be like Philip, seek the face of Jesus, seek His presence, and abide in Him. 

 

 

 

 But How to be a Seeker of God?

 

More Scripture to guide you:

 

Deuteronomy 4:29,  ^“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”  Many years ago, Jan and I became seekers of Truth, and we first had to define truth, and Jesus is the Truth.  You will find that in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  You will not find truth in the world, all men are Liars, and only God is Truth.

 

1 Chronicles 16:10-11, “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

 

Psalm 9:10, “And those who know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

 

Psalm 27:8, “You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

 

Psalm 40:16, “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

 

Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

 

Hosea 10:12, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”

 

Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

 

Luke 11:9-10, “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

 

Acts 17:27, “He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

Psalm 24:6 says, “Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob”

Psalm 34:4, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.” 

Psalm 70:4, “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you!  May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”

Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Seeking His face in my life has come from a need to be complete. I realize that like the apostle Paul, I desire to do good, but this sinful flesh often gets me off the road. My only hope is to seek Him with my thoughts and ask His Spirit to guide my desires, thoughts, and actions.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A spirit spoke to Eliphaz in a dream

S 

 

Job 4:12-21

 

February 3, 2020

 

“Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it.  Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,  dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.  A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.  It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance.  A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice:  ‘Can mortal man be in the right before God?  Can a man be pure before his Maker?   Even in his servants, he puts no trust and his angels he charges with error; how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth.   Between morning and evening, they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it.  Is not their tent cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

In the time of Job, often they put a lot of trust in dreams and visions, and I am not implying Eliphaz did not have this dream or that the message was not in keeping with God’s character or an angelic visitation.  It seems that he assumed his experience had provided him with great insight into one of life’s mysteries.  But a wise person will examine the Scriptures to see if God had said such things.  Eliphaz may not have access to the Scriptures but you and I do, and are without excuse. It is this writer's opinion that a demon spoke to Eliphaz and without knowledge he became a tool of the evil one.

Let us deal with whether a man​ can be in the right standing with God, I believe the Scriptures are clear, that he can.  And this spirit implied that God did not care about man.  But our God and Father, paid a great price to buy us out of the control of Satan, by sending His only Son to be our blood sacrificed, and redeem us, and bring us into the family of God.  John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world,^[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.​Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Not only has Jesus redeemed us, we are now enveloped in Christ and the Father.  John 14:20, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Only Godly wisdom will give a person the correct understanding of how to live properly before God.  We should be very careful about dreams, and the teaching of man, and if what anyone says does not agree with the written Word of God, it is a false teaching.  

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Eliphaz the Temanite answered

 

 

 

 

 

Job 4:1-11

 

December 26, 2024

 

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: “If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?  Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands.  Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees.  But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed.  Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?  “Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off?  As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.  By the breath of God, they perish, and by the blast of his anger, they are consumed. The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions are broken.  The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

In chapter 3:26-27, we have these words from Job; “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.  I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.”  

 

Job and his 3 friends have been sitting in ashes for 7 days and Job speaks, but one must be reminded that God brought up Job’s name to the devil and said these words; “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

 

It is also good to recall that every time his children had a feast, Job worried that they may have sinned again. His fears were not why this happened; Job was blameless before God, and God was not surprised about what Satan was up to or where he had been, in that God is all-knowing.

 

I believe Job’s friends began well but they were not very good at encouraging, and that brings my thoughts to myself, am I a good friend, have I removed the log in my eye to help my friends get the speck out of their eyes?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

 

 

Job's opening speech to hs three fiends

 

Job 3:17-26

 

January 31,2020

 

 

 

We continue with Job’s opening speech to his three friends, picking up the discourse in verse 17, and it sounds like someone today talking about the evil people in our congress.  Those who sleep is often a metaphor for death and Job is telling us about the evil person and the righteous person.  

 

Jesus also used this metaphor for death in John 11:11-15, “After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”  His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”   Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.   So, then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”  

In Job's state of mind, I believe he sees no future but death, all that he has is gone, and his life is pain and misery.  But it does sound as if Job is a little off in the area of the wicked in that Scripture clearly turns to Jesus' account with a Centurion and the faith he expressed about Jesus.  You will find the account in Matthew 8:10b-12, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.  I tell you many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  The sons of the kingdom are referring to the Jews and the kingdom was promised to them, but they chose darkness over the light of the world, the Son of God.  Outer darkness is a metaphor for eternal damnation and weeping and gnashing of the teeth is eternal suffering and torment.

 

But the ones in right standing with a holy God have this to look forward to; Psalm 73:25-28; and 2 Corinthians 5:1-8.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

After 7 days Job speaks

 

Job 3:1-16

 

January 30, 2020

 

 

After seven days of sitting with his three friends, the long-awaited sound of Job’s voice is heard, and this man Job you recall what God has said about him after all his children are dead and his wealth taken from him in one day.  “And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?  He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”  Do you recall Satan’s reply skin for skin?  All that a man has he will give for his life.   And God said you must spare his life.

 

As we explore these verses of Job speaking be very careful with your judgment of Job.  What we are witness to is a superhuman struggle and Job is a mere pawn.  Also, remember Job has also lost his health and any role of leadership and has been ignored by even his servants.

 

Job’s words;  “After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.  Job said: “Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man is conceived.’  Let that day be darkness!  May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.”  At this point, one might conclude that Job does not understand what is taking place, life as he has known it is gone, and yet he has been in right standing with God and man.  

Job tells his friend that it would have been better if he had not been born if only he had understood the value of his story to the millions who would read it. Job’s life made a difference to many who he touched in his day and to those who have studied this book.

Shall we end chapter 2 with verses 25-26, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.  I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.”  Job is a total mess with his emotions and no doubt is in a deep depression, and he wonders when the next thing will happen?  Now the question all must answer, as a follower of Christ, what would you be doing if this were you?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

Job's Three Friends

 

Job 2:11-13

 

January 29, 2020

 

 

“Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.   And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven.   And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.”

 

Ray Still our pastor often reminds us that showing up is 95% of ministry and that is what we observe with Job’s three friends.  For seven days they show Job sympathy and the Scriptures tell us at a distance they saw Job and did not recognize him.  Do not get hung up with the three men tearing their robes or throwing dust in the air, that was a tradition of that day, and that is not what is important, they wept and waited.  Yes, they did not speak but were there for seven days waiting for their friend to speak.

 

Many of you have been witness to a parent or family member having cancer or some other sickness that has disfigured them and know the pain that it caused to both the person and you.  I worked with a very talented salesman in the Houston market and because of his lifestyle, he encountered aids.  In the last week of his life, I went to visit him in the hospital, and like the three friends of Job, I did not recognize my co-worker and knew this might be my last time to share with him about God’s love for him.  I told him that God loved him so much that He had His Son become a man and take his place and mine on the cross and pay for all sin.  That by faith he could ask God to forgive him and enter into a personal relationship with the Father who loved him.  His reply was I went to Houston Baptist College and tried but it did not work, and I do not want to talk about it anymore.  

 

My wife’s dad was raised in a home without a mother, there were four brothers, often men would try to get Raymond to attend church, but he had no interest.  Our daughter at a very young age wrote her granddad a letter telling him about how she had asked Jesus to come into her life and was praying that he would do so.  On his deathbed, Jan and I once more pleaded with him to not leave this earth without getting things right with God.  He was in a coma by that time and yet when we began to share how much God loved him, we witnessed fear and maybe even anger, that was not how anyone wants to remember a person they love.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Instant Gratification

 

I ran across this paper last night and read it to Jan, and my thoughts were: I did not grow up like this. Has a good thing like technology done this to us?

 

1 Peter 1:3-5

 

May 21, 2011

 

 

How can a Nation, or a people who expect instant gratification hope to be thankful?   We are that kind of people; we carry cell phones and expect an instant reply when cooking we use premixed or precooked because we cannot wait.  We may not have noticed but it is in all aspects of our life, and we trained our children like birds’ dogs to expect the immediate.  This lifestyle is in direct conflict with our Father in heaven.  He tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”  (Psalm 46:10) Have you tried being still and pondering on the “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready in the last time?”  (1 Peter 1:4-5)  

 

Folks, it is a clash of kingdoms, yours and God’s, He is not your grandparent, His goal is not to make you happy, His objective is to bring each of us into a relationship in which we are being conformed to the likeness of His Son.  If only we would believe that Jesus tells the truth, and the truth is: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  (John 10:10)  The enemy of your soul has a design for your life called busyness, not being still or thankful for the many blessings that are yours.  

 

Have you stopped and observed the world you are living in, and if you have, you have noticed that the enemy is on top of his game?  It does not matter where we are driving a car, at the movies, in church, or shopping, the cell phones are ringing, people are Texting and they are consumed with the instantaneous.  Do we Christians understand that relationships are not established on instant messages; friendships happen when we take time to value,  enjoy, and share with the one who is the object of our time.  To know about God is one thing, many claim they know about God, but to know Him will require time spent searching His word, and your heart to see if you are willing to obey and conform to His instructions, and His commands.

 

Verse three states; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has called us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  If you are in Christ, this living hope, this inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading is not kept on this earth it is not yours to keep, God is the keeper of your inheritance in heaven.  Faith is believing that Jesus tells the truth, and when Jesus tells you that no one can snatch you out of His hand or His Father’s hand, please understand, that you are included in that mix.  You may need to read John 10:28-29.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Job has become a pawn in a superhuman encounter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Job 2:7-10

 

January 28, 2020

 

 

“So, Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.   And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”  But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak.  Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”  In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

We must remember this is the second time we see Satan showing up with the angels of God, and Scripture tells us he also came to present himself to God.  We also must not forget that God is all-knowing so when He asks a question, it is not for the reason of knowledge.  Once more God asked Satan, have you considered My servant Job?  Listen to what God said about Job in verse 3b, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”  Remember no one can manipulate God against His will, Job has become a pawn in a superhuman encounter.  

 

Verse four gave Satan come back, “Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.  But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” ⁶ And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

 

I will not tell you to put yourself in Job’s place for only a foolish person would do so, but allow me to say if you lost your family and wealth in one day and then your health, you have no understanding of what you would do.  And to make it a bigger test of Job’s integrity, his wife tells him to curse God and die!  Listen to Job’s reply; “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak.  Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Satan has many names, but is game is to kill, steal, and destroy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Job 2:1-6

 

January 27, 2020

 

 

Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.   And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”   And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”   Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.   But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”  And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

 

Lucifer, O Day Star son of Dawn, Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Lord of the Flies, the Antichrist, Father of Lies, Moloch, the angel of light, or simply Satan.  Any way you look at this father of lies, you will see the devil, you must understand that he has to ask for permission to mess with a person who has by grace and faith entered into the family of God.  Isaiah 14:12-14, we get a picture of his fall and the reason for it.  We have this word from Jesus as he talks with the seventy-two He sent out ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to go.  Pay close attention to what they said to Jesus and His reply in Luke 10:17-20.  “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”   And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.    Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.   Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  What value is being sent out with authority if you do not understand first, that you have it, and second that your action shows that you are under that authority?  

 

This question came up in our Bible study, how can Satan come into God’s presence in that God does not look on sin.  I’ve come to understand that when it comes to God the Creator of all things, there are unchangeable absolutes, such as His character; He is pure, God is a personal Spirit, God is all-powerful, God is ever-present, God knows everything, God is sovereign, God is holy, God is absolute truth, God is righteous, God is just, God is faithful, God is love, God is merciful, God never changes.

 

My pastor said something like this in a sermon, when we say God cannot do such and such outside of the things listed above, such as look on sin, you have crossed over into some dangerous territory because you have elevated yourself to a place of being like God.  I always recall that God’s ways are higher than mine and His thoughts are higher than mine, the thing I’m sure of is that He loves me because His actions have demonstrated that to be true.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice