Closing Argument Part 2

 

    A closing argument is a statement or small speech that sums up an argument, point, or statement.  It highlights the most valid points and is meant to make you feel something: empowered, guilty, impassioned, sympathy, or something else.  It is based on facts and evidence, but if you are not able to make the audience feel what you need them to feel, then you did not make your point.

    Job was on his closing argument with his last appeal to society (his friends).  He points out how easy it is to miss the good things in life until they are gone.  However, how you handle the hard times is what defines you.  Christian's are held at a higher standard because the world is watching and wanting you to fail.  It is a lot of pressure, so we have to take the focus off the world and place it on the relationship with God.

    Job held himself together very well because he knew he was right and never doubted it.  He endured the ridicule even if he was angry.  He was beginning to understand a hard truth of life and was trying to get his friends to understand too.  Just because you live a "good life" does not mean that you will reap the rewards in life.  Good things doesn't always happen to good people.  Just like it is not a set rule that bad things happen to bad people.  Job looked at himself and could not even recognize himself, but he knew he lived a righteous life.

    God allows darkness into the world.  He will remove it eventually, but this is the world that everyone has lived in.  There is the equalizer of life.  No one lives without experiencing suffering, pain, loss, temptation, failure, and more things that Satan brought into this world.  The stories may vary, but we have all been hurt by life.  Instead of focusing on what makes us different, maybe we should look at what unifies us and try to make it better for everyone.  Job was saying instead of hurting each other more, try to find empathy.  Try to relate instead of judge.

Job 30

Closing Argument Part 1

 

    Throughout the journey of Job it has felt like a court room.  It is a story of one man is being judged by his peers for suffering and feeling despair.  It is a fair setting according to the world's standards.  Job has the right to defend himself.  His friends laid out a solid case against him.  By the standards of those days he looked guilty and they were determined to hold him accountable.

    Here is the beginning of Job's closing argument.  It is his last stand of innocence.  His last chance to convince them or he would probably be exiled by all who once loved and respected him.  The thing that no one understood was that they were fighting a spiritual battle, not a visible enemy.  Satan had polluted everything around Job including his body.  God was waiting to be able to get Satan in a corner before crushing him.  They were just in the middle.

    Job remembered his youth with fondness.  He was young, naïve, innocent, and had no concerns in the world.  He was happy and knew he was blessed by God.  He lived his life in honor and respect of God.  Now his life was a horror show.  He felt like he had already been convicted, but he knew he was innocent.  He needed to convince the people in his life to find peace in his existence.  He was not speaking in anger, resentment, or accusations.  He was laying out his timeline to make a point.

Job 29

    

Learned Wisdom

 

    Wisdom is the unseen treasure of life.  It has value because it can make life easier to navigate.  It eliminates the back and forth questioning of your motives, thoughts, and actions.  It holds value because of how it is gotten.  Some people are just gifted with wisdom, but most of us have to find it or work for it.   If we pray for wisdom God will give it, but it is usually received through trials and events that widen your perspective on life.

    Job's wisdom came from faith and from being sifted by Satan.  Satan sought to destroy Job, but instead made things clear to Job.  The wisdom that Job received was powerful and well deserved.  His pain made it where he saw the world differently than he had before.  His innocence and naive optimism was gone.  What was left was a man that had real insight.

    Job's wisdom made the religious people nervous because it shook the foundation of how they viewed life and death.  His friends fought this with all they had because it would highlight how they were wrong.  No one wants their defects to be highlighted.  

    Only God can reveal the secrets of the universe.  People who have experienced grief and pain get a glimpse if they are looking.  Job understood that we would never find God on our own.  We need God to open up the opportunity and he does.  We just have to recognize it for what it is and not be too busy, prideful, or angry to accept His invitation.  

    Wisdom is the biggest secret of the universe.  Where does understanding dwell?  God is the source of it all.  How He works is a mystery.  We get a glimmer of understanding of it all through the Holy Spirit working within us.  To gain wisdom we have to shun evil and faithfully step into the unknown toward God.  Having a healthy fear of God is the beginning of wisdom that will lead to understanding that the treasures of the world are nice, but important.

Job 28

Clinging On

     Despair and depression are two states of being that can be all consuming.  Like it or not, our feelings do affect our perspective of the world around us.  Some people just don't seem to let the negative of the world get to them.  Other people have seen or experienced some of the worst aspects of life and it can take time for the soul to heal.  We are all different and have different experiences.

    Job was feeling despair.  He literally had Satan attack his body.  Satan killed his income and family.  His wife had turned against him.  His friends were attacking him like he was some kind of monster.  He had lost the respect of his community.  If anyone had the right to be depressed, it was Job.  Yet he was attacked for his feelings.  Society, especially Christian society, can look down on people who suffer from depression or despair because they view it as you not having enough faith or strong enough relationship with God.  I am here to tell you they are wrong.

    Job was in a state of despair, but he still clung to God.  Through it all he loved God and was loyal to Him.  Job clung to his own integrity and righteousness.  These are the things that Satan could not steal from Job.  If could have, he would have.  It is what Job clung onto so that he did not loss it and give up.  He was clinging on to those facts for his very life and discovering great wisdom for us to use.

    Job turned the table on his friends.  He accused them of acting wickedly with their preemptive judging.  People are fragile.  Even the people you view as strong may be just holding on.  We need to treat each other with care instead of judgment.  We all have the power to speak life or destruction into people.  Our words can destroy a person or lift them up from a bad mental place.  We need to think before we speak.

Job 27

Pay Attention

 

    For some people it is hard to pay attention.  Some need coffee or something to help them focus, especially first thing in the morning when just getting out of bed can feel like a victory.  However, there are times in life that you need to pay attention even if you don't have your personal aid.

    Job was on his third round of rebuttals to his "friends".  It was at the point where there was some urgency in his voice that says it is time for you to pay attention to what I am saying.  He was no longer asking them for empathy, sympathy, or to be open-minded.  He was at the point where he was going to grab their attention even it if caused more discord.  At least now there would be a reason behind an argument.

    Job stopped everything and turned to all three of his friends.  He used sarcasm to call them out.  He asked them who are you to judge me?  Who are you to think you are better than me?  He pointed out that the people in pain understand God's power and strength in a way that the comfortable would never understand.  

    Job turned to Bildad because Eliphaz and Zophar were silenced.  He pointed out that God reveals His dominion in His way and humans are limited in understanding.  God will always be mysterious to a degree.  Only upon death will we get complete understanding when we are allowed to enter heaven or cast into hell.  It is too late to ask questions at that point.  

    Job had no idea how his speeches changed the perspective of God forever.  He had no idea how much wisdom he had in asking the hard questions.  He did not realize how his understanding of God was in fact possibly the most enlightening perspective for people of that time.  His endurance opened the door for us to reach out to God in a new way.

Job 26

Impatient Friend Part 3

 

    Impatient friends can motivate the easy going friends to take action. They can come across pointed, but normally they are just being direct.  They are typically the get it done people.  That means they get frustrated with all the back and forth of discussion.  If there is an issue, then find the best solution and put it in to action.  No reason to talk it to death.

    I am sure that this back and forth discussion on how Job was guilty was really frustrating for Bildad.  He believed in order, reason, and taking responsibility.  It never occurred to him that he could be wrong.  He believed in God's order, but he only understood a small portion of it.

    In Bildad's opinion no man is capable of being pure. Nothing was pure next to God.  That is true, but God can make people pure.  He did not have a clear perspective of God and heaven.  Unfortunately, Job was paying the price for his akewed perspective.  

    By the third round of discussion, Bildad was done talking about it.  He kept his response short.  In this case his thinking was that if Job didn't get it by now, then he never would.  There was no reason to keep talking about it.

Job 25

Soul Searching Part 2

     When you are soul searching it is a time of a lot of questions.  Deep questions that knaw at you.  When you start getting them, normally they will not be what you expect.  The spiritual world does not work like the natural world.  They opposes each other in many ways.  Then you learn that the spiritual world is not always good or kind.  It consist of God, angels, demons, and Satan.  It is all real, but only God's path will lead the soul to eternal safety.

    Job was asking the right questions.  He was frustrated in waiting on a response because of his suffering.  We can be impatient because we live in a right now world.  Waiting is difficult for all of us.  I don't think that Job was aware, but he was displaying deep wisdom in his suffering.

    Job points out that everyone suffers: the good and the bad people.  Suffering allows us to be capable of empathy.  He understood that, but he did not understand why it seemed like God was indifferent.  He knew that his suffering was not due to God's wrath, but he had no idea that he was just a chew toy for Satan.  

    Job points out to his friends that if he was evil, then why would he be seeking God.  What would be the point?  Evil does not seek God.  Evil actively rebels against God and runs from Him.  Then Job points out that God is the judge of evil, not people.    He didn't understand why God waited on His judgment.  God will do all things in His timing even if we don't like it.  Not everything is about us.

    It would be nice to be able to see God's approval.  It would be nice to know what He was thinking when you are suffering.  It would be nice to understand the purpose of everything that appeared unfair.  Instead, we have to live in faith.  He have to believe without proof about certain aspect of life and the afterlife.  

Job 24