As The Insults Turn

Before I starting today's reading, I reread the the last few sentences of chapter 14 just to refresh my mind on Job's frame of mind: not good. He was really mad at God. He just told God that He destroyed people's hope. Reread verses 20-22 again, "

"You always overpower them, and then they pass from the scene. You disfigure them in death and send them away. They never know if their sons grow up in honor or sink to insignificance. They are absorbed in their own pain and grief."

The very next words Job hears are:

"You are supposed to be a wise man, and yet you give us all this foolish talk. You are nothing but a windbag.

A windbag? I had to laugh. The word windbag is is actually in the Good Book. I had to look that up for fun. The word in the English Standard Version is translated east wind. Sometimes I do word research and find the word that I am looking up to have an unexpected meaning, not with east wind. The meaning is not a big mystery. Basically, Eliphaz was telling Job his words were light and empty like the wind. The bigger insult came in the first part of the verse when Eliphaz suggested that Job's talk was foolish. Job has been defending his innocence and has a reputation for being wise and upright but Eliphaz was calling him foolish. Wow. This straight talk is getting serious and very very personal.

Then he hurls an insult straight to Job's heart in verse 5

"Your sins are telling your mouth what to say."

I could not help but think of the Matthew 12:34. Matthew reminds us, "

"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."

Because of the sin of Adam and Eve we are born with a sinful nature. Unless we are putting the right things in our heart, the wrong things will come out of our mouth. Ouch! There is lesson is for all of us. What goes in, comes out.

Job hurls insults back at his friends (Have you noticed all the exclamation points that are used? These dialogues are getting loud.) by telling them they are terrible comforters. (16:2) I was convicted again. (The Lord got in business with these two points.) So often, too often, I go to my girlfriends for comfort, instead of to the Great Comforter himself. Most of the time I go to my gal pals under the pretense of "needing comfort or advice" and often end up starring in my own pity party and bashing those whose who put in the terrible state of mind.

I don't know about you but the closer I get to the Lord, the further I realize I have to go. Does that make sense? Whenever I start "feeling good" about myself and my likeness to Christ, (Did you hear any pride in that statement? Whew, I've got a long way to!) the closer I get to the Light, the more I realize the darkness around me.

My pursuit is holiness guys and gals. I want the holiness of God on me, in me, and all over me. I am committed to it.