Darkening Counsel without Knowledge: A Meditation on Job 38

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Declare, if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest?

or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?

Or who laid the corner stone thereof;

When the morning stars sang together,

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Many things happen in the world.  Things have been happening for thousands of years, and should the Lord tarry in His Return, they shall be happening for thousands of years more.  Some of those things people have found pleasant, others have been unpleasant—but all too often, the reference point of human appreciation is driven by a short sighted focus on personal happiness.  Even when people try to analyze local and world events with more academic rigor, no one has ever been able to weigh all the variables of a present moment, let alone all the variables preceding and succeeding from that moment.  In essence, no one is able to fully grasp the totality of the tapestry of their present moment in time, let alone every present moment to have ever transpired, or that ever will transpire to the end of time.  From the weather on the other side of the globe, to the political machinations of a small central African tribe, to the family dynamics of a cottage in Scandinavia, no one can calculate and weigh with accuracy every element in play in any given moment of time.  While the moment we live in may seem straight forward within our field of view, imagine trying to balance every thought of every person within a five mile radius of you, let alone the natural variables of every molecule in motion, every chemical reaction in progress, and every weak or strong nuclear force.  With a finite human mind, it simply isn’t possible to even perceive the infinite number of variables in even a local area of a present moment, let alone the totality of that present moment across the globe and the universe, and to accurately assess the value of one particular occurrence.  In terms of simple physics and the science of human cognitive function, no human being is up to the challenge of knowing and assessing without error or oversight the totality of any given moment.  We are finite beings, with limited capacities of sensation (in order to perceive the world around us) and reason (in order to analyze the information we have perceived).  Such knowledge of our limits should make us profoundly humble in our pursuits of truth in this universe, but unfortunately, given our fallen and self-absorbed nature, such healthy humility is often supplanted by an unhealthy pride.

In the story of Job, we find a righteous person—a person of faith and repentance before God, living by His grace, according to His Word—who endures tragedy at the hands of the devil.  Previously blessed with prosperity, he has been reduced to misery, all due to a conversation between the devil and God over whether Job would remain faithful should his fortunes change.  In Job’s misery, his friends come to counsel and console him, offering a series of unsatisfying propositions for why this fate has befallen him.  As Job begins to crack under the strain of having lost his wealth, his family, and his health, he begins to ask a variation on the timeless question, “Why me?”  Finally, at this point of crisis, God appears to speak with Job from a whirlwind.

Perhaps odd to our modern sensibilities, God is not gentle with Job, nor does He seem particularly concerned with offering Job a “safe space” so as to avoid “triggering” him.  Quite to the contrary, God drives right to the heart of Job’s weakening faith and calls him onto the proverbial carpet to stand up and answer like a man.  While Job has fallen prey to the temptation to question God for the justice of his present moment, God dumps upon him the totality of his woeful ignorance.  For several chapters God will continue to refine His point, that Job has no standing to question God in this present moment, when he cannot fathom the moments which have led up to it, nor the ones which shall succeed it.  Job was not there when God called the universe into existence, established the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and wrote the Natural Law into the whole cosmos of living and non-living things.  Job’s finite and fallen perspective was miniscule before the scope of the totality of time and space, and smaller still before the endless expanse of eternity.  God having used His Holy Law to straighten Job back out, returning him to a state of grace through faith and repentance, He then restores to Job by His Word of Gospel far more than was ever taken from him.  In the end, Job becomes an icon of those who always live by grace through faith, despite the ups and downs of life’s present moments, knowing that their saving God has all things well in hand, and in the words which the Holy Spirit gave to St. Paul, is working all things for good for those who love Him.

Job’s lesson is one which every person should learn anew in our own time and place.  Rather than despondence, rioting, and emotional flailing at God for why the world around us is the way it is, God calls us to hear His Word and trust Him.  We are reminded that we cannot fully understand even our present moment, let alone all the moments which have led us here, or the moments yet to come.  But God has given to us His Living Word of Law and Gospel that we might live in this present moment, even if we can’t fully understand it.  He has given us the Law of Love for God and neighbor (well detailed in the Ten Commandments) to help us orient our hearts and actions according to our vocations.  He has given us His Gospel of forgiveness, life, and salvation in Jesus Christ, to raise us up to new and eternal lives of faith, hope, and love with Him.  He has taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer.  He has given the Sacramental signs of Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Absolution to continuously remind us of the grace He continues to pour out upon us in Christ alone.  The witness of all Holy Scripture leads and builds to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for the salvation of the world, and the promise that He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.  As we wait in faith and repentance for His return on the Last Day, He has left us with His Word and Spirit so that we might endure courageously whatever life would bring to us in any given present moment yet to come. 

So, too, in this present moment, God speaks to you by His Word and Spirit.  He does not come to pamper your pride, or to try and stuff the understanding of eternity into your fallen and finite mind.  He does not answer your ignorant and self-centered question of “Why me?”  Rather, He uses His Holy Law to remind you of the fallen and finite creature you are; broken, blind, befouled, lost, and dying in your sins, drowning in a world awash in the evil imaginations of wicked men and monstrous demons.  And when you have come to rightly know yourself before the God of the Universe, He speaks to you His saving Gospel of forgiveness and life for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ; a love which raises you, washes you, enlivens you, and seals you forever in His grace and mercy.  These are the eternal things which God speaks into this moment of yours, regardless of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.  These are the things of eternal life and fellowship with God, which help us to see everything else in its proper perspective, even if we can’t understand the ultimate significance of every variable in our lives.  This is the saving Word of God which seeks and saves you today, and every day, for eternity.

Hear the Word of the Lord in this your moment.  Repent, believe, and live.  Amen.

Blessed are They: A Meditation on Matthew 5

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:

for they shall be filled.

 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake:

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:

for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

In Matthew chapter five, Jesus begins teaching those who gather around Him with a series of declarations about those who are blessed; i.e., those who have upon them the blessing, grace, and loving disposition of God.  The blessed ones are marked with the virtues of poverty of spirit (humility before God), mourning, meekness, hungering for righteousness, mercy, purity, makers of peace, and sufferers of unjust persecution for Jesus’ sake.  At a first superficial reading, this list of blessed ones and their defining virtues paints a beautiful picture of the people who abide in the love of God, and can usher in a warm sentimentality about how nice it is that God would bless such folks… particularly since the world doesn’t hold such people in high regard.  When we turn on the TV, cruise the internet, or watch blockbuster movies, where else do we see people of purity, meekness, humility, and mercy held up as our paragons of virtue?  Our culture prefers to celebrate the villain, the rebel, the proud, the violent, and the debauched, and nothing proves our sick fascination better than ticket sales and the revenue streams which produce billions of dollars to perpetuate the genres.  Isn’t it aw-shucks nice that God is looking out for the inconsequential people we really don’t care about, and often directly or indirectly take advantage of, mock, and ridicule?  But of course, Jesus means to tell us more than that God is just nice.

Beyond this shallow reading lay deeper and more disturbing truths.  What we see at first as Jesus’ lovely portrait of God’s blessing, quickly turns into a revealing mirror.  Just how humble am I before God, showing forth my poverty of spirit?  Do I really mourn over true injustices done to me, to others, to creation, and to the dignity of God?  Just how meek am I, when I try to measure myself against my peers for competitive rewards, promotions, or just my own private pride?  Do I really yearn for righteousness like a starving man hungers and thirsts for food and water?  Do I prefer mercy when people take advantage of me, or do I more naturally seek vengeance and reparation?  Can I actually look at my heart and see it as pure, when so many dark and disturbing desires arise from it every day?  Am I really so inclined to make peace between warring factions, or do I sit in thrall to watch one group become victor over another, in every sphere from politics, to religion, to family, and community?  Am I really persecuted unjustly for righteousness’ sake, for the Name and Word of Jesus, or do I actively try to water down my association with these things so that the world will hold me in higher regard and less derision?

Oh, what a deadly beautiful mirror of the Law Jesus holds up for his disciples to look upon.  Which of them, and which of us, after having seen our depravity in that brilliantly polished mirror, can really say that we deserve from God to be blessed with the kingdom of heaven, comfort, inheriting the earth, satisfaction, receivers of mercy, visions of God, to called children of God, or to receive in heaven a reward like unto that which was given to the prophets who came before us?  Like the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai, this Law which Jesus preaches shows the wondrous beauty and goodness of God, but that light also reveals the vast disparity between His goodness and our wickedness.  Just as all stood in fear and trembling before the revelation of God’s holiness at Sinai, so too would all who truly took Jesus’ Word to heart from the mount upon which He preached.  This beautiful Law of pure love becomes for sinful and fallen people our judgment, our knowledge that we are not blessed, that we are undeserving of God’s love and gifts, and that rather our just reward is that of hell’s eternal condemnation where all evil and wickedness shall forever be imprisoned, never again able to abuse and torment the righteous saints.

While Jesus was the greatest preacher of the Law there ever was or ever will be (He is, after all, the very Word of God made flesh) He is also the greatest preacher of the Gospel.  Knowing the depravity and hopelessness of the mankind gathered around Him, He fulfilled His great work of mercy by taking all our sins and wickedness to His Cross, so that the penalty of sin might be paid.  Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus became the propitiation for our sins, so that before God, no longer do we stand condemned for our own sake, but justified for Jesus’ sake.  Jesus in His very Person is the entirety of the Gospel of salvation which makes us blessed before God—not by our own works which could never achieve such blessing, but rather by His omnipotent Work of Atonement by which He pours out His blessing upon all who repent and believe in Him.  There, in the blood of Jesus, the faithful stand by grace as the beneficiaries of every good and lovely gift which God promised to His people.

There also, we find another mysterious truth made plain:  Jesus continues to work through each and every one of His blessed people.  Not only is Jesus our humility, mourning, meekness, mercy, righteousness, purity, and all other good things,  but He works to make us reflect all these things as well, as He raises us up to new lives conformed to His image through the power of His Word and Spirit.  Thus this beautiful Law no longer remains for us a deadly terror, but by Jesus’ Gospel of forgiveness and grace, it becomes a blessed hope and aspiration by which we daily strive in His love and power to become ever more like our Savior.  Daily we are called to drown our sinfulness in the waters of our Baptism, to hear Jesus’ Absolution for our sins, and rise up again in newness of life.  Daily our Lord breathes His Word and Spirit upon His people, bringing about their faith and repentance which receives His grace of forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Daily He reminds us that we are not holy or blessed for our own sake, but we are forever holy and blessed for His sake alone.  Daily, and for every day that shall ever be unto ages of ages without end, Jesus is for His people their blessedness.

Hear the Word of the Lord reach into your heart this day, that it may slay your old nature so given to evil and vice, and raise you up by grace through faith in Him to a new life which is blessed forevermore.  Let your wickedness die there before His Holy Law, that He may raise you up again by His Holy Gospel unto eternal life, giving to you every good and wonderful gift which God has desired for you from before the foundation of the world.  Hear Him, repent, believe and live, that you may find your place among all those blessed saints who live forever in the loving communion of God our Savior.  Amen.

TheEverlasting Gospel: A Reformation Day Meditation on Revelation 14

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,

 having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,

and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice,

Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come:

and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

 And there followed another angel, saying,

Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations

drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,

If any man worship the beast and his image,

and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,

which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;

and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence

of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:

and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image,

and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Here is the patience of the saints:

 here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:

Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours;

and their works do follow them.

I have noticed over the years that it is increasingly common for people to use words contrary to their meanings, or to use them without regard to their definition.  Sociologists, linguists, philologists, and philosophers have pointed to the Post-Modern propensity to ignore external or objective truth so as to affirm internal perceptions of truth; i.e., the distinction between the old world’s pursuit of what is actually true, versus the new world’s pursuit of what feels true to me.  In a theological context, the term “Gospel” suffers from the same confusion.  I have noticed that it is all too often bandied about as a sentimental opine, as if to evoke a certain emotional response in the hearer of warm, fuzzy, and non-descript things.  However, on this celebration of Reformation Day, it is worth remembering that the word “Gospel” has a very particular meaning as it is used by the authors of Scripture, was promulgated in the early centuries of the Church, and was defended by the 16^th century Reformers.  To the ones who coined it, preached it, defended it, and gave their lives for it, the Gospel was not a sentimental experiment in personal naval-gazing about what makes the individual feel good, but rather the very Word of God for the salvation of the human race.

The Post-Modern soup in which we stew would tempt us to exchange objective truth for sentimental experience, but doing so comes with great peril.  There is a real God who made the heavens and the earth, and each one of us.  This same God has spoken to His people to tell them who they are, where they came from, and where they are going.  He has revealed who He is, His will for His creation, and the consequences of rebellion against Him.  He has revealed the dignity and eternal destiny of all people created in his image, either in the bliss of His fellowship or the torment of His judgment.  He has revealed to us our freely chosen Fall from His good created order and into the inescapable wickedness of evil, together with the consequent death and hell which awaits every person according to His divine justice.  He has revealed His self-sacrificial plan to save all mankind from their sin, death, hell, and the power of the devil through the life, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  He has revealed that He has sent His Holy Spirit to abide among us, working saving faith and repentance in the world through Jesus’ Word and Sacraments, until He comes again on the Last Day to bring forth the final judgment of the living and the dead.  The several thousand year record of God’s revelation of these truths to mankind, replete with fulfilled prophecy to prove its divine origin contrary to the false witness of charlatans and deceivers, we call Holy Scripture; the people who have gathered around that divine Word in faith and repentance to receive God’s saving grace, from the time the world began until its Last Day, we call the Church.

These are true, and real, and trustworthy—not sentiments, or feelings, or personal opinions.  This is not my truth versus your truth, but the truth against which there is no other truth.  This is the reality in which we live and move and have our being, as eternal creatures before our infinite and eternal Creator, within the world of His making.  The reality of His Word—His Law and His Gospel—are as inescapable as the universe in which we live, the time in which we exist.  The Gospel is not a subjective exercise of self-patronizing theologians or political pundits, but rather the very Word of God’s salvation for the world.  Apart from that Good News, there is only the righteous and just condemnation of every rebellious, prideful, self-centered person who prefer to worship themselves in delusion rather than serve the only true and Living God.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Word which comes from outside of you from God Himself, calling every man, woman, and child, of every tribe and tongue and nation, to turn from the deadly ways of evil and abide in Him by faith—a faith and repentance which receives from Him the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, all for Jesus’ sake.  This Gospel is more real than the air that you breath and the earth upon which you stand, and more eternal than the uncounted stars in the heavens.  This Gospel has reached down to speak life into your dead and dying body, will secure your soul in His loving embrace when you die, and then raise you up body and soul to eternal life in a new heavens and a new earth on the Last Day.  This Gospel is more real, more true, more eternal than anything else in all creation—even more than the stone which will be placed upon your grave.  This Gospel is life everlasting from the Author of Life, love unfathomable from the Author of Love, peace and joy and reconciliation from the Author of Peace and Joy and Reconciliation. 

Do not be deceived by the soft-minded insanity of our current time and place, or the self-destructive sentimentality of a self-absorbed age.  The Word of the Lord endures forever, because He Himself endures forever.  The ancient Patriarchs knew this, as did the Prophets and Apostles, Saints and Martyrs, and the faithful of every age in every millennia down to our own time.  The Word of the Lord’s grace and mercy for the sake of Jesus—the Everlasting Gospel of salvation from sin, death, hell, and the power of the devil—bind His people to Him in every age that has passed, and every age that is yet to come, until all is fulfilled at the end of time.  This is the Gospel the Reformers fought and died to preserve in their time, and the Gospel which calls us to the same faithful witness in our time, that we might pass it on to our children for their witness in their time.  This same Everlasting Gospel will be the hope and unity of all the people saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, now and forevermore.  Hear the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Repent, believe, and live!  Amen.