Job 41

Who can give an answer to God that He does not already know? Who dares to judge Him? Who has something by which he would recommend himself to the Almighty? Isn't God the one who gave that gift in the first place? It is not good for us to think too highly of ourselves. A man can be the smartest man in his nation, but he does not know as much about the shelves in the market where he lives as the one who has been granted the task of keeping those shelves well-ordered every day. God knows all things, but we are limited in everything we do. A humble heart is a most excellent gift for the man who would like to learn how to love others better.

There are many ways that God can move a person toward humility and love. Grief is a great schoolmaster for all kinds of important lessons. Through loss, pain, and shame a man learns that he is not God. Job was a great man who suffered greatly, but he was also a man who discovered an even higher greatness through a deep encounter with God's Word in the midst of unusual trial. He learned that it was not right for any man to suggest that he might be able to judge God. He learned that he could not gain his own vindication as a righteous man by pointing out supposed flaws in God's perfect righteousness.

God is the Ruler over all realms, seen and unseen. There are many beings in this world that are far too dangerous for us. Though man is an impressive creature, even a lethal enemy, yet any man would be wise to humble himself before God. Man's excellence when compared against other great creatures of God is found in his ability to reason, to communicate with language, and to offer to his Maker spiritual worship. There are other creatures that are faster and stronger, but they can be defeated by the plan of even one human being.

You may readily agree with this high assessment of humanity, but how strong do you feel today? Would you want to suddenly face a whale on the high seas? A whale is a very dangerous and resourceful opponent. You cannot expect to take him in with a fishhook. How will you defeat him? What is your plan? When the whale sees you coming, he will not send out a delegation to negotiate. If you expect to defeat him, you will probably have to find a way to kill him, because he will not be your pet. A whale cannot be handled like a parakeet. You will not be able to keep him in a cage and satisfy him with some seed and a little bottle of water for him to peck at. Many dead men have thought that they could win a fight against a whale. They paid for their pride and presumption with their lives.

Now, if you would rather not risk an encounter in the ocean with an angry beast, why do you think that it is safe to offend God? We say, “But God can take our outbursts.” No doubt He can, and no doubt there have been many whales that have let a man or two get away despite their harpoon attacks. That does not make it safe to start throwing things at a whale. Why do people assume that it is safe to hurl insults at God? Why does anyone imagine that he can stand before God and make a case for his own righteousness at God's expense?

With that in mind, consider God's purpose in talking to Job sat length about “Behemoth” in the previous chapter and “Leviathan” in this one. Though Job may not know it, this entire trial has something to do with a creature of God who is stronger than man, amazing in knowledge, unusually crafty, and very evil. If he seems to masquerade as an angel of light, or if he claims that he comes under a flag of truce, beware. He steals, he kills, and he destroys. We are told that we will judge angels one day? What is it that we have as human beings that will allow us to fight against a fallen angel like Satan? Only this: We are united with the head of the church, Jesus Christ. In Him we have one offensive weapon, the Word of God. Our King has also provided us with the very best defensive armor including a shield of faith with which we can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one.

Yet our hope is not in our faith or in our ability to use God's Word. These four chapters of humbling questions teach us a different lesson. In the face of any serpent of the raging seas, God is able. He wins with His voice. One little Word shall fell the strongest enemy.

There is an adversary of whom it can be said, “On earth there is not his like.” He seems to be “a creature without fear.... He is king over all the sons of pride.” Yet with the beginning of the preaching of the kingdom of God by men like Peter and John, Jesus saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. That was not because of any strength or goodness in them, but because of the power of our righteous God over all His creatures and all their actions. Let us do the amazingly powerful thing that redeemed human beings were created to do. Let us worship God through Jesus Christ our Lord, and let us use our reason, our speech, and our lives to give to others the gift of love which can be the best fruit of godly suffering.

Job 40

Jesus instructs us in the Sermon on Mount, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” There are certain limits to that instruction. In particular, it is the duty of a superior to find fault with one beneath him in order to protect that subordinate through some necessary correction. Therefore a father will need to help his son this way, and a teacher certainly must find fault with a student in order to correct her work. This is certainly the case in the community of worship as well. That is why the apostle Paul advises the church in Corinth to make necessary judgments in the church in order to protect the community of faith. He even goes so far as to say, “The spiritual person judges all things.”

Judgment becomes problematic when it is done without love, when it is accompanied by hypocrisy, or when an inferior presumes to sit in judgment his superior. This third offense is called insubordination, and it has surely always been a popular past-time since the day that Satan convinced Eve that God was not giving commands that were in her best interest to obey. The inappropriate finding of fault in a superior is an important theme in the book of Job. Not only have Job's friends done this to Job, but Job himself has done this to God. The Lord now brings attention to this grave error. He calls Job a faultfinder, and so he is. It was right for Job to find fault with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They needed correction. It is never right for anyone to find fault with God. Job has desired to bring a lawsuit against the Almighty. This is a staggering act of insubordination.

God has been questioning Job in order to further redirect his attention appropriately to the difference between a creature and the Creator. So far Job has had no answer to give. Now God insists that Job answer. Job's response speaks for itself: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”

This is astounding transformation. It has come about through a brutal trial that began in the heavenlies before the throne of God. It continued with great loss and sickness on earth, but then especially with the vague and unsubstantiated accusations of friends. These earlier developments, especially the final one, gave birth to Job's error. But this was not the end of God's work with Job. He only wounds his beloved servants for the purpose of granting a far better healing. Therefore He sent His prophet Elihu to begin the redirection of beloved Job. After Elihu spoke Job had nothing more to say. Yet God finished this work of discipline in person. Job wanted to speak with God. Here is His chance.

God continues. Will Job accuse God of being in the wrong and that for the purpose of maintaining his own righteousness? Of course Job cannot win a fight against God. He always knew that. But there is something else for us to consider in the New Testament era. We know more clearly and plainly how the Lord's plan of righteousness truly works. If we aim to prove our right at God's expense then all will be lost. Our only hope of being declared holy is through the perfect righteousness of God credited to us. What if we were able to prove ourselves right in our own merit, but only at the cost of God being proven wrong? Absurd? Yes, but it would also entirely undermine all our hope of eternal peace.

This is more of a gospel message than the Lord chooses to give at this point. He reveals the beauty of the righteousness of Christ and the power of His cross little by little and in various ways. The book of Job is early in that process. God does give an answer here. It is true, basic, and good for every era in the Lord's dealings with His elect: “Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?” (See Romans 9:20.)

Job's right hand could never have saved Job, but God's right hand has saved Him. Christ, who is at the right hand of the Almighty, both saves us and keeps us. We are no position to find fault with God.

This trial that Job has experienced started in heaven. The Lord brought up the name of Job to God's adversary, Satan. That being is one amazing Behemoth. Imagine any large beast that has every walked the face of the earth and know that you have a better chance of fighting such a monster that you could see than you do in your present warfare against the devil. Satan has been at work in Job's trials, but only as far as God's sovereignty would allow. That same Satan many years later desired to sift Peter as wheat, yet the Lord Jesus had prayed for Him. Though Peter denied Christ three times his faith would not fail. Jesus instructed him that when he had turned again that he should strengthen his brothers.

It is in the strength of Christ that God will soon crush Satan under your feet. Do not judge the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Do not settle into a pattern of finding fault with the Almighty on account of the trials that He has given you. He has His purposes. You will never fully understand the depths of His wisdom. Surely He intends to hold you through it all, for not one of His children will be lost.

Song of Solomon 8

Knowing that a day is coming when you will surely be with your love forever does not take away the longing for him. As that day approaches, does hope's intensity increase? There is no need for despair, but there is a happy and earnest eagerness that is a part of any great expectation.

The good woman of this song of love wants her great man now. Is there some other way to satisfy her intense desire rather than waiting in faith? She considers the possibilities. What if he were to pose as her brother... Then she could have him now. She would find him and kiss him, and no one would think anything of it. They could go off together, she and her “brother.” She could take him to her mother's house nearby... She would give him spiced wine, the fruit that is his, and he would taste and enjoy. That would be delight, his left hand under her head, and his right hand embracing her.

This desire is so strong that it is painful. She has good advice for others, for the daughters of Jerusalem: Do not stir or awaken love prematurely in a young girl. The waiting is difficult. One day love will be pleased to wake up within the heart. Love knows its own time. Don't rush it.

But back to this waiting lovesick woman, love is certainly wide awake within her. Love will not be quiet within her heart. Love calls to her man, and she must face the pain of longing for more of him.

But now suddenly there she is leaning intimately on her beloved, and the two are coming up from the wilderness. Is it her mother watching her daughter coming toward her in the arms of her great man. It was not very long ago that she gave birth to a little baby girl. Now she is a woman, and she has the man of her dreams. The future is ahead of them. The one who gave her birth and all those in that generation have learned a new supportive role of celebrating the good that is to come in the lives of others. They will rejoice in the love of the young, and will help life with whatever wisdom and strength they have learned from their days to the extent that it is wanted. Like those who greet us as we enter heavenly realms, one generation welcomes the next and is happy.

Hear the vow of eternal love: “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.”

The flame of the great I AM is eternal love. He has written it as a seal upon His heart and ours. We belong to each other. His love is a fierce love, a jealous love, a love that permits no one else to fatally disrupt the beauty of the glorious fellowship He desires with His bride. Nothing will put out the flame of that love. Nothing is so precious that it could ever induce him to turn away from His woman.

There is a time when you are not ready for this greatest of all loves. Like a little girl who is too young to understand the beauty of deep intimacy, you must grow and mature in your appreciation for your King. The day will come when you will be the one coming over the hill arm in arm with your glorious Husband. He went to the cross for you. He will not forget to come for you on the day of your death, that where He is you also may be. That is His promise.

We see glimpses of the glory of divine love even now. Some get a generous portion in God's gracious gift of a close and wonderful bond of a man and a woman until the sad day when death parts the two that were made one. All who are known to God in His electing love will themselves know the fullness of that love in the life to come. Be patient in hope. The good day is coming for you soon enough. You will testify on that day that you have now come of age, and that in the eyes of your good Man you will be as one who finds a new and full peace.

The one who knows the love of Jesus has a Lover greater than Solomon. Christ paid a very high price to have you forever, since this eternal relationship of love required His humiliation and death. Now He lives above, and is full of power, glory, and honor. He is able to bring you to Himself forever. He is calling to you now. He wants to hear your voice. For our part, we in the church are very eager for Him to come for us, and we are looking for all things to be new in the coming together again of heaven and earth in Him. We join with all those throughout the ages who have eagerly anticipated his coming, and we sing to Him, “Make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.” Come soon, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Song of Solomon 7

How beautiful is the one loved by the great man! Even her feet are beautiful. He calls her a noble daughter. Nobility should be more than a question of birth. It is a statement of training toward a character that recognizes the responsibility of gifts that have been given. To be truly noble is to know that you have received good gifts, and to use them in a matter worthy of the giver.

This great king has spoken before of her physical beauty, but before he began with wonder of her eyes and her hair. Now he starts with her feet and then extols her rounded thighs. They are like perfect jewels to him. To speak of her navel, her belly, and her breasts is to bring attention to very intimate details. Yet there is not a word of embarrassment here. He returns again now to the details of her lovely face. He has traveled with his eyes from toe to head, and has found her to be entirely admirable. Is there no blemish in her at all? Though he is a king, he is held captive by the wonder of her beauty.

The eyes that have explored his love have sent the good report to his hands. He announces his intentions. He will climb the tree and lay hold of the fruit, like clusters on the vine. He will come near to her mouth and take in her breath, filled with the freshest scent of heavenly apples, and he will taste the wine of her mouth.

She responds to his intimate kiss and testifies again that they are for each other. She is his, her beloved's. His desire is for her.

He has announced what he will do. Now she happily invites him to come to her. There is a holy and pure boldness in her words. He is the good man, and she is his love.

She speaks to him of a place that is known to her. Their love together is not only her beauty and his greatness. The world around them is made fresh and alive by their eternal affections. The fields are theirs to explore. They can lodge in the villages of this renewed land.

Where did these vineyards come from? Do they belong to these lovers? They seem to have title to the world. They have inherited the earth. They will go out early to the vineyards and see the progress of growth in this paradise of love.

This is the right place for her to give herself to him fully, and she announces that to him. Everything is right in that land. The smells of fresh growth fill the air as mandrakes give forth their fragrance.

We might have expected him to speak now of the mansion that he has prepared for her. Undoubtedly he has the most wondrous home for her that he has built with tender care. Yet it is the bride who speaks of doors that are theirs. Is there a cottage in one of the villages beyond the fields she has spoken of?

She has been preparing for this moment. She has been laying up treasures for the day of their perfect union. These fruits will be waiting for them beside their doors when they arrive. They will include new treasures as well as old. Over the course of her life of love for him, she has made herself ready for the fullness of time by storing away good fruits that have come forth from a heart of love for him.

These are choice and fragrant gifts. They are like jewels that do not become less wonderful with the passage of time. Yet they are alive with freshness, perfect for this land of glory.

From the moment that we know of our King's dying love for us and of our affection for Him, we should let our hearts be stirred in His worship. From that wellspring of a renewed feeling, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we should expect to see the fruits of heaven spring forth in our lives. As we live for the one that we love, we can begin to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where thieves cannot steal, and where there is no death.

One day we will see Him. We will hear Him speak His words of eternal love again that have nurtured our hearts throughout this time of preparation. We will speak to the one we have spoken to for many years, but now we will see His eyes as we speak, and we will know as we are known, and love as we are loved. We will come to the place where every action of true love has been kept safely, held carefully in reserve for this day to come. And we will be glad that we did not live for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains for everlasting life.

Song of Solomon 6

We take up this song of perfect love again as we listen to the words of others who have heard the woman extol the delights of her man. She has said great things about him, but he does not appear to be with her. Others are not always entirely welcome in a special relationship between a man and a woman. They can be very helpful and supportive. Sometimes they do that by staying away and letting the two lovers be by themselves. Sometimes their presence, their advice, and their questions can be a problem, even when they want to present themselves as those who are only trying to help.

This is especially the case when there is an appearance of some difficulty. A subtle question is not always as innocent and supportive as the one asking it may pretend. Remember this one... “Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'” To respond to a question rightly may require more insight than we possess into the heart of the person asking it.

“Where has your beloved gone?” Where indeed? These others claim that they are asking this question in order to aid in the search. Maybe, but maybe not. Where is her beloved? Will she allow herself to believe some lie? Does she lack a sense of his presence because he has abandoned her? Has he changed his mind about her beauty or about his love? Has he found someone else? Is he confused about his intentions?

None of these things are true. She knows her man, and she speaks faithfully about him. If he appears to be gone, it must be for some good reason consistent with his love and dedication. He has gone down to his garden. He is gathering good things. Earlier he had said that she is his garden. Do the others understand this? Never mind... She will just reiterate for anyone who wants to know: “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.”

Suddenly, whether in her dream or in the world of wonder where these lovers meet, he speaks! Has her statement of their union in love prompted his response of assurance? She is still beautiful to him. His word is her assurance. His love for her has not diminished in the least. Listen to what he says: “Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me.” He has not changed his thoughts about even one part of her body. Her faith in him is certainly justified. In his eyes there is simply no one else like her.

As far as others who would like to gaze at her, if other woman want to acknowledge that she is praiseworthy and that she is greatly blessed, who can deny them that right? If they wish to sing of the greatness of her man who speaks to her from on high, they can do so. If they did not praise him then surely the rocks themselves would cry out about his glory. And of course, she herself is perfectly free to consider the love that is already theirs, and to anticipate the glory of what is ahead of them in the full consummation of their holy passion for each other.

But if there are others who must be told to stand back, it there are men who would suppose that they could look on her as one who is less than holy, as their own love interest, like some girl who does an enticing dance before two armies, they will be turned away by his command. He will protect this relationship as it grows. Others may praise, but they will not be able to destroy.

She is his, and he is hers. His garden is protected from would-be friends who may have evil intentions. Their words will not be accepted at face value. He knows his own plans, and he is able to test those who claim to be celebrating this love, but who may secretly seek to lead her into fear and unbelief.

Communion with the Lord in this present age is not without complexity. We who have been claimed as the bride of the great Man of heaven must not allow ourselves to listen to other voices than His. He speaks to us in His Word, even when His glorious body may seem uncomfortably distant from our nightmares and the threats of deceivers.

There is so much that we do not know. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted into the murky waters of unclean spiritual exploration. We can trust the Word of Christ. His promises are certain. We should speak out the truth. “We belong to Jesus, and He belongs to us.” Don't be afraid to speak up. Let that declaration of faith in worship be followed by an ear that is eager to hear what your Beloved has to say to you as His Word is proclaimed. Listen for His unchanging love. The glorious wedding of Christ and the church is a certain reality. No enemy can snatch you out of the hand of your King.

Job 39

It is not an easy thing for us to accept that the ultimate answer to our struggle in life is God Himself. The Lord is not normally visible to our eyes, and we do not know any way that we can see the heavenly world that he has secured for us. What we can see is the world below, the world where we live, and this is very helpful to us in considering the One who keeps that world alive. That consideration requires not only what our senses can take in from nature, but the reasoning powers that God has given to us, and especially the Word that God has chosen to reveal to us. Faith comes by hearing, and living by faith is the only way for the servant of the Lord.

We want to know where God is in our suffering. By His instruction to Job we should consider what God is daily able to accomplish all across this world. We should think about what we cannot do, and be humbled before the Lord.

In the most remote corners of creation, God is. There are places that we simply could not get to. Perhaps if we expended all of our resources we might find a way to go where mountain goats give birth. But what would we do when we arrived? Would we be able to see what God sees, to know what He knows, and to do what He does. He has complete awareness of all of the natural world, and full sovereignty over the secondary causes that we might observe. I live in a part of the world where the moose lives, but in my years of traveling, I have never even seen one moose. God knows every moose on the planet. He knows when every calf is born, and he is in control of every force at play in the complex reality of the conception and birth of a wild animal. This is all beyond us.

Not only is God powerful over the details of the beginning of each creature, He also rules over the complexities of the change from young life to the strength of maturity. These behavior patterns are different for every species. Do not assume that everything in the world of animals is just the result of randomness and survival of the fittest. There is something to these as secondary answers to the questions we have as we observe the world around us. But it is the Word of God, combined with reason and observation that assures us that God is the Designer who not only currently rules over all, He is also the great Planner who decreed every detail of existence before the first word of creation was spoken, and who ordained all that would happen not only among men and angels, but also among the vast array of the intriguing creatures that fill this planet.

Each beast has a different instinct that is a result of His design, yet the Word tells us that God's reign over His creatures is not simply a matter of instinct and chance. The Lord is engaged in all the details of everything everywhere. If He determines to use instinct and what we observe as chance, that is His decision moment by moment. Donkeys do not speak by instinct and chance, but the Lord can make even a donkey give a message to a man. Did you imagine that such a small thing as that was beyond the One you confess to be God the Father Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of Holiness that was hovering over the waters at the beginning of time? Did you think that you were the sovereign Lord? It is easy to make that mistake in a moment of crisis, but it is a very silly idea.

God is the One. He is the three in One over all. He has a tender but powerful awareness over all the details of life. He is not detached when you suffer. He knows all that He is doing, and He is good.

An ox has a certain way of life that is useful according to the Lord's design. That way of life is completely different from the way of the ostrich. Each has its purpose. Each seems to know his part. A horse is different again. We can observe these animals in general, making observations that help us to learn how one species is not the same as another. Some are able to be tamed, and we can even know specific animals, distinguishing horse from horse, and ox from ox. We may have a certain affection for the one we have observed, and we may do what we can for the care, protection, and usefulness of that one we know by the name we have given to it. We may know one horse better than anyone else in the world. But God knows so much more. He knows every cell. He designed each to work in a certain way. He knows what the fall of mankind has done to the world of nature, and to the life of a man. He knows your suffering, and the cost of your deliverance. He has committed Himself to your salvation as no one else ever could. Trust Him.

He soars above this world higher than the hawk or the eagle. His ways are far above your ways, His thoughts far above your thoughts. Would you have ever been able to know what it would take to secure eternity from the disaster of human rebellion? Could you have come up with the cross? If you had been told that the best solution of all would require the death of Your eternal Son, would you have had the moral strength and love to do what was necessary to restore beauty and order to a world of suffering? Each creature has a job to do today. Some will be born. Some will die. Many will suffer for a purpose that they could never understand. It is your task and high privilege, as one created in God's image and redeemed by the blood of His Son, to believe in Him, and to trust Him. He is worthy.

Song of Solomon 5

The great man of this love song calls the glorious woman of his heart by many beautiful names. She is his love, his sister, his bride. These are not unexpected. But she also calls her his garden. This is unusual but wonderful. A garden is a special place to live and to enjoy. It is not the public square, but a private place where no one can go unless he is invited. He has been given happy permission to explore her.

In a lovely garden there is much to see, but our sight is not the only gift that God has given to us. All of the man's senses are able to enjoy his garden. He is not looking at a two-dimensional representation of the one he loves. He comes to his garden. He breathes in the spices that fill the air. He eats and drinks all that is delightful. Everything there is pleasant and truly good.

Though the garden is private, there is some communal awareness affirming the beauty of all that is taking place. The others address the man and the woman as friends. They tell them to eat and drink, yes even to be drunk with love.

Suddenly we are inside the dreaming mind of the woman. Where are we in her dreams? When is this happening? How can we sort out what she describes? In her dream she is full of desire for her man, her beloved. She is at the door of some place. Is it her mother's house again? Is it a memory of what life once was like, something that needs some resolution? She hears a knock on the door. Is it him? O, how she wants to be with him. She hears his voice, “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one.” But can she see him? Can she feel his embrace? He also wants to be on the other side of the door, to be inside her room, out of the rain and the night.

The dream continues. Should she open the door? She has already taken off her garment, washed her feet, and is ready for bed. Yet he puts his hand to the latch, and her heart is thrilled within her. She rises up to open the door. Her hands are dripping with myrrh as she moves them to unlock the bolt that protects her from the outside. But now the great man is gone! She seeks him but cannot find him. She calls to him, but he gives no answer.

Now she is outside, and the dream becomes strange and dark. Why can't the watchmen, the leaders in Jerusalem and the women of the city tell her where the great man of her heart can be found. No, the ones who should be shepherds and ambassadors of the king beat her badly. They take off her veil of modesty. What will the true king, the lover of this beautiful woman, do when he returns? But then this is a dream, or is it a remembrance of the days when those who should have been directing people to the Lord were instead abusing those who sought Him? Someone find the man and tell him that the perfect woman of his desire is sick with delight!

Suddenly the women of Jerusalem need to be reminded about the great king, the lover of this glorious bride. Why is he so much better than all the rest? She now testifies to all those who will hear about the wonder of this shepherd king. He is shining and strong, and there is no one like him. His head is the finest gold, and his hair is black and full of life. He earlier had said that her eyes were like doves, but now His are the same. They are holiness and peace to her as hers are to him.

She will not hold back her praise. She is not ashamed to speak of him to all who will hear. What would it smell like to lie down on a bed of fragrant spices? It is just as overwhelming even to kiss his cheeks. His lips are lilies dripping liquid myrrh. His arms are strong, mighty, and beautiful; gold ornamented with jewels. As he earlier saw behind her veil and even beneath her garment, she speaks boldly about his body of polished ivory. Everything is better than the best, most precious and beautiful. His mouth is most sweet. He said that she was desirable, and she readily testifies to the truth that he is altogether desirable.

She calls this great man her friend. We do not need to fear even death if that enemy needs to be the road that leads us a closer embrace of this best of all men. Is the existence of our Husband just a dream of our lovesick souls? No we have heard of the cross by which He proved His love. We have received His words, and we have the report of His life in the world that is beyond misery. His love for us is a proven fact, written in the testimony of his own blood. His glory was witnessed by His disciples who saw Him ascend into heaven. We shall be His garden. He desires us, and He will not be denied. Behold, He stands at the door and knocks.

Song of Solomon 4

Are we still dreaming somewhere under the sun, or did the beloved woman return to the better world? Though the story line of this song may be hard to follow at points, the plot is not our focus, but the appreciation of every glimpse that we are granted of the life of secure love that we desire to experience.

We are back again with the great king of the poem. His focus is singular. Her. He admires her physical beauty, and with great specificity and complete confidence. The one word for her is “beautiful.” This admiration of what he sees is deeply personal and connected to him. He calls her “my love.”

Yes, she is beautiful, but he insists on the most careful admiration of the love of his life. Her eyes are doves. The eyes are the lamp of the body. If you want to see your love in such a way that you are being seen as you see, you look into her eyes, and a connection of sight is established. In some cultures this has been recognized as such a special and intimate act that the gazing into the eyes of another is not considered appropriate between men and women who are only acquaintances. Some have even had the practice of women wearing a veil in order to prevent the unwanted look of a stranger. Here the glorious man sees behind the veil. He looks into her eyes and he says, “Your eyes are doves.” This lovely white bird is a symbol of heavenly purity and divine peace. He finds peace and rest in her beautiful eyes.

“Her hair,” he says, “is like a flock of goats.” These goats are in motion. They are leaping down the slopes of a mountain. Her hair has body and life. Is the wind moving it? Does it bounce along as they walk together. Perhaps he is standing near her, speaking these words of love, looking into her eyes while he remembers a moment that he has kept in his mind, a time when he watched her hair move as she moved. He had thought about how her hair was beautiful, and now he reminds himself of that sight, and shares the wonder of it with the one he loves.

His exaltation of her is detailed and sensual, as if he has a full knowledge of her every tooth. Each one is in the right place, like pairs of beautiful white twins standing together in perfect order. Even the smallest part is worthy of praise. Everything about her calls him forward in love. Her lips are scarlet, set off strikingly from her bright teeth and surrounded by her perfectly matching cheeks behind the modesty of her veil. Moving down from her head he admires her long strong neck, shining with the glitter of ointment, like a thousand perfect miniature warrior shields glistening in the sun. Her breasts are spoken of tenderly. He knows the intimate details, not only of her eyes and lips behind her veil, but even of her lovely shape beneath her garments. Her breasts are “two fawns, the twins of a gazelle, that graze among the lilies.” She is warm, moving, alive, and perfect.

He could happily spend all night long enjoying her fully. He would go away “to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.” All of his senses are engaged in the one flawless woman who is altogether beautiful to him. This is the passionate life to which he invites her. She is to come with him from where she is in the mountains of the north. She is his love, his “sister,” and his bride. He will take her away from every danger. She has captivated his heart.

And are we, who have not been lovely, to be the bride of the Lord? It is shockingly good news that the church is called by this name of “bride.” We are told that in heaven we will be without spot or blemish, perfect in the beauty of holiness. What will the physical manifestation of that be like? What is the bodily tent for us that is reserved in that kingdom above?

The Son of God, who has proven His love in the most costly way, assures us that He loves us, and will never leave us. We are also told that by a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him we can know even now that we are a rich inheritance for him! We have captivated the heart of the greatest of all men. Our love is beautiful to him. The lips of His bride are sweet to the One who has loved us with an everlasting love.

Today the garden of our love may yet be locked to him, but we anticipate the fullness of joy forever in His presence. There is a glorious body temple that will be revealed. Our eyes cannot yet see it, but we know it is very real. The love of God in the power of the Spirit is flowing forth from the deep springs of divine love, and even from within the redeemed church, it will be a spring of living water.

We call out to the Spirit together with the voice of our Savior. “Bring about the time of fullest joy!” Come Lord Jesus, and have what is yours, for you have saved a bride for a world of perfect delight. But how could Jesus look at us as perfect? He sees us already as we will be: perfect in holiness, sanctified by His Word of love. Can bridegroom and bride under the sun see each other this way by faith even now? What a great gift!

Song of Solomon 3

Where can the perfect man be found? Even if he could be found, how can He be enjoyed in a world that is not secure?

We may not be aware of it, and we may not want to admit it, but in our heart of hearts we are dreaming about heaven and we are hoping for a perfect love that will never go away. We are looking for a new time that is the grand finale of history. We are looking for a new place, where the stain of loss is unknown. But heaven is not just a new age to come, and a new place of life. Heaven is also a person, a Man who is the King, in whom we find ourselves to be all that we were created to be.

Back in the days of life under the sun, when it was night, the Lily, the Rose, the great love of Song of Solomon had a dream. Her soul was longing for her lover. She looked not for a future age or for a better place. She looked for him, for the man who was the one. She searched for him, but she seemed unable to find him.

In her dream she went out among the people of the kingdom, in that great city that should be holy, that Jerusalem below. She went to those who were leaders in the city, the watchmen. Of all the people living on the earth, these appointed leaders of the Lord's people should have been the experts at pointing to the great Man of heaven. She was bold in her request for this man of her dreams, but the watchmen of Israel were of little help to her.

Then she suddenly found him. She held him close like a woman who has recovered her love back from the dead, and is now afraid that he could be gone again in just a moment. The world of dreams is not secure. We need a world that is real. She sought to steal away the one she had found, to bring him back to her mother's home.

She does not seem to have her earlier confidence that comes from heavenly love. She was bold in her words and actions in chapters one and two of this book. Now she is unsettled, as one awakened in her love for the best of all men, She knows that her hold on him is tenuous. She senses that she has the one one she wants but that she will not be able to keep him, and that if he goes, she may lose him forever.

This is the difficulty of love in this world. Even the best love can be lost. How can we ever feel safe without some true security that would guarantee a love and a life that would last beyond our few brief years here below?

But now, we see something new. Is this still a dream? She sees a great king coming up from the wilderness. Like the presence of God in the cloud and the fire, this traveling hero is a Solomon, like the Son of God, the beloved of the Father. He is a glorious man surrounded by his servants. Yes, he is like God in heaven with his angels and his holy people all around him, perfect in strength and frightening in power. He travels in a glory chariot as the Lord Himself does in the Jerusalem that is above.

Look at its great posts of silver and its back of gold. What a great king seated on a lush throne of purple. Every detail has been lovingly attended to by his many admirers. He is surrounded by all that is lofty and majestic. Is he a living God? He has a crown. What would it be like to be the love of his life? Could anyone make such a great man truly happy? What would make his heart glad?

Life here below has a way of waking us up. We rub our eyes, curse the morning, and forget that we were made for glory. If we long for the age to come, for heaven, and for Jesus, we may fear that we are going to be exposed for our foolishness, either now, or at some future time. We are at least as likely to have thoughts that are nightmares as we are to have hopes of glory. We are afraid to dream.

But now in Christ, God has awoken our imagination. We have not see the coming age, or the new land, but there is no doubt that we have seen the Man. He had heaven in His fingertips. This is the one who died and rose again. His death was like a nightmare to those who were hoping that He was the King of Israel. His resurrection was a dream come true, the beginning of a new age and a new world. He is the Man of our dreams. Everything is going to be alright. This Man from heaven, this Man of the age to come, He is God, and He is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. Dream on! Your Jesus makes dreams come true, and He truly loves you.

Song of Solomon 2

What does a woman think about herself when she is in the best of all possible love relationships? Perhaps the answers that come to mind would vary greatly depending on the woman. Another important factor is the imagination of the person answering the question. Can you think of a better world than you have ever known before? Allow yourself to be taken up into the best of all possible realms. If a woman in that great place is in the best of all possible love relationships then she would know herself to be supremely and delightfully loved. To know love, is to be greatly blessed.

The woman in the love poem we call “Song of Solomon” knows that she is loved, and she boldly tells the truth, “I am a rose, a lily.” To be willing to say great and true things about yourself requires a sense of freedom and an environment of safety and affirmation. This is not boasting, it is just the truth, and in this best of all possible kingdoms, the truth is proclaimed without shame or fear of reproach.

The king of this place has established the truth here. He is the one who has added his voice to what everyone knows. Yes, she is a lily, far above any competing object of his affection. He calls her his love. She knows her man, the king, to be like an apple tree in the forest, a most surprising and excellent discovery. Just to be in his shadow and to want his fruitfulness is a very wholesome delight, and she is not ashamed to speak of this desire. The love that he has for her has created an environment of beauty and protection, a place for a great feast, with a banner over her that is his love.

She is overwhelmed with the glory of this place and this man, and surely she would simply be crushed by the wonder of such a perfect affection if it were not for the food of that land, and for the strong hand of her lover, his left hand supporting her head, and his right hand embracing her body. Love like this is so powerful that it should not be awakened until the right time. It is such a good gift that it must not be stirred up too much until the perfect moment arrives. Such a love should not be forced upon her. She should desire it greatly herself, and that takes time so that desire has an opportunity to take root and blossom within her.

Consider the beloved man together with the woman who has become so willing to admire him. Where did he come from? No one can say. We hear of his leaping over mountains like a great gazelle in order to be with her. He calls to her as he looks through her window. His voice speaks, and it is the one voice that her heart longs to hear. He is urging her to rise up to meet him. The winter is over, and the flowers are on the new earth. Every breath is full of the life of new creation, and he must enjoy it all with her. Can you smell the freshness of the fruit of the earth? Do you want to walk in that land with him?

It is not enough for this king to see his new world. He must see her face as they explore it together. He wants to hear her voice, because it is sweet to his ear, and her face is very lovely to look at. Is there some animal that would destroy the vineyard in that place? Don't be afraid of such things. Such little foxes will be caught. No one will destroy this moment that these lovers have together.

Her man is a forever lover, and she is his forever love. That's why she can say, “My beloved is mine, and I am his.” They started off together with the freshness of morning. They were with each other all day and night. Now he is off to the place where he goes. He is not running away in secret. She is blessing him with her words, as if her wish was required to show the perfection of the journey ahead of him. She says, “Turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains.”

There is something planted within a woman, and even within a man, that wants to be loved this well and this much. It is fitting that we who are created in the image of God would desire a world that is worthy of His perfection. That world was costly to win, but our Lover is very worthy, and He has paid the price that was necessary that we might be able to enjoy life with Him forever.

He came from heaven, and when He had completed His costly work on earth, He returned to heaven. His intention is not only our rescue, but also the renewal of all things. His banner over us is love. His love is in us even now, as we walk in the light of that new land. He is there before us, we are in Him, and by His Spirit He is in us. His left hand is holding up your head, and His right hand embraces you.

Song of Solomon 1

There is something so basic and right about one man and one woman enjoying love together. This Song of Songs, which is Solomon's, is about that love. It does not explore the many problems that we experience in relationships under the sun. Though there are occasional notes of danger and trouble, this is a love poem that seems to come to us from another world, where a perfectly admirable husband seeks the pleasure of his gloriously beautiful bride.

She begins her part of the song with a bold statement of her willingness to give her love to this great man: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” No polite little customary check on cheek with only a kissing sound. She wants to put here lips on his. Wine is a great gift of God, but his love is better than wine. His body sends out oil that is delightfully fragrant, yes, his very name is oil poured out, like the Holy Spirit coming forth from heaven. She knows that the young maidens love him, but she need not share him with anyone. She wants him to call her to himself alone, so that they could run off together to his wonderful chambers. He is her king, but he is also her lover.

This love between them is publicly known and celebrated. Others are able to see the greatness of the man that she loves, and to agree with her that his love is to be highly valued. Everyone is very right to love him as she does. Who cannot deny what is so obvious? Her boldness in singing about her love for him is very appropriate in this perfect setting. Everyone agrees with this love.

The lovely woman of this poem is dark from the sun. She has been caring for others, and has had little opportunity to concern herself with her own beauty. In her labors she has found a way to keep her eye on the one man that is far above his companions. She does not want to be the woman for any other shepherd. She insists that he is her only desire.

Now he speaks, this glorious shepherd-king, calling her the most beautiful among women, inviting her to follow in the tracks of the flock that follow him. She is not rejected. With him she will find a place to live, for her and for her young goats. This shepherdess is valued by him and by all the others in his world of love. In an earlier time and place she may have been mistreated and unloved, but now she will wear ornaments of beauty and honor. All around her will rejoice in their love, and will have their part to play in making this once humble servant to be the most beautiful bride.

Even now, she knows that her lover, her king, is a sensuous and delightful man. He should be as close to her as possible. Everything about him is captivating. He speaks to her with words that would heal old wounds. “You are beautiful, my love.” She responds in kind. Everything is boldness and truth. His love for her is not only beautiful. It is young and strong, an eternal love that will never fade.

The green meadow is their couch. The cedars above are their vaulted ceiling. They are forever young and vibrant, and the world they inhabit is alive with beauty, goodness, and delight.

This is a poem that we enter into. We find a place in this new world. The Shepherd King calls to us, admiring our beauty. We must not try to see this world of love as if we were outside analysts. We need to enter through the gates of this good place. We need to feel the joy of this lovely woman as she speaks about her amazing man. We want to sing with those who agree with her and who would be happy just to be able to make the jewelry that she will wear for him on their special day.

Cast your worries far behind you. You may have placed your head upon your pillow last night with the tears of a different world. But now your chamber is suddenly filled with light. A door to another world has opened. This world is not imaginary. It is more real than the tears that are quickly being dried from your eyes.

Here is joy and life in the beloved King, the Husband, the Lover and Friend of the church. The cross is over, for Him and for you. If wounds remain, they are not for sorrow. They are only badges of glory. The battle is won. You are safe in Jesus. If you are ever able, even for a brief moment, to live out the truth of that more solid world in the midst of this vanishing veil of tears, seize the opportunity, and enjoy it fully. Do not let it pass you by. Love your wife. Give yourself to your husband. Walk in the beauty of heaven. Rejoice in the Lord!

Job 38

There are no words that could adequately express the terror of man in the presence of God after sin enters the world through Adam. The level of anyone's reasonable fear at such an encounter is only increased by various complicating aggravations. For example, Job knows so much about God, and the one to whom much is given, from him much is required. Furthermore, at various moments in this great ordeal God's friend Job has seemed to taunt the Almighty. That can't be safe. Finally, Job's heart has been prepared to greatly fear the Lord through the Word of the prophetic young ambassador, Elihu. To receive such a message awakens conviction of sin. Beyond any of these reasons, there is the overwhelming fact that Elihu has been describing an approaching storm as an example of God's great power, but now the Lord Himself has come to Job out of the whirlwind, and He has some questions for His suffering Servant.

Even though this passage begins with the words, “Then the Lord answered Job,” what follows in chapters 38-41 is an astounding list of questions. If this is an answer to any of Job's inquiries, it is not immediately apparent. In fact, the only answer that Job seems to get from God is the very best answer for any man of faith who suffers an affliction that he cannot possibly understand. God. God is the only answer.

The way for Job to see that God is the answer is through God questioning Job. Job had wanted to question God, but it is God who will ask the questions. The first one is this: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” Job, the most righteous man of his day, a man of great wisdom, a man who has uttered prophetic revelation about the resurrection age to come, has spoken words that are beyond what he could know.

Job was not there when the earth was made. Jesus was there, but Job was not. Jesus was the One through whom all things were made. He is God's Workman. Job did not take a tape measure to the sphere on which we live and determine that all was according to specifications. Jesus knows the underpinnings of creation, and He is Himself the Cornerstone of the coming resurrection world. He came from heaven. Angels serve Him. They sing His praise, as they have since that first moment when those powerful sons of God shouted for joy. They took up their songs of praise again when Christ was born in Bethlehem. The ultimate Son of God was the one they worshiped.

Job was not there when the limits of the seas were determined and the dry land appeared. He could only hear about the world of waters above and waters below. He could be given a report from God about the days of Noah, and that new beginning when life came forth from the ark. Jesus knows all of this as the eternal Son of God. He demonstrated His authority over the waters in the sight of His apostles. Job cannot still the waves or walk on water.

Job cannot make the sun rise in the east and set in the west, but Jesus is the meaning behind the sunrise. Every day in the life of Job as that great orb was observed by people, a story was being hinted at. One day Job's Redeemer will come as the ultimate resurrection Daystar. Even now He has made the light of God to shine in our hearts, signaling the coming of that final great age of light for which we have already received the earnest of the Holy Spirit. Job could not take a dead soul and make it alive. Job has no sovereignty over the living and the dead, but Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.

Can Job bring forth lightning and thunder, rain and snow? He would not know where to start if God gave Him the assignment of bringing about the whirlwind from which the Almighty has emerged in order to speak to His beloved suffering child. Do you see the mercy in all these questions that Job could not possibly answer? The redirection of Job toward God through the message of Elihu is now being completed by the great I AM. When everything seems to be spinning out of control we need to set our hearts on the only Being who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” We might expect these words to refer to a God that we cannot see. But now God has come to us as One who took on human flesh forever in order to redeem humanity, and it is this Jesus who we are told is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is God, and He calls us His friends.

Redirect your heart to the friend who reigns in the heavens, far above every other power. He knows the constellations in the skies, not as a student of astronomy, but as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Consider what it means that the One who died for your sins is somehow the major Player in God holding all things together by the Word of His power. Do you want to have well-being in tragedy? You will not find it in your own righteousness, even if you are as righteous as Job. You will not find it in your own knowledge and wisdom, even if you are as wise as Solomon. You will find a Rock to rest upon only in Jesus, the Wisdom and Power of God. Stop looking for answers that, even if you knew them, could never satisfy you. The answer is God in Jesus Christ. Trust Him.

Ecclesiastes 12

My parents tried to talk to us about saving for the future when we were in our twenties. We decided that we did not have any money to put away at that time. Our second child had just been born, and the idea of a pension was not of even remote interest to us. To be young! To think that death is so far away! The wise young man or woman will give some serious consideration to the future. No matter how old you are, take a look around you and embrace the truth that death can come in a moment, and that if you live long enough to experience growing old, you will face significant changes that you would be very wise to plan for when you are young.

The Preacher offers these important words in this final chapter of Ecclesiastes, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth.” Long life is a blessing, but it does have challenges. Decades pass by more quickly than expected, though individual days may seem to last too long. The burden of a long life upon your body and your mind may cause you to decide that there is little left for you when you reach old age, and you still may not be ready to finish your life well and to go to be with the Lord.

Many generalizations that could be offered about the aging process would be difficult to prove, but some things can be said with confidence. Your present body is mortal, and you will begin to feel that mortality as you get older. While some of the details may vary, here is what you can expect. Your eyes will not work as well as they once did, your hands will not be as steady, and even your mind may show signs of age that will not be entirely positive. You will probably lose some teeth, you will have problems with your hearing, you won't stand up straight, and more than all of that, you may be strangely impatient and even more intolerant than you were as a young man, since disappointments and anxieties will take their awful toll.

Therefore, use your youth well. Your body generally has its highest capacities when you are in your late teens, twenties, and early thirties. The challenge of those important years of vitality may be that the very sufferings that can leave the plaque of regret on the heart of an old man are useful in building the character of a young man. By the time that you have had the foolishness of youth beat out of you, you are starting to move past your prime. Blessed is the man who, through suffering and a consideration of God and the world in his years of young adulthood, is able to gain some wisdom while he still enjoys a good measure of bodily health.

Remember your Creator in your youth! Develop the habit of humility before God as a young man, and it will serve you well throughout your life. Live wisely in your most productive years and then finish well in your declining years. One day, you don't know when, maybe before your hair has a chance to turn white, you will go to your eternal home. Your silver cord will snap, your golden bowl will break, your pitcher will shatter releasing its precious contents, your wheel will break beyond repair, your body will be buried in the ground, returning to dust, and your spirit will go to be with God who gave you life.

The Preacher knows what he is talking about. He had wisdom in his day. Now he is with God. He wrote wonderful proverbs and arranged them with great care. He composed words of delight into a love poem, and he authored this important book of obvious and challenging truth. He accomplished amazing things and he surely made many mistakes. If he was willing to take his own advice, he remembered his Creator, the one Shepherd of our souls who can lead us in the way of the wisdom that comes from heaven.

There are many words in this fleeting world, but not all of them are equally beneficial. Hear the conclusion of this consideration of life under the sun. Do you want to live wisely? Then fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Why? Because God will bring every deed into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Do you have a life that is so pure that the Lord could examine your every hidden thought, word, and action, and conclude that you live with perfect wisdom? No? That is why the Wisdom of God came from heaven. Jesus did this for you, accomplishing His greatest work through His death for your sins. His resurrection is your assurance that His death was successful. When you remember your Creator in your youth or even on the day of your own death, don't forget that your Creator became your Redeemer. You will go to be with Him when He calls you to Himself. Do not throw your life away. Live it wisely despite your weakness. God is in charge. The work of Christ is perfect, and it will last forever. Enjoy the gifts that are your portion even today, and remember that your Redeemer lives beyond the sun in a world that is without futility and foolishness.

Job 37

When we gather together to worship God, our hearts are directed toward Him and away from ourselves. While we come there to find peace, not every moment in His presence is equally peaceful. Some of the things that we hear from His Word are supposed to make us tremble. This is also true of life. There is a difference between our experience of a broad meadow on a day of gentle sunshine and the feelings we have in that same place when the thunder and lightening of God are all around us.

Job has heard the thunder of God. Destruction came down from heaven upon his household. When lightening strikes so close, it may take some time to recover from the shock of the experience. Then we look around to see if anyone was hurt. When we are able to feel the magnitude of the loss, this naturally is our focus for some time. Eventually we may be capable of thinking about the Power who gives life and who takes it away. Our eyes one day focus less on ourselves, and we find a more glorious sight to behold as we tremble before God.

This trembling before the Lord's majesty in worship and in life can be accompanied by a simultaneous awareness of the goodness of God and of His amazing ability to work out His purposes through things that are very evil. There is much wickedness and trouble everywhere. We can look at the distressing actions of people in bringing harm to others, or we can consider the forces of nature at work in a powerful storm, and we must insist that oppression and overwhelming winds of death are not good things in their essential nature. Yet we know that God is sovereign over everything, and He is good. He thunders wondrously with His voice. He does great things that we cannot comprehend. To embrace this truth is to move toward health. When we allow ourselves to think about more than the damage brought about by the storm, we can consider the One who has the power behind even the worst tragedy.

Lightning can seem to fill the entire sky. The thunder that swiftly follows may be too much for our ears to take. We run for shelter along with every wild beast. God can bring a whirlwind or a river of ice from the sky that brings down the trees of the field. Do we imagine that these events have nothing to do with the Almighty, that they are simply the result of natural forces without any divine purpose? How then will we ever find peace when we see that our loved ones have lost their lives in that storm? Was God unaware? If the Lord is the Almighty God of heaven and earth, He must be the One in charge of life and death. The storm is not God. The Lord is God over the storm. Look at Him. Consider His power and His greatness. Tremble before Him, and eventually, find peace in Him. We do not know all of what He is doing in the storm. We cannot understand whether He is correcting His people, or whether the worst loss we experience is a secret design for the securing of some everlasting mercy, or if both of these goals are at work in the same frightening trial. But we do know Him, and we know that He commands the storm. Otherwise the storm is more of a God than the Lord, and all is lost.

Consider the wondrous works of God. We don't know how He does them. To faithful science belongs the trembling thrill of examining the secondary forces at work that bring the hurricane. This is a sacred charge, to look hard at the facts of nature, to make hypotheses, and to consider ways that theories can be tested with experimentation. But beyond every second cause of every storm, whether in the heart of the earth or in the secret recesses of a child's mind, there is the first Cause of all things. We must turn to Him for healing.

Even when we think God's thoughts after Him and discover the way that weather patterns function, can we actually make weather for the earth? Even if we could do that, are we able to place the galaxies in motion? Can we do these things and still live? Will others live after our efforts to control the world have run their course? Do we think that we can teach the Almighty? Have we found the flaws in His handiwork, and discovered good solutions that will not themselves eventually cause even greater troubles?

What if a man could come from heaven who would actually have the mind of God with all that divinity somehow resting in His person? What would such a Man be like, who with His divine nature could have knowledge about the storms of the earth and of the mind along with the power to repair both? That would be something! What would the necessary repair be for all our troubles? Would it follow upon the discovery of a technical flaw in the handiwork of God, some problem with His engineering specifications? Isn't it the case that any error would likely be in us and not in Him? If so, then the fix required would be the satisfaction of God's own holy demands.

God has come to us from on high in Jesus Christ. He knew that the problem in this world was in us, and so He became Man to save humanity. The solution was not a secret fix to some technical glitch. It came in the Lord's perfect provision of all the holy righteousness required by His Father. There was one other thing necessary for the full realization of the repair to heaven and earth: The perfect Son of God needed to die in our place. This was the only way to still the mighty thunder of God that was against us for our sin. This was the only solution that would allow us to find life beyond the folly that, since Adam, has been bound up within the troubled hearts of all of his descendants. God's answer for this troubled world is very different then the repairs that even the wisest and holiest people imagine in their own conceit. The resurrection of Jesus assures us that the solution of the cross of Christ truly worked. Let us gather together then with both trembling and joy, and let us worship God through Jesus Christ together with all of heaven's glorious host.

Ecclesiastes 11

Living well in a world under the Lord's sentence of futility is not just a matter of recognizing the facts of decay and death. That is important, since demanding that this life be heaven on earth will not make it so, and will only lead to disappointment, frustration, and more trouble; but there is more to the good life than awareness. The Preacher has also told us that the simple enjoyments of the ordinary gifts of God in our own homes is a very important part of having peace and happiness as we live under the sun. Yet there is even one more very important lesson for living that comes to us from this great book of wisdom. The Preacher says, “Cast your bread upon the waters.”

This beautiful image goes beyond our own household. We stand at the water's edge, and we give away a portion of God's good gifts that we have received from His hands. We cast them upon the waters, willingly giving a portion to seven, or even to eight, perhaps having no idea of how our little bit of help will be of any lasting help to anyone. We could easily convince ourselves that generous living makes no sense. With all the problems of this world, and with our own meager supply of wealth, looking for new opportunities to help others is really like casting your bread upon the waters. What will be the good of it? Yet the Preacher says that we should do it, and that we will find that it will return to us sometime, perhaps after many days have passed.

How can we know that we will be repaid when we are generous to others? This reminds us of another one of the Preacher's favorite messages. God is sovereign. He sees, and He knows. His work will stand forever. Generous living with an awareness of the reign of God over all things is wisdom, though it seems as foolish as casting your bread upon the waters. You will find that bread again, perhaps when you need it the most, perhaps from the hand of someone who once turned to you for help.

This generosity of heart makes a wonderful partner to diligent labor. Those who are up and about the task that God has for them every day may find in their work not only a provision for their own daily bread, but also several portions for others who are in need. Do not worry too much about whether someone deserves your assistance. Yes, you do not want to unwittingly encourage laziness or evil in others, but do not allow continual excuses to persuade you that a practical deed of love is a bad idea. Work hard, and then cast your bread upon the waters.

Because God is in charge, and since He knows so much that is hidden from you, your giving need not be a calculated decision of how everything will eventually work out in your own favor. You don't know the work of God who makes everything. You may find that more prosperity comes to you as a result of your giving than from the profits of your business, or you may find that both your business and your mercy are both blessed by God. Cultivate a life-long habit of love, and the tree of your life will fall in a place where generous hearts rest after their days of toil under the sun are completed.

Now we work, we receive, and we give; and all of it can be enjoyed. This is the life of light that God has for His beloved children in a world of darkness. If even this world has such sweetness and beauty though it is under a sentence of death, how much more wonderful must heaven be! Gain a glimpse of the life to come as you labor and as you give away the fruits of your work. One day others who were seeking the Lord for help may be greeting you when you arrive in the most pleasant world of light.

To live the good life, this is wisdom. Jesus of Nazareth lived the ultimate life. He worked hard, but with a full awareness that death and destruction were all around him. He enjoyed the simple pleasures, in fact some of the Pharisees thought that He and His disciples enjoyed life a little too much, and they were not sure that their celebrations were very spiritual. Most of all, He gave everything away, so that when He was finished with His work on earth, there was nothing left to give. His generosity was not wasted. It was powerful for the saving of lives, and now we worship the One who loved us so well. He lives forever in the most exalted place of divine authority, and we will one day gaze upon the wisdom of His life of which we only catch a glimpse at present.

His life on earth was not particularly long, but it was a life lived with the fullest awareness of God and man. When all His works were judged, the verdict of His Father was “not guilty,” and “righteous.” The blessing bestowed upon Him was fullness of glory in heavenly realms. He has taken this fruit of His perfect labor and shared it with you. Because of the certainty of His resurrection gift, the futility of death shall one day be far removed from both your body and soul forever.

Job 36

The grieving soul needs to find God. This is not an easy thing to do, even for people who have believed in and known the Lord for as long as they can remember. It does not normally help for someone to come to mourners in that condition of permanent life-altering loss and to begin talking to them about God or instructing them that they need to find God and lean upon Him, even though that is a fact. There is one person you listen to more than anyone else on the planet, yourself. It is best to hear instruction directly from your own soul. You can talk to your soul, and you can also listen to your soul. Say something like this to yourself when the time is right: “Why so downcast O my soul? Put your hope in God!” (Psalm 42:5)

There is one voice that is even more powerful than the voice of a person's own soul; the voice of God. At times throughout the history of God's speech He has spoken through prophets, as here with Elihu speaking to Job. Job is not interrupting Elihu. He is listening, How do we distinguish this speech from that of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar? That is a very mysterious question. Even if the content were entirely the same, which it is not, there is something different with Elihu. He really is a messenger from God. The other men were not speaking for God. God promises that His own Word will not return empty to Him. There is no such promise for the vast crowd of overly spiritual advisers to the grieving who talk too much when they should just admit that they do not understand what God is doing.

The voice of God through Elihu is powerfully reorienting the soul of this great man Job to the God that he has never stopped believing in and never stopped loving. Bear with Elihu now, for he really is God's messenger until the Lord Himself will speak. Job was the best messenger of God earlier in the book, and now Elihu speaks with a great prophetic spirit and Job listens. Soon God Himself will speak without any prophet, and everyone else will have to fear, listen, and obey. Inasmuch as Job and Elihu have accurately spoken the Lord's Word, God has truly spoken through them. Yet who can help but be taken aback when the Almighty One comes directly from heaven to talk to His beloved servant Job? But for now, Elihu redirects well the heart of this grieving lover of God.

His message? What a mighty God is the Lord! His glory is not only in physical force. He has the power of perfect understanding and faultless accomplishment. His purpose will stand, and His timing is unquestionably right. He sees His afflicted one. He even knows who will be His eternal King, and He will exalt that One above all the nations forever. For those to whom He grants some measure of authority on earth, He watches their works, and disciplines their arrogance in His own perfect way. He can make anyone willingly hear, believe, and obey. Some respond to His outward entreaty according to an inward effectual call that men cannot see. Others harden themselves to His instruction, and are left in the disastrous pride that will lay them low and hurt those around them.

Here is something amazing to consider: God is free to draw the righteous near to Him through affliction that would normally come to the ungodly. This treatment that seems so unjust to us, is not a good excuse to heap ignorant accusations upon the Lord or to scoff at Him as if we knew anything. The misery that we feel is part of the pathway of a powerful ransom for the elect of God, an expression of His love for us, and not a sign of our special sinfulness or of His unusual displeasure. Do not mock at powerful mysteries, but receive what you cannot possibly understand. There is no way to avoid His providence anyway, and through the worst of time, God is still unchanging in His goodness.

Embrace the affliction somehow, and embrace God. How can anyone do that? Can a person like Job be expected to be happy about what has happened to his family, all of them gone in a moment? Let's not say too much, just receive what we can never change, and marvel at God. As you grow in your recovery, stop wishing for your own death. That is not the attitude of a child who trusts his father. Let the Lord be exalted and let Him teach you as He sees fit according to His own eternal counsel. Take in the affliction, though you hate it, rather than trying to go around it.

This was the pathway of Jesus, the sinless Servant of the Lord. Of course He despised the cross for the evil thing that it was, yet He embraced it for the glorious thing that it became. He extolled His Father, and gave Himself entirely into His hand. The church still singing about this centuries after it has been accomplished: One Man suffered well, and He emerged perfectly victorious for our sake. Therefore, we agree with the Son of God that God is great. We do not understand His eternal nature and His infinite and unchangeable wisdom as He touches our own lives with present sorrow. We see the lightning, and we hear the thunder. It seems too close. We know that the Lord has brought water up into the clouds, and that He is pouring forth His gift of rain upon the earth. And we know that the seed that has been planted in death, will yet be harvested in the fruitfulness of life, and that requires not only sunshine, but also rain. Not all rain is gentle. To feel affliction rightly is to find the greatness of God in the storm, and to trust Him in the eternal quietness of His own divine love, receiving and giving back, appreciating and putting to good use whatever He ordains for us in this place of tears and hope.

Ecclesiastes 10

After several chapters of the Preacher's words, are you beginning to suspect that he is just a pessimist? Is he missing the happier parts of truth? Don't be too critical of the Preacher. We have already heard his advice that there are many things in life that can be received and that should be enjoyed. The problem is that with everything that we experience in this life where we could say, “That is genuinely beautiful,” we soon discover that even a little dead fly's worth of folly can easily create a nasty stench in what should have been a sweet-smelling ointment of wisdom perfume.

Every day there is so much good to be experienced, yet we know that misery and death are all over the earth. There is no running away from the effects of the Fall. Even the wise man has this problem right within himself, but if we supposed for a moment that we could almost entirely (say 99%) surround ourselves with people that are almost entirely wise (use 99% again just for fun), not only would we have to deal with the 1% folly in the wisest people, we would also be irked by the presence of the 1% of the population that is actually pursuing a course of foolishness. Our percentages are certainly very optimistic, but even if they were correct, that 1% of mess would make all the difference. Fools will be noticed. And occasionally, the owner's only child will be a fool, and guess who inherits the business?

How do you live in a world where you may work for a fool? If you can find a job where you can serve God better and enjoy life more, gain your freedom as soon as you can. But there are times when you will not be able to do that, and there are other times when your old job looked horrible, that is until you spent a few weeks at your new job which you thought would be so much better. (I wonder if they are still hiring at the old place?)

There is wisdom in recognizing that the various authorities that you live with in your life are infected with folly, just as we all are. We need to be able to live in the real world, knowing that this is not heaven yet. Stay calm, give a troubling situation some time if at all possible, and do not presume that you have the answer to every blemish that you encounter on the planet.

Sometimes our insistence that we can fix everything creates even more damage. By the time we are finished there are three or four smelly flies in the ointment instead of just one. You sweat to dig a pit to hide some eyesore, and then you fall into the sludge yourself. You break down a wall that you thought would improve the view, and there is a snake lurking behind it, ready to bite. You are digging away at a rock to get what looks like precious gems, and some boulder higher up on the mountainside comes rolling towards you. You save some money by cutting your own wood, and you end up getting a splinter that becomes a nasty infection. With so many of your great plans leading to more misery, you are not sure whether to laugh or to cry. The Preacher's advice: Take a moment to think. Use wisdom at least as much as you use blood, sweat, and tears.

One other hint for getting by in a world of futility and danger: Choose your words carefully, and don't talk so much about things that you only pretend to understand. Do you really know what the future will be like under the sun? What is the point of pretending that you know what God has chosen to conceal? Focus on what you can and should know. For instance, find out the way to where your destination before you spend all your effort walking in the wrong direction. “The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.”

As you walk through this world to the best destination, remember that this you live in a place with real danger, where incompetent, lazy leaders may ruin life for those who may have no other choice but to make the best of a bad situation. Eat well, have a glass of wine, buy something that might make your day more pleasant. But don't wag your tongue all day long against those in charge or a proverbial “little bird” may bring them news of your exaggerated insurrection. If some place here below is your celestial city, you will find that when you get there, there is more than just one fly in the ointment. If the place was perfect before your arrival, it won't be after you get there.

God sent His Son into this world not because it was a great vacation spot. Take an honest look all around you. This is not yet paradise. Jesus came from heaven in order to set you on a journey, and in the process, to restore His creation to what it should be. He was not confused about where He was, and about where He was eventually going. His toil along the journey home to the Father was not at all wasted. He has become not only our destination, but also the way that we can get to that celestial city that will one day come down upon this earth when He returns at the renewal of all things. Admitting that we are not entirely in heaven now is an important component of true wisdom, and it will help you to live in a world that is not yet perfected in holiness.

Job 35

It is often rightly advised that those who comfort people who have suffered greatly should speak less and listen more. What may not be as readily appreciated is that this is also sound advice for the one who is grieving, though not right away. It is true that people need some time to honestly tell their story and to cry out to God. In the first few weeks after loss some people imagine that they are doing very well, and can give great testimony to God in those opening days of grief, but they have probably not even begun to feel the heaven burden of what has happened to them. After the spiritual anesthesia wears off, they may be shocked by the physical heartache and the overwhelming emotional distress and confusion that attack them. Of course they may say all kinds of things at that time, and that is much better than trying to continue to pretend that they are doing well. But eventually the time may come when even they are tired of their own story. They may then come to see that not all of their words to God and to others were true, right, and good.

God can certainly take any abuse we may give Him. He can take our statements that go over the edge, but we need to come to our own conclusion that error and excess do not do us any good. They can not restore what we have lost. They do not help us to embrace the new life that is ahead of us. They will not heal the wounds of our souls. Job has said some things that might have gone too far. The Lord is using His servant Elihu to redirect Job away from this loss, and toward the greatness of God. Does Job really believe that he would have been better off if he had sinned? I doubt it. But I do not doubt that the thought that his righteous life was useless may have occurred to him. God knows our thoughts.

Of course it is never wise to pursue sin. But Elihu answers these errors of the heart not by pointing to their obvious folly directly, but by telling Job and the rest of us who would read these words to look at the heavens and to consider the glory of God. We cannot win a fight against the One who loves His beloved people. We will never stain the righteousness of God. This is good to consider. Am I angry with the events that have transpired in my life? Am I perplexed by the actions of the Almighty? Yes, but do I understand that I will never take anything away from the One who created the heavens and the earth. His greatness is beyond my reach. His love is beyond my foolish thoughts. I only hurt myself by dwelling on things that are not true. Praise God, I cannot hurt Him. It is probably time to say less.

Have you ever considered the idea that if God has turned His face away from your cries for a season, that may have been more for your own good than because of God's anger at you? Could it be that God does not want to pay attention to your foolishness, like a father who will not listen to the angry, silly insults that his young son is hurling at him. Job has surely not said everything that he has thought, but now a prophet of God is here, and God is able to reveal things that are hidden, so that the hearer is finally forced to admit that the secrets of his heart have been laid bare, and thus fall down, and worship.

Now it is time for holy redirection toward God, His attributes, His ways, and His many gifts. It is a great mystery how the Holy Spirit will finally enable a person to happily and willingly hear what otherwise might have been rejected as insensitive and offensive. Now the heart that was so bruised remembers that God does give songs in the night, and a hurting soul is helped. “God teaches me. If He seemed to turned away for a moment, maybe that was the best thing. He will visit me again.”

“Lord, I was foolish when I challenged you the other day. What was I thinking of? This man is right in what he is saying. Thank you for being patient with me. You have not come against me in anger despite my words. I am sorry that I had some empty talk in my mouth, and that I kept on speaking about things that I could not possibly understand.”

The time has come for Job to say less. He will not even open His mouth until the prophetic figure Elihu somehow gives way to the immediate presence of God. Job will only speak then when God insists that he respond. When he does finally talk, his heart will be humble.

Jesus taught for three years. He said of His ministry, “I was sent for this purpose.” Not only did he teach publicly and send out his disciples to do the same, He especially revealed the secrets of the kingdom in His private teaching of His disciples. He had much to say, and all of it was without sin. If we were able to examine even his innermost thoughts during times of deepest trouble and even distress, we could still never accuse Him of any sin. Yet even for our Lord, the time for talking eventually came to an end. There was no need to respond to the charges of enemies who hated Him. He spoke the loudest simply through His willing death for us. Here was a powerful Word that was fully acceptable to the Father. We must eventually stop speaking about our sorrows, and start looking to the Man of Sorrows as the Source of all the healing we could ever ask for or even imagine.

Ecclesiastes 9

The wisdom of God is beyond us, yet there are some great truths that we can understand now. One important way that we learn is from our use of reason and observation. We weigh facts that are before us, sometimes seeing them rightly, but too often distorting them to fit our preconceived opinions. We also learn from hearing the voice of God directly. We can misinterpret that too, but the Word itself is a perfect gift to us from heaven's King, presenting many answers that could only be known as God chooses to reveal them through speaking to us. So many of the Preacher's observations in the book of Ecclesiastes can come to any wise person who carefully and honestly considers the facts of nature and life. Yet included, as they are, in the inspired Word of God, we receive them now as the Lord's own perfect teaching regarding life in this world.

The Preacher's insights are not mere probabilities. If we read them rightly, we should take them into our hearts as God's certainties. The Preacher is perfectly right when he says that the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man cannot know perfectly from his experience of providence whether the events that he feels are an expression of the Lord's merciful love or his excellent justice. When a person suffers tragedy, who can say what that event is all about? We do know this: Death comes to all, whether they are good or evil, loved by God or hated by Him. The Lord says in Malachi, “I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.” Yet both the Israelites and the Edomites faced death. Can that be right?

We cannot charge the Lord with any wrongdoing here. All are sons of Adam. All the children of man are full of evil. God warned Adam concerning death. Adam sinned for us, and we have surely sinned for ourselves, so there is nothing out of order in the fact that all go to the place of the dead. But we look for something more than that. There is no hope in death. We are not looking for death after death, but life after life. A man may rule like a lion in this life, and his servant may serve him like a dog, but if that servant can find life after life, and the lion of a man only finds death after death, the living dog is far better off than the dead lion. Even now, in terms of life in this world, there is nothing left for the dead, only for the living, so enjoy life while you can. There is no sin in the righteous enjoyment of God's gifts, and there may be sin in missing opportunities to thank God for His daily kindness. The Preacher says, “God has already approved what we do.” We need to resist the idea that we can win His favor by refusing to celebrate His goodness and by turning away from His gracious provision. Do you have food, wine, friends, a spouse, honest labor, a measure of health, and even some knowledge and wisdom? Be thankful, and seize this good day, because the hour of your death is swiftly approaching.

This day may be your last on this earth. What is just time and chance among men, is the appointed decree of God in the heavens. Unexpected things happen to people all the time. When we are caught in death's net, we will not be able to argue our way back to life under the sun. There is no fairness formula that enables us to accurately predict who will prosper, and who will die in his prime. A wise young man may deliver a city from an evil oppressor, but he himself may die before the sun sets, and his name will soon be forgotten. This is the way things can happen in life. Why not enjoy the peace of your particular life by living consciously in the moment that you have right now?

Have you be given wisdom? Enjoy that today, even if no one is looking, and even if there is no crowd to applaud your words and your actions. Though no one may notice, your wise advice is still good. Though others may approve of the shouting of a famous person more that your quiet statement of profound truth, you can still enjoy the blessings of insight and courage. You can know that the Lord loves wisdom, and has given you the pleasure of making good use of something that He has made, something that is more powerful on this earth than the mightiest weapons that people invent. You can enjoy wisdom, even in a world where one sinner can destroy much good, and that very quickly.

Yes there are aspects of this life that are very frustrating. We feel the vanity of it all, the fleeting nature of every good thing that we think we have here. There is nothing you can do to reverse the course of time. You do not get the opportunity to script the events of the coming hour. You make plans, but it is only God who can ordain your steps.

The God who determined the number of days that you would live before you experienced even one of them knows very well that all people die. And He knows, and has recorded in His sacred Scriptures that, “A living dog is better than a dead lion.” But in the same sacred Scriptures He has assured us that His visit to this world of futility in the life of His Son Jesus Christ has destroyed the power of death for all who believe. Though we may not understood all of what this means, we know that the One who died for our sins, and who rose again from the dead, has assured us of a new life that cannot be taken away from us. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)

Ecclesiastes 8

We have been considering the ancient words of a man we call the Preacher of Ecclesiastes. His message is distressing to some, but for others the words recorded in this book are strangely satisfying. We find them to be very helpful, dismantling ungodly pride and man-centered optimism. The book does not just tear down; it also builds up. There is a way of wisdom presented here by the Preacher that is both honest and attractive. It is a way of thinking and living that can make a man's face shine, taking away the hardness that comes when we become pompous, taking ourselves too seriously.

The words of the Preacher would be meaningful regardless of the identity of the man who wrote them, but they carry even more weight when we realize that they were not written by an underachiever in order to justify his own lack of accomplishment. The Preacher was a man who was in charge of a nation. When he writes about the king's command, he is not ignorant of what it is to be a successful ruler.

Power structures in any society exist according to the sovereign plan of God. Fools ignore or unduly criticize the powers that be, forgetting that God gives us civil rulers. There is a limit to what civil authorities can achieve. Kings will not be able to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. It will not be through the power of their swords, but through the glory of the cross that God will do His most amazing work. Yet for now we live in nations, and each of those has some established system of governance. We cannot opt out of our subordinate position under various governing authorities by claiming that we are God's children who need not listen to anyone else. It is part of Christian duty to honor kings who may not honor God at all. To rebel unnecessarily is a foolish and disrespectful way to die an early death. There will perhaps be a better time and a place to express some concern, even about very serious matters, but there is no sense in taking a dangerous stand when patience and realism would be a better way to honor God. Life, even this mortal life, is a precious gift. We should not throw it away. We do not know what the future holds. Deliverance may come to us much sooner than we expect from a very surprising direction.

How does God work with wicked kings? If we try to understand the justice of God as one nation is exalted and another is destroyed, we will find that it is very much beyond us. That is not only true of God's providence over countries, it is also the case as we attempt to understand the mysteries of his ways in the lives of individuals. We know that it is truly best for us to live in the fear of Almighty God, but there is no doubt that it often appears that wickedness has won the day. Even when people know a great man to be wicked, he may be treated with uncommon honor at his burial. But what happens to him beyond his memorial service? That is a question to which we cannot see the answer.

It can be an infuriating exercise to judge people and to judge God in His dealings with people. We consider what we know about the wickedness and righteousness of an important leader, and then we compare that partial knowledge with what we know about God's dealings with this person, his life and his death, and the blessings and curses that came to him. When we look it as fully as we know how, we can't help but feel that there are times when the wicked have fared far better than the righteous.

Why do we plague ourselves with these thoughts? To dwell on such matters is not commendable. There is a better way of living in a world of futility that the Preacher sums up in one word : “Joy!” Take the gifts that honestly come to you and enjoy them. God has given these to help you through each day. There is something else that He will not give to you. He will not grant you full knowledge and understanding of His ways. If a wise man claims know all the mysteries of life, he is a liar.

Even the greatest Old Testament prophets longed to understand the purpose and plan of God, and found that there were aspects of it that were beyond them. The prophet Daniel was told plainly about the coming resurrection of the dead, and he admitted immediately that there were aspects of it all, at least in the way that God chose to reveal it to him in that day, which he simply could not understand. Did the prophets understand that a Jewish Messiah would make the way for the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that he would be a blessing to the world? If they could understand the big picture of the heavenly blessings that God was bringing to the world through Christ, they still could not have possibly understood the marvel of God's specific working among particular people that seem to us to be wicked or righteous.

Yet God can reveal these facts to an Amos or a Jeremiah so that they are able to deliver an authoritative message about the life and death of enemies and allies. Not only that, when Jesus was going to the cross, the Son of God, the Key to all our blessings, went there as one who knew what man could not really know. John writes these words as part of his account of these critical events: “Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him...” When we meet Jesus on the way to cross, we meet a man who knew and who understood. Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Here is a Man who is wiser than Solomon. Part of trusting in Him as the God/Man who redeemed us is our own admission that we cannot fathom all the wisdom of God, but we can enjoy the simple life that He has granted for us to live.