"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy" (James 5:11)
If you were to ask someone of the world who they considered happy, fortunate, or blessed, their answer would differ significantly from our text. Some would think of those who had been without difficulty for a long time – no sickness, no losses, no deaths, and an adequate supply of financial resources, etc. Others might think of a successful business venture, or prominence in the scholastic, athletic, or a political arena. Their answer would be determined by their sense of values – what they felt were most important.
The person in fellowship with Christ, who is reconciled to God and delivered from the power of darkness, thinks quite differently. The expression found in our text is not an official and formal point of apostolic doctrine. It is an observation common among believers. Faith has taught them to reason in this manner, as well as their personal experience. Their familiarity with the Word of God has also brought them to this firm and unwavering persuasion.
The blessed, happy, fortunate person is the one who endures – who outlasts the trial! This is the person who gets through the wilderness of Sinai and into the promised land of Canaan. It is the one who, after he has been stoned like Paul, stands up and continues in the work of the Lord. When crushed like ripe grapes, the person who endures emits the sweet wine of joyful confidence, rejoicing in the Lord.
Job is held out as a preeminent example of endurance. And what things, indeed, he did endure! The loss of all his possessions, and all of his children as well. He endured being stricken with grievous boils from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet. His own wife offered no insightful consolation. His friends, coming to comfort him, only complicated his situation with their misapplication of truth.
How are we to view Job's experience? It is certainly not to be seen as some hard luck, as the world would say. Rather, what happened to Job was a trial – a test of his faith. The word "endure"assumes testing, or trial. During the test, the validity of the person's faith is being tested and demonstrated – and that with Divine approval and direction. Better to have it tested now, in the world, that it might be "might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 1:7).
The blessed and happy person is the one who comes out of trial still possessing the faith. It is the one who continues to believe, even though personal circumstances seem to contradict the value of faith. That person – the enduring one – is considered blessed, happy, and fortunate. And why so? Because he has been sustained by the Lord, even when his own strength waxed and waned. The Good Shepherd carried him in His bosom, and gently led him (Isa 40:11).
The trial is really not the point, but "the end of the Lord." It is the Lord's appointed conclusion to the trial, and not the trial itself, that opens the wellspring of joy. Like all who pass the test, Job received more AFTER the trial than before it. It will be no different for you.– Given O. Blakely
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment