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rimes! Now, for che firsr rime,
he began ro realize che trurh - he
began ro carch a vision of Goo!
The Lesson Learned!
"Then Job answered che Eterna!
and said,
" 'I know that thou canse do every–
thing, and rhat no thoughr can be
withholden from thee. I thought–
lessly confused che issues; 1 spoke
wichour incelligence, of wonders far
beyond my ken.... 1 had heard of
thee by hearsay, but
now mine eyes have
seen thee,
wherefore 1 ABHOR MYSELF.
and REPENT in dust and ashes' " (Job
42:1-3,
~-6
A.V. and Moffatt) .
That was Job's surrender ro Al–
mighry God, a suriender every human
muse make before he can be con–
verted - before God's purpose in
him can be fulfilled! A man may be
narurally
GOOD -
but even che self–
righceousness of a Job, God says, is
like a filthy rag
to
Him! The only
righreousness rhar is really good is rhe
righreousness of God, imparted ro us
BY faith!
Job ar Jase had learned his lcsson!
]use
human goodness is not enough.
God is all in all. And che only good–
ness that is good is
God's own goodness,
imparred, rhrough God's Holy Spirit,
within us! All rrue righceousncss
comes from God.
AtL humans have chis grear lesson
ro learn. lt's che
one supreme lesson o(
lije!
To learn ir, and conform ro ir, is
che purpose of human existence!
Job's calamiry and great suffering
proved a great blessing
to
him, in che
end! Actually, great good, double
prospcri ty, and erernal happi ness
carne of ir! For, afrer he repenced, and
carne ro really
know God,
he was given
another seven sons and three daugh–
ters and rwice che material possessions
he had had before!
"So
che Eterna! blessed che larcer
end ofJob more rhan his beginning,"
it is wrircen (Job
42:12,
A.V.). And
verse
11
speaks of "alJ che evil thar
che Eterna! had brought upon him."
40
Sacan Never Altered God's
Purpose
So notice chis! Sacan has never up–
ser God's program -
never
altered
God's purpose! In Job
42:2,
che alter–
nare marginal translation of che origi–
nal inspired Hebrew words is: "no
purpose of ri:Une can be resrrained."
Almighty God is supreme in che
universe! Supreme nor onJy in !ove,
and in power - but in WISDOM!
There is divine wisdom in God's per–
mirting Sacan co afflicc Job. Out of all
chis experience of suffering, Job was
humbled, his ego deflated, his self–
pride removed. Ir hure to have chese
things corn out of his characrer -
Job suffered - even as you and 1
suffer, coday! Bur he was brought ro
repentance, surrender to God, depen–
dence upon God, a filling of God's
Spirit, wirhout which he never couJd
have known real happiness, never
could have gained eterna! life!
All Job originally had w.as material
wealth and possessions, and more
human righceousness! Now Job had
double the material possessions -
but infinitely greater, he now had che
supreme securiry of che faith of God,
and that true source of happiness, reli–
ance upon che Supreme One and che
indwelling of all His amibures!
God's Spirit in us is che only thing
that will satisfy che hearr-hunger. Ir is
che only rhing that can warm, fill,
and energize che human soul with
happiness and joy.
The True Aaswer ro Our
Questioas
Now we are ready ro see, and ro
undersrand, che true answer ro our
quesrions!
The real answer was broughc out
by Job during his conversarion, even
as ir is illustrared by che cxperience of
his life.
" If a man die, shaU he live again?"
asked Job (Job
14:14).
And che answer is che answer to aiJ
our quescions! Here it is:
"Al! che days of my appoinced
time will 1 wait, till my change come.
Thou shalc cal!, and 1 will answer
chee:
thou wilt have a cksire to the work
of
thine ha1uis"
(Job
14:14-1~).
The pare of what Job said chat is
most ofcen carelessly overlooked is
che pare that answers rhe quescions of
chis arcicle! Norice ir again!
"Thou wilr have a desire co che
work of rhine hands"!
Study rhar! Job knew he was
mercly che work of God's hands,
merely a clay model, which God, che
Master Poner, was ro mold and fash–
ion and reshape. Lec Isaiah explain ir:
"We are al! asan unclean thing, and
al/
our righteousnesses are
as
filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf; and our
iniquiries, like rhe wind, have raken
us away.... Bur now, O Eterna!,
thou are our Father; we are che clay,
and rhou our poner; and we aJI are
che work of ehy hand" (Isaiah 64:6-
8).
Our own righceousness will not
save us. We muse REPENT, surrender
uncondirionally ro Goo, come ro
Him through Jesus Christ as personal
Saviour, and rhen God PROMISES ro
beget us with His Holy Spirit - ac–
rually pur His SPIRIT
within
liS.
His
Spirit is His very life - His Love, His
understanding and wisdom, His
power, H is faith, His righreousness.
We drink in, rhrough His Spirit, His
NATURE and His CHARACfER.
Through a long life of Christian
living - of
overcoming
self, of grow–
ing spi ricually, through che very
power of Goo imparted ro us, we de–
velop spirirually ready ro be finally
boro of Goo - by a resurrection, or
inscantaneous conversion from mortal
ro immortal - from human co divine
- from weakness ro power - from
dishonor ro glory!
And what abour al! chese human
sufferings which work character
within us?
The Apostle Paul sertled thar: "For
1 reckon thac che sufferings of chis
presenr time are nor worchy ro be
compared with che glory which shall
be revealed in us. For che earnest ex–
pectacion of che creacure waiteth for
che manifesrarion of che sons ofGod"
(Rom. 8:18-19). O
PLAIN TRUTH
Jonuory
1973