And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?..." Job 7:21
Read Job 3, 7, and 41.
Do you ever feel as though nothing you do is ever good in the eyes of others? Have you felt the burden of being accused or judged to the point where you come to believe yourself unredeemable?
For a few years in my life, I felt as though everything was my fault. My mantra had become: "I exist; therefore, it is my fault." If the car broke down. It was somehow my fault. If a storm hit and blew down trees. It was my fault. If an animal died that I had nothing to do with. Yes, again, it was my fault.
Okay, yes. Those were lies. Totally screwed up ones. And if it wasn't for the grace of God and the love He showed me through His Word, I would never have overcome those thoughts. By the reading of His Word and much prayer, through the witness of those who knew God's love and were willing to share it, I discovered that these thoughts, these accusations were not truth.
How did I get to the point of thinking that way? The same way Job did. The accusations of others. "If you hadn't done that, this wouldn't have happened." "If you hadn't said such and such, I'd never have done such and such." "If you could only see how you screwed up, then you'd realize this was your fault."
None of us are without sin. Not a single person has never done anything wrong or never made some mistake or never inadvertently evoked another to react negatively. Fact is, we are all in need of God's grace and mercy.
From Adam to the Apostle Paul, from Eve to Priscilla, God used broken and sinful men and women to do His will. Sometimes He worked His will around and through their sins, sometimes through their well-meaning, well-intended words and actions, and sometimes because they were truly led by God to do a specific thing. The point isn't who was more righteous than the other. The point is none of us are good or capable of doing anything good without God's hand working in it.
Without God's grace, we would be guilty of all. But God didn't leave us in the dust. He didn't leave us without a way out of the hole we dug ourselves into with our sin. He sent a Savior. He made a way for us to be good and without blame despite ourselves.
When Jesus Christ came, He intentionally set His path to the cross. Read the Gospels, and you will see someone who purposefully called out the religious leaders of the time, antagonizing them while telling them the truth, so that they would ultimately kill Him.
And while that seems cruel, it was necessary. When He hung on the cross, He said,
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Do you see? On that cross, He forgave you and me before we even knew it was our sin that put Him there. It was for our sin that He died, paying the price we could never pay to cover the debt of all our wrongdoings.
But because Jesus was perfect (He was God after all), death had no hold on Him. He arose from the grave, becoming the first to resurrect from the dead and go to Heaven. He made it possible for us to not only receive forgiveness for our sins, but also spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
Job, no doubt, began to believe the accusations made against him. In fact, I'm quite certain he knew he could never be justified before God. He said,
"...but how should man be just with God?" (Job 9:2)
The answer and freedom from sin isn't found in the guilt. We can't be justified before God by our own works.
"If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." (Job 9:20)
Despite the accusations of his friends, Job began to encourage himself in the Lord, acknowledging also his sinful nature, as well as the perfection and sovereignty of God. Pondering these things, I believe, gave Job strength. He began to see his friends' deceit.
"But ye are forgers of lies, ..." (Job 13:4).
These thoughts build in momentum, and soon Job declares,
"...let come on me what will.... He also shall be my salvation:" (Job 13:13-16).
Our salvation does come from God. The only task we are given is to believe. To believe that through Jesus Christ forgiveness is found, redemption is made, and we become justified before God--not by our works, but by Christ's. All praise and glory be to Him.
What is your relationship with God? Have you ever come to the point where you knew there was nothing you could do to save yourself? Have you ever reached the point where you've handed your life over to God, because you realized you made a mess of it? Do you now rejoice in the freedom God has given you?
For further study: Romans 5-10.
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:... (Job 19:25-26)
