I know that my redeemer lives

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today’s passage?

This is definitely feeling like an epic comments thread gone fully ranty. Bildad may have been the inventor of CAPS LOCK and reminds me of the daily HEALTH WARNING that there are shards of insight here, but we risk cutting ourselves if we handle them out of context.

The tone has moved from concerned to anxious to almost hysterical mocking. Job is already upset and depressed, so he doesn’t need any of this, but I think his reaction in chapter 19 reveals something interesting. Is it an oasis of hope? Could it be that someone who is unjustly accused is closer to God than his loud religious accusers?

It is almost as if, at the height of false accusation, Job connects with Jesus. “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.” Job has a moment of lucidity, seeing beyond his circumstances and far into the future, even to a time when he will see God with flesh after death. As a self-defence, this would be ridiculous, but as hope inspired by God, it is something remarkable and, better still, we can share it.

Not that it has much effect on Job's accusers - they are too busy ratcheting up their attack to notice the appearance of God saving the world. They are not budging from their certainty that they understand what is happening. How could they ever grasp God’s real plans for us?

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

While there is a lot of "nonsense" and "falsehood" in the talk about God in these chapters, I think there is a standout truth which Job finds in the difficulty - Jesus is ultimately inescapable. We might think that it's unfair that people can seem to evade justice in their lifetimes, and we might feel hard done by when goodness gets overlooked, but God's insight is greater and his plan is an eternal one, which he will involve us with even after we think life is all over for us.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

This reminds me to trust Jesus more and rely on my own understanding less. God wants us to build our understanding, I am sure, but life following Jesus is about having our minds changed, not being thanked by God for believing in him and holding onto half-truths and glaring gaps in our wisdom.

I need insight from God to understand other people in my community, especially those with other faiths, and I want him to direct me in loving and growing good relationships with them where our discussions will never sound like these.

Who am I going to share this with?

People in my school community, especially those I have been praying with.