Tuesday, February 13, 2018
“Oh, that
my words could be recorded. Oh, that
they could be inscribed on a monument, carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved
forever in the rock. “But as for me, I
know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body
I will see God! I will see him for
myself. Yes, I will see him with my own
eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! Job 19:23-27(NLT)
Graveyards
are two things to me: interesting and solemn. Whenever I am around a cemetery I cannot help
but wander around looking at the dates on headstones. The solemn atmosphere brings a curiosity on
me. I look for creative or memorable
phrases etched on the stones that tell you something of the character or nature
of the person whose body lies beneath. When
you see the picture of a farmer on his tractor, you know that person was a man
of the soil. You often see the phrase beloved,
wife and mother.
Job, the eternal icon of suffering,
also wanted his words etched on a rock.
But his words were not gallows humor, or a snarky parting shot at someone
or life in general. Job’s final word to
this world is: this ain’t over yet!
From a 21st century
Christian perspective, that is no new news; every Christian funeral is filled
with signposts that point to resurrection, life in heaven, and assurance of
eternity. However, in the ancient times
when Job lived (remember Job is generally thought to be the oldest of all the
Bible’s books), afterlife, or anything good at all after the grave, were seen
as foolish. Even in Jesus’ day the
Sadducees did not believe in resurrection.
So Job’s acclamation, that in
his
flesh, after his flesh and bones rotted in the ground, he would
see God…well, that was quite a bold and prophetic statement. It’s a statement I’ve come to rely-on,
cling-to, and believe to the very inner core of my being. I have come to this point of absolute
certainty of seeing God face to face because of Jesus’ invitation to come where
the mansions are surrounding the throne of God.
In writing about eternity the Apostle Paul put it this way:
And if our
hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in
the world. 1 Corinthians 15:19(NLT)
Paul understood what Jesus wanted
us to know: a God who is as loving as
JHWH never intended for us to have eternity without fellowship in the center of
His joy.
For You Today
When you think of Job, try to take less
of his image of suffering and pain, and more of the lesson of his faith in the
eternal God of restoration.
Keep remembering: it ain’t over yet!
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.
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