Why?

Job, Chapters 24 through 28
Job is asking the question "Why doesn't God bring the wicked to judgement?" He goes on to elaborate as to the ways of evil people on this earth and the rest of the chapter he talks about their fateful end. Vs. 20 stuck out for me: Their own mothers will forget them. Maggots will find them sweet to eat. No one will remember them. Very descriptive, to say the least, don't you agree? From those verses we see that Job indeed does believe judgement will come to evil people, but just not right now.
I could totally go off on a tangent here, and I think I will. At least a short one...
It seems to me that we aren't so different than Job, are we? Don't we see and hear of evil people everywhere who openly reject the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, persecute believers, etc., seemingly "get away" with their evil deeds on this earth? Have you not asked the question yourself, why do un-believers prosper? Why does it seem like they get all the breaks and I don't? Same question, different millennium.
Many times I hear of Christian preachers shouting "this is God's judgement" in response to catastrophes like Tsunamis, or acts of terrorism like 9/11, and the likes. According to the Word of God, judgement right now cannot be possible. Under the new covenant ushered in by Christ's death and resurrection, God's wrath was satisfied through the sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 10:12-13 and 15-17 says: But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. Vs. 15-17:
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds," then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." This may come as a shock to some of you reading this, but not only are we as Christians not being judged for our individual sins, neither are unbelievers going to be judged for their individual sins, now or at the great judgement seat of Christ. Jesus Christ has paid the price for not only our sins, but the sins of the whole world! 1 John 2:2 says: "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." Did you catch that? Not just for our (Christians) sins, but for the sins of the whole world (unbelievers). Now you may be asking the question, if He's already paid for the sins of unbelievers, then what in the world sends a person to hell??? That's an excellent question, and one I asked myself. Here's the answer in a nutshell: There is only one sin that will send a person to hell, and that is the sin of rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ's life on the cross and trying to come to God on any other terms. (Like works of the flesh such as, "but I'm a good person, I've never hurt anyone purposely, I give to the poor, I've kept all the Ten Commandments the best I could" kind of thing) Trying to stand before a Holy God any other way than that which He has ordained for us to come is not acceptable in His sight. Only God Himself knew the price that needed to be paid for man's sin, that would reconcile man back to God. Coming to God any other way is what the Bible refers to in the gospels as the unforgivable sin. Rejecting Christ's sacrifice. All of man's sins are forgiven, once and for all, when we ask Christ to be our Lord and Savior. Now that's GOOD NEWS! When I came to a knowledge of this truth it made so many parts of the Word of God come together for me. I feel it necessary to put a disclaimer in this blog about right now. **Please know that I don't have a perfect understanding of everything I am sharing, and I certainly don't have all the answers. Some of my questions that I have had for years have been answered in the last few years and some are still waiting, but when a truth bears witness in my spirit, I feel compelled to share it, not only through this blog, but in every day life with the people I meet. As I am working my way through the Bible, when God brings a truth to my mind I will share it. I welcome your thoughts and comments about anything I share here. I know that some of the things I am communicating in this blog may be different than what you have personally believed or may have been taught growing up. If you have questions, know that God wants to answer those questions more than you want to ask them. From my experience, the answers come as we search the scriptures. Line upon line, precept upon precept. I love the verse in Proverbs 25:2
"It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." Also, 1 Tim. 2:4 says it is God's will that all men come to a knowledge of the truth. I guess I've said a mouthful...now, what book am I studying? Oh yeah, Job...
Chapter 25
Some truth emerges from the mouth of Bildad about the greatness of God, but then he goes and compares people to maggots and worms in comparison to God. I'm not so sure I like being compared to a maggot. I discovered a nest of maggots once when I was a kid and because I am a kind and fairly cultured person, I will spare you the gory details of my find. God said after He created mankind that it was VERY GOOD! You know, I'm having a hard time warming up to Bildad. It looked like he was starting to redeem himself with the good words about God's greatness and all, and then he has to go and do the maggot comparison. (Just on a side note, do you think that maggots came on the arc two by two?) Just a random, I should already be in bed, useless thought.
Chapter 26
I love Job's response to Bildad in vs. 3 & 4...his sarcastic sense of humor that he has still retained: (from the NLT) How you have enlightened my stupidity! What wise advice you have offered! Where have you gotten all these wise sayings? Whose spirit speaks through you? Sick 'em Job.
Chapter 27
Highlights: Vs. 6 "I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live." This man's mind is made up. Talk about standing on the Word, He would have loved our covenant!
And you're gonna love this one from vs. 16 & 17: "Evil people may have piles of money and may store away mounds of clothing. But the righteous will wear that clothing, and the innocent will divide that money."
Chapter 28
Vs. 23: "God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found. Vs. 28: The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding."

Now I'm on to chapters 29,30 & 31 which will catch me up to date on blogging. I'm not having a problem staying up with my daily reading, it's all this bloviating that takes so much time. (Did I say that about me?!)
In chapter 29, Job recalls all the years he lived like a king of sorts, blessed beyond belief, the richest man in the East and remembers how he was revered by all that knew him. It doesn't really come across to me as arrogant statements about himself, he's just reflecting back to what once was...but now, not so much...
Chapter 30 he continues on about his sorrowful state of being. The NLT says in vs. 1: "But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs."
Vs. 18 Job is once again attributing all of this horror his life has become to God.
"With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat. He has thrown me into the mud. I'm nothing more than dust and ashes. I cry to you, O God, but you don't answer. I stand before you, but you don't even look. You have become cruel toward me, You use your power to persecute me."
If I was starting a new day's blog with Chapter 30, I would have entitled it: "A Very Wrong Impression of God". Like I said a few days ago, Job knew nothing of who Satan was, nor did anyone else in the Old Testament. I just heard a teaching today that said Satan is only mentioned 3 times in the OT, and 2 of those times are in the book of Job at the beginning when Satan comes before God to accuse Job. Job was not privy to that conversation. There are more references about Satan in just a single chapter of the New Testament than in the entire Old Testament! Clearly we see that Jesus Christ came to reveal the true nature of God and the true nature of the enemy! (Just think, by the time I finish day 365 of this blog, I might know some of these facts first hand, and won't have to say "I heard a teaching"!)
Chapter 31 is Job's final protest of his innocence to his "friends". He speaks of all the things he has done right and all the things he hasn't done wrong. He's really making his final case. (Just a side note here, completely unrelated, but Job reminds me of how an innocent person really acts. I've always said that if I were accused of something I didn't do and they were going to throw me in jail, I would go kicking and screaming all the way.) Coming up in chapter 32 we will be introduced to a newcomer named Elihu. Who he was and where he came from, I haven't got a clue.
My friend Edie pointed out to me that God did not include Elihu in the rebuking of Job's friends for adding to Job's suffering. But I'm getting ahead of myself, that's for tomorrow. And I've said quite a lot today.