Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Questions
* Scripture: Job said, “Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him ”, Job 23:3-4a NKJV

In the beginning, there were a series of very positive statements, which is not surprising, since they were made by The Lord God. “Let there be light,” He said, and there was light. Likewise, at His Word, the waters and firmament were created, earth and seas, the sun and moon, and all living things. Genesis 1:27 states that God created man and woman, male and female, again by His Word.
A blessing is a very special statement, which God gave to the man and woman; He further blessed them by placing them in a Garden of Delight, a possible meaning of the Hebrew word for ‘Eden.’ He also blessed the seventh day, making it holy.
I’ve checked several versions of the Bible, including the KJV, NKJV, NIV and NRS, and I find nothing but positive statements until Genesis the 3rd chapter. Enter the Fallen One in the form of a serpent. There is recorded the first question, “Hath God said?” or “Did God really say. . . ?” (Genesis 3:1)
The next thing we read from God is the question of the ages: “Where are you?” The questions flow freely from that point, as if the first one had broken a leak in a vast reservoir.
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive.”
Enter jealousy and anger. God questions Cain concerning that anger, and suggests that Cain will gain the acceptance he seeks, if he does what is right. Instead, Cain grows that anger into murder.
God is again forced to ask that probing question concerning a fall into sin, in this case, “Where is your brother, Abel?” (Genesis 4:9) Cain answers with a question, of course, “How should I know?” “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Questions. Questioning God. The book of Job is structured around questions, including the probing questions of Job’s friends, and Job’s stated desire to question God. (Job Chapter 23:3-5) This question is rebutted later by God, but not in the form that Job expects. It is often formed from our own lips; “Why, God, Why?”
Turn with me to Job Chapter 38: God answers us with both a question and a statement, thus: ”Who is this who darkens counsel without knowledge? . . . I will question you, and you shall answer me.”
Job’s questions are at an end. He responds with a statement of humility and confession; “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (vss. 42:3-4) Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (vs. 6)
We can not presume to come to God contentiously, in anger and defiance, for He is the Great Judge, who will ask the final questions.
August 21, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Job said, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Job 42:3b, NIV

Bird Brain! Perhaps you’ve heard that epithet used as a putdown for someone who did something a little bit stupid. Lacking in thinking power; a few bricks shy of a full load. Fewer brains than God gave a goose!
Now I’ve noticed a number of birds this past week, which started me thinking about real bird brains, and I am impressed! Capo the Rooster provided the initial inspiration, as I watched him fly/jump up on a hay manger in the barn, walk along the narrow board like a tight-rope walker, and jump down where he spotted a grain of corn on the ground. All of that activity took quite a bit of coordination and balance. Granted, Capo can’t read, but let’s see you jump up three feet from a flat-footed start, land on a board one-half inch wide, and walk the length of it without falling off. You’ve got two feet, just like he does.
I watched a goose pass over my head, glide toward the surface of our pond, and perform a perfect landing a few feet from the bank, in the midst of several other geese. God did indeed endow geese with a flight controller system that works quite well. Sometimes we can’t find our car in a parking lot, but many birds fly thousands of miles during migration, and can return to the same nesting or feeding grounds year after year. So what if they can’t read a map?
A crow picked up something from the field I was mowing, and flew off with it. Food for little ones? I don’t know, for I couldn’t follow. Crows manage to feed themselves year ‘round, and have quite a varied diet. I watched as a crow fluttered toward a landing in the thin, top branches of an apple tree. “Too small,” I thought. “Those little branches won’t support you.” But they did. And the crow sat there, bobbing and weaving in the breeze, probably smirking.
We humans sometimes become so self-impressed with our attributes that we had no part in creating that we forget the role of the One who created all things.
Like Job, we sometimes get a lesson in humility from observing God’s creation. One of the wonders of the universe has to be the brain, bird size or otherwise. As the Bible admonishes in Proverbs, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard. Learn her ways and be wise.”
Take time to read God’s reply to Job, chapters 38 through 41. God begins by asking, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me, if you understand.”
The ostrich and the stork are endowed with quite different traits (39:13-18); and God asks, “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?”
Yes, we need on occasion to reflect on God’s greatness, and respond as did Job, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6
May 25, 2003

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

SCRIPTURE: Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” James 5:7-8, NIV.

Mention the word “patience” and many people will associate it with the Biblical Job, Patriarch of Uz, in the Old Testament. Someone who endures in the presence of difficulty is said to “Have the patience of Job,” and we nod knowingly. Resorting to my dictionary, I find:
PATIENCE: “1: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint.”
However, my reading of the Book of Job indicates much complaint, against his friend’s viewpoints, to the point of impatience: “restless or short of temper especially under irritation, delay, or opposition.” In fact, my references do not indicate that a word directly meaning “patience” is found in the entire Book of Job. I will grant that Job exemplifies the definition of PATIENCE: “4: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity,” but Job also keeps moving forward.
Job endures. He is steadfast, he “hangs in there,” he persists in defense of his innocence, and pursues God until he receives an answer. I find passages alluding to Job’s righteousness (Job 1:1,5,8) and fortitude (1:20-22; 2:10). Just to be picky, the section relating complaints by Job, and replies by his three friends, comprises chapters (not verses -chapters!) 3 to 37! This I say neither to discredit Job, nor to imply that he is not without his virtues, but to suggest that there is more depth to this story than a mere word, a word that is not actually used in the telling.
Consider the “Parable of the Sower” as told by Jesus, in Mt. 13:1-23. His emphasis is on the seed, and alludes to the depth of understanding by the “one who hears the message.” Read again Mt. 13:16, where Jesus says,“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means.” He is talking about both persistence, and patience. The hearer of the word who has little or no root (understanding) “lasts only a short time.” I think His words are plain enough that we grasp the meaning.
The seed is the message of the Word of God; WE ARE THE GROWTH MEDIUM, in which the word sprouts, and then either grows to fruition, or withers and dies.
True, we must patiently wait upon the Lord, but not to the extreme that we do not actively grow. When the withering sun comes out, ie., the “heat” of opposition, difficulty, or adversity, do we fold our leaves - er, hands, and say, “I’m being patient, LORD!” Or do we actively, vigorously, put down deeper roots?
Now, consider the farmer, the sower. Hopefully, we will grow to become the disciple that strives to fulfill the terms of “The Great Commission” -‘make disciples, baptize, teach’ - (Mt. 28:16-20.) Certainly, this means to work as a “sower” of the seed of the Word of God. In fact, James writes about “patience” in terms of the farmer waiting for the land to yield its valuable crop, and advises us as brothers and sisters in Christ to “be patient and stand firm.” (James 5:7-11) I note, however, that while the Greek text uses a word translated “patience” in verse 7, James used a different word meaning “perseverance,” or “steadfastness” when referring to Job in verse 11, saying, “you have heard of Job’s perseverance!”
Peter provides a listing of the virtues needed to “participate in the divine nature of God” in his second epistle. (2 Peter 1:4-11) Peter also uses the same word as James, meaning “endure” or “persevere” rather than the word meaning patience. ( 2 Peter 1:6)

Yes, we must be patient in our quest to be a sower of the Word of God, but great endurance will also be required. “Be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.” (2 Peter 1:10)

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: The Psalmist said, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Psalm 122:1 KJV

Two Sundays in a row. Can you believe it? I told Pastor Marsha, only partly in jest, that seven days without church makes one weak. Are we a bunch of wimps, or what? Well, actually, it wasn’t safe to be on the roads.
We live in a time when open roads and freedom to go anywhere, anytime, is cherished by so many as a right, a necessity, even! I read in the newspaper that city folk complain that their side streets are not plowed out as quickly as they like. Never mind that the crews and equipment ran all night and all day, plowing the main thoroughfares, their street wasn’t plowed yet.
Do we need to get to the job, the store, to entertainment that badly? Thankfully, many do think that safety has a greater priority than “being there, no matter what.” The list of closings and cancellations because of severe weather includes only a few profit-oriented businesses, however. Many companies want their employees to be on the job, if at all possible. So off to work we go!
I have often wondered about the mindset of people in days gone by in regard to time away from “the job,” especially in Biblical times, where I read about people taking time to observe week long celebrations, festivals, and longer pilgrimages. We know, for example, that Jesus went to Jerusalem with his parents. Luke tells that the trip was made to observe the Feast of Passover. Jesus was accidentally left behind on the trip; they finally found him “In his Father’s House.” (Lk. 2:41-50)
My thoughts turn to the carpenter’s shop, however. Obviously, Joseph thought that it was more important to go to the House of the Lord than to keep the shop open and working. Luke comments that the family went to Jerusalem for Passover every year (Lk.2:41.) Many others apparently did, also, judging by the crowds mentioned during the triumphal entry, described in Mt. 21.
In Jesus’ day many cities had synagogues, but small villages did not. Remember, they were limited to travel only “a Sabbath day’s journey.” So what did people do between trips to Jerusalem? They still observed the Sabbath; they worshiped at home. Worship was not neglected.
Still, when they had the opportunity they were “glad to go to the house of the Lord.” While it is true that we can worship God in the stillness of our own home, garden, or wherever, the coming together of the faithful is a special occasion. As Paul admonished, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -.” (Hebrews 10:25.)
So pray that it is a rare exception when we are not able to go to the house of the Lord - and whenever we can, Go! And be glad, together!
March 2, 2003

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Job said, “My harp is tuned to mourning, and my flute to the sound of wailing. Job 30:31, NIV
“Into each life, some rain must fall.”
No, I’m not talking about the weather we have been having lately, but the old maxim (proverb) about things happening that we would just as soon not have happen. Misfortune, trouble, grief. A horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day. Days of sadness, and Job was having a few!
Job describes the many things he has done for people during his life. “I was like one who comforts mourners,” he states in a discourse to his friends. (Job 29:25b) Now, his friends do little to comfort Job. Visit him, yes. Their conversation centers on the goodness of God, and how God blesses those who keep His commandments. There is no question that Job has been blessed, both in family, possessions, and respect of the people. Until now. Surely (they claim) Job has committed some great transgression to deserve such a calamity as has befallen him.
In essence, Job is accused of “sowing trouble and reap(ing) it” (4:8) and now he is destroyed by the breath of God. Job protests his innocence, saying, “I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.” (Job 27:6)
Never-the-less, Job has little to cheer him up these days. His soul is filled with sadness, his spirit with wailing.
We have probably all been there at one time or another. Having a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day. There are two sides to this issue of “comforting mourners.” On one side is the one who is distressed; on the other, those who would bring comfort. From time to time we may be either. Does it help to say, as many have, “Into each life, some rain must fall.”? While true, it helps no more than the many words of advice from Job’s friends. Words that God found objectionable.
Studies of the Book of Job seem to skip over a very important part of the Epilogue - Chapter 42:7-16. Job never does find out why the Lord has brought such calamity to him. Yes! He “repents in dust and ashes.” (42:6) And is blessed “the latter part of (his) life more than the first.
Ahh! But take time to read those few verses having to do with the “comforting of the mourner” by the three friends, vss. 7-9.
Does that not mean that we are to be held accountable for our advice? Do we blithely chirp, “It’s God’s will. . . “ rain will fall” . . . etc. ? We should be God’s servant to comfort, not condemn, the mourner. Take time to read Job again, and imagine that you are one of the friends comforting Job.
June 9, 2002

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Job said, “Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him ”, Job 23:3-4a NKJV

In the beginning, there were a series of very positive statements, which is not surprising, since they were made by The Lord God. “Let there be light,” He said, and there was light. Likewise, at His Word, the waters and firmament were created, earth and seas, the sun and moon, and all living things. Genesis 1:27 states that God created man and woman, male and female, again by His Word.
A blessing is a very special statement, which God gave to the man and woman; He further blessed them by placing them in a Garden of Delight, a possible meaning of the Hebrew word for ‘Eden.’ He also blessed the seventh day, making it holy.
I’ve checked several versions of the Bible, including the KJV, NKJV, NIV and NRS, and I find nothing but positive statements until Genesis the 3rd chapter. Enter the Fallen One in the form of a serpent. There is recorded the first question, “Hath God said?” or “Did God really say. . . ?” (Genesis 3:1)
The next thing we read from God is the question of the ages: “Where are you?” The questions flow freely from that point, as if the first one had broken a leak in a vast reservoir.
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive.”
Enter jealousy and anger. God questions Cain concerning that anger, and suggests that Cain will gain the acceptance he seeks, if he does what is right. Instead, Cain grows that anger into murder.
God is again forced to ask that probing question concerning a fall into sin, in this case, “Where is your brother, Abel?” (Genesis 4:9) Cain answers with a question, of course, “How should I know?” “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Questions. Questioning God. The book of Job is structured around questions, including the probing questions of Job’s friends, and Job’s stated desire to question God. (Job Chapter 23:3-5) This question is rebutted later by God, but not in the form that Job expects. It is often formed from our own lips; “Why, God, Why?”
Turn with me to Job Chapter 38: God answers us with both a question and a statement, thus: ”Who is this who darkens counsel without knowledge? . . . I will question you, and you shall answer me.”
Job’s questions are at an end. He responds with a statement of humility and confession; “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (vss. 42:3-4) Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (vs. 6)
We can not presume to come to God contentiously, in anger and defiance, for He is the Great Judge, who will ask the final questions.
August 21, 2005