A horrible travesty took place this week, an injustice beyond words. It has been discussed on every major news outlet. It has dominated water-cooler discussion. Everyone seems to have taken a side, even those who know nothing about the facts. It has been debated, argued and fought over to the point that it has almost divided our great nation and almost destroyed a major finical giant in our economy. This horrible injustice took place on Monday night, Sept 24th when the replacement officials made an incorrect decision on the last play of Monday Night Football that robbed the beloved Packers of an interception and gave the lowly Seahawks the winning touchdown thus throwing the audience, the NFL and indeed the nation into chaos.
Some will argue that it was clearly an interception after an obvious foul. Others argue that the receiver had control of the ball as they went to the ground thus being indeed a touchdown. Still others argue that neither actually had complete control of the ball but the rules state that when questionable the call always goes to the offense. Even top politicians are giving their viewpoint on this horrendous news-dominating story. We must pray that it does tear at the very foundations of our church.
Clearly, I am joking. However, it is amazing how passionate we get about football. We cheer or jeer our players. We are upset when the game does not go in our favor. Some even support more than one team, which I must admit seems wrong to me. I relate that to having a wife that you are dedicated to until your girlfriend comes to town. It is just not right. I am a Carolina Panthers fan no matter how ugly they get.
Today I want us to look at Job with our sports glasses on. Job was a Super Bowl winner. He owned 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, 7000 sheep, and 3000 camels. He was blessed with 10 children. In addition, he was a man in good health.
However, one day he became a player in the game between God and satan. The adversary, satan, challenged God to remove his protection, his offensive line, from in front of Job and he could cause a calamity in Job’s life so great that he would abandon his worship and never trust in God again. God agreed and left Job on the playing field alone and unprotected.
In one day, Job lost his possessions, his wealth, and all his children. He was soon covered from head to toe in boils that itched and hurt so bad that all he could do was sit in the ashes and scrape them with pottery shards.
Soon the sports analyst showed up in the form of three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihue. They set with him for 7 days and 7 nights not saying anything. I wonder if they were analyzing the situation in their own minds, drawing conclusions, asking themselves “Where did Job go wrong? Where did he fumble?”
Finally after these 7 days Job speaks. “Let the day of my birth be erased, and the night I was conceived. Let that day be turned to darkness. Let it be lost even to God on high,
and let no light shine on it. Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own. Let a black cloud overshadow it,
and let the darkness terrify it. Let that night be blotted off the calendar, never again to be counted among the days of the year,
never again to appear among the months. Let that night be childless. Let it have no joy. Let those who are experts at cursing—whose cursing could rouse Leviathan —
curse that day. Let its morning stars remain dark.
Let it hope for light, but in vain; may it never see the morning light. Curse that day for failing to shut my mother’s womb,
for letting me be born to see all this trouble. “Why wasn’t I born dead? Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?” (Job 3:3-11)
Job is not taking this loss very well. When his team was winning, things were great but now tragedy has struck and he is in the cursing mode. Some one has to be blamed for this so he attacks the day of his birth. How can you curse something that has already happened? He is born. He cannot take it back. The call was made and it stands. Moreover, nothing Job could do or say would change that. The only choice he has is to rely on God to comfort him.
So now, the first analyst, Eliphaz, takes a shot of describing the play as he saw it. His speech went along these lines; “This truth was given to me in secret, as though whispered in my ear.
It came to me in a disturbing vision at night, when people are in a deep sleep. Fear gripped me, and my bones trembled. A spirit swept past my face, and my hair stood on end. The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape. There was a form before my eyes. In the silence I heard a voice say, ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’” (Job 4:12-17)
“It’s your sin Job that caused this tragedy. You think you are without sin but you are not. And I know what I am talking about because I am very spiritual and in tune with God.” Beware of people who began to share with you some secret knowledge that God has given them. We are instructed “do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God.” (1 John 4:1)
People will judge you by your difficulties. When tough times come, they will desire to point fingers and analyze those actions that they did approve of to pile guilt upon your already burdened shoulders. Some say the Packers got what they deserved. Some do not want them to succeed and rejoice in their misfortune. Football fans can be cruel.
Bildad now steps in. “Does God twist justice?
Does the Almighty twist what is right? Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved. (What compassion to a grieving father) But if you pray to God
and seek the favor of the Almighty, and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home. And though you started with little, you will end with much.” (Job 8:3-7)
He maintains that God is just; he implies that Job's sons died because of their own transgressions, and if Job were only pure and upright, he would be blessed by God. The problem was Job refused to acknowledge his sins and repent.
Here again is a situation where people will desire to have some control over you. They will not only point out your need for repentance but also want to dictate what that repentance should look like; what you should turn from, what you should sacrifice. They desire to be the Holy Spirit convicting and guiding you into repentance. Pastors are called to preach the truth of God’s Word. Each individual must decide what to do with that truth.
Back to the Packers game. I have heard more than one football fan make the statement that the ball should have been knocked to the ground instead of someone trying to be a hero by intercepting the ball. They became a victim of bad judgment, should confess to it, and stop blaming the officials.
Finally, Zophar enters the dialogue “You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’ and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’ If only God would speak; if only he would tell you what he thinks! If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom is not a simple matter. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!” (Job 11:4-6)
“He got off easy. He didn’t get what he deserved. His punishment should have been much worse.” Have you heard these judgmental statements made or perhaps made them yourselves? We often elevate ourselves to a God-like status wanting to judge others by our standards. We live in a time of grace. God is not a heavy-handed taskmaster but a compassionate caring Father. However, we live in a world corrupted by sin where bad things happen.
Did you know the quarterback for the Packers was sacked 8 times that night? The Packers should have been blown away. They should not have even been in the running to win. They got off easy. I know a loss is a loss but they still should have been stomped.
We are now introduced to a new voice in this discussion. Having remained silent up to this point because of his youth, Elihu now speaks. “Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds, with ceaseless aching in their bones. They lose their appetite for even the most delicious food. Their flesh wastes away, and their bones stick out. They are at death’s door; the angels of death wait for them. (Job 33:19-22)
God allows us to suffer to teach us a lesson. We suffer because our faith is being tested. Did you parents ever say as you were growing up “This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you but it’s for your own good.”? Some believe God thinks that way.
The Packers saw the game stripped from their hands by the officials who were doing the best job they could. The Packers, in fact the entire NFL, needed to learn a lesson about respect for the officials and what better way than silent suffering.
And so the arguments continue with accusing fingers pointing at the officials and the Packers. But what if a whirlwind suddenly appeared and from it stepped Walter Camp. Now some of you might be asking “Who is Walter Camp?” Walter Camp is considered the “Father of Football” He took the rules for rugby and modified them to resemble modern day game of football.
Would he say to all these fans and analysts “Who is it that questions my rules? Where were you as I refined the game? Who are you, oh fan, that you would question me?”
This is what God did to Job and his friends. “Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? (Job 38:1-2)
How is this game related to the story of Job? Everyone has had an opinion on the Monday Night game. Some say the officials were at fault. Others say it was the Packers fault for not knocking the ball down thus ending the play. Some say that the Seahawks were a better team defensively and therefore deserved to win. Others would say that the Packers did not prepare well enough for the Seahawks defense. Some would say that the Packers were overly confident about their chances of winning and got what they deserved. Others would say that they have never been that good, just lucky and their luck ran out.
Job and his friends were like these football fans. They all had opinions about God’s actions. The friends were accusing Job and Job was accusing God. “I am disgusted with my life. Let me complain freely. My bitter soul must complain. I will say to God, ‘Don’t simply condemn me—tell me the charge you are bringing against me. What do you gain by oppressing me? Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands, while smiling on the schemes of the wicked? (Job 10:1-3)
We are like that to each other when disaster strikes. We want to rationalize that the recipient must have sinned, or not repented, or God is trying to teach them a lesson or get their attention. We whisper that they are fortunate that even worse disaster did not strike them, and would have had it not been for God’s grace.
And if the disaster strikes us, we cry out to God about how unjust He is and how undeserving of this suffering we are. We read our resume of good deeds and prayer journals as if to impress him.
But this is the truth. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?” (Romans 11:33-34)
God has the sole right to decide what He will do with your life. God has the sole right to decide whether you will suffer defeat like the Packers or win a victory like the Seahawks. They is no revue, no changing of the call. When He makes the call on your life, it stands.
God never blows the call, and Job came to realize that fact.
“Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. (Job 42:1-3)
This is the only response you can give when you don’t understand the “why.” This is the only advice you can share when you are asked the “why”. Because God made the call and He never blows one. When Job realized his role was to accept whatever God placed in his life as a design for his life framed by God, then He was blessed. Read this with me. “He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!” (Job 2:21)
