Scripture:
Job 19:23-26 ESV
[23] “Oh that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! [24] Oh, that with an iron pen and lead, they were engraved in the rock forever! [25] For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. [26] And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
Observation:
In verses 23-24, Job had no idea what he was saying would end up in a book that would span the test of time, and thousands of years later, his words would still inspire us to seek GOD’S face, saying things like though HE slay me I will trust in HIM. Even though verses 23-24 are pretty cool, my. The focus is on verses 25-26, Job knew who his redemption was found. It wasn’t in what his “friends” were saying, and it had nothing to do with the work of his hands, and honestly, you can look at verse 25 as a prediction of the coming Christ, and vr:26, for that matter. However, I’m not trying to get off in the weeds. My point is that Job knows that his help comes from the LORD and that one day, he will see HIM face to face. Think about the statement made in vr:26. He says, “After my skin has been thus destroyed yet in my flesh I shall see GOD. That’s a pretty heavy statement if you think about it, and as the thought rolls around in my mind, I think about 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, at the call of the trumpet all those who knew Christ will be called up to meet the LORD. That’s a face-to-face encounter with the one who made you… I hope you can forgive me for my paraphrase of those verses. I just wanted to make my point.
Application:
If we thought the words we were speaking would be in a book that would inspire people to seek GOD’S face thousands of years later…. would we speak differently? I try to be careful about what I say anyway because the bible says we will be shown every word spoken under our breath. Our words are important, and guarding what we say should be at the front of our minds. However, that’s not the foundation of our S.O.A.P. this morning. I’m looking at what Job said here in these verses and seeing that at some point, we will all have a face-to-face encounter with the one who put us together inside our mother’s womb, the one who knows how many hairs we have….. or lack of hair, depending on who HE is looking at. Honestly, think about that for just a minute. What will you be able to say? What will be your defense for the way you spoke, or how you treated that person who offended you? Believe me, I am not without blame. If our answer to any of that is anything other than Jesus, we are in trouble. HE is our defense. HE is our salvation. HE is our Redeemer, the one Job was speaking of, and we will see HIM face to face. I want to rest assured that my faith is in HIM. When it all goes down. When that last trumpet sounds. That’s all that’s going to matter. Now that being said…..I want my life to speak for the fact that HE is my LORD, so let’s take a look at what that means real fast. Because Jesus is the LORD of my life, I want to do what HE tells me to. In HIS word is where I find all my answers. I know that’s a little bit of a rabbit trail, but someone must need to hear that.
Prayer:
Father, you are so amazing. You have had a plan from the start, and that plan has always been Jesus. There is no other answer. It’s through HIS blood that you have redeemed us. You have bought us back, ransomed us, paid the price for us, and restored us to right standing with you. There is no way we could have done this on our own. Because of what you have done, Father, we have a new life, and this morning, we just want to thank you. Thank you, Father. What are we that you are so mindful of us? Let our lives bring you glory and honor from this day forward. I know that there are people who are still struggling with addiction and many other life-controlling issues, and I want to pray for them as well. I pray that you set the captive free. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray amen.