Author: BJ Armstrong

Job 40-42, Psalm 150, Rev 22

Good stories follow the same pattern. It begins with a journey, moves through a struggle, and ultimately leads to transformation. The book of Job is no different. Your life—your story—is no different.

I hate Job’s struggle. Truly, I hate reading about it. Thirty-six of the forty-two chapters in Job are filled with sickness, loss, and uncertainty as Job and his friends wrestle with suffering.

Today, we finally get to the end.  It’s easy to dwell on the last chapter and celebrate Job’s restored wealth.  Finally, I think, he is rewarded for his faithfulness. But my initial thoughts are wrong.  The restoration of Job’s wealth is not the victory.  No, victory is secured in verses 5 and 6.  Job says,

I had only heard about you before,

but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

I take back everything I said,

and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”  Job 42:5-6 (NLT)

Do you see it?  Job’s relief wasn’t about prosperity. Nor was it about vindication.  Job found relief when he fixed his eyes on God.

Psalms 123

I lift my eyes to you,

the one enthroned in heaven.

Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,

like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,

so our eyes are on the Lord our God

until he shows us favor.

Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,

for we’ve had more than enough contempt.

We’ve had more than enough

scorn from the arrogant

and contempt from the proud.

Job 21-23, Psalm 101, Rev 16

God’s wrath came in seven bowls.  Each of them poured out by an angel.  The plagues that they delivered caused malignant worse, water turned to blood – first the sea, then the rivers and springs – the sun became so hot it scorched people, the light was extinguished plunging the world into darkness, even the Euphrates river dried up.  “But,” we are reminded after each one, “they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.”

I am tempted to believe that we are hopless.  Perhaps there is nothing that can conquer our pride and turn to God.  I would think that, but it’s clearly not true.  Psalm 101 gives us a beautiful picture of David.  This is what repent and turn to God looks like.

Psalms 101 (NLT)

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.

I will praise you with songs.

I will be careful to live a blameless life—when will you come to help me?

I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.

I hate all who deal crookedly;

I will have nothing to do with them.

I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.

I will not endure conceit and pride.

I will search for faithful people to be my companions.

Only those who are above reproach will be allowed to serve me.

I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.

My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked and free the city of the Lord from their grip.

Job 8-11, Revelation 12

I am stuck in the middle of Job.  I get the beginning where Job declares his unending devotion to God through worship, no matter the circumstances and I also know how this all ends with God blessing Job again.  Truth is, I just want to hurry up and get there.  The middle chapters are hard to read.  They plod along with the same silly arguments and this kind of battle amongst themselves.  The more I read it, the more confused I get.  My confusion leads to frustration and distress all of it making me question God, his purposes and his ways.

The more I think about it, it’s kind of like life.  Being stuck in the middle might be the hardest part.  The beginning was great.  Jesus made us worthy.  Everyday was a new adventure, something to learn and things to better understand.  We also become keenly aware of the rewards.  Salvation, eternal life, and unending love.  But, that is not where Job is today.  He’s in the middle.  He loves God.  He is devoted to God, but the promise of a future reward isn’t enough to satisfy him, right now.

There is something about these middle chapters.  Job readily acknowledges God’s soverignity.  He knows that God has the supreme power to do anything.  Like me, Job questions God’s motives and gets stuck in the question of, “why.”  Despite all of Job’s deliberation and arguing, God does not provide an anwer to that question.

Thankfully, we know how this book ends, but skipping to the happy ending would miss the most important part. In the coming days, we will Job’s story change.  It happens when Job’s focus changes.  Subtly, but surely, he moves from “why,” to “who.”

Nehemiah 1-3, Revelation 5

John is in the throne room.  He’s watching God hold out a scroll with seven seals while an angel shouts to everyone “who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (v2).  When nobody was found, John began to weep.  It’s this reaction that I want to take a closer look at.  Why does he weep?  To understand John’s emotions we need to first understand what is in the scroll, then we need a closer look at John’s heart.

The scroll describes Gods future plans.  Remember that Jesus died and ascended to heaven but he also made another promise; to come again. Luke 21:27 (ESV) And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory  (Mark 13:26-27).   This second coming will be the end to all trials and tribulation.  When it happens, Jesus will send out the angels and gather his elect (Mark 13:27).  This is what John was hoping for.  The scroll would finally reveal it. The full understanding of God and eternal presence with him is finally at hand.  But, there is a problem.  Who will open it?

John probably knew immediately that he, himself was not worthy.  He came to the throne room not with ambition and looking for opportunity, but seeking God, with humility.  Instead, I picture him eagerly searching for a face, for someone to step forward and take the scroll.  But they didn’t show up.  I feel like he matched 5 numbers on a lottery ticket and, waiting anxiously for that sixth number, only to find it doesn’t match.  John had lost.  But this wasn’t about a few dollars, this was everything he hoped for.  He “wept loudly.”

John was distressed until he was reminded to be patient.  There is one worthy, says one of the elders.  It is the “Lion of Judah.”  He has won the victory.  He is worthy to open the scrolls.  With this, John’s hope was restored but not in the way he expected.  He was looking for a lion, bold and strong.  But, what he saw was a lamb, and that Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered (Revelation 5:6).  In that moment, John sees Jesus for who he really is. He understands the price that was paid.  With that, John and the entire room fell down before the lamb and sang a new song (Revelation 5:8).

Esther 4-6, Revelation 2

Chet is right.  The book of Esther needs to be made a movie.  Esther is clearly the hero, and every good hero has a mentor.  Bruce Wayne, for example, has Alfred and Luke Skywalker has Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Esther, has Mordecai.

Mordecai has superpowers.  The root of them is faith.  For example, he is so certain of God that he refuses to bow to Haman even when everyone else does (Ester 3:2).  Then, facing death, he displays total peace and confidence (Esther 5:9).  Given Mordecai’s faith it’s easy to wonder why he is not the hero. That would be too easy.  God likes to complicate is work with people that are not qualified and are not expected.  That is Esther.  But, she needs help.

Mordecai masterfully encourages her.  His way is not patronizing.  It’s challenging.  Check out their exchange in chapter 4.

Mordecai pleads to Esther, “Go tell the king about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews.”

“I can’t” she replies. “The king will kill me if I enter without an invitation.”

“Do it anyway.” He insists.  “This is why God brought you here in the first place.”

Clearly this story has some cinematic opportunity, but I am thankful that I dont need it.  I hear clearly the call of Mordecai to stand up, stand firm, and believe.  Believe in God that has you here, right now, with all of these challenges so that you too can be something – for Him.

Zech 2-5, Psalm 93, 1 John 3

How do you define accountability?  As I child, I defined it as a yard-stick.   A swift, thwack agains the back of my legs got my attention quickly.  I never liked it, but I always needed it.  I still need it now, as an adult.  It was true in Bible times too.  Throughout 1 John, the apostle John is exercising his responsibility to hold Christians accountable.  When you examine it you will see three distinct components.  A reminder of who Jesus is, how we react to that understanding and finally, why it matters.

I John starts with a reminder of who Jesus is.  If you haven’t noticed, its easy to get mixed up about Jesus.  That is as true today as it was 2,000 years ago when John wrote this book.  People everywhere were questioning Jesus’ divinity.  After all, how is it possible to be human and God?  Our faith is easily sidetracked with such questions.  Many of us already have. For example, it is far easier to believe that Jesus was just a “good guy” than it is to believe he is God.  In 1 John, John rebutts these falsehoods with a strong message of truth.  He reminds us that Jesus was, in fact, “from the beginning,” meaning that he was with God before all of creation.  He also points to evidence of his humanity, recalling that they saw him personally and were able to touch him physically (John 20:27).  These reminders of truth hole us accountable to the core truth’s of Jesus. 

As we recall his perfect nature, John begins to encourage us to act accordingly.  The behavioral change John is talking about starts with our heart which is justified through Jesus’ sacrifice. This starts by remembering our need for forgiveness and salvation,  behavioral change will follow. 

God fills our renewed hearts with His love and goodness.  Out of this river, flows righteousness and good deeds.

In conclusion, John encourages us to be confident.  Not just for eternal life, but for true life.  Right here on earth.  God cares about our struggles.  He wants to intercede.  He will intercede.  Sometimes, we just need a reminded.

Daniel 10-12, John 20

What you believe matters.  In fact, your beliefs shape your actions.  If, for example, you believe that airplanes crash, you probably wont fly on one. If, on the other hand, you believe that its safter to fly than ride in a car, you’ll choose too fly.  From this example, it’s easy to see that not everything we believe is true.  Thankfully, we can change our beliefs.

Statements of affirmation are one way to shape our beliefs, but we have to be careful.  Scripture is the guide that puts our beliefs and affirmations to the test.  In fact, the entire book of John was written for that purpose.  John says so himself, “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

I believe that He died for my sins and rose on the 3^rd day.

I believe that I am forgiven and redeemed through his sacrifice

I believe that I have true life, because of him.

What do you believe?