Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 31.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2031&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“I have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 “And what is the portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
3 “Is it not calamity to the unjust
And disaster to those who work iniquity?
4 “Does He not see my ways
And number all my steps?

5 “If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6 Let Him weigh me with accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.
7 “If my step has turned from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me sow and another eat,
And let my crops be uprooted.

9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife grind for another,
And let others kneel down over her.
11 “For that would be a lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.

…

16 “If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 Or have eaten my morsel alone,
And the orphan has not shared it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from infancy I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or that the needy had no covering,
20 If his loins have not thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw I had support in the gate,
22 Let my shoulder fall from the socket,
And my arm be broken off at the elbow.
23 “For calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

24 “If I have put my confidence in gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
26 If I have looked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

…

38 “If my land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If I have eaten its fruit without money,
Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,
40 Let briars grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.”  Job 31:1-11 and 16-28 and 38-40.

————————————-

Job realized that God is the Almighty and Just Judge Who sees and knows everything and punishes sin.  Job also realized that there were many different types of sin, so Job was very careful to not sin.  Job inferred that his suffering was not caused by God as a punishment for sin.  To paraphrase Job, a summary of what he is saying in this chapter is:  “If I sinned, let me be punished.  But, I have not sinned, so why am I being punished?”

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

…

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.”  Psalm 139:1-6 and 23-24.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 30.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+30&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“10 “They abhor me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not refrain from spitting at my face.

…

“15 “Terrors are turned against me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

16 “And now my soul is poured out within me;
Days of affliction have seized me.

17 “At night it pierces my bones within me,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.

…

26 “When I expected good, then evil came;
When I waited for light, then darkness came.
27 “I am seething within and cannot relax;
Days of affliction confront me.

28 “I go about mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

29 “I have become a brother to jackals
And a companion of ostriches.
30 “My skin turns black on me,
And my bones burn with fever.”  Job 30:10 and 15-17 and 26-30.

———————————-

Job is humiliated, persecuted, and otherwise afflicted.  He is in physical pain and in mental anguish.  He is scarred and lonely.  He is in mourning without comfort.

Job may feel totally alone.  But, he is not alone.  When we read the Psalms, we read of similar experiences of the righteous.  We too may feel some of what Job experienced.

“22 But for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our body cleaves to the earth.
26 Rise up, be our help,
And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.”  Psalm 44:22-26.

Other doctrine places its hope that there is something attractive about us (maybe our works, our wisdom, our will, or that we are just cute) that will attract God to us and motivate Him to save us.

But, Reformed Doctrine knows that there is nothing attractive about us in our natural condition.  We were dead in sin, hostile to God, and enslaved to sin and Satan as taught by “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the  Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Reformed Doctrine places its hope that despite our “Total Depravity”, God elected us for salvation.

Article 7.  Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen, from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the foundation of Salvation.

This elect number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving than the others, but with them involved in one common misery, God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by him, and effectually to call and draw them to his communion by his Word and Spirit, to bestow upon them true faith, justification and sanctification;  and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of his Son, finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of his mercy, and for the praise of his glorious grace;  as it is written: “According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,”  Ephesians 1:4,5,6.  And elsewhere:  “Whom he did predestinate, them he also called;  and whom he called, them he also justified;  and whom he justified, them he also glorified,” Romans 8:30.  FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of Divine Predestination of Canons of Dordt.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man;  though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:6-8.

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:35-39.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 29.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+29&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“And Job again took up his discourse and said,

2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;
3 When His lamp shone over my head,
And by His light I walked through darkness;
4 As I was in the prime of my days,
When the friendship of God was over my tent;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me,
And my children were around me;
6 When my steps were bathed in butter,
And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7 “When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat in the square,
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
9 “The princes stopped talking
And put their hands on their mouths;
10 The voice of the nobles was hushed,
And their tongue stuck to their palate.
11 “For when the ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,
12 Because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.
13 “The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 “I was eyes to the blind
And feet to the lame.
16 “I was a father to the needy,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
17 “I broke the jaws of the wicked
And snatched the prey from his teeth.”  Job 29:1-17.

——————–

“I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”  Isaiah 61:10.

“7 You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.”  Psalm 4:7-8.

“11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  Psalm 84:11-12.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 28.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+28&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“12 “But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 “Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 “Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
18 “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.
19 “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 “Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 “Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

23 “God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 “For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.
25 “When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure,
26 When He set a limit for the rain
And a course for the thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”  Job 28:12-28.

———————

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Proverbs 9:10.

“Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth;  for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Other doctrine seeks to know man.

But, Reformed Doctrine seeks to know God.

Other doctrine fears man.

But, Reformed Doctrine fears God.

Other doctrine seeks to know man’s works and man’s alleged free-will.

But, Reformed Doctrine seeks to know God’s works and God’s will from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.  Canons of Dordt.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 27.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+27&version=NASB

“11 “I will instruct you in the power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 “Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act foolishly?

13 “This is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty.
14 “Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 “His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And their widows will not be able to weep.
16 “Though he piles up silver like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, but the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 “He has built his house like the spider’s web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
19 “He lies down rich, but never again;
He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.
20 “Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
21 “The east wind carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him away from his place.
22 “For it will hurl at him without sparing;
He will surely try to flee from its power.
23 “Men will clap their hands at him
And will hiss him from his place.”  Job 27:11-23.

————————-

Other doctrine portrays a god who wants to save everyone but is powerless to save any one unless that one exercises his or her alleged free-will to choose that god.

But, Reformed Doctrine points to the God of Scripture Who only wants to save His Elect ones (also known as the righteous) and Who wants to destroy every one of the rest (also known as the wicked) and Who has full power to save all of His Elect and destroy all the wicked.

In today’s Scripture, we see some vivid descriptions of how God utterly destroys the wicked.

“5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very memory of them has perished.”  Psalm 9:5-6.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before Him;  and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;  and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.”  Matthew 25:31-33.

“The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire;  in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Matthew 13:41-42.

“And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”  Matthew 24:31.

“… “Hallelujah!  Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;  because His judgments are true and righteous;  for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.”   Revelation 19:1-2.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 26.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+26&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“7 “He stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 “He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 “He obscures the face of the full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 “The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 “He quieted the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
13 “By His breath the heavens are cleared;
His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”  Job 26:7-14.

——————

We may not know how God does these awesome things.  But, these awesome things testify to the existence of an awesome God.

Which doctrine glorifies God?

Other doctrine which, despite these awesome things, still focuses on man, man’s works, and man’s alleged free-will and whose god is a figment of their own imagination, their “man upstairs”?

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”  Romans 1:20-23.

Or, Reformed Doctrine which, based on both their observations of creation and Scripture, focuses on God, God’s works, and God’s will?

Consider the following from the Belgic Confession.

Article 1:  That there is One Only God.

We all believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God;  and that he is eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflowing fountain of all good.

Article 2:  By what means God is made known unto us.

We know him by two means:  first, by the creation, preservation and government of the universe; which is before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to contemplate the invisible things of God, namely, his power and divinity, as the apostle Paul saith, Romans 1:20.  All which things are sufficient to convincemen, and leave them without excuse.  Secondly, he makes himself more clearly and fully known to us by his holy and divine Word, that is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life, to his glory and our salvation.

“You who fear the Lord, praise Him;
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.”  Psalm 22:23.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.”  Psalm 148:5.

“8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.
9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great and do wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.”  Psalm 86:8-10.

“3 … “Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed.”  Revelation 15:3-4.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 25.

“Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 “Dominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in His heights.
3 “Is there any number to His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
4 “How then can a man be just with God?
Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?
5 “If even the moon has no brightness
And the stars are not pure in His sight,
6 How much less man, that maggot,
And the son of man, that worm!”  Job chapter 25.

—————————-

“Dominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in His heights.”  Verse 2.

Today’s Scripture provides a sharp contrast between God and man.  Dominion and awe belong to God.  Man is called a “maggot”, a “worm”, who cannot be just with God nor clean.

God controls even the heavens.  Man cannot control even himself.

God establishes peace.  Man disturbs and destroys.

Yet, other doctrine still trusts man, his works, and his alleged free-will.

But, Reformed Doctrine trusts God, His works, and His will.

“There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”  Isaiah 9:7.

“Lord, You will establish peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.”  Isaiah 26:12.

“30 Tremble before Him, all the earth;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”  1 Chronicles 16:30-31.

“Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”  Psalm 55:22.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 24.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+24&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see His days?
2 “Some remove the landmarks;
They seize and devour flocks.
3 “They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 “They push the needy aside from the road;
The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
5 “Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness
They go forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.
6 “They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 “They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 “They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
9 “Others snatch the orphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
10 “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 “Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
12 “From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not pay attention to folly.”  Job 24:1-12.

———————————

Job ponders why it seems to him that God allows wickedness to exist.

Is it because Job just does “not see His days” (verse 1), that is, the times, epochs, or day of judgment as in “He (Jesus) said to them (His apostles), “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;”  Acts 1:7.

Or, is it because God is so high and lifted up and exalted and above the heavens that “God does not pay attention to folly.”?  Verse 12.

Even though God is indeed above the heavens and enthroned on high, Job knows that God does pay attention to everything.

“4 The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?”  Psalm 113:4-6.

Job concludes that the wicked will eventually be cut off.

“They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.”  Job 24:24.

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”  For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”  2 Peter 3:3-6.

“4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;  5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;  … 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,”  2 Peter 2:4,5, and 9.

The following Psalm chapter 52 provides a good conclusion.

“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
2 Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
Falsehood more than speaking what is right.  Selah.
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.

5 But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent,
And uproot you from the land of the living.  Selah.
6 The righteous will see and fear,
And will laugh at him, saying,
7 “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches
And was strong in his evil desire.”

8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
9 I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”  Psalm chapter 52.

Today’s devotion come from Job chapter 23.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+23&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“10 “But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 “My foot has held fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
13 “But He is unique and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.
14 “For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.”  Job 23:10-14.

————————

Other doctrine exhorts us to examine ourselves and to just try harder.

But, Reformed Doctrine exhorts us to examine God and believe His promises more.

It is God Who refines us.  It is God Who causes us to patiently endure.  It is God Who causes us to come forth as gold.  “For He performs what is appointed for me …”  Verse 14.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”  Ephesians 1:3-4.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely;  and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.”  Jude 1:24.

Today’s devotion comes from Job chapter 22.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+22&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“⁵ “Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquities without end?
⁶ “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped men naked.
⁷ “To the weary you have given no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have withheld bread.
⁸ “But the earth belongs to the mighty man,
And the honorable man dwells in it.
⁹ “You have sent widows away empty,
And the strength of the orphans has been crushed.
¹⁰ “Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies you,
¹¹ Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.

…

²¹ “Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
²² “Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
²³ “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
²⁴ And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
²⁵ Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.”  Job chapter 22:  verses 5-11 and 21-25. 

——————————–

Eliphaz, another one of Job’s friends who should have comforted Job, instead directly and sharply and repeatedly accused Job.  Eliphaz also stated directly that Job’s wickedness is the reason why Job is suffering so much.  Verses 5-11.

Furthermore, Eliphaz tried to extort a repentance from Job.  Verses 21-25.  

But, Job did not need to repent here.  Job needed to be patient and wait for the LORD.  “… But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”  1 Peter 2:20.

We can’t treat God like a cosmic bubble gum machine and insert a coin of “repentance” or “good work” or “faith” and expect to immediately receive the bubble gum of “deliverance”.

Sometimes, the Lord may delay delivery sometimes to allow the testing by fire of our faith:  “that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”  1 Peter 1:7.

“For Your salvation I wait, O Lord.”  Genesis 49:18.

“Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14.

“²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
²¹ For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
²² Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.”  Psalm 33:20-22.

“⁷ Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
⁸ Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
⁹ For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
¹⁰ Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
¹¹ But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”  Psalm 37:7-11.