Job 20, 21, and Luke 15
In Job 20, Zophar, Job’s “friend,” is at it again, telling Job his calamities are from his sin. Instead of listening to Job, he’s ready to offer up the reasons he’s going through Hell. This reminds me, I need to be quick to listen and slower to judge. Reading verses 8 and 9, though, paints a grim picture for people who aren’t on the right path.
“‘They will fade like a dream and not be found. They will vanish like a vision in the night. Those who once saw them will see them no more. Their families will never see them again. ‘
Job 20:8-9 https://www.bible.com/bible/116/JOB.20.8-9
That’s a scary thought. All memories of you are gone, never to be seen again. I know some people have family members they wouldn’t mind not seeing again. I hope I’m not one of them. This makes me reflect on my own actions and how they shape how I’m remembered. Am I living in a way that leaves a positive impact on others? This is not just about what we leave behind, but about now, and the moments we create daily. How am I going to be remembered?
In Job 21:21, Job tells us the wicked will not care what happens to their family after they are dead. You know if you have problems, you have problems, but if you have a health problem, then you have 1 problem. If you are in Hell, you’ll have 1 problem: your spiritual health problem, and then it’s too late, all is lost.
Luke 15:7 We learn there’s more joy in heaven over one lost sinner that repents and returns to God than over the ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away. Then in 11, we hear the parable of the lost Son. The younger Son takes his inheritance, moves far away, and spends it all on wild parties. Then disaster strikes the youngest Son, leaving him starving as he works on a pig farm.
He’s in a bad spot, he’s dying of hunger, and thinks even the help has something to eat back home. I’ll bet he was thinking, “life sucks!” So he decides to go back home, and confess his sins, humble himself, “I’m not worthy to be called your son, please take me back as a hired hand.”
So he’s walking back, and his dad sees him from a distance. The Son doesn’t have time to ask his dad for help and mercy.
His dad saw him from far away and ran to his Son. He was filled with love and compassion; he hugged and kissed his Son. The Son tells him I have sinned against both heaven and you. But Dad doesn’t say anything about his past — he tells his servants to get his Son ready for a party! Bring on the feast, Dad is overjoyed that the Son whom he thought was dead has now been returned to life.
The stark contrast between heaven and Hell in today’s readings blows me away. I love the fact that God is the perfect father, always ready to welcome us, that he doesn’t remember our sins, and that he’s filled with love and compassion for us. The picture of heaven as a party that never ends, surrounded by loved ones and no more troubles.
‘For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. ‘
Psalms 103:11-13 https://www.bible.com/bible/116/PSA.103.11-13
‘God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. ‘
1 John 4:9-10 https://www.bible.com/bible/116/1JN.4.9-10
I don’t know how many mistakes I’ve made, and I wish I could hit the delete button. Isn’t God’s compassion and mercy extraordinary? It removes our sins; the blood of Jesus washes them away.