March 6, 2009
Health, wealth, and Prosperity—blab it and grab it!
Job 6
Brett Johnston
Central Truth
Job is being transparent and authentic in his pain. His friends are trying to overspiritualize his issues with notions of health, wealth, and prosperity. Instead of getting in the ditch with Job and listening to/caring for him appropriately (see also James 5), they give him empty words without thought.
Key Verse | Job 6:24
"Teach me and I, for my part, will be silent; explain to me how I have been mistaken." (Job 6:24)
Job 6
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
1 Then Job answered and said:
2
“Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3
For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.
4
For the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5
Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
or the ox low over his fodder?
6
Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?
1
6:6
The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
7
My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are as food that is loathsome to me.
2
6:7
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
8
Oh that I might have my request,
and that God would fulfill my hope,
9
that it would please God to crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
10
This would be my comfort;
I would even exult
3
6:10
The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
in pain unsparing,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11
What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?
12
Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
13
Have I any help in me,
when resource is driven from me?
14
He who withholds
4
6:14
Syriac, Vulgate (compare Targum); the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
kindness from a friend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15
My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed,
as torrential streams that pass away,
16
which are dark with ice,
and where the snow hides itself.
17
When they melt, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18
The caravans turn aside from their course;
they go up into the waste and perish.
19
The caravans of Tema look,
the travelers of Sheba hope.
20
They are ashamed because they were confident;
they come there and are disappointed.
21
For you have now become nothing;
you see my calamity and are afraid.
22
Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
23
Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary's hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless’?
24
Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.
25
How forceful are upright words!
But what does reproof from you reprove?
26
Do you think that you can reprove words,
when the speech of a despairing man is wind?
27
You would even cast lots over the fatherless,
and bargain over your friend.
28
But now, be pleased to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29
Please turn; let no injustice be done.
Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30
Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?
Dive Deeper | Job 6
Have you ever noticed how Paul's life took a turn for the worse once he trusted in Christ? The brother was in and out of jail, beaten, and ostracized from his own culture. Not to mention this "thorn in the flesh" he could not pull. Can you imagine telling Paul that if he just believed more or would just confess sin in his life that all of his problems would go away? This is what Job's friends are telling him. They are trying to convince Job that he had committed some travesty. Why else would God allow such a thing?
Some televangelists fleece people by teaching that God wants them to be healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. Really? Now don't get me wrong, He does allow some of us to be some or all of those things. But to tell someone they are not prospering solely because of sin in their life is just wrong!
When I was in college, I visited a local church/TV movement where this sort of thing was being preached because I wanted to understand it. What would motivate these people to take from the sick, less fortunate, and downtrodden? Greed! Plain and simple. There were walkers, canes, wheelchairs, and crutches hanging from the hallway ceiling in the building as examples of how the leader had cured individuals of their affliction and sin. Later, we found out all of these apparatuses had been bought from a local hospital supply as decor. The man leading this movement was a complete fraud.
Job was looking for nothing more than his friends to listen. He did not want anything from them other than an ear bent to listen and the offer of some kind words. He did not need healing from his sin any more than usual. He needed what is offered in James 5:13-14. He needed the people around him in life to tell him they care about him, and so does the Lord . . . to gently support him and encourage him to keep following God.
Discussion Questions
1. Do areas of your life exist in which you think you are entitled to something unhealthy by just claiming it?
2. Are there areas of your life in which you have not listened, but instead tried to fix?
3. If you are male, you should reread Question 2. If you are female, you should get the males in your life to reread Question 2.
4. What will you do today in a demonstrable way to listen or reach out to someone around you who is hurting?