Job 9:22

It is all one,

   I say,

      He destroys the blameless and the wicked alike.

 

I am working through Job 21 and in it he reinforces this theme that God treats both good and bad alike. People in general want the evil people to be punished by a higher power. This is the driver for the whole Jewish false understanding that they are God’s chosen people, and the Messiah will come back to put them on top of the world. The popular song that goes “Everybody wants to rule the world” follows this line of wanting to push others down to get yourself on top. God set up the world so that everyone does not get what they deserve, and we can eventually find a path to Christ, salvation, and eternal life, free from the selfishness of others. Job learned this and is trying to pass along the message.

“One” was also “the same” and “one thing”. The same seemed accurate enough, but one thing seemed to distort the message, whereas one made it simple and broad.

“I say” was “therefore I say”, “that is why I say”, “therefore I said it”, “and so I say”, and “and so I thought”. Therefore and all the other modifiers seem irrelevant to the conversation as the language lays out the process without it. The use of thought in place of say weakens the discourse to a question.

“Blameless” was also “good” or “perfect”, and “wicked” was also “guilty”. Blameless and wicked seemed the correct terms.

I was watching a Lord of the Rings adaptation and I saw a dragon kill a bird and the bird fell into the lines of elves and orcs killing both indiscriminately as the bird perished. Just the opposite of a rising tide raises all ships, the normal course of the world is for both the good and the bad to experience the same struggles and successes. The difference is whether our response is to turn inward or turn towards God.

God wants a relationship with us and He built us to need a relationship with Him. He has given us salvation as a free gift of undeserved grace, and we need only accept it and we also received the free gift of undeserved mercy. Grace and Mercy in time of need. Getting what we do not deserve and not getting what we do deserve all at once.

Side note: This is projected to be my 400th blog since moving to this site. I like numbers and round numbers are a nice time to reflect. God has really blessed me my whole life, but after the slack period this summer, I feel the joy of His blessings a little more these days.

(Written 9/3,Posted 9/12, Job 194)