Job 11:15
You will lift your face, without blemish,
Be steadfast, without fear,
It’s been a couple busy weeks since my last one of these. I got a new project that pays more than the rest and had a short time frame. I was also undisciplined. Can’t forget that part.
Most of the sources had a hint of the “if” in the last verse slip into a “then” for this verse. Seems perfectly logical, but I did not feel it necessary. Another aspect included was not lifting up your face, so much as holding your head high. I did not prefer this element of pride, so I steered away from it. Blemish was also shame, spot, stain, and blameless. As is normal, my least favorite source had my least favorite option of blameless.
Most of the sources repeated “you will” from the first stitch, but I found it unnecessary. Steadfast was also secure, stand firm, be rock solid, and firmly set. Without fear was will not fear, not fear, be unafraid, fearing nothing, and with nothing to fear. I do like the add of having nothing to fear, but apparently I was trending with the shorter answers this time.
I like this verse standing alone as an affirmation of who I would like to be. I kind of do not like that it does so while being so clearly an outcome of doing what is in the previous verse. In Bible study Friday, we briefly considered how only suffering prepares us for what is next and nothing else can prepare us sufficiebtly. We cannot be where we are going to be without having been where we have been.
We met a lady this weekend and ended up in a pretty frank discussion about some of the twists and turns in our lives relating with God. Despite flaws with the churches we grew up in, we all had developed a impactful relationship with God that shaped who we are today. Everyone makes mistakes and if we do not forgive our fellow Christian, then how can we expect to forgive our enemies as God has commanded. Putin and Xi are the poster boys for the forces trying to crush the American dream, and it seems unreasonable to pray for them, but only if we have limited ourselves to worldly prayers of success. Our love for our enemies is not so that they can have more power or more money or success in any worldly circumstance. We are to pray that our enemies are successful in finding right relationship to and salvation in Christ.
On the cross, Christ called out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” He did so to remind us of the words of the prophet predicting His death. But He also did so to remind us that the forgiveness of our sins was the reason Christ was forsaken. I learned that in some circles they take the “s” off that word “sins” and portray Christ’s efforts as only pardoning the original “sin” of Adam and Eve and that we are still on the hook for the rest of our sins. Talk about taking the importance of a single letter too far. That small change flies in the face of so much of the rest of the gospel that it should be easy to understand the illegitimacy of the assertion, but apparently it has had a huge negative impact on the church for most of the history of the church.
My goal will be to follow this verse in everything I do. You may remember how I hate to make goals, but I think this one is in keeping with my goal to become more Christ like. Christ definitely lifted His face as if He were without blemish, He was steadfast and feared nothing. If He can do it, I can at least try.
(Written 3/4/23, Posted3/7, Job 246)