Father Abraham

Father Abraham.  Had many sons.  Many sons had father Abraham.  I am one of them.  And so are you.  So let's all praise the Lord.  (Right arm.)

Let's praise the Lord?  Because we're Abraham's sons?  I didn't get it when I was a kid, much less why that called for robot dancing and singing in rounds, and now reading the story I seem to be in good company.  I'm not sure Abraham or his wife got it either.

When God and Abram meet in Chapter 12, it is clear that their encounter centers on God's promise to him.  Abram listens, and does what God tells him.  Then... Abram gets off track.  He gets scared, doesn't look to God, takes matters into his own hands.  God comes again to Abram in a vision, communicating the same message as before.  Abram believes God, responds to Him, engages with Him.  Then... Abram gets off track.  He gives in to his wife's fears and her own failure to trust God or her husband.  Rather than take his promise back, or let it be forgotten, this time God appears to Abram, gives him and his wife new names, and reminds them of His promises to them.  As if He understands how hard it is for them to grasp what He tells them, He gives them tangible steps to take so that they can not only remember but begin living out His plan for them.

In itself, this overview of God's pursuit of Abraham and Sarah is amazing.  It was 24 years between the time God first engaged with Abram to when God gave him the name Abraham.  God was unbelievably patient with Abraham and yet perfectly on time to carry out the plan He had all along.

God responds to Abraham in a fascinating way as he starts to realize just what God is actually wanting to involve him in.  Keep in mind that at this point Abraham has an illegitimate son (by the coercion of his wife and exploitation of their maidservant) and Abraham and Sarah have become masters of obnoxious explanations for why they "meant" to do the things that got so messed up.  If anyone, ever, was entitled to one juicy "I told you so," it was God when Abraham and Sarah finally started to realize what God had been telling them all along.

But that's not His response.

God responds to Abraham with gentleness, and enthusiasm that he is starting to participate in a plan God designed to be experienced in relationship.

In chapter 17, Abraham falls facedown - twice - when God appears to him.  Abraham listens and wants to believe what God says about creating a nation from Abraham's family, but it seems so far-fetched to Abraham, as it has all along.  Many of the choices Abraham has made seemed to come from wanting to believe God's promise but not understanding how it could happen, and so trying to make his own way for God's promise to come true.  Case in point, his son Ishmael.  And Abraham is struggling to let go of that skepticism now.  Abraham begs for God to just make Ishmael the one to carry the blessing.  God validates Abraham's fatherly love for Ishmael, leaning into the soft places of Abraham's heart to remind him of the way He has designed for the promise to be carried out.  With Sarah as the mother.  With Abraham believing and obeying.  In relationship with God.

God could have taken numerous opportunities to prove His point.  He didn't.  Instead, He engaged in deeper, more real, more head-on, and ever-gentle pursuit of Abraham so that He could involve him in what He was doing to carry out a plan that would forever change history.

If God would have given up on Abraham because he was thick-headed, aloof, hard-hearted, self-righteous, forgetful or obnoxious, it would be understandable.

It is not because of Abraham that a blessed nation was brought forth by God.  It is because of God.

Father Abraham.  Had many sons.  Many sons had father Abraham.  I am one of them.  And so are you.  So let's all praise the Lord!

Seeing God, Seeing People

How did Job get to be an advocate for the powerless and poor?  Job 24-28.

Several times from their soapboxes Job's friends have decried the burdens he carries as the result of his own wickedness.  They repeatedly launch into long-winded explanations of how God deals with the wicked and why Job needs to realize his troubles have to be the result of his own shortcomings.  After all, anyone experiencing rejection, weakness or hardship must have only themselves to blame.  People are poor and afflicted because they deserve it.  And people who are good, pure and upright get the good stuff they are entitled to.  Right?

Throughout the story Job refuses to accept this reasoning, turning away from human logic and instead seeking God in relationship and humble fear.  It's not until his friends' incessant talking really starts to grind on him that we hear his bold retort and learn more about Job's views.

Job describes in detail the poverty and hardship he has witnessed in his community.  Adults have few opportunities to work.  Families scrounge in fields and wastelands for food.  There is no clothing or shelter to keep warm and dry.  The work that is available is not enough to provide a meal, even though it may involve preparing food for others.  Parents' children are taken away to repay debts.  People are hurting.  Alone.  Ignored.  Exploited.  Dying.

In reference to these people, Job says that God is not assigning blame.  Job points out the difference between experiencing a miserable situation and choosing to rebel against God.  Job does not think there is something wrong with those who are powerless and weak, and he criticizes his friends for thinking they can help those who are struggling by giving them advice on how to stop being "wicked."

Job again is demonstrating a vital difference between him and his friends.  Just as Job lists the attributes of God and seeks to know Him while his friends recommend rituals to try and give easy-answers, Job sees people as individuals like him instead of others to sit in judgment upon.  Job may not mention any solutions to the problems, but simply returns his focus to the relationship that has given him meaning in the midst of distress.  Which apparently has likewise produced compassion and understanding within him.

Good and Better

I am fascinated by the advice Job's friends give him, and how it reveals what they have come to believe about God.  It seems that each friend represents a different view of humanity, of God, and of death.  Job 22-23.

As Eliphaz, Bildad and Frodo (just kidding - Zophar) hound Job about his wickedness as if it surely must be the reason he's going through this misery, Job continues to respond by processing the attributes of God and his desire to approach and talk with Him.  I would like to take a deeper look into each friend's point of view, but for now will focus on the discussion between Eliphaz and Job in these two chapters specifically.

In this section, Job has just pointed out several reasons why he disagrees with his friends, and Eliphaz responds with his commentary on the position man is in compared to God.  Eliphaz doesn't see how a person's righteousness could have any affect on God, since people are really wicked at the core and must do things to make up for this and prove to God that they are putting Him in the highest position in their lives.  Eliphaz implies that Job is wayward and defiant for thinking he matters enough to God to argue his case.  Job should just be quiet and do something to give homage to God: discard his gold and claim God as his only treasure.

Job holds on tight to his belief that he does matter to God.  Rather than trying to appease a distant or easily angered ruler, Job believes that God sees him and is refining him so that Job can experience connection to God as His treasure.  He says, "when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

So while Eliphaz's ritual may be good, Job's response seems better: It would be good for God to be Job's most valued possession.  It is better for Job to pursue belonging to God.

Job continues to be strengthened, and maybe even protected from his friends' advice, as he believes God wants a relationship with him.