RPG Adults
TRUE REPENTANCE
FRIDAY, MAY 20
Job 22:21-30
Psalm 113:1-5
“He raiseth up the poor
out of the dust…”
TRUE REPENTANCE
Eliphaz continued to insist that Job’s suffering came because of sin. While he was wrong about this, he did give a good picture of the value of true repentance.
If a man wants to have peace with God, he must submit himself to the Lord. Then, the Lord will teach him wisdom so that he can deal with life in a proper way (Job 22:21-22; Prov 2:6-7).
To have a proper relationship with God, we must not only confess our sin but also put it away from us. The Scriptures warn that whatever a man sows, he reaps (Gal 6:7). True repentance is more than just saying we are sorry for our sin. It means to confess the sin to the Lord and not continue in it (Job 22:23).
We cannot be close to God and still find our joy in the wealth and power of this world. The “gold of Ophir” (Job 22:24) was considered the finest in the world. These verses remind us that the greatest of wealth and power do not satisfy, but often stand in the way of a proper relationship with the Lord (Job 22:24). When we turn from dependence on the things of this world, God is able to fill our lives and become the source of blessing and joy (Job 22:25-26).
Eliphaz’s reply had been very biblical up to this point. He now, however, moved back to the ideas of the world, assuring Job that if he repented, God would not only hear his prayers but would fill his life with joy. This is true but the rest of the statement is not necessarily so. Eliphaz further claimed that everything that Job attempted would succeed in his own life and also in the life of anyone whom he prayed for (Job 22:27-30).
We must not make the same mistake as Job’s friends. They equated wealth with blessing and poverty with God’s disfavour. God meets our needs and fills our lives with joy when we obey Him. He does this whether we are living in the midst of plenty or suffering in times of difficulty. We can rest in this truth.
THOUGHT: What part of Eliphaz’s reasoning here is false?
PRAYER: Father, please help me to obey Thee come what may.