(iii) GOD’S WAYS

Robert Trotter

James 5: 11; Job: 1: 1, 37: 11 -17

These verses having in mind God's ways with us. It says in James, "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and seen the end of the Lord" - it is a wonderful thing the Lord's end with us. "He that has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ's day" (Phil 1: 6) - "and seen the end of Lord; that the Lord is full of tender compassion and pitiful". I feel I cannot say much about these verses, but feel that there is something in them as to God’s ways with us, each one of us. What a way it is! Sometimes we do not understand God's ways. We sang in our hymn of the Spirit "helps us here to understand".

But I would have to say that there are times when I can hardly understand. Things happen, beloved brethren, that you cannot understand, but it says - "the Lord is full of tender compassion and pitiful". How wonderful that is, to have Him with us in the way. What a thing that is to treasure, to have the Lord with us, as has been said, "l am with you all the days”.

The scripture that I read in Job shows the kind of man that Job was. As I understand it, Job did not suffer because of His personal failure. This verse brings that out. It says, "this man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and abstained from evil". How he was a person to uphold! I know that once matters began to weigh upon him things probably changed, but this is the kind of man that Job was. I think that God delighted in him, delighted in the character of the man, what he was characteristically. It says that he was "perfect and upright and one that feared God and abstained from evil”. We know, of course, that later on it says of Satan, "And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?" (v 9). I think that God allowed this to happen. Job went through terrible circumstances, physically too, and did not even have His wife’s help in it. She says, "Curse God and die”, but the man goes through. God brings him to an end. And reading through the book, you would never think that he would reach it, but then that is God’s ways with us, beloved brethren.

ln chapter 37 it speaks of the clouds. We know something of the clouds. The hymn says:

The clouds ye so much dread

We know that it goes on to say that they are big with mercy, but then sometimes, as we are going through things these clouds weigh upon us and weigh us down. It says here, "Whether he cause it to come as a rod" - personally maybe I could understand something of that - "come as a rod or for his land, or in mercy". How wonderful these matters are. I just wanted to call attention to them.

Again it speaks in verse 16, "Dost thou know about the balancings of the clouds" matters are balanced, some may not like that word, but God balances things. I know that, He balances things. It is not all black; it may look that way, but it says, “the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge?" we can leave things in His hand. How great He is! We know what the end of Job was; God gave him twice much. I think that brings in the balancing. What is before us may weigh us down, may look black, but God can work. It says here, "or in mercy”. May we be encouraged by these things; Job's history is so interesting, he goes through so much, and he seeks to vindicate himself, but then God through one person - his three friends did not help him, in fact they aggravated matters, and we can do that too - but there was one, Elihu, who put him in touch with God. That is what we need to do. His three friends turned in on himself, they had him occupied with - himself, but Elihu had Job occupied with God Himself and His end.

May we be helped as to these things, for His Name’s sake.

Edinburgh

13 February 2001