Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bnr-fos!bmers58!davem@watmath.waterloo.edu (Dave Mielke) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: how rich is rich? Message-ID: Date: 11 Oct 89 09:23:49 GMT Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada Lines: 61 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu The book of Job offers a wonderful answer to those who are trying to understand the difference which we must make between spiritual and physical riches. It teaches that physical riches will not in and of themselves condemn us to eternal damnation. It does, however, teach very clearly that we have most definitely committed a terrible sin if we place any of our trust in those physical riches. Job was both spiritually and physically about as rich as any of us could ever hope to be here on this earth. Job 1:1-3 introduces him to us by saying "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name {was} Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.". Even though God viewed Job as being "perfect and upright", i.e. all of Job's sins had been completely covered by the blood of Christ, He permitted him to undergo some rather severe suffering. This suffering included the complete loss of all of his physical possessions, the simultaneous death of each of his seven sons and three daughters, the temporary loss of his wife's care and companionship, temporary yet severe and prolonged distrust and harrassment by his three closest friends, and the wracking of his body with the worst kinds of illness. Job knew that his sins had been forgiven, in Job 19:25 he cried out "For I know {that} my redeemer liveth, and {that} he shall stand at the latter {day} upon the earth:", and could not understand why he was undergoing this tremendous ordeal. We know that God was demonstrating to Satan, and to us, that neither anything nor anyone can snatch even one person away from His protective care once it has been offered. He was, in effect, giving us physical proof of what is told us in Romans 8:38-39 which says "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.". Although God has told us His reasons for permitting Job to suffer so much in order that we might learn all the various spiritual lessons that come with this knowledge, He never did tell Job. Much of the book of Job is filled with Job's attempts to understand why these things were happening to him. He asked numerous soul searching questions which we all would do well to ask ourselves as well. Amongst all of the various questions which he raises, Job asks the very question that started this series of postings. Through Job's asking of the question, God gives us the answer. Job 31:24-28 says "If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, {Thou art} my confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth {was} great, and because mine hand had gotten much; If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking {in} brightness; And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also {were} an iniquity {to be punished by} the judge: for I should have denied the God {that is} above.". Dave Mielke, 613-726-0014 856 Grenon Avenue Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2B 6G3