Day 9: Job 12:13-25
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.
He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.
He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
This passage is an attempt to corral the ways of God into human terms – a difficult feat, as we know that God’s ways are much higher than man’s. One thing comes out clearly in Job’s words from a hear overflowing with suffering: the way God works isn’t something we can understand. Often He appears to work in contradictions: droughts and floods, spoiling counselors, making judges fools, spoiling princes, overthrowing mighty men, removing the wise man’s speak, removing understanding from the aged, weakening the strength of the mighty, and blessing and then destroying nations.
Where is the light in this? To the earthly mind, this sounds like darkness and confusion. Read more
In this passage, earthly light repeatedly describes the majesty and holiness of God:
Notice the oneness and trust that the Psalmist has with God in this passage. In every aspect of his life, he’s turning to God, trusting God, relying on God for protection, provision, and help. In the midst of his struggles, he is turning to His Father for mercy, understanding, strength, peace, and sympathy.
Today we approach the specifics of the daily process of abiding in the Light. Certainly Jesus Christ is the Light that dwells in us – but what does that look like in our daily experience?
If your life or daily walk is characterized by darkness – confusion, indecision, negativity, fear, hatred, selfishness, pride, apathy, depression, and so forth – it’s by your own choice.
One truth is clear: we need Jesus for light. He is light; without Him, there is no light.
This passage is a beautiful prophetic description of the peacemaking work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the “one mediator between God and men” (I Timothy 2:5). He is the messenger, the interpreter, the “one among a thousand” – the only one who can show man his uprightness because He Himself is the proof of the righteousness which He imputed to man through His death and resurrection. By His atoning and redeeming death, taking every shred of our unrighteousness upon Himself, He is able to stand before His Father on our behalf and truly say, “Deliver this person from death, from hell, from separation, from the world, from the flesh, from himself and his own miserable wallowing selfish life, because I have found a ransom. I am the ransom.” Then He speaks over us words of truth – words describing who we already are in the kingdom of God, words that as He speaks them will transform into reality in the physical realm of our lives – words of restoration: restored life, restored vigor, restored hope, restored purpose – all because of restored relationship and favor with God through Christ. Now, through our Mediator and Redeemer, we are transformed from misery, pain, and death to taking on our identity as Joy and Righteousness!
This passage gives a striking contrast: the lifestyle of the sinner and the goodness of God. Our sinful flesh inclines to lifting up ourselves: flattering ourselves, not fearing God because we think we’re good enough, walking in our own self-will and iniquity, speaking only to forward our personal goals, walking in fleshly wisdom and goodness instead of true wisdom and goodness, making plans to forward our selfish desires, pursuing fleshly dreams, and becoming desensitized to evil.
