Week 15: Without A Doubt

Scripture: Job 19:25-27 

For I know that my Redeemer lives,    
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth;
 and after my skin has been thus destroyed,     
then in my flesh I shall see God, 
whom I shall see on my side,     
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.     
My heart faints within me! 

Without A Doubt  

It was Walter Brueggemann, an Old Testament scholar and theologian, who once stated the case that "Faith is never a settled state". His understanding was that those who are in the faith are often caught between the crux of certainty and uncertainty. That Faith doesn’t entitle you to always having good days. Rather, faith will put you in some positions for you to find the good in a bad day. My grandmother would often say, "faith isn’t Faith until it’s been tested". Martin Luther King Jr said, "faith is taking the first step without seeing the whole staircase". The writer of Hebrews says that "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of Things Not Seen". This is suggesting that no matter what, when you have faith there is still a level of uncertainty in the matter and a good example of this is our dear brother Job.  

The book of Job begins by informing us that Job is an upright man, who is blameless in the eyes of God, and has a firm foundation in faith. He was the father of 10 children and would model his good parenting skills by offering up sacrifices in case his children sinned against God. The NRSV reminds us that he had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants. He was the epitome of certainty, as the Bible does not indicate he had ever suffered Misfortune or being separated from his children or belongings. Further into this book, Satan comes to God in an attempt to wager on the faithfulness of Job. In the eyes of Satan, Job was only faithful because God had taken good care of him and given him everything. This conversation leads to God stretching forth his hand towards Job, causing Job to lose everything he’s ever had. And in an instant, Job long history of certainty is thrown out of the window. 

Job lost everything. He lost all 10 of his children. He lost all of his camels, all of his sheep, all of his oxen, all of his donkeys, and all of his servants. He lost multiple pieces of property. And unfortunately for Job, it all happened in one day. Have you ever experienced compounded drama? Where you had to deal with a rough realities that life has presented you with all at once? There was no longer any security or certainty in Job's life. How could Job be secure in his faith? After losing all his possessions, he found himself to be ill; due to God and Satan having another conversation. After that, his friends accused him of committing a sin against God, to which Job tried to assure them he did not commit. His wife told him to curse God and die, which eventually lead Job to cursing the day he was born. But during it all, Job's faith didn’t waver. He didn’t understand but still saw fit to trust in God, where he argued that "though He slay me, yet will I trust Him". Job continued to endure the life that was set before him which leads us to the text we have before us. While this text is pregnant with possibilities for interpretation, one of the few things that this text teaches us is that even amid our uncertainty, you must know something. 

You Must Know Something 

Not having an anchor of certainty in anything will cause us to be fearful and ill-equipped to live out a life of faith. I've always wondered how Job had the fortitude to keep fighting and I have found it in this one verse. Job lets us know, through his announcement in verse 25, that he did know something for sure. He knew, for sure, that his Redeemer lives. Redeemer, from the root word Redeem, is someone who atone or makes amends for all that is wrong in our lives. The redeemer is not limited to certain capacity, as the abilities are endless. Literally suggesting that no matter how bad it looks in my life, my situation can be redeemed. Job teaches us in this text that when we are in the face of our darkest hour, and that is My Redeemer Lives! There is no trial or circumstance that can cause me to forget my redeemer lives. Job, like many of has made up in his mind: 

• Although all my children have died 

• Although all my servants have died 
• Although all my cattle have died 
• Although sickness has plagued my body 
• Although all my fake friends have turn into my real enemies 
• Although my wife has become a thorn in my flesh 

• Although my husband can't lead me across the street 
• Although the bottom of my life has dropped out 
• Although there seems to be no hope 
• Although my money is funny, my change is strange, and my credit won't get it 

There is one thing I know for sure, and it is that my redeemer lives! 

You Must Know Where God Stands 

Job articulates for us the reality that not only does the Redeemer live and will stand upon the Earth but when I see God I shall see God on my side. That even during my worst adversity God has never left me nor forsake and me. Job is reminding us of the omnipresence of God. That even when we have yet to look up amid our circumstance, God is there. Even when we think God is no longer in our midst, God stands alongside us. Some may not be glad that God is standing with us, but I'll tell you why I'm excited. As a young child, I was a State of the Art trash talker. I could say things to get under anyone's skin. My grandmother told me then, that mouth would get me into a world of trouble and go figure I became a preacher (different topic for a different day). But when I would talk trash to other people in my age group, it would often result in a fight. I knew how to fight, so I was never worried because even if I got beat up I knew I could catch them another day. But there was a day, where I was talking-trash to the school-bully and he and his crew started dropping all their stuff, so they could jump me. I got nervous because I was seemingly by myself. But in an instant, I saw their looks of anger turn to fright. I couldn’t understand why there was such a drastic shift in temperament until I saw my brother and his friends standing alongside me. That because of the one who stands alongside you, there is no need for you to fear or fight. Because the reality is that when you've got God alongside you, nothing shall be called impossible. Since God is for us, who can be against us! 

There are a few things that we, as believers, must know without a doubt. 

• That God owns the cattle over a thousand hills 

• That God will fight for you 
• That He will never leave you 
• That God will supply our every need   
• That All things will work together  
• That No weapon formed against me shall prosper 

• Without a Doubt, I can join in with the Hymn-Writer and say: 
• 
  

It is no secret what God can do, 
What he has done for others, 
He'll do for you. 
With arms wide open, 
He'll pardon you 
It is no secret what God can do.