Thoughts on the Book of Job

My daily devotional today was Job 35 – 37 and I gleaned a lot from it. So I wanted to share, but be aware this is a long post ;)
Job 35.1 – 8 The Elihu said, “Do you think it is right for you to claim, ‘I am righteous before God.’? For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me? What’s the use of living a righteous life?’ I will answer you and all your friends, too. Look up into the sky, and see the clouds high above you. If you sin, how does that affect God? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on him? If you are good, is this some great gift to him? What could you possibly give him? No, your sins affect only people like yourself, and your good deeds also affect only humans.”
This is not to say that sinning is fine because it doesn’t affect God but our sins really only hurt us. They do not knock God off the throne when we behave like the world does. So many times the world will say, “oh look, you fell, there is no God”; when really, our sin doesn’t affect His Righteousness at all. On the other hand, our ‘righteousness’ does not affect Him much either. Isaiah tells us in verse 6 of chapter 64 “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” So what good do filthy rags do for God? Nothing. We are only saved by grace and redeemed by His mercy. Elihu is pointing out to Job that regardless of how ‘good’ or how righteous Job may feel he has been, it does not affect God in His infinite wisdom.
Job 36.5 “God is might, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.”
Job 36.16 – 17 “God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food. But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.”
We’ve all heard, ‘love the sinner, but hate the sin.’ But who can say they have truly lived that way? God can. He hates no one, but He does hate sin. That should be our goal as well. How much do you have to hate someone to attack and accuse them for not walking in harmony with God rather than telling the way to salvation? How often do we want to just write people off because they are so far away from God? We should look at the people who are living in the world and see two things: 1. What to NOT do, what traps to NOT fall into. 2. People who need the love of Christ.
Finally, in regards to unanswered prayer and/or suffering in our lives that we do not understand and cannot comprehend:
Job 37.13 – 18 “He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love. Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds? Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill? When you are sweltering in your clothes and the south wind dies down and everything is still, he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror. Can you do that?”
Job 37.20a “Should God be notified that I want to speak?”
When we are at our lowest, we can question God, wonder why He does not seem to be there. But if we look we will find Him, we will find that His love is enough for whatever we are walking thru and even though we do not understand it He has a plan. Jeremiah 29.11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”