“If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear” (KJV, Job 11:13-15).
The book of Job consists of Job being tested by God and tempted by the devil. God’s testing and Satan’s tempting are not the same. When God tests man, He does so for a man to grow. When God told Abraham to go up the mountain to sacrifice his son, God desired that Abraham would pass the test and grow in his faith. God did not want Abraham to kill his son. Instead, God planned to provide a ram. However, God tested Abraham’s faith to see if Abraham would be willing to do as God asked of him.
Before God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, God had told Abraham that Isaac would be the son of promise. Therefore, the test of faith concerned the promise previously given. Abraham could not kill his son and have his son be the promised child over Abraham’s house. The book of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed that if he had killed his son, God would have brought Isaac back from the dead. Thus, Abraham rested on God’s promise during his time of testing.
While God desires His people to pass His tests, Satan uses the same or similar moments to tempt people to fall. The reality of God testing and Satan tempting can be seen in the book of Job. In this book, Job is tempted by Satan and is met with incredible difficulty. Amid the difficulty, three of Job’s friends come along and give Job unfitting counsel. The problem was not necessarily what they said but to whom and when they said it. There was truth in their words, but it was simply not fitting for Job.
As a result, the Christian must read the book of Job with openness to the council of the three friends of Job while also remembering that it may not find a perfect application in everyone’s life. Job’s friends thought that sin was the reason for Job’s problems. Sin is not always the problem when things are not going someone’s way. In Job’s life, it was spiritual attack that caused Job great sorrow.
Nevertheless, sin is the primary culprit for death, disaster, discouragement, and difficulty. So with that being said, let us look into the words of one of Job’s friends and be open to the counsel this New Year.
“If thou prepare thine heart”
Here we see a great need to prepare our hearts before God. In the New Testament, Jesus told a parable of a man who had sown seed in various locations. Jesus tells us of the seed sown along the path, on rocky ground, amid thorns, and in good soil. The seed that was sown on the path was taken away by Satan. The seeds sown on rocky ground and amid thorns started to grow but did not bear fruit.
However, the seed sown in the good soil yielded a generous crop. Here we see the need for the heart to be prepared before God. The seed of the word will prosper greatly when it falls on a heart ready for it.
The New Year must be a time of preparing the heart to receive from God.
“and stretch out thine hands toward him”
Not only must the believer prepare his heart before God, but he must also seek the Lord. Here we see Job’s friend instructing him to stretch his hands toward God. Seeking the Lord must be at the top of the list of priorities in the Christian’s life.
When someone seeks another, what does he do? First, he might call out to the person. Therefore, the Christian must make the New Year a time of prayer. In prayer, the Christian can call out to God, and God will respond. Another way that someone might seek another is to listen for a voice. The Bible has been given to us as the Word of God. As a result, if someone desires to hear God’s voice, he must become familiar with God’s Word and read God’s Word regularly.
What else might someone do to seek the Lord? If someone were to seek another person, he might seek to draw the person near. The Bible tells us that humility attracts God to a believer. Therefore, if someone wants to draw God close, walking humbly in this life is wise.
If someone were to seek out another person, it might be impossible to find that person in the dark. The Bible tells us there is a great divide between light and darkness. Truth is often equated with light, while darkness is often equated with falsehood. Therefore, if someone desires to see the Lord this New Year, he would be wise to do so in the light of God’s truth. Fight for truth in Your life and Your thoughts. Do not believe the lies of the enemy.
“If iniquity be in thine hand”
It is hard to lay hold of something when you have something in Your hand. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus, he desired to know how to gain eternal life. Jesus told the man about the commands, and the man believed that he had kept them all. However, Jesus told the man to sell all he had and give the money to the poor. After Jesus said this, the man went away sorrowfully. Why?
Jesus exposed the man’s idol. The man loved money and did not want to let it go. The man held onto his money with a clenched fist. He was unwilling to let go of his money to lay hold of Christ. Maybe there is something that you need to let go of this New Year to lay hold of Christ.
“put it far away”
Not only must the Christian let go of his sin, but he must also put it far away. He must learn to repent of sin and forsake sin. He must not go back to it. He must learn to be like Paul, who said he had not attained glory yet and was not perfect, but he pressed on toward the prize while forgetting what was behind.
“and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles”
The Bible teaches that there is still sin that dwells within. The Christian cannot escape this reality on this side of eternity. Sin will always be a problem, and the Christian will always be at war with the flesh.
However, this passage speaks of something different. This passage is somewhat reminiscent of the passage in the Psalms that tells us God does not answer the prayers of the one who cherishes sin. The cherishing of sin is synonymous with letting sin dwell within
The New Year must be characterized by love for Christ, not sin.
“For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot”
While the counsel of Job’s friends did not find application in Job’s life because Job had been undergoing spiritual attack, it does not mean that their counsel finds no place. It is true that when a Christian learns to prepare his heart before God, seek the Lord, and repent of sin in his life, God will reward this activity and bless the Christian.
“yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear”
Times of testing will come in the New Year. As a result, the Christian must learn to be steadfast and courageous. Affliction, pain, suffering, and the like are not always caused directly by man’s sin. In one sense of the word, sin is always involved, but we see that in the case of Job, his affliction came from Satan.
However, the majority of the pains of humanity are seen in the sin of mankind. Sin has plagued the earth and even the church. Sin is the primary enemy, not Satan. If sin is the problem, you can be sure that when a Christian prepares his heart, seeks the Lord, and repents of his sin, he will be steadfast and courageous in the Lord.
Final prayer
Father, I pray that You bless this New Year and help me seek Your face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.