Sermon 18, Job 5:3-7
There is one theme from this mornings sermon that I will think about.
To be self improving, Calvin uses today’s verses to emphasize how we shouldn’t judge rather first look to God and then judge ourselves. This is 101, but I don’t know if I spend enough time actually doing it. Perhaps, quietly, I should be more reflective of my own inadequacies and short comings.
“So let us take note that our minds must not wander here and there to decipher the evil in our neighbors, but everyone must look within himself and examine his state and his life.”
So, no “deciphering” which means, I think, spending large amounts of time and energy in trying to figure out why this person behaved badly. But more “examining” of my own emotions and conduct. “Let us enter into ourselves to discover our vices and weaknesses so that we will be displeased with them and groan with sighs when we see we are not growing in godliness as we should.”
Why shouldn’t we spend time on others? Calvin points out that we don’t know them, appearances can be deceiving, and God is the judge. Calvin says “During this mortal life, we see things that are confused”. And God passes judgement on his timetable not ours.
When Eliphaz “curses” in these verses, Calvin takes that to mean Eliphaz realizes that God will eventually judge all “In the end, God will not allow the wicked to be on top of the world all of the time, for he will indeed put things in order.”