Sermon 71, Job 19:17-25
Keep quiet. That is persistent instruction regarding humility. Shut up. Emotions aren’t trustworthy and lead to regrettable outbursts and control loss.
However, we are also admonished to be members of a community. In this sermon Calvin talks to both aspects of the Christian life:
“…God has joined us together and made us one so that we may have a community, for men are not to separate themselves from one another entirely.”
And:
“…but no one must set himself apart from the community at large and say ‘I will live by myself’. That would be to live worse than a brute beast. What then? Let us realize that God has obligated us to one another for our mutual help.”
But also:
“So, we see that at every turn the children of God will be betrayed and persecuted by those they fully trusted and were most familiar with.”
And:
“…David shows it is a very great and very rare virtue to be patient in silence and say nothing when miseries press upon us and we see especially that the wicked are opening their mouths to exalt themselves and mock us. ….we are instructed to keep our mouths closed when God afflicts us”.
So, there is the tension at the core of my OPP. To be Christian means to be nice to people and love one another. But to handle our sins and adversities we need to shut up. It seems challenging to do both.