THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

May 3, 2023

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I have just recently finished reading the book of Job. One thing that I have heard many people argue over the years is whether or not Job's wife in the beginning of the story is the same one in the end. Many seem to believe that he has a different wife in his latter years.

I think they base that on her comment to him in Job 2:9: "His wife said to him, 'Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.'"

Job replied, "You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only the good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?"

But when you read through Job's story, it never mentions his wife leaving him. In fact, Job mentions her in chapter 31. He is protesting to his friends that he is truly innocent and didn't deserve what had happened to him. In verses 9-10 Job says, "If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor's wife, then let my wife serve another man; let other men sleep with her."

He wasn't willing to give his wife away as a servant or to offer her up as a prostitute to sleep with other men; but he was so sure of his innocence and integrity and lack of sin against God, that he was able to make this comment. He knew that his heart and mind were pure; so much so, that he was able to make this statement.

I feel as if it's easy to point your finger at someone and say how wrong they are and what they should have done differently, when you've not walked in their shoes.

This book in the Bible is the story of Job's suffering, which God allowed. But how many of you know, that when your spouse suffers and is going through horrible things, it has an affect upon you? You may not be suffering in the same way in which they are, but you still suffer.

Job's wife, also, had lost all of her children. She had, also, lost all of her servants and livestock and wealth. Everything that Job lost, she lost, too. Then she saw her husband suffering from all the boils covering his body and knew that it was causing him great pain.

I think perhaps her comment to Job wasn't because she wasn't a good wife or wasn't supportive, but she was speaking out of her loss and grief. She likely thought, "I can't take any more!" She may have felt as if God had abandoned them and no longer cared. She may have even wondered, "What next?! Will something happen to me, also?" And she may not have been at the same place spiritually as Job was. Her faith may not have been as great as his. Job even had many questions for God when he was sitting with his friends. He maintained his integrity, but still had lots of questions and felt overwhelmed and wondered where God was and why this had happened.

After Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He appeared to the disciples. But Thomas wasn't there when it happened. The other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"

Thomas' response was, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers in them, and place my hand into the wound in His side."

Due to how Thomas responded to his fellow disciples, he has been given the title of "Doubting Thomas". That's a label that has stuck to him throughout generations!

Thomas knew these other men and had ministered alongside them for three years. I'm sure he knew them well enough to know that they wouldn't lie about something as important as this. Perhaps his heart was still so overwhelmed by the grief of what he had just witnessed, seeing Jesus tortured and hanging on a cross, that he felt the need to see for himself that this was indeed true. He didn't want to just be told by others; he wanted to see for himself and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was indeed alive.

Jesus made sure that Thomas' questions were laid to rest. About a week later, He once again came to where the disciples were, when Thomas was present. He looked at Thomas and said, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!"

Some versions say, "Stop doubting and believe." That's where the term 'Doubting Thomas' comes from. But Jesus didn't call him that or discipline him for not immediately believing what the other disciples had told him. He come to where Thomas was and assured him that He was indeed alive!

I truly believe that Jesus knows that there will be times when we will doubt. He understands that there will be times when we will be overcome by grief and circumstances and feel overwhelmed by life. During those times we may speak words of doubt or unbelief. We may allow our emotions to get the best of us and speak words that we truly don't mean during a moment of weakness.

That's when we can experience the grace of God! He extends His grace and mercy and love towards us, even when we don't deserve it. He knows our brokenness and hurt and will give us comfort and peace, if we will but ask. There may be moments when He feels far away and uncaring, but by faith, we can know that our Father is truly near and will never leave us.

See, I believe that Job's wife experienced God's blessings and restoration when her husband did. Perhaps she wasn't mentioned much in the story, because it was really Job's story and not hers. But as his wife, she walked through the valley of the shadow of death alongside him. I could be completely wrong, because scripture doesn't say for sure; but I really would like to believe that this is exactly what happened.

We know that Thomas was forgiven for his doubt and continued in ministry.

Even when Peter denied Jesus, he was shown grace and mercy. After His resurrection, Jesus made sure that Peter know that he was still loved and was fully forgiven.

Know that you are greatly loved by God! His grace and mercy is for you, just as it was for others in past times. If you suffer moments of doubt and unbelief, if you speak words that you later regret, if you feel forsaken during difficult circumstances, if it seems as if you've lost everything and your situation looks hopeless, God will always welcome you back and forgive. You are His child and He cares for you.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

In some ways, Job's wife suffered more than Job did. With no servants, she had to do all the housework, all the cooking, and all the other duties in the house. And with Job resting the whole time, she also had to chop the firewood, butcher any meat they ate, gather any crops, and defend what little they had left from outsiders. Job broke her pottery to get shards to scratch with, and she probably had to clean up the mess. And I couldn't find a single moment when he thanked her for all her hard work.

I do understand watching a loved one suffering, though. If we can hold onto hope that they will recover, we can hope their suffering will be worth some patience. God didn't tell Job or his wife that he would recover, though. So the only hope she could have held was that God is good, and probably would restore Job's health and at least some of his lifestyle. That can be hard.

I've known a few cases where we didn't have a lot of hope in someone's recovery. We would pray for healing, but for whatever reason, we knew that God was giving us a little extra time, but not a promise of complete healing. In those cases, it would be more comforting to see the one we love go on to heaven. They will never suffer there. It doesn't mean we wouldn't miss them. We still suffer to let them go, but it can be easier to suffer a loss ourselves than to watch someone else suffer day after day, month after month.

So, I have some sympathy for Job's wife when she suggested he die quickly.

When we hear someone else speak harsh words that sound uncaring, we should take a moment to consider all that may be behind those words, and show a little sympathy.

ON THE MENEWE:

Oatmeal Pancakes

Combine all dry ingredients.

Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Mix both together.

Cook on griddle. Takes slightly longer to cook than other pancakes.

**Note: You can make oatmeal flour by putting oats in a blender or food processor.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

This is a story shared by my nephew back in 2013 regarding his (then) 7 year old son (his son is now 16):

"Yesterday Winston helped me unload some firewood. He was all excited about doing boy work and had his gloves on. He did a good job stacking the firewood. When we were finished, I handed him 50 cents and told him how good he had done. He just stared at me. I asked him, 'What?!' He said, 'Dad, you need to give me $1.50 more.' I asked why. Winston said, 'Because $2.00 is the best I can do for that much work!' I figured if he could negotiate his wages at age 7, that was worth the $1.50. I gave him $2.00 more. I love it when he does well to argue his point!"

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org