Pre-Law Observations from Job

In recent years I have made a habit of reading through the Bible every year in a different translation.  I fully expect by the end of this year to know the Word better and yet to have just scratched the surface of what this treasured book has to say.

Take Job, for instance.  I have read through this book a number of times and even felt like I lived it for a season in my life.  As I was reading yesterday, He reminded me of something I saw brand new in 2012.

Last year, as the Lord began to connect my heart and my mind to His in regard to orphans, I saw how His reflections of Himself over time (creation, Israel, Jesus, the church) also included His heart for widows, orphans, sojourners (also called foreigners, aliens, strangers), and the poor (more specifically, for those who were poor because of injustice).  I wrote about this in more detail in the post entitled "4 Reflections of God's Care for Orphans."

Back to Job, which Bible scholars believe may have been the first book written.  The person Job is believed to have existed during the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob).  That is, before God gave the law to Moses.  Before He commanded His people to care for widows, orphans, sojourners, and the poor.  Yet, we find the following statements from Job as he defends his integrity (from the baseless accusations of a "friend" in Job 22:5-11) before his friends and before God in Job 29-31:

• "When they (the noblemen of Job's city) heard me, they blessed me, and when they saw me, they spoke well of me, for I rescued the poor man who cried out for help, and the fatherless child who had no one to support him.  The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow's heart rejoice" (Job 29:11-13, HCSB).
• "I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.  I was a father to the needy, and I examined the case of the stranger.  I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth" (Job 29:15-17).
• "If I have refused the wishes of the poor or let the widow’s eyes go blind, if I have eaten my few crumbs alone for from my youth, I raised him as his father,and since the day I was born I guided the widow— if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing or a needy person without a cloak, if he did not bless me while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep, if I ever cast my vote against a fatherless child when I saw that I had support in the city gate, then let my shoulder blade fall from my back, and my arm be pulled from its socket" (Job 31:16-22).
• "Haven’t the members of my household said, 'Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table?'  No stranger had to spend the night on the street, for I opened my door to the traveler" (Job 31:31-32).

How did Job know that caring for the voiceless was just and right?  Were compassion and hospitality just intuitive to him?  Evidently, on the basis of the accusations of his friend and of the noblemen of Job's town, justice for the defenseless was a widely-recognized indicator of righteousness -- even before the Law.  I'm not sure how God revealed this to them, but it was obvious that He did in some way.

Nothing has changed.  The Bible never backs away from the call to be a voice for the voiceless.  If anything, that call is intensified throughout Scripture.  And though I trust in the redemptive work of Christ (and not good works) for my salvation, I want to be a good reflector of the nature of God to those who don't know Him.  Don't you?  Kindness to widows, orphans, strangers, and the poor is still a remarkable indicator to those far from God.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,

Al