About self-praising. Can you make that statement?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
These days I read the book of Job, and as was carefuly going through the chapters I came across a statement of Job, that amazed my eyes:
This would be my comfort;
I would even exult in pain unsparing,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. Job 6:10
Please read it again, this time more careful. Notice that I emphasized the last section of the verse. The KJV reads concealed instead of denied. The Romanian version of the Biblie reads stepped on the words of the Holy One. I gave you these versions to think on them.
Two questions crossed my mind while reading the whole history:
1. How can a son of man make such a huge and apparently bombastic self-prasing overstatement?!
2. How comes that a man like Job, whose suffering was so great (note that he lost EVERYTHING he had, including his children) to be so strong and keep his righteousness?
8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? Job 1:8
Please notify that God made that statement before Job did it, and God's opinion over Job's life was just as good as Job said. First of all, that standpoint wasn't Job's but God's. God was the one who approved over Job's condition and Job only stated what God's thoughts were for him.
When God appreciates and uplifts a man can we say that he (the man, Job in the context) is praising himself? I think not. Job does not praise himself because Job knows that he has never offended the Holy Onem and the Holy One shares with him the same opinion, therefore Job is not affraid of admiting it to his three friends.
Today I've also read a bunch of pages from Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, and one of the novel's characters said that beeing too modest in front of the others is in fact an indirect self-praising. I personally agree with this. Many people use their modesty as a hidden way of self-praising.
Think it over.
Now, the question I was eager to ask you straight from the beginning:
Can you (sincerly) make the statement that Job did? Can you say that you have never denied, concealed or stepped on the word of the Holy One?
Isn't that a wonderful and amazing statement to make?
Oh well, I can't say that I have NEVER denied His word, but I can (and you can) make a decision right now as you're reading this clumsy article of mine: starting from now on, I'll always be able to say that I have never denied the word of God.
Post Written by*Andrei Jităreanu at 6:13 PM
Labels: Self-examination
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