Ears to Hear and Eyes to See!
Rev. J. Loren Russell
Job 42:5-6 (NKJV)
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
The Bible describes Job as a man who was blameless, upright, who feared God and shunned evil (1:1). He heard the Lord clearly his entire life but was offered to Satan by God as a living testimony of faithfulness.
While under the attack of Satan, Job was experiencing the worst devastation anyone could imagine. Yet he remained committed to his faith in God. His peers and friends came to support him, but their words were like gasoline being poured on a fire. They offered little in the way of comfort, until his youngest and wisest friend, Elihu, spoke with him. He told Job and his friends, “Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me you who have knowledge. For the ear test words as the palette tastes food” (34:2-3).
Although a young man, Elihu rebukes Job and his friends for their misguided views on Job’s suffering saying that suffering can be a form of divine discipline. Because God is just and sovereign, He can use any means He desires to bring a blessing into someone’s life. Elihu’s comments highlights the importance of humility and repentance in order to really understanding God’s ways.
Then God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind. He confirms Elihu’s assessment and reminds Job of His sovereignty and the limits of human understanding. This leads Job to humbly acknowledge God’s greatness and his own limited perspective.
When God speaks, it is amazing what our ears hear, and our eyes see. Job’s statement, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You,” recognizes God’s awesomeness. Through his hearing, Job had only a secondhand and superficial understanding of God’s sovereignty. But when he saw for himself, his ears and eyes were spiritually awakened. When we hear with our spiritual ears and see with our spiritual eyes, we will likewise have a better clarity of God’s sovereignty that will lead us, as it did Job, to humility and repentance.
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is the Clergy Officiant at the Evangelical Church of God and associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church, both in the Bronx. He is the President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096) and is the producer and host of “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on The Matters of Faith YouTube channel. Be sure to ‘Friend, Like, and Share.” Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
