Who Do You Say? Reading With the People of God #19ნიმუში

Holy Spirit: The Ultimate Friend

Many commentaries have taken the stance of ‘with friends like these who needs enemies’ when discussing Job's interactions with his friends. I want to challenge that narrative. In order to do so we first must acknowledge the difference between ‘before Jesus’, and ‘after Jesus’. In an extreme oversimplification, before Jesus- darkness/death no grace, no Spirit/comforter, statistical impossibility of living free of sin/death, legalistic, cursed, symbiotic relationships with deities. After Jesus- light/life with option to live vicariously through His sacrifice/atonement receiving God’s Holy Spirit/counselor/comforter, intimacy/relationship with one true God the curse breaker, option to live free from sin BECAUSE of Who Jesus is and what He did on the cross.

Job's friends behaved exactly how a good friend would without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (before Jesus period). They heard of Job's extreme misfortune and instead of staying away they chose to mourn alongside Job. Culturally speaking at this time it would have been seen as acceptable behavior to steer clear of Job, as was customary for fear of being contaminated by proximity to his spiritual “cooties”. It was believed that if someone experienced extreme and sudden calamity/sickness this was a sign that they had done something to displease the gods and therefore should be treated as an outcast for fear of incurring the same punishment through guilt by association. Job's friend, Eliphaz tries to reason with Job, appealing to what he himself has witnessed Job do many times before counseling others and being of encouragement. Eliphaz has only his own understanding and his own wisdom to draw from, and it is limited. Eliphaz is not indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit, so what he can offer to Job is purely from what he sees with his natural eyes and interprets with his limited knowledge.

The only thing that separates us from being just like Eliphaz is our own personal relationship and close intimacy with God through His Son Jesus Christ and God's Holy Spirit. Through Jesus, every single one of us has the capability of being reborn into God’s family! Once you belong to God you are a brand new creation, capable of walking sinless and free. With God’s Holy Spirit indwelling us as His children we have access to everything we will ever need to accomplish all that we were predetermined to achieve. What a truly priceless and glorious gift!!!

Primer contributed by Ardena Hamill, Celebrate Recovery encourager/trainer, Cornerstone Community Church of Chowchilla