Why does God hide?

I came at this indirectly in "Incomparable..." I closed with the "treasure in a field" and the "pearl of great price" analogies (they really aren't parables as much as metaphors...there really isn't a story and neither has an 'ending' per se.)

As I was riding into work this morning I happened to leave late enough to enjoy Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Living broadcast. He had a poignant message for those who have been through the Grinder. You can hear it today at insight.org.

Chuck addressed the crutches that we fall back on when we encounter hard times. He dealt very specifically with how people either rely on the crutches or they find/deepen their relationship with God. I can't present it the way he did, but they come to rely on God by throwing away the crutches.

As an aside, may I postulate that the ONLY reason we turn to these crutches in the first place is because God isn't in full sight? He is hiding from us? And the faith crises happen when we can't "sense" him?

Anyway, the specific crutches Chuck mentioned were:

Escapism--avoiding the pain of dealing with the problem through other activities, other relationships, drugs, or alcohol.

Cynicism--descending into sarcasm, cynicism, and eventually deep bitterness.

Humanism--rejecting biblical explanations and prescriptions for living in favor of human explanations.

Supernaturalism--turning to mysticism and mediums to find meaning/solutions for the problems.

To throw away those crutches requires putting the trust in something or someone else. Who is that someone?

If you are going through the Grinder and you really want to discover meaning and purpose, you eventually have to answer this question:

"Why am I here?"

The superficial, churchy answers quickly fail you. You are not here to attend church every Sunday, to teach a Sunday School class, or to do good works in the community. Those are good consequences to a deep faith, but they are not the CAUSE of faith and they aren't the BEST result of faith.

Otherwise, what does it mean when trouble happens? That IS the point of the book of Job...what is the meaning of trouble? We know from the book of Job that Job's failings did NOT cause his trouble. In fact, his trouble was the result of his faithfulness to God.

God invited Satan to trouble Job. Satan accepted the invitation not once but several times...inflicting progressively greater trouble on Job. Satan turned the screw until Job couldn't take it anymore. He tortured Job relationally, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Not one area of Job's life...as far as we can ascertain from scripture...was left intact. Nothing was spared.

You know...you can't skip the book of Job. God really did that and he really is like that. In order to accomplish an eternal result, he not only allows but is incited by Satan against his people:

^{Job 2:3}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? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason."

You know what...I think Satan played directly into God's hands in the book of Job. God allowed Satan to incite Him against Job. And what was the result of that?

1. Job KNEW that this trouble had a supernatural cause. Very early Job accuses God of being behind the change from being blessed to being cursed. And the scripture says that Job did NOTHING wrong in saying that.

2. Job UNDERSTOOD that this wasn't about his unfaithfulness. Job opposed the accusations of his friends and God said that Job told the truth about God and God said the friends lied.

3. God REVEALED himself to Job in a direct fashion BECAUSE of the difficulty that Job endured. One of the most startling sections of scripture has man coming face to face with God and God asks some BLISTERING questions:

^{Job 38:1-11 NIV} Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:

² "Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?

³ Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

⁴ "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.

⁵ Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?

⁶ On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-

⁷ while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels ^[a] shouted for joy?

⁸ "Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,

⁹ when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,

¹⁰ when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,

¹¹ when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt'?

The 'chapterizers' of the Old Testament devoted two lengthy chapters to God's questions, and then in Chapter 40 we see this exchange:

^{Job 40:1-7 NIV} The LORD said to Job:

² "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!"

³ Then Job answered the LORD :

⁴ "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.

⁵ I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more."

⁶ Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:

⁷ "Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

Then God continues through the rest of chapter 40 and all of 41 asking Job MORE questions!! Job stands up to all of this--which I suspect caused GREATER terror in him than ALL of his difficulty--until he is finally able to fully respond:

^{Job 42:1-7} Then Job replied to the LORD :

² "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

³ You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

⁴ "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'

⁵ My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.

⁶ Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."

So why do I think God hoodwinked Satan into attacking Job? What purpose might God have had in mind in doing this? Why would God put his servants through all of this?

I think God desired to reward Job with a deep understanding of who he really is. You know the kind of disucssion I'm talking about if you've ever dated. The one where you really, in truly just want to be honest with someone who loves you and know they accept you for who you are?

You know...that honest, gritty "relationship" discussion where we get it all out on the table where we humans hope we can tell all and be fully embraced and accepted? God seems to be doing that with Job. And look at Job's responses: "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" & "My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Sin puts us in a state where God is "too wonderful for me to know". When we see him with our eyes, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Salvation is necessary not just so that we won't suffer eternal destruction. Salvation is necessary BECAUSE he desires us in his presence. Job was a RIGHTEOUS man according to the Bible. He was BLAMELESS in the things he said according to the Bible. God desires to relate to us...he desires for us to know him FULLY.

And the ONLY thing standing between us and knowing God fully is....sin. It is as if it is the sin that ignites when we are in God's presence and destroys us. Sin is like white phosphorus. It gets on (and under) our skin, ignites, and destroys us...ESPECIALLY when we are in the presence of the Living God.

So God hides!! And only fully reveals himself in special circumstances to special people. But has he ever revealed himself fully to us? Even more than in this conversation with Job? Or are we missing who he really is?

TO BE CONTINUED...