The Bible is not your autobioraphy

As I've been reading through the Old Testament book of Job a whole slew of questions come to mind about the meaning of this book. I've heard many say it's a survival story, chronicling the ability to Job to survive tests that God allows to be put in his way. That kind of makes sense when you consider that Job's "friends" are constantly dogging him along the way, making his circumstances even more miserable than they already are. Job protests his innocence while they convict him for perceived crimes.

Yet as I was reading this morning, I was struck with what I see as a bit of a duality in the book of Job. On the one hand, Job and his friends are spot on when it comes to their assessment of the character of God - His goodness and patience and unknowable ways. They cast God in the highest light possible, which is admirable on their part. But the flip side of their words are where things get muddled. Job insists that he is innocent and righteous while his friends are convinced he's paying for some heinous crime that he's committed against the Lord. It's almost laughable how these men try to portray themselves in the eyes of God.

You see, the book of Job isn't about whether or not Job has deserved what lot in life he's been given or if he needs to repent of any known sin. No, the book of Job - and the entirety of the Bible for that matter - is about God Himself, not us. Yes, we are part of God's beautiful story of redemption and blessing, but the Bible isn't about us. It's about God and His glory. Fast forward to the end of the book of Job and you will see God speaking to this truth. He loves Job and provides for him, but not for one second is Job able to stand before God as righteous on his own. And neither are we.

The Bible is not our autobiography where you can read into it whatever you want. It's God's story written for a people He loves desperately. In its pages we find hope and redemption and love and purpose for our lives, yet if that's all we are out to find then we have made the Bible out to be a most selfish book. Only by God's grace are we invited to be a part of His great redemptive story for mankind and our inclusion should cause us to encounter God with worshipful adoration, not spiritual entitlement.

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