Other comments on this day's readings can be found here.
Reading 1 - Job 25
Job 25: Bildad virtually concedes Job's argument. His few
words might be paraphrased: "We do not know what your sin might be, but there
obviously is one -- because all men are sinners."
However, this being true -- all men are placed in the same
condition before God. Therefore, Job's question still stands: "Why am I singled
out for special sufferings?" There is nothing left for his three friends to
say.
Reading 2 - Zec 3:9
" 'See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are
seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the
LORD Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day' " (Zec
3:9).
THE STONE I HAVE SET IN FRONT OF JOSHUA: The stone is a common
figure of God and Messiah in the Bible (10:4; Exo 17:6; Num 20:7-11; Psa 118:22;
etc). In the past God promised that the Stone would be a secure, never-failing
refuge for His people (Isa 28:16; 1Pe 2:6). When Messiah appeared, however, He
proved to be a stone over which the Jews stumbled and an offensive rock to them
(Psa 118:22-23; Isa 8:13-15; Mat 21:42; 1Pe 2:4-9). Presently He is the
foundation stone, the chief cornerstone of the church (Eph 2:19-22). And in the
future He will be the great stone that smites the nations (Dan 2:35,
45).
THERE ARE SEVEN EYES ON THAT ONE STONE: Seven stones signifies
complete divine intelligence (Zec 1:10; 4:10; 2Ch 16:9; Isa 11:2; Eze 1:18;
10:12; Col 2:3, 9; Rev 5:6). The eyes of the LORD -- that is, the angels -- are
watching over this "Stone", and helping it accomplish its desired
work.
I WILL ENGRAVE AN INSCRIPTION UPON IT: What is engraved upon
the Stone of Jesus?
the name of the Father, that is, Yahweh, found in "Yah-shua", the Salvation
of God;
the reaffirmation of this at his baptism: "This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well-pleased!";
the wounds in his hands and feet, by which he
was "sealed" to the service of his Father; and ultimately
the reward he
received: the divine nature:
"The writer, or engraver, is the Seven-Horned and Seven-Eyed
Spirit (Zec 4:5; 5:6) who 'engraves the graving thereof'. When the dead body
prepared for the Spirit (Heb 10:5) was restored to life, and had come forth from
the sepulchre, the Spirit, 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,' engraved
upon it, or impressed it with, every attribute necessary to constitute it 'the
Lord from the heaven' -- He 'made it both Lord and Christ'. The precious stone
had come out of the earth, whence all precious stones also come; but it had to
be cut, polished, embroidered, and adorned, to bring out all the beauties of
which it was susceptible. This the Spirit effected in the operation of raising
the risen body to consubstantiality with the Deity.
"Now, it matters not whether it be one man to be made 'the
Lord from heaven,' or a countless multitude of earthborns to be made the Holy
Jerusalem 'descending from the Deity out of heaven' -- the operation is the
same. Every individual is subjected to a like polishing, embroidering, and
adorning, as saith the Spirit who will do the work. 'Him that overcometh,' saith
he, 'I will make a pillar in the Nave of my Deity, and he shall go no more out;
and I will write upon him the Name of my Deity, and the Name of the City of my
Deity, New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my Deity; and my new
Name' (Rev 3:12). To have the Name of Deity, the Name of the City, and the New
Name, engraved or written upon one, is for such an one first to come into
existence, and then, to become a constituent of the things engraved. He becomes
one of the City of the Deity, New Jerusalem; and in the operation is married to
the Spirit in so close and intimate a union, that he becomes one body, flesh,
and bones, with the Spirit; so that all the earthiness and corruptibleness of
his grave-body is 'swallowed up of life;' it loses its similitude to the nature
of the first Adam; and acquires 'the heavenly image' of the Lord from heaven"
(John Thomas, "Eureka" 3:687).
I WILL REMOVE THE SIN OF THIS LAND IN A SINGLE DAY: Compare v
4. What Christ did for himself he also did on behalf of others: Heb 7:27; 9:28;
10:14. See also John 11:49-53; Zec 13:1; Isa 66:7,8; Rom 11:26,27.
Reading 3 - Jud 1:21-25
"And perhaps an exhortational point on priesthood might be
helpful. We shall be a kingdom of priests. The work of a priest involved blood,
sweat and tears; smoke, dirty ash, and much manual labour. One washed, but was
never clean for very long, the work was so messy. And the work of cleaning out
the altar, the ground, the ornaments, was never finished. One got one's hands
dirty, immersing them in filth, blood, and broken tissue continually. And one's
neighbours brought their diseases, their lesions, close to one's face seeking
compassion, seeking diagnosis, seeking healing. Lifting; cleaning; scouring;
teaching; eating and fellowship, all in the presence of God. What a picture of
effortful service. Is this not ecclesial life?" (Dev Ramcharan).
Think of all the cleanup the priests and Levites would have to
do. HOW did they deal with all the mess? How did they get all the blood out of
the garments? Or DID they? As we think about the work of the priests, we have to
naturally wonder: 'Didn't they... sometimes... have to make a clean sweep, a
spring house-cleaning? Didn't they have to stop everything else, and wash down
the whole altar, tabernacle, temple? And wash it again? Didn't they have to make
a perfectly new, fresh start?
I don't know. Did they? Could they? Or did they go on, from
day to day, and week to week, and year to year, accumulating more encrusted
blood and gore, and dirt... and never quite getting clean again, either
themselves, their garments, or their work area? Maybe that's the point: we never
ever really "get clean" again either, in the ecclesia, either individually or
collectively.
Except... through the cleansing, and sanctifying, of the
sacrifice of our Saviour -- which cleanses the "conscience" (Heb 9:14) and not
necessarily the body.
So there you are: a body (individually) and a "body"
(collectively, and ecclesially) unclean in and of itself, and which life soils
more and more, with each passing day... but... somehow, miraculously... washed
and purified through faith in our Lord.
"Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who
doubt; snatch others from the fire"... an allusion to the altar, and the
sacrifices?... "and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear -- hating
even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh"... sounds like the priestly
garments?... "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you
before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy -- to the only God
our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our
Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!" (Jude 1:21-25).