Since We Receive Good Things
By Jonathan Mitchell

This life, and creation itself, exists with opposites. There seem to always be pluses and minuses. Technology is presently empowered by ones and zeroes. Humans were made males and females. Our days are composed of light and darkness, which regularly rotate their dominance on the earth.

Everyone experiences the effects of both good and evil, and the results of what is right and, at times, of what is wrong. Scripture traces this all back to the Garden of Eden, and since the infamous tree was created by God, the proverbial "buck" resides with Him.

In the OT book of Job, when bad things started happening to Job's family, and then to himself, he posed this rhetorical question to his wife:

"Since (or: If, as is the case,) we receive the good things from out of (or: from the midst of) [the] LORD's hand, shall we not continue bearing up under the bad things (or: repeatedly be undergoing, or even habitually sustaining, those things of bad quality; be constantly supporting the ugly conditions; keep on enduring the evil or worthless situations)?" (Job 2:10b; LXX, JM)

On offer, in the second half of this verse are optional lexical renderings of the verb, first rendered "bearing up under," and of the adjective/substantive, "bad things." This latter is the Greek 'kaka,' which is the opposite of 'kala (fine, ideal, beautiful, excellent).'

Life teaches us that we all receive both of these, to one degree or another. Of note is the fact that both words are plural, and have the definite article: the Good things; the Bad things - giving emphasis to Job's statement. But, as we know, Job does not stop with the above statement. In 13:15, we find him saying this:

"Though (or: Even if) the Powerful One (the One being Able; = the Almighty) may at some point (or: suddenly) for Himself (or: by Himself) work me with His hands (or: lay His hand against me; take me in hand; or, an extended meaning: overpower and subdue me), since He has even begun(or: since He also has already commenced and now continues; or: since, then, He has ruled and continues reigning), yet, indeed (or: certainly), I will continue speaking and will proceed to layout my arguments (= my case) before Him, in His presence (= in His sight and in the opposite position)." (LXX, JM)

The Hebrew gives 13:15a as:

"Though He slay me, yet will I will wait for Him" (RV).

In Job 23:10, Job affirms:

"For in fact, He has already seen, and so actually continues knowing, my path (or: way), so (or: and) He thoroughly evaluated me, even as the gold (or: He separated me and decided about me, as if I were the gold)." (LXX, JM)

This calls to mind Mal. 3:2b-3,

"Wherefore, He is periodically (or: regularly) entering as Fire of a smelting furnace and like the lye of cleaners (washers). He will continue sitting, progressively smelting and purging (or: purifying) as it were the silver and as it were the gold - even continuously purifying (or: purging) the sons of Levi, and then will proceed pouring them, just as the gold and the silver." (LXX, JM)

Jesus, in Mk. 9:49, instructed us that everyone will be salted with fire:

"Indeed, everyone (or: It follows that all humanity) will be salted (seasoned and preserved) in (with; by) Fire!" [other MSS add: - even every sacrifice is to be salted with salt; cf Mat. 3:11-12]

From Job's reaction to his "fiery trials" (cf 1 Pet. 4:12-13), we can deduce that he saw God as responsible for all of his ills (even though he did not accuse God), and we see that this was true, as laid out in Job chapters 1 and 2. Job saw God behind all the evil that came to him (cf Isa. 45:7, which supports Job 2:10b, above), and he wanted to talk to God about everything that had happened. Reading the prologue of Job, we find that the adversary (Heb. 'satan': opponent; opposition) came to Job's possessions and family through a raid of the Sabeans (1:15), a lightning strike (1:16), some Chaldeans (1:17), and a great wind which struck the house in which were his sons and daughters, and they were killed (1:19). All these were done by humans, or there was a natural disaster - nothing out of the ordinary. God had removed the hedge that was protecting Job (1:10-11), at the adversary's suggestion. Now, Job was like everyone else.

So, what was the lesson which was meant to be gleaned from this story? Some have suggested that this was a polemic against the Jewish wisdom literature of that era (which basically said that we are the cause of, and responsible for, everything that happens to us - and the book of Job refutes this), as represented by Job's friends, of whom God said that they had not spoken right about Him (42:7). But a clear message, from both the prologue and the book's end, is the sovereignty of God who created a universe that is full of good things and bad things, of blessings and of misfortunes. In Rom. 11:36, Paul informs us that everything comes from out of the midst of God, passes throughout the midst of God, and then returns back into the midst of God. He also stated, in Rom. 11:32, that,

"For you see, God encircles, corrals, encloses, coops up, shuts up on all sides, and locks, ALL mankind (everyone; the entire lot of folks) together into disbelieving incompliance (unpersuaded disobedience; unconfident mistrust; a lack of being convinced), to the end that He could (or: would; should) mercy ALL mankind (may make everyone - all those folks - recipients of mercy)!"

[comment: note the complete inclusion expressed here; cf Rom. 5:12-21]

Now, if we take into account the witness of the Scriptures, can we agree with Job (2:10b)? Well, this depends upon one's modern world view. When responding to a Judean scholar, in Lu. 10:26, Jesus replied:

"Within the Law, what has been written? How are you in the habit of reading [it] (or: How are you normally reading what stands written in the [Torah])?"

By answering with using a reference to the OT, Jesus was acknowledging the OT views about God as the basis for His response to the scholar's question. This brings to us the same question: How are we reading the Torah? Do we read those Scriptures through a post-modern lens? Or, do we see Truth in them, as did the writers of the NT?

Job's view is seldom embraced in our day. It is not popular to concur with Isa. 45:6-7,

"That they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one apart from Me; I am Yahweh, and there is no other: Former of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of good and Creator of evil" (Concordant Version of the OT).

The Hebrew word for "evil" ('ra'), in this verse, is the same word that is used throughout the OT, for the word normally rendered as "evil." When Yahweh spoke against "the whole family which [He] brought up from the land of Egypt" (Amos 3:1), He continued (vs. 6b) with the rhetorical question to them, "Shall there be evil (or: disaster - 'ra') in a city, and Yahweh has not done it""

We read a very strong statement by Yahweh, in Deut. 32:39,

"I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal." (Rotherham)

In other words, God is involved with His creation. The LXX of this verse reads:

"I, Myself, can at some point kill, and then I will proceed to cause to live (or: will repeatedly make to continue living); I may at some point strike, and then I, Myself, will proceed healing and restoring." (JM)

We are ill-advised to put God in our theological, philosophical or moral boxes.

For an in-depth investigation into this topic in the NT, see "What are the Evil and 'the Devil in the NT?'" In Jn. 17:15, Jesus prayed,

"I am not now making a request to the end that You should pick them up and carry (or: remove; take) them out of the System (world; ordered arrangement of culture, religion, economy and government; human aggregate), but rather that You should observe, guard, protect, maintain, care for, and keep, THEM out of the worthless or bad situation, the sorry plight, the effect of the knavish and good-for-nothing person, the oppressive toil and the base or evil influence."

And in this manner do we pray, today, for those to whom the Spirit directs our attention.

Yet, we also need to consider Paul's instructions in Rom. 9:19b-23,

"'For who (which one; what) has resisted (stood against, or in place of) His intention (the effect of His deliberated purpose and resolve) and is yet still so standing?' O man (or: human)! On the contrary, even more, what (or: who) are you - the one habitually answering back to God (or: from an evaluation, replying against God; from a position of standing instead of, and in opposition, judging for God; contending or disputing with God; giving off a judgment against God)? 'The thing molded and formed will not proceed to be saying to the One molding and forming, "Why do you make me thus (or: did you create and construct me this way)?'" [cf Isa. 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Jer. 18:3-6; 2 Tim. 2:20]

Or does not the Potter hold authority or have a right pertaining to clay, forth from out of the same kneaded, moist mixture (effect of uniform mixture) to make the one a container (a vessel; an instrument; a utensil; a ship's tackle and armament) into honor and value (for an honorable purpose), yet the other into an un-honored one (a worthless one; one without value; one deprived of privileges; for dishonorable use; or: = one for common use)? [cf Gen. 2:7]

Now since (or: So what if, as is the case,) God - habitually willing (or: repeatedly intending and purposing; or: though currently disposed) to display and demonstrate inherent fervor, natural impulse, propensity and disposition (or: teeming passion; swelling desire; or: anger, wrath and indignation), and also to make known, by personal experience, His power and ability - in much long-suffering (long-breathing state of inner quietness; forbearance; pushing anger far away) bears and carries (or: brought forth and produced; or: enduringly tolerates and supports, while moving,) containers (vessels; agents; instruments) of natural impulse(which are characterized by an emotional disposition; for displaying inherent fervor; originating from a mental bent for teeming passion and swelling desire; or: of anger; having the character of wrath; owned by indignation), being folks having been fully reformed, thoroughly restored, fitted, and made correspondingly adequate, for, and with a view to, loss (or: having adapted and adjusted themselves down into the midst of ruin, waste and destruction [of their well-being]), and now continuing in this condition, [cf Jer. 18 &19] [it is] to the end that He could and would (or: may) also at some point make known, by intimate experience, the wealth of His glory (or: of His manifestation which calls forth praise; from the assumed appearance which is Him; which pertains to His reputation; from His imagination) upon containers of mercy (vessels, agents and instruments from Mercy), which He beforehand prepares unto [being] (or: previously made ready and provided into the midst of) a manifestation of [that] glory and an assumed appearance."

Do we accept what Paul has said, here? In this life, we do receive good things. And, in this life, we also receive challenges, pain, disappointments, heartaches, and just generally bad situations. The Lord taught us to pray,

"at once drag (or: rescue) us out of danger, away from the misery-gushed, worthless person, or the one of malicious intent, or who has bad and unprofitable qualities (or: the bad situation; the wicked person; the miserable condition; this painful labor; this unprofitable endeavor)." (Lu. 11:4b)

We end this investigation with the following inspiring verses from Jas. 1:

17. Every good leaving of a legacy, worthy influencing of destiny, profitable act of giving or contributing, excellent dosing, as well as all virtuous giving, and (or: All giving [is] beneficial, and yet,) every perfect gift (finished, complete or mature result of giving) is from above, descending from the Father of the Lights, beside Whom there is no otherness at [His] side (or: in the presence of Whom is no parallel otherness) nor the effect of an off-shadow cast by turning [other MSS: along with Whom is not one interchange, variation, shifting or mutation, or an effect caused by the passing of shadows; cf Nu. 23:19; Mal. 3:6].

18. Being purposed (intended; wanted; willed; resolved), from being pregnant He gave birth to us (brought us forth; produced us; [cf Jn. 1:13; 1 Cor. 4:15; 1 Pet. 1:23]) by a Word (in a collected Thought and Blueprint; for an expressed Idea; with a message of a transfer and input of Information that conveyed Meaning and that is a Pattern-forming Influence; into a Logos) of Truth, and from Reality - into the [situation for] us to be (or: to continuously exist being) a specific (or: a certain; a kind of; or: some) firstfruit (or: first portion) of, and from among, His created beings(or: of the effects of His act of creating; or: from the results of the founding and creation which is Himself; [other MSS: of the Himself-creatures; cf Ex. 4:22; Jer. 2:3; Rev. 14:4b]).

May we be encouraged and find comfort with this instruction,

Jonathan

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