Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
A Huge Error
If you wanted to know how to care for a hurting person, Bildad, one of Job's friends, would not be the guy you'd want to talk to. Bildad makes a huge error when he's speaking to Job. Quite frankly, I've made this error many a time. You've possibly made this error, and a lot of people have.
Our Verse of the Day comes from Job chapter 8, verse 21. "He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy."
The Context of Job
It's a nice little passage that we have here, and it's nestled in a very important context as we look at this. The theme of Job is, why do the wicked prosper? Why do righteous people suffer? Job says, "Like me—why do they suffer?" As we look at suffering and the sovereignty of God in the book of Job, God just does not grade on a curve. He doesn't grade in terms of merit.
He is sovereign, and He's a good God. We'll look at what this all means in just a moment. As we look at this in Job chapter 7, Job is speaking, and we know from Job chapter 1 that he's a blameless man. I love the name of this place—the land of Uz. Then in chapter 8, Bildad replies, "How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be like a mighty wind?"
In other words, Bildad's saying, Job, you're full of hot air. As a matter of fact, Bildad goes on further in verses 11 to 13, and he basically says, Job, your suffering is a result of your personal sin. We know that, again, Job is a godly guy. How do we rectify this situation? We also know, by the way, from chapter 1 that Satan wreaked havoc on Job.
He destroyed Job's wealth and took his livestock and his possessions—verses 13 to 17. He killed Job's kids when a powerful wind collapsed the house that they were in—verses 18 and 19. We also know that his whole body—I mean, this is amazing—his whole body was afflicted with painful sores from head to toe. It was incredible suffering. Yet the Bible says Job remained faithful.
He didn't sin or blame God—verse 22. Amazing. As we look at our Verse of the Day, it says his mouth can be filled with laughter, and there are going to be shouts of joy. That comment comes in a long line of comments that Bildad, the bad counselor, made to Job. How is this relevant to you and to me?
Good Theology Without Compassion
I find this incredibly relevant to almost every single day of my life as I think about this text. To my shame, I have jumped to conclusions about people like Bildad did. I've given harsh counsel like Bildad gave. I've been impatient toward hurting people. I've exacerbated their pain when I could have truly helped them.
I don't want to be that way. I hope you don't either. Let's look at this. I love what Warren says about this. Number one, good theology applied without compassion becomes bad counsel. I'm going to say that again for you and me: good theology applied without compassion becomes bad counsel. Don't be a theology head without a heart.
Oh my goodness, there were so many times in my younger years I was like this. I hope I'm like this less as I grow. If you're somebody who's heard me or listened to me, and I've given you bad counsel, I'm sorry. I don't want to be this way. Some of the hardest people that I counsel or talk to are those who have a little bit of theology, or they know a lot of theology. They say they love Jesus, but they really don't love people.
There's this overzealous desire to protect the truth, but they really don't love people. Good theology applied without compassion becomes bad counsel. We don't want that.
Give Hurting People Compassion
Secondly, and finally, give hurting people compassion, not a club-shaped Bible—throwing big hunks of meat, big hunks of verses at them. We make the Bible like a club instead of having compassion.
I remember years ago I was interviewing for a position, and the interviewer asked me tons of questions. She was a very articulate woman. Then I finally asked her, "What are you looking for in this position?" Without any hesitation, she said, "We're looking for someone who has compassion for people." I remember thinking through it and rewinding in my mind. Man, I had a lot of the right answers, I hoped, and a lot of good comments. But I remember feeling, wow, I don't really know how compassionate I really am.
All throughout the Bible, we see the beautiful Jesus. In Matthew chapter 9, verse 36: "Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them." You know, the word "feelings" gets a bad name sometimes. But Jesus felt compassion for people. Why? "Because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd."
He knew they were lost, and He cared for them. The idea in the Greek here in Matthew chapter 9 is the bowels of compassion—the guts, if you will, of mercy that Jesus Christ had. Matthew chapter 14, verse 14 has the same thought: "When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them." In Matthew chapter 15, verse 32, "Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, 'I feel compassion for the people.'" Why? "Because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat." Jesus cares about whether you're hungry or not.
Does It Move You?
Finally, a couple of quick ones, and this is very important. How do I know I have compassion? How do you know if you have compassion? Here it is: Does it move you? Are you and I moved? Does it drive you and me to love other people?
In Matthew chapter 20, verse 34, it's the same Jesus: "Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him." Same Jesus in Mark chapter 1, verse 41: "Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'" How much does your compassion and my compassion move us to love other people who need our compassion?
May you and I be like Jesus, who thought about people and felt compassion, and it moved Him to serve other people.
