Lament and Honesty

THROUGH THE VALLEY • Sermon • Submitted 3 months ago • Presented 3 months ago

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Job’s response to his friends ensures us that we can be honest with God in even the most painful situations, trusting God to be God in the process.

Notes

Transcript

Handout

Scripture Passage

Job 13:1–13 (NLT)

1 “Look, I have seen all this with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, and now I understand. 2 I know as much as you do. You are no better than I am. 3 As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty. I want to argue my case with God himself. 4 As for you, you smear me with lies. As physicians, you are worthless quacks. 5 If only you could be silent! That’s the wisest thing you could do. 6 Listen to my charge; pay attention to my arguments. 7 “Are you defending God with lies? Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake? 8 Will you slant your testimony in his favor? Will you argue God’s case for him? 9 What will happen when he finds out what you are doing? Can you fool him as easily as you fool people? 10 No, you will be in trouble with him if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor. 11 Doesn’t his majesty terrify you? Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you? 12 Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes. Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot. 13 “Be silent now and leave me alone. Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.

Focus Statement

Job’s response to his friends ensures us that we can be honest with God in even the most painful situations,

trusting God to be God in the process.

Point of Relation

Let me give you the context to today’s Scripture:

In the land of Uz, Job, a righteous man, lived a life of prosperity and devotion.

But in the celestial realms, Satan challenged God's confidence in Job,

accusing him of superficial loyalty.

So, God allowed Satan to test Job's faith,

with the condition that he couldn't harm him directly.

Suddenly, calamity struck.

Job lost his livestock, his fields were destroyed, and his children died.

Afflicted with painful sores, he suffered immensely.

Even his wife told him to curse God and die.

Despite all his anguish, Job held fast to his faith.

Which brings us to our text today,

where his own friends, misunderstanding his plight, accused him of wrongdoing.

Job laments and he does not listen to the accusations of his friends…

Rather, he takes his complaints in lament directly to God.

Things to Consider

Lent is a time for raw honesty – with God, ourselves, and others.

Lament is honesty;

it is about being fully honest with ourselves and God.

In day-to-day life,

there are layers to the truths we are willing to share and to face.

For example, when we ask each other “How are you doing,”

we often give/expect the response “Fine!” or “Good!”

This may be true but what if we stopped and asked,

“How are you really doing?”

We might give/get a different answer,

or at least one that is more complex/nuanced.

The practice of lament can move us to live in deeper honesty.

What Scripture Says

Preachers, in preparation for this sermon, read at least chapters 11-13 of Job, if not more of the book. Be sure to provide your congregation with context for what is going on in Job’s life (and how Job’s friend Zophar responds, see chapter 11). Without providing the context, today’s passage will make little sense.

In today’s Scripture we first learn to let God be God.

Job’s friend Zophar thinks the suffering that Job is experiencing is God’s judgment (and less than what Job deserves, at that!),

Zophar thinks Job has no right to try and defend himself…he believes that Job has no right to question God…

Hear what he says in Job 11:2–6 (NLT)

2 “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words? Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking? 3 Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed? 4 You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’ and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’ 5 If only God would speak; if only he would tell you what he thinks! 6 If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom is not a simple matter. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!

In verses 1-3, Job repsonds to his friends accusations and advice:

Job 13:1–3 (NLT)

We can clearly see that Job has a deeper sense of who God is.

He recognizes that God is not a harsh, distant lawmaker.

Job knows that even though God is all powerful and all knowing,

God calls people into an active relationship.

On the other hand, Job’s friends have put God in a “box,”

thinking it is not okay to question or cry out to God.

Job sees that God is bigger than him and his friends,

and that God doesn’t need to be defended or protected in verses 7-10. He said:

Job 13:7–10 (NLT)

7 “Are you defending God with lies? Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake? 8 Will you slant your testimony in his favor? Will you argue God’s case for him? 9 What will happen when he finds out what you are doing? Can you fool him as easily as you fool people? 10 No, you will be in trouble with him if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.

Faith crumbles when we put God in a box because we don’t bring everything – the good, bad, and ugly to God.

We are not allowing God to be God.

Think about what you are keeping hidden from God because you don’t think God can handle it or you have some other limiting idea of who God is

(e.g., God will punish them if they have questions or complaints

or God only lets people suffer who deserve it).

Job (and the witness of scripture at large) challenges these limiting ideas.

Job openly engages in relationship with God and questions him outwardly.

Next, Let’s be honest.

Because Job “lets God be God,”

he is willing to put all his grief and complaints out there in prayer (lament) and trust God.

He is willing to have hard conversations with God!

Even though Job does not know what will happen when he makes his case before God (see verse 13b),

he knows God can handle his full, honest truth.

What trust this requires!

Sometimes when we’re not honest with God,

it is because we haven’t been honest with ourselves.

The gift of lament is not just bringing our sorrows to God, but also being honest with ourselves.

For instance, we are often not honest because we feel shame…

or because it makes the suffering more real,

or because we have a fear of change, or of judgment,

or we don’t want to be perceived as out of control.

While we can say whatever we want to each other,

Job reminds us that God already knows the full truth.

God searches us out and we cannot deceive God (as it says in verse 9).

When we are not fully honest with God, it is ourselves that we are hurting.

To be honest with the One who is Truth takes humility,

recognition of our own brokenness,

and willingness to receive whatever is next.

Remind people that God is love and God has compassion,

even when we might have trouble feeling or recognizing it

This is the God we are turning to with our honest laments.

Finally, we have to Let others lament – and be present.

Job’s friends are ignoring the brutality of what he has experienced

and speaking falsely/deceivingly for God (v. 4, verses 7-8).

But why? Their motives are probably hidden from themselves.

This is a temptation for us too, to try and rationalize for God and make excuses,

especially in the face of others’ suffering (or our own).

There is something reflexive about our defending of God.

Perhaps it has something to do with not wanting to admit that things could really be as bad as they seem

or not wanting to give up our own perceived control over our suffering

or admit we do not know what God is doing and thinking.

But Job is pointing out the dangers of dishonesty (and talking just to talk) throughout this passage.

Job teaches us that when others are suffering, simply being present with them in silence is often a more helpful

(and honest!) response than anything we can say.

We must allow God to be God,

instead of trying to jump in ourselves,

even when it’s challenging.

What This Means for You

Let me encourage you to reflect on where in your life you may not be fully honest with yourself and God.

Pause

With those in mind, here are some examples of how we can grow to be more open and honest with God….

Through our Spiritual Disciplines (attending regular worship, participating in the Sacraments such as Holy Communion, joining small groups, studying the Bible, and serving with others in mission and ministry),

We can pray the Ignation Examen,

where we seek God’s light and examine the day in prayer…

We can seek out a Spiritual Director or Mentor

I want to encouarage you to consider your assumptions, worries, and “shoulds” or “should nots)

about what will happen

or what God will think/do

if you are completely honest.

I challenge you to test the waters this week with one thing…just ONE THING…

that you may be holding back from God/yourselves.

Friends, this is deeply personal, and you don’t have to share it with anyone if you don’t want to.

It can be between you and God.

As disciples, you may still be learning to trust God

and may be worried about God’s anger or judgment if you are totally honest with what you are thinking or feeling.

The Ignatian examen mentioned earlier begins by imagining God’s loving presence surrounding oneself.

In the same way, any self-examination should begin in a place of safety,

either by remembering God’s love and forgiveness,

or by imagining oneself in a safe location or with a safe person.

What This Means for Us

Are there times when, or ways in which, our church tends to downplay the complexities of life,

or tries not to allow other people’s experiences to trouble the waters of faith/the community?

When does we flatten out others’ experiences, shifting responsibility to those who are struggling?

I am not saying we do this consciously or even outwardly…but…

When does the church fail to listen fully?

Pause

And, I think this question fits our church much more than the previous ones,

when does the church struggle to be honest about its own experiences

(perhaps about changing realities, or needing to let go of programs/events there is no longer capacity for

or that are no longer serving the community,

or about how an event/loss, such as the PANDEMIC, has changed the community)?

How can we continue to create a space of honesty…

Where we can both express our lament over losses and changes…

And we can honestly seek answers to our questions and direction for our church.

God is GIFTING US with such a time now.

Let us bear patiently with each other, and allow God to be God…

as we move forward from where we are to where God is calling us to be.

Amen? Amen.

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