James 5:11 - The Patience or Persistence of Job.
James 5:11 (NIV) As you know, we consider
blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of
Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord
finally brought about. The Lord is full of
compassion and mercy.
INTRODUCTION
Jobs perseverance. Not likely
patience, as traditionally translated. Job was hardly
patient (Job 3; 12:1"3; 16:1"3; 21:4), but he
persevered (Job 1:20"22; 2:9"10; 13:15). [NIV SB
2020]
COMMENTARY PEARL
God Knows the End of the Story
The big question everyone is asking right
now is, When will things get back to
normal?
But, I want to ask you, what will you do
if life doesnt get back to normal?
The answer is simple. You dont put
your hope in the government to make things right
again. You dont trust in the media or
celebrities. Instead, put your hope in God.
Why hope in God?
Because he knows the end of the story. We
dont have to know it because he does. He holds
the future.
The story of Job demonstrates this.
Imagine being Job when everything was taken from
him. He didnt know the future. He had no idea
God would restore things in the end. But he
trusted God.
James says, What a gift life is to
those who stay the course! Youve heard, of
course, of Jobs staying power, and you know how
God brought it all together for him at the end.
Thats because God cares, cares right down to the
last detail (James 5:11 The Message).
God worked through the details of Jobs
life because he cared about him. God will do the
same for you. It doesnt matter how much
youve messed up in the first part of your story;
trust God to handle the details and watch how he
brings it all together in the second half of your
story. In fact, God already knows how your story
will end.
The thing is, its really his story and
he created you to be a unique and significant
part of it. Thats why you can have faith that
he is working to take care of you and to give
you a good future.
God repeatedly says in Scripture that he
will one day reward us for our faith. The book of
James says: Happy are those who remain faithful
under trials, because when they succeed in passing
such a test, they will receive as their reward
the life which God has promised to those who
love him (James 1:12 GNT).
No matter what youre going through
right now, God promises to work everything out for
good. And thats a reason for hope - and a
reason to faithfully trust in him. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
Patience: A Rare and Remarkable Virtue
Perhaps you've uttered the American's
Prayer at some anxious moment recently:
Lord, give me patience and I want it
right now!
This rare and remarkable virtue is within
the and-so-forth section in Galatians chapter 5.
You know how we quote that passage "the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
and-so-forth." That lazy habit has caused a very important
series of virtues to become forgotten. Allow me to
quote Galatians 5:22"23 - in full.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is
no law.
Notice, please, the fourth on the list.
Patience. The original Greek term unloads a lot of
meaning upon us. MAKROTHUMIA is the term, and it's a
compound word. MAKROS means "long or far," and THUMOS
means "hot, anger, or wrath." Putting it together,
we come up with "long-anger." You've heard the
English expression, "short-tempered"? Well, I
suppose we could coin an expression for patience -
long-tempered - and not miss the accurate meaning very
far.
Generally speaking, the Greek word is not
used of patience in regard to things or events,
but of patience in regard to people. Chrysostom
defined MAKROTHUMIA as the spirit which could take
revenge if it liked, but utterly refuses to do so. I
find that this characteristic is a needed quality
for the pastor of a flock. Listen to the Lord's
counsel to me as a Christian minister:
Giving no cause for offense in anything,
so that the ministry will not be discredited,
but in everything commending ourselves as
servants of God, in much endurance, in purity, in
knowledge, in patience, in kindness. (2 Corinthians
6:3"4, 6)
If one attempts to lead a congregation
without this Spirit-given virtue, he is driven to
frustration, irritability, and severity. His pulpit
becomes an avenue of anger, his preaching a diatribe
of demands, and his person insulting and
intolerant as Diotrephes of old. No, God encourages me
and my ilk to be "long-tempered."
But there is more. This beautiful
characteristic of Christ is equally important among all
Christians and that includes you, my friend.
Without it, you cannot walk in a manner worthy of
your calling (Ephesians 4:1"2; Colossians
3:12). And you are to demonstrate it before
everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14). That includes
children, spouses, employers, neighbors, slow drivers,
people who make mistakes, senior citizens, and God!
In fact, patience is a by-product of love (1
Corinthians 13:4).
If you and I were asked to name an
example of this enviable quality, Job would be our
man. Now I am of the opinion that he didn't sit
down one day and make up his mind to be a patient
person. Surely he never tried to bargain with God
for that virtue. In fact, the term doesn't even
appear in the entire book of Job - check for
yourself. James 5:11, however, makes a remark about
the "endurance of Job" and we know from that
comment that he was one who was patient.
How did Job become a patient person? The
secret is found in the original term in James 5:11,
rendered "endurance." It is HUPOMONE, meaning "to
abide under." Job rested and endured under the
load of suffering. He determined that he would
"abide under" the blast furnace of affliction
regardless of its heat. The result was patience. As the
slag of self-will, phony pride, stubbornness, and
resentment floated to the top under the heat of
heartache, grief, pain, and sorrow, patience formed -
like the purifying process of raw gold. That
explains why Paul says that trials and tribulations
bring about patience and perseverance within us
(Romans 5:3"4). [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Trusting Through Testing
Jobs very name is a point of reference
for the worst suffering imaginable. Job was
living a great life. He had a beautiful family and
was very wealthy and successful. But one day,
seemingly out of nowhere, a series of calamities
befell this man.
We know from reading the Old Testament
book of Job that a conversation took place in
Heaven between God and the angels. Satan, who is a
fallen angel, also was there. God had been bragging
on Job saying, Have you noticed my servant
Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is
blameless - a man of complete integrity. He fears God
and stays away from evil (Job 1:8 NLT).
Satan essentially said, Give me a
break! Just let me have a little time with Job.
Then well see what hes really made of.
So, God allowed the devil to bring a
series of difficulties into Jobs life. And on
that tragic day when he lost all his children and
possessions, heres what Job said: I came naked from
my mothers womb, and I will be naked when I
leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord
has taken it away. Praise the name of the
Lord! (verse 21 NLT).
The Bible goes on to say that Job did
not sin by blaming God (verse 22 NLT). That
is real faith
A faith that cannot be tested is a faith
that cannot be trusted. Dont put your faith in
a person. Dont put your faith in a church.
Put your faith in Jesus Christ. He is the One
who will sustain you through times of
difficulty. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
James 1:2-4 - Let Trials Make You More Like
Jesus.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210504-0932.html
James 1:12 - Blessed Are Those Who Persevere
Under Temptation and Trials.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220203-0813.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
