Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/89

Contributor - Rev. Cliff Turkstra

Title - Quiet Moments - How Long, Oh Lord

Topic - Repentance

There was a man whose name was Job who was blameless and upright, who feared God and turned away from evil. God encouraged Satan to afflict this man with loss and suffering. After he lost almost everything except life itself, Job repented in dust and ashes, prayed for his friends, and then God blessed him richly. (Reid Job 1: 1, 1:7-8; 42:5-6; 42: 10)

This man had a learned knowledge of God that had been taught to him in his life (Job 42:5) and he lived out this knowledge in his daily duties. As a matter of fact he put most of us to shame by his manner of living. He was blameless (Job 1: 1). He worshipped God in adversity and submitted to Him (Job 1:20-22). He accepted sickness and suffering from God's hand (Job 2:9-10). He set extremely high standards for his own life (Job 31:1-40).

Yet this man needed to repent. Indeed, God organized the whole suffering of Job to bring him to repentance.

Why did Job need to repent? He himself says in Job 42:5 that he had to repent because he only had a hearing knowledge of God instead of a seeing knowledge of Him. We could say he needed a heart knowledge in addition to his head knowledge or that he needed to serve God in the spirit instead of serving Him in the flesh (Romans 8:7-8). It should be clear that Job needed a new relationship with God; a relationship in which there was a real awareness of God's presence and direction; a relationship in which there was a new, personal, close, loving interaction with God. Job needed to realize that God roved and he needed to have an adoring love for God.

Several years ago at a meeting of Classis Ontario God spoke through his servant Rev. Bill VandenBerg. The message came through loud and clear that God was calling the Classis to repentance and that if we did not repent he would spit us out of His mouth. (Note: although this message was specifically given to Classis Ontario, I hope that each person who reads this will prayfully consider whether the message also applies to him/herself)

God is looking for a new relationship with His people (us), in which we will have a warm, adoring love for him, not just a formal head knowledge. Out of this relationship would flow a warm eager, spiritual, heartfelt worship not merely a set of learned responses.

Is God bringing us to repentance as He did Job? We need to answer this question. We need to repent and have a see' knowledge of God. We need to walk with God and talk with God; enjoy His presence and direction in our lives; lean on His arm and take pleasure and comfort in the kisses of His lips. Yes, having repented we, like Job, need to start interceding for our friends that the Lord may bless us.

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