Declare A Thing

Folks, today, I’d like to post on here about a subject that has been on my heart and bugging me for quite some time. A friend of mine from school named Perry sent me some videos by this Pastor named Dr. James Ford Jr. I read this chapter and the verse that he alludes to in the sermon that I will post on here later umpteenth times. He refered to teachings like when Paula White and others “use this verse out of context. The title of this message is called Declare A Thing, based on Job 22:28 in the New King James Bible. Today, I read this verse and the Scriptures that surround it and I think I get what he means–well, a little bit. I want to endeavor in this blog to describe to you my thoughts on the surrounding verses and what all this means.    

Folks, let’s begin our journey: 

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:    

“Can a man be profitable to 

God, 

Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? 

Is it any to the Almighty that you are righteous? 

Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? (Job 22:1–3, NKJV′. The Bible says that our righteousness is as filthy rags (See Isaiah 64 for more information′. However, Eliphaz was accusing Job of being unrighteous and saying that this is the reason why the Almighty is striking him. In reality, it was a test to make his faith even stronger. Let’s keep listening to Eliphaz’s accusations: 

“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, 

and enters into judgment with you? (Job 22:4, NKJV). This pandemic and the time spent at home gave me more time to spend with the Lord than I ever had, not that I didn’t have time. It was just that this was a kairos moment for me as I’m sure that it was for ALL of us. God does use what Satan brings to our lives to do 2 things: (1) correct us in a loving way as a father does his child, and (2) make our faith grow stronger so that we will come out as gold. These things, to me at least, are synonymous with each other. The trial we’re going through may not be God-sent, but nonetheless God-used. 

Is not your wickedness great, 

And your iniquity without end? For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, 

And stripped the nakedness of their clothing. You have not given the weary water to drink, 

And you have withheld bread from the hungry. But the mighty man posessed the land, 

And the honorable man dwelt in it. 

You have sent widows away empty, 

And the strength of the fatherless was crushed. 

Therefore snares are all around you, 

And sudden fear troubles you, 

Or darkness σ that you cannot see; 

And an abundance of water covers you. (Job 22:5–11, NKJV). It is never good to judge and condemn someone, saying that they are guilty of some sort of sin and that is why they go through a certain trial. This, beloved, is what Eliphaz was doing. Remember that all have sinned (Romans 3:bc′. Anyway, back to the point. This next part, I think, is the part in which we should pay attention. 

“Is not God in the height of heaven? 

And see the highest stars, how lofty they are! 

And you say, “What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness? 

 Thick clwhds cover Him, so that He cannot see, 

And He walks above the circle of heaven.”‘ 

Will you keep to the old way

Which wicked men have trod, 

Who were cut down before their time, 

Whose foundations were swept away by a flood? 

They said to God, (Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?”‘ 

Yet He filled their houses with good things; 

But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. (Job 22:12–18, NKJV). 

This is a hefty accusation for Job’s friend to be making, right? Now, the saying that Eliphaz is thinking that Job has been saying in his heart may or may not be what we’re thinking, but all of us have at one time been proud. In fact, (confesssion) the Lord is working on this very issue in my heart. I am still learning and am young, but I have seen in the mirror of the Word lately the same attitude in my heart that Jesus was hard on. You guessed it, that of a Pharisee. I encourage you during this quarantine to sit back and ask the Lord to lay your heart bare before Him and yourself. Also, take Psalms 95:7–9 as your Scripture of warning and exortation. Now, let’s pick up where we left off: 

“The righteous see it and are glad, 

And the innocent laugh at them: 

×Surely our adversaries are cut down, 

And the fire consumes their remnant.”” (Job 22:19–20, NKJV). Wow! This is the end of Eliphaz’s accusation but now, he gives a plea based upon the indictment he thinks the Almighty has against Job (read in the book and we will see in later chapters that Job talked about things he knew nothing ab). Now, let’s listen to the plea: 

“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; 

Thereby good will come to you. 

Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, 

And lay up His words in your heart (Job 22:21–22, NKJV). Folks, I want to be very clear. If God gives you an assignment through a dream or otherwise, He won’t change it. For so long, I would get an assignment from God and then Satan would come and trick me with the nicest dream he could find. I used to deceive myself unknowingly saying, “That must have been the Lord. It was too pretty to be the Enemy.” Therein lied the prom! I would veer off of the assignment that our Lord told me about, not even coming back around to it because, “Well, He must have changed His mind.” Hear me out. I know this is very long, but hear me out. God will not give you something else if He can’t even trust you with the smallest assignment He gave you. These instructions that Eliphaz gave Job definitely at least apply to me. Please let our Lord go into your heart and see if there be any rebellion in y; for it is written, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,” (1 Samuel 15:26, NKJV).  

If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; 

You will remove iniquity far from your tents (Job 22:23, NKJV). Woa! Wait a minute? Iniquity is when one perpetually rebells. Think on that! 

Then you will lay your gold in the dust, 

And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks. 

Yes, the Almighty will be your gold 

And your precious silver; 

For then you will have delight in the Almighty, 

And lift up your face to God (Job 22:24–26, NKJV). The problem isn’t acquiring wealth. The problem is getting it and forgetting our God. When we get rich and think we don’t need God, that is the problem! 

You will make your prayer to Him, 

He will hear you, 

And you will pay your vows. 

You will also declare a thing, 

And it will be established for you; 

So light will shine on your ways. 

When they cast you down, and you say, ×Exaltation will come!”‘ 

Then He will save the humble person. 

He will even deliver one who is not innocent; 

Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.” 

I want us to go back to verse 28. This time, I’ll read from the King James Bible since that is the one most used: 

Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways (Job 22:28, KJV). 

The only reason why Jesus got to heal all manner of sickness and disease (remember that He was an example so that we might know how to walk as true humans on this earth), is because He was in God’s presence. There is an article from Decision Magazine that I’ll post that comes to mind. It is a teaching by Billy Grahm on prayer. The only way that we can have true authority in Christ is not just building our faith up that we have it. This authority comes without saying when one spends time in our Lord’s presence. I’ll post the sermon so that you can see his oppinions on the subject. Ultimately, none of us has the answers nor do we know what is in each other’s hearts. Take what I’m talking with you about before our Lord! Blessings! Here are the links: 

https://youtu.be/6xENra9uc-4

I couldn’t find the article, so I’m going to post a YouTube link: