Less than We Deserve

For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in God’s eyes.’ But oh, that God would speak and open his lips to you, and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
Job 11:4-6
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Less than We Deserve
Job never claims to have pure doctrine or to be sinless.  In fact, he admits he is a sinner.  The irony is that Zophar accuses Job of this but exposes himself as the one who believes his “doctrine is pure.”  Had he a right understanding he would have not accused Job of the things he did.  Instead, he would have given a sympathetic ear and a kind word. Zophar has a lot to say, and it is mostly wrong, yet he does get it correct when he says, God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.”  Of course, this is true of us all.  We are all born sinful and set against God.  We all deserve eternal damnation, yet but for the mercy of God, that is exactly what we would have.  Like Job we often face difficult times, times when the world, the devil, and our own sinful flesh attack us.  Like Job we cannot plead innocent, so we do the only thing we can do, we cling to the cross.  In faith we hold fast to the promise made there that “It is finished.”  We trust God’s grace to give us the strength to rest secure in Jesus.  For He is our Savior and though we treat Him less than He deserves, His love overflows and His mercy abounds.  God exacts less of us than we deserve and gives more that we could ever hope for.