The accuser comes against the productive, alive, soul. Job, of the Bible, in the land of Uz, was one of these. The first thing we learn of him, that is repeated by God himself, is that he, “was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”(Job 1:1,8)

What does this kind of life look like? Here’s a picture of it from the book of Job:

“… I delivered the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and a turban.
I was eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
I was a father to the needy,
    and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.
I broke the fangs of the unrighteous
    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.” (Job 29:12-17)

Timothy Keller speaks of Francis I. Anderson’s commentary on Job, calling Job 31 one of the most important texts in the Bible for the study of Israelite ethics, “It is a complete picture of how a righteous Israelite was supposed to live, and to Job, right conduct is almost entirely social…In Job’s conscience…to omit to do good to any fellow human being, of whatever rank or class, would be a grievous offense to God.” Here’s some of the things Job chapter 31 addresses:

Sexual purity, falsehood and lies, adultery, fairness to employees, helping, clothing, sheltering and feeding the poor and needy, bribery or unjust use of influence, idolatry of money or created things like nature, not delighting over an enemy’s failures, hospitality, lack of repentance or honesty about sin due to fear of men rather than fear of God, and mistreatment of the earth.

Job, this model of righteousness, is accused by Satan and “friend”, but he says, “I clothed myself with righteousness and it clothed itself with me.” (Job 29:14) He says, “I hold to my righteousness; I wouldn’t let it go; my heart will not shame me as long as I live.” (Job 27:6)

If one of our pastors stood in church this Sunday and said the same, no doubt there would not be one, but a crowd, of Bildad the Shuhites:

Bildad the Shuhite again attacked Job:

“God is sovereign, God is fearsome—
    everything in the cosmos fits and works in his plan.
Can anyone count his angel armies?
    Is there any place where his light doesn’t shine?
How can a mere mortal presume to stand up to God?
    How can an ordinary person pretend to be guiltless?
Why, even the moon has its flaws,
    even the stars aren’t perfect in God’s eyes,
So how much less, plain men and women—
    slugs and maggots by comparison!” (Job 25:1-6)

Said pastor would probably be “released” from serving if he responded with the sarcasm Job did:

“How you have helped him who has no power!
    How you have saved the arm that has no strength!
How you have counseled him who has no wisdom,
    and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
With whose help have you uttered words,
    and whose breath has come out from you?
 (Job 26:1-4)

Would there be a few who would also hear his humility?

“By his power he stills sea storms,
    by his wisdom he tames sea monsters.
With one breath he clears the sky,
    with one finger he crushes the sea serpent.
And this is only the beginning,
    a mere whisper of his rule.
    Whatever would we do if he really raised his voice!” (Job 26: 12-14)

His humility consisted of hiding himself in righteousness HIMSELF, not in people pleasing. And this is how and why Job could say he had “clothed himself in righteousness” or as another version puts it, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;…”

The accuser comes before God like a tattle tale wanting to get someone “in trouble” but the righteous, alive, awake, souls have already come, they have confessed their sins and been healed and hidden beneath the shadow of His wings, righteousness covered them.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:1-4) (emphasis mine)

The “blameless and upright” do not pretend perfection,

Blessed is the one
 whose transgressions are forgiven,
 whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.

For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”

And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters

You are my hiding place;

    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.

Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart! (Psalm 32)

An error has occurred in the body of Messiah. We lack confidence, because we lack truth and words of truth, strong words. Words like Job knew. We hear “saint”, “upright” or “righteous”,  and think that belongs to a select few instead of hearing redeemed one, instead of hearing “me”. We’re estranged from our roots that would have taught us these things, but all praise to God, His Spirit, still present, will teach us and lead us into all these truths. His Word is present, but will we take and eat?

We can’t live what we don’t believe. We can’t believe if we do not first “hear”.

It’s time to clothe ourselves with righteousness and experience righteousness clothing itself with us.

We are currently in the Biblical month of Elul. The word Elul is an acronym for the Hebrew letters, aleph, lamed, vav, and lamed. In Hebrew these letters begin each word in the passage of Song of Songs 6:3, “I am my beloveds and He is mine.” These words are on the wind blowing through the church, I am praying today for us all to have ears to hear.

The accuser comes to the productive, fruit producing, soul. We must be ready to stand still on our Cornerstone. We are known, hidden beneath the wings of He Whose throne is all mercy and grace. It is not arrogance to know so, to say so, nor to live so. It is right. This is like a beloved child who knows to whom they belong. Amen.

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.'” (Revelation 12:10)

With you in looking to the faithfulness of God,

Raynna, for the whole family
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