Wherein I Have Erred

Chapter 6 of Job is a low point in his life.  Look at the questions he asked.

Job 6:11 “What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? 24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.”

Job’s thinking went all directions due to his afflictions.  They piled up one on top of another.  He was known as a perfect man. Chapter 1 tells us this.  This means he was spiritually mature. He consciously avoided evil. He was against the prevalent sins of his day.  In chapter 6 he is sorting things out, and he saw something he had not realized before.  Things had always gone well for him. It was easy to be strong.  When it was all taken away, life was harder, and his integrity was challenged.

In verse 24 Job confessed he had done wrong.  He said “cause me to understand wherein I have erred.” He wanted to know where his fault was so he could fix it.  The error was hard for him to see. Seeing oneself in an honest light is hard.  We tend not to see our own faults as others do and as God does.  Our quest should be that we become honest with ourselves.  Take inventory.  Monitor ourselves.  Before a person can be saved, he must realize he is a sinner. Before a Christian can confess, he must first see his failures.  We all need Jesus now more than ever.

Job’s subtle error is one he made daily, and we do too.  It’s the most-made error in Christianity.  It’s hard not to make it. It goes against our nature.  It’s all about trust.  Who do we trust?  When Job saw it, he repented in sackcloth and ashes. It’s a major disappointment to God when we don’t trust him.

Often we say we trust God, but we split it between God and ourselves.  We don’t trust him with all our heart and soul.  We depend on our own strength and wisdom. When they fail, we get down and out.  Faith gets weak.  No wonder.  Our mind, our body, and our wisdom and strength let us down. There is our margin of error. The devil doesn’t want us to trust God. Can we trust ourselves 100%?  Absolutely not!  Trust doesn’t come out of nowhere.  It must be learned and practiced every day we live.

Verse 11 is a strange question.  Job said he used to have strength. He used to prosper.  In his mind all the assets were gone, therefore his hope was gone.  Hope is not in physical and material things. Strength is in God and his power.  Our hope is in God.  Even when it’s bad, God is still the same.

When we say we trust the Lord, most of us do it to a certain degree.  On the side we tend to trust ourselves, our investments, and our things.  If there is ever a lesson to be learned, it’s don’t split trust with the Lord.  Everything we have and are is changing. It could all go down.  We may have it all today, but it can be gone tomorrow. Trust the Lord at all times because we are not trustworthy in ourselves.  Where is my strength? It should be in the Lord.  He is the strong one.  We just don’t have the ability to come through for ourselves.  It’s not up to what we can and can’t do to make life happen. It’s all up to God.  We have not added a day to our own life or its quality.  It’s God.  Any good decisions we’ve made have not been to our credit.  It’s God.  He makes things happen; that’s why we should trust him. We act like everything in our life depends on our ability, but it’s by God working through us. Our skills come from God. Our talents come from God. How often has God driven even though our hands were on the steering wheel?  In verse 13 Job said “Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?” Was he not supposed to be smart enough?  Self can’t be trusted, BUT God can.  He didn’t turn us loose to make it through on our own ingenuity and strength.  It’s foolish to even think that way.

In verse 14 Job spoke of the Almighty God.  It’s not Bob-almighty or you-almighty.  It’s not me and God or you and God. It’s God.  We need to trust HIM with all and ourselves with zero.  Christian is Christ in us not ourselves.  The only way to make things work is to trust the Lord.

Job gets to verse 24 with a prayer.  “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.” He admitted he needed to learn. Barriers are willful. We don’t do God any favors. He doesn’t need us, but we live unto him.  Whatsoever we say or do, the Bible says to do it all for the glory of God.  If we achieve that, we’ll realize fully the benefit of being a surrendered Christian.

Are you willing to learn? Job said “teach me, and I will hold my tongue.” You have to stop thinking about yourself. Listen to the Teacher. Be quiet for a change.  Sit. Let God talk and teach.  Let the Lord help you understand the foolish error in your life.  Quit trusting in yourself and trust it all to God.  These are low times; they’re hard times.  With God we’ll make it.

In verse 29 Job said “Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.” He was sorry for trusting in himself, in his righteousness.  Our righteousness depends on our trust in God.

What about it? How much is your trust split? Do you need to return to complete trust in God?  Let’s begin to trust.  Do as Proverbs 3:5 says.  “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”