Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

B.B. and I were in our “green room.”  Arabella lurked either inside or outside the door.  I guess she was practicing her spy skills, but as of now, she still was thinking of being a veterinarian.

B.B. asked, “Stinker, is childbearing really that painful?”

I laughed, “B.B., you should have thought of that eight months ago when you and Joseph were having a little fun.  No wait!  You weren’t drunk at the time, were you?”

B.B. groaned, “No, Stinker.  The reasons for calling you Stinker are piling up.  I do not need jokes right now.  Do I have it in me to endure the pain?  Is it a lot of pain?”

I laughed, “Oh, yeah!  Pain like you have never thought of enduring.  But before you faint, God made you strong.  And the best way is to have natural childbirth.”

B.B. asked, “Please, Stinker, we have been through all of the training, but when the teacher says that we shouldn’t stick to one type of breathing because the pain might get too bad, wouldn’t knocking me out be better?”

I snickered, “There are really three options.  The Caesarean Section is the surgery.  You should only opt for that if the doctor finds out that your pelvis cannot open properly.  And that is in your training, so you should know what that means.”

B.B. nodded, “The baby’s head is bigger than the gap in the pelvis.  So, the pelvis adjusts temporarily.  Most of the other reasons are known ahead of time.  The umbilical cord or breech are other reasons.  We had the breech thing in Florida, and I do not want to think about that. But why is this bad?”

I smiled, “If it is necessary, it just has to be that way, not bad at all, but having one C-Section might mean you always have to have a C-section.  And you are knocked out for that.  While natural childbirth mothers are playing with their children and feeding them, you would be recovering from a real surgery with your head in a fog.  When I was in the hospital, I was laughing and joking, while other ladies were groaning and moaning.”

B.B. said, “But you are always laughing.  What are the other two ways?”

I smiled, “They can knock you out and deliver through the birth canal.  This is not done any more, since local pain blockers are reasonably effective.  The same brain fog is the big issue.  Then natural is the best.  No anesthesia to overcome.  And you get to bond with the baby right away.  And B.B., you have been doing everything right for eight months.  You are going to do the right thing when it comes time.  God will give you the strength.”

A familiar voice behind the toilet stalls said, “Why didn’t you ask me?  I have assisted on countless births.”

B.B. laughed, “Arabella, where were you hiding?”

Arabella shrugged, “I wasn’t hiding.  Mommie Pinkie thought she might like a swooning couch in here if the nurses needed to help a sick employee.  I was just sitting here, reading a magazine.  It’s called Voice of the Martyrs.  There is an article in here about Philip and Hermes, who were leaders in the church.  They were imprisoned by one Roman leader, but then the bad leader came to town.  But the magazine also has articles about African countries today where persecution of Christians is going on.  There are other ones about people in Asia.  You want to read it?”

I snickered, “Arabella, thank you for the offer.  But what can you add to our childbirth discussion?”

Arabella replied, “I have only delivered llamas and goats, but the moms and the babies are fine afterwards.  I think the less drugs, the better.  But what do I know.  There is only one person in here that has helped with a human birth, and she’s the one asking all the questions.”

B.B. said, “Don’t remind me, Belle.  To think that my hand has been inside Mary Jo Lynn where no other hand has been.  Yikes.”

Aunt Pink walked in, greeted us and went straight to the swooning couch.  She rustled through the magazines, and then she turned around.  “Arabella, are you about to walk off with one of my magazines?  There is something about Burkina Faso in there that I wanted Gwen to read.  We have a girl that is from there who visits vespers with one of your grease monkeys.  I want to learn more.”

Arabella grimaced, “Oops, sorry!”  She ran over and gave Aunt Pink the magazine.

She opened the door, and we went to the den.

Rev. Joseph led us in prayer and the entire band and choir were ready.  They sang Praise You in the Storm.

I said, “Emmett, that was wonderful.  Darrell and his crew did a great job last week, but it’s nice having everyone back.”  Emmett smiled and nodded, and so did Darrell.

Samuel asked, “Where are we searching for Jesus today, Aunt Jemima?”

I smiled, “We are looking into the book of Job.  Arabella, do you need Mr. Dictionary?”

Arabella shrugged, “I don’t know enough to ask a question.  He does have a funny name though.”

Without opening his eyes, Easy said, “Job is spelled the same as “job” as in the work that you do, but that is in English.  The book that Aunt Jemima has used to inspire this series of studies goes down a strange rabbit hole, all about the name Job.  The author states that Job was a son of Issachar who was a son of Jacob through Leah.  Issachar was the fifth son of Leah, tenth in line with two sons from two different concubines.  ‘The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.’ (Genesis 46:13).  That is the NIV, but the NASB spells Jashub I-O-B, and the NKJV spells it J-O-B.  But the Hebrew spelling is different.  ‘through Jashub, the Jashubite clan; through Shimron, the Shimronite clan.’ (Numbers 26:24). All those translations translate the son of Issachar as Jashub.  None of the English translations call him Job in the book of Numbers.  Having Job as Jacob’s grandson puts him in Egypt, not anywhere near people think Uz might have been.  Job in the book of Job was rich and powerful, until that was taken away.  And Job acted as his own priest.  He made sacrifices on behalf of his children.  All this points to someone much older and disconnected to Abraham, but somehow the story was obtained by Abraham or someone in the tribe of Israel.”

Arabella smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.”

I nodded, “To add to what Easy said, Noah made sacrifices, as did Cain and Abel.  This does not prove that Job was of their family line.  He could have easily heard about the sacrifices from his ancestors, Noah being common to all men on earth.  How the keepers of the Israelite books obtained Job is unknown, but many think it predates all other books that are in the Bible.  Okay, there is a major Theophany near the end of this book.  There is an interesting comment made by Job near the middle of this book.  And there are quotes in the New Testament.”

Otto (Job 5:13) “He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.”

Otto said, ”This is from the opening remarks of Eliphaz.  It’s a strange comment about how God makes sure the guilty do not get away with it.”

I smiled, “Very good, Otto.  And now for the New Testament quote.”

Zuzka (1 Corinthians 3:19) “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”;”

Zuzka said, “I look this up in commentaries.  Paul saying that human craftiness cannot build up a church or tear it down.  He quote part of Otto’s verse to tie in Old Testament wisdom.  We rely on God.  I guess you give me this verse since I design Crystal Mountain, and I work as project manager.  But I know I not do anything without God as my guide.  And building church means putting people together as family.  Not building the building.  And we have family right here in this class.”

I smiled, “Thank you, Zuzka.  I hope we are like a family.  I love all of you.  And I see some new faces.  Give me your names, phone numbers, and emails.  I can send you the verses we will read during the class each week and you can study them with your partner when you have time.”

Blaise said, “We have four couples.  The ladies and one guy are from Pawnee Heights.  That’s south of the Apple Orchard and north of the interstate.  The other three guys work on the Turtle most Saturdays.  They came here to check out the class.  I told them you would not call on them until they got an idea of how the class goes.”

A lot of people welcomed them, and gave condolences, since we had a big dinner last week, we usually only had one dinner each month, but Otto often brought donuts.

Samuel (Job 9:33-35) “If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.”

Samuel said, “Since my father is a judge, I guess you gave me these verses.  Well, Job is telling his friends, or may we say ‘so-called-friends,’ that he needs an arbiter, some kind of mediator just to have a civil conversation.  Job was being accused without evidence.  Job was suffering – therefore his friends said he had to have done something really bad for the amount of suffering he was getting.  How this ties into Jesus is that right now, Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us.  ‘Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.’ (Acts 2:33).”

I laughed, “Oo! I just love it when your response contains Scripture to throw back in my direction.  Yes, Jesus is our mediator.  We have no reason to make Job’s lament unless we do not believe the Scriptures.  And the Holy Spirit is within us, guiding us, so that if we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will help us.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit will even give us the right words to say.”

Menzie (Job 16:19-21) “Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.”

Menzie said, “Okay, if Job is referring to Jesus, then he is saying that Jesus was at God’s right hand from the beginning.  Is that right?”

I said, “Yes.  I believe Jesus is part of the Trinity.  Thus, Jesus has always been.  If the angel that visited Zechariah is really a Christophany… ‘Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.’ (Zechariah 1:12-13).  I had that one ready if the question came up.  But while we are looking at intercession, what does Ezekiel say?”

Sophia (Ezekiel 14:12-14) ““Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Sophia said, “That is interesting that Ezekiel named those three.  It seems a strange combination, but all three made intercessory prayers that led to redemption.  Since this prophecy came from Ezekiel who is already in exile, redemption is the important focus, but there is a warning. ‘“Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.’ (Ezekiel 14:19-20).  So, if God has already pushed the destruct button, the best a prayer warrior can do is to save his own skin.”

I suggested, “Whatever you do, do not press this button.”  Then I pressed the table with my finger, “Oops!”

Emmett (Job 19:25-27) “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”

Emmett said, “Samuel, you aren’t the only one being picked on.  To which do you refer, Aunt Jemima? Although I am betrothed to your sister-in-law and you do not mind me saying ‘Sis,’  But there is the worship song written in 1998 by Reuben Morgan.  Or the hymn by Samuel Medley (1775).  Or the movement from Handel’s Messiah?”

I replied, “Yes!”

Emmett groaned, but he played a few bars of the movement from Handel’s Messiah.  And Menzie sang the solo.  “Menzie and I did that one last Sunday.”

Rosie said, “Wow!  That did not sound like any jazz song I ever heard.  That girl’s got some pipes!”

Julia (Job 38:1-3) “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”

Julia said, “Elihu was speaking in the previous chapter about how God controls the weather.  Then this storm pops up.  Some translations say ‘whirlwind.’  There is no bodily form, just a voice in the wind, but God sets Job and his friends straight.  God the Creator of all things is not answerable to us, and we do not have the capacity to understand His justice.  Hmm. Justice?  Is that why I had this one?”

I replied, “Wow, people!  You are getting paranoid.  I just picked people at random.”

Blaise laughed, “Yeah, right.  Everybody else is catching on.”

Gordo (Job 42:8-9) “So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.”

Gordo said, “So, this is the intercessory prayer Job made.  He prayed for the three men who accused him falsely.  He did not seek revenge.  He sought that God would provide redemption for his friends.  While they had not been very good friends, and Job argued with them, Job was being the good friend.  And as a result, Job was restored to good health, had more sons and daughters, and one of those daughters was Jemimah.”

I replied, “And you now know how I got my name.  My Dad had a wife and they had three daughters.  They all were typical PK rebels.  But two repented.  That wife died upon the third one’s rebellion.  We are still praying for the wayward daughter.  Anyway, my Dad married my Mom, and I was the first child.  Have you noticed that Job got seven sons, but only the daughters were named.  I have two brothers.  But before we close, there was another quote.  Job 41:11 is quoted in Romans 11:35, but we are out of time.”

Grannie Fannie (Galatians 6:18) “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.”

Lauren ran up to Grannie Fannie and hugged her.  “Are you ready to drive us?”

Brooke picked up Stormie and strapped her into the carrier.

Credits

Here is Praise You in the Storm sung by Casting Crowns.

Here is I Know that my Redeemer Liveth (Messiah).  Amanda Powell is the soloist.  Accompanied by the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.