WORD STUDY – ALTOGETHER VAIN

“Job 27:12: “Behold, all of you yourselves have seen (it), why then are you altogether vain?”

I was reading something interesting in the Talmud this morning in Baba Bathra 15a Although the Talmud did not exist during the time of Jesus it did exist in oral tradition and the Tradition of the Fathers which is mentioned in the New Testament. Jesus even quoted from it at times as well as condemning it at other times. At least he didn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. I have found a study of the Talmud has greatly enhanced my understanding of the thinking of that day and even in Jewish thought today.

For instance Matthew 7:3 “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” This appears to be a direct quote from the Talmud or the Tradition of the Fathers as it was known in Jesus day. It was a good teaching. Not all in the Talmud is bad.

This brings me to our study verse today in Job. No one knows much about Job, who he was, or what time he lived. We are not even sure if he was a Hebrew. The Talmud however, suggests that Job was one of three advisors or judges to the Pharaoh. One judge advised the Pharaoh to enslave the Hebrew people, the other advised against it and Job sat on the fence. It is suggested that Job went through his trouble so he would understand the trouble that the Hebrew people would experience under Pharaoh should he cast his deciding vote with the first judge. If this were the case, Job may well have understood the reason for his suffering. This could very well have prompted what he said in Job 27:12 and why the sages used the illustration of addressing the splinter in your brother’s eye without removing the board in your own.

The word seen in Job 27:12 is chazah which is the same word for vision, prophecy, seer etc. So Job is telling his friends, “You have given a prophetic word to me and yet it is vain.” How could a prophetic word be vain? Has anyone ever given you a prophetic word that just did not pan out? Job knew he was given a false prophecy and he minced no words. Job responded with “Zeh hevel tehevalu.” which literally means: “This vain thing has become your vain thing.” When the Talmud used the illustration of the judge talking about the speck in the other person’s eye, and that person responding by speaking of the board in the judge’s eye, the Talmud was addressing this response by Job by saying that Job was telling his friends in 27:12, “You have spoken a prophetic word, or a word from God, but you must first speak that word to yourself before you speak it to me.” It is further suggested that what Job was saying was: “Just as I a judge of Israel must suffer what Israel will suffer before I deliver my word to the Pharaoh, so too must you suffer what I suffer before you deliver that word to me.

As a Bible College teacher I often found myself giving advice to future pastors and teachers. My standard advice to them was usually this: “You must live every sermon you preach.” I recently read about a pastor of a very large church who was quite effective in preaching against homosexuality. All the time, unknown to his parishioners and even his own family, he was carrying on a homosexual affair. When his partner leaked the story out to the press he was removed from his pulpit and even barred from entering his own church again. However, he admitted it was a struggle and he failed to resist the temptation. His sermons had shown great compassion for those who were struggling with the guilt and condemnation of homosexuality because he himself understood the struggle. Why we expect perfection from our leaders I do not know. We raise them to this impossibly high standard then expect them to tell us how to overcome life’s struggles.

I remember as a teenager we had a number of youth pastors come into our church. I mean these guys were perfect, handsome (unlike me), talented (unlike me) and very successful in everything they did (unlike me). They would walk into church and I was awed by them. Only the really popular kids hung around him. I didn’t, I mean he was just too perfect, he did not understand what it was like to not be musical, athletic. He would never understand what it was like to be a simple plain Charlie Brown. I would never tell him my struggles. The one I did relate to was the church janitor. He gave me advice that I still use today. I hold him personally responsible for fact that I eventually went on to get a PhD. He lived every piece of advice he gave. He was continually looking at the board in his own eye before telling me of the speck in my eye.

Was Matthew 7:3 directed at those who feel lead to share a prophetic word or a word from God to others? If Jesus was quoting from the Talumd then his listeners of that day would have understand this to be such a reference for they were very familiar with the splinter in the eye illustration and like today they were very good at telling others what they felt God was wanting to tell them.

Why must a prophetic word be first applied to the one giving it? Well, take a look at that word vain, it is haval in Hebrew and in its very Semitic root it means self deception into believing in feelings of supernatural superiority and self importance. Any advice or prophecy given in such a state is worthless. Nothing is so obvious and transparent as some preacher who is really full of himself and feels superior to those he is preaching to. He takes himself so seriously that nobody can benefit from his teaching. The only benefit he has is that of a gatekeeper for those ambitious people seeking key positions in the church. They will praise and glorify that preacher.

The best advice I ever received was from a preacher who had been broken and as a result had a very contrite spirit said: “The two most dangerous people in the church are that guy who criticizes everything you do. You cannot sneeze without him discussing its worth and value and insisting there are others who could do it better. Then there is that sweet little old lady who thinks you are the best preacher to ever stand in a pulpit. The danger of the first is that he will discourage you. The danger of the second is that you will believe her.”