Greetje: New page: {{info}}The deep blue sky above the land
Of Uz was cloudless. Stillness spanned
The circle of the earth with peace,
As if there had been made to cease
Some monumental strife un...

2008-10-12T21:56:40Z

New page: {{info}}The deep blue sky above the land Of Uz was cloudless. Stillness spanned The circle of the earth with peace, As if there had been made to cease Some monumental strife un...

New page

{{info}}The deep blue sky above the land Of Uz was cloudless. Stillness spanned The circle of the earth with peace, As if there had been made to cease Some monumental strife unseen Beyond the blue and arching screen Of heaven — a great inverted sea, White-capped from some deep anarchy, As though a wild Leviathan Thrashed down its dirt to dim the sun And bloody every morning sky. But now a calm as far as eye Could see, a silent azure pool Of massive space above the cool And restful evening, without pain Or any red and boding stain Up-bleeding from the sutures of The distant soil and sky above The land of Uz. 

Job felt the breeze Against his healthy skin. "To seize This moment would, I think, be here An ample recompense. One year Of misery, he thought, is not too long, to see of heaven what I've seen, and watch the pow'r to heal, And loving, and feel what I now feel. Unless perhaps six years have made The recollected pain to fade, And turn the memory of dread Into a noble cause, and shred The fabric of reality And truth beyond identity." He looked across the fields of wheat, And endless rolling hills of sweet Green pasture-lands for all his herds And flocks, and thought, "There are no words To speak the substance of my soul And joy to God, nor yet extol His worth above the vast rebirth Of all my dreams. No dancing mirth Can suit or satisfy the kind Of tearful pleasure that I find When I recall what I have lost By his decree, and what it cost to see my God." He looked down at The glowing little girl who sat Before him on the grass — the first Child born to Dinah since she nursed The dead. Job wondered if there might be more in years to come despite The treasure that Jemimah was. He'd sometimes walk the hills of Uz Alone, and lift his hands and break Out singing that the Lord could make A little girl like this from bone And flesh that once could only groan And grieve the loss of every child.

The little girl looked up and smiled: "What are you thinking, Papa?" Job Thought for a while, then said, "You probe Perhaps, Jemimah, where the road Is rougher and the mental load Too heavy for your little mind." "I like it, Papa, when you find A story you can tell about Your life. Why were you sick?" "I doubt That you would understand," he said. "Do you?" she asked. "Your little head May not perhaps grasp all the Why, But it may do us good to try. Your daddy once was very rich. And you had three big sisters which I loved with all my heart. They died With seven brothers all inside A great big house that fell because A giant wind broke all the laws We thought we knew. How little did We know! And then one day amid The grief I got so sick no one Could tell that it was me. I'd done All that I knew to do. But still It came and vexed my soul until I almost lost my faith."

"Do you Think God made you so sick?" she drew Her breath and swallowed hard." "I know You'd like to think that there's a foe That hurts and God who heals. and that Would not be wrong; but I have sat And pondered months in pain to see If that is true — if misery Is Satan's work, and happiness Is God's. Jemimah, we must bless The Lord for all that's good and bad." "But, Papa, God's not mean or mad. He's not our enemy. He's kind And gentle, isn't he?" "Your mind Is right, Jemimah, but it's small. He's gentle, kind, but that's not all. I have some friends who thought they knew The mind of God, and that their view Of tenderness exhausted God's, And that severity and rods Could only be explained with blame, To vindicate his holy name." "So you think it was God who made You sick?" "I think God never laid Aside the reins that lie against The neck of Satan, nor unfenced His pen to run at liberty, But only by the Lord's decree." "So you think God was kind to make You sick?" Jemimah asked, "and take Away your health and all your sons And friends, and daughters — all the ones You loved?" "Jemimah, what I think Is this: The Lord has made me drink The cup of his severity That he might kindly show to me What I would be when only he Remains in my calamity. Unkindly he has kindly shown That he was not my hope alone." "O, Papa, do you mean your friends were right?" "No, no, my child, to cleanse An Upright heart of toxic stains With searing irons is not like chains Laid on the soul in penalty For guile and crimes no one can see. No, they were wrong. And kindly has The Lord rebuked good Eliphaz, And I have prayed for him, and all is well. You see, their mind was small, And they could not see painful times Apart from dark and hidden crimes. Beware, Jemimah, God is kind, In ways that will not fit your mind.

It's getting late, Jemimah, come, I think I hear the bedtime drum. My little theologian deep, It's time to say goodnight and sleep. "But, Papa, please, one more: would you Tell me about the wind that blew — About the whirlwind and the word Of God. You told me once you heard the very voice of God. What did He say?"

"He said, 'There's giant squid Beneath the sea you've never seen, And mountain goats above the green Tree line that bring forth kids on cliffs So high and steep that little whiffs Of Wind would make a human fall.' God asked me, 'Is the wild ox all At your command? And will he stay The night beside your crib and play Or work with you on leashes made Of hemp? And have the horses brayed At your command, and do you make Them leap like locusts? Do they break Through shield and chariot because You formed their neck? What laws Of flight have you designed for hawks? Have you devised the way he walks On wind and snatches up his prey In flight? And could you ever play With stars to loose Orion, seize The distant chains of Pleiades? Where were you, Job, when I with mirth The great foundations of the earth Did lay, and all the sons of God Rejoiced to watch a formless clod Become the habitation of My bride? Did you once brood above The waters and appoint their bounds? And have you joined the King who crowns The mammoth sky with morning light? Come, Job, gird up your feeble might And make your case against the Lord. Do you know where the snow is stored Or how I make the hail and rain, Or how a buried seed bears grain, How ravens find their food at night And lilies clothe themselves with white? And finally, my servant, Job, Can you draw down and then disrobe Leviathan, the king of all The sons of pride, and in his fall Strip off his camouflage of strength, And make him, over all the length Of earth and heav'n, to serve the plan Of humble righteousness? I can. I make Leviathan my rod. Belovèd Job, behold your God!"

"And what did you say, Papa, when The Lord was done?" I said, "Amen, And bowed as low as I could bow. Come here, my lass, I'll show you how." And when she crouched before his feet He picked her up, and with a sweet And tender grip he said, "Watch this." And on her cheek he put a kiss.

Behold the light of candle four: What we have lost God will restore When he is finished with his art, The silent worship of our heart. When God creates a humble hush, And makes Leviathan his brush, It won't be long until the rod Becomes the tender kiss of God.

Job, Part 4 - Revision history

Greetje: New page: {{info}}The deep blue sky above the landOf Uz was cloudless. Stillness spannedThe circle of the earth with peace,As if there had been made to ceaseSome monumental strife un...

Greetje: New page: {{info}}The deep blue sky above the land
Of Uz was cloudless. Stillness spanned
The circle of the earth with peace,
As if there had been made to cease
Some monumental strife un...