Articles
Three of a Kind
When God addressed Judah regarding their unfaithfulness, He spoke to the prophet Ezekiel about His righteous judgment. The question of the good people being killed amongst the evil was addressed by God directly by saying that a just a few good people cannot save a city that is slated for destruction, no matter how good they are. (Ezekiel 14:13-20)
In His example, God uses three examples of “the best” people present in the Hebrew scriptures with which His audience would be familiar. He uses “Noah, Daniel and Job” as His go-to list of the best of the best in His example. What can we learn about God’s values for these three examples? How can we be the kind of people God would use in His list of the best? (Revelation 20:12)
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9) Noah was not a perfect man, nor were his sons, but in a culture that was so riddled with wickedness and violence (Genesis 6:5) that God was sorry He had created humans (Genesis 6:7), Noah stood out as obedient to God. This obedience to God was the reason God extended grace to Noah, and entrusted to him with the means of salvation for all life on earth. When God gave instructions to Noah, he followed them exactly. (Genesis 6:22) We are told later that it was Noah’s faith that drove him to be obedient to God (Hebrews 11:7), and thus was a “preacher of righteousness” to a lost and dying world. (II Peter 2:5)
Daniel famously stood apart from his contemporaries, even those from a Jewish background, when he was deported to Babylon (and thus was likely alive during Ezekiel’s time). He not only decided as a young man that maintaining his holiness was better than taking part of the king’s delicious food (Daniel 1:8-21), he did so respectfully and graciously. When Daniel was promoted to a place of authority, he always gave God credit for his success. (Daniel 2:25-28, 46-47) Later, Daniel’s faithfulness was slandered as the jealous Persians sought to undermine his authority and example. However, his well-known faithfulness continued to prompt him to pray, even when it was against the king’s edict. (Daniel 6:10-13)
Job’s righteousness was such that it was spoken of by God to Satan, “For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” (Job 1:6-8) Even when Satan was given permission to remove Job’s wealth, children, and even his health, Job’s integrity remained intact. Even when his own wife incited him to speak ill of God in the midst of his affliction, his lips remained pure. (Job 2:9-10) Enduring even slander against his own character, Job not only remained faithful, but also petitioned God on behalf of his friends who acted as “sorry comforters.” (Job 16:1-2; 42:7-9) Job’s patience is indeed legendary, and we are told to remember him in trials. (James 5:7-11)
We have a choice what examples we will follow. Will we choose the kinds that God has provided us that meet His approval?
