Job 10:1, “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.”
Many people are offended at God. Some admit it openly and others are unaware of it because they try to hide it. The ones who admit their anger towards God say things like, “God, if you really loved me you would have never allowed ‘such and such’ to happen.” Or, “God, it’s your fault that this tragedy happened because you could have prevented it- you must not care about me!”
Those with a hidden offense towards God say subtle things like, “I tried all that ‘faith’ stuff- it just didn’t work for me- I still got deeply hurt. Thus, I’m not sure if prayer really works like how I was taught.” Or, “I felt like God wasn’t there when I suffered that tragedy, maybe He doesn’t get involved in everyone’s life like He does for others.”
Offense towards God may be hidden or revealed but it still has the same result- faithlessness and despair. The person suffering from an offense towards God doesn’t fully believe in God’s character and promises anymore. And because of that, they are committing a serious sin against God- slander.
Slander is saying something about someone that is not true but can damage and stain their reputation (in others words, “lying”). When people have an offense towards God they are slandering His reputation. Ofcourse, God doesn’t need us to promote His power on the earth- He is all-powerful with or without our approval. However, we are commanded to praise and honor Him for our sake, Psalm 2:10-12. Thus, when someone cannot truly praise Him, but rather slander Him they are in danger of eternal punishment.
At the same time, everyone has gone through things in their walk with God when they didn’t fully understand His ways. Even great men of faith like David, Abraham, Joseph, Elijah, Peter, John the Baptist, and Paul felt at times like God was not on their side. However, what we can learn from them is that they never let their doubts and fears lead them to reject following God and giving Him the praise He deserved. They chose to still serve God even though they didn’t understand His ways, Psalm 73.
No book in the Bible better addresses the sin of offense towards God than the book of Job. Job was a good man who was tested by Satan to prove his love and sincere devotion to God, Job 1:8-12. Though the story of Job has an encouraging ending the dialogue between Job and God reveals the deepest pains mankind can ever face with trusting God in life’s troubles.
In the above passage Job is coming awfully close to slandering God. He is complaining and pouring out his heart to God, which is acceptable in times of great pain, because he hates even being alive. However, he doesn’t turn his back on God, he actually becomes more grounded in his faith. He boldly stated in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” Therefore, we can learn from the life of Job that even if we don’t understand why God allows certain tragic things in our life we can determine to always trust Him.
Think of it like this, “Going through life’s troubles is better with God, than without Him!” As a result, the solution to an offense towards God is trust. Trusting that though you and I don’t always see the good in what were facing, we still know that God does, Romans 8:28. And one day either here on earth or in heaven, we will truly be thankful for what we suffered, Psalm 66:20.
Are you dealing with an offense towards God? If you want to be free from your offense simply pray this out loud, “Father, forgive me for doubting you and slandering your precious name. Please give me a heart to always trust you- even when I don’t understand. I praise you because you are always good and worthy of worship. Amen.”
Reflection
Have you ever been bitter towards God?
Action
- Repent of any offenses you may have towards God.
- Declare your trust to God by praising Him everyday- even in the midst of life’s tragedies.
- Always remember, “God is good.”
