Cliff Notes to Spotting False Teachers

If they bag on Job, I probably wouldn't keep listening.

I was channel surfing the other night and happened to stop on "Christian Television". Paula was on and I have to admit, I usually stop for a little while when she is speaking. This can be explained for two reasons:

1. The cuffs of her sleeves are always gigantic. Seriously, I find myself gazing at the television wondering how many children may be hiding in her sleeves. It's fascinating.
2. She's one of those speakers who often ends up rhyming. It's obviously on purpose, most of the time. But occassionally, I think the poetry just flows out accidently. That's when it's most entertaining. Usually, however, I turn before too long after being completely disgusted for her disregard for context in Scripture when preaching.

This weeks doozy came from Job 7:6. In the New Living, it says, ""My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle flying back and forth. They end without hope."

She then followed that by quoting James 1:7-8, that a double minded man will receive nothing. She said that Job was bouncing around like a weaver's shuttle. No wonder God didn't bless his life. He had to quit being double minded before God could bless him.

But is that what Job 7:6 was saying? An examination of the text, as well as preaching from a more accurate translation*, would have proved this wasn't the meaning of the text. Job is stating in chapter 7 that his life is short and ultimately futile. He is concluding that his life is but a breath (Didn't have to look too hard for that one. It was in the next verse.). Here today and gone tomorrow. (*Please understand, I'm not saying the New Living Translation is bad. It just isn't a word-for-word based translation and I would quesiton whether it is wise to preach from it. I would only quote New Living in a sermon if I had first looked it up in a more reliable translation and new the New Living accurately conveyed the idea while being more understandable. Also, fear the preacher who bounces around from translation to translation during a message, but that's another Cliff Notes indicator.)

I'm not sure what it is about Job, but I heard Joel pick on him as well. I can't remember his exact verse, but he claimed that Job's afflictions came to pass because he had dwelt on them. He merely reaped what he sowed by focussing on the negative. (Of course, that fits right into his "word of faith" teaching.)

Have they not read Job 1:8--The Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."

God says that Job is blameless and upright. The book of Job says that Job's miseries were caused by Satan's accusation that Job was only blameless because his life was so easy (thus acknowledging God's claim). God allowed Job to be tested to prove Satan wrong and to glorify God. Therefore, if a teacher wants to blame Job for his trials, they are basically saying that they can examine Job's character better than God. I think that would indicate they are a false teacher.

If a person calls you to turn to the book of Job, listen carefully. Are they making the same observations as God, or are they making "discoveries" even God wasn't privy to. If they tell you they can show you how to be good by seeing that Job was bad, take caution. What they really offer you is something bad in exchange for the good that we could learn from Job.