CHAPTER 3 – MARY BETH THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER

Job 19:25 For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:

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Note: This is a chapter from my book Hebrew Word Study – The Butterfly Effect.  This is a little different from my  usual word study books as it uses true stories from real life people to illustrate Biblical passages from the original Hebrew.  You can purchase this book off Amazon. The Kindle version is only $.99 and the Printed edition is $11.99.

Hebrew Word Study: The Butterfly Effect Ancient Words Changes the 21St Century – Kindle edition by Bentorah, Chaim. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Hebrew Word Study: The Butterfly Effect Ancient Words Changes the 21st Century: Bentorah, Chaim: 9781698709666: Amazon.com: Books 

CHAPTER 3 – MARY BETH THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER

Job 19:25 For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:

Mary Beth was a grandmotherly elderly woman who hailed from South Georgia.  She came equipped with a genuine dirt water Southern accent and made good use of it.  There are some people in this world who are just genuinely funny.  They are born comedians.  Just opening their mouths and saying “Hello” will have you rolling on the floor with laughter.  That was Mary Beth.  She did not intend to be funny, did not try to be funny and would be surprised to learn she was funny. Yet, as she would dive into one of her stories I found it difficult to drive my bus because I would be laughing so hard.

I usually take Mary Beth to a doctor’s appointment that was a good forty five minutes away from her home.  People will pay a lot of money for forty five minutes of entertainment and here I was not only getting some of the best comedy material this side of Georgia for free, I was being paid to listen.  Plus I was in for another forty five minutes of hilarity bringing her home. 

The other day she started into a story about her daddy.  As she told it, “Ma’ daddy was a preacher, a Baptist preacher. He’d baptize anyone, didn’t care if you were Catholic, Presbyterian or Methodist, he’d baptize ya.  He even tried to baptize the dog.  The dog, he didn’t like it much, he fought ‘em.  The deacon, he says, ‘Why you tryin to baptize that poor dog, he didn’t do nutin wrong.’ But my daddy he said, ‘Ya just gotta be sure.’  Yep, that’s what my daddy always said, ‘Ya just gotta be sure.’”

I have to agree with Mary Beth’s daddy, like the old preacher said, “Ya gotta be sure.”  Job was sure. In the midst of all his suffering, losing his children, his wealth, and his health, he still said, “I know my redeemer lives.”   Look closely at that word know.  The Hebrew word is yada’ this is the same word that is used in Scripture to describe the intimacy between a man and woman.  This knowing is an intimate knowing, one that Job had endeared to himself.  Old Job was absolutely sure, he was certain that his redeemer lived. It is interesting that the writer uses the word redeemer rather than deliverer or savior. Most commentators believe Job was referring to God as his redeemer.  Yet, was not God in the role of a judge.  He was after all the one who lifted his protection from Job so the enemy could afflict Job.  Yet a redeemer is someone who pays a price in your behalf. The word in Hebrew is go’al which is an avenger, one who pays a ransom, to redeem one from slavery.  It is used for a kinsman redeemer who was to marry his brother’s widow to bring forth a child for him.  Just what was God going to redeem him from? 

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Job’s friends were accusing him of some hidden sin that brought about his affliction. Job wasn’t buying into it.   Let’s face it, for many of us Christians, the first thought we do when we fall into difficulty is to wonder just what sin we committed that brought about this trouble. Then we try to decide if our sin was bad enough to warrant such trouble. 

Job knew he was not suffering for his sins.  He knew that there was a redeemer who was alive, one who would pay the price for his sins.  I am not a theologian, I am not qualified to explain dispensationlism or covenant theology to you.  I am just a student of ancient languages and I know what this verse is saying, it is saying that Job knew he had redeemer and from the context he was not looking to any normal human being to be his redeemer, he was looking for a redeemer from his sins and that fits only one person in the human form and that would be the Messiah who I believe is  Jesus. He knew it, he was intimate in that knowledge that one day a redeemer would come who would pay the price for his sins and that he was not suffering now because of some sin that his buddies were trying to lay upon him. He could not explain the reason for his suffering but one thing he knew, it was not because of any sin he committed for there would be a redeemer who would one day ransom him from that sin. 

Every other Sunday I drive people in my disability bus to various churches in our community. For some because of their disabilities, they go through great efforts to make it to church. I asked them why they go.  Usually, it is because they want to stay in good with God and improve their chances of getting to heaven. I then ask them why they think they may not go to heaven and they say it is because of their sins.  I tell them, but you have a redeemer who died on a cross two thousand years ago to pay the punishment for your sins, can’t you just trust Him?  They look at me, turn their head, groan, and say, “Well, yeah, but I am not so sure, I don’t think that is what my church teaches.”  I tell them that old Job was sure and like Mary Beth’s daddy said, “Ya just gotta be sure.”

 

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