Job 37:23-24 “As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress. Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart.”
Gandhi says in his autobiography that in his student days he was truly interested in the Bible. Deeply touched by reading the Gospels, he seriously considered becoming a convert, since Christianity seemed to offer the real solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. One Sunday he went to a nearby church. He decided to see the minister and ask for instruction in the way of salvation and enlightenment on other doctrines.
But when he entered the sanctuary, the ushers refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go worship with his own people. Gandhi left and never came back. If Christians have caste differences also, he said to himself, I might as well remain a Hindu. The partiality showed by those Christians had a devastating effect on India and the world.
Elihu implied that Job may have set himself apart as something special because of his wealth, perhaps even thinking he could buy his way out of affliction (Job 36:18-19). While this was not a correct assessment of Job?s character, Elihu made a valid point: God shows no partiality.
God doesn’t care about a person’s wealth, social status or skin color, but only about his heart. God accepts all those who are “wise in heart.”
Christians have fallen into the trap of partiality almost from the beginning. James warned his readers about showing favoritism to the wealthy (James 2:1-4). Other Christians have shown partiality based on language, nationality or ethnicity. None of these things, however, are important to God. He looks beneath such surface issues and considers what a person is on the inside.
If you find yourself hung up on a person’s economic status or skin color, ask God to help you see past these superficial matters. Seek to know others as God does–by their heart.
HAVE NO PART IN PARTIALITY.
WOODROW KROLL
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