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INTRODUCTION
The book of Job recounts the suffering patriarch’s day in
court. He heard, rather impatiently, while his three
i friends presented their explanation of his grief; and he
answered, more lengthily, to them! and to God. The friends’
presentations occupy a total of nine chapters in the book;
Job’s plaints and replies occupy 20 chapters. Yet this was
not enough for Job. He desired, even demanded, a hearing
with the Almighty Himself, (Job 23:3-7). Job was heard in
Heaven, and he did hear at last from God, with results that
were not at all what he had expected.
A complaint of wasting time came from the late speaker
in the discussion between Job and his friends. This was a
young person and gave this as his reason for remaining
quiet so long. His name was Elihu. He rebuked Job for his
presumptuousness in finding fault with God’s justice; he
also rebuked the three friends for condemning Job on the
assumption of his guilt for some hidden wrong. He pleaded
for patience in waiting for the final verdict from an
all-wise, all-benevolent God. His summary arguments
occupy six chapters, Job 32-37.
Then God spoke to Job, “Out of the whirlwind,” to say
that the problem of Job’s suffering was by no means the
only thing Job could not understand. What about the world
and its creation? The stars and the nearer heavens of rain
and wind? What about the seas? Darkness and light? The
animals and their various ways of life and living: Read
Job 38 and 39.
Why, we wonder, did not God speak to Job earlier and
save all the waste of time spent in fruitless discussion? '
The time was not wasted. Until the disputants had
“spoken their piece” - until they had spread out their
arguments and had been heard - they were not ready to
accept the conclusions. They must talk themselves empty
before the Lord could touch that emptiness with His
revelation.
THE LESSON
“I spoke foolishly, Lord. What can I answer? I will not
try to say anything else. I have already said more than I
should. ’ ’ Then out of the storm the Lord spoke to Job once
again. ' .
The Lord: Stand up now like a man, and answer my
questions. Are you trying to prove that I am unjust - to put
me in the wrong and yourself in the right? Are you as
strong as I am? Can your voice thunder as loud as mine?,
(Job 40:1-9).
. Most important to Job was that the Almighty had given
attention to his plea and had responded. Now he knew God
cared. God’s answer at this point was directed to Job’s
generally implied and sometimes stated criticism that
“God hath delivered one to the ungodly and turned me
over into the hands of the wicked...”
If one is to find fault with the way God runs things, let
him show a better way. If we trust and obey God only
insofar as we understand and approve His doings, we are
not trusting God at all, but are trusting our own reason.
This is the kind of faith that is fostered by a very popular
form of humanism in our culture. It becomes like the
runaway child, very sure he can get along quite well on his
own resources.
“Let him who accuses God answer him! ” It is easy for a
rebel to ask difficult questions.of one in charge; it is quite
another to answer those same questions himself ; and even
harder to answer the questions that the one in charge may
ask him.
“I know, Lord, that you are all powerful; that you can do
everything you want. You ask how I dare question your
wisdom when I am so very ignorant. I talked about things I
didn’t understand, about marvels too great for me to know.
You told me to listen while you spoke and to try to answer
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but now I have seen you with my own eyes. So I am
ashamed of all I have said and repent in dust and ashes,”
(Job 42:1-6).
Job’s answer applied to the whole range of God’s
presentation found in Job 38-41, both before and after the
confession Job had made already. Job was ready to trust
God without explanations. In the face of his helplessness
he recognized God’s limitless power. The TCrea tor’s
accomplishments could not be ignored.
Job recognized God’s perfect understanding. Probably
God's declarations had responded to some things Job had
thought but had not said.
It is one thing to accept facts concerning God without
test or opposition, as Job probably had done for meet of Us
life. It is another to affirm them with the kind of conviction
that Job now possessed. /
Job’s fault was that of almost anyone who has achieved
some expertise in one area and then moves to another,
Such a person assumes that the skills he applied in the old
area will work Just as wett in the new, and so he proceed
to offer advice to the natives. More often than not, he will
discover that the new field possesses characteristics he
knew nothing about and he has spoken before he learned.
Job’s friehdl did this in advising him. Job did it in
discussingGod’s administration; preachers sometimes do
this when they act hastily to change policies, and
aggressive new members sometimes do it in churches.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift
to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,’’ (James 1:18)
Human pride must always wilt in the divine presence.
With self-centered pride removed the believer is reedy for
the kind of restoration that came to Job, who was jiwtified
before his friends and was given a new life In family and
wealth.
One great value to the study of Job is its practical'
reminder that zeal, sincerity and good intentions do not
themselves qualify one to manage his own affairs or to
Judge the performance of another. It was this discovery
that resolved the conflict of Job.
“Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord,” (l Cor. 15:58)
• • .-TT
Rev. Aaron Johnson
.Changed parties
According To Rev. Johnson
Republican Party Offers
Economic Development
By Teresa Simmons
Managing Editor
We’ve always been taught that
strength is in unity. Perhaps this is
one reason why the majority of
blacks swing toward the Democra
tic ticket during elections. But the
strength hasn’t been clicking, and
for the Rev. Aaron J. Johnson, now
secretary of the North Carolina De
partment of Correction, it became
one of the reasons to change parties
in mid-stream.
What does Johnson’s Republican
Party membership have to do with
his present position? A lot. It’s one of
the reasons he is the highest rank
ing black in the N.C. political area
today. Serving as chairman of the
bi-partisan committee to elect Jim
Martin didn’t hurt his chances
either.
His reasons for getting more
blacks involved in the Republican
Party have been multifold.
“The Republican Party has more
to offer blacks from a substance
standpoint,” Johnson stated in a
recent Post interview. “The Demo
crats emphasize social programs.
The difference is that the Republi
can Party offers economic develop
ment.” Aaron stressed that he is not
toally against human service pro
grams, but they should be only for
emergencies and used as survival
programs. “These programs should
simply be a start. The Republican
Party has long lasting solutions -
start ups for business and economic
developments, for example.”
Johnson went on to cite the op
portunity for ownership of homes,
businesses and the philosophy of self
help.
One economic development tool is
giving companies tax breaks to
establish within low business risk
neighborhoods and communities,
but only on the grounds that the
business hire employees from the
community.
_Strengthening the many bonds of
the community are Johnson’s o5-_
jectives in terms of reducing crime
in North Carolina. That’s part of his
job in managing the Department of
Correction which includes the De
partment of Prisons and adult pro
bation and parole.
Poverty, lack of education, un
employment, racism, and injustice
are just a few reasons Johnson feels
people end up incarcerated. The
astonishing fact is that 63 percent of
the men imprisoned are black. With
the population being comprised na
tionally of only 12 percent black, one
wonders what is going on and what
will Johnson do not only against this
mass misrepresentation, but also in
the overcrowded situations of the
state’s jails.
“We don't know the full answer,’’
Johnson stated about the reason why
more blacks are imprisoned than
whites. It could be any or all of the
reasons mentioned in the above pa
ragraph And he admitted that the
probletn* of overcrowding is too
complex to solve with short term
Students Honored
Sonja Gantt, Carol Graham, Carl
McManaus and Kenneth Smith were
recognized for outstanding acade
mic achievement at the University
of North Carolina at Chaps! Hill. -
Students honored had at least a*3 o
grade point average or must havf
served ae academic counselor with
at least a 2.8 average Special
•wards were given fojr,4he highest
academic average In each under
graduate class and to students
maintaining a 3 0 throu0MWt their
Beta Nu Lambda Chapter of Alpha
PM Alpha Fraternity moats the se
oond Monday of each month att O.m.
in the Excelsior Club, 981 Beatties
Ford Rd., Charlotte.
the next meeting of the fraterni
ty will be held Monday, May 13.
solutions.
“I’ve looked at it in a long term
perspective. It involves going back
into the community, working with
community groups, schools, church
es, and social programs and
striving to prevent crimes, to im
prove the value system, giving
guidance on the dangers of drugs,
for instance." Johnson will speak to
specific groups and volunteer
groups will work with community
based correction programs and with
the family to reduce the crime rate.
“There are so many men in
prison.” Johnson stated, “that the
entire social structure has been dis
turbed. It concerns me that young
men are pulled out of the com
munity and put in prisons because of
crimes. They are the potential hus
' bands and fathers.
"My encouragement goes out to
the community groups to work with
the family, to strengthen the fami
ly structure, to concentrate on tra
ditional values: spiritual, family,
education, and economic. These ef
forts will keep men out of prisons.”
As secretary of the N.C. Depart
ment of Correction, Johnson is set on
declining prison enrollment; as a
Republican, he is shooting for a
different type of unity for the black
race “If the unity in the Democra
tic Party is not producing anything
then that unity is useless. We see
ourselves in a trend, voting blindly
and powerless. We need to get
involved in both parties and be
come involved in the decision
making process and shape our own
destiny.
FOR THE RECORD
Rev. Aaron J. Johnson was
born March 6, 1933 and has been a
minister for 32 years. He now
pastors Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in
Cumberland County.
His education involves Shaw Uni
versity, B.A., social studies, 1957,
School of Religion, Shaw University,
_1960. He is married to Mattie John
son, a public school teacher and has
a daughter, Dezette, and a son,
Jamale.
Omrchworker Of The Year
Continued From Page 1A
increase from previous years.
Although this is the goal of the
contest, Ms. Johnson stated that her
personal goal is “tebe available to
the churches and the contestants, to
offer more support to them and to
keep them from feeling far removed
from the “Churchworker of the
Year” contest.”
Working diligently to iron out all
aspects of the contest, Ms. Johnson
also stated that WPEG, the contest's
other co-sponsor, will have a more
active role. “They will be pushing
i
the contest more on tne air during
the gospel program on Sundays and
they will be more visible at work
shops throughout the contest. Pre
sently. WPEG is working along with
me to find a guest speaker for the
banquet.
“Being a church-oriented paper,”
Ms. Johnson added, “we feel that
this contest is the best way that we
can think of to help the church. The -»
funds that they receive from each
subscription sold will help in fi
nancing various projects of the
church."
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way...
By Joe Black
No doubt many of you have heard the Staple Singers and
Diana Ross suggest through song that we can help to make the
world a better place by reaching out and taking the hand of a
fellow human being. And through the years. Blacks who were on
an upward and onward career path have been admonished to
reach back and help someone else up the ladder of success. But I
wonder how many of us understand this challenge of reaching
back. Does it mean being charitable with your money? Yes.
sometimes we must be willing to share our money with those
who are still struggling to rid themselves of a depressed lifestyle.
On occasions. It will require nothing more than some of your
time for listening and/or making suggestions as to how he or she
can overcome. And at times, we may "reach out'" in a positive
way by "opening the door of opportunity" for someone else
Please bear with me as I give an example of opening doors.
The Georgetown University Basketball "Ibam has been a dom
inant force In collegiate basketball for the past several years.
Their successes have given Coach John Thompson favorable
Identification as a leader who molds winners in athletic ability
and character. His team has won national championships, and
he has been honored as Coach of the Year. But John Thompson
was not content to rest on his laurels. He has used his fame and
prestige as a "'tool" to help a needy, but worthy Black institution
— our colleges and universities. Coach Thompson included a
Black college on the Georgetown basketball schedule. This act
generates two positive results: (1) It Identifies the existence of
Black schools and (2) the TV exposure adds to the revenues of
the Black schools. I salute Coach John Thompson for demon
strating that you can enjoy the success of a king and still be able
to walk with the "common" man.
_ -Joe'B’hck
S—Vice President __
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