Forgiveness cleans the mess — Marian Fitz-Gibbon

Recently I went through a challenge that had mystery and downright wickedness that was more than I had ever signed up for. The goodness of the Lord gave me clues as I entered the battle to face this monster called Leviathan.
The noun (in Biblical use) is a sea monster and the crocodile ((Job 41 & Psalm 74.14)

God’s power towards Leviathan (Job 41)
In several places, the Bible mentions a large sea creature called the leviathan.The word “leviathan” comes from the Hebrew word meaning “twisted, coiled” and the creature’s name tells us something about its appearance.

Other descriptions of the leviathan in the Bible fill out the picture.This creature was large, very strong, and it was a predator or “monster” which people actively tried to avoid. The leviathan was a creature that only God could tame.

This got my attention because I’m not the kind of person who likes monsters, let alone dinosaurs on any day of the week.

In Job 41 the Lord asks Job: “Can you draw out leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook?”

The Lord says: remember the battle:
Never do it again! Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false.

The subsequent words of the Lord to Job are encouraging and victorious.
He says: ‘Who then is able to stand against Me?
Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him?
Everything under heaven is Mine.

Understanding the story of Job
God used the leviathan to illuminate His own power and wisdom to Job. He called the leviathan “a creature without fear” because nothing on earth was its equal, and no man or beast could subdue or overpower leviathan. Upon the earth there is not [the crocodile’s] equal, a creature made without fear, and he behaves fearlessly (Job 41:33). It was untameable, and terrifying (v.25), and no weapon could pierce its mighty scales — Who can strip off the outer garment. Who can penetrate his double coat of mail? (Job 41:13)

Who shall dare open its mouth 15–17, within his jaws (26, 28–29)? It could break iron in pieces as easily as breaking straw (v. 27) and death awaits anyone who approaches its mouth (v. 18–21).

Despite the leviathan’s great strength, God is greater: He rhetorically pointed out to Job that He could “play with [leviathan] as a bird” and “put him on a leash for your girls” (Job 41:5). The leviathan, as mighty as it was, would “make many please” to God, and speak to him softly, asking God to make a covenant with him and take him on as a servant (Job 41:1–5). This illustration was meant to show Job that God was far more powerful than the most powerful creature in Job’s experience.

If Job had not been aware of this creature, God’s illustration would have made little sense, but the following passage (Job 42:1-6) shows Job clearly understood.

Job answered God:
“I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumours of you.
now I have it all first-hand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!

I’ve wondered if leviathan was an illustration or a whale that the Lord had given me, but then the illustration of a whale brought to mind the story of Moby Dick, and a few days later a crocodile. At first, I thought of a past South African president known as the crocodile. However you want to tackle this enormous ill-fated monster in the Bible and logic of God’s argument with Job suggests it is instead a giant sea-serpent, possibly a creature that terrorised the ancient world and is now extinct.

Toxicity of unforgiveness
Have you ever found that when you are deeply wounded by words or misunderstandings, that your thoughts find every just manner to justify why you should hold on to those dreadful soul-sapping, future-debilitating negative thoughts? Nine out of 10 times, we want to remember the significance of that soul robbing, that life-changing pain. How that incident changed our lives forever. When pain can work for you then you never need to suppress the pain but let it work for you. If we don’t allow pain to work for us, we end up making statements like “here we go again”, “what did I tell you,?”, ” I knew you would do it”.

If you don’t manage the pain of one or many incidents that keep you getting a pile of t- shirts called “here we go again” or ‘toxic’, you get to collect a group of people who belong to the T-shirt company and you all swop shirts. Muddy pools of poison. Whether, you know it, or not other people can see your T- shirt.

Going forward
You hear of a group that claim to hear from God. Backed up with only yourself against the wall, that you might be caught out for your part in the pain. So, you look for Exit just in case you need a great escape. You know how when it gets too personal. Sweat, pain and tears !!!!!! till you can’t take it any more and you fall to the floor.
‘Jesus take me just as I am
I’ve never needed you more than now.”

Babbled on about things far beyond me
42 1-6 Job answered God:
“I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
    Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
    ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
    made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
    Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumours of you;
    now I have it all first-hand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
    I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumour.”

Let’s pierce the monster and get on with living
Burn your t-shirts, raise a glass to the future and get around the table of forgiveness. Add everyone you love and as many as you do not love, to forgive one another at the table the Lord. After all Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins and He is the one true Judge. Whether it is a murder, rape, theft, scandal, robbery, demotion, promotion, lack, side swipe — whatever you have been through. Sing to the one and only True God till it hurts our bellies, let our children have a party of good memories. And let us do it well.

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