Editorial May 26, 1934 Issue

The Interpreter

W. Stuart Booth

After the arguments of his three friends had failed to succor and satisfy Job, clear-thinking Elihu came to his rescue and turned his thought to God in a way which eventuated in his healing and restoration. Elihu graphically depicted to Job the sore travail and dire distress into which the average mortal permits himself to be plunged before he is ready to turn away from matter to God, Spirit, for help and healing. Then Elihu spoke assuringly of God's ever available law of love and liberty to which men may appeal. He said, "If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." With Job the accompanying promise was fulfilled, for, as a result of his praying with humility and love, God "turned the captivity of Job;" so without doubt the truth of Elihu's words was realized, "His flesh shall be fresher than a child's."

This experience might be likened to that of one who unwittingly had wandered into a strange country where, because of ignorance of the language and also of his lawful rights and how to claim them, he had been subjected to injustice, deprivation, and many difficulties. Then one appeared who understood the laws and language of the land, and who informed the ignorant one of his legal rights and showed him how. through his intelligent obedience to the law governing his citizenship, he might realize release from the hampering difficulties. How accurately this depicts the condition of enslaved mankind, to whom the Christ has ever come and will continue to come to interpret God and to delvier men! Mrs. Eddy states in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 333): "Throughout all generations both before and after the Christian era, the Christ, as the spiritual idea,—the reflection of God,—has come with some measure of power and grace to all prepared to receive Christ, Truth."

This coincides with Jesus' statement, "Before Abraham was, I am," wherein he obviously referred, not to the physicality seen of men, but to the Christ, Truth, presented, preached, and proved by the Master. This thought is clarified by the definition of "Christ" found on page 583 of Science and Health: "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error." Was not the Christ, Truth, glimpsed by Elihu when he spoke of the interpreter, who showed unto Job man's uprightness? Certainly Jesus declared the Christ in his message of hope, love, purity, health, and peace; and he verified his declaration of the truth by his works whereby incarnate errors—sin, sickness, and death—were destroyed.

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