Last day of Job.  I woke up extra early to give myself time to read this.  It is an amazing read!!

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In years past, I have concentrated on the Behemoth and the Leviathan.  What are they?  Of course, my research comes up with lots of fun guesses: Rhino, Elephant, Hippopanoumus,  Dinosaur, Lockness Monster, Crocidile, Whale?  But that’s not what I thought about this year.  What is huge, out of control, untamable, and scary in our lives, is NOTHING to the God of the universe.  If God is for us, who can be against us?

Job is given an opportunity to speak again.  He says something that gave me a lot to think about this morning:

⁵ My ears had heard of you
    but now my eyes have seen you.

All the suffering and calamity that Job endured, made worse by his friends making false accusations about Job and about God comes to a climax.  What was the outcome? Job now sees the greatness, majesty, and sovereignty of God.

Chapter 42 is the end of the court case for Job.  What was the verdict?   THE Judge vindicates Job and rebukes his friends.  BUT, God is gracious and by means of a sacrifice and prayer, he offers an atonement for their sins.  This book points to the need for the forgiveness of our sins that only God can provide on the Cross through Jesus.  

In obedience to the Lord Job offers a sacrifice to cover sins and prays for them.

¹⁰ After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 

His daughters’ names give us a picture of the joy Job felt in his restoration: “The first daughter he named Jemimah “Day Light”, the second Keziah “Sweet Smelling” and the third Keren-Happuch “Beautiful Color”. 

Did Job pass God’s test for Satan?  Go back to Chapter 1

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:

²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. -Romans 8:18

The End.

Well, Job asked for a “trial” to plead his case. More importantly, he just wanted to hear from God.  He believed in God’s Sovereignty and knew if he could just hear from Him he would have Peace.   So he finally gets to hear from God.  However, I think in Job’s head this trial would have gone a little different.  He thought he was going to plead his case.  Instead, he is left speechless! ❤️

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Chapter 38 and 39.  The first verse alone is actually all that Job needed to hear.

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm.

The LORD=Yahweh.  Yahweh is the self-existent eternal God- “I AM”. He is completely whole within himself, and he is eternal  – he has always existed, and he always will. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega.

Job has asked WHY (nothing wrong with that).  He was looking for answers? (nothing wrong with that either)  But He does not answer Job directly.  Instead, He reminds him us WHO HE IS.  We need to trust God for WHO He is, not for what he does.

God begins with over 60 rhetorical questions that cannot be answered by humans.  Our view of God tells us a lot about our relationship with God.

God describes how he is the Creator of not just the earth, but the galaxy.  He tells the oceans how far they can go in a tide, and where the light is to shine.  He directs rain, snow,  and hail for His purposes. Nature reports to Him ( v. 35).  He grows crops and orchestrates the food chain/web.  He gives strength to the animals that need power, and agility to the smallest creatures. He created each detail in the animal kingdom.

Do not skim chapter 38/39, you may miss His awesomeness.  Click here to listen to it.

What gave you wonder?  I will share mine.  Rain. I thought about how heavy water is, yet God keeps it suspended in the air until He commands it to fall.  I thought about how we say “I hope it does not rain.  When in reality, when it rains we should be sitting in awe and offering thanks.  I am amazed at my own selfishness that I think of rain as an inconvenience, not as God’s provision and blessing for the earth”.

If you are currently reading, accountability can be very powerful.  Invite someone to jump in with you.  We have 3 days left of Job and then we are full speed ahead in Genesis.

(You can catch up and read Job anytime)

If you have not started and would like to read the Bible Chronologically start tomorrow.

So here is the schedule for them (or you if you never started this and wish you had)

January 13th: Genesis 1-3 Click for reading.
January 14th: Genesis 4-7 Click for reading.
January 15th: Genesis 8-11 Click for reading. 

If you are on a laptop, at the top of the site there is a menu.  Click Posts by Book.  Click Genesis. (The bottom post will be the Overview)

If you are on a phone, click Menu at the top and then click Posts by book.  Genesis. (The bottom post will be the overview)

If this is a desire of your heart, I hope you will consider joining us.

I want to now take a moment to talk about the 3 friends one last time now that we heard all their arguments (so glad that is over).  These men were “sources” of information.  Where do you get your “spiritual” “religious” or “biblical” information?   There are 3 inadequate sources some might fall prey to.

• Experience
• Intellect
• Tradition

Experience: You determine Truth by your senses, feelings, and emotions.  Eliphaz thought wisdom came from his experiences in life, and that he had God all figured out.

Intellect: Zophar! You determine truth by your ability to reason what is right or wrong, good or bad, we use intellect to figure logic.  God did give us a brain, but oh how we use it wrong sometimes.  I think “overthinking” is one of the hardest things not to do.

Tradition:  “That is what we do”  You structure your beliefs by what you have inherited.    Our dependence on tradition is a way to clearly escape responsibility for knowing the Word of God. Bildad did this.

Although all 3 sources can be good in life.  They need to be filtered through the Bible.

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“Elihu” (“He is My God”) may have been a relative of Abraham since a man named Buz was a descendant of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

Elihu, has been there the whole time biting his tongue because he is the “kid” in the room. He can’t take this conversation any longer and explodes.  Am I fan of Elihu? Well, he is a bit too brash and dogmatic for me (I have Facebook posts I can read for that 😂)   With that said, Elihu speaks a lot of truth and states God is just, and we do not have to know His motives.

I probably should not have inserted my opinion on Elihu, so let me tell you what I love about him.  He UNDERSTANDS WISDOM surpasses knowledge because of the source!  Wisdom comes from God.

⁶ So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

Chapter 32 is Job entering the scene.  I totally get this!  Sometimes I just have to “get it out or I am going to burst”.

Chapter 33 and 34

• GOD is the Creator!  Elihu says:: ⁶ I am the same as you in God’s sight;
  I too am a piece of clay.
• We are Sinners:  He quotes Job:
  • • ⁸ “But you have said in my hearing—
          I heard the very words—
      ⁹ ‘I am pure, I have done no wrong;
          I am clean and free from sin.
      ¹⁰ Yet God has found fault with me;
          he considers me his enemy.
      ¹¹ He fastens my feet in shackles;
          he keeps close watch on all my paths.’
      • • • Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
          • Romans 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 
• God communicates with us:
  • • ¹⁴ For God does speak—now one way, now another
• God is a Deliverer:
  • • ²⁶ then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,
          they will see God’s face and shout for joy;
          he will restore them to full well-being.
      ²⁷ And they will go to others and say,
          ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right,
          but I did not get what I deserved.
      ²⁸ God has delivered me from going down to the pit,
          and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’
• God is Sovereign:
  • • ¹⁰ “So listen to me, you men of understanding.
          Far be it from God to do evil,
          from the Almighty to do wrong.
• God is Just:
  • • ¹² It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,
          that the Almighty would pervert justice.
• God does not show favoritism
  • • ¹⁹ who shows no partiality to princes
          and does not favor the rich over the poor,

Job is accused of shaking his fist at God:

³⁷ To his sin he adds rebellion;
    scornfully he claps his hands among us
    and multiplies his words against God.”

Elihu’s speeches were out of anger and served as a “vent”, to all 4 men, but specifically at Job.  There are times he misquotes Job.  The most obvious is in 34:6 misinterpreting Job’s words that he claimed to be sinless.  Job never claimed to be sinless, he actually admits sin in 7:21 and 13:26.

A good lesson I have learned since reading the Bible is in times of strategy sometimes silence is the best remedy.

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger. Prov. 15:1

Job’s Final Defense

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These 3 chapters might be my favorite in the book.  I keep going back to why God chose Job.

^1:8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Then God allowed Satan to take his children, his home, his money, his job, his respect, and his honor.  What does God say to Satan again:

^2:3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Chapter 29: Job now sits and recalls his ‘yesteryear’. He remembers the days before the conversation God had with Satan (that he does not know about).  Going down memory lane is a double-edged sword.  We remember the good times, but we sadly want those days again.  However, Job really is like no other man on earth, he STILL puts God at the top of his list.

The first “loss” he missed was his relationship with God:

“How I long for the months gone by,
    for the days when God watched over me,
³ when his lamp shone on my head
    and by his light I walked through darkness!

Keep reading down the chapter.  THEN his children, THEN his job, THEN his place in the community where he was a helper to the poor.  He remembers the days when he was not like the friends that do not comfort him: he was a comfort to others: “I sat like one who comforts mourners”

Chapter 30:  This was a contrast from the end of 29 ‘Then verse Now’

• verse 1: “But now..
• verse 9: And wow…
• verse 16: “And now

Job gives a  final “defense”.  Read closely to really feel how awful, lonely,  and physically painful Job’s life is.  He is back to pleading his case before God.  He just wants to hear from God.

Chapter 31:  THIS is my favorite chapter so far.  We do not interpret the Bible, scripture interprets scripture.  But I believe the Bible is a personal communication between the reader and God.  One verse means nothing to me, and it may rock your world.  That is God speaking to you.  For one brief moment, Job spoke my language “If/Then” (for those who do not know me, I am a middle school teacher).  However, it is not God that says “If/then”, it is Job.  He fully submits to the Lord “If I did this…Then I deserve…” (even more calamities than have already been be put on him)

If you have time (ha!  you do!) go back and circle the “Ifs” and underline the “Thens”.  He surrenders his past and says If I have done these…Then judge me even further”

Verse 1-12 (Do I Covet) Have my eyes gone astray? (Yes, I watched the Bridgertons last week!)

Verse 13-23 (Social Injustice)  Have I put myself first ignoring the poor? (I do not want my Christmas credit card bill)

Verse 24-28 (Idolorty) Is my security in my job, my money, my “stuff”.  (Is it hot in here or am I having a heat flash) 😞

Verse 29-34 (Pride that we are better than another) “I hope they get what they deserve” Oh the humanity!  Do you know what I deserve?

• • • ²⁹ “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune
          or gloated over the trouble that came to him—
      ³⁰ I have not allowed my mouth to sin
          by invoking a curse against their life—

Job throws himself on the mercy of the court  in front of the Judge and says: “THEN…”

• ¹⁰ then may my wife grind another man’s grain, 
      and may other men sleep with her.
• ²² then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
      let it be broken off at the joint.
• ²⁸ then these also would be sins to be judged,
      for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
• ⁴⁰ then let briers come up instead of wheat  and stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

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Chapter 24: The human side of Job.  Have you ever looked around at all the evil in the world?  Why doesn’t God intervene?  Child molesters? Rapists? Murderers, Human trafficking, etc.  Why does God allow or seem to ignore this injustice?  In chapter 24 Job asks what many of us ask?  Why doesn’t he judge them sooner?  If I even try to answer that doesn’t that make me one of the 3 “friends”?  But what I do know is

³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people. -1 Timothy

However, I rest in the assurance that God sees everything

:²² But God drags away the mighty by his power;
    though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
²³ He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
    but his eyes are on their ways.
²⁴ For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
    they are cut off like heads of grain.- Job 24:22-24

Here is a quick Visual to show you we are nearing the end of the Dialogue.

Chapter 25-Bildad

6 short verses.  He does not choose to answer any of Job’s questions or even bothers to offer new ideas but basically summarizes what Eliphaz said.  HOWEVER, he does end with

⁶ how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
    a human being, who is only a worm!”

(I picture him looking at the maggots coming from the soars on Job when he says this).

However, what we have,  that Bildad did not have is the Bible to filter this through.  Yes, the Bible tells us in Romans that “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” but in Romans  8 it says ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” 

In John,  Jesus says ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

VERY Far from the Book according to Bildad. Maggots.

We now hear from Job for six chapters.  He ends his dialogue and moves into his monologue.

Job:

• questioned God
• wrestled with God
• he even argued and pleaded with God
• But he NEVER
  • denied God
  • blasphemed God
  • despised God
  • doubted God’s authority or sovereignty

He continued to SEEK God.

Chapter 26- This is one of those chapters you read in the Message.  Whenever you spot sarcasm, switch over (this is the only book of the Bible I do this, so don’t panic about flipping too much). Click here for it.

Job answered:

Chapter 27: I honed in starting at verse 13 where Job summarized the theology of the friends.  I know we talked about their belief in the Doctrine of Restitution, but this made my head explode how “works-based” their religion was.  Works based for “blessings”.

Chapter 28

Wisdom?  What is it?  My research books are scattered on my desk, so I decided to look it up.   Here are some:

Wisdom: the ability to make good use of knowledge. (NIV)

Wisdom: knowledge, understanding, applying knowledge and insights to life situations. (Henrietta Mears) God-given ability, rather than human common sense.

Wisdom: using facts I know and truths I understand to make the right decisions in my daily life. (Children’s Bible) 🤓

Very Interesting.  Some words that stood out to me…Use, applying, God-given, using, decisions, and daily life.   Many of us have people in our lives that are so smart, know the Bible, extremely educated, but are they wise?  or just knowledgeable?

Job 28:20 says “Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? then in vs 28 it say “The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding”   (I now see the connection of the “application use”)

Back to the Dictionary: Fear of the Lord?  It says ”profound reverence and awe toward God, or to think of God with awe and wonder because I understand His great power.  The Hebrew word (Strongs Concodanance) used originally in Scripture was  yir’ah, which is a noun..meaning  A RESPECT. 

So it is our faith that allows God to take our knowledge and transform it into wisdom for use and application in our everyday life.

Go back to the first Chapter and the conversation between God and Satan.  How does God describe Job

“8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” The original words in Hebrew for blameless and upright are Tam (meaning good moral sense, the same word later to describe Jacob) and  yashar (meaning straight or level).

God never said he was sinless.  God said he is Wise.

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I had time on my lunch break yesterday so I read “ahead”.  I will admit, I had many questions.  What is he saying? I am confused? Uggg Poetry!  But I work with 2 ladies and we bounced the scriptures off of each other and we made “some” sense of it.    (I will admit, I love like this book, I am anxious to get back to Genesis 😂)

Job is flipping the script.  If the friends are telling him to repent, be righteous so he can “prosper” as he once did…then why do the ‘wicked’ (unbelievers) live prosperous lives every day?   George Clooney, Brad Pitt,  Johnny Depp, Daniel Radcliffe, Uma Thuman, Jodie Foster, Bruce Willis….they seem to be doing ok.

“Why does good stuff happen to bad people and bad stuff happen to good people”…timeless question!!

Job starts with “Listen (Linda 😂),  carefully to my words”.  Job knows that they have not “listened”, they have their responses ready before they even hear his words.  Then he flips their theory.  It should have stopped them and given them a moment to think.

⁷ Why do the wicked live on,
    growing old and increasing in power?
⁸ They see their children established around them,
    their offspring before their eyes.
⁹ Their homes are safe and free from fear;
    the rod of God is not on them.
¹⁰ Their bulls never fail to breed;
    their cows calve and do not miscarry.
¹¹ They send forth their children as a flock;
    their little ones dance about.
¹² They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;
    they make merry to the sound of the pipe.
¹³ They spend their years in prosperity
    and go down to the grave in peace.
¹⁴ Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!
    We have no desire to know your ways.
¹⁵ Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What would we gain by praying to him?’

Chapter 22- FINAL ROUND.  Round 3

Did Eliphaz listen to him?  Nope!  He then starts throwing “possibilities” to Job of what he might have done to sin…

Chapter 23. 

My heart breaks for Job.  He has no explanation for such a calamity, other than the advice from his friends that he has secret sins he needs to repent from.  He longs to talk to God!  He feels so lost.

“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
⁹ When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
¹¹ My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
¹² I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Hang in there….we can get through this book.

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I know we just started the read-through, PLEASE do not get discouraged.  This is a HARD book.  I often read a whole chapter and say “Ummm,  I didn’t get that”.  But then I go back and I read it slower and I can put some of the verses together.  Even if just ONE verse makes sense sometimes, hone in on that.

The first verse says so much: ¹ My spirit is broken,

Job is mentally and physically deteriorating.  At the same time, the “friends’ words get more aggressive.  Job begins to spiral down. As his friend’s words get harsher, we see the affliction also comes from his community:

⁶ “God has made me a byword to everyone,
    a man in whose face people spit.

The community he once was known for having integrity, riches and wisdom now talks about him and spits on him (in ancient days it was the highest form of disrespect).

18 Bildad

I had to read this several times and I was struggling to make sense of it.  So I grabbed my pen and began circling all the horrible words he was saying to Job. Example: anger, abandon, snuffed-out, dark, weakened, wander….) Bildad is not preaching a message of repentance, he has moved to conviction.  He thinks he is an “expert” on God.  (I know a few of these people if you don’t just look on Facebook 😂)

THEN I got to verse 16-21 and I became angry.  Verse 16 is the rebuttal to Job’s response in chapter 14 (I think).  I flipped back to find when Job spoke about having Hope because even a tree lives again:

^14:7 “At least there is hope for a tree:
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots will not fail.
⁸ Its roots may grow old in the ground
    and its stump die in the soil,
⁹ yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put forth shoots like a plant.

Bildad hearing this in Job’s rebuttal now says: (was this supposed to encourage him)??

• brings back something that was lost or taken away
• restored to original state
• one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs.
• someone who redeems or buys back
•  to compensate for or cancel out the faults of
• bought back

Let’s take a step back for a minute before we start humming the Hillsong version of “My Redeemer Lives”.  These are ancient times.  Job does not have the scriptures, a pastor, a church, podcast, internet to learn about redemption.  The Hebrew word Job is using for redeemer is gaal-a near relative whose role is to assist a family in dire straights like lost property, murder, or lack of a kinsman.  This “family advocate” or “righter of wrongs” is what Job was referring to. Job is confident that the gaal is alive and ready to take up his case for him, BUT Job will, with his own eyes, see God face to face.  (Because we do not live in ancient times, we know who the real Gaal is!!!!)

Chapter 20.  After reading chapter 19, Zophar’s words fell on deaf ears for me:

Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

Click here if you would like to end with a song in worship

And another 😁  Click here

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WHY is this book written?  WHY has God chosen to write this in length?  I use to think it was too long, now I think it is not long enough.

As early as the days of Job, people hold to a belief in retribution theology. Retribution theology is basically the idea that you get what you deserve.  What goes around comes around.  (Ouch, I have said that)

If Job were living today and had a social media account it might have been tagged #blessed.  He had a huge family, a great job, and a successful business.  However, Job was chosen because of his integrity to dispute this theology so that we can have comfort in our suffering.  He is a righteous sufferer.  He (and his friends) do not have the knowledge of why this is happening. When Job speaks, He asks God why, but always defends God’s Sovereignty.  As the friends speak, they adhere to a “You must have done something to deserve this”.  So why is this book 42 chapters?  Because it is important that we hear all the bad theology from his friends so that we can recognize bad theology today.

So as you read this book, God is letting us know the wicked will prosper in this life, and sometimes the righteous will suffer in this life (we will see it throughout the entire Bible).  The key is ‘in this life’.  Every person, wicked or righteous will ultimately be judged by a God that is just and right.

Job still speaking:

Chapter 14:-Amazing Chapter.

One scripture that gives me hope is that my life is in God’s hands, not the enemy.

v4: ⁵ A person’s days are determined;
    you have decreed the number of his months
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.

(Go back to Chapter 1, what was the one thing Satan was NOT allowed to do?)

Job 14:17 and you will see Hope starts to rise up (pun intended 😂).  Through nature, Job has seen a tree cut to a stump, but at the scent of water, it regrows.  Job speaks to God, if only you will remember me the same way,  if only I will be resurrected.

¹³ “If only you would hide me in the grave
    and conceal me till your anger has passed!
If only you would set me a time
    and then remember me!
¹⁴ If someone dies, will they live again?
    All the days of my hard service
    I will wait for my renewal to come.
¹⁵ You will call and I will answer you;
    you will long for the creature your hands have made.
¹⁶ Surely then you will count my steps
    but not keep track of my sin.
¹⁷ My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;
    you will cover over my sin.

Chapter 15- Even though Job has begged them to remain silent, they will each make another speech.   Eliphaz now attacks his character and basically says Job has lost everything because he lived in rebellion against God and a self-indulgent life.

I am skipping to Chapter 16 because it is so good I am unglued!

Job’s advice-givers decided to use this as an opportunity to “teach” “preach” or “rebuke” Job.  And in chapter 16, Job starts with “You windbags!  If this were happening to you, I would comfort and console you!” (paraphrase of course).

Now for the GOOD part. Job recounts his suffering but knows in the end, he will be restored.  Maybe not in this life. 

The Foreshadow of Christ.

What should we do when someone is mourning?  Love them.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:14-16

and Pray with them.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.