Job 40-42. The End.

The last few chapters of Job are about God’s reveal to Job. Many have heard of the Doctrine of Revelation at church.  God not only reveals himself to Job but He does to us.  There are so many people that hear others say “I have a relationship with the Lord”, and have no idea what that person is talking about.  Relationship? What do you mean you hear from God?  When you read this story, there is that voice inside of you that is telling you something over and over.  Open you heart and listen to it.  That is God.  This Bible is one major way He chooses to communicate with us.  I know for some they think it is a book written by men to explain stuff or History, but know this: it’s not.  He will choose this Book to speak directly to you.  I could say this story is about a number of things, trials, suffering, repentance, God’s sovereignty, God’s character, restoration…but it is also a personal theme for each that read it and it may change EVERY time you go back to it. It is personal and it may not even be part of the “theme” .

So if you have not read the conclusion of God’s story with Job.  Read it, because what I may comment on, may have NOTHING to do with what God is saying to you.

Click here for the reading

Where to begin? This is from me for me.

Chapter 40: The conversation.  God has conversation with us.  Back and Forth.  We say something in Prayer,  He Speaks back.  This conversation will last as long as HE chooses before something changes in our lives.

Chapter 41: I researched the Leviathan, and read different commentaries on it.  I read everything from a Crocodile to the 7 Headed Sea Monster that was very much a part of their culture in this time period. ( you should research the Sea, it has great meaning from the beginning of time all the way to Revelation, fascinating stuff, you will see in heaven there is no more SEA…and it will all make sense.)  But basically what I came away with was, if we cannot even come close to conquering the Leviathan, How much greater  is God!  He was the CREATOR of all things.  So let us imagine the strongest creature, the largest animal…how much power they have…God could say a word and wipe it off the earth.

Chapter 42: Are you kidding me! What an awesome ending.  Job shows us exactly what we need to do to be close to the Lord.  Exalt Him.

Then Job replied to the LORD :  “I know that you can do all things;  no plan of yours can be thwarted.  (verse 1 and 2)

My ears had heard of you  but now my eyes have seen you.  Therefore I despise myself  and repent in dust and ashes. (Verse 5 and 6)

Why are we reading the Bible?? That is it.  We can hear His words, from a book, or a pastor, a friend, but when we hear it from God himself…THAT is when we change (and no other authority will do that)  We know that Sin entered the World.  We will have hearts like His friends, but when we read this Bible, we are hearing it straight from God, our eyes will be open DIRECTLY to him.  So when Job says he repents of his old ways…that is a HUGE key.  He is NOT repenting of any sin or action he may have committed.  He is repenting of his attitude and lack of relationship with the Lord.  Repent means to “make a u-turn” to go the other way way.  HE will now go towards God.

The version o f the message takes this verse of “heard of you” and “repent” and puts it in a great text for me.

I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
   now I have it all firsthand—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 rumor.”

I think many people probably read this story and noted the “prayer and forgiveness” of his friends after all they put him through.  I think many people’s hearts jumped at the Restoration of His wealth and family.   God will restore us, He is always working for His greater Glory.  It is human to try to figure out what God is doing through our trials, but notice that God NEVER told Job the whole story.  It was when Job saw God for who He is and what He has done and can do,  that God finally restored Him.

 

Job 38-39

• The Lord Speaks

Click herer for the reading

One of the characteristics about God is that just when we think you know Him…He surprises us.  That is so human of us to think we have it all figured out.  Just like the friends had all the answers, I waited to read these 2 Chapters and though for sure I knew what He was going to say.  But my face looked probably just like Job’s, in awe.  In life,  the people we consider an “Authority figure” are those that know things that we don’t know.  Well God opened up with 60 something rhetorical questions to let Job (and us) know…you think you know stuff? I know Everything!

When we are in a trial, as Job is, we explain it to God.  “God, this is not good timing you see”, or “God this is more than I can handle right now” as if we may be letting him in on something he wasn’t aware of.  His reply doesn’t just say He made all things, He says I am there during all of it too.  God is not sitting on the desk getting a “bird’s eye view” of what is going on, He is IN us.  He knows what the heart is feeling at the same time. 

“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
       Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?

  Do you count the months till they bear?
       Do you know the time they give birth?

  They crouch down and bring forth their young;
       their labor pains are ended.”  (Job 39 1-3)

 He knows the timing and He knows the pain in our lives.   Psalm 8 says:

 When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

 what is man that you are mindful of him,
       the son of man that you care for him?

 God does not need to answer Job’s direct questions, because Job answered most of them himself:

“What is man that you make so much of him,
       that you give him so much attention,

  that you examine him every morning
       and test him every moment?

  Will you never look away from me,
       or let me alone even for an instant?

No He won’t.

  

Job 35-37

• Elihu

Click here for the reading

“When times get bad, people cry out for help.
 They cry for relief from being kicked around,
But never give God a thought when things go well”  (The Message)

Ouch.    I can say this hurt.  Of course I think of God on good days but not nearly as much as He would like.  I think the best way to test yourself is this: How is your prayer life on good days vs. bad days?  I have to admit that the first thing I do when times are rough is pray.  I pray for him to deliver me from the circumstance.    What I am asking is, do you pray just as much when things are going really good?  I find it easy to “forget” to pray on a really good week rather than a bad week.  I think it is great that when things are bad I do turn to God in prayer, however what Elihu is saying is that we just can’t turn to God when we need help, we need to turn to him just as much with the situations that are going well.

After a week and a half of Job and His friends speak ing I am really looking forward to the next reading.  The Lord speaks.  I would be VERY interested in knowing something you learned reading the friends’ versus.  What are you walking away with so far?  I will be at a service project all day but I am carrying my blackberry in my Hot Pink tool belt (thanks Tina) hoping to read some comments from all of you.

Job 32-34

• Elihu

 I,  unlike some of you have maintained some discipline and have not read ahead!  LOL. Kidding.   If you feel led by the Spirit to read on…READ ON!  Oh,  how God must love to watch our desire  to want to READ ON! 

I have only read Chapter 32 as of yet.  But I can picture this young man sitting there the whole time and not saying anything until now.  He is clearly a respectful man,especially to his elders in this case, but I bet he was sitting there through all 9 advices from his 3 other friends and was talking to himself the whole time.  We have all been there! 

You know when you hear someone advise another, and you just bite you lip.  Especially, if the advice giver AND taker are older then you.  But we established that Wisdom is granted though the Spirit of God, and so far Elihu is the only one I recall mentioning that.  I am not saying all of what I heard him say so far was right but at least he had the correct Authority.

” For I am full of words,  and the spirit within me compels me;  inside I am like bottled-up wine,   like new wineskins ready to burst.  I must speak and find relief;  I must open my lips and reply”.  (Job 32:18-20)

I feel like that a lot!  So I look forward to hearing what the young man has to say.  After I read it I am sure,  I,  myself will feel like bursting, so I may comment too.

Click here for the reading

A perfect time to start

Saturday the 16th we are going back to Genesis.  The reason we left was because the Book of Job occurred at the same time in Genesis, so we put it in between the two Genesis themes.  We only read Genesis for 3 days (an AWESOME 3 days).    Genesis moves really fast!

So what I was thinking was:  if you have had someone in your mind these past 2 weeks, kind of wishing maybe you had invited them to read with you, now is a PERFECT TIME.  Invite them and have them read the first 11 Chapters of Genesis over the next 3 days and then when we pick up in  Chapter 12 they will be right on track with you.  Obviously they will have to skip Job but they can read that on their own or you can talk them through it 🙂

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 14 th: Genesis  4-7  Click for reading
• January 15th: Genesis 8-11 Click for reading

Job 29-31

• Job continues his last reply to the 3 friends

Click here for the reading

OK, I wrote this really long blog about noticing the words “I” in the first half of this reading and then the words “if” in the second half of the reading.  (but I deleted it)  Such good stuff Job is saying.  Yes, he is a bit prideful but then he bring it back to confession and repentance by the end of the conversation.  What a roller coaster for Job.  Well, wouldn’t you be a mess not only in the circumstances of all he has suffered and lost but with all this terrible advice.  If this book seems to be taking forever to get though, how do you think Job feels….(Or how the Lord feels with us!) 

Two years ago I did a Bible study with 4 amazing woman   Carissa, Carla, Lisa and Portia.  One of the weeks I remember the most was the week called “Three Inadequate Sources”.  I thought before opening the study…”Well, this might bore me, I only use the Bible as my source”.(Who did I think I was kidding)   Uhhhh, ya think I got beat up that week??  The 3 inadequate sources are

• 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.   (many do)

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 “over thinking” is one of the hardest things not to do.   

Tradition:  I don’t care what denomination you are, this is a dangerous authority.  “That is what we do”  You structure your beliefs by those which have been inherited.    Our dependence on tradition is a way to clearly escape responsibility for knowing the Word of God. Bilbad did this.  Quoted from others, and his advice was always second hand. 

Although all 3 sources can be good in life.  God gives us our intellect to think and to gain knowledge.  He also gives us experiences that help to mold us, and make us better Christians.  Tradition can be a wonderful part of life, especially with family.  But what I am talking about is our Authority, or sources of Wisdom.

The only adequate authority is Scripture.  Yesterday I had a conversation with someone and she had originally ended with “I will just accept it, even if I don’t understand it”.  Oh no, my heart stopped.  I am not reading the Bible to know what it ways.  I want to be able to apply it.   I want God to turn my knowledge into Wisdom.   My best friend gave me a mug that says “If  Life were a d0-it-yourself project, God would not have left instructions”. 

Click below your answer to the question, then click VOTE.  It is COMPLETELY anonymous! Even I don’t know who clicks what!

Job 24-28

• Job Continues
• Bildad’s last reply
• Job responds

Click here for today’s chapters   Switch to any version you like.

 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 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 knowledgable?

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.

If you think you can get this Wisdom from anything we can do, think again Romans 3:22 says “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”.   

 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.

Job 21-23

• Job replies to Zophar
• Final comment from Eliphaz
• Job’s reply

Click here for the Reading.  Choose the version you prefer.

So we open in Chapter 21.  Job’s reply to Zophar on the topic of Judgement.  What amazes me is,  that the Book of Job  is one of the oldest pieces of literature,and yet is relevant to today.  Why this amazes me, I don’t know!  God never intended His word to ever be outdated, so ALL of it is relevant and always will be.  However,  this next chapter is something that we have all asked ourselves at least once in our lives.

 Verse 7:  Why do the wicked live on,  growing old and increasing in power?  They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes.  Their homes are safe and free from fear;  the rod of God is not upon them.  Their bulls never fail to breed;  their cows calve and do not miscarry.  They send forth their children as a flock; their little ones dance about. They sing to the music of tambourine and harp;  they make merry to the sound of the flute. They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.  Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!  We have no desire to know your ways.

If you have never questioned “Why does good stuff happen to bad people and bad stuff happen to good people”, then you are a better person than me.  Although,  in recent years those thoughts have changed since much of that is answered throughout sripture, but I have in the past  and still at times, ponder this.  I know what the Bible says about disciplining the ones He loves, but I still look around and scratch my head sometimes.

Today’s reading is short.   However,  it is rich in text.  If you are reading and a Scriptures or a set of scriptures  and they catch your eye , use the cross reference to back it up.  I happen to know that not everyone reading through the Bible is using a “Study” Bible and may not have cross references either in the margin or the bottom.  So if anyone does reference one, and would like to share it,  please do  in the comment sections so others can read it.

 (What did you think of Elipaz’s little speech in Chapter 22?  Sounds like something you hear on TV today huh?  Maybe at 2 am in the morning.  22:1 says “Submit to God and be at peace with him, in this way prosperity will come to you”  (just dial 1-888….)

Job 17-20

If at this point the conversation seems to be going on a bit long, one of  the best versus is yet to come.    Click here for reading.  Click here for the Message

Chapter 19 (Job is speaking) verse 25-39

 I know that my Redeemer lives,
       and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

 And after my skin has been destroyed,
       yet  in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him
       with my own eyes—I, and not another.
       How my heart yearns within me!

If there was ever a time to look up cross references this is it (if your not sure how to do this or where to find them,  e-mail me Pszyman@comcast.net ).  One of the books I have studied last year was Ruth.  If you know anything about the story of Ruth it is about how we have a Redeemer.  God put it into the plan from the very beginning to the very end.  However,  look in your Bible and you will see a few cross references to the first 2 versus.

They remembered that God was their Rock,  that God Most High was their Redeemer (Psalm 78:35)

 Even now my witness is in heaven;  my advocate is on high. (Job:16:19)

Blessed are the pure in heart,  for they will see God. Mt 5:8

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

But your dead will live;  their bodies will rise.  You who dwell in the dust,  wake up and shout for joy.  Your dew is like the dew of the morning;  the earth will give birth to her dead.  (Isa 26:19)

And my favorite for this case is “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:2)  It is my favorite because he says Wise and also to the people who witness to others to get there!  Only God can grant Wisdom, all else is just knowledge.  The friends were clearly very educated in “religion”, they actually almost sounded like Pharisees if you ask me, but they did not know the Lord, they knew some about the Lord.   In a time when comfort was needed, encouragement, and a time to say how good the Lord is in our circumstances they failed.

The friends do what some of us could be in danger of doing, taking “information” or “religion” and not knowing the true application or how it weaves into a bigger picture.  Another reason for digging into this Book.

“My Redeemer lives”…got a tune in your head?

Click here for the reading if you have not read already.

Job 14-16

• Job continues
• Eliphaz round two
• Job (more blunt than ever)

I  actually wrote a completely different blog to post for this morning until I saw one of the versus from yesterday and it stirred in me for hours.  Chapter 13:9 

Would it turn out well if he examined you?
       Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

That hit hard.

So I am trying to think who I am most like in this story.  Of course we want our heart to be of Job.  God refers to him in Chapter 1 verse 8  “there is no one on earth like him, he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” .  Oh, how I wish I could say that was me, but as we know we are probably more like the friends at times.  We often think every situation warrants an opportunity to “teach” someone, “correct” someone,  or “open” their eyes for them.  We mix it up with some scripture and some “christian” perspective, when the fact is,  that the first 7 days of silence with his  friends were probably Job’s better days.

If you think I am wrong, remember what God said before he started the flood…he knew their hearts.  If everything you thought about the people around you could be heard on the loud speaker, would you sound like Job…or one of the friends?

We will not always understand what God is doing in the lives of others as well as ourselves.  But as I read this Book I see there are so many lessons God wants us to know, but after reading the above scripture I was shaken up knowing that if God examined me, he would probably see Eliphaz. 

That is the reason we are reading His Book.  So that we can learn these lessons, to move from being Eliphaz to a closer version of Job.  Pray as we read each chapter that he cut away those characteristics that are like the friends and add the qualities that Job has to our own hearts.

Today’s Chapters are Job 14-16.

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Click here for The message “very requested for this dialogue reading”