Job's Final Response

12/9/2011 9:43:31 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Job’s second response

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                  Reference:  Job 42:1-6

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Then Job answered the LORD and said, 2  "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3  ’Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ "Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." 4  ’Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ 5  "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6  Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.’”  (NASB)

            1 ¶ Then Job replied to the LORD: 2  “I know that you can do anything,  and no one can stop you. 3 You asked, ’Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’  It is I-and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. 4 You said, ’Listen and I will speak!  I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ 5 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.’”  (NLT)

            We have come to the last chapter in the book of Job and therefore the last SD in this wonderful book.  God has shown to me new and different things from the book of Job that I had not seen before.  God has given me a “Job Moment” while studying this book, helping me to get a small glimpse perhaps of what Job was feeling.  This happened a little over a month ago and even though it was not pleasant for me it did help me in my study of this book and for that I am thankful.

            We see in this paragraph from Job 42 that Job confesses to the Lord that he had not said things that were true about God.  He even quotes from what the Lord had spoken to him in verses 3-4.  Job realizes that he had spoken words about the Lord that he knew nothing about.  Job also knew that when he spoke that God was not fair that this too was in error.  I think the most important thing that Job learned and we too need to learn is that whatever God does is right and man must accept it by faith.

            Job had only heard things about God before and now he has seen God and has a more personal understanding of who God is, and also who he is for he repents in dust and ashes after all we are only made of dust.  Job had thought that God was indirect and impersonal, but now he knows better.

            Dr. Wiersbe quotes Charles Spurgeon who said:  “The door of repentance opens into the hall of joy,” and this was indeed true for Job.  We see in verses 7-9 that Job the sinner became Job the servant of God.  “7 ¶  It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. 8  "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." 9  So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job.”  (NASB)  We can see in this short paragraph that the Lord called Job “My servant,” a prominent OT title.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes how Job served God:  “By enduring suffering and not cursing God, and thereby silencing the devil!  Suffering in the will of God is a ministry that God gives to a chosen few.

            “Bu Job the servant became Job the intercessor.  God was angry with Job’s three friends because they hadn’t told the truth about Him (42:7), and they had to be reconciled to Job so he could pray for them.  Job became the umpire between God and his three friends!  By forgiving his friends and praying for them, Job brought back the blessing to his own life (v-10).  We only hurt ourselves when we refuse to forgive others.”  

            Job ended up with twice as much as before the suffering began.  Twice as many children, money, livestock, and if he was seventy years old when this began and the twice as much was for his long life as well then he lived to 140, a very long life and a very rich life.  He died old and full of years just like Abraham and Isaac and also King David did. 

            “10 ¶  The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold. 11  Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12  The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. 13  He had seven sons and three daughters. 14  He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15  In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. 16  After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. 17  And Job died, an old man and full of days.”  (NASB)

            I wish to end this study of Job in the same way that Dr. Wiersbe ended his commentary as I will quote his Postlude:  “You must not misinterpret this final chapter and conclude that every trial will end with all problems solved, all hard feelings forgiven, and everybody ‘living happily ever after.’  It just doesn’t always happen that way!  This chapter assures us that, no matter what happens to us, God always writes the last chapter.  Therefore, we don’t have to be afraid.  We can trust God to do what is right, no matter how painful our situation might be.

            “But Job’s greatest blessing was not the regaining of his health and wealth or the rebuilding of his family and circle of friends.  His greatest blessing was knowing God better and understand His working in a deeper way.  James wrote ‘You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the purpose of the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.’ (James 5:11 NKJB)V). And Hebrews 12:11 reminds us: ‘Now, no chastening seems to be joyous for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’ (NKJV)

            ‘In the whole story of Job, wrote G. Campbell Morgan, ‘we see the patience of God and endurance of man.  When these act in fellowship, the issue is certain.  It is that of the coming forth from the fire as gold, that of receiving the crown of life.’  (The Answers of Jesus to Job, Baker, p. 117).

            “No matter what God permits to come into our lives, He always has His ‘afterward.’  He writes the last chapter—and that makes it worth it all.

            “Therefore, BE PATIENT!”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  What I seen in this last chapter that is important for me to see is that “things” are not nearly as important as my relationship with the Lord.  In doing what the Lord desires me to do for the cause of Christ.  To worship the Giver of the gifts and not the gifts, and to trust the Lord in any and all circumstances that He brings into my life.

            I have to say that I am thankful to the Lord for this small ministry that He has given to me in placing these Spiritual Diaries onto the internet where others have taken some of their valuable time up to read them.  My prayer has always been when I felt that it was time to follow the encouragement of my daughter and a friend of mine to do this was that God would be glorified through these SD’s.  I also pray that the Lord will convict others to begin some kind of Bible Study on their own.  It doesn’t have to be using the format that I use, but it is so important to not just read the Word each day, but to invest one’s time in the study of God’s Word each day.  I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity He has given me to have time to study His Word each day.

            Now we move onto the book of Psalms.  Dr. Wiersbe entitles his commentary on Psalms “Be Worshipful,” and his commentary covers every Psalm, so that is something to get excited about.  I can’t tell you how much I am indebted to the sound teaching of Warren Wiersbe.  I wrote to him about the use of his commentaries on this blog and he graciously replied to me encouraging me in this ministry of which I am thankful.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.      Job has taught me more about my quest to learn contentment.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.

3.      Proverbs 3:5-6.

4.      Psalm 139:23-24.

5.      Luke 22:40b & 46b.

6.      My prayer life will be better.

12/9/2011 10:52:50 AM

           

Job 40:6-41:34

6 ¶  Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm and said, 7  "Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. 8  "Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified? 9  "Or do you have an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His? 10  "Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity, And clothe yourself with honor and majesty. 11  "Pour out the overflowings of your anger, And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low. 12  "Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him, And tread down the wicked where they stand. 13  "Hide them in the dust together; Bind them in the hidden place. 14  "Then I will also confess to you, That your own right hand can save you.
    15 ¶  "Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox. 16  "Behold now, his strength in his loins And his power in the muscles of his belly. 17  "He bends his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18  "His bones are tubes of bronze; His limbs are like bars of iron. 19  "He is the first of the ways of God; Let his maker bring near his sword. 20  "Surely the mountains bring him food, And all the beasts of the field play there. 21  "Under the lotus plants he lies down, In the covert of the reeds and the marsh. 22  "The lotus plants cover him with shade; The willows of the brook surround him. 23  "If a river rages, he is not alarmed; He is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his mouth. 24  "Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?
    1 ¶  "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord? 2  "Can you put a rope in his nose Or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3  "Will he make many supplications to you, Or will he speak to you soft words? 4  "Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant forever? 5  "Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you bind him for your maidens? 6  "Will the traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among the merchants? 7  "Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? 8  "Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle; you will not do it again! 9  "Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be laid low even at the sight of him? 10  "No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him; Who then is he that can stand before Me?
    11 ¶  "Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine. 12  "I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame. 13  "Who can strip off his outer armor? Who can come within his double mail? 14  "Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth there is terror. 15  "His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal. 16  "One is so near to another That no air can come between them. 17  "They are joined one to another; They clasp each other and cannot be separated. 18  "His sneezes flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19  "Out of his mouth go burning torches; Sparks of fire leap forth. 20  "Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21  "His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes forth from his mouth. 22  "In his neck lodges strength, And dismay leaps before him. 23  "The folds of his flesh are joined together, Firm on him and immovable. 24  "His heart is as hard as a stone, Even as hard as a lower millstone. 25  "When he raises himself up, the mighty fear; Because of the crashing they are bewildered. 26  "The sword that reaches him cannot avail, Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin. 27  "He regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood. 28  "The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones are turned into stubble for him. 29  "Clubs are regarded as stubble; He laughs at the rattling of the javelin. 30  "His underparts are like sharp potsherds; He spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mire. 31  "He makes the depths boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a jar of ointment. 32  "Behind him he makes a wake to shine; One would think the deep to be gray-haired. 33  "Nothing on earth is like him, One made without fear. 34  "He looks on everything that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride."  (NASB)

  6 ¶  Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: 7  “Brace yourself like a man,  because I have some questions for you,  and you must answer them. 8  “Will you discredit my justice  and condemn me just to prove you are right? 9  Are you as strong as God?  Can you thunder with a voice like his? 10  All right, put on your glory and splendor,  your honor and majesty. 11  Give vent to your anger.  Let it overflow against the proud. 12  Humiliate the proud with a glance;  walk on the wicked where they stand. 13  Bury them in the dust.  Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14  Then even I would praise you,  for your own strength would save you.
    15 ¶  “Take a look at Behemoth,  which I made, just as I made you.  It eats grass like an ox. 16  See its powerful loins  and the muscles of its belly. 17  Its tail is as strong as a cedar.  The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together. 18  Its bones are tubes of bronze.  Its limbs are bars of iron. 19  It is a prime example of God’s handiwork,  and only its Creator can threaten it. 20  The mountains offer it their best food,  where all the wild animals play. 21  It lies under the lotus plants,  hidden by the reeds in the marsh. 22  The lotus plants give it shade  among the willows beside the stream. 23  It is not disturbed by the raging river,  not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it. 24  No one can catch it off guard  or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.
    1 ¶  “Can you catch Leviathan with a hook  or put a noose around its jaw? 2  Can you tie it with a rope through the nose  or pierce its jaw with a spike? 3  Will it beg you for mercy  or implore you for pity? 4  Will it agree to work for you,  to be your slave for life? 5  Can you make it a pet like a bird,  or give it to your little girls to play with? 6  Will merchants try to buy it  to sell it in their shops? 7  Will its hide be hurt by spears  or its head by a harpoon? 8  If you lay a hand on it,  you will certainly remember the battle that follows.  You won’t try that again! 9  No, it is useless to try to capture it.  The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down. 10  And since no one dares to disturb it,  who then can stand up to me?
    11 ¶  Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?  Everything under heaven is mine. 12  “I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs  and its enormous strength and graceful form. 13  Who can strip off its hide,  and who can penetrate its double layer of armor? 14  Who could pry open its jaws?  For its teeth are terrible! 15  Its scales are like rows of shields  tightly sealed together. 16  They are so close together  that no air can get between them. 17  Each scale sticks tight to the next.  They interlock and cannot be penetrated. 18  “When it sneezes, it flashes light!  Its eyes are like the red of dawn. 19  Lightning leaps from its mouth;  flames of fire flash out. 20  Smoke streams from its nostrils  like steam from a pot heated over burning rushes. 21  Its breath would kindle coals,  for flames shoot from its mouth. 22  “The tremendous strength in Leviathan’s neck  strikes terror wherever it goes. 23  Its flesh is hard and firm  and cannot be penetrated. 24  Its heart is hard as rock,  hard as a millstone. 25  When it rises, the mighty are afraid,  gripped by terror. 26  No sword can stop it,  no spear, dart, or javelin. 27  Iron is nothing but straw to that creature,  and bronze is like rotten wood. 28  Arrows cannot make it flee.  Stones shot from a sling are like bits of grass. 29  Clubs are like a blade of grass,  and it laughs at the swish of javelins. 30  Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass.  It plows up the ground as it drags through the mud. 31  “Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion.  It stirs the depths like a pot of ointment. 32  The water glistens in its wake,  making the sea look white. 33  Nothing on earth is its equal,  no other creature so fearless. 34  Of all the creatures, it is the proudest.  It is the king of beasts.’’   (NLT)

Can Your Subdue My Creation

12/8/2011 8:55:04 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  Can You Subdue My Creation

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                  Reference:  Job 40:6-41-34

            Message of the verses:  I want to begin this SD by saying that I have the up most respect for Dr. Warren Wiersbe as I have used his commentaries for many years to help me unlock the mysteries of the Scriptures.  I can also say that I hardly every disagree with his writings; however this section of Job I must say that I do not agree with what he is saying about the creatures that the Lord is describing in these two chapters of Job.  I have listened to different men and read different articles from men about how old our earth is.  I am now in the midst of a Bible Study using a book by John MacArthur entitled “The Battle for the Beginning,” which covers the first few chapters of the book of Genesis.  The book is full of great information showing that evolution is impossible, and lists reasons why that is a true statement.  Things do not mutate up, they never have and they never will no matter how much time the evolutionists want to give them to do so.  There are other great scholars that support these findings such as Ken Ham, and Dr. John C. Whitcomb along with other.  One can do an internet search to find volumes of material supporting the fact that evolution is impossible and as stated in earlier SD’s my belief is that evolution is a product of the enemy of our souls, none other than Satan who wants people to believe that this earth was just an accident and is continuing to evolve, but that is not the case.  He reason for this is so that people will not have to be accountable to the God of this universe who is the Creator and sustainer of our world.  If Satan convinces people that the world was not created by God then no one will have to worship God, and he has even got people of “Faith” to believe this lie, believing that the world is millions of years old.

            I believe that God created dinosaurs on the sixth day and that the reason that they are not around today is because they could not live on this earth after the flood.  After listening to a sermon by Dr. Whitcomb on this subject that is what he states.  In the state of Texas there have been found both human footprints and also the tracts of a dinosaur, and this makes it difficult for the evolutionists to answer how this happened.

            I believe that the creatures that are described in this portion of Job are dinosaurs and even though Job happened after the flood there may have been these creatures still around before they became extent. 

            I believe that there is a spiritual message in this section as well and therefore I wish to concentrate on it as well as putting in some material from Ken Ham and John MacArthur in this SD. 

            Remember in the last SD it was mentioned that Job was not quite broken at the place of sincere repentance and that the Lord was now going to continue His address to make sure this would happen.  So instead of confronting Job some more with the broad sweep of His creation, God would not select two creatures that He created and confront Job with them.  We could interrupt God as saying “My whole universe is too much for you to handle.  However, here are two of My best products.  What can you do with them.”

            6 ¶  Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: 7  “Brace yourself like a man,  because I have some questions for you,  and you must answer them. 8  “Will you discredit my justice  and condemn me just to prove you are right? 9  Are you as strong as God?  Can you thunder with a voice like his? 10  All right, put on your glory and splendor,  your honor and majesty. 11  Give vent to your anger.  Let it overflow against the proud. 12  Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. 13  Bury them in the dust.  Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14  Then even I would praise you,  for your own strength would save you.”  Job 40:6-14 NLT)

            We can see in verse eight that the issue is not God’s power, but God’s justice.  We remember that Job had said to his three friends that God was unjust in the way He was treating Job.  He brought up some more charges like this too like God was failing to judge the wicked along with being unjust with Job.  We can see in verses 9-14 that God is asking Job if he has the strength and holy wrath it takes to judge sinners, and if you do then get started doing the job.

            Before God would turn Job loose on judging the wicked He tells him to practice with these two creatures. 

            At this point I wish to quote two notes from the “MacArthur Study Bible” to help make my case that these creatures are not the hippopotamus or the crocodile:  “40:15-24 Behemoth.  While this is a generic term used commonly in the OT for large cattle or land animals, the description in this passage suggests an extraordinary creature.  The hippopotamus has been suggested by the details in the passage (vv. 19-24).  However the short tail of a hippo is hardly consistent with v. 17, where tail could be translated ‘trunk.’  I could refer to an elephant, who could be considered ‘first’ or chief of God creatures whom only He can control (v.19).  Some believe God is describing His most impressive creation of land animals, the dinosaur species, which fit all the characteristics.”

            Second not from John MacArthur:  “41:1 Leviathan.  This term appears in 4 other OT texts (Job 3:8; Pss. 74:14; 104:26; Is 27:1).  In each case Leviathan refers to some mighty creature who can overwhelm man but who is no match for God.  Since this creature lives in the sea among ships (Ps. 104:26), some form of sea monster, possibly an ancient dinosaur, is in view.  Some feel it is a crocodile, which had scaly hide (v 15), terrible teeth (v 14) and speed in the water (v 32).  But crocodiles are not sea creatures, and clearly this one was (v 31).  Some have thought it was a killer whale or a great white shark, because he is the ultimate killer beast over all other proud beasts (v-34).  It could also have been a sea-going dinosaur.”

            Here is a note from Ken Ham:  “Job 41 describes a great animal that lived in the sea, Leviathan that even breathed fi re. This ‘dragon’ may have been something like the mighty 55-foot (17 m) long Kronosaurus,22 or the 82-foot (25 m) long Liopleurodon.

There is also mention of a flying serpent in the Bible: the ‘fiery flying serpent’ (Isa. 30:6). This could be a reference to one of the Pterodactyls, which are popularly thought of as flying dinosaurs, such as the Pteranodon, Rhamphorhynchus or Ornithocheirus.23

Not long after the Flood, God was showing a man called Job how great He was as Creator, by reminding Job of the largest land animal He had made:  ‘Behold now behemoth, which I made with you; he eats grass like an ox. See now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the muscles of his belly.  He moves his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are like tubes of bronze; his limbs are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God: his maker brings near his sword’ (Job 40:15–19). The phrase ‘chief of the ways of God’ suggests this was the largest land animal God had made. So what kind of animal was ‘behemoth’?

Bible translators, not being sure what this beast was, often transliterated the Hebrew, and thus the word behemoth (e.g. KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV). However, in many Bible commentaries and Bible footnotes, ‘behemoth’ is said to be ‘possibly the hippopotamus or elephant.’24 Some Bible versions actually translate ‘behemoth’ this way.25 Besides the fact that the elephant and hippo were not the largest land animals God made

(some of the dinosaurs far eclipsed these), this description does not make sense, since the tail of behemoth is compared to the large cedar tree (verse 17).

Now an elephant’s tiny tail (or a hippo’s tail that looks like a fl ap of skin!) is quite unlike a cedar

tree! Clearly the elephant and the hippo could not possibly be ‘behemoth.’ No living creature comes close to this description. However, behemoth is very like Brachiosaurus, one of the large dinosaurs.’”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to talk about the justice of God and say that there are times when I wish that God would take out some of the awful people in this world.  I am sure if I were living during the time of the Second World War that I would have been wondering how God could allow such awfulness fall upon innocent people by such persons like Hitler.  Here is the answer that I have to come up with and that is that God is in charge and if I were to get involved in having my way with getting rid of people like Hitler then I would miss out on what God’s plan was.  Look at Saul of Tarsus who hounded the early church and perhaps many people wanted God to deal with him by having him killed, after all he was having believers killed.  I wonder how many people back then were praying for Saul to become a believer.  God has His plans and I have to trust them even when I wish, at times to have my justice prevail.  This is all a part of learning contentment.  As I read the 11th and 12^th chapters of 2Cor. I have to believe that all of those awful things that happened to Paul were how he learned contentment.  Patience and contentment go together.  I still have a long way to go.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.     Continue to learn contentment.

12/8/2011 10:19:00 AM

               

Job's First Response

12/7/2011 8:43:55 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Job’s First Response

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                  Reference:  Job 40:1-5

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Then the LORD said to Job, 2  "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it." 3  Then Job answered the LORD and said, 4  "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5  "Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more.’”  (NASB)

“1 ¶  Then the LORD said to Job, 2  “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?  You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?’’  3  Then Job replied to the LORD, 4  “I am nothing-how could I ever find the answers?  I will cover my mouth with my hand. 5  I have said too much already.  I have nothing more to say.’’”  (NLT)

This may well be the shortest SD from the book of Job that I will do, but this is an important portion from Job because the Lord gives Job an opportunity to speak, but Job does not have much to say. 

Job has had a desire to take the Lord to court all through his speeches that he gave to his three friends.  As we look at verse two we see that God uses language that reflect Job’s desire to take God to court and argue his case:  “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.’”  We have seen in the previous two chapters that God had presented His case and now He gives Job an opportunity to present his case.  However there is no case for Job to present before God.  Job says “I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?”  In chapter 21 and verse 5 we read:  “"Look at me, and be astonished, And put your hand over your mouth.’”  We read in Job 29:9 “"The princes stopped talking And put their hands on their mouths.”  Now we see in verse 4b of the section above “I will cover my mouth with my hand.”  The reason that Job puts his hand over his mouth is because he did not want to say something that he should not say.  “"If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth!”  (Proverbs 30:32)  “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God.’”  (Romans 3:19)

Dr. Wiersbe writes “Until we are silenced before God, He can’t do for us what needs to be done.  As long as we defend ourselves and argue with God, He can’t work for us and in us to accomplish His plan through us.

“But Job was not quite broken and at the place of sincere repentance.  He was silent but not yet submissive; so God continued His address.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In my opinion this section is speaking to me that I must be quiet before the Lord and allow Him to accomplish His work through me.  I have mentioned in earlier SD’s about the short study that I did from John chapter fifteen about the Vine and the branches and how that the Lord Jesus Christ is the true Vine and I am one of the branches of His.  He says in that section that the branches are to abide or remain in Him and as I do this then He will work through me.  My job is to remain or abide in Him, not to argue with Him or try and do something on my own, but just to remain in Him so that through His Holy Spirit He can produce fruit through me as I remain in Him.  I believe that before this study of Job is over we will see that Job will learn to abide in the Lord and the Lord will produce fruit through him.  I want to do the same.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.      "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.’”

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

12/7/2011 9:22:06 AM 

Can Your Oversee My Creation

12/6/2011 6:08:11 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Can you oversee my creation?

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                  Reference:  Job 38:39-39:30

            Message of the verses:  In this section the Lord will bring before Job a parade of six different beats and five birds.  As Job looked upon these creatures he was to answer the question:  “Do you understand how they live and how to take care of them?”  Job did not know the answer to this question.

            Let’s begin this section with a quote from Dr. Warren Wiersbe:  “The providence of God is certainly remarkable (see Ps. 104).  In His wisdom and power, God supervises the whole universe and makes sure that His creatures are cared for.  ‘You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing’ (Ps. 145:16 NKJV).  We humans have a difficult time keeping the machinery of life operating successfully, but God runs the whole universe with such precision that we build our scientific laws on His creation.”

            Let us take a look at the lion and her cubs and the young ravens to see if Job knows how to feed them.  “39  "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40  When they crouch in their dens And lie in wait in their lair? 41  "Who prepares for the raven its nourishment When its young cry to God And wander about without food?”  (NASB)

            “39  “Can you stalk prey for a lioness  and satisfy the young lions’ appetites 40  as they lie in their dens  or crouch in the thicket? 41  Who provides food for the ravens  when their young cry out to God  and wander about in hunger?”  (NLT)

            Job would not know how to feed the lions or the ravens, but God programmed into them how to get their food and the raven will eat what the lion has left because that is how God planed it and how God programmed this into the creatures that He made.

            Last night, after a hard day’s work around the house, my wife and I sat down to watch a movie about a turtle that was born in the sands on a Florida beach.  We like to watch nature films, but have a problem with how the movie makers insert evolution into all of these types of movies.  The first thing you hear is the earth is 100 million years old.  This greatly upsets me because it is a lie from the evil one.  Evolution has been hatched by the devil in order to steer people away from God, for after all if the earth was a big accident and no one can explain how it got here then people will not have to be accountable to the God who created it.  This little turtle swam out into the Atlantic Ocean and went all the way to Europe finding food as she went and growing bigger.  It takes her a long to get over to the warm waters about Africa where she stays for a while, a long while.  After twenty-one years she returns to the warm waters of the Caribbean and then back to the same place where she was born.  She is now pregnant and goes on shore to lay her eggs and then goes back into the ocean and back to the Caribbean where she will live out the rest of her long life, coming back to lay eggs every three years or so.  The commentator said that it took her this long to return because she would not have been big enough or strong enough to live in the Caribbean because of the other wild life in the sea, and of course this stuff was programmed into her by her ancestors. WRONG!  God was the One who designed her and the One who caused her to live this life where she would travel some 9000 miles around the oceans before returning to give birth to her young where she was born. 

            We not go back to Job and look at chapter 30:1-4.  “1 ¶  "Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer? 2  "Can you count the months they fulfill, Or do you know the time they give birth? 3  "They kneel down, they bring forth their young, They get rid of their labor pains. 4  "Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field; They leave and do not return to them.”  (NASB)

            “1 ¶  “Do you know when the wild goats give birth?  Have you watched as deer are born in the wild? 2  Do you know how many months they carry their young?  Are you aware of the time of their delivery? 3  They crouch down to give birth to their young  and deliver their offspring. 4  Their young grow up in the open fields,  then leave home and never return.”

            God now asks Job about the birth of the wild goats and the deer.  He asks Job if he knows the gestation period of these two animals, but Job would not know that.  When a domestic animal like a sheep gives birth they can be helped by the shepherd, but not the wild goat or the deer.  When it is time for the young to leave then they know when to leave the care of the mother.

            Next is the wild donkey in verses 39:5-8:  “5  "Who sent out the wild donkey free? And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, 6  To whom I gave the wilderness for a home And the salt land for his dwelling place? 7  "He scorns the tumult of the city, The shoutings of the driver he does not hear. 8  "He explores the mountains for his pasture And searches after every green thing.”  (NASB)

            “5  “Who gives the wild donkey its freedom?  Who untied its ropes? 6  I have placed it in the wilderness;  its home is the wasteland. 7  It hates the noise of the city  and has no driver to shout at it. 8  The mountains are its pastureland,  where it searches for every blade of grass.”  (NLT)   

            The wild donkey will not be tamed but live out in the wilderness where God has placed it to live. It is a loner like the wild ox which is next described in verses 9-12:  “9  "Will the wild ox consent to serve you, Or will he spend the night at your manger? 10  "Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes, Or will he harrow the valleys after you? 11  "Will you trust him because his strength is great And leave your labor to him? 12  "Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain And gather it from your threshing floor?”  (NASB)  “9  “Will the wild ox consent to being tamed?  Will it spend the night in your stall? 10  Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow?  Will it plow a field for you? 11  Given its strength, can you trust it?  Can you leave and trust the ox to do your work? 12  Can you rely on it to bring home your grain  and deliver it to your threshing floor?”  (NLT)

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Now Job, asked the Lord, ‘If you can’t succeed with these animals, how do you expect to succeed when you meet Me in court?  How strong do you think you are?’”

            In verses 13-18 God will give Job a description about two birds in the KJV, but it is only translated as an ostrich in the NASB and other translations:  “13 ¶  "The ostriches’ wings flap joyously With the pinion and plumage of love, 14  For she abandons her eggs to the earth And warms them in the dust, 15  And she forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may trample them. 16  "She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned; 17  Because God has made her forget wisdom, And has not given her a share of understanding. 18  "When she lifts herself on high, She laughs at the horse and his rider.”  (NASB)

            “13 ¶  "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s? 14  For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the dust; 15  She forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may break them. 16  She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern, 17  Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding. 18  When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider.”  (NKJV)

            In the MacArthur Study Bible I looked up the note that is on verses 13-18 and this is what it says, “The silly ostrich that leaves her eggs on the ground lacks sense, God has not given her wisdom, She is almost a picture of Job, who is a mixture of foolishness and strength (V-18).”

            I can’t answer why the ostrich is compared to the stork in some version and not in others.

            We can see in these verses that describe some of the animals that God has created that they are different and do different things showing the verity of God’s creation, and also the wisdom and power, and also the strength of God.

            Let’s move on to the horse:  “19 ¶  "Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? 20  "Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible. 21  "He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He goes out to meet the weapons. 22  "He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; And he does not turn back from the sword. 23  "The quiver rattles against him, The flashing spear and javelin. 24  "With shaking and rage he races over the ground, And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet. 25  "As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ’Aha!’ And he scents the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.”  Job 39:19-25 (NASB)

            “¶  “Have you given the horse its strength  or clothed its neck with a flowing mane? 20  Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?  Its majestic snorting is terrifying! 21  It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength  when it charges out to battle. 22  It laughs at fear and is unafraid.  It does not run from the sword. 23  The arrows rattle against it,  and the spear and javelin flash. 24  It paws the ground fiercely  and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows. 25  It snorts at the sound of the horn.  It senses the battle in the distance.  It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.”  (NLT) 

            When you look at how God designed the horse you see a big body supported by such small legs, but the horse can run at speeds of 40mph.  It will go into battle when it needs to go and not be afraid.  The horse is a magnificent creature.

           

            We will not look at the last two creatures, the hawk and the eagle described in verses 26-30:  “26 ¶  "Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south? 27  "Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up And makes his nest on high? 28  "On the cliff he dwells and lodges, Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place. 29  "From there he spies out food; His eyes see it from afar. 30  "His young ones also suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he.’”  (NASB)

            “26 ¶  “Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar  and spread its wings toward the south? 27  Is it at your command that the eagle rises  to the heights to make its nest? 28  It lives on the cliffs,  making its home on a distant, rocky crag. 29  From there it hunts its prey,  keeping watch with piercing eyes. 30  Its young gulp down blood.  Where there’s a carcass, there you’ll find it.’’”

            God asks Job is because of your wisdom that the hawk migrates to the south, or that gives the eagles such great eye sight?  Job will speak in chapter forty, but will not answer any of the questions that God has asked him.

            A hawk can fly at speeds over 100 MPH, and the eagle cans see it pray from very high in the air as their eyesight is six times better than that of a human.  This is another example of the creativity of our wonderful Creator.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can’t help but see the same thing in these verses as I have been seeing in the verse before that are spoken by the Lord and that is humility.  I feel so very small after reading these verses, and I also feel very blessed to be a part of the family of God, knowing that one day I will see Him face to face.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

           

1.      Humility and contentment go hand in hand.

12/6/2011 7:38:07 AM

Part two of "Can You Explain My Creation"

12/5/2011 8:42:38 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                    Focus:  Can you explain my creation PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                      Reference:  Job 38:1-38

            Message of the verses:  We will pick up where we left off from the last SD and we will now look at the next eleven questions that will relate to the vast dimensions of creation.  The answers to these questions can be answered in today’s world by even school children, but in Job’s day that was not the case.  This section will cover verses 16-24 of Job 38.

            “16  "Have you entered into the springs of the sea Or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17  "Have the gates of death been revealed to you, Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18  "Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. 19  "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, 20  That you may take it to its territory And that you may discern the paths to its home? 21  "You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great! 22  "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23  Which I have reserved for the time of distress, For the day of war and battle? 24  "Where is the way that the light is divided, Or the east wind scattered on the earth?”  (NASB)

            “16  "Have you ever gotten to the true bottom of things, explored the labyrinthine caves of deep ocean? 17  Do you know the first thing about death? Do you have one clue regarding death’s dark mysteries? 18  And do you have any idea how large this earth is? Speak up if you have even the beginning of an answer. 19  "Do you know where Light comes from and where Darkness lives 20  So you can take them by the hand and lead them home when they get lost? 21  Why, of course you know that. You’ve known them all your life, grown up in the same neighborhood with them! 22  "Have you ever traveled to where snow is made, seen the vault where hail is stockpiled, 23  The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readiness for times of trouble and battle and war? 24  Can you find your way to where lightning is launched, or to the place from which the wind blows?”  (Message)

            God asks Job about the depths of the sea if he knew how deep the sea is and many other questions that Job could not answer.  We know today that the deepest part of the sea is found in the Pacific Ocean and it is 35,810 feet or 6.78 miles down.  God was asking these questions so that Job would lose his pride and repent of being proud, for Job was speaking to his friends like he knew all about God, but now he realizes that he does not know much about God.

            God asks if Job could calculate the reaches of the east and the west or if the horizons were too much for him to measure. (Verses 19-21) 

            We will now look at verses 25-28 and discover what Job knew about the rain:  “25 ¶  "Who has cleft a channel for the flood, Or a way for the thunderbolt, 26  To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a man in it, 27  To satisfy the waste and desolate land And to make the seeds of grass to sprout? 28  "Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?”  (NASB)

            “25 ¶  Who do you suppose carves canyons for the downpours of rain, and charts the route of thunderstorms 26  That bring water to unvisited fields, deserts no one ever lays eyes on, 27  Drenching the useless wastelands so they’re carpeted with wildflowers and grass? 28  And who do you think is the father of rain and dew.”  (Message)

            We know that God has a purpose for the rain and the storms, so He asks Job if he realized how God made all of this work, where the lightening was going to strike, where the rain was going to fall.  In verses 29-30 God asks Job if he could explain why He sends rain to the places where nobody lives, and then God turned from the spring and autumn rains to the winter hail and frost:  “29  The mother of ice and frost? 30  You don’t for a minute imagine these marvels of weather just happen, do you?”  (Message)  “29  "From whose womb has come the ice? And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth? 30  "Water becomes hard like stone, And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.”  (NASB)

            “31  "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion? 32  "Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites? 33  "Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth? 34  "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you?”  (NASB)

            “30  You don’t for a minute imagine these marvels of weather just happen, do you? 31  "Can you catch the eye of the beautiful Pleiades sisters, or distract Orion from his hunt? 32  Can you get Venus to look your way, or get the Great Bear and her cubs to come out and play? 33  Do you know the first thing about the sky’s constellations and how they affect things on Earth?”  (Message) 

            These verses speak of how the planets affect the earth.  I want to look a section from the book of Genesis that give us some insight into what is being spoken about here.  “14 ¶  Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15  and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16  God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17  God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18  and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19  There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.” (Genesis 1:14-19  NASB)

            We see from the highlighted portion above that the planets and the sun and the moon were made for signs and for seasons, for days and for years and also for lights.  It takes the earth one year to circle the sun and that is where we get our years from.  The sun and the moon and also the stars are lights and as the earth goes around the sun we see different stars at different times of the years.  This was how people who were sailing on ships could tell where they were before the age of satellites came about.  The earth is revolving and one revolution is one day and it is divided between day and night.  One question that is not really asked here is why is seven days measured as a week?  I believe the answer is because when you look at the creation week in Genesis one we see that it all took seven days to complete, including the seventh day when God rested from His work of creation.  Not that He was tired, but because His work was complete.

            “34  "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you? 35  "Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, ’Here we are’? 36  "Who has put wisdom in the innermost being Or given understanding to the mind? 37  "Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens, 38  When the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together?  (NASB)

            “34  “Can you shout to the clouds  and make it rain? 35  Can you make lightning appear  and cause it to strike as you direct? 36  Who gives intuition to the heart  and instinct to the mind? 37  Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?  Who can tilt the water jars of heaven 38  when the parched ground is dry  and the soil has hardened into clods?”  (NLT)

            In these verses God is asking questions on rain and clouds and who is in charge of making it rain.  Of course it is God, but He wants to know from Job how it is done.  So far there is no answer from Job, but he will speak eventually, but when he does it will be far different from when he was speaking to his friends, for Job will be a lot more humble after listening to God.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I get the feeling that if anyone would want an audience with God they would have gotten or would get the same questions and so since God has already asked Job all of these questions in order for Job to see that he knew little about God then no one else needs to go through what Job went through because it is already written there for us to read.  Humility is what is being taught to Job here and what I want to learn, and as I have said before that goes hand in hand with contentment.  I think that when all of this is over for Job and he begins to live his life afterwards that Job will be a man who is content.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.       Humility and contentment.

12/5/2011 9:41:08 AM