1 ¶ А ныне смеются надо мною младшие меня летами, те, которых отцов я не согласился бы поместить с псами стад моих. 2 И сила рук их к чему мне? Над ними уже прошло время. 3 Бедностью и голодом истощенные, они убегают в степь безводную, мрачную и опустевшую; 4 щиплют зелень подле кустов, и ягоды можжевельника-хлеб их. 5 Из общества изгоняют их, кричат на них, как на воров, 6 чтобы жили они в рытвинах потоков, в ущельях земли и утесов. 7 Ревут между кустами, жмутся под терном. 8 Люди отверженные, люди без имени, отребье земли! 9 Их-то сделался я ныне песнью и пищею разговора их. 10 Они гнушаются мною, удаляются от меня и не удерживаются плевать пред лицем моим. 11 Так как Он развязал повод мой и поразил меня, то они сбросили с себя узду пред лицем моим. 12 С правого боку встает это исчадие, сбивает меня с ног, направляет гибельные свои пути ко мне. 13 А мою стезю испортили: все успели сделать к моей погибели, не имея помощника. 14 Они пришли ко мне, как сквозь широкий пролом; с шумом бросились на меня.
15 ¶ Ужасы устремились на меня; как ветер, развеялось величие мое, и счастье мое унеслось, как облако. 16 И ныне изливается душа моя во мне: дни скорби объяли меня. 17 Ночью ноют во мне кости мои, и жилы мои не имеют покоя. 18 С великим трудом снимается с меня одежда моя; края хитона моего жмут меня. 19 Он бросил меня в грязь, и я стал, как прах и пепел. 20 Я взываю к Тебе, и Ты не внимаешь мне, -стою, а Ты только смотришь на меня. 21 Ты сделался жестоким ко мне, крепкою рукою враждуешь против меня. 22 Ты поднял меня и заставил меня носиться по ветру и сокрушаешь меня. 23 Так, я знаю, что Ты приведешь меня к смерти и в дом собрания всех живущих. 24 Верно, Он не прострет руки Своей на дом костей: будут ли они кричать при своем разрушении? 25 Не плакал ли я о том, кто был в горе? не скорбела ли душа моя о бедных? 26 Когда я чаял добра, пришло зло; когда ожидал света, пришла тьма. 27 Мои внутренности кипят и не перестают; встретили меня дни печали. 28 Я хожу почернелый, но не от солнца; встаю в собрании и кричу. 29 Я стал братом шакалам и другом страусам. 30 Моя кожа почернела на мне, и кости мои обгорели от жара. 31 И цитра моя сделалась унылою, и свирель моя-голосом плачевным.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Job Looks around at God's Judgment
11/25/2011 8:41:15 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Job looks around at God’s judgment
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 30
Message of the verses: We have to give credit to Job for not wanting to stay in the past, but looking at the reality of what is going on right now in his life. This is a sign of maturity for Job.
Dr. Wiersbe points out that there are five complaints that Job will bring up in chapter thirty that will parallel the joys that he had named in chapter twenty-nine, and we want to look at those five complaints in this SD. I will make a list of the complaints and give the parallel verses from chapter twenty-nine at the beginning of this SD, and then we will look at them.
1. “I have no respect” (30:1-15) (see 29:7-11)
2. “I have no blessing” (30:16-23) (see 29:2-6)
3. “I have no help)” (30:24-25) (see 29:12-17)
4. “I have no future” (30:26-28) (see 29:18-20)
5. “I have no ministry” (20:29-31) (see 29:21-25)
“I have no respect” (Job 30:1-15): “1 ¶ "But now those younger than I mock me, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. 2 "Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them. 3 "From want and famine they are gaunt Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation, 4 Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub. 5 "They are driven from the community; They shout against them as against a thief, 6 So that they dwell in dreadful valleys, In holes of the earth and of the rocks. 7 "Among the bushes they cry out; Under the nettles they are gathered together. 8 "Fools, even those without a name, They were scourged from the land. 9 "And now I have become their taunt, I have even become a byword to them. 10 "They abhor me and stand aloof from me, And they do not refrain from spitting at my face. 11 "Because He has loosed His bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off the bridle before me. 12 "On the right hand their brood arises; They thrust aside my feet and build up against me their ways of destruction. 13 "They break up my path, They profit from my destruction; No one restrains them. 14 "As through a wide breach they come, Amid the tempest they roll on. 15 Terrors are turned against me; They pursue my honor as the wind, And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.”
Job begins chapter thirty by saying “But now” which means that he is going to talk about something that is different and something that is not good.
What we seen in this section is actually a good picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ would go through when vial men would do similar things to Him as these vial men were doing to Job. Job did not realize that even though he was sitting on an ash heap in the eyes of the Lord Job had been promoted in the highest possible way. We look at Philippians 3:10 and this will help us understand that Job was actually sharing in the sufferings of Christ: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
“I have no blessing” (Job 30:26-23): “16 "And now my soul is poured out within me; Days of affliction have seized me. 17 "At night it pierces my bones within me, And my gnawing pains take no rest. 18 "By a great force my garment is distorted; It binds me about as the collar of my coat. 19 "He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes. 20 "I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me. 21 "You have become cruel to me; With the might of Your hand You persecute me. 22 "You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride; And You dissolve me in a storm. 23 "For I know that You will bring me to death And to the house of meeting for all living.”
In this section Job is surely making his complaints to God and he goes through some of the torments that he was facing every day and every night. He prays for relief, but no relief comes from God and then he surely believes that he is about to die (v-23). Job is in such intense pain that he does not believe that his life will last much longer, but it won’t be too long before he will change his mind.
“I have no hope” (Job 30 24-25): “24 "Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, Or in his disaster therefore cry out for help? 25 "Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?”
Job remembers all of the people that he had helped when he was able to help them, but now no one seems to want to help Job. I think that there were probably some people who was glad to see bad things happen to Job because of the fact that he was so rich and there were some who would be jealous over Job’s riches.
I also believe that Job has helped countless people who have read the book of Job and found themselves in similar positions and draw great comfort from his suffering and pain knowing that God saw him through this difficult time and believe that He will do the same for them.
Dr. Wiersbe give a quote from Mark Twain that goes along with this section: “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bit you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
What should our motives be when we help others, are we doing it so that they will someday help us in return? I believe that the answer to this should be no, but it is not always no. We help others who are in need because of the love of Christ that is in our hearts, knowing what Christ did for us on the cross was something we could never do for ourselves, and Christ’s motivation was His great love for us, and in the same way we should show love to others.
“I have not future” (Job 30:26-28): “26 "When I expected good, then evil came; When I waited for light, then darkness came. 27 "I am seething within and cannot relax; Days of affliction confront me. 28 "I go about mourning without comfort; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.”
We remember that in the last SD which covered chapter 29 Job though that he would live a long and prosperous life, but now he has changed his mind and it is because of what God is doing to him that he changes his mind. He says that he expected good and God sent evil, and he expected light and God sent darkness.
Hope is something that is very hard to live without, and yet Job had gotten to the point where he had lost his hope, and this was not a good thing.
“I have not ministry” (Job 30:29-31): “29 "I have become a brother to jackals And a companion of ostriches. 30 "My skin turns black on me, And my bones burn with fever. 31 "Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.”
Job in the past had many people who would listen to him, and he helped many people, but now he feels that that is over and he has become “a brother to jackals and a companion to ostriches.” The songs that are playing for Job now were songs of a funeral dirge, as Job has lost all hope.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I can truly say that I am happy to study the book of Job, for God has showed me things from this book that I may not have learned from any other book. I have a great deal of sympathy for Job and what he went through, and hopefully this will help me in helping others who are going through difficult times in their lives.
As I stated earlier that even through Job felt that his life was worthless at the time of his suffering, it was not for God was using it for His glory and for Job’s good, and also for those who would read and study the book of Job and learn things from it that would help them in times of trouble.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Trust the Lord even though times are difficult at this time, remembering Job’s experiences.
2. Continue to have a desire to learn contentment.
3. Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service today.
11/25/2011 9:49:49 AM
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Job looks back
11/24/2011 9:55:23 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Job looks back at life’s joys
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 29
Message of the verses: We begin a new chapter in the book of Job and also in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary, “Be Patient” and he entitles this chapter “I Rest My Case” which will cover Job 29-31. I have mentioned before that Wiersbe usually gives a kind of a preview at the beginning of his chapters to let his readers know what will be covered in the chapter and he does so in this chapter to which I wish to quote part of it so that we can understand where he is going with it.
He begins by saying that it looks like Job had given Zophar another chance to speak and must have waited for him to do so, but he declined so Job began his discourse again after some kind of a pause.
“In these three chapters, Job recalled the blessings of the past (Job 29), lamented the sufferings of the present (Job 30), and challenged God to vindicate him in the future (job 31). He climaxed his speech with sixteen ‘if I have…’ statements and put himself under oath, challenging God either to condemn him or vindicate him. It was as though Job were saying, ‘We’ve talked long enough! I really don’t care what you three men think, because God is my Judge; and I rest my case with Him. Now, let Him settle the matter one way or another, once and for all.’”
Job looks back at life’s joys (Job 29): “1 ¶ Job continued his discourse: 2 "How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, 3 when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! 4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, 5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, 6 when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.
“7 ¶ "When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, 8 the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; 9 the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands; 10 the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. 11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, 12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. 13 The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. 14 I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.
“18 ¶ "I thought, ‘I shall die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. 19 My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches. 20 My glory will remain fresh in me, the bow ever new in my hand.’ 21 "Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. 22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. 23 They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. 24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. 25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners.’” (NIV)
“1 ¶ І Йов далі вів мову свою та й сказав: 2 О, коли б я був той, як за місяців давніх, як за днів тих, коли боронив мене Бог, 3 коли над головою моєю світився світильник Його, і при світлі його я ходив в темноті, 4 як був я за днів тих своєї погожої осени, коли Божа милість була над наметом моїм, 5 коли Всемогутній зо мною ще був, а навколо мене мої діти, 6 коли мої кроки купалися в маслі, а скеля оливні струмки біля мене лила!…
7 ¶ Коли я виходив до брами при місті, і ставив на площі сидіння своє, 8 як тільки вбачали мене юнаки то ховались, а старші вставали й стояли, 9 зверхники стримували свою мову та клали долоню на уста свої, 10 ховався тоді голос володарів, а їхній язик приліпав їм був до піднебіння… 11 Бо яке ухо чуло про мене, то звало блаженним мене, і яке око бачило, то свідкувало за мене, 12 бо я рятував бідаря, що про поміч кричав, і сироту та безпомічного. 13 Благословення гинучого на мене приходило, а серце вдовиці чинив я співаючим! 14 Зодягавсь я у праведність, і вона зодягала мене, немов плащ та завій було право моє. 15 Очима я був для сліпого, а кривому ногами я був. 16 Бідарям я був батьком, суперечку ж, якої не знав, я досліджував. 17 Й я торощив злочинцеві щелепи, і виривав із зубів його схоплене.
18 ¶ І я говорив: Умру я в своєму гнізді, і свої дні я помножу, немов той пісок: 19 для води був відкритий мій корень, а роса зоставалась на вітці моїй… 20 Моя слава була при мені все нова, і в руці моїй лук мій відновлював силу. 21 Мене слухалися й дожидали, і мовчали на раду мою. 22 По слові моїм уже не говорили, і падала мова моя на них краплями. 23 І чекали мене, як дощу, і уста свої відкривали, немов на весінній той дощик… 24 Коли я, бувало, сміявся до них, то не вірили, та світла обличчя мого не гасили. 25 Вибирав я дорогу для них і сидів на чолі, і пробував, немов цар той у війську, коли тішить засмучених він! (Ukraine) I hope that someone who has been reading my blog will understand this translation.
We remember that when Job began his first speech that he said that he wished that he had not been born, and not near the end of his speeches he recalls the good times that he had. As believers we all go through good times and times that are not good and so it is good to remember that life is usually a series of ups and downs, but the Lord is in control and with us every step of the way even though at times it seems that he is a long way from us. The Psalmist wrote the following in Psalm 72:10-11 “10 Then I said, "It is my grief, That the right hand of the Most High has changed." 11 I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.”
We see that Job mentions that the happiest moments of his life were “the presence of the Lord,” which is found in verses 2-6. This shows that Job’s heart was surely right with the Lord as he has been saying all along.
Dr. Wiersbe points out that Job did wish that he were back in the prime of his life and then goes onto write the following: “If we focus so must on the glories of the past that we ignore the opportunities of the present, we may end up unprepared to meet the future. That future will come whether we like it or not. Few people eagerly anticipate old age and the special problems that it brings, but we can’t avoid it. It’s a proven fact that those who have the most birthdays live the longest, and those who live the longest become the oldest; and the old people eventually die.”
Henry Amiel wrote “To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.” I can say that this is statement is becoming more true to me each and every day.
In verses 7-11 Job mentioned the respect that he received when he would walk through the city. His third source of job came as he ministered to others and this is seen in verses 12-17. We must remember that Eliphaz had accused Job of not helping those who were in need of help, and now Job is talking of all the help that he gave to those in need.
Job speaks about his confidence in the future in verses 18-20 as the Lord was blessing him before the calamites came upon him. Job thought that this would last forever, but it did not and as written about above we all go through the ups and downs of life.
We will speak briefly on Job’s final source of joy that is seen in verses 21-25 and that is his privilege of speaking words of encouragement and help to others. There is a NT character that fits this description and his name is Barnabas who is called the “son of encouragement” in Acts 4:36.
We conclude by saying that Job enjoyed a rich and rewarding life, but at present this was all gone from him.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that all believers have gone through times which I will call “Job moments” and perhaps they have not been as severe as what Job went through at the time they were very difficult times.
In my life I have gone through some difficult times and I have learned that God is faithful, His Word is faithful and even though at times He sees distant to me He has promised never to leave me nor forsake me.
I believe that God has a plan for our lives and the end result of that plan is seen in Romans 8:29 where Paul writes “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (KJV)
“Бо кого Він передбачив, тих і призначив, щоб були подібні до образу Сина Його, щоб Він був перворідним поміж багатьма братами.” (UKRAINE)
As we look at the book of Job we will see that God never did give an explanation to Job as far as why all of this happened to him, for God is sovereign and does not have to give reasons for why He does things, but God is also good and love so we can trust Him in those difficult times of our lives. Paul went through some difficult times too as he writes about in 2Cor. 11 and 12. He makes a statement in chapter twelve that has always been a comfort to me: “"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Be thankful to the Lord for all of His wonderful blessings for today is “Thanksgiving.”
2. Continue to learn contentment from all of the ups and downs of life.
11/24/2011 11:31:56 AM
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Job Seeks God's Wisdom
11/23/2011 8:02:30 PM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Job seeks wisdom
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 28
Message of the verses: In today’s SD we will look at the 28th chapter of Job and we will look at Job seeking wisdom as the main point and under that main point we will look at three sub-points.
You cannot mine wisdom(Job 28:1-11): “1 ¶ "Surely there is a mine for silver And a place where they refine gold. 2 "Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock. 3 "Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow. 4 "He sinks a shaft far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men. 5 "The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire. 6 "Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold. 7 "The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it. 8 "The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9 "He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base. 10 "He hews out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious. 11 "He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light.” (NASB)
“1 ¶ Truly there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is washed out. 2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire. 3 Man puts an end to the dark, searching out to the farthest limit the stones of the deep places of the dark. 4 He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord. 5 As for the earth, bread comes out of it; but under its face it is turned up as if by fire. 6 Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. 7 No bird has knowledge of it, and the hawk’s eye has never seen it. 8 The great beasts have not gone over it, and the cruel lion has not taken that way. 9 Man puts out his hand on the hard rock, overturning mountains by the roots. 10 He makes deep ways, cut through the rock, and his eye sees everything of value. 11 He keeps back the streams from flowing, and makes the secret things come out into the light.” (BBE) (Bible in Basis English)
Charles H. Spurgeon said “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as the knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” Job’s friends did not have this quality and Job was looking for wisdom, but he was not too sure where to find it.
In these first eleven verses we see that wisdom cannot be mined. We can look in such passages as Pr. 2:1-10; 3:13-15; 8:10-21; 1Cor. 3:12-23 and see that precious metals and precious stones are used as symbols of wisdom. Paul describes in 1Cor. 3:11-13 the following, “11 ¶ For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.” The precious things have to be mined at great risk to those who undertake the task, while things like wood, hay, and stubble are found on top of the earth and can be gotten at little risk.
The Bible is full of treasures but it is like a deep mine. Dr. Wiersbe writes, “the believer must put forth effort to discover its riches. It takes careful reading and study, prayer, meditation, and obedience to mine the treasures of the Word of God; and the Holy Spirit of God is willing to assist us. Why are we so negligent when this great wealth lies so near at hand?
You cannot buy wisdom (Job 28:12-19): “12 "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 "Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14 "The deep says, ’It is not in me’; And the sea says, ’It is not with me.’ 15 "Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price. 16 "It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire. 17 "Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. 18 "Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. 19 "The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.” (NASB)
“12 “But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? 13 No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living. 14 ’It is not here,’ says the ocean. ’Nor is it here,’ says the sea. 15 It cannot be bought with gold. It cannot be purchased with silver. 16 It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli. 17 Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. 18 Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies. 19 Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold.”
In our society many think that money is the answer to everyone’s problems so money is thrown at all kinds of things to help solve great problems. I know that a certain amount of money is needed to live on, but money is not the answer to all of life’s problems and issues. Dr. Wiersbe writes, “It’s good to enjoy the things money can buy (1Timothy 6:17) if you don’t lose the things that money can’t buy.” The last part of that statement is probably the most important part of that statement.
Job mentions gold, silver and many precious stones in this part of his speech, but he says that all of them put together cannot purchase wisdom. Proverbs 3:15, “She (Wisdom) is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Wisdom comes only from God (Job 28:20-28): “20 ¶ "Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? 21 "Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky. 22 "Abaddon and Death say, ’With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ 23 "God understands its way, And He knows its place. 24 "For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. 25 "When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure, 26 When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt, 27 Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. 28 "And to man He said, ’Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’” (NASB)
“20 ¶ “But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it. 22 Destruction and Death say, ’We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’ 23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, 24 for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. 25 He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. 26 He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. 27 Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. 28 And this is what he says to all humanity: ’The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’” (NLT)
We can see in this section that Job indeed has wisdom, for Job said the same thing that Solomon said and also the Psalmist said and that is that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Job speaks of wisdom not being found up where the birds fly or down in the earth, but Job also speaks of how wise God is in creation and sustaining of the earth in this section.
Dr. Wiersbe writes these important words, “What is the fear of the Lord? It is loving reverence for God, who He is, what He says, and what He does (Mal. 2:5-6). It is not a fear that paralyzes, but one that energizes. When you fear the Lord, you obey His commandments (Eccl. 12:13), walk in His ways (Deu. 8:6), and serve Him (Josh. 24:14). You are loyal to Him and give Him wholehearted service (2Chron. 19:9). Like Job, when you fear the Lord, you depart from evil (Prov. 3:7-8). The ‘fear of the Lord’ is the fear that conquers fear (Ps. 112); for if you fear God, you need not fear anyone else (Matt. 10:26-31).”
Personal pride is a the greatest barrier to spiritual wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.” We must have a reverent and respectful attitude toward God, and that is the first step in gaining wisdom. The next step is to ask God for wisdom as James writes in James 1:5. When we ask for wisdom James does writes some qualifications: “5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” We are not to doubt or be double minded. What is being double minded about? Well suppose we ask God for some wisdom to answer a problem that we have and we know in our hearts that God has spoken to our hearts perhaps through His Word, of through a message that we have heard, of even through a friend we ask to help us. We know what the right answer is but we do something else, something we want to do and that is being double minded.
1Cor. 11:24 teaches us that we must focus on Christ for Col. 2:3 shows us that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ. Dr. Wiersbe writes “We must allow the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our heart so we can see God in His Word and understand more of the riches we have in Christ (Eph. 1:15-23)”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: There is nothing else that I can say that is my spiritual meaning for my life today than to continue to seek wisdom from the Lord to live a life that will be pleasing to Him, to bring honor and glory to Him in all that I do. I know that I am far from this, but I must keep seeking it.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Seek Wisdom from above.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Abide in the vine.
4. Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.
5. Put on the Spiritual armor.
6. Pray when being tempted.
11/23/2011 9:15:17 PM
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Job Questions God's Justice
11/22/2011 7:22:09 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Job questions God’s justice
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 27:1-23
Message of the verses: Today’s SD will look at the third main point from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary and there are three sub-points under this third main point which we will take one at a time.
Job takes and oath (Job 27:1-6): “1 ¶ Then Job continued his discourse and said, 2 "As God lives, who has taken away my right, And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul, 3 For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils, 4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly, Nor will my tongue mutter deceit. 5 "Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 "I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days.” (NASB)
“1 ¶ Having waited for Zophar, Job now resumed his defense: 2 "God-Alive! He’s denied me justice! God Almighty! He’s ruined my life! 3 But for as long as I draw breath, and for as long as God breathes life into me, 4 I refuse to say one word that isn’t true. I refuse to confess to any charge that’s false. 5 There is no way I’ll ever agree to your accusations. I’ll not deny my integrity even if it costs me my life. 6 I’m holding fast to my integrity and not loosening my grip—and, believe me, I’ll never regret it.” (Message)
Before we begin with this first sub-section we must remember what Bildad had said in Job 24:4-6, “4 The poor are pushed off the path; the needy must hide together for safety. 5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor must spend all their time looking for food, searching even in the desert for food for their children. 6 They harvest a field they do not own, and they glean in the vineyards of the wicked.’” (NLT) Bildad is saying that since God is holy no man can stand righteous in His sight. Dr. Wiersbe writes “The corollary (consequence) to this proposition is that God is obligated to punish people for their sins; otherwise, He would not be a righteous God. If Job is suffering, it must be that Job is sinning.”
Job has spoken of his integrity before but now he gives an oath “As God lives.” Where Job lived and the time that he lived in and giving an oath meant that he was saying that if it were not true then God could kill him that is how sure he was that he was speaking the truth.
Job still felt that God was not treating him fairly, and that the heavens were silent and that there was no one to be his empire, so Job would declare his innocence and maintain his integrity. He was not going to lie just to please his friends, and he was not going to “bribe” God into restoring his fortunes. “I’m holding fast to my integrity and not loosening my grip—and, believe me, I’ll never regret it.” (Job 27:6 Message)
Job utters a curse (Job 27:7-10): “7 ¶ "Let my enemy be exposed as wicked! Let my adversary be proven guilty! 8 What hope do people without God have when life is cut short? when God puts an end to life? 9 Do you think God will listen to their cry for help when disaster hits? 10 What interest have they ever shown in the Almighty? Have they ever been known to pray before?” (Message)
“7 ¶ "May my enemy be as the wicked And my opponent as the unjust. 8 "For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, When God requires his life? 9 "Will God hear his cry When distress comes upon him? 10 "Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call on God at all times?” (NASB)
“#7-10 Job looked upon the condition of a hypocrite and a wicked man, to be most miserable. If they gained through life by their profession, and kept up their presumptuous hope till death, what would that avail when God required their souls? The more comfort we find in our religion, the more closely we shall cleave to it. Those who have no delight in God, are easily drawn away by the pleasures, and easily overcome by the crosses of this life.” This is Matthew Henry’s commentary on Job 27:7-10.
Dr. Wiersbe in his commentary says that Job felt compelled to call down the wrath of God on those who said they were guilty. “He goes on to compare what Job said here with the “imprecatory psalms” (Psalms 58, 69, 137, etc.) in that they are a prayer for God’s judgment on his enemies.”
The question is who are Job’s enemies? The answer is that anyone who was agreeing with those three “friends” that are with Job, and they all deserved punishment from God. It is possible that while all these conversations that were going on that there may have been a crowd that were there listening to it and probably most of them would side with Job’s friends and this may have been the reason for Job’s comments here.
I want to mention two things here before going on to the next sub-point. First we have to remember that Job lived before the Mosaic Law was given, and long before the Sermon on the Mount was given. Second we have to remember that two times in the court of heaven that God declared Job as “a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.”
Job teaches a lesson (Job 27:11-23): “11 ¶ "I will instruct you in the power of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 12 "Behold, all of you have seen it; Why then do you act foolishly? 13 "This is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty. 14 "Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread. 15 "His survivors will be buried because of the plague, And their widows will not be able to weep. 16 "Though he piles up silver like dust And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay, 17 He may prepare it, but the just will wear it And the innocent will divide the silver. 18 "He has built his house like the spider’s web, Or as a hut which the watchman has made. 19 "He lies down rich, but never again; He opens his eyes, and it is no longer. 20 "Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night. 21 "The east wind carries him away, and he is gone, For it whirls him away from his place. 22 "For it will hurl at him without sparing; He will surely try to flee from its power. 23 "Men will clap their hands at him And will hiss him from his place.” (NASB)
“11 ¶ "I’ve given you a clear account of God in action, suppressed nothing regarding God Almighty. 12 The evidence is right before you. You can all see it for yourselves, so why do you keep talking nonsense? 13 "I’ll quote your own words back to you: "’This is how God treats the wicked, this is what evil people can expect from God Almighty: 14 Their children—all of them—will die violent deaths; they’ll never have enough bread to put on the table. 15 They’ll be wiped out by the plague, and none of the widows will shed a tear when they’re gone. 16 Even if they make a lot of money and are resplendent in the latest fashions, 17 It’s the good who will end up wearing the clothes and the decent who will divide up the money. 18 They build elaborate houses that won’t survive a single winter. 19 They go to bed wealthy and wake up poor. 20 Terrors pour in on them like flash floods—a tornado snatches them away in the middle of the night, 21 A cyclone sweeps them up—gone! Not a trace of them left, not even a footprint. 22 Catastrophes relentlessly pursue them; they run this way and that, but there’s no place to hide— 23 Pummeled by the weather, blown to kingdom come by the storm.’” (Message)
I wish to begin this section with a quote from John MacArthur’s study Bible on verse eleven: “I will instruct you in the power of God. Job had pinpointed the issue between him and his friends. They disagreed on the outworking of God’s retribution. They agreed that God was powerful, wise, and sovereign. But because Job knew there was no cherished sin in his life that would bring upon him such intense suffering, Job was forced to conclude that the simplistic notion—that all suffering comes from sin and all righteousness is rewarded—was wrong. At the outset, Job himself probably believed as the comforters still did, but he had seen that his friends’ limitation of God’s action was drastically in need of revision; in fact, it was nonsense. Job’s comments here introduced his exposition on wisdom which follows in Job 28.”
Job seems to be saying here that when God vindicates him the following will be what happens to his enemies, and then he goes on to speak about what would happen to them in verses 12-23.
One of the reasons that I have included the “Message” in my SD’s is because it makes it easier to understand some of these difficult passages. The “Message” is not a true translation of the Bible; it is like the “Living Bible.” When you read verses 12-23 you will see what Job believes will happen to his enemies or for that matter for all wicked people.
In many of the speeches that Job’s friends gave to him you will see that they were saying that many of the things Job is describing here would happen to him, and now Job turns the tables on them. They may want to begin to watch what they are saying, for the things that they are saying may just happen to them.
One last quote from Dr. Wiersbe on verse twenty-three: “Scholars do not agree on the interpretation of Job 27:23. The NASB reads, ‘Men will clap their hands ant him and will his him from his place,’ and most translations agree with that; but the word men is not in the original text. It simply reads, ‘He claps his hands against him.’ Who is ‘he?’ Elmer B. Smick in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary suggests that it might be God, and that verse 23 should be connected with verse 13 where ‘God’ is the subject of the sentence (vol. 4, p. 972). He translates verse 23, ‘He claps his hands against them and hisses at them from his dwelling (heaven).’ Whether God or men, there is rejoicing at the destruction of the wicked.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I want to be content that the Lord will judge the wicked in His time and in His way. As I look around the world and see much wickedness I know in my heart that because of the justice of God that someday God will judge these wicked people, and I must admit that from time to time that I wish that He would hurry up and do it but then I also realize that God has a plan and nothing will get in the way of His plan.
Most of all I am elated that the punishment that I deserve was taken out on the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. I marvel at this: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is 2Cor. 5:21 and to me it is one of the greatest verses in all of Scripture, and it also is one of the most unbelievable verses too because it just does not make sense that God would do that, but praise the Lord He has and I will be eternal grateful for the results of this verse.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Ps. 139:23-24.
2. Romans 12:1-2.
3. Eph. 6:10-18.
4. Phil. 4:11b.
5. Luke 33:40b & 46b.
6. Proverbs 3:5-6.
7. 1Cor. 10:13. 11/22/2011 8:58:21 AM
Monday, November 21, 2011
Job Acknowledges God's Power
11/21/2011 9:04:51 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Job acknowledges God’s Power
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 26:1-14
Message of the verses: “1 ¶ Then Job responded, 2 "What a help you are to the weak! How you have saved the arm without strength! 3 "What counsel you have given to one without wisdom! What helpful insight you have abundantly provided! 4 "To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed through you?
“5 ¶ "The departed spirits tremble Under the waters and their inhabitants. 6 "Naked is Sheol before Him, And Abaddon has no covering. 7 "He stretches out the north over empty space And hangs the earth on nothing. 8 "He wraps up the waters in His clouds, And the cloud does not burst under them. 9 "He obscures the face of the full moon And spreads His cloud over it. 10 "He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters At the boundary of light and darkness. 11 "The pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke. 12 "He quieted the sea with His power, And by His understanding He shattered Rahab. 13 "By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. 14 "Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?’” (NASB)
“1 ¶ Job answered: 2 "Well, you’ve certainly been a great help to a helpless man! You came to the rescue just in the nick of time! 3 What wonderful advice you’ve given to a mixed-up man! What amazing insights you’ve provided! 4 Where in the world did you learn all this? How did you become so inspired?
“5 ¶ "All the buried dead are in torment, and all who’ve been drowned in the deep, deep sea. 6 Hell is ripped open before God, graveyards dug up and exposed. 7 He spreads the skies over unformed space, hangs the earth out in empty space. 8 He pours water into cumulus cloud-bags and the bags don’t burst. 9 He makes the moon wax and wane, putting it through its phases. 10 He draws the horizon out over the ocean, sets a boundary between light and darkness. 11 Thunder crashes and rumbles in the skies. Listen! It’s God raising his voice! 12 By his power he stills sea storms, by his wisdom he tames sea monsters. 13 With one breath he clears the sky, with one finger he crushes the sea serpent. 14 And this is only the beginning, a mere whisper of his rule. Whatever would we do if he really raised his voice!’”
Job is rebuking Bildad in the first four verses of this chapter, for Job is looking for someone to help him out but none of his friends are doing that. In verse four Job is asking the question “where did you get you information?” If he had gotten it from God then it would have helped job out, but since he did not get it from God it was no help to Job at all.
In verses five and six Job is saying that God is so powerful that He can actually see what is going on in realm of the dead. Job actually uses three different names for the place of the dead: we see him using the “waters” (V-5), and then he uses “Sheol” (v-6), and finally he uses the word “destruction” in verse six which is translated as Abaddon in the NASB. This word is also used in Revelations 9:11 “They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.”
We see in verses 7-9 Job speaking about the creation of God and the fact that not only does God see everything, and made everything, but He controls everything. Job shows remarkable scientific accuracy in verse seven as he tells that God hung the earth on nothing. I wonder how Job knew all of this, but perhaps it had been passed down from Adam to others and then Job heard of it too.
Job now begins to speak about the earth in verses 10-11 and even praises God for making out the horizon where we see the sun rise and set, for by doing this God controls the day and the night, the land and the waters.
In his commentary on this section of Job, Dr. Wiersbe calls it a hymn of praise to God for his marvelous creation, and in the last stanza of this hymn (verses 12-13) Job speaks of the waters. God can stir up the waters if He desires for He can cause storms to come about which will stir up the waters. He is the One who designed the clouds to hold the water, but even when they are so heavy at times they do not drop their water.
Job friends knew the things that Job is speaking of, but the problem is that they did not draw the correct conclusions from these things. His friends thought because they saw God’s hand in nature that they could explain God to Job, but they could not.
We now want to look at verse fourteen as this verse does not fit into the hymn that Job had been using in verses 5-13. Job is saying to his friends that in nature we can only see the “fringes” of God’s power (v-14 NASB).
Dr. Wiersbe quotes a 14th century British spiritual writer, Richard Rolle in his commentary and here is his quote,” He truly knows God perfectly that finds Him incomprehensible and unable to be known.” We can read and study the Word of God, but in the end we will find that there are still things about God that we don’t know. This is why one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible is Deuteronomy 29:29, and I know that I have mentioned this before, but it fits into this portion of Job very well. “GOD, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It’s up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation.” (Message) “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (AV)
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that as I am going through the book of Job that one of the reasons that I am struggling with it at times is because I see myself in different places of this book and do not really like what I am seeing. One of those things is being a better counselor to those who are having troubles, to have greater compassion for the hurting. I have been talking to the Lord about what I have been learning about myself in this book, asking Him to change me to be more like His Son (Romans 8:29), to continue to teach me contentment as I go through life, for I truly believe that this is one of the greatest things that a person can learn. To know that God is in charge of all things, and that God has a plan for this world, and also has a plan for my life. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 “Webster”).
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Psalm 139:23-24.
2. Romans 12:1-2.
3. Ephesians 6:10-18.
4. 1Cor. 10:13.
5. Luke 22:40b & 46b.
6. Proverbs 3:5-6.
11/21/2011 10:09:37 AM
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