Tag Archives: Job

Apr 4 2013

Job 12 – Job Replies: The Lord Has Done This

Verse 2 (“No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you”), rather than being flattery, is obvious sarcasm on Job’s part concerning his wise friends.  He already knows, he tells them, about God’s great power and goodness; and he tells them in verse 3 that “I am not inferior to you.”   Job seems to have had enough of their self-righteous speeches about their supposed insight into the wisdom of the ages and the wisdom of God Himself.

whale-001Concerning Job’s description of his treatment by his neighbors in verses 4-5, Coffman comments “he truly spoke of a universal trait of our fallen human nature, namely, that of despising the unfortunate.”  He again disputes his friends’ assertions in verse 6 by pointing out that thieves and other ungodly people do enjoy peace and prosperity.

He then points them toward the animal kingdom, nature, and even the rest of mankind.  Gentle creatures, lush forests, and righteous men are not favored by God with abundance over predators, weeds, or evil dictators. Princes, kings, and even great nations can rise quickly and just as easily fall.  God, Job points out, controls all nature and everything on the earth.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Mar 14 2013

Job 9 – Jesus is our Arbiter

Job concedes the point that God does not punish the righteous and even that he has had sin in his life.  But he is compelled to point out that all men have sinned, and he still contends that he can think of none that warrant such harshness toward him, nor can he think of any for which he has not repented.  Anyway, he says, nobody could argue with Him about it.

Georges de La Tour,Job Mocked by his Wife

Georges de La Tour,
Job Mocked by his Wife

He acknowledges God’s awesome power at great length, ascribing His ability to command nature even in the form of great earthquakes, His creation of the heavens and the earth – even mentioning constellations in verse 9.  But he wonders in verse 22 if God is fair.  He believes it would be pointless for him to even try to bear his burden without complaint, for more misery is surely to come.  He sees no reason for it to ever stop because he sees no reason for it to have even begun in the first place (verses 27-31). His wife had not even stood with him.  But Job is hanging on to his integrity, as he feels it is all he has left.

As he points out in verse 33 that there is nobody to serve as an arbiter, one cannot help but see that the scripture is pointing us to Jesus.  Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”   This is the crux of Jesus as the Messiah and our High Priest as prophesied in Psalm 110, and as the Hebrew writer said in Hebrews 4:14-16:

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 28 2013

Job 7 – Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope

This is one of the more difficult chapters to read in the book of Job, as we get some sense of Job’s current suffering.  He speaks of his skin healing, and then breaking out afresh; and he describes what could very well be some type parasitic influence as well (verse 5).  He transitions from speaking to his friends, to speaking of God in the third person, to speaking directly to God.

seaHe considers the extent of his suffering to be so great that he asks God if He regards him as large of a threat as a sea monster or the seal itself, so that he needs to be afflicted in this manner to “set a guard” over him.  He has come to believe, clearly, that it is God’s will for him to suffer, and wonders aloud why He won’t forgive whatever transgression Job might be guilty of doing.  Job’s suffering has brought him to the point of losing hope and he again wishes for death to overtake him.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Feb 21 2013

Job 6 – Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

Job begins his response to Eliphaz with the contention that his vexations far outweigh what Eliphaz characterizes as rashness of words on his part.  For the first time, he seems to agree that God must be the author his troubles, but for what he does not know.  And furthermore, he contends, even the wild donkey is allowed to bray at his discomfort, so what is man that he should not be allowed to do the same?

Job and friends 03In verses 8-13, he re-affirms his wish that God would just crush him – end his life.  His conscience is clean and he has nothing to fear in death, so why will God not take him home (verse 11).  In verses 14-23, he then turns to his friends.  They showed up for him physically, yet gave him not an ounce of sympathy.  In verse 14, he even declared that such sympathy and kindness should be extended even to one who had forsaken God – but Eliphaz especially had already let him down.  In verses 15-19, Job accuses his friends of being fair-weather in nature.  They were kind and loyal in his prosperity, but now that he was struck down with suffering, they rejected him.

Verse 21 was his way of saying that his friends were worthless as far as being any comfort to him.  He then accuses them of being afraid that if they show any compassion on him, they will be struck by God like Job.  Then in verses 24 -30, he demands that they show him where he has done wrong.  Verse 29 seems to indicate that his friends are about to get up and leave, but Job pleads with them not to abandon him, for he had done no wickedness deserving of such treatment.

Better to have the company of those who seem to care in some measure than none at all, one supposes.  But Job wants more from these friends.  Will he get what he needs?

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 31 2013

Job 3 – Whatever I dread befalls me

Job finally breaks the silence of the last week as it would seem he can no longer bear it.    We have no way of knowing what has been going through his mind in the last week, but surely he has been tempted to turn his anger toward God.  Still, he does not sin and curse God, as God  in His wisdom already knew he would not.  True enough that he did greatly lament his own birth, but even the great prophet Jeremiah did so (Jeremiah 20:14-18) in his sorrow over his persecution.

Still, it is all too easy for us to be tempted to judge Job and others, for who among us has not himself suffered?  And is our suffering not just as severe for us at times?  When we have been hurt, do we cry out and long for death?  If we do not, does that make our grief and pain less significant?

We all do suffer – some more than others – at times, and if we are truthful, as great as our pain may be; and as bad as it may get for many of us, it is doubtful that we go through the degree of anguish and pain that Job has already experienced in the first two chapters of this book.

Job's happy days.

Job’s happy days.

But who is anyone else to judge this, and what yardstick will they use to do so?  That of what we read of Job – or (more likely) their own?  We will get to know Job’s friends much better in the coming days, but if you cut through all of the criticism that we and others direct at those friends (and truly they will show their own flaws as well), we should not lose sight of the fact that they came and stayed with Job when he was at his lowest, spoke not a word until he spoke, and only now will speak as they believe they may be able to help him understand why these terrible things have happened to him – as well how he might “fix it.”

Our desire to think of ourselves as compassionate, and “being there” for our friends as Job’s three friends are there is admirable, but we must not presume to “know how they feel.”  No matter how seemingly large or small the trial or pain, no two people handle grief, depression, or pain in the same way.  All Job knows, is that when all that he has lost began to go wrong, it just kept coming!  And his worst fears and dreads became realized again and again (verse 25-26):

“For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Re: Job 2:10 “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”  He epitomized Jesus’ words; and with of all their faults, Job’s friends did show compassion, for as much as he still obeyed Matthew 22:37 (cited from Deuteronomy 6:5), they demonstrated their love for him as in Matthew 22:39: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jan 24 2013

Job 2 ( or Just When You Thought Things Were Bad Enough…)

"Job covered in boils" - from Martin Luther's Bible

“Job covered in boils” – from Martin Luther’s Bible

The opening of the second chapter of Job is exactly as written in Job 1:6-8.  These encounters between God and Satan, especially when one interjects the “sons of God,” are the subject of lots of varying interpretations among commentators; and trying to sort through those may well overwhelm you as much as it does this blogger.  Some see these “sons of God” as angels, and some see them as worshipers.  It is pointed out that in no part of the scriptures does it say that these events take place in heaven.  The righteous are said to come before the Lord every time we worship him.  It is also true that Jesus said that the angels see the face of God every day (Matthew 18:10), so they would hardly need to “present” themselves before Him.

Matthew Poole saw these encounters between God and Satan as parabolic, and it is also possible that he could be partially right about that.   But the question in the end is – Does it really matter?  Okay so here, admittedly, is one more opinion.  <Insert disclaimer here> The discourse between God and Satan is told in the word of God by His inspired writer, just as a prophet would tell us in a book that is both history and poetry.

The conversations between God and Satan in Job have three purposes in my view.  First, they tell us that Satan is a real adversary.  (“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8).   Secondly, they serve to demonstrate that although God does not cause us to suffer, it is not His will to prevent evil from be-falling us at all times.  Third,  they assure us that Satan’s power is not unlimited.  God does have dominion over him.

So Satan struck Job with “loathsome sores” (some versions say “boils”) literally from head to toe.  Attempts have been made to assign a medical condition using the description of the breath and other symptoms in other chapters.  But again, does it matter?  The point is that he was in so much agony that he was using broken pottery to “scrape” himself (verse 8).  And he was so disfigured that his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who we will get to know better) did not even recognize him, cried when they saw how bad he really was, and sat with him for a week without anyone even speaking.

The question of why Satan did not take the life of Job’s wife is answered in verse nine, as she tries to persuade Job to curse God, to give up, and to take his own life.

We will resume Job’s story next Thursday.  I think I need me some Psalms and Proverbs before then.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.