Job continued his monologue from chapter 26 into Job 27.
I've linked to the NIV-UK. I've never tried that version so I thought I would today!
Interestingly, the NIV-UK laid out the text a little differently by breaking it up into sections. This sectioning isn't apparent in the online version of the NIV. I got my hardback edition of the NIV Study BIble and I noticed the spacing is a little bit larger between the sections and those spacings track with the NIV-UK online edition.
I didn't notice any obvious "Britishism!"
vv. 1-6
And Job continued his discourse:
As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,
as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit.
I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
I can only say that Job is a transparent soul here as he has been throughout. With one hand, he acknowledges God is the source of his life "the breath of God in my nostrils," is powerful by calling him "the Almighty" and is present, "as surely as God lives." And on the other hand, he complained bitterly by saying God "has denied me justice" and "has made made me taste bitterness of soul."
He laid it all on the line in this paragraph in essence saying, my conscience is clear and my hands are clean as far as I can tell and I'm not caving into your suggestions that I am suffering because I sinned somewhere somehow.
vv. 7-10
May my enemies be like the wicked, my adversaries like the unjust!
For what hope has the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
Does God listen to his cry when distress comes upon him?
Will he find delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?
My NIV Study Bible notes for this section suggested that Job is calling his friends enemies and calling down judgement on them. Perhaps. Probably so.
I think Job may also be stating in reverse what he believes with the rhetorical questions.
Put another way: I do have hope because I'm trying to follow God even as my life is draining away. God does listen to my cry amidst this distress. I am still trying to find delight in God and I will keep calling on him even if it is to complain!
vv. 11-12
I will teach you about the power of God; the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.
You have all seen this yourselves. Why then this meaningless talk?
By Job's words and unwillingness to cave in to "conventional wisdom" he is teaching his friends what a real relationship with God looks like.
vv. 13-23
Here is the fate God allots to the wicked, the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:
However many his children, their fate is the sword; his offspring will never have enough to eat.
The plague will bury those who survive him, and their widows will not weep for them.
Though he heaps up silver like dust and clothes like piles of clay,
what he lays up the righteous will wear, and the innocent will divide his silver.
The house he builds is like a moth's cocoon, like a hut made by a watchman.
He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest snatches him away in the night.
The east wind carries him off, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power.
It claps its hands in derision and hisses him out of his place.
In 10 lines, Job layed out vividly what will happen to the wicked. What does a person possess? He described family, possession and sense of self. The wicked will lose all of it.
Job has lost family. Job lost his wealth. Job lost his health. But the one thing he still has: his sense of self before God.
So the righteous can lose almost as much as the wicked. But oh what a difference that one thing makes.
Lord, have mercy on my soul. How much of my sense of self is in stuff that can be taken away? I confess far too much. Help me to cast myself at your feet and ask for help in keeping the right perspective on my life. I have so much living here in the USA. I'm grateful for that. But help me not to be blinded from where my life truly comes from and has its meaning. Christ have mercy on my soul. Amen.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Job 26
In Job 26, Job spoke.
Then Job replied:
How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight you have displayed!
Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?
Job took Bildad to the woodshed here saying what he said was simply not helpful.
After dismissing Bildad, Job turned to the existential reality of all human beings.
The dead are in deep anguish,
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
Death is naked before God;
Destruction lies uncovered.
Is this a hint of afterlife theology?
If the dead have no existence (i.e. the body dies there is nothing left) then would they feel anguish?
And the construction of these lines of poetry paints a picture of a collection of those who have died who "live" (exist?) "beneath the waters" in a nether world?
Job, for a guy who had been ranting at God, extols God's power.
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
image source: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap971026.html
Only a few hundred astronauts have seen the Earth suspended over nothing!
He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
Huh? Cut Rahab to pieces?
Turns out Job has used this imagery before in Job 9:13. The text notes in the NIV Study Bible says that it is a reference to an ancient mythological sea monster! The Jewish online encyclopedia offered this information about Rahab.
And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?
Our ability to understand God and the things of God are limited!
We are so busy with our lives that we occasionally note his whisper. What would we comprehend if God raised the volume? It would be like trying to drink from a fire hose.
Lord, have mercy. Great are your works we can see in the creation a reflection of your glory. Thank you that you whisper so I can understand some things. Help me to submit to you in humility knowing you know far more about the ways of the universe. And what faint whispers in my frailty I manage to hear, help me to act upon. Amen.
Then Job replied:
How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight you have displayed!
Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?
Job took Bildad to the woodshed here saying what he said was simply not helpful.
After dismissing Bildad, Job turned to the existential reality of all human beings.
The dead are in deep anguish,
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
Death is naked before God;
Destruction lies uncovered.
Is this a hint of afterlife theology?
If the dead have no existence (i.e. the body dies there is nothing left) then would they feel anguish?
And the construction of these lines of poetry paints a picture of a collection of those who have died who "live" (exist?) "beneath the waters" in a nether world?
Job, for a guy who had been ranting at God, extols God's power.
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
image source: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap971026.html
Only a few hundred astronauts have seen the Earth suspended over nothing!
He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
Huh? Cut Rahab to pieces?
Turns out Job has used this imagery before in Job 9:13. The text notes in the NIV Study Bible says that it is a reference to an ancient mythological sea monster! The Jewish online encyclopedia offered this information about Rahab.
And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?
Our ability to understand God and the things of God are limited!
We are so busy with our lives that we occasionally note his whisper. What would we comprehend if God raised the volume? It would be like trying to drink from a fire hose.
Lord, have mercy. Great are your works we can see in the creation a reflection of your glory. Thank you that you whisper so I can understand some things. Help me to submit to you in humility knowing you know far more about the ways of the universe. And what faint whispers in my frailty I manage to hear, help me to act upon. Amen.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Job 25
Job 25 picked up with one of Job's friends speaking ... and its real short!
I guess the friends are getting tired. I think this is the shortest monologue so far?
A bit of "inside baseball" on reading the Bible before we breakdown the short speech from Bildad.
The Bible contains various literary forms. Each literary form contains sort of an "agreement" between the author and the reader. If you want to explore this idea some more check out How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.
Anyway, in poetry, one of the things to look for is parallelism. For instance, sometimes, Line 1 will say something and line 2 will say the same thing but using different words. Or line 1 will say something and line 2 will say the opposite to make a point. And other times, line 1 will say something and line 2 will explain line 1 and even on occasion subsequent lines will explain line 1.
So what do we have here?
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
"Dominion and awe belong to God;
Bildad's first line is then explained by the following three lines ...
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?
All of them are pictures of God's power.
The next set is 3 pairs of lines that say similar things but in different words.
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
See the parallels?
Mortal = born of woman. Righteous = pure.
image source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/details.php?gid=165&sgid=&pid=1750
If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,
Moon = stars. These are similar in that they are objects in the sky. Today, with science, we know the moon is a cold rock in space while stars are hot fiery massive objects. But to the ancients, they were lights in the sky.
Not bright = not pure.
Again, the theme of purity and how we are not pure compared to God.
how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot -
a human being, who is only a worm!"
Mortal = human being. Maggot = worm. Technically, maggots and worms aren't the same kind of thing. But they are icky crawly things! I resisted the temptation to link to an image of a worm or a maggot.
Is Bildad wrong in what he is saying?
As a general observation on the state of humanity, it is a correct assessment.
But in the case of Job, it isn't relevant. Yes, he is born of a woman and a sinner. But he has also cast himself before God and is righteous in God's eyes such that God has allowed Job to be tested to demonstrate faith in difficult circumstances.
Lord, I come before you in humility knowing you are a powerful and righteous God and that I'm sinful and mortal. Yet, I can come boldly because you have cleansed me through Jesus. I can be shamelessly audacious in asking you for help in the meeting the needs of others. Please give wisdom to friends who are making important decisions. Please provide for the needs of people I know regarding employment issues. I do not know who might click on this blog post but whatever their need might be, may they seek you for help. Help me to live righteously with honesty when I fall short. Give me a mix of love, boldness and humility in how I interact with others. Amen.
I guess the friends are getting tired. I think this is the shortest monologue so far?
A bit of "inside baseball" on reading the Bible before we breakdown the short speech from Bildad.
The Bible contains various literary forms. Each literary form contains sort of an "agreement" between the author and the reader. If you want to explore this idea some more check out How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.
Anyway, in poetry, one of the things to look for is parallelism. For instance, sometimes, Line 1 will say something and line 2 will say the same thing but using different words. Or line 1 will say something and line 2 will say the opposite to make a point. And other times, line 1 will say something and line 2 will explain line 1 and even on occasion subsequent lines will explain line 1.
So what do we have here?
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
"Dominion and awe belong to God;
Bildad's first line is then explained by the following three lines ...
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?
All of them are pictures of God's power.
The next set is 3 pairs of lines that say similar things but in different words.
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
See the parallels?
Mortal = born of woman. Righteous = pure.
image source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/details.php?gid=165&sgid=&pid=1750
If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,
Moon = stars. These are similar in that they are objects in the sky. Today, with science, we know the moon is a cold rock in space while stars are hot fiery massive objects. But to the ancients, they were lights in the sky.
Not bright = not pure.
Again, the theme of purity and how we are not pure compared to God.
how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot -
a human being, who is only a worm!"
Mortal = human being. Maggot = worm. Technically, maggots and worms aren't the same kind of thing. But they are icky crawly things! I resisted the temptation to link to an image of a worm or a maggot.
Is Bildad wrong in what he is saying?
As a general observation on the state of humanity, it is a correct assessment.
But in the case of Job, it isn't relevant. Yes, he is born of a woman and a sinner. But he has also cast himself before God and is righteous in God's eyes such that God has allowed Job to be tested to demonstrate faith in difficult circumstances.
Lord, I come before you in humility knowing you are a powerful and righteous God and that I'm sinful and mortal. Yet, I can come boldly because you have cleansed me through Jesus. I can be shamelessly audacious in asking you for help in the meeting the needs of others. Please give wisdom to friends who are making important decisions. Please provide for the needs of people I know regarding employment issues. I do not know who might click on this blog post but whatever their need might be, may they seek you for help. Help me to live righteously with honesty when I fall short. Give me a mix of love, boldness and humility in how I interact with others. Amen.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Job 24
Job 24...
As I read the second half of Job's current monologue (started in Job 23), he is going all over the place: on one hand, the wicked getting away with it, on the other, the vulnerable suffering, and yet on another hand, the wicked getting whacked by God.
The wicked getting away with it...
Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
There are those who move boundary stones;
they pasture flocks they have stolen.
They drive away the orphan's donkey
and take the widow's ox in pledge.
They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
I'm guessing moving boundary stones would be a way to rob somebody of their land or extending the reach of one's own. And how evil is it to steal someone's flock? And to top that evil they take advantage of the orphan, the widow, the needy and the poor. It is bad enough to cheat and steal but to do so at the expense of the downtrodden is a double dose.
The vulnerable suffering...
Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go about their labor of foraging food;
the wasteland provides food for their children.
They gather fodder in the fields
and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
They are drenched by mountain rains
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
Lacking clothes, they go about naked;
they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
They crush olives among the terraces;
they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.
image source: http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20071228/2007_12_27t125755_450x347_us_pakistan_bhutto.jpg
Injustice is commonly cited in the argument against God.
But what if God has asked us to be guardians of justice?
How much of the injustice in the world is the fault of the wicked and how much of it is the fault of the good who fail to act?
There is a saying: all that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
Nonetheless, Job presses his case against God...
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.
The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, 'No eye will see me,'
and he keeps his face concealed.
In the dark, thieves break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
Job is upset... God, these people are getting way with being evil!
Yet, Job backtracks...
Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;
their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one goes to the vineyards.
As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,
so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
The womb forgets them,
the worm feasts on them;
the wicked are no longer remembered
but are broken like a tree.
The wicked do pay a price! Which do you really believe Job? Job is all over the map! Don't we get that way sometimes? I know I do and Job has "given us permission" to bare the wrestling match of our souls before God.
They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow show no kindness.
Job returns to the wicked briefly but again slams back to God is going to get them...
But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
but his eyes are on their ways.
For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?
Job ends chapter 24 where he began in chapter 23... with confidence in the ultimate justice of God.
Lord, today, evil reared its head in the killing of Bhutto and many others in Pakistan. It looks like the wicked are marching to victory in that country. You are the king of all kings and the nations are but a drop in a bucket compared to you. I do not know how to pray and what to ask for. Yet, I'm compelled to express my anguish before you. I pray that the wicked see the wickedness of their ways and surrender to the authorities. And if they do not see the evil of their chosen path, then I ask that you bring justice to the evil doers who would kill so wantonly so that they would not take more life. I place these requests before you and trust your justice and mercy and sovereignty. Amen.
As I read the second half of Job's current monologue (started in Job 23), he is going all over the place: on one hand, the wicked getting away with it, on the other, the vulnerable suffering, and yet on another hand, the wicked getting whacked by God.
The wicked getting away with it...
Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
There are those who move boundary stones;
they pasture flocks they have stolen.
They drive away the orphan's donkey
and take the widow's ox in pledge.
They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
I'm guessing moving boundary stones would be a way to rob somebody of their land or extending the reach of one's own. And how evil is it to steal someone's flock? And to top that evil they take advantage of the orphan, the widow, the needy and the poor. It is bad enough to cheat and steal but to do so at the expense of the downtrodden is a double dose.
The vulnerable suffering...
Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go about their labor of foraging food;
the wasteland provides food for their children.
They gather fodder in the fields
and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
They are drenched by mountain rains
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
Lacking clothes, they go about naked;
they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
They crush olives among the terraces;
they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.
image source: http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20071228/2007_12_27t125755_450x347_us_pakistan_bhutto.jpg
Injustice is commonly cited in the argument against God.
But what if God has asked us to be guardians of justice?
How much of the injustice in the world is the fault of the wicked and how much of it is the fault of the good who fail to act?
There is a saying: all that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
Nonetheless, Job presses his case against God...
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.
The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, 'No eye will see me,'
and he keeps his face concealed.
In the dark, thieves break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
Job is upset... God, these people are getting way with being evil!
Yet, Job backtracks...
Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;
their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one goes to the vineyards.
As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,
so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
The womb forgets them,
the worm feasts on them;
the wicked are no longer remembered
but are broken like a tree.
The wicked do pay a price! Which do you really believe Job? Job is all over the map! Don't we get that way sometimes? I know I do and Job has "given us permission" to bare the wrestling match of our souls before God.
They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow show no kindness.
Job returns to the wicked briefly but again slams back to God is going to get them...
But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
but his eyes are on their ways.
For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?
Job ends chapter 24 where he began in chapter 23... with confidence in the ultimate justice of God.
Lord, today, evil reared its head in the killing of Bhutto and many others in Pakistan. It looks like the wicked are marching to victory in that country. You are the king of all kings and the nations are but a drop in a bucket compared to you. I do not know how to pray and what to ask for. Yet, I'm compelled to express my anguish before you. I pray that the wicked see the wickedness of their ways and surrender to the authorities. And if they do not see the evil of their chosen path, then I ask that you bring justice to the evil doers who would kill so wantonly so that they would not take more life. I place these requests before you and trust your justice and mercy and sovereignty. Amen.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Job 23
image source: http://www.ffrf.org/fttoday/2006/nov/images/addis-doubt-church-cartoon.jpg
Job 23
Then Job answered and said:
Today also my complaint is bitter;
my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
Ever felt like this?
I can think of a few things I could (and do!) complain to God about.
Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his seat!
I would lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; he would pay attention to me.
There an upright man could argue with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
Job believes that if he got an audience with God, he would be heard.
I have to confess I wonder if Job is over reaching here?
I think of Isaiah who got an audience with God in Isaiah 6. In verse 5, Isaiah says: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!
Yet, as one who lives on the other side of Jesus, I can call upon Hebrews 10:19: Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus.
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
The great question for those who believe: how do I know that God is actually there?
None of Job's senses can detect God, yet ...
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
Do I believe that God is working in my life and that my faith will come out as good as gold after going through tough times?
My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
Makes me think of that phrase, "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Deut. 8:3, Matt. 4:4, Luke 4:4)
Job is oscillating between doubt and faith. He goes on to make great statements of faith in the sovereignty of God ...
But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
What he desires, that he does.
For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.
This ineffable and unfathomable aspect of God leads to tremendous humility and even fear ...
Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
Yet, God has in his wisdom preserved this wrestling match of faith and doubt for believers for all time because what Job went through, we do as well and Job says this in the face of his fears and doubts ...
yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Lord, let me not be silent. There are doubts that I feel and complaints that I have and I bring them to you. Though human eyes reading this blog will not know and human ears of my friends may not understand, I know I can enter into your presence with a mixture of boldness, humility and fear. As I await wisdom, correction and vindication, give me the strength to walk in your ways and in obedience to your words. Lord, help friends of mine who have given up seeking you to seek you once again. Help friends who are in the midst of trial to be affirmed. Help friends who have never sought you to somehow realize that you are closer than they think and that Christmas is more than just stuff but about life with you. Amen.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Job 22
Am back!
To recap Job:
Ch. 1-2, sets the stage
Ch. 3-14, 1st set of monologues where Job speaks, friends respond, Job responds and so on. All three friends speak
Ch. 15-21, 2nd set of monologues, all three of Job's friends speak and Job responds.
Ch. 22-26, 3rd set of monologues, only two of Job's friends speak and Job responds.
Ch. 27-31, Job speaks at length
Ch. 32-37, Elihu, a fourth friend speaks at length
Ch. 38-41, God and Job speak
Ch. 42, conclusion.
Picking things up at Job 22 ...
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
"Can a human being be of benefit to God?
Can even the wise benefit him?
What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
Eliphaz is simply wrong.
The god described by Eliphaz is (1) unmoved by his creatures doing right and (2) only interested in zapping those who go astray as described by Eliphaz later on.
We know from Job 1 God is aware of Job's righteousness and is pleased by it.
"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?
Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
though you were a powerful man, owning land -
an honored man, living on it.
And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.
That is why snares are all around you,
why sudden peril terrifies you,
why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.
We have no indication that Job sinned and if that is correct than Eliphaz is slandering Job.
If I were Job at this point, I'd punch Eliphaz in the nose!
"Is not God in the heights of heaven?
And see how lofty are the highest stars!
Yet you say, 'What does God know?
Does he judge through such darkness?
Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us
as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.'
Eliphaz returned to the idea that god is too powerful and distant to really care what is going on. I suppose Eliphaz is holding onto a "deist" kind of god where god simply doesn't interact with us with the possible exception of a final judgement when we all die.
The materialist would say there is no god at all. The pantheist would say god is in the creation.
A theist would believe there is a god and god actually cares what is happening and can interact with us.
Will you keep to the old path
that the wicked have trod?
They were carried off before their time,
their foundations washed away by a flood.
They said to God, 'Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?'
Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,
'Surely our foes are destroyed,
and fire devours their wealth.'
"Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you.
Interestingly, Eliphaz appears to backtrack on the remoteness of god by advising Job to go to god and own up to sin which he believes that Job committed but didn't admit to.
The following are fine sounding words and would be appropriate in other contexts. But in this one it is just more salt in an open wound ...
Accept instruction from his mouth
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:
If you remove wickedness far from your tent
and assign your nuggets to the dust,
your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
then the Almighty will be your gold,
the choicest silver for you.
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty
and will lift up your face to God.
You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
What you decide on will be done,
and light will shine on your ways.
When people are brought low and you say, 'Lift them up!'
then he will save the downcast.
He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
This last part is indeed fine sounding. As typical Christian people, we have probably said such words to others or have heard such sentiments in sermons.
But what we should say is by context.
You might say that Eliphaz was about 33% right in this passage. But in context he was 100% wrong.
Lord, I don't get to give advice often. But when i do have that opportunity, help me to be wise. Help me to spend more time listening than talking. Grant me discernment to know if there is sin how to address it and when there is not to comfort the suffering soul. As the Christmas season is here, people's emotions may be closer to the surface. Open my eyes to be perceptive to the needs of others. Amen.
To recap Job:
Ch. 1-2, sets the stage
Ch. 3-14, 1st set of monologues where Job speaks, friends respond, Job responds and so on. All three friends speak
Ch. 15-21, 2nd set of monologues, all three of Job's friends speak and Job responds.
Ch. 22-26, 3rd set of monologues, only two of Job's friends speak and Job responds.
Ch. 27-31, Job speaks at length
Ch. 32-37, Elihu, a fourth friend speaks at length
Ch. 38-41, God and Job speak
Ch. 42, conclusion.
Picking things up at Job 22 ...
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
"Can a human being be of benefit to God?
Can even the wise benefit him?
What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
Eliphaz is simply wrong.
The god described by Eliphaz is (1) unmoved by his creatures doing right and (2) only interested in zapping those who go astray as described by Eliphaz later on.
We know from Job 1 God is aware of Job's righteousness and is pleased by it.
"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?
Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
though you were a powerful man, owning land -
an honored man, living on it.
And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.
That is why snares are all around you,
why sudden peril terrifies you,
why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.
We have no indication that Job sinned and if that is correct than Eliphaz is slandering Job.
If I were Job at this point, I'd punch Eliphaz in the nose!
"Is not God in the heights of heaven?
And see how lofty are the highest stars!
Yet you say, 'What does God know?
Does he judge through such darkness?
Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us
as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.'
Eliphaz returned to the idea that god is too powerful and distant to really care what is going on. I suppose Eliphaz is holding onto a "deist" kind of god where god simply doesn't interact with us with the possible exception of a final judgement when we all die.
The materialist would say there is no god at all. The pantheist would say god is in the creation.
A theist would believe there is a god and god actually cares what is happening and can interact with us.
Will you keep to the old path
that the wicked have trod?
They were carried off before their time,
their foundations washed away by a flood.
They said to God, 'Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?'
Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,
'Surely our foes are destroyed,
and fire devours their wealth.'
"Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you.
Interestingly, Eliphaz appears to backtrack on the remoteness of god by advising Job to go to god and own up to sin which he believes that Job committed but didn't admit to.
The following are fine sounding words and would be appropriate in other contexts. But in this one it is just more salt in an open wound ...
Accept instruction from his mouth
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:
If you remove wickedness far from your tent
and assign your nuggets to the dust,
your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
then the Almighty will be your gold,
the choicest silver for you.
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty
and will lift up your face to God.
You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
What you decide on will be done,
and light will shine on your ways.
When people are brought low and you say, 'Lift them up!'
then he will save the downcast.
He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
This last part is indeed fine sounding. As typical Christian people, we have probably said such words to others or have heard such sentiments in sermons.
But what we should say is by context.
You might say that Eliphaz was about 33% right in this passage. But in context he was 100% wrong.
Lord, I don't get to give advice often. But when i do have that opportunity, help me to be wise. Help me to spend more time listening than talking. Grant me discernment to know if there is sin how to address it and when there is not to comfort the suffering soul. As the Christmas season is here, people's emotions may be closer to the surface. Open my eyes to be perceptive to the needs of others. Amen.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Taking a break
Will be back to Job in a little bit!
Haven't stopped contemplating the message of the Bible though. Just thinking about things in a topical fashion for a little while.
Haven't stopped contemplating the message of the Bible though. Just thinking about things in a topical fashion for a little while.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Job 21
Job 21 is the halfway mark in the 42 chapter drama of Job.
The structure of the book has been a speech by one of Job's three friends with a response by Job and it is a back and forth between them.
Here Job speaks again ...
Then Job replied:
Listen carefully to my words;
let this be the consolation you give me.
Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.
Job is exasperated! He has essentially given up trying to argue his case to his friends. All he can do is ask them to listen even if in the end they aren't convinced and decide to poke fun at him.
Is my complaint directed to man?
Why should I not be impatient?
Look at me and be astonished;
clap your hand over your mouth.
When I think about this, I am terrified;
trembling seizes my body.
Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?
The friends had been arguing that the wicked falter. And by implication, since Job's life had gone down the drain, then he must have been wicked.
Job continues to argue, it isn't that simple, the wicked often do very well in this world.
He elaborates with the following examples:
They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.
Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not upon them.
Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
They send forth their children as a flock;
their little ones dance about.
They sing to the music of tambourine and harp;
they make merry to the sound of the flute.
They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.
And not only are they, the wicked doing well, they mock god while they are prospering ...
Yet they say to God, 'Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?'
Yet, though the wicked prosper, Job doesn't want anything to do with them ...
But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
However, its a struggle for Job. Even if he doesn't want to be a part of the ways of the unrighteous, he wonders what is God up to? He wonders why doesn't God strike them down?
Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does calamity come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?
How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a gale?
It is said, 'God stores up a man's punishment for his sons.'
Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it!
Let his own eyes see his destruction;
let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
For what does he care about the family he leaves behind
when his allotted months come to an end?
Despite his obvious frustration, Job still allows God to be God.
Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since he judges even the highest?
One man dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,
his body well nourished,
his bones rich with marrow.
Another man dies in bitterness of soul,
never having enjoyed anything good.
Side by side they lie in the dust,
and worms cover them both.
I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
You say, 'Where now is the great man's house,
the tents where wicked men lived?'
Job saw that in the end, death is the great equalizer. But somehow, it seems not quite right to Job that good people and bad people wind up dead and that the bad people didn't seem to receive their just punishment while they were alive.
He challenges his friends, grab some people on the road and ask them if I am right about this?
Have you never questioned those who travel?
Have you paid no regard to their accounts-
that the evil man is spared from the day of calamity,
that he is delivered from the day of wrath?
Who denounces his conduct to his face?
Who repays him for what he has done?
He is carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over his tomb.
The soil in the valley is sweet to him;
all men follow after him,
and a countless throng goes before him.
So how can you console me with your nonsense?
Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!
Indeed, if the grave is the very last stop and calamity and wrath and payment for sin must take place in this present life then one would be quite stuck: life is truly totally unfair.
If we believe that justice is an absolute concept and we look at our life experience then we have to conclude either (1) we are incorrect in our beliefs because the wicked can prosper in this life or (2) there must be an afterlife where the scales of justice are righted.
On the other hand, if there is no God to right the scales of justice in the afterlife then we have to say that justice is not an absolute concept but merely what those with power can enforce.
God, there are terrible injustices in the world today. It is horrible to know that people are bought and sold in human trafficking. Help those who are fighting that evil. Strengthen our poor power to fight such wickedness. In addition to strengthening the hands of those who stand against such wickedness, move in the hearts of those who do perpetrate such sin. Just as you opened the eyes of slave ship captain John Newton, open the eyes of today's slave traders to see they are wrong and need to make it right by stopping what they do. Lord, have mercy! Amen.
The structure of the book has been a speech by one of Job's three friends with a response by Job and it is a back and forth between them.
Here Job speaks again ...
Then Job replied:
Listen carefully to my words;
let this be the consolation you give me.
Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.
Job is exasperated! He has essentially given up trying to argue his case to his friends. All he can do is ask them to listen even if in the end they aren't convinced and decide to poke fun at him.
Is my complaint directed to man?
Why should I not be impatient?
Look at me and be astonished;
clap your hand over your mouth.
When I think about this, I am terrified;
trembling seizes my body.
Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?
The friends had been arguing that the wicked falter. And by implication, since Job's life had gone down the drain, then he must have been wicked.
Job continues to argue, it isn't that simple, the wicked often do very well in this world.
He elaborates with the following examples:
They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.
Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not upon them.
Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
They send forth their children as a flock;
their little ones dance about.
They sing to the music of tambourine and harp;
they make merry to the sound of the flute.
They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.
And not only are they, the wicked doing well, they mock god while they are prospering ...
Yet they say to God, 'Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?'
Yet, though the wicked prosper, Job doesn't want anything to do with them ...
But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
However, its a struggle for Job. Even if he doesn't want to be a part of the ways of the unrighteous, he wonders what is God up to? He wonders why doesn't God strike them down?
Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does calamity come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?
How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a gale?
It is said, 'God stores up a man's punishment for his sons.'
Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it!
Let his own eyes see his destruction;
let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
For what does he care about the family he leaves behind
when his allotted months come to an end?
Despite his obvious frustration, Job still allows God to be God.
Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since he judges even the highest?
One man dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,
his body well nourished,
his bones rich with marrow.
Another man dies in bitterness of soul,
never having enjoyed anything good.
Side by side they lie in the dust,
and worms cover them both.
I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
You say, 'Where now is the great man's house,
the tents where wicked men lived?'
Job saw that in the end, death is the great equalizer. But somehow, it seems not quite right to Job that good people and bad people wind up dead and that the bad people didn't seem to receive their just punishment while they were alive.
He challenges his friends, grab some people on the road and ask them if I am right about this?
Have you never questioned those who travel?
Have you paid no regard to their accounts-
that the evil man is spared from the day of calamity,
that he is delivered from the day of wrath?
Who denounces his conduct to his face?
Who repays him for what he has done?
He is carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over his tomb.
The soil in the valley is sweet to him;
all men follow after him,
and a countless throng goes before him.
So how can you console me with your nonsense?
Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!
Indeed, if the grave is the very last stop and calamity and wrath and payment for sin must take place in this present life then one would be quite stuck: life is truly totally unfair.
If we believe that justice is an absolute concept and we look at our life experience then we have to conclude either (1) we are incorrect in our beliefs because the wicked can prosper in this life or (2) there must be an afterlife where the scales of justice are righted.
On the other hand, if there is no God to right the scales of justice in the afterlife then we have to say that justice is not an absolute concept but merely what those with power can enforce.
God, there are terrible injustices in the world today. It is horrible to know that people are bought and sold in human trafficking. Help those who are fighting that evil. Strengthen our poor power to fight such wickedness. In addition to strengthening the hands of those who stand against such wickedness, move in the hearts of those who do perpetrate such sin. Just as you opened the eyes of slave ship captain John Newton, open the eyes of today's slave traders to see they are wrong and need to make it right by stopping what they do. Lord, have mercy! Amen.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Job 20
Previously, in Job 1-2 the stage is set for the drama of Job's sufferings.
Job 3-14 is the first set of speeches where we hear Job followed by a friend in dueling monologues.
This pattern is continued in Job 15-21 with a second set of dueling monologues.
Here in Job 20, we hear Zophar give his second speech ...
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.
I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
Surely you know how it has been from of old,
ever since man was placed on the earth,
that the mirth of the wicked is brief,
the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
Though his pride reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
he will perish forever, like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'
Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found,
banished like a vision of the night.
The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.
His children must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.
The youthful vigor that fills his bones
will lie with him in the dust.
Do you think what Zophar says is true?
Indeed, death is the great equalizer. The good and the bad, the great and the lowly, the rich and the poor, all of us share the same fate.
True enough. But does it address where Job is at?
Job knows this is true. What he is complaining about is, where is God?
Job's concern is: I've really tried my best to live a right life and my situation seems just as bad or even worse than the fate of wicked people. What gives?
Zophar goes on ...
Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,
though he cannot bear to let it go
and keeps it in his mouth,
yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;
it will become the venom of serpents within him.
He will spit out the riches he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit them up.
He will suck the poison of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.
He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.
For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;
he has seized houses he did not build.
Surely he will have no respite from his craving;
he cannot save himself by his treasure.
Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.
In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;
the full force of misery will come upon him.
Do you think Zophar is taking a jab at Job?
One could say that Job was "In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him..."
Indeed, distress and misery overtook Job. In Zophar's paradigm, it is the price to be paid by the wicked.
When he has filled his belly,
God will vent his burning anger against him
and rain down his blows upon him.
Though he flees from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.
He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors will come over him;
total darkness lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire unfanned will consume him
and devour what is left in his tent.
The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.
A flood will carry off his house,
rushing waters on the day of God's wrath.
Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God.
Zophar mobilizes very vivid word pictures to describe the fate of the wicked.
I think this passage, along with a lot of other ones where Job's friends speak, illustrates the perils of making judgments about people's lives.
In isolation, what each of Job's friends say is mostly true. But in the context of Job's life, what they say is not pertinent.
The wrong lesson to draw from Job is to say we never make determinations about people's lives.
In life, we are asked to be discerning. After all, Jesus, in one of many picturesque statements, says, Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus could be as tough as nails as he was with the religious leaders of the day. He could also be compassionate like he was in the various people he healed. And in some interactions, he was a mix of both.
So indeed, it may be cliche to say, what would Jesus do?
But he is our example.
We have to be honest and admit Jesus did have tremendous advantages in that he had a hotline to God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit!
We have access as well through prayer and the filling of the Holy Spirit, but humility demands I acknowledge that my heart isn't always pure, nor is my mind constantly focused God-ward and I'm a broken and leaky vessel for the Holy Spirit to be poured into.
Thus, I come to exercise discernment about people's lives with great caution and humility. Yet, we are asked to help each other in life and when necessary helping may mean reading someone the riot act. Hopefully, we will do a better Job than Job's friends.
Lord, clear the clutter of my mind so I focus on you. Keep working on my heart clearing away things that are wicked within me. Strengthen my will to want what you want. Nurture the coals within me that burn for you and stamp out the ones that lead me away from the paths of righteousness. Help me to be wise in how I lead others onto that same path. Amen.
Job 3-14 is the first set of speeches where we hear Job followed by a friend in dueling monologues.
This pattern is continued in Job 15-21 with a second set of dueling monologues.
Here in Job 20, we hear Zophar give his second speech ...
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.
I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
Surely you know how it has been from of old,
ever since man was placed on the earth,
that the mirth of the wicked is brief,
the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
Though his pride reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
he will perish forever, like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'
Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found,
banished like a vision of the night.
The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.
His children must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.
The youthful vigor that fills his bones
will lie with him in the dust.
Do you think what Zophar says is true?
Indeed, death is the great equalizer. The good and the bad, the great and the lowly, the rich and the poor, all of us share the same fate.
True enough. But does it address where Job is at?
Job knows this is true. What he is complaining about is, where is God?
Job's concern is: I've really tried my best to live a right life and my situation seems just as bad or even worse than the fate of wicked people. What gives?
Zophar goes on ...
Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,
though he cannot bear to let it go
and keeps it in his mouth,
yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;
it will become the venom of serpents within him.
He will spit out the riches he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit them up.
He will suck the poison of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.
He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.
For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;
he has seized houses he did not build.
Surely he will have no respite from his craving;
he cannot save himself by his treasure.
Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.
In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;
the full force of misery will come upon him.
Do you think Zophar is taking a jab at Job?
One could say that Job was "In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him..."
Indeed, distress and misery overtook Job. In Zophar's paradigm, it is the price to be paid by the wicked.
When he has filled his belly,
God will vent his burning anger against him
and rain down his blows upon him.
Though he flees from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.
He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors will come over him;
total darkness lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire unfanned will consume him
and devour what is left in his tent.
The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.
A flood will carry off his house,
rushing waters on the day of God's wrath.
Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God.
Zophar mobilizes very vivid word pictures to describe the fate of the wicked.
I think this passage, along with a lot of other ones where Job's friends speak, illustrates the perils of making judgments about people's lives.
In isolation, what each of Job's friends say is mostly true. But in the context of Job's life, what they say is not pertinent.
The wrong lesson to draw from Job is to say we never make determinations about people's lives.
In life, we are asked to be discerning. After all, Jesus, in one of many picturesque statements, says, Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus could be as tough as nails as he was with the religious leaders of the day. He could also be compassionate like he was in the various people he healed. And in some interactions, he was a mix of both.
So indeed, it may be cliche to say, what would Jesus do?
But he is our example.
We have to be honest and admit Jesus did have tremendous advantages in that he had a hotline to God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit!
We have access as well through prayer and the filling of the Holy Spirit, but humility demands I acknowledge that my heart isn't always pure, nor is my mind constantly focused God-ward and I'm a broken and leaky vessel for the Holy Spirit to be poured into.
Thus, I come to exercise discernment about people's lives with great caution and humility. Yet, we are asked to help each other in life and when necessary helping may mean reading someone the riot act. Hopefully, we will do a better Job than Job's friends.
Lord, clear the clutter of my mind so I focus on you. Keep working on my heart clearing away things that are wicked within me. Strengthen my will to want what you want. Nurture the coals within me that burn for you and stamp out the ones that lead me away from the paths of righteousness. Help me to be wise in how I lead others onto that same path. Amen.
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