Job 35

Job 35 ...

Elihu continued ...

Then Elihu said:
Do you think it is right for you to claim,
‘I am righteous before God’?
For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me?
What’s the use of living a righteous life?’

As you can see, am using a more contemporary translation today!

Elihu seemed to be putting up a bit of a straw man here. I don't know if Job has gone this far. I guess I'd summarize Job's situation as, I'm not perfect, without sin, but I've tried to live rightly and right now it seems that whether I live right or not, I'm suffering!

I will answer you
and all your friends, too.
Look up into the sky,
and see the clouds high above you.
If you sin, how does that affect God?
Even if you sin again and again,
what effect will it have on him?
If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
What could you possibly give him?
No, your sins affect only people like yourself,
and your good deeds also affect only humans.

Elihu seemed to overstate here. On one hand, if we sin or don't sin, that doesn't change who God is. God is God and what we do or don't do has no impact on God's "godness." On the other hand, we have ample testimony from the rest of Scripture that God is pleased when we live rightly and saddened when we sin. Thus, in that sense, what we do matters to God.

People cry out when they are oppressed.
They groan beneath the power of the mighty.
Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator,
the one who gives songs in the night?


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Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals
and wiser than the birds of the sky?’
And when they cry out, God does not answer
because of their pride.
But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen,
to say the Almighty isn’t concerned.
You say you can’t see him,
but he will bring justice if you will only wait.
You say he does not respond to sinners with anger
and is not greatly concerned about wickedness.
But you are talking nonsense, Job.
You have spoken like a fool.

Elihu backtracked on his earlier remarks that God doesn't care. Indeed, God does listen and justice will arrive (not necessarily on our timetable) and those who are evil who seem to escape now will eventually be called to account.

Lord of the universe, thank you that you have cared for us on this earth. You have given your laws in Scriptures and in our consciences. You have sent your Son as a demonstration of your love and initiative to restore your lost people. Injustice remains an ill in this world. I trust one day you will bring it fully to pass. Until then, help us who try to follow you to do justice, love mercy and do both with humility each day. Amen.

Job 34

Elihu continued in Job 34 ...

Elihu further answered and said:
“Hear my words, you wise men;
Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
For the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
Let us choose justice for ourselves;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.

As a tangent, I can't but help but feel that in today's society, words seem to mean less. It is so easy to send an email where it is informal, casual and often filled with misspelled words and poor grammar. I'm guilty of this. Or text messaging where everything is truncated into short hand abbreviations and other moves to say keystrokes.

Elihu, agree or disagree with him, recognized that words have weight.

For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
But God has taken away my justice;
Should I lie concerning my right?
My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
What man is like Job,
Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
That he should delight in God.’

Very pointed pokes by Elihu. He restated Job's lament. Yes, a good key to communication; reflect back the content and emotion of what you have heard!

But the second half is a pretty severe beat down of Job. Not such a good thing to do in communicating with someone who is suffering.

Leaving aside the head slap, what theological point does Elihu bring up next?

Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
For He repays man according to his work,
And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
Surely God will never do wickedly,
Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
If He should set His heart on it,
If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

Bottom line from Elihu: God is not evil and won't do injustice and so Job's claims that God is unfair is rebutted.

Elihu continued ...

If you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words:
Should one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn Him who is most just?
Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’
And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
Yet He is not partial to princes,
Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;
For they are all the work of His hands.
In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.

More defense of God "the most just."

The strong defense of God's justice resonates with the intellectual part of me.

But I must say, I am moved by the word pictures of the fragility of human existence in the last part of the last two paragraphs .

If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.
.....
In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.


image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Sand_sculpture.jpg/250px-Sand_sculpture.jpg

I can craft my life ... but fast or slow, it will be swept away.

For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
For He need not further consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
Therefore He knows their works;
He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
He strikes them as wicked men
In the open sight of others,
Because they turned back from Him,
And would not consider any of His ways,
So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;
For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
That the hypocrite should not reign,
Lest the people be ensnared.

Theologically, God is considered omniscient.

Recently, some theologians in the open theism movement contract the meaning of omniscience away from God knowing the future. I'm not sure that is a valid move logically. Because since Elihu argues for a linkage between God's justice and God's omniscience (e.g. God's justice can only happen because God is omniscient). Thus, would taking away God's knowledge of the future be injurious to God's justice?

I have sympathy with open theism's attempt to address free will and theodicy but I am concerned it might compromise God's justice. Thoughts anyone?

Elihu sums up this part of his monologue with more hits on Job.

For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastening;
I will offend no more;
Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
Should He repay it according to your terms,
Just because you disavow it?
You must choose, and not I;
Therefore speak what you know.
Men of understanding say to me,
Wise men who listen to me:
‘Job speaks without knowledge,
His words are without wisdom.’
Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,
Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
For he adds rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.

One of the things we have to remember when we call the Bible, God's word: there are human words and actions which may run counter to what God wants. And so those negative things are in the Bible to show us deeds and ideas that are wrong which we should learn to avoid.

I think Elihu makes some good theological point but he seems less than helpful in the sympathy dimension. But he hits an important point here at the end: Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom. Job is without knowledge of some parts of Job 1-2. Now, would that knowledge make him feel any better? I don't know. Maybe not. And because of his deep physical and emotional pain, he is brutally honest with God and so should we expect his words to be "wise?" The point maybe not so much about answers to suffering but expressing how a faithful man wrestles with suffering.

Lord, I look around the world and see wickedness in every corner. I have to trust that you see all of this and will one day bring about justice. Grant me wisdom to do what little I can where I can to bring justice. Enable me with insight to know when to share theology with people in love and when to simply share love. Amen.

Job 33

It is Holy Saturday as I write.

In the season of remembering what Jesus did on the Cross, Holy Saturday is the one I know the least.

In the Southern Baptist church that I grew up in, the special days of these season we marked were Palm Sunday which recalls Jesus entry in to Jerusalem. Good Friday, the day of Crucifixion. And Easter Sunday, the day of Resurrection.

In more liturgical churches, there is also Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. The ashes marked on the forehead in the shape of a cross is a sign of repentance which is an essential element of preparing the believer in remembering the events of holy week.

There is also Maundy Thursday which recalls the last day before the Crucifixion with emphasis on the foot washing of the disciples, the Last Supper, the prayers at the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal by Judas.

And lastly, there is Holy Saturday where in the more liturgical churches the services held are very sparse. This is in line with what the disciples would have felt on that day after the death of Jesus but prior to the Resurrection.

And so, I find myself drawn back to the tale of Job.

In a sense, we live in Holy Saturday. The work of Jesus, the Christ has been done on the Cross, yet we await His return in full glory. We live with trust in the significance of the Cross and anticipation that His Return will release us from the sorrows of this life.

And so onto Job 33.

Elihu had been silent until Job 32. He would speak from Job 32-37.

Elihu is bold in his addressing Job directly:

But now, Job, listen to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.
I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
My words come from an upright heart;
my lips sincerely speak what I know.
The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Answer me then, if you can;
stand up and argue your case before me.

But I do appreciate Elihu's humility in the next few lines:

I am the same as you in God's sight;
I too am a piece of clay.
No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.

Nonetheless, Elihu is concerned about some of the things Job had said in his monologues.

But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
I am pure, I have done no wrong;
I am clean and free from sin.
Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.
He fastens my feet in shackles;
he keeps close watch on all my paths.
But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.

Thanks to the study notes in Zondervan's NIV Study Bible, I'm reminded that Job did not actually claim to be sinless (see Job 7:21 and 13:26) but rather that as far as he knows he has acknowledged all his sins and that he has avoided egregious sins.

Why do you complain to him
that he responds to no one's words?
For God does speak—now one way, now another—
though no one perceives it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,
to preserve them from the pit,
their lives from perishing by the sword.

Elihu tries to counter Job's assertion that God is silent.


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Indeed, one ongoing question for those who believe in God is how does God "speak" to me?

Elihu here seems to be arguing that God speaks to us in the voice of the conscience to keep us away from wrongdoing, pride, the pit and perishing by the sword.

Elihu continued on this theme:

Or they may be chastened on a bed of pain
with constant distress in their bones,
so that their bodies find food repulsive
and their souls loathe the choicest meal.
Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.
They draw near to the pit,
and their lives to the messengers of death.

And thus, pain is another "messenger" of God to steer us onto the correct path.

Reminds me of a C.S. Lewis quote ...
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

Elihu then addressed the possibility of rescue apart from "self rescue."

Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger, one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,
and he is gracious to them and says to God,
'Spare them from going down to the pit;
I have found a ransom for them—
let their flesh be renewed like a child's;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth'—
then they can pray to God and find favor with him,
they will see God's face and shout for joy;
he will restore them to full well-being.
And they will go to others and say,
'We have sinned, we have perverted what is right,
but we did not get what we deserved.
God has delivered us from going down to the pit,
and we shall live to enjoy the light of life.'
"God does all these things to people—
twice, even three times—
to turn them back from the pit,
that the light of life may shine on them.
"Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
If you have anything to say, answer me;
speak up, for I want to vindicate you.
But if not, then listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

The great "R" words of the Bible: rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation.


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http://www.outtatown.com/photos/06site2/wp-content/photos/the_cross.jpg

And so Elihu is telling Job that rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation is all possible.

For us today, on this Holy Saturday, we know that it has been done at the Cross. But we still suffer. We await the completion of the rescue, ransom, renewal, restoration, reconciliation.

The prayer for Holy Saturday from the Book of Common Prayer:
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the
crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and
rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the
coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of
life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Job 32

Job 32 ...

So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him. Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

Elihu appeared on the scene without prior mention in Job 2:11. Job had been having a back and forth with those three friends. The short version of what was said would be: Job saying, as far as I can tell, I've lived rightly with his friends saying, since you are suffering you must have done something wrong.

Elihu, apparently, quietly listening all this time, decided to enter the fray.

So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

I am young in years,
and you are old;
that is why I was fearful,
not daring to tell you what I know.
I thought, 'Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.'
But it is the spirit in mortals,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
It is not only the old who are wise,
not only the aged who understand what is right.

His remarks made me think of Joel 2:28-29,"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit."

Certainly, we should respect our elders but, of course, wisdom can come from youth when it is directed by the Spirit. And so Elihu continued to set up his remarks ...

Therefore I say: Listen to me;
I too will tell you what I know.
I waited while you spoke,
I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words,
I gave you my full attention.
But not one of you has proved Job wrong;
none of you has answered his arguments.
Do not say, 'We have found wisdom;
let God refute him, not a mere mortal.'
But Job has not marshaled his words against me,
and I will not answer him with your arguments.
They are dismayed and have no more to say;
words have failed them.
Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand there with no reply?

Though this passage doesn't advance a particular argument at this point, I think it is an interesting window into the dynamics of the discussion.

Like Elihu, in reading much of the preceding prior chapters, I felt dissatisfied. At times, it all seemed repetitive. In some cases, the rhetorical flourishes were interesting but the point was essentially the same.

And so I await what Elihu will say... but first a bit more drum roll by Elihu!


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I too will have my say;
I too will tell what I know.
For I am full of words,
and the spirit within me compels me;
inside I am like bottled-up wine,
like new wineskins ready to burst.
I must speak and find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.
I will show no partiality,
nor will I flatter anyone;
for if I were skilled in flattery,
my Maker would soon take me away.

I suppose one lesson I can draw from this passage is in light of my role as a youth group volunteer. The adult people in the group do our share of teaching and we should. But clearly there are times when the youngsters are ready to speak up and we should give them that opportunity.

Lord, help me to teach others with wordless actions and when words are used may they be with humility mixed with boldness. Help me to encourage young people to explore your words and be open to give them the opportunity to express themselves in questions and a receptiveness on my part to learn from them. Amen.

Job 31

Job 31 ...

At this point, it feels like Job is making a closing argument in his own defense ...

I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look lustfully at a girl.
For what is man's lot from God above,
his heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not ruin for the wicked,
disaster for those who do wrong?
Does he not see my ways
and count my every step?

The opening remark in his closing statement is the basic premise of all that has gone on before:
Doesn't God see my righteous ways?
Shouldn't ruin befall those who sin?

At the moment, Job wonders has God seen the good he has tried to do in his life?

Job wonders, why has ruin befallen me who has tried and mostly successfully to live rightly?

Next follows NINETEEN "if" statements ... go ahead and read it and get into the rhythm and cadence of Job's argument. I'll try to summarize at the end.


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If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit-
let God weigh me in honest scales
and he will know that I am blameless-
if my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands have been defiled,
then may others eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,
then may my wife grind another man's grain,
and may other men sleep with her.
For that would have been shameful,
a sin to be judged.
It is a fire that burns to Destruction;
it would have uprooted my harvest.
If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants
when they had a grievance against me,
what will I do when God confronts me?
What will I answer when called to account?
Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless-
but from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my birth I guided the widow-
if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a garment,
and his heart did not bless me
for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,
then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.
For I dreaded destruction from God,
and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.
If I have put my trust in gold
or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,'
if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
the fortune my hands had gained,
if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendor,
so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
then these also would be sins to be judged,
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune
or gloated over the trouble that came to him-
I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against his life-
if the men of my household have never said,
'Who has not had his fill of Job's meat?'-
but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler-
if I have concealed my sin as men do,
by hiding my guilt in my heart
because I so feared the crowd
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent and would not go outside

17 if statements here!

Then there is a parenthesis which explicitly casts Job in the role of a defense attorney

("Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
I would put it on like a crown.
I would give him an account of my every step;
like a prince I would approach him.)-

Then two final if statements...

if my land cries out against me
and all its furrows are wet with tears,
if I have devoured its yield without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,
then let briers come up instead of wheat
and weeds instead of barley."

The statements fall into groupings as follows:

One set focuses on the general image of Job trying to live rightly with statement like these where Job is arguing I haven't ...
walked in falsehood
turned from the path
been led by my eyes
allowed my hands to be defiled.

The next group stresses that Job didn't take advantage of others by saying I haven't ...
been enticed by a woman
lurked at my neighbor's door.

The third cluster concerns Job's doing justly toward others where he said I haven't ...
denied justice
denied the desires of the poor
kept my bread to myself
others to perish for lack of clothing
worked against the fatherless.

Job though a wealthy man didn't regard wealth over God and so he didn't ..
put his trust in gold
rejoice over his great wealth
regarded the sun in its radiance or moon in its splendor.

I thought it was interesting that he juxtaposed wealthy with worship of the sun or the moon. Perhaps, in that time many people worshipped the sun and moon in a form of idolatry?

The next set of statements shows Job's graciousness to others for he
doesn't rejoice at my enemy's misfortune
made sure those under his care got their fill of Job's meat nor any stranger had to spend the night in the street.

He knew he was a sinner and he thus didn't ...
conceal his sin.

A word about that. I don't think we have to take out a billboard and show our sin to the world. I think what he means here is that if he sinned he brought it to God and if it involved another person, he brought it to the person he wronged.

Finally, Job defends his life by describing his fairness to the land he utilized by personifying the land ...
would the land cries out against me
would the land feel he devoured its yield without payment.

Part of Adam and Eve's charter besides be fruitful and multiply was to care for the land and here Job took that seriously.

The words of Job are ended.

Lord, how I would love, at the end of my life, to be able to go to you in peace knowing I've tried to do justice, love mercy and walked humbly with you. Help me to live today like the way Job did way back when. Amen.

Job 30

Job 30 from Eugene Peterson's The Message ...

But no longer. Now I'm the butt of their jokes - young ruffians! whippersnappers!
Why, I considered their fathers
mere inexperienced pups.
But they are worse than dogs - good for nothing,
stray, mangy animals,
Half-starved, scavenging the back alleys,
howling at the moon;
Homeless guttersnipes
chewing on old bones and licking old tin cans;
Outcasts from the community,
cursed as dangerous delinquents.
Nobody would put up with them;
they were driven from the neighborhood.
You could hear them out there at the edge of town,
yelping and barking, huddled in junkyards,
A gang of beggars and no-names,
thrown out on their ears.

In the last part of Job 29, Job described what his life was once like. Once highly respected, his suffering now has diminished him in the eyes of others. Job is clearly frustrated and essential calls his critics worse than dogs. He seems them like people picking over the garbage! He feels they are picking at him like he has become garbage ...

But now I'm the one they're after,
mistreating me, taunting and mocking.
They abhor me, they abuse me.
How dare those scoundrels - they spit in my face!
Now that God has undone me and left me in a heap,
they hold nothing back. Anything goes.
They come at me from my blind side,
trip me up, then jump on me while I'm down.
They throw every kind of obstacle in my path,
determined to ruin me -
and no one lifts a finger to help me!
They violate my broken body,
trample through the rubble of my ruined life.
Terrors assault me -
my dignity in shreds,
salvation up in smoke.

What I wonder is whether Job is blasting the 3 friends who have been with him in this drama? Or if Job referring to other passer by peoples?

We have to remember, the book of Job itself is a stylized drama of the thoughts and feelings around one man's suffering and what people close to him would say in response.

In real life, there would be Job, the close friends and other more distant observers of the scene. I do wonder if this part is giving voice to how when the mighty (Job) have encountered tragedy people discard their relationship to him because they no longer benefit from that relationship?

And now my life drains out,
as suffering seizes and grips me hard.
Night gnaws at my bones;
the pain never lets up.
I am tied hand and foot, my neck in a noose.
I twist and turn.
Thrown facedown in the muck,
I'm a muddy mess, inside and out.
What Did I Do to Deserve This?

Haven't we all been in this place? And of course, Job far more beaten down than anything I have experienced!

I shout for help, God, and get nothing, no answer!
I stand to face you in protest, and you give me a blank stare!
You've turned into my tormenter -
you slap me around, knock me about.
You raised me up so I was riding high
and then dropped me, and I crashed.
I know you're determined to kill me,
to put me six feet under.

Harsh words from Job about God.

What did I do to deserve this?
Did I ever hit anyone who was calling for help?
Haven't I wept for those who live a hard life,
been heartsick over the lot of the poor?
But where did it get me?
I expected good but evil showed up.
I looked for light but darkness fell.
My stomach's in a constant churning, never settles down.
Each day confronts me with more suffering.
I walk under a black cloud. The sun is gone.
I stand in the congregation and protest.
I howl with the jackals,
I hoot with the owls.
I'm black-and-blue all over,
burning up with fever.
My fiddle plays nothing but the blues;
my mouth harp wails laments.

This passage in Job is about as bleak as it gets!

As I meditate on this passage this Wednesday morning, this reminds me: Jesus knows.

Job said, "Homeless guttersnipes chewing on old bones and licking old tin cans."

Jesus in John 19:23-24: Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; this was to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS."

Job said, "But now I'm the one they're after, mistreating me, taunting and mocking."

Jesus in Mark 15:19-20: They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.

Job said, "And now my life drains out, as suffering seizes and grips me hard. Night gnaws at my bones; the pain never lets up."

Jesus in Matthew 26:36-38: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."

Job said, "I shout for help, God, and get nothing, no answer!"

Jesus in Matthew 27:46: About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Job said, "What did I do to deserve this? Did I ever hit anyone who was calling for help?"

Jesus in Luke 23:39-41: One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."

A Job as Jesus figure parallel can be advanced to some degree?

Job one man under fire with suffering. Jesus the one who came to suffer to redeem us.

Job one man under fire with suffering awaited vindication. Jesus the one who came to suffer to redeem us went through the bleakness of Good Friday.

Job one man under fire with suffering awaited vindication and in the end, God visits him and restored him. Jesus the one who came to suffer to redeem us went through the bleakness of Good Friday to gain victory and vindication on Easter Sunday.

Job 30 on its own is bleak.

But at Tony Campolo said, Its Friday but Sunday is coming!

Lord, as the Easter season is here, I can't help but think about the connection between Job and Jesus. All that Job went through Jesus went through and even more. Thank you that you sought me even when I was afar off. Amen!

Job 29

Job 29 ...

Job continued speaking:
I long for the years gone by
when God took care of me,
when he lit up the way before me
and I walked safely through the darkness.
When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.

Job looked back on his earlier life when things were better. And indeed, as one reads on, Job lived a life that if I could say those things in my old age, I would feel I've had a good life.

What are the things most of us care about in life?

The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.

Family ...

My cows produced milk in abundance,
and my groves poured out streams of olive oil.

Material benefits to meet our needs and in Job's case he had more than enough ...

Those were the days when I went to the city gate
and took my place among the honored leaders.
The young stepped aside when they saw me,
and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
The princes stood in silence
and put their hands over their mouths.
The highest officials of the city stood quietly,
holding their tongues in respect.
All who heard me praised me.
All who saw me spoke well of me.

Respect and a good reputation for good character ...

For I assisted the poor in their need
and the orphans who required help.
I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.
And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.

Compassion ...

Everything I did was honest.
Righteousness covered me like a robe,
and I wore justice like a turban.

Integrity ...

I served as eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame.
I was a father to the poor
and assisted strangers who needed help.

Kindness ...

I broke the jaws of godless oppressors
and plucked their victims from their teeth.

Justice ... a real man blends gentle compassion with a fierceness for justice!

And so indeed Job has had a life well lived. And he had hopes for his sunset years...

I thought, "Surely I will die surrounded by my family
after a long, good life.

He then gives a metaphor that looks a lot like Psalm 1 ...

For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
whose branches are refreshed with the dew.

He continued on reflecting on his life ...

New honors are constantly bestowed on me,
and my strength is continually renewed."
Everyone listened to my advice.
They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,
for my counsel satisfied them.
They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.
They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
My look of approval was precious to them.
Like a chief, I told them what to do.
I lived like a king among his troops
and comforted those who mourned.

In his suffering, he looked back on his life. Sure he is battered and burdened by what has happened. Imagine how much more pain he would have felt if he had not lived a good life?

In short, to live is to suffer. And if I have lived a wretched life and suffering befalls me, I would have deserved it. But if I have strived to live rightly and suffering befalls me, I would have the knowledge that I had done rightly and there are those who had benefitted. And of course, I'd have the knowledge that in the eyes of God, I would see his pleasure and he would welcome me into his presence with the commendation, well done, good and faithful servant.

Lord, help me to live the kind of life that Job is talking about here. When I speak to people in real life or when I blog broadcast to whomever is out there, let it be said, "They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain." Amen.

Job 28

Job continues his monologue ...

Gold and silver are mined,
then purified;
the same is done
with iron and copper.
Miners carry lanterns
deep into the darkness
to search for these metals.
They dig tunnels
in distant, unknown places,
where they dangle by ropes.
Far beneath the grain fields,
fires are built
to break loose those rocks
that have jewels or gold.
Miners go to places unseen
by the eyes of hawks;
they walk on soil unknown
to the proudest lions.
With their own hands
they remove sharp rocks
and uproot mountains.
They dig through the rocks
in search of jewels
and precious metals.
They also uncover
the sources of rivers and discover secret places.

I confess, the image that came to mind is the dwarves of the Lord of the Rings!


image source: http://uk.games-workshop.com/dwarves/tactica/images/art-balin.jpg

But where is wisdom found?
No human knows the way.
Nor can it be discovered
in the deepest sea.
It is worth much more
than silver or pure gold
or precious stones.
Nothing is its equal--
not gold or costly glass.
Wisdom is worth much more than
coral, jasper, or rubies.
All the topaz of Ethiopia and the finest gold
cannot compare with it.
Where then is wisdom?
It is hidden from human eyes
and even from birds.
Death and destruction
have merely heard rumors
about where it is found.

How much is it worth?

Jasper ...



Image source: http://crystal-cure.com/pics/cube-jasper.jpg

Topaz ...



Image source: http://www.djezpics.net/ezpics/Mohamed/Precious_Topaz.jpg

How much is it worth?

Lots of $$$ no doubt!!



Image source: http://interiorseniorcare.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/wisdom_magnet01.jpg

In the lingo of those Master Card commercials ... WISDOM ... priceless ...

Where to find this priceless wisdom?

God is the only one who knows
the way to wisdom,
because he sees everything
beneath the heavens.
When God divided out
the wind and the water,
and when he decided the path
for rain and lightning,
he also determined the truth
and defined wisdom.
God told us, "Wisdom means
that you respect me, the Lord,
and turn from sin."

Sounds a lot like Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Lord, I may not spend my days toiling underground mining for gemstones but I do spend a lot of time making a living. And I thank you that you have provided me a good job to provide resources for my needs and for me to give to other's needs. But Lord, please remind and challenge me to seek you for the wisdom I need for all of life. Amen.

Job 27

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.