Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – Job 42:5-17 (day seven) 

Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes. vs 6

Job’s confession is beautiful. You could feel it building over the last several weeks. The tension of Job’s initial reaction to his situation was beginning to wain as the Lord was speaking. It was in the voice of the Lord that Job finally felt comfort. His family and friends thought that they were bringing him comfort, but they could not comfort him the way God could: through repentance. Even more beautiful in this confession is that we find the word for repent comes from the same root as the word comfort (Strong’s H5162). There is true comfort found in repentance.

We often fail to repent because we feel that admitting our faults will become painful, but when we repent, God meets us in our brokenness and takes away the pain. Spend some time today as we wrap up this series on Job bringing your faults to God. Let God meet you and bring you comfort in your repentance. Repentance Sheet

Re:Verse passage – Job 40:6-9, 15-19; 41:1-7, 10-11; 42:1-6 (day seven)

Who are these magnificent creatures? It is fun to speculate. Hippopotamus? Giant crocodile? Dinosaurs? Mythological creatures? My mind races with the possibilities of what this could mean on scientific/biological level, but that is not the point of what God nor the author of this book are trying to get across. The beauty of the poetical extravagance which is used to describe these creatures is meant to bring our minds to the realization that:

1. 1. God is a great creator. He cares for us.
   2. God is in control. We are not.

If we are unable to control, let alone understand, the most complex creatures on this planet, who are we to think that we can control the God who created and ordered the entire universe?!  By looking into creation (Jesus speaks on this too), we can see that God has a master plan in order. It is our job to trust Him.

Re:Verse passage – Job 38:1-7; 40:6-9 (day seven)

And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Job 38:3b

Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who reproves God answer it.  Job 40:2

Growing up as the child of a high school football coach in the state of Texas, you learned the phrase “armchair quarterback” real quick. Every person thinks that they know what plays should have been called when and which players should have been where. Most people are decent enough to keep these opinions to themselves, but others forget that they aren’t in their armchair and display their opinions openly from the stands to where everyone can hear them. These unqualified and highly opinionated faultfinders have a knack for getting under your skin.

I am gad I am not God. Can you imagine what He hears? The world is full of faultfinders, but unlike at a football game, the Omniscient God knows and hears every thought we have. If we are honest, we have all had moments where we became the armchair quarterback, instructing God on what He should do. That is what makes God so incredible. He is not angered by our unqualified opinions. He wants us to bring these to him, because as we do, He is able to answer back and show us how His plan will always bring home the win!

Re:Verse passage – Job 32:1-10; 33:2-4, 22-30; 35:9-10; 37:14-24 (day seven)

Although there are things I would correct in Elihu’s theology, I find myself drawn to several character traits that I believe would do us well to replicate when we find ourselves in the position to give advice.

1. He was patient. “Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.” (32:4) Even though he knew the advice Job was receiving was inaccurate, He waited his turn.
2. He kept his focus heavenward. “Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men.” (33:29) Everything that Elihu focused on revolved around God and spiritual concerns.
3. He was ready to be challenged. “Refute me if you can; Array yourselves before me, take your stand.” (33:5) He was confident enough that he was in the right mindset (heavenward). He was also humble enough (patient) to allow Job to have a rebuttal if Job could refute his claims.

What I see today is a lot of people rushing to share their unwarranted advice. I see people leaning more on feelings than on spiritual truth. I see people unwilling to hear out the other side and be challenged. Want to know someone else who epitomizes these three traits? You might find Him in John 8:1-11.

Re:Verse passage – Job 19:20-27 (day seven)

I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth. vs 20b

I was “today” years old when I realized this idiom was from Job. As with other popular lines found in the Bible, this phrase has become a part of our cultural vernacular. In Job’s instance, he might have literally escaped by the skin of his teeth (his gums were likely the only part of his body that escaped affliction), but when we use this phrase today, we are referring to barely managing to do something. “He passed his exam by the skin of his teeth.”

For how many of us is this more than vernacular? We find ourselves moving so fast from one project to the next that we do barely enough get by. When this rhythm becomes the norm, it begins to bleed into our spiritual walk. We do barely enough to check our boxes and move on to the next thing. God promises so much more to us when we put in the intentional effort to abide with Him. Don’t just try to get through it by the skin of your teeth, dwell in and with Him, and watch what He does when you put in the work to abide. John 15:1-11

Re:Verse passage – Job 19:13-19 (day seven)

All my associates abhor me,
And those I love have turned against me. vs 19

Can you remember the first time you were ever rejected or your first breakup? Maybe you never had to experience relationship heartbreak, but I am sure you had a friend who abandoned you, or a job you were fired from, or an application that was turned away. Rejection is inevitable.

No matter how long ago any of those events were for you, the pain of the moment stays with you. “Studies show that the same areas of the brain become activated when we experience rejection as when we experience physical pain” (Psychology Today). Rejection hurts. This pain of rejection escalates our loneliness. Not only was Job alone, but he had been despised and rejected by all his friends and family. Sound like someone else you know?

He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isaiah 53:3a (ESV)

Jesus knows your pain. He wants to comfort you even when you feel like the world has turned against you. You are not alone!

Re:Verse passage – Job 13:15-16; 14:1-2, 14-17 (day seven)

This also will be my salvation,
For a godless person cannot come before His presence. Job 13:16

This is our salvation. Our Savior was “born of a woman.” He came to walk in our shoes. He came to feel our pain and agony. He came to live our life. Yet, He came to die our death. He came to us so that we could come to Him:

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

This is our salvation. Our Savior “does not observe [our] sin” because He became it. He became our darkest secrets. He became deepest regrets. He became the very thing we hate. He became sin so we could become like Him:

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor 5:21

This is our salvation. The stone is rolled away. He conquered sin and grave. He lives so that we can “live again.” This is our salvation.

Re:Verse passage – Job 9:32-35 (day seven)

If you haven’t read the entire context of our passage, go and start at the beginning of chapter 9 and read through the end.  Look at how he began this poem. It is clear that Job has a very healthy fear of the Lord. The first 24 verses are all about God. Here are a few of my favorites:

“It is God who removes the mountains”

“It is He who shakes the earth from its place”

“It is He who does great things, the unfathomable”

Do you start your pryers like this? Most of us don’t. We tend to cut to the chase and thank God for what He has done, or we skip straight to supplication and ask Him to do things for us. Starting with praise or adoration isn’t for God, it is for us. Spending time telling God who He is to us, helps our heart and minds understand more clearly the gravity of the thanks and requests that we are bringing to Him. Give it a try. Spend the next few minutes just filling in this sentence; God, You are _________.