Category: JOB

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:13-22 (day three)

“Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

The emotional equivalent of a tsunami occurred in Job’s life; horrific personal disasters crashing in wave upon wave against one lone man. He remained unbowed. Job faced staggering tragedy with a stalwart confidence that God – his puzzling authorization of these events notwithstanding – was going to take notice of Job’s righteousness soon, and some kind of redress of grievances would happen. As hopeful as this stance seems, Job finds out that such a posture isn’t strong enough for life in this world. He finds something strong enough eventually, but the rest of the book is far from a straight line from disaster to renewal. That’s because this book isn’t a platitude. It’s not a pep talk. It’s life as it actually is. That’s where you’ll find God. Job did.

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:13-22 (day two) The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. vs. 21b

May none of us ever have to experience the devastating losses that Job had to endure with not a minute to catch his breath. It simply overwhelming to consider all that was taken from him on that day. Have you ever had the privilege to walk beside a believer journeying through grief? It is a responsibility that we will all experience at one time or another. What is remarkable is how their faith is made evident despite the tragedy. Often they comfort those who have come to give comfort. Where does this security come from? Only the Lord, to be sure. We will never be able to disaster-proof our faith, but we can get it to the point that we are not shaken when disasters come. That starts today. Begin building those muscles of hope through prayer, study, and listening.

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:1-12 (day seven)

Satan lost from the very beginning of this story (and the beginning of time too). It is evident that a sovereign God knows how this is all going to play out. Why else would He put Job up to this challenge? He knows how it will play out. He knows how Job will react. He knows Satan will lose. Satan thinks that the only reason Job follows God is because of His personal success:

“Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” vs 10

What Satan does not seem to realize (and what we will see over the next 13 weeks) is that the storms of this life often seem to bring us closer to God. When things are going well it becomes easy to take personal credit for the success. You are comfortable in thinking you have control and do not need God, but in the storms, you become dependent on God because you realize you were never in control in the first place. God is in control. Satan lost!

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:1-12 (day six) 

Have you ever considered why God included poetry among the various genres of biblical literature? We can be so enamored with what is being said, parsing out all the details, that we can miss the how.

Poetry and prose capture the human experience in all its subtlety and nuance, bringing real life emotion to the surface in ways that no other genre can. Fear and joy, doubt and faith, anger and celebration all find their home in the poet’s verse.

Poetry is the Word becoming flesh-in a manner of speaking. (Not THE WORD of course.) It is God saying to us, “I am with you. I understand. It is okay.” Biblical poetry is God’s way of letting us know that it is okay to work out our salvation in the midst of a sinful broken world.

Oh, and by the way, it is also intended to read out loud.

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:1-12 (day five) When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

Part of Job’s “Righteousness Resume” was his love and sense of spiritual accountability for his children. We are told that he frequently/regularly took the initiative (made arrangements) to consider and invest in their relationship with God.  As parents today, we are instructed by scripture to do the same thing. When children are younger, that means regularly/frequently taking the initiative of reading the scriptures and praying with them, as well as having spiritual conversations. When they are older (out on their own), same priority, same frequency of praying for them. I believe this also applies to grandparents as well.

As parents, scripture says we are the primary “disciplers” of our children. Maybe today and then regularly/frequently we could take initiative (like Job) to pray, read, and talk with them (younger) or for them (if older maybe send a text or email). It seems fitting that it ought to belong on our “Righteousness Resume”.

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:1-12 (day four)

Has anyone ever asked you which biblical character, other than Jesus, you would like to meet?  We might say Moses…or Joshua…or King David…or Elijah…or one of the disciples…or maybe Paul.  Very few would say, “I’d like to meet Job.”  Yet Job was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.  He was the greatest of all the men of the east.

We are intimidated by the suffering and pain that Job endured as a result of his righteousness.  Righteousness is supposed to bring blessing and reward.  The prospect of hardship does not appeal to us.  Maybe we can be just righteous enough to please God, but not so pure that we stand out in a heavenly conference.  We want to find a happy medium to just get by.  A reminder…we are sinners.  Only by the grace and righteousness of Jesus Christ can we stand before God forgiven.  Focus on Christ rather than ourselves!  His righteousness certainly stands out in any conference…say on Judgment Day!

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:1-12 (day three)

“The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.”

Nobody knows for sure what is meant by “the sons of God.” Fallen angels, mysterious divine beings, righteous individuals, and, in Genesis, the sons of Seth — all of these suggestions and more have been advanced as possible explanations of this puzzling phrase. Does this kind of meeting still happen? Are conversations like this going on right now? Do God and Satan keep in touch? Well, Jesus kept company with a shady crowd, and that’s an earthly example of what it seems was already happening in heaven. One thing is for sure. No evil will startle God. And apparently, the devil isn’t good at keeping his own plans hidden from the Lord. Don’t you worry.

Re:Verse passage – Job 1:1-12 (day two) The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

Let’s be clear; your faith walk is always preparing you for something. Perhaps you can relate when people talk about feeling very near to the Lord during trials or times of suffering. The other side of that coin can sometimes be convicting. When things are going well we tend to think of God less. This is to our spiritual detriment. Job was chosen because he was righteous even in his abundance. It was his pattern and privilege to submit to the Lord. Daniel did not become righteous when he was challenged, he simply adhered to the pattern of his life (Daniel 6:10). Jesus did not need 5000 to display his righteousness, his life was marked with a devotion to God the Father as a part of his very being (Luke 4:16)

What we are about to study throughout the book of Job is a testament to righteous living regardless of circumstance. Why don’t we begin right where we are, today?