Job 7

I don't have a great take from today's chapter.
I can somewhat relate to the anguish that in Job's voice.  Not to his level of course.  But, sometimes life can be very frustrating, and seem futile.  Especially, when trying to live a good Godly life, and the failures that come inevitably from that.  Or when looking around at the state of the world......but his angst is tremendous.  I can't imagine being subjected to his torment.  WOW!  I have great respect for him as a man.  He is being torn apart from the outside, in.  And yet, he won't denounce God, or speak badly of him.  His only question is to ask why.

tp

Job 6

The arrows of God Almighty are in me,
    poison arrows—and I’m poisoned all through!
    God has dumped the whole works on me.
Job is blaming God for his situation in this chapter.  And I guess when you look at it holistically, that's true.  But, we know a little more of the story that was told in the opening chapter.  Its satan that is causing all the problems.  He is the one that is directly attacking Job, not God.  The only thing God is doing is nothing.  He has agreed to let satan have his way with him.  I find that REALLY telling. 

Life can become unbearably miserable if God turns his back on it, and let's satan have his way.  Just by removing himself from the equation........all the goodness leaves any situation.

I equate this to heaven and hell.  Heaven is an eternity with God, in his presence, basking in goodness.  Hell is the total absense of God and therefore a complete absense of goodness and positivity.  Is that a word?  It is now.

tp

Job 5

Don’t blame fate when things go wrong—
    trouble doesn’t come from nowhere.
It’s human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble,
    as certainly as sparks fly upward.

This is a real uplifter, on a Tuesday post-holiday weekend.
As humans we are "trouble", and will cause trouble, and will find trouble.
Its not fate.  Its just human.

The most important lesson to be taken from Job, so far for me, is that God is God.  Whether you are in a hot streak, or are down and out.  He is God and worthy of my praise and worship.  My circumstances don't change that fact.  Therefore my reaction to him shouldn't change.


BTW  -
I drove thru the old neighborhood this weekend.  It stil llooks the same.  Our old house is a little rough, but other than that things look pretty much the same.  I told the boys, "Chris and I used to tear up this street with our Hot Cycles!"

tp

Job 4

8 As I have observed, those who plow evil
    and those who sow trouble reap it.


This chapter was confusing me.  The above statement seems true but Job was a righteous man so why was he so sick?  Eliphaz is suggesting Job has something he has done to earn his illness.

In doing a little more digging without readingg ahead I think I've learned we need to be careful in Job to take one chapter out of context.  Here we have Eliphaz stating his thoughts and and apparently next up Job will respond and then God will weigh-in in future chapters--according to the write up from the link below.

http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1804.htm 

so I look forward to the next few days to see how this unfolds and draw some conclusions at that time.

have a great weekend.
knut

Job 3

 26  26 I have no peace, no quietness;
    I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

We were just talking at small group last night about how we have zero time.  up at 5am to do bible study off to work then kids stuff home at 9 or 10 then to bed and do it again. I know this isn't what Job was talking about but this verse just hit me given that conversation.

What is the meaning of life?  We fill it with activities that stress us out and give us no rest, maybe i need to take a little inventory of what is important.  And like Job I have been very blessed, yet I can imagine quickly turning bitter towards life if I hit a rough patch or have to deal with an illness.  I am always amazed how cancer patients fight on, they must have the same questions as Job.

no great point...just some rambling today.

knut

Job 2

¹⁰ He told her, “You’re talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?”

Love it.
Doesn't need any further comment

Job 1

First of all, I feel like I'm doing a Ford commercial.  Quality is Job 1.....ahahha.

Second.  Holy bananas this chapter scares me.
⁶ One day the angels^[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and satan^[b] also came with them. ⁷ The Lord said to satan, “Where have you come from?”

I don't like this idea at all.  It makes me very uncomfortable to think that satan is whispering in God's ear, about me.  God is very confident in Job, and his righteousness.  I wonder how sure he would be of me.

And then, he lets do his bidding with Job?.......yikes.  If ever there was a doubt that satan has a direct influence on the happenings of this world.......doubt gone.

Job shows great faith, by standing firm, even through the tragedies of the first chapter.
Its a great lesson for me!  My faith should never be based on how I think God is treating me.  Sometimes I think I do that.  Even if he is testing me, or allowing satan to have his way.....he is still God, and I'm still me.  I doesn't really change anything.

tp

Esther 10

3 Mordecai the Jew ranked second in command to King Xerxes. He was popular among the Jews and greatly respected by them. He worked hard for the good of his people; he cared for the peace and prosperity of his race.


Reflecting on the book of Esther and your comment from an earlier chapter.  God can do great things through people who aren't.  Mordecai and Esther both appear to be pretty ordinary and unassuming but their impact was far from ordinary.  Good lesson.

knut 

Esther 9

I find myself wondering why Esther had such a strong hold on king Xerxes?  There must be a reason why.  Was he completely in love with her?  It seems he must have been.  That's the only reason I can think that he would be giving her all these wishes, that could really mean a creation of a power shift in his land.  There's no doubt it was God's influence on the situation that was the biggest factor.  But, I wonder how that looked to those close to it.  Were they all scratching their head and rolling their eyes?
I like how it keeps referencing how the Jews took no plunder.  That seemed insignificant to me at first, but after thinking about it a little bit, I've come to a different conclusion.  By not taking anything, they made it "not about themselves".  They didn't advance themselves in this world by this action.  It must have been tempting to them.  All the wealth of those 500 men....just sitting there for the taking.

tp

Esther 7

I can't imagine how hard Esther's heart must have been pumping while she was getting ready to ask the king to save her people.  In her position, that would have been a really tough ask.  I remember reading earlier that she was so nervous about it, that she said she knew she would probably be killed for making this request.  She definitely showed great faith that God would take care of her.
This is a good lesson in making sure we are staying on mission for God, even when its really difficult.  Esther did that and it payed off for her.

I love the story here.  It almost feels like a nursury rhyme doesn't it?  I can see the little finger puppets in the book.......the dark one is Mordecai.........bbbbooooooo!  You have the coniving bad guy....the beautiful woman from the wrong side of the tracks....and a king who is entranced by a beautiful face.

Esther 7-8

8 1-2 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, archenemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king because Esther had explained their relationship. 


I connected some dots today but I don't know if they should really be connected.  A history of God's chosen people being targeted to be wiped out and then saved.  Esther saved the Jews from Haman.  The world led by people like Winston Churchill saved the Jews and the rest of us from Hitler. 

Admittedly I haven't been following it closely but I have heard Putin has made movements against the Jews, sadly I see no Esther or Churchill its certainly not Obama.  Maybe I should take some comfort that Putin would not ultimately be successful if he in fact has a desire to go the way of Hitler.  But while annihilation has been avoided in the past it is not like there has not been great pain and human cost and I sure hope we aren't heading in that direction.

Another takeaway is the importance of timing for good leadership.  Esther had good timing in her appeal to the king. Maybe there is s a takeaway in there somewhere for us?

rambling today---have a good weekend.
knut

Esther 5 - 6

^6-9 When Haman entered, the king said, “What would be appropriate for the man the king especially wants to honor?”

¹⁰ “Go and do it,” the king said to Haman. “Don’t waste another minute. Take the robe and horse and do what you have proposed to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King’s Gate. Don’t leave out a single detail of your plan.”

I would love to have seen the look change on Haman's face when he finally realized the person the king wanted to honor not only wasn't him....but, it was the guy that he despised.  What a twist.  And then to add insult to injury, he had to be the one to lead the horse through the courtyard with Mordecai on it!!!!  Whoa!
That's hilarious.

I don't have a great take today, other than this is a story good enough to be shown on the Hollywood screen.  The deciet, back-stabbing, and back door planning are unbelievable.

Good stuff!

Esther 4

16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

The fast caught my eye again.  Big decision coming, and she fasts and asked that they do it with her.  

This of course reminds me of our fast and wondering if you have been able to stay in contact with Rich?  I must admit I have not prayed for him in over a week but this reignites my thoughts and prayers for God to give him peace and ease his pain.  Some how out of this tragedy I pray that God would work in his life in a positive way.

knut

Ester 3

I didn't gleen any great insight today.  But, my reading did rasie a couple of questions in my mind.

1.  Why did Haman get to be special?  Was there something he accomplished for the king?, or was he from an unusal family situation that made him special?  He seems to have the king's ear.
2.  Why did he hate the Jews so much?  He was even willing to pay the king, with his own silver to allow his idea to go thru.  I can see him trying to convince Xerxes to destroy the Jews....."I'll even pay for it, if that makes it easier for you"......"No, no, no.  You don't have to put your own money on the table."

And Mordecai has some real church bells.  To outright defy Haman and stand up for what he believes in.......that's really something.  I would be really tempted to bow down to the king or Haman, and rationalize it by saying telling myself that God knows I don't really want to do it.  Mordecai is strong.

Esther 2

20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.


no great takes today, just noting how she came from a broken family background and that this point is made 3 times I believe in this chapter.  I don't recall the details of where this story is going but it seems her lineage is important.

  I think I can see where Disney stories get some of their inspiration, motherless beautiful girl rises to a great position in society.

knut

Esther 1

10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him...11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at


I didn't take much from this chapter, but noted maybe making commands you your wife when you are drunk is a bad idea!  In fact, I never make commands unless I'm joking.

Gina and I were just talking last night about how we joke about 'letting' each other do things.  My nephew broke up with his girl friend because he was tired of following her rules.  amazing how having a little respect for each other goes along ways.  Gina doesn't have any rules yet I want to do the things that makes her happy--of those things were rules I might be a little resistant.

babbling over.
knut