Job 27-28

ch 28:28 And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil is understanding.”

We are back from Chicago, didn't bring home any trophies but had a good time with the family.

I didn't find anything in particular in these two chapters to comment on but liked this last verse.  If you fear the Lord you have some wisdom but if you really push evil aside you are demonstrating not only do you fear but you get it.  Your actions speak louder than your words.

not sure if that hits the mark but that's how I took it.

knut

Job 25,26

Job 25 was too short to write about today.  And, I'm not sure how I feel about Bildad's viewpoint that creation isn't perfect.

By his power he stills sea storms,
by his wisdom he tames sea monsters.
With one breath he clears the sky,
with one finger he crushes the sea serpent.
And this is only the beginning,
a mere whisper of his rule.

Despite Job's current situation, he still has an uncanny viewpoint of the power of God.  It keeps coming out in these arguments with Bildad.  I love how he describes God.  You can hear his immense awe for him.  There doesn't seem to be resentment because of his situation.  He is able to separate the two things. 
I think that's what so many people today.....me.....have a difficult time doing.  My current situation in life, doesn't have any bearing on the awesomeness or power of God.  That is eternal and grander than I can possibly imagine.

tp

Job 24

23 They may have an illusion of security,
    but God has his eye on them.


No need to worry about those doing evil or appearing to better themselves as the expense of others.   He is watching as run their invisible ponzi schemes and the like they are getting away with nothing.

Its not my concern, but they should know God is watching day and night. 

We are heading to Chicago to race, I will try to get on-line but may be spotty this week.
knut

Job 23

Today, I'm finding some lessons in Job's confidence and conviction.
He feels very good about his position and how he has lived his life.  He's so confident that he talks about confronting God to ask him why......and he's not afraid of the response.  I'm trying to put myself in his position, to think if I'd be that sure of my position.  I tend to be a little more self-depricating....and would probably be convinced that I deserve what's happening to me.

To your comment about why bad things happen to good people.......an interesting sermon comes to mind, that I heard a year ago or so.  The subject was "why does God allow evil?"
His answer was brilliant.  He said, "the question isn't why evil, it why not evil".
The evil is a reminder that this place isn't it........its not the goal.  Its not what we should be working toward.  Which ties right into your comment a couple of days ago about feeling too caught up in the schtuff of this world.  Or how easy it is to get caught up. 

sometimes fridays become rambling days.....hahahahaha.
Have a GREAT weekend!

Job 22

^21-25 “Give in to God, come to terms with him
and everything will turn out just fine.
Let him tell you what to do;
take his words to heart.
Come back to God Almighty
and he’ll rebuild your life.
Clean house of everything evil.
Relax your grip on your money
and abandon your gold-plated luxury.
God Almighty will be your treasure,
more wealth than you can imagine.

This back and forth agrument is getting old....hahahah.
I do like this paragraph.  Its really good advice.  It should be cross-stitched and framed on the wall in the kithcen.

Job 21

Some people die in the prime of life,
with everything going for them—
fat and sassy.
Others die bitter and bereft,
never getting a taste of happiness.
They’re laid out side by side in the cemetery,
where the worms can’t tell one from the other.

I've thought about this concept often, when people are taken too early.....not unlike your dad.  Or some teenager that gets taken out by a drunk driver.  And they never get the chance to live out their life to its potential. 
Or to take it a step further, sometimes I look at people with physical abnormalities, or mental defficencies, and think how cheated they must feel.  We all have a chance to prove our worth, while we are here on this earth.  Some of us are given much (like you said yesterday), and some are given very little.  But, we are all expected to use what we are given for God's glory.  I don't sit back and take inventory of what God has allowed in me oftern enough.  Good health, good family, sound mind and body (you could argue that one), positive outlook, enough money to survivie without much thought, and lots of extras in life.
But, in the end.  I'll be lying in the cemetary next to the person who wasn't afforded any of those things.
hhhmmmmmm..........food for thought.

Job 20

“Such God-denying people are never content with what they have
or who they are;
their greed drives them relentlessly.
They plunder everything
but they can’t hold on to any of it.

Doesn't this sound exactly like our society today?  When Zophar is describing the "evil" people, it sounds like someone describing western culture.

tp

Job 19

Why do you insist on putting me down,
using my troubles as a stick to beat me?

This line really jumped out at me today.
This is what we, as Christians, tend to do to those around us.  We all deal with different issues, and vices.  Some more visable than others.  I think people with very apparent issues, like homosexuality or drug and alcohol issues tend to feel like they are ostrisized by the people in the church for their issues.  We look down on them because of their issues, instead of being glad they are seeking God and his redemptive qualities.  After all, we all fall short of where we need to be.
A good Christian knows he is a mess, and is eternally grateful for God's mercy and Christ's intervention on his behalf.  Notice there is no judging of others and their faults in there.

tp

Job 18

21 Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;
    such is the place of one who does not know God.”

Job's words must have been really frustrating for Bildad.  I can't imagine no matter how I felt telling a friend in Job's situation 'here's how it is...you suck and you have earned your way into your situation'

I really don't know what to say, I'm just ready to get to God's response.
knut

Job 17

No. If hope and I are to be buried together,
    I suppose you’ll all come to the double funeral!”

I don't have anything good to write today.  This one is pretty depressing.
This line just takes the cake for me.  It shows a complete loss of spririt.  I can't help but feel his anguish, and his loss.  Its super heavy.

tp

Job 16

¹¹ God has turned me over to the ungodly
    and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
¹⁷ yet my hands have been free of violence
    and my prayer is pure.


These two lines caught my attention today.  We talked a while back about the absence of God being a really bad thing.  We've also read that if your heart isn't pure, or if you are living a detestable life to God, then he will turn a deaf ear on your prayers.  Which seems to make it even harder to right the ship of life.....but the second sentence is the key, to me.  Even in his strife and hardship, Job still has a heart for God, and his prayers are still pure.  That's pretty amazing.  I keep trying to put myself in his position, and wonder what my attitude would be.......I'm not sure the word "pure" is the one that comes first to mind. 

tp

Job 15

31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,
    for he will get nothing in return.


Eliphaz is coming at Job a 2nd time trying to put him in his place as he thinks Job has lost his way blaming God for his situation.  I'm not sure what to make of his lecture but I thought this line made sense.  I shouldn't deceive myself into feeling secure by my own means or accumulation of wealth here on earth.  It is worthless, all of my trust needs to be placed in Him and everything else will take care of itself.

knut

Job 14

v14 If someone dies, will they live again?
    All the days of my hard service
    I will wait for my renewal[b] to come.

We have an advantage over Job.  We know we have Jesus.

short and sweet, have a great weekend.
knut

Job 11-13

So I read a little further this time as this seems like a repeat from earlier. In ch 11  Zophar basically tells Job you are obviously suffering as  a direct result of actions you have taken.  In ch 12 Job gets ticked and goes off on Zophar saying seriously---do you think you are better than me?  how about we have God take a good look at your life, I bet it doesn't hold up as well as mine so shut it.

Then in Ch 13 Job turns his attention back to God and says do 2 things for me. Stop messing with me and give me a chance to plead my case to you in person.  whooaa.  the dude is pretty bold--I glanced ahead and see we don't hear directly from God until ch 38.  I believe we are going to cycle through a repeated exchange between Job and his friends until this point.

knowing you i bet there is a movie in your mind right now.  me being the accountant I just have debits and credits going back and forth between Job and his friends.  It makes for a cool spreadsheet though.

knut

Job 10

v1 "I can’t stand my life—I hate it!
    I’m putting it all out on the table,
    all the bitterness of my life—I’m holding back nothing.”

Well I can't relate to Job here but again I think of many friends who have or are going through difficult times, especially again cancer patients and can imagine they have these feelings.  Matthew from our church continues to battle lukemia and I read often about his daily head aches and all over body pains.  Yet whenever he is well enough to be in public it seems he is always wearing a smile and the entire family seems to push on with such a positive outlook in such a troubling situation.  

I can't say that I blame Job for his feelings, but am curious to God's response as we move through the book of Job.  I honestly don't recall how it will play out and I have never read Job from cover to cover.

knut

Job 9

33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,
    someone to bring us together,
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,
    so that his terror would frighten me no more.


Well I'm not sure if this is intentional foreshadowing, but when I read this I thought of Jesus.  He certainly came and removes the rod from us, but I don't think its God's rod--which is why I'm not sure this is foreshadowing but more just Job's thoughts.  But either way it reminds me how fortunate I am that God sent Jesus on our behalf to pay for my sins.

knut

Job 8

3 Does God mess up?
    Does God Almighty ever get things backward?

 

Bildad's response to Job didn't strike me as completely accurate, but I think he is right in v3--God doesn't mess up.  

So for me to ever get mad at God for my circumstances just wouldn't be right.  When my dad died I think I probably had some of those angry thoughts--why him when there are plenty of evil people out there who would be better targets for the cancer.  

He wasn't healed here on earth which is why I'm not sure I agree with his statement at that end that there is no way God will reject a good person.  If true then it seems we should have many more people overcoming disease to laugh again as he says.

I'm curious to get to God's response.

knut