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Fri 5 Mar 2010

Gleanings from the Book of Job 27:1-28:28

Posted @ 6:00 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Studies
Job holds on… and teaches about true wisdom
I stand blameless before God
Job 27
1 And Job took up his discourse again:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
      the Almighty, who has made my life bitter —
3 for while my spirit is still in me,
      and the breath from God is in my nostrils,


“As surely as God lives” = a most solemn oath.  In OT times it was common to stake your reputation on the life of another as pledge.
Job believed in God to the extent that he’d swear an unwavering oath in His name when in the same breath he felt he was being treated unfairly.
4 my lips will not speak wickedness,
      and my tongue will whisper no deceit.
5 I will never declare that you three are in the right;
      until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!
6 I will maintain my righteousness
      and never let it go;
      my conscience will not reproach me
      for as long as I live.
Q: To what was Job referring when he said he would not set aside his integrity?

Q: What were his friends asking of him?
Q: What would it have hurt if he had done what they said?

A curse and a warning?
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
      my adversary like the unrighteous.
8 For what hope does the godless have when he is cut off,
      when God takes away his life?
9 Does God listen to his cry
      when distress overtakes him?
10 Will he find delight in the Almighty?
      Will he call out to God at all times?
Job calls a curse on all that oppose him to suffer the fate of the wicked.

Four questions that point to the hopeless condition of the unrighteous

The fate awaiting his adversaries
11 I will teach you about the power of God;
      What is on the Almighty’s mind I will not conceal.
12 If you yourselves have all seen this,
      Why in the world do you continue this meaningless talk?
You already know this, but I’ll tell you because it appears you may not understand YOU’VE PUT YOURSELVES IN THE SHOES OF MY ENEMIES!
13 This is the portion of the wicked man
      allotted by God,
      the inheritance that evildoers receive
      from the Almighty.
14 If his children increase — it is for the sword!
      His offspring never have enough to eat.
15 Those who survive him are buried by the plague,
      and their widows do not mourn for them.



Possible additional study: Generational sin
His children and all survivors will continue to pay
Q: Is it fair?  Does it happen?
Q: Might generational sin often be the result of the example of the parents?  Things we either copy or react against.
16 If he piles up silver like dust
      and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,
17 what he stores up a righteous man will wear,
      and an innocent man will inherit his silver.
18 The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon,
      like a hut that a watchman has made.
19 He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more.
      When he opens his eyes, it is all gone.
Nothing he has accumulated will be taken with him or passed down.


Nothing lasts

“watchman’s hut” is temporary
20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood;
      at night a whirlwind carries him off.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
      it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without pity
      as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands at him in derision
      and hisses him away from his place.
Night/wind = neither can be seen = terror

Personification  of the wind = as if the wicked man had a rotten performance and was boo’d & hissed off the stage.

Job’s soliloquy on wisdom

The difficulty in the search for the most precious things
Job begins discussing the ingenuity of man then goes on to say that even so true wisdom is beyond man’s grasp and is known only by God.
Job 28
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
      and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground,
      and rock is poured out as copper

Other mentions of iron: Job 19:24; Job 20:24; Job 40:18; Job 41:27
The “iron age” in the middle east was 12th century BC
Q: How do you think this affects the dating of Job – does it place him in the time of the judges vs. Abraham?
FYI – Iron was in use as early as 1800-2000BC (Abraham’s time) in Africa & India

Q: What about the earliest mention of iron Gen 4:22?
3 Man puts an end to the darkness;
      he searches the farthest recesses
      for the ore in the deepest darkness.
4 Far from where people live he sinks a shaft,
      in places travelers have long forgotten,
      far from other people he dangles and sways.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
      is overturned below as though by fire;
6 a place whose stones are sapphires
      and which contains dust of gold;
7 a hidden path no bird of prey knows —
      no falcon’s eye has spotted it.
8 Proud beasts have not set foot on it,
      and no lion has passed along it.
9 On the flinty rock man has set to work with his hand;
      he has overturned mountains at their bases.
10 He has cut out channels through the rocks;
      his eyes have spotted every precious thing.
11 He has searched the sources of the rivers
      and what was hidden he has brought into the light.
“end the darkness” = manmade light


“dangles and sways” = dangerous but worth the prize


Man’s endeavors are so great the “undergroundscape” is altered for his search




Man goes places in his search that not even the greatest of the animals have trod



Man’s search has led him to taken him to extremes resulting in success!

Wisdom is far more elusive than these

Note the poetic structure that carries through even into English
Where can wisdom be found
Job 28:12-19
12 “But wisdom — where can it be found?
      Where is the place of understanding?
Where does wisdom come from
Job 28:20-28
20 “But wisdom — where does it come from?
      Where is the place of understanding?
13 Mankind does not know its place;
      it cannot be found in the land of the living.
< It’s not in land of the living >
21 For it has been hidden
      from the eyes of every living creature,
      and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not with me.’
      And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
<= It’s not with the dead =>
22 Destruction and Death say,
      ‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’
15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
      nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be measured out for purchase with the gold of Ophir,
      with precious onyx or sapphires.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can be compared with it,
      nor can a vase of gold match its worth.
18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made;
      the price of wisdom is more than pearls.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it;
      it cannot be purchased with pure gold.

<= It’s priceless

Why?
Because it

Resides with God alone =>
23 God understands the way to it,
      and he alone knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
      and observes everything under the heavens.
25 When he made the force of the wind
      and measured the waters with a gauge.
26 When he imposed a limit for the rain,
      and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and assessed its value;
      he established it and examined it closely.

28 And he said to mankind,
      ‘The fear of the LORD — that is wisdom,
      and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ “
This could refer to the revelation God gave to Adam after his fall. He had before sought for wisdom in a forbidden way. When he and Eve saw that the tree was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, they took and did eat (Gen 3:6). Thus they lost all the wisdom that they had, by not setting the fear of the Lord before their eyes; and became foolish, wicked, and miserable. Hear, then, what God prescribes as a proper remedy for this dire disease: The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; it is thy only wisdom now to set God always before thy eyes, that thou mayest not again transgress. (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible; Adam Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A., 1715-1832)

Note the parallels
Fear of the Lord
=
Wisdom
||

||
Shun Evil
=
Understanding


Q: Why do you think Job takes this time to discuss wisdom?

Additional references for wisdom and fear of the Lord:
Job 28:28 And he said to man, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’” (NIV)

Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (NIV)

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (NIV)

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (NIV)

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (NIV)

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD— (NIV)

Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. (NIV)

Micah 6:9 Listen! The LORD is calling to the city— and to fear your name is wisdom— “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it. (NIV)
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”
 

Fri 26 Feb 2010

Gleanings from the Book of Job 25:1-26:14

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Category: Studies
Last week Eliphaz basically told Job he had abused all the weak and oppressed.  Whether by commission or omission, it didn’t matter, Job was down the road of those evil men that God destroyed in the flood.
 
Bildad’s final hand is something like this story:
Harry and Sally have been married for 22 years.  Something’s been sitting uneasy inside Harry for a long time.  One day he finally figures out what’s been eating away at him.

Year after year he has felt a subtle drift in their marriage.  He had never been able to articulate it but today the light turns on and it’s all so clear.  Sally has never supported him from day one.  They were 19 when they got married.  They were young.  He’d felt Sally needed more than to stay at home with the kids, so he encouraged her to nurture a career.  Over the years she managed a successful career while juggling the responsibilities of being a mom.

Now here he was 3 kids, one out of the house, two others not far behind.  His life was at best routine.  He felt the weight of responsibility pressing down on him with one chore after another.  This isn’t what life was supposed to be like.  What he really needed was to find a career that more suited his interests.  He had suggested this to Sally a few times over the past few years and it seemed to him that she too readily dismissed him as “a dreamer.”

Now he knew what he must do.  Tonight he’d go home and tell Sally how it is. “As the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”  That was it!  His wife was not submitting.  He’d show her that by not supporting his decision she was in effect not submitting to God.

Harry played the “God” card.
 
This week Bildad tries to trump Job with the “God” card.
 
Bildad says his last
Bildad: Man cannot be righteous when compared to God
Job 25
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “Dominion and awesome might belong to God;
      he establishes peace in his heights.

God is over all whether in the heavens, on earth or below the earth.

“establishes peace” (or order) – either God brings order from chaos or in the realm of spiritual warfare, it is God who rules.
3 Can his armies be numbered?
      On whom does his light not rise?
“armies” adds to the concept of warfare vs. simple chaos
4 How then can a human being be righteous before God?
      How can one born of a woman be pure?
5 If even the moon is not bright,
      and the stars are not pure as far as he is concerned,
6 how much less a mortal man, who is but a maggot —
      a son of man, who is only a worm!”
Bildad echoes Eliphaz’ statements from v4:17-19 & v15:14-16

God is more brilliant than the stars, the moon is reflected light and less brilliant yet.

Has Bildad’s argument run it’s course and now he must seize Eliphaz’ in one last try?

Q: What is Bildad trying to say to Job?

Q: Is there untruth in what Bildad says? Explain.

Job: God is indeed all you say AND MORE
Job 26
1 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!
      How you have saved the person who has no strength!
3 How you have advised the one without wisdom,
      and abundantly revealed your insight!
4 To whom did you utter these words?
      And whose spirit has come forth from your mouth?
“you” is singular.  Job is very specifically speaking to Bildad whereas beginning in Chapter 27 “you” is plural

Sarcasm!
Q: What is the message of Job to Bildad underneath the sarcasm?

Q: Bildad has defended God, condemned the wicked and warned Job about his place with God.  What has he done to comfort Job?

The might of God in death
5 “The dead tremble —
      those beneath the waters
      and all that live in them.
6 The underworld is naked before God;
      the place of destruction lies uncovered.
Q: Might Job be trying to “one up” Bildad?

Q: Why are the dead trembling/in anguish?
(The “elite dead” should have nothing to fear but even they tremble before God from Sheol.)
The might of God in the visible universe
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
      he suspends the earth on nothing.
“empty space” = without form.  Allusion to the creation account.
Notice how he brings in Bildad’s argument about the the stars (v25:5) to show even great power than Bildad referred to… the power of creation!
8 He locks the waters in his clouds,
      and the clouds do not burst with the weight of them.
9 He conceals the face of the full moon,
      shrouding it with his clouds.
10 He marks out the horizon on the surface of the waters
      as a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens tremble
      and are amazed at his rebuke.
Science & mysteries:
1. Water falling from the sky
2. Moon, master of the night sky, so easily hidden by the clouds, eclipses & phases
3. “marks out the horizon” = marks a circle.  Did job understand the earth as spherical?  It is not possible to see the arc of the terminator line from the ground but the horizon is circular.
4. Pillars hold the heavens in their place
12 By his power he stills the sea;
      by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea monster to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
      his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
5. Maintains order in chaos
6. Orders the weather

God are over chaos: refer to Rahab in v9:13 and mythos in Dec 17, 2009 study.  Note: Reference to Rahab has not been found in extra-biblical sources.
Compare v26:12 in NET, NIV, NASB, KJV
“By his power he stills the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea monster to pieces.“
Compare Isaiah 51:9 in NET, NIV, NASB, KJV
“Wake up! Wake up!  Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD!  Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!  Did you not smash the Proud One?  Did you not wound the sea monster?“

Babylonian Creation Epic, in which the storm god Marduk defeats the sea monster Tiamat and creates the earth and sky by cleaving her corpse in two.  Tiamat could be Rahab.
14 Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways!
      How faint is the whisper we hear of him!
      But who can understand the thunder of his power?”
“outer fringes” – this is just scratching the surface of His omnipotence.
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”

Some commentators feel that v26:5-15 either belong to Bildad’s speech (which is very truncated) or that they are part of Zophar’s 3rd speech and somehow the credit to Zophar is not given.  Their basis is the general lack of flow and at times seeming contradiction to a stance taken through out.  Since it seems there are no manuscripts to fit this theory, I feel it is best to interpret the text as listed.  The bottom-line is that the thrust of the discourses is not changed nor the overarching themes in the book.

Failures of Jobs counselors and friends
(excerpted from: The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord & Zuck; SP Publications, Inc.; 1985; page 748)
1. They did not express sympathy toward Job
2. They did not intercede with God on Job’s behalf
3. They seemingly ignored his expressions of physical and emotional agony
4. They talked too much and did not listen enough
5. They became defensive and argumentative
6. They belittled Job vs. encourage him
7. They insisted they knew the cause of Job’s suffering and misery
8. They stubbornly persisted in their thoughts even when the facts contradicted their thinking
9. Their suggestions to Job were inappropriate because they missed the “problem”
10. They condemned Job for expressing deep grief, anguish and frustration
11. They already had a solution for the problem before they met Job
12. They did not offer comfort in words or actions
 

Fri 19 Feb 2010

Gleanings from the Book of Job 22:1-24:25

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Category: Studies
This section begins the third and final round of dialog between Job and the friends we have been introduced to thus far.

In the first cycle of speeches the friends had their individual points of view; in the second, they all concentrated on the fate of the wicked; now in the third cycle it’s harder to see logic in their speeches.  Eliphaz moves into personal and specific attacks of Job, yet still insisting Job can be restored.  Bildad’s speech is very abbreviated and Zophar says nothing.
 
Eliphaz confronts Job one last time
Your stance is not helping God, let it go
Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit?
      Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable?
3 Is it of any special benefit to the Almighty
      that you should be righteous,
      or is it any gain to him
      that you make your ways blameless?
4 Is it because of your piety that he rebukes you
      and goes to judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great
      and is there no end to your iniquity?”
v1-5 are difficult to understand.  It appears Eliphaz is saying: “Job, you keep insisting you are blameless as if that will somehow help God.  Do you think He finds this pleasing?  Afterall, He KNOWS otherwise and He would not be punishing you if it weren’t true.”

In other words: God neither gains nor loses nothing whether a person is wicked or righteous; therefore suffering & blessing must simply be punishment or reward.

See THE MESSAGE:
“Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand, or smart enough to give him advice? So what if you were righteous–would God Almighty even notice? Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think he’d applaud? Do you think it’s because he cares about your purity that he’s disciplining you, putting you on the spot? Hardly! It’s because you’re a first-class moral failure, because there’s no end to your sins. ” Job 22:2-5

…Job, here is what your wickedness looks like
. . . charge 1!
6 “For you took pledges from your brothers
      for no reason,
      and you stripped the clothing from the naked.
. . . charge 2!
7 You gave the weary no water to drink
      and from the hungry you withheld food.
8 Although you were a powerful man, owning land,
      an honored man living on it,
. . . charge 3!
9 you sent widows away empty-handed,
      and the arms of the orphans you crushed.

10 That is why snares surround you,
      and why sudden fear terrifies you,
11 why it is so dark you cannot see,
      and why a flood of water covers you.
Q: Where in the world is this coming from?  Did Eliphaz have knowledge that these were Jobs sins?  If so, why didn’t he bring them up before?  Why bring them up now?

Q: How does this differ from where Eliphaz began speaking in chapter 4?

Q: Might Eliphaz be emphasizing what Job failed to do vs. what he did? (omission vs. commission)

…Job, God is not blind as you seem to be saying
12 “Is not God on high in heaven?
      And see the lofty stars, how high they are!
13 But you have said, ‘What does God know?
      Does he judge through such deep darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a veil for him, so he does not see us,
      as he goes back and forth
      in the vault of heaven.’
Evil men can hide but God will find them out.  (i.e. Why would God punish you for righteousness?)

…Will you go down this path as well?
15 Will you keep to the old path
      that evil men have walked —
16 men who were carried off before their time,
      when the flood was poured out
      on their foundations?
17 They were saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
      and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 But it was he who filled their houses
      with good things —
      yet the counsel of the wicked
      was far from me.


“Will you be as wicked as the men God destroyed in Noah’s flood?”

Eliphaz uses Jobs own words re: the wicked (Cf v21:14-16)


Eliphaz sneers: I (Eliphaz) am rejecting the ideas of the wicked by not agreeing with wicked (as some are)!

…Don’t be like them, submit to God!
19 The righteous see their destruction and rejoice;
      the innocent mock them scornfully, saying,
20 ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed,
      and fire consumes their wealth.’
21 “Reconcile yourself with God,
      and be at peace with him;
      in this way your prosperity will be good.
22 Accept instruction from his mouth
      and store up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
      if you remove wicked behavior far from your tent,
Remember Job said they could “mock on” (v21:3)?

Compare to v5:17-26.  He makes the same plea but note how the entire delivery is far more direct

Q: After scathing words & outright lies he now pleads with Job to repent.  What barriers might you have to repentance at this point?
Q: Would Eliphaz’ words convinced you to repent?
24 and throw your gold in the dust —
      your gold of Ophir
      among the rocks in the ravines —
25 then the Almighty himself will be your gold,
      and the choicest silver for you.
26 Surely then you will delight yourself in the Almighty,
      and will lift up your face toward God.
“let go of your treasures (aka thinking) and God will provide far greater ‘riches’ ”
27 You will pray to him and he will hear you,
      and you will fulfill your vows to him.
28 Whatever you decide on a matter,
      it will be established for you,
      and light will shine on your ways.
29 When people are brought low and you say
      ‘Lift them up!’
      then he will save the downcast;
30 he will deliver even someone who is not innocent,
      who will escape through the cleanness of your hands.
God will more than hear your voice, he’ll consider what you say His desire and do that for you.

Q: Thoughts on this theology?
God allows wickedness but will judge in His time
Job 23
1 Then Job answered:
2 “Even today my complaint is still bitter;
      his hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3 O that I knew where I might find him,
      that I could come to his place of residence!
4 I would lay out my case before him
      and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know with what words he would answer me,
      and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he contend with me with great power?
      No, he would only pay attention to me.
7 There an upright person
      could present his case before him,
      and I would be delivered forever from my judge.
Job presses on that IF he could present his case the charges would be dropped.

BUT Job does not know where to find God – in other words – for some reason God is not listening to my pleas

…even though I don’t understand “why?”, I know I’ve listened closely
8 “If I go to the east, he is not there,
      and to the west, yet I do not perceive him.
9 In the north when he is at work,
      I do not see him;
      when he turns to the south,
      I see no trace of him.
10 But he knows the pathway that I take;
      if he tested me, I would come forth like gold.
11 My feet have followed his steps closely;
      I have kept to his way and have not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
      I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion.

…God does as He pleases and I know my place
13 But he is unchangeable, and who can change him?
      Whatever he has desired, he does.
14 For he fulfills his decree against me,
      and many such things are his plans.
15 That is why I am terrified in his presence;
      when I consider, I am afraid because of him.
16 Indeed, God has made my heart faint;
      the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I have not been silent because of the darkness,
      because of the thick darkness
      that covered my face.
Q: Does God act “fairly” or “legally?”

…Why doesn’t God judge when needed?
Job 24
1 “Why are times not appointed by the Almighty?
      Why do those who know him not see his days?
Job: Why doesn’t God hold appointed times of judgment vs waiting so long for justice?
…see the wickedness done TO THE INNOCENT
2 Men move boundary stones;
      they seize the flock and pasture them.
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey;
      they take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They turn the needy from the pathway,
      and the poor of the land hide themselves together.
5 Like wild donkeys in the desert
      they go out to their labor,
      seeking diligently for food;
      the wasteland provides food for them
      and for their children.
6 They reap fodder in the field,
      and glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked because they lack clothing;
      they have no covering against the cold.
8 They are soaked by mountain rains
      and huddle in the rocks because they lack shelter.
9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast,
      the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge.
10 They go about naked, without clothing,
      and go hungry while they carry the sheaves.
11 They press out the olive oil between the rows of olive trees;
      they tread the winepresses while they are thirsty.
12 From the city the dying groan,
      and the wounded cry out for help,
      but God charges no one with wrongdoing.
…see who is doing it AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT
13 There are those who rebel against the light;
      they do not know its ways
      and they do not stay on its paths.
14 Before daybreak the murderer rises up;
      he kills the poor and the needy;
      in the night he is like a thief.
15 And the eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight,
      thinking, ‘No eye can see me,’
      and covers his face with a mask.
16 In the dark the robber breaks into houses,
      but by day they shut themselves in;
      they do not know the light.
17 For all of them, the morning is to them
      like deep darkness;
      they are friends with the terrors of darkness.
Light = compare to John 1:5 & John 3:19-21

God will judge in his time
18 “You say, ‘He is foam on the face of the waters;
      their portion of the land is cursed
      so that no one goes to their vineyard.
19 The drought as well as the heat carry away
      the melted snow;
      so the grave takes away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets him,
      the worm feasts on him,
      no longer will he be remembered.
      Like a tree, wickedness will be broken down.
21 He preys on the barren and childless woman,
      and does not treat the widow well.
22 But God drags off the mighty by his power;
      when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life.
23 God may let them rest in a feeling of security,
      but he is constantly watching all their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while,
      and then they are gone,
      they are brought low like all others,
      and gathered in,
      and like a head of grain they are cut off.’
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me a liar
      and reduce my words to nothing?”
“You say” is not in original text but is presupposed by translators as the context.

Here Job describes the fate of the wicked – it sounds strikingly like his friends words.

Some commentaries feel that this words perhaps belong to Bildad’s next speech or as a minimum are Job parroting back his friends’ words.

Q: What do you think and why?
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”

Q: Think of a time when you have been in a dispute that became a wordy discourse.
1. What eventually happened with the eloquence of your “argument?”
2. Have you ever been at a point where, like Eliphaz, you NEEDED to stretch the truth to make your point?
3. What advise would you give these two friends?
 

Fri 12 Feb 2010

Gleanings from the Book of Job 20:1-21:34

Posted @ 6:00 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Studies
 
Zophar tries to convince Job one last time
Zophar defends himself by explaining his position
Job 20
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
2 “This is why my troubled thoughts bring me back —
      because of my feelings within me.
3 When I hear a reproof that dishonors me,
      then my understanding prompts me to answer.


4 “Surely you know that it has been from old,
      ever since humankind was placed on the earth,
<= authority = “common knowledge”


…no one gets away with it, for long

5 that the elation of the wicked is brief,
      the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
6 Even though his stature reaches to the heavens
      and his head touches the clouds,
7 he will perish forever, like his own excrement;
      those who used to see him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found,
      and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.
9 People who had seen him will not see him again,
      and the place where he was
      will recognize him no longer.
In this discourse Zophar refines what he has said so far (sorry, had to say it).  In v11:13-20 he stated that the wicked get their due.  Now he admits that the wicked may prosper for a while BUT they will get their due.

10 His sons must recompense the poor;
      his own hands must return his wealth.
11 His bones were full of his youthful vigor,
      but that vigor will lie down with him in the dust.
A wicked man’s children must pay as well.

Q: What are your thoughts on “generational” sin?

12 “If evil is sweet in his mouth
      and he hides it under his tongue,
13 if he retains it for himself
      and does not let it go,
      and holds it fast in his mouth,
14 his food is turned sour in his stomach;
      it becomes the venom of serpents within him.
15 The wealth that he consumed he vomits up,
      God will make him throw it out of his stomach.
16 He sucks the poison of serpents;
      the fangs of a viper kill him.
17 He will not look on the streams,
      the rivers, which are the torrents
      of honey and butter.
18 He gives back the ill-gotten gain
      without assimilating it;
      he will not enjoy the wealth from his commerce.
19 For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them;
      he has seized a house which he did not build.
20 For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite;
      he does not let anything he desires escape.
21 “Nothing is left for him to devour;
      that is why his prosperity does not last.
22 In the fullness of his sufficiency,
      distress overtakes him.
      the full force of misery will come upon him.
23 “While he is filling his belly,
      God sends his burning anger against him,
      and rains down his blows upon him.
Q: Zophar is referring to food/eating – what message is he conveying in this symbology?

24 If he flees from an iron weapon,
      then an arrow from a bronze bow pierces him.
25 When he pulls it out and it comes out of his back,
      the gleaming point out of his liver,
      terrors come over him.
26 Total darkness waits to receive his treasures;
      a fire which has not been kindled
      will consume him
      and devour what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens reveal his iniquity;
      the earth rises up against him.
28 A flood will carry off his house,
      rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.
Note iron and bronze.  These were not in common use in the middle east until ~1,200 B.C.  – the time of the judges, about 800 years after Abraham.

29 Such is the lot God allots the wicked,
      and the heritage of his appointment from God.”
<= THESIS

Job asks his friends to stop mocking long enough to listen
Job 21
1 Then Job answered:
2 “Listen carefully to my words;
      let this be the consolation you offer me.
3 Bear with me and I will speak,
      and after I have spoken you may mock.


Don’t you see what I’m going through?
4 Is my complaint against a man?
      If so, why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be appalled;
      put your hands over your mouths.
6 For, when I think about this, I am terrified
      and my body feels a shudder.

Physical proof the wicked prosper
7 “Why do the wicked go on living,
      grow old, even increase in power?
8 Their children are firmly established
      in their presence,
      their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe and without fear;
      and no rod of punishment from God is upon them.
10 Their bulls breed without fail;
      their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They allow their children to run like a flock;
      their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,
      and make merry to the sound of the flute.
13 They live out their years in prosperity
      and go down to the grave in peace.
Job contradicts some arguments of all three:
v7-Zophar – The wicked will die empty (cf v20:11)
v8-Bildad – The wicked man will have no offspring (cf v18:19)
v9-Eliphaz – If God corrects you and you respond you will have a safe house (cf v5:24)



Q: List some examples in which you have observed the wicked prospering.
14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!
      We do not want to know your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
      What would we gain
      if we were to pray to him?’
16 But their prosperity is not their own doing.
      The counsel of the wicked is far from me!
Q: Why would they need God?

cf. Ex 5:2




Q: Who is responsible for their prosperity?

Physical proof the wicked aren’t punished
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished?
      How often does their misfortune come upon them?
      How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger?
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
      and like chaff swept away by a whirlwind?
Q: Is this true?  How often HAVE YOU seen the wicked duly punished?

19 You may say, ‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his children!’
      Instead let him repay the man himself
      so that he may know it!
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction;
      let him drink of the anger of the Almighty.
21 For what is his interest in his home
      after his death,
      when the number of his months
      has been broken off?
Job: answers the statement that is begging to be made… At least the children will be punished!  But what good is that when a man can live life as he chooses and doesn’t “pay” for it?


Q: Is punishment for generational sin fair?
Q: Is there any recourse if WE are paying for the sins of our fathers?
22 Can anyone teach God knowledge,
      since he judges those that are on high?
23 “One man dies in his full vigor,
      completely secure and prosperous,
24 his body well nourished,
      and the marrow of his bones moist.
25 And another man dies in bitterness of soul,
      never having tasted anything good.
26 Together they lie down in the dust,
      and worms cover over them both.
God does as He wills.  Can any of you (3 friends) teach God how things work.  Look and see!

You have seen and heard for yourself
27 “Yes, I know what you are thinking,
      the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 For you say,
      ‘Where now is the nobleman’s house,
      and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?’
29 Have you never questioned those who travel the roads?
      Do you not recognize their accounts —
30 that the evil man is spared
      from the day of his misfortune,
      that he is delivered
      from the day of God’s wrath?
31 No one denounces his conduct to his face;
      no one repays him for what he has done.
32 And when he is carried to the tombs,
      and watch is kept over the funeral mound,
33 The clods of the torrent valley are sweet to him;
      behind him everybody follows in procession,
      and before him goes a countless throng.
Note that the wicked man even has someone guarding his grave!

Mock on
34 So how can you console me with your futile words?
      Nothing is left of your answers but deception!”
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”
 

Note:
1) There is no direct name calling,
2) Job does not cry out to God (might there be any significance after v19:25?)
3) As extreme as Zophar is at emphasizing the fate of the wicked Job emphasizes how the wicked “get away with it.”
 

Thu 4 Feb 2010

Gleanings from the Book of Job 18:1-19:29

Posted @ 3:55 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Studies
Praying the name of God…
God you are our advocate, healer, defender, savior and shepherd.  You are the Shophet of the universe; our judge to administer justice when we have been wronged.  We know you will judge all men in Truth.  Your perfect justice will prevail.  May we place our trust in you, and know you as Job knew you, that no matter what happens we can know that our redeemer lives and have total confidence that we will see you in the flesh.  As Job awaited justice from you, his Shophet, may we wait patiently for your return and your justice in this world.
 
Shophet (sho-PHAIT) – Justice is ultimately rooted not in a collection of laws or rules but in the very character and nature of God. As judge of the whole earth, He is the only One competent to measure the motivations of our hearts. In the Hebrew Scriptures the work “judge: is often parallel to the work “king”. When we pray to God our Shophet, we are praying to the One whose righteousness demands perfect justice but who has also provided a way for us to be acquitted through the life, death and resurrection of his Son. Praying the Names of God – Ann Spangler 2004 Zondervan Publishing

 
Bildad and Job Dialogue a Second Time
Bildad admonishes Job that the “world order” will not change for him
Don’t treat our words as from a foolish man

Chapter 18
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “How long until you make an end of words?
      You must consider, and then we can talk.
3 Why should we be regarded as beasts,
      and considered stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,
      will the earth be abandoned for your sake?
      Or will a rock be moved from its place?



Q: How does this relate to what Bildad last said in v8:3?



<= THESIS – Bildad says Job is fighting to change the world order in his demand for a new way of looking at God, man and the wicked

The fate of the wicked

5 “Yes, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished;
      his flame of fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent grows dark;
      his lamp above him is extinguished.
7 His vigorous steps are restricted,
      and his own counsel throws him down.


Lamp = symbolizes life and prosperity

8 For he has been thrown into a net by his feet
      and he wanders into a mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
      a snare grips him.
10 A rope is hidden for him on the ground
      and a trap for him lies on the path.
Net, mesh, trap, snare, rope, trap…
Q: What do you think Bildad is telling Job?

11 Terrors frighten him on all sides
      and dog his every step.
12 Calamity is hungry for him,
      and misfortune is ready at his side.
13 It eats away parts of his skin;
      the most terrible death devours his limbs.
14 He is dragged from the security of his tent,
      and marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Fire resides in his tent;
      over his residence burning sulfur is scattered.
16 Below his roots dry up,
      and his branches wither above.
17 His memory perishes from the earth,
      he has no name in the land.
18 He is driven from light into darkness
      and is banished from the world.
19 He has neither children nor descendants among his people,
      no survivor in those places he once stayed.
20 People of the west are appalled at his fate;
      people of the east are seized with horror, saying,
21 ‘Surely such is the residence of an evil man;
      and this is the place of one who has not known God.’ “





Q: What is Job’s physical condition?  How might Job interpret what is being said to him?









Q: How many of Job’s descendents are there remaining?


Bildad: The wicked man gets what’s coming to him

Q: What might Bildad implying about Job’s relationship with God?
Re-read Job 8:20-22 – Was Bildad saying Job in the camp of the righteous or the wicked?
Q: In light of Bildad’s first speech why do you think Bildad goes on and on about the fate of the wicked?
Q: Do you think Bildad’s motives warrant the “bad form?” (i.e. reference to physical condition and children)
Job cries foul

…unfair attacks from friends
Chapter 19
1 Then Job answered:
2 “How long will you torment me
      and crush me with your words?
3 These ten times you have been reproaching me;
      you are not ashamed to attack me!






10 times = (idiom) round number that conveys the idea of “frequent” (Cf. Num 14:22, Dan 1:20)

4 But even if it were true that I have erred,
      my error remains solely my concern!
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me
      and plead my disgrace against me,
6 know then that God has wronged me
      and encircled me with his net.
Q: If Job did sin did he sin against them?

Q: Do you agree with Job?  How do you reconcile this with James 5:19-20?

8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass,
      and has set darkness over my paths.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
      and has taken the crown off my head.
10 He tears me down on every side until I perish;
      he uproots my hope like one uproots a tree.
11 Thus his anger burns against me,
      and he considers me among his enemies.
12 His troops advance together;
      they throw up a siege ramp against me,
      and they camp around my tent.
13 “He has put my relatives far from me;
      my acquaintances only turn away from me.
14 My kinsmen have failed me;
      my friends have forgotten me.
15 My guests and my servant girls
      consider me a stranger;
      I am a foreigner in their eyes.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not respond,
      even though I implore him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife;
      I am loathsome to my brothers.
18 Even youngsters have scorned me;
      when I get up, they scoff at me.
19 All my closest friends detest me;
      and those whom I love have turned against me.
20 My bones stick to my skin and my flesh;
      I have escaped alive with only the skin of my teeth.
Note the range of imagery used to describe how Job felt.









Q: Of all the people around Job, who is so much as raising a hand to comfort him?

Q: What is it that can receive (or would perceive) as comfort?

Job appeals to his friends

21 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity on me,
      for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you pursue me like God does?
      Will you never be satiated with my flesh?
23 “O that my words were written down,
      O that they were written on a scroll,
24 that with an iron chisel and with lead
      they were engraved in a rock forever!


Q: Why would Job reach out to them after all they put him through?


Q: Why would he want his words written down forever? (to prove his innocence for posterity?)

Job’s hope

25 As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
      and that as the last
      he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
      yet in my flesh I will see God,
27 whom I will see for myself,
      and whom my own eyes will behold,
      and not another.
      My heart grows faint within me.


Q: Does Job believe he will be resurrected? Or is this a metaphor?

What does he believe will happen after death?
(Dead, soul sleep, spirit goes on, body is resurrected?)

“yet in my flesh” – the Hebrew phrase is “and from my flesh.”
This could mean “without my flesh,” i.e., separated from my flesh,
or “from my flesh,” i.e., in or with my flesh.
->The former view is taken by those who think Job’s vindication will come in this life, and who find the idea of a resurrection unlikely to be in Job’s mind.
->The latter view is taken by those who interpret the preceding line as meaning death and the next verse underscoring that it will be his eye that will see. This would indicate that Job’s faith rises to an unparalleled level at this point.

LXX – 25For I know that he is eternal who is about to deliver me, 26and to raise up upon the earth my skin that endures these sufferings: for these things have been accomplished to me of the Lord; 27which I am conscious of in myself, which mine eye has seen, and not another, but all have been fulfilled to me in my bosom.

Q: Is Job saying:
1) I will be restored before I die
2) When I am in the spirit and before God all will be made right and it’ll be as if I were restored in the flesh
3) I will die in this state but He will resurrect my flesh and I’ll be whole, thus proven right

Q: Has this been his point of view so far or is it evolving?  If it’s evolving what do you think is causing it?  If it’s not evolving why were his earlier discourses not “enlightened” with ideas of an afterlife.

Refer to the following other references to death:
Job 7:8-10, 21; 10:20-22; 14:10-14

Q: If Job DOES believe in an afterlife in one form or another why is he so hopeless?


v26 – Dave’s ultra literal xlation from Hebrew
“After Skin Corroded This Body See God.”

Job’s warning

28 If you say, ‘How we will pursue him,
      since the root of the trouble is found in him!’
29 Fear the sword yourselves,
      for wrath brings the punishment by the sword,
      so that you may know
      that there is judgment.”

Q: Job expects to be vindicated, what does he expect of the fate of this friends if they don’t back off?
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”
 

Q: How could Job place his hope in the one that he says is not giving him justice?
 

Tue 2 Feb 2010

In Your Presence

Posted @ 3:28 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Spiritual

“In Your Presence” by Jason Upton

This song says it all.

 

Fri 22 Jan 2010

Gleanings from the Book of Job 15:1-17:16

Posted @ 6:50 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Studies
 
Each of Job’s three friends has had the opportunity to present his case.  Job responded to each of them.  At this point they are pretty sure Job is not listening to them, for whatever reason, and now they come back for round two.
 
These words are the meat of the dialog…



Eliphaz of Teman spoke a second time: “If you were truly wise, would you sound so much like a windbag, belching hot air? Would you talk nonsense in the middle of a serious argument, babbling baloney? Look at you! You trivialize religion, turn spiritual conversation into empty gossip. It’s your sin that taught you to talk this way. You chose an education in fraud. Your own words have exposed your guilt. It’s nothing I’ve said–you’ve incriminated yourself!  (Job 15:1-6)
[…]
Why do you let your emotions take over, lashing out and spitting fire, Pitting your whole being against God by letting words like this come out of your mouth?  (Job 15:12-13)
[…]
There’s a lesson here: Whoever invests in lies, gets lies for interest, Paid in full before the due date. Some investment! They’ll be like fruit frost-killed before it ripens, like buds sheared off before they bloom. The godless are fruitless–a barren crew; a life built on bribes goes up in smoke. They have sex with sin and give birth to evil. Their lives are wombs for breeding deceit.”   (Job 15:31-35)
Excerpts from Job chapter 15 – The Message (MSG)



Then Job defended himself: “I’ve had all I can take of your talk. What a bunch of miserable comforters! Is there no end to your windbag speeches? What’s your problem that you go on and on like this? If you were in my shoes, I could talk just like you. I could put together a terrific harangue and really let you have it. But I’d never do that. I’d console and comfort, make things better, not worse!  (Job 16:1-5)
[…]
“When I speak up, I feel no better; if I say nothing, that doesn’t help either. I feel worn down. God, you have wasted me totally–me and my family! You’ve shriveled me like a dried prune, showing the world that you’re against me. My gaunt face stares back at me from the mirror, a mute witness to your treatment of me.  (Job 16:6-8)
[…]
“O Earth, don’t cover up the wrong done to me! Don’t muffle my cry! There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name– My Champion, my Friend, while I’m weeping my eyes out before God. I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor. “Only a few years are left before I set out on the road of no return. “My spirit is broken, my days used up, my grave dug and waiting.   (Job 16:18-17:1)
Excerpts from Job chapters 16 & 17 – The Message (MSG)

 


Eliphaz and Job Dialogue a Second Time
Eliphaz rebukes Job for his arrogance… and warns him

Job, you’re proving yourself unwise… or worse
Chapter 15
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge,
      or fill his belly with the east wind?
3 Does he argue with useless talk,
      with words that have no value in them?
4 But you even break off piety,
      and hinder meditation before God.
5 Your sin inspires your mouth;
      you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I;
      your own lips testify against you.
Note how Eliphaz has moved into the role as prosecutor after hearing Job’s responses to each of his three friends.
Q: What do you think is motivating him to attack Job?  He knows full well the losses Job has just encountered, what’s up?




Not only DID your sin bring this upon you but NOW you are adding to that sin.

Job, “your” wisdom is nothing
7 “Were you the first man ever born?
      Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on God’s secret council?
      Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we don’t know?
      What do you understand that we don’t understand?
“Your” wisdom is nothing
10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
      men far older than your father.
11 Are God’s consolations too trivial for you;
      or a word spoken in gentleness to you?
<= AUTHORITY – Rests on tradition, note it changed from “personal” revelation to “others” authority.
Q: Why do you suppose it changed?

Q: Which words were gentleness, friends or God’s?
12 Why has your heart carried you away,
      and why do your eyes flash,
13 when you turn your rage against God
      and allow such words to escape from your mouth?
<= THESIS – What’s made you vent your rage against God?

Job, Let me tell you again that man can’t be blameless
14 What is man that he should be pure,
      or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,
      if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
16 how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt,
      who drinks in evil like water!


Again, Eliphaz emphasizes that if the angels can’t be blameless before God, how can mortal man. (cf Job 4:18)

Implication: Job should EXPECT suffering since he’s not perfect (cf. Retribution Principle)
17 “I will explain to you;
      listen to me,
      and what I have seen, I will declare,
18 what wise men declare,
      hiding nothing,
      from the tradition of their ancestors,
19 to whom alone the land was given
      when no foreigner passed among them.
Eliphaz’ condescending attitude has changed since he first spoke (cf 4:2-4)

This is what a wicked man looks like
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,
      throughout the number of the years
      that are stored up for the tyrant.
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;
      in a time of peace marauders attack him.
22 He does not expect to escape from darkness;
      he is marked for the sword;
23 he wanders about — food for vultures;
      he knows that the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him;
      they prevail against him
      like a king ready to launch an attack,
25 for he stretches out his hand against God,
      and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
26 defiantly charging against him
      with a thick, strong shield!
27 Because he covered his face with fat,
      and made his hips bulge with fat,
28 he lived in ruined towns
      and in houses where no one lives,
      where they are ready to crumble into heaps.
29 He will not grow rich,
      and his wealth will not endure,
      nor will his possessions spread over the land.
30 He will not escape the darkness;
      a flame will wither his shoots
      and he will depart
      by the breath of God’s mouth.
31 Let him not trust in what is worthless,
      deceiving himself;
      for worthlessness will be his reward.
Q: Do you think he is implying that suffering is only for the wicked?  If so, what is he telling Job about his fate?

Note the “stinging” ways in which he confronts Job with what a wicked man can expect.  These describe Job!
“suffers torment”
“terrifying sounds” – 3 friends, maybe?
“marauders attack”
“distress and anguish”
“stretches his hand against God”
“vaunts himself against Almighty”
“charges God”


“fat” = prosperity



“wealth will not endure”
32 Before his time he will be paid in full,
      and his branches will not flourish.
33 Like a vine he will let his sour grapes fall,
      and like an olive tree
      he will shed his blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless is barren,
      and fire consumes the tents of those who accept bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and bring forth evil;
      their belly prepares deception.”
No advice here, only pronouncement that Job is getting paid back for his acts

Some commentaries hold that Eliphaz DOES NOT think Job falls into the class of “the wicked,” therefore he is not implying that Job is seeing the full wrath of someone who is wicked.  These commentaries say that Eliphaz is only giving an example of what the fate of the wicked look like.

Q: What do you think of this theory based on the text?

POINT: Commentaries are only man’s interpretation, always keep your finger on the text and think critically.  Never accept a study note, commentary as truth – always test ALL against scripture.
1 Thes 5:19-21 “Test all things”
1 Cor 4:4-6 “Do not go beyond what is written”
Job rebukes his friends compassion and expresses weariness before God
What’s wrong with you all?
Chapter 16
1 Then Job replied:
2 “I have heard many things like these before.
      What miserable comforters are you all!
3 Will there be an end to your windy words?
      Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I also could speak like you,
      if you were in my place;
      I could pile up words against you
      and I could shake my head at you.
5 But I would strengthen you with my words;
      comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
6 “But if I speak, my pain is not relieved,
      and if I refrain from speaking
      — how much of it goes away?






I could, but I won’t




Q: What is Job saying they “should” do?
See Job 6:14

God, this is my state
7 Surely now he has worn me out,
      you have devastated my entire household.
8 You have seized me,
      and it has become a witness;
      my leanness has risen up against me
      and testifies against me.
9 His anger has torn me and persecuted me;
      he has gnashed at me with his teeth;
      my adversary locks his eyes on me.
10 People have opened their mouths against me,
      they have struck my cheek in scorn;
      they unite together against me.
11 God abandons me to evil men,
      and throws me into the hands of wicked men.
12 I was in peace, and he has shattered me.
      He has seized me by the neck and crushed me.
      He has made me his target;
13 his archers surround me.
      Without pity he pierces my kidneys
      and pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breaks through against me, time and time again;
      he rushes against me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth on my skin,
      and buried my horn in the dust;
16 my face is reddened because of weeping,
      and on my eyelids there is a deep darkness,
17 although there is no violence in my hands
      and my prayer is pure.












Q: Is Job equating his friends to “evil men?”

Q: Do you hear more than a sense of grieving, a sense of oppression?


God, you are my witness, advocate, intercessor, and friend
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
      nor let there be a secret place for my cry.
19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
      my advocate is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend
      as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21 and he contends with God on behalf of man
      as a man pleads for his friend.
Note the major translational differences:
“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And my advocate is on high. “My friends are my scoffers; My eye weeps to God. “O that a man might plead with God As a man with his neighbor! Job 16:19-21 (NASB)

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend. Job 16:19-21 (NIV)

Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!   Job 16:19-21 (KJV)

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; and he contends with God on behalf of man as a man pleads for his friend.   Job 16:19-21 (NET)

Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high. My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God, that he would argue the case of a man with God, as a son of man does with his neighbor.
Job 16:19-21 (ESV)

Q: Who is his witness?
Who is contending with God on his behalf?

My spirit is broken…
22 For the years that lie ahead are few,
      and then I will go on the way of no return.
Chapter 17
1 My spirit is broken,
      my days have faded out,
      the grave awaits me.
2 Surely mockery is with me;
      my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 Make then my pledge with you.
      Who else will put up security for me?
4 Because you have closed their minds to understanding,
      therefore you will not exalt them.
5 If a man denounces his friends for personal gain,
      the eyes of his children will fail.
6 He has made me a byword to people,
      I am the one in whose face they spit.
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;
      my whole frame is but a shadow.
8 Upright men are appalled at this;
      the innocent man is troubled with the godless.
9 But the righteous man holds to his way,
      and the one with clean hands grows stronger.

Again, Job lays out the misery he is destined to endure



“mockers” = friends

“pledge… security” – again note legal terms.  He puts himself into the hands of the judge and asks to be treated fairly
10 “But turn, all of you, and come now!
      I will not find a wise man among you.
11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered,
      even the desires of my heart.
12 These men change night into day;
      they say, ‘The light is near
      in the face of darkness.’
13 If I hope for the grave to be my home,
      if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 If I cry to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
      and to the worm, ‘My Mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope?
      And my hope, who sees it?
16 Will it go down to the barred gates of death?
      Will we descend together into the dust?”
Job turns the tables on his friends and admonishes them to turn from their ways.
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”

Q: When have you been in a place where you’ve seen a friend hurting themselves and you’ve said something and they seemed to ignore it?  What did you do next?
 

Fri 8 Jan 2010

Gleanings from the Book of Job 12:1-14:22

Posted @ 9:19 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Studies
This is Job’s first dialog after each friend has taken an opportunity to speak.
 
Notice how Job’s focus moves from his friends (and their relentless torment of Job) to God, as is his pattern in previous speeches.
 
Job Presents His Case
 
Hey guys, I’m not an idiot – I know what I’m talking about
Chapter 12
1 Then Job answered:
2 “Without a doubt you are the people,
      and wisdom will die with you.
3 I also have understanding as well as you;
Job’s finally uses sarcasm to get his friends’ attention
“You are the people” – you speak for the people, you hold the popular wisdom, you are the keepers of THE knowledge.
 
In previous discourses Job says:
To Bildad: “I know that this is so” (v9:2)
      I am not inferior to you.
      Who does not know such things as these?
Sandwiched between these “I am not inferior statements Job “shows” his friends that he has the same knowledge they have!
 
Q: What does Job know that his friends do not know?
(It is possible for a righteous man to be afflicted)
4 I am a laughingstock to my friends,
      I, who called on God and whom he answered —
      a righteous and blameless man
      is a laughingstock!
5 For calamity, there is derision
      (according to the ideas of the fortunate ) —
      a fate for those whose feet slip!
6 But the tents of robbers are peaceful,
      and those who provoke God are confident —
      who carry their god in their hands.
Job: This is what I, a righteous man, get when things go bad.
7 “But now, ask the animals and they will teach you,
      or the birds of the sky and they will tell you.
8 Or speak to the earth and it will teach you,
      or let the fish of the sea declare to you.
 
Cf. Matt 6:26
Cf. Ps 19:1
The things you are telling me are “common” knowledge.
“You” here is singular – to Zophar
9 Which of all these does not know
      that the hand of the LORD has done this,
10 in whose hand is the life of every creature
      and the breath of all the human race.
11 Does not the ear test words,
      as the tongue tastes food?
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?
      Does not long life bring understanding?
13 “With God are wisdom and power;
      counsel and understanding are his.
14 If he tears down, it cannot be rebuilt;
      if he imprisons a person, there is no escape.
15 If he holds back the waters, then they dry up;
      if he releases them, they destroy the land.
16 With him are strength and prudence;
      both the one who goes astray
      and the one who misleads are his.
17 He leads counselors away stripped
      and makes judges into fools.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings
      and binds a loincloth around their waist.
19 He leads priests away stripped
      and overthrows the potentates.
20 He deprives the trusted advisers of speech
      and takes away the discernment of elders.
21 He pours contempt on noblemen
      and disarms the powerful.
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness,
      and brings deep shadows into the light.
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;
      he extends the boundaries of nations
      and disperses them.
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth
      of their understanding;
      he makes them wander
      in a trackless desert waste.
25 They grope about in darkness without light;
      he makes them stagger like drunkards.
Chapter 13
1 “Indeed, my eyes have seen all this,
      my ears have heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I know also;
      I am not inferior to you!
 
 
Cf. Dan 5:23
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cf. 1 Co 1:25
 
Cf. Ez 26:14
Cf. Rev 3:7
Cf. 1 Ki 17:1
Cf. Gen 7:24
 
 
Cf. 2 Chr 18:22
 
Cf. 1 Cor 1:20
 
Cf. Ps 107:40
 
Cf. Lk 1:52
 
Cf. Dan 4:28-34
 
 
Cf. 1 Cor 4:5
Cf. Dan 2:22
Cf. Jer 25:9
Cf. Ex 34:24
Cf. Act 17:26
 
 
 
Cf. Ps 107:40
 
Cf. Deut 28:29
These are basic things
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Makes kings into servants
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“You” (v14:2, 4-6) = plural
“Read my lips” as I lay out my case
3 But I wish to speak to the Almighty,
      and I desire to argue my case with God.
4 But you, however, are inventors of lies;
      all of you are worthless physicians!
5 If only you would keep completely silent!
      For you, that would be wisdom.
States his desire “argue his case before God”, previously:
“If I have sinned tell me what I have done” v7:20
“Tell me what charges you have against me” v10:2
 
“silent… wisdom” cf. Prov 17:28
 
Job is not proposing a lawsuit against God to accuse Him of injustice, rather he invites God to accuse him so that he may hear what God has against him.
6 “Listen now to my argument,
      and be attentive to my lips’ contentions.
7 Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf?
      Will you speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you show him partiality?
      Will you argue the case for God?
<- Note another sandwiched segment
Q: What is his case?  What does he so desperately need his friends to hear?
 
“you speak deceitfully for him” – Zophar
9 Would it turn out well if he would examine you?
      Or as one deceives a man would you deceive him?
10 He would certainly rebuke you
      if you secretly showed partiality!
11 Would not his splendor terrify you
      and the fear he inspires fall on you?
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
      your defenses are defenses of clay.
He turns their arguments back on them.
 
 
 
For their lack of objectivity?
 
“Proverbs of ashes” – Ashes were mixed with water to form soot that was used as a writing substance.  Not exactly the best thing to use for wise saying you wanted for posterity.
 
Statement: Any theology that do not leave room for Job’s experience is a lie.
Q: What do you think about this statement?
 
13 “Refrain from talking with me so that I may speak;
      then let come to me what may.
Let me cry out to God, I’ll take my lumps.
14 Why do I put myself in peril,
      and take my life in my hands?
Rhetorical
Q: How would you answer Job’s question?
15 Even if he slays me, I will hope in him;
      I will surely defend my ways to his face!
Q: How could Job say he’ll hope in a God that allows him to suffer?
Restates his “rightness” in all this
16 Moreover, this will become my deliverance,
      for no godless person would come before him.
17 Listen carefully to my words;
      let your ears be attentive to my explanation.
It’s only my blamelessness that gives me confidence.
Q: How do you live your life?  Do you have this level of confidence?  How can that be done?
 
Our confidence in Heb 13:5-6
18 See now, I have prepared my case;
      I know that I am right.
19 Who will contend with me?
      If anyone can, I will be silent and die.
Job: I have a winning case!
Even though I can win, I can’t win with these terms
20 Only in two things spare me, O God,
      and then I will not hide from your face:
21 Remove your hand far from me
      and stop making me afraid with your terror.
22 Then call, and I will answer,
      or I will speak, and you respond to me.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins?
      Show me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do you hide your face
      and regard me as your enemy?
25 Do you wish to torment a windblown leaf
      and chase after dry chaff?
26 For you write down bitter things against me
      and cause me to inherit the sins of my youth.
27 And you put my feet in the stocks
      and you watch all my movements;
      you put marks on the soles of my feet.
28 So I waste away like something rotten,
      like a garment eaten by moths.
Please STOP!
 
 
“afraid with your terror” = don’t intimidate me, the defendant
 
Note the tense is that Job continues to feel oppression.
This is why I believe not much time has passed since chapter 1.  The satan would see to it that everything hit Job as hard as it could within the constraints he was under.  His goal was to overwhelm Job in order to discredit God – no punches would be pulled.
 
 
 
“put marks on the soles of my feet”  or you set a limit for the soles of my feet.  It may be a reference to marking slaves to make tracking them easier and it fits the style in following “you watch all my movements,” but no evidence exists for exactly what this meant.
Men are gone soon enough, then they can’t harm you
Chapter 14
1 “Man, born of woman,
      lives but a few days, and they are full of trouble.
2 He grows up like a flower and then withers away;
      he flees like a shadow, and does not remain.
3 Do you fix your eye on such a one?
      And do you bring me before you for judgment?
4 Who can make a clean thing come from an unclean?
      No one!
5 Since man’s days are determined,
      the number of his months is under your control;
      you have set his limit and he cannot pass it.
6 Look away from him and let him desist,
      until he fulfills his time like a hired man.
7 “But there is hope for a tree:
      If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
      and its new shoots will not fail.
8 Although its roots may grow old in the ground
      and its stump begins to die in the soil,
9 at the scent of water it will flourish
      and put forth shoots like a new plant.
10 But man dies and is powerless;
      he expires —  and where is he?
11 As water disappears from the sea,
      or a river drains away and dries up,
12 so man lies down and does not rise;
      until the heavens are no more,
      they will not awake
      nor arise from their sleep.
13 “O that you would hide me in Sheol,
      and conceal me till your anger has passed!
      O that you would set me a time
      and then remember me!
14 If a man dies, will he live again?
      All the days of my hard service I will wait
      until my release comes.
15 You will call and I —  I will answer you;
      you will long for the creature you have made.
16 “Surely now you count my steps;
      then you would not mark my sin.
 
 
 
A) He’s gone soon enough
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
B) Let him be
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C) He can’t do anymore once he’s dead
 
 
A + B + C = Job’s point:

Life is fleeting and full of its own troubles.  Why not leave man alone since it all too soon that he dies and can do no more.
17 My offenses would be sealed up in a bag;
      you would cover over my sin.
18 But as a mountain falls away and crumbles,
      and as a rock will be removed from its place,
19 as water wears away stones,
      and torrents wash away the soil,
      so you destroy man’s hope.
20 You overpower him once for all,
      and he departs;
      you change his appearance
      and send him away.
21 If his sons are honored,
      he does not know it;
      if they are brought low,
      he does not see it.
22 Only his flesh has pain for himself,
      and he mourns for himself.”
“sealed in a bag” cf. 1 Sam 25:29
Important items (such as papyrus documents) were often put in a bag a sealed, usually with clay, and thus were made inaccessible to unauthorized persons.
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”
 
Q: What significance might it have that Job begins with the discussion of his suffering (or wounds inflicted by friends) and moves toward pleading his case to God?
 
Q: If you were in Job’s shoes an understood the world as he did (aka Retribution Principle) and knew you had done everything to please your God, what would you say to him if you were able to lay out your case?
 
Q: In what ways is Job’s understanding of God stretched in this dialog?
 

Thu 31 Dec 2009

Gleanings from the Book of Job 11:1-20

Posted @ 8:30 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Studies
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,  he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path will save that person’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)
 
Zophar: Job, You’re Getting Off Easy
Just because you talk a lot doesn’t make you right
Chapter 11
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite spoke up and said:
2 “Should not this abundance of words be answered,
      or should this talkative man
      be vindicated?
3 Will your idle talk reduce people to silence,
      and will no one rebuke you when you mock?
4 For you have said, ‘My teaching is flawless,
      and I am pure in your sight.’
 
 
Zophar implies that there has not been an adequate response to what has been said – so he is REQUIRED to step in.
 
5 But if only God would speak,
      if only he would open his lips against you,
Zophar: You say all these great puffed up things about yourself – if ONLY God would speak and tell you the truth!
 
Q: What proxied authority does Zophar use?  Justified?  Risks?
Q: What are your thoughts on using this authority?
 
6 and reveal to you the secrets of wisdom —
      for true wisdom has two sides —
“wisdom has 2 sides” –
Zophar may be comparing the wisdom that is revealed to man to the wisdom which has not been revealed.
>Man’s side of wisdom vs. God’s
 
“God’s wisdom is twice your understanding” – KJV captures this meaning.
 
Zophar: you’re only looking at part of the truth, Job.
 
      so that you would know
      that God has forgiven some of your sins.
<- THESIS = God is not giving you all you deserve.
 
Q: If you were sitting with Job would you say he went “on and on?”
Word count:
 Eliphaz+Bildad = 846+374 = 1,220
 Job>Eliphaz+Job>Bildad = 941+1000 = 1,941

Q: Compared to Eliphaz & Bildad how gracious was Zophar with Job?
Q: Why would Zophar slap Job in the face like this?  What would his motivation be?
 
Here’s what God is like
7 “Can you discover the essence of God?
      Can you find out
      the perfection of the Almighty?
See STRONGS for “perfection” in v7 (completion)
LXX – “have you come to the end of that which the Almighty has made?”
8 It is higher than the heavens — what can you do?
      It is deeper than Sheol — what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth,
      and broader than the sea.
10 If he comes by and confines you
      and convenes a court,
      then who can prevent him?
11 For he knows deceitful men;
      when he sees evil, will he not consider it?
“Sheol” – contrasts with “higher than the heavens”
 
“Sheol” always poses problems for translation. Here because it is the opposite of heaven “hell” would be a legitimate translation.
 
For more on Sheol see: JewishEncyclopedia.com
 
It refers to the realm of the dead — the grave and beyond.
 
God is wise enough to spot evil, you can’t fool Him
12 But an empty man will become wise,
      when a wild donkey’s colt is born a human being.
NIV = “witless man” = nitwit
NASB = “idiot”
KJV = “vain man”
See STRONGS for “vain” in v12 (hollow)
 
“donkey’s colt” = a most stupid animal
Q: In what ways did Zophar speak rightly (or wrongly) about God?
 
Repent or perish in your sin
13 “As for you, if you prove faithful,
      and if you stretch out your hands toward him,
14 if iniquity is in your hand — put it far away,
      and do not let evil reside in your tents.
15 For then you will lift up your face
      without blemish;
      you will be securely established
      and will not fear.
Zophar: Job, turn from your ways
“stretch out your hands” = custom of prayer & humility
 
 
 
“lift up your face” = clear conscience
16 For you will forget your trouble;
      you will remember it
      like water that has flowed away.
17 And life will be brighter than the noonday;
      though there be darkness,
      it will be like the morning.
18 And you will be secure, because there is hope;
      you will be protected
      and will take your rest in safety.
19 You will lie down with no one to make you afraid,
      and many will seek your favor.
Zophar: Your troubles will only be a vague memory
 
 
 
 
 
 
Repent & all will be well!
20 But the eyes of the wicked fail,
      and escape eludes them;
      their one hope is to breathe their last.”
No repentance, no hope
All scripture quotations from the New English Translation (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.”
 
Q: Was there anything to what Zophar said?
Q: Could Zophar have approached Job better?  Explain.
Q: What would you deduce about Zophar from this interchange?
 

Tue 29 Dec 2009

Time for a Milestone

Posted @ 9:28 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Spiritual
In James’ epistle it says: “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”  Theologically, I do not believe God moves from me – but I believe I can wander from Him to the land where my affections (aka idols) draw me.  Turning my gaze elsewhere.
 
I can intellectualize and know that I have turned to my own ways and KNOW what my response should be, but for some reason I can, at the same time, feel helpless to get my heart to agree with my mind.  These lyrics so well describe this season of life.  The music video can be viewed on YouTube (‘Whatever You’re Doing’ music video).
 
Sanctus Real can sing so much better than I can write, so I will let them say it for me.
 
Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly)
By Sanctus Real

It’s time for healing time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
All I can do is surrender
 
 
 
Any time apart is too long…
 
 
 
It’s so hard to hand it all over.  There are things that I do dearly want to keep.
Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
but I’m giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender…
To…

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
but I’m giving in to something heavenly
 
 
 
Isn’t that trust?  Grant me trust.  Full complete trust.
 
 
May this be a marker as a time You began a new work in the ground You are breaking up.
 
 
This is my prayer.
Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to to release all my held back tears

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly

It’s time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out
It is time.
Time to raise the blinds, open the windows and sweep the house.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It is time!
 
 
 
Nothing is more refreshing than new sunlight and fresh air in an old musty room that has been dark for too long.
 

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