December 2009

Monthly Archive

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.
 

Tue 22 Dec 2009

Is It Possible To Wait Too Long for Christmas?

Posted @ 8:45 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: myTooSense
One of my subscribed RSS feeds came in this morning entitled, “You Ruined Christmas, Now What?”
 
The opening paragraph said:
Once again, your sloth, indolence, and disregard for others have put the whole holiday season at risk. You waited too long to buy that Christmas gift from [could be any retailer], and now it won’t be here in time. We shouldn’t bail you out again like this. You’ll never learn. But in the spirit of the season, please accept this PDF file suitable for printing out and giving in lieu of the actual, not-yet-arrived gift.

 
To be honest, in the midst of the mind-numbing reality that December 25th is imminently approaching, my mind raced into momentary panic as I forgot all and raced over the you’re-going-to-ruin-it-cliff with so many other lemmings.
 
Is this what life has been reduced to in the 21st century?  Always racing so we don’t lose “it.”  If we are constantly going faster and faster so we can catch that slippery tomorrow, haven’t we missed the point?
 
Let’s say I have a personal goal to touch each mailbox as I travel down the street (of life).  All is going well until one day it occurs to me that if I travel faster I can touch more mailboxes.  I pick up the pace and sure enough I am touching more mailboxes.  Maybe a little faster.  Soon I am at a full on run and boy am I touching a lot of mailboxes.  Life has never been so good!  Hey wait, if I get into my car (aka technology entering the picture) I can touch even more.  So here I am racing down the road at 15mph but for some reason every time I reach out to touch a mailbox it nearly takes my arm off and smarts like crazy.  No problem, I’ll go faster.
 
Do you see the problem?  More force does not bring me to a solution.  It actually diminishes the return.  I’ve lost the purpose in all of it.  Somehow speed nudged my goal aside and become the dominant goal.
 
I’ve lost what I began.  I’ve lost the purpose somewhere along the way.
 

Mon 21 Dec 2009

In Search of Gold Mines Day 2 (19-Dec-09)

Posted @ 9:18 am      {Click to post comment} (2 posted) 
Category: Exploration
After the successes of yesterday there’s not much that can get better.  We begin day 2 at a rather leisurely pace at our roadside turnout.  With our primary objective conquered, we create a secondary plan consisting of vehicular and pedestrian assault.
Goldmine route in Alleghany, CA (day 2)
Day 2 begins from our base camp in Alleghany as we drive to within ¾ mile of Gold Star Mine.

Time: 9:35am
 
We parked in the downtown Alleghany parking area, nothing more than a wide section of Main Street with a “No Parking For More Than 12 Hours” sign across the street from the post office/museum and a jump from the bar.
 
Oh the sweet memories of a mobile BaseCamp as we head out for the day.  Parking here saved us the .6 mile trek through this booming metropolis.
 
Our initial goal was to stop by some of the mines we passed late last night.  But after heading slightly more than ½ mile and encountering the snow, remembering the holes in the boots and the dark GPSr nether regions of the previous night our objective changed to another set of mines.
Downtown Alleghany parking.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Gold Star exit.jpg (300x221 pixels)
Gold Star Mine
Time: 10:19am
elevation: 3,866ft
We park the mobile campsite at the nearest widening of the road, nearest the road that leads toward the mine.
 
The uphill trek begins.  It sure seems a lot more UP than the previous days traverse on no road at all.
 
Time: 11:03am
elevation 4,175ft
Hurray, not as exciting or arduous but a definite FIND!  No doubts here.
 
But wait, a sign says Exit and the gate is locked from the inside.  I wonder…
possible Gold Star entrance.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Yup, trekking uphill about 50ft yields a dangerous and exciting find.  A vertical shaft leading down into the mine.
 
Photograph taken, consider mine exploration completed and one more off the books.
Hub Mine
Time: 11:47am
 
One of two cabins visible from the only completely paved road into and out of Alleghany, CA.
Mobiling as far off the highway (and I use that term loosely) as we dare, we park and descend to cabin and mine location.
Hub mine lodging from Ridge Rd.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Hub mine house a fixer.jpg (150x112 pixels)Hub mine bachelor's pad.jpg (150x112 pixels)
A quick peek inside each of the cabin yields valuable information.
The cabin on the left has a bedroom, a bathroom, a living/dining/kitchen room.  The cabin on the right has one big room and old box spring coils in the middle of the room.  One of these miners must have had the civilization that a woman brings to the mix.
Hub mine.jpg (300x225 pixels)
The Hub Mine!
 
Bill sports the way.
Hub mine safety notice dtd 1938.jpg (150x316 pixels)Hub mine - 100yds in.jpg (200x267 pixels)
OK, we dared venture in!
Deteriorated safety notice dated 1938 was posted some 100 yards in.  Who’d have thunk OSHA could reach back in time.
Bill carefully inspects piping for unknown purpose – forced air?  which was paralleled by electrical wires deeper into the shaft.
We dared only traverse as far as an apparent cave-in area.
Even with that, safety was paramount, as no two of us ventured past a certain point together, leaving one behind to monitor conditions.  We each took turns and were quite satisfied with the discovery.
The initial shaft went straight into the hillside about 150yds, then sloped down about 20 degrees for a drop of 30ft over a 25yds distance.  It then went about 15yds further back where cave-in (or never cleaned out) rubble was almost blocking any apparent passage.  We’d love to find more history on this one.
Time: 1:00pm
 
Lunch in lawn chairs sitting on a barely roadside pullout.  Yum, yum.  Cans of tuna and pork and beans – doesn’t get better than that!
 
Next destination Kate-Hardy Mine and Omega Mine.
Time: 1:36pm
 
We visit the town of Forest, population: less.
 
A possible entry point for the Omega Mine but too far and too much snow to tromp through in our two hours remaining.  So on to plan B.
Plan B
Roman Mine and Blue Grouse Mine
 
Time: 1:48pm
elevaton: 4,006ft
Parked the minivan at entry point and set out on foot for the Roman Mine.

Time: 2:23pm
elevation: 3,788ft
Roman Mine
We arrive to within 1/10 mile of the Roman Mine encounter a no trespassing sign.  Desiring to honor property rights we collect our “evidence” in the form of digital photography and turn around.
Roman mine.jpg (300x221 pixels)
Alas, all good things must come to an end and it is now time to head back to the big city with the little stars in the sky.
This was a good trip, an awesome adventure and a must to repeat!

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Sat 19 Dec 2009

In Search of Gold Mines Day 1 (18-Dec-09)

Posted @ 8:09 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Exploration
Picture a small mountain community that still makes its living from gold mines and you probably have a good picture of Alleghany, California.  Nestled near the Tahoe National Forest in Sierra County, this community is the base camp for our 24 hour adventure.
 
My first ever search for gold mines began earlier in the day on Friday with preparations for a 2 hour drive, a cold-hamburger+beans-from-a-can dinner, sleeping bags in the back of a mini-van and my trusty GPSr (whose reliability would be questioned only hours later).

Goldmine route in Alleghany, CA (day 1)
Our trek begins a BaseCamp (as labeled above) and proceeds in a counterclockwise direction.
 
 
At 3:47pm on Friday December 18, 2009 only a few feet from BaseCamp (a mini-van parked alongside the road) we took our first few excited steps on a journey that would last for the next 7 hours 10 minutes and take us about 10.2 miles through uncharted hillsides and brush.
 
Primary objective: The Queen of Sheba Mine.  Why?  We liked the name.
 
1-alleghanyFD.jpg (300x180 pixels)
Time: 3:47pm
elevation: 4,403ft
 
Our trek begins with us passing the rescue team.  We hope not…  We have not yet been into Alleghany proper but we’re hoping for slightly updated services from this town of 121.
Minutes into our hike we come upon our first treasure.  An unexpected and undocumented tunnel beside the road we are travelling down.  The floor of the tunnel is under about a foot of water but it’s way too cool to look inside and imagine those who dug this out.
Unknown mine - 1st find!.jpg (300x227 pixels)
Ready4Fun.jpg (300x227 pixels)
Okay, time for the courtesy pose before we’re worn out, dirty and downright not hospitable to “pose’n.”
Oriental Mine.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Time: 4:17pm

Oriental Mine
elevation: 3,716ft
 
Our first “official” mine.  This is as close as we got the mine in deference to the owners.  During this entire trip we want to be respectful of any trespassing signage.  So far no signage, but sometimes it’s kind of obvious when you will not be welcome to proceed further.
Time: 4:24pm
 
From Oriental Mine we proceeded several yards downhill to Kanaka Creek.  After searching for a few minutes for a dry crossing and looking at the declining sun we arrive dryly on the other side and our bushwhacking begins.
Kanaka Creek.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Parttimers cabin.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Eyeing the ridgeline in the distance as we follow the Kanaka Creek ravine, we come across a “part-timers” cabin.  Cabin is all locked up for the season and we are careful to take only memories.
Light level 1½hr in.jpg (300x221 pixels)
Time: 5:12pm

Kenton Mine
elevation: ~3,700ft
We arrive in the vicinity but in the twilight of dusk but are unable to find our first “in the wilderness” find.
 

Time: 5:41pm
Here is my attempt to capture the sliver of the moon which will soon slip below the ridgeline.
We are now definitely headed up.  At this time we are about 400ft above the Kenton Mine location headed to 4,300’ before descending the other side of the hill.
Last .2mi to QoShebaA.jpg (150x111 pixels)Last .2mi to QoShebaB.jpg (150x111 pixels)
For posterities sake I’d like you all to know that going through more than 1,000 ft (.2 mile) of this stuff, downhill, in the dark, when most of the bush is 4ft tall is not the most exciting thing you can ever do.  Imagine being netted in a tangled mess with every step as gravity tugs you downward at a higher velocity than you can untangle yourself.  But with only 3/10 mile to go to our trips objective we endure.
Queen Of Sheeba for posterity - but wait!.jpg (200x150 pixels)
Time: 7:28pm
 
The sad, sad reality is that after more than 3½ hours we are  unable to spot the Queen of Sheba.  So after 2.9 mountainous, bushwhacking miles (or 1.2 miles as the crow flies) I photograph a tree for posterity and “proof” of our feat.
 
Now back to BaseCamp via any way but the nasty-uphill-through-the-bush route.
 
Queen of Sheba Mine
Bill basking in victory.jpg (200x267 pixels)QofS Discovery.jpg (200x267 pixels)Daves turn to bask.jpg (200x267 pixels)
Wait!! The report of mediocre success was too soon!
Some 80 ft or so from our tree I spot a dark post sticking out of the ground.
SUCCESS!  We have found it!
Oh how sweet it is!
Quartz at Queen of Sheeba.jpg (150x112 pixels)Monument wMiningClaim in tube.jpg (150x217 pixels)Queen of Sheeba claim.jpg (150x112 pixels)
A few broken pieces are quartz, a sealed tube with the mining claim – most recently filed in 2005 and life is good.
We have what we came for.
Every rock, every hill, every bloody bush – it’s all worth it!
Time: 8:00pm
 
But WAIT! As we head out, what do you know?  A little gulley points the way to the actual mine.
 
SWEET!!!  We never expected this kind of success.
but wait! The Queen of Sheeba!.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Inside the Queen of Sheeba2.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Okay, we were so excited there were several pictures taken down inside the mine that came out perfectly black.  But we have to “prove” it so I made sure a wall was close enough for the flash to bounce off.  Not too exciting to you, I’m sure.  But great for me!
Time: 8:32pm
Heading out, we decide to use a road/trail we crossed before the nasty-bushes-that-meant-us-no-good hoping to intersect it on an alternate path.  It appears this will double our overland distance BUT it’ll be on an unmaintained road which is a vast improvement.
 
Referring to our track image above you’ll note that we left Queen of Sheba and “guessed” the wrong direction once we arrived at the road.  I would assume entire wrong-way-Dave responsibility for this except you will note that at one point we crossed our own path several times.  Seeing as how we were on a road it’s kind of hard to imagine how 2 genius’s like us, who go through nasty brush up and down the sides of mountains in the dark to get to a mine that is 1/5 mile off a road/trail, could possibly go in circles.  WE DID NOT.  The GPSr was major haywire.  Trees, mountains and karma were in effect on our tired souls.  It was about here that I looked at our track, saw it crossing a section of road that had no crossroads and on which we had never traversed (ok, we did make one more incorrect guess at a Y) and said whoa, wait a second.  There’s something fishy here.  Satellite tracking was at an in-optimal level the likes of which I had never seen and for durations of time that really made us question which direction we were headed.
 
We discussed sleeping under a tree until morning.  It would have been doable but sure did not sound as good as a warm sleeping bag in the back of a mini-van.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that since about 4:45pm our stomachs have been growling non-stop.  I do not think I have every been so hungry in my life.  Oh the thought of a pre-cooked cold hamburger that was waiting for me sounded blissful!
 
The GPSr became a reference tool from this point on and instincts were forced to surface.  Eventually we got two good satellite fixes that confirmed we were approximately on the road we thought we were.
 
Time: 10:56pm
Two very tired, hungry, thirsty, aching, cold, wet feet guys arrive at BaseCamp after traversing Alleghany, California from one end to the other.  7.1 miles and 3 hours AFTER the Queen of Sheba Mine we EAT, EAT, EAT.
 
We took the lawn chairs out and sat at our appointed roadside rest, ate our cold burgers and corn from a can as we marveled at the miracle of God’s creation looking down at us from the heavens with such a splendor as is never seen in the city.
 
Then we SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP!
 

Thu 17 Dec 2009

Gleanings from the Book of Job 9:1-10:22

Posted @ 3:40 pm      {Click to post comment} (1 posted) 
Category: Studies
Job Declares His Inability to Defend Himself
Bildad, What you say is true
Chapter 9
1Then Job answered: 2“Truly, I know that this is so.
 
Q: Specifically what is Job acknowledging as “truth?”
      But how can a human be just before God?
<-THESIS
 
Q: “But” – Is Job saying:
 ”God and I are not equals, so what ground do I have to plead my case?”
    OR
 ”God is just, so WHY am I suffering?” (What did I do?)
 
How can a man plead his case against God?
3If someone wishes to contend with him,
      he cannot answer him one time in a thousand.
4He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —
      who has resisted him and remained safe?
5He who removes mountains suddenly,
      who overturns them in his anger;
6he who shakes the earth out of its place
      so that its pillars tremble;
7he who commands the sun and it does not shine
      and seals up the stars;
8he alone spreads out the heavens,
      and treads on the waves of the sea;
God has the freedom to act as He desires.
 
He makes, He changes, He controls
  ->Earth
  ->Heavens
No one can resist or even perceive Him unless God wills it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9he makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
      and the constellations of the southern sky;
10he does great and unsearchable things,
      and wonderful things without number.
11If he passes by me, I cannot see him,
      if he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
12If he snatches away, who can turn him back?
      Who dares to say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
Uncertain astronomical references:
“Bear” – possibly Aldebaran(KJV) {in Taurus}, Bear(other xlations) Big Bear = Ursa Major = Big Dipper
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13God does not restrain his anger;
      under him the helpers of Rahab lie crushed.
“Rahab”
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?“
 
An ancient version of the myth of Rahab occurs in the 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.
 
In biblical sources it relates to the raging sea.
 
Q: If you were to present yourself before God, as Job desired, and ask WHY – on what legal grounds would you have to stand?
 
Job would be overwhelmed by Him
14“How much less, then, can I answer him
      and choose my words to argue with him!
15Although I am innocent,
      I could not answer him;
      I could only plead with my judge for mercy.
16If I summoned him, and he answered me,
      I would not believe
      that he would be listening to my voice —
17he who crushes me with a tempest,
      and multiplies my wounds for no reason.
18He does not allow me to recover my breath,
      for he fills me with bitterness.
19If it is a matter of strength,
      most certainly he is the strong one!
      And if it is a matter of justice,
      he will say, ‘Who will summon me?’
20Although I am innocent,
      my mouth would condemn me;
      although I am blameless,
      it would declare me perverse.
21I am blameless. I do not know myself.
      I despise my life.
Job: If no man has hope of standing on the same footing as God, then what about me?
 
 
 
 
 
 
Q: Is Job saying God is unjust or malicious? (He is hopeless to compel God to do anything)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Q: If Job (& his friends) believe the Retribution Principle  (BBC Job 8:6-7 pg 499) what MUST happen to vindicate Job?  (public restoration of all that was lost)
 
Q: Why does Job emphasize his innocence/blamelessness in this section?
 
“I do not know myself” – difficult sense.  See KJV
Literally, “I perfect! I should not know my soul! I would disown my life”; that is, Though conscious of innocence, I should be compelled, in contending with the infinite God, to ignore my own soul and despise my past life as if it were guilty.
['A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments' by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown]
God doesn’t favor the innocent
22“It is all one! That is why I say,
      ‘He destroys the blameless and the guilty.’
23If a scourge brings sudden death,
      he mocks at the despair of the innocent.
God’s dealings with people are all the same.
 
 
 
 
24If a land has been given
      into the hand of a wicked man,
      he covers the faces of its judges;
      if it is not he, then who is it?
Acknowledges God’s sovereignty.
 
Q: Is Job accusing God of unjustness?  (Is he searching for meaning in what he sees?)
My case is hopeless
25“My days are swifter than a runner,
      they speed by without seeing happiness.
26They glide by like reed boats,
      like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.
See v7:6 – “My days are swifter…”
 
Q: Why does he talk as if life is flying by?  Wouldn’t someone in his shoes be crying for the minutes to speed up?  (Could he be talking about the “waste” of suffering in the middle of life? Too many things to do/enjoy to be miserable)
 
“swifter than a runner” – Land
“glide by like reed boats” – Sea
“eagle that swoops down” – Air
 
Job wants to make it VERY clear that he is losing life by the second – it’s passing him by.
 
27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
      I will change my expression and be cheerful,’
28I dread all my sufferings,
      for I know that you do not hold me blameless.
29If I am guilty,
      why then weary myself in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow water,
      and make my hands clean with lye,
31then you plunge me into a slimy pit
      and my own clothes abhor me.
Q: When have you “changed your expression to cheerful?”  What happened inside you?
32For he is not a human being like I am,
      that I might answer him,
      that we might come together in judgment.
33Nor is there an arbiter between us,
      who might lay his hand on us both,
34who would take his rod away from me
      so that his terror would not make me afraid.
Job: God is not at same level, so how can I dispute him?
 
 
 
 
 
 
35Then would I speak and not fear him,
      but it is not so with me.
Job: If possible I would but I cannot
 
Q: Do you think Job has a clear understanding of who God is and who he is in relation to God?
Q: What is that relationship?
I’ll say it… no one else can
Chapter 10
1“I am weary of my life;
      I will complain without restraint;
      I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
 
Job: What have I got to lose?
There is no mediation possible, my life is not worth living, I will speak no matter the consequences.
 
Q: What causes things to change in life where the unthinkable becomes the thinkable? Example: Youth is very concerned about peer pressure but over the years this gives way to practicality.
Q: When have you felt “weary of life?”
2I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
      Tell me why you are contending with me.’
Job: List my offenses
Challenges Gods purposes
3Is it good for you to oppress,
      to despise the work of your hands,
      while you smile
      on the schemes of the wicked?
4“Do you have eyes of flesh,
      or do you see as a human being sees?
 
Job: You’ve made me yet squash me all the while the wicked are left alone.
 
 
 
5Are your days like the days of a mortal,
      or your years like the years of a mortal,
6that you must search out my iniquity,
      and inquire about my sin,
Job: God, what’s the hurry?  You pour it all on me at once.
 
 
 
7although you know that I am not guilty,
      and that there is no one who can deliver
      out of your hand?
8“Your hands have shaped me and made me,
      but now you destroy me completely.
9Remember that you have made me as with the clay;
      will you return me to dust?
10Did you not pour me out like milk,
      and curdle me like cheese?
11You clothed me with skin and flesh
      and knit me together with bones and sinews.
12You gave me life and favor,
      and your intervention watched over my spirit.
<-CHALLENGE – You know I’m not guilty… yet your anger increases against me (v10:7, 10:17)
13“But these things you have concealed in your heart;
      I know that this is with you:
14If I sinned, then you would watch me
      and you would not acquit me of my iniquity.
“concealed in your heart” – you planned these things for me.
 
Q: Your thoughts on the truth of what Job says here?  Did God plan these things?  Isn’t He sovereign?
 
15If I am guilty, woe to me,
      and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head;
      I am full of shame,
      and satiated with my affliction.
16If I lift myself up,
      you hunt me as a fierce lion,
      and again you display your power against me.
17You bring new witnesses against me,
      and increase your anger against me;
      relief troops come against me.
Punishment by God = Public humiliation, according to the Retribution Principle
One last request
18“Why then did you bring me out from the womb?
      I should have died
      and no eye would have seen me!
19I should have been as though I had never existed;
      I should have been carried
      right from the womb to the grave!
 
 
 
 
 
 
20Are not my days few?
      Cease, then, and leave me alone,
      that I may find a little comfort,
21before I depart, never to return,
      to the land of darkness
      and the deepest shadow,
22to the land of utter darkness,
      like the deepest darkness,
      and the deepest shadow and disorder,
      where even the light is like darkness.”
Job: Give me something before I die.
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 was Job’s dilemma between the his spiritual state and what he himself ‘knew’ to be true of the way things worked on this earth?
 
Q: When have you felt God was unfair in His dealings with you?

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Fri 11 Dec 2009

Gleanings from the Book of Job 8:1-22

Posted @ 10:36 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Studies
 
Bildad Defends The Almighty
Bildad Jumps In
1Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said: 2How long will you speak these things, seeing that the words of your mouth are like a great wind? (v8:1-2)
Q: How does Bildad “warm Job up” to the ‘truth’ he is about to impart?
Q: Why would he jump right in like this?
(youthfulness?, passionate about protecting God?)
 
This is the first time Bildad has spoken – contrast it with Eliphaz’ opening (v4:2-4)
 
Q: Consider the flow of events and dialog, what do you think of Bildad’s opening?
 
“great wind” – blustering wind, full of sound but w/o content
 
His Thesis
3Does God pervert justice?  Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?
<-THESIS = God does not warp justice (implied: must be something wrong with you)
 
Q: What is justice?
 
“pervert” – to bend, to swerve from the norm
 
Q: Does God pervert it?
Q: Is Bildad speaking the truth?
 
4If your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.
“If your children” meaning = “since your children…”
 
Q: What do you think of bringing the children into this – does it help make his point?  If you were Job AND Bildad was right could YOU hear through this?
 
->See: Retribution Principle (BBC Job 8:6-7 pg 499)
“But if you will” – implies that Job wasn’t – otherwise God would not be judging him.  Remember his thoughts follow his thesis.
 
His Advice
5But if you will look to God, and make your supplication to the Almighty,
<-ADVICE = Fix yourself and plead with God
6if you become pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself for you, and will restore your righteous abode. 7Your beginning will seem so small, since your future will flourish. (v8:3-7)
 
“if you become” – lit. “if you pure and upright” – translators need a verb
Q: Which would you choose (“are” or “become”) from the context to convey they best meaning to readers
 
“restore” – make whole again
 
Q: Is this sound advice?
 
His Authority
8For inquire now of the former generation, and pay attention to the findings of their ancestors;
<-AUTHORITY = Tradition
->See: value of ancient wisdom (Bilble Background Commentary Job 8:8-10 pg 499)
 
Q: How would the antediluvian knowledge have been passed to those in Jobs era?
 
Q: In what ways do we lean on tradition as our source?
  Doctrine?
    Views on rapture
    Views on tribulation
  Church government
    congregational – majority rule
    presbyterian – elders rule
    pastoral – pastor rule (elders advise)
 
9For we were born yesterday and do not have knowledge, since our days on earth are but a shadow. 10Will they not instruct you and speak to you, and bring forth words from their understanding? (v8:8-10)
“For we were born yesterday” – no time to acquire knowledge
His Evidence
11Can the papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh?  Can reeds flourish without water? 12While they are still beginning to flower and not ripe for cutting, they can wither away faster than any grass! 13Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless perishes, 14whose trust is in something futile, whose security is a spider’s web. 15He leans against his house but it does not hold up, he takes hold of it but it does not stand. 16He is a well-watered plant in the sun, its shoots spread over its garden. 17It wraps its roots around a heap of stones and it looks for a place among stones.
<- EVIDENCES
1) Analogy: papyrus w/o marsh is like man that forgets God
  - w/o God there is nothing to trust/hope in
  - a house that will not stand if touched
2) a plant without solid root
18If he is uprooted from his place, then that place will disown him, saying, ‘I have never seen you!’
“If he is uprooted” – if or when?
Q: Who does the uprooting?
 
Q: Does is matter whether it’s man or God that uproots this person?  Isn’t the point made?
 
19Indeed, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth others spring up. (v8:11-19)
Note irony of “joy of his way” – what joy is there in being uprooted?
Note also “others spring up like weeds”
 
His Consolation
20Surely, God does not reject a blameless man, nor does he grasp the hand of the evildoers.
Bildad leaves Job with some hope!?!
21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with gladness. 22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more. (Job 8:20-22)
“yet” = lit. means UNTIL
Translators in most version use “yet”
Q: How does the word translated change the meaning?
 
“God does not reject a blameless man, nor grasp the hand of evildoers YET He will fill your mouth with laughter”
OR
“God does not reject a blameless man, nor grasp the hand of evildoers UNTIL he fills your mouth with laughter.”
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 does Bildad accuse Job of in his response to all this?
(your complaining equates to accusing God of injustice)
Q: What did Job say in v7:17-21?
Q: How would you take it?  Would you agree with Bildad?
 
Q: Did Bildad ever comment on Job’s rebuke of his friends (chapter 6)?
 
Q: How would Bildad’s advice be received by you?
 
New Bible Commentary
Basically says: “If Job fulfills Bildad’s advice & uses his piety to petition God to remove suffering – this would prove Satan right”
 
Q: What do you think about this statement?
 

Wed 9 Dec 2009

Thar’s Gold In… (well maybe not)

Posted @ 3:33 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Exploration
I am preparing for a quick overnight trip of exploration next week.  Nothing elaborate, just fun.  As my son and I were trying to figure out where we’d go and what we’d do – especially after the recent snow – we hit upon the idea of camping in the car and hiking during the day.  It’ll just be the two of us – so cans of food over my backpack stove and warm sleeping bags in the van ought be uncomfortable enough.
 
Well, me being the person that needs a purpose, seized upon the idea of finding gold mines.  Below is the area and many, but by no means all, of the mines in the area.  This should give us ample opportunity to trek overland with GPSr in hand and take photos.
 
So off we go to Alleghany, CA as our “base camp.”  We see how many of these locations we can conquer in under 24 hours, if we can even get there on ice free roads.
 

Allegheny, CA is indicated by the yellow circle.
The RED and the BLUE lines are alternate routes to “base camp.”
 
The piece of real estate depicted is wedged between Highway 49 and Highway 20.
 
Oh yes, our initial destination – site unseen is…. Queen of Sheba Mine.
 

The story of Allegheny, CA.

My intent is of create a map and images of each site visited as an ongoing record of the conquest.  If I recall there are only 3,000 or so mines scattered within my region of the state.  How long can it take to conquer all of them.
 
You may not want to hold your breath for my journaling of the mines or my visit to each of the 3,000+.
 

Thu 3 Dec 2009

It’s NOT What You And I Do

Posted @ 11:50 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Spiritual
It seems to be a common idea that we need to do, we need to do more, be more, do, do, do.
The problem is that with God we cannot do enough.  There is NO AMOUNT of doing that will please God.  His standard is unattainable – and that’s the point.  Our only hope is to trust God.  Not do more, trust Him to do it.  Trust His timing.  Trust His methods.
 
In Galatians Paul reprimands those who forgot it was not because of anything they did but God’s grace alone. 
 
The Message puts it this way:
Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do–submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! Galatians 6:15 – The Message (MSG)

 
God is working in me.  My sole responsibility to to trust Him; not to fight Him, not ignore Him, not think he’s telling me to get it right. 

Trust = Humility
 
When I can’t, then the only choice I have is to believe He can.
 
The following quote is excepted from: A Voice Of Hope blog – “To Please or To Trust”
Pleasing God was the ultimate goal of my life for as long as I can remember. Yet I always seemed to come up short. No matter what I did I could not find the magical ingredient that allowed me to feel I pleased Him or was worthy of His love. It never occurred to me that trusting Him with all of me was far more important to God than all my striving to please Him. Yet over the last few years God’s persistent question to me has been, “do you trust Me? Will you trust Me?”

Something to ponder, men, as we do the doing of life.
 

Wed 2 Dec 2009

Bah Humbug!

Posted @ 11:59 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: myTooSense
My Bah Humbug! is over computers.  Moore’s law tells us that every 18 to 24 months twice as much of the stuff that makes our computers run can be stuffed into the same space.  The net result would be more power and speed from our computers.
 
So if my computer is far superior is the system I was using 15 years ago, why does it take MORE time to do things?  Why do I spend so much of my day WAITING on the computer before I can move on to the next task at work?
 
Please don’t tell me this is an allusion and I am producing more than 15 years ago, but because of the speed I am doing it I only think I am waiting more than ever.
 
Why is it that we accept that over a 2 to 4 year period our computers will “get slower” when we’re using the same applications, same versions of those applications and nothing has changed?  Do we think the computer is getting tired and aged?  Come on!  What’s up?
 
Given an inch of processing power or storage space the engineers are taking the proverbial mile.  If only the engineers coded as if it all had to be loaded from a cassette tape and fit into 2k of RAM.
 

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