February 2010
Monthly Archive
Fri 26 Feb 2010
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.
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Bildad says his last
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Bildad: Man cannot be righteous when compared to God
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Job 25
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “Dominion and awesome might belong to God;
he establishes peace in his heights.
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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.
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3 Can his armies be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?
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“armies” adds to the concept of warfare vs. simple chaos
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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!”
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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?
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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
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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?
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“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?
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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
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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.
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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.)
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The might of God in the visible universe
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7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth on nothing.
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“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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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?”
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“outer fringes” – this is just scratching the surface of His omnipotence.
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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.”
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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
A recent weather forecast in my local publication:
A weak weather system could herald the beginning of another series of storms coming into the region
“We are lining up for a series of storms again,” said a National Weather Service meteorologist. “That’s good news. We had this brief springtime break. Looks like we will be getting back into it. And not a moment too soon.”
The region’s rainfall had been above average for much of the winter. However, this week the weather turned dry and the seasonal rainfall total dropped below normal.
The region has received 13 inches of rain since July 1, which is 96 percent of average.
The total rainfall for February, usually one of the wettest months, stands at 1.12 inches. Average rainfall for the entire month is 3.77 inches.
OK, 13″ = 96% of average. That means 100% of average = 13.542″
Now look again, the month dipped below average because of a mid-month dry spell. The “average” for February is 3.77, actual so far is 1.12. That’s 2.65″ less than “average” - somethings missing here.
If it only takes .542″ more rain to equal the average then how could the month be more than 2.1″ below the average.
Good think meteorologists don’t sent shuttles to space. For that matter, good thing most of us don’t really put a whole lot of credence into their weather forecasts.
Fri 19 Feb 2010
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.
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Eliphaz confronts Job one last time
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Your stance is not helping God, let it go
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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?”
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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
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…Job, here is what your wickedness looks like
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. . . 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.
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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)
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…Job, God is not blind as you seem to be saying
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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.’
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Evil men can hide but God will find them out. (i.e. Why would God punish you for righteousness?)
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…Will you go down this path as well?
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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.
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“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)!
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…Don’t be like them, submit to God!
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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,
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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?
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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.
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“let go of your treasures (aka thinking) and God will provide far greater ‘riches’ ”
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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.
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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?
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God allows wickedness but will judge in His time
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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.
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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
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…even though I don’t understand “why?”, I know I’ve listened closely
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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.
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…God does as He pleases and I know my place
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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.
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Q: Does God act “fairly” or “legally?”
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…Why doesn’t God judge when needed?
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Job 24
1 “Why are times not appointed by the Almighty?
Why do those who know him not see his days?
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Job: Why doesn’t God hold appointed times of judgment vs waiting so long for justice?
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…see the wickedness done TO THE INNOCENT
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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.
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…see who is doing it AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT
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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.
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Light = compare to John 1:5 & John 3:19-21
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God will judge in his time
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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?”
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“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?
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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.”
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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?
Thu 18 Feb 2010
On this day in 1930 (80 years ago) Clyde Tombaugh discovered “Planet X.” His exhaustive search to find a mysterious force that was affecting the orbit of Neptune that resulted in the discovery of Pluto is considered quite coincidental. Mostly because what we know of Pluto today; it has far too little mass to produce a measurable effect on Neptune’s orbit.
Unfortunately in 2006 the international community of astronomers voted to downgrade Pluto’s planet status after years of debate then discovery of a solar system object larger than Pluto. The discussion could have resulted in 10 planets rather than the eight we enjoy today.
I guess for me it was more of a decision to remove a highlight in my wonderment and exploratory nature as a young lad. It was a loss for me to make a mysterious hero into an ordinary citizen.
Funny the things we consider loss.
Fri 12 Feb 2010
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Zophar tries to convince Job one last time
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Zophar defends himself by explaining his position
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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.
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4 “Surely you know that it has been from old,
ever since humankind was placed on the earth,
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<= authority = “common knowledge”
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…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.
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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.
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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.
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A wicked man’s children must pay as well.
Q: What are your thoughts on “generational” sin?
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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.
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Q: Zophar is referring to food/eating – what message is he conveying in this symbology?
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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.
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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.
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29 Such is the lot God allots the wicked,
and the heritage of his appointment from God.”
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<= THESIS
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Job asks his friends to stop mocking long enough to listen
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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.
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Don’t you see what I’m going through?
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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.
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Physical proof the wicked prosper
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Q: Why would they need God?
cf. Ex 5:2
Q: Who is responsible for their prosperity?
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Physical proof the wicked aren’t punished
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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?
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Q: Is this true? How often HAVE YOU seen the wicked duly punished?
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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?
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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?
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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.
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God does as He wills. Can any of you (3 friends) teach God how things work. Look and see!
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You have seen and heard for yourself
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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.
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Note that the wicked man even has someone guarding his grave!
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Mock on
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34 So how can you console me with your futile words?
Nothing is left of your answers but deception!”
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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.”
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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 11 Feb 2010
It’s time for the self-confidence to come crashing to an end. For 5 seasons I have developed and formulated theories. Most have not panned out but I could at least develop and test my theory each week. This final season I am at a loss to do anything of the kind. I simply cannot postulate a coherent theory about what I am seeing on or off island.
Flashbacks and flashforwards were fine but how in the world do I reconcile flashsideways, in alternate timelines that don’t fit the pieces I know to be true… or do I know that?
Wed 10 Feb 2010
I am seeing more clearly that if there were a single ingredient in any relationship that acts as the glue that hold things together it’s got to be be grace.
The grace I am referring to is that mercy that could demand justice but chooses not to; a forgiveness for offences, intentional or otherwise, that is unwarranted.
I can’t say I have this figured out. By it’s very nature it opens one to be stepped on and abused but somehow in the humility of spirit it seems to be the best way to break down the very thing that could abuse it. The “good guy” often does not win at least apparently so. But, would another approach really get one to the same goal? Usually not. Usually other methods involve serving-self as we grab for justice. It may change others behavior but does it usually win their heart?
Marriage is all about heart. It can’t be demanded and all too often it is not given because of the risk involved. It seems to be almost a no win situation unless one takes the track less traveled.
Tue 9 Feb 2010
Too often I have thought as compassion as something I’m supposed to feel. It is. But I love the etymology of the word
from com- “together” + pati “to suffer”
To suffer together. There is a sense of feeling the pain but much deeper than that is a doing. When I am compassionate I go to someone else’s pain. I bring it into me. I become a partner in their suffering.
As I progress in my study of the book of Job, I continually try to look through the eyes of Job’s friends. They came with intention to show compassion to Job. So intentional, in fact, that they met together before going to Job. Job is constantly telling them they are anything BUT compassionate. What went haywire? How did their message get lost?
I believe they are trying to remove Job’s pain. They love him too much to see him suffer. They feel helpless to do anything except help him make it go away. Is that compassion?
Maybe their task should have changed from “removing his pain” to “feeling his pain.” How often am I guilty of the same?
Thu 4 Feb 2010
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
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Bildad and Job Dialogue a Second Time
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Bildad admonishes Job that the “world order” will not change for him
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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?
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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
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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.
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Lamp = symbolizes life and prosperity
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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.
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Net, mesh, trap, snare, rope, trap…
Q: What do you think Bildad is telling Job?
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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.’ “
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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?
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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)
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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!
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10 times = (idiom) round number that conveys the idea of “frequent” (Cf. Num 14:22, Dan 1:20)
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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!
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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?)
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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Q: Job expects to be vindicated, what does he expect of the fate of this friends if they don’t back off?
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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.”
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Q: How could Job place his hope in the one that he says is not giving him justice?
Wed 3 Feb 2010
The human mind is a wonderful thing. It contains roughly 15-22 billion neurons EACH linked up with up to 10,000 synaptic connections. In one cubic millimeter of the cerebral cortex there are roughly 1 billion synapses.
How does it store information? How does it go through the stored information in order to make a “fuzzy” decision? Why can some information be recalled and other not? What’s going on in there when the human reaches the dream state? Why do we sometimes react to something we know is way less then it is, but for some reason IT IS a big deal to ME.
I am absolutely fascinated by current theories on how the brain works. It has been intricately designed to allow us to survive in a hostile environment. With it we learn. With it we process our environment. With it we form emotions based on our beliefs.
It’s in this area of beliefs that I found interesting this last weekend. Beliefs drive our emotions. Our emotions drive our actions to the world around us. It all starts with beliefs. The brain does not know right or wrong, true or false. It simply knows “a thought.” That is why a nightmare can be so real and scary until our intellect overrides the false reality.
An erroneous belief can result in a life of isolation. It can cause others to desire to get away from us as quickly as possible. It can cause us to life a life in which we are constantly sabotaging our own efforts.
Backtrack from actions to emotions to the underlying belief. Fix the belief, the emotions change, the emotions change and our reaction to the world changes radically.
Truth needs to replace the error. What is truth? In this crazy world today the common belief seems to be that truth is relative to who I am. How can that work? How does that reform my root belief. Truth has to be absolute and not change with the times. Truth that changes was never truth at all.
It the “truth” was that the Earth was the center of the universe it caused a topsy turvey world as the “truth” changed. Truth does not change.
Our minds need to find TRUTH in order to change our world.
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