Job 5

Scripture   “But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.”

Job 5:8 NIV

 

Observation-What does it say?   Eliphaz the Temanite, Job’s friend, was trying to comfort his friend through his suffering, but failed miserably. In this chapter, the encouragement he was offering assumed a few things about Job’s situation:

1. Job did something wrong and God is correcting/disciplining him. (Verse 17)
2. Job’s faith is not strong enough. (Verse 8)
3. Blessing is associated with outward blessings, not inward renewal. (Verses 24-25)-Side note: Eliphaz needed to hear Pastor’s sermon on Sunday. 

Understanding-What does it mean?  There are times when the innocent must suffer, but for a greater purpose to bring God glory, not because they did something wrong or as a consequence of sin.

In Job’s case, God allowed Job to suffer because He trusted him to remain blameless and faithful through it all. The devil was trying to challenge God on His servant, but God was so confident in His servant, so he allowed him to suffer.

 

Life Application  

Don’t bring suffering upon yourself by disobeying God. It is better to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil. 

 

“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” 1 Peter 3:13-14aFor it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17    If you were to go through your life from the past to today, what would you attribute most of your suffering to? Sin or Innocence?  There are times where suffering is a direct result of sin. The Bible speaks on this. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden because they ate the fruit. King David and Bathsheba lost their son because of their affair and because David killed her husband. Moses didn’t get to see the promised land because he hit the rock for water, instead of speak to it like God commanded him to. Abraham had to banish his first born, Ishmael from his life. He was not conceived the right way, through his wife Sarah, as God promised and his descendants were not going to come through him.  The Bible also has countless examples of how the innocent must suffer, such as Job when he lost his home, possessions, family, health and even compassion/faith from wife and friends; Jesus when He was mocked, beaten, betrayed by closest friends, separated from the Father on our behalf; Jesus’ disciples when all, but John, were martyred for their faith; King David when he was surrounded by enemies (completely separate from the consequences of his sin); Joseph, when he was sold into slavery by his brothers because of their jealousy, etc. In all these situations, God was with these men (except for Jesus when He had to turn His face from Him on the cross due to our sin), and the purpose was to bring honor and glory to His name.

Dear Lord, when I stand face to face with you on judgment day, I pray that most of my suffering would be because I was innocent, not because I did something wrong against You. In all situations, You always turn things around for Your good, however, if I don’t have to suffer for doing bad, then why pursue that? Holy Spirit, I pray that You would guard my mind and heart for Your purposes alone. Amen.

 

-Michelle Gaddi

Psalm_78

Scripture

Psalm 78:5-7He decreed statutes for Jacob    and established the law in Israel,which he commanded our ancestors    to teach their children,⁶ so the next generation would know them,    even the children yet to be born,    and they in turn would tell their children.⁷ Then they would put their trust in God    and would not forget his deeds    but would keep his commands.

Observation

1. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel: Using poetic repetition for style and emphasis, Asaph described first one of the greatest of God’s wonderful works(Psalm 78:4) – the giving of God’s word to Israel.
   1. Centuries later the Apostle Paul would explain that one of the great advantages God gave to Israel was that He committed to them His word, the oracles of God (Romans 3:2).
2. That they should make them know to their children: Then and now, God gives His word that it would be transmittedto following generations. In theory, the revelation of God’s word can perish or become utterly irrelevant if not passed on to the next generation.
   1. “Through Moses he had commanded all Israelites, regardless of tribal descent, to instruct their children at home (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 20-22; cf. Exodus 10:2; 12:26-27; 13:8).” (Van Gemeren)
3. That they may arise and declare them to their children: Not only should our children be taught, they should be taught to teach their childrenso that the word and the work of God continue throughout the generations.
   1. “Five generations appear to be mentioned above: 1. Fathers; 2. Their children; 3. The generation to come; 4. And their children; 5. And their children. They were never to lose sight of their history throughout all their generations.” (Clarke)
4. That they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God: The goal of communicating to the next generation is so that they would learn to trust God for themselves, never forgetting His wonderful works.

The above is taken from https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-78/

Understanding

I think you can summarize the above into just a few sentences…Not only should our children be taught, they should be taught to teach their children so that the word and the work of God continue throughout the generations…that they may set their hope in God and…learn to trust God for themselves, never forgetting His wonderful works.I think my most favorite part of it is “In theory, the revelation of God’s word can perish or become utterly irrelevant if not passed on to the next generation.”I think the “in theory” part is most critical and my most favorite because as we see later in the chapter, God’s plans will not be derailed and He’ll engage those that are willing – even if not how it was or who was expected. ⁶⁵ Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,    as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.⁶⁶ He beat back his enemies;    he put them to everlasting shame.⁶⁷ Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;⁶⁸ but he chose the tribe of Judah,    Mount Zion, which he loved.⁶⁹ He built his sanctuary like the heights,    like the earth that he established forever.⁷⁰ He chose David his servant    and took him from the sheep pens;⁷¹ from tending the sheep he brought him    to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,    of Israel his inheritance.⁷² And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;    with skillful hands he led them.

Life Application

God, may I not miss out on what you have planned in and through me.  May I recognize “the great advantages [You have given] to [me]…that [You] committed to [me] [Your] word.”May I take that to heart and share Your goodness with everyone I meet…but especially my family, my children, the generation(s) to come…so they may be able to set their hearts and their hope in You.ReiTo check out the discussion or to join in click here.

Job 3

Scripture:  Job 3:1-4  After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.  He said: “May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’  That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it.

Observation:  The book of Job tackles an interesting dilemma, the suffering of the innocent.  Throughout the book, we see an answer pointing to the complete infallibility of God’s character.  In chapter 3, Job has just lost about everything he had attained. After a period of seven days of silence, Job breaks the silence with a protest.  Job curses the day he was born. In verse four, the writer uses a contrast in language to Genesis. Where God breathed life into being by saying, “let there be light,” Job asks that the day he was born be turned into darkness.  Though, through this desire to no longer be in existence Job never curses God.

Understanding:  If you ask my wife, she will tell you that I am not good at being sick.  I don’t know if it’s just me, but if I get a minor fever or a common cold, I feel as though death has come to visit me.  It’s as if my body has completely betrayed me, I start writhing in pain and nothing can make me feel better. But, I also want Jen by my side all day, doing nothing but caring for me.  I mean, I question the meaning of my life when I get sick, and whether or not I am being punished for some unknown sin. And this is just with a cold or minor flu.  

One thing I love about the Bible is how real it is.  Job is a great example of this. The bible never turns away from the tougher subjects in life.  And through the divine inspiration of the writers, God shows us that it is okay to be human, to have doubts and question God.  We are never lied to, never told that everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows. In fact, we are often told quite the opposite, that we will definitely see rough times.  But, we are also told this suffering will bring us closer to our creator. In James 1:2-3 we read, “ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”  That has always been a tough verse to accept for me, who really likes going through tough times. But without the tough times, we will never know how good God really is.  

I think it’s safe to say that we have all had bad days.  Probably very few of us will see days like Job experienced.  Job, though, never turned away from God. It seems as though he intrinsically knew that God would equip him with the strength to overcome the hard times.  In Ephesians 6:10-18, we are told that God equips us with means to overcome this world. But it all starts with drawing closer to Him.

Life Application:  Jesus, help me to draw closer to you.  Help me to find my joy in You. I know that when I pull away from you, this is when I find the greatest dissatisfaction with life.  But, when I draw near to you, I can see life through the lens or eternity. Help me to embrace the seasons of life that I am in, both mourning and celebration.    

 

-Tyler Galloway