Bible Reading Reflection from Job 32-42

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD) as a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day] 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟚:𝟙𝟙

"Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, While you pondered what to say."

Kudos to Elihu for holding his tongue, holding his patience until now! But he should have remained patient. He spoke about things he didn't know about. Nobody knew, but Job came closest.

We love to talk about things we don't know. Scientists love to talk about the flood on Mars while rejecting the Noahic flood on the earth. Young people like Greta Thunderberg (actually a spoiled kid) are given an opportunity to talk about one of the most controversial things, global warming. Kids are kids. Listen to adults! Some kids are brilliant, but not all kids are.

Some donkeys spoke the word of God (Balaam's Donkey), but not all donkeys are. Don't have a donkey to tell your luck or future! Btw, some sports fans seemed to trust donkeys to predict football matches also. Crazy world! 😂

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟛:𝟛

“My words are from the uprightness of my heart, And my lips speak knowledge sincerely. Have you ever heard a conversation when somebody said to another, ‘Why don't you just shut up your mouth?’”

Well, Elihu should have his mouth remained shut! He couldn't accept that Job was right and wise (v12, 33). Yet he claimed to be upright and wise (v3, 33) What irony is this! What a joke!

BTW, isn't everything in our life like that? We often push down some people to praise others and often exalt others to despise some people.

Elihu exalted himself over Job to condemn Job. Is this Newton's 4th Law or 4th Law of Thermodynamics? 🤔🙂

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟜:𝟙𝟟

"Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One?"

Well, Elihu was misrepresenting Job. Job didn't condemn God. Job was just trying to defend that he did not sin deserving of this suffering because they were accusing him. And so, what he suffered was the doing of God (not of Satan) for which his theology had little answer. Sure, God is bigger than our theology. He will never fit into our puny theology!

BTW, till today, I have been posting about the negative sides of Job's friends, but there are many positive sides as well. And maybe I will start mentioning that from today onwards.

First, God allowed his friends to be with him, even with all those accusations. And God accepted them as well in the end after receiving forgiveness. And surely, they would remain good friends till the end, perhaps wiser, kinder, gentler, and better in theology and lifestyle!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟝:𝟜-𝟠

"I will answer you, And your friends with you."

Elihu had concluded that he knew stuff that Job and his friends failed to know. And he expressed it in v5-8 which actually was insightful, but I'm sure that was nothing new to them. They must have known that truth very well!

That nothing we do affects God. God is so high above us. Some people challenge God, wanting to hurt God. That's like a 2-year-old kid asking you to fight. You don't fight, you just laugh at him!

Or like giving 1 rupee to Mukesh Ambani. Ambani has no time to come and collect 1 rupee from me! At the highest efficiency, man's action affects fellow man, but never God! God is not a man. He is far above!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟞:𝟛𝟚-𝟛𝟛

"He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark. "Its noise declares His presence; The cattle also, concerning what is coming up."

Nothing in the creations of God impressed upon my mind the presence of God in the affairs of man than the rainstorm. Whenever I see lighting, its fearsome noise, the rhythm of the falling rain, the beating of the winds, I stand in awe of the mighty God.

Life stands still. Animals, birds, and even insects look out for shelter, and God watches over them. The fields and the cattle need the rain, even if a businessman and the little Johnny want the rain to go away!

It has been raining in Delhi since yesterday. And what a moment it has been!

Elihu was right in what he said, but his conclusion (condemning Job) was not accurate. He too didn't know what was going on in the grand scheme of God!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟟:𝟞

"For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,' And to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.'"

Elihu's point is that God is awesomely powerful! Indeed, I always see the majesty of God in the falling rain and snow!

Sometimes, I felt rain is a waste of water. There are some people, dying of thirst, suffering from drought, and scarcity of freshwater. Yet God is pouring down freshwater billions of liters from heaven to some lands where we don't want. God is indeed generous. No one is rich like Him! There is no wasting in Him. There is no depletion of resources in Him.

He owns everything. He spoke everything into existence. Whatever he says comes into existence without an ecological imbalance of nature, without disruption of society, without harming anything, rather adding riches upon riches! And this is the God who watches over all of us!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟠:𝟚𝟝-𝟚𝟟

"Who has cleft a channel for the flood, Or a way for the thunderbolt, To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a man in it, To satisfy the waste and desolate land And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?"

Have you ever thought that there would be some big forests on the face of the earth wherein man has never set his foot till today?

And have you ever wondered that in that big forest there will be gigantic trees with enormous branches bearing leaves that glee peacefully to the rhythm of the breeze?

And have you ever thought that they have been doing from the creation of the world, standing tall, beautiful like the cedars of Lebanon, declaring the majesty of God, and yet no man has ever seen it?

And have you ever thought that in that forest there would be lots of other dead trees fallen over the millennia, and some recently decaying?

And have you ever thought that under that dead fallen trees will be some leaves, and the sunlight has hardly reached them because of the density of the forest?

And have you ever wondered that in that big forest in the face of the earth where man's foot has never trampled, where gigantic trees thrive with leafy branches stretching towards heaven to praise its maker, and where sunlight has hardly penetrated the floor of the forest, and under those roofs of leaves and branches, there lay dead trees, and under there lay leaves, and under those leaves that there are some animals, such as ants! Who takes care of these ants in that forest?

Behold, awesome and majestic is our God! Let the earth tremble before Him in awe!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟡:𝟠

"He explores the mountains for his pasture And searches after every green thing."

David Brainerd, a pious man of God, when he was in his mid-20s wrote in his diary that sometimes he wished he was an animal because animals find satisfaction in God in everything. No complaint, no guilt, no shame.

In a sense, I think it will be good to have a pet animal to teach us a lesson! 🙂

God takes care of all these amazing animals on the earth. They have been living for thousands of years, flourishing even when man-made disaster and man's appetite threaten their lives!

God can easily take care of us. And He perfectly knows and plans everything for His good purpose!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟜𝟘:𝟙𝟙-𝟙𝟚

"Pour out the overflowings of your anger, And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low.  ‘Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him, And tread down the wicked where they stand.’"

Indeed, only the Lord knows how to humble all man truly. And He promised to do so. Man is often good at humiliating others which in turn produces a revengeful attitude. Humiliation and Humility are totally different. It's like astrology and astronomy.

Even in humiliation, there's no equal with God! It's beautiful to see proud humbled and righteous exalted. That only God knows and does perfectly!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟜𝟙:𝟙𝟙

"Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine."

Indeed, a good question from God! Hahaha😂 That's it for today's update! 😂

God owns everything. We are His creatures created for His purpose. He can do anything He wants with us.

It's like me picking up a pencil and drawing whatever I like on paper. I can draw a picture of a skinny cow or fatty cow or strong ox. I don't expect the cows and ox to complain to me for not drawing more grass or food for them.

Or it's like a boy can do whatever he likes with his toys. He can beat the toys throw them away or sleep with them. He doesn't expect the toys to complain to him!

In fact, Hollywood gets it right in their famous movie Toy Story, where Sheriff Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), a toy of Andy said to the other toys that they are made, their existence is to make Andy happy. So, they are most happy when Andy played with them happily.

Many times, many people think God exists for us and He should give us whatever we demand when actually we exist for God and must do whatever He demands.

Hollywood has a better theology at least here, but they don't know that BTW🙂😎

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟜𝟚:𝟙𝟞-𝟙𝟟

"And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations.  And Job died, an old man, and full of days."

Job's suffering was relatively short in comparison to the satisfying life he lived thereafter. And perfect life is in heaven!

Bible Reading Reflection from Job 25-31

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD) as a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day] 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟝:𝟜

"How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?"

Well, if somebody says this in our world, he would be canceled, put on trial by social media, and asked to apologize. His effigy will be burnt. And perhaps even his home will be ransacked. The feminist movement is very strong. This is no longer a man's world. It's a technology world now.

In the past, men were much stronger and society depended on men since there were invaders and battles. Now, technology is more powerful than anyone. A woman with better technology is superior to 100 men without technology. Assemble 100 UFC fighters (men) before anyone with an LMG or an AK-47 rifle. And they will go down like a candle in the wind!

BTW, Bildad was not talking about the superiority of men or the inferiority of women. He was talking about the vanity and banality of man (humankind) before God.

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟞:𝟜

"To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed through you?"

An interesting refutation from Job! His friends were critical instead of being comforting. They misrepresented Job and misrepresented God, for which God will demand repentance later on.

Here, Job fired back. He could speak of God, and more accurately and soberly. He was in no way inferior in theology, the doctrine of sin, and suffering. In fact, he went on to put burning charcoal in their mouth by asking whose spirit they had, definitely not of God! That's like saying "Are you sure you are not possessed by an evil spirit?"

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟟:𝟝-𝟞

"Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. "I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days."

What a righteous man Job was! He could say this because he was not a hypocrite. He never had a double life. He never lived a secret life of shame. He never knew of any sin in his life that deserved the suffering he was going through! That's why, he was brave, resolute, and committed to worshiping God even when God abandoned him to Satan. And this proved the genuine faith of Job. The reason why we need to live a holy life is that we may have the strength to live when evil days come.

Remember the story of Elijah and the widow's son of 1King 17:18? When her son died, she recalled her sins. Sins and Satan are the Grandmasters of blackmailing, making us feel guilty. No matter who you are, sin will always haunt you. Martin Luther wasn't spared. Apostle Paul recalled the stoning of Stephen. The aged Peter even before his death, according to the tradition, chose to be crucified upside down. The denial of Christ was still in his mind.

That's the reason why we want to live a life of integrity, blamelessness, and faithfulness. Though God has forgiven us, sin will haunt us someday. Job wasn't troubled at all. He was confident even to debate God. Oh! To have a testimony like that of Job. To look at suffering and say, "I am above this!"

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟠:𝟚𝟛

"God understands its way, And He knows its place."

Job does not look like a depressed man here. He doesn't look like he's in deep suffering. He sounds so wise, calm, and spirited. And not because his circumstance has changed, but because his contemplation about God's sovereignty is comforting.

"God understands" and "God knows" are the most comforting words when we run out of all earthly solutions. And indeed, are true! I've heard countless times my villagers lamenting about their plight of poverty and suffering saying, “God knows!”

Suffering really has positioned us better to understand the awesomeness of God!  No wonder why James tells us to count it all joy!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟡:𝟙𝟜-𝟙𝟝

"I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. "I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame."

Wow! This chapter is hard to read because Job was so impeccable and I am not!  What Job did, enjoyed, experienced, claimed, is amazing. I haven't seen such a man yet, and probably will never be. Job is perhaps the best of mankind, next to Jesus! Because God picked up Job to shame the Devil. Later on, God sent Jesus to defeat the Devil! But, to be like Job, to wear Righteousness and Justice as our clothing.

Footnote: I have a desire to visit prisons!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟘:𝟙

"But now those younger than I mock me, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock."

Wow! What a way to insult someone! 😆😂

A knife can be used to cut an apple. It can be used to stab someone too! Likewise, Bible can be used for our gain or doom. Satan used Scripture to turn away Jesus from God's mission. Jesus used that same Scripture to honor God.

So, what's it if I learn to insult today from this verse? 😂

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟛𝟙:𝟛𝟜

"Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom."

Job again defended his righteous lifestyle. He would not curse anyone but would curse himself if he had not walked with integrity!

He disdained the lifestyle of the first man Adam, though the 2nd Adam (Jesus) had not been born, he surely imitated Him in faith!

Bible Reading Reflection from Job 15-24

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD) as a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟝:𝟙𝟝

"Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;"

Interesting statement by Eliphaz that even the heavens are not pure in His sight. Indeed, Satan was there for meetings. And if heaven itself is not that pure in His sight, no mere man is. Job's friends were having their round of 2nd condemnation and not comforting him! 😬

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟞:𝟞

"If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I hold back, what has left me?"

What a situation! Complaining doesn't make sense. Staying silent doesn't help either!

And actually, talking seems to help when we are in pain. That's why we shout, etc., but talking in pain will make us say even things we aren't supposed to say—crossing the line.

A difficult situation indeed!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟟:𝟙𝟙

"My days are past, my plans are torn apart, Even the wishes of my heart."

Ever thought these? "Shattered Dreams. Too late to plan new things. Time's gone! Too old to do this and that! No hope. All are gone!" "Even the heart stops desiring anymore. Completely disappointed! This is not fair!" That sounds like Job! God vindicated Job again!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟠:𝟙

"Then Bildad the Shuhite responded."

Who is the shortest man in the Bible? John MacArthur said it's Bildad because his height is shoe-high 👞 because he is "Shuhite" 😂😂

Bildad did accuse Job again in this chapter. Not only as an ignorant sinner but as an arrogant sinner in front of God and his friends!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟡:𝟞

"Know then that God has wronged me And has closed His net around me."

Job knew no reason why God should let this trouble befallen him. If it was wrong for him to be in this situation, it was God who was wrong. [Actually, it was right for him to be in that situation because God was using him to shame Satan, so neither God nor even Job was wrong]

Job felt that God had put a net on him, which he had never trapped himself nor something he could escape. Like a fisherman throwing a net upon the fish! Prophet Ezekiel also used this metaphor in his writing. Haven't you been in some situation where every door is closed to you? Well, Job suffered, knew much more!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟘:𝟙𝟝

"He swallows riches, But will vomit them up; God will expel them from his belly."

The imagery Zophar used in this chapter is quite catchy. Swallowing riches, not chewing or eating, but sudden riches, easy money, shortcut, black trade. Hungry. Greedy.

And the picture of vomiting. Tasteful to the mouth, not in the stomach. Refused to stay. God expels them from his belly!

Let's aim for Righteous living all the time!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟙:𝟟

"Why do the wicked still live, Continue on, also become very powerful?"

Job refuted Zophar's theology/ argument.

That God does not punish but allows the wicked to prosper oftentimes. And He allows the righteous to suffer.

Thus, proving he was not a wicked sinner, but a righteous man in suffering. His friends couldn't agree with that. They weren't wise actually. They failed to see the plain things happening in this world. Ibobi is rich, Mehul Chokshi is a billionaire. And many missionaries have to see their kids in rags. William Carey's kids died in India. Graham's boys were burnt alive in Orissa.

Zophar and the others were even suggesting that God should do this and that, Job mocked them back (21:22). And indeed, in the end, God vindicated Job and rebuked them for saying inaccurate things about God.

Takeaway: Prosperity is not a sign of Faithfulness, nor is Adversity a sign of Unfaithfulness.

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟚:𝟟

"To the weary you have given no water to drink, And from the hungry you have withheld bread."

Job's friends are actually like modern Christians, going to church and worshipping God, but highly influenced by unbiblical philosophy.

In social media, the word "karma" is very popular. Maybe even our church members have mentioned it a lot. "Karma" is a religious concept of Hinduism and Buddhism. That whatever you get is the result of your past actions. Job's friend believed a sort of this [though they would deny re-incarnation]. That there's no purpose of suffering, but suffering is the result of evil actions. In fact, the Hindus and Buddhists will even go on to say that suffering is not real, it's just an illusion.

True, suffering comes because of our actions, but not always. Job's suffering was not because of his wicked sins. Christ's crucifixion was not because of His sin.

And Job's friends to prove their philosophy pointed out that Job failed to help some people, the basic help: food to the hungry and water to the thirsty.

Well, who is not guilty of this by this logic? Are we guilty because we didn't give food to every homeless beggar in Delhi? Is Christ guilty that He didn't feed all the hungry ones in the land of Israel? Or that Christ didn't come to India to feed the poor?

Suffering is not karma. It has a purpose. That purpose is not always retribution.

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟛:𝟙𝟙

"My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside."

When I am disappointed, I tend to sin. I tend to do things that I have been withholding. Job was holding fast. Indeed, the scripture tells us to be all the more godly and holy when we are suffering. Something to learn from Job.

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟚𝟜:𝟚𝟝

"Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, And make my speech worthless?"

Job didn't back down, rather he went on to challenge everyone to prove him wrong! Would we have such integrity and courage in life!

Bible Reading Reflection from Job 8-14

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD) as a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟠:𝟚-𝟛

"How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind? Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right?"

After Eliphaz, now Bildad. This guy was harsher than Eliphaz. He rebuked Job for complaining against God.

He was actually not defending God. Nobody can defend God BTW. He said so because he had a presupposition that Job was a sinner who deserved this punishment and must be humble before God.

He didn't even spare Job's children and said that they too were sinners deserving of this punishment. Sure, everyone is a sinner, but Job's suffering was not a punishment, certainly not for any of his sins or his children's sins. It's an affliction wrought on him by Satan to prove his faithfulness and God's victory over Satan.

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟡:𝟚

"In truth I know that this is so; But how can a man be in the right before God?"

I am not righteous like Job nor have been afflicted like Job, I am not even half his age I suppose. However, I can sense and have experienced to some level what's written in this book, which I also suppose everyone has to some degree.

Job affirmed the theology of Bildad that's why he said, "In truth I know that is so." However, he couldn't agree with Bildad's application that Job and his children were punishment-bound sinners. Job contended that he was guiltless (v21). We can have a right doctrine yet apply it wrongly😬

He also affirmed the sayings of his first friend, Eliphaz, and quoted one of his statements, "How can a man be right with God?" (4:17). Job knew this very well, but he also knew what his friends didn't know. He knew the theology of Ps. 130:3 even before that Psalm was written that God forgives sinners that He may be feared. That's why Job contended before, asking, “why won't God just forgive my sins?” (7:21) and even in this chapter, v34, Job asked that discipline/punishment be removed and mercy be given!

Martin Luther couldn't love God until he was made to see the mercy of God. He knew God was right and actually because of that he hated God before he discovered God's mercy. Spurgeon didn't like God before his conversion. He knew God was right to send him to hell, but his soul was not in peace until He was made to see the mercy of God. Even for me, if I don't know the mercy of God, I would never be a Christian. Christians are those who have found the mercy of God. Job was looking for the mercy of God.

In this time of divine testing, it was so severe that he concluded wrongly that though God is sovereign, He seemed to be unfair! (v22) Which BTW Abraham [perhaps his contemporary] contended and proved Job to be wrong in (Gen.28:25). And Job, at the end of the book did confess in ashes and dust that he had been wrong to think like that and that he knew little about the sovereignty of God.

Did you ever question the fairness of God? The only answer to that question is, "Repent in ashes and dust!" Or you would be someday just as Job did! Sometimes, I asked the fairness of God, and many times, I have repented already by the mercy of God. And as I live in this world, I think once a while I will be tempted to ask again, and I must remember this verse to keep in mind!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟘:𝟟

“According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty, Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.”

Interesting statement from Job. Compared to some other human beings we can be like angels. But in the standard of God, everyone is a filthy sinner.

However, Job’s statement is the opposite.  He contended that he was not a sinner before God's knowledge. That's actually a theological expression of God's righteousness. That when God grants salvation, He sees the recipient as righteous, blotting away his sins!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟙:𝟚-𝟛

"Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a talkative man be acquitted? ‘Shall your boasts silence men? And shall you scoff and none rebuke?’"

Zophar, the third friend is harsher and is indicting Job more than the Bildad and Eliphaz. And he claims to know what Job does not get it! Job will respond to him later on.  And God will rebuke him later on as well!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟚:𝟜

"I am a joke to my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and blameless man is a joke."

Natural man always mocks and ridicules the things of God.

Even Job's friends, I suppose were also far godlier, righteous, and even wealthier and wiser than many of their generation dared to hold Job in contempt.

BTW, our world is different now. In the religious world of Job, they believed a righteous man should prosper. In my religious world now, many people believe that a righteous man (pastor, evangelist, and missionary) should live in poverty!

Interesting! 😂

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟛:𝟙𝟝

"Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him."

The unwavering faith of Job. I am troubled if I feel my friend is unhappy with me. I am troubled if I feel my parents are unhappy with me.

What relief is there for someone who thinks God is unhappy with him? I can't imagine the extent of trouble Job was going on. Because, as we see in v23 and 26, Job was conscious of his sins. Yet, He did trust God's salvation till death — that He alone was the joy, hope, and meaning of his existence.

BTW, while Job's faith is to be commended, he erred in at least 2 areas: 1. He thought he can argue with God, but at the end of the book, God gave him a chance, Job uttered no argument and repented in ashes.

2. He thought God was counting his sins. In reality, God did not remember any sins of Job. God declared him to be righteous and blameless. Even in the end, God just asked him questions about the power of God. God didn't indict of his sins.

That's you and me too. Once we are His children, God sees us blameless and there's no record of sins against us!

 

𝕁𝕆𝔹 𝟙𝟜:𝟟

"For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail."

Job felt that a tree's life is better than being a man. But he was not trying to be an environmentalist here! It's the disappointed Job.

Indeed, some trees lived long enough. Even after they were cut down, they still grow. Man, once dead, has no hope. No second chance. No reboot button like electronic goods.

However, in the following verses Job expressed his firm belief in the resurrection! And thus, man's life is better than tree after all!