Job 11-15

SScripture

 

Job 13:15 – Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; 
                                I will surely defend my ways to his face.

 

Observation

 

This verse is an astonishing example of Job’s resolve in the face of trial. He attributed everything in his life as coming from God, both the good and the bad, and so was thankful for his blessings at the start of the book, and when those were taken away, knew that it was God’s doing for some reason. Job is convinced that he hasn’t sinned against the Lord, at least, not in such a major way as to warrant the punishment he gets, whereas his friends are persuaded that sin is the reason for Job’s troubles. They go through this verbal dance for many chapters – “You’ve sinned!”, “I haven’t!” – and eventually God speaks, but here we have Job stating unequivocally that he still believes that he worships a good God, though he doesn’t understand what’s going on with him.

 

Application

 

There’s something about this God-centred worldview that doesn’t really exist any more. An ‘act of God’ in modern parlance is a generally a disaster of some kind, and people ask why God doesn’t just stop suffering in the world, but blessings that are received are often put down to good luck, or results of hard work, or being in the right place at the right time. Even Christians don’t tend to put everything down to God acting in their lives. But what if we did? Perhaps we’d be more grateful for the good things that he gives us… But when life goes wrong, would we have the strength to be like Job, and say, “Fine, I don’t get it, and I don’t like it, but I’m still going to worship and believe in you God”? What would the world be like if there were lots more people like Job?

 

Prayer

 

God, help me to see your hand in my whole life, not just Sundays. Help me to give thanks for the blessings you give us, and to continue loving and worshipping you through the trials and difficulties that come our way, whether big or small. Praise you Lord!

 

Job 1-5

Scripture:

 

Job 2:9-10

His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” 
      In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

5:17-18

“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; 
       so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 

For he wounds, but he also binds up; 
       he injures, but his hands also heal.

Observation:

 

The comment from Job’s wife comes shortly after all his wealth is either stolen or destroyed, along with his sons and daughters, and his body has been ravaged by sores, inflicted by the devil himself. And Job responds in a way which matches exactly with what we have heard about him so far in the book – that he is righteous, and loves the Lord. Then 3 chapters later we get the first comments from one of Job’s friends (Eliphaz in this case). In the rest of the book, lots of what they say is quite unhelpful towards Job, trying to convince him that it must be some great sin that has caused his woes, but looking at these 2 pairs of verses together, it’s clear that they were not so far apart in their thinking. They both tell the reader that while God can give abundantly, he can also take away; though God expressed his love through blessing, he also shows it through discipline.

 

Application:

 

The books of the Bible which come under the ‘Wisdom’ genre are, as far as I know, the closest we get to ancient philosophical writings, and many scholars think that Job is one of the most ancient texts we have access to. And it certainly is a book where the writer is expressing, or struggling with, various ways to understand the world, and dealing with what is encountered in life. And in the verses I’ve selected today, we have a God–centred mindset dealing with the extreme troubles that presented themselves in Job’s life. If He can bless me, then He can bring trouble too – and Job managed to praise God despite losing all his children. Can I continue to praise him when things aren’t going well? I’ve never had such an extreme set of ‘misfortunes’ befall me, and to my knowledge I don’t know anyone who has, so do I have any reason to stop praising God?

 

Prayer:

 

Thank you lord, for the example of Job, and his ability to accept everything you gave him in his life. Help me to keep a God-centred mindset in everything I do, and to keep praising in good times and in bad.

 

1 Samuel 25-31

Scripture:

1 Samuel 25-31

 

Selected verses:

30:6 – “David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.”

 

Observation:

There are two interweaving stories in these chapters. Here’s a summary: David, accompanied by a large band of followers, is on the run from Saul, and he takes refuge in a Philistine city. When King Saul learns that’s where he is, he leaves him alone, and David and his band are given the city of Ziklag to live in. Meanwhile, the Philistine army amasses against Israel, and Saul gets scared. He gets so scared that he consults a medium to enquire of Samuel’s ghost what to do. Stupid move, as he doesn’t get the answer he wants; the LORD is against him. David and his followers march out to fight with the Philistines against the Israelites, but the Philistine commanders send him back to Ziklag, which has been sacked by marauding Amalekites, and all the families of David’s men have been carried off. After his men nearly turn on him, they go after the Amalekites and recover everything; David acts honourably throughout. Finally, the focus shifts back to Saul, who kills himself in the midst of battle with the Philistines.

 

The verse I have selected above details two responses to an awful situation – David’s men have had their home destroyed, and everything they cared about has gone. They respond in a totally understandable way. But David responds in the best way.

 

Application:

Some simple thoughts. When it seems as though our whole lives have been pulled out from under our feet, how do we respond? It makes total sense to give up and become bitter about what has gone wrong, and in many ways this is the natural response. But David, man of the Spirit, chooses a different path – he finds strength in God, even in the midst of his trouble. He has not denied the reality of the situation – two verses earlier he weeps with his men over the fate of their city. But he knows where strength can be found, and makes a choice to take everything he is feeling to the LORD.

 

Prayer:

Lord, I bring you my trouble, stress and feelings of unfairness. I know that you love me, and I know that you are good. I trust you to bring resolution to the things that trouble my spirit. Amen.

 

Psalms 42-44

Scripture:

Psalm 42-44

 

Selected verses:

42:7 (NIV)

 “Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.”

Observation:

I’ve heard people use this phrase ‘deep calling unto deep’ in prayers and songs and had no idea what it’s really supposed to mean (maybe they didn’t when they prayed it either!). So I have found a few alternative translations:

 

New Century Version: “Troubles have come again and again, sounding like waterfalls. Your waves are crashing all around me.”

Contemporary English Version: “Your vicious waves have swept over me like an angry ocean or a roaring waterfall.”

New Living Translation: “I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.”

There are several others which keep the general sense of the NIV, but with slightly different vocabulary. Perhaps it’s just my lack of skill with poetry, but I prefer the versions that emphasize the troubles that the psalmist attributes to God in the first phrase of the verse. The NIV translation could be a poetic look at creation (though not so much in the context of the whole psalm, admittedly), but the other three quoted here make it really clear that the psalmist feels totally overwhelmed by the chaotic trouble that God has sent his way. The use of water imagery is almost certainly deliberate, in keeping with the traditional Hebrew view of the Sea as the source of chaos.

 

None of the translations, though, are in any doubt about the psalmist’s intention to attribute the troubles as coming from God – “your waves” is in each one and is clearly inescapable in the Hebrew.

 

Application:

So what do I do with this? Do I see my troubles as coming from God too? Sometimes, but I am more likely to see them as a result of human choices somewhere along the line. But perhaps this means that I assume I will be able to solve them, or play the blame game and expect someone else to sort things out because it was their fault in the first place. Perhaps the Hebrew worldview that said that everything was spiritual, leading to the idea that troubles came from God, which leads one to call out to God immediately to sort things out, had some value. How often could I call out to God, over small things as well as big, when I don’t?

 

Prayer:

God, please remind me that you are interested in each and every part of my life, and that I can bring troubles and problems to you, no matter the size, and no matter whether they were your fault or not. I know you can handle that!