Job 37:14 — Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God! I’ve seen the Planetarium Show at the Creation Museum many times, but it is still amazing every time!
Job 37:23 — The technical term is “inscrutable.” Elihu is right, we will not be able to “unscrute” the inscrutable!
Job 38:3 — God speaks to Job. He doesn’t explain to him why he went through the tragedies, but He ask Job some questions. Notice the question God asked man: He asked Adam to explain his behavior (Genesis 3:9). Israel Wayne exposited the Questions God Asks in his recent book.
Job 38:23 — God used hail as a weapon in the Exodus and in the conquest of Canaan (Exodus 9:13-18, Joshua 10:10-11).
Job 38:37 — Clouds, those harmless puffs of water vapor, are one of the main reasons your favorite meteorologist can’t predict Friday’s weather. “Clouds and precipitation are among the more challenging weather parameters to forecast accurately.”
Job 39:9-10 — But I thought unicorns weren’t real? The problem isn’t Scripture, but the gradual deterioration of the English language. Eric Hovind points out that the word “unicorn” is not only a transliteration from the Latin, but it also originally (per Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) referred to animals such as the rhinoceros.
2 Corinthians 4:14 — We’ve just read in Job about our God’s amazing power. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up from the dead as well!
2 Corinthians 5:10 — The most sobering doctrine in the Bible is the Bema Seat. We aren’t just on a 80-some year cruise boat voyage to do our own pleasures. We are working towards a reviewal of our performance. Chuck Missler dispels some myths about the Bema:
This judgment is often taught as simply an awards ceremony, but that is not entirely correct. It was the tribunal seat, the judicial bench, the judgment seat, or throne of the one in charge. Herod Agrippa I addressed the people of Tyre and Sidon from his Bema seat. Jesus was brought before Pilate and his Bema seat. Paul was accused before Proconsul Gallio; and brought before Festus at Caesarea facing a Bema seat. A relic of one was found among the ruins in Corinth.
Psalm 44:9 — Did the Psalmist just borrow from Job?
Psalm 44:23 — The proper response is not to dispute with God, but to continue to call upon the name of the LORD!
Proverbs 22:13 — When you need an excuse, any excuse will do!
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Job 34:18 — Elihu tells Job, “You wouldn’t accuse a king or a prince of being evil. Why are you accusing God of being evil, the One who is far more righteous than any human king?”
The Book of Job does not answer the question ‘Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?’ but rather answers the question, ‘How should the righteous suffer?’
You may be hurting, but don’t ever think you are more righteous than God. That is the pathway to atheism.
Job 36:3 — Elihu is continually begging permission to speak (Job 36:2) with a purpose not of attacking or defending Job but of glorifying God.
Job 36:26 — While God does act in certain ways (Job 36:15), He is great and unsearchable.
2 Corinthians 4:1 — What is this ministry? It’s addressing the conscience (2 Corinthians 4:2) because the god of this world is blinding people to the light of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4)!
2 Corinthians 4:8-12 — Suffering for Jesus? Join the club that Paul was a charter member of!
Psalm 44:3 — Remember our discussion of Ezra? He was afraid the people would fall back into trusting swords, armies, and bows (Psalm 44:6). Thou hast saved us from our enemies (Psalm 44:7)!
Proverbs 22:10 — The Christian School principal’s go-to verse! Yes, there are the students that you want to reach, but to keep the simple from following the scorner, you must separate the two. You do that by removing the scorner from your classroom. It is not out of malice for the scorner but out of love for the others.
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Job 31:1 — Job outlines the disciplines of a godly man. While we may want to dismiss it as just the posturing of a hurting individual, we must remember that this is the testimony of one who is perfect and upright, fearing God and eschewing evil. He’s worth imitating in my humble opinion.
Personal Purity —
Guarding the eyes (Job 31:1)
Guarding the heart (Job 31:9)
Guarding the feet (Job 31:9)
Relational Responsibility —
Relationship with employees (Job 31:13)
Relationship with the poor (Job 31:16)
Relationship with the widows (Job 31:16)
Relationship with the fatherless (Job 31:17)
Relationship with the wanters-of-clothing (Job 31:19)
Relationship with enemies (Job 31:29-30)
Relationship with strangers (Job 31:32)
Spiritual Fidelity —
Trusting not in wealth (Job 31:24-25)
Following no other gods (Job 31:26-28)
Hiding not sin from God (Job 31:33)
Job 31:15 — Slavery and abortion are both addressed with one verse. God made both master and slave (or employer and employee) – so how can one of God’s creation mistreat another of God’s creation?
Job 31:26 — Is Job saying we can’t enjoy a sunrise? No. Job is addressing those who worship the sun (Ezekiel 8:16).
Job 32:1 — The Great Debate is over … but not yet. Elihu enters the ring taking on all four debaters (Job 32:2-3)!
Job 32:19 — Many a talkative man has felt like Elihu, but unfortunately few have the wisdom of Elihu.
Job 33:8 — Having begged for the right to be heard, Elihu now seeks to confirm that he heard Job right. He will then go to the cross-examination of Job.
Job 33:12 — Job is not just, not because he has sinned and is being punished, but because he is becoming bitter against God. But God is greater than man and does not need to give account of Himself (Job 33:13)!
There is always a reason for every act of grace which God performs for man. He acts sovereignly, and therefore he is not bound to give any reason for his actions; but he always acts wisely, and therefore he has a reason for so acting. Writing to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul says that God “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”
Job 33:23-24 — The preacher steps forth, not spouting the conventional wisdom, but as one of a thousand. He is charged with a command from the gracious Lord, “Deliver the sinner from the pit – there is a ransom!” Like the ram in the thicket that was to be offered in the place of Isaac (Genesis 22:13), God has provided a ransom!
This is the only reason why any man shall be delivered from going clown to the pit, because God has found a ransom, There is no way of salvation but by the ransom; all who ever are saved are saved by the ransom; and if you, dear friend, would be saved, it must be by the ransom; and there is but one.
Observe that the text says, “I have found a ransom.” This ransom is an invention of divine wisdom. I do not think it would ever have occurred to any mind but the mind of God himself to save sinners by the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. The most astonishing novelty under heaven is the old, old story of the cross of Christ. That ever God should take upon himself the sin of his own creatures, that, in order to be able justly to forgive, God himself should bear the punishment which he must inflict for the creatures’ sin, this is something marvelous to the last degree. The rebel sins, and the King himself suffers the penalty for the rebellion. The offender commits the trespass, and the Judge bears the punishment. Such a plan was never heard of in human courts of law; or if it has ever been spoken of there, it was because, first of all, both the ears of him who heard it had been made to tingle while God revealed it out of his own heart. “I have found a ransom.” Nobody would have thought of that way of the deliverance of a sinner from the pit of hell through a ransom if God had not thought of it.
Job 33:25 — Salvation transforms the life of a person about to perish (Job 33:18). Job is no longer in pain (Job 33:19), unable to enjoy life (Job 33:20), wasting away (Job 33:21), drawing near the grave (Job 33:22). Now his flesh is fresher than a child’s (Job 33:25) which sounds a lot like Naaman (2 Kings 5:14)! God’s favor is upon him (Job 33:26), and He has given man His righteousness! (Job 33:26).
Job 33:27 — The three friends thought Job wasn’t trying hard enough to be righteous. Job thought he had been trying hard enough to be righteous. Elihu thinks Job has forgotten how a person becomes righteous.
Job is being reminded of his conversion. Why was Job righteous in the sight of the LORD? Not because he was perfect, but because he admitted he was a sinner. God delivered Job (Job 33:28) because he trusted the Ransom (Job 33:24).
2 Corinthians 3:1 — Like Elihu, Paul begs for a hearing from his audience. But unlike Elihu, Paul is not the younger man here.
2 Corinthians 3:6 — What is the New Testament? The declaration of the ransom! Isn’t it glorious (2 Corinthians 3:8)!
2 Corinthians 3:14 — Yes, it is sad that our dear Jewish friends can read the Old Testament (this is the only place in the Bible where this phrase occurs) and not see Jesus. It is amazing that we can see Jesus even in Job!
2 Corinthians 3:18 — Speaking of glory, we are being changed into the glory of the LORD by His Spirit!
Psalm 43:3 — May we be led by His truth and light unto His Holy Hill!
Proverbs 22:9 — God blesses those who give to the poor. Note that he didn’t give his stale bread to the poor. Today we often believe, “Give of your worst to the Master.” Reminds me of a song by Patch the Pirate – Any Ol’ Thing!
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Job 30:21 — Ah, Job’s sorrow is taking a wrong turn. He is accusing God of cruelty.
2 Corinthians 2:14 — Very rarely should we use absolute words or phrases like “always” or “every time”. God can though … God always causes us to triumph in Christ! Sing along with the WILDS.
Job 23:1 — The Third Round of the debate begins to finish. We’ll see Job’s answer to Eliphaz in Job 23 and Job 24, Bildad’s summation in Job 25, and the beginning of Job’s response in Job 26-27.
Job 23:3 — Job acknowledges that he cannot approach God, but he still wants to present his case to Him.
Job 23:12 — This seems to echo Psalm 119. Job was a devout follower of the LORD, and he esteemed the words of the LORD! Do we? How much time do we spend in His Word?
Job 24:24 — We have read a whole chapter on the nature of evil. Why doesn’t bad things happen to evil people? Because they are exalted just for “a little while.”
Job 25:4 — Bildad recognizes that God is great (Job 25:2), but he doesn’t recognize the possibility of knowing for sure that you can be justified with God. Too many people today believe in God, but they don’t believe that you can know for sure that you can have eternal life. They believe you can work and get rewarded. Or you can skip the work and get punished. God’s grace is a mysterious thing to many.
FIRST SAMUEL 2:8 was spoken during a prayer by Hannah after she dedicated her son Samuel into the Lord’s service. Job spoke the other verse while talking with his friends about man’s weakness in light of God’s majestic power. This sort of poetic imagery (pillars, foundations, etc.) is commonly used in Scripture to describe how God upholds the world.
2 Corinthians 2:4 — Biblical discernment ministries ought to operate with tears, not sarcasm. Tears before the LORD is manly.
2 Kings 20:5 – Hezekiah prayed with tears
Job 16:20 – Job prayed with tears
Psalm 39:12 – David prayed with tears
Jeremiah 31:16 – Jeremiah weeped with tears
Acts 20:31 – Paul warned with tears
2 Timothy 1:4 – Timothy had tears
And Psalm 119:136 tells how David declared that “Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.”
Psalm 41:1 — God will not deliver him that hath partiality to the rich, but to the poor (James 2:1)!
Proverbs 22:6 — I’ve been reading Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Living. Dr. Peterson grew up in the “Bible belt” of Canada and admits he turned away from Christianity, but that he later accepted the philosophy of Christianity without actually accepting the Jesus of the Bible (pray for him). Even as a skeptic, he had to admit that the Bible provides the best answers to the challenges of today. He writes an entire chapter of his book defending what God wrote in just one verse, because he says:
I see today’s parents as terrified by their children, not least because they have been deemed the proximal agents of this hypothetical social tyranny, and simultaneously denied credit for their role as benevolent and necessary agents of discipline, order and conventionality.
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Job 20:1 — Let’s recap where we are. We are in the second round of the great debate on suffering. Job 3-14 contains Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar’s opening statements followed by Job’s rebuttals. Now we are at the end of Round 2 where we will see Zophar’s second discourse followed by Job’s Response. This is actually Zophar’s closing statement since he will not participate in Round 3. Finally, we’ll see Eliphaz’s final statement in Job 22. From J. Vernon McGee:
Zophar’s second discourse. He introduces nothing new. He rests upon his seniority and resorts to the same legalism. He still holds to the theory that Job is a very wicked person because of the law that the wicked must be punished (vv. 3-5).
Job’s answer. Job is growing weary of their false charges. He appeals to a higher court (vv. 1-4). He agrees that the wicked will be punished but insists that this does not apply to his case.
Job 21:7-15 — Job points out that in addition to wondering why do bad things happen to good people (him), he also wants to know why good things happen to bad people!
Eliphaz’s third discourse. He accuses Job of being self-righteous (vs. 3). His final word to Job is a great gospel invitation, but it does not fit Job’s case (vs. 21). He admonishes Job to return to God (vv. 22-30).
2 Corinthians 1:1 — Timothy, whom Paul was afraid they would despise (1 Corinthians 16:11), who was Paul’s beloved son (1 Corinthians 4:17), is now with Paul!
2 Corinthians 1:3 — How is God the God of all comfort?
in tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:4)
through us to those in trouble (2 Corinthians 1:4)
through the sufferings of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5)
through the afflictions and comfortings of Paul (2 Corinthians 1:6)
for the Corinthian partakers (2 Corinthians 1:7)
by trust in God which raiseth the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9)
through deliverance (2 Corinthians 1:10)
through the prayers of God’s people (2 Corinthians 1:11)
Psalm 40:11, 17 — The second stanza of yesterday’s song draws from Psalm 40 today!
Proverbs 22:3 — This is a verse that’s often hijacked by the “prepper” community. Matthew Henry sees this verse as having a salvific focus (i.e. faith foresees the evil coming upon sinners, and looks to Jesus Christ as the sure refuge from the storm). eBible draws from John Wayne (“Life’s tough, it’s even tougher if you’re stupid!”). Salem Bible Church emphasizes the evil is not a natural disaster, but temptation (bad friends, alcohol, marrying an unbeliever, unchristian philosophy, not reading the Bible, unsupervised television, etc.).
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Job 16:2 — The Book of Job is not usually where you go for devotions, but you are awakened by the sharp criticism Job has for his friends. “Miserable comforters!”
Job 16:4-5 — Job tells his friends what he would say if things were reversed. He would have DEFINITELY comforted them!
Job 16:21 — Ever want to argue with God? Isaiah 45:9 and Romans 9:20 warn against this.
Job 18:2 — The friendship seems to be wearing thin, and there is still 13 more chapters to go before his friends bail on him.
Job 19:3 — The argumentation is long, and sadly we witness the further deterioration of the relationship. Job pulls out the Senator Joe McCarthy line, “Have you no sense of decency?”
Job 19:25-26 — Sometimes we wonder what Old Testament saints believed. Did they know about the resurrection? These lines were so poignant that George Frederic Handel included them in the Messiah.
1 Corinthians 16:1 — Ah, yes, Paul is definitely a preacher because he talks about taking up a collection!
1 Corinthians 16:2 — In the Dispensation of Law, the day to gather was the last day (Saturday). Now under the Dispensation of Grace, we gather on the first day. We can give joyfully (2 Corinthians 9:7) and regularly.
1 Corinthians 16:9 — “The door of opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition.” (Adrian Rogers). Be bold, take a stand, and go forward for the LORD!
1 Corinthians 16:11 — Why would anyone despise Timothy, Paul’s beloved son (1 Corinthians 4:7)? Was it because he was a young man (1 Timothy 4:12) with a reputation like the one former president George W. Bush famously described: “When I was young and foolish, I was young and foolish?” Ah, but there’s still time to change!
1 Corinthians 16:14 — The author of the “Love Chapter” reminds us again – do everything with charity!
An example of such an anathema is found in these words of Pope Silverius (536-38): “If anyone henceforth deceives a bishop in such a manner, let him be anathema maranatha before God and his holy angels.” Benedict XIV
The problem is that the word “anathema” is Greek for “dedicated to evil,” while the word “maranatha” was the early New Testament greeting for believers. They replaced “Shalom” (the Jewish greeting) with “maranatha” because it was a reminder that “the LORD is coming!”
Psalm 40:1 — The Northern Lights rendition of these verses is always stirring!
Psalm 40:8 — May this be our life verse!
Proverbs 22:1 — In the news recently, I’ve seen people facing years in prison for tax evasion. Yes, they hid their millions and pocketed the “great riches,” but they lost their good name!
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Job 12:2 — Job is quite sarcastic by this point. While much of the wisdom literature genre of this book can be hard to follow, this line seems like one of Shakespeare’s witty retorts!
Job 13:3 — Job echoes the plea that many have, “I desire to reason with God.” We won’t hear from God audibly when we suffer; interestingly, Job didn’t hear from God either about why he suffered.
Job 13:5 — Oftentimes wisdom is found in holding your peace!
Job 13:15 — Here is one of the key verses of Job. It clearly reveals the attitude of one who has suffered financial, family, and physical pain. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” Job unfortunately continues on, “I will maintain my own ways before him.” Job remains the righteous example that God pointed to, but Job still wants to argue with God.
Job 14:1 — Job seems to be foreshadowing the book of Ecclesiastes!
Job 15:16 — Eliphaz makes a good point – man is abominable and filthy, full of iniquity. Yet, how was Job “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1)?
God forgives iniquity (Numbers 14:19-20, Psalm 65:3). But how do we achieve forgiveness?
Knowing who to seek forgiveness from – we all need forgiveness from God (Mark 2:7). Which ‘deity’ are you seeking forgiveness from? Only the LORD (Isaiah 45:5)?
Confessing (identifying) our sins is an important component of seeking God’s forgiveness (Psalm 51:3, 1 John 1:9).
Repenting (turning) from our sins (Psalm 51:10, Acts 3:19). If we don’t turn from our sins, it’s not that we’re not forgiven, it’s just that we’ve restarted the loop of sin (Luke 11:24-26).
Turning back to the LORD
Job 1:1 – fear the LORD and eschew evil
Joshua 1:8 – meditate on God’s Word and avoid sin
Job 1:1 – fear the LORD and eschew evil
Joshua 1:8 – meditate on God’s Word and avoid sin
Yes, even though man is filthy and though his sins be as scarlet, they can be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18)! Job’s friends don’t want to acknowledge that anyone can be righteous. They feel more comfortable declaring that everyone is as wicked as they are. We just have to keep trying to be righteous through religious rituals. But righteousness comes not through religious rituals; it comes from a relationship with the Redeemer!
1 Corinthians 15:32 — Was Paul fighting as a gladiator against the wild beasts? From the Pulpit Commentary:
Not literally, for in that case he would have mentioned it in 2 Corinthians 11. as one of his deadliest perils, and it must have been recorded by St. Luke in his full account of St. Paul’s life at Ephesus. A Roman citizen was legally exempt from this mode of punishment. The word points to some special peril incurred in resisting the hostility of the worshippers of Artemis (Acts 20:19), but not to the tumult in the theatre, which did not happen till after this letter was dispatched (1 Corinthians 16:8, 9). The metaphor is not uncommon. Thus in 2 Timothy 4:17 St. Paul alludes to Nero (probably) as “the lion.” David often compares his enemies to wild beasts (Psalm 22:21, etc.). When his jailor informed Agrippa of the death of Tiberius, he did so in the words, “The lion is dead.”
1 Corinthians 15:51 — We shall be changed! What will it be like, Paul?
It will be different (1 Corinthians 15:37)
It will be unique (1 Corinthians 15:38)
It will be incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:42)
It will be glorious (1 Corinthians 15:43)
It will be powerful (1 Corinthians 15:43)
It will be spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:44)
It will be instantaneous (1 Corinthians 15:52)
It will be immortal (1 Corinthians 15:53)
Thus death is no longer painful to contemplate, the grave is no longer the victor! (1 Corinthians 15:55). So keep on fighting! We Shall Rise! (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Psalm 39:5 — “… verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” So, what is our calling? We must wait for the LORD. He is our hope!
Proverbs 21:31 — Where is safety found? The horse? No, the LORD!
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Job 8:1 — A second speaker arises and some have questioned how tall he was.
Job 8:6 — Does God respond to the upright? Yes (Proverbs 15:8), but does He respond on our timetable? That is the problem with Bildad’s argument. Because his premise is faulty (if you are upright, God responds when you want Him to), his conclusion is also faulty (because God did not respond when you wanted Him to, you are not upright).
Job 9:2 — The question of the ages, repeated by the Philippian jailor a couple thousand years later (Acts 16:30)! Job realizes God’s superiority to man (Job 9:3-15).
Orion and the Pleiades
Job 9:16 — Job lays out his problems with God, emphasizing his desire for mercy (Job 10:2). Job is a hurting individual who is struggling with his innocence (Job 10:7).
Job 11:2 — Zophar is frustrated with Job, but sadly he uses God as a weapon (Job 11:5). Today, too many people use God as a tool to force others to do what they want done. Instead of letting God justify Himself, we try to co-opt God into fighting for our agenda.
1 Corinthians 15:1 — Time to get back to the basics! Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again! Yes, this is the truth that saves people from separation from God (1 Corinthians 15:2).
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — Listen to “For I Delivered” by Earl Martin:
1 Corinthians 15:6 — Five hundred people saw a dead man alive and all at the same time! The former skeptic, Josh McDowell, was bothered by this statement:
Are you telling me that no skeptic among those profound Jewish leaders examined those witnesses? Paul’s whole reputation would have been ruined if his assertion were not true.
1 Corinthians 15:22 — Paul repeats his argument from Romans 5:17 – One man brought death, but another Man brought life!
Psalm 38:1 — The Psalmist utters the cry of Job, but for a different cause (Psalm 38:15). Despite the suffering, we, like the Psalmist, will hope in the LORD (Psalm 38:15).
Proverbs 21:28 — Yes, the evil will be punished and the good rewarded, but notice that the word “shall” is used and not “is.”
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Job 4:7 — The danger of being 80% correct. Eliphaz believed that God blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked. And that is a good generalization, but the application made some faulty assumptions.
Job 4:17 — Eliphaz again recognizes a truth but doesn’t stop there. Stop while you’re ahead Eliphaz! We’ve talked about the atheist argument “more moral than God”, and Eliphaz picks up on that. Instead of only saying, “Don’t argue with God” … period … he says, “Don’t argue with God …” and then proceeds to compare Job to the foolish and silly (Job 5:2).
Job 6:6 — Egg whites haven’t gotten any tastier in the last 3,000 years.
Job 6:8-9 — Poor Job. Like the old preacher said, “Thank God that He doesn’t answer all of your prayers!”
1 Corinthians 14:33 — Whether worship was in the Old Testament under the Levitical code, or in the New Testament as regulated by the epistles – it was never one of confusion, but always practiced decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40).
1 Corinthians 14:34 — Paul says that some things seem to be in conflict with accepted cultural values of the day. But if God’s desires always lined up with our desires, we would have no need for the corrective imperatives of the New Testament.
Psalm 37:31 — How much of God’s Law is in your heart?
Psalm 37:40 — This is an interesting contrast to the story of Job. Job was trusting in the LORD but had not been delivered … yet. The word “yet” is a key word in Job and the Psalms – God will deliver but sometimes “not yet.”
Proverbs 21:27 — This explains why God was not happy with Cain’s offering (Genesis 4:5, Genesis 4:7)
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