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AUGUST 26
Job 20-22
As I read this
again today, it reminded me how some of the stuff Job's friends say is really
good. The last part of what Eliphaz says in chapter 22 reads like a psalm. But
what are we learning here? Life on earth is not heaven on earth. The global,
spiritual, and earthly drama is deadly. In the plan of redemption and purpose
of God, He works in complete love and justice and wisdom. We don't see that,
but that doesn't change Him. In His plan, He didn't even spare His Son. If it
is His will for His purpose to lead us to be killed all the day long (Rom. 8:36), that should be OK; because it
is offset by another reality. As Paul says in Romans 8:31-32, What then shall we say to these things? If
God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave
Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
Job 20
Vs. 1-19 Zophar is determined that the wicked never win on
earth. As he describes their demise and their crimes, he is probing to see if
he can touch a nerve with Job. I'm sure he is trying to mention things that Job
had done. Nice guy.
Vs. 20-29 Interestingly, this wicked man is rich, just like
Job. What a coincidence. Not only that, God's judgment on this man is revealed
in physical agony. Hmmm.
Because Job's friends are so black and white about God's
justice, it will force Job to consider if God really does judge like that on
earth. The answer will stretch all of them. The reason why God prospers the
wicked and allows the suffering of the righteous on earth all has to do with
the harvest. In heaven there is pure and simple justice.
Job 21
Vs. 1-7 This is Job being very dark in his words. Although
justice will be executed by God, that doesn't mean it happens on the earth. Job
is telling them to really look around instead of just spouting religious
baloney.
V. 5 The key here is that Job is righteous, and look what
happened to him. If the only things that matter in the world are blessing and
justice, then they should be appalled
at what happened to Job.
V. 7 What Job said here made me think of what Paul said in
Romans 9:17, For the Scripture says to
Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my
power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Job asked
"Why?" In God's redemptive purpose He allows the ungodly to prosper
for His reasons. Surely one of the reasons God allowed William Randolph Hearst
to have the influence he had was to tell his reporters to "puff
Graham" (give big exposure) during a crusade in 1949. The media exposure
helped propel Billy and his crusades onto the front page and into the front
rooms of America. That example is visible and obvious. There are millions of
examples happening around us where God allows those who hate Him to prosper,
but He is using them for His ultimate purpose. And in His wisdom and power, God
is able to do this with perfect righteousness, justice and love, honoring our
free will to whatever degree that free will exists.
Vs. 8-13 God
allows them to have pleasure.
Vs. 14-16 God allows
them to disrespect Him.
Vs. 17-26 God
allows things to look unfair.
Vs. 27-34 Job says
their words are empty and false, I think, because of the extreme exaggeration.
They were exaggerating to try to show Job that he was a sinner. In v. 31 Job
says that his friends had the boldness to say this against him, but not the
boldness to say this against those to whom it might really apply.
Job 22
This begins round
3.
Vs. 1-4 Here we go
again. Eliphaz is sure that God only makes bad things happen if there is sin.
Bad things happened; therefore, Job sinned.
Vs. 5-9 is Eliphaz
just guessing as to what Job might have done. There is good truth in much of
what he says, but he is completely wrong about Job. These blind accusations
were criminal. And we know Job is innocent.
Vs. 10-11
Therefore, Eliphaz is saying, it has happened to you.
Vs. 12-20 Here, he
is using some of Job's words against him. No one hides from God, and no one
tells God to depart from them. The cruelty of these guys is beyond belief. Now,
after thinking he has jolted Job by verbally beating him, it is time for some
love.
Vs. 21-30 This
would have given Job hope if this destruction in his life had been because of
sin; but because there was no sin, these words would only hurt Job instead of
heal him.
2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Paul was no
stranger to suffering. In fact, when Jesus called Paul He said to Ananias in Acts
9:15-16, But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the
Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he
must suffer for the sake of my name." A lot of Paul's deep suffering
came from believers, and particularly from this church.
Corinth was a trial for Paul. Not only did Paul speak strongly in 1
Corinthians, but he will speak strongly here too, though only at the end. In
both letters he had to defend himself; in fact, some say that 2 Corinthians is
nothing but Paul having to defend himself, not for his sake, but to correct and
balance the church. No other church that we know of received this many letters.
According to what we find in both letters, there were actually four letters written
and two were lost. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul mentions a letter he had written,
and then came the writing of 1 Corinthians. Later Paul wrote a letter mentioned
in 2 Corinthians 2:2-3 which was very strong, and got lost, and now he is
writing 2 Corinthians. This was a high maintenance church. This is the only
church where Jesus appeared to Paul to encourage him to persevere.
But, like Job, as a result of the problems and Paul's suffering, we get
some amazing teaching and we see into the heart of this model disciple
following Christ in the harvest, making disciples, who make disciples. Just
like Job's confrontation with his friends, much of what Paul expresses here
from his heart would never have been put on paper if he hadn't suffered
emotionally because of these people. God had a purpose for Paul and for the
Corinthians and for us in what happened here. Basically in chapters 1-9, Paul
shares how God has soothed him and made sense of this in his heart. It is like
Paul explaining how God has helped him. Chapters 10-13 are Paul taking up the
challenge against him by the Jewish super-apostles who were ruining Corinth.
How do you start a letter of correction? Paul begins by focusing on how
this entire trauma made sense to Paul. God was working in him, molding him through
suffering and adversity to make him a minister for Christ and a blessing for
others.
Vs. 1-2 Paul was an apostle by
the will of God, not by the consensus of others. The calling and love of
Christ wouldn't let him quit.
Vs. 3-7 Job couldn't yet see that his sufferings were going to be used
by God to encourage many generations of men and women. Paul was experiencing
this as it was happening, and unlike Job, was given spiritual insight into why
God was allowing the suffering to happen. As disciples, nothing happens to us
that is random. The Father prunes us, not because of disobedience, but so we
will be more fruitful. In Paul's case, the suffering was not just a part of
following Christ, it was making him more skilled in following Christ and
nurturing disciples. In fact, the suffering that Paul had endured had newly
quieted his heart and was tempering the tone of this letter.
Vs. 8-11 This might have been the horrible night of shouting in Ephesus
in Acts 19. The effect was that they thought they would die. In addition to
this fun, Paul was deeply worried for the church in Corinth. Apparently he had
made a quick unplanned visit to Corinth after sending 1 Corinthians, and that
meeting must have been a fight and very upsetting. So he sent them a very
strong letter via Titus (a letter written after 1 Corinthians, but was later
lost), and then he was terribly worried about the response of the church. Oh,
and did I mention he thought he was going to die?
Somehow we get the idea that if we are really, really, really mature in
Christ we won't get stressed and we will never enter into conflict. I always
think of Paul here, the guy who had been in the third heaven, getting rattled
in the danger and heat of the moment, thinking he would surely die. But even in
that emotion and fear, God used it to teach Paul what we're reading here,
equipping us for the harvest. There was no way to burn this on Paul's heart
except to take him through the furnace of adversity. Reading books and
attending seminary classes only go so far. And we are no exception. The Father
will prune us to be fruitful, and even more fruitful, for the harvest and
making disciples.
Psalm 40:11-17
You feel David's desperation in this psalm. Reading this psalm along
with Job and Paul gives you a sense of the weight of needing God and His help.
You sense the hope and understanding of eventual victory, but David was
straining under the present weight of danger. In this danger you see the
weakness of the body of death in its despair, its fear, its loneliness, and its
desire to run and seek immediate comfort and security. That is us too, even as
disciples.
Vs. 11-12 We went from the victorious tone of the last verses to this
desperate cry. David was fearful of the imminent danger, and he was struggling
with a losing heart.
Vs. 13-15 David didn't just want deliverance and vindication; he wanted
the Lord to take pleasure in saving those who wait on Him.
Vs. 16-17 David hoped that this deliverance would be a source of
rejoicing and confidence for all who witnessed it, yet the work that God was
doing in David's heart and life had brought him to the place of humility and
need. The Father was pruning him.
Proverbs 22:2-4
We're OK up until v. 4. How do we understand this? I would understand this
with Jesus' words about our treasure being in heaven and living here, serving
in humility. Paul had riches, honor, and life in Christ, though as he told the
Corinthians, To the present hour we
hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless… Working
in the harvest makes you rich in the closeness of Christ and the blessings of
the gospel.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are only
meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's
plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to
keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope
is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a
year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples,
making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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