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AUGUST 27
Job 23-27
What is kind of interesting to see is that as a result of this conflict
with his friends, Job is getting clearer in his thinking. It's almost like he
is coming closer to understanding God in what is happening to him. When God
makes His statements to Job at the end, some of what He says sounds like some
of what Job is beginning to say. This is all to suggest that there is even wisdom
in God allowing these friends to misunderstand Job the way they did. When God
finally speaks, Job has almost come to the place of solving the mystery for
himself.
Job 23
Vs. 1-7 In spite of his suffering, Job is very positive about the
reception he would have from God. Job is confident that if he were to present
his case to God, he would be acquitted. He is right in that, but wrong in the
reason for this trial.
Vs. 8-12 Job couldn't see God, but he knew God could see him. And Job
himself was confident that he had not strayed from God and that God knew it. It
is interesting that Job felt that if tried by God, God would pronounce him
"pure" as gold. He didn't
consider that God was trying him to drive out impurities (not sins) in his
thinking, so that Job would be refined and become as pure as gold.
Vs. 13-17 Though some light is breaking through here, Job still
considers God to be hard and mad at him.
Job 24
Vs. 1-9 This is what the wicked do to others. Job knows the wicked will
be judged. But this entire ordeal has made him wonder why God delays. The
answer to this will be the same answer as to why Job is suffering: Trust in
God's wisdom and goodness.
Vs. 10-12 As a result of the way the wicked treat the poor, this is
what happens to the poor. Verse 12 is a pretty strong statement by Job, but it
makes more sense if you understand him as saying that God doesn't execute
judgment immediately.
Vs. 13-17 This is still the mystery of how the Lord works with the
wicked. It seems that everything they plan works out for them, but having read
Esther, we know that isn't true. And, eighty years on this planet is less than
a scratch on the timeline of eternity.
Vs. 18-20 Job is quoting his friends and their black and white idea of
God's judgment.
Vs. 21-25 So, why does God allow this at all? Job seems to be beginning
to understand that that mystery is tied together with his own mystery. Verse 25
is a challenge to his friends to prove him wrong. Obviously they can't, and
with that, they are running out of ways to beat Job.
Job 25
Bildad gives the best speech of all the friends because it is not only
the shortest speech, but also because it is their final speech.
Vs. 1- 6 Notice that what he says here, and what all Job's friends have
said, is hinged on these words which they heard from a spirit. Actually, the
words and vision from Satan confirmed what they already believed. They believed
in total depravity from conception on. But the full truth is more than that. As
we saw in the garden when Satan spoke with Eve, he dealt in lies that were
framed in half-truths. The minute God promised Adam and Eve that one of their
offspring would crush the serpent's head, God was declaring there was a way for
man to stand righteously before Him. Knowing God through His Word and through
the love of Christ, we have the correct answer. Job knew that a future
righteousness existed in the promise of God to Adam and to Noah and he held to
this in his heart because he knew God.
V. 6 There is no reason for us to be proud, but I'm not sure that this
kind of self-effacement is honoring to God either. We need to see ourselves in
Christ.
Job 26
From here to chapter 31 are Job's closing words of argument. This part
of Job's argument seems to show that God's power and ways are deeper than our
understanding. That will be good for Job to remember in a few chapters.
Vs. 1-4 It seems that Job is showing them that they have helped no one
by what they have said. Even though it was God who gave them breath, whose
breath actually came out of their mouths?
Vs. 5-14 As Job described God's ways and showed his accusers that he
knew a lot about God, Job failed to apply God's wisdom to his own situation. In
describing God's power like this, Job was not giving God the trust He deserved.
His power is irresistible and beyond our understanding, but His character of
love doesn't change.
Vs. 13 and 14 continue the theme of God's breath, by mentioning both
wind and whisper.
Job 27
Vs. 1-6 Job still thought he got a raw deal from God. Notice that the
theme of breath from 26:4 is still being developed. Job said that as long as he
had breath, he would continue to follow God in integrity and hold to his own
innocence.
Vs. 7-10 This is a warning to his friends. They accused him of being
wicked; now Job says that their behavior toward him defined them as being
wicked.
Notice will in vs. 9-10. Job
is defining a godly person. He cries to God, delights in the Almighty and calls
upon God at all times. That is a very interesting definition of the righteous,
virtually hidden in the text.
Vs. 11-12 Now Job will tell them about the wicked.
Vs. 13-23 But Job acknowledges that the wicked eventually are judged.
He just doesn't include himself with the wicked. He is still thinking along the
old lines: "The wicked get judged, the righteous get blessed. I'm
righteous and have incurred judgment, so God made a mistake." God will
correct this wrong thinking in a few chapters.
As we think of our work in the harvest, we need to remember that there
is judgment coming for all who do not turn to Christ as their Savior. While God
is showing us something important behind the events of Job's life and the
pruning He is doing in Job's life, the storm of God's judgment is on the
horizon of the field of harvest. We need to submit to our Lord and follow Him,
making disciples, who make disciples.
2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11
2 Corinthians 1:12-24
V. 12 Paul is gently defending himself here. His mention of conscience,
simplicity, sincerity, etc., shows that he's dealing with criticism. Notice
that the mention of earthly wisdom is
sort of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1.
Vs. 13-14 Paul had no hidden agenda or ulterior motives as he worked in
the harvest. Especially in the case of Corinth, he didn't allow them to help
him financially. It must have been apparent that they didn't trust him. In
accepting the message that Paul brought; however, they acknowledged Paul as a
servant of Christ. Paul hoped that when they were glorified before Christ, that
they would be proud of knowing Paul as the servant the Lord sent to them.
Vs. 15-24 What you notice in this section is Paul's outpouring of heart
to show the Corinthians that he loved them and was working for their good. This
will be typical of the letter up to chapter 9. This gentleness and expression
of how God soothed Paul's own heart will explain some of his digressions. It is
sad that Paul had to live under this tension and suspicion, but as a result God
tempered his heart; and we have this letter and what Paul taught about the Lord
and leading His people.
V. 17 I think the best way to understand this is as follows. At the end
of 1 Corinthians, Paul mentioned that neither he nor Apollos would be able to
visit them. The Corinthians apparently had deep issues that needed an authority
figure. It seems that Paul made an unplanned visit to Corinth, and it was a
real showdown with a group or an individual. Whatever it was, it was hard. He
planned to go again; but instead of risking another confrontation, he decided
to send a very strong letter suggesting that the church or churches of Corinth
should follow the Lord and exercise discipline. The fact that Paul decided to
forgo this second visit was used by his critics to show that Paul was
insincere.
Vs. 18-22 Paul is motivated by the glory of God and the work of Christ,
not politics. His only interest was in their growth in Christ. Instead of
looking at people and motives, they needed to look at the
"non-vacillating" effect of the power of Christ among them. They came
to know Christ who fulfills all of the promises of God. Not only did they find
the power and working of Christ, Paul pointed to the faithful workers of God
among them. They should have felt honored because of the heartfelt love of men
like Silvanus, Timothy, Paul and others. God would faithfully continue working
with them, and they should have been thankful for all the effort being made on
their behalf. Both Paul's conscience and God bore witness to Paul's sincere
intentions and pure handling of this matter.
Vs. 23-24 Do you see how Paul was trying to answer their suspicions and
still express his love? Paul didn't "lord it over them," but worked
with them, even taking their immaturity into account.
2 Corinthians 2:1-11
V. 1 After sending 1 Corinthians, Paul made an unplanned visit; and it
was a hard one.
Vs. 2-4 Apparently Paul found his "soft side." Actually, what
you see is Paul letting them into his reasoning and his heart in making these
decisions. These aren't "rabbit trails," but instead he is opening up
to show them the process of his thinking. He is trying to describe the
influence of his affection for them in making these decisions. Verse 4 is very
strong and passionate. I don't think the super-apostles had this same heart for
the people.
Vs. 5-11 It seems likely that this letter was sent to reprimand someone
who was creating dissension against his authority. This guy and Paul probably
had it out. Rather than Paul going back to confront this person, he wrote the
letter to tell the church to correct this man before Paul returned. This action
showed their spiritual maturity in standing for Paul and following the Word.
Paul reminded the church to show love and forgiveness to this repentant person.
Just as a side note here, look at these things that Paul wrote
regarding conflict in the church.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 -
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to
teach, patiently enduring evil, 25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape
from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
And the following
was actually written from Corinth when Paul made his scheduled visit over the
winter. I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles
contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them (Rom.
16:17).
I once spoke to a member of a search committee who expressed
a major problem with someone on the church's board. My advice to him was to
take care of the problem before they hired a pastor. It amazes me that some
groups that have problems won't deal with them but expect someone totally new
and unsuspecting to move his family, relocate, enter a situation, and then find
the church is built over a cesspool of problems and dishonesty. And we wonder
why the harvest gets neglected. Paul's simplicity needs to be modeled in
following Christ. To follow Him in the harvest, the group needs to be honest,
and behavior needs to reflect love and obedience to Christ. Ignoring problems
makes it impossible to move forward in love, and the harvest is forgotten.
Psalm 41
Earlier in the year when we read this psalm, I mentioned that it could
have been written when David was running from Absalom, and the friend in v. 9 could
have been Ahithophel. That could be. On the other hand, when David began to run
from Saul he was certainly betrayed by many "friends," and his
situation looked hopeless. Imagine, David had all of the army of Israel
searching for him.
Vs. 1-4 It appears that David considered himself to be this poor man.
When he was running from Saul for those ten years, living in caves and on the
open fields in the wilderness, he was certainly poor. David's sin could have
been because of the priests who were killed, because of his lying, or because
David sought refuge with the Philistines rather than going to God.
Vs. 5-9 Doesn't this sound like Job? It seems that David is still
running from Saul, but having seen God save him in many small ways, his faith
was strong. He was suffering, but he still believed. If this wasn't Ahithophel
in v. 9, it could have been any of the fighting men, including Abner, who
turned on David when Saul declared his hatred for David.
Notice that v. 9
is prophetically referring to Jesus. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the
Scripture will be fulfilled, “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against
me” (John 13:18).
Vs. 10-13 Notice how David says, but
you. God saved David from the intent of his enemies and upheld him, because
he sought to live according to what he knew was the true, loving character of
the Lord. This is just like Job. David fell, but what made him a man after
God's own heart was that he rose and followed the Lord.
Proverbs 22:5-6
V. 5 I think it is safe to assume that this is generally how God does
things, but Job's friends were telling Job that this is what had happened to
Job because of his sin.
V. 6 This is every believing parent's prayer and hope.
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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