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AUGUST 28
Job 28-30
At this point in Job the temptation is to go, "Whatever!" or
"Oh, be quiet." But let's not be like his friends. There is still
some fun to be had. As you go through these chapters, do some exercise.
"You mean like do 25 pushups and 25 squats after each chapter?" Good
thought. No, Bible study exercise. Underline words that are repeated and look
for organization in the arguments. These chapters work out well for that.
Job 28
First, read the chapter through and see if you can figure out where Job
is going. Look for key verses where Job takes his "search" one step
further.
If you've done that, or just want a shortcut, then read these verses
one after the next and you'll understand the organization. Verses 1, 12, 20,
23, 28. Wasn't that fun? That's what you begin to notice if you read your Bible
year after year.
Vs. 1-11 Man can do all of this in finding wealth and commanding the
earth's resources.
Vs. 12-13 But man can't find wisdom. Not only that, man (including you
and me) doesn't realize how important wisdom is, and at this point, neither
does Job.
Vs. 14-19 Wisdom isn't found in wealth.
Vs. 20-22 Not only is it hidden from the living, but also from death
and those who are dead. Interestingly enough, man's great adversary in the
Bible is not Satan, but death. In 1 Corinthians 15:26, Paul and the Spirit say
the last enemy to be put to death is death. Death, in a sense, will also
swallow Satan. But as big and powerful as death is, there is no wisdom to be
found there.
Vs. 23-28 Job says that wisdom is found with God and it begins with the fear of the Lord. This is all very
interesting, since God will say this to Job. God will not justify one inch of
what happened to Job or tell him why He allowed it. All God will do is say that
His wisdom, as Job says, is not to be questioned. Added to this, of course, is
that Job knew of God's love and righteousness. Job will say later, in light of
God's wisdom, he should have just kept quiet. Of course, too, if Job wrote Job,
then God let him in on the conversations with Satan that began the adventures.
That information would have helped Job broaden his understanding of God and of
what is happening on earth.
Job 29
Job is not only mourning the good ol' days, but he is also recounting,
honestly, that he was really a very cool guy and a helper of many. The word to
guide you here is probably I. Follow it and you'll follow Job
through his photo album.
Vs. 1-6 Who wouldn't miss those days? Job was only months removed, but
he has suffered losses that none of us could imagine. Notice that the real
focus here was Job's relationship with God. Even in Jesus' suffering, the
hardest part was enduring His Father's wrath, becoming sin for us.
Vs. 7-17 Job was loved not just because the wisdom of God was in him,
but because he was a man of action, protecting the poor, the widows, the blind,
the lame and the needy. Job was a man of God.
Vs. 18-20 I guess we would all hope for this. This was Job's
expectation of how the story would end.
Vs. 21-25 Since the wisdom and grace of God were on Job, he was sort of
like Solomon, only utterly righteous before the Lord. His word was sought after
and God made him like that.
In all of what we read here, it seems a little self-promoting. I think
that Job was pushed to this by his enemies, just as Paul will be pushed, in 2
Corinthians, to blow his horn a little. On the other hand, Paul was given a
thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to keep him humble. I think that this
humbling process was also a part of what was happening to Job. Job hadn't
sinned, but I think that God knew that without a lesson in humility, Job would
have fallen. Tomorrow Elihu will begin talking and he will suggest this.
Job 30
Now look for now.
Vs. 1-8 Not everyone appreciated Job's godliness. Now that Job was
suffering, the rabble roused themselves to howl at him. Of course, we can also
see God's wisdom in this. We saw in Esther that for the short time, when the
enemies of the Jews thought they could kill the defenseless Jews, they stepped
out in their arrogance and showed the world who they were. That was a wise way
for God to smoke them out and get them to voice their hate and pride. The same
thing had happened here.
Vs. 9-15 Apparently these people were made bold to spit and do all
sorts of stuff because God humbled Job.
Vs. 16-19 This is how Job felt. He felt poured out; because, in his
mind, God had cast him in the mire.
Vs. 20-23 This change will be pretty obvious to you because Job starts
saying you. Job is wrong here, but we know more about the
behind-the-scenes story than Job does.
Vs. 24-31 Job now seems to be summing up the past three chapters,
lamenting how life has totally crashed in on him. Here he is crying for help in
the same way that those he had helped had cried for help, and wonder of
wonders, no help came. There was no Job to help Job. God Himself allowed Job's
mean friends to assault him. God Himself held Job's help back. Why? So we would
have this book and have to struggle with God's use of our lives in light of the
plan of redemption going on, on our planet.
If you were in a discipleship group, you'd be discussing what you found
in these chapters.
I know it is hard to be patient with Job's entire lament, but there is
something for us in this as disciples. There is deep suffering on this planet,
and there is suffering as we follow Christ. We're reading of Paul's suffering,
and in his responses to the Corinthians, we see that there was a reason for the
season of darkness he experienced. What proves our spiritual maturity and
understanding of God more clearly than when we follow Him through "pitch
black" life and still embrace the love of Christ and the wisdom of God?
Anyone can follow or sound spiritual when everything is great and you're on
your way to Applebee's. For most people on this planet, life resembles Job more
than it does Applebee's. How do you really tell someone to hang on in the
storm, unless you've hung on in the storm? How do you learn how to hang on in
the storm, unless you go through the storm and love and trust Christ, and make
Him totally enough. And it really helps to read Job and Psalms.
2 Corinthians 2:12-17
This is a very short reading today, but very important for a few
reasons.
Vs. 12-13 This is Paul completing the story of his inner conflict with
this situation in Corinth. He has a father's heart for this church and is
unable to find rest.
Two things are interesting here. First, God didn't give Paul rest. Paul
couldn't settle his own heart even though he was a very spiritual guy. That's
good to know and makes me feel better when I can't find rest. Second, there was
a door for ministry opened to him, but Paul still couldn't rest. What kind of
minister was Paul to let his inner conflict ruin his chance to have an impact
on these people? He was normal and his unrest was inspired by the Spirit.
Vs. 14-17 Now this is Paul explaining what he learned in all of that
unrest and conflicting feelings. This is also how Paul dealt with walking away
from an open door. We would not have these verses, if he had not followed the
Lord through this storm in his life. Actually, this entire description of what
Paul learned will continue from here to 7:5, where Paul will begin talking
again about meeting Titus. To me this is amazing. Paul is telling us firsthand
what he learned in the storm, making sense of the problem in Corinth, the
unrest in Asia and the unrest in his own heart. This is not a rabbit trail, but
a divinely planned explanation of what it means to have a servant's heart and
mind in the harvest. This is what God engineered in Paul through his distress.
V. 14 There was turmoil and not knowing what to do, but what Paul
learned was that even in this confusion of heart, God leads. That's pretty
cool.
Vs. 14-16 And what about that open door that Paul had to leave? Even
for that brief moment, he saw how Christ used him in the harvest. Although his
mind was not at peace, in Christ, the presence of Paul & Co. and their
sincerity still attracted some and repelled others. God still used them, but
involuntarily. Paul was amazed. With few words and in deep personal unrest, God
attracted some to them and caused others to react with repulsion. They were
ready to be used, but God didn't need their sufficiency. The Father Himself was
drawing and repelling. He was the sufficient one. Paul learned that it didn't
all ride on him. He could allow himself to be weak and trust the Father for the
harvest. (By the way, Paul came back to Troas later.)
V. 17 This confirmed the truth for Paul against all the accusations (peddlers of God's Word). Note that there
is a connection of words here with those in 1:12. The power came from God and
was proven by their sincerity and their simple message, as they followed Christ
in the harvest. Fruit was borne. Their ministry and its fruit were not based on
their cunning, their market research, wisdom or strength. They loved Christ,
followed Him in the harvest, and God did the rest.
Can God really use us when we're confused and broken? Do we have an
appearance to keep up? In a moment, God humbled Paul more than he was already
humbled. Paul was already broken, but God made the crack bigger and more
fragrance came out. So now Paul himself was amazed and praising God. That's
pretty cool.
Psalm 42
So, this is the second time this year you've read Psalm 42. Does it
have any different sense for you now, since we're reading Job and 2 Corinthians?
In a way, it seems to me that all of the emotions of waiting, hope and
suffering roll together through all these books. In a way, it intensifies the
message of hope and deliverance.
Vs. 1-2 It is interesting to me that all those who love the Lord cry
out for Him the same way. Job longed for God's presence. Moses prayed to see
God's face, and David focused his life on wanting to dwell in the Lord's
sanctuary.
V. 3 This is probably David writing this, but it was put to music by
the sons of Korah. David had been anointed when he was about twelve. So in
those years running from Saul, where was God? Later God made a promise to
David, but then his own son sought to kill him. How solid was that promise?
Where was God?
In Job's case, this wasn't just the mocking of those in the community
who knew Job, but his friends stood there accusing him and pointing to God's
silence and Job's suffering as proof of his wrong.
V. 4 It isn't that we live in the past; it is that we strengthen our
hearts in the Word and stand on the testimony of God's faithfulness as revealed
in the Word.
V. 5 Ultimately we need to have our stability in the Lord. Faith that
is dependent on others, or a church or props, will wither in the presence of
persecution and hard times. David, Job, and Paul all hoped in God.
Vs. 6-8 Something about that storm sweeping over the land struck David
with God's power and wisdom. And then David connected it to God's steadfast love that had accompanied him
during all the hard years. That same power that commanded the might of nature
commanded the love that had protected David.
Vs. 9-10 Notice the mention of bones.
Then check out Job 30:17 and 30. In my Bible they are all on opposite pages, so
I can circle each one and connect them with a line. It is interesting that in
suffering, God's silence seems like a wound, and adversaries (Job's friends)
intensify the pain.
V. 11 As our spirit is alive because of the truth of God, knowing and
loving Him, we command our souls to wait and hope. Even Job was certain that
his Redeemer lived. We know so much more than Job did.
Proverbs 22:7
Is this saying to stay out of debt or not to get poor? Humanly
speaking, I guess this is true, but it is good to know that the Lord is Lord of
them all. To me, working in the harvest as disciples makes being rich on earth
very irrelevant. And every disciple is a slave to the Lord of all.
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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