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AUGUST 29
Job 31-33
Today we have Job's final argument of innocence to God. His friends
will finally be silenced, but unknown to us, they brought along a young
disciple who really has been listening. Elihu has seen the error of both Job and
his friends. Elihu is a little off track too, but he will show Job some things
he had not considered. Because of this, Job remains silenced and is ready to
hear and be humbled when God speaks.
Job 31
IF you are having a hard time keeping up with Job, or IF you are
falling asleep, highlight the word If. In looking at the things Job
avoided and the things Job did, you have to look deeper than the if. He lists these actions along with
other words also. So, you'll see a lot of "If….and" combinations. And
then there is let.
What is interesting in reading this is that Job lived after the flood
and before the great civilizations of that time were organized. The list of
things that Job said were violations of moral law are very up-to-date. Not only
that, compare Job's list to what Jesus says will be the "list" at the
close of the age (Matt. 25:34-46).
Vs. 1-4 This was Job's resolve not to be immoral. A man of Job's
standing would have had power and access. Look at kings like Solomon and Xerxes
and their huge harems. Look at Hollywood, Wall Street and Capitol Hill. Look at
the internet, or rather, don't. Job saw this as a very dangerous thing and
listed it first.
Vs. 5-8 Lying, cheating, stealing or abusing power to get ahead was
next on Job's list.
Vs. 9-12 Notice the severity of what Job says here. Remember how much
Solomon said at the beginning of Proverbs warning his son against adultery?
Remember how David nearly destroyed his heart, his family and Israel through
his adultery? We glorify adultery and romanticize it on TV and in our stories,
but everyone who is wise calls it deadly. The immorality of vs. 1-4 may affect
a few, but adultery affects many. Look again at the life of David after he did
this with Bathsheba. God has shown us David's life for a reason. If one of the
greatest men in the Bible couldn't escape the consequences, neither can we.
Vs. 13-15 This is tolerating injustice. Job says that a godly man will,
must, act. Notice v. 15. That sounds like the preamble of the US Declaration of
Independence. All men are created equal.
Vs. 16-23 This was Job's attitude toward the poor, needy, naked, widows
and orphans. It wasn't just an attitude; it was a call to action.
V. 23 Deeply ingrained in Job's thinking toward God was fear. We could
use more fear in our thinking about God. We still have it in our thinking that
God is just a good old boy who chuckles at our sin and looks the other way, and
even more now because of grace. Job's fear of God was at the root of what both
he and his friends didn't understand about God. They were focused on blessing
and punishment having a one-to-one relationship to God's justice. God's
sovereignty, wisdom and eternal plan weren't part of their thinking. The fact that
God could do things, in love and wisdom, didn't make sense; and that He could
bring pain without judgment and allow the wicked to grow and prosper wasn't yet
in their thinking. Trusting God's wisdom, love and sovereignty brings health to
our fear of God, and it brings maturity to our view of God and our place on the
planet during this time. And the fear of God is still the beginning of wisdom.
Vs. 24-28 Although Job was rich, his treasure was not on earth. And
look at v. 27, he didn't "kiss his hand," thinking he was blessed by
his own hand. He knew God had blessed him.
Vs. 29-34 Job blessed and helped his enemies; he welcomed strangers; he
openly confessed his sins to God, and lived in the fear of God. What a guy.
Vs. 35-37 This is Job's last appeal for help and justice before God.
Job will gain his audience with God in a few chapters.
Vs. 38-40 If Job had sinned, he himself wanted justice.
Job 32
Enter Elihu.
V. 1 The friends stopped because Job proved he was righteous and all
they had were blind, brutal accusations.
V. 2 Notice that Elihu caught that Job never justified or defended God.
It never entered Job's thinking that what God was doing could be right, not
because of justice, but because of his eternal wisdom. It is one of those
things where even if you don't understand God, you not only say, "blessed
be your name," but you also go out of your way to justify the Lord. Job
would learn this.
V. 3 He was mad at the friends because of their groundless accusations.
Vs. 4-5 This is interesting. We think of a young man as….well, young.
But in those days, a man of 50 could have been a youngster. Imagine some guys
sitting around the fire. One of them is 735 years old, another is 521 years old
and one is 384 years old. They are joined by someone who is 101 years old, a
mere child. Of course, Elihu could have been in his 20's. Also, notice that
Elihu burned with anger. Do you
remember what happened to Samson when the Spirit came upon him? It looked like
anger. I think this was the Spirit.
Vs. 6-10 The rest of this chapter is Elihu, in some convoluted Near Eastern way asking permission to join in the discussion.
Vs. 11-14 Notice that Elihu had been carefully listening. This was
directed at Job's friends.
Vs. 15-22 Still speaking to Job's friends, Elihu says he noticed they
ran out of gas. On the other hand, Elihu is ready to burst. At that time the belly, not the heart, was the seat of
emotions. Interesting imagery.
Vs. 21-22 This is basically saying that he has no agenda. What he'll
say is simple and sincere. This sounds like what Paul has been saying in 2
Corinthians.
Job 33
Vs. 1-7 Elihu is the only one who uses Job's name. He is asking Job to listen, and telling Job he will not
blindly hammer him like his friends did.
Vs. 8-11 He has been listening. He repeats the kernel of Job's argument
back to Job.
Vs. 12-33 This is the key to Elihu's entire message to Job and he
doesn't beat around the bush. God does what He does sometimes to prevent sin
and to bring men to a place of closeness and humility before God. God does
speak, just not the way we might think, or the way we might like. Can you see
the ways that Elihu suggests that God speaks?
Vs. 12-18 Elihu suggests that God speaks to warn us and to keep us from
doing stupid stuff before we fall into sin. This was something that no
one had thought of.
Vs. 19-28 Elihu is saying that God uses pain to get our attention
before something happens, not as a judgment, but as a help, a warning. In this
section there is a sense of learning humility and crying out to God. He also
suggests that there is a sense of self-awareness that comes through suffering
that makes a person look into their life, activities and heart. This leads to
perception into one's motives, and a person catches their attitudes and actions
before they develop into full-blown sin. What this person confesses as sin is
the sin they perceive was growing in them.
Vs. 29-33 Elihu suggests that God does this repeatedly in our lives.
Job's silence is evidence that Elihu was speaking in the Spirit and was
speaking truth. In the coming chapters, God's actions will be described as
going even deeper than just working with us. Yet, isn't it cool that Elihu got
right to the matter and gave Job something to think about immediately?
So here we are as disciples, working in the harvest, and something
"bad" happens. Here is the real question: How long does it take you
to understand emotionally that it was God and not others who blocked you? I say
"emotionally" because it is easy to "think" the right answer
and still get incredibly depressed and bitter. How long does it take us to
redirect our following in the harvest once we grasp this, or do we mourn for
the door of opportunity or season of life that just closed? Even as I write
this, I know how important and hard it is to learn these lessons. I've gotten
better, more mature, but I still bear some scars from not having grasped this
truth, years ago. But then, the Lord knew I needed those scars to learn. So
even in failure there is victory if we learn to love Him, if we grow to know
Him better and learn to trust Him as we keep on following in the harvest. I had
a little motto above my desk in Germany: “The only way to fail in Christ is to
quit.” Boy, did I learn the truth of that the hard way. And happily, I'm still
learning and trusting and following. Christ is enough, and that's enough.
2 Corinthians 3
V. 1 After describing how the Lord worked in his heart, Paul realized
that talking about himself like this was going to cause some of his critics to
voice this complaint against him again. Apparently, some of these critics were
very Jewish and demanded that visitors who came to the church should bring a
letter of recommendation stating that they were "kosher."
Vs. 2-3 This is very simple and powerful. The work of God was done by
God through Paul & Co. God was their recommendation and the Corinthians
were proof, like a letter. The work of the Holy Spirit cannot be faked. What
happened to the Corinthians was proof that Paul was genuine. I'm wondering if the
critics had fruit. I wonder if they could show that God had used them to save
the lost and to make disciples, who made disciples, or were they
"teachers" and not "evangelists." Jesus said, you will recognize them by their fruits.
There are a lot of Christians who are all argument and opinion, but no fruit.
Notice here that Paul uses the tablets
of stone vs. human hearts. That
suggests that these super-apostles were very Jewish, trying to bring the church
back to a more Jewish look. God promised in the OT He would give the Jews
hearts of flesh. That would be the work of the Spirit. The message of the
gospel was that forgiveness was found in Christ and life was lived
following/worshiping God in the Spirit. That didn't mean that the Word wasn't
necessary, but it did mean that the law hadn't worked righteousness and the law
was not to be followed as a way to be in communion with God.
Vs. 4-6 Notice how Paul refers again to his weakness and that God
brings about the blessing almost involuntarily. The message of Paul and his
coworkers was the message of loving Christ and following Him in the harvest
through the Spirit. The "letter," living by adherence to the principles
of the law, would kill grace. Following God in the Spirit of Christ is what
brings freshness and life.
Vs. 7-11 Notice the contrasts here. The ministry of death is contrasted to the ministry of the Spirit. The law could only lead to death and
judgment; because, like a mirror, it showed sin without being able to clean it.
The Spirit, on the other hand, leads to understanding the Word and the love of
Christ; and He, Himself, helps us to obey and follow God. The law couldn't do
that. Even though the law had glory, it was totally dwarfed by the glory of the
new covenant in Christ.
Vs. 12-18 The law brought a veil of misunderstanding. The sin within us
rebels against God and His authority in the law. But in the Spirit, the heart
opens when confronted by the grace of God and the love of Christ. The letter
and ritual of the law focused the stubborn on compliance. There is not a lot of
ritual and strain involved in standing before the Lord with an unveiled face,
grateful for salvation and forgiveness. This is the freedom of knowing Christ.
It was the Spirit that gave Paul the power for bearing fruit in ministry, not
Paul himself. Salvation and living for Christ doesn't come from works, but from
the Spirit. Now, following the Spirit we prove the love of Christ over and over
and grow closer to Him as we follow in the harvest. That is the increasing
glory of knowing Christ.
Psalm 43
Vs. 1-2 The trial of waiting on God was intensified because of others.
We've seen this in Job.
Vs. 3-4 The prayer for God's guidance and light. This yearning for God
is tied to the altar (cleansing and worship) and the presence of God.
V. 5 As we read yesterday in Psalm 42, the head might understand; but
the soul, the emotions of this body of death, can still be in turmoil. As Job
learned, we have to have total trust in God. He is our hope and our salvation.
The very fact that we have psalms like this, inspired by the Spirit,
means that God knows we will always struggle with our emotions and with waiting
on Him. This struggle brings us closer to the Lord. I guess that is a part of
what Elihu was telling Job.
Proverbs 22:8-9
Amen.
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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