Thoughts on Job

Whew!!! We did it. Tomorrow, Job will encounter God. After all the discussion about the age old problem of why do the righteous suffer, God will reveal Himself in majesty and power.

Job tries to justify himself, his three counselors charge him with sin, and Elihu’s explanations also falls short of the answer. So in Job how do we address the question of Why do the righteous suffer? What implications can we find?

After looking through a few commentaries on Job, I blended together the following thoughts:

Many people wonder why they should undergo affliction, why they should experience tragedy, heartache, and adversity. For anyone, suffering is hard to comprehend, but especially so when it strikes the undeserving. When pain does not seem to be punishment for wrongdoing, it is puzzling.

The Book of Job addresses the mystery of unmerited misery, showing that in adversity God may have other purposes besides retribution for wrongdoing.

This book also addresses the problem of attitudes in affliction. Job’s experience demonstrates that a believer, while undergoing intense agony, need not renounce God. Question Him, yes; but not deny Him.

Like Job, he may long for an explanation of his experience; but being unable to comprehend the cause of his calamity, he need not curse God. Though Job came close to doing so, he did not actually denounce God as Satan had predicted.

The Book of Job also teaches that to ask why, as Job did (3:11- 12, 16, 20), is not wrong. But to demand that God answer why, as Job also did (13:22; 19:7; 31:15), is wrong. To insist that God explain one’s adversities is inappropriate for it places man above God and challenges God’s sovereignty.

It was not until God revealed Himself in His majesty and power (chapters 38- 41) that Job, “perfect and upright” though he was, turned from his own goodness and confessed:”Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:6).

Then it was that, having seen himself to be worse than anything he had ever done, Job emerged from suffering into blessing and restoration.

Hope this helps – Jim

Job 35

Elihu Sharply Reproves Job

35 Then Elihu continued and said,

² “Do you think this is according to justice?
Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
³ “For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You?
What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’
⁴ “I will answer you,
And your friends with you.
⁵ “Look at the heavens and see;
And behold the clouds—they are higher than you.
⁶ “If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him?
⁷ “If you are righteous, what do you give to Him,
Or what does He receive from your hand?
⁸ “Your wickedness is for a man like yourself,
And your righteousness is for a son of man.

⁹ “Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help because of the arm of the mighty.
¹⁰ “But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who gives songs in the night,
¹¹ Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
¹² “There they cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil men.
¹³ “Surely God will not listen to an empty cry,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
¹⁴ “How much less when you say you do not behold Him,
The case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
¹⁵ “And now, because He has not visited in His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged transgression well,
¹⁶ So Job opens his mouth emptily;
He multiplies words without knowledge.”

Job 36

Elihu Speaks of God’s Dealings with Men

36 Then Elihu continued and said,

² “Wait for me a little, and I will show you
That there is yet more to be said in God’s behalf.
³ “I will fetch my knowledge from afar,
And I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
⁴ “For truly my words are not false;
One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
⁵ “Behold, God is mighty but does not despise any;
He is mighty in strength of understanding.
⁶ “He does not keep the wicked alive,
But gives justice to the afflicted.
⁷ “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
But with kings on the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
⁸ “And if they are bound in fetters,
And are caught in the cords of affliction,
⁹ Then He declares to them their work
And their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves.
¹⁰ “He opens their ear to instruction,
And commands that they return from evil.
¹¹ “If they hear and serve Him,
They will end their days in prosperity
And their years in pleasures.
¹² “But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword
And they will die without knowledge.
¹³ “But the godless in heart lay up anger;
They do not cry for help when He binds them.
¹⁴ “They die in youth,
And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes.
¹⁵ “He delivers the afflicted in their affliction,
And opens their ear in time of oppression.
¹⁶ “Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress,
Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint;
And that which was set on your table was full of fatness.

¹⁷ “But you were full of judgment on the wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
¹⁸ “Beware that wrath does not entice you to scoffing;
And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
¹⁹ “Will your riches keep you from distress,
Or all the forces of your strength?
²⁰ “Do not long for the night,
When people vanish in their place.
²¹ “Be careful, do not turn to evil,
For you have preferred this to affliction.
²² “Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a teacher like Him?
²³ “Who has appointed Him His way,
And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴ “Remember that you should exalt His work,
Of which men have sung.
²⁵ “All men have seen it;
Man beholds from afar.
²⁶ “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him;
The number of His years is unsearchable.
²⁷ “For He draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain from the mist,
²⁸ Which the clouds pour down,
They drip upon man abundantly.
²⁹ “Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
The thundering of His pavilion?
³⁰ “Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him,
And He covers the depths of the sea.
³¹ “For by these He judges peoples;
He gives food in abundance.
³² “He covers His hands with the lightning,
And commands it to strike the mark.
³³ “Its noise declares His presence;
The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.

Job 37

Elihu Says God Is Back of the Storm

37 “At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
² “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
³ “Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
And His lightning to the ends of the earth.
⁴ “After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
⁵ “God thunders with His voice wondrously,
Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.
⁶ “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
⁷ “He seals the hand of every man,
That all men may know His work.
⁸ “Then the beast goes into its lair
And remains in its den.
⁹ “Out of the south comes the storm,
And out of the north the cold.
¹⁰ “From the breath of God ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
¹¹ “Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;
He disperses the cloud of His lightning.
¹² “It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.
¹³ “Whether for correction, or for His world,
Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.

¹⁴ “Listen to this, O Job,
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
¹⁵ “Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?
¹⁶ “Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,
¹⁷ You whose garments are hot,
When the land is still because of the south wind?
¹⁸ “Can you, with Him, spread out the skies,
Strong as a molten mirror?
¹⁹ “Teach us what we shall say to Him;
We cannot arrange our case because of darkness.
²⁰ “Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?

²¹ “Now men do not see the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind has passed and cleared them.
²² “Out of the north comes golden splendor;
Around God is awesome majesty.
²³ “The Almighty—we cannot find Him;
He is exalted in power
And He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.
²⁴ “Therefore men fear Him;
He does not regard any who are wise of heart.”

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

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Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 32

Elihu in Anger Rebukes Job

32 Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. ² But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. ³ And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. ⁴ Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. ⁵ And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.

⁶ So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said,

“I am young in years and you are old;
Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.
⁷ “I thought age should speak,
And increased years should teach wisdom.
⁸ “But it is a spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.
⁹ “The abundant in years may not be wise,
Nor may elders understand justice.
¹⁰ “So I say, ‘Listen to me,
I too will tell what I think.’

¹¹ “Behold, I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasonings,
While you pondered what to say.
¹² “I even paid close attention to you;
Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.
¹³ “Do not say,
‘We have found wisdom;
God will rout him, not man.’
¹⁴ “For he has not arranged his words against me,
Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.

¹⁵ “They are dismayed, they no longer answer;
Words have failed them.
¹⁶ “Shall I wait, because they do not speak,
Because they stop and no longer answer?
¹⁷ “I too will answer my share,
I also will tell my opinion.
¹⁸ “For I am full of words;
The spirit within me constrains me.
¹⁹ “Behold, my belly is like unvented wine,
Like new wineskins it is about to burst.
²⁰ “Let me speak that I may get relief;
Let me open my lips and answer.
²¹ “Let me now be partial to no one,
Nor flatter any man.
²² “For I do not know how to flatter,
Else my Maker would soon take me away.

Job 33

Elihu Claims to Speak for God

33 “However now, Job, please hear my speech,
And listen to all my words.
² “Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my mouth speaks.
³ “My words are from the uprightness of my heart,
And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.
⁴ “The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
⁵ “Refute me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.
⁶ “Behold, I belong to God like you;
I too have been formed out of the clay.
⁷ “Behold, no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

⁸ “Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words:
⁹ ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.
¹⁰ ‘Behold, He invents pretexts against me;
He counts me as His enemy.
¹¹ ‘He puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’
¹² “Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this,
For God is greater than man.

¹³ “Why do you complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
¹⁴ “Indeed God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
¹⁵ “In a dream, a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,
¹⁶ Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,
¹⁷ That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And keep man from pride;
¹⁸ He keeps back his soul from the pit,
And his life from passing over into Sheol.

¹⁹ “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones;
²⁰ So that his life loathes bread,
And his soul favorite food.
²¹ “His flesh wastes away from sight,
And his bones which were not seen stick out.
²² “Then his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.

²³ “If there is an angel as mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is right for him,
²⁴ Then let him be gracious to him, and say,
‘Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom’;
²⁵ Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
²⁶ Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him,
That he may see His face with joy,
And He may restore His righteousness to man.
²⁷ “He will sing to men and say,
‘I have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not proper for me.
²⁸ ‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life shall see the light.’

²⁹ “Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men,
³⁰ To bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
³¹ “Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.
³² “Then if you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.
³³ “If not, listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Job 34

Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice

34 Then Elihu continued and said,

² “Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who know.
³ “For the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
⁴ “Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
But God has taken away my right;
⁶ Should I lie concerning my right?
My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
⁷ “What man is like Job,
Who drinks up derision like water,
⁸ Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
⁹ “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
When he is pleased with God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
¹¹ “For He pays a man according to his work,
And makes him find it according to his way.
¹² “Surely, God will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
¹³ “Who gave Him authority over the earth?
And who has laid on Him the whole world?
¹⁴ “If He should determine to do so,
If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
¹⁵ All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

¹⁶ “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
¹⁷ “Shall one who hates justice rule?
And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
¹⁸ Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’;
¹⁹ Who shows no partiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the work of His hands?
²⁰ “In a moment they die, and at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And the mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹ “For His eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.
²² “There is no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
²³ “For He does not need to consider a man further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
²⁴ “He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
²⁵ “Therefore He knows their works,
And He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
²⁶ “He strikes them like the wicked
In a public place,
²⁷ Because they turned aside from following Him,
And had no regard for any of His ways;
²⁸ So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He might hear the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?—
³⁰ So that godless men would not rule
Nor be snares of the people.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastisement;
I will not offend anymore;
³² Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done iniquity,
I will not do it again’?
³³ “Shall He recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
³⁴ “Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
³⁵ ‘Job speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
³⁶ ‘Job ought to be tried to the limit,
Because he answers like wicked men.
³⁷ ‘For he adds rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 29

Job’s Past Was Glorious

29 And Job again took up his discourse and said,

² “Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;
³ When His lamp shone over my head,
And by His light I walked through darkness;
⁴ As I was in the prime of my days,
When the friendship of God was over my tent;
⁵ When the Almighty was yet with me,
And my children were around me;
⁶ When my steps were bathed in butter,
And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
⁷ “When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat in the square,
⁸ The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
⁹ “The princes stopped talking
And put their hands on their mouths;
¹⁰ The voice of the nobles was hushed,
And their tongue stuck to their palate.
¹¹ “For when the ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,
¹² Because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.
¹³ “The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
¹⁴ “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
¹⁵ “I was eyes to the blind
And feet to the lame.
¹⁶ “I was a father to the needy,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
¹⁷ “I broke the jaws of the wicked
And snatched the prey from his teeth.
¹⁸ “Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand.
¹⁹ ‘My root is spread out to the waters,
And dew lies all night on my branch.
²⁰ ‘My glory is ever new with me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.’

²¹ “To me they listened and waited,
And kept silent for my counsel.
²² “After my words they did not speak again,
And my speech dropped on them.
²³ “They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.
²⁴ “I smiled on them when they did not believe,
And the light of my face they did not cast down.
²⁵ “I chose a way for them and sat as chief,
And dwelt as a king among the troops,
As one who comforted the mourners.

Job 30

Job’s Present State Is Humiliating

30 “But now those younger than I mock me,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
² “Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
³ “From want and famine they are gaunt
Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
⁴ Who pluck mallow by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
⁵ “They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
⁶ So that they dwell in dreadful valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
⁷ “Among the bushes they cry out;
Under the nettles they are gathered together.
⁸ “Fools, even those without a name,
They were scourged from the land.

⁹ “And now I have become their taunt,
I have even become a byword to them.
¹⁰ “They abhor me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not refrain from spitting at my face.
¹¹ “Because He has loosed His bowstring and afflicted me,
They have cast off the bridle before me.
¹² “On the right hand their brood arises;
They thrust aside my feet and build up against me their ways of destruction.
¹³ “They break up my path,
They profit from my destruction;
No one restrains them.
¹⁴ “As through a wide breach they come,
Amid the tempest they roll on.
¹⁵ “Terrors are turned against me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

¹⁶ “And now my soul is poured out within me;
Days of affliction have seized me.
¹⁷ “At night it pierces my bones within me,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
¹⁸ “By a great force my garment is distorted;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
¹⁹ “He has cast me into the mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
²⁰ “I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
²¹ “You have become cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You persecute me.
²² “You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
²³ “For I know that You will bring me to death
And to the house of meeting for all living.

²⁴ “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
Or in his disaster therefore cry out for help?
²⁵ “Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
²⁶ “When I expected good, then evil came;
When I waited for light, then darkness came.
²⁷ “I am seething within and cannot relax;
Days of affliction confront me.
²⁸ “I go about mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
²⁹ “I have become a brother to jackals
And a companion of ostriches.
³⁰ “My skin turns black on me,
And my bones burn with fever.
³¹ “Therefore my harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

Job 31

Job Asserts His Integrity

31 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
² “And what is the portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
³ “Is it not calamity to the unjust
And disaster to those who work iniquity?
⁴ “Does He not see my ways
And number all my steps?

⁵ “If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
⁶ Let Him weigh me with accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.
⁷ “If my step has turned from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,
⁸ Let me sow and another eat,
And let my crops be uprooted.

⁹ “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
¹⁰ May my wife grind for another,
And let others kneel down over her.
¹¹ “For that would be a lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.
¹² “For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon,
And would uproot all my increase.

¹³ “If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
¹⁴ What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
¹⁵ “Did not He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?

¹⁶ “If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
¹⁷ Or have eaten my morsel alone,
And the orphan has not shared it
¹⁸ (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from infancy I guided her),
¹⁹ If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or that the needy had no covering,
²⁰ If his loins have not thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
²¹ If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw I had support in the gate,
²² Let my shoulder fall from the socket,
And my arm be broken off at the elbow.
²³ “For calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

²⁴ “If I have put my confidence in gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
²⁵ If I have gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
²⁶ If I have looked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
²⁷ And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
²⁸ That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

²⁹ “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or exulted when evil befell him?
³⁰ “No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in a curse.
³¹ “Have the men of my tent not said,
‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’?
³² “The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler.
³³ “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
³⁴ Because I feared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And kept silent and did not go out of doors?
³⁵ “Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my signature;
Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my adversary has written,
³⁶ Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
³⁷ “I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.

³⁸ “If my land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
³⁹ If I have eaten its fruit without money,
Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,
⁴⁰ Let briars grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 24

Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs

24 “Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see His days?
² “Some remove the landmarks;
They seize and devour flocks.
³ “They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
⁴ “They push the needy aside from the road;
The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
⁵ “Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness
They go forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.
⁶ “They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
⁷ “They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
⁸ “They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
⁹ “Others snatch the orphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
¹⁰ “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
¹¹ “Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
¹² “From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not pay attention to folly.

¹³ “Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
¹⁴ “The murderer arises at dawn;
He kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
¹⁵ “The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he disguises his face.
¹⁶ “In the dark they dig into houses,
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
¹⁷ “For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

¹⁸ “They are insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is cursed on the earth.
They do not turn toward the vineyards.
¹⁹ “Drought and heat consume the snow waters,
So does Sheol those who have sinned.
²⁰ “A mother will forget him;
The worm feeds sweetly till he is no longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken like a tree.
²¹ “He wrongs the barren woman
And does no good for the widow.
²² “But He drags off the valiant by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.
²³ “He provides them with security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.
²⁴ “They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
²⁵ “Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”

Job 25

Bildad Says Man Is Inferior

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

² “Dominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in His heights.
³ “Is there any number to His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
⁴ “How then can a man be just with God?
Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?
⁵ “If even the moon has no brightness
And the stars are not pure in His sight,
⁶ How much less man, that maggot,
And the son of man, that worm!”

Job 26

Job Rebukes Bildad

26 Then Job responded,

² “What a help you are to the weak!
How you have saved the arm without strength!
³ “What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!
⁴ “To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit was expressed through you?

The Greatness of God

⁵ “The departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
⁶ “Naked is Sheol before Him,
And Abaddon has no covering.
⁷ “He stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸ “He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
⁹ “He obscures the face of the full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
¹⁰ “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters
At the boundary of light and darkness.
¹¹ “The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
¹² “He quieted the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
¹³ “By His breath the heavens are cleared;
His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.
¹⁴ “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

Job 27

Job Affirms His Righteousness

27 Then Job continued his discourse and said,

² “As God lives, who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul,
³ For as long as life is in me,
And the breath of God is in my nostrils,
⁴ My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.
⁵ “Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
⁶ “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.

The State of the Godless

⁷ “May my enemy be as the wicked
And my opponent as the unjust.
⁸ “For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,
When God requires his life?
⁹ “Will God hear his cry
When distress comes upon him?
¹⁰ “Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
¹¹ “I will instruct you in the power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
¹² “Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act foolishly?

¹³ “This is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty.
¹⁴ “Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
¹⁵ “His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And their widows will not be able to weep.
¹⁶ “Though he piles up silver like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
¹⁷ He may prepare it, but the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
¹⁸ “He has built his house like the spider’s web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
¹⁹ “He lies down rich, but never again;
He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.
²⁰ “Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
²¹ “The east wind carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him away from his place.
²² “For it will hurl at him without sparing;
He will surely try to flee from its power.
²³ “Men will clap their hands at him
And will hiss him from his place.

Job 28

Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures

28 “Surely there is a mine for silver
And a place where they refine gold.
² “Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
³ “Man puts an end to darkness,
And to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
⁴ “He sinks a shaft far from habitation,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing to and fro far from men.
⁵ “The earth, from it comes food,
And underneath it is turned up as fire.
⁶ “Its rocks are the source of sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
⁷ “The path no bird of prey knows,
Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.
⁸ “The proud beasts have not trodden it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
⁹ “He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the base.
¹⁰ “He hews out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
¹¹ “He dams up the streams from flowing,
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

The Search for Wisdom Is Harder

¹² “But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
¹³ “Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
¹⁴ “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
¹⁵ “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
¹⁶ “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
¹⁷ “Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
¹⁸ “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.
¹⁹ “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
²⁰ “Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding?
²¹ “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
²² “Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

²³ “God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
²⁴ “For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ “When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure,
²⁶ When He set a limit for the rain
And a course for the thunderbolt,
²⁷ Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
²⁸ “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 21

Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked

21 Then Job answered,

² “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.
³ “Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may mock.
⁴ “As for me, is my complaint to man?
And why should I not be impatient?
⁵ “Look at me, and be astonished,
And put your hand over your mouth.
⁶ “Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And horror takes hold of my flesh.
⁷ “Why do the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very powerful?
⁸ “Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
⁹ Their houses are safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.
¹⁰ “His ox mates without fail;
His cow calves and does not abort.
¹¹ “They send forth their little ones like the flock,
And their children skip about.
¹² “They sing to the timbrel and harp
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
¹³ “They spend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
¹⁴ “They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
¹⁵ ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’
¹⁶ “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷ “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their calamity fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
¹⁸ “Are they as straw before the wind,
And like chaff which the storm carries away?
¹⁹ “You say, ‘God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
²⁰ “Let his own eyes see his decay,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
²¹ “For what does he care for his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?
²² “Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?
²³ “One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and satisfied;
²⁴ His sides are filled out with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is moist,
²⁵ While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
²⁶ “Together they lie down in the dust,
And worms cover them.

²⁷ “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plans by which you would wrong me.
²⁸ “For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman,
And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
²⁹ “Have you not asked wayfaring men,
And do you not recognize their witness?
³⁰ “For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity;
They will be led forth at the day of fury.
³¹ “Who will confront him with his actions,
And who will repay him for what he has done?
³² “While he is carried to the grave,
Men will keep watch over his tomb.
³³ “The clods of the valley will gently cover him;
Moreover, all men will follow after him,
While countless ones go before him.
³⁴ “How then will you vainly comfort me,
For your answers remain full offalsehood?”

Job 22

Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

² “Can a vigorous man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?
³ “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
⁴ “Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you,
That He enters into judgment against you?
⁵ “Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquities without end?
⁶ “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped men naked.
⁷ “To the weary you have given no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have withheld bread.
⁸ “But the earth belongs to the mighty man,
And the honorable man dwells in it.
⁹ “You have sent widows away empty,
And the strength of the orphans has been crushed.
¹⁰ “Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies you,
¹¹ Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.

¹² “Is not God in the height of heaven?
Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!
¹³ “You say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
¹⁴ ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
¹⁵ “Will you keep to the ancient path
Which wicked men have trod,
¹⁶ Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were washed away by a river?
¹⁷ “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’
And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
¹⁸ “Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
¹⁹ “The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,
²⁰ Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,
And their abundance the fire has consumed.’

²¹ “Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
²² “Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
²³ “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
²⁴ And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
²⁵ Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.
²⁶ “For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
²⁷ “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
²⁸ “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.
²⁹ “When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will save.
³⁰ “He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job 23

Job Says He Longs for God

23 Then Job replied,

² “Even today my complaint is rebellion;
His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
³ “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
⁴ “I would present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
⁵ “I would learn the words which He would answer,
And perceive what He would say to me.
⁶ “Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
⁷ “There the upright would reason with Him;
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

⁸ “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
⁹ When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.
¹⁰ “But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
¹¹ “My foot has held fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
¹² “I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
¹³ “But He is unique and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.
¹⁴ “For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.
¹⁵ “Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.
¹⁶ “It is God who has made my heart faint,
And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
¹⁷ But I am not silenced by the darkness,
Nor deep gloom which covers me.

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 17

Job Says He Has Become a Byword

17 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The grave is ready for me.
² “Surely mockers are with me,
And my eye gazes on their provocation.

³ “Lay down, now, a pledge for me with Yourself;
Who is there that will be my guarantor?
⁴ “For You have kept their heart from understanding,
Therefore You will not exalt them.
⁵ “He who informs against friends for a share of the spoil,
The eyes of his children also will languish.

⁶ “But He has made me a byword of the people,
And I am one at whom men spit.
⁷ “My eye has also grown dim because of grief,
And all my members are as a shadow.
⁸ “The upright will be appalled at this,
And the innocent will stir up himself against the godless.
⁹ “Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way,
And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
¹⁰ “But come again all of you now,
For I do not find a wise man among you.
¹¹ “My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
Even the wishes of my heart.
¹² “They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
¹³ “If I look for Sheol as my home,
I make my bed in the darkness;
¹⁴ If I call to the pit, ‘You are my father’;
To the worm, ‘my mother and my sister’;
¹⁵ Where now is my hope?
And who regards my hope?
¹⁶ “Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together go down into the dust?”

Job 18

Bildad Speaks of the Wicked

18 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

² “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding and then we can talk.
³ “Why are we regarded as beasts,
As stupid in your eyes?
⁴ “O you who tear yourself in your anger—
For your sake is the earth to be abandoned,
Or the rock to be moved from its place?

⁵ “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out,
And the flame of his fire gives no light.
⁶ “The light in his tent is darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
⁷ “His vigorous stride is shortened,
And his own scheme brings him down.
⁸ “For he is thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
⁹ “A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
¹⁰ “A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the path.
¹¹ “All around terrors frighten him,
And harry him at every step.
¹² “His strength is famished,
And calamity is ready at his side.
¹³ “His skin is devoured by disease,
The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
¹⁴ “He is torn from the security of his tent,
And they march him before the king of terrors.
¹⁵ “There dwells in his tent nothing of his;
Brimstone is scattered on his habitation.
¹⁶ “His roots are dried below,
And his branch is cut off above.
¹⁷ “Memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
¹⁸ “He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased from the inhabited world.
¹⁹ “He has no offspring or posterity among his people,
Nor any survivor where he sojourned.
²⁰ “Those in the west are appalled at his fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
²¹ “Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”

Job 19

Job Feels Insulted

19 Then Job responded,

² “How long will you torment me
And crush me with words?
³ “These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.
⁴ “Even if I have truly erred,
My error lodges with me.
⁵ “If indeed you vaunt yourselves against me
And prove my disgrace to me,
⁶ Know then that God has wronged me
And has closed His net around me.

Everything Is against Him

⁷ “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.
⁸ “He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has put darkness on my paths.
⁹ “He has stripped my honor from me
And removed the crown from my head.
¹⁰ “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.
¹¹ “He has also kindled His anger against me
And considered me as His enemy.
¹² “His troops come together,
And build up their way against me
And camp around my tent.

¹³ “He has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
¹⁴ “My relatives have failed,
And my intimate friends have forgotten me.
¹⁵ “Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.
¹⁶ “I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore him with my mouth.
¹⁷ “My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
¹⁸ “Even young children despise me;
I rise up and they speak against me.
¹⁹ “All my associates abhor me,
And those I love have turned against me.
²⁰ “My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,
And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
²¹ “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me.
²² “Why do you persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?

Job Says, “My Redeemer Lives”

²³ “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
²⁴ “That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!
²⁵ “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
²⁶ “Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
²⁷ Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes will see and not another.
My heart faints within me!
²⁸ “If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’
And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’
²⁹ “Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
So that you may know there is judgment.”

Job 20

Zophar Says, “The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short”

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

² “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,
Even because of my inward agitation.
³ “I listened to the reproof which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
⁴ “Do you know this from of old,
From the establishment of man on earth,
⁵ That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless momentary?
⁶ “Though his loftiness reaches the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
⁷ He perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
⁸ “He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him;
Even like a vision of the night he is chased away.
⁹ “The eye which saw him sees him no longer,
And his place no longer beholds him.
¹⁰ “His sons favor the poor,
And his hands give back his wealth.
¹¹ “His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
But it lies down with him in the dust.

¹² “Though evil is sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
¹³ Though he desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it in his mouth,
¹⁴ Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the venom of cobras within him.
¹⁵ “He swallows riches,
But will vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
¹⁶ “He sucks the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue slays him.
¹⁷ “He does not look at the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
¹⁸ “He returns what he has attained
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
¹⁹ “For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.

²⁰ “Because he knew no quiet within him,
He does not retain anything he desires.
²¹ “Nothing remains for him to devour,
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
²² “In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped;
The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
²³ “When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And will rain it on him while he is eating.
²⁴ “He may flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
²⁵ “It is drawn forth and comes out of his back,
Even the glittering point from his gall.
Terrors come upon him,
²⁶ Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
²⁷ “The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
And the earth will rise up against him.
²⁸ “The increase of his house will depart;
His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger.
²⁹ “This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
Even the heritage decreed to him by God.”

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)