Job 29

Job 29:2

"Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;

We all tend to long for "the good old days," when things seemed better and our troubles were fewer.  Perhaps time brings perspective that we lacked then, forgetting the little problems and remembering the larger good.  There are always things that we'd like to tweak, to make the good even better, but overall we all long for those better times.

In Job's case, he is remembering much of his life.  Until this event, he was a well-respected person in the community.  He did what was right, punished those who did wrong, and received honor for it.  God had blessed him, and he used that blessing to bless others, and to do further good.  Now that has all been stripped away from him, and he longs to be able to go back.  Wouldn't we all, in that situation?

Job 28

Job 28:28

"And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Job has just spent the entire chapter speaking of the glories of the earth, and the marvelous things it contains.  Man can find them, when no other creature can, and they bring us great delight.  However, no one can find where wisdom in the earth, no matter how hard they look.  But God can, and here we learn how.

Fearing God is wisdom.  I believe this means honoring Him, and being aware of His power and position.  It's not a matter of being scared of Him, for fear He will squash us.  He could do that, but doesn't for our sakes.  Instead, it's a matter of giving Him what He deserves from us, which is everything He asks for.  Also, understanding (knowledge) is avoiding evil.  Since God cannot be or do evil, then one must avoid it to know God.  In the process of avoiding evil, one will move closer to God, and understand His wisdom better.

Job 27

Job 27:6

"I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.

Despite all that has happened to him, Job still maintains his innocence.  Despite the accusations of his friends that he is hiding some secret sin, he still is certain that he has committed no wrong that would cause God to afflict him.  He maintains that he has nothing to be ashamed of, nor regretful about.  His conscience is clear.

However, I do have to wonder if it should be.  Job seems to be saying that he has never done a single thing wrong.  We all know that man is sinful, and cannot live without sinning (except for Christ).  While the capability to not sin is within us, no one (except Christ) has ever succeeded is following that side of their nature every day.  I couldn't tell you a day ever where I did not sin.  Yet Job is claiming to not have a single thing to regret.  Is he saying he's never sinned, or just that he has atoned for all the sins he has committed?

Job 26

Job 26:14

"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 has just described the amazing things that God has control over.  He has told of how He controls all the activities of this natural world, from light and darkness, to rain in clouds.  All of those processes that make our world habitable, and beautiful, are all under God's direct control.

We understand all of this, all the ways God runs our world.  However, even with all we can see, we can't hear him.  We cannot comprehend His words to us.  They are both faint and overpowering.  They are both the still small voice, and the all-encompasing blast.  We we to even slightly understand what He is trying to say to each of us, we would be overwhelmed.

Job 25

Job 25:4

"How then can a man be just with God?
Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?

Bildad has a good question here.  He is saying that God is supreme over all, including man.  He has total control over everything.  He is the definition of holiness and purity, where man is fallen and sinful.  Therefore, how can a person presume to be on equal moral footing with God?

The answer, of course, is that he can't.  No one can be just innately before God.  We all have sinned, and therefore are below God.  However, God has given us a pathway to become acceptable to him.  It is difficult, and different now from what it was in Job's day, but it is there.  Then it was by works, but constantly having to sacrifice for every sin (which meant knowing when you had sinned).  Today it is by surrendering ourselves to Christ, and accepting his death in exchange for ours.  Both are simply, but neither is easy.  And there can be no other way to attain that righteousness.

Job 24

Job 24:13

"Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.

I wonder who these others Job is talking about are?  It sounds like they are people who had left God, but have since returned to following His ways.  Is Job thinking of some specifically?  Is it related to his talk of those in cities from the previous verse?  Some who hang around with the wrong crowd for a while?

Whoever they are, they definitely know who they're talking about.  Rebels have always been around, since Adam and Eve.  They want to do things their own way, and don't care if the rules, or God, says that's wrong.  They care about themselves, not anyone else (or at least, not enough to treat them the same).  For them, God isn't important, and they don't care what He wants.

Job 23

Job 23:5

"I would learn the words which He would answer,
And perceive what he would say to me.

Job wants to go to court with God, and make an argument to Him like a lawyer to a judge.  He feels that if he were able to do this, at least he would then get a response, as a judge hands down a ruling.  He believes that he would be absolved by that ruling, but I don't think the result would really matter.

What Job is seeking here is two-fold.  First, he wants to actually see his tormenter.  He knows God has to have had a hand in this, and wants a chance to confront Him.  He knows the risks involved, but still wants that chance to take Him on.  Second, he wants to know why.  He wants to hear, from God's own lips, why He has chosen to strike him so low.  Even if he doesn't like the answer, he would at least have an answer, and knowing the reason alone would give him comfort.

Job 22

Job 22:3

"Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

This is an interesting way for Eliphaz to start his accusation.  I would expect that he would start be defending his previous statements, or telling Job that he was wrong about the wicked profiting.  Instead, he starts with a good set of questions, about how our goodness benefits God.

He is right here that there is no profit for God whether we do good or evil.  However, he's probably coming at it from the wrong angle.  I think that he may have been thinking of profit to Job for being perfect, as in God rewarding him for his perfection.  These people seem to understand that no one is perfect, but must repent of their evil.  However, he is definitely wrong about God not being pleased when we are righteous.  Since this is before Jesus paid the price for our sins, righteous action was counted in our favor, though sins still had to be atoned for.  Therefore, while there is definitely no profit, there may be pleasure for Him.

Job 21

Job 21:8

"Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,

Job has come out swinging in this chapter, directly challenging Zophar's statements from the last.  Zophar was claiming that God punished the evil-doers in short order, and that they would not benefit from their deeds.  As I've said before, his philosophy holds disturbing similarities to the "health-wealth gospel" of modern times.

Job, however, will have none of this claptrap.  He goes straight in, showing how Zophar is wrong.  Here, he shows how the evil-doers are not punished right away.  In fact, they live to a ripe old age.  They see their children grow up, and them their children's children.  This takes a matter of decades.  So, of course, they are not punished by God right away.  Instead, they often live long, happy lives.

Job 20

Job 20:5

That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless momentary?

Once again, Job's friends are mistaking the temporal for the eternal.  They are under the impression that God has promised to punish sins here, in this life.  They seem to think that no matter how good things may look at the moment, God will see to it that they are brought down in the end.  Of course, anyone today knows from looking around that that isn't often the case.  Many do wrong, and then go on to life wonderful lives.

However, God's judgment our actions' consequences do happen in eternity.  Those who do wrong will be judged, and condemned, unless they have trusted to Christ for their salvation.  If they do trust Christ, then he takes (has taken?) the punishment for their sins.  Otherwise, they have to take that punishment themselves.  Either way, there is a punishment that must be meted out, and all one's success can't prevent that.

Job 19

Job 19:26

"Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

This seems odd.  Job is saying that he will see God in his flesh, after his skin (that is, his flesh) is destroyed.  How is this possible?  What is he saying here?  How does one physically see God, who is not physical, after one's physical body has been destroyed?

I'm guessing for all this, but I have a couple ideas.  First, this may be figurative.  Though he dies, he will live on and see God.  Second, it's referring to God's eventual reunion with His people.  He will see God again at the second coming, and all believers shall see Him in new bodies.  Third, it could be that he means that even if he loses his skin, he will live on, and see God when He comes.

Job 18

Job 18:5

"Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out,
And the flame of his fire gives no light.

The first time I read this through today, I thought he was being figurative.  The light is the person, and it goes out.  This much is true, though only in the sense that everyone's light goes out.  We all die, sooner or later, and are no more.  In the temporal sense, this would be foolish, since many evildoers prosper greatly.

Then, when I typed it in here, after having read the rest of the chapter, I realized he was speaking literally.  Supposedly, the evil man's light is darkened by God, and his fires cast no light, only shadow.  This, of course, is completely ridiculous.  Everyone knows about those who have done wrong, and succeeded greatly regardless.  Even if all we have to look upon is history, it's filled with such figures who are remembered only for the bad things they did.  The idea that God will snuff out the lights of those who do wrong, and leave them with only shadows and darkness, is ludicrous.

Job 17

Job 17:8

"The upright will be appalled at this,
And the innocent will stir up himself against the godless.

Job had previously been talking about how he has been afflicted.  Now he moves into how others view him.  He correctly sees how those who are uninvolved, and not guilty of any sins related to this matter, look down upon his plight.  They see his misery, and are appalled.

Job seems to be saying that it's only natural for those who are innocent to look upon the bad circumstances of others and feel superior.  That's certainly what Job's friends are doing.  It may be that he's saying if the situation were reversed, he would be doing the same thing.  The innocent should be hostile to the ungodly, and appalled by what happens to those who sin.  Of course, Christ has now taught us differently, but this is still our base reaction.

Job 16

Job 16:11

"God hands me over to ruffians
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.

I'm not certain what Job is saying in the verse.  It almost sounds like he's blaming God for what's happened to him.  However, that doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.  Elsewhere, it seems that he is accepting of what God has allowed to happen to him, even though he doesn't understand it.

Here, it seems that he holds God directly responsible for what's occurred.  It's not just that God has withdrawn his protection.  God has intentionally handed him over to evildoers, to do with as they will.  This moves God from passive (former) benefactor to active co-conspirator in his losses.  It's the strongest indictment against God yet that I can recall Job making.

Job 15

Job 15:8

"Do you hear the secret counsel of God,
And limit wisdom to yourself?

It's an interesting question posed to Job here.  Did he get special wisdom from God?  Was God partial to him in some way?  And if so, did he hide that wisdom away, so that others would not know?  Was he keeping God's favor to himself, and the rest of the world could burn?

While this would be possible, it doesn't at all seem likely. God may well have given Job special knowledge of Himself, but I doubt it was because he alone was chosen.  Instead, it's more likely that it would have been because he was the only one who was looking for it.  The knowledge of God is open to anyone willing to hear it, but most aren't.  In the same way, Job obviously didn't keep it to himself, because he sacrificed for his family to atone for their sins.  They had to know what he was doing, and probably those around him did, too.

Job 14

Job 14:16

"For now You number my steps,
You do not observe my sin.

I'll admit, this confuses me somewhat.  The first part is simple enough.  God numbers our steps, and He knows how many steps we take.  He also knows how many we are going to take, over the course of our lives.  And we should know that when we reach the number He has given us, He will take us home.

The confusing part is the second line.  It almost sounds like Job is saying that God ignores his sin.  Is God the inferior here?  Job can do no wrong, no matter what?  Were this the case, his friends would truly be correct about his failure to admit his faults, and why God is punishing him.  I have to assume that he is referring to how he has made atonement for his sins, and therefore God has forgiven them and does not count them against him.  But the wording is rather odd.

Job 13

Job 13:23

"How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my rebellion and my sin.

My only thought on this verse is how brave Job is to ask this of God.  This is something that very few people would really ask of God.  Many might say the words, but I doubt few would really mean it.  I know I've asked this, but don't think I ever really wanted to know.

However, what would happen today, if Christians did ask God this question?  If we really asked this, and we willing to get a complete reply?  I'm sure that for most of us, the reply would be much longer than we'd expected, and probably rather scathing, as well.  I don't think many, if any, of us are really living how God wants us to, myself included.  So if we inquired of God as to what He wants us to fix, how humbled would we be by the answer?  How much would the church change if all believers did this today?

Job 12

Job 12:22

"He reveals mysteries from the darkness
And brings the deep darkness into light.

God is the only one who can show us the things we don't understand.  He has power to inform and reveal, and does so on His timing, not ours.  Man can search for mysteries for generations without success, but when God wants us to know something, we will learn it.  We may not know He brought it to us, and not give Him due credit, but we will know what He wants us to, be it about things spiritual or temporal.

Much of the rest of this chapter talks about how God humbles the prideful and powerful.  I wonder if the second half of this verse is more along that line.  Perhaps it means that He makes those deep, dark secrets that leaders don't want known, and brings them to light?  He exposes hidden sins, and makes them speak about those things that they would rather leave unsaid.  Again, either deeds or thoughts, God can reveal anything.