May 22 - Morning
"Then Job replied to the Lord:
'I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, "Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?" Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, "Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me." My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.'
After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, 'I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.' ”
- Job 42:1-8
'I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, "Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?" Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, "Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me." My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.'
After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, 'I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.' ”
- Job 42:1-8
Job Realizes His Limitations and the Lord Rebukes the Friends
Job had not understood why he had suffered so greatly. By assuming that it was caused by the Lord’s attempt to maintain justice in the earth Job had argued that his suffering was far from fair and claimed that God was not responding to his created world appropriately.
God had responded to Job in two speeches. In his first response (Job 38-39) the Lord had told Job that he has formed opinions and spoken words without full knowledge of the cosmos, the universe and the world. Job agreed that he had spoken about things he could not understand and in 40:3 he covered his mouth. Yet, Job still held to his accusation that he had suffered unjustly since he was innocent of sins that would demand such torment. This position indicated that Job believed he had a better handle on justice than the Lord had since the Lord had failed to administer justice in spite possessing tremendous knowledge. So, in 40:6-41:34 God speaks a second time asking Job to dress himself up in God’s “majesty and dignity” and God’s “glory and splendor” (40:10) in preparation to do the things that God does such as:
• Punish the proud and wicked men
• Subdue Behemoth and Leviathan the monsters of chaos from the primordial world
But, if Job cannot do these things then besides lacking the knowledge and information required to administer justice, Job is also lacking the means and the methods required to enforce his views of justice. Simply put, the Lords two speeches overwhelmingly convince Job that he:
• Lacks knowledge and understanding required to form any accurate opinion
• Lacks power and jurisdiction to enforce his views
So, in Job 42 Job replies by admitting he spoke beyond his understanding:
In 42:4-6 Job renounces any ability to be equal with God returning to the position of “dust and ashes”
The Lord then addresses Job’s three friends by speaking to Eliphaz. The three friends are told they have spoken incorrectly concerning the Lord. While Job had been searching for truth and wrestling to find answers, his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) had been confidently spewing out their religious clichés and erroneous sermons in an attempt to defend their theological view of God. They, not Job, are rebuked by the Lord for promoting erroneous conclusions about God. If Job had listened to these the friends he would have turned away from the truth.
They consistently called Job the sinner, even though the Lord never accused Job of sin. Job had become aggressive in his pursuit of truth as he tried to defend himself against the attacks of the false theology of his friends and the Lord did expose Job’s lack of understanding and his inability. But, Job had not sinned.
The Lord had referred to Job as “my servant” at the beginning of the book when talking to Satan (1:8; 2:3). Here at the end of the book the Lord again refers to Job as “my servant” and maintains that Job had spoken correctly and was not overcome by false concepts and simple religious clichés invoked by his friends.
The three friends are each told to sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams which is a very expensive sacrifice. It is a request that the average man would be unequipped to provide, which seems to indicate that these were very wealthy men or men of nobility. It is also interesting to note that Job is asked to serve as their priest before the Lord, which would be in agreement with the time period recorded in the book of Genesis, most likely during the days of Abraham and Melchizedek.
'el (Hb) - God (Eng) - refers to "god" or "God." 'El is used to refer to the true God or any false god. In fact, 'El was the name of one of the main Canaanite gods. Many biblical names and names from the ancient Near East contain the name 'el including early names like Methusa-el and Ishma-el to later names lke El-ijah and El-eazar.
Do I ever accuse God either directly or indirectly? Instead of blaming God, I will learn to trust the Lord according to the revelation of his character in Scripture.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Parents
Church
Opportunities to share the gospel in church and in community
Nation
Military and National Defense
World
Fiji
Someone to Quote
“To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this Treasure House, the Bible?"
- Queen Elizabeth
- Queen Elizabeth
Something to Ponder
The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is given to all believers at the point of salvation. Doctrinal statements concerning the indwelling Holy Spirit include:
1. Holy Spirit is given to every believer as a gift
– Jn.7:37-39; Acts 11:16-17; R.5:5; 1 Cor.2:12; 2 Cor.5:5.
2. No indwelling Holy Spirit means not saved and never were saved – Rm.8:9; Jude 19- these men were natural, not indwelt.
3. Sinning Believers still have indwelling Holy Spirit –1 Cor.6:19; 1 Cor. 5:5.
4. Indwelling is permanent – jn.14:16; Rm.8:9.
5. Believing the message of salvation is the
required act of obedience
– Acts 5:32; Acts 6:7; Rm. 1:5; Heb.5:9
6. Temporal indwellings are in the Old Testament and before Pentecost
– 1 Sam.16:14; Psalm 51:11; Luke 11:13
1. Holy Spirit is given to every believer as a gift
– Jn.7:37-39; Acts 11:16-17; R.5:5; 1 Cor.2:12; 2 Cor.5:5.
2. No indwelling Holy Spirit means not saved and never were saved – Rm.8:9; Jude 19- these men were natural, not indwelt.
3. Sinning Believers still have indwelling Holy Spirit –1 Cor.6:19; 1 Cor. 5:5.
4. Indwelling is permanent – jn.14:16; Rm.8:9.
5. Believing the message of salvation is the
required act of obedience
– Acts 5:32; Acts 6:7; Rm. 1:5; Heb.5:9
6. Temporal indwellings are in the Old Testament and before Pentecost
– 1 Sam.16:14; Psalm 51:11; Luke 11:13
Here’s a Fact
In 1978 Yigal Shiloh uncovered 50 seal impressions of royal officials active during the days of Jeremiah and the final kings of Judah around 600 BC. The seal impressions (bullae) were uncovered while excavating in the area of David’s palace complex.
Proverb
"The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor."
- Proverbs 22:9
for they share their food with the poor."
- Proverbs 22:9
Coach’s Corner
Knowledge is good.
Understanding is better.
Wisdom is best.
Understanding is better.
Wisdom is best.
Ruth 4
New International Version (NIV)
Boaz Marries Ruth
4 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
“I will redeem it,” he said.
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”
7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.
9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
Naomi Gains a Son
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The Genealogy of David
18 This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
21 Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.
New International Version (NIV)
Boaz Marries Ruth
4 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
“I will redeem it,” he said.
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”
7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.
9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
Naomi Gains a Son
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The Genealogy of David
18 This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
21 Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.
Amos 3
New International Version (NIV)
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
3 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:
2
“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”
3
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
4
Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?
5
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything?
6
When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?
7
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
8
The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy?
9
Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people.”
10
“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted.”
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
13 “Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
14
“On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
15
I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,” declares the Lord.
New International Version (NIV)
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
3 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:
2
“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”
3
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
4
Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?
5
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything?
6
When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?
7
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
8
The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy?
9
Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people.”
10
“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted.”
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
13 “Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
14
“On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
15
I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,” declares the Lord.
Psalm 95
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 95
1
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
3
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
4
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9
where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10
For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’
11
So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
_____
Psalm 97
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 97
1
The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
2
Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3
Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
4
His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
6
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.
7
All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods!
8
Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord.
9
For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
10
Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
12
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 95
1
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
3
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
4
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9
where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10
For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’
11
So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
_____
Psalm 97
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 97
1
The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
2
Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3
Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
4
His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
6
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.
7
All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods!
8
Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord.
9
For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
10
Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
12
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.