A Work in Progress….

Job 38:1 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm….

The first thing I glean from this verse is that God is present. Job has felt separated from Him since everything went wrong in the early chapters. Commentary seems to indicate that God came in the storm. But I’ve maintained throughout that God is with us always—even when things go horribly wrong, even when we can’t feel Him, even when nothing makes sense. God speaks here in verse one because He is with Job and has been through it all.

Job 38:2 “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?”

The English Standard Version translates this verse as “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?” Modern sensibilities regard ignorant as an insult, though here it simply means someone who does not know. Commentary suggests that God is being almost playful in His chastisement. I don’t quite see that, but, given all I know about how God feels about Job from the early chapters, I don’t think God is lambasting him here with the intent of humiliation. He wants Job to understand that he, Job, doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.

Job 38:3 “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your loving patience with us when we are in pain, fear, or doubt. We don’t understand Your ways, Lord. Thank You for Your fierce love and compassion, even through our questioning. Draw us closer. Amen.

Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.”

Have a blessed day.

Job 34:5 “Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice.’”

Elihu has his mind made up about Job’s guilt, Job’s fault in why he has lost so much and why his life is falling apart. Elihu is convinced that he is correct in his assessment of the situation and in his pronouncement of Job’s guilt. Elihu chooses only Job’s words that will help Elihu prove his theory, and he twists those words to make them fit what he sees as the truth. His speech here isn’t accurate nor is it helpful.

Job 34:6 “‘Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’”

Once again I find myself having to resist the urge to condemn Elihu instead of learning from his error in judgement. I think of situations where I have mentally supplied reasons for another person’s actions and condemned that person in my mind, never stopping to consider “What if I’m wrong?” I’ve been mental judge and jury without ever bringing compassion into the equation. Jesus, help me.

Job 34:7-8 “Is there anyone like Job, who drinks scorn like water? He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with the wicked.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the eyes of hope and compassion with which I am reading Job. Reading Job in this light truly draws me closer to You, for which I am eternally grateful. Draw me closer still. Amen.

Job 34:9 “For he says, ‘There is no profit in trying to please God.’”

Have a blessed day.

Job 33:1 “But now, Job, listen to my words; pay attention to everything I say.”

As I was reading this second chapter of Elihu’s long, wordy speech, Shakespeare’s Macbeth came to mind, specifically the soliloquy in Act 5, scene 5, “…It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” This feeling was further enhanced by commentary, which called Elihu “an astonishingly pompous little windbag.” 

Job 33:31 “Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.”

But I am left trying to read a deeper significance into this chapter, into young, wordy, self-assured Elihu. What’s his purpose? What are we supposed to learn from him? Is he a cautionary tale about not being too full of yourself, about not inserting yourself into someone else’s misery and trying to “save” them? Is he a reminder that even though we may think we know, we must always be mindful that God’s ways are not our ways and we must proceed with caution as we seek to be compassionate and not condemning?

Job 33:32 “If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want to vindicate you.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. I know that if I set my heart and mind to You, I can always leave Your word a little closer to You than I started. Draw me to You. Help me, always, to treat others with the compassion with which You treat me. Amen.

Job 33:33 “But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Have a blessed day.

Job 32:6 “So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: “I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know.”

What a scene: we are at the ash-heap at the edge of town. Job, who has lost everything, including his health, is reduced to scraping pus with pot shards, sitting in the ashes. His friends are livid because they know he must have unrepented sins that are causing his misery. To them the answer is simple: repent, turn back to God, and God will turn His face towards you again.

Job 32:7 “I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’”

But Job won’t play their game. He is steadfast in his story that there is no hidden sin in his life and if God would only listen, he would plead his case. And now Elihu joins the fray—a young upstart who thinks he knows everything, though we have no idea what he knows because “it takes him twenty-four verses to say, ‘Look out! I’m going to speak!’” (according to commentary).

Job 32:8 “But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the wisdom that I have no idea what I don’t know, what I don’t understand. Help me to live a life of compassion, Lord. When others are hurting, help me to be a source of comfort and hope and not a source of self-righteousness and empty words. Draw me closer to You. Help me to shine Your light. Always. Amen.

Job 32:9 “It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.”

Have a blessed day.

Job 30:15 “Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud.”

Job continues to be hard for me because it takes me back to 2017 and all the loss and emotional turmoil of that time. I remember, vividly, questioning God, railing against God, so angry, so sad, so at loose ends because the blows just kept coming. I remember wondering where God was in the middle of it all, why He seemed so silent when I needed Him so desperately.

Job 30:16 “And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me.”

I had absolutely come to the end of myself, to the end of my understanding of God, Whom I thought I knew. I was at a terribly frightening crossroads where I had to decide if I believed in the sovereign, loving God that I professed to believe in. If so, then that meant that even in this horrible time with blow after blow, loss after loss, even when He seemed utterly silent, entirely absent, even when I could not feel His presence at all, if He is who He says He is, that means He is still with me, still loves me, is still working all things for my good and His glory, even then. 

Job 30:20 “I cry out to You, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. The hardest thing I have ever done is come to the end of myself and the end of my understanding of You and to keep moving forward on blind faith and trust that You are who You say You are. Thank You for the understanding that I do not know You fully, will never know You fully on this side of the veil, but that every step I take in faith, every time I seek Your face, You will reveal a little more of who You are, draw me just a bit closer. Thank You for always walking with me, even when I can’t feel Your presence. Thank You for the faith that You are there. Amen.

Job 30:31 “My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing.”

Have a blessed day.

Job 29:1-2 Job continued his discourse: “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me….”

I get the feeling in this chapter that Job is lamenting most of all the loss of his closeness with God. He used to feel God’s presence keenly in his life. Now it feels like God is silent, distant. Job laments all that he’s lost in this season, but this chapter focuses on that lost connection, which Job feels deeply.

Job 29:3 “…when His lamp shone on my head and by His light I walked through darkness!”

Verse 4 mentions “God’s intimate friendship.” I love that phrase. I truly feel like God wants an intimate connection with each of us. He doesn’t just want to be the lifeline when we are falling apart. He doesn’t just want to celebrate with us when times are good. We are His beloved children. His love for us is fierce and deep. He wants a close connection, the kind where words aren’t even needed, the kind where just being present with each other is enough. I want that, too.

Job 29:4-5 “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me….”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your fierce love and Your desire for an intimate friendship with each of Your children. Help us to connect with You on that level, Lord—not just when times are tough, not just when times are good, but. All. The. Time. Draw us closer. Amen.

Job 29:6 “…when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.”

Have a blessed day.