Nathan Whitley's Blog, page 10
June 29, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 32-34
Another friend of Job chimed in on Job’s plight. Elihu took a different approach than Job’s three other friends. Elihu wasn’t concerned with the possibility of Job’s past sins. Rather, he was concerned with Job’s present attitude. Elihu made a striking statement in his assessment of Job’s conversation with his three friends. Elihu said, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8).
The Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and brea...
June 27, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 29-31
Job was a man of faith and integrity. He turned away from evil, even the potential evil within himself. Job said, “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid” (Job 31:1)? The word “covenant” in the Hebrew means to make an agreement or contract. In the Old Testament a covenant was made between two parties, which was a binding oath, such as the covenants God initiated with Noah and Abraham (Gen. 6:18; 14:13). For Job, this covenant was between himself and his eyes. Like ...
June 26, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 24-28
Job’s friends could ask good questions, but they had wrong answers. Furthermore, they could speak insightfully about God, and yet they knew nothing about Him. That should give us great caution.
Bildad asked a good question, “How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman” (Job 25:4). Before he asked this question he was keenly aware of God’s righteousness: “Dominion and fear are with him, He maketh peace in his high places” (Job 25:2). God reigns supreme. ...
June 25, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 21-23
I’m directionally challenged. I don’t know how I ever got around without a GPS. It’s a miracle that I ever got to my intended destinations before we had Global Positioning Systems on our smart phones. Have you ever felt lost? Not the kind of lost that is corrected with a GPS or a map. I mean lost. The cobwebs in your head kind of lost. The not sure if you’re coming or going kind of lost. You don’t know what to do kind of lost. We’ve all been there. And if you haven’t, well your day is coming!
Jo...
June 24, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 17-20
Job had suffered great loss. His children and servants had been killed. His livestock had been wiped out. His body had been infected with terrible sores. Furthermore, his wife had told him to curse God and die, and three of his friends had accused him of being a rank sinner.
A lesser man might throw his hands in the air and forsake his faith. But that’s not what Job did. In fact he said, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though ...
June 23, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 14-16
I recently read a book entitled The Secret Life of Trees. The most astonishing thing about trees is how social they are. Trees in a forest care for each other, sometimes even going so far as to nourish the stump of a felled tree for centuries after it was cut down by feeding it sugars and other nutrients, and so keeping it alive.
The author writes that trees help each other through fungi. A tree’s most important means of staying connected to other trees is a “wood wide web” of soil fungi that co...
June 22, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 11-13
Job’s friend, Zophar, was more assertive than Eliphaz and Bildad, for they presented their arguments with a little more courtesy. Zophar, on the other hand, seems a little aggravated with Job’s counter arguments thus far. “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words? Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking? Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed” (Job 11:2–3 NLT)?
Like Eliphaz and Bildad, Zophar believes Job is suffering ...
June 21, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 8-10
Job chapter nine is Job’s response to Bildad. Bildad is one of Job’s three friends who nothing more than miserable comforters (Job 16:2). Bildad believes that Job should repent, and that his suffering is due to Job’s sins. He even believes that Job’s children’s sins brought them God’s judgment (Job 8:4). But if you read the opening of Job you will see that Job would daily repent for his children’s actions if they perchance had sinned (Job 1:5).
Job responds to Bildad’s claims asking, “I know it ...
June 20, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 5-7
Job chapter two introduces us to Job’s friends, who play an integral part of the book. “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him” (Job 2:11). When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into ...
June 18, 2020
Daily Readings in the Bible Job 1-4
The Book of Job is one of the most interesting books in the Bible. Job’s life and experiences have provided hope and healing for many of God’s people. Some on the other hand view Job’s life and story as only a fanciful story not to be taken as reality. However, Scripture views Job and his story as history and not make believe.
The author of Job presents Job as an actual person living in an actual place (1:1). According to the author Jehovah considered Job to be an actual person (1:8). Ezekiel re...
