The Bible Recap - Day 008 (Job 17-20) - Year 3

Episode Date: January 8, 2021

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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible recap. Yesterday as we finished our reading, Job was calling his friend's miserable comforters. Today he continues talking to them and he opens by saying, My Spirit is Broken. I just feel for him. I've been there. There were times when Job and Lamentations were the only books of scriptures I wanted to read.

I felt known by Job. In chapter 18, Bill Dad speaks again. You probably remember Bill Dad as bad friend number two. He's the one who told Job that he needed to repent. So now he's doubling down just like Elifaz did yesterday, with reminders that God punishes the wicked. This is a catch-22, because it not only means Job's suffering was punishment for his wickedness, but also that if he doesn't change his ways, more punishment is coming for him. But I love Job's reply in chapter 19. He continues to point

to God's role in his troubles. He says things like, he has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness on my paths. These sound like really hard things to say about God, and yet, in 1925, Job says, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand up on the earth." This quote isn't just hopeful on Job's part, it's actually prophetic. It points not only to the first coming of Christ which has already happened, but also to the second coming of Christ which is yet to come.

At the last, He will stand up on the earth. We're not to the last yet. But Zachariah 143 tells us more about Christ's return, and Revelation 510 and 26 point to a future time when Christ will reign on earth. So even in his darkest moments, Joe was pointing out eternal truths about God. In chapter 20, so far, bad friend number 3 speaks again. He claims a spirit spoke to him and he believes it was a word from God. The same thing happened a few days ago when we read about the first time Elifaz spoke in 412-16.

Elifaz said, A word was brought to me stealthily. My ear received the whisper of it. A spirit glided past my face, the hair of my flesh stood up. There was silence, then I heard a voice. So far in Elifaz presumably do this to add more weight to their words and force Job to listen and comply. But here's what's interesting to me. This spirit or spirits that they're referencing in chapters 4 and 20, they never identify themselves. Scripture doesn't tell us who those spirits are. Hold on to that thought as we continue reading, because there might be some conclusions you could reach about who the spirit was or spirits were. One of the things it's really important for us to do is weigh carefully where the word of God intersects with our own thoughts.

For instance, I want to be really careful to separate out my opinions of things from what scripture is actually teaching. At some point, you're likely going to disagree with one of my opinions. That's a good thing. I'm not trying to convince anyone to agree with anything essay apart from Scripture. Are there times when God speaks to us? I believe God's Spirit does give impressions to his children. After all, one of his names is guide.

But I'm always aiming to be careful with how I relay that information. Saying, God told me X carries a lot of certainty with it. I'd be more likely to say it this way. I feel like God was saying X, or I feel like God was impressing this on my heart. I'm also really careful not to ask God to tell me what he is going to do or reveal the future to me. Few things have gotten me into greater confusion and error than that, probably because asking

those questions is like my own subtle attempt to control my future and not have to trust God, which really gives an opportunity for me to hear my flesh speak more loudly than God. But back to Job. In chapter 20 verses 12-29, Zofar accuses Job of being greedy and selfish. Remember how I told you I thought Job's friends might have been jealous of him? That last part of Zofar's speech today reinforces that whole idea for me.

It seems like he's really accusing Job of being greedy and selfish. He says things like, he has crushed an abandoned the poor. He seized a house that he did not build. He knew no contentment at his belly. He will not let anything in which he delights escape him. That sounds terrible. But we have to weigh so far's words about Job against God's word about Job.

And we see they don't align. These passages with Job's friends are the ones I usually reference when I'm urging people not to take Scripture out of context, because if you were to pull some of their quotes out of this section, you would think Joe was terrible. Are the statements in Scripture? Yes, and Scripture is God's Word. But this particular passage is a personal quote within God's Word. It's God quoting someone else.

We have to pay close attention to context, or we'll miss what's actually being communicated to us by God. What was your God's shot for today's reading? The attribute of God I saw portrayed in today's reading was when Job said, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, he will stand up on the earth. This not only says a lot about Job that he could have believed this in the midst of his struggle,

but it says a lot about God. First, we see God's relationship with Job even on his worst days. Job doesn't just call God A Redeemer or the Redeemer, but my Redeemer, it's personal, it's intimate. Second, we see that God is a Redeemer. To Redeem means to buy back. Job has hope that this isn't the end of his story, even if it's the end of his life.

Job trusts that God will redeem this somehow. Third, we see that God is alive. My Redeemer lives. So many of Job's loved ones had passed away, but not God. He knew that God was still with him, and he would be forever. At the last, he will stand up on the earth. I hope I have this kind of trust in God when trouble inevitably comes my way again, and storing up truth about Him like we're doing as we read is one way to make sure our feet are

on solid ground when the storms come, because He's where the joy is. You guys are the very best at spreading your word about TBR. Thanks to you, so many people who never would have read through the Bible have joined us and You guys are the very best at spreading your word about TBR. Thanks to you, so many people who never would have read through the Bible have joined us and are loving it. So here's a pro tip for all of you who love to share the joy. When you're inviting your friends to join us, have them start at the start, as opposed to jumping in where we currently are.

That's the whole point of doing this chronologically, so we can follow the whole storyline. The plot is important. So whether they plan on reading through the entire Bible or the New Testament, encourage them to start at the beginning of that section. We've lined up all the details for them on the start page of our website. So the best way to make sure they get off to a good start is to send them to thebibelrecap.com forward slash start. The End. The Bible Recap is brought to you by D-group. Discipleship and Bible study groups that meet in homes and churches around the world each week.