The Bible Recap - Day 010 (Job 24-28) - Year 5

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible recap. Today Job wrapped up his response to Elivaz's third speech. In Chapter 24, Job continues to point out that good things happen to the wicked and also adds that bad things happen to the righteous. Surely you've seen this, too. When I first read this response from Job, it sounded more like a complaint, like he was kind of whining about it. But the more I looked at it, the more it sounded like he was consoling himself with these details.

Starting point is 00:00:37 Reminding himself that his trials don't negate his status as a righteous man before God, while also trying to convince his friends as well. Job points out some really important stuff here. We can kind of see that if you follow his friend's beliefs to its logical conclusion, you'd be likely to conclude that all those who are healthy and wealthy are living righteous lives and that those who are poor, sick, and needy are in that situation because of their sin. There is no shortage of people who even subscribe to this type of theology today. One of the dangers of this is that anytime there's a disaster, a fire or a flood or a terrorist attack, some very public religious people will say it's God's judgment as if they know the mind of God. Their guilty of the

Starting point is 00:01:21 same reductionism that Job's friends are. In Job's story, we're given a glimpse into God's motives because they're recorded in Scripture. But in every day, 21st century life, we don't have access to that information. People would be wise not to jump to conclusions about why hurricanes and mass murders happen when and where they do. After Job's speech, Bill Dad pushes back, saying that not only is Job unrighteous, but that it's impossible for a man to be righteous at all. And while there's some truth to this that we can't be perfect, we can be declared righteous

Starting point is 00:01:55 by God, despite our actions because of the finished work of Christ. In Scripture, righteousness is often used as a kind of legal term, more of a decision and a declaration by the judge than some accumulated overview of our actions. For every one of us who is adopted into God's family, God the judge has declared us righteous, not because we tricked him and not because we got more things right than we got wrong, but because God the Son, Jesus, lived the perfect life and then granted His perfect righteousness to us. It's a legal transaction. He traded our sinfulness, which we were in full possession of,

Starting point is 00:02:32 for His righteousness. He took our death penalty and granted us His kingdom. If you want to talk about what's not there, that's the best place to start. It's unfair in the most beautiful way imaginable. In chapter 26, we see that Job has a reverence for God's mystery that his friends can't seem to grasp. There's a lot to take in here.

Starting point is 00:02:53 I thought it was interesting in verse 11 that he references heaven, trembling at God's rebuke. This makes me think of the conversation we had about the sons of God rebelling against him in heaven. And in verse 12, Job even seems to prophesy about Jesus without even knowing it. Did you catch that?

Starting point is 00:03:10 He said, by his power, he stills the sea. I know someone who did that. Job continues to maintain his integrity and even tells them that despite all their abuking of him, he feels no conviction. He says, my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. Wow. I've got some things I regret in my life, for sure, so I'm not sure I could say that for myself,

Starting point is 00:03:32 but Job does. His conscience is clean before God and man. He is certain that this trial is not punishment from God. I love that. That tells me so much about God and who He has revealed himself to be in Job's life. I want to know God like that to such a degree that I don't doubt him in my trials that I can be angry and sad yet still not mistrust him when things are falling apart. Despite everything, Job points to God as the source of all wisdom. In 28, 28, he says, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

Starting point is 00:04:08 and to turn away from evil is understanding. Lots of Job's words and thoughts are echoed later in scripture that was written by Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, which tells me that Job had a lot of wisdom too. And we also saw that in chapter one, where God said, Job fears God and turns away from evil. So we already know that Job is wise, he's just demonstrating it here through his knowledge

Starting point is 00:04:30 of God. Where did you see God today? What was your God shot? My God shot was in chapter 28 where Job points to God as the source of all wisdom. The fact that we're fixing our eyes on him, looking for him, reading his word daily, you and I are tapping into that source. So even as you may be realizing how little you know of God so far, it even takes wisdom to realize that. By putting your eyes on his word every day, you're growing in wisdom daily. He is fulfilling his promise to you, that those who seek him with all their hearts will

Starting point is 00:05:05 find him. And the even better news for us all is he's not just where the wisdom is, but also he's where the joy is. If you've ever left a Bible study frustrated because it lacked accountability, structure, or transparency, then D-group is for you. D-group has been described as the CrossFit of Bible Studies for a reason. There's structure, there's accountability,

Starting point is 00:05:29 but anyone can do it, and you will strengthen your relationship with God as a result. Check out the show notes to watch a short promo video, or you can find or start a D-group near you by visiting mydeggroup.org-forward-slash-map. This episode is brought to you by Way FM. They're a great place to find your favorite Christian music. www.shrimp.org-flashmap you

The Bible Recap - Day 010 (Job 24-28) - Year 5

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