Mon.’s Devo - Job Argues On…

Read: Job 12:1-15:35; 1Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 21:30-31

Job speaks and sarcastically says, “…No doubt wisdom will die with you.” He argues that he has understanding as well as them and is not inferior to them. He stands by the fact that he is just and blameless.

The aged understand wisdom and with God is all wisdom, might counsel and understanding. He rules the earth and all nature. Job has observed nature and seen God’s wisdom displayed through the things he made. He calls his friends worthless physicians who are trying to diagnose him. He appeals to heaven to argue his case before God. (Little does he know that that is exactly what he is doing with his words.)

Job asks his friends if they could stand before God blameless. Could they withstand the argument they are giving him? They are not God and have no right to judge him. Job has prepared his case before God and feels confident he will win his case.

Eliphaz accuses Job of not fearing or worshiping God. He says Job testifies against himself and is condemned by his own words. He argues that Job doesn’t know more than them. He says that Job has turned against God and wonders how Job as a man thinks he can stand against God and win. 

Then, Eliphaz gives a description of a wicked man who dares to fight against God and what will become of him. the wicked man is deceived and concludes that his end will be destruction. He is comparing Job to the wicked man.

In Corinthians, Paul is still giving an argument of the fact that people are resurrected when they die. He brings up the fact that in their custom they baptize people on behalf of someone who has died. Why would they do that if they didn’t think there was life after death. He had had this same argument with the people of Ephesus. He told them to wake up from their drunken revelry and face the fact that they are living for eternity and what they do on earth affects how they spend eternity. 

Paul compares our body to seeds that when placed in the earth when we die, will produce a different kind of spiritual body. If we know Christ, our bodies will be raised in glory and power. Adam was a type of our earthly bodies and Jesus was a type of our spiritual resurrected bodies. Adam was formed from the dust of the earth, but Jesus came from heaven. We were born in the image of Adam, but will be raised in the image of Christ.

Paul quotes Isaiah 25:8 which says, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces…”  But, God gives us victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Lord, may we always be steadfast, immoveable in our faith and always growing in the work of the Lord. We know that our work is not in vain in the Lord. 

Sun.’s Devo - Our Hope is in the Lord!

Read: Job 8:1-11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 21:28-29

Bilhad gives his opinion of why all this has happened to Job. He makes his case that God does not judge wrongly, so Job’s children must have gotten what they deserved. And, if Job is pure, as he claims, then God will restore him to his rightful place and his latter days will be greater than his first. God did restore Job’s latter days to be greater than his first.

Bilhad pleads with Job to research the past and learn that life is so short and fleeting. God will not reject a blameless man or become friends with the wicked. 

Job answers this by saying he understands that man can never be right before God. No one can stand up to God and win. God controls the whole universe and his ways are way beyond man’s understanding. He wonders how he can prove to God that he is blameless. He knows that whatever he says will be wrong. He concludes that God destroys the blameless and the wicked alike. There is no way he can get clean enough to stand before God and be accepted. There is no intercessor between man and God. 

Job concludes that he hates his life and his soul is bitter. The God who created him, now is destroying him. He is caught in a cycle with no hope. He wonders why he was born. 

Zophar adds his thoughts on the subject. He accuses Job of mocking the Lord. He claims that Job is not getting near what he deserves. Who is Job to contend with God? He claims that God knows a worthless man when he sees one. 

Zophar tells Job to search his heart and find the iniquity in there and repent. Then he can lift his face to heaven without fear. Then he will experience peace and hope.

Job’s friends look like sorry friends, but it makes me think about how we judge others when they go through bad times. We might not say it to their faces but we think some of the same things Job’s friends think. The only difference is that we have an intercessor between God and man and we can pray for our friends which is the best thing we can do for them. 

In Corinthians, Paul reminds the church in Corinth to remember the gospel that he preached to them of salvation in Christ. Jesus died, was buried and resurrected. He appeared to the apostles and then to him. It is by God’s grace that he was saved to preach to others this great Salvation. 

There must have been a discussion about the resurrection of the dead, because Paul addresses this. He explains that their whole salvation hinges on the resurrection of Christ which was a forerunner of their own resurrection. 

In Adam all died because he brought sin into the world. But in the second Adam, Jesus, all sin is defeated and all who believe in him live. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, he destroyed every evil ruler, authority and power. He will reign until all things are put under his feet. Then he will turn it all over to God. 

Lord, we are watching everything being put under your feet. We see the war against evil and the dismantling of evil structures and beliefs. May your kingdom come! 

Sat.’s Devo - Job’s First Debate

Read: Job 4:1-7:21; 1 Corinthians 14:18-40; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 21:27

Job is a reminder of how we try to help people solve their problems with only man’s knowledge. None of the characters, including  Job, knew the context of Job’s misfortune. They looked for the reason and how to solve it instead of seeking to know God and his ways. 

It is a great reminder to us when we are counseling others or going through the struggles of our own lives. We need to seek God his wisdom and ask for discernment because there are no pat answers.

Eliphaz is Job’s first “friend” to speak. He begins saying that Job has counseled so many other people and now that he needs help…  will he listen or be impatient? He asks him if he has ever heard that it was the innocent who perished and were cut off. Instead, he has witnessed that people reap what they sow. They get what they deserve. 

Eliphaz even strengthens his argument with a vision he had seen one night where a spirit came to him and asked him if mortal man could be right before God. He argues, it is not God who trusts man, and he can’t even trust his angels who sinned and rebelled. 

Eliphaz suggests that Job pray and commit his life to him. God is the only one who can help him. He only reproves those who he loves, so Job should not despise his discipline. The sign of Gods blessing is that he delivers man from famine, war, slander, destruction, the beasts of the earth and from dying off without an heir. Job might need to consider why he is not walking in this blessing.

Job replies that his calamity is more than he can take. He has lost hope and wants to die. He has nothing to offer anyone. He describes Eliphaz’s words as wind. He wants vindication because he has done nothing wrong to deserve this. He sees what has happened to him as his lot in life. He has lost all hope of anything good coming to him. He feels he has a right to complain. Then Job cries out to the Lord to leaven him alone. He asks God what he has done to deserve this. Why has God not pardoned his sin and taken his iniquity away. 

In Corinthians, after Paul has downplayed speaking in tongues in the church, he tells them in his private life he speaks much in tongues. He tells them to be mature in the thinking, but innocent of evil. God would use those who speak in tongues to speak to his people who are hard-hearted. Tongues is a sign to the unbelievers, but prophecy is a sign to the believers. If an unbeliever comes into their service and people are prophesying,  he will be convicted by their words. The secrets of his heart will be disclosed and he will repent and worship God. 

When they meet, each person should come with something to give: a song, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All things should be done to lift one another up and encourage them to continue growing in the Lord. In the church, there should be order and peace. 

To maintain order, the women were not allowed to speak, but were to talk to their husbands about anything they had questions about when they got home. 

Paul sums his sermon up with we should desire to prophesy and speak in tongues. They are both helpful if done orderly. 

Lord, give us discernment about our troubles and those of others. May we desire to prophecy and speak in tongues. May we not be afraid of your ways and your gifts, but seek you above all.

Fri.’s Devo - Job -

Read: Job 1:1-3:26; 1 Corinthians 14:1-17; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 21:25-26

The book of Job is set in the land of Uz which is north of the Arabian desert towards the Euphrates. Job was first of all blameless and upright, a man who feared the Lord and turned away from evil. Next, he was very prosperous and greatest of all the people of the east. 

He and his wife had seven sons and three daughters who took turns hosting parties. When their feasting was over, Job would always consecrate them just in case one of them cursed the Lord in their heart.

God called a meeting of his heavenly host and Satan was present. The Lord asked Satan where he had been and he told him he had been walking up and down on the heart and going up and down from the heavenly realm to the earthly realm. 

God asked Satan if he had noticed Job who was a god-fearing man. Satan had seen Job and said he was upright because God had put a hedge of protection around him, but if he took that away, he would curse God to his face. This was a challenge and God put his confidence in Job. 

God gave Satan permission to attack him Job not his own body. So Satan attacked everything he had. He took away his oxen and donkeys, sheep and servants, camels and then his own children. But, in all this, Job did not curse God. He said that he came into this world with nothing and it looked like he would leave with nothing. Job blessed the Lord.

At the next heavenly meeting God questioned Satan again about Job. God commented that Job had kept his integrity even when Satan incited him against him for no reason. Satan was not ready to concede. He said that it was because he didn’t let him harm his body. So God trusted Job’s faith to let Satan attack his body. 

Satan struck Job with sores all over his body that itched and oozed. His own wife told him to curse God and die. He asked her , “shall we receive good from God, and not receive evil?” He refused to sin with his words.

Job had three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar who heard of Job’s disasters and came to comfort him. Job was so changed in appearance that they tore their clothes and sat with him seven days and nights before they could say anything.

Job finally broke the silence and cursed the day he was born. He saw no point to his life and thinks it would have been better if he had not been born.

In Corinthians, Paul tells us to pursue love and spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy. Then he goes through the spiritual gifts starting with the last one which is speaking in tongues. Paul explains that tongues is for the individual to use to speak to God. It builds him up, but it does nothing for anyone else. But one who prophesies, builds up all who hear his words. Paul wants us to speak in tongues, but he is more interested in the church and what builds up the church.

Then he goes on to talk about the other gifts like a word of knowledge or prophecy or teaching. They prepare the people to battle. The other manifestations of the spirit like healing and miracles all build up the church.

If someone does speak in tongues, let there be someone who interprets so all can benefit in what God is saying. 

Lord, may we pursue love and spiritual gifts. May we use our gifts not only to build ourselves up, but to build up the church. May all we do be through your love. 

Thurs.’s Devo - The Reversal -

Read: Esther 8:1-10:3; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 21:23-24

Ahasuerus gave Esther the house of Haman and she set Mordecai over it. He gave Mordecai his signet ring when Esther told him who he was to her. 

Esther then plead with the king to save the lives of her people who were destined to be killed. He could’t reverse what had been written so he told Esther and Mordecai to write a new decree that didn’t negate the first one. So Mordecai wrote a decree saying that on the day that the Jews were to be destroyed they were allowed to rise up and defend themselves against their enemies. The edict was sent to all the provinces and read aloud in Susa. All the Jews rejoiced. 

In the months before it was decreed to take place, Mordecai became more and more powerful and the Jews became more and more feared by their neighbors. On the thirteenth day of Adar, instead of the Jews being annihilated, they rose up and defeated their enemies. Esther asked for one more day for the Jews to fight their enemies and it was granted. In those days they killed 77,000 of their enemies in the land. On the fifteenth day, they celebrated. They made the fourteen day an annual event called Purim to celebrate the day the plot against the Jews was reversed and God saved them.

Mordecai became second in command and was loved by the people because he sought the welfare and peace of the people.

In Corinthians, Paul gives the list of gifts God has given to those in the church. First is the apostle, then the prophet. Third was the teacher, then miracles, gifts of healing, administrating and tongues. Everyone should desire the gifts of God. 

Then he gave them the way they should use these gifts. The way these gifts will be the most effective is if they are done through a heart of love. Then he describes what love looks like. It is patient, kind, selfless, not judging and does’t hold grudges. It sees the best in everyone and hopes for the best. It never gives up.

All the gifts will eventually not be needed and pass away, but love will never die. Faith, hope, and love are eternal. 

Lord, may we seek to have faith, hope, and love. These are the very essence of who you are. May we become these things and use the gifts you have given us with love, hope and faith. 

 

Wed.’s Devo - Esther’s Faith -

Read: Esther 4:1-7:10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Psal 36:1-12; Proverbs 21:21-22

When Mordecai learned of the decree to kill all the Jews, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate though he was not allowed to enter in sackcloth. All the Jews that heard the decree mourned and fasted. 

Esther heard that Mordecai was in sackcloth and sent clothes for him to wear and find out why he was in mourning. Mordecai sent her a copy of the decree to kill the Jews and begged her to go and speak to the king about it. She sent back word to Mordecai that it might cost her her life to go to the king uninvited since he had not asked to see her in a month.

Mordecai sent back word that her life would not be saved if she didn’t and who knows if she hadn’t been brought into the kingdom for this very purpose.

When Esther heard this, she asked Mordecai to get all the Jews in Susa to join her in a fast for three days and then she would go see the king and if she died, she died.

After the three days of fasting, Esther stood before the king and he raised his scepter to accept her. He asked her what she wanted and she invited him and Haman to a banquet she had prepared. He accepted and brought Haman at once to her banquet. After they had eaten, the king asked Esther what she wanted and she told him she would tell him at the banquet she was preparing the next night.

Haman went home thrilled that he had been invited by the Queen to a private banquet, but his excitement was quelled when he saw Mordecai at the gate refusing to bow to Haman.

Haman boasted to his family and friends about his private invitation to the banquet and then his angst about Mordecai who refused to bow to him. They suggested he erect a 75 foot pole in his backyard and get permission from the king the next morning to hang Mordecai on it. Then he would be able to enjoy the next feast. Mordecai thought this was an excellent idea and had the pole erected.

That night, the king couldn’t sleep and had the records of his kingdom read to him. He read the part where Mordecai exposed the plot against his life. He asked what they had done to reward Mordecai and nothing had been done. So the next morning he was contemplating what to do for Mordecai, the Jew. This makes it clear that the king didn’t even realize he had sent out a decree to kill the Jews. Mordecai had kept the  nationality of the “people in his kingdom who deserved to die” a secret.

Ahasurus asked who was in the court that could help him and Mordecai was just walking in. He asked Mordecai what should be done to the one that the king wanting to honor. Mordecai thought he had to be talking about himself, so he said what he would want. Now we see that Mordecai’s hope was to become the next king. Haman told the king to let this man wear the robe of the king and ride on the king’s horse and let someone go before him and yell that this is what the king does for the one he honors. Ahasurus told him to do that for Mordecai. Haman had to obey and his plan to kill Mordecai was totally turned upside down. The curse became a blessing.

When Haman was finished humbling himself in front of the whole city and honoring the man he hated, he went home sick. He told his family and friends and they said that if he was fighting a man of Jewish origin, he would not succeed. They should have told him that before Haman wrote the decree.
Men came to get Haman to take him to the banquet. At the banquet this time when the king asked Esther what she wanted she told him. She explained the whole plot to kill her and her people and named Haman as the instigator. The king left the room to get someone to help him. When he came back he saw Haman pleading with Esther. He accused him of assaulting his wife and had he led away to his death. 

Ahasurus was told of the pole Haman had built to hang Mordecai on and had him impaled on it. The king’s wrath was abated but the decree still stood.

In Corinthians, Paul makes it clear that no one can speak under the power of God and curse Jesus and no one without the Holy Spirit can proclaim that Jesus is Lord.

Then he spoke of the different gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are different gifts, services and activities all given by God’s spirit. Everyone manifests God’s spirit for the good of the body. The gift of knowledge, wisdom, faith, healings, miracles, prophecies, and tongues are all given to individuals as the Lord wills. They are to work together like the parts of the human body work for the common good of the body. They are to work, rejoice, mourn and suffer as one. 

Lord, make us one. May we do our part in the body and receive humbly from one another. May we bear one another’s burdens with love and brotherhood. All glory to our head, Jesus.

Tues.’s Devo - The Story of Esther

Read: Esther 1:1-3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20

Ahasuerus was the king of Persia whose kingdom spanned from Ethiopia to India which was most of the known world. His capital was in Susa. In his third year of reigning, he brought his military to Susa to honor them with a feast and show them the vastness and opulence of his kingdom. This feast lasted for 180 days. He generously entertained them while his queen, Vashti had a feast for the women at the palace. 

On the seventh day of the feast, the king was drunk with wine and called his eunuchs to bring in Queen Vashti so that all his drunk friends could look at her because she was very beautiful. She was busy entertaining the women and refused to come. 

The king was enraged and embarrassed and asked his wise men what he should do about Vashti’s refusal. They said that when word got out what she had done and she had gotten away with it, then all the women in the kingdom would act the same way to their husbands. Something needed to be done to put these women in their place. They suggested that Vashti be put away and her position given to another. So, the king agreed and Vashti was exiled. 

Now, to find a replacement. The wise men came up with the idea of gathering all the beautiful women and letting the king choose his favorite. He agreed to this plan.

Meanwhile, there was a beautiful woman named Esther who had been one of the Jews exiled to Babylon from Judah. She was an orphan who had been taken in by her older cousin Mordecai. She was taken to the kingdom to be a contender for the queen. She was put in a year of beautifying treatments while Mordecai kept up with her daily. He told her not to let anyone know she was Jewish.

One day while waiting outside of the harem to see about Esther, Mordecai overheard a plot of two of the men who oversaw the safety of the king. They were mad at the king and were planning to kill him. Mordecai told Esther to get word to the king. She told her keeper what Mordecai had told her and it was investigated and found to be true. It was recorded with Mordecai getting the credit.

Ahasurus promoted Haman as his right hand man above all the other officials. At the king’s command, everyone was to bow to Haman, but Mordecai refused. Haman was told that Mordecai would not bow because he was a Jew. Haman sought to kill not only Mordecai, but all the Jews. 

When it came time to make the yearly calendar, Haman met with the king and they cast lots to see what to put on the calendar. Hamen told the king that there was a group of people in his kingdom that didn’t live by the king’s laws but had their own laws. It was not in the best interest of the king to let these people live. Haman would give out of his own treasury 10,000 talents of silver to get rid of those people. 10,000 talents of silver to get rid of those people. The king agreed and gave Haman his signet ring which gave him the authority to make this a law and gave him the money to carry it out. They cast lots and it  fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth  month to do this. That would be in exactly one year from the day the edict went out. It said that on that day the people of every prince had the right to kill, and destroy every Jew and take their possessions. 

The decree went out and the whole city of Susa was thrown into confusion while the king and Haman sat down to drink and eat. 

In Corinthians, Paul chastised them on how they were dishonoring their meeting for Communion or the Lord’s Supper. Instead of a holy remembrance of what Christ did, it had become a party where only those who go their first got to eat. They not only indulged themselves with food, but got drunk on the wine. This was so far from what it was like when Jesus spent his last meal with his disciples. Paul told them to eat at home first if they were hungry and come to communion to honor the Lord. 

Paul warned them that to take the Lord’s Supper vainly and improperly would cause sickness and death. They were to honor the Lord and one another. 

Lord, may we honor what you did on the cross so that we might have healing and life. Thank you for your Word. Thank you for the story of Esther which is one of the greatest stories of divine reversal. May we see things reverse in our nation as we stand for truth and for you.