Sat.’s Devo - Elihu Speaks

Read: Job 31:1-33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 22:8-9

Job finishes his last statements and it is like he is going through a mental check list of sins he has refrained from. He has not lusted after a woman, walked in deceit, enticed another woman, or given his wife to other men. He has cared for the needs of his servants and listened to their complaints. He has given to the poor and helped the widow and the fatherless. He has not trusted in gold or his wealth. He has not rejoiced with his enemy fell into hard times. He has no secret sins but has lived in fear of the law. He has not taken anything he didn’t pay for. 

Job wants to know what crime he is accused of that all this has come upon him. Then he is finished talking.

A much younger man named Elihu had been present to hear all the words of Job and his three friends. When he realized they were through talking and none of them had come up with a solution that made Job take any responsibility for his plight, he sat there getting madder and madder. He finally spoke up. 

Elihu explained that he may be much younger than them, but it is God that causes a person to have understanding - not the amount of years they have lived. Since none of Job’s friends were able to get to Job, God will. Elihu was bursting to tell his mind because he believes he has the mind of God. 

Elihu repeats what Job has spoken and tells him that he feels God has counted Job as an enemy but he says this is wrong. God is not like man - he is greater. God doesn’t speak like man speaks. God speaks through our dreams and warns us of our sin. Angels and heavenly mediators deliver man from hell. God can renew man to his youth and restore his righteousness to him. God does this over and over for man. 

Elihu says he desires to justify Job and teach him wisdom. We will read the rest tomorrow. In the end, God doesn’t rebuke Elihu like he does the other three friends. 

In Corinthians, Paul says that they are his letter of recommendation because they are the fruit of his labor. That is what God calls us. We are his witnesses to the world. They should be able to watch our life and see God through us. God has given us his Spirit which is life. The word of God written on stone tablets was the law.  Moses came from the presence of God with his glory on him. It was so strong he had to veil his face. But, the glory of God that comes through Jesus is much more brighter and we carry that glory. 

When unbelievers read the law, the veil is still there, but the Spirit takes away the veil through believing in Christ. We can see and experience the glory of God in his Word. 

Lord, may your light shine through us today. May we be your glory on the earth that the veil may be lifted from many eyes and hearts. Let your kingdom come!

Fri.’s Devo - The Aroma of Christ

Read: Job 28:1-30:31; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 22:7

Job talks about all the precious gold, iron, copper, precious stones and bread that man has found and brought forth from the earth and yet he asks where he might find wisdom or understanding. None of those precious metals or stones can be compared to wisdom and understanding. Only God knows where they can be found. Everything he made was made with wisdom and understanding.  Job concludes that the fear of the  Lord - that is wisdom and to turn away from evil is understanding. 

Job reminisces to the time when he was esteemed by man and thought to have wisdom by his piers. People longed to hear his what he had to say and gave him preference when he came to town. Important men asked for his advice and listened to his wisdom. He was a blessing to others and the blessing of the Lord was on everything he did and had.

But not now. Now, they make fun of his tragedy and are repelled by his sickness. They have totally rejected him and they have no respect for him. He has lost everything. He cries to the Lord, but even he has rejected him. 

In Corinthians, Paul talks about trying to find Titus. He looked in Troas but when he didn’t find him there, he went to Macedonia. 

Paul thanks the Lord that he is able to spread the aroma of Christ everywhere he goes. The aroma of Christ is the knowledge of who he was and is and is to come. Paul says that we are all that aroma of Christ to those who are being saved and also to those who reject him. To the one who accepts Jesus, we are the aroma of life. To those who reject him we are the aroma of death. We take this aroma everywhere we go. 

Lord may we be your aroma and may we be people of integrity. May we bring life to those we meet today. Thank you that you have given us your light, your wisdom and your understanding.

Thurs.’s Devo - A Good Conscience

Read: Job 23:1-27:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11; Psalm 41;1-13; Proverbs 22:5-6

Eliphaz had spoken last and accused Job of all sorts of wrong doing. He had told him that if he repented of his sins God  would forgive him. 

Job responds to him saying that if he could meet with God and present his case he would be found innocent. Job searches for the Lord everywhere but can not find him. He laments all the things the wicked do that rebel against God. They do all their deeds in the night thinking God doesn’t see them. They rule for a while on earth safely, but then they die. 

Bildad argues the case that man can never be right before God. Man is no more than a worm.

Job confronts Bildad and asks him who he has helped that needed help. God is over the heavens, Sheol and the earth. No one and nothing is as powerful as him. But, Job contends that God has taken away his right. He stands on the fact that he is innocent and has done nothing to deserve his fate. 

The wicked heap up silver and fancy clothes, but the righteous will inherit it. 

In Corinthians, Paul also boasts of his righteousness. His testimony is that he has behaved with godly sincerity. He doesn’t live by man’s wisdom, but relies on the grace of God to lead him.

Paul explains that he planned to come and visit the church at Corinth on his way to Macedonia but God is the one who seals his plans. He decided not to come to them since the last visit caused them so much pain. His intent is to give them love, not pain. 

He is referring to the man who was having sex with his mother-in-law. Paul had told them to kick him out of the church until he repented. Paul is now hoping that they did this and the man has repented and stopped his sin and been restored back into the church. 

Lord, may we have the conscience of Job and Paul who lived their lives with no regrets. May our walk be blameless because we walk in your grace and love. May we forgive those who sin and repent and be comfort to those who suffer. May we remember all you have done for us and humbly help restore others. 

Wed.’s Devo - Comfort One Another

Read: Job 20:1-22:30; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 22:2-4

Zophar speaks up for the first time. After listening to everyone else’s comments he has some of his own. He starts out explaining that since the beginning of the world there have been wicked people on the earth but time has shown that their reign is short. They are here today and gone tomorrow. In the end they lose everything and die poor because they crushed the poor in their days of prosperity. 

Job speaks and says that his argument is not against man. He disagrees with Zophar and says that many times he has seen the  wicked live to be old and still be powerful and rich. They leave their inheritance to their children and die in peace. They rejected God and still got everything on earth. So what is the benefit of worshiping God when the rich and the poor, good and evil will all die one day? The benefit of fearing the Lord is that they will all be judged. Some of them are judged on earth and some are not judged until they die. 

Eliphaz answers Job and asked if a man can profit God. Does it make God happy when a man does right? Is not Job’s evil abundant? Then he accused Job of crushing the poor and the fatherless. He says that Job thinks God doesn’t see what he does in secret. 

He offers Job the solution. He must turn to God and remove the injustice from his ways, then God will forgive him and bless him. He says that Job’s pride will keep him from God, but if he is humble, God will delver him. 

They obviously did not believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

In the second letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he begins by blessing them with grace and peace. Job’s friends could stand to listen to Paul. Paul says that we are to comfort those going through trials with the same comfort we received from God when we went through our trials. Comfort was not offered to Job. 

They were all suffering for believing in Christ so their stories helped to comfort others. His hope is that their trials would not shake them from their stand for Christ, but cause them to grow stronger. 

Paul reminds them of his near-death experience in Asia which made him rely on the Lord and not on himself. God delivered him and will deliver us also when we are in our trials. Paul thanked them for their prayers because prayer is effective.

Lord, may we use the trials we go through to comfort others. Thank you for all the people who have prayed for us in our hard times. We pray that you would strengthen the whole body for the days ahead. May we find comfort in your presence.

Tues.’s Devo - Our Redeemer Lives!

Read: Job 16:1-19:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 22:1

Job called his friends miserable comforters and asks them why they have to keep on talking. He told them that if he was in their place he could have said the same thing to them and shamed them. But, all who could have witnessed on his behalf have deserted him. God has broken him down to total disgrace. It is obvious by his appearance that he is not strong and sickly. All his friends and acquaintances have abandoned him. 

In spite of all this, Job says that his witnesses are in heaven. They know he is innocent. One day he will die and not return.

In Job’s mind, his only adversary is God. He doesn’t seem to realize his real enemy and the cause of all this is not God, but Satan.  God has set Job up as his representative of a godly man before the heavenly host. Job couldn’t see that it was really an honor to be thought of so highly by God to be chosen as his champion on the earth. 

In Chapter 17, Job has his worse pity party yet. Then in Chapter 18 Bildad decides to add insult to injury and compare Job’s life to the wicked man. We get a good description of the consequences of the wicked but this is not who Job is.

Job answers and asks how much longer are they going to accuse him wrongly. He claims that God has put him in this trial and he is not coming to his rescue. He describes in detail how God has taken his life from him and given him bitterness in its place. 

But, in the end of his ranting he says that he knows that his Redeemer lives and will one day stand on the earth. When Job dies he knows he will see God.  One day everyone will face God’s judgment. 

In Corinthians, Paul directs them put something aside every week as an offering, just like he told the churches in Galatia to do. When he comes, Paul will collect their gifts and send it to the church in Jerusalem who were experiencing the worse of the famine and the persecution. They were invited to go with him to Jerusalem to present their gift. 

Paul plans to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, then come visit them in Corinth. 

Paul is sending Timothy and asks them to welcome him and honor him even though he is young. Apollos will come when he can. 

Paul encourages them to be watchful, stand firm in the faith and be strong. He tells them to let everything they do be done in love.  He recognizes the faithfulness of Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus who refreshed them. 

Paul sent them greetings from Aquila and Prisca and all the brothers there. He prays that God’s grace and love would be with them.

Lord, we pray for your grace and love to be with us and in us so that others may come to know you. You are our Redeemer who has come to bring your salvation to all the earth. May your kingdom come!  

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!