Tues.’s Devo - Bildad’s Last Statements

Read Job 25 & 26 Bildad has just a few more words to say before he bows out of the argument. God owns and created fear and dominion. He is All Powerful and no one can win against him. No one can escape him for he is Omnipresent and All-knowing. So who can be righteous next to him? Can a mortal man be pure and good? Even the moon has no light of its own and the stars are not pure to God. So how can a man think he is? Romans addresses this same question. In Romans 4 Paul explained that Moses was not justified because he was sinless but because of his faith in God. Our faith in Jesus covers our sins and makes us righteous. And since we have a compassionate High Priest, we are invited to come boldly before his throne to obtain mercy and grace. But, alas, Bildad didn’t have Jesus and he didn’t understand that his faith could make him justified like Moses. Job’s response is to ask Bildad how he has done anything in his own power. Even the dead are afraid of God. Those in Sheol which was the invisible world of the departed souls are not invisible to God. Hell, which is the lowest level of Sheol for the extremely wicked has no covering to God’s eyes. God took the quarter of the earth he called “north” and stretched it over empty space to create what we know as the northern part of the earth. He hung earth in the sky and made it stay. He holds water in clouds without it breaking the clouds. He made an end to the oceans with sand and ended the day with night. Even the pillars in heaven shake and are amazed when God is angry. (One commentator thought these pillars represented the mountains that seem to hold up the heavens.) God can divide the sea and bring down the proud. God illumined heaven with his spirit and formed “the crooked serpent” which probably refers to the constellation of the serpent. All this he described is only a small part of who God is and how powerful he is. Lord, reading Job makes me so thankful that I live in the age of grace and have the written Word to read. Thank you that the Word resides in us!

Mon.’s Devo - Job’s Complaint about the Wicked

Read Job 24 Job wants to know, if God can see everything, why doesn’t he punish the wicked? And, why does he allow such violence on the earth? The wicked do evil things during the night then in the light fear they will be recognized. They should have to pay for their evil deeds and not prosper. They should die and be forgotten. But according to what Job has observed, the wicked seem to be protected by God and made secure. They seem to get away with their sins till the end when they are finally humbled and die. I know that I have felt the same way Job feels. It does seem that the evil seem to breeze through enjoying their toys while the rest of us struggle. But then I hear the inside story to some of these fairy-tale lives and realize that they live in torment and disfunction and have no real peace or joy. Even if they do enjoy their lives, which is rare, they will spend eternity regretting those few short breaths of what we call a long life. We can’t understand eternity because we live in this bubble called time. But, God lives outside the bubble in a place called eternity which has no boundaries of time. We’ll understand that when we get there. One thing we know is sure….. judgment. We will all be judged and rewarded for our good deeds. I have a feeling these “good deeds” might be different than what we think as good deeds. I think they are going to be the small acts of kindness that we do to “the least of these” as Jesus put it. I wonder if all those hours we spend trying to do something for the Lord is not going to amount to wood, hay and stubble, and the small insignificant things don’t get us a jewel in our crown. Lord, give us your heart toward the poor, the fatherless and the widow.

Fri.’s Devo - Submitting to God

Read Job 23 How many times have I just wanted to sit down and talk to God and explain what I’m going through and ask him about it. This is exactly what Job is wanting to do. He knows that when he did that he would be strengthened, but, he can’t do that and he can’t seem to find where God is. He feels like God has hidden himself for him, but he knows that God knows where he is and when this trial is all over he will immerse with great wisdom. Job acknowledges that he has walked in the steps of God and followed his commandments. He realizes that God has ordered his steps and there is nothing he can do about it. Job stands in the fear of God because for some reason, God has allowed him to live. We are always telling people that God has a plan for their lives. It has gotten to be cliche but it is still true. There is a big picture where God is preparing an army of his followers to fight in these last days. When we get in out position and do what we are made to do then we stand united and nothing we do will be impossible. But, when we compare ourselves to others and feel slighted or less important then we fight against our own destiny. It doesn’t matter how insignificant we feel our job is….we are all important to the army. On a smaller scale, God does put the desires in our hearts to do our destiny. We have a function on the earth and it is God’s job to put us there. It is our job to let him. Just say “yes”. That is all God is waiting for. Lord, we say “yes” to whatever you want to do with us. We will go wherever and do whatever you say. We are your obedient soldiers.

Thurs.’s Devo - Does God Need Man?

Read Job 22 The book of Job is full of questions about God. Today’s question is given by Eliphaz. He asks if God needs man and if God finds pleasure in our righteousness. That is a good question. Eliphaz gets sarcastic and wants to know if God is afraid of Job or his judgment. Then Eliphaz starts condemning Job of robbing the poor, taking bribes, forsaking widow’s needs, neglecting the fatherless, and being clouded by fear and sin. He asks Job if he has forgotten that God is reigning from heaven and though we can’t see him because of the clouds, he can see everything we do. He says that Job has watched the prospering of the rich and missed the fact that God sees everything they do. The righteous understand judgment and laugh at the ungodly. The righteous will not be cut down in judgment. He admonishes Job to instead consider the path of the righteous and follow after him as his example. Then things will go good with him. Then he will have wisdom (gold) and silver (knowledge) and God will defend him. Then he will delight in God and be able to approach God. God will hear his prayers and he will have what he asks. His ways will be blessed. When he falls, God will lift him up if he is humble. He will be delivered by his righteousness. I love verse 28: “You will decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and the light shall shine upon you ways.” Lord, that is our prayer today, that we might establish some things that would cause your ways to be illuminated.

Wed.’s Devo - Job’s Rebuttal 7-3-13

Read Job 21 All of these arguments seem a little senseless to me but apparently this is what the sages did in their time. They voiced their thoughts hoping they would say something noteworthy. It’s Job’s turn and even though he is about to take the stage, he already knows that they will be forming a rebuttal. He calls their rebuttal mocking. He tries to explain that he is not complaining to man but to God so they don’t need to feel the need to answer. Job has a different view of the wicked. He sees them and their children prospering. He doesn’t see God’s hand mightily upon them. They party and enjoy their wealth and when they die, they die. They have no need of God and don’t want his dealings or help. They don’t do good and Job has nothing to do with their counsel. They die like grass and are blown away and pass on their sinful ways to their children. They will get their eternal reward. The wicked die just like the righteous: some die in the prime of life fully satisfied and others die poor and bitter. They all die and are buried. But the wicked will be judged one day and then he will reap what he sowed. What Job is trying to say is sometimes you can’t tell on the outside what is on the inside. In Matthew 13, Jesus told his disciples to let the tares grow up with the wheat lest you try to uproot the tares and get some wheat also. Then, in the harvest the harvesters (angels) will gather the tares first and burn them then the wheat will be gathered into God’s barns. Only God knows the heart of man and whose are truly his disciples. Our job is to live the truth so that they can’t point to us as their stumbling stone but as Jesus’ example. Lord, help us to be mature wheat that spreads your truth to all who see us.

Tues.’s Devo - Round Two for Zophar

Read Job 20 Zophar decides to take another stab at it. I guess it’s his turn. He claims to feel compelled to say something. He wants to talk about the wicked and the hypocrite. Since Job refuses to claim to be wicked, maybe Zophar can convince him he’s a hypocrite. He starts out by saying their life and their joy is short-lived. Job’s joy has certainly been cut off, but he IS still alive. Zophar explains that the wicked hypocrite is very powerful, then as fast as he is exalted, he falls. (Sounds like Job.) His life is like a vapor - here today, gone tomorrow. His children will be left to beg and pay back what their father stole. Even though he kept all the wicked things he wanted to say inside and didn’t say it. It will end up eating his insides up. His secret sins will be exposed as God causes him to vomit them up. Sin is sweet to the taste, but doesn’t settle well. Since he gets his riches dishonestly, it’s rewards will be like poison instead of a flow of blessings. He will see others blessed, but his wealth will be a curse to him because he has forsaken the poor and had no compassion on the oppressed. By stealing from the less fortunate he has lost his peace and he will not prosper like he supposed. He shall lose when he should have gained and he will have made many enemies and many creditors. When he sits down to enjoy his labors, God will judge him and they will be taken from him when he least expects it. He will be afraid for his life and always be on the run. He will be turned over to the devil who will torment him. He will feel overwhelmed and oppressed. His life will end in poverty and he will lose everything in the judgment. Zophar had no mercy when talking about the wicked hypocrite. What he said is true of the wicked, just not true about Job. Lord, let us walk in the fear of the Lord, but the freedom of Christ knowing that our end will not be same as the end of the wicked.

Mon.’s Devo - A Glimpse Into the Future

Read Job 19 Job pleads with his friends to stop tormenting him with their false accusations. Job realizes that God has done this to him. He has asked God why, and God is silent. God has humbled him and brought all this on him as if he was an enemy. Everyone on earth has abandoned him also. He’s not the same person to them and even my servants don’t obey him. His wife is repulsed by him and little kids talk against him. Everyone who once loved him, now despises him. Isn’t God’s persecution enough, Job asks. Why do his friends have to add to it? Then Job goes into prophecy. He wishes someone would write it down: One day the Redeemer will stand upon the earth. Even though this body I have now dies, I will have a new flesh and in it, I will see the Lord. Now, I am constrained by these natural eyes, but one day I will have new eyes to see God. Be sure, judgment is coming. Job saw ahead to another day when Jesus would come back this earth and we in our new bodies would rule and reign with him. Lord, in the midst of all we go through on this earth, let us keep eternity as our goal as Job did.