Job Simplified

WTW 2021
Job Simplified
A Working Summary

YHVH let satan rob Job, yet he did not sin. (1)
Then, YHVH let satan afflict Job.
Job lost everything except wife and life.
His wife said curse God and die.
Job did not so much as sin in anything he said.
Then, his friends came and sat with Job in silence for seven days. (2)

Job (3) – I wish I had never been born.

Eliphaz (4-5) – If you really fear God, just pray and He will forgive you.

Job (6-7) – The truth is, I know I am not being punished for any sin, but this suffering is almost unbearable.

Bildad (8) – Stop lying, Job!

Job (9-10) – God knows I’m not lying, but I’m suffering anyway. Why, God?

Zophar (11) – You claim to be a saint, but you are clearly still a sinner. Just stop sinning and things will improve. Do good, and you will be blessed.

Job (12-14) – Please, stop talking. You’re all wrong. God is sovereign. I just want to plead my case with Him. God, I would rather be in the grave.

Eliphaz (15) – Now you are speaking foolishness. What’s true is that the wicked are ultimately punished during their lives.

Job (16-17) – With friends like you all, who needs enemies? If you were in my shoes, I would at least comfort you. I have no comfort left except hoping for the grave. What I need is a Divine Attorney!

Bildad (18) – We are desperately trying to get you to listen to real wisdom. The simple truth is that the things which have happened to you only happen to the wicked.

Job (19) – Bounce off me and stick to you. Clearly, everyone including you has turned against me. The only thing left is my innocence itself. I know my Redeemer lives and in the end He will stand and the truth will be vindicated.

Zophar (20) – It is the wicked who get all these punishments.

Job (21) – This seems wrong, but this is the way things are: the wicked actually prosper and die in peace, and their children are left to suffer punishment for their parents. Why aren’t the wicked punished for their own wickedness instead?

Eliphaz (22) – You, Job, have been a very bad, bad man. Repent, and God will make you prosper.

Job (23-24) – I am confident in my innocence. If I could only find God, if I could get in touch with Him to make an appointment, I know it would go well. The wicked do eventually meet their end, and God gets the final say, but He also brings down every man and does what He pleases with everyone.

Bildad (25) – God is in heaven and man is on earth. God is so righteous even the moon and stars are impure by contrast, so man is like a maggot!

Job (26-31) – Job’s Magnum Opus

26 – God rules over everything from sheol to the highest heaven.

27 – No matter what man says, the end of the wicked is destruction.

28 – The fear of Yahweh is wisdom. Shunning evil is understanding.

29 – There is nothing equal to the favor of God in the life of the righteous.

30 – Oh the deep, deep…darkness of being forsaken by God.

31 – God, You know I have done nothing wrong. Why are You punishing me? Answer me!

The three men stopped answering Job because he was self-righteous.

Elihu (32-37) – Yahweh is sovereign. Only the wicked receive His punishment.

YHVH (38-41) – WHO (WHO) IS (IS) THIS (THIS) THAT (THAT) DARKENS (DARKENS) MY (MY) COUNCIL (COUNSEL)?

Job (42) –

YHVH rebuked E-Z, B-D & Z
Job prayed for his friends.
YHVH blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former.

Who’s Talking?

WTW 2021
5 November
Job 5

Who’s Talking?

“But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.”
Job 5:8

I have heard this brother preaching on TV. The name is E-Z. He’s on a well known Bible program. This theology sounds good.

But now we know it’s not even a matter of who is talking though that is the first thing we now think to check on opening chapter 5. Now it is a matter of what does God say about this. And he let’s talkers talk.

This chapter 5 prosperity message from E-Z is popular. It has over a million views, shares and likes! Get it together Job. This message works! You should be living your best life now!

We just need to be careful to filter through even more and only listen closely when…

Yahweh is the One Who’s Talking

And Books Were Opened

On Suicide

Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.”
Acts 1:24‭-‬25

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”
Luke 13:1‭-‬9

[Regarding what we know and what we do not know]

Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
John 3:11‭-‬13

You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
John 4:22

[What we know]

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1 Timothy 4:16

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
2 Peter 1:19

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
2 Timothy 1:8‭-‬12

Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Hebrews 6:7‭-‬12

Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:26‭-‬28

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
Revelation 5:1‭-‬12

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11‭-‬15

Just Wait

WTW 2021
30 October
Proverbs 30

Just Weight
Living Within Proper Bounds

Today’s proverb mentions vanity and lies. Let’s take a closer look at these words.

Vanity & Lies
(Shav u’davar kasav)

This is a poetic Hebrew rhyme

Remove from me
ShAV u’davar kaSAV

That which is VAIN
and words which are
DECEITFUL

The Hebrew word shav here is exactly the same word used in the commandment we know so well

Thou shalt not take the name of YHVH your God in VAIN

Here is an application of this quick word study…

Just this morning, I was talking with my dad, and (as we often do) we talked for a little bit about some Dutch words. In every language, there are meanings–not only words, but actually meanings themselves–which do not exist in other languages. In Dutch, there are a series of related words which define a spectrum of that human quality we know as courage. In Dutch, this range of words exposes a range of courage from extremely low to extremely high and everything in between so that a person can have a deficit of courage all the way up to normal courage and then all the way up to an unhealthy extreme overabundance of courage.

Another way to look at this can be seen in what we call false humility.

Some people who are very gifted and or skilled in a certain area are known to either sell themselves short or knowingly minimize their gift or skill. In the worst cases, this can actually be recognized as an extremely unhealthy and even disgustingly false humility. At the other high end of the spectrum, there are people who go far beyond their gifting or skill in severe arrogance, over confidence and braggadocio. Both extremes are repulsive and dangerous.

We, however are not to do this.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. Romans 12:3

Today’s proverb BT mentioned gives us this Hebrew phrase

Shav u’davar kasav

Let us avoid all extremes and this will keep us from being “ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of God’s Kingdom” when we are neither

deficient nor ‘too much’

Neither

on E nor spilling all over

Not

VAIN in our hearts nor
DECEITFUL in our words

Rather, let this be our prayer and our aim by God’s grace:

Hatripeni lehem khuqqi

Give us this day our daily bread (lehem)
(as in Beth-lehem: house of bread)

“Feed me with food convenient for me.”

B’shem Yeshua, amen
In Jesus’ name, amen

Hezekiah before Josiah

WYW 2021
29 October
Proverbs 29

We’re in Proverbs 29 today, finishing the Proverbs compiled by Hezekiah. Reflecting on the shining assessment of his life given in 2 Kings, we are also considering how Josiah seems to surpass Hezekiah. In looking more closely at Josiah, we just read this. This is the first time reading this since before our recent study of Topheth.

“He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek.” 2 Kings 23:10

Thirty Wise Sayings

WTW 2021
Solomon’s 30 Sayings
Proverbs 22:17 – 24:22

Saying 1
Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach. Proverbs 22:17

Saying Synopsis
Poverty, Anger, Debt, Boundaries, Skill, Gluttony, Riches, Stinginess, Discretion, More Boundaries, Listening, Parenting, Wise Heart, Zeal, More Gluttony, Progeny, Adulterous, Drunkenness, Violence, Favor, Victory, More Wisdom, Schemers, Champions, Honey, Righteous, Humility, Faith & Faithfulness

Saying 30
Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? Proverbs 24:21‭-‬22

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