Job 12
Job answers Zophar – the third friend verse 1
And Job answered and said
Job accuses “friends” of mocking him verse 2- 6
No doubt but you are the people
and wisdom shall die with you
BUT I have UNDERSTANDING as well as you
I am not INFERIOR to you
yea – who know not such things as these?
I am as one mocked of his neighbor – who calls upon God
and HE answers him – the just upright man is laughed to scorn
He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised
in the thought of him that is at ease
The tabernacles of robbers prosper
and they that provoke God are secure
into whose hand God brings abundantly
Job knows his trials come from the LORD verse 7- 12
BUT ask now the beasts – and they shall teach you
and the fowls of the air – and they shall tell you
OR speak to the earth – and it shall teach you
and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto you
Who knows not in all these that the hand of the LORD has wrought this?
In WHOSE hand is the soul of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind
Does not the ear try words? and the mouth taste HIS meat?
with the ANCIENT is wisdom
and in length of days understanding
Job describes power of the LORD verse 13- 21
With HIM is wisdom and strength
HE has counsel and understanding
BEHOLD – HE breaks down – and it cannot be built again
HE shuts up a man – and there can be no opening
BEHOLD – HE withholds the waters – and they dry up
ALSO HE sends them out – and they overturn the earth
With HIM is strength and wisdom – the deceived and the deceiver are HIS
HE leads counselors away spoiled – and makes the judges fools
HE looses the bond of kings – and girds their loins with a girdle
HE leads princes away spoiled – and overthrows the mighty
HE removes away the speech of the trusty
and takes away the understanding of the aged
Job states that the LORD gives light verse 22- 25
HE pours contempt upon princes
and weakens the strength of the mighty
HE discovers deep things out of darkness
and brings out to light the shadow of death
HE increases the nations
and destroys them
HE enlarges the nations
and straitens them again
HE takes away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth
and causes them to wander in a wilderness
where there is no way
they grope in the dark without light
and HE makes them to stagger like a drunken man
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 I am as one mocked of his neighbors, who calls upon God, and HE answers him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn. (7814 “mocked” [sachowq] means laughter stock, derision, sport, jest, or scorn)
DEVOTION: Have you ever been made fun of in front of a group of people because of something you did or said? Do you know of individuals who like to put down other people to make themselves look good? Have you ever been the object of a joke?
We find that Job thought of these “friends” as individuals who were his neighbors who are laughing at what has happened to Job. They think that the only thing they can do is make fun of him. Job doesn’t like this treatment and states it in the verse.
They are making him a laughingstock to those who are around him. They are telling him that they have God’s ear while he doesn’t. They are telling him that he is not a just man or an upright man in the sight of God or they are laughing at him because he is an upright man who is having hard times at present.
He thinks they are laughing at him because of his claim to an upright man. He is described by God to be an upright man as stated in yesterday’s devotional but he is presently going through a time of trial.
These “friends” seem to enjoy making fun of him and his thinking. This can happen to others today as well. There can be someone who is living for the LORD and going through a hard time but those around him that claim to know how God works think that he must have done something wrong for him to be going through his present trial. Genuine friends again are supposed to encourage their neighbors or friends who are going to through hard times. This should be true of believers but sometimes it is those who are not believers who are better at comforting those who are suffering. There are many believers who are looking for faults in a believer who is suffering rather than just encouraging them.
Job answers Zophar as well as his other “friends” in this way because of their attitude toward him. How would you deal with friends like these?
CHALLENGE: When we are going through trials we will have individuals who will act like these three men. Look to the LORD and HIS Word for encouragement.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the
thought of him that is at ease. (3940 “lamp” [lappid] means for
misfortune, contempt, cast aside, cease to give light, or torch
despised)
DEVOTION: Have you ever used the lighters that are for lighting grills or other things? They have a little bit of lighting fluid in them but they usually don’t light when you want them too. So you have to throw them out and buy or get another one. Once they are used up they are no good unless you buy one that is refillable.
In the days of Job there were torches that lit the way home for all those who traveled in the dark. This verse also gives reference to the lighting of God on Mount Sinai. Light is used to give direction for those who are in the dark.
The ones who are at “ease” are those who are home and don’t need their way lit up. Job’s “friends” didn’t need light or a touch because they were on the right path. Their conclusion was that Job was on the wrong path. Only those who are sinners have their feet slip.
Job was a sinner and therefore he was not in the light. Job points out that sometimes sinners are not judged right away. He gives the examples of thieves and robbers. Job was telling his “friends” that their view was not right. He was righteous but still going through this circumstance.
Some people seem to have a relatively easy life. This is not what the Christian life is all about. When the Bible promises suffering, it means it. Remember that the LORD causes us to grow through chastening or purging. Each of these hurt.
Some of those who think that they are Christian and have an easy life may not be true followers of the LORD. We can’t judge but sometimes they do. Job’s three “friends” fall into that category. If some of those receiving these devotions are going through a mountain top time, please pray for those who are going through the valley of the shadow of death.
People who have it easy find it easy to judge those who are going through hard times. Job’s “friends” are no exception. They had their health and wealth while Job had lost all of his.
Job reminded them that the LORD was still on the throne. He knew that the LORD was still in control even though he didn’t understand exactly why he was going through what he was going through.
CHALLENGE: Even strong believers have trouble understanding all that is happening in their lives. Those who are around them think they know what is going on and can come to wrong conclusions. Don’t be one of those!!!!
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: 10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath
of all mankind.(7307 “breath” [ruwach] means the air that is
inhaled and exhaled in respiration, vital spirit, sense, mind,
intellectual frame of mind)
DEVOTION: One of the facts that Job wants his three friends to know and understand is something that he says the animals in the world understand. It is the fact that God is in control of life and death for humans and all animals as well.
He wants them to understand that the animals can teach humans about God. They understand sometimes more than even humans do about HIS actions in the world. He is trying to convince these “friends” that they are not understanding what God is doing in his life.
Do we understand what God is doing in our life? Job didn’t fully understand what was happening but he knew that they didn’t have the answers he needed. They were not getting their counsel from the LORD but from another source.
God is called the Ancient of Days in the book of Daniel. Here HE is called the Ancient One who has wisdom. HE is the ONE who is in control of length of days. We need to depend on HIM for answers that correspond to HIS written word for what his happening in our lives as well as Job knew he had to depend on his relationship with the LORD in spite of what was presently happening to him.
Our lives are in the hands of the LORD and we need to trust HIM during good days and bad days. HE knows what we can handle and we are not going through all that Job had gone through in his life.
CHALLENGE: Our life will end when HE wants it to end and not a day sooner. So we have to say, “This is the day the LORD has made and we are going to rejoice in it!!”
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 20 HE removes away the speech of the trusty, and takes away the
understanding of the aged. (539 “trusty” [‘aman] means to prove
to be firm, reliable, faithful, permanent, to be worthy of trust
or belief, or to be certain)
DEVOTION: Job tells all that God is sovereign. HE is in control of all that his happening. HE is the one who has all the answers to what is going on in the world and in the life of every individual.
Job is telling these “friends” that God knows what is going on and the reason all that is happening is happening. HE is not surprised and HE has a reason for all that is going on even if the humans involved don’t know what is happening or the reason.
We need to understand that God is in control of everything that is happening and HE will end it when HE sees fit to end it.
Too often men think they are in control and God has to always prove them wrong. HE sometimes even makes those who are reliable not reliable. It makes for some interesting times in the life of Job and in our lives.
Once we understand these facts, we can face each day with the understanding that if it doesn’t make sense to us “that is OK.” The LORD will give us wisdom or an answer to what is happening in HIS good time.
Waiting on the LORD is one thing that Job was willing to do even when his “friends” seemed to have all the answers or they at least thought they had all the answers. We need to be willing to trust the LORD and wait for HIM to either give us an answer or tell us to continue to trust HIM.
CHALLENGE: When everything seems to heading in the wrong direction are we willing to wait on the LORD for the right answers to what is happening?
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: 24 He takes away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth,
and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is
no way (3820 “heart” [leb] means one’s inner self, inclination,
disposition, determination, courage, or volition)
DEVOTION: Job goes into an explanation of what he knows about how God works in the world. He wants his “friends” to understand that he understands that the LORD is in control of what is going on in the world. HE will only let it go so far and then HE will cause things to happen to stop what HE doesn’t like.
God has the power to take away those who think they don’t need HIM. HE does this later in history in the life of the king of Babylon who thought he didn’t need anyone and that he could put himself in place of God in this kingdom. God struck him with a time period of acting like an animal to prove to him that he was not in control. When the LORD allowed him to regain his senses, he praised the LORD as the one who was in control.
The LORD makes Job go through circumstances that prove the Job needed to understand that HE was in control of his life too and that Job still had other things to learn about how HE worked in the lives of those who were faithful to HIM.
Our understandings of the works of God always need more instruction. Too often we are like Job’s friends who think they know how God works and limit God to their thinking. Job even limited God in his thinking when he thought that God was abandoning him during his time of suffering.
He wanted to die but that was not God’s plan. He wanted God to end his suffering before HE was finished teaching Job a lesson. That was not going to happen. God’s timing is always perfect. At this present time Job was wandering in a wilderness or a land he had never been in before mentally.
God can put us through times like Job to teach us things. We have to agree with Job that God is in control of all that goes on in the world. HE has a plan and is working HIS plan.
CHALLENGE: HE allows Satan and his angels to influence our world for this time period but that will end when HE is ready for the return of HIS Son to reign.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Job calls upon God verse 4
God answers verse 4
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 4, 6
LORD – Jehovah (Personal, Covenant keeping) verse 9
Hand of the LORD verse 9, 10
Soul of every living thing
Breath of all mankind
Ancient verse 12
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Job verse 1
I have understanding
I am not inferior to you (three friends)
I am one mocked of his neighbor
Who calls upon God
The just upright man is laughed to scorn
Beasts teach
Fowls of air tell
Fishes of the sea declare
Tabernacles of robbers prosper verse 6
Provoke God
Ancient has wisdom and with length of day
Understanding, strength, counsel verse 12, 13
Kings verse 18
Princes verse 19, 21
Mighty verse 19, 21
Trusty verse 20
Aged verse 20
Nations verse 23
Chief of the people verse 24, 25
wander in the wilderness
grope in the dark without light
stagger like a drunken man
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Mocked verse 4
Laughed to scorn verse 4
Despise verse 5
Robbers verse 6
Provoke God verse 6
Deceiver verse 16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Wisdom verse 2, 12, 13, 16
Understanding verse 3, 12, 13
Just verse 4
Upright verse 4
Strength verse 13, 16
Counsel verse 13
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Shadow of death verse 22
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QUOTES regarding passage
12:4 “A laughingstock” (śĕḥōq) is what Job twice in this verse said his friends thought of him. Here was a man whose piety, righteousness, and blamelessness were known far and wide. The verb “called” is a participle and describes Job’s former close relationship with God, who would answer when Job prayed. This is what he missed the most (Job 13:22; 23:5; 30:20–21; 31:35). But now he was regarded by all as one whose secret sins had found him out; his honor had turned to derision and his fame to shame. It is easy and tempting to take joy in the demise of the rich and famous. (Alden, R. L. (1993). Job (Vol. 11, p. 150). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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12:4–6. God used to respond to Job’s prayers but now, even though he was still blameless (cf. 1:1, 8; 2:3; 9:21–22), God had let Job become a laughingstock. It seemed so unfair, Job observed, for men at ease (like the three advisers!) to have such an attitude toward his misfortune while the tents of the wicked were secure, despite what Eliphaz and Bildad had said (4:21; 8:22). To carry their god in their hands speaks of those who make and carry idols. Why should idolaters prosper while Job, a man of true piety, suffered? (Zuck, R. B. (1985). Job. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 733). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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In His sovereignty over people, no matter what their status, God is in control. Job’s argument is that all kinds of people experience difficulties in life because God can do what He pleases. He is no respecter of persons and is not impressed by a person’s rank, wealth, or social status. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (p. 49). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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12:4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.
As one mocked of his neighbour, Heb. I am a derision (the infinitive being put for a noun, as is usual both in the Hebrew and other languages) to my neighbour, i. e. to these three, who have pretended and would be thought to be my friends and neighbours; whom therefore such carriage doth very ill become. Instead of supporting and comforting me, they make a sport and scorn of me. Who calleth upon God, and he answereth him. This who belongs either, 1. To Job, who here declares his own practice in this case: When you mock me, I go to God with my complaints and prayers, and he hears me, though you will not. But this seems not to agree either with the context, or with other passages of Job; in which he constantly complains that God did not hear nor regard his prayers, nor pity and help him. Or, 2. To Job’s friends; and so this is either, 1. An aggravation of their crime, that they should mock him who made a great profession of religion, who used duly to call upon God, and to receive answers from him, and therefore should have carried themselves more piously, and charitably, and compassionately towards their miserable brother. Or, 3. As the reason of their mockage of Job, because God, who neglected Job’s prayers, heard theirs, and gave them those mercies for which they prayed; and therefore, being themselves well and at ease, they were hard-hearted towards their poor afflicted brother, as the manner of men is. This seems to suit you well with the following verse. Or, 4. As an argument against their scorning or slighting of him: God hears you when you pray, therefore you should turn your mocks of me into prayers for me; and you should pity me, whom God doth not hear when I pray; and as God hears you, so you should hear and comfort me, when I pour out my complaints to you. But these words may be brought in mimetically, as being some of their scoffing words: They say of me, Let him call upon God, and God will hear him; for so they had suggested to Job, chap. 5:8; 8:5, &c.; 11:13. But this, saith Job, I take for a piece of mockery, and insulting over my miseries; for I know by sad experience, and they see the contrary, that though I call and cry again and again, yet God hath no regard to me. The just, upright man is laughed to scorn, i.e. I, who, notwithstanding all their hard censures and reproaches, must and dare still own it, that through God’s grace I am a just and upright man, am derided by them. This he repeats again, because it was very grievous and burdensome to him. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, pp. 950–951). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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The simple stem of ṣāḥaq conveys the idea of laughter, whether in joy or incredulity. The stronger Piel stem connotes positively, play and sport, or negatively, mockery and derison. Ṣāḥaq reproduces Ugaritic ṣḥq “to laugh.” Of its thirteen biblical occurrences, one is in Jud and the rest are in the Pentateuch (eleven in Genesis). In documents of later periods, the verb used for “laughter” is śāḥaq. (Payne, J. B. (1999). 1905 צָחַק. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 763). Chicago: Moody Press.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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YOUR CHOICE
poem by Anne R. C. Neale
God gave us all free will that is true,
But every one of us will be judged spiritually by God,
What we do on earth will be in our Life’s Book,
Good things and bad things, your sins on earth’s sod,
All your free will -actions will be judged by God,
But God wants to see if you will repent your earthly sins,
If you repent your sins, then God will forgive you,
Remember God the Son died on the cross for your sins, Amen,.
If you do not repent, then God has no other choice,
But to send you to Satan’s Hell, that fiery place,
To spend an eternity with all other sinners,
Never to be released by His Holy Grace.
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Without conflict, there are no heroes. The hero and coward look alike until the battle begins. Then and only then, in the face of the challenge, is each one’s true character manifested.
In Jesus’ time, you do not expect heroes of the Christian faith to emerge from the ranks of the Pharisees. But Joseph of Arimathea defies the expectations.
This godly man risks wealth, reputation, and perhaps personal safety, when he asks for and receives the permission to take down Jesus’ body from the cross and lay it in his own tomb. (Quiet Walk)
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HE CROSS AND THE GRACE OF GOD
By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8
If you want to know God, if you want to know the everlasting and eternal God, this is the way, the only way: Look at the cross. Gaze on, meditate on, survey the wondrous cross. And then you will see something of Christ.
The first thing you will see is the grace of God. Grace is a great word in the Bible, the grace of God. It is most simply defined in these words; it is favor shown to people who do not deserve any favor at all. And the message of the Gospel is that any one of us is saved and put right for eternity solely and entirely by the grace of God, not by ourselves. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). My friend, is it not about time we all admitted it? Do what you like, you will never save yourself. You will never save yourself from the world, the flesh, or the devil; you will never save yourself from your own misery. Still less will you save yourself from the law of God and judgment and hell. You cannot do it. Men have tried it throughout the centuries. They have all admitted failure.
Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and thou alone.
Augustus M. Toplady
A Thought to Ponder: Do what you like, you will never save yourself. (Walking with God devotional by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Perfect Place
For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled.1 PETER 1:4, NLT
We all long for the perfect. The perfect home, perfect spouse, perfect body, perfect job, perfect church.
In 1976, our family moved from Dallas to Little Rock and bought a little yellow three-bedroom frame house with a porch and white shutters. It was far from perfect—more like filthy, musty and dusty. But after a good six months of remodeling, that house ended up being just fine for our little family of four. I remember my dad coming to visit us there on Ashley’s second birthday to help me put up some molding in her bedroom. We laughed about going to the hardware store to look for “quarter-inch putty” in hopes of filling the gap we’d left between the molding trim and the ceiling!
But after seven years and three more children, our cute little three-bedroom house was approaching the population density of Hong Kong. So in search of perfection, we moved west to the woods—just next to the edge of the earth, it seemed. It was good timing, too, because our youngest child, Laura, was
already en route before we packed up the boxes. It took us two and a half Ryder truckloads to make that move—everything from swing sets to wagons, stuffed animals and dolls, Barbara’s watercolors and my fishing and hunting gear. And even though it proved to be a great move for our family, this house hasn’t been perfect either, nor have the children, the neighbors, Barbara or me.
In fact, we’ve quit looking for perfect—either in houses or in each other. Instead, we’re learning by God’s grace to realize that He alone is perfect. And that the only perfect place we’ll ever live will be our last move, when we go to live with Him forever in heaven.
DISCUSS: Talk about how you envision heaven. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Acts 24:1- 27
Truth or Consequences was a television show that ran for years with a great deal of laughter and lighthearted comedy for and to the contestants. As the guests answered questions, they would have to face the consequences if they were wrong. Consequences are a part of our life as we make decisions but not all are funny or lighthearted.
Paul is in jail for the accusations brought against him by the Jews. For five days he sat in jail awaiting the arrival of Ananias, the high priest, and his entourage to present the indictments against Paul to Felix the governor. They also brought with them a skilled orator to present the case and cast Paul in a negative manner.
When Paul was enabled to speak, his version of the incident was more in depth. Paul’s main defense was that Jewish prosecutors were accusing him on both false and unfounded pretenses. He mentioned they had no witnesses, and if they did, they should be present to testify before Felix. The governor was knowledgeable of the Christian sect and adjourned the meeting and then later called Paul back to have him speak privately with he and his wife. Felix wanted to be paid a bribe so he could release Paul (v.26). This continued for two years.
Seemingly unfortunate, this led to Paul being hindered from traveling and proclaiming the gospel freely. The result was, Paul was forced to sit quietly, pray, meditate, and write to churches and individuals who had freedoms to speak and travel. The truth was not hindered even though the messenger was stationary and restricted.
There are times when we desire to move freely and spread the gospel but because of health issues, Covid restrictions, quarantines, and travel mandates, the freedoms we once enjoyed are limited. What will we do with the time we have that suddenly is freed up for us? Like Paul may we choose to use that time constructively with study, meditation, letters to loved ones or conversations with those we are quarantined with together. Do not let the consequences or restrictions hinder us from the work God has called us to accomplish for Him! With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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Acts 8
The stoning of Stephen initiates a wave of persecution, led by Saul.
INSIGHT
As the Jewish believers flee Jerusalem, Philip comes upon an Ethiopian dignitary who is struggling to understand the Scriptures. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asks. “How can I, unless someone guides me?” is the reply (vv. 30-31). We are God’s method to reach the world for Christ. The Lord could have resorted to skywriting, sending personal visions to all people, or sending angels. Instead, He chose men and women to reach other men and women. Our responsibility is simple: to manifest the character of Christ and proclaim His name wherever we go. The work is God´s, and He will use you if you will let Him. (Quiet Walk)
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PROPHECIES ABOUT CHRIST’S BIRTH
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2
Take a number of prophecies with regard to Christ’s birth. First of all we are told something with regard to the time of His appearance. In Malachi 3:1 the prophet says, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” That is very significant. Furthermore, you remember that in Micah 5:2 we are given an exact prophecy with regard to the place of His birth”that it was to be in Bethlehem. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” We are told that He was to be of the tribe of Judah and of the house of David in Jeremiah 23:5-6: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely,:and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Then in Isaiah 7:14 we are told that He is to be born of a virgin. The prophet is promising a sign, and a sign is obviously something unusual. If a virgin has a child, it is unusual, and it is a sign. We are specifically told in Matthew 1:22-23 that this verse in Isaiah was indeed a prophecy that our Lord would be born of a virgin.
A Thought to Ponder: We are given an exact prophecy with regard to the place of His birth. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 249-250, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Doctrine of the Few
“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people.” (Deuteronomy 7:7)
Modern people—even Christians—tend to measure success in terms of bigness. God’s measure, on the other hand, is based on quality, not quantity. There were undoubtedly millions of people on the earth, for example, when the Flood came in the days of Noah, but only “few, that is, eight souls were saved” as the waters lifted up the Ark (1 Peter 3:20).
A few centuries after the Flood, populations had again increased, and great nations developed in Egypt, Sumeria, and elsewhere. But God called one man, Abraham, to establish a new nation, and he obeyed. Many great nations (Arabs, etc.) came from Abraham, but again God chose only one, Israel, to inherit the promise. Israel did grow, but as our text shows, even this chosen nation was nearly always insignificant compared to other nations.
In Israel’s history, many instances are recorded when God used just a few to battle many. God used Gideon’s 300 men to defeat 135,000 Midianites (Judges 7:7; 8:10). Similar deliverances occurred in the days of David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and others.
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus told His disciples that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). He also said to them: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
God’s criterion is that of motivation rather than multiplication. “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). But those few will be faithful servants and will someday hear Him say: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant…enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Man of Prayer
Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17–18
My family remembers my Grandpa Dierking as a man of strong faith and prayer. But it wasn’t always so. My aunt recalls the first time her father announced to the family, “We’re going to start giving thanks to God before we eat.” His first prayer was far from eloquent, but Grandpa continued the practice of prayer for the next fifty years, praying often throughout each day. When he died, my husband gave my grandmother a “praying hands” plant, saying, “Grandpa was a man of prayer.” His decision to follow God and talk to Him each day changed him into a faithful servant of Christ.
The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. In Matthew 6:9–13, Jesus gave a pattern for prayer to His followers, teaching them to approach God with sincere praise for who He is. As we bring our requests to God, we trust Him to provide “our daily bread” (v. 11). As we confess our sins, we ask Him for forgiveness and for help to avoid temptation (vv. 12–13).
But we aren’t limited to praying the “Lord’s Prayer.” God wants us to pray “all kinds of prayers” on “all occasions” (Ephesians 6:18). Praying is vital for our spiritual growth, and it gives us the opportunity to be in continual conversation with Him every day (1 Thessalonians 5:17–18).
As we approach God with humble hearts that yearn to talk with Him, may He help us know and love Him better. (By Cindy Hess Kasper, Our Daily Bread)
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From the beginning, proponents of the sexual revolution have wrapped themselves in the mantle of science, especially social science. For example, in the 1950s, the “Kinsey Reports” helped normalize a range of sexual behaviors. They were also the source of the still-often-quoted “statistic” that 10 percent of people are same-sex oriented. Both that figure and the methodology behind Kinsey’s “research” has long ago been discredited. Still, that 10 percent number has stuck in many people’s heads.
A new wave of studies in recent years paints a rosy picture about the benefits of medical transitions for people with gender dysphoria. So much so that, as Paul Dirks recently wrote at Public Discourse, “lifelong experimental medicalization, sterilization, and complete removal of healthy body parts … is no longer a rarity. It is the recommended treatment for gender dysphoria.”
But what if these studies are like the Kinsey Reports? What if they reflect the bias and agendas of the authors rather than reality? Given what is at stake, this a vitally important question, especially since social science itself is in the midst of what’s called a “replication crisis.” In other words, when other researchers try to replicate the findings of studies in the social sciences, they often cannot. This failure of replication even includes studies that are regarded as canonical in some fields.
So how can we distinguish between solid research and what won’t withstand further scrutiny when it comes to the so-called “settled science” of gender transitioning? Paul Dirks’ Public Discourse article, “Transition as Treatment: The Best Studies Show the Worst Outcomes,” sums up the results of his deep-dive into the research.
Dirks defines “best studies” as those that have followed people who underwent medical transition for the longest period of time. “It is well recognized in the literature,” Dirks states, “that the year after medical [gender] transition is a ‘honeymoon period, which ‘does not represent a realistic picture of long-term sexual and psychological status.'”
Yet most of the popular gender transition studies are limited to just a few years following medical transitioning. Other studies that support medical transitions fail to follow up with as much as half of the original participants. That’s well beyond the threshold of reliability.
Many of the studies, Dirks states, are “fraught with … design problems,” such as “small sample sizes, short study lengths, and enormously high drop-out rates,” to name just three. The problem is so bad that one systematic review of the literature, “rated only two out of twenty-nine studies as high-quality.” (Break Point)
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With coronavirus ravaging many communities and more Americans dying every day from the virus; with the collapse of Afghanistan and the loss of that country to the Taliban; with a troubled economy and soaring national debt, it’s all a reminder that that there is no one who can fix the problems of this world except Almighty God. My hope is in Him and Him alone.
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6)
Franklin Graham
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Stephen is arrested for preaching the Gospel.
INSIGHT
The New Testament was written in times that, in many ways, seem barbaric to us. That respectable people would clamor for a crucifixion or incite a mob to riot or pick up stones and kill another man is difficult for us to imagine. Yet culture was different then. Today we do not kill a person to get rid of an unwanted message. Instead, we use other tactics. We can kill the message by making it look foolish or by discrediting the messenger. We even attack God Himself, declaring that He is dead or that He has no relevance to our era. But unless we accept the message of salvation that Stephen preached, we are as guilty before God as the ones who threw the stones. (Quiet Walk)
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