Job 15
Eliphaz tells Job his words deceive him verse 1- 6
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite
and said
Should a wise man utter vain knowledge
and fill his belly with the east wind?
Should he reason with unprofitable talk?
or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
Yea – you cast off fear – and restrain PRAYER before God
for your mouth utters your iniquity
and you choose the tongue of the crafty
your own mouth condemns thee – and not I
yea – your own lips testify against you
Eliphaz questions the wisdom of Job verse 7- 10
Are you the first man that was born?
or was you made before the hills?
Have you heard the secret of God?
and do you restrain wisdom to yourself?
What know you – that we know not?
What understand you – which is not in us?
with us are both the gray-headed and very aged men
much elder than your father
Eliphaz judges Job a sinner verse 11- 16
Are the consolations of God small with you?
Is there any secret thing with you?
Why does your heart carry you away?
and what do your eyes wink at
that you turn your spirit against God
and let such words go out of your mouth?
What is man – that he should be clean?
and he which is born of a woman – that he should be righteous?
BEHOLD – HE puts no trust in HIS saints
yea – the heavens are not clean in HIS sight
How much more abominable and filthy is man
which drinks iniquity like water?
Eliphaz wants Job to understand ancient wisdom verse 17- 19
I will show you – hear me – and that which I have seen I will declare
which wise men have told from their fathers
and have not hid it – unto whom alone the earth
was given and no stranger passed among them
Eliphaz informs Job of the fear of the wicked verse 20- 27
The wicked man travails with pain all his days
and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor
a dreadful sound is in his ears – in prosperity
the destroyer shall come upon him
He believes not that he shall return out of darkness
and he is waited for the sword
He wanders abroad for bread – saying – Where is it?
he knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand
trouble and anguish shall make him afraid
they shall prevail against him
as a king ready to the battle
for he stretches out his hand against God
and strengthens himself against the Almighty
He runs upon him – even on his neck – upon the thick bosses of
his bucklers – BECAUSE he covers his face with his fatness
and makes collops of fat on his flanks
Eliphaz says the wealth of the wicked will not last verse 28- 29
He dwells in desolate cities – and in houses which no man inhabits
which are ready to become heaps
He shall not be rich – neither shall his substance continue
neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof on the earth
Eliphaz explains that the wicked live in darkness verse 30- 35
He shall not depart out of darkness – the flame shall dry up his branches
and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away
Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity
for vanity shall be his recompense
it shall be accomplished before his time
and his branch shall not be green
He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine
and shall cast off his flower as the olive
for the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate
and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery
they conceive mischief – and bring forth vanity
and their belly prepares deceit
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with
the east wind? (2450 “wise” [chakam] means cunning, subtil,
trusted guide and advisor, learned, prudent, clever,
experienced, intelligent, or sage)
DEVOTION: This is the second speech of one of Job’s “friends.” He starts out by saying that he doesn’t understand how someone who is learned can be full of hot air. He is calling him a windbag.
There are people who talk to hear themselves talk. They say nothing that is worth anything but they keep talking as if they know something. Here is one of Job’s “friends” calling him learned but then at the same time calling him just full of wind with no contain to his answers to their advise.
We all have met people who like to hear themselves speak but never say anything worthwhile. They add nothing to the conversation. However, we also know of individual who are trusted guides and advisors that some people are not willing to listen to because they think they know more than them.
Here is an example of this happening in the life of Job. These three individuals think they know the reason for Job’s troubles but the really don’t understand what is really going on and they keep accusing him of not accepting the fact that he is a sinner and because of his sin he is facing the judgment of God. They are wrong but they will not give Job a chance to explain what is going on because he is also confused by what his happening but he knows that it is not because of sin that he is experiencing this event in his life.
We are going to have “friends” who will call us windbags when we try to explain some of the things that LORD has allowed in our lives. The LORD knows what is going on in each of HIS children. HE doesn’t have to explain to us if HE doesn’t want to because we find that HE confronts Job later in the book with the fact that HE doesn’t have to explain what HE allows in his life.
We need to just trust the LORD not only in good times but also in times of trials and learn from those trials to help others as they might experience the same trials in their life. Also we need to realize that even when we are living for the LORD people will be just like Job’s “friends” and not understand why the LORD is challenging us in some manner that they can’t explain.
CHALLENGE: Expect those around you not to understand all is going on in your life. Look to the LORD for answers for what HE is allowing in your life with the understanding that HE might not explain right away or ever.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 Yea, you casts off fear, and restrains prayer before God. (7878
“prayer” [siyach] means to ponder, converse, utter, commune,
complain, declare, meditate, muse, speak, or talk with)
DEVOTION: This is the second speech of Eliphaz. Remember that all three “friends” believe in the theology of retribution which, means that God only blesses the righteous and sends judgment on sinners. Therefore if Job lost everything – he must be a sinner.
Eliphaz starts his second speech by saying that Job is just full of hot air. He is not saying anything that is worthwhile. In fact, he was causing others to doubt the importance of meditation.
Two characteristics of pure religion would be to fear God and meditate on HIS Word. In this verse Eliphaz is accusing Job of causing others to not want to put these disciplines into practice.
Eliphaz accuses Job of not fearing the LORD. He tells him that he hinders people from worshiping the LORD because of his lack of fear. He also tells him that all people need to fear the LORD. He informs him that he is not wise. He states that the three “friends” are older than him. They are as old as his father. He should respect their advice. He should stop talking and just listen. Each time he opens his mouth he is committing sin. He appears to think that he is as smart as God. His wisdom is contrary to God’s wisdom.
This is all coming from a “friend” of Job. Job’s “friend” is telling him that because of his words and actions he is causing people not to meditate or worship the LORD. He is stating that he is causing people to not fear God. He is telling Job that he doesn’t understand who God is. Then he compares Job to wicked men. He describes Job as abominable and filthy. He accused him of being part of a congregation of hypocrites. Again, this is from a “friend.”
Was Job really causing this to happen around him? Could one individual cause everyone around him to stop worshipping the LORD? If people are depending on one man to lead them closer to the LORD, they are looking in the wrong direction.
We need to realize that we cannot put any one man before the LORD. Every one of us is a sinner. Job never said he was not a sinner. He will say that he is a sinner but that the LORD has forgiven him. That is true of us once we become a follower of the LORD. We are to always look to the LORD for guidance. The LORD uses men and women to help us grow.
A problem arises when we look only to one man or one author to be our leader. We need to be well read and part of a group that listens to its leaders but also checks out what they say with the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Our prayer life will gives us the gift of discernment to help us understand who the true followers of the LORD are around us. Job understood his relationship to God – his “friends” did not. We know where we stand with God in our daily walk with HIM. Our speaking to God helps our relationship to stay strong. Have we talked with God today? Are we meditated on HIS Word daily? Are we doing more than just reading the devotionals each day? The LORD wants us to come to HIM in prayer every moment of each day. HE wants us to fellowship with HIM.
Remember to check out everyone that we listen to with the Word of God. Job’s “friends” were not doctrinally sound. Many leaders today are going into false teaching.
CHALLENGE: Check in with the Holy Spirit and ask HIM to give you the spirit of discernment when reading or listening to Bible teachers.
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: 10 With us are both the gray headed and very aged men, much elder than your father. (7867 “grayheaded” [siyb] means old, be hoary, an old person, be a gray or white color, as pertaining to having whit or gray-colored hair, with the associated meanings of old age and its physical weakness, and wisdom)
DEVOTION: Age doesn’t mean wisdom. Here we have a “friend” of Job explaining that there are individuals who are giving him advice that are older than his father. All the “friends” are old. They have years of experience that they think that can count on to help Job understand his problems.
So Eliphaz is saying that they know more than he does because they are older. This is not the case sometimes. There are many believers who say they were saved young and now are old and so they know more than those who are new believers.
The problem is that there are some people who have been in the church and not ever made a genuine commitment to the LORD so the Holy Spirit is not working in their life to give good advice to a new believer. There are also some who have been saved who have never matured in the faith and the Bible calls them baby Christians or carnal Christians. This can make up the majority in some churches.
So a new believer has to really go back to the Word of God and ask the LORD to have the Holy Spirit teach them what is going on in their life. Here we have Job who is an older believer who is questioning what is going on but has enough wisdom to know that he is not being judged for sin.
We know what is going on because we can read the whole book of Job and see the beginning and the end which none of these three men knew ahead of time. We are not to be one of those who think that we can’t even learn from new younger believers.
Gray hair doesn’t always mean that someone has wisdom.
CHALLENGE: We have to take all advice back to the LORD for guidance whither it is given by those who are old or young. Job might have been the youngest in the group.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 How much more abominable, and filthy is man, which drinks iniquity like water? (444 “filthy” [‘alach] means corrupt, to be or become lacking in integrity or uprightness, tainted, corrupted in a moral sense, or pertaining to being morally depraved and perverse)
DEVOTION: Eliphaz the Temanite doesn’t hold back his thought about why Job is going through what is happening in his life. He thinks that the only reason Job is going through what is happening to him is that he is not in a proper relationship with God and God is judging him for this.
It is so easy for those who are “friends” to look at what is happening in the life of someone else and think that it is because of some sins that were happening in his life. It couldn’t be that the LORD was just testing him to make him a stronger believer. Not all tests are because of sin in the life of a believer.
God sometimes tests HIS servants to make them become better servants. Sometimes even those who are close to the LORD are going to be tested to become better servants. It is what happens throughout the Bible.
We are all sinners but by the grace of God we can turn to HIM when HE allows testing to come our way and trust HIM to help us through the times of testing. HE promises never to give us more than we can take but for some of us it seems like it getting real close to the point in our lives.
We have to depend on the LORD to know what we can handle and to give us the strength as we are going through those times. Even when our “friends” know it is because of sin in our lives that needs to be confessed.
Christians can be so judgmental that they forget that the LORD is the one who is going to judge each of us for our actions. HE is going to judge those who judge us wrongly. HE is going to cause those who handle tribulation with blessing.
CHALLENGE: We need to make sure we turn to the LORD when things seem to be going in the wrong direction. HE will guide and support us!
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: 31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity; for vanity shall be his
recompense. (8545 “recompense” [tamuwrah] means
exchange, to commercial exchange of goods and services,
barter, trade, retribution, substitution, or transfer of
property)
DEVOTION: Vanity is one of the key words in the book of Ecclesiastes. Here we find that Eliphaz is warning Job not to trust in worthless things. If we trust in futile things instead of the LORD we are not heeding the warning of the Book of Ecclesiastes which is written by one of the wisest men in the world. We know that Jesus was wiser than Solomon but here we find a man saying the same thing that Solomon says in one of the books that was written by him.
There are a lot of destructive things we can count on instead of the LORD. We can count on money which can disappear as quickly as we try to collect it. We might count on our occupation but that can be taken from us by a simple firing by someone over us. We can trust in our possessions but it only takes a storm or fire or another natural disaster to take all of them away.
The warning of this “friend” is true. We are to trust only in the LORD and allow HIM to direct our paths of service to HIM. As we serve HIM, we will find that we can trust him over anything or anyone else. HE is the one we need to turn to for reward not only in this life but in the life to come.
HE has made some promises to HIS children and we can trust that HE will keep HIS promises. One of these promises is a home in heaven for eternity.
CHALLENGE: HE wants us to concentrate in storing our treasures in heaven not on this earth. Earthly treasures are futile!!!
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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)
Prayer 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, 8, 11, 13, 25
Secret of God verse 8
Consolations of God verse 11
Almighty verse 25
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)
Saints verse 15
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Eliphaz the Temanite (second speech) verse 1- 35
Tells Job he is uttering vain knowledge
Unprofitable talk
Job has cast off fear of the LORD
Restrained prayer before God
Tells Job he has the tongue of crafty
Job’s mouth condemns him
Thinks Job is the only one who has wisdom
Says he knows more because he is older than
Job’s father
Says Job has turned his spirit against God
Stranger verse 19
King verse 24
Congregation of hypocrites verse 34
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Vain knowledge verse 2
Unprofitable talk verse 3
Restrain prayer verse 4
Iniquity verse 5, 16
Tongue of the crafty verse 5
Against God verse 13, 25
Abominable verse 16
Filthy verse 16
Wicked verse 20
Oppressor verse 20
Trouble verse 24
Anguish verse 24
Against Almighty verse 25
Trust in vanity verse 31, 35
Congregation of hypocrites verse 34
Tabernacles of bribery verse 34
Mischief verse 35
Vanity verse 35
Deceit verse 35
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Wisdom verse 8
Understanding verse 9
Clean verse 14
Righteous verse 14
Saints verse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
If everybody believed as Job believed—that God does not always punish the wicked and reward the godly—then what motive would people have for obeying God? Religion would not be worth it! But this is the devil’s theology, the very thing that God was using Job to refute! If people serve God only for what they get out of it, then they are not serving God at all, they are only serving themselves by making God their servant. Their “religion” is only a pious system for promoting selfishness and not for glorifying God. (W.W. Wiersbe, Be Patient)
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15:31 In this verse also the author used twice a key word, šāwʾ (“worthless/nothing”). The NRSV renders it thus: “Let them not trust in emptiness, deceiving themselves; for emptiness will be their recompense.” The term does not refer to false gods but usually to “lies,” “false prophecies/visions,” or “vain hopes.” Eliphaz could have had Job’s occasional statements of hope in mind (13:15; 14:13–17) as he now urged him to abandon them. (Alden, R. L. (1993). Job (Vol. 11, p. 180). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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In vv.27–35 the caricature continues with a variety of figures—the fat, rich, wick ed man who finally gets what he deserves (vv.27–32). He is like a grapevine stripped before its fruit is ripe or an olive tree shedding its blossoms (v.33). As long as Eliphaz rejected the notion that the wicked prosper and its corollary that the innocent sometimes suffer, he would never have to wrestle over the disturbing mystery of how this fits with the justice of God. Eliphaz viewed man as either all good or all bad. He allowed no room for a good man to have doubts and struggles, and those who are bad Eliphaz wanted to reduce to zero.
In his query “What is man, that he could be pure?” (vv.14–16), Eliphaz’s view of man comes through clearly. There is nothing in his words that would lead one to the conclusion that God has any love for sinful human beings. Indeed, the deity Eliphaz worshiped was mechanical; he behaved like the laws of nature; so sinners could expect no mercy. The sinner always gets paid in full—trouble and darkness, terror and distress, the flame and the sword. God will see to it.
In describing such a fate, Eliphaz made sure that all the things that had happened to Job were included—fire consumes (vv.30, 34; cf. 1:16), marauders attack (v.21; cf. 1:17), possessions are taken away (v.29; cf. 1:17), and houses crumble (v.28; cf. 1:19). Although the modern reader often misses the point that these barbs are all directed at Job, we can be sure that Job himself felt their sting. (Smick, E. B. (1988). Job. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 929). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Eliphaz proceeded with his list: (7) The wealthy wicked will come to ruin, forced to live in ghost towns, abandoned houses, and crumbling residences. (8) The transgressor will lose his wealth, a cruel recall of Job’s privation (Job 1:13–17; cf. 20:12–26). (9) Darkness (cf. 15:22–23) overtakes him. (10) Fire will blight his crops. (11) He will vanish, being blown away by the hot anger of God’s breath. (12) A wicked person who trusts in worthless possessions will actually gain nothing. This supported Eliphaz’s contention that Job was trusting in his opulence, an accusation Job later firmly denied (31:24–25). (13) Though gaining nothing materially (15:31), the rebel will be paid (i.e., he will receive from God the deserved punishment for his sin). (14) Like a vine without grapes, and a dying olive tree, a reprobate dies prematurely, thus losing his hoped-for affluence and security. (15) Nor, said Eliphaz, will the godless (cf. 8:12–13) have children. (16) And an unjust person who accepts bribes, thereby favoring some and mistreating others, will have his tents burned (cf. the burning of Job’s possessions by “the fire of God,” 1:16; also cf. the trio’s references to tents, 4:21; 8:22; 18:15; 20:26). (17) Using the figure of conception and childbirth, he said that wicked people are characterized by trouble (‘āmāl; cf. comments on 3:10; 16:2), evil (’āwen, used before by Eliphaz in 4:8 and 5:6, “hardship”; and later in 22:15), and deceit.
By affirming that all these mishaps come to wicked people in this life, Eliphaz did not have all the facts. His attempt to jolt Job into repentance failed. (Zuck, R. B. (1985). Job. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 737–738). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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But in his closing words (vv. 34–35), Eliphaz gave the hardest blow of all: He called Job a hypocrite and a godless man, and he blamed him for the tragedies that had befallen him and his family. Job had secretly “conceived” sin, and now sin had given birth to suffering and death (James 1:14–15; Isa. 59:4; Ps. 7:14). “Their womb fashions deceit” is the NIV rendering of Job 15:35, and the word translated “womb” is the same as “belly” in verse 1. According to Eliphaz, if you x-rayed Job, all you would find would be hot air and sin! “Hypocrite” is a key word in the vocabulary of Job’s three friends. Bildad suggested that Job was a hypocrite (8:13), and both Zophar and Elihu will take up the theme (20:5; 34:30; 36:13). Of course, Job denied the accusation (13:16; 17:8; 27:8) and argued that neither God nor his friends could prove it true.
The problem with Eliphaz’s statement about the judgment of the wicked is that it is not always true in this life. Many wicked people go through life apparently happy and successful, while many godly people experience suffering and seeming failure. It is true that ultimately the wicked suffer and the godly are blessed; but, meanwhile, it often looks like the situation is reversed (Ps. 73; Jer. 12:1–4). Furthermore, God gives sunshine to the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45). He is long-suffering toward sinners (2 Peter 3:9) and waits for His goodness to lead them to repentance (Rom. 2:4; Luke 15:17–19).
The greatest judgment God could send to the wicked in this life would be to let them have their own way. “They have their reward” (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16). The only heaven the godless will know is the enjoyment they have on earth in this life, and God is willing for them to have it. The only suffering the godly will experience is in this life, for in heaven there will be no pain or tears. Furthermore, the suffering that God’s people experience now is working for them and will one day lead to glory (1 Peter 1:6–8; 5:10; 2 Cor. 4:16–18; Rom. 8:18). Eliphaz and his friends had the situation all confused. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (pp. 59–60). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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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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There is a pandemic that has lasted far longer than COVID. It’s also been more deadly. It’s more difficult to treat, and there’s no vaccine for it. Masks are ineffective in stopping it and may actually make it worse.
America’s pandemic of despair shows up most obviously in the mounting number of suicide and suicide attempts. According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide rates are higher today than at any other time since the Great Depression. Unless one takes into account just how different our world is today, it’s impossible to grasp what that data point really means. Today, we have emergency rooms, a much better knowledge of poison and poison control, better technologies, and emergency medications like NARCAN. These incredible, life-saving medical interventions mean that a large percentage of patients who attempt suicide survive. But adjusting for these medical advances, we are likely living through the worst suicide crisis in our nation’s history.
This is a crisis that is, at its root, fueled by despair. Hopelessness afflicts individuals and entire communities. Deeper than economic hardship or access to firearms and opioids, we have created, to borrow words from my friend Matthew Sleeth, “an unlivable society.” Loneliness and isolation are the norm, and they pre-existed this Coronavirus.
Matthew’s latest book is the most direct, helpful, and clarifying book for Christians on this topic of suicide. It’s called Hope Always: How to Be a Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide. In it, he combines his first-hand knowledge of America’s suicide crisis as an emergency room doctor with statistical insights, a biblical overview of the topic, and an incredible amount of wisdom. His conclusion is nothing less than a calling. When it comes to addressing this culture-wide pandemic, if not the church stepping up, who will?
Scripture, as Dr. Sleeth points out, says a great deal about suicide, and therefore has a huge role to play in preventing it. From the beginning, Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden to, in effect, kill themselves. Ever since, demons, both literal and figurative, have been whispering lies and words of despair into human ears.
Throughout the book, Sleeth threads an important needle. On the one hand, he argues against a materialistic view of suicide. Humans are, he argues, the only creatures that knowingly take our own lives. Thus, this terrible decision has an irreducible spiritual component. On the other hand, Sleeth warns Christians not to ignore the very real medical and mental health factors that drive people to self-harm.
By holding together, the material and moral sides of suicide, Sleeth addresses the issue from the best foundation available: who humans are as image-bearers of God. Thus, Sleeth makes clear why Christianity has proved to be the most powerful and effective response to those whispering demons that call us into the darkness. (Breakpoint)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Acts 25:1-12
I am amazed at times how some people can hold a grudge and not release it until they get even for a wrong or a mistake made toward them. I had a man once say, “vengeance is better served on ice, when a person has forgotten and thinks that everything is in the past, that is when I enjoy getting even!”
The Jews had been scheming and planning for two years how to get Paul in a position where they could complete the pact that they had made to have Paul murdered. An opportune time had been created when the governor was changed from Felix to Festus. The Jews immediately asked for a transfer from Caesarea to Jerusalem so that they can ambush Paul.
Human nature is consistent, and it does not matter whether a person is rich, poor, high ranking, or insignificant, at times we attempt to please others and make ourselves acceptable. That is exactly what Festus attempts when he inquires whether Paul would go and stand trial in Jerusalem. The difference between Paul and Festus is Paul understands the Jewish mindset of keeping a vow and Festus underestimates their resolve.
The only way Paul would receive a fair trial is in a Roman courtroom outside of the city of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. His Roman citizenship allowed for him to make the appeal to Caesar and Festus readily grants that right of appeal. Paul again is seeing the fulfillment of the promise made to him that he would bear witness of Christ in Rome (23:11). God keeps His word even when it requires moving the heart of a governor or preparing a legal precedent so that Paul could make appeals that would be granted!
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). We may question the role people assume or the dictates that are allowed to be made into law, but we also must rest in the knowledge that nothing surprises or is out of alignment with God’s sovereign plan. When nations crumble and cities melt under the heat of apparent injustice and seething anger rolls over a culture like a tsunami, God works in the storms of life.
In the busyness of the week, may we recognize God’s hand in the sweet moments of communion with Him as well as the difficult times of adversity. Like David, may we continually be reminded of the Spirit’s presence as it states in Psalm 55:22; “Cast our burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller (OH)
| Contact Info: Website: http://BereaBibleChurch.Org/ Email: Berea@BereaBibleChurch.Org |
Board Member of Small Church Ministries
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Acts 15
Paul begins his second missionary journey.
INSIGHT
Inherent within man is a tendency to want to work his way to heaven. Accepting a gift with gratitude does not seem to be enough; human beings want to do something to earn it. While Paul and Barnabas are at Antioch, some men come down from Judea and teach: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (v. 1). This issue grows into a major debate involving the leaders in Jerusalem, but in the final analysis, Peter’s argument wins out: “Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (v. 10). The council in Jerusalem then sends a letter to the Gentile churches encouraging their faith (Quiet Walk)
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CLAIMS OF DIVINITY
…the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father…. John 1:18
The Bible makes many claims to the effect that Christ is divine; it asserts and teaches His divinity or, still more accurately, His deity. The first evidence is that certain names are ascribed to Him, each of which clearly implies His deity. Here are some of them. He is described as the “Son of God” forty times; He is referred to as “his Son” (God’s Son); God refers to Him audibly as “my Son.” So there, in various forms, is that title “Son,” “Son of God.”
Then five times He is also referred to as the “only begotten Son of God.” You find it in John 1:18 (“…the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father”), and there are many others. A notable one is the Parable of the Wicked Husbandman, when God says, “They will reverence my son” (Matthew 21:37). The teaching there is perfectly clear–the words are uttered by our Lord Himself.
He is described in Revelation 1 as “the first and the last,” and in the same chapter as “the Alpha and Omega,” the beginning and the end. These are obviously terms of deity; there is nothing before the beginning and nothing after the end. Then Peter, preaching in Jerusalem–you will find it recorded in Acts 3:14–refers to Him as “the Holy One”: “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just.” Again, these are terms of deity.
Then He is actually referred to as “God.” Thomas says, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). He is also described as “Emmanuel…God with us” in Matthew 1:23; and there is a most remarkable statement in Titus 2:13 where He is referred to as our “great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” So there you have a number of names that are ascribed to Him, all of which are divine names
A Thought to Ponder
Certain names are ascribed to Him, each of which clearly implies His deity
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 266-267, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Complete in Christ
So you also are complete through your union with Christ. Colossians 2:10 nlt
In a popular film, an actor plays a success-driven sports agent whose marriage begins to crumble. Attempting to win back his wife, Dorothy, he looks into her eyes and says, “You complete me.” It’s a heart-warming message that echoes a tale in Greek philosophy. According to that myth, each of us is a “half” that must find our “other half” to become whole.
The belief that a romantic partner “completes” us is now part of popular culture. But is it true? I talk to many married couples who still feel incomplete because they haven’t been able to have children and others who’ve had kids but feel something else is missing. Ultimately, no human can fully complete us.
The apostle Paul gives another solution. “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ” (Colossians 2:9–10 nlt). Jesus doesn’t just forgive us and liberate us, He also completes us by bringing the life of God into our lives (vv. 13–15).
Marriage is good, but it can’t make us whole. Only Jesus can do that. Instead of expecting a person, career, or anything else to complete us, let’s accept God’s invitation to let His fullness fill our lives more and more.
By Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Bread)
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JOB KNEW
by Anne R. C. Neale
Our days are determined that we know
Job knew it too, that was so,
Job knew that God gave us our breath,
Job knew that God controls our death,
Job knew that our lives would have troubling times,
Job knew that our lives would not be always fine,
Job trusted God and knew He was in His hands,
Job knew that God had for him some plans,
Job loved God and had no fear of Him at all,
Job knew that God takes care of everyone’s Spirit and Soul,
You can read about Job in the Bible you see,
You can learn a lot from the Bible too you and me.
So be like Job and accept what God gives to you,
God is your Creator, and He deeply loves you too.
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| Indiana Adopts Law That Counts Unborn Children as Persons by Veronica Neffinger |
| The state of Indiana has adopted a new law that essentially grants personhood to unborn children. Relevant Magazine reports that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed a bill into law that allows suspects to be charged with murder if they harm a pregnant woman who then loses her unborn child. Pro-life supporters are championing this bill, as it acknowledges the personhood of unborn children. The law, however, does not apply to legally obtained abortions. The law also brings to mind the Old Testament passage which says: “Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process, they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely. If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life” (Exodus 21:22-23). This law was brought to the attention of the state’s lawmakers by a woman whose 11-months-pregnant daughter was shot and killed. The woman felt it was unjust that the killer could not be tried for the death of the unborn child as well as the death of her daughter. The law will go into effect in July 2018. __________________________________________________________________ |
Reject Favoritism
“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” (James 2:1)
Evidently the believers in the early church were much like us in that they tended to honor and favor wealthy individuals in their congregations. James commands them to reject such partiality and gives the reasons why.
The first reason is that God’s perspective is just the opposite. He favors the one of low rank. “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom?” (v. 5).
Next, we see that favoritism never impresses the rich—it always backfires. “Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?” (v. 6). Showing favoritism is not practical.
Then, note that the favored ones are probably least deserving. In fact, often “they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called” (v. 7). In doing so, they dishonor the Lord, in whose name we gather.
Finally, such favoritism is a violation of “the royal law,” that summary statement of God’s plan for our relationships: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (v. 8). If the law is kept, “ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin. . . . For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (vv. 8-10).
Peter had learned this lesson, first in a vision, and then in his miraculous ministry to the Gentiles. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).
As our text reveals, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and showing favoritism on any basis (not only riches, but color, education, ethnic, or national background, etc.) are not compatible. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Sol writes: Jesus is our priest. There are no more priests officiating by the people in front of God. That law has passed. It belonged to the people of God in the old testament as well as the sacrifices offered by them to cover their sins; offering first sacrifice for their own sin and then for those of the people, so as to be accepted in front of God, while waiting for the promised Messiah. The expected Redeemer. The perfect priest who did not have to offer sacrifices for his own sin because he never sinned. Christ is the perfect and eternal sacrifice. Offered once and for eternal life. He is the priest fit to have offered that sacrifice and as it was I accept in front of God, not to cover but to remove the sin of the world. He is the lamb of eternal God who takes away the sin of the world. He did the whole play. We don’t need human priests anymore. Come on. He is the only one qualified to intercede for us in front of God father. He listens to him. (Missionary to Mexico)
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