Job 19
Job answers Bildad again verse 1
The Job answered – and said
Job was insulted ten times verse 2- 6
How long will ye vex my soul – and break me in pieces with words?
these ten times have ye reproached me – you are not ashamed that
you make yourselves strange to me
and be it indeed that I have erred
mine error remains with myself
IF indeed you will magnify yourselves against me
and plead against me my reproach
know now that God hath overthrown me
and hath compassed me with HIS net
Job concerned with work of the LORD verse 7- 12
BEHOLD – I cry out of wrong – but I am not heard
I cry aloud – but there is no judgment
HE hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass
and HE hath set darkness in my path
HE hath stripped me of my glory
and taken the crown from my head
HE hath destroyed me on every side – and I am gone
and mine hope hath HE removed like a tree
HE hath also kindled HIS wrath against me
and HE counted me unto HIM as one of HIS enemies
HIS troops come together – and raise up their way against me
and encamp round about my tabernacle
Job rejected by family and friends verse 13- 20
HE hath put my brethren far from me
and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me
My kinsfolk have failed – my familiar friends have forgotten me
they that dwell in mine house and my maids
count me for a stranger – I am an ALIEN in their sight
I called my servant – and he gave me no answer
I entreated him with my mouth
My breath is strange to my wife
though I entreated for the children’s sake of mine own body
Yea – young children despised me – I arose
and they spoke against me
All my inward friends abhorred me
and they whom I loved are turned against me
My bone cleave to my skin and to my flesh
and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth
Job asks for mercy from “friends” verse 21- 22
Have pity upon me – have pity upon me – O my friends
for the hand of God hath touched me
Why do you persecute me as God – and are not satisfied with my flesh?
Job wants words remembered verse 23- 24
Oh that my words were now written
Oh that they were printed in a book
That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever
Job knows his eternity is sure verse 25- 27
For I KNOW that my REDEEMER lives
and that HE shall stand at the latter day upon the earth
and though after my skin worms destroy this body
yet in my flesh shall I see God
WHOM I shall see for myself – and mine eyes shall behold
and not another – though my reins be consumed within me
Job thinks his “friends” deserve judgment verse 28- 29
But ye should say – Why persecute we him
seeing the root of the matter is found in me?
Be you afraid of the sword
for wrath bring the punishments of the sword
that you may know there is a judgment
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 Know now that God hath overthrown me, and has compassed me with HIS net. (5362 “compassed” [naqaph] means surround, enclose, encircle, or engulf.)
DEVOTION: Job feels that the LORD had overthrown him with the “friends” he has allowed in his life to give him counsel. They have been anything but comforters. They have accused him of things that he had not done. He feels that he is not only surrounded by these “friends” but also by God Himself.
He knows that the LORD is in control of what is going on in this world and that nothing happens that HE doesn’t allow in the life of those who are HIS followers.
However, he thinks that it is too much for someone to bear. He feels trapped and doesn’t know how to get out of the trap. He wants to know of a way to escape from his present circumstances. He has stated that he would prefer death to what is presently going on in his life but it is not coming.
We can sometimes think that we are trapped for something we have not done but yet can’t seem to figure out how the LORD is going to work in that situation.
His friends don’t give him hope. He knows that it is God that is allowing it and we must know that anything that comes into our life is allowed by God for a reason. We sometimes don’t know the reason but HE has HIS reasoning and we have our reasoning which is not on the same scale as the LORD.
Waiting on the LORD is hard to do especially when we are going through a hard time. Yet we need to wait on HIM to give us direction. Being trapped in a present circumstance doesn’t make it easy for us to think these thoughts.
CHALLENGE: Whatever the LORD allows realize that HE can deliver us from our present circumstances. Our trust has to be in HIM even when we feel surrounded.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. (3045 “familiar friends” [yada] means a person you know well and regard with affection and trust, acquaintance, become acquainted with anyone, confidant, or persons closely associated.)
DEVOTION: There are people who are family. I have cousins and sisters and brothers that are close. I have aunts and uncles that I am close with or have been close with. These are my kinsfolks.
Now we find that Job has failed to have relatives that are close to him at this time. They seem to have all deserted him. His children are dead. His wife has told him to curse God and die. So his family are not helping during this time.
Now he mentions his “familiar” friends. These are people who he might have grown up with or grow close to because of the worship of the LORD. Anyway there were three that came to sit with him and try to help him. They were not very helpful but they were very judgmental.
Now he is talking about other friends that have not come to his aid during this time. He thinks everyone is against him. He thinks he is forgotten for the type of man he was and is. He is feeling alone during the roughest time in his life.
Have you ever felt this way during your lifetime? Most of us have? Sometimes we can feel lonely in a crowd. That is not what the LORD wants us to feel. HE wants us to know that HE will never leave us for forsake us. HE will judge us but in love. HE will be there when we call.
Even when we feel forgotten it is not true because the LORD never forgets HIS children. HE may allow us to feel this way for a time but then HE reminds us that HE is always there to help in times of trouble if we turn to him.
CHALLENGE: We need to learn from Job that the LORD is always there even when we don’t feel HIS presence in our lives. Trust HIM even during dark times in your life.
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: 18 Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spoke against me. (3988 “despised me” [ma’ac] means refuse, reject, abhor, loathsome, to look down on with contempt, trash, or disdain.)
DEVOTION: There was a time when older people were respected because of their age. This is the time period in which Job lived. Parents taught their children to respect those who were older than them. They were to honor their relatives and friends who came to the house for a visit. They were to make sure that they took care of the needs of older people.
Now Job was not only facing these three “friends” that were calling him a sinner and giving him no respect regarding his answers to their accusations but the young people who used to respect him seem to be giving him a hard time. They were not honoring him as he should be honored in their society.
We are presently living in an age where young people don’t show respect for those who are older than them. They have a tendency to not care for those who are their parents or grandparents. They don’t care to make sure that they are treating their neighbor’s property well. They seem to not honor them with their speech.
Our society needs to make sure that it doesn’t waste the knowledge that older people have regarding issues that matter to all of them. Looking for answers in all the wrong places seems to be happening today with not only our younger people but also with those who are older as well.
Selfishness is something that hurts not only the older people but also those who are younger and thinking of only themselves not only in their treatment of others but even in their treatment of themselves.
Are we turning our backs on those who have a wealth of knowledge but we are not willing to listen? The Bible tells us that children are to respect their parents.
CHALLENGE: The Bible tells us to listen to those who are older than us. Respect your elders!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 25 For I know that my redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. (1350 “redeemer” [ga’al] means to be the next of kin, deliver, ransom, or revenger.)
DEVOTION: Someone wrote me today and asked how much is enough. The individual is struggling with a relationship that has gone bad. It is hard for them to decide if they should end it or not. They wonder what God is doing. I told them that God has promised not to give us more than we can take in a given situation. I realize that sometimes it seems like the LORD has stretched us too much. That is our perspective.
Job tells his friends that their words were breaking him in pieces. All he hears from them is negative comments. He realizes that the LORD seems to have turned HIS back on him. His family has turned their backs on him. His friends have turned their backs on him. His servants have turned their backs on him. He is like an alien in his own home and with his personal acquaintances.
He asks God why HE is persecuting him. Job was in the midst of a garbage heap and his “friends” were putting him down. YET, in all this he knew that he had a relationship with the LORD. He knew that he was ransomed from sin and would have a place with the LORD for eternity. He expected to see his LORD after he died. He had hope for the future.
One thing this brings out is the fact that both Old Testament saints and New Testament saints need someone to ransom them from sin other than the blood of animals. Each realizes that the LORD is the one who provides the ultimate sacrifice. That sacrifice is HIS Son Jesus Christ.
The New Testament records the fact that individual who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Savior can KNOW that they have eternal life in heaven. Job had this knowledge.
When it seems like everyone and everything is against us, where do we turn? When we are down, do we have the same reaction to the trials the LORD has sent our way? Even when we don’t think we deserve it? In every circumstance we need to remember that OUR SAVIOR LIVES. AMEN!!! AMEN!!!
Remember that God promises that HE loves HIS children. HE promises to never leave them or forsake them. Don’t base your beliefs on feeling. Base your beliefs on the Word of God.
Remember the promise that the LORD will not send more than we can take in our life. HE wants to purge us of all of our bad habits. HE wants to make us more like HIS Son.
CHALLENGE: Share this truth with someone who is going through a very hard time at present. Be an encourager!!!! We are not the final judges of our family or friends.
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: 29 Be you afraid of the sword: for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment. (5771 “punishment” [‘avon] means guilt caused by sin, the act of inflicting punishment, depravity, a depraved action, a crime, or consequence)
DEVOTION: Warning is being sent by Job to his “friends” regarding their judgment of him. He wants them to know that there is a future coming when all will have to face the LORD and receive what HE knows should be our final outcome for eternity.
He is warning his “friends” that punishment is coming even while they are still alive and that eternity is also coming with their judgment. He seems to think that they are not thinking ahead regarding how they are treating him.
We need to think ahead when we are thinking of saying something that might be judgmental of others. We have to examine our lives regarding our relationship to the LORD and others. God wants us to make sure that we are treating others the way they should be treated. We have to answer to HIM both now and at the time of judgment.
Too often we don’t think before we act. These three “friends” seem to think they have all the answers but Job is informing them that they do not and that if their judgment is wrong regarding him and it is they will have to face the LORD for it.
We need to think before we say or do something that is going to hurt someone. If we are wrong and most of the time we are because we don’t have the facts right which is what is happening here because they didn’t know what had taken place in heaven before this all began in the life of Job.
Are we giving our family and friends the benefit of doubt regarding what is happening presently in their lives? Or are we accusing them without knowing all the facts?
CHALLENGE: The warning of Job is appropriate even today.
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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)
Writing in a book verse 23
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)
Cries out that he is wronged verse 7
Not heard by God verse 7
No judgement given verse 7
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 6, 21, 22, 26
HIS net verse 6
Wrath of God verse 11
HIS troops against Job verse 12
Hand of God verse 21
Sword of wrath verse 29
Judgment verse 29
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Redeemer verse 25
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- 29
Accuses friends of vexing his soul
Cries out that he has been wronged
Feels stripped of his glory
Crown taken from head
Destroyed on every side
Hope is removed
Counted as an enemy
Troops of God against him
Troops encamped his tabernacle
Brethren far from him
Forgotten by familiar friends
Counted a stranger by maids
Breath is strange to his wife
Young children despised him
Inward friends abhorred him
Those he loved turned against him
Asked for pity from friends
Wants words printed in book
Words graven with an iron pen and lead
in a rock forever
See God
Bildad verse 1
Friend who breaking his words in pieces
Three friends verse 2
Reproached Job ten times
Magnified themselves against Job
Enemy verse 11
Brethren verse 13
Acquaintance estranged verse 13
Kinfolks verse 14
Familiar friends verse 14
Maids verse 15
Stranger verse 15
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Vex someone’s soul verse 2
Reproach someone verse 3, 5
Erred verse 4
Magnify self verse 5
Despise someone verse 18
Abhor someone verse 19
Persecute someone verse 22
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hope verse 10
Brethren verse 13
Intreat for others verse 17
Redeemed verse 25
See God verse 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Redeemer lives and shall stand
at the latter day verse 25
Worms destroy body verse 26
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QUOTES regarding passage
Though Job believed God was against him, he knew that only God could vindicate his innocence. Job would die, but God lives on as his Defender, Protector, or Vindicator (gō’ēl, “a person who defended or avenged the cause of another, or who provided protection or legal aid for a close relative who could not do so for himself”; cf. Lev. 25:23-25, 47-55; Num. 35:19-27; Prov. 23:10-11; Jer. 50:34). (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Job 19:25). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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19:6 The condition expressed in v. 5 has its result in v. 6. Two important words tie the concluding verse of this section to earlier statements by Bildad. “Wronged” (ʿāwat) occurred twice in 8:3, where Bildad asked: “Does God perfect justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?” He would have said no, but Job here argued that God indeed had wronged him. By the term “net” (though not one of the six traps in 18:8–10) Job connected his predicament to that which befalls the wicked, according to Bildad. Only Job did not consider himself wicked, so what Bildad regarded as dynamistic retribution Job called divine injustice. (Alden, R. L. (1993). Job (Vol. 11, p. 200). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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6. Since many commentators say that Job openly accuses God of injustice, the meaning of this verse is crucial for discovering what Job really thinks. Although the hunting net mentioned here is not one of the items listed by Bildad in 18:8ff., Job picks up the image. It is not enough to say that the wicked is caught in his own trap. It is God who has ensnared Job. The verb translated put me in the wrong is the one Bildad used in 8:3 to ask, ‘Does God pervert judgment?’ It will be used later by Elihu to insist that God never does such a thing (34:12). Here Job says, ‘God has made me crooked.’ What he means by this must be explained by what he says about God in verses 7–12. It is not that God has ‘subverted’ (Pope) Job. Nor does Job accuse God of caprice, as Rowley claims (p. 167). The judge has not pronounced Job guilty; at this stage that is no more than an inference that the friends have made by applying their theories to Job’s experience. Job is still waiting to hear from God, and has maintained all along that, when God does speak (even if he has to wait until after death for that), he will declare Job innocent. It is not a miscarriage, but a denial, or at least a delay, of justice that Job has had to endure. Cf. 27:2. (Andersen, F. I. (1976). Job: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 14, pp. 206–207). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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He felt like an animal trapped (v. 6). Job saw himself caught in God’s net, not because of his sins but because God had trapped him. Bildad described six different kinds of traps that would catch a fleeing criminal (18:7–10), but Job did not put himself into that picture. He was not running away from God, nor was he guilty of sin. It was God who had suddenly caught him for reasons Job did not understand. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (p. 70). 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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NO FEAR
poem by Anne R. C. Neale
I am a Believer, My spirit and Soul are both filled with God’s presence,
I have learned to give all my problems and worries to Him,
With God in my life I have no fear,
As God will always take care of me, Amen.
Life’s problems, life’s worries, are minute in my life,
I still must work through them to get rid of them,
But I know God is working with me all night and all day,
God has the ultimate say and control always, Amen.
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The Ministry: Actually a Perilous Profession
… For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.… Revelation 12:10, 11
The clergyman is considered one of the best actuarial risks any insurance company can handle—from the standpoint of physical hazard.
Yet, the ministry is one of the most perilous of professions!
The devil hates the Spirit-filled minister with an intensity second only to that which he feels for Christ Himself. The source of this hatred is not difficult to discover. An effective, Christlike minister is a constant embarrassment to the devil, a threat to his dominion, a rebuttal of his best arguments and a dogged reminder of his coming overthrow. No wonder he hates him!
Satan knows that the downfall of a prophet of God is a strategic victory for him, so he rests not day or night devising hidden snares and deadfalls for the ministry. Perhaps a better figure would be the poison dart that only paralyzes its victim, for I think that Satan has little interest in killing the preacher outright.
An ineffective, half-alive minister is a better advertisement for hell than a good man dead!
So, the preacher’s dangers are likely to be spiritual rather than physical, though sometimes the enemy works through bodily weakness to get to the preacher’s soul!
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Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He often speaks in figures of speech. Sometimes the people understand what those sayings mean; sometimes they don’t. Jesus promises living water to the woman at the well, so she will never thirst. Her reply is: “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?” (John 4:11).And in John 6, Jesus speaks of Himself as a bread even better than the manna in the desert, for He gives eternal life to the whole world, rather than merely physical life to the Hebrews in the desert. Missing his point, his audience says hungrily, “Lord, give us this bread always” (v. 34).He later explains to His disciples, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Jesus reveals the truths behind the figures of speech to His followers. (Quiet Walk)
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The Christian’s Lifestyle: Our Behavior
“This I say . . . that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk.” (Ephesians 4:17)
This succinct command quickly is followed by a sweeping description of the impotent mind of the Gentiles of that day in contrast to the utterly changed condition of the believer (whether Jew or Gentile). The non-Christian Gentiles had a darkened perceptive ability, rendering them alienated because of the ignorance that was in them, and an overall blindness of their heart that was the root cause of their inability to function, even to feel, in the same way as the children of God (Ephesians 4:18-19; compare Romans 1:21-32; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
The saint of God, however, is told to discard the old man and to put on the new man (Ephesians 4:20-24), as though that simple picture of a powerful reality is adequate instruction to fulfill the earlier command. No longer is the child of God to be corrupted by the deceitful lusts of his or her old condition, but having learned Christ and been taught by Him is to be renewed in the spirit of their mind. A transformation is now possible through the new mental (intellectual, spiritual) abilities given to us by Christ (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:16).
The new man, which we are responsible to wear like a body-enveloping cloak, is created for us by the omniscient Creator in righteousness and true holiness. We have been given a specially created new man to wear (externally visible), which will show (exhibit, demonstrate, make clear) the spiritual difference between the Gentiles and the saints of God.
The 17 commands that follow (Ephesians 4:24-5:7) address every aspect of the Christian walk, all relating to a lifestyle of truth, giving specific contrast between the unbelieving Gentile and the saint. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man given. Be grateful. Conceit is self given. Be careful – John Wooden! (Thanks Vincent)
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We’ve been conditioned to think that only politicians can solve our problems. But at some point, maybe we will wake-up and recognize that it was the politicians who created our problems. – Ben Carson.
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THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. Luke 2:40
The Scriptures also teach about Christ’s humanity. Take, for instance, what you read in 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” He is described as “the man.” Notice–you cannot have read the Gospels without noticing–the frequency with which the term “the Son of man” is used about Him. It is used over eighty times! Now the Son of man, of course, is a very special term, and it has a very special significance.
Then the Scriptures make abundantly plain and clear that Christ had a typical human, physical nature. Take that statement in Hebrews 2:14, where we are told that because “the children are partakers of flesh and blood….he also himself likewise took part of the same.”
Another very striking bit of evidence under this heading is that He obviously looked like a man. Not only that, we also have evidence to prove that He looked like a typical Jew. You remember what we are told of the incident of the woman of Samaria meeting our Lord at the well, and how she expressed her astonishment that He should speak to her: “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?” (John 4:9). She had no idea who He was, but when He spoke to her, she at once recognized that He was a Jew.
Then, under this same heading of His physical frame, the Scriptures teach us that He still had this human body even after His resurrection. When He appeared to the disciples, when Thomas was present in the room and He was anxious to prove to Thomas that He was the same person, He said, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27).
A Thought to Ponder: Christ obviously looked like a man.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 271-272.)
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Evil Men
“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.” (Proverbs 24:19-20)
Many of us remember the horror of September 11, 2001. The United States had not been attacked on its continental soil since the Civil War, and the whole country stood glued to their TV sets in stunned agony at the evil atrocity of the terrorists’ hostility.
Loud and often have been the vows of retribution since then, but “wars and rumours of wars” continue unabated (Mark 13:7). Nothing (according to the Scriptures) will stop the hatred of evil men against that which represents the name and lifestyle of the Lord Jesus (John 15:18), but the vengeance belongs to God alone (Hebrews 10:30).
The challenge for most of us is that we forget that the Enemy is not merely this or that terrorist group (there have been countless such groups over the millennia), but “the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). If we are constantly in turmoil over the latest iteration of evil displayed in living color every day on our evening news, our souls will never gain peace.
It is the “joy of the LORD” that brings us strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It is the delight of being “rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate” (1 Timothy 6:18) that allows us to sense something of the unilateral love of the Lord Jesus. Seeking “the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” first (Matthew 6:33) is what brings our heavenly Father’s steadfast supply of all that we may need (Philippians 4:19).
Perhaps when evil days creep into our lives or our memory, we would do well to focus our “affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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