Job 7
Job tells Eliphaz life is a full of vanity verse 1- 5
Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth?
Are not his days also like the days of an hireling?
as a servant earnestly desires the shadow
as an hireling looks for the reward of his work
so am I made to possess months of vanity
and wearisome nights are appointed to me
When I lie down
I say
When shall I arise – and the night is gone?
and I am full of tossing to and fro
to the dawning of the day
My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust
my skin is broken – and become loathsome
Job states that life is short and death is final verse 6- 10
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
and are spent without hope
O remember that my life is wind
mine eye shall no more see good
The eye of him that has seen me shall see me no more
your eyes are upon me
and I am not – as the cloud is consumed
and vanished away
so he that goes down to the grave shall come up no more
he shall return no more to his house
neither shall his place know him any more
Job informs Eliphaz his visions are frightening verse 11- 16
THEREFORE
I will not refrain my mouth
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul
Am I a sea – or a whale
that you set a watch over me?
When I say
My bed shall comfort me
my couch shall ease my complaint
THEN you scare me with dreams
and terrifies me through visions
so that my soul choose strangling
and death rather than my life
I loathe it – I would not live always
let me alone – for my days are vanity
Job questions the LORD verse 17- 21
What is man – that YOU should magnify him?
and that YOU should set YOUR heart on him?
and that YOU should visit him every morning
and try him every moment?
How long will YOU not depart from me
nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?
I have sinned
What shall I do to YOU
O YOU PRESERVER of men?
Why have YOU set me as a mark against YOU
so that I am a burden to myself?
And why do YOU not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
for now shall I sleep in the dust
And YOU shall seek me in the morning – BUT I shall not be
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his
days also like the days of an hireling? (7916 “hireling” [sakiyr]
means day-laborer, a freeman of low class who works for another and likely does not own land, or mercenary)
DEVOTION: Job makes a simple but correct statement regarding life. It is a struggle at times, in fact, most of the time. From the time we are born until we die we have many challenges to face. Our parents are supposed to love us but sometimes that doesn’t happen. We have many children who are coming home to empty houses who have to fend for themselves. The parents are too busy to be there when they are needed.
School is not easy for some. Some children can handle the daily assignments without help but others need help to complete their work in the right way. If no one is there it is a struggle and means failure at a young age. If not failure it can mean frustration because they feel it would be good for someone to be around to at least praise them when they do good.
After completing school each child has to find out if they qualify for college or not. Most do not go to college and some don’t even complete high school and go into the work force or into something illegal that usually causes them to end up in jail at least once or twice.
Next comes adulthood with the responsibility of having children. Some take the responsibility like their parents. Some are good parents but there is a lot of work involved in being a good parent. Job gives us an example with his children. He was concerned with their personal relationship with the LORD. He was the family priest. He offered sacrifices for his children.
All of us are praying that our lives make a difference to our children. We want to honor the LORD. We want a pay day for our families. We want the LORD to bless us.
Job is saying that his life is a struggle just like the rest of us. He is confused by what is happening. He didn’t know what happened in heaven between Satan and the LORD. He is trying to make sense of what is happening in his life. We are doing the same usually. We don’t understand why something is happening but we know that the LORD is in control and we try to trust HIM.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t ask questions or state our feelings about our present circumstances to the LORD. Job did and didn’t feel guilty about doing it. If you have a question about what is happening in your life you can ask but then you need to wait on the LORD for an answer.
CHALLENGE: We have to accept that HE will answer in HIS timing and in HIS way.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. (8615 “hope” [tiqvah] means expectation, optimistic outlook, the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled, or looking forward to)
DEVOTION: We don’t know what design the LORD has for our life. It is said that we see the back side of a rug that is on a weaver’s shuttle. The front side is seen by the LORD. HE knows the design HE has for our life. We only see the back side that is full of strings that look disorganized. It looks like a mess but we are looking on the wrong side of what HE is doing in our life at times like Job right now.
He thinks that his time is short. He thinks that he is running out of thread. He thinks his life is going to end soon. The problem is that he is losing hope regarding what the LORD is doing at the present moment. His “friend” has accused him of being a sinner and that he needs to get his life right with the LORD before he dies.
He thinks that he has been faithful to the LORD but at present doesn’t understand why the LORD has treated him in such a way. He wants to die because of his present circumstances but he also wants to understand why all these things are happening to him. His life is a mess at the present moment and so his he.
We will or are presently experience times of doubt in our lives. We will have times when we wonder why things are happening the way they are because we think we don’t deserve them. However we need to remember that we deserve nothing from the LORD but because of HIS grace and mercy HE gives us blessings.
We are not earning our own rewards but because of what Christ did on the cross we have an opportunity to serve the LORD because of HIS mercy toward us through Christ. HE is going to give us rewards for our faithfulness. All this is based on HIS mercy toward us.
It is hard to understand all that takes place in our life. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all present in all of our lives. Yet, through it all we can see HIM work out the details. HE never leaves us without hope even when we feel hopeless. We are not to base our hope on our feelings. Job was doing this at the present because of his circumstances. He was wrong.
God has a reason for what we are going through at present. We might not understand but HE does. Trust HIM!!! We can question but not get to the point of feeling that we have NO HOPE. We might feel our time is short but the LORD knows how much time we have and HE never runs out of thread until HE wants to.
CHALLENGE: HE is still weaving a wonderful plan for our lives even during the hardest of times.
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: 11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish
of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. (4751
“bitterness” [mar, marah] means chafed, angry, discontented,
or sadness)
DEVOTION: Only the oldest of the three “friends” has spoken by saying that it is because of sin in the life of Job that all this has happened. He has claimed his innocence but they are not listening to him.
So he takes this thought to the LORD. He is praying to the LORD with no holds barred. He is telling the LORD how he feels regarding his “friends” and the treatment he is presently feeling.
He is being honest with the LORD and saying what is on his mind with respect. He opened his mouth out of his anguish over what is happening. He is complaining about what has happened not about the LORD. He is sticking to the point that his body, soul and spirit are involved in what is happening.
He expresses his discontent with his present circumstances. He is asking the LORD what is going on because these “friends” are making him angry.
When we are going through trials we need to look to Job as a example of what normally happens when the circumstances get to the point of not able to take from our perspective. However, we need to realize that the LORD knows exactly how much we can take and will not tempt us beyond what we are able to take. We might think it is more than we can take but that is not how the LORD works.
People might try to break us but that is not what the LORD wants to happen. HE wants us to come to HIM regularly with our questions regarding our present circumstances and then wait for HIM to answer. This might take time and usually we want it to happen yesterday but the LORD doesn’t answer us according to our timetable but according to HIS.
CHALLENGE: One of the lessons each trial is supposed to teach us is patience. Something most of us don’t want to learn.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 18 And that you should visit him every morning, and try him every
moment? (7281 “moment” [rega‘] means instant, flash, little
while, constantly, rest, suddenly.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever had so many problems hit at the same time that you didn’t even have time to catch your breath? Job had so many things happen in such a short time that he didn’t have time to catch his breath or in his day “swallow his spit.”
Job continues to express himself to Eliphaz and the LORD. The last chapter he told Eliphaz what he thought of his counsel. In this chapter he informs him that his counsel like someone looking for hope and not finding it. He was giving him no hope. He was scaring him with his vision from the LORD, if it was one.
He tells his “friends” that he understands life and its trials. However, sometimes the trials are more than he thinks he can take. He has anguish in his soul and bitterness in his heart.
He also informs them that he has not figured out how God works. He wishes to end his life. One thing he understands regarding God’s relationship to man is that HE tries him without notice or suddenly.
Job didn’t want the LORD to pay so much attention to him. He realized that God was watching him every instant. He didn’t want that much attention from God. Every instant he was tried. He had had enough.
Our temptations are real. Our temptations come every waking moment. God is there to help in EACH of the trials. HE is also there to forgive our failures.
Job asks a good question: “Why doest thou not pardon my transgression…?” We sometimes ask the same question when hard times come our way. We think that God has not forgiven our sins. The Bible says HE has. But when hard times come, we sometimes think that it is God judging us for our sins.
We don’t know what we have done but we ask God to forgive us, so that, the hard times will go away. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. God has a reason for each outcome. The LORD was not done with Job. HE is not done with us. Praise HIS name.
HE knows what is going to cause us to grow in HIM. HE knows what is happening in our lives constantly. HE knows our limit. Our responsibility is to continually keep in contact with HIM. Are some of us in the valley now? LOOK to Heaven for help!!! Don’t count on man alone.
CHALLENGE: Realize that the LORD wants us to state what we think honestly to HIM in prayer. Job did!! Then accept the fact that what you are going through is by Divine Appointment!
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: 20 I have sinned; what shall I do to YOU, O YOU preserver of men? Why have YOU set me as a mark against YOU, so that I am a burden to myself? (5341 “preserver” [natsar] means watchmen, keeper, guard, protect, or observer)
DEVOTION: God watches over all of the lives of all of the people in the world. Here is Job who is wondering what God is doing with him. He thought it would be just as good for the LORD to take his life than to spend time working on him to improve his life.
He felt like a mark or person that God was giving special attention to and wondered what he was under the cloud that the LORD had placed on his life. Why didn’t God just deal with this sinner fast and be done with it.
Most of us can relate to Job when we are going through a hard time and wonder what is going on and when it would end. We know that the LORD is working in the lives of those who are believers to help them mature in the faith. We know that HE wants us to serve HIM well.
Job thought he was serving the LORD well but all these things were happening and he just wanted it to end. He admitted he was a sinner and in need of judgment but it seemed like the LORD was taking too long to send the judgment especially if it was going to be death.
CHALLENGE: Do we sometimes wonder what God is doing in our lives? Would we rather that God just judge us and get it over with? We need to be patient with the LORD’S actions in our lives. HE also does it for our own good. Both judgment and patience are good.
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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’s prayer of anguish verse 17- 21
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)
Sets heart on man verse 17
Visit man verse 18
Try man every moment verse 18
Preserver of men verse 20
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- 21
Appointed time on earth verse 1
Servant verse 2
Hireling verse 2
Reward for work verse 2
Vanity verse 3, 16
Wearisome nights verse 3
Full of tossings verse 4
Life is wind verse 7
Grave verse 9
Spirit verse 11
Soul verse 11
Scared with dreams verse 14
Magnified verse 17
Visited by the LORD every morning verse 18
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Without hope verse 6
Complain verse 11, 13
Bitterness verse 11
Choosing death rather than life verse 15
Days are vanity verse 16
Sinned verse 20
Transgression verse 21
Iniquity verse 21
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hope verse 6
Comfort verse 13
Preserved verse 20
Pardon verse 21
Take away iniquity verse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Appointed time verse 1
Flesh is clothed with worms verse 5
Grave verse 9
Death verse 15
Sleep in the dust verse 21
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QUOTES regarding passage
He then focused on the brevity of life. Time was passing swiftly; so, if God were going to do anything, He had better hurry! Job’s life was like the weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6), moving swiftly with the thread running out. (The phrase “cut me off” in 6:9 means “to cut a weaving from the loom.” See Isa. 38:12.) Life is like a weaving, and only God can see the total pattern and when the work is finished. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (p. 32). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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7:6–8 Job’s choice of the word hope in the context of the weaver’s shuttle may convey a double meaning (11:18). The Hebrew word for hope sounds like the Hebrew word that means “thread” or “cord” (Josh. 2:18, 21). Not only did Job believe his days were without hope but that he had not even a thread of hope left. As if he were regarding a thread in a weaver’s shuttle, Job could not see the design that God had for his life through the suffering that he was experiencing. Though sometimes we may question the Lord as Job did, we must realize that the great Weaver has a design that we may not be able to see until He is finished with our lives. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Job 7:6–8). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
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6. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle. That is, they are short and few. He does not here refer so much to the rapidity with which they were passing away as to the fact that they would soon be gone, and that he was likely to be cut off without being permitted to enjoy the blessings of a long life; comp. Notes on Isa. 38:12. The weaver’s shuttle is the instrument by which the weaver inserts the filling in the woof. With us few things would furnish a more striking emblem of rapidity than the speed with which a weaver throws his shuttle from one side of the web to the other. It would seem that such was the fact among the ancients, though the precise manner in which they wove their cloth, is unknown. It was common to compare life with a web, which was filled up by the successive days. The ancient classic writers spoke of it as a web woven by the Fates. We can all feel the force of the comparison here used by Job, that the days which we live fly swift away. How rapidly is one after another added to the web of life! How soon will the whole web be filled up, and life be closed! A few more shoots of the shuttle and all will be over, and our life will be cut off, as the weaver removes one web from the loom to make way for another. How important to improve the fleeting moments, and to live as if we were soon to see the rapid shuttle flying for the last time!
And are spent without hope. Without hope of recovery, or of future happiness on earth. It does not mean that he had no hope of happiness in the world to come. But such were his trials here, and so entirely had his comforts been removed, that he had no prospect of again enjoying life. (Barnes, A. (1847). Notes on the Old Testament: Job (Vol. 1, pp. 186–187). London: Blackie & Son.)
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Job does not now ‘adorn’ ‘the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious’ (1 Pet. 3:4). But this does not mean that his opposite mood disqualifies his claim to godliness. ‘A calm and heavenly frame’ for ‘a closer walk with God’ is not the uniform standard for biblical religion. Hannah prayed with the incoherence of a drunken woman (1 Sam. 1:13). ‘Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears … and he was heard’ (Heb. 5:7). So Job makes his way to God with prayers that are sobs. Narrow and inhuman is the religion that bans weeping from the vocabulary of prayer. So Job, in his anguish, does not curb his speech, but breaks out into even greater vehemence. (Andersen, F. I. (1976). Job: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 14, p. 147). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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Job also saw his life as a breath or a cloud, here for a brief time and then gone forever, never to return (Job 7:7–10; James 4:14). God was treating him like a dangerous monster that had to be watched every minute (Job 7:11–12). No wonder Job was bitter against God for guarding him constantly. The fact that Job referred to Yam (“the sea”) and Tammin (“a whale”), two mythological characters, didn’t mean he was giving his approval to the teachings of the Eastern myths. He used these two well-known characters only to illustrate his point. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (p. 32). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will lcomplain in the bitterness of my soul.
Since my life is by the common condition of mankind so vain and short, and, when once lost, without all hopes of recovery, and withal extremely miserable, I will plead with God for pity and relief before I die; knowing that I must now speak, or else for ever after hold my peace, as to requests of this nature. I will not smother my bitter anguish within my own breast, which will make it intolerable, but I will give it vent, and ease myself by pouring forth complaints, and expostulating with my God, who, as I hope, will hear and help me one way or other. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, p. 939). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers)
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Let me call upon my own heart, while I call upon the Reader’s also, to make the necessary improvements from what this chapter of Job’s sufferings affords, as it may suit our own circumstances and situations in life. No man hath any cause to wonder at afflictions. Our life, as Job saith, at the best is but wind. A life, therefore, so much like the vapour, must be marked with vanity. And if the Lord marks this life with trial, it is because some blessed end, some gracious design is to be the result of it. And if we could but see the kind and gracious hand of Jesus in all, what a blessing would be in it. Here lies all the difference between the sufferings of one man and another. All men, more or less, are born to trial. For he that follows the world, as well as he that follows Jesus, must take up a cross: but while the one hath that cross lightened by Jesus, the other finds his the heavier for want of Jesus. My Brother! are these lines under the eye of a troubled soul? Do you feel sorrow? Do you see the hand of Jesus in that trouble? Are you prayerful under it? Are you humbled with it? Is it sanctified? Doth it lead you to the Lord, and not from the Lord? Put these questions close: see to it that the answers are what they should be. And mark this down as a circumstance never to be questioned or disputed; the trouble that leads the heart to God, never did, nor ever will, do any harm. And, on the contrary, the affliction that doth not accomplish this end, never did, nor ever will, do any good. Precious Jesus! make all my trials to bring about this grand and important purpose. Chuse thou for me, O my God; send what thou knowest to be most suited to thy glory, and my everlasting good. Lord! let not my way-ward fancy direct, out thy wisdom. Let the affliction be what thou seest proper. In what measure, to what extent, how long, and how lasting; sure I am, all will turn to my good, if Jesus be in it. Lead me, Lord, when my heart is at any time overwhelmed, to the Rock that is higher than I; and then, though in the world I may and shall have tribulation, yet in thee I shall have peace. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 31). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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V. Job’s resolution to give way to complaint. Occasioned by the consideration of his misery in the world, and his anticipated speedy, untimely, and irrevocable departure out of it (verse 11). “Therefore I will not refrain my mouth,” &c. Falls again into his former temptation. His spirit like a surging sea, quiet for a little, then heaving again its angry billows. His present resolution the worst thing he could do. Tended to a continually increasing strife with God. Satan doubtless now rejoiced in his apparent advantage. So far his scheme likely to succeed. Probably thought the next thing would be that Job would “curse God to his face.” Job preserved from this only by imparted and indwelling grace. Perilous to advance so near the brink of the precipice. Dangerous to indulge in bitter language in reference to our lot. Safest when God’s hand is on our back, to keep our hand on our mouth. David’s resolution in similar circumstances much wiser than Job’s (Ps. 39:1). Free utterance to excited feelings only adds fuel to the fire. Grace shutting the lips raises up a barrier to the tempest of the spirit. Passion acquires strength by indulgence and free expression. “Anguish of spirit” a very unsafe guide to speech. Only turbid streams likely to flow from a turbid fountain. (Robinson, T. (1892). Job (pp. 50–51). New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
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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 are many who respond by arguing, “I know lots of evangelical churches that would like to grow, and they do their best to get the crowds in. They want to grow and have contests to make their Sunday school larger.” That is true, but they are trying to get people to come and share their rut. They want people to help them celebrate the rote and finally join in the rot. Because the Holy Spirit is not given a chance to work in our services, nobody is repenting, nobody is seeking God, nobody is spending a day in quiet waiting on God with open Bible seeking to mend his or her ways. Nobody is doing it–
we just want more people. But more people for what? More people to come and repeat our dead services without feeling, without meaning, without wonder, without surprise? More people to join us in the bondage to the rote? For the most part, spiritual rigidity that
cannot bend is too weak to know just how weak it is. (A. W. Tozer, Rut, Rot or Revival: The Condition of the Church, p. 8-9)
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| Life and Immortality “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:10) Most of us have read or heard the passage in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57that directly challenges death and hell with the fact of the resurrected Christ and the promise of our own resurrection when He returns. There is no “sting” left in death and there is no law that overrides our salvation because our Lord Jesus has gained the victory. Long ago, the great man Job faced his detractors with the confidence that “in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26). The prophet Hosea, in the middle of difficult life demands and during a time of awful apostasy, heard the Lord promise those who were faithful, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction” (Hosea 13:14). The good news of the implementation of God’s eternal plan brought “life and immortality to light.” All during the millennia of the Old Testament, fulfillment of God’s actions were hinted at, through the sacrifices of the altar, and promised oftentimes in the utterances of the prophets. But when the Messiah became incarnate, “we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). The apostle John, whose gospel and letters consummate in the great Revelation disclosure, could say, “The life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us” (1 John 1:2). He who is life (John 11:25) promised, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research) _____________________________________________________ |
Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture Acts 22:22-29
Being a United States citizen is a wonderful privilege. Most Americans have not, or do not realize its worth. It usually is not until you travel overseas that you begin to acknowledge the worth of our citizenship. We are a people that often are looked upon as wealthy, elite and powerful. We are at times treated differently because we have a little booklet with an eagle on the front that is called our passport, stating we are citizens of this great nation.
Paul also was a citizen of Rome, a powerful nation of that time. That entitlement allowed him to exercise rights and have privileges extended to him which a non-citizen could not enjoy. Paul had spoken to the Jewish crowd in their own language and they had listened closely until he spoke of his Gentile connections. This led to a return of shouts and threats of murder as the general crowd joined their voices in drowning Paul’s words. The Roman Commander ordered scourging which was the normal practice of questioning for a common prisoner.
As the orders were given, Paul began to exercise his rights as a Roman citizen by asking a simple question of legal procedure, “Is it lawful?” Paul’s knowledge of Roman law assured him of a just investigation and recognized his scourging would not occur as his citizenship was revealed. The process of questioning was immediately stopped and restraint was exercised.
The benefit of citizenship resulted in different treatments for prisoners. No Roman citizen could be chained or beaten without an accusation and charge formally placed against them. A Roman was assured that the courts would fairly administer justice in a civilized manner. Paul being a citizen, expected that treatment.
As believers, we are citizens of Heaven and are regarded differently by God than the world. We become joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and acquire a position as a son or daughter of God. This offers believers distinguished rights and privileges. We have moved from the penalty of judgment and wrath to a promise of life eternal in heaven with Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)! May we come to understand and live in the security that comes with being a citizen of God through the salvation that we receive by trusting Jesus Christ! (With an Expectant Hope, by Pastor Miller)
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The theory of intelligent design is often dismissed as religion pretending to be science. Critics argue that the theory doesn’t make any predictions or contribute to our knowledge of the natural world, and plus, it’s not taken seriously in any peer-reviewed scientific journals. However, a new paper published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Theoretical Biology makes a strong case for the need for intelligent design.
The paper is called “On the waiting time until coordinated mutations get fixed in regulatory sequences.” If that title is all Greek to you, don’t worry; you’re in good company. This technical, math-intensive paper was written by intelligent design researchers Ola Hössjer, Günter Bechly, and Ann Gauger. As Casey Luskin explains at Evolution News, the project came out of the Discovery Institute’s ID 3.0 research initiative, which aims, in part, to test how plausible Darwinian evolution is on a mathematical level. And though it’s just a beginning, this paper’s conclusions should make die-hard Darwinists nervous.
Here’s the background. The fossil record has been a perpetual problem for Darwin’s theory ever since it was first published in 1859. Put simply, the fossil record doesn’t look like the theory predicts it should.
If, as Darwin proposed, all the diversity of life on earth developed through natural selection, sorting random variations over untold eons, living things should change very gradually. This means the record of evolution we find in rocks should look gradual, too. Invertebrates should turn slowly into fish, which should turn slowly into amphibians, which should turn slowly into reptiles and mammals, and so on.
What we actually find is the basis of what philosopher of science Stephen Meyer calls “Darwin’s doubt”: the fossil record consists of numerous “bursts” of biological diversity, such as the famous “Cambrian explosion,” in which new body plans and animal phyla appear in the fossil record seemingly without ancestors.
Evolutionary biologists have come up with several ways to explain away these sudden leaps in the history of life to reassure us of evolution’s power. The problem is that it’s difficult to test these explanations to determine whether evolution is up to the job of generating new life forms suddenly, rather than gradually. How fast is too fast for evolution?
This is the so-called “waiting time” problem. Traits like gills, wings, functional legs, and eyes don’t just appear as the result of one mutation. They require many mutations, often in regulatory regions of DNA before an organism gets any fitter. But as the necessary mutations pile up, the time required for evolution to occur increases, and does so exponentially. (BreakPoint)
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Zechariah 14
The day is coming when God will be the righteous King over all the earth.
INSIGHT
Haggai and Zechariah minister to the same people at the same time. Their goal is the same: to motivate the people to rebuild the temple. But their very different personalities show through the pages of Scripture. Haggai utters rebuke; Zechariah breathes encouragement. Haggai makes them feel that they ought to rebuild the temple. Zechariah makes them want to rebuild the temple. He reinforces God’s love and care for Israel and the certainty of the ultimate defeat of the enemies as they continue to obey God.
(Quiet Walk)
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THE COVENANT OF GRACE IN THE BIBLE
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Galatians 3:8
The third proof of there being only one covenant is that the Bible teaches very clearly that there is only one gospel; the gospel is the same in the Old Testament as it is the New Testament. Again, I am surprised when a preacher does not see it in the Old Testament, for if a man does not see it there, I doubt if he understands the gospel in the New Testament. Take the gospel that was preached by God in the Garden of Eden and also the promise made to Abraham; that is the essence of the gospel. Look at all the types and shadows; look at the various offerings described in Leviticus and elsewhere. Look even at the very furniture of the Tabernacle. All these things preach the gospel; they are types of the gospel and its message.
It is most important that we should grasp that whenever we read the Bible. Listen to the teaching of the prophets; look at the great passages in Isaiah and in Jeremiah, and indeed in all the prophetic books. The statements of the gospel are the same in both Testaments. Consider, too, the specific statements made by Paul in Galatians 3:8 where he speaks of God justifying the heathen through faith. He says, “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Surely this statement in and of itself is enough to show that there is only one gospel.
My fourth proof is that there are a number of direct statements that tell us that the Old Testament saints are now in the kingdom of God in exactly the same way as we are and share all the blessings of God with us. Take, for example, Luke 13:28.
A Thought to Ponder: The Old Testament saints are now in the kingdom of God in exactly the same way as we are. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 236-237)
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Showing the Way of Salvation
“The same [a demon-possessed servant girl] followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17)
Paul and Luke first witnessed to European unbelievers in Philippi and saw them wonderfully converted (v. 14), but a young “soothsayer” continually interrupted them, mocking and interfering. Paul cast out the controlling spirit of divination (v. 18), denying her owners their source of income. In retribution, they convinced the city leaders to have them brutally flogged and thrown into the innermost prison (v. 24).
But God had other plans. A mighty earthquake seemingly freed them, causing the jailer to prefer suicide rather than face capital charges for his “offense.” Paul intervened, and the jailer desperately pled, “What must I do to be saved?” (v. 30).
What would cause a Roman official in a decidedly pagan culture, who had heard little (if anything) of the truth, to abruptly turn to God for salvation? Certainly, the earthquake had captured his attention, as had Paul’s behavior through his trail and abuse, but what made him think the truth was with Paul? Why did he ask for salvation from an incarcerated prisoner?
Perhaps during the trial he had heard of the slave girl’s testimony. In our text she had exclaimed, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” Was this ringing testimony, given in derision but heard nonetheless, involved in his decision?
We can’t know for sure, but we do know that this was the introduction of the gospel to Europe. Surely God’s ultimate plan can be seen in the events at Philippi that day. Even the unknowing truth from a demonic soothsayer contained lasting truth. Christians should never hesitate to declare gospel truth, for God will not allow it to go unheeded (Isaiah 55:11). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Mercy and Grace
[Josiah] began to seek the God of his father David. 2 Chronicles 34:3
A stately sunflower stood on its own in the center of a lonely stretch of national highway, just a few feet from the fast lane. As I drove past, I wondered how it had grown there with no other sunflowers visible for miles. Only God could create a plant so hardy it could thrive so close to the roadway in the gray gravel lining the median. There it was, thriving, swaying gently in the breeze and cheerfully greeting travelers as they hurried by.
The Old Testament tells the story of a faithful king of Judah who also showed up unexpectedly. His father and grandfather had enthusiastically served other gods; but after Josiah had been in power for eight years, “while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David” (2 Chronicles 34:3). He sent workmen to “repair the temple of the Lord ” (v. 8), and as they did they discovered the Book of the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament; v. 14). God then inspired Josiah to lead the entire nation of Judah to return to the faith of their ancestors, and they served the Lord “as long as [Josiah] lived” (v. 33).
Our God is the master of unanticipated mercies. He’s able to cause great good to spring up unexpectedly out of the hard gravel of life’s most unfavorable circumstances. Watch Him closely. He may do it again today. (By James Banks, Our Daily Bread)
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