January 10 - Job 24-28: Job's Friends Run Out of Ammunition

Today’s Reading: Job 24-28 The Message, English Standard Version

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Job continues, “Yes, there are evil people in the world and they do bad things. They think they are getting off scot-free, but God actually sees them. But why can’t we see God’s judgment coming?"
Bildad screams, “God is awesome! We are maggots in comparison!"
Job confusedly responds, “That’s true. But it doesn’t help us here."
Zophar is silent.
Job resumes, “I have been denied justice! The wicked will be swept away. God is sovereign! In God is all wisdom. Where can we have this wisdom? It comes from fearing the Lord."

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Job as a written narrative is beginning to break apart (Bildad’s short reply, Zophar’s silence). It mirrors the breakdown in the conversation going on. Even the book breaks down under the strain of the story.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Job asks why we are kept in the dark about God’s judgment.

Yesterday Job commented that the wicked do not see ruin and the righteous do not see vindication. Today, he continues this vein of thought. It’s a hard part of living a godly life. If God sees all that goes on, why don’t we have proof of that? As with other difficult questions in this book, there is no answer.

Bildad’s short attack and Zophar’s silence shows his friends are running out of ammunition.

They have tried everything they know to prove Job is getting his just desserts. Nothing has been successful.

"Fear-of-the-Lord – that’s Wisdom, and Insight means shunning evil" (28:28, The Message).

Respect of God and staying away from evil – recipe for a righteous life.

January 9 - Job 21-23: Job's Faith Sustains Him through Accusations

Today’s Reading: Job 21-23

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Job gives the most difficult aspect of following God. Yet he still trusts in His judgment.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Job complains, “Listen, friends, you can mock me later. Why does God allow some wicked to succeed? They live fancy lives then have fancy funerals. What you say is wrong."
Eliphaz retorts, “Are you trying to give God advice? Do you think because you are righteous God is punishing you? Let us tell of your sins. You are a rich man who persecutes the poor. Escape comes only if you change your ways!"
Job replies, “I won’t change my plea. I only wish I could find God. Then I would be able to appeal to him. But I cannot."

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Not all of the wicked perish. Not all righteous prosper.

This may be the most difficult part of following God. We know that God punishes those who do not obey him. But it is so hard to obey God when we know there are others who openly practice evil and get away scot-free. It’s not fair. It’s not just. There is no answer. But this book isn’t meant to give answers.

Eliphaz’s lists of sins against Job would make a list we use to judge businesspeople today.

Eliphaz calls Job a “first-class moral failure" (22:5, The Message). The list is quite extensive and not pleasant. They would also make a good list for us to judge businesses today. If they did such things we should punish them.

Job continues to suggest his salvation comes from a fair hearing with God.

Despite all of what Job has lost, despite Job’s wife turning on him, despite all his friends have accused him of, Job continues to believe this is a complete misunderstanding. He refuses to believe God is unjust and punishing him for crimes he did not commit. How awesome to see someone not give up on God. I only wish I had that faith!

January 8 - Job 17-20: Job Loses Patience with His Friends

Today’s Reading: Job 17-20

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Job’s answers are getting more and more curt and angry.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

The brunt of the situation hits Job: “Everyone has deserted me. Everyone I see mocks and shames me. Is my only hope a quick death?"
Bildad mocks, “Come on! We all know evil people lose everything! God does this so everyone will understand the punishment of evil."
Job exclaims, “How long are you going to do this horrible thing to me? You ignore me and tell me I’m the problem. Leave me alone and gaze at your own life."
Zophar replies, “Evil people do evil things and God takes away everything they have! Job—can’t you see this?"

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Job has changed his view of death.

Yesterday, Job welcomed death because it would mean God would soon take his sin far away. Today, death does not bring hope, but kills it.
How is this reconciled? It isn’t. That’s the deal with scriptures like these. It even leaves the reader in a state of disorientation. No easy answers.

Bildad inadvertently gives God’s rationale for having “elected" people.

And [evil people] leave empty-handed – not one single child – nothing to show for their life on this earth. Westerners are aghast at their fate, easterners are horrified: "Oh no! so this is what happens to perverse people. This is how the God-ignorant end up!" (18:19-21, The Message)

We will read later how God uses this same reasoning for punishing the Israelites, Judah and Israel.

Job begins to beg his friends to either show pity or leave.

His final salvo is similar to what I heard from my friends,

If you’re thinking, ‘How can we get through to him, get him to see that his trouble is all his own fault?’ Forget it. Start worrying about yourselves. Worry about your own sins and God’s coming judgment, for judgment is most certainly on the way. (19:28-29, The Message)

January 7 - Job 14-16: Job Longs for the Resurrection—Away from His "Comforters"

Today’s Reading: Job 14-16

The Message

English Standard Version

Congratulations! You have made it one week.

Today’s reading starts the cycle of Job’s friends making the same mistakes. This does not mean the passages are less important, but I do not want to bore you with the same observations day after day.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Job remarks on the resurrection. Take note—it’s worth a good look.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Job continues crying out to God, “Man’s life is only a few days and only sorrow! So kill me and get it over with! But you will come and rescue me in the resurrection! That’s when our sin will be removed forever."
Eliphaz replies, “Man’s life is short because they spend them on evil! Why are you going on and on like this?"
Job answers, “You windbags, stop trying to comfort me! I’m innocent and God is punishing me! Surely there is something in the world that can save me from this horrible fate!"

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Job expects his salvation to come either in this life or in the resurrection.

To Job, salvation is not limited to a clean conscience. Salvation means his sins and the punishments that come from them are thrown into the sea. This is why he begs God to kill him. He knows the end will only bring joy and reconciliation.

Eliphaz sounds like a “Negative Gospel" minister.

“Negative Gospel"—a term I have made up for ministers known for having negative views of everything and use all of their energy combating “false doctrines." Take this example, “They have sex with sin and give birth to evil. Their lives are wombs for breeding deceit." Ouch! I’m glad he’s not on the right side! God cannot make things right if we only focus on how man has perverted that plan.

January 6 - Job 10-13: Job's Friends Pervert Justice in God's Name

Today’s Reading: Job 10-13

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Job’s friends, in defending God, actually bring reproach on God’s justice.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Job cries out to God, “Speak to me! What is my sin? You wonderfully created me! Yet if I sinned you would greatly punish me! What is my sin?"
Zophar interjects, “Who do you think you are? If God answered, you would be babbling in the ditch. Give up and repent of you evil."
Job mocks, “I’m sure you speak for all the experts, and when you die there’ll be no one left to tell us how to live" (12:2, The Message). I know how wonderful God is. Why do you defend God this way? Does he need you to defend himself?"

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Job never accuses God of perverting justice.

Job continues to call out to God to bring charges against him. He accepts his fate though he still does not understand why it has come.

Zophar wrongly accuses Job of hiding his sin and being too stubborn to admit it.

This situation feels unsettlingly familiar to me. There have been several times I have tried to convince someone they are a sinner. Why would I do such a thing? If they cannot see where they have sinned, maybe they are correct. If I continue to press someone's sinfulness I may be perverting justice in the name of God. This is important for all Christians to understand. We do not need to defend God. God is the Creator of the universe, remember.

Job firmly derides his friends for perverting justice in God’s name.

Job’s friends do not understand what is going on. They continuously stress Job’s guilt using higher and higher theological language. Job has no other option but to mock their arrogance. It reminds me of how many non-Christians mock Christian’s arrogance on what is “obviously black and white." If things were so black and white, why do Christians need to use highly-complicated theology to get there?

January 5 - Job 6-9: Job's Finds No Relief from His Woes - Or His Friends' Correction

Today’s Reading: Job 6-9 The Message, English Standard Version

This is one of those days reading The Message pays off. If you can, I would definitely suggest reading from it today (click on the link above if you do not have one handy).

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Job does not accuse God of wrongdoing. On the contrary, he continuously praises God for being just.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Job answers Eliphaz, “My misery is too great to be silent!" He calls out to God to end his suffering by killing him. “I have nowhere to hide! Your punishment is coming from all directions and even in my dreams! I don’t know what I did wrong!"
Bildad answered, “What is this jabbering? God doesn’t make mistakes. He only punishes those who are evil."
Job cries, “Yes! I know! He is awesome! But I still don’t know what I did! I feel incapable of making a defense because who could be the judge in my trial? No one but God!"

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Job defies his friends and continues to call out to God for an answer.

Eliphaz basically tells Job to be quiet because God is too awesome to complain to. Bildad tells Job he must be mistaken because God does not make mistakes. However, Job’s grief is too great to be muzzled. He must make sure God knows of his grief.

Job asks God to forgive his sins—even though he does not know what they are.

This is a gut-wrenching section of scripture. Job is on the brink of madness because he cannot understand why God would reject him. Yet never does he question God’s righteousness. He is humble even to the point of asking for forgiveness from sins he does not even know he has.

Once again, Job’s friends are (mostly) correct but their message is to the wrong person.

Please never tell a person their children died because the children were sinful. Even if the person died from a drug overdose and was a terrible person. God never makes things right by condemning the already-dead. Neither should we.

January 4 - Job 1-5: Job Loses Everything but Faith

Today’s Reading: Job 1-5

The Message

English Standard Version

Today we switch books from Genesis to Job. The reason Job is here in the order is that no one knows when it was written. Since it does not fit in the story of Abraham we will read it here before his story begins. Genesis will return on January 16.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Eliphaz feels the need to give Job a “come to Jesus, everything’s great there" message.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Job was a good man who was “honest inside and out." He had ten children and was very rich. The Accuser (Satan) confronted God, “Job only serves you because he’s rich!" God granted him all Job possessed, including his beloved children. Job still served God.
The Accuser returned, “Job only serves you because of his health!" God granted him Job’s health. Large boils appeared from his head to his foot. Job still served God.
Job had three close friends visit him. In a fit of agony Job cursed his very existence. Eliphaz called to be more faithful to God.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God does not set all things right by making all people rich/middle class/poor.

One of the difficult problems of reading the book of Job is the rush to quick lessons. “Serving God does not always lead to prosperity!" is often shown from these verses. However, they do not take into account Job’s previous, and subsequent, settings. Job was a rich man and would return to being a rich man without any change to his devotion to God. Obeying God does not always turn out to make someone rich—but being poor is also not an automatic sign of devotion to God. Serving God goes much deeper than how much a person has. This is why Job is able to bless God even when he loses everything.

God does not set all things right by making all people healthy.

See the previous point. Serving God does help someone stay away from many horrible diseases, but it does not prevent bodily decay. Yet suffering is not a sign of devotion to God. Serving God through suffering is.

Calling to God for death is not a sin.

“What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense, when God blocks all the roads to meaning?" (3:23, The Message). Job is facing the worst troubles of his life. The only response he has during this time is to question his very existence. Yet in all of this he allows God to maintain control—the opposite of a sin. He questions God’s handling of his life without telling God to leave him alone.

A person does not always need to hear a “come to Jesus" message.

As a minister, this one hurts. I read Eliphaz’s statements and think he’s doing such a great job preaching! Then I realize Job has no reason to come to God—he’s the most devoted follower of God. Eliphaz’s lesson comes across as arrogant and pedantic. So do mine, when I do not really understand the person’s suffering. Telling God’s greatness to a person who has lost all meaning to life is not evangelizing. Sometimes sufferers need someone to sit and suffer with them. Unfortunately, this will happen over and over again in the book of Job. Prepare for awkward moments.