Job In Context With Psalms

This is one of my very favorite studies and pieces of Scripture. There is so much in this chapter, I believe we not only get a true, accurate picture of God's Nature, but a very accurate picture of what our relationship with Him should look like.

We learn that God is sovereign, independent and above us in every way. We learn that we know next to nothing and that what we do know we know because of Him. We learn that we can't know everything, but He can,  and that He creates everything for our good.

We learn that bad things do happen to good people, that He doesn’t cause bad things, but in the end, He does use them for our good.

I’ve heard it said the book of Job is like a “mini Bible”. In it, we see creation, fall, redemption, restoration and His Grace we also get a look at what God is like.

_______________________________________________________________________ 

• ·         Job wealthy and feared God – Bible says complete integrity (Job 1:1-12)

• ·         Satan tries to drive wedge between Job & God  (Job 1:6 - Always  surprised Satan has access to God)  Note: in Job 1:7   God asks Satan what he’s been up to – He doesn’t ask the Godly angles because He KNOWS WHAT THEY’VE BEEN UP TO .

• ·         As the story progresses Job loses kids, possessions, health, standing in the community  (prob.)

• ·         People that know him are convinced that he, through sin, has brought his problem on himself.

• ·         His wife tells him he may as well “end it” (thanks honey).  Note: the only family he has left is at worst against him, and at best, ridiculing him.

• ·         4 friends come to talk – Job did not talk to them for days – Note: Sometimes we don’t need to say anything to hurting people, just being there is enough.

• ·         When they finally talk to him, they tried to get him to repent – his bad fortune was a result of unrepented sin.

• ·         God rebukes Jobs friends for thinking He CAUSED this. – The good we do is ALWAYS caused by God - bad is ALWAYS about Satan.

• ·         Job tries to make the case that he is righteous toward God and better than the un- righteous.

• ·         Job not so concerned with what he’d lost, but why he had lost it.

• ·         Job asks God, why has bad happened to him when he’s a good guy? (God never answers that question. When we ask that, we are not looking for an answer – we are looking for an argument. God WILL NOT be drawn into that).

•  God gives Job a theology lesson -

·         God, then gets on Job’s case, tells him not to worry about it – He says don’t worry about it, I’m God - I’m sovereign – what I say goes gets on Job’s case (Job 38:16 – when have you walked through the springs of the seas?,  Job 40:2 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.")

·         Job is restored in Chapter 42. (God is good and after Job learned, He made good out of bad experiences because Job loved God and was called according to His Purpose. –  

     (Romans 8:28)

·         Lessons Job learned:

1.       God is sovereign – ALL AUTHORITY

2.       Bad things will happen to good people (what is “bad, what is “good”?)

3.       It’s not that bad things won`t happen, it`s how we treat God and how we react when they do, (Satan has limitations and hates God and His people)

4.       God, then fairness – NOT fairness THEN God

The fact that the Book of Psalms is very next chapter – highlights contrast

·         Psalms are poems and songs of praise, lament, some wisdom (proverbs) – Not one story or account, but a collection of conversations from the heart.

·         Written mostly through David and his son Solomon

·         All Psalms put God first – Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty

·         Never asks “why me, I’m a good guy”

·         Always seem to say, “you’re God, why NOT me?”

·         Psalms will ask for help, in asking with the correct attitude, we acknowledge God is our only help

In The World But Not Of The World

As I look at the news today I can’t help but think the world has gone wacky.  Society calls the things that are wrong right and right things wrong.  Down is up and up is down.

Without Jesus, we should be surprised, with Him as our Lord and Savior we shouldn’t. I must confess that even though I am a blood-bought child of The Living God, I have a hard time (at times) with what’s going on in the world. When I think of the guy on a cruise after perhaps saving for the cruise for years, to be met by a guy in a haz-mat suit because of a Ebola virus quarantine on board, I wonder what is going on. I wonder at what point do I say “wow…that’s as good as it gets”. Or just laugh to keep from crying.

We live in a broken world and have for thousands of years.  Why, as followers of Christ, would or should we be surprised that the world seems to be off the rails now? (Glad you asked) I think it is partially that even though we intellectually know parts of the big-picture God has for the future, we can’t see it that readily. We then get focused on our situation – on ourselves and we have a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of all we can see.

The other part of the answer to that question is the FACT that the Kingdom Of God is EXACTLY the opposite of the kingdom of the world. God’s Kingdom serves, changes hearts from the inside out and thus manifest in changed behavior rooted in love. The broken kingdom of the world can only control behavior by force or threat of force from the outside in. The world’s only concern is if our behavior lines up. The world does not and cannot care about the motivation of hearts. The two will always be at odds – it can be no other way.

Even for Christians it seems the expectation is for conditions in their world, town, state, city or neighborhood to always get better. The fact is though - The world is degenerating. I don't mean that we shouldn't or can't change our individual situations.  We think positively and take control (we think) of our situations to make them have the best possible outcome for us. We plan for the future, careers, family, vacations, college, retirement etc.  We should plan for these things.  It would very be foolish not to.

 We can and should do this. We should do everything we can to have a Kingdom influence – pray, have faith for (after prayer and study to find and know Christ’s mind and example) and act within the confines of the governing laws - remember Christ never once railed against the oppressive Romans or broke their laws. He never once criticizes or bad mouthed the Roman government.  In fact he forgave them and prayed for them.  He instructs His disciples (and us) to go the extra mile for them. 

 I’m convinced that Jesus doesn’t care about your political affiliations.  He doesn’t care if you’re a democrat, a republican, a socialist or whatever.  What He cares about, is whether you follow Him or not.  

We take our example from God.  God is a God of organization and planning, He does nothing haphazardly, He never acts rashly or shoots from the hip.  He has a set of values and standards He has passed on to us.  Those standards are called the Word.

Many places in The Word, God tells us to meditate on it (His Word). When we do this regularly, we start to see things as He sees them. We start to know His mind. We see different problems. Thank God – we see different solutions!

The more we hold to His Word and stick to His thinking, the more we recognize just how upside down the world really is.  John tells us that we are in the world but not of the world.

In Joshua 5:13, the Commander of the Lord’s army (whom we know as Jesus), tells Joshua that He is on no one’s side.  This tells me that Joshua’s commander was God and it also tells me The Lord is with those that are with Him (in context).

It follows then, if Jesus is the Word (John 1:1.and 14), and The Word is God, and He is with those who are for Him and He has provided His Word to us so we can know Him, then it also follows that we know Him and follow Him by utilizing and meditating on His Word as made available to us. Namely The Bible.

To meditate means to mull over, kick around in your mind, to ponder and to think about deeply. You can go to the internet and read up on methods to meditate on The Word. While there is nothing wrong with employing or learning a new method for anything. We should always be learning God’s Word and ways to study it. In fact, I am going to re-post a study on a method of meditation on The Word that changed my life as only God’s Word can.

Remember though, the children of Israel, as they received this instruction had no internet. Bible study instruction was nonexistent because there was no Bible. They had God’s Word to think about and mull over in their minds and most importantly to act on and employ in their lives – in everything they did. It is obviously impossible for them or us to employ anything in their or our lives without thinking about it.

 The focus here is on God’s Word – it can, does and will change lives. Meditating, thinking about,  focusing on, His words and thoughts changes our point of view to His. We then know Him more and more. The more we know Him, the easier it is to have faith in and act on what He is telling us to do.

The fact is we MUST do this on PURPOSE. Meditating on The Word won’t happen otherwise. We can’t know Him otherwise. We can’t expect God’s Word to work in our lives if He has nothing to work with. We can’t see things from His perspective if we don’t know it because we haven’t thought it over, kicked it around in our minds, thought about, thought deeply or pondered it. It's on us!

He is telling us what to do Joshua 1:8 (meditate on The Word) and then leaving it up to us Deut. 30:19 (choose life).

Creation And The Scriptures

I tend to not pay too much attention to TV preachers. That’s not to say I discount or don’t take seriously what they say, I simply don’t have that much time and many of them have proven to be charlatans – in my opinion.

 In Pat Robertson’s case, I just am not that interested in the mix of politics and Christianity.

There are things I disagree with Pat Robertson on, but let me also say, I agree with him on many other points. When it comes the topics of religion or politics there is room for much disagreement. When the topics are combined, the level of agreement is narrowed exponentially.

I do agree with him (Robertson) that the denial of fossils and pre-historic archeology makes Christians look silly. I believe that if we are truly going to take the Gospel to the world as in Mark 15, then we should present palpable, accurate information from Scripture. 

If we use archeology to help defend the Bible, how can we be intellectually honest and deny such an overwhelming amount of evidence?

I believe every Christians must study to know God and renew his or her mind so that we can think more like Him and to serve Him.  I, as a man, believe that if I want to know Him I must learn everything I can about Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.  

But unless we are talking about a point of doctrine that compromises the tenants of faith in God, His Word, Jesus as Lord and God, salvation through the acceptance of Jesus’ atonement and bodily resurrection, I figure I will find out anyway, and I am ok with being wrong. The fact remains, though, we still need to esteem God and His Word above all else, study and be very careful our doctrine is based on scripture. This is the only way we can serve Him.

We will only serve that which we love. We can only love that which we know.  We must learn all we can in order to know Him, only then is it possible to love Him.  After all, you did not love your husband or wife until you knew them, if we are made in HIS Image, how can it be any different with God?

I believe there are two beginnings. I also believe strongly, that this position can, and is backed up by scripture.    

The account in Genesis 1 – the Hebrew word “bara” is used which in this case alludes to a re-creation. This is the second beginning or re-creation organized for man, (Satan was banished to the void and without form earth)  – remember, Gen. 1&2  (NIV) tells us:  1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Then John 1:1 & 2 tells us there is a first beginning in eternity past; 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

In the New Testament Jesus talks about seeing Satan falling as "lightning from heaven    (Lk10:18).

Lucifer tried to be equal to God, was cast out of Heaven (Jude 1:6)  and given the earth and the air between to inhabit (Eph 2:2). 

God, in His desire for someone to have a relationship with, created Adam and gave him the earth. This worried Satan. That is why he tried to get Adam to disobey God. When Adam disobeyed, Satan thought he had defeated God. The fact that the world was recreated (Pslms136:6&7) is why science and The Bible do not conflict.

Fossils of dinosaurs and plant life dating back millions of years are undeniable in their authenticity. The earth was without form and void (Gen 1:2), the book of Genesis is not the beginning of history, just the beginning of man.

I feel that is a very plausible explanation, backed up by scripture. There are also those who think the earth is much younger than I and hold to what they believe is the “literal” view of The Creation.

As I said before, I may not be right or wrong, but that view, right or not, is, in itself not going to send anyone to Heaven or Hell. But again, what we think is important. What we believe about one thing shapes the context of what we believe about other things and overall. That is why we must study and seek understanding (Proverbs 1:2)

Do you really think that He would leave something like His creation in question? Would He give clear answers in scripture? My tip for understanding Genesis – The account of Creation, is to take it literally and in context of The Word.

Yes there are things that our finite minds cannot grasp. There are things that the believer accepts in faith. I have to point out here that non-believers in Christ accepts much in faith also. Examples are ; not knowing exactly how an airplane works, but flies in it anyway. He has faith that Amazon.com will ship his or her order. Etc. etc….The list includes everything you or I can think of.   

As I was saying, there are plenty of things in The Bible the believer accepts in faith. There are also many more that are not a mystery. Examples are history, archeology, and narrative of everyday events. The point is that FAITH IS BASED ON CONCRETE FACTS. God communicates perfectly and clearly - only our understanding is imperfect  - that is why we must rely on a perfect source in context with the assistance of The Holy Spirit, who teaches all things (John 14:26, 1 John 16:14).

Romans 1:20 NIV tells us:  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

In most of The Bible, God is showing us what He is like - His nature, but in Genesis 1:1, Romans 1:20 He shows His existence (God, The Creator) to us. He lets us know His Creation proves Him as God.

God communicates to us for a few reasons – so we know What He is like, so we know who He is and most importantly, because He loves us. He communicates perfectly and with clarity. Our understanding is not perfect. That is the reason We MUST take the Word literally when it presents itself in a literal and historical context.

He communicated this account with clarity to prove to us so we understand that there is no conflict between science and His Word. We need to understand in context and revere the whole counsel of God. Only then can we take the Gospel into all the world Mark 15:16 and always be ready in season and out of season with an answer. Only then can we be of service and be of any value to anyone.

Unless our message is plausible and in context it will not be received. Make no mistake, it is not OUR message that is to go to the world, or that wins souls for Christ. THAT is The Holy Spirit’s ministry.  The Holy Spirit does not need my or your account of creation, right or wrong, to win souls. He does, however, expect us to be as accurate as we can and have understanding to be.

Meditate On The Word

Text : Joshua 1:8

Many forms of Bible Study

·        Topical – choose a topic

·        Expositional – entire book – verse by verse

·        Survey method – a focus at generalities instead of details

·        Biographical – a study of a particular person

·        Word study

·        Verse study

Bible study is imperative to:

·        Our own spiritual growth

·        Spiritual growth of others around us  - Job 15:8

·        Take the whole Bible in context – cover to cover – only then is the Truth revealed – “whole council of God”

·        God’s primary way to connect with man.

Some general principles of study and or reading your Bible –

·        Context – Who is talking to whom and what is happening

·        What is going on

·        What are they trying to say and why

·        Always find out : who, what ,why, how, when, and where

·        Pay attention to prepositions – whenever you see the word therefore – find out what its       therefore

·        When trying to understand a verse, always read the verses before and after it (2-3) to try to catch context.

·        Always remember – there are many levels to Word , after you think you have it figured out, rely on the Holy Spirit – Holy Spirit reminds you and teaches you John 14:26

·        Whenever you see Jesus Christ when reading The Word, it speaks of us reaching to Heaven – when you see Christ Jesus, it speaks of Heaven reaching to us.

·        The Old Testament points to Jesus. The New Testament is His story, and tells what He has done for us and salvation, how to accept it and our responsibility to others.

·        The Bible ALWAYS agrees with itself, when you think there is a conflict pray for enlightenment  

                  - Eph 1:18  the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

-         Study out the conflicted passages – make sure all passages are read in context with themselves and with each other.

-         Seek out help with someone more mature in The Lord than yourself.

____________________________________________________________________

 

 

Meditate on God’s Word (my favorite)

·        Make it a priority – make a decision to do it on purpose.

·        1^st thing in AM choose verse – possibly from devotional (Daily Bread etc.)

·        if using devotional you get the added benefit of someone else’s take and revelation as well as your own.

·        look up verse in the Bible to make sure you have it right.

·        Write it down.

·        3-4 time per day, using synonyms, substitute the important words of the verse

·        Compare you “new” verse with the original.

·        Think about verse in light of your substitutions as well as the takes from your devotional or your own previous revelation.

Meditate on Scripture – command of God (He only wants the best for us)

Josh 1:8, Psalm 1:2, Psalm 119:48, Deut 6:9, Duet 11:18 (our duty to teach our children)…(many verses concerning meditation)

Duet 4:40, Duet 30:19

God’s Word will always – either by inference of context or more direct quotation, will appear at lest twice in the Bible – Usually in The Old Testament and The New also.  – Matt 16:16 , 16:19

·        The reason for meditation in the first place is to think more like God.

Rom 12:2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

·        Those two verses tell about the power of agreement (one of God’s principles)

·        The key word here is agree

·        POWER IN AGREEING WITH MAN – POWER IN AGREEING WITH GOD

Only when we agree with God is he obligated – that’s why our prayers MUST line up with God’s will – examples  (that’s a whole series of studies in itself)

                       

At this point lets meditate on Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Do this everyday, make a commitment for 30 days it will change your life!