Burunche’s Blog

Daniel 1:1-7 Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar’s Court

“During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. 

“Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” 

The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:

Daniel was called Belteshazzar.
Hananiah was called Shadrach.
Mishael was called Meshach.
Azariah was called Abednego.

All four of these young men had Hebrew names relating to faith in God. The meaning of the name Daniel is “God is my judge.” The suffix of Daniel’s name (and Mishael’s) is -el, which refers to Elohim, one of the names of the God of Israel. Azariah and Hananiah carry the suffix -iah or -yah, which is short for Yahweh, the covenant name of God (see Isaiah 26:4).  Belteshazzar, the name given to Daniel, means “Bel protects his life.” The name: Hananiah meant “God has favored” or “God has been gracious.” His name was changed to the Babylonian name: Shadrach, which meant, “royal” or “the great scribe.” Mishael, which meant, “who is what God is,” was renamed Meshach, which meant “guest of a king.” Azariah, which meant, “Jehovah has helped” was called Abednego, meaning “servant of Nebo.”

By re-naming these young men, the Babylonians were beginning a forced assimilation, one that they intended would end with these four young people forgetting their Hebrew origins and their Hebrew God to embrace all things Babylonian. But the Babylonians failed to anticipate the deep faith of these people. Before things were through, not only would these young men resist assimilation, but they would assume major positions of leadership within the Babylonian Empire while retaining their faith in God.

Even as Babylonian officials were announcing these new names loudly at the court, these four youngsters were probably muttering their actual names under their breath. They might also have been reciting the Shemaa, from Deuteronomy 6:4– “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” They might also have been mentally reciting Exodus 20:2-5 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.” 

Perhaps they were quietly praying, “Elohim, please forgive us for standing here while they pronounce blasphemy. You are the God whom we have served, and we will serve You and only You forever.”

What’s in a name? Names are both powerful and important. In Ghana, parents sometimes name their children in hopes of gaining God’ favor. In our area, many parents give their children names that translate to “God’s love” or “God’s favor.” My local name translates to “God has not refused,” meaning that when I am in need, God will hear and respond.

Conquerors frequently rename the conquered in an attempt to wipe out their previous identities. Sometimes this ploy works but other times, those conquered tolerate the additional names, feeling it better to remain alive than to press the issue and die prematurely.

What’s interesting is the fate of the other young men who were gathered in along with these four. We never know the identities of those men, nor do we ever hear about them again. In the case of those men, assimilation worked so completely that they lost their identities and blended into the Babylonian Empire, where they became anonymous and forgotten.

In Revelation 3:10-12, Jesus promises the church in Philadelphia, “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.”

Someday, Jesus is coming for those who have loved Him and who have been faithful. He promises to give all those people a new name, the name of His God, His new name. Will we be found faithful? As we study Daniel, let us beg God to help us, so that we will remain faithful, no matter the trials.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain faithful to You, no matter what happens. Give us the strength, the courage, and the patience to endure so that we will become pillars in the Temple of Your God and receive Your new name. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

We are about to embark on a study of the Book of Daniel. As I have done in the past, I am sharing Pastor Charles R. Swindoll’s introduction from his website Insight for Living. https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-major-prophets/daniel

I highly recommend all of Pastor Swindoll’s teachings and you can access them at https://www.insight.org

Who wrote the book?

Named after its writer, Daniel’s book is a product of his time in Babylon as a Jewish exile from Israel. While still a young man, Daniel travelled to Babylon with a group of young Israelite nobles, men of promise whom the conquering power felt could be of use in service (Daniel 1:3–4). Once Daniel arrived, the leadership in Babylon renamed him Belteshazzar in an effort to more closely identify him with his new home (1:7). Daniel lived there throughout the Jews’ seventy-year captivity (1:21; 9:2), eventually rising to become one of only three administrators over the provincial governors throughout the kingdom (6:1).

Daniel recorded his experiences and prophecies for the Jewish exiles during his time in the Babylonian capital, where his service to the king gave him privileged access to the highest levels of society. His faithful service to the Lord in a land and culture not his own makes him unique among almost all the people of Scripture—Daniel stands as one of the only major figures in the Bible to produce a completely positive record of his actions.

Where are we?

The Babylonians exiled the group containing Daniel and his three friends—best known by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego—to the cultural center of their empire, the city of Babylon, in 605 BC. This move was part of the first of three deportations (605, 597, and 586 BC) carried out by the Babylonians in Israel after they subdued Jerusalem and the unfaithful King Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:36–24:2). The teenaged Daniel found himself in the midst of a strongly polytheistic religious culture, meaning he had ample opportunities to fall into error. However, he stood firm in his faith among the Babylonian people on several significant matters—including dietary regulations and worship practices (Daniel 1:8–16; 6:6–12).

Why is Daniel so important?

Daniel is one of the few Bible books that takes place during a period of judgment (many books foretell it and a few look back on it) and in a foreign nation. Whether it’s in the contrast between the culture’s idol worship and Daniel’s faithful purity or in the account of the arrogant Nebuchadnezzar and his humbling encounter with God, the pagan backdrop in Daniel makes the Lord’s power shine through in a magnificent and majestic way that stands out in Scripture. The book of Daniel makes it clear that the true God is the supreme ruler over heaven and earth (Daniel 4:17), even when all seems lost and the consequences of sin seem overwhelming.

What’s the big idea?

The book of Daniel stands as a unique mix in the Old Testament, for while it begins with history, it makes a strong transition at chapter 7, where it contains visions of future events significant to the Jews. In particular, Daniel 9:24–27 gives a meticulous timeline of when Israel’s Messiah would appear and the events that would follow.

In both the historical and the prophetic sections, Daniel presents a strong case for the absolute sovereignty of God, even over a multiplicity of self-absorbed foreign powers. This theme of sovereignty occurs on numerous occasions, including Daniel’s deliverance from the lions’ den, his friends’ rescue from the fiery furnace, and the future arrival of the Ancient of Days to save His people from the forces of evil (Daniel 3:23–30; 6:19–23; 7:9–22). 

How do I apply this?

Daniel and his God-fearing friends were forced to live in Babylon, far from home and far from the land their Lord had promised them. Later in the book, Daniel prophesied of terrible trials still to come in the Promised Land (Daniel 11:31). Whatever the trial was, though, it was always the result of sin.

Have you ever endured the weight or consequences of sin and felt as though God had left you behind, that He had stranded you in a world far from the comforts associated with home? The book of Daniel paints a portrait of how to serve God faithfully in the middle of such a world and how to persevere in hope even with no immediate solutions to the problems that get us down.

In 1873, Philip P. Bliss wrote a challenging hymn. Here are the words:

1. Standing by a purpose true,
   Heeding God’s command,
   Honor them, the faithful few!
   All hail to Daniel’s band!
   1. Refrain:
      Dare to be a Daniel,
      Dare to stand alone!
      Dare to have a purpose firm!
      Dare to make it known.
2. Many mighty men are lost,
   Daring not to stand,
   Who for God had been a host
   By joining Daniel’s band.
3. Many giants, great and tall,
   Stalking through the land,
   Headlong to the earth would fall,
   If met by Daniel’s band.
4. Hold the Gospel banner high!
   On to vict’ry grand!
   Satan and his hosts defy,
   And shout for Daniel’s band.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remember that You are the God of Daniel and nothing is impossible for You. Help us to stand firm and courageous as Daniel did. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job 42 Job Responds to the Lord

“Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom   with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

Conclusion: The Lord Blesses Job

After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.

So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.

“I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” As soon as Job repents of having accused God and complained about Him, God forgives him. If parts of the Book of Job are tedious, this chapter is absolutely satisfying! It’s kind of like the old cartoons where the hero knocks out the bad guys. WHAM! God deals with Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad! “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

ZAP!!! Next, once Job prays for these self-styled friends who have made his life so miserable, God restores Job’s fortunes. “In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.” Where were all these relatives when Job was suffering? Were they remaining at a distance for fear that Job’s misfortune would rub off on them? It’s certainly suspicious that these people only showed up once Job was healed and wealthy again. And why the gifts now? Have these people decided that God must be favoring Job and therefore they too want to enjoy God’s favor? Watching all this, God must be snickering.

It’s significant that God totally ignores Elihu, the Johnny-come-lately adviser, despite all Elihu’s protestations of wisdom and insight. Obviously, God doesn’t even consider Elihu worthy of consideration, a fact that would concern Elihu if he weren’t already fixated on himself as the center of his own intellectual universe.

Eventually, Job has seven sons, three gorgeous daughters, and lives 140 years, long enough to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. One can’t ask more a more satisfactory conclusion to the story.

Not all stories of suffering end as positively as does Job’s. Live long enough and you will suffer yourself or have friends and family members who suffer. But there are many enduring lessons from the Book of Job:

1. Patience in physical suffering-In a single day, Job loses his wealth, his children, his animals, and most of his servants. As a caring master, learning of the deaths of his servants would have been devastating enough without any of these other losses. But to top it all off, Job develops some kind of septic rash compounded by neuralgia, leaving him feeling as if his entire body is being consumed by fire ants.
2. Patience in emotional suffering-When all these losses hit, Job might turn to his wife for comfort; however, his wife urges him to “curse God and die!” Clearly, Job’s wife is hoping that he will simply go ahead and die, leaving her free to marry someone else with better prospects. This statement is the only mention we have of Job’s wife, and we don’t know whether she remains with Job throughout his trials. We do know that Job eventually fathers 10 more children, but we don’t know the identity of their mother.
3. Patience while losing support from family-when all Job’s calamities hit, Job’s family pull back, perhaps believing that bad luck is catching and that anyone remaining close to Job will suffer a fate similar to his. Not until God restores Job’s fortunes does his family belatedly show up.
4. Patience with self-styled comforters more interested in promoting themselves than in actually assuaging Job’s sufferings-The Book of Job devotes most of its time to the lectures, arguments, and accusations of those “friends” who flock to Job. Despite grieving silently with Job for seven days and nights, these men feel eminently qualified to lecture Job about a God whom he knows better than they do. Although Job bends all his efforts at refuting their arguments and accusations, he never orders these men to leave, nor does he resort to violence. In the end, God appears in a whirlwind, speaking with a voice of thunder, to justify Job and condemn three of the men for failing to represent Him honestly. God ignores a fourth man who appears late and confines himself to worthless meandering speeches about God’s greatness.

Throughout all Job’s trials, he remains patient, and that patience is the lesson we should learn from Job. We have no control over our circumstances, and natural disasters such as floods, fires, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and land slides may hit at any moment. We can wake up one morning to find ourselves besieged by physical problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer, etc. We cannot control any of these things; however, we can remain true to God and what we know of Him. We can continue to praise God in the midst of our trials. And we can continue to hope that the same God who restored Job will comfort us, strengthen us, and give us “songs in the night.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You, even when things are difficult, knowing that You are the Source of our hope and our joy. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 Job 41 The Lord’s Challenge Continues

 “Can you catch Leviathan with a hook or put a noose around its jaw? Can you tie it with a rope through the nose or pierce its jaw with a spike? Will it beg you for mercy or implore you for pity? Will it agree to work for you, to be your slave for life? Can you make it a pet like a bird, or give it to your little girls to play with? Will merchants try to buy it to sell it in their shops? Will its hide be hurt by spears or its head by a harpoon?”

“If you lay a hand on it, you will certainly remember the battle that follows. You won’t try that again! No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.
And since no one dares to disturb it, who then can stand up to me? Who has given me anything that I need to pay back? Everything under heaven is mine.”

“I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs and its enormous strength and graceful form. Who can strip off its hide, and who can penetrate its double layer of armor? Who could pry open its jaws? For its teeth are terrible! The scales on its back are like rows of shields tightly sealed together. They are so close together that no air can get between them. Each scale sticks tight to the next. They interlock and cannot be penetrated.”

“When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn. Lightning leaps from its mouth; flames of fire flash out. Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a pot heated over burning rushes. Its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.”

“The tremendous strength in Leviathan’s neck strikes terror wherever it goes. Its flesh is hard and firm and cannot be penetrated. Its heart is hard as rock, hard as a millstone. When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror. No sword can stop it, no spear, dart, or javelin.
Iron is nothing but straw to that creature, and bronze is like rotten wood. Arrows cannot make it flee. Stones shot from a sling are like bits of grass. Clubs are like a blade of grass, and it laughs at the swish of javelins. Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass. It plows up the ground as it drags through the mud.

“Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion. It stirs the depths like a pot of ointment.
The water glistens in its wake, making the sea look white. Nothing on earth is its equal, no other creature so fearless. Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts.”

What is Leviathan? The name “leviathan” means “twisted one” and may refer to some ancient dragon-type creature, perhaps a hold-over from the dinosaurs. Such a meaning precludes Leviathan being a whale, although there are some people who have argued that Leviathan might be an enormous crocodile. But consider the references to the ocean, Leviathan has to be some kind of gigantic snake-like creature. Although some people choose to believe that this passage refers to whales, whales do not fit the “twisted one” description.

From time to time, there are reports of fantastic snake-like creatures that wash up on remote beaches. It is presumed that these creatures live at great depths and are therefore rarely seen. Throughout history, there have been reports of sea monsters, and although many of these reports might be exaggerated, there might be truth behind some of them.

While God is referring to Behemoth and Leviathan as creatures, they also represent Satan and his evil minions. Here God is querying Job: If Job has no power over these enormous evil beasts, how can he possibly have any power over Satan? Obviously, Job is powerless before Satan; yet, God is all powerful and has already defeated Satan. God’s most notable victory over Satan occurred at Calvary when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for the sins of the whole world. Satan did everything He could to stop Jesus and to frustrate God’s plans, but God triumphed and Jesus defeated sin and death by dying and then rising from the dead.

It is a mistake to become so obsessed with identifying these mythical creatures that we fail to learn the spiritual lesson embodied here. God is sovereign. God has absolute control over His creation, even though He allows men to make bad choices and to turn away from Him. But in the end, God will triumph and Satan, Behemoth, and Leviathan will go into the pits of hell and remain there.

May God help us, so that we worship Him in His infinite glory!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we praise You for Your greatness, Your power, Your might, Your Wisdom, and Your love. Protect us from Satan and all his tools. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job 40 God questions Job

Then the Lord said to Job, “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”

Job Responds to the Lord

Then Job replied to the Lord, “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.”

The Lord Challenges Job Again

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right? Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? All right, put on your glory and splendor, your honor and majesty. Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you.”

 “Take a look at Behemoth, which I made, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. Its tail is as strong as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together. Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. It is a prime example of God’s handiwork, and only its Creator can threaten it. The mountains offer it their best food, where all the wild animals play. It lies under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds in the marsh. The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream. It is not disturbed by the raging river, not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it. No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.”

Back when grand opera was quite popular, many female stars were large ladies with enormous voices who would end the opera by singing long loud quavering solos. Because of these ladies, a saying developed, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” This saying has come to mean that a situation is not finished or decided until the final outcome is clear. It emphasizes the idea that one should not assume the result of an event, particularly in competitive contexts, until it is conclusively resolved. In America, the saying is commonly used in sports, politics, and other competitive areas to indicate that outcomes can change until the very end. The saying also acts as a reminder to remain hopeful or vigilant, as circumstances can shift unexpectedly. (AI generated explanation)

When studying the Book of Job, we might conclude that “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” or “it ain’t over till God says so!” After days or even weeks of Eliphaz, Zophar, Bildad, and Elihu lecturing Job and attempting to represent God, now God is finally speaking for Himself.

“Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”  Oh dear! God has manifested Himself to Job in a whirlwind and is now questioning Job in a voice like thunder. It’s amazing that Job can say anything at all.

God challenges Job to prove his glory and splendor, honor and majesty, power and might. Both God and Job know full well that Job possesses none of these things. All the time Job has been complaining about God, he has treated God as a sort of troublesome senior uncle rather than as the Almighty Ruler of the Universe.

“Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right? Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? All right, put on your glory and splendor, your honor and majesty. Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you.”

At this point, Job is likely wishing for a safe hiding place; however, how does one hide from God? And that’s the point God is making. God is sovereign, no matter what we might do, say, or think. These days, there are all kinds of television programs about aliens, as if believing in people from outer space is easier than to believe in the One who has created us. Highly educated people are quite willing to believe in the most outlandish theories, as long as those theories don’t include an Almighty God to whom they will eventually have to answer. But no matter how many fallacies someone chooses to believe, in the end, God is the One who will close the books on each of our lives. In that day, God will have the last word. May we do everything possible to commit our lives to Him and to do those things that please Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives, knowing that You are the One who has created us and that You want fellowship with us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Job 39 The Lord’s Challenge Continues

“Do you know when the wild goats give birth? Have you watched as deer are born in the wild? Do you know how many months they carry their young? Are you aware of the time of their delivery? They crouch down to give birth to their young and deliver their offspring. Their young grow up in the open fields, then leave home and never return.”

“Who gives the wild donkey its freedom? Who untied its ropes? I have placed it in the wilderness; its home is the wasteland. It hates the noise of the city and has no driver to shout at it. The mountains are its pastureland, where it searches for every blade of grass.”

“Will the wild ox consent to being tamed? Will it spend the night in your stall? Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow? Will it plow a field for you? Given its strength, can you trust it? Can you leave and trust the ox to do your work? Can you rely on it to bring home your grain and deliver it to your threshing floor?”

“The ostrich flaps her wings grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on top of the earth, letting them be warmed in the dust. She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them or a wild animal might destroy them. She is harsh toward her young, as if they were not her own. She doesn’t care if they die. For God has deprived her of wisdom. He has given her no understanding. But whenever she jumps up to run, she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.”

“Have you given the horse its strength or clothed its neck with a flowing mane? Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust? Its majestic snorting is terrifying! It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength when it charges out to battle. It laughs at fear and is unafraid. It does not run from the sword. The arrows rattle against it, and the spear and javelin flash. It paws the ground fiercely and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows. It snorts at the sound of the horn. It senses the battle in the distance. It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.”

“Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle rises to the heights to make its nest? It lives on the cliffs, making its home on a distant, rocky crag. From there it hunts its prey, keeping watch with piercing eyes. Its young gulp down blood. Where there’s a carcass, there you’ll find it.”

Here God continues to describe the wonders of creation and all its intricate details. Obviously, not only Job, but all other humans have only superficial knowledge of any of the things God is mentioning. No matter how much we might study wild animals or birds, there is always more to learn and our knowledge will always be incomplete.

When I was little, I memorized a verse from a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson called “Happy Thoughts: “The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.” Reading God’s description of His creation reminds me of that poem.

Throughout Africa, there are flame trees that burst into crimson blooms. The leaves on these trees consist of delicate fringes of green lace. Wherever we have lived, there have always been flame trees in our yard, and I have contemplated those trees on many occasions. So many times when I have become despondent or discouraged, God has asked me to number the fronds on the nearest flame tree, a task for which I am obviously unsuited. When I have told God that task is beyond me, God has then answered, “If you can’t do something so simple, why won’t you trust Me? I not only know how many fronds there are, but also the number of cells that compose those fronds and the flowers along with them.”

Why does God bother to remind Job of the magnificence of creation? Job has spent so much time focusing on his physical misery and the loss of his family, his servants, his animals, and his wealth that he needs a radical change of perspective. Does God hate Job or is scornful of him? Absolutely not! Just wait and see what God will do on Job’s behalf. But so many times when we suffer, we become fixated on our problems to the exclusion of anything else. We fail to remember that no matter what happens to us, God is still on the throne of the universe, that He remains all-powerful, all-glorious, almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-understanding.

How can we maintain an eternal focus in the midst of suffering? We must continue to worship God in spirit and in truth. Whether we sing or pray or tell others about God, as long as we are glorifying God, we are inviting Him to be part of our lives. When we invite God into our lives, He will work miracles. Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Today, you might feel lower than a ditch digger’s boots. Everything you have dreamt and longed for appears to be lying dead in the dust. You don’t know which direction to take and you brain is in melt-down. Why not start by thanking God for all the small miracles you see around you-electricity and running water (assuming you have those things!), a phone or computer on which to read these words, eyesight that allows you to read them, health to open your eyes so that you can read, breath, your five senses. Once you begin thinking of all the blessings around you, Stevenson’s verses ring true. “The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.” And also remember the verse from that old hymn. “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be grateful for all your creation. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job 38 The Lord Challenges Job

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.”

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”

“Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’”

“Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness? As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors. The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence.”

“Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths? Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!”

“Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!”

“Have you visited the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of hail? (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.) Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind?”

“Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up?”

“Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes.”

“Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the constellations through the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?”

“Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct? Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven when the parched ground is dry and the soil has hardened into clods?”

“Can you stalk prey for a lioness and satisfy the young lions’ appetites as they lie in their dens or crouch in the thicket? Who provides food for the ravens when their young cry out to God and wander about in hunger?”

Poor Job! It’s not bad enough that Eliphaz, Zophar, Bildad, and Elihu have verbally assaulted him; now God is speaking for himself. As long as Job was only being assaulted by men, he could tolerate those attacks. But now the Ruler of the Universe is speaking, and nobody can possibly argue with God.

God questions Job: has Job had any part in the creation of the world or the maintenance of it? Does Job have any power over nature at all? Of course, the answer to all these questions is “No.”

These passages contain some of the most glorious descriptions of God’s glory and his power. Nobody can possibly describe God’s creation as vividly as God can, and these verses are worth studying all on their own.

Many people who suffer from fires, floods, earthquakes, accidents, or other disasters find themselves questioning God’s purposes and His goodness. Certainly, those in Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and other places hit by floods may be asking why God has allowed these things. Originally, God designed a perfect world; however, when sin entered, disasters also began. ‘

If I were Job, I would be trying to hide somewhere, but how do you hide from God? Job must be reconsidering his complaints for the last several days, examining himself to see if he has committed heresy.

Even those of us who are believers really don’t fully appreciate God, His power, and his might. Failing to realize what we are doing, we are more than willing to take verbal pot shots at God, demanding to know why He allows disasters, why He allows the evil to prosper, and why He doesn’t answer prayers immediately. God is incredibly patient and tolerant of our ridiculous queries. It’s as if ants decided to try to chew up a marble column.

There used to be a commercial on American television advertising a financial investment company, E.F. Hutton. The slogan ran, “When E. F. Hutton speaks, everybody listens!” Those hearing these words were supposed to be impressed that the financial advice dished out by E. F. Hutton would be the wisest advice in the world. Unfortunately, some of the E. F. Hutton workers engaged in dubious financial schemes, forcing the company to merge with another shortly after this slogan became popular. But when God speaks, we all must listen, for the One who has created us and who knows us better than we know ourselves is speaking.

Tomorrow we will consider more of God’s admonitions to Job, but for today, it’s enough to remember that as one of our pastor friends used to say, God’s in Management and we are only in Advertising. May we remember that when God shows up, He is the only One authorized to speak.

PRAYER:  Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, Your creation is more magnificent than any words can describe. We praise You for Your greatness, for Your glory, for Your power, for Your might, and for Your magnificence. Help us to worship You at all times, even when we don’t feel like it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job 37 Elihu describes God’s majesty

“My heart pounds as I think of this. It trembles within me. Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice as it rolls from his mouth. It rolls across the heavens, and his lightning flashes in every direction. Then comes the roaring of the thunder—the tremendous voice of his majesty. He does not restrain it when he speaks. God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.”

“He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power. The wild animals take cover and stay inside their dens. The stormy wind comes from its chamber, and the driving winds bring the cold. God’s breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water. He loads the clouds with moisture, and they flash with his lightning. The clouds churn about at his direction. They do whatever he commands throughout the earth. He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love.”

“Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds? Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill? When you are sweltering in your clothes and the south wind dies down and everything is still, he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror.  Can you do that?

“So teach the rest of us what to say to God. We are too ignorant to make our own arguments. Should God be notified that I want to speak? Can people even speak when they are confused? We cannot look at the sun, for it shines brightly in the sky when the wind clears away the clouds. So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God. He is clothed in dazzling splendor. We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us. No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence.”

Taken individually, this chapter is a glorious description of God’s magnificence and His power. But there’s a problem. Elihu is so concentrated on being snarky and trying to shame Job that eventually he spoils his own speech.

At no point has Job ever claimed that he is as powerful as God, nor has Job set himself up as a deity. Job knows how powerful God is, but Job is confused and frustrated because he has always trusted God and God seems to have abandoned him, despite his righteousness. Elihu demands that Job should “teach the rest of us,” but he doesn’t mean it. Intoxicated with the sound of his own voice and eloquence, Elihu simply can’t pass up the opportunity to deliver a moving speech, whether or not it accomplishes anything.

What can we do with this chapter? Once more, it’s a case of chewing up the meat and spitting out the bones. We can appreciate the wonderful descriptions of God while we ignore Elihu’s less than noble motives.

Elihu is the last of the self-styled comforters who prolong Job’s suffering by their pompous orations. One question we might ask God is “Why did You allow all these men to torment Job with their speeches and arguments?” and a second question might follow: “Why have You included this book in the Bible?”

When I was studying physics in high school, I had a gifted teacher named Mr. Young. When someone would ask Mr. Young a question to which he did not have an immediate answer, Mr. Young would reply, “Because God wants it that way.” God in His wisdom has included the Book of Job in the Bible because God knows human nature. This Book records the kinds of suffering that any future believer might encounter, including well-intentioned people with lousy attitudes who insist on inflicting advice on sufferers. Ever since the Book of Job has been recorded, generations of believers have taken encouragement from it. There are at least 65 references to the Book of Job, 37 in the Psalms, 18 in Proverbs, 9 in the prophets, and 1 in the New Testament.

We have finally reached the end of the advice others have given Job. Tomorrow God weighs in!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, You are glorious and magnificent, and Your power is amazing. Help us to truly worship You as we treat others with love and sensitivity. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job 36 Elihu tries to defend God

Elihu continued speaking: “Let me go on, and I will show you the truth. For I have not finished defending God! I will present profound arguments for the righteousness of my Creator. I am telling you nothing but the truth, for I am a man of great knowledge.”

Great! Now we have a guy who doesn’t even really know God attempting to defend Him. At this point, God must be smiling at Elihu’s presumption, given the shallow nature of Elihu’s actual experience with Him. God knows Elihu; however, Elihu has no personal experience with God but is only spouting platitudes he has gained from others.

“God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding. He does not let the wicked live but gives justice to the afflicted. He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever. If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble, he shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride. He gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil.”

Hmmm. So Elihu is arguing that Job must have committed some secret sin for which God is punishing him. Big deal! The three men preceding Elihu have already ridden that argument past the point of exhaustion. Listening to Elihu, Job is likely rolling his eyes heavenward so much that his eyeballs are in danger of being stuck in that position.

“If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant. But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding. For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help. They die when they are young, after wasting their lives in immoral living. But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.”

Hoo-boy! Here Elihu goes with his cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all arguments! Some wicked people die young while others live long lives. Some righteous also people die young. Some people do seek God in adversity; however, others do not. Any time you hear someone making sweeping generalizations, the one thing you can be sure of is that those generalizations are wrong. My Facebook feed this morning bears this statement out. Two different relatively young police officers have died from horrific injuries suffered when motorists deliberately ran into them. Family men with wives and children, men who have dedicated their lives to saving others, are dead because of someone’s spite and anger.

“God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food.” Say what??? Elihu, you are speaking to a man who has lost everything, including his sense of taste. From great wealth, this man is now impoverished and wretched.

 “But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld. But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin. Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress? Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed. Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil.”

Obsessed? At this point, the only thing about which Job is obsessed is gaining some relief from the infernal itching, pain, and smell of his sores-and gaining relief from self-styled comforters such as Elihu. Besides, why is Elihu nattering on about wealth? Doesn’t he remember that Job has lost everything? One wonders if Elihu has been secretly envying Job and is now delighted to lecture him on the pitfalls of riches.

Elihu Reminds Job of God’s Power

“Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him? No one can tell him what to do, or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’ Instead, glorify his mighty works, singing songs of praise. Everyone has seen these things, though only from a distance. Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted. He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain. The rain pours down from the clouds, and everyone benefits. Who can understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven? See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea. By these mighty acts he nourishes the people, giving them food in abundance. He fills his hands with lightning bolts and hurls each at its target. The thunder announces his presence; the storm announces his indignant anger.”

Once more, Elihu goes off on a long description of God’s power. Taken out of context, these statements are wonderful and certainly worth being meditated upon. Elihu’s problem is that he intersperses generic statements about God with attacks on Job’s character. If Job tries to argue, Elihu will hide behind those same generic statements, rather than admitting that he has always envied Job and is trying to tear him down. The only way one might appreciate Elihu is from a distance….a very great distance!

What’s wrong with Elihu’s arguments? Simply this: God knows the human heart and only God is fit to judge the motives and ideas of His creatures. While Elihu claims to be refuting all of Job’s arguments, he has only seized the opportunity to take advantage of Job’s losses and infirmities by talking at Job.

You can always identify those who have actually suffered, for in any given situation, these are the people who talk little but who help much. These are the people who will quietly find out the needs of the suffering and then work to fill those needs. If such people speak, they speak out of compassion. If such people pray, their prayers are blessings and not curses cloaked in religious jargon. If such people share the needs of a suffering individual or family, they do so without a hint of gossip.

No matter what Elihu has to say about God, Elihu is simply a poseur, a fake who only wants to take advantage of Job’s wretchedness so that he can hear himself orate at length. You can imagine Elihu returning to his place of repose at sundown, patting himself on the back for all the great things he has said, repeating them to himself. And while Elihu is congratulating himself on his eloquence, Job is undoubtedly gazing heavenward and begging, “Oh Lord, how much longer must I endure this foolish young man?”

Once more, we must realize that theological correctness is never a substitute for compassion. I have met many people who had no idea of sophisticated theological concepts; however, if you were in trouble, these people would be right there bailing you out. C.H. Spurgeon once preached a sermon about life boats and pointed out that when a ship wrecks, the victims don’t worry about the name on the life boat; they just want to be rescued. Elihu is the kind of guy who would refuse help if it didn’t come from a source of which he approved. May God help us, so that we will serve Him and not our prejudices!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You and to do Your work, regardless of theological or philosophical differences. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job 35 Elihu Reminds Job of God’s Justice

Then Elihu said: “Do you think it is right for you to claim, ‘I am righteous before God’? For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me? What’s the use of living a righteous life?’

“I will answer you and all your friends, too. Look up into the sky, and see the clouds high above you. If you sin, how does that affect God? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on him? If you are good, is this some great gift to him? What could you possibly give him? No, your sins affect only people like yourself, and your good deeds also affect only humans.”

“People cry out when they are oppressed. They groan beneath the power of the mighty. Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator, the one who gives songs in the night? Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky?’

“And when they cry out, God does not answer because of their pride. But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen, to say the Almighty isn’t concerned. You say you can’t see him, but he will bring justice if you will only wait. You say he does not respond to sinners with anger and is not greatly concerned about wickedness. But you are talking nonsense, Job. You have spoken like a fool.”

Well, for a guy who has claimed to honor his elders, Elihu certainly doesn’t hesitate to repeatedly insult Job. This part of Elihu’s rant is a perfect example of being theologically correct while being morally insensitive.

A little of Elihu goes a very long way! First, Elihu wants to be snarky about how God refuses to notice whether people are good or bad. But we know that when we do what God wants us to, we give Him joy. True, God is eternal and all-powerful, but God is also all-knowing and merciful. People on the other hand, are swift to judge and slow to be compassionate.

Obviously, Elihu is full of himself, sure that HE has never sinned, nor will he. Judging people who have cried out to God? Come on, Elihu! How do you know that God refuses to answer those people? God is far more compassionate than any person can be, and only God knows the human heart. If people cry out to God sincerely, God WILL answer. How can those people know that God gives songs in the night if they have never been in God’s presence at night?

While much of Elihu’s discourse is tiresome, the phrase about songs in the night is a gem. Many times, it’s far easier to pray at night than in the daytime, for there are fewer distractions, less noise, and it’s easier to hear from God. Many times, I have returned from doing an emergency nighttime operation to spend time sitting quietly before the Lord. I emphasize being quiet because prayer is a two-way communication and it’s impossible to hear from God when you’re making noise.

Benefiting from studying Elihu’s speeches requires “chewing up the meat and spitting out the bones.” Parts of Elihu’s speech glisten while the rest of it is barely endurable.

Years ago, we had a friend who prided himself on defending the Gospel, no matter what. But our friend was so focused on winning arguments that he lost sight of the fact that the Gospel is all about love. Elihu is a lot like our friend-so bent on gaining points in debate that he has lost all compassion for anyone failing to bow to his superior statements. In the end, all we can say is, “OUCH! Don’t be like Elihu!”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to listen rather than judge and to remember that You are Your own best defense. Help us to be compassionate rather than arrogant. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.