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online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Did Giants Return After the Flood?
by Micah Van Huss
The question I get asked the most is, “How did the giants come back after the flood?” Scripture tells us in Genesis 6:4 that giants were on the Earth both before and after the great flood of Noah, “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”
Goliath and Og were postdiluvian giants. The Israelites warred against the giants for centuries.
The giants before the flood, known as Nephilim, were the offspring of angels and human women, according to Genesis 6. It stands to reason that the giants after the flood were products of the same unholy union, but we must back this up with Scripture. Deuteronomy 32 reads:
7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. 8 When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the Lord’sportion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
This portion of Scripture takes place after the Tower of Babel incident. After the council of Elohim confounds the languages, they divide the world into between 70 and 72 nations (the number of the children of Israel in verse 8 is 70). In verse 9, this is the point in Scripture where God chooses Israel as his people. What about the other nations?
The Earth as it Was
In The Earth as it Was, we use writings, legends, and the archaeological record to attempt to answer some of the most mysterious questions in God’s word about the antediluvian world.
Join Micah as he takes a look at the antediluvian world and the overwhelming proof that the flood of Noah happened and changed the Earth forever.
online today!RE: Single and Not Ready to Mingle
by Decent_Love | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh India | May 20online today!RE: Men are oppressed
it's not you it's your biology.
by Decent_Love | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh India | May 20online today!RE: Did You Know
There is absolutely no possibility of divorce in sologamy.
by Decent_Love | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh India | May 20
online today!Would you ever date a (...) ?
I applaud you, not to be confused with upload you haha
Those values are getting so shallow its almost becoming a parody of itself
-
online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Job did not reject God, but Job did challenge and accuse Him. The Almighty quieted Job decisively when He finally thundered His own perspective on the situation. God did not answer Job’s question of “Why?”—He instead overwhelmed Job and his friends with the truth of His majesty and sovereignty. Job came away with a deeper sense of God’s power and splendor, trusting Him more:
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5–6)
How do I apply this?
Pain inevitably afflicts each one of us. Suffering is unavoidable in this life. Will your relationship with God be enough when trials come? Will you trust Him through your suffering? Read Job 38–42. Spend time with the Almighty. Pray for a stronger faith in the powerful Creator described in those chapters. Pray for a right perspective of Him so that you might see your situation through His eyes.
Instead of asking where God is in the midst of your pain, the book of Job affirms God’s control and asks us, “Where are we in our pain? Are we trusting our Creator, even though we cannot understand our circumstances?”
Roy B. Zuck, "Job," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1985), 718.
Copyright ©? 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Who wrote the book of Job?
The author of the book of Job is unknown. Several suggestions have been put forth as plausible authors: Job himself, who could have best recalled his own words; Elihu, the fourth friend who spoke toward the end of the story; various biblical writers and leaders; or many editors who compiled the material over the years. While there is no definitive answer, it was most likely an eyewitness who recorded the detailed and lengthy conversations found in the book. In Old Testament times, authors sometimes referred to themselves in the third person, so Job’s authorship is a strong possibility.
Who was Job? This wealthy landowner and father is one of the best-known biblical heroes. But we know little more than that he was stripped of everything, without warning, and that his faith was severely tested.
Where are we?
Though the text does not directly identify its setting, internal clues indicate that Job lived during the time of the patriarchs, approximately 2100 to 1900 BC. According to Job 42:16, Job lived an additional 140 years after his tragedies occurred, perhaps to around 210 years total. His long lifespan generally corresponds to that of Terah (Abraham’s father), Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Also, Job’s wealth was measured in livestock (Job 1:3; 42:12), as was Abraham’s (Genesis 12:16). Like the patriarchs, Job used God’s unique title “El Shaddai” (God Almighty). The book of Job does not mention the Mosaic Law; indeed, Job’s daughters were equal heirs with his sons, and Job himself, though not a priest, offered sacrifices—things not possible under the Law (Leviticus 4:10; Numbers 27:8). Though we cannot be certain, Job may have lived during the time of Jacob or shortly thereafter.
Job lived in the land of Uz (Job 1:1), but no one really knows where Uz was located. Scholars believe it was outside of Canaan, near the desert because “the customs, vocabulary, and references to geography and natural history relate to northern Arabia.”1
Why is Job so important?
The Israelites categorized Job within their wisdom literature. The book includes language from ancient legal proceedings, laments, and unique terms not found elsewhere in the Bible. In addition, the majority of Job is written in parallel lines which are indicative of poetry.
The book delves into issues near to the heart of every human who experiences suffering. The prologue provides a fascinating peek into the back story—why God allowed Satan to afflict Job with such pain and turmoil. Then, through a series of dialogues and monologues arranged in a pattern of threes, human wisdom attempts to explain the unexplainable, until finally God Himself speaks.
The final chapters of Job record God’s masterful defense of His majesty and unique “otherness”—of God’s eternal transcendence above creation—in contrast with Job’s humble and ignorant mortality. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? / Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:4).
What's the big idea?
Job’s plight of undeserved suffering compels us to ask the age-old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” The answer given to Job may or may not satisfy the reader. God allows pain for good reason, but He may never reveal those reasons.
online today!RE: Any proud and hairy women out there
oh no this guy gonna sound like my car, coughing up hairballs
by marlindap | Clearwater, British Columbia Canada | May 19online today!RE: Journey to the Sun
i read it to the end only to realize there is no point in asking what the ad was for , which was the first question i had when reading the story.
by marlindap | Clearwater, British Columbia Canada | May 19online today!RE: Would you ever date a (...) ?
what does being in finance mean ? what kind of job is that ? sounds like one with no useful skills. i replaced my septic field using a pick axe and a shovel , saved me 30k , now that is finance :) too bad i am not a lesbian.
by marlindap | Clearwater, British Columbia Canada | May 19
online today!Useless trivia
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray.
by Bluekiwi | Te apua, Northland New Zealand | May 19online today!Would you ever date a (...) ?
Unrealistic chick? haha- that's worth a rap!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Q7oAGLxhbrk
(shorts, therefore only the link - 1min)
online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
42:7 Eliphaz reappears as the senior representative of Job’s three friends. We have not heard from any of them since chapter 25. Elihu had been angry with these three men, and God agrees with Elihu. God too has an anger that burns against them because they have not spoken about God “what is right.” The overall verdict on the Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar is negative. They may have said all sorts of correct things (and they have); but their message as a whole is simply wrong. Their message denies the grace of God because it has no place either for undeserved suffering (Job and later Jesus) or undeserved blessing (the grace we now have in Jesus).
By contrast, God says that Job has spoken rightly of him. This may surprise us, given all we have just heard about how God has had to rebuke Job. Although God’s verdict may just refer to what Job has just said (42:1–6) in penitence, it seems more likely that it refers overall to what Job has been saying throughout the book, and in dialogue with his erroneous friends. For, even as Job has to repent of what he has said, there has been a fundamental heart of faith that lies beneath what he has said. Job has grappled honestly with God in a way that his comforters have failed to do.
42:8–9 In a wonderful reversal of what they might expect, Job offers sacrifices to act as priest and intercessor on behalf of his friends, who desperately need to be forgiven (42:8). He does so, and the LORD accepts Job’s prayer (42:9). In this Job anticipates a greater priest and intercessor who, because of his greater sufferings, intercedes for all his sinful people.
The Blessings That Come to Job and His Family at the End (42:10–17)
The restoration of Job’s fortunes echo in the restoration of the fortunes of the people of God after the exile (e.g., Ps 126). God pours into his life a superabundant reversal of all his trials. This portrait of wealth, love, beauty, hope, and comfort fills our hearts with delight.
Within the broader story of the whole Bible, these blessings that come to Job do not promise us blessing in this life, as the prosperity gospel wrongly teaches. James 5:7–11 speaks of the steadfastness of Job, and of God’s kindness to him, in the clear context of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus in glory. When Jesus returns, we his people will come into the inheritance which Job’s blessings foreshadow. Until then, we are to persevere under trial and live in confident hope. When that day comes, we shall be drenched in beauty, love, comfort, and the abundance of God’s immediate presence.
online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
40:15–24 Behemoth means something like a “super beast.” Some have thought he is a hippopotamus and there are some similarities. He eats grass (Job 40:15), is very strong and lives in the marsh or by a river. And yet there is something of the supernatural about him. “He is the first of the works of God,” a supremely strong beast, and only the Creator can bring his sword and defeat him (40:19). While we cannot be sure who Behemoth is supposed to represent, it seems likely that in some way he speaks about the power of supernatural evil, perhaps the beastly power of Death personified.
41:1–34 With Leviathan, we have more evidence. This terrifying water creature is a kind of monstrous mix of a dragon and a many-headed sea-serpent. He cannot be tamed , will not beg you for mercy (41:3) or come to terms with you to become your servant (“make a covenant” 41:4), and the very idea of him being a pet for the young is absurd (41:5). You will not find his body in the fish market, as you might a whale . If you fight him, you will not forget the battle! But, although he is supremely fierce, he is not as strong as his Creator (“Who then is he who can stand before me?” for every creature under heaven belongs to the Creator. All the way through to he is described in fearsome imagery. Job is a climax of terror, for he is unique (“On earth there is not his like”) and “king” over all the proud creatures of the world.
So who is he? Many commentators think both Behemoth and Leviathan are natural creatures such as we might find today in a zoo or nature park. But the Bible suggests otherwise. We met Leviathan earlier in Job (3:8) where he has the power to write a date out of the calendar. We meet him again in Isaiah 27:1 and Psalm 74:12–14. He reminds us of the Beast in apocalyptic literature (e.g., Daniel 7). In Revelation 12:9 (cf. 20:2) the devil or Satan is called a “great dragon” or “ancient serpent.” It seems most likely that Leviathan is a vivid storybook description of Satan himself (and this accords well also with the stories told in the ancient Near East about a dragon or monster god).
If Job is challenged in the first speech to claim wisdom and power over the created and visible world order, it would seem that in this second speech he is challenged to demonstrate his power over Satan and Death, the powers of supernatural evil.
Job’s Second Response (42:1–6)
If this is so, then it makes sense of Job’s second response, which is much stronger than his first. In the first he agreed to stop speaking. But now he explicitly repents. He admits to God “that you can do all things” that you are sovereign over all things without exception, and including supernatural evil. He admits that he has spoken without knowledge, and he repents with deep humiliation (42:6). If Behemoth and Leviathan are simply two more creatures such as we might find in a zoo, the passage makes little sense. But if they stand as vivid symbols of Satan and the power of Death, it makes perfect sense.
This also solves the puzzle that Satan, having played such a significant part in the story at the start, does not seem to feature again. But if Leviathan is Satan, then he does indeed appear again, and at a very critical point in the story.
The End (42:7–17)
Job 1 and 2 were in prose, as also the introduction of Elihu at the start of chapter 37. Now we return to prose for the conclusion of the book. There are two parts to this conclusion, first the story of what Job has to do for his friends (42:7–9) and then the account of the blessings that come to Job after his sufferings (42:10–17).
Job’s Intercession for his Friends (42:7–9)
online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
39:5–8 Now the camera moves from the mountain goat to the wild donkey, who roams the dry plains. He too, in his wild freedom is under the care and direction of the Creator.
39:9–12 And now the wild ox, a huge and frightening creature. Job is challenged to domesticate this grand animal. But he cannot. The ox is a picture of wild power outside and beyond Job’s control. And yet God controls it all.
39:13–18 But what about the ostrich? What a funny creature she is, failing to care well for her young and yet able to run so very fast! Somehow even in her eccentric strangeness this creature helps us grasp that every creature is under the care and government of God.
39:19–25 The portrait of the war horse pawing eagerly ready for the fight introduces us to another picture of power. For the horse was the nuclear weapon of the ancient world. We are to picture this magnificent creature and marvel that even he is under the control of the Creator.
39:26–30 And then we come back to predator and prey with the hawk or eagle, the bird of prey. Living far above human habitation, God enables him to hunt and to feed his young.
These are meant to be thought-provoking word pictures as we consider the created order and wonder just how and why God governs it as he does.
40:1–2 The LORD gives Job a concluding challenge. Job has been “a faultfinder,” finding fault with the way Almighty God governs his world, not least as he struggles with his own undeserved suffering. He must be rebuked.
Job’s First Response (40:3–5)
In his brief response, Job admits his insignificance (“I am of small account”) and says he will speak no more. He does not explicitly repent, for that must wait until after God’s second speech, as we shall see.
The LORD’s Second Answer (40:6–41:34)
The LORD’s second answer consists of an accusation, and a challenge followed by portraits of a creature called Behemoth (40:15–24) and another creature called Leviathan (41:1–34).
40:6–8 The accusation is very similar to the rebuke at the start of the first speech (38:2, 3). Still Job is putting God “in the wrong” and condemning God “that you may be in the right.” This suggests that the second speech is needed, not as a kind of postscript to the first, but to deal with a deeper question. This will help us think about what or who are meant by Behemoth and Leviathan.
40:9–14 The accusation is followed by a challenge that is both humorous and dark at the same time. God challenges Job to put on God’s regal clothes (“Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity . . . glory and splendor” 40:10) and then do the job of being the judge of all the earth. He is to look at proud people and bring them down in judgment, in particular the arrogant wicked. He, Job, is to bring them down into the dust (a picture of ending their lives, cf. Ps 90:3) so that they dwell in the underworld (Job. When Job has done that, picked up God’s job as the judge of all the earth (cf. Gen 18:25) and done it successfully, then God “will . . . acknowledge” that his own right hand can save him (Job 40:14). So, the challenge is for Job to do God’s job of judging the world. And clearly, he cannot do that.
A deeper truth needs to be unearthed here. God is not saying simply that the job of dealing with evil is harder than Job thinks—undoubtedly that is hard work. Rather, God is saying that Job has not begun to understand what will be necessary to win the victory over death and the one who holds the power of death, that is, the devil; for only by the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ will this victory be won (Heb 2:14). Strangely, even as Job does not understand this, in his own sufferings he is foreshadowing that victory.
online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
The LORD’s First Answer (38:1–40:2)
38:1–3 The LORD opens with a rebuke. Job has not concealed secret sins, as his friends have said; but he has said things about God that ought not to be said. He has darkened wise “counsel by words without knowledge.” And so, the LORD summons him to a verbal contest, a contest that turns out rather one-sided! The answer to each question is, “No, I have not; but I acknowledge that you have.” The wise sovereignty of God will be painted in vivid colors.
The speech consists of 17 short sections. The first ten sections focus on inanimate matter (38:4–38), beginning with five sections about the place of evil within God’s creation (38:4–21).
38:4–7 Creation is like a building whose completion was accompanied by great joy. Whatever follows, the creation is fundamentally good.
38:8–11 The sea is an image of chaos and evil. This is part of creation; it does not lie outside of what God made. And yet it inhabits a strictly limited sphere—“thus far . . . and no farther.”
38:12–15 Wickedness will one day be destroyed. Evil is temporary. Every time the sun rises, it serves as a sign and reminder that darkness cannot endure.
38:16–18 In biblical poetry, the place of the dead lies at the bottom of the chaotic sea. And yet even this, the most extreme place in creation, lies within the Creator’s power and knowledge.
If the last extreme was very deep, these are very wide. From the far east, where the sun rises, to the far west, where it sets, God rules and knows.
The next five sections look up at the sky, a symbol of things that are above us and stronger than us (38:22–38). Note the particular focus on water in four of these five sections.
38:22–24 Destructive snow, hail, light(nings), storm winds come down from the sky under the control of God.
38:25–27 Instead of destructive water (snow, hail, thunderstorms) we now see water transformed into a life-giving gift that makes even remote deserted lands fertile. The same water is used by God both in a violent way (38:22–24) and a life-giving way. Only God understands how or why.
We have here a beautiful meditation about the relationship between water and the Creator. God is the “father” and “womb” from which water comes in all its varied forms. It comes as “dew” and “rain” to bring fertility. It comes as “ice” and “frost” to threaten life. And all from the same Creator, with whom it has this intimate relationship.
38:31–33 God focuses now on some of the constellations of stars in the sky. Often these have been thought to be divine, influencing affairs on earth (as with horoscopes). But no! Every detail of these stars is ordained and established by the LORD.
38:34–38 And now we come back to water. Every raindrop, each lightning bolt, goes at his command, in detail and precisely as the LORD instructs, whether to destroy or to bring life.
The final seven sections move from inanimate matter to animals and birds (38:39–39:30). Note the particular focus on what is wild. Just as some of the earlier sections looked at extreme parts of creation, so these animals and birds are not domesticated. Note also a theme of life and death.
38:39–41 We begin with predators and prey, the lion as a beast predator and the raven as a bird that feeds on the prey of the lion. Surprisingly, God speaks of this whole process—the lion killing the prey and then the raven getting food from the carcass—as a blessing, for it brings food to the defenseless young lions and ravens. So, is it evil or good? What may seem evil could perhaps be good.
39:1–4 If the last section looked at death in the wild, this one considers new life in the wild. These are “mountain goats” not farm goats. God enables them to become pregnant, to go into labor, and to give birth, even in the wild.
online today!Useless trivia
Fiji is grappling with a methamphetamine crisis that has infiltrated every part of society, from villages, schools, and the police sworn to protect them.
by Bluekiwi | Te apua, Northland New Zealand | May 19
Single and Not Ready to Mingle
Thanks German. I will now. Life is hard enough as it is without all that. So far none of these men have added to my life. Only taken from it.
by Mermaidhair | Fresno, California USA | May 19
RE: Single and Not Ready to Mingle
You get all the Brownie points from me Mermaidhair.
The operative word is respect so ignore those that show none and look after Numero Uno.
RE: Deleting my profiles on dating apps and applying for a new job
“So why is that? Why do women initiate divorce on such a high level?”
Hi Johnny. Sorry I had to take a break from this site. Dating sites in general were getting me down but I’m better now. I think I can answer that. If men just connect physically and not emotionally that’s a tough pill to swallow. I think I’d rather be single than be in a relationship like that. Which brings me to my boss. Some people here are familiar with the story of my boss and I. Well he told me he loved me but that was just to get sex. His connection was a physical one. I had another male friend tell me men give love to get sex and women give sex to giet love. When he told me that I cut my boss off. He doesn’t deserve my sex. I feel used. And that’s exactly what he did. Because once I denied him sex he dropped me like a hot potato. It’s very disconcerting. I wasn’t hurt because I just told myself don’t be mad don’t be mad. Men are different. I just wish he was a bit more straightforward with me and told me Danielle I bond with you with sex so if you stop that it’s gonna really suck for me. But he didn’t. He just dodged my texts and calls. Went cold. So that’s why I think divorce numbers are high.
RE: Ad $pot. | Interstate Grip store.
^brief intermission. Carry on.
by Mermaidhair | Fresno, California USA | May 19RE: Ad $pot. | Interstate Grip store.
Hey I’m back. I got bored. Life is so boring now that I’m taking a break from dating. Ugh. Trying to find things to do. Hey I know! How about I follow your blogs.
by Mermaidhair | Fresno, California USA | May 19
online today!RE: Apollo 11: One giant LIE for mankind...
OTOH,if it were a hoax,the Soviets wold have had a grand time to un-hoax the hoax!
by Conrad73 | Zurich, Switzerland | May 19online today!Useless trivia
God bless America
The land of the "crazy sons of bitches"
online today!Useless trivia
Sentencing trial to begin for Zephen Xaver, who shot and killed five women in a Florida bank in 2019
by Bluekiwi | Te apua, Northland New Zealand | May 19online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
The LORD’s First Answer (38:1–40:2)
The LORD opens with a rebuke. Job has not concealed secret sins, as his friends have said; but he has said things about God that ought not to be said. He has darkened wise “counsel by words without knowledge.” And so, the LORD summons him to a verbal contest, a contest that turns out rather one-sided! The answer to each question is, “No, I have not; but I acknowledge that you have.” The wise sovereignty of God will be painted in vivid colors.
The speech consists of 17 short sections. The first ten sections focus on inanimate matter (38:4–38), beginning with five sections about the place of evil within God’s creation .
Creation is like a building whose completion was accompanied by great joy. Whatever follows, the creation is fundamentally good.
The sea is an image of chaos and evil. This is part of creation; it does not lie outside of what God made. And yet it inhabits a strictly limited sphere—“thus far . . . and no farther.”
Wickedness will one day be destroyed. Evil is temporary. Every time the sun rises, it serves as a sign and reminder that darkness cannot endure.
38:16–18 In biblical poetry, the place of the dead lies at the bottom of the chaotic sea. And yet even this, the most extreme place in creation, lies within the Creator’s power and knowledge.
If the last extreme was very deep, these are very wide. From the far east, where the sun rises, to the far west, where it sets, God rules and knows.
The next five sections look up at the sky, a symbol of things that are above us and stronger than us. Note the particular focus on water in four of these five sections.
Destructive snow, hail, light(nings), storm winds come down from the sky under the control of God.
Instead of destructive water (snow, hail, thunderstorms) we now see water transformed into a life-giving gift that makes even remote deserted lands fertile. The same water is used by God both in a violent way and a life-giving way. Only God understands how or why.
38:28–30 We have here a beautiful meditation about the relationship between water and the Creator. God is the “father” and “womb” from which water comes in all its varied forms. It comes as “dew” and “rain” to bring fertility. It comes as “ice” and “frost” to threaten life. And all from the same Creator, with whom it has this intimate relationship.
God focuses now on some of the constellations of stars in the sky. Often these have been thought to be divine, influencing affairs on earth (as with horoscopes). But no! Every detail of these stars is ordained and established by the LORD.
And now we come back to water. Every raindrop, each lightning bolt, goes at his command, in detail and precisely as the LORD instructs, whether to destroy or to bring life.
The final seven sections move from inanimate matter to animals and birds (38:39–39:30). Note the particular focus on what is wild. Just as some of the earlier sections looked at extreme parts of creation, so these animals and birds are not domesticated. Note also a theme of life and death.
We begin with predators and prey, the lion as a beast predator and the raven as a bird that feeds on the prey of the lion. Surprisingly, God speaks of this whole process—the lion killing the prey and then the raven getting food from the carcass—as a blessing, for it brings food to the defenseless young lions and ravens. So, is it evil or good? What may seem evil could perhaps be good.
If the last section looked at death in the wild, this one considers new life in the wild. These are “mountain goats” not farm goats. God enables them to become pregnant, to go into labor, and to give birth, even in the wild.
39:5–8
online today!What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Elihu’s third speech is robust and hard-hitting. He challenges Job at perhaps his weakest point; for Job has begun, it would seem, to slip into expecting God to answer him because of his piety.
36:1–4 Elihu’s final speech is his most majestic. He begins by setting out his purpose: he will “ascribe righteousness to my Maker.” That is to say, he will defend the justice of God; that is his aim.
36:5–25 Now Elihu turns to focus on God’s dealings with people. God is very powerful (36:5) but uses his power (a) to punish the wicked (36:6a), which he will do, even if we have to wait, and (b) to give those who are righteous by faith their “right,” i.e., their vindication (36:6b, 7). Such righteous people may and often are “caught in the cords of affliction” (36:8), as Job is; but God’s gracious purpose in this is that they be restored (36:9–10). Such loving discipline leads to two possible responses (36:11–15): some will “listen and serve him,” while others will “not listen” and come to a terrible end.
In 36:16–25 Elihu appeals directly to Job. God is dealing with Job in loving discipline, he says; he is “alluring” you “out of distress”. So, Job must be careful to respond in the right way. He must “take care” to respond with faith.
36:26–33 Although Elihu’s appeal is right, perhaps he knows that he needs to do something with a more immediate emotional power to move Job to change. Certainly, the remainder of his speech reaches great heights of rhetorical force. He begins this next section with the words, “Behold, God is great, and we know him not” (that is, he is beyond our comprehension). He dwells above and beyond time (36:26b). In 36:27–28 he takes the example of how water evaporates and forms clouds which then rain on us; this process is (was) beyond our understanding but is clearly benevolent. Similarly (36:29–33) the more dramatic processes of thunder clouds and lightning are under God’s command and intended ultimately for the blessing of humankind.
37:1–13 The storm language intensifies, giving the reader a sense of awe and wonder. This stormy voice of God (“his voice” 37:2, “his mouth” 37:2, “his voice . . . when his voice is heard” etc.) roars to convey the sovereign power of God. We can neither control this nor comprehend it. Snow, whirlwinds (think tornadoes or hurricanes), bitter cold and ice, all this is under the sovereign providential hand of God.
Elihu appeals to Job: “Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God.” He invites Job, calls Job, summons Job, to bow before the One who is “perfect in knowledge” and unstoppable in his power. This appeal runs through to The idea that we know better than God, that we can “speak” in this way to God, is madness: “Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?” Job needs to bow before God’s sovereign wisdom, his omnipotent knowledge.
Elihu concludes his speech by picturing the scene after the storm has blown over (or perhaps it actually had). The bright light of the sky, the golden splendor, the awesome majesty of God, all this ought to move us to “fear him” and not to be wise in our own conceit (37:24).
In all this, Elihu focuses on the power and the wisdom of God in ways that lead very naturally into the Lord’s own speeches. Elihu is an Elijah-figure, a forerunner for God himself.
The LORD’s Answers and Job’s Responses
At this point, something truly astonishing happens. God himself, the covenant LORD (not given that name since chapters 1 and 2) speaks directly to Job, as Job has both dreaded (9:16–18) and desired (. God speaks “out of the whirlwind,” the storm so vividly described by Elihu in chapter 37 that has also enveloped Job’s life.
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34:1–15 In his second speech Elihu homes in on his central concern, which is the righteousness and goodness of God. He identifies this concern. Speaking, presumably, both to Job and his friends, he invited them to consider “what is right . . . what is good” (34:4, emphasis mine). He sums up how Job has erred. Job has said (1) that he, not God, is “in the right” (34:5), (2) that God has taken away what Job rightly deserves (34:5b), (3) that God calls him a liar when he defends his integrity (34:6) and (4) that there is no hope for Job (34:6b). This accusation against the righteousness of God is outrageous. It undermines true piety. Elihu’s chief axiom is that God will never “do wickedness . . . do wrong” but will always be just. The reason is that God is God and for that reason is responsible for the government of the world; if God were not just, then the world could not continue to exist. (This is a profoundly true argument.)
34:16–37 Elihu speaks again to Job (turning from plural to singular verbs). Because God governs the world, he must necessarily be just. He does indeed judge justly, as argues. He has no favorites (“no partiality”, he has the power to make people pass away (34:20), his “eyes” see perfectly what people are saying and doing, and he exercises his judgments publicly, for all to see (34:26–28). Sometimes his judgments are delayed (he is “quiet” and “hides his face” but this does not mean he is not going to judge. Job needs to admit that he has spoken “without knowledge . . . without insight” (34:35) as indeed it will turn out that he has.
35:1–4 This third speech is addressed in the singular to Job. Elihu addresses one particular thing Job has been saying, or implying: “What is the point of being pious? Suppose I live in the fear of God, what then? What advantage have I? How am I better off than if I had sinned?” (cf. 34:9 where Elihu quotes Job saying something very similar.)
35:5–8 This section is the first part of Elihu’s answer (an answer that is easy to misunderstand). Elihu asks Job to look up at the sky and thence to meditate on the transcendence of God. From this he is to deduce that nothing he or any of us can do will cause God pain or pleasure. We can sin, but we do not hurt God (35:6). We can do right but it does not increase the blessedness of God (35:7). In this sense, what we do, whether good or bad, is important to us but does not affect God.
Elihu does not mean that God is not pleased or displeased by what we do; after all, he is reasoning with Job to make him change what he says. But he does mean that we can neither hurt God nor place God in our debt; God is beyond that. So, we are mistaken when we think that by pleasing God, we will put God in our debt and make him bound to bless us, as Job seems to be implying.
35:9–16 This section is the second part of Elihu’s answer. Job is general; the application to Job comes in . Job observes that, all over the world, oppressed people cry out to God. But, although they cry, they do not say, “Where is God my Maker?” ; that is, they do not seek God in their hearts. It is possible to cry out without really praying. They “cry out”, but their cry is “empty” because it does not come from faith that God exists and that he answers those who seek him. In Elihu applies this to Job: “ . . . you say that you do not see him” (i.e., see God or hear his answer). But your talk about God, these wrong things you are saying about God, are “empty” , “words without knowledge” (a phrase echoed in 38:2).
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The other thing we notice about Elihu is his anger. He “burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job . . . He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends . . . .when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger” (32:2, 3, 5, emphasis mine). Elihu is angry because Job has claimed to be in the right and therefore that God must be in the wrong to make him endure such suffering. This accusation against God makes Elihu angry. And he is right to be angry! To accuse the judge of all the earth (Gen 18:25) of injustice is an infinitely serious matter. We see at the end of the book the paradox that (a) Job is right to claim righteousness (Job 42:7), for he is a righteous and blameless man, but (b) Job has said some wrong things about God, for which he will need to repent.
Many commentators consider Elihu to be an alien intrusion into the book or—at best—an ambiguous voice (as I once thought myself). The position of this commentary is a minority position: Elihu represents a truly prophetic voice and his speeches are a reliable and authoritative preface to the speeches of the LORD.1 He gives four unanswered speeches, the last of which segues very naturally in style and substance into the first of the divine speeches.
Elihu’s Answers (32:6–37:24)
Each of Elihu’s four speeches is introduced by a formula including the words, “Elihu . . . answered and said” (32:6; 34:1; 35:1) or “Elihu continued and said” (36:1).
32:6–22 Elihu explains, with some passion, why he has decided to speak, despite his relative youth. He claims in some way to speak by the “spirit” (or “Spirit”), “the breath of the Almighty” . He is dismayed that the three friends, despite having plenty of time and making many speeches, “answer no more . . . have not a word to say”. Elihu is filled with “the spirit within me” and simply must speak; he is so angry, so disturbed by the unanswered speeches of Job, that he must find some relief by speaking and will do so without favoritism or flattery.
The question in our minds is this: is the “spirit” by which Elihu speaks simply his own human wisdom and anger, or is it in some way the “Spirit” of the Almighty God? Only the content of his speeches will show us.
33:1–7 Elihu says he will speak as one made by “The Spirit of God” and yet as one who is mortal like Job, in whose presence Job has no need to be terrified.
33:8–13 He accurately summarizes what Job has been saying. Job claims that he is “clean” (that is, forgiven, penitent, in right relation with God) but that God is victimizing him . Job claims that God does not speak to him; but this cannot be right.
33:14–18 This leads into an important part of Elihu’s argument. In he argues that God does indeed speak, and in more ways than one. First, he speaks through what we may call the voice of conscience. He pictures a man terrified by dreams that frighten him and warn him to turn aside from a wrong deed, to repent of pride, and therefore to be preserved from “the pit” into which the wicked will be cast. The kindness of God is displayed when he does this.
33:19–28 Second, Elihu argues that God speaks through pain, which is—in C. S. Lewis’s famous phrase “God’s megaphone to a deaf world.”2 Here is a man “rebuked with pain on his bed” (33:19); but in his suffering, as he faces the prospect of death, a “mediator” declares to him what is right, shows mercy to him, gives a ransom for him, and the man prays and is restored. That is to say, God uses a man’s pain to bring him to turn to God in prayer.
33:29–33 In conclusion, Elihu says that Job needs to listen to his prophetic voice as he tells him what God wants him to hear in his sufferings. Even the sinless Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered (Heb 5:8).
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They say he has indeed done these and other sins and does most certainly deserve his punishment. But we know (both from the beginning, and the end (that this is not so. Job’s protestations of innocence are true; he is a real believer. He is not sinless, but he walks before God as a forgiven man with a clear conscience.
31:1–3 The structure seems to be balanced. Job begins by speaking of the “covenant” he has made. Rather than addressing just one example (cf. looking lustfully at a woman), Job’s vigilance against lust may stand for his battle against all evil desire. He will end by calling on the earth (his land) as it were to ratify this covenant, to attest that what he says is true. These bracket the speech; Job claims to have made a covenant to walk with God and is sure that the earth itself will attest that he has kept this covenant in faithfulness.
31:4–6 Inside this outer bracket there is a repeated challenge. Job challenges God to weigh his heart and attest his integrity. This challenge is repeated most emphatically in 31:35–37 where he calls on the Almighty to answer his challenge and vindicate him.
31:7–34 Job offers a representative catalog consisting of examples of his covenant faithfulness. He provides a series of ten denials:
He has not turned aside from God’s way in his heart (31:7–8).
He has not committed adultery (31:9–12).
He has not treated his servants unfairly (31:13–15).
He has not been ungenerous to the needy (31:16–20).
He has not abused the weak (31:21–23).
He has not trusted in his riches (31:24–25).
He has not made an idol of the sun, moon, or stars (31:26–28).
He has not rejoiced at the downfall of his enemies (31:29–30).
He has not failed to be hospitable to visitors (31:31–32).
He has not been a hypocrite, pretending to be pious when he is not (31:33–34).
31:35–40 Job rests his case. In verses 35–37 he—as it were—signs his defense statement and calls on Almighty God to answer his case. We are not sure why he concludes (31:38–40) by a protestation of innocence concerning his land; most likely this is because the land stands for the whole Created Order, which will testify to Job’s righteousness.
Job claims to be faithful to his covenant with God. This is true. He is a forgiven sinner. But he foreshadows a man who is utterly faithful to his eternal covenant with the Father, Jesus the incarnate Son of God, who has no sin. And yet Job also foreshadows believers today, who are—like Job—covered by the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Job was covered by that death so many centuries before, even as he knew so little of the provision that God would make for his sin. We who know much more are called to “walk in the light” (1Jn 1:7) with a clear conscience before God.
In Job 1:1–5, the main character of the book, Job, was introduced, and we heard what happened to him (1:6–2:10). Then Job’s three friends were introduced (2:11–13), and we heard—at great length—what happened between them and Job (3:1–31:40), at which point “The words of Job are ended.” Now—again in prose—there is a third introduction. This begins the answers to Job. His three friends have “ceased to answer” him (32:1, emphasis mine); Elihu is angry with the friends because “they had found no answer” (32:3, emphasis mine) to Job, in the sense that they failed to persuade him that he is “in the wrong.” Elihu “saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men” (32:5). Elihu’s speeches thus maintain a heavy emphasis on the need to answer Job.
The other thing we notice about Elihu is his anger. He “burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job . . . He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends . . . .when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger” (32:2, 3, 5, emphasis mine).
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29:11–20 People treat a human leader with outward honor for many reasons. For some, it is because we are frightened of the terror of a tyrant. But not with Job. Job tells us why he was so honored. He is the leader they love because he does what a leader ought to do: he delivers the poor, looks after the fatherless, cares for the dying, gives joy to the widow. He is a righteous judge (29:14) who looks out for those who cannot look out for themselves and punishes the oppressor.
Job had been, on a local level, what Adam ought to have been for the world, and what Jesus will be for all creation; he had been the Judge and Savior. The dignity of Job anticipates the majesty of Jesus. Job expected therefore to live a long life without suffering. That is what you would expect in a world without undeserved suffering.
29:21–25 Job ends this part of his speech by remembering again the government with which he had been entrusted. All these longings of Job find their fulfilment in the yearnings of Jesus Christ to walk in fellowship with the Father and to exercise in this world the good government of the Kingdom of God. And so he will. And so will his people as they rule with him (1Cor 6:2).
In chapter 29, Job remembers a wonderful past, in fellowship with God and exercising God’s good government in a needy world. Chapter 30 reverses that, first by replacing dignity with indignity (Job 30:1–15, reversing 29:7–25) and then as the smile of God is taken away (30:16–31 reversing 29:2–6). If chapter 29 looks back, chapter 30 is firmly trapped in a miserable present (“But now . . . And now . . . And now . . . ”.
30:1–8 The indignity of Job focuses on mockery. These verses paint a picture of those who mock him. They are “younger than I”, in a culture in which seniority ought to be honored by the young (as it ought). Job does not paint a picture of the virtuous poor; these men come from terrible families (30:1b, lower than despised dogs), are useless and unemployable, rightly driven out of human society (30:5–7) because in their character (30:8)
they are “senseless” and “nameless” (probably meaning having no character to deserve a reputation). And yet Job, this great, noble, righteous man is counted as lower even than these dregs of society. How God’s good order of creation is turned upside down!
30:9–15 These utterly despicable people completely despise Job. They laugh at him, make cruel songs about him, keep their distance from him, terrify him. And the reason they do this is that “God has loosed my cord and humbled me” They regard Job as a God-forsaken man, and that is what Job feels himself to be. In his God-forsakenness, as a man under the judgment of God, Job experiences something of what Jesus will later suffer as he too is mocked and scorned.
30:16–31 Job contains the only direct address from Job to God in chapters 29–31. In he cries out to God for help. But he is not answered. In some deeply mysterious way, heaven must be silent to his cries, and his undeserved suffering must be filled up in misery and darkness .
And so, after the bright light of chapter 29 we are plunged into the contrasting darkness of chapter 30. Here we see this great and righteous man plunged right to the very depths of human society, drenched with the misery of the punishments of God. This is a deep and moving anticipation of the cross of Christ.
At the end of chapter 31, the end of this final summing up speech, we read that, “The words of Job are ended.” We consider now the final part of the last speech of Job as he prepares to stand before God. What will he say? Again and again, he says something like this: “If I had done this sin, then God would be right to punish me. But I have not done it.” His friends have accused him of deceitfulness;
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But to find it man must go into very dark places (28:3 “darkness . . . gloom . . . deep darkness”). The search is lonely. fraught with dangers. Growing crops above ground is easy, but it takes explosive fire to unearth what is under the ground. But what value is to be found there! Sapphires, dust of gold (28:6). But they are invisible even to the falcon and inaccessible even to the lion . How hard they are to find!
28:12–22 Think, says Job, about finding something deeply hidden, that needs a lonely and painful search, but is so abundantly worth finding. In Job tells us why he spoke this poem: “But where shall wisdom be found?” By “wisdom” or “understanding” Job means the moral structure of the universe, how and why the universe fits together. This lonely search has occupied Job; he longs to know why he is suffering as he is. He wants to know what we, the readers, know from the heavenly scenes of chapters 1 and 2. And so, in he develops these twin themes of the great value of wisdom and its extraordinary inaccessibility. He longs to find it; but he cannot. You cannot put a price on it), but it cannot be found, even in the wild extremities of the universe (“the deep . . . the sea . . . ” 28:14). For “It is hidden from the eyes of all living . . . ” and even Abaddon (“Destruction”) and Death (personifications of the lords of the realm of the dead) do not know where wisdom is to be found (28:22).
28:23–27 Job reassures himself and his readers that “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place” (notice that word “place” again). But the conclusion of the poem is perhaps the key to understanding Job’s meaning.
28:28 God now speaks to humankind, for the first time in the book. He says that “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” And yet this is precisely what we know that Job himself does—and does consistently! Job, in his lonely search, his undeserved sufferings, and his deep perplexity, embodies all that a human being can find of wisdom here on earth. He cannot find the answer to the mysteries of the universe; but in fearing God and repenting from evil he embodies wisdom. In this, Job prefigures One in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found, in Jesus Christ .
The formula, “And Job again took up his discourse, and said” introduces Job’s final summing up speech (Job 29–31) as it did his first, Although there are no markers in the text, our chapter divisions accurately mirror the three parts of the speech.
29:1–6 Job begins with passionate longing (“Oh, that . . . ”) for his lost past. But the content of his longing reveals what matters most to his heart. For he begins by remembering, not primarily the blessings he experienced, but rather “the friendship of God”. The blessings are valued and remembered because they were the blessings of God, the God whose presence Job treasured. This passage echoes the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24–26. The word translated “friendship” conveys the idea of one in whom a person confides and has confidence (cf. Prov. The imagery of “steps washed with butter” and “streams of oil” means abundant food and plenty. In this first section Job longs to walk with God, as his great successor Jesus will do as the Son of God, walking through life in fellowship with the Father.
29:7–10 Through the end of the chapter Job focuses—again, to our surprise—not on the abundance of his former life, but on the privilege of showing godly leadership and being a blessing to others. He longs, in anticipation, to live with the majesty and dignity of the Savior. Here he describes the respect with which he was greeted at “the gate of the city” (the place of business); people drew back, stood up, stopped talking, and waited for him to take his seat.
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It is not always easy to understand) poetry Job sings the glory and majesty of the Creator. Job speaks of God’s maintenance of creation order, but 26:11 makes the point that God can, when he chooses, make “the pillars of heaven tremble” as he shakes the created order. His friends will not acknowledge this. And yet Job is presently experiencing these tremors; supremely, when Jesus dies, this instability takes-on a physical manifestation (hence the earthquake in Matt 27:51).
God’s power extends over the chaos-monster Rahab (that is, “the fleeing serpent”) and the hostile chaotic sea (Job. All the powers of the universe are under his sovereign control. In this Job anticipates the final speeches of the book. But—and here Job reaches out for something greater than his friends will admit—in 26:14 Job acknowledges that “these are but the outskirts of his ways”; there is more to God’s power and wisdom than we can yet grasp. How right Job is!
27:1 The words, “And Job again took up his discourse, and said” introduce the first summing up speech from Job; he speaks to all his supposed comforters (the address is plural, e.g., in 27:11–12).
27:2–6 The first thing that Job says—and he will return to this in his second summing up speech—is to insist that he really is in right relationship with God. He insists that God has “taken away my right”; in other words, Job really is righteous, and if he were to admit that his friends “are right” (27:5) he would be speaking “falsehood” and “deceit” . His friends insist that he, Job, is in the wrong; but he is not. He will not abandon his claim to have “integrity” (27:5) and “righteousness” . In this he—presumably unconsciously—echoes the verdict of the narrator and of the LORD Right deep in his “heart” there is no “reproach,” no accusation of a guilty conscience (27:6).
27:7–10 Since Job is in right relationship with God, his friends must not malign him and say he is not. So, in 27:7–10 Job prays for God’s judgment upon them. They have made themselves his enemies; well, then, they have set themselves against God; this is the logic of 27:7. If they rise up against Job, they rise up against God in unrighteousness.
27:11–23 Job warns his friends of the danger in which they have placed themselves. In the description of the wicked given here by Job there are many echoes of the descriptions his friends have given of the wicked under the judgment of God (e.g.. Although many commentators have suggested that the text has been misplaced, and that this section ought to be placed on the lips of one of the friends, there is no manuscript evidence for this. Besides, the context is different. When they described judgment, the echoes of the sufferings of Job made it clear that they thought Job was wicked. But here Job describes the sufferings of the wicked precisely because, in their hostility towards him, they place themselves in danger of that judgment. So he offers to teach them what they have tried to teach him—a frightening description! Those who oppose the gospel or persecute those who truly belong to God will do well to take note of it and beware.
28:1–11 The tone changes in chapter 28. Now Job does not explicitly address anyone. Heated disagreement is replaced by quiet contemplation. Without any explanation, these verses contain a fascinating and very old poem about the process of mining. It may be the oldest description of human mining in history. Before considering its purpose, we should read it and consider the two main emphases: (a) the great value of what is found and (b) the extraordinary difficulty of finding it. Somewhere under the earth there is a “place” for silver, gold, iron, and copper.
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24:13–17 This section contains a play on light and darkness and their reversal. Implicitly these sins reverse the proper order of creation. Murderers kill the poor, thieves steal, adulterers go about their lust, and all at night (24:14–16). “For deep darkness is morning to all of them.” These people “are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.” Creation order is being subverted. Why does God not act in judgment?
24:18–25 In it seems that Job is summarizing what his friends have said (“You say . . . ”). They claim that God will judge these people. Job agrees that he will, but he questions whether God will always act quickly. Job 24:22–25 is not an easy passage to understand, but Job is probably saying that, although “God prolongs the life of the mighty [i.e., these wicked mighty people] by his power,” nevertheless the day will come when they will “despair.” “They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low . . . cut off . . . ” Probably Job is agreeing with his friends that there will be a judgment but doubting that it always happens straightaway, as they suppose.
Bildad Speaks (25:1–6)
25:1–3 Bildad’s final speech is very short! With it, the talking of the comforters stutters into silence. Bildad begins by reaffirming the absolute sovereignty of God. God exercises “dominion”; he rules “in his high heaven,” far above human challenge. You cannot count his vast and unbeatable armies or find a man or woman upon whom God’s created light does not shine. God is absolutely in control and none can challenge him.
25:4 It follows—and Bildad here repeats what Eliphaz has also said—that no mortal human being can hope to be “in the right” or “pure” in the sight of God. When Job expresses this longing to stand in the presence of God, therefore, as he has done in his hope is in vain. Job more or less agrees with this (e.g.,and yet he clings to this hope that one day a way will be found, an arbiter or mediator, who will make this astonishing thing possible.
25:5–6 Bildad follows this up by so emphasizing the bright purity of God that no human being can ever hope to be more than “a maggot” or “a worm.” The system of relentless morality espoused by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar ends on this note of hopelessness. There is no gospel here.
Job Replies (26:1–14)
26:1 Chapter 26 is the final speech in the cycles of speeches between Job and his comforters. (The speech is introduced, as the other speeches in the cycles, by the words, “Then . . . answered and said:”) Chapters 27–31 consist of two summing up speeches from Job, rather than a part of the cycles; they are introduced in a different way, by the words, “And Job again took up his discourse, and said:” .
26:2–4 Job gives a biting (even sarcastic) rebuke to his friends. Oh, they have helped him so much! He has no power, but they have brought help! He has no wisdom and they have given him wonderful counsel! How wonderful they have been! Or not! For where there is no gospel, there is no true wisdom, and without gospel there is no power to help the powerless.
26:5–14 Up until Job gives his comforters a bright hymn of praise to God. This is perhaps surprising. But maybe it should not surprise us as much as it does. For Job is a believer and, even in the depths of his struggles, he is learning truths from his Creator. His friends have sung the praise of God too. So, we ask: is Job simply agreeing with them? But there are hints that Job is doing more. First, he shows them that he wholeheartedly agrees that God is quite wonderfully sovereign. Even “Sheol . . . and Abaddon” (the place of Destruction, later Apollyon in Greek, “the angel of the bottomless pit” in Rev 9:11) are “naked” to God; even the place of the dead is open to his gaze; there is no corner of the created order that is outside of his control. In vivid (but not always easy to understand) poetry
online today!Useless trivia
A man shot his 6-month-old baby multiple times at a home northwest of Phoenix after taking the infant and their mother captive, but the mother escaped with minor injuries, and the child was expected to survive, authorities said.
They said the status of the suspect remained unknown after a fire broke out during a standoff with police.