Ps. 133 Pause To Reflect On Unity

1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!

2 I t is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron’s beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes.

3It is like the dew of Hermon, Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing--life forever.

If you are keeping up with the daily chronological Bible reading, you noticed that this week we had a very, very short reading. Instead of reading 8 short psalms, or up to 5 or 6 historical chapter, we just read one Psalm. A very short one. Just three verses. Why?

I think that the authors of our plan want to give us a short break. (Every regular routine, even one as wholly beneficial as scripture readings, can benefit from a bit of a period of rest or lighter activity). This section of the reading plan has covered the rather tedious section of nine chapter of genealogies that begin 1 Chron. The authors have obviously tried to break this up with lots of reading from Psalms.

But I think a second reason for this short reading is the make us think of this psalm’s message. If we’re doing our reading, our mind is set to read for a block of time 10, 15, 20 minutes. Now instead, we’ve only read for 2 and we’re done. We have more time to think on this text then than most others. And what do who have time to think about? The glorious blessing of unity. It’s like the most blessed day and most blessed things in Israel.

Ps. 6 A Troubled Soul Prays To God In Anguish And Hope

Ps. 6:1:1“O LORD, do not rebuke me in Thine anger, Nor chasten me in Thy wrath.

2Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.

3And my soul is greatly dismayed; But Thou, O LORD--how long?

Yet again David is greatly troubled. He pleads with the Lord as one who recognizes his unworthiness to come before God. David recognized his failings in this way and called out with complete dependence on God’s grace. David’s own strength was failing and he was greatly troubled, so he recognized his need and waited on the Lord. However long that was. 

8Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.

9The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer.

10All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they shall suddenly be ashamed.”

Sinners be warned: leave this righteous man alone. Will they? Probably not until they are totally consumed by the Lord, but David is still renewed. Confidence has returned because he has assurance πthe Lord has “heard and received” his prayers. All who strive to live faithfully have this same promise (2 Pet. 3:10-12).

Imprecatory Prayer

“Imprecation” means “invoking of evil, a curse.”  In descriptions of psalms or prayers, it means asking God to rightly punish those who are deserving of it.  Use of this type of prayer may not be a pleasant thought, but the grave sins of evil men make many things as we wish they were not. Imprecatory prayer is one of the helps God extends to us in times of such need.

When?  The situation in which to offer a righteous imprecatory prayer is 1) when it is a cause that God will support, 2) you are suffering a terrible harm and 3) other means of relief are not available.  These are not simply prayers of vengeance, but prayers of dependence on God as the only hope of help.

Who? All who would plead for God to relieve them from the evil of his enemies must truly make sure that their enemy cannot rightly ask for the same relief because of the pleader’s action. The righteous imprecatory prayer is a tool for the innocent only.

We read two psalms that were imprecatory prayers in our Bible reading this week (Ps. 35 & 52). There are nine others as well. (Ps. 12, 31, 55, 59, 64, 79, 83, 94, 140).

We hope that we never need to pray for the Lord to punish evildoers who are harming us, but sometimes that is the only way to find relief.  Righteous imprecatory prayer is the last hope of the patient, innocent, faithful saint.

Wicked Priests

Eli, the High Priest and judge of Israel, seemed to have been a man who was personally pious, was a tender guardian of young Samuel when he came to the tabernacle at a very young age, and who led Israel for many years. Yet Eli, along with his family, came to a tragic end.

1 Sam. 2:12“Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.”

In an age of Israel that was known for moral corruption, some of the most degenerate men came from highest house in the land. Hophni and Phineas were in open rebellion to both their father, the High Priest, and the God of heaven. They debauched the worshipers in God’s house. They robbed those who brought sacrifices over their protests that the priests observe the Law. They would not wait until the meat was cooked, they had to have it raw – probably so they could go and sell it. They didn’t care about God’s rules, only what they could get. They took advantage of the women servants who helped run the tabernacle. They were acting in Shiloh in the Lord’s house as if they were in a pagan temple.  

Thought they were openly and fully wicked, Eli rebuked them only gently (2:22-25). For this lack of action, lack of leadership, God rebuked Eli very harshly (2:29-34) and prophesied the bad end of the wicked sons. 

1 Sam. 4:11“And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”

The Time Of The Judges

The period of the Judges covers just shy of 300 years, from the death of Joshua and the end of the generation that was born in the wilderness and conquered the land until the appointment of King Saul. Adding up the years of peace and years of oppressions seems to add up to more than that, so the years of peace and oppression given in the book must overlap some, as they were taking place at the same time in different places.  

Part of the reason for this is that Israel was hardly one nation, but rather more like 12 separate tribes. Some of these tribes aren’t mentioned at all.  in Judges Others are hardly mentioned after the roll call like listings of the first chapters. What affected one group did not always affect the others.  The tribes took on different characters.  

The accounts of judges, therefore, do not have to be in a strict chronological order. Some of these things could have been taking place in different places at the same time.  To appreciate what can happen in the length of time that is covered by the book of Judges, consider a 290-year span of our history.  290 year ago, 1723, this country was only very lightly populated with a few cities on the east coast. There were 7 colonies with a population of approximately 80 thousand people in what would become the United States. St. Petersburg, Russia had just been founded by Peter the Great, and construction was just about to start at the Alamo. The industrial revolution was still 50 years off.  

In Judges, we have a highly compressed account of 300 years. At the end of the book, there are two incidents recorded in great detail to illustrate how sorry a state of affairs came to exist in the Promised Land. A lot can happen in 300 years, and in Israel it obviously wasn’t all good.

Achan’s Gain

After Israel’s victory at Jericho, they failed completely and lost 36 men in trying to take the village of Ai. The text tells the reason for their loss:

Josh 7:1“But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel.”

We think (depending on conversion of shekels to ounces) Achan took about a pound of gold and 4 lbs. of silver [50 shekels of gold and 400 of silver], along with a what he viewed as an extremely beautiful cloak from Bablylon. (7:20,21) This wasn’t a huge heist, but it was certainly enough to be tempting, and his covetous mind thought it worth taking. The instruction of God was that the gold and silver should have been dedicated to God’s house (6:17-19), and the clothing destroyed as all the city was under a ban from personal looting. When God gives you the victory by having the walls fall down before you, its not your place to rush in a pick up gain for yourself. 

Achan never got to use his haul. He was exposed by God before he got to wear the cloak or spend the money. His sin didn’t even give the partial, temporary reward that sin sometimes gives — knowing that sins rewards are never more than partial or temporary. All he was able to do with his loot was sneak it home and hide it, let the consequences of it weigh on his conscience (I wonder how heavy that pound of gold felt then?) and then have it kill him. Such is the heavy, deceitful weight of sin.

Proverbs On Wealth And Possessions

Destitution For The Lazy: If you won’t work, save, and use wisely you surely won’t have much.  

6:9-11“How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

10A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest–

11And your poverty will come in like a vagabond, And your need like an armed man.”

13:4“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat.”

20:4“The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, So he begs during the harvest and has nothing.”

21:17“He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.”

Material Blessings That Many Righteous Receive: The righteous are not guaranteed wealth, but those who exercises wisdom and good stewardship will most always have more than those who don’t.  

10:4“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

14:23“In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.”

22:4“The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.

24:3,4“By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;

4And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.”

28:19“He who tills his land will have plenty of food, But he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.”

Weeping With Those Who Weep

Weeping With Those Who Weep

Last week a young homosexual Muslim man pledged his alliance to the Islamic state and begin to murder as many people as he could in a gay night club that he frequented. In the hours before the police stopped him (one officer taking a bullet to to the front of his kevlar helmet), he callously killed 49 people, and wounded more than 50, 

The Christian response should be obvious: sorrow over the loss of life and compassion for the loved ones of the victim. As Paul clearly instructed, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Rom. 12:15).

Yet some believers are hindered from doing this because the sins of the victims are clearly known. Are we hindered from grief because alcohol, drugs or some other wrong preceded an untimely death? But what did God say? “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord GOD. “Therefore, repent and live.”” (Ezek. 18:12, also Ezek. 18:23; 33:11) God is not pleased with their deaths, nor the death of any sinner. Would He have been pleased with our death before the time of our repentance? The average age of those who died was 29, the youngest just 18. How many who are saints today were fully ready for judgment at those young ages? 

Others are hindered in sharing their grief by charges of hypocrisy leveled by those using this tragedy and the sympathy rightly flowing from it for political gain. Christians cannot and do not celebrate the lifestyle of those who were terribly murdered. We do not take pride it in or anything associated with it (Eph. 5:11). But not celebrating and encouraging a sinful life is not a hinderance mourning a tragic passing, or in this cases, scores of them. Our understanding of the spiritual component of this should make the tragedy sting all the more, not be a reason for caring less. 

Whenever there is a tragic lose of life we are reminded of Jesus’ reaction to multi-death tragedies and atrocities in His day:

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?  “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)

When tragedies cause souls to perish, Jesus warned that considering how the victims might or might not morally compare to others is pointless. What mattered was each person realizing their own sin and the need of humility and repentance before God.

It is also a reminder to us of the need to pray.

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim. 2:1-4)

We need to pray those around the world withfor quiet and tranquil lives. We could all use more quietness and tranquility as we, like God, desire the salvation of all..

Be Strong And Courageous

The Book of Deuteronomy was Moses’ last great public act in Israel. When it concluded, he would passed the leadership of the people to Joshua and they will go from his tutelage in the wildness to possess the promised land. At this time of great transition, one of the repeated encouragements for both Joshua and the people is to “be strong and courageous.” 

Deut 11:8“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it”

“Be strong and courageous” will occur again in Deuteronomy in 31:6 & 7 and 31:23.  Then again inJoshua 1:6,7,9 & 18, and 10:25. 

As the people go from facing every challenge together as a whole group with a leader who had face to face communication with God, to 12 tribes each comfortably distant from each other to allow for a great national growth and the leadership of a faithful man, but not one who is the great deliverer and law giver, they will need to be assured and act confidently. They will need more courage than wandering in the wilderness ever demanded.  Since they would need a confident faith, Moses and God Himself supplied them with as much encouragement as possible.

Live Long And Prosper

In our reading this week, I ran across a passage that seemed to have a familiar ring to it. It was at the end of Deuteronomy 5, the warnings and blessings the that people were reminded of after the ten commandments.  

Duet. 5:33 “Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.” (HCSB)

“Live, prosper and have a good life” sure sounds like the signature line of my of my favorite sci-fi character: Spock. This connection may be slightly hidden from most English Bible readers since the word “prosper” is rendered as “that it may go well with you” in nearly all English Bibles. 

But Leonard Nimoy, the originator of the famous phrase, wasn’t influenced by the King James or other standard translations. He was paraphrasing the English translation from Hebrew that he had heard from the synagogue rabbi that he remembered from his boyhood. 

It turns out this was not the only thing he remembered from his boyhood rabbi. The Vulcan split finger hand sign was drawn from a similar sign the rabbi made with two hands symbolizing a Hebrewletter (shin). That sign is sometimes made while reading the blessing of the priests found in Numbers 6:24-26. 

So ironically, one of the most enduring memories from the very secular world of Star Trek is based directly on the hope of a good life that God offered to His people if they would faithful follow His instructions. Living long and prospering is not fiction, but a hope accomplished by faithfulness to God.

The Majority Chose The Wrong Side

In one of the most organized threats to the God given order and leadership of Israel, Korah, the leader of a large family of Levites, and other men of renown in Israel, challenged Moses right to lead the people.

Numb. 16:1-3 “Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action,  2 and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown.  3 And they assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

This rebellion was one of most dangerous that Israel faced because 1.) of the great influence that these leaders had over the people, and 2.) the success of their propaganda. Even after God destroyed the leading rebels by having the earth swallow them, and rest by fire directly by His hand, the people still sided with them. The leaders of rebellion were selfish (as Moses insightfully asked Korah, “And are you seeking for the priesthood also?” (vs. 20)), but they completely fooled the people. “All the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘You are the ones who have caused the death of the LORD’S people.’” (vs. 41) even after God directly destroyed them.  Korah and his men were obviously very popular, even after their execution. But popularacclaim didn’t save them or their followers, or make them right.

A Discouraging Word

Living here as we do on near the edge of the great western cattle country, we all can recall the words of the cowboy’s optimistic song, “Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the skies are not cloudy all day.”  How wonderful that people and nature seems to be for us. When we feel that way, it seems nothing can be against us. 

But this week in our reading of the history of Israel, the time came when it was exactly the opposite. 

Numb. 13:31,32 “But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” 32  So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.” 14:1,2  “Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2  And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!”

Behold the power of discouraging words!!  Israel failed even though God was with them. We know God would have been with them, but they didn’t believe it, in part because of the unfaithful words of the spies.

What about us today? Do we speak the words that encourage and build? Or do we speak the words the help people be doubtful and hesitant? Look at the ends of the 10 spies (14:37) and the faithful two.

Slaves Of God Alone

Towards the end of Leviticus, after the well known sections about sins and sacrifice, and clean and unclean things, there is a section of the Law of Moses instructing Israel to be different from the nations around them, to not be like the pagans. 

In Leviticus 25, this themes is developed in regard to Israel and slavery:

Lev. 25:39-55 “And if a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave’s service.

40  ‘He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee.

55 ‘For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants[slaves] whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

No one in Israel was to make another Israelite their slave. They could be-come an indentured servant, a dependent servant, for a time. Foreigners and sojourners could fall into permanent slavery, but not those of Israel. The twice stated reason (vss. 42 and 55) is that God had already brought Israel out of slavery and they were His slaves/servants already.

This same truth, that God’s people are His own slaves is taught in the New Testament. (Ref. 1 Cor. 6:20, Rom. 6:18). This is the reason that Christians were not to become slaves. Just like Israel, we belong wholly to God. We cannot belong to another. 

1 Cor. 7:23“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”

Unintentional Sin

The fourth and fifth chapters of Leviticus have a regulations for offerings in cases of “unintentional sins.”

Lev. 4:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them,

4:13  “Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error, and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly”

4:22 “When a leader sins and unintentionally…”

4:27 “Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally…

5:15 “If a person acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally …

5:18 “…So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his error in which he sinned unintentionally and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him.”

Learn:

• Anyone can become guilty of this type of sin: “a person,” “a leader,” “anyone.” We’d like to that that we, or those in charge, are above such things. Experience shows us that we are not. Only pride, naiveté, or both, makes us think so.
• Unintentional sin can be done singularly, or in groups: “the whole community.”
• While the Bible has 17 passages referring to the forgiving on unintentional sins, it does not have any telling about forgiveness of intentional sin. 

A Law Is Given

In Exodus 20 an amazing thing begins to occur. God given as law to His people. Not just a few pointers (like make sure you worship me and remember that I’m your God—although that is in there), but a systematic set of regulations that cover religious duties (sacrifices, priests, worship, a tabernacle, etc.) moral and ethical considerations (treatment of—and attitudes—towards family, neighbors, employees, foreigners, business dealings etc.) and all manner of other things that might not normally seem to men as as things worthy of divine consideration such dietary restrictions, disease control, hygiene issues. 

But on the whole, this system of laws so far beyond the other legal systems at the time, and so universally beneficial and helpful for those that followed out that many can’t grasp that it was given for only one nation, and only until Christ came. But it was. For its greatest purpose was to bring people to Christ. The law itself said as much in Deut. 1:18,19. 

Many have taken the precepts and principles of this law and applied them to all many of social interactions and even health crises (like the plague of leprosy in western Europe of the 11th century, or the practice of washing one’s hands after touching unclean things or before meals) to the benefit of all involved. The law of Moses has helpful and healthful benefits on every page, but that was not its main purpose.

The New Testament clearly states that the Law of Moses was a “tutor to lead us to Christ.” (Gal. 3:34). While acknowledging the myriads of good in the Law, let us always remember to put the main one first.

The _____ Of God

In this week’s reading the phrase “_insert things here_ of God” occurred in two conspicuous places. 

This construction was first found when Moses was on the “mountain of God” when God appeared to him in the burning bush. (3:1) This struck me as a bit odd since nothing had yet happened on this mountain. The same description is used4:27 when Aaron meets Moses there. But the meaning of this seems fully revealed in Ex. 24:13, when Moses and Joshua went up on the “mountain of God” to receive the Law. 

And also the term “staff of God” occurs in our reading (Ex. 4:20) and will occur once more (Ex. 17:9). Of course we know a lot more about this staff than just these two verses since Moses staff mentioned 19 times in Exodus. With it he turned the water of the Nile to blood (7:15-20), summoned the frogs (8:5) and gnats (8:16), brought the thunder and hail (9:23),  the locust (10:13), parted the Red Sea (Ex. 14:16), and finally was raised to give victory of the Amalekites (17:9). 

When I looked into “_insert things here_ of God” I found that this construction occurs over 850 in the Bible. It always denotes a thing especially dedicated to, or belonging to God. It is very thought provoking to consider the things belonging to or dedicated to God:

House of God, 78

Man of God, 73

Kingdom of God, 65

Word of God, 47

Son of God, 43

Ark of God, 33

Spirit of God, 24

Will of God, 23

Grace of God, 20

Wrath of God, 12

Love of God, 11

Children of God, 10

Gospel of God, 8

Church of God, 8

Fear of God, 7

Angels of God, 7

Throne of God, 6

Salvation of God, 3

Don’t Take Your Idols To The House Of God

As Jacob was headed to Laban’s house to seek a wife (and flee his brother Esau’s wrath), he met God at a place he would call “Beth-el” (“Beth” meaning house and “el” meaning God). “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”…And he called the name of that place Bethel” (Gen. 28:17,19)

Twenty five or so years later, when Jacob and his family needed to leave Shechem because of the actions of his sons, he was called by God to go back to that place. “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’” (Gen. 35:1)

Before going to the place of God, Jacob knew that his family had some things to correct. Over the years they had become too much like the world in their religion and their actions. “So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Gen. 35:2,3)

They had many things that they needed to leave behind in Shechem and not take to the house of God. They needed to leave the idols Rachel took from her father’s house and the duplicity they had practiced their neighbors. They need to “change their clothes” and go worship God. 

It is fitting that later Joshua chose Shechem to give his rousing “Choose you this day” speech against idolatry.  (Josh. 24) In every generation, we need to leave some things in Shechem and go to Bethel.

God’s 4 Chapter Speech To Job

The later chapters of Job are striking to me for two reasons. First, and most obviously, it is by far the longest speech that God Himself makes in the entire Bible, and not be a little bit, but by a lot.

 In the New Testament the direct speeches from God are just the brief announcements of Jesus as His beloved son at His baptism and transfiguration. In the Old Testament direct speech from God is recorded more often, such as speaking to Moses in the burning bush, giving the Ten Commandments in His own voice the very first time they are given and a conversation with Elijah in 1 Kings 19 about the 7,000 who have not bowed to Baal.  But still, any direct speech from God is extraordinary, especially since there is nothing else near this length.

In this long speech (Ch. 38-41) God doesn’t give Job the answer He seeks.  He rebukes Job for his insolence and then He gives him reason to trust God 

38:4,5“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it?“

God goes on to ask about the stars, the sea, the clouds, the sunrise, the snow, hail, rain, the constellations, the beasts: goat, ostrich, horse and hawk, the Behemoth and Leviathan. Was any man there to set that up with God?  If no, and obviously it is no, then why ask how He governs the world and does it wrongly. The answer God gave did not tell Job why he suffered, but that a great and wise God knew about it and was ruling the world in a marvelous manner. That the answer Job got, and its one for all of us to remember.

The Book Of Job

The entirety of our daily Bible reading was entirely in Job this week, and it will be until Thursday, when we get back to the life of Abraham in Gen. 12. This long trip through such a difficult book to begin the Bible reading program was main reason why we almost didn’t do a chronological program. But, if we want to read the whole Bible, we have to approach it some time, and it is a rewarding study for those who do it. 

Job is the first book in what is often called the “Books of Poetry” or the “Wisdom Literature” of the Old Testament. Oswald Chambers offered this summary of these five books:

• Job - How to suffer

• Psalms - How to pray

• Proverbs - How to act

• Ecclesiastes - How to enjoy  

• Song of Solomon - How to love

In reading Job, remember this inspired summary of it in the New Testament: “You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” (Jas 5:11b)

What Job and his friends seemed to never contemplate was the Satan was an actor in the affairs of men as well as God was. Terrible, terrible things happened to Job. But God was gracious to him, especially in the end. Satan was intentionally, and repeatedly evil and harsh in his dealings.

Job’s Children

Our Bible reading this week took us into Job.  Since our reading plan is chronological, we are reading the earliest events first. The exact time of Job's life is unknown, but most believe that he was a contemporary of, or came not long before, Abraham. That’s why our plan has us reading about him just before the story of Abraham. 

Job's children are mentioned in chapter 1. We find all ten of them old enough to have houses of their own, which they generously open up to one another in a wonderful example of sibling sharing. 

The harmonious relationship that they had with one another seems to have been the same kind relationship that they had with their parents. 

Job 1:5 states “And it came about, when the days of feasting had completed their cycle, that Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually”  From this it can be very clearly inferred that they were very outwardly righteous and devout, and gave Job no obvious cause for concern. His concern for them was for secret sins of the heart, which no man can know. He would not have been concerned for such sin if the more common and obvious sins were alive among them.

These children enjoyed as good a life as one could have, right up until Satan took it from them for his own selfish purposes. Surely the great and just God who dealt so right with Job received these kindly as well.