Job

Job: (I’m reading chronologically, therefore Job comes 2^nd)

I never seemed to mind reading through Job until this year. But the unpleasantness of 90% of this story really had me down this time.  Between the horrible things that happened to Job and the ridiculous chatter from his friends I felt more like I was reading a bad novel than from the word of God. 

But now that I have read through it I see that is exactly why it’s there.  Our lives are often a mix of the horrible things that happen to us and the ridiculous chatter that surrounds us.  But God got his word in.  It left no room for doubt.  Bottom line… We’re NOT God.  God is God.  Spiritual battles are real.  Bad things happen to good people. 

It also makes me so thankful that we have the whole Bible at our fingertips.  It’s no wonder Job’s friends spoke so freely.  They didn’t have  2,500 pages filled with teachings and examples that we are so blessed to have. 

On that same line, I find it so intriguing that Job had such an obvious understanding of complex theological issues.  For example:

            Job 16:19-  Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate on high.  My      intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a                     man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.

What a mystery that is.  These men obviously had no doubt in the existence of God.  That God punished wrong doing, that he was our creator, that we were supposed to live by a certain standard.  And this was around the time (or before)  Abram had even been called to follow God!  

There is so much we don't know.

Genesis...

Blogging is a funny thing.  It’s so strange to think that when I first began blogging it was because that was the only way to keep up with those that didn’t see you often.  Facebook was still a university-only site and people didn’t even text! (As I type this I realize that one day my children will read this sentence and then ask me if cars had been invented when I was young.)

So, in recent years it’s been hard to find direction to blog.  I’m re-reading the Bible this year and find myself with so many thoughts that I’d like to write down.  Even if nobody else cares to read them!  So I’ve decided to continue blogging about that journey. 

So… we start in Genesis…

My main thought while reading in Genesis is how little has changed in the last 5,000 years.  Men slept with women other than their wives (which didn’t go well even then), brothers fought, murder was prevalent, and we always seem to want what someone else has. 

And, right away, God has to save us.  No sooner had God created a perfect universe then we immediately had a “better idea” of how to do things.  He could have destroyed us.  He could have left us to our own devices and abandoned us. But He had a plan.  There would be no abandonment.  And since God never changes there will never be abandonment.  Never.  

Good grief!!

So… life got the best of me this last month.  It was a combination of health issues, general busyness, unexpected taxes, and yes, laziness.  I have a lot of catching up to do!

I am glad that my catching up is in Exodus.  I love Exodus.  And I love Moses.  Maybe because I totally get him.  Like this…

Ex. 4:11-13  The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind?  Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”                                                  But Moses said, “ O LORD, please send someone else to do it.”

AH… don’t you get that?   And then comes another one of my favorites.

When the Israelites were wandering around in the desert they tended to complain.  A lot.  Finally Moses had enough.  SO…

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these People?…”  (17:4)

I’ve felt this way too.  I think the best leaders are the best because they know how to deal with unhappy people.  I am not great at that (and Moses wasn’t great at it either…), but thankfully the Lord is. 

 

Things that struck me:

-They ate manna for 40 years.  I know what you’re thinking.  Duh!!!  But think about it.  40 years. 

- I really like Jethro.  He was Moses’ father-in-law and an extremely wise man.  He rejoiced in the Israelites successes and he had great wisdom when it came to Moses’ difficulties.  I find him even more interesting because he was not an Israelite, but knew the one true God and was loving to the Jewish people, which was a rarity.

 

So-  here goes nothing.  More catching up to do!  Wish me luck

Days 19-22

Job 1-14

First, to correct my last post.   It has been about 3700 years since the time of Genesis.  I have no idea where I got to the number 2600.  Anyway…

I have held onto the book of Job in the last year.  Kyle Idleman did a sermon series on Job last year.  In my opinion it was the best sermons I have ever heard.  I’m sure that I hold that opinion because it was really speaking to what was going on in and around my life at the time. The sermons are available as podcasts. It’s the “Seeing God” series from July & August if you are interested.

I’ve been in Job’s shoes (well, hardly, but we’ve all felt a bit of it before) and, unfortunately, I’ve acted like Job’s friends before.   We’ve all given bad advice, but there’s something a little more dangerous about Christians giving bad advice.  Sometimes we live by various “Christianity-isms” that are heard so much but hold either no truth or twists the truth.

The one phrase that has made me grit my teeth over and over in the last few years is “God will provide”.  Don’t get me wrong.  I admittedly have never gone hungry, I’ve always had a warm place to sleep, my kids are very well clothed and fed.  I have never truly been in want.  But I have seen God take away the homes, jobs, incomes, and general happiness out of very faithful people in the last few years. 

The truth is that God doesn’t always provide what we think is enough money, food, health, clothes… etc.  Why do I think it should always be provided to me when even Paul says…

¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Does God provide miraculously sometimes?  Absolutely.   Phillip and I have had quite a few times where God miraculously provided.  Does God bless people with much more than we even need?  Yes!  I certainly have MUCH more than I need. Is it wrong to ask God to provide?  Nope.  What I’ve learned is that too many of us think that we are owed a good job, a nice house, and no problem paying our bills.  After all, God will provide. Right?

I don’t know why God provides sometimes and why He seemingly leaves us out in the cold for a period of time.  But even Job said “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (2:10).  I do know that God KNOWS and CARES and today is another day in His plan for my life.  I’m thankful for that. 

January 11-18

Genesis 30-50

I think it’s interesting, and a little mind blowing, that the book of Genesis covers approximately 2300 years.  Only 2600 years has passed since then.  Stonehenge, in England, was created during the time of Genesis.  Just think of how little we know about that first half of our worlds history. 

On another note…  One thing I learned is that men will always be men.  After Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, was ‘defiled’ by another man her brothers convinced the whole tribe of those men to become circumcised so they could live peacefully with one another.  Then, “while they were still in pain” Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s brothers) killed every male in the clan.  Poor guys. 

 

Next is Job…

Days 5-10

Genesis 15:1-30:24

Yikes!  Time flew by! I have some catching up to do!

How drunk do you have to be to not realize your 2 daughters are having sex with you?  Just saying.

I hadn’t realized before that Isaac and Rebekah were married for 20 years before they had Jacob and Esau.  That’s a long time!

I am again reminded why I’m glad that I will not have a bunch of daughters-in-law.  Rebekah wished that she didn’t have the ones she had (Gen 26:34-35).  Rebekah said “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women”.  That’s pretty strong!  So, Esau realized he married idiots and what does he do?  Goes and gets yet ANOTHER wife.   When does a 3rd wife solve the problem?

Jacob’s first reaction when he met Rachel was to kiss her and weep aloud (29:11).  That would have freaked me out!

How in the world did Jacob sleep with Leah and not realize it was the wrong person?  Again, how drunk did these people get?

Can you imagine Jacob’s life?  He married 2 sisters who, it appears, argued plenty of times about sleeping with Jacob.  And when it wasn’t going well, they just gave Jacob their servants to sleep with.    Why don’t these men ever seem to have a problem with their wives telling them to go sleep with someone else?  I don’t know if the men or the women are more stupid.

 

That’s it for now… all caught up!

Days 3 & 4

Genesis 7-14 & I Chronicles 1:5-27

No, I didn’t skip a day.  I just didn’t have much to say about yesterdays passage.  I did wonder why Noah didn’t just look outside the ark for himself before he did, but there must have been some reason, right?

Today’s passage (Gen 11-14) starts one of my favorite parts of the Bible.  I love the patriarchs.  They seem so human and had such amazing faith.  When God shows up to Abram He says “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (12:1) The response… “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him”… (12:4) 

My first response would probably have been “Go where exactly?… no, seriously, EXACTLY”.  I like to have things planned out, especially if I’m leaving home.  Abram had some faith!  Maybe I should work on that…

Then comes another of my favorites… Melchizedek.  He was a king and a priest, and Abram thought a lot of him (he gave him 10% of all that he had), but in Hebrews we find out more.  Turns out he had no father & mother and no beginning of days or end of life (See Hebrews 7 for more).  It leaves so many unanswered questions.  He could be a character on LOST (maybe he is :-)