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.