#666 Soul Windows

“I have made a covenant with my eyes;

Why then should I look upon a young woman?

2 For what is the allotment of God from above,

And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

3 Is it not destruction for the wicked,

And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

4 Does He not see my ways,

And count all my steps?

5 “If I have walked with falsehood,

Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,

6 Let me be weighed on honest scales,

That God may know my integrity.

7 If my step has turned from the way,

Or my heart walked after my eyes,

Or if any spot adheres to my hands,

8 Then let me sow, and another eat;

Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

10 Then let my wife grind for another,

And let others bow down over her.

11 For that would be wickedness;

Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

12 For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,

And would root out all my increase.

13 “If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant

When they complained against me,

14 What then shall I do when God rises up?

When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them?

Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

16 “If I have kept the poor from their desire,

Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

17 Or eaten my morsel by myself,

So that the fatherless could not eat of it

18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father,

And from my mother’s womb I guided the widow);

19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

Or any poor man without covering;

20 If his heart has not blessed me,

And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

21 If I have raised my hand against the fatherless,

When I saw I had help in the gate;

22 Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,

Let my arm be torn from the socket.

23 For destruction from God is a terror to me,

And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

24 “If I have made gold my hope,

Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;

25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had gained much;

26 If I have observed the sun when it shines,

Or the moon moving in brightness,

27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed,

And my mouth has kissed my hand;

28 This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,

For I would have denied God who is above.

29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,

Or lifted myself up when evil found him

30 (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin

By asking for a curse on his soul);

31 If the men of my tent have not said,

‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’

32 (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,

For I have opened my doors to the traveler);

33 If I have covered my transgressions as Adam,

By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

34 Because I feared the great multitude,

And dreaded the contempt of families,

So that I kept silence

And did not go out of the door—

35 Oh, that I had one to hear me!

Here is my mark.

Oh, that the Almighty would answer me,

That my Prosecutor had written a book!

36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,

And bind it on me like a crown;

37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps;

Like a prince I would approach Him.

38 “If my land cries out against me,

And its furrows weep together;

39 If I have eaten its fruit without money,

Or caused its owners to lose their lives;

40 Then let thistles grow instead of wheat,

And weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended. Job 31 NKJV

This is the last part of Jobs defense, his exhausted proclamation of who he really is verses what his friends infer from his suffering. This is uniquely the echo of Christ's spirit in Matthew 5 when he pulls out the root of the sin of adultery, that it started when the heart meditated upon what the eyes took in. 

I have made a covenant with my eyes - I think I am most astonished by this because of it's age, some would date this book before the times of Moses even, and it is obviously before the time of Christ, yet speaks from the place that Christ insist God sees. Many of the patriarchs did not commit to such fidelity as Job has set his mind to practice. He has made a determined effort against sin, early in it's start beneath the earth, he has plucked out the seed so that it does not reach the flower. I would not be able to comfortably judge a man like that, and though we are all tempted, Job was quick to meet it before it took hold. David paid dearly for entertaining it, Abraham faithlessly pursued it when it seemed to him that God's way was impossible. It is so remarkable a stand for Job to make against his own want, for he comes from wealth and power, and young women, and women of number were a badge of honor to such wealth, but not Job's.

Allotment - To Adam God gave Eve and the two became one flesh. Job understands even back then that God had given him enough in the wife of his youth, that for the wicked it has been a snare to see others as beneath the image of God. It has been our destruction in every age, that we have left God's original intent and replaced it with lust. This has taken the supreme seat, and it has judged God's law and smirked. It is ok we think to reduce God's image to parts. It is ok we think to procreate without responsibility. If we do not want the life then we ask the child that cannot yet speak, is this ok? I hear of feminist, but I drive past strip clubs where men are not exactly celebrating equality, but it's ok because it's legal. I don't just judge these women or men, but myself, who for so long thought this was ok, and that consent was the cover against unrighteousness. Not Job, he has set out to live righteously and what he is explaining here probably made these men uncomfortable, because the integrity of it is that it goes back to his very thought life, what he allows before his eyes and he takes responsibility for it. 

Let me be weighed on honest scales - He has pronounced the curse that is deserved in all these instances, and if they wondered at what he has done to be here they should listen closely, for he has hated sin more than any. If I have been dishonest in business then let me sow and another reap.

If I have lurked at my neighbor's door - Maybe I am that man, the one who waits for his neighbor to leave so he can sleep with his wife, if that is what you think, then may God let my wife be with another. I would deserve to be judged for that, for lusting after she who was not a part of me, not my wife. For coveting my neighbor's wife, I should be judged by God, and for acting upon these passions, for not restraining them, I should be judged so harshly. Job was committed to righteousness and recognized how small a seed of sin could grow into so great a tree of sorrow. Adultery was not to be found with him, he took great pains to make sure. He was not as those today, both outside and inside the church, that say they "could not help themselves, it was fate, the heart can't help what the heart wants, they fell in love, it was an accident, unplanned, and most importantly, unavoidable." 

Eaten my morsel by myself - these sound much like the writings of John, where he that loveth not knoweth not God. It still resounds of the sermon on the mount and echoes the law in a more Christ like, Messianic way. When did I keep food away from the orphan, take away the chance of the poor to eat the fruits of his labor? He took seriously the complaints of his workers, the plight of the widow, and why, because God had fashioned both he and them in the womb. There was no difference in the level of their humanity, regardless of station or position. We both came from Adam and Eve, and even more we are all made in the image of God. I can't despise another, use another, cheat another, strike another, without answering to God and I fear God's judgment, yet here I am. 

If I had made gold my hope - I trusted God from where the gold from. I did not worship idols or love my wealth above Him, or that was never my intent, and so I gave. I admired His handy work in creation, but I did not worship the things he made, not the sun as is a custom among others, nor the moon which they bow down to as well. 

If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me - I cringe at this, and I should, for I have asked God to not pay me the wages of my sin, but rather mercy. Job has understood this well, in that he does not damn even his enemy. Again this is a very Christ like understanding of the moral law and social justice. If you love them that love you what reward have you, If you want to be children like your father, then love your enemies, bless them that curse you. When was this book written?

He goes on, knowing the eyes of God see much deeper and further than men, so if the rocks can cry out to praise God then let the land speak as the blood of Abel, tell me what I have done. Then the words of his defense are ended. 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4: 7-12

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#665 Howling Desolation

“But now they mock at me, men younger than I,

Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.

2 Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me?

Their vigor has perished.

3 They are gaunt from want and famine,

Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,

4 Who pluck mallow by the bushes,

And broom tree roots for their food.

5 They were driven out from among men,

They shouted at them as at a thief.

6 They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,

In caves of the earth and the rocks.

7 Among the bushes they brayed,

Under the nettles they nestled.

8 They were sons of fools,

Yes, sons of vile men;

They were scourged from the land.

9 “And now I am their taunting song;

Yes, I am their byword.

10 They abhor me, they keep far from me;

They do not hesitate to spit in my face.

11 Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,

They have cast off restraint before me.

12 At my right hand the rabble arises;

They push away my feet,

And they raise against me their ways of destruction.

13 They break up my path,

They promote my calamity;

They have no helper.

14 They come as broad breakers;

Under the ruinous storm they roll along.

15 Terrors are turned upon me;

They pursue my honor as the wind,

And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.

16 “And now my soul is poured out because of my plight;

The days of affliction take hold of me.

17 My bones are pierced in me at night,

And my gnawing pains take no rest.

18 By great force my garment is disfigured;

It binds me about as the collar of my coat.

19 He has cast me into the mire,

And I have become like dust and ashes.

20 “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me;

I stand up, and You regard me.

21 But You have become cruel to me;

With the strength of Your hand You oppose me.

22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;

You spoil my success.

23 For I know that You will bring me to death,

And to the house appointed for all living.

24 “Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins,

If they cry out when He destroys it.

25 Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?

Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

26 But when I looked for good, evil came to me;

And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

27 My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;

Days of affliction confront me.

28 I go about mourning, but not in the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

29 I am a brother of jackals,

And a companion of ostriches.

30 My skin grows black and falls from me;

My bones burn with fever.

31 My harp is turned to mourning,

And my flute to the voice of those who weep. Job 30 NKJV

I have always found it one of life's crueler peculiarities, that a good man can be at the mercy of dimwits. It is astonishing at times to see the rise of fools over those who must compose themselves in patience, praying for the heart of unjust rulers, mockers of the righteous. The men that now mocked Job did not consider the respect unto elders, forgot who he was, and even the worst examples of mankind, those that Job would not trust to tend sheep alongside his dogs, they now mocked him. Men that were cast out of society for their wickedness now looked down on Job. These were boys whose fathers dealt recklessly, thieves who were that by generations, driven out into the clefts of the rocks, where they were on the fringe of society, yet unwelcome. They would be those ripe for the bands of robbers, looking for a friendly smile they would not turn it down from the devil himself, and such men were now the crows around Job's weary carcass, the circling vultures.

Job is still a byword today, no one would want to suffer like that, few can even come near the claim, yet todays children would claim it for want of an IPhone or something that someone else had. He is their new taunting song, they have found someone who was high and lifted, found him here, exiled to the town dump, picking at his sores. He would probably love to be left alone, but once vultures find carrion they don't leave and the picture of them circling is seen afar off, a beacon of the coming feast. 

My soul is poured out must be the ultimate expression of emptiness. We deny God's right as Creator, His authorship, not just atheist, but some who claim to know of God also deny His sovereignty, His just and Holy nature. They will not understand this, but those who have called Him father, who have had the light of the eyes turned on and their ears opened, the thought of this absence is sorrow, emptiness and pain. Job cries out to God but feels that God is gone, yet he still cries and this is to him as hell, "You do not answer me."

He is certain of God's ill intent towards him and he predicts that this will surely end in his death, it is finished, but no, he has yet to hear the mind of God on this matter. Will you die Job? Is that for you to say when or how? Yes, death is the way of all men under the curse, and you will see it, but keep calling out while you have breath.

The sensitive soul of Job was another demonstration of his godliness, and appropriate for any servant of God. “I know that a man in the ministry who cannot feel had much better resign his office. We have heard some hold forth the doctrines of grace, as if they were a nauseous medicine, and men were to be forced to drink thereof by hard words and violent abuse. We have always thought that such men did more hurt than good, for while seeking to vindicate the letter, they evidently missed the spirit of the faith once delivered unto the saints. Cold and impassive are some of our divines; they utter truth as though it were no concern of theirs whether men received it or not. To such men heaven and hell, death and eternity, are mere themes for oratory, but not subjects for emotion.” (Spurgeon)

Job wonders at the loss of God's presence, this feels as though it is punishment, and he makes the comparison of his treatment of others. Job wept for those who suffered, he was a champion of justice for the poor and the widow, and he held this out as religion expectable and the very picture of God Himself, so why have I sought to do that good only to find this evil? How is the God I once knew as merciful, how is He reconciled to this? I would love to quit thinking about it, to let my mind rest from at least this much, for the physical turmoil is enough, but he aches and yelps, like the jackal when he cries for the lion. He is desolate, void of hope, lonely for a true companion. His song is a sad, sad song, his poetry is a calamity. 

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27: 27-31

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#664 Respect Base

And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,

as in the days when God watched over me,

3 when his lamp shone upon my head,

and by his light I walked through darkness,

4 as I was in my prime,

when the friendship of God was upon my tent,

5 when the Almighty was yet with me,

when my children were all around me,

6 when my steps were washed with butter,

and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

7 When I went out to the gate of the city,

when I prepared my seat in the square,

8 the young men saw me and withdrew,

and the aged rose and stood;

9 the princes refrained from talking

and laid their hand on their mouth;

10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,

and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,

and when the eye saw, it approved,

12 because I delivered the poor who cried for help,

and the fatherless who had none to help him.

13 The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,

and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

my justice was like a robe and a turban.

15 I was eyes to the blind

and feet to the lame.

16 I was a father to the needy,

and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.

17 I broke the fangs of the unrighteous

and made him drop his prey from his teeth.

18 Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,

and I shall multiply my days as the sand,

19 my roots spread out to the waters,

with the dew all night on my branches,

20 my glory fresh with me,

and my bow ever new in my hand.’

21 “Men listened to me and waited

and kept silence for my counsel.

22 After I spoke they did not speak again,

and my word dropped upon them.

23 They waited for me as for the rain,

and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.

24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,

and the light of my face they did not cast down.

25 I chose their way and sat as chief,

and I lived like a king among his troops,

like one who comforts mourners. Job 29 ESV

Job feels as though God is no longer looking out for him. Men knew that I loved God and it shown brightly that He loved me. It was so remarkably different than this, for any hardship then is lost in retrospect to the childless and friendless state he is now in. He remembers that time as a time of God's friendship, and surely these are all God's things and so His goodness as well, but is God not aware of Job?

He misses the times of respect, for he was the kind of man that he would respect as well. The young men made room for him, the old stood to show their respect, his words were welcome as a pillar in the community, but here is his defense: He did not obtain his position through ill means, he was a champion as all men should be, to the poor, the widow and the fatherless. He took the road less traveled regarding righteousness, he was just and the eyes to the bling and feet to the lame. If injustice came to his sight or his ear, he defended those in need. He crushed the predators, made them toothless so their attacks were weak. He thought, for all these things, the life I lead, the people I help, the blessings I have received I have also been, so I shall see many days and the honor of God upon me will be seen by all men. It looks now as though I am the wicked instead, I have inherited the things that identify me with them. If he only knew that God would truly have this complaint, but He would become sin Who knew no sin, that Christ would suffer Job's trouble times infinity, yet in the space of hours, for the wages can only stick permanently to the earner. Jesus was esteemed for feeding the multitudes, schooling the Pharisees, healing the sick, the blind and the lame, but he would take sin with Him, nailed to the cross, and He would be lifted up between two criminals. His own would deny Him, forget His words and look at His disgrace, and those that loved the fish would not want to stay for the message, a fickle crowd would be quick to ignore all protocol, to despise justice and crucify the Son of God. 

Job misses the time of being the comforter, for now their is no one like him in his time of need. There is no clear voice, no compassion and the ears and eyes of his friends are closed to the truth. Oh God, Oh God, why have you left me here?

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1: 9-18

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#663 What Gollum Missed

“Surely there is a mine for silver,

and a place for gold that they refine.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth,

and copper is smelted from the ore.

3 Man puts an end to darkness

and searches out to the farthest limit

the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;

they are forgotten by travelers;

they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.

5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread,

but underneath it is turned up as by fire.

6 Its stones are the place of sapphires,[a]

and it has dust of gold.

7 “That path no bird of prey knows,

and the falcon's eye has not seen it.

8 The proud beasts have not trodden it;

the lion has not passed over it.

9 “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock

and overturns mountains by the roots.

10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,

and his eye sees every precious thing.

11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,

and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

12 “But where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?

13 Man does not know its worth,

and it is not found in the land of the living.

14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’

and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

15 It cannot be bought for gold,

and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

in precious onyx or sapphire.

17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,

nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;

the price of wisdom is above pearls.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,

nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?

And where is the place of understanding?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living

and concealed from the birds of the air.

22 Abaddon and Death say,

‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

23 “God understands the way to it,

and he knows its place.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

25 When he gave to the wind its weight

and apportioned the waters by measure,

26 when he made a decree for the rain

and a way for the lightning of the thunder,

27 then he saw it and declared it;

he established it, and searched it out.

28 And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28 ESV

This is a beautiful transition poem. What is wisdom like, where can she be found?

2 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Proverbs 2: 1-7 ESV

Men go to great lengths to obtain silver, gold and precious stones. They dig deep into the earth, exposing things that have not seen the day; they bring light into the darkest reaches to search out precious metals. Men will do this at the risk of life, living far away from the eyes of other men, for these precious things that can be stolen men will prepare themselves for war. Men by their labor, and that of the ox, will take the proper tools, like the plough, breaking up the earth and planting the seed, the earth will catch the rain and yield the wheat that makes our bread. Those that dig deeper will find more treasures still, sapphires and gold. 

Birds of prey and vultures can see for long distances, but men unveil the things that birds cannot see. Men go where lions would not dare nor have interest to see. Men overturn the root of the mountains, change the landscape, build tunnels and tear down heights to get what is hidden underneath. We work hard for these things, and Job has had these things, but he is now coming to the light of this present darkness, that there is something far more rare and precious. Where can we go to mine wisdom?

There is an earthly wisdom, don't stand in front of a falling tree or a moving vehicle, and Job's friends would like to apply that everywhere, including Job's present ruin. It does not define him, does not answer his present question, so where can a man go to find divine wisdom? It is not found naturally in men, it is not found in the deep, and it cannot be understood for value because it cannot be purchased with gold. It is a beautiful use of language, look at the lengths, the depths, the risks that men will take in order to obtain gold and precious stones, but there is something more wonderful, that even death and the destroyer only know as a rumor. 

God is the way to it. Man cannot live by bread alone, by the works of his hands, he has a spiritual side too. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way with sinners, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law does he dwell day and night. God sees you, everything, take rest in this, be assured by it, He knows your present situation as well. Those that think you have lost because you do not have so much of this world's goods; they have put these things above wisdom and discarded the Words of God that didn't fit into their want, they do not rightly divide His truth. Job's friends are more likely to attend church where the pastor has come from the word of faith movement. They would pride themselves on the use of the Bible, but not humble themselves to its context or counsel. It needs to fit their message of prosperity, and if Job is a righteous man then this is a rebuke unto them, if God's strength is made perfect in weakness and if those He loves He also chastens. What would you do to have the wisdom that blows all these earthly notions away? The understanding that we can have here is all found in, as the law is fulfilled in, Christ. 

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for


“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,


“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    

with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,


“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” Romans 10: 5-21

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#662 As You Say Be

And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right,

and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

3 as long as my breath is in me,

and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

4 my lips will not speak falsehood,

and my tongue will not utter deceit.

5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;

till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;

my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked,

and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.

8 For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,

when God takes away his life?

9 Will God hear his cry

when distress comes upon him?

10 Will he take delight in the Almighty?

Will he call upon God at all times?

11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;

what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;

why then have you become altogether vain?

13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,

and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:

14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,

and his descendants have not enough bread.

15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,

and his widows do not weep.

16 Though he heap up silver like dust,

and pile up clothing like clay,

17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,

and the innocent will divide the silver.

18 He builds his house like a moth's,

like a booth that a watchman makes.

19 He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;

he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.

20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;

in the night a whirlwind carries him off.

21 The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;

it sweeps him out of his place.

22 It hurls at him without pity;

he flees from its power in headlong flight.

23 It claps its hands at him

and hisses at him from its place. Job 27 ESV

Job goes on, and swears by God, that it is God who has taken away justice and made him bitter. He declares that he is not lying, that to agree with his friends in this situation would be the end of his integrity. It is somewhat interesting that they did not reply between this and the last poem, I think they are done with Job, have given him over so to speak. He cannot come to agree with them in causation because that would be a lie, and he fears God more than men.

Let my enemy be as the wicked - this is as harsh a rebuttal as we have heard from Job yet, and it comes after a consistent barrage of allegations from his "friends." They have called him wicked and become like his enemies, so if I am innocent then let these false accusers receive the wages back that they would have placed on me. He then goes on to describe the hypocrisy of the wicked, they will call out to God once or twice, but when He does not answer right away or their way, they turn on God. They do not continue to pray or to delight in God or His word.  

I will teach you - He decries the wicked, those that hate God, he does not admit to treason though because God also hates lying, but he continues to show these men that he agrees with and affirms basic truths, but it doesn't apply here. Look, you have seen all these things yourselves. The wicked prosper for a while, the wicked reproduce, rise to power, and I agree they will all come to an end and rightly so. I also agree that everything about the end of the wicked looks like my current state here. Yes, I suffer as you think the wicked should, but you falsely assume that I have used their means to get here. I still affirm God, praise God, and swear that it is from Him and by Him that I suffer these things. Men could not do this so effectively, and so I see the hand of Him Who made me, and I know that He Who would allow this can also deliver me from it.


“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”a
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.


57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.


58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15: 55-58

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#661 Water or Whine

Then Job answered and said:

2 “How you have helped him who has no power!

How you have saved the arm that has no strength!

3 How you have counseled him who has no wisdom,

and plentifully declared sound knowledge!

4 With whose help have you uttered words,

and whose breath has come out from you?

5 The dead tremble

under the waters and their inhabitants.

6 Sheol is naked before God,

and Abaddon has no covering.

7 He stretches out the north over the void

and hangs the earth on nothing.

8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,

and the cloud is not split open under them.

9 He covers the face of the full moon

and spreads over it his cloud.

10 He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters

at the boundary between light and darkness.

11 The pillars of heaven tremble

and are astounded at his rebuke.

12 By his power he stilled the sea;

by his understanding he shattered Rahab.

13 By his wind the heavens were made fair;

his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,

and how small a whisper do we hear of him!

But the thunder of his power who can understand?” Job 26 ESV

Job responds to Bildad and this is a small chapter so I recommend reading it now once more, aloud and in your most sarcastic tone, for it is dripping with it. It is a response to Bildad, but effectively answers his other friends as well, and I must confess that I have more than once deserved such a response myself. 

Power and strength - Job is not fronting anything to cover his situation, and he is admittedly weak. The ranting about God's greatness in view of Job's perceived defiance offers nothing to the conversation. If I show you my broken arm and your answer is to tell me about someone whose arm is not broken, whose arm is bigger than mine, there is possibly a way this could apply, but not by way of a rebuke. It reminds me of another story and of a potential. Do you remember when the children of Israel fought the children of Amalek? When Moses hands were lifted up Joshua prevailed, but when he grew tired, his hands fell and the Amalekites gained ground. Aaron and Hur realized this and did not rebuke tired arms, what did they do?

Lifting hands

Wisdom, sound knowledge, words and breath - Look, I can make words when I move my mouth, and what have you told me in your discourse that enlightened me, that proved useful in my situation? You have brought me nothing that I didn't already know, and he is about to enlighten them further to this, but who else have you given advice to, the man who threw himself off the cliff no doubt? Remember earlier, the other friend claimed a special knowledge, a spirit paid him a visit back in chapter 4. Whose help and whose breath? The Bible tells us to test the spirits, and Job knows this one is more than a little suspect, because he is not guilty of the things these men insist upon, at first vague, hoping that he would confess, but then more focused as they feed upon each other's assumptions. Bildad was probably more emboldened by Eliphaz's "spiritual visitor" than Job, but then Job new a truth that the others did not, and there was a deeper truth still, that rested with the heavens. They brought the weight of experience, age, tradition and spirits, yet became only the tormentors of their friend.

1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,…1 John 4: 1-2

Dead tremble, Sheol is naked and Abaddon has no covering - People say, "I'll sleep when I am dead," people say a lot of things, and Job early on wished for death. But now, there seems to be no rest for the weary, that hell is not even hidden to eyes of God, nor the roaming of the devil (Abaddon). He is here agreeing with the points of his accusers on the magnificence and glory of God. He amplifies these things to a whole other level, there is no place, no abyss so deep, no escaping the justice of God. 

He hangs the earth on nothing, wow! Job, what a lucky guess, no arm, or axle and bearings, no giant turtles? There would not be a lot of photographs back then taken from the moon, looking back at the sphere of the earth, and you would not want to go too far away from the language of the time, for that would make it difficult to readers for thousands of years to come. Science won't come to this for quite some time, like the historical claims the Bible makes regarding the origin of the human race. We all come from Adam and Eve the Bible would like us to believe, shared parentage. 

He binds up water, how does He hold it up there? Job stands every bit and more in awe of the majesty of God as the Creator. 

Covers the face of the moon and draws a circle on the waters, boundary between light and dark. Job seems to have some early comprehension of the curvature of the earth, maybe in referencing the moon, places where the horizon suggest this on the water. Maybe he has pondered the obstruction of light, the shadow on the moon. 

The pillars of the heaven - this is poetry for the mountains, and who has not stood at the foot of the mountains or viewing them afar off, and thought not, how incredible they are, how small I am? Job speaks to their trembling, an earthquake, and puts God above all these things, even in the dark, before so many scientific discoveries, he gets to be right, the Creator is above it all.

Stilled the sea and shattered Rahab - His poetry here reflects usages of myths from his time, Rahab is described as a sea monster that was subdued by a god, it also means proud one. The God that Job worships is attributed this position over the sea and the things in it. Later, God's prophets Moses, Elijah and Elisha will split the water. They will point to Jesus, Who will walk on the water and command the storm, He would be the better friend to have in Job's present situation, to be with you through the storm.

Outskirts of His ways - I look at creation, I marvel, I wonder, and there is so much yet to know, we have merely scratched the surface. Eye has not seen, the window is stained glass, and Job is now holding the awe of what he cannot hold, what would split his head to glimpse. His friends have not come to this because they are comfortable with where they are, enjoying the sounds of their own reason, taking as proofs the things they own. If they could ever come to this precipice where Job now sits, they could lift his arms towards heaven along with theirs, ask the Lord for mercy, beg the Lord for grace, for we do not understand all this, but they can't, because they would have to put down their box in order to lift their hands. 

Do not [g]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be [h]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5: 9-11

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#660 What is Man

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

2 “Dominion and fear are with God;

he makes peace in his high heaven.

3 Is there any number to his armies?

Upon whom does his light not arise?

4 How then can man be in the right before God?

How can he who is born of woman be pure?

5 Behold, even the moon is not bright,

and the stars are not pure in his eyes;

6 how much less man, who is a maggot,

and the son of man, who is a worm!” Job 25 ESV

Bildad goes back to the things that Job does not contest, as if he has not heard Job at all. Job has not diminished God's sovereignty, he declared these things himself, but we are all born more resembling to those that consider their own works or the works of others. Maybe he has misheard Job, thinking that Job is intent upon schooling God, but I think they all miss that Job loves God, and is suffering more than physical pain here. 

Is there any number to his armies? - As if to say, "Job, you are smaller than God, you will never win this argument." Oh God, he must think, you couldn't even leave me one friend.

Upon whom does His light not arise? - the wicked, those that think they are righteous, and those that trust in a righteousness not their own, all see the same sun. There is an eternal perspective that goes amiss. 

44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?…Matthew 5: 44-46

How can man be right before God, how can he who is born of a woman be pure? - this is a good question, but Job has taken this even further in his request for a mediator, this is not the full of the gospel to stop here, we must seek God while He may be found.

Born of a woman

Man, who is a maggot - a maggot survives off rotting flesh, and it is not associated with the best of smells, rather death and decay. Maybe this is Bildad's plea to Job to be humble before God, but I wonder does he see himself this same way? Where is the other half of the gospel, for this is just cruel without it?

Clean and unclean

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#659 Grains

“Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,

and why do those who know him never see his days?

2 Some move landmarks;

they seize flocks and pasture them.

3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;

they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

4 They thrust the poor off the road;

the poor of the earth all hide themselves.

5 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert

the poor go out to their toil, seeking game;

the wasteland yields food for their children.

6 They gather their fodder in the field,

and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.

7 They lie all night naked, without clothing,

and have no covering in the cold.

8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains

and cling to the rock for lack of shelter.

9 (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,

and they take a pledge against the poor.)

10 They go about naked, without clothing;

hungry, they carry the sheaves;

11 among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil;

they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.

12 From out of the city the dying groan,

and the soul of the wounded cries for help;

yet God charges no one with wrong.

13 “There are those who rebel against the light,

who are not acquainted with its ways,

and do not stay in its paths.

14 The murderer rises before it is light,

that he may kill the poor and needy,

and in the night he is like a thief.

15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,

saying, ‘No eye will see me’;

and he veils his face.

16 In the dark they dig through houses;

by day they shut themselves up;

they do not know the light.

17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them;

for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

18 “You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;

their portion is cursed in the land;

no treader turns toward their vineyards.

19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;

so does Sheol those who have sinned.

20 The womb forgets them;

the worm finds them sweet;

they are no longer remembered,

so wickedness is broken like a tree.’

21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,

and do no good to the widow.

22 Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;

they rise up when they despair of life.

23 He gives them security, and they are supported,

and his eyes are upon their ways.

24 They are exalted a little while, and then are gone;

they are brought low and gathered up like all others;

they are cut off like the heads of grain.

25 If it is not so, who will prove me a liar

and show that there is nothing in what I say?” Job 24 ESV

Have you ever wondered at how much sand is in the hour glass of heaven? I have, and have cried for God's justice, yet must confess that I myself have not wanted it against me. Even in a life that both openly and in the dark went against the laws of God, hated the instruction of my mother, chased the pleasures of those things that God called sin, I was like the thief who was angry with another thief. I was vengeful, whereas Job seems more contemplative. His friends suggest wrongs that Job will here confess also as wrong, but he will point out also that there are often those that prosper yet in their wrong, against his friend's assumptions he will present facts that they may easily know for themselves.

1. The donkey of the fatherless - these men go after the things of those who cannot easily defend themselves, they are predators, amassing the strength of numbers and preying on the weak.

2. The widow's ox - the weak should not inherit, in the mind of the extorter, she is not able to defend. When she runs out of the credit of the ox, what will you take then? The ox is more valuable to you than her person.

3. The poor off the road, like wild donkeys of the desert - they are highway robbers that teach their children to live this way too. They attack those who have come to trade, even the poor who have brought little for their journey, both wicked and good alike, their lives are all worth less than what they carry. Abraham's son Ishmael is described in this manner, some of Ephraim lived this way and even David fell into this temptation, to plunder. 

11The Angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. 12He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 13So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”…Genesis 16: 11-13

4. They snatch the fatherless child - Children can be seen in many ages, by even present cultures as a drain rather than the investment into the future. If we take the law of the jungle, the model of fallen nature, then men learn from the lion to eat the children that do not belong to him, so the mother can go back to work for him. Some would take the young man, who his mother would nurse and raise so that in turn he would be a strength and comfort to her in her old age, they would take him rather as a slave to the numbers of their war. 

5. The dying groan yet God charges no one with wrong - Job believes in God, but wonders at his timing, and what a good lesson this would be for men not to be wicked, if God did not delay so long with justice. The duality is not with God, but rather men, who refuse to either believe that what God calls sin is or believe in another who is not God, or believe that what they do in the dark is hidden somehow from His light, as if God were limited like men. 

Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.…2 Peter 3:8-10

6. Those who rebel against the light - Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil, but also becomes none seek the truth that would put them in a poor light. If it is generally spoken against then men will wait for the guise of dark, but as their arrogance grows they will eventually remove the speaker. Eventually men will congratulate themselves in their way, because like Job's friends, the measure of goodness is in what you have. If Job could be considered cursed by God in his present distress, then the wicked, who is rich, must be considered blessed. Job focuses on the behaviors and the fact that life does not always prove out our own sense of fairness. If we compare the rule of Job's friends and the wicked, sadly for both, it would say that the end justifies the means. Where is the integrity? Job goes on to describe sin, and paint the picture of both the murderer and the adulterer, the life based on impulse and feelings, "because I want what my neighbor has, and I have the means to take it." 

7. You say, "swift are they on the face of the waters" - maybe as though they live on the run, hiding in desolate places. Sure, some do live like this, but a portion that start out as such do gain in numbers, in might, in riches and then power. They teach this as a proper way and are held up by others in society, it becomes a norm, because they wear the clothing of what you consider the blessed. It is never personal to them, just business. They are even religious, thinking that if they do well in their plunder it is God's ok. Job wonders as do we all, God being sovereign, why does Your patience with them persist. I know they will come to the worm as all men do, but Job (I) would like to see it sooner, yet not when I was counted among them.

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