Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Job 42
Set – Job 42; 1 Corinthians 14
Go! – Job 42; 1 Corinthians 13-14
Job 42
1 Job answered the Eternal One.
2 Job: I know You can do everything;
nothing You do can be foiled or frustrated.
3 You asked,
“Who is this that conceals counsel with empty words void of knowledge?”
And now I see that I spoke of—but did not comprehend—
great wonders that are beyond me. I didn’t know.
4 You said, “Hear Me now, and I will speak.
I’ll be asking the questions, and you will supply the answers.”
5 Before I knew only what I had heard of You,
but now I have seen You.
6 Therefore I realize the truth:
I disavow and mourn all I have said
and repent in dust and ash.
7 After the Eternal had spoken these words to Job, He turned and spoke to Eliphaz from Teman.
Eternal One: My anger is burning against you and your two friends because you have not spoken rightly of Me, as My servant Job has. 8 So now, gather your friends and bring seven bulls and seven rams. Then go to My servant Job, make a burnt offering for yourselves, and he will pray for you. I will accept his prayer. Despite the fact that you have not spoken rightly of Me, as My servant Job did, I will not deal with you according to your foolish ways.
9 So Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, and Zophar from Naamath went and did as the Eternal commanded, and He accepted Job’s prayer for them.
10 The Eternal restored the fortunes of Job after he prayed for his friends; He even doubled the wealth he had before. 11 All of his brothers and sisters, along with those he had known earlier, came and shared meals with him at his house. They sympathized with him and consoled him regarding the great distress the Eternal had brought on him. Each guest gave him a sum of money and each, a golden ring. 12 The Eternal One blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than the first part. He went on to possess 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also fathered 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land could one find women as captivatingly beautiful as Job’s daughters, or as independently wealthy: their father gave them each a share of the family inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After all this, Job lived 140 years. He lived to see his children and their children and so on, to the fourth generation. 17 Then Job died, old, and satisfied with his days.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
When Job came to know Me instead of knowing about Me, he fell with his face in the dust in repentance. He Mourned all the things he had said about Me, but I understood all the things he had said. I understood his misunderstandings and his feelings. I understood what he was thinking and why he felt abandoned by Me. He didn’t need forgiveness from Me. He did nothing wrong. I knew his heart and he still stood righteous before Me.
His testing ended and was ready to restore his health and his fortune. First, I needed to deal with his misguided “friends”. They thought they knew better than Job and tried their best to get him to confess to things he never did. They tried to get him to tell them of some hidden sin Job never committed. But Job held on to his integrity and maintained his innocence even under such extraordinary pressure. So I refused to even listen to his friends prayers. I would not accept their sacrifices. I didn’t want to hear their excuses or their confessions. I couldn’t stand to hear their voices.
I came to their informal leader, Eliphaz, and told him to gather his friends and have Job pray for them. Only then would I consider bringing them back into favor with Me. Consider the humility with which the three of them approached Job after coming to him for months looking for him to repent. Now the tables were turned and they heard My voice from heaven commanding them to plead for Job to intercede for them. Image their state of mind at that point. The three of them came to Job with their pious reasoning, their sure stand on religious principles, and now they grovel before him asking for his forgiveness so they can receive Mine.
Imagine Job’s feelings. Many would love to refuse them. To let them wallow in their misery. Many would let them continue to live in their guilt and refuse to forgive them for the pain they caused through their months of questioning and their refusal to believe in his innocence, their pious words, their cutting accusations. But Job does what he has done for a lifetime – Job forgives. He makes a special sacrifice for his three friends so they may find My grace and mercy.
I knew Job would act on their behalf because I knew Job’s character. He had suffered enough. I restored his family and doubled his wealth. Not because I had to and not because Job expected it. But because I wanted to reward his faithfulness. Learn from Job’s faithfulness. It’s not just a good story.
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