I've been studying the Book of Job. I've always hears that it is a really depressing, sad story. I find it to be the exact opposite. Yes, there is a lot of depressing stuff. Job loses his family (except wife) and all his livestock, much of his possessions and likely the respect of others.
But much of Job is about how great God is. There are tons of questions that we can't answer about how the world is built and how it operates. These questions are to expand our minds to accept how really big and magnificent God is.
Here are some examples: Job 5: 9-11 He [God] performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.
10 He provides rain for the earth;
he sends water on the countryside.
11 The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
Job 7:17-18 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
that you give them so much attention,
18 that you examine them every morning
and test them every moment?
Job 9:4 His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
Job 26:7-10 7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
Job 27:3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
Job 33:29-30 “God does all these things to a person—
twice, even three times—
30 to turn them back from the pit,
that the light of life may shine on them.
Job 19:27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
Job 35:5-8 Look up at the heavens and see;
gaze at the clouds so high above you.
6 If you sin, how does that affect him?
If your sins are many, what does that do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him,
or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,
and your righteousness only other people.
Job 36:26 How great is God—beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.
Yes, I have hand picked these. They certainly don't tell the whole story of Job, not even close. Many people know the phrase the "patience of Job" so you've got an idea what else is in the Book of Job. Heartache. Loss. Rebukes by friends. Illness and disease. But in the midst of all that, there is great hope. There is great love and respect for God, for who God is and His rightful place as king of all creation. He is an awesome God and deserves our admiration, adoration, love, devotion. No matter our circumstances. God is good all the time, every time, for all times, even in hard times.
Amen
But much of Job is about how great God is. There are tons of questions that we can't answer about how the world is built and how it operates. These questions are to expand our minds to accept how really big and magnificent God is.
Here are some examples: Job 5: 9-11 He [God] performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.
10 He provides rain for the earth;
he sends water on the countryside.
11 The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
Job 7:17-18 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
that you give them so much attention,
18 that you examine them every morning
and test them every moment?
Job 9:4 His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
Job 26:7-10 7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
Job 27:3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
Job 33:29-30 “God does all these things to a person—
twice, even three times—
30 to turn them back from the pit,
that the light of life may shine on them.
Job 19:27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
Job 35:5-8 Look up at the heavens and see;
gaze at the clouds so high above you.
6 If you sin, how does that affect him?
If your sins are many, what does that do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him,
or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,
and your righteousness only other people.
Job 36:26 How great is God—beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.
Yes, I have hand picked these. They certainly don't tell the whole story of Job, not even close. Many people know the phrase the "patience of Job" so you've got an idea what else is in the Book of Job. Heartache. Loss. Rebukes by friends. Illness and disease. But in the midst of all that, there is great hope. There is great love and respect for God, for who God is and His rightful place as king of all creation. He is an awesome God and deserves our admiration, adoration, love, devotion. No matter our circumstances. God is good all the time, every time, for all times, even in hard times.
Amen
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