Job 32 Today we meet Elihu, a younger man who has been sitting by quietly, listening to the debate between Job and his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Out of respect, Elihu has been deferring to the older men, but now that the friends have no further answer, Elihu can no longer keep silent. He …
Author Archives: John S.
March 3 / Job 31
Job 31 Job makes his final appeal and closes his argument today. He continues to maintain his innocence, declaring that, were he guilty of any of various evils, he would accept his due punishment. But since he knows himself not to be guilty of those things, he remains defiant. Although Job has argued against his …
March 2 / Job 30
Job 30 Yesterday, Job looked back at his glory days. Today he laments his current miserable condition: What a contrast between Job’s former glory (Job 29) and his current plight! He is now utterly insecure. He is bereft of his children. He feels that God has abandoned him and afflicted him. He is an outcast …
March 1 / Job 29
Job 29 Job continues his discourse, reminiscing about (or, rather, longing for) “the good ol’ days,” before everything he enjoyed was ripped away from him: Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me… (v. 2) Given Job’s integrity, I think we can accept at …
February 28 / Job 28
Job 28 Job continues his discourse, but changes gears abruptly. He paints a picture of men searching for gold, silver, iron, copper, and sapphires, mining deep into the earth for precious things. But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? (v. 12) He sees that wisdom is priceless, exceeding the …
February 27 / Job 27
Job 27 Yesterday Job spoke of God’s unsearchable greatness. Today Job continues his discourse, turning his attention back to himself — and holding that same Almighty God responsible for his afflictions. (v. 2) But it is all part of the same argument he is making in his own defense against his friends. In Job 27:2-6, …
February 26 / Job 26
Job 26 Job opens his reply to Bildad (and Eliphaz and Zophar) with biting sarcasm. How you have helped him who has no power! How you have saved the arm that has no strength! How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge! (vv. 2-3) I guess Job is not …
February 25 / Job 25
Job 25 Bildad steps back in with a final (and brief) argument that no one can be found righteous before God: How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? (v. 4) It is hard to argue with Bildad on this point. None is …
February 24 / Job 24
Job 24 Job continues his response to Eliphaz, and again asks where God is, but this time in reference to God’s apparent lack of judgment upon the wicked. In Job 24:2-12, he describes ill treatment and oppression of the poor at the hand of the wicked, yet God charges no one with wrong. (v. 12) …
February 23 / Job 23
Job 23 Job replies to Eliphaz, continuing his complaint with a mixture of frustration and confidence. Job is frustrated that he cannot find God anywhere. He looks high and low but cannot perceive God’s presence. But he is confident that, were he to find Him, he could lay out his case and be acquitted. (Job …