Job Bible Food on Day 38

Good morning; welcome yourself to day 38 of bible food in 90 days.  We will begin todays' reading in Job chapter 25

This again is where Bildad the Shuhite continues his point that man is nothing to God; so how can Job even ask the question why.  The bright stars are not even bright to the Lord.  In chapter 26 Job responds back agreeing with Bildad saying who can understand the ways of the Lord?  I have the answer.  No one.

I've been breathing air for all my years and have never seen it.  I can't even store it away in event I stop breathing.  The most brilliant doctors have not found a way or ways for man to live forever, that right there tells me that no one can understand the ways of the Lord God.

Job 27

 ¹Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
 ²As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
 ³All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
 ⁴My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
 ⁵God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

As these men have been dialogging back and forth, Job says as long as God lives and while the breath (of life) is in him and the spirit of God is in his nostrils, he will not speak wickedness or deceit, and never lose his integrity.  What I'm interested in is the spirit of God that is in his nostrils.

God the holy ghost sits in his nostrils?  No.  What did God blow into Adam?  The breath of life, so the air you breath is a form of the spirit of God.  It comes in many forms as we'll read later throughout the bible.  That is why when Jesus raised the young girl from the dead; it said her spirit returned to her.

And many church people have taken that to mean a little person inside of the body.  That is incorrect.  When Jesus died on the cross, it said He gave up the ghost, that is the spirit of God that was in His nostrils as it was for Job, and even you and I.

We're getting some understanding out this aren't we?  The chapter ends with Job saying there is no hope for the wicked.

In Job chapter 28, Job mentions some wonderful things that the Lord does then ask of all this where can wisdom be found.  I know a lot of folks who can use the answer to this question.  ¹²But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

We get the answer and this is why so many can and will never find wisdom nor understanding: ²⁸And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Fearing God is wise; and to stop and depart from all evil (breaking the commandments of God) is to have total understanding.

Job reminisces of how great things were, in Job chapter 29, before the Lord put His hand upon him.  He had money, respect, honor, love, and he feared God.  In chapter 30, Job tell how the tables are turned now that he has gone under the affliction by the hand of the Lord.  Everyone despises him and he is nothing towards man.

In Job chapter 31, he list out a bunch of things done that are wicked; that if he has done these let him be destroyed.  Things like turning his eye from helping the fatherless, when it was in his power to do so.  The wicked actions he listed are profound to let us know what we must do to be guiltless.  However, no one is ever guiltless before God.  

And in reading chapter 31, you would perceive that Job was righteous in his own eyes.

Job 32

 ¹So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

And his friends stop talking to him because they perceived there was nothing to say to a man who does not think he has done wrong.  Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, a young man, got really upset at Job because he justified himself rather than God.  And he was upset at the elder men, the friends of Job because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

So he lays in the conversation.  Young men rarely speak when older guys are talking, at least that is how I've done so all my life, these days the young men are quite boisterous.  ⁶And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.

He begins to speak and he says something that we should all consider:  ⁹Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.  So he commanded them to listen to him.

Job 33

Elihu continues and I think he is talking in stead of God meaning he's talking but God is having this response to Job:  ³My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.
 ⁴The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.   ⁵If thou canst answer me, set thy words in order before me, stand up.
 ⁶Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.

He will give knowledge clearly, and he ask Job to answer him because he is talking for God; but he is a man (made of clay).  He let's Job know that God speaks to us plenty of times, in dreams, thought, etc and he puts instructions in our minds but at times we do not see it or know it.

The Almighty does this so we can remove ourselves from our intentions, which is most times to kill ourselves as Adam and Eve did.

¹⁸He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
 ¹⁹He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain:

Sometime we want to go out to a night club; but God puts something on our mind that has us stay home, then you hear the club was shot with violence and you think you were just lucky.  But that was God that kept you home.  He put it in the mind of everyone at the club but we ignore thoughts and feelings put in us.

In other cases you want to do some big extravagant thing that will lead you to sin against God and He gives you an illness that keeps you bed confined; thus stopping you from trespassing Him.  The Lord does this to keep us from destroying ourselves.

²⁹Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
 ³⁰To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

In chapter 34, Elihu continues:

¹³Who hath given him a charge over the earth? or who hath disposed the whole world?
 ¹⁴If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
 ¹⁵All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

Who has given God charge over the earth?  No one.  If God took back his breath from man or the spirit (in his nostrils), man would simply return to the dust.  It happens every day readers.  People die every day.  As sad as it is, it is true.

Elihu tells Job that he went to far in justifying himself before God.

Job chapter 35

Elihu continues by saying people do not take time to consider God's wisdom and great wonders.  Man doesn't even think to ask why God teaches them more than the animals, and why we are wiser than birds who soar through the air. ¹⁶Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

God does not listen to vanity; and Elihu charged Job that he spoke without knowledge and that is vanity.

In Job chapter 36, Elihu tells the men to listen a bit longer to him and he will show he is speaking in stead of the Lord; and he gives credit to God for his speech.  He tells them that the Lord sets up everyone; even kings and he afflicts everyone, even kings.

He will chastise you if you transgress and if you correct yourself, you will live well; but if you don't take heed, you will be killed by the sword and die without knowledge.

Job 37

⁵God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.  We cannot even begin to think about all the great things the Lord does, we certainly cannot understand them.  Things man has seen over 2000 years and yet he cannot live to 500 years and we've been here all this time and can't figure it out medically.

How then can man figure out space and other planets?  Sure we can send satellites out and take pictures but they haven't started to build condos on Mars yet have they?

²³Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
 ²⁴Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.
The bottom line is we cannot find out the Lord unless He tells or shows us.  And God does not respect anyone who is wise of heart.  In some cultures they call it a "smart mouth" or "wise guy" those people who tend to know it all without knowing anything.  God has no respect for those people nor those ways.  Being humble before God is it.

All this Elihu spoke, we see sometimes God will speak to us through people and it is wise to recognize that this comes from God not the man or woman He is speaking through.

Job 38

 ¹Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,  Finally the Lord laid in and spoke to Job and asked him some pretty difficult questions and demanded an answer.

 ²Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?  Who is asking God questions and they themselves have no knowledge?
 ³Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
 ⁴Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Where were all of us when God laid the foundations of the earth, if we have understanding speak on it.  A man once told me that we were there because we are dust of the earth we just were not animated objects yet.  However, if you were there you can tell people how the events went, right?  The point is Job wasn't there and neither were you and I.

 ⁵Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?  We might think we are wise and say; God you laid the measures, but I'm sure he had an angel do it; so which angel did it?
 ⁶Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
 ⁷When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

These last two, we certainly don't have a chance at answering, not even scientist know where the earth is fastened to.  To us, it looks like it is just floating in the air; but God tells us the foundations of the earth is fastened to something.  That is a wow right there.

And when the morning stars sang, and all the sons of God shouted for joy as the Lord was making the earth, where were we?  Where was Job?  The morning stars are angels, same thing with the sons of God.  All of God's creation are called the sons of God.  First it was the angels, then Adam, then the full son of God is Jesus (the first fruit), last will come all who are saved at Jesus second coming.

 ²²Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
God has a big treasure of snow and a trunk full of hail specifically saved for a day of battle and war.  He is too powerful.  ²⁶To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; 

Do you notice it rains in parts of the world where there is no man nor civilization.  Still a rain storm will go on through.  This is amazing powerful stuff here we are reading.  ³³Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

We cannot even rule the earth, if a bear catches you off guard you'll run and perhaps be destroyed and that is a beast that man has preeminence over.  ³⁵Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are?  God can even make the lightning talk and answer Him.  This is why you must fear God; this is how you get wisdom.

Job chapter 39

The Lord continues with His questions for Job; and Job has not replied once.  ⁹Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?  The Indian Rhinoceros or the Great One-horned Rhinoceros or the Asian One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is a large mammal is the unicorn.  It is draped like a war animal looks like it is wearing war armor of the ancient Roman soldiers.  Can one of these stay in your house?


²⁶Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?
 ²⁷Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

They do not.  I saw an expert hawk trainer lose control of his hawk.  God does not have that problem.  He can tell the hawk to bring fish and bread to Elijah and they will obey His command; but I don't know if Job, you or I can do that.

Job 40

 ¹Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,
 ²Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
 ³Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
 ⁴Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
 ⁵Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

Job was floored; I'm floored reading the accounts of this event; so I cannot image what it was like for him.  When we feel righteous and want to ask God; why and all that stuff that emotions make us do; we need to read chapter 38-39 and put our hands over our mouths.

Still the Lord responds to Job again: ¹⁴Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee. Who is at the right hand of God that can save?  JESUS!  Do you see how He is in every book and did not just start with Mary?

Job 41

 ¹Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
 ²Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

Here we read of some thing God can do that man cannot.  You know how hurricane Katrina destroyed the city; and God sends men to rebuild it.  We learn that God is powerful and man is not.  We must not become over righteous and we must remain humble to the Lord and let Him lift us up.

This concludes today's reading.  It is exciting and refreshing to read about the power of GOD, although we see it everyday we look out of our windows, even the windows of the soul.  See you tomorrow.


--
Peace & Grace

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Day 37 of Bible Food - The Book of Job

Good day; let's begin reading in Job, we are in chapter 8. Bildad the Shuhite answered Job's response. He also speaks as one who is condemning Job instead of consoling him. And in the process of their speeches, they say very profound things.

⁹(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:) Our time on earth is very brief; it is like yesterday, which we all can agree with. One day we are in high school; next day we are paying bills to survive raising 4 kids.

²⁰Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: God will not cast away a perfect man; but he will bring chastisement on anyone He loves. This is how Job's friends spoke; saying Job must have done something to be in his situation. This is not good for someone who has just lost a great deal.

Job 9 & 10

¹Then Job answered and said,

²I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? 

 Job acknowledges what the men are saying is true; but it is the wrong time to point out someones faults when they just lost their children and family. Job started to make statements asking God where he sinned; with a good man like Job it was probably to correct it. But to ask God why you deserve all the hardship you're going through is not that wise.

In Job Chapter 11 Zophar the Naamathite responded to Job comments. Also condemning Job; but offering truth about how the wicked will not survive past God.

Job 12 & 13

Job responds again and reminds the men who came to console him that he has knowledge and wisdom too; that is not inferior. Sometimes people can make you respond like this; but it is better not to.

³Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

⁴But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

⁵O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

Job says he will speak to the Almighty and desire a reason for his calamities; but he addressed his pals as liars and doctors who have no value. If they would shut their mouths, they would have some wisdom.

¹⁵Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. Job here says something we should be saying in our days; even if God kills me; I will continue to trust Him and do his ways before God.

Job 14

¹Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. This sums up man's life on earth, he is born, and his days are full of trouble. Even the most positive man or woman on earth has to agree with this statement. Then we see more vital information spoken by Job:

¹²So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

¹³O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

¹⁴If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

¹⁵Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

When a man dies; he does not rise up and go to heaven as popularly thought and taught. Instead he will not rise out of the grave until the heavens are no more. Those that have a decent grip on biblical prophesy or know how the return of Christ will be know that when Jesus returns; the heavens will roll back like a scroll and the heavens will be no more.

This means that when a man dies; he will not rise until Jesus returns. Job goes on to talk about being hid in the grave until the Lord's wrath is done; then remember him like the thief on the cross asked Jesus to do.

Verse 14, Job ask if a man dies will he live again? The answer is yes, when his change comes and that is at an appointed time. That time is when Jesus returns; the Lord will call and the dead in Christ will answer. A lot of excellent insight Job gives us here.

Job 15

¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, - He told Job that he is speaking vain things. He jumps Job for thinking he was wiser than his friend there; saying what do you know that we don't know? This is boisterous over wise behavior by Eliphaz.

Job 16 & Job 17

¹Then Job answered and said,

²I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. 

Job tells all his friends that they are miserable comforters. We have to remember all the calamity he just endured and we have to know it is not good to point our fingers at people who are struggling.

Job finally told his pals to go home that he can cope with all his losses better without them. I was wondering when he would kick these men out. ¹⁰But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.

Job 18

¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak.

He condemns the wicked and the destruction they endure that is from God. He also hints that Job must have acted wickedly to get his treatment.

¹⁷His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.

¹⁸He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. ²¹Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God. These are things that will happen to the wicked, those who forsake the ways of the Lord; thus it is vital to know God.

Job 19

¹Then Job answered and said,

²How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?

³These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.

Again Job is put on the defense; and he is getting tired of his pals who are to comfort him; instead they are vexing his soul. Nevertheless, Job throws out some wise words and convention wisdom, along with solid doctrine and biblical prophesy:

²⁵For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

²⁶And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

²⁷Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

He knows that his redeemer lives; it is Jesus who redeems us, and that Jesus, the redeemer, will stand on the earth in the latter days. Upon His return, and during the 1,000 years of reign on earth. Job is sharing some good information with us. After the worms destroy his body once he is dead and buried, he will see God at the Resurrection.

Not as people think that you live through your kids; but Job says he will see God himself. This should give us confidence that although we have lost love ones or even if we shall die; if we keep faith in Jesus Christ and keep His commandments and ways, He will bring us back at the Resurrection.

Job 20

Again Zophar the Naamathite answered and made statements to Job. The wicked only triumph for a moment; they always lose and lose big. ²⁹This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.

Job 21

Job had to ask why the wicked were safe from the chastisement of God; why were their lives peachy creme and full of joy and riches?

¹⁴Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. This is what the wicked say to God. Can you really offer Donald Trump something? It's hard for people like him to come to God for they believe they are successful without ever asking GOD for one thing. Regardless everyone dies and their soul will be required by God.

²³One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.

²⁴His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.

²⁵And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.

²⁶They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

They lie down in the dust and the worms take over from there. They don't go to heaven because as we read in Genesis, dust thou are and dust shall thy return.

Those that live good and do not do the ways of the Lord, they are reserved for the day of destruction so we should not desire their ways: ³⁰That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

Job 22

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

As we are getting the hang of this book of Job; they are constantly going back and forth with conversations trying to figure out why such calamities have come upon Job and each tells of their wisdom that makes them look and sound wise.

Job 23 & 24

¹Then Job answered and said,

Even though he has been punish and afflicted much he has not gone back against the words of the Lord. ¹²Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Job said something that Moses wrote; man should not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. And Job says he has esteemed the words of the Lord more than NECESSARY food. Not skittles or Oreo cookies; or creme muffin; he is talking about necessary food. Readers, we must act the same way. This bible food reading we do each day is more necessary than the vital physical foods we need each day.

This concludes today's reading. I hope you're full with Job and his pals constant back and forth conversation over why God has suffered Job to be afflicted.

See you tomorrow.

-- Peace & Grace


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Day 36 Bible Food -Esther and Job

Well here we go again reading through the Bible - and we are going to get right to it because of the amount we have to read today.  Let's go into the book of Ester.

Esther 1

 ¹Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)

We are in the days of Ahasuerus who was a king in the Persian and Media empire and he reign as far as India all the way to Ethiopia.  He was a very prosperous king and decided to make a feast to his nobles.

This king had a wife called Vashti whom he asked to come and pretty much model herself before the men because she was very pretty to look upon and she refused.  This made him angry and he wanted something done.  His counselors said to remove her because if the women of the nation see her do this to the king, they will all treat their husbands likewise.

We see that the men here were certainly keeping their wives in a bit of a bondage.  So they removed her and gave her royal estate to another, who they went out in all the countries to recruit someone very beautiful to be the kings queen.  I guess we'd call this the Miss Universe pageant.

Esther Chapter 2 

So the king put it out to help him find a beautiful virgin to be his queen.  In Shushan the palace, there was Jew named Mordecai, a Benjamite who was carried away in the captivity of Nebuchadnezzar.  He brought up Hadassah (Esther) because she had no mother and father, because they died, and she was gorgeous to look upon, and Mordecai raised her as his daughter.
  
She entered the competition and the king loved her and she was chosen to win.    ¹⁷And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

Esther 3 The king promoted Haman and told all his servants to bow down to him.  Mordecai would not, and it slowly brought conflict to him as word got back to Haman.  Haman thought to kill Mordecai and he should have left it there; but instead he wanted to kill all the Jews dispersed in the nations.  So he spoke with the king giving an ill manner and report and the king signed it to have the JEWS, destroyed.

¹³And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

Esther 4

Quite naturally, a great cry among the Jews went out; there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.  Esther was made known of the news and she was in sorry as well.  I bet they were trying to figure how to get out of this horrible situation.

Esther asked Mordecai to find out why a decree like this was put out and when it was told of her; thus Mordecai told her to step up for her people.  But there was a rule in the land for the queens of the king that they couldn't see the king whenever they wanted.  Sometimes it took up to 30 to 45 days before they could see their husbands.  Wow!

Mordecai pressed her to do something because she can be killed and also; perhaps she was given a high rank to secure the people.  So she declared a three day fast among all Jews while she went to see if she can see the king.

Esther 5

The king nor Haman know that Esther is a Jew because she held it privily; so she approached the king looking good and all and he delighted to see her and allowed her to come in.  She requested that he and Haman come to a dinner she is preparing and the king agreed.

Haman was so happy to be promoted and advanced in the kings administration and to be invited to the dinner Esther organized for the king; things couldn't be better for Haman.  However, he let one man who wouldn't bow down to him cause him he set sin in his heart.

His wife gave him some advice to finish Mordecai; men be careful in listening to your wives bad advice.  ¹⁴Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

Esther 6

Now this is how the Lord works; on that night the king couldn't sleep and he went browsing through the records of the kingdom and found how Mordecai prevented the assassination of the king.  

The king also saw that nothing was done for Mordecai, and while he is thinking about this, Haman comes up to tell the king he has gallows to hang Mordecai.

So Haman first tries to butter up the king with a cloth gift and the king tells him to give it to Mordecai.  This angered Haman as he went home to cry; before his wife and servants could give him advice he was summoned to dinner with the king and Esther.

Esther 7

So Esther and the king and Haman are eating and the king ask her what is her request and she request that her life and the life of her people be spared.  The king asks why and she points out Haman who mandated that the Jews be destroyed.

The king left to think about it and when he returned Haman was begging for his life even kneeling on the bed of Esther and the king saw it and said you want to have her by force as well.  The king ordered Haman to be hung.  ¹⁰So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

Esther 8

So everything Haman owned they gave to Mordecai; and Esther made him oversee everything that Haman was chairman over.
And Esther begged the king to reverse the decree that the Haman had set out for the Jews and the king agreed.  Thus the Jews were loved by the people for the works of Esther that God had done for His people, even in their captivity.

¹⁶The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
¹⁷And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.


Many people converted to the Jews faith because they saw how the Lord helped them out of such a horrible situation.

Esther Chapter 9

Some people in the kingdom probably did not respect the decree being reverse so the Jews had to defend themselves.  They smote many of their enemies and were saved.  Thus making a feast and a memorial out of it.

¹⁷On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
 ¹⁸But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

This is where Friday the 13th comes from.  It was not scary for the Jews; it was scary for their enemies.

²⁶Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,

This is the feast of Purim that Jesus later attended; it is not a feast commanded by God; but is a feast commemorated as a memorial for God delivering the Jews.

Esther 10

This chapter ends; but king Ahasuerus was a respected king to the Jews and their history.

Job Chapter 1

Now we move into the book of Job and it begins by telling us about him.   ¹There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 
Job feared God, hated evil and was upright in his dealings; he was a wealthy man and had an established family.

Now we learn in Job that the sons of God presented themselves before the Lord to report and guess who showed up but is not considered a son, Satan.  The Lord spoke with him asking him what he has been doing and he told God walking through the earth checking out people to deceive.

The Lord asked him if he tried Job; and Satan made it seem that Job only served God because he was plenty rich and very successful.  So Satan went to work to show God that Job was a fair weathered servant, at God's permission.
So a bunch of calamities came on Job, house destroyed, family hurt, children killed, and through it all; he did not give up on God.

 ²¹And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
 ²²In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 2

So the sons of God came again; and Satan showed up again; and God told him that Job was a sure servant; and Satan asked for another chance with Job, this time to do him and not his possessions.  And it was granted by God, letting us know that God is still Satan's boss and it is not a war against each other.

Satan still works for God.  God tells Satan not to kill him; and Satan obeyed.

⁶And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

So Satan hit Job with boils all over his body; so bad that he was scraping them off with a pot; and his wife said to him lose your integrity and curse God and be dead.  However, Job feared God; if he only loved God he may have lost his integrity.  But when you have fear; it stops you from crossing someone or disobeying a statue.

⁹Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
 ¹⁰But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

 This is how men are to respond to their wives; not like Adam did in listening to her foolishness.

Job's friends came and comforted him; but when they saw him none spoke for seven days until Job opened his mouth.

Job 3

 ¹After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.  Job cursed the day he was born.  He says a lot of things including things we should think about... ²⁵For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

When you think about something or fear something; you may just be thinking it into existence!

Job 4 

Eliphaz the Temanite answered and basically said Job must have done something to get all this.  He must have sinned against God for all this destruction to come upon him.

Job Chapter 5
¹⁷Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

Eliphaz continues his point that God is suffering Job because of sin; so he says to be happy when the Lord corrects you.  This is true; but shouldn't Job's friends be here to comfort him and not condemn him?

Job 6 and 7 has Job responding to Eliphaz and making good points.  One is ¹⁶I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.  Job hates the fact that he won't live forever, or at least he won't live always, thus his days on earth are in vain.  

That is so powerful; that he hated the fact that he had to die and suffer in life; this is a great vanity in the world.


This concludes today's reading; hope to see you tomorrow.
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Peace & Grace

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