Time with Jesus - 4 Dec 2013
Hi all,
The book of Job is thought to be
one of the first books of the Bible to be written. It is a classic example of
the answer to the question, “Why do good people suffer?” Now, only God is good.
Nevertheless, the question is valid.
The following information has been
taken from Frank S Mead’s book “Who’s Who in the Bible”. It was first published
in 1934 by Harper & Brothers. The copyright was renewed in 1961 by Frank S
Mead. The book contains thumbnail sketches of some 250 characters in the Bible.
Phyllida has had a copy since before we met in 1981. It has helped us see a
number of Biblical characters from a different angle.|
JOB
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ELIPHAZ THE
TEMANITE
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BILDAD THE SHUHITE
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ZOPHAR THE
NAAMATHITE
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Job1:1; 2:7; 3:1;
42:1
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Job 5:17; 15:1;
16:2; 22:2
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Job 8:8; 18:2;
19:2; 25:4
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Job 11:7 5; 12:2;
20:12
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Name - “He who weeps or cries”
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Name - “The endeavour of God”
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Name - “Old friendship”
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Name - “Rising early or crown”
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Job
lived in Uz. He was perfect. Righteous. God-fearing. He had seven sons, three
daughters, sheep, camels, mules by the thousand. God and Satan “fought” for
Job’s soul, just as they fight for yours and mine. Job suffered, horribly, as
they fought.
Thieves
stole and lightning killed his flocks. A hurricane blew down his house and
killed his seven sons. “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away,” said
Job. His soul was worth fighting for.
He
was smitten with boils from head to foot; his wife mocked his faith, told him
to curse God and die. He rebuked her. But when three friends came to
“comfort” him and remained to condemn him, Job broke, and cursed the day he
was born.
Job’s
friends wounded his heart; they could not break it. He came back to faith. He
accepted his suffering as a test of his faith. He cannot understand it, or
God. Yet he accepts both. He holds fast. Satan is defeated, God triumphs! The
friends are confounded. Job’s prosperity and happiness are restored.
Job
left us certain eternally unanswered questions: Why must the righteous
suffer! What is the purpose of suffering? What is God like?
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Eliphaz
was the oldest of the three “friends” of Job. He was pompous. Too pompous. He
was certain he knew God’s ways and purposes. Too certain. He had three
arguments. Three too many.
“No
man was perfect”, he said, “until he had the chastening of suffering.
Suffering was the penalty of previous sin. “You have sinned, Job. Accept this
suffering. You shall be better for it.” Job insisted that he had not sinned.
Prove it, Eliphaz. Eliphaz changed the subject.
“Should
a man utter vain knowledge……?”
“You
are proud, Job. You shall be rebuked. It is foolish and wicked to ask God
questions or to His challenge ways.” It was here that Job’s patience cracked.
He, proud? “Miserable comforters are ye all.”
Eliphaz
tried again. “Look back, Job,” he says in effect “and you will surely find an
old, forgotten sin somewhere.” Job recalled no sin.
Eliphaz
was a stickler for his particular theological theory. Some theologians think
more of their theories than they do of the truth. That in itself is sin!
Eliphaz could only talk about God. No man ever found God by talking about
Him. What Eliphaz needed was to suffer a little.
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Bildad
was conservative and vague. He was the traditionalist of the group. He
referred boil-smitten job to antiquity for comfort.
“Read
history”, said Bildad! “See how the righteous always prosper there! How the
wicked always suffer! (Where did you study your history, Bildad?) Take
courage, Job. If you are really righteous, God will make things right.
He
rebuked Job for losing patience with the friends. “Listen to us, man. We have
wisdom!” He scorned the wicked roundly, predicting divers’ punishments and
doom. (Did Dante study Bildad before he wrote his Hell?) He made Job angry:
“How long will ye vex my soul, and break me to pieces with words?” “I am
suffering, and you sit here talking.”
That
silenced Bildad. He made a feeble remark to the effect that men should never
attempt to justify themselves, and…. forever after held his peace.
Eliphaz,
at least, had brought out the majesty of God. Bildad had only appealed to
history (ignorantly, at that) while it was the present - and the future -
that worried Job.
Said
Will Shakespeare: “Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart.”
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Zophar,
the youngest of the trio, is a puzzle. Some say he was rough and noisy;
others think he was a philosopher of the agnostic school.
His speech
flowed hot, like lava from the lips of Vesuvius; His tongue was quicker than
his brain. He lectured Job (an old man) severely for his “self-righteousness”
“Repent,
Job. God may yet save you. Stop trying to understand God. Who by searching
may find him? Humble yourself. Pour dust on your head.”
Job
waxed sarcastic over this explosion: “No doubt ye are the people, and wisdom
shall die with you.” Then he said evenly, “I am not inferior to you.”
That
should have silenced Zophar; it didn’t. He was too young, too talkative. He
rambled on. He said nothing
He
repeated what he had said before. He aped Bildad about the punishment of the
wicked. He told Job to be careful. Then he said no more. Perhaps the
conversation was, too deep for him to follow?
Eliphaz
had a theory, and worked it hard; Bildad had words, and he piled them up;
Zophar had nothing & he used it well. Nurses in hospitals say that
“visiting hours” often have a bad effect on patients’ health.
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In Gen 10:23, Uz is the oldest
son of Aram and grandson of Shem, while in 1 Chronicles 1:17 Uz is the son of
Shem. Septuagint inserts a passage which supplies this lacking name. As the
tables of the nations in Gen 10 are chiefly geographical and ethnographical,
Uz seems to have been the name of a district or nation colonized by or
descended from Semites of the Aramean tribe or family.(From e-Sword)
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It’s possible that some will
disagree with Mr Mead’s remarks. Nevertheless, I’m sure we will all enjoy his
point of view and comments.
Shalom
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – 4 Dec 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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JOB’S
TRIAL
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The
picture on the left is of a certain Greek gentleman called Heraclitus of
Ephesus. He lived ±500BC.You may ask what this man has to do with
Christianity. In a sense, nothing and everything.
If I
may be permitted to invent a word, today we are doing a spot of “Job-ology”.
A little look at the reason why Job wanted to die.
We
are told that Job was the very first book of the Bible that was written.
Certainly when we look at some of the names and places referred to in Job, we
come to the conclusion that it originates at about the same time as the patriarchs.
Now as readers we are in the unique position of knowing the story from start
to end. We have the full script. So we know the “Job-ology” – the reason why!
Job et al didn’t. This means, we can sit in the “bleachers” and make comments
about the men and women who walk past on the stage of Job’s life. It’s a bit
like a rugby match. There are 30 players running themselves ragged in front
of 40,000 spectators, who know more about rugby than the players do. Has it
ever occurred to you to wonder what it would be like the other way round? Not
fun!
We
know Job wanted to die. Who can blame him? If the average Christian (myself
included) went through the uphill Job went through, I fancy that suicidal
thoughts may come to mind! I guess that if someone went overnight from a big
house in Constantia with all mod cons to an ash heap in Dube, bereft of all
children and covered with painful ulcers, they wouldn’t be happy! If you
would like to volunteer, I’m not sure of your sanity. Most of us would be
hammering on the doors of heaven demanding the “Logos”! Fortunately for Job,
everything worked out well. He passed the test and ended up with far more
than he began with. I suppose from Dube to Constantia would attract many
volunteers.
Jim &
Phyllida
Strickland
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16 I
hate my life and don't want to go on living.
Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days. (Job’s Words)
Job 7:16 NLT
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Job was getting desperate; sick and fed up with life.
He’d had his share of problems; even his faithful wife,
Was giving him great uphill. “Curse God!” she said, “and die!
I’m not sure what is
happening and when I wonder why?
I don’t get any answer. Like
you and your three friends.
When do you think this
nonsense will meet its sorry end?
Listen hear them cackling.
They’re blaming it on you.
They don’t know what they’re
saying and most of it’s untrue.”
Job didn’t have an answer. He didn’t know the cause.
He wasn’t at the meeting, where God set free the claws,
Of Satan and his cronies; to make his living tough.
The Lord God had consented. Satan could do his stuff!
The only limitation; he couldn’t make Job die!
“So if you want to test him, Go on, give it a
try.”
Now Job had three good buddies, who came to help him out.
That they were very helpful, seems terribly in doubt!
Eliphaz from Teman; a Shuhite called Bildad;
Zophar came from Naaman; their comments drove him mad.
He was the one who caused it. It had to be his fault!
If any blame lay elsewhere, the Lord would call a halt,
To what he was enduring. But since it carried on,
They said they were quite certain, that he had got it wrong!
I can’t say that I blame him. He’d been a man of wealth.
But Satan vicious anger had come against his health.
He was a mass of ulcers, from head down to his toes.
He scraped them with a potsherd; nobody really knows,
How much the man had suffered. His children were all dead.
He sounded suicidal with thoughts within his head.
He sat upon the ash heap and didn’t say a thing.
His “comforters” sat with him; a sorry little ring.
Then Job began his tirade. “Why was I ever born?
I curse that day in history.
Why did that daylight dawn?
Why did I see the morning?
Why was I first conceived?
Why wasn’t I miscarried?
What has all this achieved?
He didn’t get an answer. Although he asked to die.
We know that ultimately, God heard his heartfelt cry!
And when the trial was over and he had passed the test.
One thing he knew for certain. The Lord God knows what’s best.
Jim Strickland
Written
4th
December 2012
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6 I said, "I wish I had wings like a dove! Then I
would fly away and be at rest. 7 I would escape to a place
far away. I would stay out in the desert. Selah 8 I would hurry to
my place of safety. It would be far away from the winds and storms I'm
facing."
Psalms 55:6-8 NIrV
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2 During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our
house in heaven as if it were clothing. 3 Then we will not
be naked. 4 While we live in this tent
of ours, we groan under our heavy load. We don't want to be naked. We want to
be dressed with our house in heaven. What must die will be swallowed up by life.
2 Corinthians 5:2-4 NIrV
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23 I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with
Christ, which would be far better for me.
Philippians 1:23 NLT
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1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us, 2 looking to Jesus, the
founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne
of God. 3 Consider him who
endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow
weary or fainthearted.
Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV
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27
"I leave my peace with you. I give my peace to you. I do not give it to
you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be
troubled. And do not be afraid.
John 14:27 NIrV
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