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Bible reading for weekend February 12-14 Feb 12 -- Job 11 and Romans 15 Feb 13 -- Job 12 and Romans 16 Feb 14 -- Job 13 and 1 Corinthians 1 "With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding." (Job 12:13)  ZOPHAR ZOGOOD? Sorry, I couldn't resist the word play! Zophar, the third of Job's counselors, now answers Job, with the same harshness as the others speak to Job (11:1-3). There is no "gentle and lowly of heart" here in Job's friends (Matt 11:29). Zophar's angle is that Job should admit that he has not truly suffered in the degree that human guilt deserves (11:4-11). Job in chapters 12 and 13 agrees in principle with what Zophar and the others are saying. Namely, God's wisdom is infinitely beyond us, and the wicked will most certainly be judged. Job's contention is that he wants to hear from God (who is silent at this point) as to the reason for his extreme suffering at this time and place, especially when he is not aware of ...

Bible reading for February 10 -- 11 Feb 10 -- Job 9 and Romans 13 Feb 11 -- Job 10 and Romans 14 "Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?  If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times." (Job 9:2-3) OVERWHELMED. In chapters nine and ten Job is overwhelmed by the thought of the immensity and power of the God to whom he is complaining. If he were to have a righteous cause, as he feels he does (9:2, 15, 20-21; 10:15), how could he ever defend himself before an all-powerful God? Or should he appeal to God's mercy (9:15) or fake happiness (9:27)? Who can argue with such a God? But Job wants to be heard, to be understood, to know that God knows the injustice that Job feels. He is so aware of the great gulf between himself and God, but he remembers God's kindness and love toward him, which now seem only a memory (10:11-13). Job again wonders why he was born only to end life in such a miserable way (10:...

Bible reading for weekend February 8 -- 9 Feb 8 -- Job 7 and Romans 11 Feb 9 -- Job 8 and Romans 12 "Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right? If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression." (Job 8:3-4) THE MISERY OF LIFE (ch 7) . Job continues his lament. All of humanity shares suffering in common. We are all fragile. "Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good. The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone" (7:7-8). Job's case is extreme, but he knows that his suffering is not due to some serious unconfessed sin, as his friends imply .  BILDAD'S FIRST SPEECH (ch 8) . Job's second friend now speaks, more harshly than did Eliphaz (8:2; cf 4:1). But the same argument is being made: God is just and punishes the wicked; you and your children have suffered greatly; therefore, you have much wickedness to confe...

Bible reading for weekend February 5 -- 7 Feb 5 -- Job 4 and Romans 8 Feb 6 -- Job 5 and Romans 9 Feb 7 -- Job 6 and Romans 10 "For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward." (Job 5:6-7)  ELIPHAZ SPEAKS UP. Job's friend Eliphaz has kept silent for too long, or so he thinks.  He accuses Job of impatience and pride, and claiming supernatural insight (4:12), he rebukes Job of sin. He's saying that what's happening to Job is happening in order to humble him so that he might confess his guilt. Many points of Eliphaz's counsel are seemingly biblical and true. It's true that God is just and that we are sinful. It's true that we should humble ourselves and confess sin. But here are a few of Eliphaz's unexamined assumptions about life: a) this world is the arena where all justice is settled; b) we can know the reasons why we suffer in this life; and c) if you walk u...

Bible reading for February 3 -- 4 Feb 3 -- Job 2 and Romans 6 Feb 4 -- Job 3 and Romans 7 "After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth." (Job 3:1)  WISDOM IN SUFFERING. Though we don't know many of the details about where and when Job lived, we know that he was a real person in history (Ezek 14:14, 20; James 5:11). The book of Job may be the oldest of the books in Scripture, and is first in the lineup of the wisdom books. Wisdom literature is written, usually in poetic form, to address the big mysteries of life, as well as those practical matters in life that require discernment. Job deals with pain and suffering, specifically, the suffering of the righteous. The Song of Solomon deals with pleasure, specifically, the pleasures of courtship, sex, and marriage. In between, Proverbs gives wisdom for successfully navigating the problems of life, and Ecclesiastes teaches the limitations both of our lives and of what we can know. One thing we learn up front...

Bible reading for February 1--2 Feb 1 -- Esther 9-10 and Romans 4 Feb 2 -- Job 1 and Romans 5 The weather forecast is predicting a snow and ice storm for our region. Since we often loose power during those times I am getting the next Bible reading post out early. Enjoy! "For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people." (Esther 10:3) GOD UNSEEN, BEHIND THE SCENES . The book of Esther tells us about the historical events behind the Jewish feast of Purim. At the end not only are the Jews spared, but Mordecai, like Joseph in Egypt many generations earlier, is exalted to the second highest position in the empire. The book reveals God's providence not by miraculous power but by the seemingly coincidental. He is behind the scenes, as it were. Things that might be described as chance or random are actually incidents ...

Bible reading for weekend January 29--31 Jan 29 -- Esther 6 and Romans 1 Jan 30 -- Esther 7 and Romans 2 Jan 31 -- Esther 8 and Romans 3 Here is the PDF copy of our reading schedule .  THE PRIDE OF MAN . I'm not sure if this is the earliest version of, "Give a man enough rope and he'll hang himself," but the image fits. The gallows that Haman built were certainly big enough! The Bible teaches that evil plans and conspiracies will ultimately rebound against those who make them: "Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling" (Prov 26:27). At the root of this is pride: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom" (Prov 11:2). Some years before this event, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar was humbled before God, and he confessed, "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in ...

Bible reading for Aug 26.  I Samuel 18. "And David had success in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him." (1 Sam 18:14)  DAVID'S SUCCESSES. Here we read of Saul's growing jealousy and fear of David. Saul's son Jonathan befriends David. Saul attempts to kill David by betrothing one of his daughters to David, hoping that the bloody bride-price would pit David against the Philistines and he would be killed in battle. All of this backfires. The Lord is blessing David and has departed from Saul. And Saul is in a downward spiral of envy and hatred. It's interesting to note that this is what Pilate saw when the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to trial before him: "For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up" (Matt 27:18).  REFLECT. Envy is a vice which is self-consuming. At its core is ingratitude toward, and rebellion against, God's wise providence. That is, we do not like God's dealings which give a gift...

Bible reading for Aug 25.  I Samuel 17. "If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." (1 Samuel 17:9) BATTLE OF CHAMPIONS. Some scholars wonder about the time stamp on this story -- chronologically, did it happen before or after David was called as a court musician to King Saul (vv 55-58)? See Constable's notes on this chapter . Perhaps at this stage in Saul's life his memory and behavior were already erratic. David, unlike Saul, has concern for God's reputation rather than his own. And in faith he goes forth in the name of the Lord. It's important to note that the outcome of this great battle would be determined at the hand of two individuals. Two national destinies rested in this one contest. David, the young shepherd, seemingly insignificant and unskilled, fells the great Goliath. This is an example of the corporate solidarity (t...

Bible reading for Aug 24.  I Samuel 16. "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) A NEW KING. Saul was tall, strong, and a good military leader, but his heart was not completely dedicated to the Lord. The Lord who "looks upon the heart" (v 7) has chosen another, who was a hard-working, overlooked young man. He was not even invited to the family dinner, being assigned to watch over their flock of sheep (v 11). Thus, David will become the shepherd to watch over God's flock, Israel. The irony was not missed by later Jewish readers. Notice the parallels between David and his greater Son, Jesus: both born in Bethlehem, both are shepherds, and both are undervalued and overlooked by their kinsmen. "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him" (John 1:11; cf Isa 53...

Bible reading for the weekend of Aug 22.  I Samuel 14-15. "And Samuel said, 'Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.'" (1 Samuel 15:22-23) SAUL AND JONATHAN (14). We are introduced to Saul's son Jonathan, who will later become David's best friend. He's a young man of faith, full of godly initiative, at a time when there were few fighters and even fewer weapons at hand. But the Lord's blessing is upon him. Again, in God's perfect timing an earthquake coincides with the attack (14:15), and the confusion that resulted helped Israel win the battle that day. Saul, slow to enter the battle, speaks rashly with a curse --  no one shal...

Bible reading for Aug 21.  I Samuel 13. "And Samuel said to Saul, 'You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.'" (1 Samuel 13:13-14)  PROBLEMS BEGIN. Saul is a good leader, but a pragmatist who has an eye to the crowd. In this chapter he is seeking to hold his troops together by taking charge of matters. In many ways we can identify with Saul, seeing things falling apart and just wanting to do something. But he takes charge of the sacrifice that was to be offered by the priest, in this case, Samuel. Saul's real job was to be obedient to the Lord, and to wait for the Lord's blessing through the priest. In this h...