Results 241 - 260 of 657
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: stjones Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
241 | Question re: Job | Job | stjones | 72431 | ||
Hi, boowig; I'll take a swing at the first one; I love Job. If you think about it, God first "incited" Satan. It was God who, out of the blue, said "have you considered my servant Job?" He then very pointedly told Satan that Job feared him (God) and shunned evil (Satan). I don't believe that Satan's response came as a surprise to God; he knew that Satan would respond by challenging Job's righteousness. I think God's remark about Satan "inciting" him is the key to understanding the entire book. God had expressed his pleasure with Job and his righteousness, implying that he (God) was worthy of Job's love and obedience. Satan challenged God by saying, in effect, that God was not worthy, it was only God's providence that had earned Job's allegiance. God responded by allowing Satan to take away all that God had provided. It was Satan's denial of God's worthiness that "incited" God to allow Satan to mistreat Job. As I said, I'm sure God knew all of this would happen when he first mentioned Job. But he knew something else too. This whole conversation took place "in public" in Heaven. In a sense, God took a terrible chance by bringing up Job. Suppose Job had followed his wife's advice to "curse God and die". Can't you just imagine Satan dancing around in Heaven going "neener, neener, neener; I got Job"? But God knew Job's heart and knew that he would not fail. From the very start, I think God chose the fight and chose Job to be his champion, to carry his colors in a battle waged before Heaven and - through the Bible - before us. What this story reveals is not just Job's faith in God but God's faith in Job – Job strengthened and sustained by his faith in God. Hope this is useful or interesting or something. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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242 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58204 | ||
Hi, STRIVING; I am preaching Job 1-2 in two weeks myself. Two things that I have noticed about this pasage: 1) Job is a sinner just the like the rest of us. It seems to me that Job's righteousness must be similar to Abraham's: "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6) In effect, Job was righteous because God said he was, not because he was perfect. 2) God started the whole thing, a very loving thing to do. God had everything to lose and nothing to gain by this contest between Job and Satan. God made himself vulnerable by the confidence he placed in Job. If Job failed, God would have lost to Satan; Job was God's champion. God also loves us, so he ensured that the story would be recorded and preserved. In some ways, God's willingness to become vulnerable in this instance prefigures Jesus' willingness to make himself vulnerable to the cross. Hope this is useful to you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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243 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58222 | ||
Hi, Darktanianxx; Unless God was being sarcastic in this verse, I have to disagree with your observations about Job's pride. I'll take God at his word; He considered Job "upright and blameless" [NIV]. Granted, there were times when Job was defending himself to his friends that he may have sounded a little prideful. It's hard to avoid speaking well of oneself when answering false accusations. Don't forget what God said to Eliphaz, one of those who accused Job: "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." (42:7) Indeed, if Job was just being punished for his sin then the story has no distinctive message at all. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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244 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58224 | ||
Hi, John; Thanks for the encouragement. The grain of faith that Job held onto was certainly a gift of God and God knew that it would sustain him. But if we have free will, Job could have followed his wife's advice to "curse God and die". God can't fail; Job could have. I think the story exists in part because it was important for both Job and us to see this victory. This is reminiscent of God's testing of Abraham. God knew that Abraham's faith and obedience were such that he was indeed prepared to sacrifice Isaac. It was Abraham (and us) who needed to know. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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245 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58246 | ||
Greetings, Darktanianxx; I don't agree that Job's own words to God override what God said about him. Job was repentng of his near-blasphemey during his arguments with his friends. But we can agree to disagree. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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246 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58256 | ||
Hi, John; As I said, it was God's gift of faith, not Job's virtue or strength, that won the day. Job could have chosen to act on something other than the faith (and strength) that God gave him. He had both the liberty and the ability to just "curse God and die". God knew that Job would make the right choice but God did not force him to make it. God both initiated the contest and selected Job as his champion. From God's perspective outside of time, I imagine it was a safe move. From ours, it was a risk that teaches us a lot about God's love and the imporance he attaches to us. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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247 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58257 | ||
EdB; Excellent points in both posts! Maybe that's just because I agree with them. ;-) Thanks. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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248 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58259 | ||
Why, thanks, EdB; We've got a real mutual admiration society going here. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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249 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58263 | ||
Hi, John; Don't worry; no man-centered gospel here. If you ever get the chance, read the Job chapter in Philip Yancy's "The Bible that Jesus Read". Good stuff. In fact, all the chapters are pretty good. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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250 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58264 | ||
As a good, reformed Presbyterian, I vote for "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". But I'd gladly settle for "Amazing Grace". Indy |
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251 | a righteous man | Job 1:8 | stjones | 58270 | ||
EdB; You must be a tenor; I'm a bass. Does kalos sing? Indy (who's beginning to think we may be outside the forum rules.... |
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252 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56182 | ||
Hi, Momma; I don't think Job is being prideful. He's doing what God expected him to do. Satan, in his exchanges with God in chapters 1 and 2, predicted that Job would "curse you to your face". Even Job's wife encouraged him to do so (2:9). But he doesn't. This statement is part of his defense against his friends' false accusations. Job's whole dilemma is captured in God's own description of Job in chapters 1 and 2. God himself describes Job as upright and blameless. It is a testament to Job's faith that throughout these tragedies that he does not deserve, he manages to say "though he slay me yet I will trust in Him." (13:15) Job is one of my favorite OT characters. I hope to have a long conversation with him one day. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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253 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56183 | ||
Hi, EdB; You said "There are those that insist that Job brought his troubles upon himself". They must have missed the first two chapters! I love Job; I get to preach a sermon on him in September. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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254 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56206 | ||
Hi, Momma; True, Job was not without sin. Still, chapters 1 and 2 make if very clear that God intended no punishment or discipline. I think Job showed much more faith than nearly anyone in the OT. When Job says "though He slay me, yet I will trust in Him", it reminds me very much of Peter's answer to Jesus in John 6:68, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life". Dallas Willard once said "God lives at the end of your rope". I think most of us at one time or another are reduced to the most elementary faith. We have to confess, as did Job and Peter before us, that there's just nowhere else to turn. We admire Job's faith in God during his terrible trials. What strikes me is God's confidence in Job. Imagine Satan's glee if Job had failed. God chose to make Job His champion in a very high stakes contest. And He chose to reveal to us His willingness take that risk. Maybe that's the real point of Job: God counts on us and it matters, perhpas more than we will ever realize in this life, whether we succeed or fail. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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255 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56207 | ||
Thanks, Ed. Maybe the three of can sit around with a cafe mocha (there WILL be chocolate in Heaven, won't there?) and have a nice long chat. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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256 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56243 | ||
Deal. We'll keep the light on for ya. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones possibly in violation of Rule #1 |
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257 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56244 | ||
Hi, Momma; Absolutely right. Job was God's champion before Heaven; we are Christ's champions before men. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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258 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56326 | ||
Hi, Makarios; Thank you so much. High praise from someone who has posted a few of his own. God has opened my eyes to many truths in my studies of Job. The book is an endless treasure house of wisdom and truth. Not surprising, given chapter 28's lovely images in praise of wisdom. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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259 | Do you have any themes regarding Job? | Job 13:15 | stjones | 34896 | ||
Hi, Lapdog; Job is one of my favorite OT books so maybe I could help you if I had a little better idea of what exactly you're looking for. There are many themes in Job; one of the dominant ones (described by Phillip Yancy) is Job's struggle to reconcile three facts - God is just; God is all-powerful; he, Job, is innocent. If you think about it, any two of those can be true but from Job's point of view, they can't all three be true. Yet he knows they are. Other themes are his friends' foolish prosperity theology (not unlike what we sometimes see on TV these days) and Job's faith. The roles played by God and Satan and God's confidence that Job would disprove Satan's cynical view of humans' love for God are important. One theme you certainly will not find is "the patience of Job" - Job was hardly patient. Hmmm, well, I guess I tried to answer anyway. ;-) Hope this is useful. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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260 | Do you have any themes regarding Job? | Job 13:15 | stjones | 34962 | ||
Hi, Lapdog; Junior high! Tough audience. Sounds like a good approach though. God bless you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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