Tag: Tom Siderius

Enlightening Wisdom to Live By

Proverbs 25-26

1 Kings 4:29-34(NLT)  God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. 30 In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. 32 He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. 33 He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. 34 And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.

Proverbs in their basic elements are statements about life.  Solomon composed some 3000 proverbs according to the record in 1 Kings.  They are comparisons of concrete examples of physical life with the eternal truth of God’s message to us.  In our reading today we see a familiar set of verses which are quoted by Paul in Romans in a section of Romans dealing with how to get along with others in the church and without.  Our two chapters we are reading today have many statements which should help us govern our hearts and how we relate to others.  Let’s look at the section in Proverbs and quoted in Romans.

Proverbs 25:21-22(NKJV) 1 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the LORD will reward you.

Romans 12:17-21(NKJV) Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

One common explanation of these verses are that we will heap coals of fire on our enemy to burn him up when we do good to him.  My understanding of this section is much different.  In the ancient cultures they didn’t have boxes of safety matches or Bic lighters to make fire with.  When it was cold especially the household would try to keep a fire going all the time so that when fire was needed for cooking or heating it would be available.  As anyone who has tried to start a fire with friction or flint and steel will attest, this is no small matter to get a fire going when needed.  An easier method would be to go to the neighbors who have an existing fire and borrow some coals from them.  If their fire went out, borrowing coals from you would be very neighborly.  When they took the coals, they would put them in a clay pot to handle them.  It was very common to put the pot on the top on their head to carry it, and they would have a pad to protect the head even.  This would warm up the person carrying the coals to the other household and the proverb is comparing this physical action that this would warm them, be a blessing, to them in their hearts.  By doing this we overcome the evil of having an enemy with the blessing that we give them by our actions.

In Proverbs 26 there are sections that deal with our speech and how it should be handled.  This first one shows us a comparison of a lie to a deadly weapon against another.

Proverbs 26:18-26(NLT) 18 Just as damaging
as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
19 is someone who lies to a friend
and then says, “I was only joking.”

How about this next section that deals with gossip and quarrels.  Would we have quarrels in our churches if we followed the wisdom found here?  Jesus echoes this when he tells us that out of our hearts we speak what we really believe whether for good or evil.  As we read God’s Word it is drawn into our hearts by God’s love found there and this becomes the way that we react when in the situations of life. 


Proverbs 26:20-26(NLT)  Fire goes out without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
21 A quarrelsome person starts fights
as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

Rumors are dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s heart.
23 Smooth words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
24 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
but they’re deceiving you.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
Their hearts are full of many evils.
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

One of my favorites of these wisdom sayings of Solomon is in this verse:

Proverbs 27:17(NLT) As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Praying that you all will be sharpened by the love and wisdom of these lessons which you are reading every day. 

Love in Christ, Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions

  1. In today’s Bible reading which verses stood out to you as particularly wise? What stood out as something you need to work on?
  2. How do you treat your enemies? How can you follow the wisdom of Solomon and Paul and the teaching of Jesus in how you respond to them?
  3. When would you do well to remember Solomon’s wisdom regarding quarrels?
  4. How can you help sharpen a friend? Who has helped sharpen you?
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2 Viewpoints

1 Kings 9 & 2 Chronicles 8

1 Kings 9:1-7(NLT) So Solomon finished building the Temple of the LORD, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do. 2 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had done before at Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.4 “As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, 5 then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: ‘One of your descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ 6 “But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, 7 then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations

2 Chronicles 8:12-15(NLT) Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple. 13 He offered the sacrifices for the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters—as Moses had commanded. 14 In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God. 15 Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.

A great question we can ask about Kings and Chronicles is “why were the histories of the children of Israel recorded twice?”

I think that the answer is in the perspective of the leaders and kings actions in the books of Samuel and Kings where the perspective is that of God and how He sees what the kings and men do, and where their hearts are.  In Chronicles it is much more the picture from the historical standpoint of man to the things that the kings do.  When we read, we see motive from God’s viewpoint in the Samuel and Kings records. We see more of a historical view in Chronicles.  I am not a student of who wrote down the Chronicles, but scholars who are think that maybe one or two men wrote down the book after the return from Babylon, perhaps Ezra.  They wrote because it would give their people a history that maybe they did not know. And also to help to give legitimacy to their present kingdom after the captivity.  By emphasizing the faithfulness of God they were giving hope to the people that God would reestablish them in the land and as a kingdom.

Are you inspired by this history to be more trusting of God and His Word?

Kings has unique information that is not in Chronicles, and vice versa.   The information and perspective are different, and we need to read both books.  Also the Chronicles are considered to be the last books added to the Hebrew cannon of scripture and are last in their scrolls of books.  The reason for the first and second books of both is related to the size of a scroll that could be produced at that time, not to a discontinuity between the first and second books. 

-Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions

Do you feel it is important for us to read these records?

What perspective should we have on these historical records?

I hope and pray today that God is giving you more confidence in His faithfulness and care as we read through these OT records.

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Praise Yahweh All Mankind and All Creation!!

Psalm 134, 146-150

Psalms 146:1-5 (NLT) Praise the LORD!
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.

Who should we put our confidence in?

Psalms 147:3-6(NLT) He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the stars
and calls them all by name.
5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
6 The LORD supports the humble,
but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

Is trust in God the essence of “faith”?

Psalms 147:11(NLT) No, the LORD’s delight is in those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

In this verse we see the word “hesed” God’s unfailing love that we looked at yesterday.

Psalms 148:1-2(NLT) Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!

Psalms 149:4(NLT) For the LORD delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.

Psalms 150 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

From the “Worship Arts Conservatory”  https://worshiparts.net/

halal means to “shine (or flash brightly), boast, to praise, to act like a fool or madman”. Halal is used 165 times in the Old Testament and is usually translated as “praise.” The word halal is part of the larger word “Hallelujah” which is the combination of the word Halal (praise) and Yah (Yahweh).  Together they mean “praise Yahweh” or “praise the LORD”.

  • God is worthy of our praise.  The Bible calls us to praise over and over again – over 100 times with this word alone.
  • God is worthy of exuberant praise.  Halal means “to shine or flash.”  The word Halal does not paint a picture of a quiet and dignified reading of a psalm.  The word paints a picture of a bright flashing praise that draws everyone’s attention.  We should praise God in such a way as to draw attention, like a light flashing in the darkness.
  • God is worthy of our boasting.  Halal means “to boast.”  Our God is so great that we cannot help but boast in who He is.  Like a child boasting about how strong his father is, we should be so enthralled by the greatness of our father that we cannot help but boast about Him to those we meet.  (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
  • God is worthy of our foolishness.  Halal means “to act like fool.”  One of the greatest mistakes I make when praising God is to worry about what others may think.  Isn’t it interesting that the same word that is translated “praise” is also translated “fool” in other passages?

From the “Light of the World” website https://kaylened.wordpress.com/ we can see an explanation of how words are formed by letters which are pictures in the ancient languages.

The Hebrew letter הָ Hey/Hay originally looked like a person with Raised Arms

Representing to Behold, Look, Watch, Reveal, Show, as through a Window, What Comes From, Breath/Sigh of Awe

לַ Lamad looked like a Shepherd’s Staff . Representing Authority; to Shepard, Protect, Goad, Guide, Yoke, Bind, Learn, Teach

When a meaning is doubled in Hebrew it is called an Emphatic Duplication. The second ל Lamad in הָלַ–ל Hal-lal intensifies its Picture as the Ultimate Staff of staffs, Authority of authorities, or Tongue of tongues.

הָלַל Halal shows us what it means to Praise:

 Hey הָ = Arms Raised, to Behold, Reveal, Look, Window, Breath, The…

 Lamed לַ = Staff, Authority, Control, Rule, Prod, to Direct Toward, Tongue…

 Lamed לַ = Staff, Authority, Control, Rule, Prod, to Direct Toward, Tongue…

 Behold –

 the Authority – 

 of Authorities

Isn’t it very exciting how our Praise is to show God’s Light and Authority in what we do.

-Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions

  1. How can we change our worship or worship services to have more “praise” in them?
  2. What will you praise God for today? How might you do it with more “shine or flash”?
  3. Where, when, how, why might God want to see us “acting like a fool” as we boast about Him? What are you willing to try?
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God’s mercy (hesed) endures forever!!

2 Chronicles 6-7

Psalm 136

Psalms 136:1-9(NKJV) Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
7 To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever—
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.

(I quoted the above section in the NKJV version because of the familiarity of the phrase “His mercy endures forever” but encourage you to read it in a different version as the word “mercy” is translated many ways.)

The Hebrew word “hesed” is found about 250 times in the Old Testament.  It is translated “love and faithfulness,” “unfailing love,” “faithful love,” “steadfast love,” and “loyal love,” depending on the Bible version used.  It has a bigger concept than just God’s love or mercy.  His love for His people is an central and essential part of God’s character.  The core idea of this term communicates loyalty or faithfulness within our relationship. Hesed is closely intertwined with God’s covenant with His people Israel in the OT.  

We see this in our section of reading from 2 Chronicles today where Solomon is dedicating the Temple.  The Temple in the OT is the dwelling place of God, specifically at the holy of holies, in the ark of the covenant.  God’s “hesed” is in the perfect performance of His commitments expressed by the tablets that God gave Moses on Mt Sinai. 

2 Chronicles 6:7-11(NLT) Then Solomon said, “My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 8 But the LORD told him, ‘You wanted to build the Temple to honor my name. Your intention is good, 9 but you are not the one to do it. One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor me.’ 10 “And now the LORD has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father’s place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 11 There I have placed the Ark, which contains the covenant that the LORD made with the people of Israel.”

After a dedication service in Chapter 6, in Chapter 7 we see where God approves and accepts the sacrifices made there by the people.  He does this by sending fire down, which we see as God’s approval of the sacrifice.  God’s fire and presence are put in this Temple building giving His presence to that place.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3(NLT) When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple. 2 The priests could not enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying, “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!”

Think about the day of Pentecost at the start of the church that we are part of.  God’s fire came down and rested on each of the apostles showing God’s approval and acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ.  The holy spirit is given to those that follow Christ from that day.  We are the Temple of God’s building, the church of the body of Christ.  God’s enduring love is given to us with the same commitment and intensity as He has shown Israel in the OT.  Our relationship with God is based on the covenantal sacrifice of the blood of Christ which allows us into the place and presence of Him. 

Have a great day today with the mighty hesed of God watching over and keeping you in all you do!

-Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions

  1. What verses of Psalm 136 really stand out to you? Are there any surprising verses? What do you notice about God’s character?
  2. Where have you seen God’s hesed in Scripture? Where have you seen it in your lifetime? Are you confident it will endure forever?
  3. Are you living in the place and presence of God?
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I Am Nothing

Job 40-42

Our reading in Job is coming to a conclusion with these chapters. Yesterday we heard God show Himself in the power and breath of creation.   In chapters 40-41 we see that now God Himself is answering Job about His power and majesty and challenges him to answer.  Job is completely overawed by God and finally sees the folly of his positions and arguments.  He reacts as the lesson teaches us that God is everything, all power, all majesty, all strength and all knowledge.  We in all our human strength and knowledge are nothing compared to God, and this is Job’s confession that turns the whole narrative. 

Job 40:1-5(NLT) Then the LORD said to Job,
2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”
Job Responds to the LORD
3 Then Job replied to the LORD,
4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
5 I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”

Proverbs 1:7(NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge

Fear here is not that of a frightened mind, but an overwhelmed, overawed understanding of the power of God and the feeble strength of man.

Our ministry today is to explain to a fallen world what the message of God is, showing others the way to the truth.   Our message is now in the cross of Christ and what God has done for us in Jesus’ life and death.  Our responsibility is to show an Invisible God to a hurting world. 

1 Corinthians 1:18-25(NLT) The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Job 40:6-11(NLT) The LORD Challenges Job Again
6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
8 “Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you are right?
9 Are you as strong as God?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 All right, put on your glory and splendor,
your honor and majesty.
11 Give vent to your anger.
Let it overflow against the proud.

Job 42:1-6(NLT) Then Job replied to the LORD:
2 “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
5 I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

Then we come to the end of the book.  In only a few short verses with little explanation or elaboration we see Job pray for friends and then he is restored to life, health and position.  Even double the wealth that he had before.  What brings this amazing turnabout?

Job 42:8-10(NLT) My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer. 10 When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!

The ”miserable comforters” do a sacrifice where they lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, transferring their sin to the animals.  Then Job changes from self-justification and promotion to making humble prayer for the friends.  When we are right with God then He is able to bless us because of His decision to do it, not because of our merit, works or traditions.

What is the conclusion of the matter?

With God I am everything, Without God I am nothing!

James 5:10-11(NLT) For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

-Tom Siderius

Questions for Reflection:

Did you have fun reading the book of Job and the lesson in it?

Has the reading changed your thinking about the “Oldest Lesson in the World”?

Has your heart changed about who God is and who we are?

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When God Answers with Some Questions of His Own

Job 38-39

Acts 17:24-27(NLT) He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.

God answers Job

In our chapter reading today we come to the point where it shows us that God Himself challenges Job and his friends.  How this happens, in audible words, or an angelic herald, we don’t know because it doesn’t say.  Remember that this is an epic poem which is told as verbal story to people at that time.  It is to give us understanding of who God is and how He deals with us in our lives.  God starts by challenging Job with the majesty of the physical creation and how Job not only has nothing to do with it but does not begin to understand it.

God is Greater than Man

God starts first with the geological and astronomical pages of creation. 

Job 38:1-7(NLT) The LORD Challenges Job
​1 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorant words?
3 Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
5 Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
6 What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
7 as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

Job 38:19-21(NLT) “Where does light come from,
and where does darkness go?
20 Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?
21 But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
and you are so very experienced!

Now in chapter 39 God shows the majesty of the work of His creation in the zoological and botanical realms. 

Job 39:1-4(NLT) “Do you know when the wild goats give birth?
Have you watched as deer are born in the wild?
2 Do you know how many months they carry their young?
Are you aware of the time of their delivery?
3 They crouch down to give birth to their young
and deliver their offspring.
4 Their young grow up in the open fields,
then leave home and never return.

Job 39:19-21(NLT) “Have you given the horse its strength
or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
21 It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
when it charges out to battle.

The object of most religious teaching today is to bring mankind to a better moral and ethical point in their lives.  This is not God’s teaching.  God’s teaching is that we need to come to Him and believe, and that the way to believe Him is through the lord Jesus Christ.  When we confess Jesus as lord we are saying in our hearts that I am no longer the god of my life, I am no longer the one who decides good and evil, that I am subject to a different ruler than my own heart.  We must confess the sinful nature of our hearts to get to this point.  Not to just confess the individual sins we may have committed. 

True Christianity is our relationship with Jesus our lord and God our Father, not in trying to fix the sins of our lives.  This is truly the greatest lesson from the book of Job that we can learn.  Stop looking at the morality of this world and events here and look to our Father who is He that has set it all in motion.  Our strength is in Christ not in our own arm and power.

Our true ministry is to convey to others the God of grace that we have experienced and walked with.  This is to be like Christ in what we do and speak.

I pray as we come to the end of this study of Job that it opens our hearts to hear God as we will see Job hear God.

-Tom Siderius

Questions for Reflection:

Do you truly believe that God has created the heavens and the earth and all that is here? 

Have you grown in your understanding of the confession of Jesus as lord?

Do you better see the difference between religion and Christianity?

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The Mighty Almighty

Job 35-37

In this section today Elihu stops chastising Job and his friends and begins the transition to the next section by speaking for God. He begins to put a God-view perspective on all that has happened to Job and all that has been said.  He is still wresting with the question which is “how does man relate to a Just and Righteous God”.  Elihu absolutely schools us in the mind set we should have about the God that has created the heavens and the earth and all that is therein.  Read with me and we will learn of God’s great position, works, and power.

Job 35:4-8(NLT) “I will answer you
and all your friends, too.
5 Look up into the sky,
and see the clouds high above you.
6 If you sin, how does that affect God?
Even if you sin again and again,
what effect will it have on him?
7 If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
What could you possibly give him?
8 No, your sins affect only people like yourself,
and your good deeds also affect only humans.

Shows us what our works really are in our relationship with God compared to our trust in His Word.

Job 36:1-6(NLT)  Elihu continued speaking:
2 “Let me go on, and I will show you the truth.
For I have not finished defending God!
3 I will present profound arguments
for the righteousness of my Creator.
4 I am telling you nothing but the truth,
for I am a man of great knowledge.
5 “God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone!
He is mighty in both power and understanding.
6 He does not let the wicked live
but gives justice to the afflicted.

God wishes for all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth of His Word.

Job 36:22-24(NLT) “Look, God is all-powerful.
Who is a teacher like him?
23 No one can tell him what to do,
or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’
24 Instead, glorify his mighty works,
singing songs of praise.

So we can only praise the name of the LORD our God.

Job 37:19-24(NLT) “So teach the rest of us what to say to God.
We are too ignorant to make our own arguments.
20 Should God be notified that I want to speak?
Can people even speak when they are confused?
21 We cannot look at the sun,
for it shines brightly in the sky
when the wind clears away the clouds.
22 So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God.
He is clothed in dazzling splendor.
23 We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty;
but even though he is just and righteous,
he does not destroy us.
24 No wonder people everywhere fear him.
All who are wise show him reverence.”

-Tom Siderius

Questions for Reflection:

Has this section changed your thinking about how to approach our God?

Will this change how you tell others about how to approach God?

Does evil in the world stop God from being truly just and righteous? Why?

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God is >

Job 32-34

Now in these next 6 chapters we have a new character that changes the whole narrative.  His name is Elihu, and he has not been mentioned so far in the book.  He is by his own admission a younger man than the others and so has waited to speak.  The presence of his speeches in the center of narrative gives us a true focus of the book of Job.  It then transitions the book from the negative message of the first 31 chapters to positive of the last 7 chapters. 

Elihu is a wise beyond his years speaker and proceeds to speak I believe as inspired words from God.  He brings a true God perspective first to the arguments of Job, then to the replies of the comforters.  Finally he speaks from God the perspective that we should have.  This prepares us to hear from God Himself in the next section. 

Job 32:1-10(NLT) Elihu Responds to Job’s Friends

Job’s three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence.
2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him. 3 He was also angry with Job’s three friends, for they made God appear to be wrong by their inability to answer Job’s arguments. 4 Elihu had waited for the others to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily. 6 Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said,
“I am young and you are old,
so I held back from telling you what I think.
7 I thought, ‘Those who are older should speak,
for wisdom comes with age.’
8 But there is a spirit within people,
the breath of the Almighty within them,
that makes them intelligent.
9 Sometimes the elders are not wise.
Sometimes the aged do not understand justice.
10 So listen to me,
and let me tell you what I think.

Job 32:17-20(NLT) No, I will say my piece.
I will speak my mind.
18 For I am full of pent-up words,
and the spirit within me urges me on.
19 I am like a cask of wine without a vent,
like a new wineskin ready to burst!
20 I must speak to find relief,
so let me give my answers.

See how I think he is speaking by the prophetic spirit of God within Elihu?

Job 33:8-13(NLT) “You have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard your very words.
9 You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin;
I am innocent; I have no guilt.
10 God is picking a quarrel with me,
and he considers me his enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks
and watches my every move.’
12 “But you are wrong, and I will show you why.
For God is greater than any human being.
13 So why are you bringing a charge against him?
Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints

Elihu in one sentence destroys all of Job’s arguments “God is greater than any human being”.

Job 34:7-15(NLT) “Tell me, has there ever been a man like Job,
with his thirst for irreverent talk?
8 He chooses evil people as companions.
He spends his time with wicked men.
9 He has even said, ‘Why waste time
trying to please God?’
10 “Listen to me, you who have understanding.
Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin!
The Almighty can do no wrong.
11 He repays people according to their deeds.
He treats people as they deserve.
12 Truly, God will not do wrong.
The Almighty will not twist justice.
13 Did someone else put the world in his care?
Who set the whole world in place?
14 If God were to take back his spirit
and withdraw his breath,
15 all life would cease,
and humanity would turn again to dust.

For all Job’s accusations of God Elihu says that God is righteous and can do no wrong.  Job cannot accuse God of being unjust.

-Tom Siderius

Questions for Reflection:

Who is this masked man named Elihu?

Does he build a bigger picture for you of who our God is?

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A Great Story about Man and God

Job 26-31

The section we are reading today is the last of the back and forth with the three miserable comforters.  The whole first part of Job until the end of Chap 31 is a negative lesson to us.  Job continues to justify himself as “blameless and upright”.  The comforters continue to reason with him from human logic about God, which is that we receive what we deserve.  The book is coming to a central point which will be the focus of this oldest lesson.  Read with us today and don’t give up on this great story about man and God.  It may take reading this several times in order to see the message in the speeches.  Remember that this story probably predates the written Word that we take so for granted.  It was told as an epic poem and speech where the speaker told the story to the hearers to give them understanding of the God that they could not see.

The other rich pictures in this book are the geographical, astronomical, zoological, metallurgical, gemology, oceanography and other knowledge that we hear that we seldom give the people of that time credit for understanding.  Our modern scientists and methods are not as advanced as we think ourselves. 

Job 26:1-4(NLT) Job’s Ninth Speech: A Response to Bildad
​1 Then Job spoke again:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the weak!
3 How you have enlightened my stupidity!
What wise advice you have offered!
4 Where have you gotten all these wise sayings?
Whose spirit speaks through you?

Job 27:1-6 Job’s Final Speech
  ​1 Job continued speaking:
2 “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
3 As long as I live,
while I have breath from God,
4 my lips will speak no evil,
and my tongue will speak no lies.
5 I will never concede that you are right;
I will defend my integrity until I die.
6 I will maintain my innocence without wavering.
My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

Job 28:1-12 Job Speaks of Wisdom and Understanding
​1 “People know where to mine silver
and how to refine gold.
2 They know where to dig iron from the earth
and how to smelt copper from rock.
  3 They know how to shine light in the darkness
and explore the farthest regions of the earth
as they search in the dark for ore.
4 They sink a mine shaft into the earth
far from where anyone lives.
They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.
5 Food is grown on the earth above,
but down below, the earth is melted as by fire.
6 Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli,
and the dust contains gold.
7 These are treasures no bird of prey can see,
no falcon’s eye observe.
8 No wild animal has walked upon these treasures;
no lion has ever set his paw there.
9 People know how to tear apart flinty rocks
and overturn the roots of mountains.
10 They cut tunnels in the rocks
and uncover precious stones.
11 They dam up the trickling streams
and bring to light the hidden treasures.
12 “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?

Job 28:27-28  Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
28 And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Job 30:20-23 0 “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer.
I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
21 You have become cruel toward me.
You use your power to persecute me.
  22 You throw me into the whirlwind
and destroy me in the storm.
23 And I know you are sending me to my death—
the destination of all who live.

Job 31:33-35 33 “Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do,
concealing my guilt in my heart?
34 Have I feared the crowd
or the contempt of the masses,
so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?
35 “If only someone would listen to me!
Look, I will sign my name to my defense.
Let the Almighty answer me.
Let my accuser write out the charges against me.

-Tom Siderius

Questions to Consider:

Are you starting to see the focus of this book on the relationship of man and God?

Do you see how it grapples with the question of why bad things happen to good people?

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Searching for Cause and Effect

Job 21-25 (NLT)

The book of Job is poetry not narrative and in the English it does not necessarily read as well as it could.  Try reading this epic poem in a version of the Bible like the New Living Translation which I am quoting here, as it gives the speeches and poetry more flow. 

We don’t know who wrote the book but it is probably not Job himself.  Maybe Elihu?  Or Moses?  What about Solomon?  We don’t know if the record is exactly what the people involved said or is it the gist of their arguments?  Holy men of God wrote what God showed them to write and the scene in heaven at the beginning argues for someone who is very conversant with God and the Hebrew scriptures.  Remember that the timeframe of this book predates the Law of Moses and the OT writings, but is very complimentary with them.

In today’s chapters Job continues to proclaim his innocence, and the comforters continue to reason with him from their human logic and understanding of God.  Job does not disagree with their logic, but protests that he does not deserve God’s punishment because he has not sinned.

Job 21:1-6(NLT) Job’s Seventh Speech: A Response to Zophar
​1 Then Job spoke again:
2 “Listen closely to what I am saying.
That’s one consolation you can give me.
3 Bear with me, and let me speak.
After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me.
4 “My complaint is with God, not with people.
I have good reason to be so impatient.
5 Look at me and be stunned.
Put your hand over your mouth in shock.
6 When I think about what I am saying, I shudder.
My body trembles.

Job 21:34 34 “How can your empty clichés comfort me?
All your explanations are lies!”

Job 22:1-5(NLT) Eliphaz’s Third Response to Job
​1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “Can a person do anything to help God?
Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
3 Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous?
Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
4 Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you
and brings judgment against you?
5 No, it’s because of your wickedness!
There’s no limit to your sins.

Human logic demands that there is cause and effect in this life, even in our relationship with God.  We continue to try to justify our own selves by pointing out to God all the good and minimizing all the evil of our hearts.  Human nature causes us to want to earn our salvation and position because this is how we do it in the world.  Our positions and wealth, family, friends, and possessions are a result of our hard work and shrewd dealing.  Even if we are Christian we usually see it that God is the giver of all that is good, but I must deserve it because I have served Him so well. 

Job 22:26-30(NLT) “Then you will take delight in the Almighty
and look up to God.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows to him.
28 You will succeed in whatever you choose to do,
and light will shine on the road ahead of you.
29 If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’
God will save them.
30 Even sinners will be rescued;
they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”

Job 23:1-5(NLT)  Job’s Eighth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
​1 Then Job spoke again:
2 “My complaint today is still a bitter one,
and I try hard not to groan aloud.
3 If only I knew where to find God,
I would go to his court.
4 I would lay out my case
and present my arguments.
5 Then I would listen to his reply
and understand what he says to me.

Job 23:10-13 (NLT) “But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
11 For I have stayed on God’s paths;
I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from his commands,
but have treasured his words more than daily food.
13 But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
Whatever he wants to do, he does.

-Tom Siderius

Questions for Reflection:

What are the true motivations of your heart for the things that you do?

Are we trying to earn our way to the grace that God gives freely?

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