This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 26:11
11 The pillars [`ammuwd] of heaven [shamayim] tremble [ruwph] and are astonished [tamahh] at his reproof [ga`arah]. KJV-Interlinear
11 'The pillars of heaven tremble, And are amazed at His rebuke. NASB
Job is a man. Job lives on this planet earth. Job cannot possibly see into heaven and observe its reactions to Gods will or actions. Job cannot even see God.
And yet Job describes activity on this earth which is far greater than anything we have seen in our present age.
The pillars of heaven are general references to great mountains. Mountains carried a superstitious characteristic of holding heaven up high in the sky.
If we recall that Job lived in a generation, which was not too many centuries after the flood of Noah, then given the nature of that flood in that it covered over the entire earth with water, then we can reasonably assume that the continents and mountains and such were in a state of high activity for a few centuries following the flood.
Now just a quick thought in speculation. And remember that this is simply speculation, but I will use it to teach a point below.
Researchers have found grasses and bugs and such things everywhere on the planet. From Siberia to Antarctica. That means that good weather did occur at some point all over the planet, or that all of the continents were in a place of good weather.
I suggested, long ago in Genesis, that the continents, which number seven, were one great continent prior to the flood, and that they were split up during that flood. What with all of the power of the ocean waters and such. It could very well have been that there were no great mountains during the time prior to the flood. Perhaps just great hills, and plains and valleys and such. Again this is speculation, and just a scenario for a point of doctrine later. So don't get upset and don't write me emails.
Most folks want to believe that the continents moved into their positions over a period of millions of years, and that is ok if that is what you want to believe.
But again, there may not have been a Mt. Everest, so water would not have had to rise up some 28,000+ feet in order to cover the earth if such high places did not exist.
Ok, given that presumption, then the flood occurs and a year later Noah lands on high ground.
What happened during that entire year of a flooded world? Lets presume that God used that time to break up that one continent and caused all seven pieces to drift off in their respective directions. Antarctica went south and was covered with a mile of ice and snow. Maybe that is where the Garden of Eden is, or was. The Americas drifted west. Australia drifted east. Africa, Asia, Europe and India drifted north, all colliding at their respective positions.
At such an early time after the flood, Job would have witnessed or heard stories from others, of great and catastrophic geological changes, that probably would have occurred reasonably frequently. Remember too that the early generations of people lived several hundreds of years. So folks would have seen a great deal during their long lifetimes.
The mountain ranges of today could well have developed from all of those early eruption and colliding effects.
Well, ok it is possible, and personally, I believe that it is more than a possibility. Anyway, Job describes massive reactions of the earth, which impressed him so much, that heaven itself seemed to be shaking or trembling.
All of this geological activity, if that is the right phrase, would have been sufficient to make people stand in awe at the tremendous power behind it all.
Today we see all kinds of events on the television, but with the media, with movies and such, people seem to be desensitized against such massive events. Unless you are right in the middle of one, of course.
So it takes quite a lot to impress folks these days. And with television, movie graphics and such, each succeeding generation, after our time, will likely become less and less impressed with massive disasters.
And here is the point of doctrine. In ancient times, a mountain moved and God was its cause. Today, a mountain moves and it is just a function of nature. We change the channel.
When people are impressed, then they will begin to think about the spiritual realm. As people become less and less sensitive toward world or personal activities, then it will take greater events in order to get their attention.
God has a massive plan. In that plan, are dispensations. As time moves forward, the generations will become less and less impressed with the power of God until the Rapture, and even that will be swept under the rug as some sort of media hoax. So, the Tribulation will be the final set of world events to get people to change their ways.
Most, still will not.
Your greatest risk in life is to become indifferent toward God, Christ, doctrine and your spiritual life.
Your greatest trap in life is to become distracted with things I say, things others say, sensitive toward world affairs, and desensitized toward Gods affairs.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Job 26:10
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 26:10
10 He hath compassed [chuwg] the waters [paniym] [mayim] with bounds [choq], until the day ['owr] and night [choshek] come to an end [takliyth]. KJV-Interlinear
10 'He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters, At the boundary of light and darkness. NASB
If you are into history and want to add a set of volumes to your library, then the Encyclopedia of Geography is a good source of information, both of the real world and the imagined world as seen through the eyes of the ancients.
Job is describing a boundary between the light and the darkness, between the land masses and the oceans, between the planet earth and the heavens above. And throughout history, people have interpreted Jobs writing in all of these ways.
With regard to maps, the ancients in Egypt viewed the world as a vast globe, with land in one portion and waters surrounding the great expanse beyond sight.
Opposed to this view was just about everyone, as the world was seen as a great plane, surrounded by a greater ocean, which was contained by impassable mountains.
No maps exist in our present day, from the time of Job. However maps have been constructed from the descriptions in Strabo, Herodotus, and others, which were summarized in the early Roman times circa 54 A.D. And these maps show the world surrounded by an ocean on every side, with a 'dark' ocean running beneath the earth, sometimes referred to as an Abyss.
The ancient Arabs viewed the earth in similar fashion, encompassed by a vast ocean and a 'Sea of Darkness' beyond. Similar maps existed during the time of the crusades.
It was not until the early centuries of the 'teens' that the landmasses began to take on their better shapes. More speculation of course led Columbus and others in the early 1500's A.D., to discover the spherical shape of the planet.
Job comments here are clues to more than just the circular shape of the earth, however.
His mention of the architects compass as used to draw curved lines or arc's, forms the curvature shape of the planet, or the horizon.
Anyone knows that when you place water in a pan it will settle to a level plane, but Job describes the shape of the waters as curved across the horizon.
The horizon also forms a line of separation between day and night. The sun being on one side at a time. The light side is on the sun side and the dark side exists when the sun is on the other side. Given that Job experienced both day and night, as we all do, then one has to presume that either the sun moved or the earth moved. Something had to move in order for the day and night to produce their changes.
Now these are all temporal views of the world around us. But we all should know that the Bible is not used to simply describe geography, but rather uses the truths of the world to teach the truths of the spiritual life.
In the last portion of this verse, the boundary of light and darkness is a reference to its 'completion.' This is not a separation description, but a chronological timetable. In other words, light and darkness will continue until history comes to a point of completion. At that time, the darkness will go away, and only the light will remain.
So we have several views now. The geographical description of the circular shape of the oceans. Their boundary or inscribed circle, which contains them (between the continents, within the planet, etc). Their relation to the separation between the day and the night. And the continuation of this boundary until a time of completion, at which time that boundary will cease to exist.
Light and dark are always used as illustrations of good and evil, of the spiritual life and the carnal life. Each being separated from the other.
People always have the choice between remaining in the light, or sailing off into the darkness's of the unknown, wherein lies the unknown abyss of no return.
In this life you can always sail off and probably return, but in the spiritual life, when life is over for you, if you have sailed away from God, as an unbeliever, then return is not possible.
Life has boundaries. We are born and we will all die. We all have choices. Good decisions bring more opportunities. Bad decisions lose opportunities for you.
Your choices in life place additional limits on your life. Your life can be either long or short depending on your lifestyle. The quality of your life can be either good or bad, depending on a lot of factors.
No matter who you are or what you do in life, you have limitations, physical, mental, or whatever.
You cannot change the world, you cannot change your limitations which God has placed on you.
You can, however, change the quality of your destiny, by making the right choices in life - faith in Christ, positive volition toward spiritual growth.
This planet was designed by God, complete with all of its limitations. Your life was designed by God, also complete with all of your limitations.
Just as you will not be here for an unlimited period of time, so neither will the planet, so neither will history.
Getting upset over the politics of the day, over the social ills of the day, over some standard which you believe to be important to society, making a big deal about how man should interact with man, or how people should or should not live their lives, will not change your limitations.
Pursue your spiritual life and all of these things will fall into place by natural means. Ignore your spiritual life, as most of the world does, and you will never see an end to problems.
So make the best of the time which God has given you, because once your time is up …..
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:10
10 He hath compassed [chuwg] the waters [paniym] [mayim] with bounds [choq], until the day ['owr] and night [choshek] come to an end [takliyth]. KJV-Interlinear
10 'He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters, At the boundary of light and darkness. NASB
If you are into history and want to add a set of volumes to your library, then the Encyclopedia of Geography is a good source of information, both of the real world and the imagined world as seen through the eyes of the ancients.
Job is describing a boundary between the light and the darkness, between the land masses and the oceans, between the planet earth and the heavens above. And throughout history, people have interpreted Jobs writing in all of these ways.
With regard to maps, the ancients in Egypt viewed the world as a vast globe, with land in one portion and waters surrounding the great expanse beyond sight.
Opposed to this view was just about everyone, as the world was seen as a great plane, surrounded by a greater ocean, which was contained by impassable mountains.
No maps exist in our present day, from the time of Job. However maps have been constructed from the descriptions in Strabo, Herodotus, and others, which were summarized in the early Roman times circa 54 A.D. And these maps show the world surrounded by an ocean on every side, with a 'dark' ocean running beneath the earth, sometimes referred to as an Abyss.
The ancient Arabs viewed the earth in similar fashion, encompassed by a vast ocean and a 'Sea of Darkness' beyond. Similar maps existed during the time of the crusades.
It was not until the early centuries of the 'teens' that the landmasses began to take on their better shapes. More speculation of course led Columbus and others in the early 1500's A.D., to discover the spherical shape of the planet.
Job comments here are clues to more than just the circular shape of the earth, however.
His mention of the architects compass as used to draw curved lines or arc's, forms the curvature shape of the planet, or the horizon.
Anyone knows that when you place water in a pan it will settle to a level plane, but Job describes the shape of the waters as curved across the horizon.
The horizon also forms a line of separation between day and night. The sun being on one side at a time. The light side is on the sun side and the dark side exists when the sun is on the other side. Given that Job experienced both day and night, as we all do, then one has to presume that either the sun moved or the earth moved. Something had to move in order for the day and night to produce their changes.
Now these are all temporal views of the world around us. But we all should know that the Bible is not used to simply describe geography, but rather uses the truths of the world to teach the truths of the spiritual life.
In the last portion of this verse, the boundary of light and darkness is a reference to its 'completion.' This is not a separation description, but a chronological timetable. In other words, light and darkness will continue until history comes to a point of completion. At that time, the darkness will go away, and only the light will remain.
So we have several views now. The geographical description of the circular shape of the oceans. Their boundary or inscribed circle, which contains them (between the continents, within the planet, etc). Their relation to the separation between the day and the night. And the continuation of this boundary until a time of completion, at which time that boundary will cease to exist.
Light and dark are always used as illustrations of good and evil, of the spiritual life and the carnal life. Each being separated from the other.
People always have the choice between remaining in the light, or sailing off into the darkness's of the unknown, wherein lies the unknown abyss of no return.
In this life you can always sail off and probably return, but in the spiritual life, when life is over for you, if you have sailed away from God, as an unbeliever, then return is not possible.
Life has boundaries. We are born and we will all die. We all have choices. Good decisions bring more opportunities. Bad decisions lose opportunities for you.
Your choices in life place additional limits on your life. Your life can be either long or short depending on your lifestyle. The quality of your life can be either good or bad, depending on a lot of factors.
No matter who you are or what you do in life, you have limitations, physical, mental, or whatever.
You cannot change the world, you cannot change your limitations which God has placed on you.
You can, however, change the quality of your destiny, by making the right choices in life - faith in Christ, positive volition toward spiritual growth.
This planet was designed by God, complete with all of its limitations. Your life was designed by God, also complete with all of your limitations.
Just as you will not be here for an unlimited period of time, so neither will the planet, so neither will history.
Getting upset over the politics of the day, over the social ills of the day, over some standard which you believe to be important to society, making a big deal about how man should interact with man, or how people should or should not live their lives, will not change your limitations.
Pursue your spiritual life and all of these things will fall into place by natural means. Ignore your spiritual life, as most of the world does, and you will never see an end to problems.
So make the best of the time which God has given you, because once your time is up …..
Monday, October 29, 2007
Job 26:9
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:9
9 He holdeth back ['achaz] the face [paniym] of his throne [kicce'], and spreadeth [parshez] his cloud [`anan] upon it. KJV-Interlinear
9 'He obscures the face of the full moon, And spreads His cloud over it. NASB
The face of the moon is an expression used for the view of Gods throne.
Gods throne faces the earth. Yet we cannot see Him or His throne because it is behind a curtain or veil or thick cloud, as it were.
From our perspective, we reside on the planet earth. The earth is surrounded by a vast universe, and that universe is very similar to the heavy clouds which block out our view of the sun during the day, or the moon and stars during the night.
When the sky is overcast with thick dark clouds, then our view of the sky is limited to only the clouds. We cannot see beyond them.
And so Job gives us a symbolic example of the barrier which exists between God and man, between the spiritual and the temporal.
Man is incapable of understanding the spiritual realm. One has to first be born again, or have believed in Christ, and second, then man has to be in fellowship before anything of the spiritual realm can be understood.
And even then, remember that we live in a shadow state. The Bible refers to many things as being nothing more than shadows of the realities that exist in heaven.
So, even though you can see great sights, and hear great music, and taste great foods and so forth, our life here in this world is nothing more than a shadow experience. No one, none of us, have ever experienced the real life that will exist in eternity.
The sun by day and the moon and stars by night illustrate the magnificent glory of truth and of God. But when the clouds rise up and block it all out, then we cannot see any of them, yet we know that they exist.
Everyday, we can look about ourselves and discover something, which illustrates the spiritual side of life, or the divine side of reality. Whether driving past a cemetery, or watching a giant cloud drift by, it makes no difference what we look at. Even some of the nonsense we hear in the media can serve to illustrate the differences between the spiritual side of life verses the temporal side.
And here Job uses the cloud as the illustration of how mans view can be blocked, and there is nothing that man can do about it.
The universe is so vast, that we could never fly to its outer edges in order to see the face of God, but then, if we could accomplish that, then we might discover that Gods throne is in a different dimension. He is always a step or two ahead of us.
And, the humorous thing about all of this is, that God is right next to you all of the time, in His written Word. And yet most folks still miss seeing Him, because they are indifferent. And, they are indifferent because the shadows of this life interest them more, than the realities that are still to be experienced.
One presumes that when we do leave this life and enter into the realities of heaven, then those realities will overwhelm us with a massive emotional overload. And of course, those who go in the other direction, their emotional reactions will be phenomenal on the terror side of the emotional scale.
We at least have the present to get our priorities in order, and our life in compliance with Gods mandates. Do not get distracted away from your spiritual objectives, by the politics or society defined standards which are designed to lead you astray.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:9
9 He holdeth back ['achaz] the face [paniym] of his throne [kicce'], and spreadeth [parshez] his cloud [`anan] upon it. KJV-Interlinear
9 'He obscures the face of the full moon, And spreads His cloud over it. NASB
The face of the moon is an expression used for the view of Gods throne.
Gods throne faces the earth. Yet we cannot see Him or His throne because it is behind a curtain or veil or thick cloud, as it were.
From our perspective, we reside on the planet earth. The earth is surrounded by a vast universe, and that universe is very similar to the heavy clouds which block out our view of the sun during the day, or the moon and stars during the night.
When the sky is overcast with thick dark clouds, then our view of the sky is limited to only the clouds. We cannot see beyond them.
And so Job gives us a symbolic example of the barrier which exists between God and man, between the spiritual and the temporal.
Man is incapable of understanding the spiritual realm. One has to first be born again, or have believed in Christ, and second, then man has to be in fellowship before anything of the spiritual realm can be understood.
And even then, remember that we live in a shadow state. The Bible refers to many things as being nothing more than shadows of the realities that exist in heaven.
So, even though you can see great sights, and hear great music, and taste great foods and so forth, our life here in this world is nothing more than a shadow experience. No one, none of us, have ever experienced the real life that will exist in eternity.
The sun by day and the moon and stars by night illustrate the magnificent glory of truth and of God. But when the clouds rise up and block it all out, then we cannot see any of them, yet we know that they exist.
Everyday, we can look about ourselves and discover something, which illustrates the spiritual side of life, or the divine side of reality. Whether driving past a cemetery, or watching a giant cloud drift by, it makes no difference what we look at. Even some of the nonsense we hear in the media can serve to illustrate the differences between the spiritual side of life verses the temporal side.
And here Job uses the cloud as the illustration of how mans view can be blocked, and there is nothing that man can do about it.
The universe is so vast, that we could never fly to its outer edges in order to see the face of God, but then, if we could accomplish that, then we might discover that Gods throne is in a different dimension. He is always a step or two ahead of us.
And, the humorous thing about all of this is, that God is right next to you all of the time, in His written Word. And yet most folks still miss seeing Him, because they are indifferent. And, they are indifferent because the shadows of this life interest them more, than the realities that are still to be experienced.
One presumes that when we do leave this life and enter into the realities of heaven, then those realities will overwhelm us with a massive emotional overload. And of course, those who go in the other direction, their emotional reactions will be phenomenal on the terror side of the emotional scale.
We at least have the present to get our priorities in order, and our life in compliance with Gods mandates. Do not get distracted away from your spiritual objectives, by the politics or society defined standards which are designed to lead you astray.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Job 26:8
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:8
8 He bindeth up [tsarar] the waters [mayim] in his thick clouds [`ab]; and the cloud [`anan] is not rent [baqa`] under them. KJV-Interlinear
8 'He wraps up the waters in His clouds; And the cloud does not burst under them. NASB
'He' in all of these verses is a reference to God. And again, Job did not have the knowledge of the meteorological sciences that we have today. Whether or not he had been to a mountain top or high hills during his life and encountered fog or the mists of clouds is possible, but that is not the purpose of his comments here.
It is God who devised a watering and cooling system for this planet. We call it evaporation and condensation, but Jobs comments here draw a line between that which God is able to do and that which man is not able to do.
Look at our systems of irrigation. Today we have lots of machines, pumps, plumbing and so forth which we use to water our lawns, and crop fields.
We even depend on good snowfalls in the winter mountains, to provide a dependable water supply for each coming year. Cities are always having problems from year to year in maintaining lake and reservoir levels.
But God has designed and implemented a system for holding billions of gallons of water in the clouds of the atmosphere. Those clouds can be thousands of miles wide and long, and tens of miles in height or thickness.
Gentle sprinkles or horrendous storms can come from their rain. And yet while the vapor sits high in the sky, the clouds do not tear or cave under the weight of so much water. The clouds just seem to glide along with the winds, to a destination that no one knows.
And yet man takes the clouds and the rain for granted, as he does so many things in life. Back in Jobs day, the population of the world could easily fit into a small area. The population could easily travel to regions that had plenty of rain and water.
If there were no rain or water, then man just move on until he found another good location for living.
But Jobs point here is that the systems which God has created are so massive and yet so simple, but still man cannot duplicate them. Nor does man seem to see the gift of the creators' weather systems. They are taken for granted.
But one day soon the population of the world will grow to double what it is today, and then it will double again and again. Perhaps in a hundred years or perhaps in two-hundred, humanity will come face to face with a dilemma. Water, where to find it, or how to live without it.
The Tribulation accounts in Revelation, tells us that water will be a big problem, in that the oceans will become useless and fresh water will become scarce.
Ever since man was booted from the Garden, a region of perfection, sin has brought with it a deterioration in the world around us. That deterioration will reach its maximum by the time of the Tribulation. Everything is moving slowly in that direction.
It won't be until the Second Advent, which will mark the beginning of the Millennium, when everything will almost instantaneously be restored to its former perfect state.
But until then, we have Gods marvelous design right in front of us, day in and day out. A design which should help us to focus our attention on Him and His overall plan, and especially on His plan specifically for each of our individual lives.
Job lived how long ago? And He could see it all. Is there a reason that we cannot figure it all out now?
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:8
8 He bindeth up [tsarar] the waters [mayim] in his thick clouds [`ab]; and the cloud [`anan] is not rent [baqa`] under them. KJV-Interlinear
8 'He wraps up the waters in His clouds; And the cloud does not burst under them. NASB
'He' in all of these verses is a reference to God. And again, Job did not have the knowledge of the meteorological sciences that we have today. Whether or not he had been to a mountain top or high hills during his life and encountered fog or the mists of clouds is possible, but that is not the purpose of his comments here.
It is God who devised a watering and cooling system for this planet. We call it evaporation and condensation, but Jobs comments here draw a line between that which God is able to do and that which man is not able to do.
Look at our systems of irrigation. Today we have lots of machines, pumps, plumbing and so forth which we use to water our lawns, and crop fields.
We even depend on good snowfalls in the winter mountains, to provide a dependable water supply for each coming year. Cities are always having problems from year to year in maintaining lake and reservoir levels.
But God has designed and implemented a system for holding billions of gallons of water in the clouds of the atmosphere. Those clouds can be thousands of miles wide and long, and tens of miles in height or thickness.
Gentle sprinkles or horrendous storms can come from their rain. And yet while the vapor sits high in the sky, the clouds do not tear or cave under the weight of so much water. The clouds just seem to glide along with the winds, to a destination that no one knows.
And yet man takes the clouds and the rain for granted, as he does so many things in life. Back in Jobs day, the population of the world could easily fit into a small area. The population could easily travel to regions that had plenty of rain and water.
If there were no rain or water, then man just move on until he found another good location for living.
But Jobs point here is that the systems which God has created are so massive and yet so simple, but still man cannot duplicate them. Nor does man seem to see the gift of the creators' weather systems. They are taken for granted.
But one day soon the population of the world will grow to double what it is today, and then it will double again and again. Perhaps in a hundred years or perhaps in two-hundred, humanity will come face to face with a dilemma. Water, where to find it, or how to live without it.
The Tribulation accounts in Revelation, tells us that water will be a big problem, in that the oceans will become useless and fresh water will become scarce.
Ever since man was booted from the Garden, a region of perfection, sin has brought with it a deterioration in the world around us. That deterioration will reach its maximum by the time of the Tribulation. Everything is moving slowly in that direction.
It won't be until the Second Advent, which will mark the beginning of the Millennium, when everything will almost instantaneously be restored to its former perfect state.
But until then, we have Gods marvelous design right in front of us, day in and day out. A design which should help us to focus our attention on Him and His overall plan, and especially on His plan specifically for each of our individual lives.
Job lived how long ago? And He could see it all. Is there a reason that we cannot figure it all out now?
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Job 26:7
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:7
7 He stretcheth out [natah] the north [tsaphown] over the empty place [tohuw], and hangeth [talah] the earth ['erets] upon nothing [baliymah]. KJV-Interlinear
7 'He stretches out the north over empty space, And hangs the earth on nothing. NASB
In ancient times all that anyone had to go on regarding the makeup of the universe was in what they could see. The earth or ground which man stood on was obvious, and the clouds above the ground are obvious as well. Then there is a vast emptiness followed by the sun, moon and stars.
With no science, no telescopes, and no satellite tools at their disposal, knowledge was limited pretty much, to what man could see.
This certainly should make obvious sense.
If you stand outside in the early morning or early evening and see the moon or some of the nearest planets in the sky, they seem round, like giant spheres. And, if they are near the horizon, the atmosphere has tendency to magnify them to appear larger than they would if they were directly overhead.
And what holds them up? Nothing which is apparent. There are no pillars, no ropes, certainly no person is standing there and holding the celestial objects in their place. They just seem to be floating on a vast region of nothingness.
The throne of God is said to reside in the north,
Isa. 14:13
13 'But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. NASB
The north is not somewhere on this planet, but outward into the far reaches of the heavens.
The ancients had a view of the planet, or rather an opinion, and that opinion or belief was pretty accurate. Especially when you know that they had no proof of gravity, the vacuum of space, or even how everything was organized.
Remember that Job lived only a few generations following the flood of Noah. So this is a pretty early time in mans history.
Most history books teach that the predominate thought was of a flat earth with the earth being the center of the solar system. That theory being promoted from the time of Aristotle, who lived in the mid 300's B.C., until the time of Copernicus, who lived in the late 1400's A.D.
Of course, there were others who believed in a round earth. Men such as Columbus, who sailed west in search of the Far East. However, the predominate thought for centuries was of a flat earth, and any disagreement would certainly bring ostracism or even execution for speaking such heresy.
Job speaks in a tone and manner of common knowledge. No one present will disagree with him, because they all are well aware of the facts of life. At least as everyone believes them.
They can all see into the evening or night sky, and they can all see the spherical shape of the moon and other objects. It is not a giant leap to believe that the earth is also a sphere. Job has already made mention earlier in this book, of the unseen celestial objects in the southern sky.
How can any of this be? Well it is obviously by means of the power of God. They lacked any further science or explanation. But what is seen, is obvious. The how's and why's were not for their generation to understand.
The world will have to wait another 2000 years before it hears from Aristotle and still another 2000 years before the world sails with Columbus, and still another 500 years before we get to our current day.
And, even though we have more knowledge and science with regard to how this universe works, we still have our theories regarding things we do not understand. We also have our subjective or superstitious beliefs, too.
Job's generation lacked modern science, but their common sense functioned pretty well. We have phenomenal science and may have a better understanding of the things God has designed, but when the spiritual side of life is ignored, then common sense fails, too.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:7
7 He stretcheth out [natah] the north [tsaphown] over the empty place [tohuw], and hangeth [talah] the earth ['erets] upon nothing [baliymah]. KJV-Interlinear
7 'He stretches out the north over empty space, And hangs the earth on nothing. NASB
In ancient times all that anyone had to go on regarding the makeup of the universe was in what they could see. The earth or ground which man stood on was obvious, and the clouds above the ground are obvious as well. Then there is a vast emptiness followed by the sun, moon and stars.
With no science, no telescopes, and no satellite tools at their disposal, knowledge was limited pretty much, to what man could see.
This certainly should make obvious sense.
If you stand outside in the early morning or early evening and see the moon or some of the nearest planets in the sky, they seem round, like giant spheres. And, if they are near the horizon, the atmosphere has tendency to magnify them to appear larger than they would if they were directly overhead.
And what holds them up? Nothing which is apparent. There are no pillars, no ropes, certainly no person is standing there and holding the celestial objects in their place. They just seem to be floating on a vast region of nothingness.
The throne of God is said to reside in the north,
Isa. 14:13
13 'But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. NASB
The north is not somewhere on this planet, but outward into the far reaches of the heavens.
The ancients had a view of the planet, or rather an opinion, and that opinion or belief was pretty accurate. Especially when you know that they had no proof of gravity, the vacuum of space, or even how everything was organized.
Remember that Job lived only a few generations following the flood of Noah. So this is a pretty early time in mans history.
Most history books teach that the predominate thought was of a flat earth with the earth being the center of the solar system. That theory being promoted from the time of Aristotle, who lived in the mid 300's B.C., until the time of Copernicus, who lived in the late 1400's A.D.
Of course, there were others who believed in a round earth. Men such as Columbus, who sailed west in search of the Far East. However, the predominate thought for centuries was of a flat earth, and any disagreement would certainly bring ostracism or even execution for speaking such heresy.
Job speaks in a tone and manner of common knowledge. No one present will disagree with him, because they all are well aware of the facts of life. At least as everyone believes them.
They can all see into the evening or night sky, and they can all see the spherical shape of the moon and other objects. It is not a giant leap to believe that the earth is also a sphere. Job has already made mention earlier in this book, of the unseen celestial objects in the southern sky.
How can any of this be? Well it is obviously by means of the power of God. They lacked any further science or explanation. But what is seen, is obvious. The how's and why's were not for their generation to understand.
The world will have to wait another 2000 years before it hears from Aristotle and still another 2000 years before the world sails with Columbus, and still another 500 years before we get to our current day.
And, even though we have more knowledge and science with regard to how this universe works, we still have our theories regarding things we do not understand. We also have our subjective or superstitious beliefs, too.
Job's generation lacked modern science, but their common sense functioned pretty well. We have phenomenal science and may have a better understanding of the things God has designed, but when the spiritual side of life is ignored, then common sense fails, too.
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This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Friday, October 26, 2007
Job 26:6
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:6
6 Hell [sha'owl] is naked [`arowm] before him, and destruction ['abaddown] hath no covering [kacuwth]. KJV-Interlinear
6 'Naked is Sheol before Him And Abaddon has no covering. NASB
Within these verses there is no reference to Paradise, which is one of the four compartments of Hades. Hades is the general reference to the underworld. The other three compartments are Tartarus, Torments, and the Abyss.
Torments is the holding place for all unbelievers. Tartarus is the holding place for all of the half-angel, half-man products of Genesis six. It is the destination of the defeated gods of Greek mythology. The Abyss is the deepest and darkest of the habitations of Hades, and it holds all of the really bad demon angels. Their character is identified by the name of their general, Abaddon, which means destruction in its worst possible sense.
Abaddon is sometimes used as the name for hell or destruction, Prov. 15:11 and Psa. 88:11, and as the name of the demon leader of the demons in the Abyss from Rev. 9. The names here are used to identify the residences of the dead. And more specifically those demons of extreme ancient times.
Even in their bodiless form, as shadows or ghosts of the deep underworld, they all still possess life or a consciousness which allows them to experience extreme fear from the only source of fear, which is God.
Nothing else in existence can bring fear in such a manner. Everything else in existence has no power, no strength in which to cast any type of control over life and/or death.
The deepest most darkest recesses of the Abyss, house the worst of the worst of creatures. And even in their hiding places, they are naked, they have no covering, no shield, and are totally exposed to Gods eyes. They cannot hide. They cannot escape the eyes or reach of God.
Such are the extremes of Gods dominion. There is nothing so far, so deep, so dark, as to escape the sovereignty or command of God.
Anyone who presumes that God is not interested in them, that God is asleep, that they can somehow get past Gods observation, are indeed the dumbest of the dumb.
And that is the nature of arrogance. It allows the imagination to paint a picture of the absurd into the mind of the spiritually negative, and then that picture becomes their reality. A false reality which is nothing more than a shadow, and then within that shadow which has no substance, they become easily offended, easily boastful, easily intimidated, easily affected by all ranges of emotions. And over what? Nothing. And nothing has become the god of the spiritually deficient person.
And unfortunately it isn't until one leaves this life, that the real realities of truth become apparent.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:6
6 Hell [sha'owl] is naked [`arowm] before him, and destruction ['abaddown] hath no covering [kacuwth]. KJV-Interlinear
6 'Naked is Sheol before Him And Abaddon has no covering. NASB
Within these verses there is no reference to Paradise, which is one of the four compartments of Hades. Hades is the general reference to the underworld. The other three compartments are Tartarus, Torments, and the Abyss.
Torments is the holding place for all unbelievers. Tartarus is the holding place for all of the half-angel, half-man products of Genesis six. It is the destination of the defeated gods of Greek mythology. The Abyss is the deepest and darkest of the habitations of Hades, and it holds all of the really bad demon angels. Their character is identified by the name of their general, Abaddon, which means destruction in its worst possible sense.
Abaddon is sometimes used as the name for hell or destruction, Prov. 15:11 and Psa. 88:11, and as the name of the demon leader of the demons in the Abyss from Rev. 9. The names here are used to identify the residences of the dead. And more specifically those demons of extreme ancient times.
Even in their bodiless form, as shadows or ghosts of the deep underworld, they all still possess life or a consciousness which allows them to experience extreme fear from the only source of fear, which is God.
Nothing else in existence can bring fear in such a manner. Everything else in existence has no power, no strength in which to cast any type of control over life and/or death.
The deepest most darkest recesses of the Abyss, house the worst of the worst of creatures. And even in their hiding places, they are naked, they have no covering, no shield, and are totally exposed to Gods eyes. They cannot hide. They cannot escape the eyes or reach of God.
Such are the extremes of Gods dominion. There is nothing so far, so deep, so dark, as to escape the sovereignty or command of God.
Anyone who presumes that God is not interested in them, that God is asleep, that they can somehow get past Gods observation, are indeed the dumbest of the dumb.
And that is the nature of arrogance. It allows the imagination to paint a picture of the absurd into the mind of the spiritually negative, and then that picture becomes their reality. A false reality which is nothing more than a shadow, and then within that shadow which has no substance, they become easily offended, easily boastful, easily intimidated, easily affected by all ranges of emotions. And over what? Nothing. And nothing has become the god of the spiritually deficient person.
And unfortunately it isn't until one leaves this life, that the real realities of truth become apparent.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Job 26:5
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 26:5
5 Dead [rapha'] things are formed [chuwl] from under the waters [mayim], and the inhabitants [shakan] thereof. KJV-Interlinear
5 'The departed spirits tremble Under the waters and their inhabitants. NASB
A couple of quick points here first. From time to time, I receive emails from folks with concerns. Usually they are new students. Most emails I receive are in fact very supportive. Generally, however, some express a concern regarding a term or phrase I have used in a study.
So, when one opinion is expressed, then others might also exist, but just not communicated.
Follow the study for its spiritual content, from the broad spectrum of the studies, and not from an occasional phrase that may be used. If you get offended from time to time, then that is a problem which you have to deal with. Persistence in your studies will help you overcome shallowness and build depth and toughness within your soul.
Rest assured that I will not turn this study into a political campaign. I will however mention from time to time a candidate or two, but not generally until we get a great deal closer to an election. But the nature of life and of this study cannot separate realities into simple little rooms where we can run to and be safe, pretending that the rest of the world does not exist.
Every prophet dealt with the leadership of his day. That is political. And politics by definition, deals with the beliefs, opinions and affairs of government and its citizens. This crosses all lines of society, including theology.
There are but two opinions that exist - Gods and everything else. Politics falls into the latter category. Only when people are influenced by the principles of scripture, can their opinions reflect truth. Scripture generally follows the conservative view, but that does not mean that the conservative view is scriptural. Far be it. Many conservatives are wicked to the max.
The political liberal view is by its very nature, anti-God, and therefore anti-truth. Anything that is anti-God, be it liberal or conservative, is by default deceitful and corrupt. And by corrupt, we come back to the scriptures for a definition, and corruption means that which is putrid, infested by maggots, a dead thing in its worst possible sense.
And that finally brings us to our study for today, which by the way has to do with departed spirits, or the land of the dead. Something which we have just been talking about.
The dead are folks who have been separated from life. Life and death are mutually exclusive. A person cannot exist within both worlds. Note this principle. A person who lives in this world will function within the land of the wicked, or the land of the spiritual.
No one can exist simultaneously in both. The pattern of life which you choose for yourself determines the realm (spiritual or carnal) in which you live.
Now when we get to Isaiah 14, we will study in depth the concept of Sheol and the land of the dead. But for now, we will review it briefly.
Job is speaking of those who were living, but now have departed to the depths of Sheol. The living were the wicked ones who have occupied the conversation for several chapters now.
Bildad had stated that God possesses dominion over the world and the armies of the heavens. And Job extends that dominion even down into the depths of the land of the dead.
The dead include anyone who live outside of life. In this world you may b physically alive, but spiritually dead. Unbelievers have no spiritual value whatsoever. Believers out of fellowship are physically alive, but their out of fellowship status places them in the carnal 'dead' state.
Physical death is our real world illustration of spiritual death for both unbelievers and out of fellowship believers. Physical death is however permanent. Spiritual death has a solution which can be overcome through faith or through confession, which ever applies.
All who live in the realm of the dead, tremble.
Under the waters, is a reference to the nations or to the human self-determination concept of history. The seas of the world illustrate the rebellion of humanity, against God and His divine plan.
The seas rise up in storms and then they run out of steam so to speak, and settle back into the place where God has placed them.
But waters here also refer to the urine of humanity. That is where the dead go to rest - under the urine of humanity.
Sheol is the land of the dead. It is sometimes referred to as Hades. But Hades is a broad reference to the underworld. Sheol is said to have many rooms, and always rooms available for new occupants.
The dead, 'rapha' also refers to the shadows or ghosts of the dead. Remember from many studies ago, that shadows amount to nothing. A shadow has no substance, no texture, no color, no aroma, nothing. A shadow is evidence of something real, but is not real in its self.
So now Job makes it really clear to us all, that the dead, who are separated from life, who are in themselves, nothing, who are the corrupt and putrid within their existence in death, even they exist in tremendous fear of God. They tremble as a leaf in a hurricane. If you have ever seen anyone who was really afraid, just trembling and shaking, not breathing well, absolutely terrified, then you can understand this concept.
God is life. God is truth. God is reality.
And in this world there exists many folks who disregard God, who make fun of God, who think very highly of themselves, who push and shove, and try as they may to carve out their own little empire in life. But what is their destiny? Something they know of very well, but ignore in this life. And then when they move on to the next life, their trembling will never cease. Such is the extent of Gods dominion.
Do not imagine yourself as being any better than anyone else. Do not be shallow or offended by mere words. God is the real source of real and genuine fear, if you choose to disregard truth. Job is blasting his three friends, and blasting them hard. And through his words, blasting us too, lest we get a little too uppity in our pinions.
And with this verse, Job is about to begin probably the greatest discourse in the entire Bible.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:5
5 Dead [rapha'] things are formed [chuwl] from under the waters [mayim], and the inhabitants [shakan] thereof. KJV-Interlinear
5 'The departed spirits tremble Under the waters and their inhabitants. NASB
A couple of quick points here first. From time to time, I receive emails from folks with concerns. Usually they are new students. Most emails I receive are in fact very supportive. Generally, however, some express a concern regarding a term or phrase I have used in a study.
So, when one opinion is expressed, then others might also exist, but just not communicated.
Follow the study for its spiritual content, from the broad spectrum of the studies, and not from an occasional phrase that may be used. If you get offended from time to time, then that is a problem which you have to deal with. Persistence in your studies will help you overcome shallowness and build depth and toughness within your soul.
Rest assured that I will not turn this study into a political campaign. I will however mention from time to time a candidate or two, but not generally until we get a great deal closer to an election. But the nature of life and of this study cannot separate realities into simple little rooms where we can run to and be safe, pretending that the rest of the world does not exist.
Every prophet dealt with the leadership of his day. That is political. And politics by definition, deals with the beliefs, opinions and affairs of government and its citizens. This crosses all lines of society, including theology.
There are but two opinions that exist - Gods and everything else. Politics falls into the latter category. Only when people are influenced by the principles of scripture, can their opinions reflect truth. Scripture generally follows the conservative view, but that does not mean that the conservative view is scriptural. Far be it. Many conservatives are wicked to the max.
The political liberal view is by its very nature, anti-God, and therefore anti-truth. Anything that is anti-God, be it liberal or conservative, is by default deceitful and corrupt. And by corrupt, we come back to the scriptures for a definition, and corruption means that which is putrid, infested by maggots, a dead thing in its worst possible sense.
And that finally brings us to our study for today, which by the way has to do with departed spirits, or the land of the dead. Something which we have just been talking about.
The dead are folks who have been separated from life. Life and death are mutually exclusive. A person cannot exist within both worlds. Note this principle. A person who lives in this world will function within the land of the wicked, or the land of the spiritual.
No one can exist simultaneously in both. The pattern of life which you choose for yourself determines the realm (spiritual or carnal) in which you live.
Now when we get to Isaiah 14, we will study in depth the concept of Sheol and the land of the dead. But for now, we will review it briefly.
Job is speaking of those who were living, but now have departed to the depths of Sheol. The living were the wicked ones who have occupied the conversation for several chapters now.
Bildad had stated that God possesses dominion over the world and the armies of the heavens. And Job extends that dominion even down into the depths of the land of the dead.
The dead include anyone who live outside of life. In this world you may b physically alive, but spiritually dead. Unbelievers have no spiritual value whatsoever. Believers out of fellowship are physically alive, but their out of fellowship status places them in the carnal 'dead' state.
Physical death is our real world illustration of spiritual death for both unbelievers and out of fellowship believers. Physical death is however permanent. Spiritual death has a solution which can be overcome through faith or through confession, which ever applies.
All who live in the realm of the dead, tremble.
Under the waters, is a reference to the nations or to the human self-determination concept of history. The seas of the world illustrate the rebellion of humanity, against God and His divine plan.
The seas rise up in storms and then they run out of steam so to speak, and settle back into the place where God has placed them.
But waters here also refer to the urine of humanity. That is where the dead go to rest - under the urine of humanity.
Sheol is the land of the dead. It is sometimes referred to as Hades. But Hades is a broad reference to the underworld. Sheol is said to have many rooms, and always rooms available for new occupants.
The dead, 'rapha' also refers to the shadows or ghosts of the dead. Remember from many studies ago, that shadows amount to nothing. A shadow has no substance, no texture, no color, no aroma, nothing. A shadow is evidence of something real, but is not real in its self.
So now Job makes it really clear to us all, that the dead, who are separated from life, who are in themselves, nothing, who are the corrupt and putrid within their existence in death, even they exist in tremendous fear of God. They tremble as a leaf in a hurricane. If you have ever seen anyone who was really afraid, just trembling and shaking, not breathing well, absolutely terrified, then you can understand this concept.
God is life. God is truth. God is reality.
And in this world there exists many folks who disregard God, who make fun of God, who think very highly of themselves, who push and shove, and try as they may to carve out their own little empire in life. But what is their destiny? Something they know of very well, but ignore in this life. And then when they move on to the next life, their trembling will never cease. Such is the extent of Gods dominion.
Do not imagine yourself as being any better than anyone else. Do not be shallow or offended by mere words. God is the real source of real and genuine fear, if you choose to disregard truth. Job is blasting his three friends, and blasting them hard. And through his words, blasting us too, lest we get a little too uppity in our pinions.
And with this verse, Job is about to begin probably the greatest discourse in the entire Bible.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Job 26:2-4
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 26:2-4
2 How hast thou helped [`azar] him that is without power [koach]? how savest [yasha`] thou the arm [zarowa`] that hath no [lo'] strength [`oz]?
3 How hast thou counselled [ya`ats] him that hath no [lo'] wisdom [chokmah]? and how hast thou plentifully [rob] declared [yada`] the thing as it is [tuwshiyah]?
4 To whom hast thou uttered [nagad] words [millah]? and whose spirit [nashamah] came [yatsa'] from thee? KJV-Interlinear
2 'What a help you are to the weak! How you have saved the arm without strength! 3 'What counsel you have given to one without wisdom! What helpful insight you have abundantly provided! 4 'To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed through you? NASB
Job blasts Bildad and the other two friends for offering impotent comfort.
Beginning in verse four, Job asks, 'From whose spirit did y'all get your wisdom?' And that is the source of their impotence. Their words have no authority, and therefore no power. They are random proverbs that have no connection to Jobs situation.
The three friends have presented extraordinary statements, which amount to nothing more than pretentious wisdom.
And by the way, this passage seems right in line with the comments that have been coming out of the mouths of critics of the fires in California. When all of the attention should be placed on the effort that has and is being made down there, then there are the liberal losers (that is about as nice as I dare get) who want to make these fires a product of global warming or a product of manpower shortages, and yet none of the critics are on hand to lend a hand in aid.
This is the very thing, which Job is faced with. His friends are not hurting at all. They came with the intention of offering comfort, and then pretend wisdom, presuming that Job has need for instruction to change his ways. And all of the time what they really want is to present themselves as wise orators.
Most folks when they are hurting, need medicine or financial support, or something along those lines, and not instruction or criticism regarding their loss and how it could have been avoided, and how it is all the fault of someone or something else in life.
And so the pretended wisdom becomes nothing more than stupidity, expressed by the stupid.
So what help is offered to those who are weak, to those who are in need of help? How can an impotent arm pull on an arm in need?
The words of fools do nothing but serve the fools, who want only attention. Their words come abundantly, and that is all they have to offer.
Remember the meanings of their respective names. Eliphaz's name means 'God is fine gold,' or 'God of strength,' with emphasis on the earthly nature, the shimmering visual pleasure of seeing something beautiful. Bildad, means, 'son of contention,' or 'Bel has loved.' Bel means, 'wisdom of the distant East.' Zophar means 'chirping' or 'to leap.'
And so goes their wisdom. They are three people who have fallen in love with their own words. Words made up of proverbs, which any normal person could assemble during the course of a lifetime of observation. History is full of quotes and sayings that have come out of the minds of men.
But sayings in themselves do not constitute wisdom, nor do they help one who is in need.
When someone needs food, or clothing, or a blanket, or a few dollars, then that is what they should have. Tell a starving person that 'God loves you, but you have to repent,' probably won't have much effect. But give him a plate of food and tell him that 'God loves him,' (excluding the criticism) and he will hear your words, and remember them.
People with useless words and pretended wisdom, are worthless. People who make random comments, which are unsupported with facts, are worthless. People who talk and talk only to bring attention to themselves, are worthless.
And Job sums this all up with his suggestion, 'With all of your words, what good have you done?'
People with egos have a deep desire for higher office in life, but an ego is not an attribute that qualifies them for anything.
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Job 26:2-4
2 How hast thou helped [`azar] him that is without power [koach]? how savest [yasha`] thou the arm [zarowa`] that hath no [lo'] strength [`oz]?
3 How hast thou counselled [ya`ats] him that hath no [lo'] wisdom [chokmah]? and how hast thou plentifully [rob] declared [yada`] the thing as it is [tuwshiyah]?
4 To whom hast thou uttered [nagad] words [millah]? and whose spirit [nashamah] came [yatsa'] from thee? KJV-Interlinear
2 'What a help you are to the weak! How you have saved the arm without strength! 3 'What counsel you have given to one without wisdom! What helpful insight you have abundantly provided! 4 'To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed through you? NASB
Job blasts Bildad and the other two friends for offering impotent comfort.
Beginning in verse four, Job asks, 'From whose spirit did y'all get your wisdom?' And that is the source of their impotence. Their words have no authority, and therefore no power. They are random proverbs that have no connection to Jobs situation.
The three friends have presented extraordinary statements, which amount to nothing more than pretentious wisdom.
And by the way, this passage seems right in line with the comments that have been coming out of the mouths of critics of the fires in California. When all of the attention should be placed on the effort that has and is being made down there, then there are the liberal losers (that is about as nice as I dare get) who want to make these fires a product of global warming or a product of manpower shortages, and yet none of the critics are on hand to lend a hand in aid.
This is the very thing, which Job is faced with. His friends are not hurting at all. They came with the intention of offering comfort, and then pretend wisdom, presuming that Job has need for instruction to change his ways. And all of the time what they really want is to present themselves as wise orators.
Most folks when they are hurting, need medicine or financial support, or something along those lines, and not instruction or criticism regarding their loss and how it could have been avoided, and how it is all the fault of someone or something else in life.
And so the pretended wisdom becomes nothing more than stupidity, expressed by the stupid.
So what help is offered to those who are weak, to those who are in need of help? How can an impotent arm pull on an arm in need?
The words of fools do nothing but serve the fools, who want only attention. Their words come abundantly, and that is all they have to offer.
Remember the meanings of their respective names. Eliphaz's name means 'God is fine gold,' or 'God of strength,' with emphasis on the earthly nature, the shimmering visual pleasure of seeing something beautiful. Bildad, means, 'son of contention,' or 'Bel has loved.' Bel means, 'wisdom of the distant East.' Zophar means 'chirping' or 'to leap.'
And so goes their wisdom. They are three people who have fallen in love with their own words. Words made up of proverbs, which any normal person could assemble during the course of a lifetime of observation. History is full of quotes and sayings that have come out of the minds of men.
But sayings in themselves do not constitute wisdom, nor do they help one who is in need.
When someone needs food, or clothing, or a blanket, or a few dollars, then that is what they should have. Tell a starving person that 'God loves you, but you have to repent,' probably won't have much effect. But give him a plate of food and tell him that 'God loves him,' (excluding the criticism) and he will hear your words, and remember them.
People with useless words and pretended wisdom, are worthless. People who make random comments, which are unsupported with facts, are worthless. People who talk and talk only to bring attention to themselves, are worthless.
And Job sums this all up with his suggestion, 'With all of your words, what good have you done?'
People with egos have a deep desire for higher office in life, but an ego is not an attribute that qualifies them for anything.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Job 26:1
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:1
1 But Job ['Iyowb] answered [`anah] and said ['amar], KJV-Interlinear
1 Then Job responded, NASB
The three friends have had their say. They have nothing further to add to their side of the debate. You get the feeling that there must have been a period of silence in which everyone just sat there looking at each other.
And so it is with those who really have nothing to add to the welfare of society. They talk and talk and talk and talk. They do not listen, and they are not interested in anything anyone else has to say anyway. Spiritually deficient people have their minds made up and that is all that matters.
And then, just as anything with limited energy, they run out of gas. They spend all of their energy and then they have nothing, which is exactly what they have been giving all along - nothing.
They have their own agenda, but their words have no power, no strength, no wisdom.
This is true for humanity, and it will be true for Satan one day. He just happens to have a great deal more criticism to spend and more time through history, than man does. But he will run out too.
Job will take center stage and rebuke them, and specifically Bildad, in short order, for their lack of empathy, and lack of wisdom. After all, why did they come to visit Job in the first place?
Their sympathy and support soon changed to criticism, accusation, and conviction. And they were relentless in their effort. And they were relentless while looking straight at Job who was suffering with tremendous physical distress.
When you come across a person who has been severely injured in a car accident, do you first begin to scold them? There are words for people like that. I think they begin with the letter 'b.'
Bildad's closing remarks were brief, and so Jobs opening rebuke will be brief.
And then Job will launch into a phenomenal discourse of truth, which will continue for the next six chapters. And it is Job who is severely sick here, not them.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 26:1
1 But Job ['Iyowb] answered [`anah] and said ['amar], KJV-Interlinear
1 Then Job responded, NASB
The three friends have had their say. They have nothing further to add to their side of the debate. You get the feeling that there must have been a period of silence in which everyone just sat there looking at each other.
And so it is with those who really have nothing to add to the welfare of society. They talk and talk and talk and talk. They do not listen, and they are not interested in anything anyone else has to say anyway. Spiritually deficient people have their minds made up and that is all that matters.
And then, just as anything with limited energy, they run out of gas. They spend all of their energy and then they have nothing, which is exactly what they have been giving all along - nothing.
They have their own agenda, but their words have no power, no strength, no wisdom.
This is true for humanity, and it will be true for Satan one day. He just happens to have a great deal more criticism to spend and more time through history, than man does. But he will run out too.
Job will take center stage and rebuke them, and specifically Bildad, in short order, for their lack of empathy, and lack of wisdom. After all, why did they come to visit Job in the first place?
Their sympathy and support soon changed to criticism, accusation, and conviction. And they were relentless in their effort. And they were relentless while looking straight at Job who was suffering with tremendous physical distress.
When you come across a person who has been severely injured in a car accident, do you first begin to scold them? There are words for people like that. I think they begin with the letter 'b.'
Bildad's closing remarks were brief, and so Jobs opening rebuke will be brief.
And then Job will launch into a phenomenal discourse of truth, which will continue for the next six chapters. And it is Job who is severely sick here, not them.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Job 25:5-6
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 25:5-6
5 Behold even to the moon [yareach], and it shineth ['ahal] not; yea, the stars [kowkab] are not pure [zakak] in his sight [`ayin].
6 How much less man ['enowsh], that is a worm [rimmah]? and the son [ben] of man ['adam], which is a worm [towla`]? KJV-Interlinear
5 'If even the moon has no brightness And the stars are not pure in His sight, 6 How much less man, that maggot, And the son of man, that worm!' NASB
Throughout this chapter, Bildad has been rambling a bit. Hs remarks are arbitrary and have nothing to do with Jobs situation, but despite that, we are able to learn a great deal about God, mans relationship with God and especially what people way back in that ancient time, understood about these various spiritual subjects.
For example, the moon has no brightness of its own. Its light comes from the reflection of the sun. Bildad mentions the moon and stars, but does not mention the sun in this passage. The brightness of the sun is absent. And as we will see later, mans brightness is really absent also, leaving only a light which does not belong to him, and light which is so dim that it might as well be a trillion miles away, doing man absolutely no good.
Bildad is making a comparison of mans brightness with that of God, and he is using the moon and stars in his comparison.
The moon is the brightest object in the night sky, and yet its light is not its own. The stars possess their own light, because they are also sun type objects, yet they are so far away, their light is not so bright. They, the stars, can be viewed only in the darkness (the lies of life) of night and are totally obliterated when the morning light (truth) arrives.
When compared to God, both are extremely dim. Gods light is bright enough to reach beyond the entire universe if He so chose, and yet God has the power to limit and control the exposure of His own glory.
And that leaves man. Who is he and why does he think so highly of himself?
We are about to enter into a new election season next year, but one would think that the elections are nearly upon us now, given all of the very early campaign activity of this year. All of the candidates will have egos and opinions of themselves and others, and of issues. In fact everyone on the planet has a ego of some sort. We all have opinions of our self and of others, and of what we believe to be the issues of the day.
But what is man described as? Man is a maggot and a worm. And this is put in the reverse of mans life. During life, man is nothing more than a living worm crawling in the dust from which he came. And in death, his physical body is consumed by maggots.
Where then is mans shining light?
Nowhere!
Bildad's whole point here is that Job is no shining saint. No human being is. So how can Job possibly hope to gain a hearing from the Almighty?
And again, we note that Bildad did not listen to Jobs comments, which we studied long ago, wherein Job repeatedly stated that he was certainly a sinner as all of humanity is, but he looked to a redeemer who was both God and man, and the one and the same who will be his advocate, who is still both God and man, and of whom representation of Job would be made to the Father, who is God.
Bildad did not pay attention, but then most of humanity doesn't pay attention to divine words anyway.
People already have preconceived ideas about God or gods, life or their chosen lifestyle, about what is important to them in life, and especially about what is not important to them. And a legitimate spiritual life is not generally considered important.
People have their own ideas about spirituality and such things, and they are generally related to their emotional feelings, or standards of living which they have adopted from a wide variety of beliefs which did not come by the Word of God.
And here is Bildad's point in all of this. Man thinks highly of himself and yet man is no better than the maggot that consumes him. And, just as the maggot consumes a dead thing, so too, man is self-consumed by his own false beliefs, which too are dead things.
That is the glory of man, self invented, self imagined, and totally detached from reality.
If you stick with this Bible study, then you can transform your thoughts into living thoughts.
And of course, if you are not impressed with this study, or any other legitimate study for that matter, then you can continue with your dead thoughts and those creepy little things crawling around inside your head.
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Job 25:5-6
5 Behold even to the moon [yareach], and it shineth ['ahal] not; yea, the stars [kowkab] are not pure [zakak] in his sight [`ayin].
6 How much less man ['enowsh], that is a worm [rimmah]? and the son [ben] of man ['adam], which is a worm [towla`]? KJV-Interlinear
5 'If even the moon has no brightness And the stars are not pure in His sight, 6 How much less man, that maggot, And the son of man, that worm!' NASB
Throughout this chapter, Bildad has been rambling a bit. Hs remarks are arbitrary and have nothing to do with Jobs situation, but despite that, we are able to learn a great deal about God, mans relationship with God and especially what people way back in that ancient time, understood about these various spiritual subjects.
For example, the moon has no brightness of its own. Its light comes from the reflection of the sun. Bildad mentions the moon and stars, but does not mention the sun in this passage. The brightness of the sun is absent. And as we will see later, mans brightness is really absent also, leaving only a light which does not belong to him, and light which is so dim that it might as well be a trillion miles away, doing man absolutely no good.
Bildad is making a comparison of mans brightness with that of God, and he is using the moon and stars in his comparison.
The moon is the brightest object in the night sky, and yet its light is not its own. The stars possess their own light, because they are also sun type objects, yet they are so far away, their light is not so bright. They, the stars, can be viewed only in the darkness (the lies of life) of night and are totally obliterated when the morning light (truth) arrives.
When compared to God, both are extremely dim. Gods light is bright enough to reach beyond the entire universe if He so chose, and yet God has the power to limit and control the exposure of His own glory.
And that leaves man. Who is he and why does he think so highly of himself?
We are about to enter into a new election season next year, but one would think that the elections are nearly upon us now, given all of the very early campaign activity of this year. All of the candidates will have egos and opinions of themselves and others, and of issues. In fact everyone on the planet has a ego of some sort. We all have opinions of our self and of others, and of what we believe to be the issues of the day.
But what is man described as? Man is a maggot and a worm. And this is put in the reverse of mans life. During life, man is nothing more than a living worm crawling in the dust from which he came. And in death, his physical body is consumed by maggots.
Where then is mans shining light?
Nowhere!
Bildad's whole point here is that Job is no shining saint. No human being is. So how can Job possibly hope to gain a hearing from the Almighty?
And again, we note that Bildad did not listen to Jobs comments, which we studied long ago, wherein Job repeatedly stated that he was certainly a sinner as all of humanity is, but he looked to a redeemer who was both God and man, and the one and the same who will be his advocate, who is still both God and man, and of whom representation of Job would be made to the Father, who is God.
Bildad did not pay attention, but then most of humanity doesn't pay attention to divine words anyway.
People already have preconceived ideas about God or gods, life or their chosen lifestyle, about what is important to them in life, and especially about what is not important to them. And a legitimate spiritual life is not generally considered important.
People have their own ideas about spirituality and such things, and they are generally related to their emotional feelings, or standards of living which they have adopted from a wide variety of beliefs which did not come by the Word of God.
And here is Bildad's point in all of this. Man thinks highly of himself and yet man is no better than the maggot that consumes him. And, just as the maggot consumes a dead thing, so too, man is self-consumed by his own false beliefs, which too are dead things.
That is the glory of man, self invented, self imagined, and totally detached from reality.
If you stick with this Bible study, then you can transform your thoughts into living thoughts.
And of course, if you are not impressed with this study, or any other legitimate study for that matter, then you can continue with your dead thoughts and those creepy little things crawling around inside your head.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Job 25:4
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 25:4
4 How then can man ['enowsh] be justified [tsadaq] with God ['el]? or how can he be clean [zakah] that is born [yalad] of a woman ['ishshah]? KJV-Interlinear
4 'How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? NASB
Bildad is not asking questions with which he expects an answer, his remarks are rhetorical. Bildad is commenting on a subject that everyone knows the answer to already.
Bildad has heard Jobs remarks, but what he heard was Job proposing that he make his appeal to God directly. And that is not what Job had in mind at all. Bildad simply did not listen.
But what Bildad has to say here is of the utmost importance to all of humanity.
What is the fundamental truth in life? What is the most important matter that affects everyone, regardless of color, culture, gender, height, weight, talent, social status, and so forth? What is it that affects everyone who has or who will ever live?
There is God, who is life, and there is man who is the created being.
Between the two is a giant barrier, an impenetrable barrier, which cannot be overcome by man on his own.
The first layer of that barrier is sin. Everyone who has ever lived, has sinned. No person, has ever, nor will ever live a life apart from sin, Rom. 3:23. The humanity of Jesus Christ is of course the single and only exception.
The second layer of the barrier is the penalty for sin. And death is that penalty, Rom. 6:23. Death is a separation. In this case, it is a separation from God who is life, and when you are separated from life, then your face eternal death.
The third layer of the barrier is mans physical birth. Man is born of woman. Mans physical origin is in the dust of the earth. Adam was formed from the dust of the ground. This is a genetic reference to his biological life. Through his biological life, the human race is perpetuated. Man is born physically alive, but spiritually dead, Eph. 2:1.
The fourth layer of the barrier is mans relative righteousness. No matter how goodie-two-shoes you might be, no matter how squeaky clean you might think your life is, mans righteousnesses are no better than filthy dirty used and never washed menstrual rags, Isa. 64:6.
The fifth layer of the barrier is the character of God. God is infinite. Man is finite. God is all powerful. Man is nothing. God is life. Man is dust and nothing more. Man can never hope to rise to the level of Gods perfection, Rom. 3:12.
The sixth layer of the barrier is mans position in Adam. In Adam all die. Man by being descended from Adam shares in his failure in the Garden. Mans spiritual existence was placed in jeopardy and mans life span was limited, 1 Cor. 15:22.
How can man approach God? How can man strip off his human heritage? On his own, he cannot.
In order to have anything more than eternal death, man needs help from outside of his own realm. His own realm includes the invention of religion, discoveries in science, reasoned beliefs, and so forth. In all of these, man invents conclusions from the source of his own imagination. None of them are real, and therefore none of them have any real power or solution.
There is only one real power, only one real solution, only one God and Savior, and that is Jesus Christ. He is the only truth. Jesus Christ is the only common enemy of all religion, cult, politics, beliefs and philosophy invented by man, by either rejecting Him or ignoring Him or substituting something or someone else.
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Job 25:4
4 How then can man ['enowsh] be justified [tsadaq] with God ['el]? or how can he be clean [zakah] that is born [yalad] of a woman ['ishshah]? KJV-Interlinear
4 'How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? NASB
Bildad is not asking questions with which he expects an answer, his remarks are rhetorical. Bildad is commenting on a subject that everyone knows the answer to already.
Bildad has heard Jobs remarks, but what he heard was Job proposing that he make his appeal to God directly. And that is not what Job had in mind at all. Bildad simply did not listen.
But what Bildad has to say here is of the utmost importance to all of humanity.
What is the fundamental truth in life? What is the most important matter that affects everyone, regardless of color, culture, gender, height, weight, talent, social status, and so forth? What is it that affects everyone who has or who will ever live?
There is God, who is life, and there is man who is the created being.
Between the two is a giant barrier, an impenetrable barrier, which cannot be overcome by man on his own.
The first layer of that barrier is sin. Everyone who has ever lived, has sinned. No person, has ever, nor will ever live a life apart from sin, Rom. 3:23. The humanity of Jesus Christ is of course the single and only exception.
The second layer of the barrier is the penalty for sin. And death is that penalty, Rom. 6:23. Death is a separation. In this case, it is a separation from God who is life, and when you are separated from life, then your face eternal death.
The third layer of the barrier is mans physical birth. Man is born of woman. Mans physical origin is in the dust of the earth. Adam was formed from the dust of the ground. This is a genetic reference to his biological life. Through his biological life, the human race is perpetuated. Man is born physically alive, but spiritually dead, Eph. 2:1.
The fourth layer of the barrier is mans relative righteousness. No matter how goodie-two-shoes you might be, no matter how squeaky clean you might think your life is, mans righteousnesses are no better than filthy dirty used and never washed menstrual rags, Isa. 64:6.
The fifth layer of the barrier is the character of God. God is infinite. Man is finite. God is all powerful. Man is nothing. God is life. Man is dust and nothing more. Man can never hope to rise to the level of Gods perfection, Rom. 3:12.
The sixth layer of the barrier is mans position in Adam. In Adam all die. Man by being descended from Adam shares in his failure in the Garden. Mans spiritual existence was placed in jeopardy and mans life span was limited, 1 Cor. 15:22.
How can man approach God? How can man strip off his human heritage? On his own, he cannot.
In order to have anything more than eternal death, man needs help from outside of his own realm. His own realm includes the invention of religion, discoveries in science, reasoned beliefs, and so forth. In all of these, man invents conclusions from the source of his own imagination. None of them are real, and therefore none of them have any real power or solution.
There is only one real power, only one real solution, only one God and Savior, and that is Jesus Christ. He is the only truth. Jesus Christ is the only common enemy of all religion, cult, politics, beliefs and philosophy invented by man, by either rejecting Him or ignoring Him or substituting something or someone else.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Job 25:3
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 25:3
3 Is there [yesh] any number [micpar] of his armies [gaduwd]? and upon whom doth not his light ['owr] arise [quwm]? KJV-Interlinear
3 'Is there any number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not rise? NASB
Throughout the Bible the scriptures speak of the innumerable grains of sand on the shores, the innumerable stars of the heavens, all beyond counting, and yet they are a finite number. But they are so many that it is nearly impossible to count them, and most can just guess as to their numbers. Only God knows the exact count.
Man has been given authority in many areas in life. Some over their own self, and that is all. Some have authority over office workers where they work. Some have authority over departments, over companies, over multiple companies or organizations. In the military, there are commanders of dozens, over hundreds, over thousands and even over millions.
In countries throughout history, leaders have been allowed to have authority over empires.
And in every case, limits are reached, limits beyond which man fails in his leading capacity. Some quit and some become tyrants and cruel. Some are qualified for their position and many are not.
But yet, God controls everything in life, everything in existence, and even everything that has not yet come to pass.
God is organized.
His angels are here referred to as armies. Their number is beyond counting. They probably number in the many hundreds of trillions and more. And yet despite their vast number, they are well organized, they all have free will, they all can think on their own, and they all freely and completely subordinate themselves to God.
God maintains perfect order and discipline within the ranks, the numbers of which no human being can comprehend.
We cannot count the stars in the universe. Even those we can see have not been identified or mapped completely.
Man cannot superimpose his own will or ideas on those around him, and yet Gods light and power extends throughout the universe and beyond. Remember, as we studied earlier in Job, this universe is contained inside a vault. God walks about in His heaven, round about on the periphery of this universe.
We have no idea where that limit is, nor will we ever, in this life, be able to detect it.
In this chapter, Bildad is giving us a very good description of the phenomenal vastness of God, His power, His abilities and so forth. No one can possibly comprehend it all.
And still, humanity thinks pretty highly of itself. Man makes no effort to hide his opinions about life. Opinions, which are filled with imagination and short on fact. Any opinion which lacks in facts, has only the imagination to turn to. All religion is based on imagination or invention, which is the same thing.
World leader want-to-be's presume they are qualified for the task of ruling. Leaders of one, that is yourself, are also filled with opinions about self and life. And none come even close to the low level of cluelessness about life, when compared to God.
God rules, controls, maintains, and sustains the infinite, and how many folks consider Him in their life? Not many.
You, as an advancing and growing believer in Christ, are among the most unique minority in all of human history. You have a unique and personal access to the ruler of the infinite. Something that should be taken very seriously.
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Job 25:3
3 Is there [yesh] any number [micpar] of his armies [gaduwd]? and upon whom doth not his light ['owr] arise [quwm]? KJV-Interlinear
3 'Is there any number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not rise? NASB
Throughout the Bible the scriptures speak of the innumerable grains of sand on the shores, the innumerable stars of the heavens, all beyond counting, and yet they are a finite number. But they are so many that it is nearly impossible to count them, and most can just guess as to their numbers. Only God knows the exact count.
Man has been given authority in many areas in life. Some over their own self, and that is all. Some have authority over office workers where they work. Some have authority over departments, over companies, over multiple companies or organizations. In the military, there are commanders of dozens, over hundreds, over thousands and even over millions.
In countries throughout history, leaders have been allowed to have authority over empires.
And in every case, limits are reached, limits beyond which man fails in his leading capacity. Some quit and some become tyrants and cruel. Some are qualified for their position and many are not.
But yet, God controls everything in life, everything in existence, and even everything that has not yet come to pass.
God is organized.
His angels are here referred to as armies. Their number is beyond counting. They probably number in the many hundreds of trillions and more. And yet despite their vast number, they are well organized, they all have free will, they all can think on their own, and they all freely and completely subordinate themselves to God.
God maintains perfect order and discipline within the ranks, the numbers of which no human being can comprehend.
We cannot count the stars in the universe. Even those we can see have not been identified or mapped completely.
Man cannot superimpose his own will or ideas on those around him, and yet Gods light and power extends throughout the universe and beyond. Remember, as we studied earlier in Job, this universe is contained inside a vault. God walks about in His heaven, round about on the periphery of this universe.
We have no idea where that limit is, nor will we ever, in this life, be able to detect it.
In this chapter, Bildad is giving us a very good description of the phenomenal vastness of God, His power, His abilities and so forth. No one can possibly comprehend it all.
And still, humanity thinks pretty highly of itself. Man makes no effort to hide his opinions about life. Opinions, which are filled with imagination and short on fact. Any opinion which lacks in facts, has only the imagination to turn to. All religion is based on imagination or invention, which is the same thing.
World leader want-to-be's presume they are qualified for the task of ruling. Leaders of one, that is yourself, are also filled with opinions about self and life. And none come even close to the low level of cluelessness about life, when compared to God.
God rules, controls, maintains, and sustains the infinite, and how many folks consider Him in their life? Not many.
You, as an advancing and growing believer in Christ, are among the most unique minority in all of human history. You have a unique and personal access to the ruler of the infinite. Something that should be taken very seriously.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Job 25:2
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 25:2
2 Dominion [mashal] and fear [pachad] are with him, he maketh [`asah] peace [shalowm] in his high places [marowm]. KJV-Interlinear
2 'Dominion and awe belong to Him Who establishes peace in His heights. NASB
Job has maintained his innocence in this entire matter. Not innocence as in never having sinned, but innocent in that he was not the evil and wicked person that his friends have suggested as being the cause of his suffering.
Job has stated that even though we are mortal man, we still have the right to appeal to the Most High, who is the Father, through one who is equal with the Father and equal with man, and our redeemer as well as our advocate before God in all matters of truth.
This person of course is Jesus Christ, as we have in our present day, come to know His name.
And so Bildad suggests here that God is so powerful and so far above man, that no one could or should in their right mind, even attempt to approach God. After all, how can man, who is lower than life, approach someone who is greater than life? How can man who lives in an environment of violence even think of approaching God who maintains peace in this vast universe?
God is the absolute sovereign of all that is. By His sovereignty, He establishes peace, preserves order, and maintains control over all of creation, in spite of all of the anti-God attitudes that have existed and still do exist from Satan and his followers, and man.
God is supreme. None can equal Him. None can attain His height in power and holiness. God is above all that is. God includes all within His divine plan of operation. He does not exalt himself above all to the exclusion of lower beings. God does not lead or rule through coercion or tyranny. And yet God rules and administers the entirety of this universe. God rules with paternal affection while maintaining truth, righteousness, and justice.
Gods rule is a necessity for the preservation of life. By Him all peace, all order, all security is maintained. Without God, the universe would fall into disorder and tyranny and eventually into self-destruction. Neither man nor angel can control the vast operations of the universe. Man can't even control the common cold.
And still, the angels who are vastly superior to humanity, have had their issues in lack of self control, so too man who is inferior, needs an outside influence and mediator in order to have any kind of control on this earth.
God leads vast armies of angels. Their number has never been revealed to humanity, and most likely far out number all of humanity in all of human history. God is still able to maintain order with all of these masses.
Humanity cannot even control his own thoughts, his own family, his own city, or state, or country, or empire. And yet man believes that he is somehow up to the task of running things in this world?
God is able to maintain peace in heaven, and will one day bring that same peace to this earth.
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Job 25:2
2 Dominion [mashal] and fear [pachad] are with him, he maketh [`asah] peace [shalowm] in his high places [marowm]. KJV-Interlinear
2 'Dominion and awe belong to Him Who establishes peace in His heights. NASB
Job has maintained his innocence in this entire matter. Not innocence as in never having sinned, but innocent in that he was not the evil and wicked person that his friends have suggested as being the cause of his suffering.
Job has stated that even though we are mortal man, we still have the right to appeal to the Most High, who is the Father, through one who is equal with the Father and equal with man, and our redeemer as well as our advocate before God in all matters of truth.
This person of course is Jesus Christ, as we have in our present day, come to know His name.
And so Bildad suggests here that God is so powerful and so far above man, that no one could or should in their right mind, even attempt to approach God. After all, how can man, who is lower than life, approach someone who is greater than life? How can man who lives in an environment of violence even think of approaching God who maintains peace in this vast universe?
God is the absolute sovereign of all that is. By His sovereignty, He establishes peace, preserves order, and maintains control over all of creation, in spite of all of the anti-God attitudes that have existed and still do exist from Satan and his followers, and man.
God is supreme. None can equal Him. None can attain His height in power and holiness. God is above all that is. God includes all within His divine plan of operation. He does not exalt himself above all to the exclusion of lower beings. God does not lead or rule through coercion or tyranny. And yet God rules and administers the entirety of this universe. God rules with paternal affection while maintaining truth, righteousness, and justice.
Gods rule is a necessity for the preservation of life. By Him all peace, all order, all security is maintained. Without God, the universe would fall into disorder and tyranny and eventually into self-destruction. Neither man nor angel can control the vast operations of the universe. Man can't even control the common cold.
And still, the angels who are vastly superior to humanity, have had their issues in lack of self control, so too man who is inferior, needs an outside influence and mediator in order to have any kind of control on this earth.
God leads vast armies of angels. Their number has never been revealed to humanity, and most likely far out number all of humanity in all of human history. God is still able to maintain order with all of these masses.
Humanity cannot even control his own thoughts, his own family, his own city, or state, or country, or empire. And yet man believes that he is somehow up to the task of running things in this world?
God is able to maintain peace in heaven, and will one day bring that same peace to this earth.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Job 25:1
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Job 25:1
1 Then answered [`anah] Bildad [Bildad] the Shuhite [Shuchiy], and said ['amar], KJV-Interlinear
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, NASB
Bildad, the second of the three friends, which have been introduced thus far, has run out of things to say. He is the last of the three to speak, and what he has to say gives us some additional information regarding our place in this universe, but has nothing to do with Jobs situation.
Bildads' name means, 'son of contention,' or 'Bel has loved.' Bel means, 'wisdom of the distant East.' The location of his homeland is not known, but it apparently is east of Job's home. Bildad's speeches have generally echoed the words of Eliphaz, but have been delivered with more severity and sternness.
The gist of what Bildad has to say is this. That God is all-powerful. Man is nothing more than a worm. Angels, or Gods armies, are far superior to man. And if the angels cannot live up to the standards set by God, then how can man possibly achieve a state of innocence?
But before we get into the details of Bildad's final argument, we need to think about a few things.
First, Bildad represents the thought of the world. The beliefs that are expressed by the world and loved by the world. Loved so much that nothing else is listened to.
Second, Bildad does not listen to Jobs arguments. He is so hung up on his own arguments that he doesn't even consider for a moment that there might be some other explanation of Jobs suffering.
Third, Jobs arguments are filled with irrefutable facts. Bildad ignores the facts.
Fourth, Bildad is not interested in facts that do not fit his beliefs. With Bildad, his beliefs come first, and then the facts are invented to fit them.
Fifth, Bildad knows a great deal of truth. He has learned many proverbs during his lifetime, proverbs which have their foundation in truth.
Sixth, however Bildad lacks the wisdom of application. Knowledge of principles does not make one wise when reality is ignored.
Seventh, knowledge is merely the comprehension of facts or details in life.
Eighth, understanding is the ability to form the details of knowledge into general principles.
Ninth, wisdom is the ability to apply understanding to the realities of day-to-day life, and arrive at correct decisions or conclusions.
Lack of wisdom means that you will form beliefs or draw conclusions based on what you have heard from others (gossip, hearsay, media), or what you have conjured up in your imagination.
True wisdom is derived from the study of Bible doctrine.
Lack of wisdom means that you will form a false wisdom within your own soul. And false wisdom leads to all kinds of bad decisions and conclusions in life which have been tainted with emotional or biased beliefs.
Candidates are not considered for their qualifications. Issues are not viewed objectively. Decisions are based on emotions, lusts, agendas, and so forth.
And most important of all, truth gets ignored more and more, making it more and more difficult to transform the thinking of a mind filled with erroneous thinking.
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Job 25:1
1 Then answered [`anah] Bildad [Bildad] the Shuhite [Shuchiy], and said ['amar], KJV-Interlinear
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, NASB
Bildad, the second of the three friends, which have been introduced thus far, has run out of things to say. He is the last of the three to speak, and what he has to say gives us some additional information regarding our place in this universe, but has nothing to do with Jobs situation.
Bildads' name means, 'son of contention,' or 'Bel has loved.' Bel means, 'wisdom of the distant East.' The location of his homeland is not known, but it apparently is east of Job's home. Bildad's speeches have generally echoed the words of Eliphaz, but have been delivered with more severity and sternness.
The gist of what Bildad has to say is this. That God is all-powerful. Man is nothing more than a worm. Angels, or Gods armies, are far superior to man. And if the angels cannot live up to the standards set by God, then how can man possibly achieve a state of innocence?
But before we get into the details of Bildad's final argument, we need to think about a few things.
First, Bildad represents the thought of the world. The beliefs that are expressed by the world and loved by the world. Loved so much that nothing else is listened to.
Second, Bildad does not listen to Jobs arguments. He is so hung up on his own arguments that he doesn't even consider for a moment that there might be some other explanation of Jobs suffering.
Third, Jobs arguments are filled with irrefutable facts. Bildad ignores the facts.
Fourth, Bildad is not interested in facts that do not fit his beliefs. With Bildad, his beliefs come first, and then the facts are invented to fit them.
Fifth, Bildad knows a great deal of truth. He has learned many proverbs during his lifetime, proverbs which have their foundation in truth.
Sixth, however Bildad lacks the wisdom of application. Knowledge of principles does not make one wise when reality is ignored.
Seventh, knowledge is merely the comprehension of facts or details in life.
Eighth, understanding is the ability to form the details of knowledge into general principles.
Ninth, wisdom is the ability to apply understanding to the realities of day-to-day life, and arrive at correct decisions or conclusions.
Lack of wisdom means that you will form beliefs or draw conclusions based on what you have heard from others (gossip, hearsay, media), or what you have conjured up in your imagination.
True wisdom is derived from the study of Bible doctrine.
Lack of wisdom means that you will form a false wisdom within your own soul. And false wisdom leads to all kinds of bad decisions and conclusions in life which have been tainted with emotional or biased beliefs.
Candidates are not considered for their qualifications. Issues are not viewed objectively. Decisions are based on emotions, lusts, agendas, and so forth.
And most important of all, truth gets ignored more and more, making it more and more difficult to transform the thinking of a mind filled with erroneous thinking.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Job 24:25
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:25
25 And if it be not so now ['ephow], who will make [suwm] me a liar [kazab], and make [suwm] my speech [millah] nothing worth ['al]? KJV-Interlinear
25 'Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, And make my speech worthless?' NASB
Here, Job makes a challenge to everyone and anyone, to prove that his words are false.
Jobs friends have asserted all along that the wicked are punished in this life, that their punishment is evidence of their wickedness, that major suffering is evidence of ones wickedness, and therefore, since Job was being made to endure phenomenal suffering, he must therefore be a wicked person.
'Not so,' says Job, 'Quite the contrary.'
All kinds of people live in this world, good people and bad people. Many of them live a full and long life and go to the grave without any public indication of their spiritual status. Many a wicked person has lived a full and even a prosperous life, and they have not received, during their life, Gods judgment.
This world is made up of rules. God installed divine rules, which we call divine establishment principles, and Satan installed evil rules which we call jungle laws.
God set up life such that a person could, of their own volition and ability, live a successful temporal life, during their life. God does not coerce anyone into believing in His plan, or accepting His authority.
God does warn, however, of the repercussions of ones decisions. Life in this world is temporary. God is the ultimate power and force behind all life, and all life will continue into the eternal future only if it sheds all unrighteousness.
The existence of unrighteousness simply proves that man and angel on their own, will always, without exception, decline into evil, and evil will always end up in self-destruction.
The only way out of self-destruction and to secure happiness, is to accept and allow God to run everything.
Unfortunately, most folks ignore this idea, reject this, disagree with this idea and continue in their stubbornness, to believe that they can better determine the nature of their own life, more so than God. Ignoring the fact that they do not know everything there is to know about life. They cannot even control most of the simplest things in life, nor can anyone overcome the many human limitations of life.
Job poses these truths, that there are many folks who live indifferent lives, who live evil lives and do not apparently suffer for it during their life.
The truths are obvious, and all truths are self-evident. But there will always be people who will look truth in the face and reject it.
Bildad is going to have his one last say, and it will be a lame one at that. He will recite several unrelated proverbs and then fall silent.
People who are indifferent do not listen. They don't want to listen. And that is the way it will be at the end of human history. When all is said and done, all who are going to believe in Christ, will believe in Him, and all who are going to reject Christ, will reject Him. All who are going to advance in their spiritual life, will, an all who are not, won't. Even the presence of Jesus Christ Himself, standing right in front of any person, will not serve to change their minds.
At the Great White Throne, all unbelievers will come face to face with Christ. Their destiny is the Lake of Fire. They know it. They will still reject Christ. They will even hate Him.
This principle of defiance in the face of truth has applied throughout history. Watch the political races in this coming year. Watch those who will promise anything in order to 'buy' votes, in order to get elected at any cost. And God will allow the masses to have their chosen leadership, even if that leadership is poorly qualified, deceptive, will ultimately be detrimental, and, repeat, and, everyone knows it. Getting there way is all that matters to those who reject truth.
Job is suffering but he is not wicked. If you pursue your spiritual life and remain faithful to it, you too will one day face suffering. Why? Because this is the devils world, and the devils world was never designed to make you happy, nor fulfill your life.
As we pointed out in the 'end of days' list, if you happened to look at it, you know that there may well be a time when life will get pretty ugly for us all. People had to face extremes in the dark ages. People had to face extremes during famines. People had to face extremes during wars. People had to face extremes during economic downturns.
Your circumstances in life should not shape your attitude toward God, Christ, or your spiritual life. God has a plan. That plan claims all of the details of history that will transpire during this Church Age and beyond. Those plans include all forms of wickedness and ludicrous ideas that people will come up with during their lives.
The world will do its very best to drive you against God. 'See, God has abandoned you. See, God has turned His back on you. See, God in not interested in you. See, all of your interest in God is misguided.'
But God allows evil to boast, to brag, to cheer itself on, to award itself. Allow evil to have its very short day.
You just stick with your daily Bible study and persevere through all of the problems that you know will come along.
Because one day the voice of evil will fall silent, never to be heard from again, and your voice of victory combined with probably a trillion other voices shouting in celebration pandemonium will fill the new universe.
Yours as a mature believer, will be the last cheer, and the very best.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:25
25 And if it be not so now ['ephow], who will make [suwm] me a liar [kazab], and make [suwm] my speech [millah] nothing worth ['al]? KJV-Interlinear
25 'Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, And make my speech worthless?' NASB
Here, Job makes a challenge to everyone and anyone, to prove that his words are false.
Jobs friends have asserted all along that the wicked are punished in this life, that their punishment is evidence of their wickedness, that major suffering is evidence of ones wickedness, and therefore, since Job was being made to endure phenomenal suffering, he must therefore be a wicked person.
'Not so,' says Job, 'Quite the contrary.'
All kinds of people live in this world, good people and bad people. Many of them live a full and long life and go to the grave without any public indication of their spiritual status. Many a wicked person has lived a full and even a prosperous life, and they have not received, during their life, Gods judgment.
This world is made up of rules. God installed divine rules, which we call divine establishment principles, and Satan installed evil rules which we call jungle laws.
God set up life such that a person could, of their own volition and ability, live a successful temporal life, during their life. God does not coerce anyone into believing in His plan, or accepting His authority.
God does warn, however, of the repercussions of ones decisions. Life in this world is temporary. God is the ultimate power and force behind all life, and all life will continue into the eternal future only if it sheds all unrighteousness.
The existence of unrighteousness simply proves that man and angel on their own, will always, without exception, decline into evil, and evil will always end up in self-destruction.
The only way out of self-destruction and to secure happiness, is to accept and allow God to run everything.
Unfortunately, most folks ignore this idea, reject this, disagree with this idea and continue in their stubbornness, to believe that they can better determine the nature of their own life, more so than God. Ignoring the fact that they do not know everything there is to know about life. They cannot even control most of the simplest things in life, nor can anyone overcome the many human limitations of life.
Job poses these truths, that there are many folks who live indifferent lives, who live evil lives and do not apparently suffer for it during their life.
The truths are obvious, and all truths are self-evident. But there will always be people who will look truth in the face and reject it.
Bildad is going to have his one last say, and it will be a lame one at that. He will recite several unrelated proverbs and then fall silent.
People who are indifferent do not listen. They don't want to listen. And that is the way it will be at the end of human history. When all is said and done, all who are going to believe in Christ, will believe in Him, and all who are going to reject Christ, will reject Him. All who are going to advance in their spiritual life, will, an all who are not, won't. Even the presence of Jesus Christ Himself, standing right in front of any person, will not serve to change their minds.
At the Great White Throne, all unbelievers will come face to face with Christ. Their destiny is the Lake of Fire. They know it. They will still reject Christ. They will even hate Him.
This principle of defiance in the face of truth has applied throughout history. Watch the political races in this coming year. Watch those who will promise anything in order to 'buy' votes, in order to get elected at any cost. And God will allow the masses to have their chosen leadership, even if that leadership is poorly qualified, deceptive, will ultimately be detrimental, and, repeat, and, everyone knows it. Getting there way is all that matters to those who reject truth.
Job is suffering but he is not wicked. If you pursue your spiritual life and remain faithful to it, you too will one day face suffering. Why? Because this is the devils world, and the devils world was never designed to make you happy, nor fulfill your life.
As we pointed out in the 'end of days' list, if you happened to look at it, you know that there may well be a time when life will get pretty ugly for us all. People had to face extremes in the dark ages. People had to face extremes during famines. People had to face extremes during wars. People had to face extremes during economic downturns.
Your circumstances in life should not shape your attitude toward God, Christ, or your spiritual life. God has a plan. That plan claims all of the details of history that will transpire during this Church Age and beyond. Those plans include all forms of wickedness and ludicrous ideas that people will come up with during their lives.
The world will do its very best to drive you against God. 'See, God has abandoned you. See, God has turned His back on you. See, God in not interested in you. See, all of your interest in God is misguided.'
But God allows evil to boast, to brag, to cheer itself on, to award itself. Allow evil to have its very short day.
You just stick with your daily Bible study and persevere through all of the problems that you know will come along.
Because one day the voice of evil will fall silent, never to be heard from again, and your voice of victory combined with probably a trillion other voices shouting in celebration pandemonium will fill the new universe.
Yours as a mature believer, will be the last cheer, and the very best.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Job 24:24
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:24
24 They are exalted [ramam] for a little while [ma`at], but are gone and brought low [makak]; they are taken out [qaphats] of the way [derek] as all other, and cut off [namal] as the tops [ro'sh] of the ears of corn [shibbol]. KJV-Interlinear
24 'They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up; Even like the heads of grain they are cut off. NASB
This verse along with a verse in Ecclesiastes should make it very clear that ignoring God, Christ, doctrine, and ones spiritual life, will gain you nothing.
Eccl. 8:10
10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility. NASB
An evil or wicked person can include anyone from a goodie two-shoes to a Hitler type person. Wickedness is the production or activity of evil. Evil is the policy or the philosophy or the belief, of indifference toward God.
Indifference toward God includes anyone who does not function regularly in their spiritual life, or to put it another way, anyone who does not have a pattern of living their life in spiritual fellowship.
This obviously includes all unbelievers, and it includes all believers who live their life regularly out of fellowship.
Several years ago, when the population of the world was at six-billion people, the estimated number of Christians stood at around two-billion, or about a third of the world. Now the population of the world is at seven-billion and the estimate of Christians has remained the same.
So as a faith we seem to be losing ground, numerically. But even within the Christian faith, liberal attitudes as well as passive conservative attitudes around the world have led Christians to act and behave and think like unbelievers. This is not good for anyone, nor the world as a whole. Leadership qualities and media publications are good litmus tests for getting a general idea of how any given region is doing spiritually.
Of course none of us can know exactly what the spiritual status of the world is, but we can see trends from hindsight. I posted that 'end of the age' checklist on the Bible Study List blog. And if we are indeed nearing that time in history, then we can expect over the next generation or so, to see the quality of leadership to decline, we can expect to see interest in Christianity to decline, and we can see a dramatic increase in boisterous anti-truth activity and opinions, among many other things.
But even with the expected trends or anti-God changes in this world, the world is still experiencing a phenomenal period of prosperity and will continue to do so for a time. All of the divine establishment laws, which serve to stabilize the jungle laws, will continue to function as they should.
Good hygiene practices, antibiotics, social practices, and the economics of the world, etc. will not change overnight. That kind of change usually occurs across generations.
But, no matter what the historical timetable for humanity is right now, there are many folks in the wicked category, who are successful by earthly standards. But, earthly standards are temporary, and everything that is temporary, ends.
At harvest time, the heads of wheat, or the ears of corn make the fields look beautiful. They are allowed to come into their full season before harvest. Likewise, people of all walks of life will live out their lives fully.
And as the harvest of the crops occurs on its annual regular schedule, so also, people will come face to face with their own death and separation from his world.
That is when the game, if you will, is over, and the repercussions of all of ones choices in life become a reality.
Wicked people, no matter what their salvation status, will never gain in eternity from their current chosen spiritually negative pattern of life. They will always end up losers. Unbelievers lose the most of course, but believers will lose all of their eternal 'extra' blessings. Blessings set aside for mature believers only.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:24
24 They are exalted [ramam] for a little while [ma`at], but are gone and brought low [makak]; they are taken out [qaphats] of the way [derek] as all other, and cut off [namal] as the tops [ro'sh] of the ears of corn [shibbol]. KJV-Interlinear
24 'They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up; Even like the heads of grain they are cut off. NASB
This verse along with a verse in Ecclesiastes should make it very clear that ignoring God, Christ, doctrine, and ones spiritual life, will gain you nothing.
Eccl. 8:10
10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility. NASB
An evil or wicked person can include anyone from a goodie two-shoes to a Hitler type person. Wickedness is the production or activity of evil. Evil is the policy or the philosophy or the belief, of indifference toward God.
Indifference toward God includes anyone who does not function regularly in their spiritual life, or to put it another way, anyone who does not have a pattern of living their life in spiritual fellowship.
This obviously includes all unbelievers, and it includes all believers who live their life regularly out of fellowship.
Several years ago, when the population of the world was at six-billion people, the estimated number of Christians stood at around two-billion, or about a third of the world. Now the population of the world is at seven-billion and the estimate of Christians has remained the same.
So as a faith we seem to be losing ground, numerically. But even within the Christian faith, liberal attitudes as well as passive conservative attitudes around the world have led Christians to act and behave and think like unbelievers. This is not good for anyone, nor the world as a whole. Leadership qualities and media publications are good litmus tests for getting a general idea of how any given region is doing spiritually.
Of course none of us can know exactly what the spiritual status of the world is, but we can see trends from hindsight. I posted that 'end of the age' checklist on the Bible Study List blog. And if we are indeed nearing that time in history, then we can expect over the next generation or so, to see the quality of leadership to decline, we can expect to see interest in Christianity to decline, and we can see a dramatic increase in boisterous anti-truth activity and opinions, among many other things.
But even with the expected trends or anti-God changes in this world, the world is still experiencing a phenomenal period of prosperity and will continue to do so for a time. All of the divine establishment laws, which serve to stabilize the jungle laws, will continue to function as they should.
Good hygiene practices, antibiotics, social practices, and the economics of the world, etc. will not change overnight. That kind of change usually occurs across generations.
But, no matter what the historical timetable for humanity is right now, there are many folks in the wicked category, who are successful by earthly standards. But, earthly standards are temporary, and everything that is temporary, ends.
At harvest time, the heads of wheat, or the ears of corn make the fields look beautiful. They are allowed to come into their full season before harvest. Likewise, people of all walks of life will live out their lives fully.
And as the harvest of the crops occurs on its annual regular schedule, so also, people will come face to face with their own death and separation from his world.
That is when the game, if you will, is over, and the repercussions of all of ones choices in life become a reality.
Wicked people, no matter what their salvation status, will never gain in eternity from their current chosen spiritually negative pattern of life. They will always end up losers. Unbelievers lose the most of course, but believers will lose all of their eternal 'extra' blessings. Blessings set aside for mature believers only.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Job 24:23
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:23
23 Though it be given [nathan] him to be in safety [betach], whereon he resteth [sha`an]; yet his eyes [`ayin] are upon their ways [derek]. KJV-Interlinear
23 'He provides them with security, and they are supported; And His eyes are on their ways. NASB
The sinners of this world owe all they are and have, to God. Just as they ignored their respective mothers, just as they regard childless women with contempt, so too people who have no interest in Gods truth, disregard God in all that He does for them.
Life is too short. Life is too busy. People have too many things they want and too many things to do in life to be bothered with such things as God, truth, or their spiritual life.
There is money to be made, a social life to pursue, entertainment to focus on. There is hustling to be had, plans to implement, goals to achieve. All of life is filled with luck, staying one step ahead of the next guy. Life is a constant barrage of barriers, prejudices, unfair practices, and consequently lots of folks to blame.
There is a world to change, animals to save, people to persuade, agendas to accomplish. Soooo many things. Soooo little time!
And yet, when it is all said and done, everyone's life will come to an end one day, and their eternity will begin. An eternity which will last trillions and trillions and gazillions of years and more, but still most folks ignore all of that infinite time and focus on their little short lifespan of perhaps a few decades on this earth.
God is gracious. He knows the ways of everyone. He knows the ways of those who ignore Him.
God knows very well that there will be some folks who, no matter what He does to convince them, they will still ignore Him.
And so God gives wicked people their space. He gives them their opportunity to have a life they perceive as fulfilling for themselves. Despite the many varied personalities of wicked people, some being extremely evil and some being just nice folks but screwed up in their thinking with regard to God, Christ, doctrine, and the spiritual life, but despite all of this, God allows them to pursue their own version of life.
One day it will all come to an end and then when eternity begins, they will soon forget their short little blink of a life that they had. But at least God did not deprive them of there every opportunity for life, nor deprive them of at least some semblance of happiness, though temporary and short when compared to eternity.
For unbelievers, this life is all they will ever have for any kind of happiness. They will suffer beyond imagination forever.
For believers who just refuse to get with their spiritual life, this is the only time God has to impose His discipline against them, in hopes of getting them straightened out. They will be in heaven, but they will lose all of their extra eternal blessings, blessings which are reserved for mature believers.
And likewise for negative believers, this life is the only time in which they will be given their freedom to screw up the world by their agenda driven crusades, by their opinion driven beliefs, by their imagination driven philosophies, by their self proclaimed honors and awards, by their designated action days. This is Blog Action Day, by the way.
And God keeps on watching all of their activities, day in and day out. And time marches on, and on, and on, and on. The dispensations, which were defined and implemented by God, continue. The next Biblically historical event to occur is the Rapture.
And by the way, I stumbled onto a list of 'End of the World' characteristics as defined by the Bible. I will try to remember to get that posted soon.
But anyway, those days will be filled with extensive knowledge and social life, as well as an extreme negative attitude toward God. Life will continue until God is ready to shift the gears of history. That could be tomorrow or a century from now. No one knows that timetable, except God of course.
The smart person will consider their own lifespan potential, and get with their spiritual growth. Soooo much depends on it.
Fools will ignore their destiny (in the next life) and invest all of their energy on fixing this world. A world which God has already scheduled on the calendar, for destruction.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:23
23 Though it be given [nathan] him to be in safety [betach], whereon he resteth [sha`an]; yet his eyes [`ayin] are upon their ways [derek]. KJV-Interlinear
23 'He provides them with security, and they are supported; And His eyes are on their ways. NASB
The sinners of this world owe all they are and have, to God. Just as they ignored their respective mothers, just as they regard childless women with contempt, so too people who have no interest in Gods truth, disregard God in all that He does for them.
Life is too short. Life is too busy. People have too many things they want and too many things to do in life to be bothered with such things as God, truth, or their spiritual life.
There is money to be made, a social life to pursue, entertainment to focus on. There is hustling to be had, plans to implement, goals to achieve. All of life is filled with luck, staying one step ahead of the next guy. Life is a constant barrage of barriers, prejudices, unfair practices, and consequently lots of folks to blame.
There is a world to change, animals to save, people to persuade, agendas to accomplish. Soooo many things. Soooo little time!
And yet, when it is all said and done, everyone's life will come to an end one day, and their eternity will begin. An eternity which will last trillions and trillions and gazillions of years and more, but still most folks ignore all of that infinite time and focus on their little short lifespan of perhaps a few decades on this earth.
God is gracious. He knows the ways of everyone. He knows the ways of those who ignore Him.
God knows very well that there will be some folks who, no matter what He does to convince them, they will still ignore Him.
And so God gives wicked people their space. He gives them their opportunity to have a life they perceive as fulfilling for themselves. Despite the many varied personalities of wicked people, some being extremely evil and some being just nice folks but screwed up in their thinking with regard to God, Christ, doctrine, and the spiritual life, but despite all of this, God allows them to pursue their own version of life.
One day it will all come to an end and then when eternity begins, they will soon forget their short little blink of a life that they had. But at least God did not deprive them of there every opportunity for life, nor deprive them of at least some semblance of happiness, though temporary and short when compared to eternity.
For unbelievers, this life is all they will ever have for any kind of happiness. They will suffer beyond imagination forever.
For believers who just refuse to get with their spiritual life, this is the only time God has to impose His discipline against them, in hopes of getting them straightened out. They will be in heaven, but they will lose all of their extra eternal blessings, blessings which are reserved for mature believers.
And likewise for negative believers, this life is the only time in which they will be given their freedom to screw up the world by their agenda driven crusades, by their opinion driven beliefs, by their imagination driven philosophies, by their self proclaimed honors and awards, by their designated action days. This is Blog Action Day, by the way.
And God keeps on watching all of their activities, day in and day out. And time marches on, and on, and on, and on. The dispensations, which were defined and implemented by God, continue. The next Biblically historical event to occur is the Rapture.
And by the way, I stumbled onto a list of 'End of the World' characteristics as defined by the Bible. I will try to remember to get that posted soon.
But anyway, those days will be filled with extensive knowledge and social life, as well as an extreme negative attitude toward God. Life will continue until God is ready to shift the gears of history. That could be tomorrow or a century from now. No one knows that timetable, except God of course.
The smart person will consider their own lifespan potential, and get with their spiritual growth. Soooo much depends on it.
Fools will ignore their destiny (in the next life) and invest all of their energy on fixing this world. A world which God has already scheduled on the calendar, for destruction.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Job 24:22
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:22
Job 24:22 He draweth [mashak] also the mighty ['abbiyr] with his power [koach]: he riseth up [quwm], and no man is sure ['aman] of life [chay]. KJV-Interlinear
22 'But He drags off the valiant by His power; He rises, but no one has assurance of life. NASB
The insults of the spiritually negative are not limited only toward widows and the barren, but the wicked person (anyone who does not function within the spiritual life), will also be rude toward the rich and powerful of the world.
With no assurance of breathing another breath of life with each new day, the spiritually negative take a great deal for granted. And they view things in life, through selfish eyes.
They view life with presumption. They look at all of the tomorrows, they conjure up plans and dreams or desires within their own soul. The spiritually negative want something and then presume that they will get it.
'We will go out and buy and sell and make ourselves rich. We will do this, we will accomplish that, we will have this, we will make that happen.' And their views of life are such that their plans are always reasonably certain. They will boast extensively of their plans, of their accomplishments, or of their possessions.
The spiritually negative are ungrateful for all that they have received. They certainly give no credit to God who provides everything to everyone in life. And they certainly have little regard for those whom they consider beneath their level of dignity (widows and the barren). They are typically prejudiced toward others.
Likewise, they are surrounded with other people who are above them on the social scale. To them likewise, they have little regard, except to the extent that others can do something for them. If useful, then all of the expected courtesies are extended, but once it is apparent that someone will not be of use to them, then even the rich and powerful are viewed with disdain.
And all of this in the face of the biggest truth that faces us all. Tomorrow is not ours to determine, command, or control. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
One blink, one choke, one accident away, our next breath or heartbeat may be our last.
All of life hangs by a very thin thread. And God holds that thread, and the scissors to cut it.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:22
Job 24:22 He draweth [mashak] also the mighty ['abbiyr] with his power [koach]: he riseth up [quwm], and no man is sure ['aman] of life [chay]. KJV-Interlinear
22 'But He drags off the valiant by His power; He rises, but no one has assurance of life. NASB
The insults of the spiritually negative are not limited only toward widows and the barren, but the wicked person (anyone who does not function within the spiritual life), will also be rude toward the rich and powerful of the world.
With no assurance of breathing another breath of life with each new day, the spiritually negative take a great deal for granted. And they view things in life, through selfish eyes.
They view life with presumption. They look at all of the tomorrows, they conjure up plans and dreams or desires within their own soul. The spiritually negative want something and then presume that they will get it.
'We will go out and buy and sell and make ourselves rich. We will do this, we will accomplish that, we will have this, we will make that happen.' And their views of life are such that their plans are always reasonably certain. They will boast extensively of their plans, of their accomplishments, or of their possessions.
The spiritually negative are ungrateful for all that they have received. They certainly give no credit to God who provides everything to everyone in life. And they certainly have little regard for those whom they consider beneath their level of dignity (widows and the barren). They are typically prejudiced toward others.
Likewise, they are surrounded with other people who are above them on the social scale. To them likewise, they have little regard, except to the extent that others can do something for them. If useful, then all of the expected courtesies are extended, but once it is apparent that someone will not be of use to them, then even the rich and powerful are viewed with disdain.
And all of this in the face of the biggest truth that faces us all. Tomorrow is not ours to determine, command, or control. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
One blink, one choke, one accident away, our next breath or heartbeat may be our last.
All of life hangs by a very thin thread. And God holds that thread, and the scissors to cut it.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Job 24:21
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:21
21 He evil entreateth [ra`ah] the barren [`aqar] that beareth [yalad] not: and doeth not good [yatab] to the widow ['almanah]. KJV-Interlinear
21 'He wrongs the barren woman, And does no good for the widow. NASB
The person who ignores their spiritual life, and more or less becomes a non-contributor to society, is an affront, is an insult, performs a wrong to all who try to do right in life.
The widow and the barren woman, are two examples or types of people who generally have not much say in society. They are the poor, they lack the capabilities of self-sustainment, they are those who are looked down upon by society.
If you cannot have children then there is something wrong with you, type of attitude. You are cursed, not blessed, and so forth. The widow is female obviously, and throughout history the female side of life is the lesser, the weaker, the one who lacks authority. And to be a widow makes your situation even worse, especially if you are poor.
So this is the picture which Job is painting for us.
Despite their low place within society, they are not at fault for their predicament. The woman who is barren, probably wants to have children. That would have been the desire of women back in ancient times. They would have wanted to contribute to their husbands' happiness, to the household, to their descendents, to society and so forth. The barren woman would have wanted to have and see her childen grow up and be productive and so forth. But, she was not given that opportunity in life.
As for the widow, she had a husband, and children, and wants to see her family prosper and do well in this world. Every parent wants that for and from their children. The widow held her baby in her womb for nine months, gave birth in pain, raised them, cleaned them, fed them and spent the best years of her life to help get her children off onto the right foot in their lives.
For every person who has ever been born, life is not fully evaluated until the moment of their death.
Whether you live a hundred seconds or a hundred years, makes no difference. You will not receive your life's grade until all of your time is in and you stand before the Lord.
Those who have pursued their spiritual life, legitimately, will be honored. Those who have ignored their spiritual life, as so many do, will stand before the Lord in dishonor.
And for all of the work, for all of the deepest desire, that the women of history have put into their children, or desired children, having lived a worthless life is the greatest insult that a child can give to their mothers and potential mothers of history.
One of the greatest rewards you can give to your parents, is to complete your life successfully before God.
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Job 24:21
21 He evil entreateth [ra`ah] the barren [`aqar] that beareth [yalad] not: and doeth not good [yatab] to the widow ['almanah]. KJV-Interlinear
21 'He wrongs the barren woman, And does no good for the widow. NASB
The person who ignores their spiritual life, and more or less becomes a non-contributor to society, is an affront, is an insult, performs a wrong to all who try to do right in life.
The widow and the barren woman, are two examples or types of people who generally have not much say in society. They are the poor, they lack the capabilities of self-sustainment, they are those who are looked down upon by society.
If you cannot have children then there is something wrong with you, type of attitude. You are cursed, not blessed, and so forth. The widow is female obviously, and throughout history the female side of life is the lesser, the weaker, the one who lacks authority. And to be a widow makes your situation even worse, especially if you are poor.
So this is the picture which Job is painting for us.
Despite their low place within society, they are not at fault for their predicament. The woman who is barren, probably wants to have children. That would have been the desire of women back in ancient times. They would have wanted to contribute to their husbands' happiness, to the household, to their descendents, to society and so forth. The barren woman would have wanted to have and see her childen grow up and be productive and so forth. But, she was not given that opportunity in life.
As for the widow, she had a husband, and children, and wants to see her family prosper and do well in this world. Every parent wants that for and from their children. The widow held her baby in her womb for nine months, gave birth in pain, raised them, cleaned them, fed them and spent the best years of her life to help get her children off onto the right foot in their lives.
For every person who has ever been born, life is not fully evaluated until the moment of their death.
Whether you live a hundred seconds or a hundred years, makes no difference. You will not receive your life's grade until all of your time is in and you stand before the Lord.
Those who have pursued their spiritual life, legitimately, will be honored. Those who have ignored their spiritual life, as so many do, will stand before the Lord in dishonor.
And for all of the work, for all of the deepest desire, that the women of history have put into their children, or desired children, having lived a worthless life is the greatest insult that a child can give to their mothers and potential mothers of history.
One of the greatest rewards you can give to your parents, is to complete your life successfully before God.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Job 24:20
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:20
20 The womb [rechem] shall forget [shakach] him; the worm [rimmah] shall feed sweetly [mathaq] on him; he shall be no more remembered [zakar]; and wickedness [`evel] shall be broken [shabar] as a tree [`ets]. KJV-Interlinear
20 'A mother will forget him; The worm feeds sweetly till he is remembered no more. And wickedness will be broken like a tree. NASB
History has recorded many a wicked person and we all know of them and their deeds from our history books.
But there are far more people that have lived in history, than have made it into the history books. There have been estimates of a hundred-billion people who have been born into his world since Adam and Eve, and other estimates numbering into the trillions.
The history books have recorded maybe a few thousand people's names, if that many??
So how many of those unrecorded folks do you remember?
Almost none.
And here we have yet another symbol describing those folks who have lived evil, or wicked, or otherwise not so nice lives, and the world did not even know them, nor noticed their passing, nor has a memory of them.
Even the womb loses its memory of the child it once held. And that even happens very soon after birth. After a baby is born, the womb begins its process of shedding all of the birthing apparatus. It shrinks back to some sort of normal shape. And unless you had known the mother, within a few days or weeks, you cannot tell that a woman has just given birth.
At least not from the appearance from her waistline. And even if you suspected, no normal person would make any comments. What if you were wrong?
And likewise, a mother who has raised a wicked child, with the passing of many decades, will lose her memory of that childs reputation. Of course if the child has been really bad and has met with a violent death, then the mothers memory will linger. But, we are talking of those individuals who do not leave this world so dramatically.
The wicked may grow up as do trees. They have long lives, but because of their lack of a spiritual life, they rot from the inside. An old and rotten tree will one day collapse from its own weight.
No one is the wiser. Any old tree may look ok from the outside, but its insides are rotten, and the first time a storm comes along, or from the simple act of gravity, it will finally topple over in death.
In the grave, the worms and maggots of death care nothing, nor are they impressed, with the lifestyle or status that the person has had during his life. Death is not interested in your talent, wealth, or looks.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:20
20 The womb [rechem] shall forget [shakach] him; the worm [rimmah] shall feed sweetly [mathaq] on him; he shall be no more remembered [zakar]; and wickedness [`evel] shall be broken [shabar] as a tree [`ets]. KJV-Interlinear
20 'A mother will forget him; The worm feeds sweetly till he is remembered no more. And wickedness will be broken like a tree. NASB
History has recorded many a wicked person and we all know of them and their deeds from our history books.
But there are far more people that have lived in history, than have made it into the history books. There have been estimates of a hundred-billion people who have been born into his world since Adam and Eve, and other estimates numbering into the trillions.
The history books have recorded maybe a few thousand people's names, if that many??
So how many of those unrecorded folks do you remember?
Almost none.
And here we have yet another symbol describing those folks who have lived evil, or wicked, or otherwise not so nice lives, and the world did not even know them, nor noticed their passing, nor has a memory of them.
Even the womb loses its memory of the child it once held. And that even happens very soon after birth. After a baby is born, the womb begins its process of shedding all of the birthing apparatus. It shrinks back to some sort of normal shape. And unless you had known the mother, within a few days or weeks, you cannot tell that a woman has just given birth.
At least not from the appearance from her waistline. And even if you suspected, no normal person would make any comments. What if you were wrong?
And likewise, a mother who has raised a wicked child, with the passing of many decades, will lose her memory of that childs reputation. Of course if the child has been really bad and has met with a violent death, then the mothers memory will linger. But, we are talking of those individuals who do not leave this world so dramatically.
The wicked may grow up as do trees. They have long lives, but because of their lack of a spiritual life, they rot from the inside. An old and rotten tree will one day collapse from its own weight.
No one is the wiser. Any old tree may look ok from the outside, but its insides are rotten, and the first time a storm comes along, or from the simple act of gravity, it will finally topple over in death.
In the grave, the worms and maggots of death care nothing, nor are they impressed, with the lifestyle or status that the person has had during his life. Death is not interested in your talent, wealth, or looks.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Job 24:19
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:19
19 Drought [tsiyah] and heat [chom] consume [gazal] the snow [sheleg] waters [mayim]: so doth the grave [sha'owl] those which have sinned [chata']. KJV-Interlinear
19 'Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned. NASB
The subject of Jobs illustration here is the cheater, the wicked, the liar, the murderer, the adulterer and so forth.
Jobs friends have suggested that all wicked people get what is due to them, in this life. Job disagrees. In fact, there are many wicked people who live there lives fully, during this life and they go to the grave peacefully.
So with that being said, you cannot look at someone and know, for sure, that they have been either a good person or a bad one, spiritually. And that is Jobs point here.
Job is suffering and his friends believe that his suffering is proof that Job has led a secretly wicked life, and that God is now demonstrating that fact to everyone. His friends believe that wicked people will be made to suffer publicly. Job is suffering therefore he is wicked.
The principle that wicked people will suffer is a true principle, but the conclusion as to when they will suffer, is not.
Jobs illustration here covers that principle. The winter brings snows. The spring melt brings water into the streams and rivers and finally to the oceans. Everyone along the way will have access to that water. They fill up their ponds and cisterns for summer irrigation.
But by late summer or fall, that water may well be gone. Use of the water, evaporation, and the running of the water downstream will see it all vanish away.
The water goes away silently, without pomp, without notice. One day the streams are full and the next day the water levels are lower.
Throughout the day and night, the water keeps moving constantly. No one caused the snow to fall in the mountains, no one caused the snows to melt, no one caused the water to flow down the mountain and down the streams and rivers, and no one can prevent its use, evaporation, or vanishing into the dry parched earth.
Sheol is the 'land of the dead.'
Sheol exists in the underworld called Hades. You recall that Hades has four compartments. Believers, who died prior to the Cross, went to Paradise, and unbelievers when they die go to Torments.
Paradise is empty now, and is no longer in use. Christ led all of its occupants into heaven immediately after the Cross. They were led in a victory parade that must have been enormous.
Torments is still in use and there, all unbelievers continue to wait their resurrection before the Great White Throne judgment, which will occur at the end of human history, at the end of the Millennium.
Anyway, all people when they die, leave this earth. Death has no favorites. Death will take everyone.
Whether they are rich or poor, from any color, good or bad, from any culture, smart or dumb, fat or thin, and on and on and on, death has no prejudices.
And Jobs point here is that even the wicked, like the summer melting snows, can evaporate from this life slowly and gently without violence, until they are gone.
There is nothing written that mandates the wicked to suffer in this life. And by that we mean that they do not have to suffer publicly. There are many a terrorist who believe that they are going to Paradise, and they will go to their death with that peaceful thought in their minds. What a surprise to them when they get there and discover it has been closed for quite some time now. Hummm, must be out of virgins!
Of course all wicked people are not only unbelievers. There are many believers who pursue the wicked life as well. But no matter.
Life will treat every person according to the sovereign will of God. Some will have prosperous lives and some will not. Some will pursue their spiritual life and some will not.
God has a plan for each persons life, and neither you nor I can know the details of that plan for ourselves (except from hindsight) let alone anyone else. Therefore, judging others is not our place.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:19
19 Drought [tsiyah] and heat [chom] consume [gazal] the snow [sheleg] waters [mayim]: so doth the grave [sha'owl] those which have sinned [chata']. KJV-Interlinear
19 'Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned. NASB
The subject of Jobs illustration here is the cheater, the wicked, the liar, the murderer, the adulterer and so forth.
Jobs friends have suggested that all wicked people get what is due to them, in this life. Job disagrees. In fact, there are many wicked people who live there lives fully, during this life and they go to the grave peacefully.
So with that being said, you cannot look at someone and know, for sure, that they have been either a good person or a bad one, spiritually. And that is Jobs point here.
Job is suffering and his friends believe that his suffering is proof that Job has led a secretly wicked life, and that God is now demonstrating that fact to everyone. His friends believe that wicked people will be made to suffer publicly. Job is suffering therefore he is wicked.
The principle that wicked people will suffer is a true principle, but the conclusion as to when they will suffer, is not.
Jobs illustration here covers that principle. The winter brings snows. The spring melt brings water into the streams and rivers and finally to the oceans. Everyone along the way will have access to that water. They fill up their ponds and cisterns for summer irrigation.
But by late summer or fall, that water may well be gone. Use of the water, evaporation, and the running of the water downstream will see it all vanish away.
The water goes away silently, without pomp, without notice. One day the streams are full and the next day the water levels are lower.
Throughout the day and night, the water keeps moving constantly. No one caused the snow to fall in the mountains, no one caused the snows to melt, no one caused the water to flow down the mountain and down the streams and rivers, and no one can prevent its use, evaporation, or vanishing into the dry parched earth.
Sheol is the 'land of the dead.'
Sheol exists in the underworld called Hades. You recall that Hades has four compartments. Believers, who died prior to the Cross, went to Paradise, and unbelievers when they die go to Torments.
Paradise is empty now, and is no longer in use. Christ led all of its occupants into heaven immediately after the Cross. They were led in a victory parade that must have been enormous.
Torments is still in use and there, all unbelievers continue to wait their resurrection before the Great White Throne judgment, which will occur at the end of human history, at the end of the Millennium.
Anyway, all people when they die, leave this earth. Death has no favorites. Death will take everyone.
Whether they are rich or poor, from any color, good or bad, from any culture, smart or dumb, fat or thin, and on and on and on, death has no prejudices.
And Jobs point here is that even the wicked, like the summer melting snows, can evaporate from this life slowly and gently without violence, until they are gone.
There is nothing written that mandates the wicked to suffer in this life. And by that we mean that they do not have to suffer publicly. There are many a terrorist who believe that they are going to Paradise, and they will go to their death with that peaceful thought in their minds. What a surprise to them when they get there and discover it has been closed for quite some time now. Hummm, must be out of virgins!
Of course all wicked people are not only unbelievers. There are many believers who pursue the wicked life as well. But no matter.
Life will treat every person according to the sovereign will of God. Some will have prosperous lives and some will not. Some will pursue their spiritual life and some will not.
God has a plan for each persons life, and neither you nor I can know the details of that plan for ourselves (except from hindsight) let alone anyone else. Therefore, judging others is not our place.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Job 24:18
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:18
18 He is swift [qal] as the waters [paniym] [mayim]; their portion [chelqah] is cursed [qalal] in the earth ['erets]: he beholdeth [panah] not the way [derek] of the vineyards [kerem]. KJV-Interlinear
18 'They are insignificant on the surface of the water; Their portion is cursed on the earth. They do not turn toward the vineyards. NASB
The 'insignificance on the water' takes on two meanings. The first is that of skim or some sort of residue that sits on the surface of the water and does not sink into it. It carries no weight, is not generally noticeable, and it has no distinguishing features.
The second meaning is that of a skiff, or some sort of flat-bottomed boat, which glides silently along the water. It causes no ripples to speak of, and does not generally disturb the waters around it.
The waters here are fast moving. They represent time and history. The waters are wide and deep and that which rides along with them are insignificant by comparison. Like a boat on a swift ocean current.
And so the life of the person who disregards God, Christ, doctrine, and their spiritual life, is exactly like that of the skim or a skiff boat. They are insignificant, they glide along without having much of an impact on history. They certainly cannot control history. They are carried away swiftly, unnoticed, and when gone, are forgotten.
They are nothing more than historical filler. Their life, when over, will have had no meaning or contribution whatsoever.
And all of this in spite of their attitude of self importance and greatness. Negative people think highly of themselves. They presume their input into life and history, to be of great value, when in fact their whole life adds up to nothing more than zero.
There are two opinions in existence - Gods and everything else. Gods opinion is truth. Everything else is a lie. Lies are cursed. Anything that is cursed is afflicted with error or harm, is despicable, is irritating, has a destiny of ruin and destruction.
By default anyone who rejects truth, subscribes to that which is cursed. They reject that which is normal and true. The function of the vineyard is used here by Job to symbolize that which is normal, and honorable, and true.
No matter how long a wicked person lives, when compared to eternity, and even by looking back on history, their life has gone by swiftly. How many of the tens of billions of people from history, have you known?
Most you will never know. And yet they lived ten years, fifty years and many, many more, and still their lives have passed by as though the clock was standing still. In a blink, they have all vanished.
That is the skim on the water. Most of it you never see and when it has passed by, it vanishes permanently.
As for the skiff boat, no waves, no noise, no impact on history. People cannot control history. History is far too great for man to control, yet man tries with all of his might to have history remember his contribution.
If you walk along the seashore, and kick the water, will it impact the oceans of the world?
And so is your contribution to life, to history, to humanity, when you ignore your spiritual life. Humanity is a speck of dust, a nothing, a worm, but the negative person has an ego as high as the sky despite their insignificance.
When man rejects truth, he lives in total darkness, and in darkness he is easily confused, disoriented, and his imagination is the only thing which seems to function. Unfortunately, it tends toward the bizarre. It has nowhere else to go.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:18
18 He is swift [qal] as the waters [paniym] [mayim]; their portion [chelqah] is cursed [qalal] in the earth ['erets]: he beholdeth [panah] not the way [derek] of the vineyards [kerem]. KJV-Interlinear
18 'They are insignificant on the surface of the water; Their portion is cursed on the earth. They do not turn toward the vineyards. NASB
The 'insignificance on the water' takes on two meanings. The first is that of skim or some sort of residue that sits on the surface of the water and does not sink into it. It carries no weight, is not generally noticeable, and it has no distinguishing features.
The second meaning is that of a skiff, or some sort of flat-bottomed boat, which glides silently along the water. It causes no ripples to speak of, and does not generally disturb the waters around it.
The waters here are fast moving. They represent time and history. The waters are wide and deep and that which rides along with them are insignificant by comparison. Like a boat on a swift ocean current.
And so the life of the person who disregards God, Christ, doctrine, and their spiritual life, is exactly like that of the skim or a skiff boat. They are insignificant, they glide along without having much of an impact on history. They certainly cannot control history. They are carried away swiftly, unnoticed, and when gone, are forgotten.
They are nothing more than historical filler. Their life, when over, will have had no meaning or contribution whatsoever.
And all of this in spite of their attitude of self importance and greatness. Negative people think highly of themselves. They presume their input into life and history, to be of great value, when in fact their whole life adds up to nothing more than zero.
There are two opinions in existence - Gods and everything else. Gods opinion is truth. Everything else is a lie. Lies are cursed. Anything that is cursed is afflicted with error or harm, is despicable, is irritating, has a destiny of ruin and destruction.
By default anyone who rejects truth, subscribes to that which is cursed. They reject that which is normal and true. The function of the vineyard is used here by Job to symbolize that which is normal, and honorable, and true.
No matter how long a wicked person lives, when compared to eternity, and even by looking back on history, their life has gone by swiftly. How many of the tens of billions of people from history, have you known?
Most you will never know. And yet they lived ten years, fifty years and many, many more, and still their lives have passed by as though the clock was standing still. In a blink, they have all vanished.
That is the skim on the water. Most of it you never see and when it has passed by, it vanishes permanently.
As for the skiff boat, no waves, no noise, no impact on history. People cannot control history. History is far too great for man to control, yet man tries with all of his might to have history remember his contribution.
If you walk along the seashore, and kick the water, will it impact the oceans of the world?
And so is your contribution to life, to history, to humanity, when you ignore your spiritual life. Humanity is a speck of dust, a nothing, a worm, but the negative person has an ego as high as the sky despite their insignificance.
When man rejects truth, he lives in total darkness, and in darkness he is easily confused, disoriented, and his imagination is the only thing which seems to function. Unfortunately, it tends toward the bizarre. It has nowhere else to go.
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