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.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Job 24:17
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 24:17
17 For the morning [boqer] is to them even as [yachad] the shadow of death [tsalmaveth]: if one know [nakar] them, they are in the terrors [ballahah] of the shadow of death [tsalmaveth]. KJV-Interlinear
17 'For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness, For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness. NASB
The light is where one can see everything. Nothing is hidden from view. In the light a person can look around and see where he is, where he has come from, and where he is going. In the light a person can discern dangers from safety. In the light a person can enjoy life, with full awareness of everything around him.
The darkness here is a thick darkness. It is a darkness that has no light in it.
Even at night, on the darkest of nights, there is at least a little bit of light. Either from the moon, or stars, from nearby city lights, or reflections of some type, but at least in the night there is a little light such that a person can get around, or feel his way along with some semblance of orientation. We can even use night vision glasses these days.
But this darkness is an extreme darkness where there is no light whatsoever. Not even technology of today, or from a thousand years into our future can peer into this darkness. All senses of smell, taste, touch, hearing, and sight, cease to function.
And in this darkness there is terrible fear. One cannot see where he is, where he has come from, or where he is going. There is no orientation whatsoever. No knowledge, no means of determining ones status, or even of how to get out of the darkness.
Now, under these circumstances, the normal person would rejoice at the morning light, and fear the thick darkness as it approaches.
The shadow is a fuzzy area in between light and darkness. One can see both extremes, and again, the normal person can look at the darkness and at the light, and turn to the light because in it is security, and knowledge, and understanding, and comfort and so forth.
But this is for the normal person.
The person who rejects truth, is abnormal. The person who is indifferent toward truth is abnormal. The person who attempts to alter or compromise truth, is abnormal.
Such a person turns all normal things into the abnormal and all abnormal things into the normal.
The spiritually negative person, the wicked person, embraces the deep darkness and finds comfort within it. They relish in the unknown, but they substitute their own beliefs and invent their own security. Their desire to not be found out is so great, their indifference toward truth is so great, that they fear the light, they fear truth, and hide in the darkness of life.
They are able to see from the shadows, both ends of the spectrum. Their decisions to move toward the lies (darkness) of this life are made freely and apart from any coercion.
From the shadows of life, everyone in life knows the repercussions of living in the light of Gods word, and the repercussions of living in the darkness outside of Gods word.
No one has any excuses when their life finally ends, and all come face to face with Christ and their ultimate judgment or evaluation.
All believers will face Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ (this is where you should want to be - believe in Christ and you will be here), and all unbelievers will face Christ at the Great White Throne (this is the place you should want to avoid - do not believe in Christ and you will end up here).
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:17
17 For the morning [boqer] is to them even as [yachad] the shadow of death [tsalmaveth]: if one know [nakar] them, they are in the terrors [ballahah] of the shadow of death [tsalmaveth]. KJV-Interlinear
17 'For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness, For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness. NASB
The light is where one can see everything. Nothing is hidden from view. In the light a person can look around and see where he is, where he has come from, and where he is going. In the light a person can discern dangers from safety. In the light a person can enjoy life, with full awareness of everything around him.
The darkness here is a thick darkness. It is a darkness that has no light in it.
Even at night, on the darkest of nights, there is at least a little bit of light. Either from the moon, or stars, from nearby city lights, or reflections of some type, but at least in the night there is a little light such that a person can get around, or feel his way along with some semblance of orientation. We can even use night vision glasses these days.
But this darkness is an extreme darkness where there is no light whatsoever. Not even technology of today, or from a thousand years into our future can peer into this darkness. All senses of smell, taste, touch, hearing, and sight, cease to function.
And in this darkness there is terrible fear. One cannot see where he is, where he has come from, or where he is going. There is no orientation whatsoever. No knowledge, no means of determining ones status, or even of how to get out of the darkness.
Now, under these circumstances, the normal person would rejoice at the morning light, and fear the thick darkness as it approaches.
The shadow is a fuzzy area in between light and darkness. One can see both extremes, and again, the normal person can look at the darkness and at the light, and turn to the light because in it is security, and knowledge, and understanding, and comfort and so forth.
But this is for the normal person.
The person who rejects truth, is abnormal. The person who is indifferent toward truth is abnormal. The person who attempts to alter or compromise truth, is abnormal.
Such a person turns all normal things into the abnormal and all abnormal things into the normal.
The spiritually negative person, the wicked person, embraces the deep darkness and finds comfort within it. They relish in the unknown, but they substitute their own beliefs and invent their own security. Their desire to not be found out is so great, their indifference toward truth is so great, that they fear the light, they fear truth, and hide in the darkness of life.
They are able to see from the shadows, both ends of the spectrum. Their decisions to move toward the lies (darkness) of this life are made freely and apart from any coercion.
From the shadows of life, everyone in life knows the repercussions of living in the light of Gods word, and the repercussions of living in the darkness outside of Gods word.
No one has any excuses when their life finally ends, and all come face to face with Christ and their ultimate judgment or evaluation.
All believers will face Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ (this is where you should want to be - believe in Christ and you will be here), and all unbelievers will face Christ at the Great White Throne (this is the place you should want to avoid - do not believe in Christ and you will end up here).
Monday, October 8, 2007
Job 24:16
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 24:16
16 In the dark [choshek] they dig through [chathar] houses [bayith], which they had marked [chatham] for themselves in the daytime [yowmam]: they know [yada`] not the light ['owr]. KJV-Interlinear
16 'In the dark they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light. NASB
Robbery, theft, burglary, is the act of taking something of someone else's, which does not belong to you, and taking it without their consent or permission. Robbery is the taking of property to make it your own, or so that you can dispose of it for other property, such as money.
Robbery is the third sin mentioned by Job in these last few verses.
The murderer takes life. He removes the life of others with little regard for them. Adultery betrays faithfulness. The adulterer cares nothing for anyone else, but cares only for self. The robber takes, and cares nothing for the rights of another to ownership and privacy, and the enjoyment of his own property.
And in every case, every person who rejects or ignores their spiritual life, is guilty of all three of these sins.
By their disregard of truth, they set examples which lead others into sins, and thus contribute to the spiritual downfall (murder, adultery, theft) of others.
By their disregard of truth, they cancel their rights to blessings, and thus in order to make it in life, they have to take that which does not belong to them.
In the Old Testament, property or real estate, was owned by its original owners. If it was ever lost due to the shenanigans of government or others, then every fifty years, in the year of Jubilee, all property was restored to its original owner.
This sets out the principle for the restoration of all original property to believers, to whom it has been originally promised. That restoration will occur at the end of human history, at the beginning of the New Universe.
In the Garden, Satan originally stole through deception, mans property. Throughout the ages, people have obtained and lost property in every way you can think of.
And as Job has stated in his argument, all sins are not going to be resolved during ones lifetime.
The robber uses the light, the truths of God, to check out his prey, and during the night, outside of truth, they will go to extreme efforts in sneaking up on their victims' home, digging through the clay walls, going inside, taking whatever it is they want to steal, and then leaving. They cannot usually set out in the public view, their newly obtained items, so they have to hide them, or sell them and otherwise conceal the true nature of their livelihood.
Robbery is a lot of work. More work than one would have to do if one worked in a legitimate occupation.
Work in this jungle environment of the earth can be difficult, but it is less effort than robbery. And, if a person pursues their spiritual life, then God absorbs a great deal of ones effort, making life just that much easier, and secure.
The spiritually negative person is no better than a murder, taking his own life and destroying the true nature of life for others.
He is an adulterer, unfaithful to his own self, to God, and to everyone else in life. When one is unfaithful to God, Christ, doctrine and their spiritual life, they lack the capacity and ability of faithfulness in every other category of relationship in life.
And he is a robber. Everything he has, he is not entitled to. Blessings of life are intended for positive believers, members of Gods family, heirs to His possessions, the bride of Christ, and so forth.
Since God owns everything, then anyone outside of His family, will not have an inheritance, and will not be entitled to anything which belongs to truth. Their destiny is the Lake of Fire.
Even among believers, the blessings of heaven will be varied. Mature believers will receive the greater portions, and those who lack in their spiritual life, will receive less.
The robbers, the murderers, the adulterers, all reject truth (light), and Job closes out this verse with the statement that they 'know not' the light. And this 'not knowing' comes by choice through indifference toward truth.
If you are indifferent, or apathetic toward your spiritual life, then you are numbered among the wicked of life. You are indifferent simply by not pursuing your spiritual life, or by pursuing something else. You may say you are interested, but your own actions or pattern of life, are the testimony either for or against you.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:16
16 In the dark [choshek] they dig through [chathar] houses [bayith], which they had marked [chatham] for themselves in the daytime [yowmam]: they know [yada`] not the light ['owr]. KJV-Interlinear
16 'In the dark they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light. NASB
Robbery, theft, burglary, is the act of taking something of someone else's, which does not belong to you, and taking it without their consent or permission. Robbery is the taking of property to make it your own, or so that you can dispose of it for other property, such as money.
Robbery is the third sin mentioned by Job in these last few verses.
The murderer takes life. He removes the life of others with little regard for them. Adultery betrays faithfulness. The adulterer cares nothing for anyone else, but cares only for self. The robber takes, and cares nothing for the rights of another to ownership and privacy, and the enjoyment of his own property.
And in every case, every person who rejects or ignores their spiritual life, is guilty of all three of these sins.
By their disregard of truth, they set examples which lead others into sins, and thus contribute to the spiritual downfall (murder, adultery, theft) of others.
By their disregard of truth, they cancel their rights to blessings, and thus in order to make it in life, they have to take that which does not belong to them.
In the Old Testament, property or real estate, was owned by its original owners. If it was ever lost due to the shenanigans of government or others, then every fifty years, in the year of Jubilee, all property was restored to its original owner.
This sets out the principle for the restoration of all original property to believers, to whom it has been originally promised. That restoration will occur at the end of human history, at the beginning of the New Universe.
In the Garden, Satan originally stole through deception, mans property. Throughout the ages, people have obtained and lost property in every way you can think of.
And as Job has stated in his argument, all sins are not going to be resolved during ones lifetime.
The robber uses the light, the truths of God, to check out his prey, and during the night, outside of truth, they will go to extreme efforts in sneaking up on their victims' home, digging through the clay walls, going inside, taking whatever it is they want to steal, and then leaving. They cannot usually set out in the public view, their newly obtained items, so they have to hide them, or sell them and otherwise conceal the true nature of their livelihood.
Robbery is a lot of work. More work than one would have to do if one worked in a legitimate occupation.
Work in this jungle environment of the earth can be difficult, but it is less effort than robbery. And, if a person pursues their spiritual life, then God absorbs a great deal of ones effort, making life just that much easier, and secure.
The spiritually negative person is no better than a murder, taking his own life and destroying the true nature of life for others.
He is an adulterer, unfaithful to his own self, to God, and to everyone else in life. When one is unfaithful to God, Christ, doctrine and their spiritual life, they lack the capacity and ability of faithfulness in every other category of relationship in life.
And he is a robber. Everything he has, he is not entitled to. Blessings of life are intended for positive believers, members of Gods family, heirs to His possessions, the bride of Christ, and so forth.
Since God owns everything, then anyone outside of His family, will not have an inheritance, and will not be entitled to anything which belongs to truth. Their destiny is the Lake of Fire.
Even among believers, the blessings of heaven will be varied. Mature believers will receive the greater portions, and those who lack in their spiritual life, will receive less.
The robbers, the murderers, the adulterers, all reject truth (light), and Job closes out this verse with the statement that they 'know not' the light. And this 'not knowing' comes by choice through indifference toward truth.
If you are indifferent, or apathetic toward your spiritual life, then you are numbered among the wicked of life. You are indifferent simply by not pursuing your spiritual life, or by pursuing something else. You may say you are interested, but your own actions or pattern of life, are the testimony either for or against you.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Job 24:15
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 24:15
15 The eye [`ayin] also of the adulterer [na'aph] waiteth [shamar] for the twilight [nesheph], saying ['amar], No eye [`ayin] shall see [shuwr] me: and disguiseth [cether] [suwm] his face [paniym]. KJV-Interlinear
15 'And the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me.' And he disguises his face. NASB
Adultery is infidelity, disloyalty, unfaithfulness, betrayal, falseness, treachery, and deceitfulness. It is the cheating of ones commitment to ones rightful partner or companion, or spouse.
The Bible is a long series of parables, wherein God uses the attributes of this life to illustrate and teach the principles of the spiritual life.
God established the divine principle of the institution of marriage to teach the principles of our relationship with God through truth.
To be spiritually alone is not good. Spiritual aloneness is a life without God.
God set out the institution of marriage in order to bring two people, who otherwise are incomplete in themselves, together in order to make them complete, and as one person.
In marriage, there is intimacy. Intimacy brings two people closer and serves to bind their relationship with a tighter bonding force.
In the spiritual life, we, humanity, function in the role of the female. God is the masculine side of the relationship. Our marriage begins with our faith in Christ, or our salvation. Our intimacy is Gods Word, received into our soul by means of our daily study. The bonding agent or muscle of the relationship becomes faith.
Adultery is our infidelity, our unfaithfulness, toward God with respect to our failure to function within our spiritual life.
Homosexuality, religion, philosophies and so forth are all forms of spiritual adultery. They are all pursued by the free will and choice of the individual, as God, Christ, doctrine, and the legitimate spiritual life are rejected, compromised, or substituted with these other beliefs.
Too often, people tend to agonize over various functions in their temporal life, such as whether or not they can or should get divorced and so forth, when they have a greater problem in that they have failed to pursue their spiritual life. Something, which is far more important.
All functions of the temporal life are meaningless if you have no functioning spiritual life. All functions of the temporal life take on meaning and purpose when you are advancing within your spiritual life.
If you do not have a relationship with God, then you cannot have any relationships, meaningful ones that is, with yourself or anyone else.
When you are oriented to God first, then everything else will fall into place.
Twilight is the time of day when the light and darkness become obscure, when it is difficult to tell the difference between the two. And such is the nature of the adulterer.
He or she, as the case may be, tries to find meaning in obscurity, and that cannot be done. They hide in the compromises of their own thoughts. Their lusts, their desires, their insecurities drive there wants and needs. Their lack of doctrine, lack of spiritual growth means they are lacking in capacity for life, and therefore they will never be satisfied no matter how green the grass is on the other side of the fence.
But as with everything else, the adulterer cannot hide their transgressions. God sees everything. God sees their emptiness of soul, as well as their emptiness of integrity.
People who lack in their spiritual life, will tend to make a big deal about other peoples failure to follow the rules in life.
People who pursue their spiritual life and are growing up toward spiritual maturity, aren't bothered by the failures of others in life. The world is full of those kinds of things.
Jesus Christ controls history, not man. Review the Winds of History chart when you get the chance.
Oh, and one more thing. The penalty of adultery is death. When you reject Christ in salvation, your penalty is the Lake of Fire. When you reject your spiritual life, or fellowship as a believer, then your penalty is fellowship death or a non-functioning spiritual life.
The temporal death penalties by stoning and so forth (and pay attention now), serve to teach us of the extreme (repeat extreme), importance of maintaining our relationship with God.
Your spiritual life is the single most important possession you can have in life. Be true to your spiritual life and it will reward you immensely. Likewise, be true to the things of your temporal life (spiritual first), and they will be sources of blessing as well.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:15
15 The eye [`ayin] also of the adulterer [na'aph] waiteth [shamar] for the twilight [nesheph], saying ['amar], No eye [`ayin] shall see [shuwr] me: and disguiseth [cether] [suwm] his face [paniym]. KJV-Interlinear
15 'And the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me.' And he disguises his face. NASB
Adultery is infidelity, disloyalty, unfaithfulness, betrayal, falseness, treachery, and deceitfulness. It is the cheating of ones commitment to ones rightful partner or companion, or spouse.
The Bible is a long series of parables, wherein God uses the attributes of this life to illustrate and teach the principles of the spiritual life.
God established the divine principle of the institution of marriage to teach the principles of our relationship with God through truth.
To be spiritually alone is not good. Spiritual aloneness is a life without God.
God set out the institution of marriage in order to bring two people, who otherwise are incomplete in themselves, together in order to make them complete, and as one person.
In marriage, there is intimacy. Intimacy brings two people closer and serves to bind their relationship with a tighter bonding force.
In the spiritual life, we, humanity, function in the role of the female. God is the masculine side of the relationship. Our marriage begins with our faith in Christ, or our salvation. Our intimacy is Gods Word, received into our soul by means of our daily study. The bonding agent or muscle of the relationship becomes faith.
Adultery is our infidelity, our unfaithfulness, toward God with respect to our failure to function within our spiritual life.
Homosexuality, religion, philosophies and so forth are all forms of spiritual adultery. They are all pursued by the free will and choice of the individual, as God, Christ, doctrine, and the legitimate spiritual life are rejected, compromised, or substituted with these other beliefs.
Too often, people tend to agonize over various functions in their temporal life, such as whether or not they can or should get divorced and so forth, when they have a greater problem in that they have failed to pursue their spiritual life. Something, which is far more important.
All functions of the temporal life are meaningless if you have no functioning spiritual life. All functions of the temporal life take on meaning and purpose when you are advancing within your spiritual life.
If you do not have a relationship with God, then you cannot have any relationships, meaningful ones that is, with yourself or anyone else.
When you are oriented to God first, then everything else will fall into place.
Twilight is the time of day when the light and darkness become obscure, when it is difficult to tell the difference between the two. And such is the nature of the adulterer.
He or she, as the case may be, tries to find meaning in obscurity, and that cannot be done. They hide in the compromises of their own thoughts. Their lusts, their desires, their insecurities drive there wants and needs. Their lack of doctrine, lack of spiritual growth means they are lacking in capacity for life, and therefore they will never be satisfied no matter how green the grass is on the other side of the fence.
But as with everything else, the adulterer cannot hide their transgressions. God sees everything. God sees their emptiness of soul, as well as their emptiness of integrity.
People who lack in their spiritual life, will tend to make a big deal about other peoples failure to follow the rules in life.
People who pursue their spiritual life and are growing up toward spiritual maturity, aren't bothered by the failures of others in life. The world is full of those kinds of things.
Jesus Christ controls history, not man. Review the Winds of History chart when you get the chance.
Oh, and one more thing. The penalty of adultery is death. When you reject Christ in salvation, your penalty is the Lake of Fire. When you reject your spiritual life, or fellowship as a believer, then your penalty is fellowship death or a non-functioning spiritual life.
The temporal death penalties by stoning and so forth (and pay attention now), serve to teach us of the extreme (repeat extreme), importance of maintaining our relationship with God.
Your spiritual life is the single most important possession you can have in life. Be true to your spiritual life and it will reward you immensely. Likewise, be true to the things of your temporal life (spiritual first), and they will be sources of blessing as well.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Job 24:14
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 24:14
14 The murderer [ratsach] rising [quwm] with the light ['owr] killeth [qatal] the poor [`aniy] and needy ['ebyown], and in the night [layil] is as a thief [gannab]. KJV-Interlinear
14 'The murderer arises at dawn; He kills the poor and the needy, And at night he is as a thief. NASB
In these next few verses, Job describes three categories of sinners. Those who take away life, those who are unfaithful to life and those who take things that do not belong to them.
The murderer is among the seven worst sins, Prov. 6:16. The only overt sin to make that list, by the way.
Each person who is born into this world has the right to pursue their life to the best of their ability, to make choices, to come to know God or to reject Him.
Anyone who denies them that right by taking their life away from them, is among the worst of the worst.
A person cannot come back from the dead and resume their life. They are forever stopped from participating in life. Murder is the quintessence of selfishness, and the ultimate in the theft of ones right to making ones own decisions in life, even to having a life.
Everyone is dependant on God for life, and in that respect everyone is classified as poor and needy. But just living in this world, and because of the nature of the jungle of this world, there are folks who lack many advantages and opportunities in life. They are often times exposed to criminal activities because of the environment in which they live.
But even though the murderer is the lowest of the low, they are still no different than any other person who pursues wickedness.
Light, or the light of the sun, or any light per se, correlates in the Bible with the light of truth.
Everyone who is born into this world, is raised or grows up within the light of truth. Truth is all around. Truth, or the knowledge of it, saturates the earth. Truth is the only force that can stabilize the evils of this world. There is no one who does not have at least some exposure to truth, and therefore there is no one who does not grow up with at least some knowledge of good morals and standards for living.
People know right from wrong, and murder is definitely wrong.
In the ancient world, a murderer would rise up very early and go out to do his dastardly deed. Premeditated because his objective in murder is theft, and therefore his objective is to leave no witnesses in the event he gets caught in the act.
We certainly have murders which are acts of passion, revenge, hate, self-righteousness, and such, but in every case, the taking of ones life is the ultimate theft of someone's future opportunities and right to make their own choices.
Murder is prohibited by God, Gen. 9:5-6, Ex. 20:13, Deu. 5:17, Rom. 13:9. The sin and crimes of murder need to be distinguished from the legal due process of capital punishment or acts taken during war.
Removing the life of another by means of a criminal act, can never advance your own life nor solve any desires or beliefs you may have. Certainly, committing murder in order to get possession of someone's things, will never help your own life.
God provides everything we all need and in a timely manner. All it takes is a dedication to ones spiritual life.
To commit a murder is the ultimate rejection of Gods support, of His promises, and of His plan for ones life.
Everything that comes from God is permanent, legitimate and proper.
Everything that comes from sin or crime, is temporary, illegitimate, and improper.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:14
14 The murderer [ratsach] rising [quwm] with the light ['owr] killeth [qatal] the poor [`aniy] and needy ['ebyown], and in the night [layil] is as a thief [gannab]. KJV-Interlinear
14 'The murderer arises at dawn; He kills the poor and the needy, And at night he is as a thief. NASB
In these next few verses, Job describes three categories of sinners. Those who take away life, those who are unfaithful to life and those who take things that do not belong to them.
The murderer is among the seven worst sins, Prov. 6:16. The only overt sin to make that list, by the way.
Each person who is born into this world has the right to pursue their life to the best of their ability, to make choices, to come to know God or to reject Him.
Anyone who denies them that right by taking their life away from them, is among the worst of the worst.
A person cannot come back from the dead and resume their life. They are forever stopped from participating in life. Murder is the quintessence of selfishness, and the ultimate in the theft of ones right to making ones own decisions in life, even to having a life.
Everyone is dependant on God for life, and in that respect everyone is classified as poor and needy. But just living in this world, and because of the nature of the jungle of this world, there are folks who lack many advantages and opportunities in life. They are often times exposed to criminal activities because of the environment in which they live.
But even though the murderer is the lowest of the low, they are still no different than any other person who pursues wickedness.
Light, or the light of the sun, or any light per se, correlates in the Bible with the light of truth.
Everyone who is born into this world, is raised or grows up within the light of truth. Truth is all around. Truth, or the knowledge of it, saturates the earth. Truth is the only force that can stabilize the evils of this world. There is no one who does not have at least some exposure to truth, and therefore there is no one who does not grow up with at least some knowledge of good morals and standards for living.
People know right from wrong, and murder is definitely wrong.
In the ancient world, a murderer would rise up very early and go out to do his dastardly deed. Premeditated because his objective in murder is theft, and therefore his objective is to leave no witnesses in the event he gets caught in the act.
We certainly have murders which are acts of passion, revenge, hate, self-righteousness, and such, but in every case, the taking of ones life is the ultimate theft of someone's future opportunities and right to make their own choices.
Murder is prohibited by God, Gen. 9:5-6, Ex. 20:13, Deu. 5:17, Rom. 13:9. The sin and crimes of murder need to be distinguished from the legal due process of capital punishment or acts taken during war.
Removing the life of another by means of a criminal act, can never advance your own life nor solve any desires or beliefs you may have. Certainly, committing murder in order to get possession of someone's things, will never help your own life.
God provides everything we all need and in a timely manner. All it takes is a dedication to ones spiritual life.
To commit a murder is the ultimate rejection of Gods support, of His promises, and of His plan for ones life.
Everything that comes from God is permanent, legitimate and proper.
Everything that comes from sin or crime, is temporary, illegitimate, and improper.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Job 24:13
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 24:13
13 They are of those that rebel [marad] against the light ['owr]; they know [nakar] not the ways [derek] thereof, nor abide [yashab] in the paths [nathiyb] thereof. KJV-Interlinear
13 'Others have been with those who rebel against the light; They do not want to know its ways, Nor abide in its paths. NASB
Light is a mechanism of illumination, the means of discernment, a way for a person to distinguish one thing from another.
Without light, or without some method or frame of reference to aid you in figuring out where you have been, where you are and where you are going, then you are lost.
Have someone pluck both of your eyes out, disable your hearing, touch, smell and taste, then drop you from an airplane into a jungle which is deep and dark and dense. How long will you survive?
Some won't last a single night. Others will wander along until they fall or trip over something. Still others will be caught by predators, and still others will catch some disease or simply starve to death.
That is life in total darkness, or life without light, light without any means of knowing anything about your environment and so forth. That is life without doctrine.
Of course doctrine is spiritual in nature, and life in this world is temporal in nature.
Centuries ago, people knew nothing about viruses or antibiotics, they knew nothing about atoms, or electrons, or genetics and such. Yet these things existed.
The spiritual realm is similar in that it is beyond our ability to detect or measure, but it still exists and it has a tremendous influence and impact on our life. Ignoring it, antibiotics for example as with an infection, will only bring you death. Learning about it and using it, the spiritual realm, will bring you more life than you can even begin to imagine.
As modern medicines evolved, there were groups who rejected them. There are still groups of people who reject medicines and medical attention. They suffer because of their stubbornness. They know of them, but ignore them.
And so it is with the spiritual realm. Unfortunately, the numbers of people who reject, or ignore, or simply don't take the spiritual life seriously, are large in number, worldwide. And just as they shake their heads at those who reject medical attention as being naïve, they too are naïve with respect to the spiritual realm.
We have been studying wicked people, in this chapter, and how they look at life and act in life.
Job adds another category of people to his illustration. The first group includes those who are otherwise law abiding, or those who use the law to their advantage. Certainly they abuse the legal system, and use it to crush others and get their way, but they do not have to hide in the dark alleys and hold people at gun point in order to apply the law, or societies norms. They use peer pressure, accepted standards even when prejudice, legislation even when obviously biased and corrupt.
There is another side of wickedness and that is the criminal or the socially unacceptable element.
These are folks who perform are deeds which are done behind closed doors, in dark alleys, in secrecy and so forth.
No matter what ones weakness is in life, all criminals, all sinners, all self-righteous types have one thing in common. And that is that they rebel against the light of truth.
They know of it, but their chosen lifestyle or pattern of life in inconvenienced by truth. People will expend barge loads of effort in pursuing life and getting nowhere, and yet pursuing the spiritual life takes virtually no effort, and it will get you everything and more, forever.
But people are tied to this world and their five senses and unless they see immediate results, they just do not take God, or Christ, or doctrine, or their spiritual life seriously.
Spiritually negative people will even invent their own version of a spiritual life by means of religion or philosophy or some other system of human belief.
But no matter whether you view yourself as law abiding, or living on the shadier side of life, then without God, Christ, doctrine and so forth in your life, this spiritual deficiency makes you wicked.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:13
13 They are of those that rebel [marad] against the light ['owr]; they know [nakar] not the ways [derek] thereof, nor abide [yashab] in the paths [nathiyb] thereof. KJV-Interlinear
13 'Others have been with those who rebel against the light; They do not want to know its ways, Nor abide in its paths. NASB
Light is a mechanism of illumination, the means of discernment, a way for a person to distinguish one thing from another.
Without light, or without some method or frame of reference to aid you in figuring out where you have been, where you are and where you are going, then you are lost.
Have someone pluck both of your eyes out, disable your hearing, touch, smell and taste, then drop you from an airplane into a jungle which is deep and dark and dense. How long will you survive?
Some won't last a single night. Others will wander along until they fall or trip over something. Still others will be caught by predators, and still others will catch some disease or simply starve to death.
That is life in total darkness, or life without light, light without any means of knowing anything about your environment and so forth. That is life without doctrine.
Of course doctrine is spiritual in nature, and life in this world is temporal in nature.
Centuries ago, people knew nothing about viruses or antibiotics, they knew nothing about atoms, or electrons, or genetics and such. Yet these things existed.
The spiritual realm is similar in that it is beyond our ability to detect or measure, but it still exists and it has a tremendous influence and impact on our life. Ignoring it, antibiotics for example as with an infection, will only bring you death. Learning about it and using it, the spiritual realm, will bring you more life than you can even begin to imagine.
As modern medicines evolved, there were groups who rejected them. There are still groups of people who reject medicines and medical attention. They suffer because of their stubbornness. They know of them, but ignore them.
And so it is with the spiritual realm. Unfortunately, the numbers of people who reject, or ignore, or simply don't take the spiritual life seriously, are large in number, worldwide. And just as they shake their heads at those who reject medical attention as being naïve, they too are naïve with respect to the spiritual realm.
We have been studying wicked people, in this chapter, and how they look at life and act in life.
Job adds another category of people to his illustration. The first group includes those who are otherwise law abiding, or those who use the law to their advantage. Certainly they abuse the legal system, and use it to crush others and get their way, but they do not have to hide in the dark alleys and hold people at gun point in order to apply the law, or societies norms. They use peer pressure, accepted standards even when prejudice, legislation even when obviously biased and corrupt.
There is another side of wickedness and that is the criminal or the socially unacceptable element.
These are folks who perform are deeds which are done behind closed doors, in dark alleys, in secrecy and so forth.
No matter what ones weakness is in life, all criminals, all sinners, all self-righteous types have one thing in common. And that is that they rebel against the light of truth.
They know of it, but their chosen lifestyle or pattern of life in inconvenienced by truth. People will expend barge loads of effort in pursuing life and getting nowhere, and yet pursuing the spiritual life takes virtually no effort, and it will get you everything and more, forever.
But people are tied to this world and their five senses and unless they see immediate results, they just do not take God, or Christ, or doctrine, or their spiritual life seriously.
Spiritually negative people will even invent their own version of a spiritual life by means of religion or philosophy or some other system of human belief.
But no matter whether you view yourself as law abiding, or living on the shadier side of life, then without God, Christ, doctrine and so forth in your life, this spiritual deficiency makes you wicked.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Job 24:11-12
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 24:11-12
11 Which make oil [tsahar] within [beyn] their walls [shuwr], and tread [darak] their winepresses [yeqeb], and suffer thirst [tsame'].
12 Men [math] groan [na'aq] from out of the city [`iyr], and the soul [nephesh] of the wounded [chalal] crieth out [shava`]: yet God ['elowahh] layeth [suwm] not folly [tiphlah] to them. KJV-Interlinear
11 'Within the walls they produce oil; They tread wine presses but thirst. 12 'From the city men groan, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not pay attention to folly. NASB
In ancient times, and even in our current age, people take advantage of people. Whether tyrants and slaves of old, or brutal employers of our current day, the attitude, of the well to do over the not so well to do, is similar.
The walls, are symbolic of the things of this life which the rich build up for themselves in order to isolate them and protect them from the realities outside of those walls.
The poor, in Jobs illustration, represent the good people. The rich, represent the wicked oppressors. And remember that this is an illustration only. Not all poor are good, and not all rich are bad.
But this picture gives us some insight into the spiritual applications of this illustration to life.
The oppressed are the victims of the jungle. Into the jungle they were born, and in the jungle they live. No one has any choice in where or when they will live their life.
We are all dealt the hand given us, so to speak. And it is those cards we are to play throughout life.
The oppressed have no choice but to live and work within the walls of their oppressors and they are not given a very good wage, if at all, for their efforts.
Likewise, relief does not come immediately in every individual event of life. Often the good are not rewarded for a very long time, if at all, and the bad, are certainly not punished instantly for their bad deeds.
And so we look to our own life in this world. We, and here I am referring to believers who are advancing in their spiritual life, we are the poor of the world. Why are we poor? Because if you recall our study of several days ago, the wicked of the world, are in effect stealing that which belongs to us. That makes us the poor, at least symbolically.
We are born into this world. We had no choice in the manner of our birth. We had no choice in the place or circumstances of our birth. So here we be, as they say. We must work within the walls of this jungle, a jungle where the oppressors seek to rule. The world cares nothing for believers, and would pay us nothing if they could get away with it. Just use us and toss us out when we are of no further use.
Believers of the world are expendable as far as the world is concerned. In fact, everyone who lives in this world is expendable as far as the world is concerned. So don't feel all alone and picked on. The evil policy on which this world runs itself, though prejudiced and unfair as we view it in some cases, is that way toward everyone, sooner or later.
The world likes to presume that it has some say and control over how it conducts itself, and in its own destiny. The world, or the views that people adopt from this world, sees itself as independent, self sufficient, and capable of perpetuating itself indefinitely. Oddly enough, these are unique attributes of God, you may recall.
Jer. 17:11
11 'As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the midst of his days it will forsake him, And in the end he will be a fool.' NASB
Luke 12:20
20 'But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' NASB
And so, even though reward and punishment do not come swiftly, they do come. And, it is God who controls history and every detail within it, not man.
Everything in life has its time and its course. It will follow that course until it reaches its end, an end which God has defined. And when that end is reached, then the world usually sees judgments of Biblical proportions, either on the individual level or on an international scale.
I just finished watching a television series on World War II. Just as the United States was being trained (spiritually) through a decade of economic depression, (and this is my personal view), the rest of the world was sliding into degeneracy, corruption and finally war.
At the end of the war, nearly sixty-million people had died and nearly every country was economically devastated. We in the United States, had by far the fewest casualties (we were not exempt from casualties), and our economy was surging us ahead into an era of great prosperity. That prosperity continues even to our present day, some seventy years later, and it is still continuing, despite all of the opinions and little ups and downs we have encountered.
You have been born into this world. Disasters will come into your life. Those are givens. But with God in your life, out of every disaster victory and phenomenal prosperity, will come.
With God in your life, all bad things come to an end. Without God, things will only get worse for you.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:11-12
11 Which make oil [tsahar] within [beyn] their walls [shuwr], and tread [darak] their winepresses [yeqeb], and suffer thirst [tsame'].
12 Men [math] groan [na'aq] from out of the city [`iyr], and the soul [nephesh] of the wounded [chalal] crieth out [shava`]: yet God ['elowahh] layeth [suwm] not folly [tiphlah] to them. KJV-Interlinear
11 'Within the walls they produce oil; They tread wine presses but thirst. 12 'From the city men groan, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not pay attention to folly. NASB
In ancient times, and even in our current age, people take advantage of people. Whether tyrants and slaves of old, or brutal employers of our current day, the attitude, of the well to do over the not so well to do, is similar.
The walls, are symbolic of the things of this life which the rich build up for themselves in order to isolate them and protect them from the realities outside of those walls.
The poor, in Jobs illustration, represent the good people. The rich, represent the wicked oppressors. And remember that this is an illustration only. Not all poor are good, and not all rich are bad.
But this picture gives us some insight into the spiritual applications of this illustration to life.
The oppressed are the victims of the jungle. Into the jungle they were born, and in the jungle they live. No one has any choice in where or when they will live their life.
We are all dealt the hand given us, so to speak. And it is those cards we are to play throughout life.
The oppressed have no choice but to live and work within the walls of their oppressors and they are not given a very good wage, if at all, for their efforts.
Likewise, relief does not come immediately in every individual event of life. Often the good are not rewarded for a very long time, if at all, and the bad, are certainly not punished instantly for their bad deeds.
And so we look to our own life in this world. We, and here I am referring to believers who are advancing in their spiritual life, we are the poor of the world. Why are we poor? Because if you recall our study of several days ago, the wicked of the world, are in effect stealing that which belongs to us. That makes us the poor, at least symbolically.
We are born into this world. We had no choice in the manner of our birth. We had no choice in the place or circumstances of our birth. So here we be, as they say. We must work within the walls of this jungle, a jungle where the oppressors seek to rule. The world cares nothing for believers, and would pay us nothing if they could get away with it. Just use us and toss us out when we are of no further use.
Believers of the world are expendable as far as the world is concerned. In fact, everyone who lives in this world is expendable as far as the world is concerned. So don't feel all alone and picked on. The evil policy on which this world runs itself, though prejudiced and unfair as we view it in some cases, is that way toward everyone, sooner or later.
The world likes to presume that it has some say and control over how it conducts itself, and in its own destiny. The world, or the views that people adopt from this world, sees itself as independent, self sufficient, and capable of perpetuating itself indefinitely. Oddly enough, these are unique attributes of God, you may recall.
Jer. 17:11
11 'As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly; In the midst of his days it will forsake him, And in the end he will be a fool.' NASB
Luke 12:20
20 'But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' NASB
And so, even though reward and punishment do not come swiftly, they do come. And, it is God who controls history and every detail within it, not man.
Everything in life has its time and its course. It will follow that course until it reaches its end, an end which God has defined. And when that end is reached, then the world usually sees judgments of Biblical proportions, either on the individual level or on an international scale.
I just finished watching a television series on World War II. Just as the United States was being trained (spiritually) through a decade of economic depression, (and this is my personal view), the rest of the world was sliding into degeneracy, corruption and finally war.
At the end of the war, nearly sixty-million people had died and nearly every country was economically devastated. We in the United States, had by far the fewest casualties (we were not exempt from casualties), and our economy was surging us ahead into an era of great prosperity. That prosperity continues even to our present day, some seventy years later, and it is still continuing, despite all of the opinions and little ups and downs we have encountered.
You have been born into this world. Disasters will come into your life. Those are givens. But with God in your life, out of every disaster victory and phenomenal prosperity, will come.
With God in your life, all bad things come to an end. Without God, things will only get worse for you.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Job 24:9-10
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 24:9-10
9 They pluck [gazal] the fatherless [yathowm] from the breast [shad], and take a pledge [chabal] of the poor [`aniy].
10 They cause him to go [halak] naked [`arowm] without clothing [labuwsh], and they take away [nasa'] the sheaf [`omer] from the hungry [ra`eb]; KJV-Interlinear
9 'Others snatch the orphan from the breast, And against the poor they take a pledge. 10 'They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing, And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. NASB
If you escape the reach of one type of wicked person, there are many more types of wickedness to follow in their footsteps.
Some, who are wicked, attempt fraud or extortion in getting what they want. Others lie and cheat and steal in order to get what they want. Still others will use deceit or gossip or power plays in order to crush their intended victims.
In every case, whether the wicked are poor nomads themselves or wealthy politicians, their sole ambition is to advance themselves at the expense of others.
Their victims are helpless and that is depicted by Jobs use of the terms orphan and breast.
Most infants who are nursing, usually nurse from their own mother. Immediately after being born, is generally the time when mothers milk is flowing. However, when an infant is orphaned and is still nursing, it is from someone else. Someone other than their own mother. That is a helpless state. Probably one of the most extreme situations that a person can be in.
To be totally dependent on someone else, someone who is not responsible for you, and have no parents, means that there is no one who really cares for you. When push comes to shove, you could easily be set aside, totally at the mercy of the world. And that is when infants, young children, even teenagers can be taken advantage of quite easily.
This is an act of extreme cruelty based on extreme selfishness. And there are people out there in the world who have no objection to treating people in this manner.
This is a description of a jungle characteristic. Helplessness makes one a victim. Predators thrive on helpless victims.
They take them away from secure situations. They orphan them. They make life miserable for their victims. The lend at exorbitant rates. They rest easy in their warm homes, while their workers, half starved, do work for them for grossly unfair wages.
And, the wicked will even try to take those low wages, as well, just because they are greedy.
And that is what life in the jungle is like. Disregard God in your life, and the jungle is as good as life will get.
You will either be a victim, as the bulk of the world is inhabited by victims, or you will become a predator. But even predators eventually become victims, as other predators come along and take their place.
And, if you disregard God in your life, if you see no use or importance in your spiritual life, then the jungle will seem to you, very much like the normal way life is supposed to be. And for that attitude, you will pay a hefty price.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:9-10
9 They pluck [gazal] the fatherless [yathowm] from the breast [shad], and take a pledge [chabal] of the poor [`aniy].
10 They cause him to go [halak] naked [`arowm] without clothing [labuwsh], and they take away [nasa'] the sheaf [`omer] from the hungry [ra`eb]; KJV-Interlinear
9 'Others snatch the orphan from the breast, And against the poor they take a pledge. 10 'They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing, And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. NASB
If you escape the reach of one type of wicked person, there are many more types of wickedness to follow in their footsteps.
Some, who are wicked, attempt fraud or extortion in getting what they want. Others lie and cheat and steal in order to get what they want. Still others will use deceit or gossip or power plays in order to crush their intended victims.
In every case, whether the wicked are poor nomads themselves or wealthy politicians, their sole ambition is to advance themselves at the expense of others.
Their victims are helpless and that is depicted by Jobs use of the terms orphan and breast.
Most infants who are nursing, usually nurse from their own mother. Immediately after being born, is generally the time when mothers milk is flowing. However, when an infant is orphaned and is still nursing, it is from someone else. Someone other than their own mother. That is a helpless state. Probably one of the most extreme situations that a person can be in.
To be totally dependent on someone else, someone who is not responsible for you, and have no parents, means that there is no one who really cares for you. When push comes to shove, you could easily be set aside, totally at the mercy of the world. And that is when infants, young children, even teenagers can be taken advantage of quite easily.
This is an act of extreme cruelty based on extreme selfishness. And there are people out there in the world who have no objection to treating people in this manner.
This is a description of a jungle characteristic. Helplessness makes one a victim. Predators thrive on helpless victims.
They take them away from secure situations. They orphan them. They make life miserable for their victims. The lend at exorbitant rates. They rest easy in their warm homes, while their workers, half starved, do work for them for grossly unfair wages.
And, the wicked will even try to take those low wages, as well, just because they are greedy.
And that is what life in the jungle is like. Disregard God in your life, and the jungle is as good as life will get.
You will either be a victim, as the bulk of the world is inhabited by victims, or you will become a predator. But even predators eventually become victims, as other predators come along and take their place.
And, if you disregard God in your life, if you see no use or importance in your spiritual life, then the jungle will seem to you, very much like the normal way life is supposed to be. And for that attitude, you will pay a hefty price.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Job 24:7-8
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 24:7-8
7 They cause the naked [`arowm] to lodge [luwn] without clothing [labuwsh], that they have no covering [kacuwth] in the cold [qarah].
8 They are wet [ratab] with the showers [zerem] of the mountains [har], and embrace [chabaq] the rock [tsuwr] for want of a shelter [machaceh]. KJV-Interlinear
7 'They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering against the cold. 8 'They are wet with the mountain rains, And they hug the rock for want of a shelter. NASB
These verses can be viewed from two different perspectives. The first is from the view of the wicked, and the second is from the view of their victims.
While the context of this chapter is a description of the wicked, and that is the context of these verses, the second view is not entirely out of order.
The wicked person is anyone who lives their life habitually out of fellowship and therefore outside of their spiritual life.
Anyone can sin of course, and therefore be out of fellowship, but the pattern of life which you follow is the key to what type of individual you are, not the occasional slip or fall. Confession to God the Father gets you back into fellowship, and that is where your spiritual life actually functions.
In fellowship, you are clothed, housed, fortified, standing in Gods presence, secure and so forth.
Out of fellowship, which includes every unbeliever and every believer who resides out of fellowship, your life is described as being naked, cold, damp, wet, exposed to the elements, unsafe, and homeless.
Without God in your life, you have nothing. Without God in your life, your morals will slip into an uncaring self-centered wanderer. Without God in your life, you will take from others because they have things, and you do not.
In fact whatever you have is in fact taken from someone else, because of your wicked lifestyle. A lifestyle which you have chosen to pursue.
Again, whether you are a dictionary defined tyrant or scoundrel, or a church going prim and proper person, or anything in between, makes no difference. Your actual relationship with God is the only relevant thing that matters in life and determines your righteous or wicked status.
The world was created for the good, not for evil. Evil came along and hijacked the world and takes its resources at will.
God does not provide for evil per se, so evil has to take, to steal as it were, in order to have anything. Evil is undeserving, and drives everything it touches, into failure and destruction.
By taking from others, the wicked in effect attempts to drive them into poverty, homelessness, nakedness and so forth.
Wickedness is the action of evil. Evil is the policy of Satan and wickedness is its production.
With no real destiny, then evil tries to take the destiny that God intends for good, and leave those who would be good, with a destiny of isolation, poverty, nakedness and so forth. But Evil has no real power and in the long run, will eventually lose in all of its attempts.
Today we live in a very diversified and political world. Whether you consider yourself a conservative, a liberal, or indifferent, all three categories of people can be wicked to the core. The only real difference is in how they approach their apathy toward truth.
Liberals approach their rejection toward truth in a proactive manner. Conservatives approach their ignoring of truth in a passive manner. Indifferent folks are a mixture of a little of both approaches.
In every case, all of their collective views mean nothing. They are all living in a cold, wet and hostile environment.
And the odd thing about them all? They are all comfortable within the wicked environment that they have chosen for themselves.
As uncomfortable a life of homelessness, and cold and wet and nakedness is, the wicked do not see their circumstances as being an inconvenience, let alone as being anything other than normal.
Remember that the wild donkey sees his own life as being normal, though he in fact has no real future. At least not a meaningful one.
You should not want your life to emulate that of a wild animal. Besides it isn't very complimentary to you.
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Job 24:7-8
7 They cause the naked [`arowm] to lodge [luwn] without clothing [labuwsh], that they have no covering [kacuwth] in the cold [qarah].
8 They are wet [ratab] with the showers [zerem] of the mountains [har], and embrace [chabaq] the rock [tsuwr] for want of a shelter [machaceh]. KJV-Interlinear
7 'They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering against the cold. 8 'They are wet with the mountain rains, And they hug the rock for want of a shelter. NASB
These verses can be viewed from two different perspectives. The first is from the view of the wicked, and the second is from the view of their victims.
While the context of this chapter is a description of the wicked, and that is the context of these verses, the second view is not entirely out of order.
The wicked person is anyone who lives their life habitually out of fellowship and therefore outside of their spiritual life.
Anyone can sin of course, and therefore be out of fellowship, but the pattern of life which you follow is the key to what type of individual you are, not the occasional slip or fall. Confession to God the Father gets you back into fellowship, and that is where your spiritual life actually functions.
In fellowship, you are clothed, housed, fortified, standing in Gods presence, secure and so forth.
Out of fellowship, which includes every unbeliever and every believer who resides out of fellowship, your life is described as being naked, cold, damp, wet, exposed to the elements, unsafe, and homeless.
Without God in your life, you have nothing. Without God in your life, your morals will slip into an uncaring self-centered wanderer. Without God in your life, you will take from others because they have things, and you do not.
In fact whatever you have is in fact taken from someone else, because of your wicked lifestyle. A lifestyle which you have chosen to pursue.
Again, whether you are a dictionary defined tyrant or scoundrel, or a church going prim and proper person, or anything in between, makes no difference. Your actual relationship with God is the only relevant thing that matters in life and determines your righteous or wicked status.
The world was created for the good, not for evil. Evil came along and hijacked the world and takes its resources at will.
God does not provide for evil per se, so evil has to take, to steal as it were, in order to have anything. Evil is undeserving, and drives everything it touches, into failure and destruction.
By taking from others, the wicked in effect attempts to drive them into poverty, homelessness, nakedness and so forth.
Wickedness is the action of evil. Evil is the policy of Satan and wickedness is its production.
With no real destiny, then evil tries to take the destiny that God intends for good, and leave those who would be good, with a destiny of isolation, poverty, nakedness and so forth. But Evil has no real power and in the long run, will eventually lose in all of its attempts.
Today we live in a very diversified and political world. Whether you consider yourself a conservative, a liberal, or indifferent, all three categories of people can be wicked to the core. The only real difference is in how they approach their apathy toward truth.
Liberals approach their rejection toward truth in a proactive manner. Conservatives approach their ignoring of truth in a passive manner. Indifferent folks are a mixture of a little of both approaches.
In every case, all of their collective views mean nothing. They are all living in a cold, wet and hostile environment.
And the odd thing about them all? They are all comfortable within the wicked environment that they have chosen for themselves.
As uncomfortable a life of homelessness, and cold and wet and nakedness is, the wicked do not see their circumstances as being an inconvenience, let alone as being anything other than normal.
Remember that the wild donkey sees his own life as being normal, though he in fact has no real future. At least not a meaningful one.
You should not want your life to emulate that of a wild animal. Besides it isn't very complimentary to you.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Job 24:6
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 24:6
6 They reap [qatsar] [qatsar] every one his corn [baliyl] in the field [sadeh]: and they gather [laqash] the vintage [kerem] of the wicked [rasha`]. KJV-Interlinear
6 'They harvest their fodder in the field, And they glean the vineyard of the wicked. NASB
In the jungle of life, one predator pursues its prey. Generally, the prey is of a lesser ability. But also in the jungle, prey can pursue prey, and predator can pursue predator. Each taking on alternate roles, as they are either pursuing of being pursued.
Not only do the wicked live out there lives in the desert of life, but they look over the fence, so to speak, and try to take whatever their neighbor has. This makes them common criminals or thieves, and nothing better.
They harvest the crops of their neighbors. They take that which does not belong to them.
They will even try to cheat their neighbors, other wicked people, by gleaning their neighbors' vineyards and fields, pretending that they are in need, when in fact they are not.
Acting as though they have nothing, attempting to conceal whatever it is that they have, they try to get more and more for themselves. Whether by deceit, by outright theft, by slight of hand, or lies, or fraudulent means, the wicked person is one who thinks of themselves first, and never of anyone else.
They will spend untold amounts of energy and effort in their attempt to cheat or beat the system.
How does this apply to you?
The Bible is one long series of parables. Biblical parables use common everyday events that are used to teach spiritual principles.
In fact, everything within the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the principles of the spiritual life are taught using common everyday activities.
To live outside of the fellowship sphere, to not be functioning within ones spiritual life, then life in the jungle as a wicked person comes to you by default.
God made this world not for the wicked, but for the righteous. Everything in this world belongs to the righteous, but who seems to be taking it all? Those for whom it was not prepared.
As a person who is not functioning in your spiritual life, wickedness is your only alternative. By ignoring your spiritual life on a regular basis, then wickedness becomes your 'chosen' pattern of life.
As a wicked person, then you walk, and talk, and act just like any Arab nomad, or gypsy. Using these stereotypes for instructional purposes, you are a wanderer, a migrant, one who has no roots, no morals, no ethics and so forth.
Good morals and character and foundations of life come only from living inside of the spiritual life.
Everything pursued or obtained from outside of the spiritual life, is wicked, and Job uses these examples to describe the function and character of those types of people (wicked people).
If you ignore your spiritual life, then you are no better than a wild donkey, a wanderer of the desert, a thief, a person with no morals. You take that which does not belong to you, and cheat whenever opportunity presents itself. Whether you are a dictionary defined scoundrel, or a church going prim and proper, makes no difference. Wicked is wicked is wicked. And all life outside of the fellowship sphere, is wickedness.
You might want to review the Human Carnal Nature chart, found on the Bible study web site, to remind yourself of the very broad range of carnality which exists.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 24:6
6 They reap [qatsar] [qatsar] every one his corn [baliyl] in the field [sadeh]: and they gather [laqash] the vintage [kerem] of the wicked [rasha`]. KJV-Interlinear
6 'They harvest their fodder in the field, And they glean the vineyard of the wicked. NASB
In the jungle of life, one predator pursues its prey. Generally, the prey is of a lesser ability. But also in the jungle, prey can pursue prey, and predator can pursue predator. Each taking on alternate roles, as they are either pursuing of being pursued.
Not only do the wicked live out there lives in the desert of life, but they look over the fence, so to speak, and try to take whatever their neighbor has. This makes them common criminals or thieves, and nothing better.
They harvest the crops of their neighbors. They take that which does not belong to them.
They will even try to cheat their neighbors, other wicked people, by gleaning their neighbors' vineyards and fields, pretending that they are in need, when in fact they are not.
Acting as though they have nothing, attempting to conceal whatever it is that they have, they try to get more and more for themselves. Whether by deceit, by outright theft, by slight of hand, or lies, or fraudulent means, the wicked person is one who thinks of themselves first, and never of anyone else.
They will spend untold amounts of energy and effort in their attempt to cheat or beat the system.
How does this apply to you?
The Bible is one long series of parables. Biblical parables use common everyday events that are used to teach spiritual principles.
In fact, everything within the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the principles of the spiritual life are taught using common everyday activities.
To live outside of the fellowship sphere, to not be functioning within ones spiritual life, then life in the jungle as a wicked person comes to you by default.
God made this world not for the wicked, but for the righteous. Everything in this world belongs to the righteous, but who seems to be taking it all? Those for whom it was not prepared.
As a person who is not functioning in your spiritual life, wickedness is your only alternative. By ignoring your spiritual life on a regular basis, then wickedness becomes your 'chosen' pattern of life.
As a wicked person, then you walk, and talk, and act just like any Arab nomad, or gypsy. Using these stereotypes for instructional purposes, you are a wanderer, a migrant, one who has no roots, no morals, no ethics and so forth.
Good morals and character and foundations of life come only from living inside of the spiritual life.
Everything pursued or obtained from outside of the spiritual life, is wicked, and Job uses these examples to describe the function and character of those types of people (wicked people).
If you ignore your spiritual life, then you are no better than a wild donkey, a wanderer of the desert, a thief, a person with no morals. You take that which does not belong to you, and cheat whenever opportunity presents itself. Whether you are a dictionary defined scoundrel, or a church going prim and proper, makes no difference. Wicked is wicked is wicked. And all life outside of the fellowship sphere, is wickedness.
You might want to review the Human Carnal Nature chart, found on the Bible study web site, to remind yourself of the very broad range of carnality which exists.
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