The Holy Bible in 1 year - Day 113

   Hi! Today we'll read the final chapters from the book of Job, chapters 40 to 42. God then continue to ask Job to prove himself, to come forward and judge the LORD's judgement if he finds it possible. Job declines, recognising his inability to do so. God then continue to show His greatness by ahowing great aspects of nature. He gives the hippopotamus as an example to show the greatness of His works.  And can man tame such wonderful crations? Can man, for example, tame the Leviathan? This question actually asks if man can actually, fully put nature under his control. God, as the creator of the universe, does that because between Him and nature there is more that a difference in the hierarchy of creatures, there is an ontological differance. Everything under the heavens and inheaven is His, so how can His judgement be questioned? How can one deny God His righteousness? And to this Job fully surrenders, acknowlegding the difference between him and God and how he was wrong. But God, in an amazing act acknowleges Job, and speaks against his friends, telling them they have forgiveness only because of Job's righteousness because in everything he said, he was the only one who was righteous and who spoke trully about the LORD. Which just goes to show us that we cannot understand the LORD in the terms put forward by Job's friends. God is not so cruel and does punish with usffering. Nor can we understand God only theough this picture of justice which divides e eryhting into punishment and reward because that leaves out God's core- love and mercy. And God does this, He appears and shows His greatness and this ontological difference between Him and us, then restoring Job and forgiving his friends only to show and emphasise even more His wonderful nature- that of love and mercy. I think we should undstand these final chapters through this perspective as well. Because God come here not only to boast about Himself and show us our little place in the universe and His infinite greatness compared to us. God comes here to us hips love and his mercy- and the differance between His greatness and our smallness only emphasises His love.  For out of love was everything done here; and how else can we explain why God showed Job as being right- Job was the only one who spoke of God and to God out of love, and his words were those of a man who could not understand a sudden change in a relationship in which he was so confident. Job's friends spoke out of fear and as we know "

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

"(1John 4:18). There is a lot more to be said here and this book is certainly a very profound one because the questions it asks are so important even today and will always be a part of our relationship with the LORD until the LORD's second coming , because of the inequity of the world and because of the extremely personal character of our relationship with God.

JOB 40

Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said,

² Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

³ Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

⁴ Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

⁵ Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

⁶ Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

⁷ Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

⁸ Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

⁹ Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

¹⁰ Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.

¹¹ Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.

¹² Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.

¹³ Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.

¹⁴ Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.

¹⁵ Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

¹⁶ Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.

¹⁷ He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.

¹⁸ His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.

¹⁹ He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.

²⁰ Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.

²¹ He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.

²² The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.

²³ Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.

²⁴ He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.

JOB 41

Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

² Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

³ Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?

⁴ Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

⁵ Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

⁶ Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

⁷ Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

⁸ Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

⁹ Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

¹⁰ None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

¹¹ Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

¹² I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

¹³ Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?

¹⁴ Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

¹⁵ His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

¹⁶ One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

¹⁷ They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

¹⁸ By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

¹⁹ Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

²⁰ Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

²¹ His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

²² In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

²³ The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

²⁴ His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

²⁵ When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

²⁶ The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

²⁷ He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

²⁸ The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.

²⁹ Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.

³⁰ Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

³¹ He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

³² He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

³³ Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

³⁴ He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

JOB 42

Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

² I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

³ Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

⁴ Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

⁵ I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

⁶ Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

⁷ And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, theLord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

⁸ Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: theLord also accepted Job.

¹⁰ And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

¹¹ Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

¹² So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

¹³ He had also seven sons and three daughters.

¹⁴ And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.

¹⁵ And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

¹⁶ After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.

¹⁷ So Job died, being old and full of days.