Chapter 1: What insights does Job share about the limits of human life?
Hey Bible Readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. Today we got to hear from good old Eliphaz again. That's right, bad friend number one is back to double down on his busted theology. But before he starts talking, Job has some good things to say. In 14.5, Job says man's days are determined. You know that phrase, your days are numbered?
If you've ever heard someone say that in conversation, they're probably using it as a threat. Maybe just a joke threat. They'll say, your days are numbered, buddy. But in the grand scheme of things, that's no threat to me. It's a promise and a comfort. Job said to God, you have appointed man's limits that he cannot pass. I love that God is sovereign over my lifespan.
Chapter 2: How does Eliphaz misinterpret Job's grief?
Each day is appointed and my life will last the exact amount of time He has determined. The exact amount. No more, no less. That's a great comfort to me. Because listen, if He's done with me here, I don't want to be here anymore. Let's get this show on the road. I'm ready to go. And if He still has an assignment for me here, then I don't want to miss out on that either.
I trust His timing in it all. In the second half of chapter 14, Job gets kind of bummed out talking about his future, which makes sense given all he's been through. Let's cut him some slack and not rush him to healing. After all, his friends certainly didn't offer him that grace. They were not patient with his pain. Okay, chapter 15.
This is where Eliphaz speaks again, falsely accusing Job, misunderstanding his heart and his motives. He thinks Job's grief is a sign that he doesn't trust God. Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. Jesus grieved and mourned, and he is God. I have so much compassion for Job here.
It's really hard to feel alone in your pain, but it's even harder to feel unknown in your pain by people who are supposed to know and love you. In my Bible, chapter 16 is titled, Job replies, miserable comforters are you. He's just shooting it straight. He calls them out on being terrible friends. In 16.3, he even begs them to be silent and to stop advising him. Did you catch that?
He says, This whole section makes me want to think carefully about how and when I advise others. God calls us to mourn with those who mourn, not advise those who mourn, and certainly not to condemn them for their mourning. Yesterday, we saw how Job is starting to see God's hand in all of this. He recognizes that God plays a role in what's happening to him, albeit a passive one.
But in 16.7, Job begins to attribute the harm to God and to doubt God's goodness. He starts to believe God hates him. He blames God for all the things Satan did. If you're in a dark place, this book is probably serving as a comfort to you. But if you're not in a dark place, be patient with Job. Don't engage with Job's story in the same way his friends did.
They wanted to wrap it up and have him repent or change so they could get on with things. Suffering always lasts longer than we want it to. But sitting in someone else's suffering with them teaches us patience and compassion. Those are the kinds of things that God feels toward those who are weeping and mourning.
And those are certainly the kinds of things we want others to display toward us when we're struggling. Let this book help you strengthen your patience and compassion muscles. Where did you see God's actions or attributes today? This was my God shot. I noticed how God is sovereign over lifespan. As I mentioned, that is a great comfort to me. I don't want anyone to kill me but God.
I certainly don't want the enemy to be sovereign over that. I don't trust him, but I trust God. The life of Job and the death of his family members, Job recognizes that God is sovereign over all that, like we read about in Job 14.5. We've been seeing God's sovereignty over so many things since we started reading the Bible together.
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