The Devotional - 24

The Devotional

Comment:

It is said by many that the Book Job, is the earliest writing in the Holy Bible dating back to the days of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Also the author is not known, the person could have been Job himself but some have said Moses. Dr. Thomas Constable in his expository study of the entire Holy Bible has a couple of interesting thoughts that I will share and then we will move on. We won’t be looking at the entire book, but just pick up on some of the wisdom and understanding in each chapter as we go.

Challenge:

Dr. Constable states that the writer, by Jewish tradition is Moses, but just as easily, could have been a contemporary of Job like Elihu or Job himself. There is a portion in Genesis that speaks of the kings of Edom. Genesis 36:31-38 and some have suggested that Job was the Edomite king “Jobab” but this is not proven, nor do I believe this. The writer is not focused on Israel tradition or history, but on life outside of Jewish tradition or before Israel even though animal sacrifice is in place.

With all of this said, the Book is inspired by the Holy Spirit and Job the man is referred to in the epistle of James the half-brother of Jesus in James 5:11 who says that patience, the kind that Job had; seen Job through the intended purpose of the LORD while allowing Job to suffer. This is the subject is it not? God who is very compassionate and merciful is conforming us (all of us who call upon the LORD through the Jesus) into the very image of Him, Romans 8:28-29.

Looking at the first chapter we are faced with a conversation about Job and his family in the land of Uz. In his standing before God he was “blameless and upright” and the thought immediately comes to mind, am I blameless and upright in the sight of God? (If you are trusting in the death and resurrection of the LORD Jesus for salvation, then you are “justified” by God as blameless and upright. Of course this is something each of us must take account of and in our hearts we actually know the answer, Joh 3:36.

Also we see that Satan has the opportunity to attack Job’s character and says to God that if God stretches out His hand against Job that he will curse God. Yet God says that this sort of thing is in your hand Satan, “you have that power, only do not harm his person”. God is aware of everything that happens to mankind, His permissive will is not His final decree on man, His absolute will is that we be conformed to the image of the LORD Jesus as we read from Romans 8.

Since I have another busy day ahead we will have to stop here but we will begin on Monday if the LORD tarries to take a deeper dive into the book. Have a pleasant weekend, for us here in New England the weather looks to be nice, what a blessing.