282nd Week, Job Chapters 15-19 (Click on Title for Video Introduction)

 

Click on Title for Video Intro

Monday and Tuesday, Job Chapter 15 & 16

Job 15 & 16

Mindy Strayer

THOUGHT

Doesn’t Eliphaz just sound like a person who has not yet had to deal with any real hardship or loss in his life? A caring and compassionate friend should not sound arrogant, or rude, or like he is reprimanding. Job calls it right when he says in the very first sentence of chapter 16, “miserable comforters are you all.”  Why hasn’t anyone reminded Job of how much God loves and cares for him?  Why haven’t his friends offered any words of love or offered to meet some of Job’s needs?

We as Christians have a big responsibility when the needs of people come before us. You can’t just say anything when real deep hard pain is being experienced by the individual. You can’t just throw out a Bible verse and expect that to make all the difference. You can’t give a band aid of an answer and expect to stop some of the bleeding. You can’t tell a person what they are feeling is wrong and criticize their grieving. I think we have all had times in our lives when we were struggling with something and having told our story to a friend or a relative only to have them respond with some response that had nothing to do with our own grief. They ended up making us feel worse. 

I have a friend who for about 2 years straight experienced some real hard times. One of the events she experienced was that she gave birth to a premature baby boy, and he died a few hours later. She told me about some of the grief she experienced and some of the conversations she had with family and friends who were desperately trying to offer some great revolutionary bit of comfort or advice for her during this time. Only they ended up just making silly comparisons of other people’s tragic stories. She said, “You know, sometimes it really is better to just sit and listen when you really don’t know what to say. Don’t just talk for talking sake just to end the silence because the silence is uncomfortable to you.” Sometimes it is better to listen and allow your heart to feel compassion for the individual, encourage them, and then offer help in practical ways such as prayer, asking if you could help make dinner for the family, drive them anywhere, or whatever comes up in their conversation which shows you an area in their life where they

could use some assistance. 

I think this is most difficult for the person who has not yet had any REAL loss or traumatic change or happening occur in their own life. The best comforters are always going to be the people who have gone through something very similar and God has brought them through it. But we don’t need to have the exact same experience as another person in order to be an effective caring and compassionate friend.  Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and give you the words to say, the hugs to give, and the deeds to do, so that you can carry the love of Christ to that individual.  

PRAYER  

Father God, we thank You for the friends You have placed in our lives.  Let us not take them for granted.  Help us to develop strong bonds that will take us through the highs as well as through the lows together.  Give us hearts full of the same compassion as that of Your Son, Jesus.  Most of all we thank You, Lord, for being our best friend.  For it is written in Your Word, “I no longer call you servant. Instead, I call you friend; you did not choose Me, but I chose you.”  John 15:15-16   AMEN

Wednesday, Job Chapter 17

Job 17

Verse 5

Mindy Strayer

Verse 5:  If a man denounces his friends for reward, the eyes of his children will fail.

THOUGHT

I was talking with my co-worker, John, the other day, and he was telling me a story about his wife, Becky’s, very messed up family relationships. As I read the verse above, I was reminded of one story in particular. Apparently there had been bad blood between Becky and some of her cousins for a very long time, and she really didn’t understand why. There were poor attitudes about each other from both sides, and Becky decided one year that they were all going to sit down and figure out why everyone hated each other so badly.  She was sick and tired of the bickering and hatred. After much talking, stories about one another and each other’s mothers started to come out. Well, it turns out that none of the stories that each side was sharing, which had upset them about each other, were true. It was a bunch of lies. I guess that Becky’s mother and her cousins’ mother hated each other terribly (they were sisters), and each sister had told their children a bunch of mean lies about their aunt and her children from the time they were in grade school and on up. So, these kids (cousins) grew up with bad attitudes about each other, and it ruined their relationship for a very long time.

How tragic. These two sisters, who should have been friends, tried to slander each other their entire lives to make themselves feel better about themselves. Look at the ripple effect. The eyes of the children failed. Kids will take on our attitude about other people. If that attitude is poor, we are in trouble because we have caused these kids to, in effect, carry sin in their heart.  The Bible warns us about the punishment we will face if we cause a child to stumble.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for this day. May we live today in accordance with Your Will.  Check our attitudes before we enter into our own mission field today, Lord, whether that be at work somewhere or in the home setting with our kids. Let us not take an attitude with another in order that we would gain, but keep us humble in spirit, desiring to treat everyone with kindness and respect. Help us to be a positive role model for the children in our lives. We ask this in Jesus Name.  AMEN

Thursday, Job Chapter 18

Job 18

Verse 21

Mindy Strayer

Verse 21:  Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man; such is the place of one who knows not God.

THOUGHT

I think chapter l8 header should say, “Bildad gets defensive.” Job just finished telling him that he was not as wise as he thought he was, and Bildad got upset.  We can all recall a time when someone called us out on a part of our personality or behavior that was not a good quality, and we ended up getting angry and defensive. And then we retorted by reminding that person of just how awful they were and all of their past blunders. We may have even accused them of faults that they didn’t even have or wrongs they did not do. 

It is hard for us to hear the truth about ourselves, good or bad. But look at where this anger and defensive attitude got Bildad. He believed his outlook on life was correct, when in fact it wasn’t, and he ended up accusing his friend, Job, of being evil and not following the Lord. One lesson I take from this is that even when we think there is no possible way for us to be wrong about something or someone, we can be.  We never know the entire story. Arrogance does not equal truth. And, we are not God, who alone can judge another.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for the lessons we are learning in the book of Job. I pray that compassion and understanding will grow in each of our hearts as we continue to read about the life of Job. Teach us Father about who we should be and how we should treat each other. Be with each Salt Shaker this weekend. May we find rest and relaxation, fellowship with our family and friends and sweet time in Your presence. We ask this in Jesus Name. AMEN

Friday, Job Chapter 19

Job 19

Delores Little

THOUGHT

So many things came out in this chapter. Verse 3 says, “Ten times he reproached me and shamelessly attacked me.”  That is the man who is supposed to be comforting Job. Look at the list in verses 14-19, his kinsmen, friends, guests, maidservants, servant, wife, brothers and intimate friends, all turned their back on him.

We have all had some of this in our lives.  People who we thought were people who cared for us, spoke badly of us and did not defend us.  Now just add severe sickness to our condition.  How would we feel?  He has no “Life Words” spoken to him, just “Death Words”. 

When we were bringing our children up, I had to ask God to forgive me for all the death words I spoke to them.  If I used the Word of God, I didn’t use it in a loving way.  These people not only spoke badly, but they then condemned Job with guilt.  I had to write to every one of my 4 children and ask forgiveness of that after they grew up. I know my Father forgave me.

Verse 23 says, “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll.” Well, our Father had that done. Job cried out, and God did hear and brought it forth to us all in this day and age by the Word of God. It is forever like it says in verses 24 and 25.  We all know and live this verse, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.” Job’s heart yearns for that, and we know he is with Our Father in heaven now. 

Jesus did stand upon this earth.  He is our Redeemer, still is and will be always.  He is coming back soon.  We look forward to seeing Him.

PRAYER

Father, forgive us when we speak or hurt someone even in our thoughts.  Thank You for the Salt Shakers and how they encourage one another. Bring our nation back to You, Father, to worship and call out to You.  We love You.  In Jesus Name.  AMEN