Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+026

 

CHAPTER 26 (ESV)

1 Then Job answered and said:…

7 He stretches out the north over the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not split open under them.
9 He covers the face of the full moon
and spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astounded at his rebuke.
12 By his power he stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered Rahab.
13 By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

 

REFLECTION:

A total of six chapters, from Chapter 26 to 31, Job interweaves the mystery and power of God with a beautiful poem of faith, becoming the longest speech in the Book of Job. At the beginning, he refuted the last irrelevant answer of Bildad (Chapter 25). Job then told Bildad and his friends that they could not know everything about God. Wisdom does not come from this life nor from man’s heart, but from God. Job later defended his integrity and faithful life, and he sought God in his life. While admitting he was imperfect, he insisted that his motives were pure. In Chapter 26, Job enthusiastically sang praises to God’s power. Today, when you look at God’s heavens, the work of His fingers, the moon and the stars, which He has set in place, is your heart filled with infinite wonder and awe?

 

PRAYER:

God! You are the Almighty God; Your ways are higher than my ways, and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. I acknowledge that I am an imperfect person, but You know that my heart’s desire to seek and draw near to You is pure. Whenever I gaze upon the heavens, the work of Your fingers, and the moon and the stars which You have set in place, my heart is filled with infinite awe and reverence. What is man that You are mindful of him? What is mankind that You care for them? May I praise and exalt Your great power every day.

 

HYMN:

Indescribable – www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IlVfkY5q54

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+025

 

CHAPTER 25 (ESV)

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

2 “Dominion and fear are with God;
he makes peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?
4 How then can man be in the right before God?
How can he who is born of woman be pure?
5 Behold, even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
6 how much less man, who is a maggot,
and the son of man, who is a worm!”

 

REFLECTION:

Bildad’s final answer was weak. He ignored Job’s example of the wicked enjoying prosperity. Bildad did not refute Job, but accused him of pride, because Job declared that his suffering was not the result of his sin. However, Job never claimed that he was sinless, he just thought that his sin could not lead to his current situation. Even though people sin, are they really like worm and maggot before God? Please note that it is Bildad, not God that speaks of people like worms. Here Bildad made another mistake, overly degrading the value of man and exaggerating the distance between man and God. Man was created by God in His own image. Psalm 8:5 states that man is “a little lower than the heavenly beings” and is considered extremely precious by God. No matter how many sins we have committed, we don’t have to climb up to God like a worm. We can approach Him with confidence in faith. As long as we sincerely confess and repent, God will forgive us. He will love us as father loves his children, and will give us eternal blessing.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I thank You! Although I am so tiny, like a speck of dust in the universe, You see me as extremely precious in Your eyes. I am created in Your image. No matter how great my sins are, I can confidently come before Your throne of grace with faith. As long as I sincerely confess and repent, You will forgive me because of the salvation accomplished by the Lord Jesus on the cross. You love me as a father loves his child and grant me the blessing of eternal life.

 

HYMN:

At the Foot of the Cross – www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk7_SBxYSZs

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+024

 

CHAPTER 24 (ESV)

1 “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,
and why do those who know him never see his days?…

12 From out of the city the dying groan,
and the soul of the wounded cries for help;
yet God charges no one with wrong….

18 “You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
their portion is cursed in the land;
no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
so does Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm finds them sweet;
they are no longer remembered,
so wickedness is broken like a tree.’

21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
and his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted a little while, and then are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is not so, who will prove me a liar
and show that there is nothing in what I say?”

 

REFLECTION:

Job responded to Eliphaz’s statement, acknowledging that the wicked will have retribution, but, unfortunately, many times the righteous cannot see the day of God’s judgment. Job and his three friends all agreed that there is good and evil in the world, and that although the wicked are now arrogant and powerful, God must have a just judgment. The difference is that Eliphaz inferred Job’s suffering as punishment for sin. Job disagreed and God disagreed too! Chapter 24 reminds us not to fall into a situation where good and evil are indistinguishable in suffering, even with resentment, that God is also good and evil. We should not think superficially that we can see how God rewards the good and punishes the evil in our life on earth. We believe in God’s righteousness, but we must patiently wait for God’s time. In the face of temporary injustice, we must have faith and hope, believing that God will repay, and those who endure to the end will receive God’s great reward.

 

PRAYER:

God! You are a God who rewards good and punishes evil. There will surely be righteous judgment in You. However, my life is limited, and I may not see the result of Your rewarding good and punishing evil within my lifetime. But I firmly believe in Your love and justice; You act in Your best timing. Please grant me a heart of patience to wait, even when facing temporary injustice, so that I can maintain faith and hope, firmly believing that You will vindicate. For those who endure to the end will receive Your great reward.

 

HYMN:

Hold My Heart – www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vp07CiL8DU

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+023

 

CHAPTER 23 (ESV)

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 “Today also my complaint is bitter;
my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his seat!
4 I would lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; he would pay attention to me.
7 There an upright man could argue with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

8 “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

 

REFLECTION:

In Chapter 22, Eliphaz tried to look for some hidden sins that Job might have committed to reprove him. In Chapter 23, Job declares that he believes in his honesty and the justice of God. We may all have hidden sins in our daily lives, and we may not even be aware of them ourselves. But if we are true believers, all sin is forgiven for everything Christ has done for us on the cross. The Bible also teaches us that for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything (1 John 3:20). God’s forgiveness and cleansing are sufficient, and they also remove those doubts that trouble us. Today, if you have completely confessed and repented to God for a specific sin, although you may still feel guilty in your heart, the Holy Spirit in you can prove that you have been forgiven by God. If you seek God with sincerity like Job, you can bear the condemnation of others. If God has forgiven and accepted you, you should be at peace and not have to feel guilty about past mistakes.

 

PRAYER:

God, I thank You. Although I am a sinner and often fall short of Your glory, when I confess and repent to You, all my sins are forgiven because of what Christ accomplished for me on the cross. Through the Holy Spirit, I can remove the guilt from my heart and no longer fear the reproach of others. Because You have forgiven and accepted me, I can now have peace of heart and no longer feel guilty for past mistakes.

 

HYMN:

East to West – www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_J34QyY0Pk

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+022

 

CHAPTER 22 (ESV)

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:…

21 “Agree with God, and be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
if you remove injustice far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.
27 You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;
but he saves the lowly.
30 He delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

 

REFLECTION:

This is the third and last time that Eliphaz has spoken to Job. In the first conversation (cf. Chapters 4-5), Eliphaz mentioned Job’s good deeds and carefully hinted that he needed to repent for some sins. This time, he didn’t say a new point, just said it more specifically. He could never change his conviction that suffering is God’s punishment for human evil, so he raised several sins that Job might commit. He promised that if Job confessed his guilt and repented, he would find peace and revival. Job’s three friends showed several times that they had mastered some of God’s truths, but wrongly applied them to life and caused harm to others. Eliphaz was right. We ask God for forgiveness when we sin, but his statement does not apply to Job, because Job has sought God’s forgiveness and he has always had a close relationship with God. When we are dealing with our brothers and sisters in the church today, we must take special care to avoid making the mistakes of Job’s three friends.

 

PRAYER:

God, I too have made the mistake of Job’s three friends, thinking that I possessed all the truth. However, I only knew part of the truth and mistakenly applied it in my life, causing harm to others. Please forgive my offenses. When interacting with the brothers and sisters in the church, help me to better understand their situations, pray for them, seek Your will, and speak the truth in love according to the teachings of the Bible, avoiding the error of judging others.

 

HYMN:

Speak, O Lord – www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubRlJj8xkds

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+021

 

CHAPTER 21 (ESV)

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 “Keep listening to my words,
and let this be your comfort.
3 Bear with me, and I will speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.
4 As for me, is my complaint against man?
Why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be appalled,
and lay your hand over your mouth.
6 When I remember, I am dismayed,
and shuddering seizes my flesh.
7 Why do the wicked live,
reach old age, and grow mighty in power?

 

REFLECTION:

Regarding the fate of the wicked, Job and Zophar had very different views, and he refuted Zophar’s view that the wicked would never enjoy wealth and happiness. He pointed out that there were indeed many wicked people in the real world, who not only succeeded and became wealthy, but also enjoyed longevity. God treats everyone as He wants, and people cannot use their own experience to measure God’s Will. Although suffering for unknown reasons, Job still believed that God’s righteousness transcended his personal knowledge and experience. For Job’s friends, success is based on external appearances. For God, success is based on the qualities of life. The wicked seem to be at large in this life, but they will eventually face God’s righteous judgment. Today, no matter what happens in your life, you should not be angry with God and should continue to trust in Him. It is important to remember that it is not the rich or the poor that is important, but the quality of life that you manifest in different situations. May your faith in God be strengthened so that you know how to live rich and poor.

 

PRAYER:

God, many times I only look at people’s outward appearances and envy their wealth and achievements. However, to You, what matters more is the quality of a person’s life. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Please help me not to focus on my own wealth or poverty, but to learn how to reflect Your quality of life in any circumstance. Please increase my faith, so I know how to handle abundance and how to handle poverty.

 

HYMN:

More Precious Than Silver – www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmlrlzTHXY

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+020

 

CHAPTER 20 (ESV)

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

2 “Therefore my thoughts answer me,
because of my haste within me.
3 I hear censure that insults me,
and out of my understanding a spirit answers me.
4 Do you not know this from of old,
since man was placed on earth,
5 that the exulting of the wicked is short,
and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
6 Though his height mount up to the heavens,
and his head reach to the clouds,
7 he will perish forever like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

 

REFLECTION:

Although Zophar was wrong in his judgment for Job, his statement about the end of the wicked was right. Committing sins seems to be enjoyable and attractive at first. Lying, stealing, or oppressing others often brings temporary benefits to the offender. Some who have ill-gotten wealth can live long, but God’s justice will prevail. However, Zophar overlooked that the trial of sins does not necessarily take place in the life of the sinner. The punishment may not come until the final judgment, when the sinner will be separated from God forever. We should not solely look at the prosperity and power of the wicked. God’s judgment on them is doomed. Remember that evildoers will perish. If you are a person who obeys God’s truth, God will hold your hand and walk with you. He will guide you with His precepts, and He will receive you into glory in the future.

 

PRAYER:

God, when I see the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering, my heart becomes resentful. My anger causes me to forget that You are a righteous God who will not leave the guilty unpunished. You are also the eternal Lord, who regards a day as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. You will surely judge evil, though it may not happen within the lifetime of the wicked. The punishment might only come at the final judgment, when the wicked will be eternally separated from You. Please help me not to turn away from You due to weak faith. Help me to be a person who follows the truth and walks with You until You bring me into glory and I see Your justice revealed.

 

HYMN:

Filled with Your Glory – www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdHDGwecUXs

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+019

 

CHAPTER 19 (ESV)

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 “How long will you torment me
and break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
are you not ashamed to wrong me?
4 And even if it be true that I have erred,
my error remains with myself.
5 If indeed you magnify yourselves against me
and make my disgrace an argument against me,
6 know then that God has put me in the wrong
and closed his net about me….

23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
27 whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
28 If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’
and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’
29 be afraid of the sword,
for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
that you may know there is a judgment.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. It is easy to point out the mistakes and sins of others. Job’s friends accused him of committing sins to make him guilty—not to encourage or correct him. When we want to warn others, we must be sure that we do it because we love them, not because we are annoyed, disturbed, or blamed. When you point out the mistakes of others, what motives do you often have? Complaint, humiliation, venting? Or is it really for the benefit of others?
2. In great suffering, Job knew that his Redeemer was still alive. “Redeemer” in ancient Israel refers to the person in the family who has the responsibility to fulfill obligations that included: redeeming the land sold by poor relatives, redeeming the relatives who were sold to the Gentiles as slaves, presiding over justice for relatives, and raising up offspring for relatives. Job used this word to point out that although he had no chance to defend now, eventually someone (maybe God Himself) would vindicate him. On the other hand, although God appeared to avoid him at that time, Job still had confidence that he could finally meet God face to face. When you are in trouble or facing injustice, do you understand that your Redeemer lives? Don’t forget the Lord’s promise, and don’t forget that He said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (Rom. 12:19).

 

PRAYER:

God, sometimes when I am in suffering, it feels like You are distant and avoiding me. When I am alone and disheartened, it seems like I am facing everything by myself. Job’s experience is a great reminder to me. Although he endured greater suffering than I, he knew that his Redeemer was still alive, and he had faith that one day he would see God face to face, and that God would vindicate him. Please give me faith like Job’s, so that when I am in adversity or injustice, I can still be assured that my Redeemer lives.

 

HYMN:

My Redeemer Lives – www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBbSyig8vQ0

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+018

 

CHAPTER 18 (ESV)

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Consider, and then we will speak.
3 Why are we counted as cattle?
Why are we stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself in your anger,
shall the earth be forsaken for you,
or the rock be removed out of its place?

 

REFLECTION:

Bildad thought he knew how the universe worked. He saw Job’s situation as an example of the consequences of his sins. Bildad dismissed Job’s claim because it did not fit his usual thinking. It is not difficult to condemn Bildad because his mistake is obvious. Unfortunately, when our opinions are challenged, we also often make the same mistake as Bildad. How do you get along with your brothers and sisters who have very different opinions? If we are in strife, we should humbly ask for God’s Will and keep our unity in His love.

 

PRAYER:

God, Your Word teaches me to diligently keep the unity of the Spirit with my brothers and sisters. Yet I often have disputes and conflicts with them, and when I encounter those who have different viewpoints, I stubbornly hold to my own opinion, even to the point of being at odds. Please help me to seek Your will humbly in the face of disputes and to maintain a heart of unity with others in Your love.

 

HYMN:

Love Break Me – www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5KWz9PsMh8

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+017

 

CHAPTER 17 (ESV)

6 “He has made me a byword of the peoples,
and I am one before whom men spit.
7 My eye has grown dim from vexation,
and all my members are like a shadow.
8 The upright are appalled at this,
and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless.
9 Yet the righteous holds to his way,
and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger.
10 But you, come on again, all of you,
and I shall not find a wise man among you.
11 My days are past; my plans are broken off,
the desires of my heart.
12 They make night into day:
‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’
13 If I hope for Sheol as my house,
if I make my bed in darkness,
14 if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope?
Who will see my hope?
16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
Shall we descend together into the dust?”

 

REFLECTION:

Job’s three friends had a reputation for wisdom, but Job could not find wisdom in them. God supported Job’s words and rebuked them for portraying Job incorrectly. They believed that because they were rich and successful, God must have been pleased with their way of life and thinking. Job told his friends, however, that they were wrong because the world’s success and wealth were not evidence of faith in God. Conversely, troubles and pains were not proof of lack of faith. Truly wise people know that wisdom comes only from God, not from human failure or success. Truly wise people never leave God. Where is Job’s hope? If he seeks from this life, he does not necessarily have hope, because what God promises to His people is not success, wealth, and comfort of the world, but an endless and beautiful future. Reflect on whether your hope is only in this life, or in the eternal kingdom of heaven.

 

PRAYER:

God, forgive me for often having worldly thoughts, believing that success and wealth in this life are proof of faith in You, while troubles and suffering are seen as a lack of faith. Today’s scripture reminds me that You are the true source of wisdom. My hope is not in the success, wealth, and comfort of this life, but in the beautiful and eternal kingdom You have promised.

 

HYMN:

Better is One Day – www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLxqHjctAN4