Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+006

 

CHAPTER 6 (ESV)

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 “Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3 For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
or the ox low over his fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are as food that is loathsome to me….

24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How forceful are upright words!
But what does reproof from you reprove?
26 Do you think that you can reprove words,
when the speech of a despairing man is wind?
27 You would even cast lots over the fatherless,
and bargain over your friend.

28 “But now, be pleased to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29 Please turn; let no injustice be done.
Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30 Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?

 

REFLECTION:

1. Job said that Eliphaz’s advice was like the tasteless juice of the mallow. After people experienced severe trial, useless advice is a disaster to them. They may listen due to curtesy but their heart is still full of sorrow and does not have comfort at all. Don’t rush to give advice to people who are hurt for they often need mercy more than advice.
2. Job mentioned his righteousness not because he was sinless but because he had a right relationship with God. Job did not commit the sins his friends accused him. Righteousness does not mean sinless because only Jesus is sinless. At the end of the Book of Job we see that even Job needs to change his attitude to God. Nevertheless Job was still a sinner. He carefully tried his best to obey God in various areas of his life. We should be like Job and obey God with a humble heart, be a righteous person and develop a deeper relationship with God.

 

PRAYER:

God, please help me to be more empathetic towards others’ situations and not to rush to give advice to those who are hurting. Grant me more compassion and love to weep with those who weep. I also pray that You help me learn from the example of Job, to submit to You with a humble heart and to be a righteous person who does not forsake Your ways even in times of difficulty and adversity.

 

HYMN:

Our God Saves – www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUOgVl0KuFI

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+005

 

CHAPTER 5 (ESV)

17 “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves;
therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.

18 For he wounds, but he binds up;
he shatters, but his hands heal.

19 He will deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no evil shall touch you.

20 In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.

21 You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue,
and shall not fear destruction when it comes.

22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.

23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

24 You shall know that your tent is at peace,
and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.

25 You shall know also that your offspring shall be many,
and your descendants as the grass of the earth.

26 You shall come to your grave in ripe old age,
like a sheaf gathered up in its season.

27 Behold, this we have searched out; it is true.
Hear, and know it for your good.”

 

REFLECTION:

There was some merit to Eliphaz’s saying: suffering could help us to be more mature. It was sound advice for people who were facing difficulties and loss. Job did not know the reason for his suffering therefore his faith to God needed an opportunity to grow. On the other hand, we should not make the same mistake as Eliphaz did. It does not mean that God will keep us away from any trouble when we follow Him closely. Similarly, good deeds does not guarantee reward of success. The power to reward the good and punish the bad was in God’s hands and He has his own arrangements. Satan’s work is to make us doubt the grace of God. Eliphaz’s saying could be sound advice but it was not applicable to Job’s situation. We knew from the beginning of the Book of Job that Job’s suffering was not because of his sin. From this it showed that even if we gave others sound advice, the advice would be useless or even harmful if it was not applicable to them. We should thoroughly understand people’s situation before we try to comfort them with God’s Word.

 

PRAYER:

God, please help me understand that I will still face difficulties and setbacks when I follow You. These are trials You give me to help my spiritual growth. I want to live out good deeds not to earn Your rewards, but so that people may see my good deeds and give glory to You.

 

HYMN:

I Will Rise – www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzBFv3Bzn3o

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+004

 

CHAPTER 4 (ESV)

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
Yet who can keep from speaking?

3 Behold, you have instructed many,
and you have strengthened the weak hands.

4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
and you have made firm the feeble knees.

5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
it touches you, and you are dismayed.

6 Is not your fear of God your confidence,
and the integrity of your ways your hope?

 

7 “Remember: who that was innocent ever perished?
Or where were the upright cut off?

8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity
and sow trouble reap the same.

9 By the breath of God they perish,
and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.

10 The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11 The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

 

REFLECTION:

What Eliphaz said was specious and we need the wisdom to discern. It is not wrong that God will punish those who sin and reward those who trust Him. However, it does not mean that God’s people will never experience suffering in the world. All information recorded in the Bible was out of God’s choice but some were merely records of people’s words or deeds, and not for us to imitate. The reason why the Bible mentions about sinful ideas and wrong concepts about God is to teach us through both the right and wrong perspectives. This allows us to know what should or should not be done. What Eliphaz said was something we should avoid because he extrapolated about others and God only based on his own experience.

 

PRAYER:

God, please help me not to judge others based on my own experiences or viewpoints. Teach me to obey Your words in the Bible and to comfort those in need with Your words. I pray that You help me love Your words and correctly handle the word of truth.

 

HYMN:

I Need Thee Every Hour – www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZIMDcgrF-Q

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+003

 

CHAPTER 3 (ESV)

11 “Why did I not die at birth,
come out from the womb and expire?

12 Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

13 For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,

14 with kings and counselors of the earth
who rebuilt ruins for themselves,

15 or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.

16 Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child,
as infants who never see the light?

17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
and there the weary are at rest.

18 There the prisoners are at ease together;
they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

19 The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free from his master.

 

REFLECTION:

Job experienced extreme pain in his body and great grief from the loss of his family and treasure. It was understandable why he wanted to die. Job’s pain put him at the crossroad of his faith as a lot of his concept about God was being shaken – e.g. God will make you rich, He will keep you free from trouble and pain, He will protect your loved ones, etc. Job was brought back to the starting point of his faith. He only had two choices: either curse God and give up his faith, or continue to trust God and receive the strength to live from Him. Today, do you face struggles in your faith for various reasons? Hope you can learn from Job to have a deeper understanding of God after experiencing pain and struggle, and ultimately develop a closer relationship with God when you are out of the woods.

 

PRAYER:

God, please illuminate me and let me see my spiritual condition. If I have any doubts about You or my faith is struggling, please increase my faith and strength to continue trusting in You and experiencing Your presence. May my relationship with You become closer after coming out of difficulties.

 

HYMN:

Give me Jesus – www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZ8k9m2hwo

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+002

 

CHAPTER 2 (ESV)

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

 

REFLECTION:

1. God initially told Satan not to harm Job’s body but He later permitted Satan’s request. However, Satan could not make God go against His nature because God is perfect and unchanging. God permitted Satan’s plan because He knew the final outcome of Job. God was not fooled by Satan. Job’s suffering was a test for Job, Satan, and us; but not for God. God could save us from suffering but He could also allow suffering into our life for reasons we could not understand. Satan’s strategy is to make us doubt God in times of suffering. Here, Job reveals a horizon broader than just seeking for personal comfort. If we always know why we suffer, there will not be much room for our faith to grow.
2. Why were Job’s friends just sitting with him quietly later? It was because of a Jewish custom that if someone wanted to comfort another person in grief, they had to wait for that person to speak first. The best response to people in deep grief is to accompany them quietly. Job’s friends were aware of Job’s unbearable grief, which could not be removed by a few words. Therefore, they did not say anything to him (it would be nice if they continued to keep quiet!). We often think that we should say some spiritual and profound words to a friend in pain. However, sympathetic quietness and caring company is actually more effective than artificial answers and polite words.

 

PRAYER:

God, please let me see who around me is in suffering and needs my companionship and comfort. Help me to pray for them and reach out to them proactively. Not to give them any advice, but to let You bring Your love to them through me.

 

HYMN:

How deep the Father’s love – www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLDGVl8D5UU

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+001

 

Job

The wisdom of Proverbs describes how godly character generally leads to success. Ecclesiastes tempers this, warning that rewards are not guaranteed, since a kind of “crookedness” has come into our world. The book of Job goes further, exploring how righteous people sometimes suffer. The book of Job uses a common literary device from the wisdom traditions of the ancient world: an extended conversation based on poetic speeches.

Job is introduced as a good man. But “the adversary” (satan in Hebrew) points out an apparent problem in God’s moral oversight of the universe. If goodness is always rewarded, how can we know if it’s born from love of God or desire for gain? So God allows the adversary to bring suffering into Job’s life.

Job doesn’t curse God as the adversary predicted but ends up debating with three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. Their overly rigid view of the moral universe convinces them that Job’s own wrongdoing has caused his suffering. A young man Elihu joins the conversation later, while Job continues to insist that he has done nothing wrong and deserves a hearing before God.

Finally, God reveals the power and wisdom shown in his oversight of creation. Job then humbly admits his own limited understanding. When God rebukes Job’s three friends, we see they are guilty of a far worse assumption than Job. In the end God blesses Job with twice as much as he had before. The book warns us to avoid reducing God’s moral rule to easy formulas.

 

www.bible.com/zh-TW/bible/111/JOB.INTRO1.NIV

 

CHAPTER 1 (ESV)

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord….

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Satan was originally an angel but was fallen because of pride. He became wicked since he began to rebel against God. Satan is God’s enemy and he tries to stop God’s work in human. However, he is limited by God’s power and can only do things with God’s permission. Satan is called the accuser because he actively finds people and attacks them with temptation, lies and tricks in order to make them turn away from God. Job was an obvious target of attack by Satan because Job was a blameless and upright person who was greatly blessed by God. Anyone who commits to God should be psychologically prepared for Satan’s attack. Satan hates God and he hates God’s people. However, we don’t have to be afraid because God loves us and His power is far greater than that of Satan’s. God’s people will have God’s protection even when they are under Satan’s attack.
2. Job lost his property and family members in the first round of Satan’s attack. However he responded correctly to God because he knew that God had sovereignty over everything He gave Job. Job did not hide his unbearable grief from his great lost but he did not lose his faith in God. In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Job withstood the test and testified that he loved God because He was God and not because of God’s blessings. If you encounter great lost, disappointment or hurt, admit your feelings and express your grief. God will be with you in your grief and He will comfort and heal your body and soul, and give you peace that surpasses all understanding.

 

PRAYER:

God, please examine whether I love You because of Your blessings or because You are God. Increase my faith so that even if I lose the things I value today, such as my job, money, or even health, I can be like Job who said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

 

HYMN:

All Flesh is Like the Grass – www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb4xp9XkKsk

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Esther+010

 

CHAPTER 10 (ESV)

1 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Mordecai was respected by the Jews because he worked for their benefits even though he was at a high ranking position. Power should be used to support the weak and lift the burden of the oppressed. However, people in power often commit fraud for self-gain and abuse their power. When people receive power from God, no matter how big or small this power is, they should use it to magnify God’s work and to benefit others. These people are pleasing to God and will be blessed throughout their life.
2. In the Book of Esther, we can clearly see that God worked miraculously in a person’s life and in national matters. Although at times, the world seems to fall into the hands of the wicked, God is still in control and protects His people. We should trust that God will keep us even though we may not understand everything happening around us. Therefore, we should be upright people and do the right things. Esther risked her life to see the king. Her uprightness and courage should be commended. Mordecai was about to die but was promoted to second in rank to the king. This shows that no matter how bad the situation is or how much we want to give up, we don’t have to be frustrated or despair as God is always in control of the world.

 

PRAYER:

Praise and cheer to God and give Him all the glory. God is who He is – self-existent and self-sufficient. He is the beginning and the end. He is the God of faithfulness, righteousness, holiness and love! Dedicate to God that you are willing to rely on Him and work with Him throughout your life. God will give you an abundant life and endless blessings and supreme glory in eternity.

 

HYMN:

To God Be the Glory – www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukQajOmgDGk

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Esther+009

 

CHAPTER 9 (ESV)

20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

 

REFLECTION:

People often forget about God’s grace. Mordecai recorded the historical events in order to prevent people from forgetting God’s grace. It also encouraged the Jews to keep the days of Purim as annual holidays to be inherited throughout generations. During the days of Purim, the Jews would celebrate with feasts and gift giving, and this became a good way to remember God’s great works. Today, we also celebrate the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ and set those days as holidays. However, we should not allow feast, drink and gifts to hide the true meaning of these days. During these days, we should reflect on God’s grace and love, and thank God for accomplishing the precious salvation for us. Be alert and not be conformed to this world or else you will be so fascinated by the prosperity of the world that you may lose the grace of God.

 

PRAYER:

Come before God with a thankful heart and count His blessings for you. Commit to God that you will be His faithful child throughout your life. Present your body to God as a living sacrifice that you may shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Hold fast to the word of life and be a good witness for God.

 

HYMN:

Thank You Lord – www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44trVhtZX4

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Esther+008

 

CHAPTER 8 (ESV)

3 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. 5 And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”…

15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The letters devised by Haman that he wrote to destroy the Jews in all the provinces of Persia had been sealed with the king’s ring and could not be revoked even by the king. This was the famous “Law of the Medes and Persians.” Now the king allowed Mordecai to issue another statute to offset (not revoke) the effectiveness of the previous statute. It was God’s work that saved the Jews from the disaster of genocide. God’s power is far above the power of the kings and rulers on earth.
2. Mordecai wore royal robes with a great golden crown and received praise and honour from the people. Was he showing off himself? We should see that Mordecai devoted to serve the country for many years, suffered from Haman’s oppression, and risked his life to save his people. On the surface, he received the king’s reward, but it was actually God’s reward to him through the king. What he received was the crown from God. What he manifested was the glory of God but not boasting himself. Today if you want to be like Mordecai to receive God’s reward, are you willing to pay the commensurate cost?

 

PRAYER:

Give praise and thanks to God. Thank Him for the abundant providence in the past. Dedicate yourself to God, that you are willing to learn from Mordecai’s loyalty and commitment and you will not change even in difficulty and hardship. In this way you will receive God’s great reward in the future, as Mordecai did.

 

HYMN:

How Great Thou Art – www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc0QVWzCv9k

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Esther+007

 

CHAPTER 7 (ESV)

1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.

 

REFLECTION:

When Haman’s attempt was revealed, he ate the fruit of his own conspiracy out of hatred and was finally hung and died on the gallows he prepared for others. “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it” (Prov. 26:27). Haman’s ending was a good illustration of the principle that you will ultimately harm yourself when you try to harm others. God is faithful and righteous and He will carry out judgment. The final ending of the wicked will be destruction even though they may be prosperous temporarily. Today do you call out to God to reveal His righteousness when you see the crime and unfairness around you? You should have perseverance and firmly believe that God’s righteousness will be revealed at a suitable time. Like Esther, you should also have wisdom and courage for active actions. When you face wickedness, dare to stand up regardless of your personal safety because every Christian has to play a part in the revelation of God’s righteousness.

 

PRAYER:

Come before God and tell Him the wickedness and unfairness you see in society. Ask God to give you the courage to change the things you can change, to give you the peace to trust in His sovereignty on the things that you cannot change, and to help you discern the difference between the two.

 

HYMN:

God of This City – www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5rbA2k4JwM