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May 16 - Morning
"After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said:
'May the day of my birth perish,
and the night that said, "A boy is conceived!"
...Why is life given to a man
whose way is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?
For sighing has become my daily food;
my groans pour out like water.
What I feared has come upon me;
what I dreaded has happened to me.
I have no peace, no quietness;
I have no rest, but only turmoil.' ”
- Job 3:1-3; 23-26
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| Job Curses the Day He Was Born |
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Job’s grief is extensive. He is afflicted with painful sores that cover his body from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. These sores resulted in scabs and worms (7:3-5) that created the need/desire to scrape his skin with a broken piece of pottery (2:8) and eventually his skin turned black and peeled (30:30).
This painful disease occurred after Job had already lost his cattle to raiders, his servants to the sword, his sheep and more servants to fire, his caravan of camels to raiding parties and more servants were slaughtered with the sword. Then, his ten children died in a desert storm.
Of course, when Job recovered from the shock and could finally speak through the pain, he “cursed the day of his birth!”
In exquisite poetic figures of speech job desires that even the day of his beginning perish. Job desires that the entire historical occurrence of that date be removed from the calendar…May 13…May 14 …May 15…May 17…May 18…when Job says:
“May it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months.” (Job 3:6)
Like everyone Job had feared losing his prosperity, losing his health, losing his source of income, or worse, losing the people he loved. The very things he had been cautious and attentive to prevent have happened. The very things he had asked the Lord to protect have been taken. |
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"If you can't feed 100 people then just feed one."
- Mother Theresa |
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Paul quotes an insult from a Greek seer/philosopher/poet from Crete named Epimenides (600 BC) in his letter to Titus (Titus 1:12),
and then says,
“This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply!”
In Acts 17:28, while speaking in Athens, Paul again quotes Epimenides, along with the fifth line of Phaenomena ("Appearances"), a poem about the constellations, by Aratus (315-240 BC), a Cilician poet and Stoic philosopher.
The Greek playwright Menander (342-291 BC) gets a quote from his comedy Thais (here and here) placed in the text of Scripture when Paul quotes him in
1 Corinthians 15:33.
Paul quoting Menander would be like us quoting a line from a movie! And, remember, Thais was a comedy! |
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Yatsar (Hb) – Form (Eng) – the Hebrew word yatsar is a technical term from the art of pottery. So, yatsar is used in the OT to refer to the work of a potter in Isaiah 29:16 and Jeremiah 18:4, 6. Yatar is used in Isaiah 44:9-10 to identify craftsmanship done by molding or carving. God himself yatsar man (Gen. 2:7-8), animals (Gen. 2:19), the nation of Israel (Isaiah 27:11; 45:9), the man Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5), and Leviathan (Ps. 104:26). |
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The cedars of Lebanon (details here), or "cedar" that are mentioned seventy-six times in the Old Testament
(1 Kings 5:9; 2 Chron. 2:15-16)
reached the height of 120 feet and grew to 30-40 feet in circumference. This wood was fragrant and resisted decay and insects. Some of these timbers have been found still in and around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Some have been dated back to the days of David and Solomon.
(See details here, here,
here and here.)
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Do I know how to express my grief to the Lord?
Or, do I just get angry at God and curse him?
I will express my grief and my loss to the Lord for in him there is hope.
Ultimately, in the Lord there will be resolution and answers.
Without God the grief only turns to a hopeless darkness where nothing can ever be resolved.
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"In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps."
- Proverbs 16:9 |
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Enough income to meet your needs |
Recognition of error |
Water |
Eritrea |
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| Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening. |
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