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May 20 - Morning
(Job's words continue...)
“ ‘I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look lustfully at a young woman.
For what is our lot from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not ruin for the wicked,
disaster for those who do wrong?
Does he not see my ways
and count my every step?
If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit
—let God weigh me in honest scales
and he will know that I am blameless—
if my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands have been defiled,
then may others eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
then may my wife grind another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.
For that would have been wicked,
a sin to be judged.
…If I have denied justice to any of my servants,
…If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless—
…if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or the needy without garments,
….if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,
then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.
For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear
of his splendor I could not do such things.
…if my land cries out against me
and all its furrows are wet with tears,
if I have devoured its yield without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,
then let briers come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley.’
The words of Job are ended.”
- Job 31:1-40 |
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| Job Claims His Innocence and Lists Sins and Their Just Consequences |
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Job takes an oath and claims innocence in chapter 31. Job rehearses a list of sins that are worthy of the kind of disaster he has faced, but he also swears he has never committed sins like these.
First, to keep his heart pure, Job has controlled his eyes. In fact, he made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at women. By doing this Job kept lustful ideas out of his heart, and since there were no lustful ideas in his heart, there were no lustful deeds committed.
Using the sin of lust as an example Job agrees God would be just in sending punishment if Job had allowed his eyes to bring lust into his heart. God gives us the lot our behavior deserves, right? Ruin is for the wicked; disaster for those who do wrong. So, has God not seen Job’s ways and counted his every step? What was God looking at in Job’s life to cause him to send to Job the inheritance belonging to the wicked?
Job reviews a list of sins and claims he is innocent of these sins. He also asks God to weigh him “in honest scales” to know that he is blameless. These deeds are “wicked, a sin to be judged” according to Job:
- Falsehood
- Deceit
- Led by eyes
- Enticed by a woman
- Lurked at neighbor’s door for his wife
- Denied justice to others
- Denied the poor
- Fed myself, not the fatherless
- Did not cloth the needy
- Legally oppressed the fatherless
- Abused the land
- Did not pay workers
These are some just judgments for the above sins according to Job:
- Others eat Job’s crops
- Job’s wife grind other men's grain
- Job’s wife sleep with other men
- Job's arm fall off at the shoulder
- Break Job's arm off at the joint
- Briers and weeds grow in place of crops
Job says he could not have acted so wickedly simply because he feared God and dreaded the potential disaster God would bring on this kind of wickedness:
“For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.”
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“Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts
itself
but because it contradicts them.”
- E. Paul Hovey
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| February 8, 1693: The College of William and Mary is founded in Williamsburg, Virginia. Originally intended to educate Anglican clergymen, it is America's second-oldest higher education institution (Harvard is the oldest). |
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| 'anaw (Hb) - Humble (Eng) - means "humble", "poor", and "meek." 'Anaw is used to describe the condition of the poor man, but also is used to describe Moses' attitude in order to state that Moses was "humble." Moses' character ws meek and in spite of is power, authority and fame Moses was 'anaw, or a "humble" man. Before the Lord Moses was poor and completely dependent on the Lord. |
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The Ipuwer Papyrus (Papyrus Leiden 344) is an ancient Egyptian document copied in the 1200’s BC that records events from before 1400 BC. This document was sold to a museum in Holland in 1828 AD and fully translated in 1909 (and, again in 2009.) It was written by Ipuwer, a Egyptian official and wise sage, as a lamentation of the disasters and upheavals in Egypt. A comparison of Ipuwer’s descriptions parallels the biblical account of the Exodus. Here is a comparison:
Exodus 7:20-24
Ipuwer – “Plague is throughout the land. Blood is everywhere. “(2:5-6) “The river is blood. Men shrink from tasting the water… and, thirst after water.” (2:10)
Exodus 9:23-25...9:31-32... 10:15
Ipuwer – “Gates, columns and walls are consumed by fire.” (2:10) Lower Egypt weeps…The entire palace is without its revenues. To it belong by right wheat and barley, geese and fish.” (10:3-6) “Hail struck down every plant of the field and stripped every tree.” (9:25) “Grain has perished on every side.” (6:3) “Grain has perished which was yesterday seen. The land is left over to its weariness like the cutting of flax.” (5:12)
Exodus 9:3... 9:19 and 9:21
Ipuwer – “All animals, their hearts weep. Cattle moan…” (5:5) “Behold, cattle are left to stray, and there is none to gather them together.”
Exodus 10:22
Ipuwer – “The land is without light.” (or, “The day does not dawn.”) (9:11) “There is terror because of darkness (10:1)
Exodus 12:29-30
Ipuwer – “The children of princes are dashed against the walls. The chosen (possibly a reference to the “firstborn.”) children are laid out dead (4:3-4; 5:6-7) “The children of princes are cast out in the streets.” (6:12) “The prison is ruined.” (6:3) “He who places his brother in the ground is everywhere.” (2:13) “It is groaning throughout the land, mingled with lamentations.” (3:14)
Exodus 13:21 (9:22-26)
Ipuwer – “Behold, the fire has mounted up on high. Its burning goes forth against the enemies of the land.” (7:1)
Exodus 12:35-36
Ipuwer “Gold and lapis lazuli, silver and malachite, carnelian and bronze…are fastened on the neck of female slaves.” (3:2)
Exodus 9:25
Ipuwer – “Trees are destroyed and branches stripped off…There is no food.” (4:14-5:12)
Exodus 12-17
Ipuwer “Poor people (slaves) flee into the desert like nomads who live in tents (9:14-10:2)
Details Here and Here and Here |
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Does the understanding of God’s splendor and the fear of his judgment of sin motivate you to live right? Do you control your eyes, your thoughts, your actions so you do not squander your temporal potential and your eternal inheritance? |
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"The righteous lead
blameless lives;
blessed are their children after them."
- Proverbs 20:7 |
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Listen to someone in need |
Long for Christ’s return |
Separation of Church and State |
Ethiopia |
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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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