January 10, 2017 – Job 24-28 – Who is God?

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Job 24-28. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read His Word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

What Does This Passage Say?

• Here in chapter twenty-four Job responds to Eliphaz. Remember from our reading yesterday, Eliphaz had a misconception about God … Job’s sin, whether public or private was the cause of Job’s hardship. Job continues reminding Eliphaz that perhaps this is not how God works. Sometimes in life, God allows the one who moves the boundary stone to prosper. Sometimes in life, God allows the hungry to remain hungry. Is it fair? Not at all. What Job is doing here is asking God why. Eliphaz blames it on sin. Job isn’t convinced, so He asks God why. Job understands why when sin is involved, not necessarily when sin isn’t.
• Once again Bildad speaks. This time his speech is silent and his speech is poor. While what he says may be true on some level, it does in no way help comfort Job in his misery and with his questions. In fact, many scholars believe Bildad’s understanding of God falls in line with many Islamic beliefs and teaching about God.
• Job then responds for the eighth time … this time, like the others, is lengthy. This speech is full of sarcasm directed towards his friends who have failed to bring him God’s comfort in his time of need. In doing so, Job speaks from a hurting heart, some great insights into the greatness and the grandeur of God.

What is This Passage Teaching?

• This section of our reading reminds us to keep our eyes focused on God through the hard times. However, what is important is to keep our hearts and minds correctly focused on God. Our moments of hurt and struggle are not a time to be tossed back and forth by every different concept of who God is. What we must do is focus on the one true God, the God we learn about in His World. Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad were misinformed about who God is, and because of this they offered no real comfort. True comfort comes from knowing the one true God.

How Can I Apply this Passage to my Life?

• Ask yourself, “Who is it that I cry out to? What do I know about God? Is what I know really who God is?” This is incredibly important. Having a clear picture of who God is will help you understand the comfort and care He is going to provide in your life.