28
Feb 2021
In this chapter Elihu finally wraps up his argument and prepares the way for the LORD Himself to come and speak. However before that, Elihu does make some very interesting comments about the weather (vv.1-13). We may wonder if the weather has a mind of its own, or if things happen just by chance. Well in this chapter we are told that God actually controls it and may use all different types of weather to fulfil His purposes. See especially v.12. I wonder how many would agree with the statement made by R.C.......
Read More
21
Feb 2021
In this chapter Elihu speaks ‘a little more’ words that he believes come straight from God. He seems to be quite full of himself, and may even be referring to himself when he says, “One who is perfect in knowledge is with you” (v.4). In this chapter Elihu describes God’s dealings with the wicked and the righteous, and their different responses to those dealings. God wants the wicked to turn from their wicked ways, and He wants the righteous to find out why He allowed them to go through tough times. The......
Read More
14
Feb 2021
Another speech from Elihu, but this time he seems to be contradicting himself on what he had said previously. Is God untouched by human sin? Does right living affect God? Is God Transcendant or Immanent, or is He both? Find out in this short 16 verse chapter, with a few extra supporting scriptures thrown in to back them up. If you’d prefer to watch the video of the sermon on Youtube, then just click on this link!...
Read More
07
Feb 2021
Elihu makes several points in this “sermon”, but mostly focuses on the Justice of God. It is absolutely true that God Alone Is Good, and that God is the Ultimate Judge and shows perfect justice to all who will come under His Judgement. But whilst focusing on the Justice of God, Elihu has missed something, and there are some things about the ways of God’s dealing that we don’t understand. In this “sermon” it sounds like Elihu is constantly seeking the approval of all who are within earshot of his words, hoping......
Read More
31
Jan 2021
In Job 32 Elihu was just getting warmed up. In this “evangelistic sermon” Elihu, describes how God can can speak to people through dreams and visions, or through sickness (which is a controversial point), in order to bring them back from the brink of destruction. It would seem that Elihu thinks that this is what Job needs to hear and that he is the messenger that God has sent to deliver the message to Job. His motivations may have been right, as he says he desired ‘to justify‘ Job (v.32). Perhaps it was a good......
Read More
24
Jan 2021
In this chapter we are introduced for the first time to a new character named Elihu. He says he has been listening attentively from the very beginning of the discussion between Job and his three friends (See vv.10-14). He is fuming with wrath because he feels that the three friends have not done a very convincing job at condemning Job. So he makes a few opening remarks about respect for the elderly and their wisdom, but also wants to point out that wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age. In fact he seems to......
Read More
17
Jan 2021
In this chapter we learn a lot about the kind of life Job lived, and how he was able to live a righteous life before the LORD. Clearly Job feared God and His Judgements, and that comes through a number of times in this chapter. In fact the key words that keep appearing in this chapter are “IF” and “THEN” as Job argues his case and says, “IF I have done these things, these wrong things, these sinful things, THEN I deserve all that comes upon me!” But at the end of this chapter, as v.40 says, these......
Read More
10
Jan 2021
In the previous chapter (Job 29) Job focused on his past. The words “But now” or “And now” appear in this chapter at vv.1, 9, 16, showing that Job is ‘Now‘ focused on his present circumstances, that have gone from him being respected to him now being made fun of by the dregs of society. Job has known prosperity, but now its is all ‘gone with the wind’ (See v.15), or evaporated like a cloud. Job was learning what it was like to be content in either abundance or lack, just as Paul spoke about......
Read More
03
Jan 2021
As we embark upon 2021 we find that although we want to be positive and hopeful for the future, the way forward is uncertain. In Job 29, rather than looking forward, Job thinks back on his past and the good old days. We get tremendous insight into the kind of person Job was from this chapter. Although it might appear to be a backward glance, the way forward is to look to our Captain and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. See Heb.12:1-2. If you’d like to watch this sermon in video format, click on this......
Read More
27
Dec 2020
After all the debates and discussions and sermons between Job and his three friends we find a chapter on Wisdom that is like an interlude before the next book continues. Commentators tell us that this is like a stand-alone chapter in Job, yet it doesn’t take away from the story in any way but rather adds some great insights, especially concerning ancient mining and refining practices. In fact whilst reading through the list of precious commodities in vv.1-19 I was reminded of one of our favourite family board games: The Settlers of Catan. Plus......
Read More