Job 8:1-11:20 , 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 , Psalms 38:1-22 , Proverbs 21:28-29
Today is the 24th day of August. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. And it is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today as we approach the end of another week and another work week and take the next step forward in the Scriptures. So, we’ve been reading from the Contemporary English Version this week. And we have also begun to move our way through the book of Job. So, we will pick up, of course, where we left off yesterday. Job 12:1-15:35. And a conversation is happening, a lengthy one, between Job’s friends and Job over who is just and who is wrong.
Commentary:
Alright. So, in our reading from Job, we saw the contrast between Job’s claims of his own total innocence in his suffering and then his friends responding in agitation, trying to help him reason it all out. And Job just wanted his friends to be fair. The problem was that he was asking them to be impartial witnesses between him and God, which they couldn’t do, right? I mean, we couldn’t either. For Job’s friends, God could not possibly be to blame for Job’s misfortune. And he can certainly be the cause of it, but only if Job deserved judgement, right? So, for them, the only path forward for Job was to examine his own heart and realize that he was in the wrong and repent of his pride. But Job wouldn’t even look down that path. He stuck to the conviction that he was, in fact, righteous and blameless before God. Job says it. Are you defending God with lies? You make dishonest arguments for his sake. Are you planning your testimony in his favor? Are you trying to argue God’s case for him? So, Job’s frustration was more out of the fact that he and his friends both believed God to be righteous, holy and absolutely almighty. They both believed that. They both believed that God was good and just. And yet Job sincerely believed that he had done nothing unholy before God to receive this wrath, which was what he was assuming. (He) was assuming all that had happened to him had happened at the hand of God. That God was himself doing this to him. And it was terribly confusing because Job’s friends, they’re trying to help him. They’re saying the kinds of things we would probably be saying. But Job thought he knew. He already knew this stuff. He felt like he knew the answers his friends were giving him. And they weren’t bringing him wisdom that he didn’t already have. But the problem still remained. If God was just and good and Job was completely innocent and righteous before God, then why the suffering? And Job was begging to understand. He was frustrated because there was no human wisdom that could adequately answer his questions. And so he wanted to argue his case before God himself, in person. But he didn’t know where to find him or what he could possibly say to him that would make a difference. Which brings us to one of the most riveting verses in the whole of the Bible. God might kill me, but still I will trust him. That… Wow, that. I mean, to be able to hold on to that when you’re going through things that you don’t understand. Even if this kills me dead, I will still hope in God. Wow! That’s something we’ve gotta consider as we consider whatever we might be going through. Because, in essence, Job’s posture was that if pursuing God proved hopeless, right? Even if he continued to be righteous before God the best that he could and it came to nothing, still he would hope in God. Man, we gotta let that sink in and then wrestle with that today. Because so often we are an if then kind of people, right? Sure I will trust in the Lord if he does X, Y and Z. Or if I can get my theology in order, I will certainly believe this if X, Y and Z pans out. What Job is saying is throw it all away. Everything that I think that I know, everything that I’ve ever been told. It doesn’t matter. I’m here at the bottom of my life. There is nowhere further to go besides to die. And even if God kills me, I will still hope in him. That is a riveting posture of heart.
Prayer:
And so Father, we come into that. And we would each probably like to confess that, to say that. But we can’t just say it flippantly. It’s something that we’ve gotta consider. And so we invite your Holy Spirit to come in today and help us to realize the conditional behaviors. The conditional relationship that we’re having with you. If you will do this, then we will do that. If we do this, then you must do that. And yet, Job’s posture was even if I die, I’m not losing hope in God. There is no other hope. So, come Holy Spirit and show us the ways that we’re not living like that. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is Lee from New Jersey. Today is August 20th and today is Monday morning. So, I’ve got a few things to say. I’ll see if I can fit it all in within two minutes. That is very challenging. But let’s do it. So, yesterday, my went through a very bad situation or has been going through a very bad situation, but yesterday was like the climax with her and her parents, namely with her mother. There’s been issues with her mother. Basically, it started out the way her mother just started confessing things to her about her past, when my wife was born or when she was conceived. She was conceived out of wedlock and four months later her and her father were married and basically she told my wife that she was considering abortion and that my wife’s father forced her basically not to do it and she was forced into marriage and because of that pregnancy she’s had to live in a very unhappy marriage for like the last 30 years. That is very __ for anyone to hear at any age. So, pray for my wife for peace because my wife also has a brother and is about…let’s say he’s made some…he’s not proud of himself in life and he’s way…he’s almost in his 40s and he’s still a little mama’s boy. He’s married. He’s married to an attorney. So, that’s the meat of the story and that’s gonna take a long time but it looks like my mother-in-law favors him over my wife and it’s very obvious. So, pray for peace for my wife. Pray for peace and I guess wisdom for my in-laws because they need it. And they’re in their 70s almost. And they’re…wisdom….God’s wisdom doesn’t apply. They still don’t understand the Scriptures. They just see it from the surface and they don’t get it. They think that my wife and I are Christian nuts and we’re zealots or whatever they consider us to be. So, let’s pray for that. Father, today is day 69 that we’re praying against anger Lord. Thank you for guiding us through this journey Lord, this 90 day journey that there’s still a lot to go Lord. Their still so much to learn about ourselves through your Lord…
Hi DAB family this is Will beautiful Bozeman Montana. I want to thank you for praying for me. I really have felt those prayers. God just changing my heart. My marriage is still struggling but, you know, God is on the throne and I know that, number one, He is in control and the enemy does not want our marriages to work. And, so, I just want to pray. Father, thank You so much for this platform and thank You so much for the gift of Your son and thank You so much that God, we can put on the armor of God and stand against the enemy and his efforts and cast down these demons and these demonic efforts to destroy us and to destroy our family members and our marriages. I pray against those things in the name of Jesus and I lift up my brothers and sisters in the DAB family, those who are struggling, those who are challenged with their own faith, those who are just trying to hold on. Lord Jesus, I just pray that You would just breathe into their lives, tap them on the shoulder of their heart, and let them know that You are with them father. And I just lift up Brian and Jill and just pray for a blessing over them and for each and every one participates in praying and speaking words of encouragement. Thank You so much for the prophetic word that was spoken. Thank You so much for the power and passion that came with it. It just fired me up. And I just love You Lord. We praise You and we thank You and we know who You are. We ask all of this in Jesus name. Amen.
Hi Daily Audio Bible family. This is Ohio Archie. I called back in June asking for prayer to help me with alcohol addiction. I’m calling today to say thank you, all the people who pray for me. I was relieved by the alcoholic demon but it was replaced by addiction and abuse of antidepressants, pain medication, sleeping pills and immoral thoughts. These abuses have led me to a lot of physical pain, unbearable physical pain. My favorite book of the Bible is Job. I realized this morning that I am living my summer of Joe and I’ve lost all my family. I have no friends to boot. Now I am experiencing all of the physical Job endured but my God still loves and I love Him and I trust Him completely. Just for me, outwardly, that the answer is not to request more prayers from you but to pray for you. Today I would like to pray for truck driver Terry who is battling an alcohol problem also and was injured in an accident with his best friend this past weekend. Father, and of praying in agreement with Terry and everyone that is praying for Terry that his recovery from alcohol and the injuries sustained in the accident. I know that You are all powerful and can make Terry whole. Father, I also know that You are all wise and all loving. And I request that Your will, not our will, be done in the situation. Thank you Daily Audio Bible family.
A Daily Audio Bible family. This is Scott from Carolina. I’m calling in today for Terry the trucker. Man I am so sorry to hear about your accident, about your dog, and about all that will probably happen or not happen as a result. But I want to praise God that you made it, that you’re alive, and I want to just pray with you and with the family for your healing man. All right, well let’s just Pray. Dear heavenly Father, I thank You so much for saving Terry and we thank You for his faith and Father we just pray that You would give the family faith to heal for the loss of their pet and Lord, no doubt from the financial loss of not being able to work. Lord, we pray that You just work in his life Lord and we thank You for all You do in Jesus name. Hey everyone, just want to say I love you. Please pray for my wife Janice also. She’s been really struggling with her back with lots of surgeries and I’m sure many of you know how that is. Just lots of pain every day. But the Lord will help us through it. Thanks everyone. Love you. Bye.
Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Prosperous Pam from the bay area, San Francisco Bay area. I am calling tol…I’m listening to the August 20th playback of the Daily Audio Bible. It was amazing. I need to go back and listen to it again because so many things were spoken about that. But the main reason why I’m calling is because there was…this is for the woman…she identified herself as Prophetic Intercessor from North Carolina. God bless your heart Ms. Prophetic Intercessor from North Carolina. I was __. I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible as I’m, like, doing house work, and when you just started speaking and, like, the prayer that you just had and the singing, I knew that was for me. So, God bless you my sister. I just wanted to say thank you, God bless you, and the body of Christ is amazing. This Daily Audio Bible family is amazing. Brian, thank you for what you do every single day and for your family. And this is Prosperous Pam. I’ve been part of Daily Audio Bible for about a year and I am just seeing God move, move, move and it’s a beautiful thing. So, I am going to continue to trust in Him and I’m just so thankful to have a beautiful family who loves the Lord as I do. So, have a blessed day everyone. Bye-bye.