08/31/2020 DAB Transcript

Job 37:1-39:30, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10, Psalms 44:9-26, Proverbs 22:13

Today is the 31st day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is great to be here with you. Can you believe it? We have made it to the end of another month. With that today’s reading we’ll complete eight months consecutively seven days a week. We have journeyed long and far and unique…it’s been a unique year, to say the least, and there’s much out in front of us, much left in front of us in the Scriptures and much left in front of us in our lives this year. So, let’s get to it. Let’s finish this month strong. We’re reading from the book of Job while reading from the New International Version and today we’ll read Job 37, 38 and 39. And I just by way of reminder, so Job had three friends who came to see him, they have debated, they have conversed, they have talked, Job has pled his case, he is looking for God. Ad then there was his fourth voice, Elihu, a younger man who appears on the scene. And, so, he’s with these men listening to them but out of deference because he’s younger, he hasn’t spoken but then he feels like he can’t hold it up inside anymore, which…and he has a need to say his peace, which can be…which is common to younger men, right? And, so, he’s now saying, “okay. I’ve listened to all the wisdom of the elders. I’ve listened to Job and this is what I have to say because I can’t not say it.” And we’re…we’ve been listening to Elihu, but we’ll continue with that today in Job 37. And then Job will get what he wants because it Job 38 the Lord will show up.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have been working our way through the book of Job. We’ve talked a lot about the book of Job, and now we’re ending the ending of the book of Job. In fact, as we begin next month, tomorrow, we will conclude the book of Job in tomorrow’s reading. So, we’re almost there and if we just kind of glance back we remember, Job began with unspeakable tragedy. We watched this person who was a very wise, wealthy, strong, prestigious person in the community, wherever he lived, very well respected and systematically his entire life fell apart. He lost everything that he had. He lost everyone that he loved. It all just went away. And, so, Job is just undone, as you can imagine. He just is destroyed, and his friends come to see him, and they can’t even recognize him. It’s so horrifying what has happened to Job. And Job only wants one thing. He doesn’t believe it’s fair. Like he believes he is suffering unjustly. So, basically at the core of it all, what Job wants is understanding. He wants the knowledge about his situation. He wants to understand. And, so, his friends are there trying to make him or help him understand and they’re in this kind of circular thing where Job is holding onto his innocence and his friends are trying to pry his fingers away from that and tell him that it can’t be, you can’t be innocent, you can’t be righteous. Like this is happening because of something in you, your pride, your evil. And he keeps saying, “like that’s…everything you’re telling me I already know. There’s not a thing you could…there’s no understanding that you have that you can impart to me that I don’t already know. What I want is an audience with the most-high God. I want God to explain and make me understand.” And Job claims, “I…like I’ve looked everywhere. I can’t find Him anywhere. And of course, his friends are like, “of course you can’t find Him. Like only the righteous can find Him. Like, you’re not gonna find Him.” So, there’s this whole circle going on and then Elihu, the younger person, goes on a rant on Job, just kind of goes off on all of them, and then the Lord God shows up. Like Job gets the audience. This righteous man Job is clinging to his innocence and looking for understanding gets what he wants. And God comes, it’s just different than he was thinking. God says, “who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer.” I’m telling you, if that ever happened to me, I would pee in my pants, like…or more. Like, can you imagine that you have been having an ongoing discussion with your friends about God, claiming…making claims and kind of arguing and debating with each other about God and about your understanding of what He does and does not do and His ways of acting and working and then God shows up and is like, “who is this? Who is this that’s talking without…like talking about things they don’t know? Brace yourself. I have some questions of my own. Since you have all these questions for me let me ask you a few questions.” We’re talking about the most-high God. We’re not talking about some powerful person. We’re talking about God. It's…it’s a…it’s a wonderful thing that God shows up but it’s a terrifying thing to think about if you put yourself in the position. It’s like, holy cow
or holy something. I don’t know what to say. And He already knows what I have said. And the questions that God is asking, they cannot be answered. Who could know the answers to those things but the creator of all? And, so, as we conclude the book of Job tomorrow, we’ll hear what Job actually finally does have to say. We’ve listened to Job preparing his arguments for the whole book. So, we know what he was planning to say. Tomorrow we’ll find out what he actually has to say.

And then in second Corinthians, Paul is defending himself. This is something the that he…that he has to do often but definitely has to do with the fellowship that’s in Corinth. It appears that the kind of the accusations that are against Paul is that he’s just a shyster and that he really made this all up, he’s making this all up, he’ is manipulating people. And Paul is basically trying to push back and say like, “dude if this is what our…like if that was the plan, if the plan was to…to…to manipulate people and swindle people and do all of these things there are like way more effective ways than trying to create a way of looking at the world and spirituality that is nonsense to Gentiles and heresy to my fellow Hebrews who want to kill me. Like there are better ways to do what you’re kinda claiming that I’m doing. Like that’s not what we’re doing here at all. It’s all for your benefit.” I mean just quoting from…from second Corinthians, “all this is for your benefit so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what…but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.” So, even in defending himself he’s trying to say, “look higher.” And that’s just like kind of a theme that we see in his letters to the Corinthians. Like…like even in your divisions look higher…there’s a bigger story here, seriously. Do you have to make this argument, this debate, this accusation? Like is this all there is to life? Can’t you see the transformation that God wants to do in you and the way that he wants to use you to transform the world? It’s bigger than what you think”, which ironically isn’t so different than what’s going on in Job. It’s bigger than you think. And when you think you know it all you have put a ceiling on where you can go because you cannot see the unseen, you just waste away in the seen. And, so, let’s take that to heart as we close the books on another month together and prepare to go sailing into the ninth month of the year.

Prayer:

Father we thank You. We thank You for these eighth…eight months that we’ve had the opportunity to be in each other’s company every single day these months. And You have taken us through some territory this year, some serious soul-searching, some deep things. Not only in the Scriptures but in our lives. Like this has been a shaking and You have been faithful and we are grateful. And, so, as we release this month and…and allow it to become a part of our story, a part of our history we look forward to the stories that are yet to be told, the stories of the grand adventure of life in relationship with You and in relationship with one another. And, so, we stand here at the end of something, a month, and on the precipice of the beginnings of something, another month, and we worship You. We are grateful. You are glorious. You are the most-high God. There is none like You. It’s a ridiculous thing to even say that. There is none even remotely like You. You are all powerful. You are the most-high and we are Your children. And, so, we are so profoundly humbled by that. And we ask forgiveness for all of the accusations and all of the assumptions that we have made like You or made about You. We confess that we know in part, we see through a glass darkly. We don’t know what we think we know. But day by day step-by-step we are being transformed from within. You are sanctifying us. You are setting us apart and our prayer is that we just stop getting in Your way. Come Holy Spirit, well up from within and lead us the narrow path that leads to life we ask 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 today is the 27th of August this…this is Laura in West Palm Beach Florida. I just heard a prayer request from Michael as he’s driving to possibly another eye surgery this morning. I…I hear despair in his voice. I know he’s lost his father and his mother in the last couple years and he’s been divorced in the last two months and I know Michael needs hope. I know he said that he’s been seeking God’s face and can’t find it. Lord I know that even Job in his despair said that all that he could see about you and know about you was just a whisper of the…of the truth. Father I just pray that Michael would grab a hold of this whisper of hope and that Lord he would have a successful eye surgery. I pray Father that He would continue to seek you because your word says that if you ask and you seek you will find. And Lord I know that you’re there for him. God he is seeking, and I know you’re not going to turn Your back on him. I just pray Father for Michael’s despair to be replaced with hope and peace and trust. And may his eye surgery be successful. And Father not only his eye surgery but I pray that the eyes of his soul would seek You and find You.

Hey this is for the DABber the Michael that called in, you had…you lost your parents and you have issue with your eyes that you may have to have a surgery. I think you said another surgery. I really feel for your man and I know how it is to not feel God or not…not be aware of God around you. That happens to me a lot and I just want to pray for you this morning. Lord we ask for a strong movement of Your strength this morning Lord in Michael’s life. Michael is like us Lord, he needs You, he…he can’t do this alone and he’s asked…he wants You Lord, he’s asking for You, he’s aware of You, he’s here listening to Your Scripture. He’s a part of our group Lord and he’s a part of Your kingdom. We ask that You deliver him from this I issue Lord, that You give him complete health and restoration of any vision loss or anything, Lord that You can comfort him with this…in regard to the loss of his parents and his divorce Lord that You can help him get through that without dwelling on it and without feeling any guilt or without any misery Lord. Please deliver him from these things and begin to bring joy, comfort, and purpose and all kinds of good things into his life Lord. We know that all good gifts come from You. We ask that You just pour out joy on his life and help him to begin to live in a different way in the likeness of Job where everything was taken from him and the pain was so great but in the later part of his life You blessed him with more than he ever had. We ask that You now begin to restore Michael and bless him Lord and help them to live a long fruitful and happy life. Let him share with others what…what happened to him Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hi this is Bighearted Ben and radiant Rachel and Andrew from Pennsylvania. We have a prayer request. Andrew’s buddy Kevin Cranes got in a car accident, a head car collision…head on collision…he’s in a coma and he’s in a coma in the hospital and he needs a lot of prayer. He’s one of Andrews good friends. So, we’re asking that everybody pray with us for Kevin Kevlar otherwise known as…what’s his nickname…Kevlar. Alright. Dear God, we lift up Kevlar to you. We pray that you will send your Holy Spirit to him, to his hospital room. We pray that the Holy Spirit will wrap his arms around him and heal him completely Lord bring him through this so that he can continue on with his life. He was just about to retire, and we pray that he can enjoy his retirement and live a long healthy life. And is there anything else to say Ben? Andrew, you got anything to say? And thank you for this dinner, please nourish it to our bodies. Dear Jesus, please have everyone in the whole wide world even that have been praying __ even everyone in the world to have no __ and the coronavirus to go away and every virus to go away…

Hello everyone, it’s Margo from Liberia I’m still stuck in the UK, been here for over a month and we just found out that our third flight’s that we’ve booked we’ve been bumped off again. And really today I just feel desolate. I do trust God. I totally trust God but my feelings right now…I feel like I’ve got no control over my life. I’m stuck here. I’m useless to anyone. I can’t do anything. I looked into getting registered here so I can work here but I can’t do that. I…I…I’m what I’m asking for is for prayer that we can could back to Australia. My husbands supposed to be doing some training, my sons getting married. I really…I want to be there for my son’s wedding. I’m just at a loss this morning and I guess I just…I’m in need of some support and some prayer. And I’m angry because it’s Australia that’s not letting us in. There’s thousands of us stranded in other countries and the governments put these flight caps on. And, so, kind of, if you can pay business class you can pretty much get in but the flight…the costs are horrendous, and I know I’m not even speaking very well today. I’m just trying to be coherent. I do trust in God, that I know, but I also know that it’s okay to feel upset about things some time. And that’s me today. Please pray. I love you guys. Bye.

Abigail from Oregon this is God’s Life Speaker. I hear your pain for your loss for your baby. Praise God that you got to hold your baby. And I understand totally being pregnant with friends and watching them continue. That happened exactly to be where we had multiple miscarriages and I was pregnant with a friend of the same…good family friend at the same time and it was so hard. I hear you. I hear you. But continue to lift them up, continue to pray for their babies, continue just to believe and speak life that…that your baby is coming. And I can be 11 years away from that time and just tell you the blessing…the blessing is coming. I don’t know why the wait. I don’t understand the babies that we’ve lost. But they are in heaven and will get to hold them. So, Abigail don’t worry about your friend that had an abortion. Pray for her. She will see that baby if she knows Jesus. Continue to be the light and the life of these girlfriends. Know people are praying for you. Losing babies are hard. Losing anything as hard, right? Because we so want it. And to hear that God has a plan…well He has a plan as we live continuously in the places that He has put us. Just like Joe did, we press forward. So, Abigail from Oregon God bless you. Look forward, speak life into yourself into your friends and into the unknown babies that are all you to come. God bless you.

Hi, I just had a prayer request. I had a stroke a week and a half ago and I lost my mom to cancer three weeks before that and I didn’t want to cry I just miss her. I’m a single mom with four boys and I’m in the hospital right now. I just wanted…I have two older boys and two younger boys, and I think one of my boys relapsed into using drugs. It was just too much for him. And if you guys could just keep us in your prayers. My pastor’s wife came and told me about this awesome iPod thing and I’ve been listening to your series from my bed in the hospital and I can’t wait to get home and listen to my boys…have my boys listen to the kids section. If you could just, please keep my family in your prayers and help me get home soon. My little boy Mario also has a birthday coming up on September 1st and he’s pretty sad I’m not going to be able to be there because I’ll still be in the hospital…

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday August 31, 2020 (NIV)

Job 37-39

37 “At this my heart pounds(A)
and leaps from its place.
Listen!(B) Listen to the roar of his voice,(C)
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.(D)
He unleashes his lightning(E) beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.(F)
After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders(G) with his majestic voice.(H)
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.
God’s voice thunders(I) in marvelous ways;(J)
he does great things beyond our understanding.(K)
He says to the snow,(L) ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’(M)
So that everyone he has made may know his work,(N)
he stops all people from their labor.[a](O)
The animals take cover;(P)
they remain in their dens.(Q)
The tempest comes out from its chamber,(R)
the cold from the driving winds.(S)
10 The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.(T)
11 He loads the clouds with moisture;(U)
he scatters his lightning(V) through them.(W)
12 At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.(X)
13 He brings the clouds to punish people,(Y)
or to water his earth and show his love.(Z)

14 “Listen(AA) to this, Job;
stop and consider God’s wonders.(AB)
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning(AC) flash?(AD)
16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised,(AE)
those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?(AF)
17 You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,(AG)
18 can you join him in spreading out the skies,(AH)
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?(AI)

19 “Tell us what we should say to him;(AJ)
we cannot draw up our case(AK) because of our darkness.(AL)
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
21 Now no one can look at the sun,(AM)
bright as it is in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.
22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;(AN)
God comes in awesome majesty.(AO)
23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;(AP)
in his justice(AQ) and great righteousness, he does not oppress.(AR)
24 Therefore, people revere him,(AS)
for does he not have regard for all the wise(AT) in heart?[b]

The Lord Speaks

38 Then the Lord spoke to Job(AU) out of the storm.(AV) He said:

“Who is this that obscures my plans(AW)
with words without knowledge?(AX)
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(AY)

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(AZ)
Tell me, if you understand.(BA)
Who marked off its dimensions?(BB) Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line(BC) across it?
On what were its footings set,(BD)
or who laid its cornerstone(BE)
while the morning stars(BF) sang together(BG)
and all the angels[c](BH) shouted for joy?(BI)

“Who shut up the sea behind doors(BJ)
when it burst forth from the womb,(BK)
when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,(BL)
10 when I fixed limits for it(BM)
and set its doors and bars in place,(BN)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(BO)
here is where your proud waves halt’?(BP)

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(BQ)
or shown the dawn its place,(BR)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked(BS) out of it?(BT)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(BU)
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(BV)
and their upraised arm is broken.(BW)

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?(BX)
17 Have the gates of death(BY) been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(BZ)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(CA)
Tell me, if you know all this.(CB)

19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?(CC)
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths(CD) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(CE)
You have lived so many years!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(CF)
or seen the storehouses(CG) of the hail,(CH)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(CI)
for days of war and battle?(CJ)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(CK)
or the place where the east winds(CL) are scattered over the earth?(CM)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,(CN)
26 to water(CO) a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,(CP)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?(CQ)
28 Does the rain have a father?(CR)
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(CS)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?(CT)

31 “Can you bind the chains[d] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(CU)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(CV) in their seasons[e]
or lead out the Bear[f] with its cubs?(CW)
33 Do you know the laws(CX) of the heavens?(CY)
Can you set up God’s[g] dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?(CZ)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(DA)
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[h](DB)
or gives the rooster understanding?[i](DC)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars(DD) of the heavens(DE)
38 when the dust becomes hard(DF)
and the clods of earth stick together?(DG)

39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions(DH)
40 when they crouch in their dens(DI)
or lie in wait in a thicket?(DJ)
41 Who provides food(DK) for the raven(DL)
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?(DM)

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(DN) give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(DO)
Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?(DP)
They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.

“Who let the wild donkey(DQ) go free?
Who untied its ropes?
I gave it the wasteland(DR) as its home,
the salt flats(DS) as its habitat.(DT)
It laughs(DU) at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.(DV)
It ranges the hills(DW) for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.

“Will the wild ox(DX) consent to serve you?(DY)
Will it stay by your manger(DZ) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(EA)
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(EB)
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?

13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.(EC)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.(ED)
16 She treats her young harshly,(EE) as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.(EF)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs(EG) at horse and rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its strength(EH)
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(EI)
striking terror(EJ) with its proud snorting?(EK)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(EL)
and charges into the fray.(EM)
22 It laughs(EN) at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(EO) rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear(EP) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(EQ)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(ER) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(ES)

26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?(ET)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?(EU)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag(EV) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(EW)
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”(EX)

Footnotes:

  1. Job 37:7 Or work, / he fills all people with fear by his power
  2. Job 37:24 Or for he does not have regard for any who think they are wise.
  3. Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
  4. Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
  5. Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
  6. Job 38:32 Or out Leo
  7. Job 38:33 Or their
  8. Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
  9. Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

Cross references:

  1. Job 37:1 : Ps 38:10; Isa 15:5; Jer 4:19; Hab 3:16
  2. Job 37:2 : S Job 32:10
  3. Job 37:2 : ver 5
  4. Job 37:2 : Ps 18:13; 29:3-9
  5. Job 37:3 : S 2Sa 22:13; Ps 18:14
  6. Job 37:3 : S Job 36:32; Mt 24:27; Lk 17:24
  7. Job 37:4 : S 1Sa 2:10
  8. Job 37:4 : S Ex 20:19
  9. Job 37:5 : S 1Sa 2:10; Jn 12:29
  10. Job 37:5 : S Job 36:33
  11. Job 37:5 : S Job 5:9; S 11:7-9; S 36:4
  12. Job 37:6 : Dt 28:12; Job 38:22
  13. Job 37:6 : S Ge 7:4; S Job 5:10; S 28:26
  14. Job 37:7 : Ps 109:27
  15. Job 37:7 : Ps 104:19-23; 111:2
  16. Job 37:8 : S Job 28:26
  17. Job 37:8 : Job 38:40; Ps 104:22
  18. Job 37:9 : Ps 50:3
  19. Job 37:9 : Ps 147:17
  20. Job 37:10 : Job 38:29-30; Ps 147:17
  21. Job 37:11 : S Job 26:8
  22. Job 37:11 : S Job 36:30
  23. Job 37:11 : S Job 28:26
  24. Job 37:12 : S ver 3; Ps 147:16; 148:8
  25. Job 37:13 : S Ge 7:4; Ex 9:22-23; S 1Sa 12:17
  26. Job 37:13 : S 1Ki 18:45; S Job 5:10; S 36:31; 38:27
  27. Job 37:14 : S Job 32:10
  28. Job 37:14 : S Job 5:9
  29. Job 37:15 : S Job 36:30
  30. Job 37:15 : S Job 36:32
  31. Job 37:16 : S Job 36:29
  32. Job 37:16 : S Job 5:9; S 36:4
  33. Job 37:17 : Ac 27:13
  34. Job 37:18 : S Ge 1:1, 8; S Job 22:14
  35. Job 37:18 : Dt 28:23
  36. Job 37:19 : Ro 8:26
  37. Job 37:19 : S Job 13:18
  38. Job 37:19 : S Job 9:3
  39. Job 37:21 : S Jdg 5:31; Ac 22:11; 26:13
  40. Job 37:22 : Ps 19:5
  41. Job 37:22 : Ex 24:17
  42. Job 37:23 : S Job 5:9; S 36:4; Ro 11:33; 1Ti 6:16
  43. Job 37:23 : S Job 8:3
  44. Job 37:23 : S Job 4:17; Ps 44:1; Isa 63:9; Jer 25:5; La 3:33; Eze 18:23, 32
  45. Job 37:24 : S Ge 22:12; Job 28:28; Ecc 12:13; Mic 6:8; Mt 10:28
  46. Job 37:24 : S Job 5:13; Eph 5:15
  47. Job 38:1 : S Job 11:5
  48. Job 38:1 : S Ex 14:21; S 1Sa 2:10; Job 40:6; Isa 21:1; Eze 1:4
  49. Job 38:2 : S 1Ki 22:5; Isa 40:13
  50. Job 38:2 : S Job 34:35; Mk 10:38; 1Ti 1:7
  51. Job 38:3 : Job 40:7; 42:4; Mk 11:29
  52. Job 38:4 : S ver 5; S Ge 1:1; S 1Sa 2:8
  53. Job 38:4 : ver 18; S Job 34:13; Pr 30:4
  54. Job 38:5 : ver 4; Ps 102:25; Pr 8:29; Isa 40:12; 48:13; Jer 31:37
  55. Job 38:5 : Jer 31:39; Zec 1:16; 4:9-10
  56. Job 38:6 : Pr 8:25
  57. Job 38:6 : S Job 26:7
  58. Job 38:7 : S Ge 1:16
  59. Job 38:7 : Ps 19:1-4; 148:2-3
  60. Job 38:7 : S 1Ki 22:19
  61. Job 38:7 : S Dt 16:15
  62. Job 38:8 : ver 11; Ps 33:7; Pr 8:29; Jer 5:22
  63. Job 38:8 : S Ge 1:9-10
  64. Job 38:9 : S Ge 1:2
  65. Job 38:10 : S Job 28:25; Ps 33:7; 104:9; Isa 40:12
  66. Job 38:10 : Ne 3:3; Job 7:12; 26:10
  67. Job 38:11 : S ver 8
  68. Job 38:11 : Ps 65:7; 89:9; 104:6-9
  69. Job 38:12 : Ps 57:8
  70. Job 38:12 : Ps 74:16; Am 5:8
  71. Job 38:13 : Ps 104:35
  72. Job 38:13 : S Job 8:22
  73. Job 38:14 : Ex 28:11
  74. Job 38:15 : S Dt 28:29; S Job 15:22; S 18:5
  75. Job 38:15 : S Ge 17:14; S Job 4:10; S 31:22
  76. Job 38:16 : S Ge 1:7; S Job 9:8
  77. Job 38:17 : S Job 33:22; Mt 16:18; Rev 1:18
  78. Job 38:17 : S Job 7:9
  79. Job 38:18 : S Job 28:24; Isa 40:12
  80. Job 38:18 : S ver 4
  81. Job 38:19 : S Ge 1:4; S Job 28:3; Ps 139:11-12
  82. Job 38:20 : S Job 24:13
  83. Job 38:21 : Job 15:7
  84. Job 38:22 : S Job 37:6
  85. Job 38:22 : S Dt 28:12
  86. Job 38:22 : Ps 105:32; 147:17
  87. Job 38:23 : Ps 27:5; Isa 28:17; 30:30; Eze 13:11
  88. Job 38:23 : Ex 9:26; Jos 10:11; Eze 13:13; Rev 16:21
  89. Job 38:24 : S Job 28:24
  90. Job 38:24 : S Job 27:21
  91. Job 38:24 : Jer 10:13; 51:16
  92. Job 38:25 : Job 28:26
  93. Job 38:26 : Job 36:27
  94. Job 38:26 : Ps 84:6; 107:35; Isa 41:18
  95. Job 38:27 : S Job 28:26; S 37:13; S Ps 104:14
  96. Job 38:28 : S 2Sa 1:21; S Job 5:10
  97. Job 38:29 : Ps 147:16-17
  98. Job 38:30 : Job 37:10
  99. Job 38:31 : Job 9:9; Am 5:8
  100. Job 38:32 : 2Ki 23:5; Isa 13:10; 40:26; 45:12; Jer 19:13
  101. Job 38:32 : S Ge 1:16
  102. Job 38:33 : Ps 148:6; Jer 31:36
  103. Job 38:33 : S Ge 1:16
  104. Job 38:34 : S Job 5:10; S 22:11
  105. Job 38:35 : S Job 36:32
  106. Job 38:36 : S Job 9:4; S 34:32; Jas 1:5
  107. Job 38:36 : S Job 12:13
  108. Job 38:37 : S Jos 3:16
  109. Job 38:37 : S Job 22:11
  110. Job 38:38 : S Lev 26:19
  111. Job 38:38 : 1Ki 18:45
  112. Job 38:39 : S Ge 49:9
  113. Job 38:40 : S Job 37:8
  114. Job 38:40 : S Ge 49:9
  115. Job 38:41 : S Ge 1:30
  116. Job 38:41 : S Ge 8:7; Lk 12:24
  117. Job 38:41 : Ps 147:9; S Mt 6:26
  118. Job 39:1 : S Dt 14:5
  119. Job 39:1 : Ge 49:21
  120. Job 39:2 : S Ge 31:7-9
  121. Job 39:5 : S Ge 16:12
  122. Job 39:6 : Job 24:5; Ps 107:34; Jer 2:24
  123. Job 39:6 : Job 30:4
  124. Job 39:6 : Job 30:7; Jer 14:6; 17:6
  125. Job 39:7 : S Job 5:22
  126. Job 39:7 : Job 3:18
  127. Job 39:8 : Isa 32:20
  128. Job 39:9 : S Nu 23:22
  129. Job 39:9 : S Ex 21:6
  130. Job 39:9 : S Ge 42:27
  131. Job 39:10 : Job 41:13; Ps 32:9
  132. Job 39:11 : ver 19; Job 40:16; 41:12, 22; Ps 147:10
  133. Job 39:13 : Zec 5:9
  134. Job 39:15 : 2Ki 14:9
  135. Job 39:16 : ver 17; La 4:3
  136. Job 39:17 : S ver 16; S Job 21:22
  137. Job 39:18 : S Job 5:22
  138. Job 39:19 : S ver 11
  139. Job 39:20 : Joel 2:4-5; Rev 9:7
  140. Job 39:20 : Job 41:25
  141. Job 39:20 : Jer 8:16
  142. Job 39:21 : ver 11
  143. Job 39:21 : Jer 8:6
  144. Job 39:22 : S Job 5:22
  145. Job 39:23 : Isa 5:28; Jer 5:16
  146. Job 39:23 : Na 3:3
  147. Job 39:24 : Nu 10:9; Jer 4:5, 19; Eze 7:14; Am 3:6
  148. Job 39:25 : Jos 6:5
  149. Job 39:25 : Jer 8:6; Am 1:14; 2:2
  150. Job 39:26 : Jer 8:7
  151. Job 39:27 : Jer 49:16; Ob 1:4; Hab 2:9
  152. Job 39:28 : Jer 49:16; Ob 1:3
  153. Job 39:29 : S Job 9:26
  154. Job 39:30 : Mt 24:28; Lk 17:37
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10

13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[a](A) Since we have that same spirit of[b] faith,(B) we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead(C) will also raise us with Jesus(D) and present us with you to himself.(E) 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving(F) to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart.(G) Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly(H) we are being renewed(I) day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.(J) 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,(K) since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Awaiting the New Body

For we know that if the earthly(L) tent(M) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan,(N) longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,(O) because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan(P) and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,(Q) so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.(R)

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.(S) We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.(T) So we make it our goal to please him,(U) whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us(V) for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:13 Psalm 116:10 (see Septuagint)
  2. 2 Corinthians 4:13 Or Spirit-given
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 44:9-26

But now you have rejected(A) and humbled us;(B)
you no longer go out with our armies.(C)
10 You made us retreat(D) before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered(E) us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep(F)
and have scattered us among the nations.(G)
12 You sold your people for a pittance,(H)
gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproach(I) to our neighbors,(J)
the scorn(K) and derision(L) of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword(M) among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads(N) at us.
15 I live in disgrace(O) all day long,
and my face is covered with shame(P)
16 at the taunts(Q) of those who reproach and revile(R) me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.(S)

17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten(T) you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned(U) back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed(V) us and made us a haunt for jackals;(W)
you covered us over with deep darkness.(X)

20 If we had forgotten(Y) the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,(Z)
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?(AA)
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep(AB) to be slaughtered.(AC)

23 Awake,(AD) Lord! Why do you sleep?(AE)
Rouse yourself!(AF) Do not reject us forever.(AG)
24 Why do you hide your face(AH)
and forget(AI) our misery and oppression?(AJ)

25 We are brought down to the dust;(AK)
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up(AL) and help us;
rescue(AM) us because of your unfailing love.(AN)

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 22:13

13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!(A)
I’ll be killed in the public square!”

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 22:13 : Pr 26:13
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

08/30/2020 DAB Transcript

Job 34:1-36:33, 2 Corinthians 4:1-12, Psalms 44:1-8, Proverbs 22:10-12

Today is the 30th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is a joy to greet the new week together with you and step into it together. It’s this shiny threshold that we throw the gates open and walk into every week and just remind ourselves nothing’s gone right or wrong, not…the bottom hasn’t fallen out of anything and we haven’t soared into anything. It’s a week that is in front of us and we will live into it, moment by moment and the story of this week will be told with the words that we say the conversations that we have the actions that we take the decisions that we make. That’s what’s gonna…that’s how this week is gonna form itself. And, so, we choose now to center ourselves in God’s Word and orient ourselves to Him and to submit ourselves to Him on the front end of the week, not at the backend when everything has gone wrong, now. We get to choose how to live into this week and what posture of heart we will live into it. Like are…are we gonna rage all week long or are we going to be patient? We get to choose that. And, so, let’s choose wisely. And one of the wisest choices that we make is to continue the rhythm around the Global Campfire, allowing the Word of God to speak into our lives and inform our week. And, so, let’s dive in. We’ll read from the New International Version this week and continue the book of Job. Today chapter 34, 35, and 36.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for bringing us into this shiny sparkly new week and we look to the future with anticipation as we prepare to end a month and begin anew. We mark the passage of time, as we as we always do. The passage of time is an opportunity for us to see Your faithfulness, that You have brought us here, that we are still standing. No matter how worn-out we might be, You have been faithful. We are still here, and we are grateful. And, so, we look forward with longing to all that You will speak to us in Your word and the coming week, all that You will do in our lives in this transformation process, this removal of the veil so that we might see and reflect Your glory upon this earth. What a gift. What an invitation. What an overwhelming sense of possibility, that we get to collaborate with You in the world this week. Come Holy Spirit. May we represent You well. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, check it out. You can check it all out using the Daily Audio Bible app as well by hitting the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner.

Check out the Community section. This is where the Prayer Wall lives. This is part of what the Global Campfire is, that we are people who pray for each other, that we stay connected, that we actually get invested in each other’s stories. We feel that spiritual connection with our brothers and our sisters, people that we may have never seen, people we may actually never be able to lay human eyes on. But as we…as we learn, that doesn’t mean we don’t love them, that doesn’t mean we don’t care. We are the body, right? If one hurts, we all hurt, and we sense that. And when one rejoices, we all rejoice, and we sense that. So, the Prayer Wall is definitely a resource for always being able to reach out for prayer and in prayer with prayer for one another. So…so check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. The link is on the homepage. If you are using the app, the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button. We have a Hotline button in our community. We can always reach out. And that is found in the app, little red button at the top, you can’t miss it or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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 afternoon family this is Soaring on Eagles Wings from Canada. If you guys…as you guys will remember, my mom passed away in March. She had breast cancer and other things and I was trying to get to Maryland before she passed but I missed it by hours. But my youngest sister, my baby sister, who has given up her whole life to care for our mom has had a mammogram and they called her for a diagnostic one and now they have seen some…something that they want to go and to a biopsy on. And, so, I’m asking you guys to pray, please in deep prayer for my baby sister Sandra as she’s faced with this now and she is in…is in emotional turmoil already because of the death of our mom. She hasn’t resolved that yet and now the possibility that there may be something there. And I am also a breast cancer survivor. So, please pray with me. My heart is just troubled because I’m concerned for my baby sister. So, I ask you all to join me in prayer and ask for God’s divine intervention so that He would miraculously remove whatever they…that there is…they are seeing their, that the biopsy will show a non-malignant situation. Grant her piece now because I’m sure she’s scared. She’s not saying much but I can imagine her thoughts. So please ask the Lord along with me to wrap His loving arms around her, protect her and keep her mind fixed on Him. She’s a Christian. She loves Jesus and I thank you all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hey fellow DABbers this is Lincoln from Canada and I was wondering if you would be so kind to pray for my wife and myself. In June it would’ve been six…seven years since we got married and the first six years were pretty rocky but this last year has been a pretty good year until January when my wife informed me that she was leaving and I was completely blindsided by that. I did not see that coming. And, so, after she had moved out, we started some reconciliation efforts and we started to spend a little bit of more time together and things seemed pretty promising until May when it was my birthday. When I came home on my birthday she was at the house and she and surprised me with my favorite meal and she had gotten me some gifts and we spent an amazing weekend together, which was really nice. And then, right the very next weekend she…things weren’t going so well. So, she decided she was going to block me, and I have not had any communication with her in 2 ½ months now. So, today I reached out to her to see if there’s a way that we could come to the table and discuss a plan forward and she doesn’t seem to be willing. So, it is very painful, and it seems this marriage me may end in a divorce and I am praying that may not be the case. So, I’m inviting you to join me in prayer as we seek God’s leading and hopefully, we can get this marriage restored.

Hi Brian and Daily Audio Bible family this is Victory Michelle calling from New York. I’m so glad I was able to get in touch with you guys. I called once before but I don’t think my call got through. I’ve been with the Daily Audio Bible about 12 years now. Here’s my prayer request. I don’t have a job right now and I have some mental health issues that kind of prevent me from working sometimes. So, I really need a job that doesn’t stress out my mental health issues. Also, I’m thousands of dollars behind in my rent. I’ve applied to the city for grant. So, I need prayer that they will grant my request. And basically, that’s it. I’m also behind on my taxes as well. So, I have a lot of financial problems that have been giving me a lot of anxiety and depression. I’d also like prayer for a husband because I’ve been single all my life. I’m in my 50s right now and I believe God wants me to have one. Just want to thank you and I really appreciate being on this call and I hope someone’s able to pray for my prayer request. Thank you.

Hi this is Dorothy out in California. This message is for Jana who has a daughter, Amber in third grade, and you’re worried about school. This is for Shannon. Your birthday is this coming Saturday and you just lost your mom and I am so sorry about your loss. And Prodigal, who you’ve lost everything and you’re struggling with your son who’s addicted to heroin and stole from you a lot of money. Abba please, please, rescue them. Please help them. Please step in. Guys, I can’t…I can’t give…say anything in that I’ve ever experienced…I’ve never been where you’re at. One day you’ll be able to help someone who has been where you’re at. God came to me in a dream a couple days ago. I think it was God. There was this man and his name was Abba but he said make sure to mention only my kids call me that and I was distraught over something and I was ready to give up on life and he had said, there’s more than what you see, don’t give up. Keep going. I love you guys. You are not alone. You have a DAB family. Keep calling and keep posting on the Prayer Wall even if it’s every day. God loves you. He is the God of miracles. He has you in His hands. I love you guys.

Hi, DABbers this is Lucy in Huntsville Alabama. My family lost two members on Tuesday, August 25th. My dad died. I had not called in about him, but I put a prayer request in DAB friends on Facebook. I did not know at this time that a cousin of his who was, I guess she’s a third cousin of mine, she died as well the same morning. She had been diagnosed with melanoma just a few weeks ago and was doing great and suddenly had to be rushed to the hospital a week and half ago and had a pulmonary hemorrhage. They had to do work on her in the hospital, but they couldn’t get her in an ICU bed because there were no ICU beds available because of all the COVID patients. My dad got the COVID-19 also. He was in a nursing home. He was safe but someone brought it in, and he ended up with pneumonia last week and I kept checking on him nobody could visit but he seemed to be doing great until Monday. The nurse told my brother that she thought he was about to die, and he hung on for one more day. I really appreciate your prayers. My brother and I both of us had cancer. My cousin had cancer. I got…her daughter also has another form of cancer. We would really, really appreciate your prayers at this time. Thank you.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday August 30, 2020 (NIV)

Job 34-36

34 Then Elihu said:

“Hear my words, you wise men;
listen to me,(A) you men of learning.
For the ear tests words
as the tongue tastes food.(B)
Let us discern for ourselves what is right;(C)
let us learn together what is good.(D)

“Job says, ‘I am innocent,(E)
but God denies me justice.(F)
Although I am right,
I am considered a liar;(G)
although I am guiltless,(H)
his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’(I)
Is there anyone like Job,
who drinks scorn like water?(J)
He keeps company with evildoers;
he associates with the wicked.(K)
For he says, ‘There is no profit
in trying to please God.’(L)

10 “So listen to me,(M) you men of understanding.(N)
Far be it from God to do evil,(O)
from the Almighty to do wrong.(P)
11 He repays everyone for what they have done;(Q)
he brings on them what their conduct deserves.(R)
12 It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,(S)
that the Almighty would pervert justice.(T)
13 Who appointed(U) him over the earth?
Who put him in charge of the whole world?(V)
14 If it were his intention
and he withdrew his spirit[a](W) and breath,(X)
15 all humanity would perish(Y) together
and mankind would return to the dust.(Z)

16 “If you have understanding,(AA) hear this;
listen to what I say.(AB)
17 Can someone who hates justice govern?(AC)
Will you condemn the just and mighty One?(AD)
18 Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’
and to nobles,(AE) ‘You are wicked,’(AF)
19 who shows no partiality(AG) to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,(AH)
for they are all the work of his hands?(AI)
20 They die in an instant, in the middle of the night;(AJ)
the people are shaken and they pass away;
the mighty are removed without human hand.(AK)

21 “His eyes are on the ways of mortals;(AL)
he sees their every step.(AM)
22 There is no deep shadow,(AN) no utter darkness,(AO)
where evildoers can hide.(AP)
23 God has no need to examine people further,(AQ)
that they should come before him for judgment.(AR)
24 Without inquiry he shatters(AS) the mighty(AT)
and sets up others in their place.(AU)
25 Because he takes note of their deeds,(AV)
he overthrows them in the night(AW) and they are crushed.(AX)
26 He punishes them for their wickedness(AY)
where everyone can see them,
27 because they turned from following him(AZ)
and had no regard for any of his ways.(BA)
28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,
so that he heard the cry of the needy.(BB)
29 But if he remains silent,(BC) who can condemn him?(BD)
If he hides his face,(BE) who can see him?
Yet he is over individual and nation alike,(BF)
30 to keep the godless(BG) from ruling,(BH)
from laying snares for the people.(BI)

31 “Suppose someone says to God,
‘I am guilty(BJ) but will offend no more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;(BK)
if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’(BL)
33 Should God then reward you on your terms,
when you refuse to repent?(BM)
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know.

34 “Men of understanding declare,
wise men who hear me say to me,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;(BN)
his words lack insight.’(BO)
36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man!(BP)
37 To his sin he adds rebellion;
scornfully he claps his hands(BQ) among us
and multiplies his words(BR) against God.”(BS)

35 Then Elihu said:

“Do you think this is just?
You say, ‘I am in the right,(BT) not God.’(BU)
Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,[b]
and what do I gain by not sinning?’(BV)

“I would like to reply to you
and to your friends with you.
Look up at the heavens(BW) and see;
gaze at the clouds so high above you.(BX)
If you sin, how does that affect him?
If your sins are many, what does that do to him?(BY)
If you are righteous, what do you give to him,(BZ)
or what does he receive(CA) from your hand?(CB)
Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,(CC)
and your righteousness only other people.(CD)

“People cry out(CE) under a load of oppression;(CF)
they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.(CG)
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,(CH)
who gives songs(CI) in the night,(CJ)
11 who teaches(CK) us(CL) more than he teaches[c] the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser than[d] the birds in the sky?’
12 He does not answer(CM) when people cry out
because of the arrogance(CN) of the wicked.(CO)
13 Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;
the Almighty pays no attention to it.(CP)
14 How much less, then, will he listen
when you say that you do not see him,(CQ)
that your case(CR) is before him
and you must wait for him,(CS)
15 and further, that his anger never punishes(CT)
and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.[e](CU)
16 So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;(CV)
without knowledge he multiplies words.”(CW)

36 Elihu continued:

“Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
I get my knowledge from afar;(CX)
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.(CY)
Be assured that my words are not false;(CZ)
one who has perfect knowledge(DA) is with you.(DB)

“God is mighty,(DC) but despises no one;(DD)
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.(DE)
He does not keep the wicked alive(DF)
but gives the afflicted their rights.(DG)
He does not take his eyes off the righteous;(DH)
he enthrones them with kings(DI)
and exalts them forever.(DJ)
But if people are bound in chains,(DK)
held fast by cords of affliction,(DL)
he tells them what they have done—
that they have sinned arrogantly.(DM)
10 He makes them listen(DN) to correction(DO)
and commands them to repent of their evil.(DP)
11 If they obey and serve him,(DQ)
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity(DR)
and their years in contentment.(DS)
12 But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword[f](DT)
and die without knowledge.(DU)

13 “The godless in heart(DV) harbor resentment;(DW)
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.(DX)
14 They die in their youth,(DY)
among male prostitutes of the shrines.(DZ)
15 But those who suffer(EA) he delivers in their suffering;(EB)
he speaks(EC) to them in their affliction.(ED)

16 “He is wooing(EE) you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place(EF) free from restriction,(EG)
to the comfort of your table(EH) laden with choice food.(EI)
17 But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;(EJ)
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.(EK)
18 Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe(EL) turn you aside.(EM)
19 Would your wealth(EN) or even all your mighty efforts
sustain you so you would not be in distress?
20 Do not long for the night,(EO)
to drag people away from their homes.[g]
21 Beware of turning to evil,(EP)
which you seem to prefer to affliction.(EQ)

22 “God is exalted in his power.(ER)
Who is a teacher like him?(ES)
23 Who has prescribed his ways(ET) for him,(EU)
or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?(EV)
24 Remember to extol his work,(EW)
which people have praised in song.(EX)
25 All humanity has seen it;(EY)
mortals gaze on it from afar.
26 How great is God—beyond our understanding!(EZ)
The number of his years is past finding out.(FA)

27 “He draws up the drops of water,(FB)
which distill as rain to the streams[h];(FC)
28 the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers(FD) fall on mankind.(FE)
29 Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders(FF) from his pavilion?(FG)
30 See how he scatters his lightning(FH) about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.(FI)
31 This is the way he governs[i] the nations(FJ)
and provides food(FK) in abundance.(FL)
32 He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.(FM)
33 His thunder announces the coming storm;(FN)
even the cattle make known its approach.[j](FO)

Footnotes:

  1. Job 34:14 Or Spirit
  2. Job 35:3 Or you
  3. Job 35:11 Or night, / 11 who teaches us by
  4. Job 35:11 Or us wise by
  5. Job 35:15 Symmachus, Theodotion and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  6. Job 36:12 Or will cross the river
  7. Job 36:20 The meaning of the Hebrew for verses 18-20 is uncertain.
  8. Job 36:27 Or distill from the mist as rain
  9. Job 36:31 Or nourishes
  10. Job 36:33 Or announces his coming— / the One zealous against evil

Cross references:

  1. Job 34:2 : S Job 32:10
  2. Job 34:3 : Job 12:11
  3. Job 34:4 : S Job 12:12; Heb 5:14
  4. Job 34:4 : 1Th 5:21
  5. Job 34:5 : S Job 10:7
  6. Job 34:5 : S Job 6:29
  7. Job 34:6 : S Job 6:28
  8. Job 34:6 : S Job 9:21
  9. Job 34:6 : S Job 6:4; S 10:3; S Jer 10:19
  10. Job 34:7 : S Job 9:21; S 15:16
  11. Job 34:8 : S Job 22:15
  12. Job 34:9 : S Job 9:29-31; S 21:15
  13. Job 34:10 : Job 32:10
  14. Job 34:10 : ver 16; S Job 12:12
  15. Job 34:10 : S Ge 18:25
  16. Job 34:10 : ver 12; Dt 32:4; Job 8:3; 36:23; Ps 92:15; Ro 3:5; 9:14
  17. Job 34:11 : S Job 21:31; S Mt 16:27
  18. Job 34:11 : Jer 17:10; 32:19; Eze 33:20
  19. Job 34:12 : S ver 10; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18
  20. Job 34:12 : S Job 8:3; Ps 9:16; Col 3:25; 2Th 1:6
  21. Job 34:13 : Heb 1:2
  22. Job 34:13 : Job 36:23; 38:4, 6; Isa 40:14
  23. Job 34:14 : S Ge 6:3
  24. Job 34:14 : S Nu 16:22; S Job 27:3
  25. Job 34:15 : S Ge 6:13; La 3:22; Mal 3:6; Jn 3:16
  26. Job 34:15 : S Ge 2:7; S Job 7:21; 9:22; Ps 90:10
  27. Job 34:16 : S ver 10
  28. Job 34:16 : S Job 32:10
  29. Job 34:17 : ver 30; 2Sa 23:3-4; Pr 20:8, 26; 24:23-25; 28:28
  30. Job 34:17 : ver 29; S Job 10:7; 40:8; Ro 3:5-6
  31. Job 34:18 : S Job 12:18
  32. Job 34:18 : Ex 22:28; Isa 40:24
  33. Job 34:19 : S Job 13:10; S Ac 10:34
  34. Job 34:19 : S Lev 19:15; Jas 2:5
  35. Job 34:19 : S Job 10:3
  36. Job 34:20 : ver 25; S Ex 11:4; S Job 20:8
  37. Job 34:20 : S Job 12:19
  38. Job 34:21 : Jer 32:19
  39. Job 34:21 : S Job 14:16; Pr 15:3; S Heb 4:13
  40. Job 34:22 : S Job 3:5
  41. Job 34:22 : Ps 74:20
  42. Job 34:22 : S Ge 3:8; S Job 11:20
  43. Job 34:23 : Ps 11:4
  44. Job 34:23 : Job 11:11
  45. Job 34:24 : Isa 8:9; 9:4; Jer 51:20; Da 2:34
  46. Job 34:24 : Job 12:19
  47. Job 34:24 : Da 2:21
  48. Job 34:25 : S Job 11:11
  49. Job 34:25 : S ver 20
  50. Job 34:25 : Pr 5:21-23
  51. Job 34:26 : S Ge 6:5; S Job 8:22; S 28:24; Ps 9:5; Jer 44:5
  52. Job 34:27 : Ps 14:3
  53. Job 34:27 : S 1Sa 15:11
  54. Job 34:28 : S Ex 22:23; S Job 5:15; S 12:19
  55. Job 34:29 : Ps 28:1; 83:1; 109:1
  56. Job 34:29 : S ver 17; Ro 8:34
  57. Job 34:29 : Ps 13:1
  58. Job 34:29 : Ps 83:18; 97:9
  59. Job 34:30 : S Job 8:13
  60. Job 34:30 : S ver 17
  61. Job 34:30 : Ps 25:15; 31:4; 91:3; 124:7; 140:5; Pr 29:2-12
  62. Job 34:31 : Ps 51:5; Lk 15:21; Ro 7:24; 1Jn 1:8, 10
  63. Job 34:32 : Ex 33:13; Job 35:11; 38:36; Ps 15:2; 25:4; 27:11; 51:6; 86:11; 139:23-24; 143:8
  64. Job 34:32 : Job 33:27; S Lk 19:8
  65. Job 34:33 : S 2Ki 17:13; Job 33:23; 36:10, 15, 18, 21; 41:11; 42:6; Pr 17:23; Jnh 3:8
  66. Job 34:35 : Job 35:16; 38:2; 42:3
  67. Job 34:35 : Job 26:3
  68. Job 34:36 : S Job 6:29; S 22:15
  69. Job 34:37 : S Job 27:23
  70. Job 34:37 : Job 35:16
  71. Job 34:37 : Job 23:2
  72. Job 35:2 : S Job 33:32
  73. Job 35:2 : S Job 2:9; S 32:2
  74. Job 35:3 : S Job 9:29-31; S 21:15
  75. Job 35:5 : S Ge 15:5; S Dt 10:14
  76. Job 35:5 : S Job 11:7-9; Ps 19:1-4
  77. Job 35:6 : S Job 7:20
  78. Job 35:7 : Ro 11:35
  79. Job 35:7 : 1Co 4:7
  80. Job 35:7 : S Job 22:2-3; Lk 17:10
  81. Job 35:8 : Eze 18:24
  82. Job 35:8 : Eze 18:5-9; Zec 7:9-10
  83. Job 35:9 : Ex 2:23
  84. Job 35:9 : S Job 20:19
  85. Job 35:9 : S Job 5:15; S 12:19
  86. Job 35:10 : S Job 4:17
  87. Job 35:10 : S Job 8:21
  88. Job 35:10 : Ps 42:8; 77:6; 119:62; 149:5; Ac 16:25
  89. Job 35:11 : S Job 21:22; Lk 12:24
  90. Job 35:11 : Job 12:7
  91. Job 35:12 : S 1Sa 8:18
  92. Job 35:12 : S Job 15:25
  93. Job 35:12 : Ps 66:18
  94. Job 35:13 : S Dt 1:45; S 1Sa 8:18; S Job 15:31; S Pr 15:8
  95. Job 35:14 : S Job 9:11
  96. Job 35:14 : Ps 37:6
  97. Job 35:14 : Job 31:35
  98. Job 35:15 : S Job 9:24
  99. Job 35:15 : S Job 18:5; Ps 10:11; Hos 7:2; Am 8:7
  100. Job 35:16 : Tit 1:10
  101. Job 35:16 : S Job 34:35, 37; 1Co 4:20; Jude 1:10
  102. Job 36:3 : S Job 6:28
  103. Job 36:3 : S Job 4:17
  104. Job 36:4 : S Job 6:28; S 13:6
  105. Job 36:4 : Job 37:5, 16, 23
  106. Job 36:4 : S Job 32:17
  107. Job 36:5 : S Job 9:4
  108. Job 36:5 : Ps 5:2; 22:24; 31:22; 69:33; 102:17; 103:10
  109. Job 36:5 : S Nu 23:19; Ro 11:29
  110. Job 36:6 : S Job 34:26
  111. Job 36:6 : S Job 4:10
  112. Job 36:7 : S Job 11:11; Ps 11:5; 33:18; 34:15; Mt 6:18
  113. Job 36:7 : Ps 113:8; Isa 22:23
  114. Job 36:7 : S 1Sa 2:7-8; S Job 4:7
  115. Job 36:8 : S 2Sa 3:34; 2Ki 23:33; Ps 107:10, 14
  116. Job 36:8 : ver 10, 15, 21; Ps 119:67, 71
  117. Job 36:9 : S Job 15:25
  118. Job 36:10 : S Job 33:16
  119. Job 36:10 : S Job 5:17
  120. Job 36:10 : S ver 8; S Jdg 6:8; S Job 34:33; 1Th 5:22
  121. Job 36:11 : S Lev 26:33; Dt 28:1; Isa 1:19; Hag 1:12
  122. Job 36:11 : S Dt 30:15; S Job 8:7
  123. Job 36:11 : S Ex 8:22; S Dt 8:1; Jn 14:21; 1Ti 4:8
  124. Job 36:12 : S Lev 26:38; S Job 15:22
  125. Job 36:12 : S Job 4:21; Eph 4:18
  126. Job 36:13 : S Job 15:12; Ro 2:5
  127. Job 36:13 : S Job 5:2
  128. Job 36:13 : S Job 4:17; Am 4:11
  129. Job 36:14 : S Job 15:32
  130. Job 36:14 : S Dt 23:17
  131. Job 36:15 : S Job 5:15
  132. Job 36:15 : 2Co 12:10
  133. Job 36:15 : S Job 33:16
  134. Job 36:15 : S ver 8; S Job 34:33
  135. Job 36:16 : Hos 2:14
  136. Job 36:16 : S 2Sa 22:20; Ps 18:19
  137. Job 36:16 : Ps 118:5
  138. Job 36:16 : Ps 23:5; 78:19
  139. Job 36:16 : S Ge 17:1; S Job 15:11
  140. Job 36:17 : S Job 20:29
  141. Job 36:17 : Job 22:11
  142. Job 36:18 : S Ex 23:8; Am 5:12
  143. Job 36:18 : S Job 34:33
  144. Job 36:19 : Ps 49:6; Jer 9:23
  145. Job 36:20 : Job 34:20, 25
  146. Job 36:21 : S Job 34:33; Ps 66:18
  147. Job 36:21 : S ver 8; Heb 11:25
  148. Job 36:22 : S Job 5:9; S 9:4
  149. Job 36:22 : S Job 21:22; S Ro 11:34
  150. Job 36:23 : Job 27:11
  151. Job 36:23 : S Job 34:13; Ro 11:33
  152. Job 36:23 : S Ge 18:25; S Job 34:10
  153. Job 36:24 : 1Ch 16:24; Ps 35:27; 92:5; 111:2; 138:5; 145:10
  154. Job 36:24 : S Ex 15:1; Rev 15:3
  155. Job 36:25 : Ro 1:20
  156. Job 36:26 : S Job 5:9; 1Co 13:12
  157. Job 36:26 : S Ge 21:33; S Job 10:5; Heb 1:12
  158. Job 36:27 : S Job 26:8
  159. Job 36:27 : S 2Sa 1:21; Job 28:26; 38:28; Isa 55:10
  160. Job 36:28 : Ps 65:10; 72:6; Joel 2:23
  161. Job 36:28 : S Job 5:10; S 22:11; S 28:26; Mt 5:45
  162. Job 36:29 : Ps 29:3; Jer 10:13
  163. Job 36:29 : S Job 9:6; 37:16; Ps 18:7-15; 19:4, 5; 104:2; Pr 8:28; Isa 40:22
  164. Job 36:30 : Ex 19:16; Job 37:11, 15; Ps 18:12, 14; 97:4; Jer 10:13; Hab 3:11
  165. Job 36:30 : Ps 68:22; Isa 51:10
  166. Job 36:31 : Dt 28:23-24; 1Ki 17:1; Job 37:13; Am 4:7-8
  167. Job 36:31 : Ps 145:15
  168. Job 36:31 : Ps 104:14-15, 27-28; Isa 30:23; Ac 14:17
  169. Job 36:32 : S Job 28:24; 37:12, 15; Ps 18:14; 29:7-9
  170. Job 36:33 : Job 37:5; 40:9
  171. Job 36:33 : S Job 28:26
New International Version (NIV)

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2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Present Weakness and Resurrection Life

Therefore, since through God’s mercy(A) we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.(B) Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;(C) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.(D) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience(E) in the sight of God. And even if our gospel(F) is veiled,(G) it is veiled to those who are perishing.(H) The god(I) of this age(J) has blinded(K) the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,(L) who is the image of God.(M) For what we preach is not ourselves,(N) but Jesus Christ as Lord,(O) and ourselves as your servants(P) for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a](Q) made his light shine in our hearts(R) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.(S)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay(T) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God(U) and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side,(V) but not crushed; perplexed,(W) but not in despair; persecuted,(X) but not abandoned;(Y) struck down, but not destroyed.(Z) 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,(AA) so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.(AB) 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,(AC) so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.(AD)

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3
New International Version (NIV)

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Psalm 44:1-8

Psalm 44[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b]

We have heard it with our ears,(A) O God;
our ancestors have told us(B)
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.(C)
With your hand you drove out(D) the nations
and planted(E) our ancestors;
you crushed(F) the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.(G)
It was not by their sword(H) that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(I) your arm,(J)
and the light(K) of your face, for you loved(L) them.

You are my King(M) and my God,(N)
who decrees[c] victories(O) for Jacob.
Through you we push back(P) our enemies;
through your name we trample(Q) our foes.
I put no trust in my bow,(R)
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory(S) over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.(T)
In God we make our boast(U) all day long,(V)
and we will praise your name forever.[d](W)

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
  2. Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
  4. Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 22:10-12

10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.(A)

11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.(B)

12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

New International Version (NIV)

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08/29/2020 DAB Transcript

Job 31:1-33:33, 2 Corinthians 3:1-18, Psalms 43:1-5, Proverbs 22:8-9

Today is the 29th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is great to be here with you as we reach the conclusion of another of our weeks together. And this concludes the last full week of this month, August. Before we get through another one of our weeks together, we will embark on the journey through another month. But like we often say, we’re here, this is where we are and we’re here now and we’re here to take the next step forward, which will lead us back out into the book of Job. We’re reading from the Voice Translation this week, which is what we will do today. Job 31, 32, and 33.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we came to one of the most popular famous verses of Scripture in the New Testament today when Paul says, “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom”, right? So, we sing that in songs, we quote that, we repeat it to ourselves, it’s famous. What kind of freedom is Paul talking about though? Because if we can grasp what Paul is saying today, it's…it's…it’s like a mind-blowing thing. Seriously, there are the things that we encounter in the Scriptures that if we will just slow down and not make them a theological metaphor of some sort, just actually think about the reality that Paul is describing, it is mind blowing stuff. And today is one of those days. So, Paul does say, “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom or there is liberty.” So, we kind of have to start out going, “well…where is the Spirit of the Lord then?” And we realize when we start thinking about that how often we’re trying to get into the presence of the Lord where this freedom is but we have to go somewhere, like we have to be in some sort of mystical state or we have to be in church or like where…where is the Spirit of the Lord where I can enter that presence and find freedom? According to the Bible, we can never escape His Spirit. Like, according to the Bible if we make our bed in the…in the depths, if we go up to the highest heavens, if we go to the far side of the sea, even there His Spirit will guide us. So…so there is nowhere that we can escape from His Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. So, we could say wherever we go there is liberty. Wherever we are in whatever state we’re in - and I don’t mean like state of the United State, I mean like whatever condition we’re in - there is still freedom. That is the…the crux, that is the mind-blowing thing that Paul is saying today, but he’s saying, “in order to live into that, in order to even recognize that you have to understand that you haven’t been seeing it that way. You haven’t been experiencing it that way. You’ve been looking at your life through a veil.” And this is where Paul turns back to Hebrew tradition and the law and his own education and his own understanding. And he talks about Moses. And we spent a lot of time with Moses as we were getting into our year. So, we know the story of Moses and freeing of the slaves from Egypt, but we remember when they went out into the wilderness where we spent so much time earlier this year that God called Moses up on Mount Sinai and the people build a golden calf and the whole story and he came back down but they were supposed to come meet with God. That was the instruction. They were supposed to purify themselves as an entire community and come up on the mountain of the Lord and meet with God. And, so, they drew near, God descended upon the mountain and it terrified them, they were afraid. And, so, they backed off and essentially inaugurated Moses to be a prophet. God invited all the people to hear from him and the people backed off and appointed Moses and said, “you go up before the Lord, you listen to what the Lord says, you come tell us, and then we will obey it.” And that’s what happened. So, Moses goes into the presence of the Lord and comes back down and his face is glowing, right? Remember this. His face is glowing and it’s freaking the people out because the glory of the Lord is upon Moses. And, so, they’re afraid of Moses. And, so, Moses puts a veil over his face so as not to disturb the people in order to do his work, the work of the Lord in leading the people. So, Paul takes that picture and essentially says, “God’s people have been looking through a veil ever since. The glory is behind the veil, but the veil is in front of the glory and essentially that’s the problem. You’ve been looking at it through a veil ever since.” But let me just quote it from Paul from second Corinthians. “Their minds became as hard as stones for up to this day when they read the old covenant (which is the Hebrew Scriptures the Torah) the same veil continues to hide that glory. This veil is lifted only through the Anointed One. Even today a veil covers their hearts when the words of Moses are read, but in the moment when one turns toward the Lord the veil is removed. And by the Lord what I mean is the Spirit, and in any heart where the Spirit of the Lord is present there is freedom, there is liberty.” So, as Paul has explained, especially in the book of Romans, the law exposed the ways in which people fail and fall short, this old covenant. With the coming of Jesus and the inauguration of this new covenant we are shown the ways in which we are free from those failures because we have been made righteous before God through Jesus. That’s how we get to this famous Scripture. That’s it in its context. When a person turns to Christ, the veil is removed and all of a sudden, the glory of God can be seen without a…a veil and we can see that we are free. These things that…that keep estranging us from God are not a category, they’re not supposed to be a category, tight? If freedom exists where the Spirit of the Lord is and we can’t escape the Spirit of the Lord, then freedom is always with us and always available and when the veil is removed we can see that and live into it and experience it from glory to glory, like continually, always, like as a way of life. So, knowing that we’re free from sin, eternally free…ahh…eternally free, what a complete and utter relief and the implication of essentially opening our eyes, right. the veil removed, having eyes to see and ears to hear. The implications of this are astounding. And, so, I won’t paraphrase, I’m just gonna quote it from the Scriptures. “Now all of us with our faces unveiled reflect the glory of the Lord as if we are mirrors. And, so, we are being transformed into His same image from one radiance of glory to another just as the Spirit of the Lord accomplishes it.” That is crazy stuff to think about, that the process of sanctification is transforming us completely into the likeness of our Savior, of God, a mirror image. I don’t know if that blows your mind or not. It blows my mind to think about. It brings all of the things that I can obsess about or worry about or fret about or concern myself with or distract myself with into some kind of context. Like Paul has this way of leading us to a place where we can see this vista and realize that that’s the reality we are headed toward and that’s what we are living into and it is a way bigger story than we are living than we are choosing to live. And today is one of those days. We reflect the glory of the Lord upon the earth. We are, as Jesus would have said, the light of the world if we choose to live into the removal of the veil. So often we just want the veil. Like we just choose the veil and then stay confused about it all when the clarity here is, the veil has been removed. Our job is to reflect the glory of the Lord upon the earth. That is quite a calling, quite an invitation, quite a purpose for life. And, so, let’s live into that.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit we invite You. It is Your glory we are reflecting. So often, we try to get a little bit of it and shine it but then make sure that there’s a bunch of it shining back on us so we’re recognized. This isn’t about us. We don’t have any glory. We are wandering in the dark without You. And yet You are inviting us to participate in Your glory to be transformed into Your likeness to be a part, a vital part, of Your work in this world by shining the light. We are humbled. We recognize for sure we don’t deserve any of this, It is way beyond anything we can earn, it is way beyond anything we can arrange for, it is way beyond anything we can accomplish. It is the highest of heights and You have invited us into it. You have lifted us out of the mire and set us in the heavenly’s. You have invited us to be a part of Your story. And, so, often we’re just to trying to make You a part of ours. But we come to moments like this and clarity comes bursting in and we see the bigger story and we understand how small we’ve made You and how weak we really are without You. And, so, we invite You as we move to close this week for sure. But as we close another month and move into September in a few days, we want to live into this fully. And, so, we begin by opening our hearts to it. Remove the veil. Let us see clearly. And not just right this minute but perpetually. May we live into our perpetual freedom. There is nowhere that we are going to go that You are not. And wherever You are there is freedom. May we see that, may we live that in the name of Jesus we ask. 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:

Hi this is Victoria Solider just calling tonight to pray for some of the DABbers I wanted to talk to… to soe of the DABbers and pray them. I wanted to pray for the lady who called about praying for the policeman nationwide. That is a…a really good idea. What we need to pray for is the eyes and the heart of our policeman. We know that they’re out there, we need them, we know that they’re…they’re doing a…that they’re doing a magnificent job, but we need to pray for those who are not seeing right. Like Jesus prayed for the man who was blind, and he touched him, and he said he’s seeing men as trees but when he touched him again, he seen men as men. We need to pray for those police officers who were doing the wickedness of shooting people and doing people wrong instead of trying to cover it up but we need to pray that God will open up their eyes and convict them that they will have a heart do every…to treat everyone right because righteousness is what exalts a nation. We all need to pray for our police officers. We need to pray for our leaders, and this is where we need to be. We need police officers and police officers need…need the protection also. So, my…my heart is deftly out for playing for lease nationwide and that…that they won’t do the evil stuff of…of wanting to take a life when they know it’s not right in their heart to do. The lawful shouldn’t have to stop them but their heart should stop them, the heart of God. And I just pray for that heart for every…every…every cop whether it’s a __ thing or just an evil thing. Lord you have your way. And I want to pray for…for our…for our…for the ones I have on my…my list still…the…the ones who are going…suffering cancer, the one who…

Hello this is Toss and Turning from Illinois my first time calling, no, maybe my second time calling. I’ve been listening for quite a few years now and I keep thinking about Barb in Canada and I have the same thing going on here at home. I have two sons that live at home from my second marriage that are in their 30s. One, the youngest has diabetes and doesn’t seem to want to move on and the second has a girlfriend and he’s in and out. And I have my oldest son that’s in a wheelchair. He got involved in drugs when he was in his early teens and he’s 52 and always depended on me to help him and angry with me when I don’t. And my husband is in his 80s and he has heart problems. So, there’s a lot of things going on here that I could use prayer for and I’m praying for you Barb in Canada and all those that have adult children living at home. Thank you, Daily Audio Bible for being there.

Good morning DAB family this is June in Maryland I want to thank everyone so much for praying for me so much. I’m feeling so much better. Just got cleared to go back to work. So, I am good. Thank you, God and thank you all family. I am calling to ask for prayer request for one of our coworkers who also had it. Six of us on my unit got it. My unit was shut down for two days and it was just crazy. So, she actually is older and just not doing so well. She ended up going to a hospital and then moved into the ICU and now she’s on a ventilator. So, I’m just asking you all to pray for her. I __  for her, of course, I have family so I don’t want to say her name but she…God knows who she is and if you guys can just pray for her, keep her your prayers, pray for a speedy or miraculous recovery and let this be a testament to God and His glory and let everyone see it. Thank you all. Love you all. I’ll call back later. Bye.

Good morning friends I’m way behind in my listening. Today is…I don’t know…August 26th it’s a Wednesday but I’m way back on biggest 18th and, you know, I’m not really beating…beating myself up about being behind but, you know, it’s like I always think about it, like I have to listen to as many as I can. And, you know, some days I just don’t make it. Like yesterday I just overslept and, you know, it was a pretty bad day. I’m not saying those two are connected but I’m just telling you to facts about my life. Yesterday, Wednesday, I missed the Daily Audio Bible. Yesterday, Wednesday, was one terrible day because I had to mandatory report. As a teacher I have too, and it doesn’t matter who tells me what’s going on I have to tell, and I believe that. I believe I should tell, and I always do. This one is the third time I’ve ever had to do it and it was the worst. But then this morning I wake up feeling a little dejected from, you know, still the lingering ugh from yesterday and I stumbled downstairs and I plug in my phone to charge it and I hit my trusted friend, the Daily Audio Bible and what of all days of all days friends is he, is Brian reading to us Esther. Thank you God for allowing me to get eight days behind so that when I would turn on my Daily Audio Bible today Lord God you would have my very favorite Bible story and you would have Brian telling me that yes, it’s a wackadoodle year but what if God has me ready for such a time as this. I see you God. I see You working on in my life and I love You and I praise You and I’m so excited to tell everyone about you. Thank you, Daily Audio Bible for always being there for me. I love you. Peace.

Hi DAB family this is Hopeful can you please pray for my husband Chris who is not a believer. He’s gonna be going on a three day silent meditation retreat August 28th through the 30th and I’m gonna be really praying for him that he would just really open his heart up to Christ and…and maybe…and pray maybe for the first time in a very long time. He doesn’t believe in prayer and has been coming to church with me very consistently off and on over the last 5, 6 years but just really consistently over the last couple of years and he’s just so close. And just this meditation retreat can…can definitely pull him away from Christ but I’m just praying that this will actually draw him closer to Him. It’s hard to encourage him to believe in prayer when he knows that I pray for children every single day and that’s just not something that we’ve been blessed with yet. And, so, I am still believing. We are, you know, as I had mentioned before we are in our mid-40s and it’s…my doctors have pretty much deemed it impossible based on my past history of…of endometriosis and all kinds of problems but I am still believing and I am believing with all the other women out there who have called in with infertility. We’re going to be this, and this is not the end of our story. So, anyway please pray for Chris this weekend. I love you guys. I…I pray for you every day. You inspire me to be a better Christian and thank you so much Brian for all of your commentations that have really blessed me.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday August 29, 2020 (NIV)

Job 31-33

31 Job: I have made a sacred pledge with my eyes.
How then could I stare at a young woman with desire?
And what share has God set aside for us from above?
What is the heritage we can expect from the lofty God, the Highest One?[a]
Has it not been made clear these many years?
Is there not supposed to be punishment poured out on the wicked
and disaster on those wrongdoers?
Does God not see the paths of my choosing;
does He not count every single step I take?

In this speech, Job is actually recording his deposition; he is calling God to come answer the charges he is laying out. Using a rigid format, Job explains away eight areas of potential sin in his life. So certain is Job that he is innocent of wickedness, he actually pronounces curses upon himself if the all-knowing God finds him guilty of any of the sins. This ethereal courtroom procedure would be like any human going to a court to explain how he did not violate the law of the land and prefacing his testimony with a proposed sentence of the death penalty if the judgment goes against him. Job will soon learn that it is never appropriate to assume he knows more about justice than God, the very author of justice.

Job: If I have walked alongside lies
or if my feet have rushed toward deception,
Then let God weigh me on a truly balanced set of scales.
He will know and see my integrity.
If my steps have veered off God’s prescribed path
or if my heart has followed any of the evil my eyes have seen
or if my hands are soiled,
Then let me sow, but then let another one eat the produce!
Let my sprouts be pulled up by their roots!

If my heart has been seduced by another woman
or if I have waited by a friend’s door for a liaison with his wife,
10 Then let my wife be taken by another,
to grind his grain or do whatever he pleases,
And let other men kneel down over her
11 because adultery is such a lewd, scandalous act,
an offense punishable by the court,
12 For it is a fire that burns until the destruction is complete.
Had I done it, it would have undone all that I had gained.

13 If I have refused justice to my servants—either male or female—
when they have had cause for dispute with me,
14 Then what ought I do when God stands to judge me?
How will I answer when He calls me to account for my actions?
15 Did not God, who made me in my mother’s womb, make my servants as well?
Is He not the same One who made us each in our own mother’s womb?

16 If I have stood between the poor and the object of their desire,
if I have caused a widow to lose her love of life,
17 If I have eaten my food alone
and not shared it with the hungry orphan
18 (Indeed, from as far back as I can remember, I have cared for them all—
from my youth, been a father to the orphan;
from my own birth, cared for the widow),
19 If I have idly watched anyone die from exposure simply due to a lack of clothing
or seen the poor without any kind of covering,
20 If ever people in such conditions did not physically bless and thank me
for warming them up with the fleeces of my own sheep,
21 If I ever used my civic strength to condemn the fatherless
simply because I knew I had allies in the courts;
22 Then let my arm be pulled from its socket!
Let my forearm be snapped off at the elbow for raising it against the orphan!
23 See, I have always dreaded the kind of disaster wrought by God;
I was never able to withstand His majesty.

24 If I have put my confidence in my stash of gold,
if I have trusted in a metal so well-refined,
25 If I have exulted in my immense wealth
(for I had accumulated so much),
26 If I saw the sun in its radiant glory
or the moon sliding across the sky in its splendor,
27 If such sights secretly seduced my heart
and made my hand throw kisses to the false gods of sun and moon,
28 Then these things, too, would have been punishable offenses
because they would have shown me untrue to the God above.

29 Have I gloated at my enemy’s downfall
or been excited when he encountered evil?
30 No. I have not permitted my mouth to sin
by uttering a curse against his very life.
31 Have my guests ever left my dwelling saying,
Anyone still hungry? Who didn’t get enough to eat?”
32 Have I ever left the foreigner to sleep outside?
No. My door was always open to the traveler.
33 If I have covered my sin as people do
or attempted to hide my wrongdoing in the recesses of my heart
34 (Because of my fear of the opinions of the crowd
or my fright at the disdain of my family)
And kept silent hiding indoors away from all possible discovery of flaws;
35 (if only someone were listening!)
Now, here to these oaths, these curses,
I make my signature!
Let the Highest One answer me!
Let my adversary put his case in writing!
36 If He does, I would place it on my shoulder for all to see;
I would put it on my head and wear it like a crown.
37 I would offer Him an account of the steps I’ve taken along my life’s path
and approach Him directly like a prince.

38 If my land cries out against me,
if my furrows gather together to weep over my mistreatment of them,
39 If I have eaten the fruit of the land
without payment to those who tend it
or exasperated the lives of its tenants, the farmers, in pursuit of greater harvest, or in poor management of them;
40 Then let thistles grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley.

This concludes the words of Job.

32 At that point, Job’s three friends stopped responding to him because Job was quite certain of his own righteousness. But someone else was there. His name was Elihu (Barachel’s son from Buz, of the family of Ram), and he was burning with anger toward Job because Job defended his righteousness rather than God’s. And Elihu was also angry with Job’s three friends because they found no decent rebuttal to Job yet condemned him nonetheless. Elihu had withheld his words from Job because he was younger than all four of them and knew it was improper to speak until each of them was heard, 5-6 but when Elihu (Barachel’s son from Buz) realized the three men’s words were spent, his anger inflamed him.

Elihu: I am a young man,
and you are my wise elders,
So I have been here shyly creeping about in the background,
timid about sharing my opinion with you.
I thought to myself, “Age should speak first;
those advanced in years will teach wisdom.”
But alas, it turns out it is the spirit in a man, not age,
and the breath of the Highest One[b] within him that lends understanding.
In fact, sometimes it is neither the great who are wise
nor the elderly who have an understanding of justice.
10 And so I say, “Listen to me, Job,
and I, even I, will explain what I know.”

11 (turning to the three friends) After all, I waited while each of you three spoke;
I lent my ear to your insights
while you searched for what to say, looking for the right words.
12 I paid you my utmost attention, but hear this!
Not one of you countered Job with a decent argument;
not one rebutted his statements of the case.
13 And don’t you dare fall back on the easy reply:
“We have found wisdom;
let God rebuke him, not just any old human!”
14 I will answer him differently,
for he has not assembled his words against me.
I will not answer him with your overly personalized and insufficient arguments.

15 They are all undone, unhinged, embarrassed!
They have no response!
Their faculty of speech has apparently failed them!
16 Should I wait a bit longer to make sure they are all done speaking,
for when they stand silent and appear to have nothing to say?
17 So now it is my turn.
I will tell you what I think.
I will impart what I know.

Due to the abundance of grapes and the absence of refrigeration, wine was a staple drink in the ancient Near East. The process of making wine was basically the same one used today, although the equipment was different. Grapes were grown, gathered, pressed, fermented, and stored. For the fermentation process, wineskins (usually made of goat hide) were used instead of today’s barrels. Wineskins were the perfect choice because they could expand as the grape juice released its gases during the fermentation process, much as the human stomach expands as it digests food, as Elihu points out. It was imperative that new wineskins were used for each batch of wine because each skin could only expand so far; a second round of fermentation in an old skin would rupture the skin and spill the wine—a truth Jesus makes famous in Luke 5:37. After fermentation, the wine was stored in amphora jars with vented tops, so any gases could be released and the wine still be contained or even transported.

18 After all, I am filled to the brim with words,
and my gut reaction is to speak.
19 My insides are like fresh wine sealed up and needing to breathe.
Like a new wineskin, I am on the brink of bursting from the pressure.
20 Let me speak. Then I will find relief.
Yes, I will open my mouth and answer.
21 You will have to pardon me
if I do not impede my words with deference to any of you
or flatter you with honorable titles.
22 After all, I am not very skilled with flattery anyway;
I have reason to believe that, if I were to engage in such senseless rhetoric,
My Maker would whisk me away from here
because this matter is so serious.

33 Elihu: So now, Job, listen closely to my words;
lend an ear to my speeches.
Wait for it! I am about ready to part my lips;
even now, my tongue begins to stir within my mouth.
My words emerge from a heart of integrity;
my lips express their knowledge with sincerity.
God’s Spirit has fashioned me
and the breath of the Highest One[c] imparts life to me.
So refute me if you can;
go ahead and make your preparations and assume your position.
But remember I am just like you; we are both God’s vessels,
both pinched from the clay and formed by Him.
Look, there is no reason for you to be afraid of me;
my hand will not feel all that heavy on you.

Job, now you have said—and I heard it—
I heard the words sounded out:
“I am pure, without sin;
innocent indeed, and there is no wrongdoing within me!
10 But oh! God has come up with reasons to accuse me;
now He considers me His enemy.
11 He locks my feet in the shackles;
He watches all my paths, dogs my every step.
12 But listen! You are wrong in all this
because God is greater than a mere man.

13 Why do you argue with Him,
complaining that He refuses to account for all of His actions?
14 For God does speak in one way and even another way—
yet no one may be able to perceive what He says.
15 One kind of answer God gives
comes in the form of a dream—in a night-vision—
When deep slumber comes to people
who have lain down to sleep in their beds.
16 Yes, this is often when He opens the ears of humanity,
and seals their life-corrections in the terrors of the night
17 So that He can turn one away from his evil deeds
and put down the arrogance of the proud.
18 He does all of this so that He might hold back one soul from the pit
and protect one life from passing over to the land of death.[d]

19 Or another kind of answer God gives comes thus:
one may be corrected through a bed of pain;
his bones may hold him in an unceasing trial,
20 In which his food becomes repulsive,
and he doesn’t hunger for even his favorite meals.
21 His body wastes away almost to nothing,
and bones, once hidden, stick out gruesomely.
22 Thus he is sobered as his soul approaches the rim of the pit,
as his life hears the whispers of the coming messengers of death.

23 If there is a heavenly messenger at one’s side, a mediator,
even just one out of the thousand in his regime of God’s messengers,
to proclaim what is right for that person according to God,
24 And to be gracious to him and to say,
“Spare this one from descending into the pit;
I have found a ransom that will save his life!
25 Then his skin will be renewed, as smooth and fresh as a child’s,
and he will be restored to the vim and vigor of his youth.”
26 He will make his appeal to God, and God will grant acceptance;
he will see God’s face and shout with joy,
knowing God has restored his right standing.
27 Then he comes to his fellow humans and sings out,
“I sinned and perverted what I knew to be right,
but God has not repaid me what I deserved.
28 He has instead paid that ransom
and spared me from descending into the pit
and my life now sees the light.”

29 Look! God does all of these things two,
even three times with a person,
30 In order to guide his soul back from the rim of the pit
so the light of life might shine on him.
31 Lend your ear, Job, and listen well to me;
remain silent, and I will do the talking.
32 If you have anything to say to me, say it. Make your answer to me;
go ahead and speak, because I do desire to see you justified to God.
33 But if not, then listen well to me;
stay quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.

Footnotes:

  1. 31:2 Hebrew, Shaddai
  2. 32:8 Hebrew, Shaddai
  3. 33:4 Hebrew, Shaddai
  4. 33:18 Hebrew manuscripts read, “from passing over the canal.”
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Corinthians 3

Are we back to page one? Do we need to gather some recommendations to prove our validity to you? Or do we need to take your letter of commendation to others to gain credibility? You are our letter, every word burned onto our[a] hearts to be read by everyone. You are the living letter of the Anointed One, the Liberating King, nurtured by us and inscribed, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God—a letter too passionate to be chiseled onto stone tablets, but emblazoned upon the human heart.

This is the kind of confidence we have in and through the Anointed toward our God. Don’t be mistaken; in and of ourselves we know we have little to offer, but any competence or value we have comes from God. Now God has equipped us to be capable servants of the new covenant, not by authority of the written law which only brings death, but by the Spirit who brings life.

Apparently Paul is responding to repeated questions from the church in Corinth requiring him to justify his actions and explain his words. But instead of addressing each separately, Paul suggests a new course of action: let my record be based on the fruit in your lives. The Corinthians had experienced the promised effects of the new covenant—transformed hearts through the Spirit—as prophesied by Jeremiah (31) and Ezekiel (36–37). If the Corinthians agree the Spirit is working in them, then they have to agree that Paul’s ministry to them is productive.

How do we stand up to the same test? If our lives were judged based on the fruit of the seeds we have planted and nurtured in the lives of others, would we be proud or mortified?

Now consider this: if the ministry of death, which was chiseled in stone, came with so much glory that the Israelites could not bear to look at Moses’ face even as that glory was fading, imagine the kind of greater glory that will accompany the ministry of the Spirit. If glory ushered in the ministry that offers condemnation, how much more glory will attend the ministry that promises to restore and set the world right? 10 In fact, what seemed to have great glory will appear entirely inglorious in the light of the greater glory of the new covenant. 11 If something that fades away possesses glory, how much more intense is the glory of what remains?

12 In light of this hope that we have, we act with great confidence and speak with great courage. 13 We do not act like Moses who covered his face with a veil so the children of Israel would not stare as the glory of God faded from his face.[b] 14 Their minds became as hard as stones; for up to this day when they read the old covenant, the same veil continues to hide that glory; this veil is lifted only through the Anointed One. 15 Even today a veil covers their hearts when the words of Moses are read; 16 but in the moment when one turns toward the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 By “the Lord” what I mean is the Spirit, and in any heart where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is liberty. 18 Now all of us, with our faces unveiled, reflect the glory of the Lord as if we are mirrors; and so we are being transformed, metamorphosed, into His same image from one radiance of glory to another, just as the Spirit of the Lord accomplishes it.

Footnotes:

  1. 3:2 Other manuscripts read “your hearts.”
  2. 3:13 Exodus 34:33–35
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 43

Psalm 43[a]

Plead for me; clear my name, O God. Prove me innocent
before immoral people;
Save me from their lies,
their unjust thoughts and deeds.
You are the True God—my shelter, my protector, the one whom I lean on.
Why have You turned away from me? Rejected me?
Why must I go around, overwrought, mourning,
suffering under the weight of my enemies?

O my God, shine Your light and truth
to help me see clearly,
To lead me to Your holy mountain,
to Your home.
Then I will go to God’s altar with nothing to hide.
I will go to God, my rapture;
I will sing praises to You and play my strings,
unloading my cares, unleashing my joys, to You, God, my God.

O my soul, why are you so overwrought?
Why are you so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God? Despite all my emotions, I will hope in God again.
I will believe and praise the One
who saves me and is my life,
My Savior and my God.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 43 Psalms 42–43 are a single poem in many Hebrew manuscripts.
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 22:8-9

Those who sow injustice reap disaster,
and their methods of oppression will fail.
Generous people are genuinely blessed
because they share their food with the poor.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

08/28/2020 DAB Transcript

Job 28:1-30:31, 2 Corinthians 2:12-17, Psalms 42:1-11, Proverbs 22:7

Today is the 28th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we keep the journey going, keep sailing forward, keep moving step-by-step through the Scriptures. So, let’s get to it. We’re reading from the Voice Translation this week and continuing our journey through the book of Job and that today we’ll read chapters 28, 29, and 30.

Prayer:

Thank You, Father for Your word. Thank You, Father for community to experience Your word in. Thank You for the uniqueness of who we are all over the world moving through the Scriptures together and allowing it to wash into our lives, to inform our lives, to correct us, to rebuke us, to comfort us, to illuminate the narrow path that leads to life. And we confess that we’re always looking for the shortcut to the on-ramp of that road, but that is a narrow path that few ever find according to the Scriptures and Your word leads us and guides us and it is a twisty wine the up and down life that we live and each day with each challenge we are reminded of our utter dependence upon You and Your willingness to guide us into all truth. And, so, we invite You Holy Spirit to do just that. We open ourselves up to You. May the mind of Christ be our mind, may the narrow path be our path, may Your word be a lamp unto our feet and a light to that path and may we experience Your presence in every way. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base. its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, check it out.

Check out the resources that are available in the Shop. Check out the Community section, where you can get connected on social media as well as the Prayer Wall lives there and you can…doesn’t matter what time of day or night that it is, doesn’t matter where you are in the world, there’s always prayer needed and there’s always somebody to pray for, and there’s always somebody praying, and there’s always a place to reach out for and with prayer. So, be familiar with the Prayer Wall, that’s in the Community section. You can get to it from the Daily Audio Bible app as well by pushing the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner.

I haven’t talked about it in a while but the new resources…the new resource that we have this year is a guided prayer journey called Heart, a contemplative journey. And we released that way, way back last month at the beginning…way back. It seems like forever ago doesn’t it, that we did the long walk? But that was on July 7th and released that on July 7th and…yeah… it has struck a nerve. The feedback has been fantastic. It is simply a way of taking in an hour and just being guided in in prayer into some of the things that you’ve probably been feeling, that we’ve all been feeling over the last year or probably over the last many years, some of the deeper places of the heart. And then there are musical compositions around those prayers that are intended to lead that a prayer process, that thinking, that opening of our hearts to those emotions deeper as we contemplate as we become more and more aware of God’s presence in all of those things. So, Heart is available wherever you can get music, like i…the iTunes Store or Google Play. It’s not on…on Apple music stream-able. The prayers, like the only way to do stream-able content is then disembody the prayers from the rest of the project and that’s just very strange to say the least. So, you can buy it at the iTunes store or at Google Play and get the entire project and take the journey, if you haven’t yet. It's…it’s worth doing. It’s worth taking some time. Actually, it’s worth doing over and over and over actually. One time through is wonderful and then you go back for a deeper pass and a deeper pass and open your heart deeper and deeper and wider to what the Holy Spirit may want to say to you about some the things you’ve been feeling. So, check out the Heart project. You can just download it at the iTunes Store or Google Play or wherever.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link and that link lives on the homepage and I cannot thank you enough. I cannot with all humility thank you enough for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if you prefer, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today on Brian. I’m love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday August 28, 2020 (NIV)

Job 28-30

28 Job: There is a place where silver is mined,
a place where gold is refined.
There iron is dug from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
Humans put an end to darkness,
and search in every last corner
For the ore that is in gloom and darkness.
In the earth they cut a shaft
in a place forgotten, far from the beaten path;
They descend on ropes,
swinging dangerously back and forth.
The ground above yields food;
the earth below is turned as if fire has destroyed it
Where earth gives up sapphires from her rocks
and bits of gold from her dirt.
No bird of prey knows this way, this secret path down below;
no falcon’s eye has ever peered into it.
No proud beast has ever reached this place;
no lordly lion has marched over it.

The miner breaks apart flinty stone,
uprooting the ancient mountains.
10 He carves tunnels through the rock,
revealing precious treasures.
11 He dams up[a] the underground streams until they cease seeping,
and he brings out into the light what was hidden there in the darkness.

12 But where is wisdom found,
and where does understanding dwell?

Proverbs 1:20–33 and 8:3–36 give the best articulated picture of wisdom in the Bible. Personified there as Lady Wisdom, this character was created by God long before His creation of the world—which she then aided in. After creation, she wanted nothing more than to be with humanity and help them to have full, truthful lives; but here Job explains that wisdom is now hidden. Certainly God knows where she is, although He isn’t telling; but humans have a better chance of finding immeasurable wealth than of attaining wisdom. This is because she is only found on one road, and that’s the God-fearing road of piety. In order to find wisdom, one must allow God to direct him there; and ironically, the knowledge that God must direct lives is wisdom itself!

13 Job: No human perceives wisdom’s true value,
nor has she been found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “She is not to be seen within me.”
“Nor within me,” says the voice of the raging sea.
15 No gold can be given in trade for wisdom,
nor a sum of silver weighed out as her price.
16 She cannot be bought with all the gold of Ophir,
neither with onyx nor sapphire.
17 The shimmer of gold and brightness of glass cannot compare,
and no refined gold jewelry is worth her in trade.
18 Perish the mention of coral and crystal;
even more than pearls is the value of wisdom.
19 Ethiopian topaz—unequal as well;
even gold, unalloyed, is too paltry indeed.
20 Then from where does wisdom come?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 She is hidden away from every eye,
even from birds looking down from the sky.
22 Destruction and Death have both confessed,
“Rumors are all we know about her.”

23 God understands wisdom’s path and way;
her place is known to Him alone.
24 For He gazes out to the edge of the earth,
sees all that falls beneath the sky overhead.
25 He lent the wind its weight and force
and measured out the waters’ spread.
26 When He set a limit on the rain that falls
and made the thunderbolt a road to race,
27 Then He saw wisdom and made her known,
He settled her and searched out for her a place.
28 And to humankind, He said, “Now, the fear of the Lord is wisdom,
and to depart from evil is understanding.”

The great wisdom of the ages begins with fearing God. It is the evil of the world that clouds our understanding and leads us into foolishness.

29 Job continued.

Job: Ah, that I were as I once was, months ago
during the time when God oversaw me,
When His lamp shone above my head,
and by His light, I walked through the darkness.
Ah, to be in the ripest time of life once more
when the intimacies of friendship with God enfolded my tent,
When the Highest One[b] was with me
and my children encircled me,
When my steps were bathed in milk
and the rock poured out rivers of olive oil, showering my body,
When I went up to the gate of the city,
when I took my seat in the town square where the elders meet.
There the young saw me and made room for me, in deference to elders.
The old rose and stood out of respect.
The leaders stopped talking
with their hands over their mouths.
10 The voices of nobles fell to a hush;
their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
11 Every ear that heard me blessed me,
and every eye that saw me testified to my greatness.
12 After all, I rescued the poor when they cried out for help
and assisted the orphans when they had no one else.

Great virtue has always begun with the treatment of the poor. Can Job be accused of having a hard heart?

13 The dying spoke their blessings over me,
and the widows sang their joyful songs honoring what I did.
14 I adorned myself in righteousness,
and it covered me;
my justice fit me like a cloak and turban—
conveying both my dignity and my authority.
15 I was the eyes for the blind,
the feet for the lame,
16 A father for the needy,
and I sought for the cause of whom I did not know.
17 I broke out the fangs of the wicked
and wrested prey from their jaws.
18 Then I said, “I will pass from this earth in the comfort of my nest.
My days will be more numerous than a beach’s grains of sand.
19 My roots will grow deep, spreading out to the water’s edge,
and in the night, the dew will come to rest on my branches.
20 Respect will be accorded me every day,
my skill with the bow always new in my hand.”

21 People used to listen to me,
the sense of expectation visible on their faces;
they waited in silence for my advice.
22 And when I finished, they did not hurry to speak again.
They waited while my words dropped like dew upon them.
23 Indeed, they waited for me as one waits for a good rain,
and they opened their mouths as if to catch spring showers on their tongues.
24 I smiled upon them when their confidence flagged,
and they took comfort in my beaming face.[c]
25 I led them in their way.
I sat as their leader.
I lived like a king among his troops.
I was as a happy man spreading comfort among the mourners.

30 Job: But now they mock me,
these young men whose fathers I hold in such contempt.
I wouldn’t trust them with my herds
as I do my dogs.
What good does their strength do me?
Their potency has wilted.
Gaunt from starvation, haggard from hunger that drives them to gnaw the ground in the night,
a ground all wasted and hollowed-out,
They are left with the desperate foods of the famished—
plucking mallow from the bushes by the salt marshes,
and making the ashy broom tree root their staple.
The people from the town chase each one out of his neighborhood;
they howl at all of them as if they were common thieves,
And push them out to live in the deep valleys of the wadis—
those desert streams that come and go—
So these outcasts seek shelter in the overhangs and crumbling caves
that line the banks of no-man’s-land.
Braying like donkeys from the bushes,
huddled together in the prickly undergrowth are
Fools and sons of no-names,
driven by lashes out from the bosom of the land.

Even the fools and outcasts use Job’s name as an insult. His character has been brought low by those who should be beneath him.

And now they sing of me in taunt and parody,
and make my name a byword among them.
10 They abhor me, keep their distance,
and feel free to spit in my face.
11 Because God has unstrung His bowstring and stricken me with suffering,
they are no longer restrained toward me.
12 To my right, the horde[d] arises.
They seek to knock me off my feet,
piling their disastrous ways against me.
13 They lay waste to my path
and benefit from my destruction,
and no one is there to stop them.
14 As through a wall breached, they advance easily.
Their thunderstorm of wheels rolled across my ruins.
15 Alas! A storm of terrors has turned toward me and is upon me;
my dignity is blown away as by the wind;
my prosperity vanishes like a wispy cloud.

16 And now my own soul is drawn out, poured over me.
The days of misery have taken hold of me;
I am firmly in their grasp.
17 By night, my pain is at work, boring holes in my bones;
it gnaws at me and never lies down to rest.
18 With great force, God wraps around me like my clothing.
He binds tightly about my neck as if He were the collar of my tunic.[e]
19 He has pushed me off into the mud,
and I am reduced from man to dust and ashes.
20 I call out to You, God, but You refuse to answer me.
When I arise, You merely examine me.
21 You have changed.
Now You are cruel to me;
You employ Your strength to attack me.
22 You pull me up into the wind and make me ride upon it
until I am fractured and dissipated in the storm.
23 I know where this ends.
You will send me off to death
and usher me to that meetinghouse where all the living one day go.

24 And yet does not a person trapped in ruins stretch out his hand,
and in this disaster does he not cry out for help?[f]
25 Did I not grieve for the hard days of another
or weep for the pains of the poor?
26 And yet when I longed for the good, evil came;
when I awaited the light, thick darkness arrived instead.
27 I am boiling on the inside,
and it will not quit;
yet the days of misery still come for me.
28 I drift in darkness, the sun absent;
I arise in the assembly
and call out for help.
29 But who will come now that I am roaming the wilderness?
I am a brother to jackals, a friend of ostriches.
30 Despite my earnest cries, my skin burns until it is black and flakes off,
and my bones burn with fever.
31 And so my harp is tuned to the key of mourning,
and my flute is pitched to the sound of weeping.

Footnotes:

  1. 28:11 Hebrew manuscripts read, “He searches.”
  2. 29:5 Hebrew, Shaddai
  3. 29:24 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  4. 30:12 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  5. 30:18 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  6. 30:24 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Corinthians 2:12-17

12 When I arrived at Troas, bringing the good news of the Anointed, the Lord opened a door there for me. 13 Yet my spirit was restless because I could not find my brother Titus. Eventually I told them good-bye and set out for Macedonia.

14 Yet I am so thankful to God, who always marches us to victory under the banner of the Anointed One; and through us He spreads the beautiful fragrance of His knowledge to every corner of the earth. 15 In a turbulent world where people are either dying or being rescued, we are the sweet smell of the Anointed to God our Father. 16 To those who are dying, they smell the stench of death in us. And to those being rescued, we are the unmistakable scent of life. Who is worthy of this calling? 17 For we are nothing like the others who sell the word of God like a commodity. Do not be mistaken; our words come from God with the utmost sincerity, always spoken through the Anointed in the presence of God.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 42

Book Two

This second book of psalms (Psalms 42–72) has a few unique features. First, it is the only book of the five that contains psalms ascribed to the sons of Korah, a group of Levite temple singers. Second, it uses two rather obscure Hebrew terms in the superscriptions of almost half of these psalms. Maskil, which may be related to contemplation, is translated “contemplative poem” or “song” (42; 44–45; 52–55) and miktam, whose meaning is unclear, is translated “a prayer” (56–60). Third, in referring to God this second book shows a preference for the word “God” over the name “the Eternal One” that appears as “YHWH” in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Throughout the Bible, the creator and covenant God is referred to in many ways. Generally speaking, the names and titles used indicate something of His character and nature. The title “God” implies His unique majesty and power; no one is like Him. The name, translated “The Eternal One” and also “The Eternal,” is God’s covenant name revealed uniquely to Israel. As the translation suggests, the divine name implies that the one True God transcends time and yet He is “with” His people.

Psalm 42[a]

For the worship leader. A contemplative song[b] of the sons of Korah.

My soul is dry and thirsts for You, True God,
as a deer thirsts for water.
I long for the True God who lives.
When can I stand before Him and feel His comfort?
Right now I’m overwhelmed by my sorrow and pain;
I can’t stop feasting on my tears.
People crowd around me and say,
“Where is your True God whom you claim will save?

With a broken heart,
I remember times before
When I was with Your people. Those were better days.
I used to lead them happily into the True God’s house,
Singing with joy, shouting thanksgivings with abandon,
joining the congregation in the celebration.
Why am I so overwrought?
Why am I so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God?
Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One
who saves me and is my life.
My God, my soul is so traumatized;
the only help is remembering You wherever I may be;
From the land of the Jordan to Hermon’s high place
to Mount Mizar.
In the roar of Your waterfalls,
ancient depths surge, calling out to the deep.
All Your waves break over me;
am I drowning?
Yet in the light of day, the Eternal shows me His love.
When night settles in and all is dark, He keeps me company—
His soothing song, a prayerful melody to the True God of my life.

Even still, I will say to the True God, my rock and strength:
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why must I live my life so depressed, crying endlessly
while my enemies have the upper hand?”
10 My enemies taunt me.
They shatter my soul the way a sword shatters a man’s bones.
They keep taunting all the day long,
“Where is He, your True God?”

11 Why am I so overwrought,
Why am I so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God?
Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One
who saves me, my God.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 42 Psalms 42–43 are a single poem in many Hebrew manuscripts.
  2. 42:title Hebrew, maskil
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 22:7

The rich lord it over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave to the lender.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday August 27, 2020 (NIV)

Job 23-27

23 Job confided to his friends.

Job: So once again you are telling me my complaint amounts to rebellion,
that the heavy hand I feel upon me is smothering my groans?
Would that I knew where to find Him.
I would appear before Him.
I would lay my case out before Him;
I would fill up my mouth with arguments.
And then I would finally learn how He would answer me,
and I would understand what He tells me.
Would He oppose me merely with His great power? Surely not!
Surely He would show me the respect of listening to my argument.
There, in that courtroom, a moral man might hope to reason with Him,
and I would escape my Judge forever.

Alas, wherever I go, ahead or behind,
He is not there;
I am unable to find Him.
When He works on either side of me, I still cannot see Him.
I catch no glimpse of Him.
10 But He knows the course I have traveled.
And I believe that were He to prove me,
I would come out purer than gold from the fire.
11 My foot has been securely set in His tracks;
I have kept to His course of life without swerving;
12 I have not departed from the commands of His lips;
I have valued everything He says more than all else.
13 He alone is one True God; who can alter Him?
Whatever He desires within Himself, He does.
14 For He will carry out exactly what He has planned for me,
and in the future there are more plans to come.
15 Therefore, I am deeply troubled before Him;
when I ponder it at any length, I am terrified of Him.
16 Yes, God has melted my courage,
and the Highest One has overwhelmed me with His terror.
17 He could have turned me aside when the darkness came,
but He did not cut me off.
Nor does He hide my face from the gloom that has now overtaken me.

24 Job: Why are there not judgment times for the wicked before the Highest One?[a]
Why do those who know Him not see His judgment days?
After all it’s the wicked who seize land that belongs to others,
capture flocks and let them graze for themselves,
Drive off orphans’ donkeys,
take as collateral widows’ oxen,
Drive the needy off the road,
and force the poor into hiding together.
Look at how the poor are forced to live!
Like wild donkeys in the desert,
They spend all their energy scrounging for food,
hoping the desert provides enough to feed their children!
They forage for scraps out in the open
and glean what they can from the already-harvested vineyards of the wicked.
They settle down night after night, naked since pawning their cloaks,
and have nothing to protect them from the cold.
The hard mountain rains soak them
as they press themselves against rocks in the absence of real shelter;
The fatherless child is torn away from the breast;
the suckling babe is seized as collateral from the poor.
10 They force the poor to wander naked, no clothing to be had,
carrying the very bundles of grain they long to eat.
11 They are stationed among the terraces[b]
pressing oil from the olive that calls to their hunger;
they trample in winepresses, extracting the juice for which they thirst.
12 At the outskirts of the city, the oppressed groan,
wounded souls crying for help,
but God fails to charge the guilty who have brought them such pain.

13 They were among those who rebel against the light.
They don’t want to know what makes it shine,
nor do they live their lives in its paths.
14 It is not the poor and the victim who rebel.
It is the murderer who rises before first light
And kills the poor and the needy.
And in the dark of night, he becomes the thief.
15 And the eye of the adulterer waits for the onset of dusk;
he thinks, “No one will see me,” because he disguises his face.
16 And others break into homes in the dark.
However, by day they shut themselves up inside
because they do not know the light.
17 For all of these criminals,
the morning arrives arm in arm with the threat of being found out.
It is as the shadow of death to them,
for they are at ease with the terrors of the night.

This passage is challenging to translate because it appears to have Job arguing against his previous convictions by claiming the wicked do suffer, which fits better with Zophar’s philosophy. But that textual difficulty offers two possible explanations of Job’s apparent dual arguments. First, it is possible to read these verses as if Job is quoting his friends; he is not adopting this theology, but mocking his friends who do. Second, Job may be cursing the wicked, wishing these evil things would happen to them. The Greek version of the text, called the Septuagint, provides the second translation of this passage. Regardless of who said it and how, this passage describes the possible pitfalls of evil actions.

18 Job: The wicked may sit lightly on the surface of the waters,
but their bit of land, the parcel on which they live, is accursed;
In fact, they don’t even turn down the road to their vineyards
because they don’t produce.
19 Just as summer’s heat and drought melt and carry off the winter snow,
the land of the dead digests and carries away sinners.
20 The very wombs whence they came forget them;
the worms will feast on them until no one remembers they existed;
the skeletons of wickedness dry up and snap like twigs.

21 They deliberately prey on women with no children to protect them
and don’t care to lend a hand to widows!
22 By His power, God drags off the high and mighty with the ropes of a hunter,
and though they may rise to the top, they have no assurance of true life.
23 God may provide for them, and they may feel secure,
but His eyes are always on their ways.
24 They may make their mark—to be sure—in a brief moment of glory,
but then just as quickly the wicked are gone, like the rest of humanity,
like heads of grain cut off and dried up.
25 Now, if this is not the truth, then call me a liar
and count all this talk for nothing.

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded.

Bildad: God rules over all things;
dread is His domain,
God—who makes peace and order on His own heights.
As for His armies, can they even be counted?
As for His light, is anyone not illuminated?
Then tell me how can a person be right with God?
How can someone born of a woman in blood be pure?
If even the moon is not bright enough
and the light of the stars is not pure in His estimation,
How much less so a human,
who is a mere worm—
The offspring of humanity,
who is a maggot!

26 Job explained.

Job (sarcastically): What a great help you are to the powerless!
How you have held up the arm that is feeble and weak!

Thanks to commonly known Greek and Roman mythologies, it is not difficult to imagine what “the land of the dead” or sheol may be. But what is this place of “destruction,” known in Hebrew as abaddon? The Hebrew word comes from a verb that means “to become lost,” and abaddon is usually mentioned in the Old Testament in conjunction with the land of the dead, the grave, or death itself—places lost to the living world. In the New Testament Book of Revelation, abaddon is personified as the “messenger of the abyss” (9:11) who rules the locusts—horrible creatures that torture any living thing. Based on these clues, abaddon may be thought of as a place for the dead (like here in Job) or as death personified (like in Revelation) that decimates everything around it or commands the destruction of everything it sees, a primitive creature living in its own chaos where no one would ever want to visit and wreaking havoc wherever it goes outside its home.

What sage counsel you have given to me, the unwise!
And what immeasurable insight you have put on display for us!
Whom did you say these words to?
Where did you get such profound inspiration?

The departed quiver below,
down deep beneath the seas
and all that is within them,
The land of the dead is exposed before God,
and the place where destruction lies is uncovered in His presence.
He stretches out the northern sky over vast reaches of emptiness;
He hangs the earth itself on nothing.
He binds up the waters into His clouds,
but the cloud does not burst from the strain.
He conceals the sight of His throne
and spreads His clouds over it to hide it from view.
10 He has encircled the waters with a horizon-boundary:
the line between day and night, light and darkness.
11 The very pillars that hold up the sky quake
and are astounded by His reprisals.
12 By His power, He stilled the sea, quelling the chaos;
by His wisdom, He pierced Rahab, evil of the sea;
13 By His breath, the heavens are made beautifully clear;
by His hand that ancient serpent—even as it attempted escape—is pierced through.
14 And all of this, all of these are the mere edges of His capabilities.
We are privy to only a whisper of His power.
Who then dares to claim understanding of His thunderous might?

27 Job continued.

Job: By God—who lives and has deprived me of justice,
the Highest One[c] who has also embittered my soul—
I make this proclamation:
that, while there is life in me,
While the breath of that selfsame God is in my nostrils,
My lips will not let lies escape them,
and my tongue will not form deceit.
So I will never concede that you three are right.
Until the day I die, I will not abandon my integrity just to appease you.
On the contrary, I’ll assert my innocence and never let it go;
my heart will not mock my past or my future.

May my enemy be counted as the wicked
and my adversary as the unjust.
For what hope does he who is sullied and impure have
once God lops him off from life and requires his soul?
Will God listen to his cry
when he is overtaken by distress?
10 Will he have made the Highest One his pleasure after the fact?
Will he have marked the seasons with his calls to God once it is too late?
11 Let me show you what I have learned of God’s power.
I assure you I will not cover over the true nature of the Highest One’s ways.
12 Look, you have all seen it—seen the same things I have seen here.
Why then all this vain nonsense?

13 Indeed, Zophar, listen closely, for what the wicked of humanity will inherit from God.
This is the heritage the Highest One bequeaths to those who oppress:
14 If the children of the wicked multiply,
they meet their end at the blade of the sword.
And even if they are fat with surplus,
the descendants of the wicked will be starved for bread.
15 Those who survive will fall to disease and be buried;
many of their widows will not mourn their deaths.
16 Though he pile up money as if it were common dirt
and clothing in heaps like mounds of clay,
17 What he may prepare, the righteous will wear;
the silver he sets aside, the innocent will divide.
18 He builds his house doomed to impermanence—
like the moth’s cocoon,
like the field watchman’s lean-to that is dismantled after the harvest.
19 He lies down to sleep a wealthy man,
but never again,
For when he opens his eyes to morning,
all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him as if they were floodwaters;
the tempest snatches him away in the dead of night.
21 Indeed, the sultry east wind lifts him up and away.
He is gone, swept off the place he knew as his own.
22 It will have blown against him pitilessly,
and he tries to flee from its fast-closing hand.
23 As a final humiliation, it claps its hands against him as a man would—
sneering, hissing at him as he leaves.

Footnotes:

  1. 24:1 Hebrew, Shaddai
  2. 24:11 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 27:2 Hebrew, Shaddai
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The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11

Some believe that prosperity and comfort are the markers of a faithful Christian; in order to believe that, you have to ignore completely the life and writings of Paul, the emissary. It is only when you suffer that you can meet God as your comforter. In these letters, and often in our own lives, it is when we seem to have come to the end of ourselves that we see and experience the fullness of God in entirely new ways. This is not to say that any of us should or would seek out the kind of suffering Paul experienced; we do not long to be imprisoned, beaten, shipwrecked, or hunted by authorities. But when our dark days come, we should be ready to learn, grow, and experience the fullness of God in the midst of our troubles.

12 We are proud of the fact that we have lived before the world and especially before you with clear consciences, living holy lives mixed with genuine sincerity before God. We have not relied on any human wisdom but on the grace and favor of God. 13 We are not writing to you in anything resembling codes or riddles; we only write those lessons you are ready to read and understand. I hope you will study them, value them, and truly understand them until the end. 14 You have already begun to grasp what we mean in part; but on the day when our Lord Jesus returns, we will be as proud of you as you are of us.

15-16 In this spirit of trust and confidence, I was intending to come your way first on my current journey. So that you might have a double dose of this grace and assurance, my plan was to visit you on my way to Macedonia and return to you again on the journey back so that you could assist me on the trip to Judea. 17 But since this didn’t happen, was I just being indecisive? Were my plans made in the flesh rather than by God’s Spirit? How can I say “yes” and “no” in the same breath? 18 Because our God is always faithful to His promises, our word to you was not both “yes” and “no”—“Yes, I’ll come,” and then, “No, I’ve changed my mind.” 19 For the Son of God—Jesus the Anointed whom we (Silvanus,[a] Timothy, and I) have preached to you—was not both “yes” and then “no.” With Him the answer is always “yes.” 20 In Jesus we hear a resounding “yes” to all of God’s many promises. This is the reason we say “Amen” to and through Jesus when giving glory to God. 21 Remember that God has established our relationship with you in the Anointed One, and He has anointed and commissioned us for this special mission. 22 He has marked us with His seal and placed His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee, a down payment of the things to come.

23 If I were in court today, I’d call God as a witness to my soul. Here’s the truth: I decided not to come back to Corinth in order to spare you further pain and sorrow. 24 It’s not that we want to coerce you in any matter of faith; we are coworkers called to increase your joy because you have stood firm in faith.

The believers in Corinth are exhausting Paul and one another with their negativity and criticism. Nothing destroys the beauty of Christian community more aggressively than these kinds of patterns.

I finally determined that I would not come to you again for yet another agonizing visit. If my visits create such pain and sorrow for you, who can cheer me up except for those I’ve caused such grief? This is exactly what I was writing to you about earlier so that when we are face-to-face I will not have to wallow in sadness in the presence of friends who should bring me the utmost joy. For I felt sure that my delight would also become your delight. My last letter to you was covered with tears, composed with great difficulty, and frankly, a broken heart. It wasn’t my intention to depress you or cause you pain; rather, I had hoped you would see it for what it was—a demonstration of the overwhelming love I have for all of you.

Interpersonal relationships are often filled with disagreements and tensions. It’s common to hear someone long for the “good old days” of the New Testament when things were simpler and people were holier. But Paul’s ministry proves the first-century churches were no different. They were just as full of fights, tensions, and power plays as modern churches are. We should seek to be loving but also firm when the situation demands it. We should be quick to offer forgiveness to and seek reconciliation with those who turn back from their divisive actions. That’s what Paul did.

But if anyone has caused harm, he has not so much harmed me as he has—and I don’t think I’m exaggerating here—harmed all of you. In my view, the majority of you have punished him well enough. So instead of continuing to ostracize him, I encourage you to offer him the grace of forgiveness and the comfort of your acceptance. Otherwise, if he finds no welcome back to the community, I’m afraid he will be overwhelmed with extreme sorrow and lose all hope. So I urge you to demonstrate your love for him once again. I wrote these things to you with a clear purpose in mind: to test whether you are willing to live and abide by all my counsel. 10 If you forgive anyone, I forgive that one as well. Have no doubt, anything that I have forgiven—when I do forgive—is done ultimately for you in the presence of the Anointed One. 11 It’s my duty to make sure that Satan does not win even a small victory over us, for we don’t want to be naïve and then fall prey to his schemes.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:19 Silvanus is better known in Acts as Silas.
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 41

Psalm 41

For the worship leader. A song of David.

The first four books of Psalms end with a variation of the doxology found in verse 13: “Blessed is the Eternal, the True God of Israel. Always and Eternal. Amen and Amen.” This declaration not only provides a natural break—a seam—between the five books, but it also summarizes an essential theme of the psalms. You see, the Book of Psalms is primarily a book of praise to God for His creation, mercy, and salvation. Even when life is hard, our enemies strong, and our health poor, God can be praised for life itself and the ultimate victory to come for those who trust Him.

Blessed are those who consider the helpless.
The Eternal will stay near them, leading them to safety in times of bitter struggle.
The Eternal defends them and preserves them,
and His blessing will find them in the land He gave them.
He moves ahead to frustrate their enemies’ plans.
When sickness comes, the Eternal is beside them—
to comfort them on their sickbeds and restore them to health.

And me? I cry out to Him,
“Heal my soul, O Eternal One, and show mercy
because I have sinned against You!”
My enemies are talking about me even now:
“When will death come for him and his name be forgotten?”
As they sit with me under my roof, their well wishes are empty lies.
They listen to my story
and then turn it around to tell their own version on the street.
Across the city, crowds whisper lies about me.
Their hate is strong, and they search for ways to harm me.

Some are saying: “Some vile disease has gotten hold of him.
The bed he lies in will be his deathbed.”
Even my best friend, my confidant
who has eaten my bread will stab me in the back.[a]
10 But You, Eternal One, show mercy to me.
Extend Your gracious hand, and help me up.
I need to pay them back for what they’ve done to me.

11 I realize now that Your favor has come to me,
for my enemies have yet to declare victory over me.
12 You know and uphold me—a man of honor.
You grant me strength and life forever in Your presence.

13 Blessed is the Eternal, the True God of Israel.
Always and Eternal. Amen and Amen.

Footnotes:

  1. 41:9 John 13:18
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 22:5-6

Thorny branches and traps lie ahead for those who follow perverse paths;
those who want to preserve themselves will steer clear of them.
Teach a child how to follow the right way;
even when he is old, he will stay on course.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

08/27/2020 DAB Transcript

Job 23:1-27:23, 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11, Psalms 41:1-13, Proverbs 22:5-6

Today is the 27th day of August, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian and it is a pleasure to be here with you today as we move into the back toward the end of another week, and as we find ourselves here taking the next step forward in our week, in our year, and in the Scriptures, So, we’ll continue moving along in the book of Job and it’s nothing short of fascinating to watch what’s happening in the book of Job, the…the discussions…and there closer the arguments…that are happening between Job and his friends and then we’ll move our way into second Corinthians when we get to the New Testament. We’re reading from the Voice Translation this week. Job chapters 23 through 27 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’re continuing forward in the book of Job, one of the beautiful pieces of literature, most beautiful pieces of literature that the world has ever known. And it’s this existential argument between Job and his friends. And, so, in the conversation today Job does a lot of talking and he’s passionate about it. He’ describing what he has seen of God’s movements in the world and his experience and then his friends are like attempting to explain why God did what He did. But it’s the “why” God did what he did questions that aren’t working for Job because he knows that they don’t know anything more than he knows and he knows he doesn’t know…if that makes sense. Like he knows he can’t get the answers that he’s looking for because they are beyond human understanding and his friends, no matter how well wishing or how much they needed to be right, they didn’t know because Job himself didn’t know and they’ve already shared their insights and he already knows this stuff and he’s like regurgitating things we already know. So, for Job nobody could answer the question…the questions except God, which is what Job had been staying all along. He wants an audience with God. And, so, we’re just moving in a big circle, basically. Job wants answers but he needs to get them from God himself, but he can’t find God. Job’s friends keep trying to tell Job that only a righteous person can ever find God. And since Job can’t find the answers and can’t find God, then Job must not be righteous as he believes that he is. But then…but then Job would respond like, “there is no possible way I’m letting go of my innocence. Like I am not gonna declare myself unrighteous and been guilty just so you can feel good, like you’ve gotten through to me finally. I don’t believe I’m guilty. I need to find God.” And we’ll remember what Job said a couple days ago, “if I find Him, even if he kills me, I’m still gonna hope in Him. So, Job is basically saying, “I’m going to search for God and if that search is hopeless, still I will hope.” And, so, that leads us leads us right back into some of the things that we’ve been contemplating as we move through the book of Job the whole way, like our own posture, our own attitudes, the way our own hearts are aimed toward God when we’re asking “why” questions or when we’re…we’re in a place of hardship or suffering or why are we looking for God. Is it about making life easier? Is it so that the struggle will go away? Is it because He will appease us with an answer? What we have to wrestle with through the book of Job is, “what if He doesn’t do what we want Him to do? Like what if our expectations…what if…what if we realized we have no right to any expectations? We’re talking about the most I God here. What if He doesn’t do what we want Him to do? What if we wake up one day and realize He’s not Santa Claus, that He is not a servant of ours, we are a servant of His. These are the things Job is leading us to wrestle with today.

Prayer:

Father we’re beginning to understand that it’s You we seek not for what we’re going to get but because there is no life outside of You. We love You. We trust You in it all, in spite of it all no matter what it looks like. We don’t know the whole story, but we love You. And, so, we just…we want this to be true. We want to be in Your presence for no other reason than we are in love with You, not for what You’re going to do for us or what You’re going to take away or what enemy You’re going to vanquish, it’s to be together. This is our hearts desire. Whether we can acknowledge that right now or not, this is ultimately what we are after, a union with You that makes our lives whole because You make life whole. And sometimes we don’t understand the process of that, and we become estranged because…because You’re not being Santa Claus. And, so, we wrestle today with “what if You don’t do what we want You to do?” That forces us to challenge ourselves about “who’s in authority here? Are we submitted to You and Your ways and Your will or are we trying to impose our own will upon You to try to get You to manipulate circumstances in our favor?” Come into those questions today, we pray, Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, we ask. 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.