Category: DAB Transcripts

Job 40:1-42:17, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Psalms 45:1-17, Proverbs 22:14

Today is the 1^st day of the month of September welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you as we greet the 9^th month of the year. I literally never get to this point in the year where I’m not like, what, how did we get here? It just feels so recent that we came into the new year. But here we are, and this is the 9^th month, so we’ve been at this for a while every day now. I suppose if we look at this in terms of like having a baby. If that all began on the first we would be on the home stretch. So, day by day step-by-step has brought us here. And as we move into this brand-new month, we will be bringing to a close the book that we are in in the Old Testament, the book of Job. We will conclude the book of Job today and then move into this month further, by beginning a new book tomorrow. In the book of Job…well…we kinda…we kinda understand the lay of the land. We’ve been reading this the last several days. We know Job has had a lot of tragedy. He’s had unspeakable tragedy to be specific. And he’s been very discouraged and depressed and mourning as one could imagine. His friends have come to comfort him. That’s turned into a big argument over whether or not Job’s claims of innocence could possibly be true. Job fights with his friends but what he wants isn’t to argue with his friends. He wants to find God and present his case. And, so, in yesterday’s reading God shows up and asks a bunch of unanswerable questions. And, so, as we approach the conclusion of the book of Job, Job finally gets to present his case, like he finally has an audience with God and now we can say what he needs to say. And, so, let’s dive in and find out what Job has to say. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week. Job 40, 41, and 42.

Commentary:

Okay. So, as we begin this brand-new shiny sparkly month, we have also concluded the book of Job, and we learned what happened to Job and then we got into the bulk of the book which is conversations back and forth between Job and his friend. And what they’re arguing about is what God is like. And they shared all that they thought that they knew about what God was like. And Job shared all that he knew about what he thought God was like. And then they were like, no He’s not like that. He’s like this. And they argue it back and forth. Job eventually becomes exasperated. He doesn’t want their wisdom. He knows their wisdom. At least that’s how he feels. He feels like he knows what they know. And they’re like regurgitating things he already knows but they’re not really telling them some…something that he doesn’t know and…and…and he’s frustrated because what he wants is to present his case before God directly and hear from God directly what he did wrong. And then God comes and God has plenty of questions of His own. “Brace yourself like a man”, He tells Job, and He asks unanswerable questions. So, Job had a case prepared. He knew what he would say, and how he would frame what he was saying before the Almighty God. And then he got his chance to say what he needed to say, and the conversation is totally different than what we were expecting. To hear Job tell it to his friends he’s got this whole thing prepared, but then he gets the audience with God, and those things don’t seem to need to be said anymore because Job puts his hand over his mouth. He says, “I had only heard about you before, but now I’m seeing you and I don’t have anything to say. I’m going to put my hand over my mouth and keep my mouth closed.” Here’s the interesting thing about that though. While Job is going through everything, suffering, agonizing, arguing, insulting, being insulted, as he’s going through all of this stuff with his friends, he’s certain about what he wants to say to God. He’s telling his friends what he wants to say to God, then he gets into the presence of God and all of that becomes unnecessary. And as we’ve said before, like it’s very unlikely that any of us have had a season of suffering that looks like Job’s, but everybody faces hardship. Everybody has times of suffering, and everybody has questions. And so often when we’re in a disrupted state and we’re facing hardship we’re crying out to God with the expectation that it…it just needs to all go away. What if it doesn’t? What if there’s more going on than we even fathom? It’s interesting how we are as people because we expect a quick fix. In fact, our entire culture has indoctrinated us that we deserve a quick fix, or we can buy a quick fix. But what happens to us if we don’t get what we want, we don’t get the quick fix? Usually, we start to wonder about God. Is He really good? Can He really be trusted? And we realize we’re on the verge of making a judgment about what God is like similar to Job and his friends. But God isn’t like a human little buddy. God is like a friend, but God is the most-high. There is no one, there is no being at all, anywhere, known or unknown higher than the Creator of it all, the most-high God. And if we find ourselves kind of kicking and screaming like a toddler not getting its way and we’re questioning all kinds of things about what God is like and who we is then we’re making judgments and assumptions about a being that is so beyond us that we…if we’ve scratched the surface it’s barely. Like it…it’s going to take forever. And thankfully we have forever. But like we’re just getting started and we think we know so much. And we do, but at the same time there’s so much more to know. When we are in a position, we’re making assumptions or judgments against God we don’t know what we’re talking about. And if we were in God’s presence with those very very same accusations or judgments, we probably very likely would be clapping our hands over our mouths and saying, I’m not gonna say anything else. I’ve said too much already. But how would we learn more? How would we get more context? It would be like any relationship, right? We would spend time in one another’s presence. What Job found is that in the presence of God questions didn’t matter and that is a lesson each of us can experience. As for our assumptions and subtle judgments against God’s goodness or his heart toward us, that’s not something that we really ought to be doing because that’s making an accusation. And there is an accuser in the story of Job, the Satan who as the Scriptures tell us is the accuser of the brethren. Do we want to be the accuser of God? Which is not to say that God can’t handle us pouring out our hearts to Him. And it’s not that He can’t handle a question. a little question like, why? Then we have to start thinking, am I my just after answers here or am I after God? Job thought he had an awful lot to unpack before the Lord to prove himself right. In the presence of God none of it mattered. And, so, when we find ourselves in times of hardship if we enter into the presence of God, we may discover there is a vastly bigger story than we were aware of. And walking with God in His presence is the only safe place to be.

Prayer:

Father, we love You. We love You and we worship You. You are glorious. You are vastly beyond description and yet You have called us Your children. Forgive us when we have hearts of accusation and judgments toward You because we don’t understand. May we learn to come into Your presence humbly and quietly and simply receive Your comfort knowing that You are the most-high God. You know what’s going on when we don’t, which is an awful lot of the time. In Your presence everything is different. And, so, Holy Spirit, help us to become aware of Your presence all around us all the time. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, check that out. The Daily Audio Bible app is also available free from whatever app store is connected to your device. So, just search for Daily Audio Bible and you should be able to find it. So, check that out.

Check of the different sections of the Daily Audio Bible like the Daily Audio Bible Shop or the Community section which is where to get connected. And that’s where the Prayer Wall is.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered to anyone who will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night, and to build community around that rhythm, what we lovingly call the Global Campfire. If that is life-giving to you then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the 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 in the app from anywhere in the world or there are a number of numbers that you can call. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. If you are in the UK or Europe, 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to dial. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.

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 family this is Bridget from New York City. It is Saturday August 27^th and I…I’m sorry Sunday August 28 and I just listened to Saturday’s message, August 27^th and I heard the prayer request from Nathan. Nathan, thank you. The phone call that you got to be able to call out, you know, you chose to call DAB and I just think that’s just beautiful. You know, you’re call reminded me of when my husband was incarcerated for five years, and I was out in the world, and I was pretty much nuts. And I believe with all my heart that his prayers while he was in prison are what kept me and my kids. So, I just wanna give it back and encourage you, God is a God of reconciliation, and you keep pressing in and you keep praying. And Lord I just lift up Nathan’s father to You Lord God. Your word says that God You are the healer, You are the restorer God, and You already restored that relationship so how hard would it be for You to restore the other relationships he’s asking about Father? And I just ask You that by Your Holy Spirit Lord You would touch his children’s mother God, that You would save her if she does not know You, if she does know You God that You would bring her conviction Father, that his children and him would be restored Father God, that he would be able to see them and hug them Lord God and be able to have relationship even if it’s a paper relationship Father God, even if it’s a once a year visit God, that You would make away for this family to reconcile in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is John Opara recording from South Sudan. This call is for Margo and her husband originally from Australia but serving in Liberia. Margo first of all let me thank you and your husband for your sacrifice serving in my continent, Africa. And we share in your grief. This is really that tragedy and we recognize that. It is not from God. Most people do not know that our problem in Africa is not political, it is not racism, it’s not colonialization, it is not everything that people think today it is. It is simply that we are by nature religious people and in the process we expose, most people in Africa, we tend to expose ourselves to spiritual darkness in our quest to reach to God and this has been the endemic problem in Africa. So, I know that the God that we serve will help us to know Him and to serve Him alone. May God bless you, may God console and comfort you and your husband at this time in Jesus’ name Amen.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is Immaculate Margaret. I’m calling out in New Orleans. I was just listening to the August 3^rd podcast and Kingdom Seeker Daniel called and he let us know that he and Lady of Victory had been having issues with their marriage since the passing of their son which is normal. And it has been going on for at least four months. And I know he has got on this podcast and prayed consistently for couples. And I just thought it was so beautiful what the Lord did for him. He told us that he and his wife had been reunited and I just think that’s so beautiful, and it was…it…it brought a little tear to my eye ‘cause I was like that man prayed for his wife and she came home. And I pray that she stays home and knows that home is where the heart is. I’m praying for all parents that’s put there grieving lost children, anyone that’s out there grieving a loved one. I know that’s hard. There’s no words that I could actually give there but I’m praying for you. And God thank You so much for Your continuous protection over us and our families. Thank you DAB family for always being there praying. You guys are amazing. You are a true testament that prayer changes everything. So, I love you all and I pray that you continue to pray for me and my life. I just gotta get over these financial blocks. I’m praying for my family, for my children. They’re 15, two girls. Just…I love you guys and I thank you guys for the good family support. You have a great day.

Good morning family this is Bridget from New York City and I just wanted to thank barky. Barky you mentioned a story about pastor, you know, who was saying that I guess 'cause of your tattoos or whatever behavior, that you would be going to hell. And, you know, I had a similar experience where I ran from God because I was told I had to do X Y and Z. And I just couldn’t even see how I would be able to do that given the situation I was in at that time. I was with my husband who was my boyfriend and we had two kids and they were like you have to leave him and, you know, and be by yourself and seek God. And I was just like, whoa, if that’s the kind of God that we serve then I don’t want any part of it. And thanks…thanks be to God who brought me back and gave me a whole another church. And I just want to encourage you that, you know, people turn us away from God, not God. We may not like what God tells us sometimes when we’re praying and fasting, and the Holy Spirit may give us an impression to do something that we are not comfortable with. But it’s different when it comes from God and it’s a conviction versus condemnation from another human being. And I’m with you. I love the book of Job. I feel like the book of Job has taken my faith to such another level and I’m thankful for it. And I just wanna, you know, piggyback on what you said and thank you for sharing. And remember that here we are actually a family. May God bless you. Bye.

Good morning DAB family. Hey Brian, thank you for your definition of scoffers. Wowsies! Sometimes we just need to hold our tongues and walk away and yield to the Holy Spirit and remember that people are more important than arguments. And, yeah, and we should just pray for them and the situation in our own heart and ask for, you know, wisdom. So, that was really great. I loved that. And happy birthday to you, Daniel, Kingdom Seeker Daniel. Oh gosh what a great birthday present. What a…gosh…it just makes everything makes sense, why you’ve been praying for all the marriages. And we’ve been praying along with you brother. And O gosh your prayers have been so powerful and now I know why. And, so, we lift you and LOV up and Lord God we just pray Father that…we thank you God for this good work that you’ve done in them Lord. And Lord God we pray that you continue to do the work Lord. We bless you God before answering Daniels prayer beloved wife Lord and we just pray that you bless them in every way Lord God as they continue walking a road of grief 'cause that takes a long time too Lord God. So we…we just pray these things in Jesus’ name Amen.

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

Today is the 31st day of August, the last day of the eighth month of the year. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. Wow, eight months on this journey, we’ve been together. Hard to believe but day-by-day, step-by-step, this is where the journey has led us. And so, congratulations. Today’s reading will conclude our eighth month on a 12 month journey through the Scriptures and we find ourselves squarely in the book of Job. We have certainly learned what happened to Job, what tragedy befell him, what he’s dealing with. We’ve definitely heard Job’s heart, we understand his position, that he will not deny God, he will trust in God even if it kills him, but he also believes he is innocent and hasn’t deserved what has happened to him. His friends have come to be around him, to comfort him, turned into a big argument because Job believes he’s innocent before the Lord and they can’t believe Job because that would have to make them consider that God is done something unjust, which they can’t do. And so, it’s been an argument and there have been some insults. And then finally, there was a pause and another person who hadn’t spoken, his name is Elihu, started speaking. He was the youngest and he said as much, like I was waiting for the elders to speak and show the wisdom but nobody seems to have it. Now I need to speak and that’s where we find ourselves right now, Elihu continues to speak. So, let’s dive in, Job 37, 38 and 39 today.

Commentary:

Okay, so we are moving our way toward the conclusion of the book of Job. We’ll actually conclude the book of Job tomorrow. And if we remember the story over the last few days, as the story opens, and we meet Job, and he’s a righteous man and then tragedy, after tragedy, after tragedy, befall him. The worst possible tragedy, like he loses the lives of his children, he loses his livelihood, he loses everything in one day. And we get to witness as the news comes into Job, what has, what is happening and what has happened and we could see Job in the shock of it all, tear his robe, throw ashes on himself, grieve, mourn, wail, fall to the ground and worship God. It’s a very striking scene. We also get to see Job’s wife kind of turn on him and say, curse God and die, are you trying to hold onto your integrity? Which, he certainly is trying to hold onto his integrity. He doesn’t know why this is happening and eventually he has friends, they come and sit Shiva with him, they sit silent for a whole week, until Job begins to speak. And once Job opens his mouth, that’s the bulk of the book of Job. Job talking to his friends, his friends talking back to Job. Job does not understand why the tragedy has fallen upon him. He believes he hasn’t done anything wrong. He believes he’s innocent and his assumption is that God is judging him but that God is not being just. God’s judging without, without cause. And so, we hear the rustling through that because this is how Job feels, but his friends can get on board with the fact that God is been unjust to Job. Right, the problem somehow has to be with Job. Job asks all kinds of questions and his friends try to answer them in defense of God because they’re trying to pull out that Job you are the one, you’re at fault here, it is your pride that is speaking here, you are condemning yourself. Job holds onto his innocence, which makes them mad. And so, there’s some insults the fly back-and-forth, as we can understand the same things would happen today. In fact, when we listen to Job’s friends speaking to Job, those are the kinds of things we say. And Job kinda fires back at them. I know all the stuff you’re telling me. I’ve told other people this like, you don’t have wisdom that I don’t already have and you’re not bringing me comfort, I know all this, I need to find God, I need to hear it from God’s mouth. I need to present my case to God and have God explain to me what is going on. So, in today’s reading, Job got what he wanted. God shows up. Every time we move to the book of Job and we get to this scene, where God shows up, it is striking to me. Because first of all, God has shown up and begins to speak. But what He tells Job is, essentially, here I am, brace yourself like a man, I have some questions for you. The reason I find that striking is, can you imagine. I mean, maybe we can imagine God showing up and speaking and that right there is unbelievable. Like it’s so powerful, God is speaking to us and we’ve longed to speak to God and pour out our story to God. And God says, brace yourself like a man. You’ve been asking a bunch of questions and I have a few questions of my own for you and you’re going to answer me. I just, I believe I would pee in my pants. And then God starts asking questions of his own. Questions that can’t be answered, questions that are far above the human paygrade like, Job, can’t answer these things. But Job has prepared is case and so now he has what he wanted. He has found God. God has come to him and Job can now present his case and get his answers. And we’ll see what Job has to say as we conclude the book of Job tomorrow. As we begin a brand-new month.

Prayer:

And so, Father, we thank You for Your word. Every day, the Scriptures speak into our lives in some way, bringing comfort or correction and we welcome it all. All of its disruption, all of the things that it makes us face, all the things that it shakes within us, so that what cannot be shaken is who we are. Thank You for this. And as we conclude eight months out of this year together, every single day, we thank You for Your faithfulness in ourlives to guide our steps through Your word and we certainly look forward longingly to all that is yet before us. So, Holy Spirit, come into what we’ve read today and what we’ve read this week. Lead us forward, as we humble ourselves and become obedient to where You are leading. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that’s home of the Global Campfire, that’s home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here so, check it out. The Daily Audio Bible app will get you there as well. And you can download the app, free from whatever, whatever app store is connected to your smart device and so, certainly check that out. Check out the different sections like the the Community Section, which is where you can get connected. That’s where different links to social media are and that is where the Prayer Wall lives. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources for the journey that you can find there. Check out the Initiatives, things that are being featured right now, things that are going on around here. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if you find that being around the Global Campfire together, every day and taking the next step forward every day, is life-giving. Thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button, in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top 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, well actually I’ll be waiting for you here, next month. See you then.

Prayer and Encouragements will be posted later.

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

Today is the 30^th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian and it is awesome to be here with you today as we gather around the Global Campfire and take the next step forward together. And our next step forward is certainly leading us toward the end of the month, which is tomorrow, but it’s leading us also back into the books that we are reading. And that first book that we will encounter today is the book of Job. And we have a new voice speaking trying to set Job straight. His name is Elihu and he’s younger than the others, and so he has waited his turn to speak, but he is certainly speaking now. And, so, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week. Job 34, 35, and 36 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the wisdom literature of the book of Proverbs today we found something, a saying, very very ancient, extraordinarily relevant. This little bit of wisdom is as relevant now as it ever was. The proverb tells us, “drive out a scoffer and strife will go out and quarreling and abuse will cease.” And, so, we could read that and go, okay, so there’s a problem, I gotta get rid of the scoffer in my life until we realize maybe where the scoffer. And, so, how can we look in the mirror of our own soul and see what we are? One way to know is to look at our relational style when we find ourselves in conflict, when we find ourselves in an argument. And every human being faces interpersonal conflict in their lives. That’s how things are supposed to get worked out. But a lot of times the argument or dispute isn’t aimed. The goal isn’t to work things out, to wrestle through things together and come to an agreement. So often the aim is domination. And we have to look at ourselves and wonder what lengths will we go to to win in this conflict even if things don’t get worked out so that it’s a useless conflict other than causing division. A lot of those tactics are the tactics of the scoffer. The lows that we’re willing to dip into, the things that we’re willing to say, the names and labels that were willing to assign because we need to be right. And, so, as we’re in this conflict we are elevating our position in our own mind as absolute truth and absolute right. And, so, we subtly diminish the other person as inferior. And it’s easy to become a scoffer. It’s easy to say things that aren’t…aren’t appropriate and can’t be unsaid. It’s easy to start throwing names. It’s easy to start picking at soft spots that we know are there just to keep the conflict going so we can dominate until we win. That’s what’s scoffing does. It brings scorn and contempt into our interpersonal relationships, and then we use scorn and contempt to get the upper hand. In other words, we become the scoffer. Basically, wisdom is telling us that if the scoffer isn’t brought to the conflict, then all of the things that the scoffer brings to the table won’t be at the table. The quarrels and insults and scorn won’t be present in the mix of this conflict. Therefore, the purpose of conflict can actually be employed, wrestling through it together with the goal of reconciliation, restoration, and peace. This is really…like this is really true. It’s also really hard when there are well-worn pathways and people push our buttons and they know what’s going to happen and then it happens and then there’s a conflict and everybody’s mad at everybody and it’s horrible and it turns into World War III in our house is a war zone. It’s like the scoffer comes out and begins speaking before we even become aware of what’s going on and what is flying out of our mouths. And, so, how do we keep the scoffer from even coming into the conflict? I’m sure there are many many tools that can help with that. The one thing that I have found that is very very helpful is the assumption about the person we find ourselves in conflict with. How are we looking at that person? Do we believe there is good there? Is it possible for us to believe that our hearts are good toward each other and we are in conflict, which is a natural thing that can be wrestled through, or do we have to label ourselves good and them bad? Because once we’ve put the label that diminishes the other person. The scoffer is out. We must remember that there is a problem to be wrestled with and we attack together that problem, that issue, and refrain from attacking one another because once we’ve attacked one another the issue turns into a myriad of issues, all of the problems. But when we’re focused on wrestling through an issue together with the desired outcome being shalom then we have decided in advance who we’re going to be in the situation as opposed to just falling to the lowest version of ourselves possible. Drive out a scoffer, the proverb says, and strife will go out and quarreling and abuse will cease.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You into this. There isn’t a person that doesn’t understand what’s being talked about. We also know it’s a slippery slope. It’s very, very hard to navigate in the heat of the moment and we confess that rarely in the heat of the moment when the scoffer is about to be let loose we’re normally not asking You what we should do. Normally we’re doing what we want to do and saying what we want to say and its destructive. And, so, help us to take this proverb to heart because this can actually change the atmosphere of our lives. We confess that we have not mastered this and maybe we can’t master this. But You are the master, and You give wise counsel and comfort. And, so, we turn to You now as we look out in front of us and we make decisions now that the next time conflict arises our assumptions aren’t going to be to crush the person that we’re in conflict with, but to wrestle through the issues of the conflict with the hope that Your spirit will lead and guide appropriately which is going to force us to surrender not only to You completely, but also to our deep need to dominate and be right. We don’t want quarreling and abuse and scoffing and strife in our lives. Those things have never lead us anywhere good. We haven’t planted those things in the soil of our hearts and got bountiful crops of shalom and order. It’s been the opposite. And, so, what we’re talking about here – scoffing, strife, quarreling, abuse - these things are poison to us, and we allow them to exist. Forgive us, heal us, restore us, transform us, we pray. In the powerful name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home, home base, home of the Global Campfire, it’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. So, do indeed check it out. The Daily Audio Bible app will get you to the same place. And you can download that from the app store connected to your device. And, so, check that out.

And then while you’re checking things out check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources in the Shop that are here for the journey to take it deeper, to take it wider, to make it a more meaningful journey through the Scriptures in a year. And, so, yeah, check out the resources in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible thank you humbly. If being around the Global Campfire is life-giving and brings comfort and clarity, then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the 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 in the app, that’s the little red button up at the top 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:

Hi DAB family this is Jessica in California. Today I’m calling in abut the August 25^th prayer section and I heard a gal, I believe her name is Joy from Mabel New York. She…she said that she had a brain injury 27 years ago and she’s in an electric wheelchair that’s purple and she’s in a nursing home. And praise God she’s still able to lead a Bible study at least twice a month and she’s considering having a math class when school starts up. And this is just such a wonderful testament to you God, that there’s nothing impossible. And God, You give her the strength to want to do things even though she has limitations. And Lord there’s nothing stopping her because You’re supporting her. You’re the…You’re the leader of her life Lord and I just thank You God for everything You’re doing in her life, and I pray that You bless her Bible study and everything else that she has going on there, her time. I pray that Your Holy Spirit comes and blesses the words that come out of her mouth where people really feel Your love and Your touch. And I just thank You Lord that she has a heart for You even though she’s going through hard times and has been through all this tragedy in her life Lord that she’s overcome, and she doesn’t let her get her down. I thank You Lord and I just wanted to say hi to you and encourage you sister and I’m so proud of you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good day Daily Audio Bible family. It’s Lora Lee in Boynton Beach. I’m calling in to thank you Hardin family. Thank you. God bless you, all of you. Known for so many years and gosh we’ve concentrated ourselves together, is it 18 years, 17 years? I’m coming up on a season where I will be moving out of my apartment into the housing that our church provides for a program called project 516 based on Matthew 5:16. Urban youth impact is how our church got birthed. So, I will be serving with the urban youth impact and with three or four other girls together in a house in that neighborhood, serving the church, serving in outreach, serving in our Christian School, being mentored, going through inner a healing ministry that our church provides there. I’m really looking forward to being a blessing and to grow and to repent of serving God when I want, how I want, in the comfort of this culture we live in because it’s a conviction in my heart and I’m going forward with that. So, I ask your blessing to be a blessing and to be blessed and also that I roll over the salvation of my mother who is progressing with dementia onto the Lord every day knowing that He is faithful to bring about her salvation in Jesus’…

Hey everybody this is Annette from Oklahoma City. Margo, Margo from Liberia. Sister, O my sister I just truly did not know what to say. I’m so sorry that you went through this and Liberia. I know that this has been really really hard for you over there. I can’t even imagine. I can’t even imagine going through this situation. And, you know, before I got a little bit more educated and…and in the Bible and how God feels about children. Like He says, it would be better for somebody to hang a millstone around their neck and drown in the sea then to harm one of these little ones. And I tell you, you know, we all do bad things in our life that we’re gonna have to answer for one of these days, myself included. I’m number one. I’m like Paul. I’m the worst of the worst. And I tell you, it is the one thing that I thought when I get to heaven I’m gonna ask God, why does he let things happen to children? And now I know that it’s not Him sister. We all know it’s the bad guy who does these things or allows things that happen. And O, I really hope something good comes out of this tragedy somehow and I hope you can keep up your work there if that’s where God intends to keep you. And I’m going to pray for your strength and your courage and just to love people because we sure do love you sister. Alright. You have a good day, and you just know we’re praying for you.

Hey by incredible DAB fam this is Kingdom Seeker Daniel. Family today August 26^th is my birthday and it’s a special birthday. In fact, I’d say it’s the most special birthday I have ever had. And I say that because the Lord has been so faithful, and He has done an amazing thing in my life. Many of you recall the death of LOVs son about a year and almost two months ago. But what most of you don’t know is that shortly after that LOV and I began to clash in our communication. The grief began to take a toll on our relationship and things began to just fizzle out of control so much so that my bride felt it necessary to move back to Chicago. And on December 18^th my wife moved back to Chicago. After a series of fasting and praying and praying and fasting and counseling and intervention and waiting on the Lord I stand here to tell you that eight months later, on August the 19^th my wife came home. Hallelujah! To God be the glory. Listen family wherever you are in your situation, believe God, trust God, wait on Him. He can do it.

Father, we thank You for Daily Audio Bible. Thank You, Lord for Brian and his family who are faithful to the reading of Your word. Thank You, Lord, for every precious request and testimony that is shared on this app. We thank You Lord for working in each one of our lives for having Your plans and Your purposes fulfilled in us for using us to be salt and light everywhere that our feet walk on this earth Lord God. Thank You for letting Your Kingdom come and Your will be done Lord on earth as it is in heaven. Thank You, Lord for setting the prisoners free Lord. Anybody fighting unhealthy addictions, You are going before and setting us free Lord. We love You and we need You. In the name of Jesus. This is Cindy from Cosby TN.

Job 31:1-33:33, 2 Corinthians 3:1-18, Psalm 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 wonderful to be here with you today, as we, as we move into this week, and as we move further and deeper into the Scriptures, on the journey that we are on together, through the Bible in a year in community. And that next step is going to lead us back into the book of Job. Actually Job, and second Corinthians, the old and New Testament territory that we are moving through right now, will last us until we get into the new month and so, let’s dive in. Job is continuing to speak as we begin our reading from Job today. We are reading from the English Standard Version this week, today, Job 31, 32 and 33.

Commentary:

Okay, so we have a really good opportunity here for some context into what the apostle Paul is saying in second Corinthians because in our reading today, he’s talking a lot about looking through a veil, even like a Mosaic veil. And I say that like, in part, as a real veil over Moses face but also a veil that was being looked through to interpret the law of Moses, the Mosaic law. What is all that? If we look back at where we have come from, if we look back at what we the territory that we have journey through already this year, we will remember that Moses led the people out of Egyptian slavery and into the wilderness and one of the places that they went was Mount Sinai. This was a place they were to consecrate themselves and come to meet with the Lord and God would speak to them. They did all this and gathered around the mountain and a dark cloud descended and fire and rumbling and everybody knew it was the presence of God and they were terrified. And what they did was ask Moses to meet with God and then tell them what God had said and they would obey Moses as the mouthpiece of God, a prophetic voice. And that’s all fine and that’s all good but what the intention was and we can go back and read this in Exodus, was that they the people would come and meet with God. What ended up happening is that Moses did climb to the summit of Mount Sinai to meet with God in person, on behalf of the people. And when he came down the mountain, his face was shining with the glory of God and that glory of God shining off Moses actually unsettled the people even more and caused them to fear. And so, Moses put a veil over his face, so as not to freak the people out. That picture is what Paul is drawing from in saying what he is saying today. For Paul, looking through the veil represented the way that the people had viewed the law. Or I’ll just put in Paul’s own words from the letter second Corinthians, “their minds were hardened, for to this day when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains un-lifted because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” So, for Paul, as we know from writings that we’ve already read from Paul and that we will continue to see from Paul as we continue through Paul’s letters, the law pointed out transgression against God. So, the law isn’t a bad thing, but the law shows what leads to death, sin, it reveals our failure. Whereas, the work of Christ, the redemptive work that Jesus did, removes the veil and shows us that we are made righteous through Jesus Christ, sin doesn’t have a claim to us. Which is not to say that we can’t destroy ourselves willingly through sin, but it does show us that the law cannot condemn us to some kind of damnation, we are free from it. It is settled through Christ and through Christ the veil is removed. And for we who believe, the veil has been removed and day by day, step-by-step we are being transformed. Or to just put it in Paul’s words, “and we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from 1 degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit and” a very famous passage, “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. And so, may we rejoice in that reality today and may we also take a deep breath and a relieving exhale. This is a process or as Paul put it, from 1 degree of glory to another. So, we can certainly look through a veil and find all of our failings and how we’re falling short or we can look without the veil and realize it’s already done and we are in a process from 1 degree of glory to another.

Prayer:

And Father, we thank You for that. Thank You for that word of encouragement and understand that this is a process. We don’t have it all figured out were never going to were always going to be reaching through faith but You are always going to be there and You are changing us, transforming us, as we trust You and become utterly dependent upon You. And so, Holy Spirit, help us to have that perspective, as we move through this day, that we are in process, that we are being transformed and our way to collaborate in that transformation is to trust it, to trust You, to depend upon You. And we do with all of our hearts and all that we are. Come, Holy Spirit, and lead us into all truth. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudioible.com, that is home base, that is the website, obviously, it’s where you can find out what’s happening around here. Alternatively, the Daily Audio Bible app can be downloaded from whatever app store is connected to your smart device. You should be able to find it there just look for Daily Audio Bible, download it for free. Check out the different sections like the Community Section. This is where to get connected. There are different links to the, to different social media channels that we participate in. It is also where the Prayer Wall lives and the Prayer Wall is, well, it’s right here, right around the Global Campfire, it’s always there, always available. We can always come and share our story. Ask for our brothers and sisters to remember us in prayer and walk alongside us in prayer. But it’s, the opposite is true as well, it’s a place to go and praying for our brothers and sisters, turn out word turn away from our own issues and problems and struggles and pray for our brothers and sisters, who are struggling as well. It is a fantastic resource and prayer has always been a beautiful, beautiful part of this community. And so, the Prayer Wall is certainly something to be aware of and that can be found in the Community Section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if the mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and given to anyone who will listen, anywhere, anytime and to build community around that rhythm, what we lovingly know as the Global Campfire, this oasis, this place for us that is life-giving, then thank you, profoundly for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that would be the little red button up at the top 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.

Prayer and Encouragements:

This is John Ransom calling from Budapest. I have to say on this day the 25th of August, I was very moved by many prayers. First of all, the man with the brain injury of 27 years, I hear you. I salute you for everything you’re doing at the home there where you live with the other residents with the Bible study. And now, your plans for the math course. And I ask the Lord to heal you, to continue to heal you in your brain. And that He would also bless these gatherings and that the Holy Spirit would speak through you, to the rest of your friends there. I also lift up the mother of Ella and Ella herself. And Lord Jesus, I ask You to heal her. I ask You to reach in and completely rewire whatever’s going on in her mind. And I also stand against any spiritual forces that have completely taken over. We bind you, we cast you out in the name of Jesus Christ. And go to where the Lord will send you and release her right now in the name of Jesus. And finally, I want to also pray for the young man who called, who also has been battling depression and mental health issues. And doesn’t have a church family or a support system. And I also want you to know that I hear you, we hear you. Thank you so much for calling in, reaching out to the DAB community. We are here for you rather. And I do pray Lord Jesus, that You would touch this young man, give him health. Give him help and also free him from these food allergies that make it so difficult to eat. Complete another healing in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Hi, this is God’s Life Speaker. I am talking to the gentleman from Maybell. You are sharing with us, we’ve prayed for your Bible studies because you’ve called in before. And it’s so good to hear that that is going on and that you’re thinking about another Bible study to present and that you’re thinking about a math club. Because it’s the beginning of the school year. You are such an amazing example. You have had a brain injury that happened to you 27 years ago. Yet, I don’t think it’s stopped you at all. And there is so many of us that gets stopped when something doesn’t go right. So, thank you for just being part of this community. Calling in, showing us what you’re doing, sharing, giving us an opportunity to pray. May your boundaries be exploded and go beyond in the name of Jesus. I wish I knew where you lived because I home school and it would be great to have a math club. Boy, if there were more people that were willing to do that. So, God Bless you. This community surrounds you. We pray for you. You are just such an example of glorifying God, magnifying Him. I mean, I would love to hear some of your students. Why don’t you call in with them and let them just teach us more about what you’re teaching them. That would be so cool. But in the meantime, may God bless you. May he expand your boundaries. May there be no limit to you. I see that He’s already pegged that you hang your life on. So, thank you for being the example. The DAB family continuously prays for you and we ask for mighty works in your life. In the name of Jesus.

Hello beautiful DAB family. I just wanted to say thank you for praying for me. This is Joyfully Joe. I really appreciate all your prayers. Kristy from Kentucky, wow! Thank you. That was beautiful. I pray for you too. It is August 25th and I just got back from Hawaii. Praise God for that. No, actually I’ve been calling it my long walk. I met a man there who was selling bracelets, out of seashells, called Job’s Tears. I have not taken it off, practically, since I got the bracelet. And, wow, we’re in the Book of Job and wow, I had a lot of tears. Anyway, Brian you said today from Job 19:25 but as for me I know that my redeemer lives and that he will stand upon the earth at last and after my body is decayed, yet in my body, I will see God. I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see Him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought. You said, our hope is utterly, well it must be, utterly and completely in God. And that’s so true. You said our trials and tribulations, suffering and pain, grief and loss, tares us down but it tares us down in such a way that we must reach out for Him as our only hope. Oh gosh, that’s beautiful. And that at the end you said, what we need is resolute, steadfast pursuit of His presence. Come, Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit. God give us steadfast, resolute …

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is People on the Water from Indiana. And I’m calling in today to say, first of all that I love you. Second of all, I want to lift up a prayer for a beautiful, beautiful young lady, here walking among us. She is from New York. This child of God has had a brain injury for 27 years. And it’s just a beautiful spirit walking among us. Racing around with a purple wheel chair and her wonderful blessing nursing home. She’s doing a Bible study. She wants to have a composition of disability in the bible that she can create. Hopefully give other peoples daughters. Sister, I’m lifting you up in the name of Jesus Christ, just to love on you. You might be just God’s hand to touch you. Secondly, I’m praying for a young man who’s new to the app, been fighting with health battles, neurological issues, reality. I’m just praying for you man. That God’s hand might just touch you, hold you, love you, because He does. I just want you to be aware of that. In Jesus name.

Hello DAB, this is Alissa form Colorado calling back from for an update. I’m the one who called a while ago who told you that I found out I’m pregnant while on dialysis, which is a complete miracle. I had my ultrasound yesterday to check if everything’s okay and oh my goodness, my baby has a heartbeat. I am measuring 7 weeks and 3 days, now 4 days and my baby has a heartbeat and is doing great. And I just wept with joy for God’s faithfulness and goodness. And I want to thank you all personally for all your prayers. I so appreciate it. What a blessing it is and I just want to ask if you would continue to pray for my sweet baby as I will have to be very closely monitored over my pregnancy by my internal medicine and it’s gonna be very high risk. But I believe God can do anything. He’s already proven Himself faithful so many times. This is definitely a miracle that He has done. And so, I trust Him with my baby’s life and I just ask for your continued prayers and I thank you for those that have prayed for me. I so so appreciate it. Thank you guys so much. And God Bless and I’ll update you soon. Bye.

Hey DAB fam it’s Sparky. I was looking at the post of a what did the daily reading of Job mean to you, today. It kind of, Job is my favorite book. Next to the Lion of David and of course all through Christ. But when Brian was talking about where we can be really confident in our beliefs and telling people where they’re headed and that really struck a nerve with me. And I, I really fought, I’ve always been a believer but I didn’t act like a Christian. And I worked with a dude that was a pastor. And he was very heavy handed and of course, I had tattoos and gauged out earrings and he would always be very quick to go “well, so and so in the Bible did that and he was evil as hell. You’re headed to hell.” And I remember just turning around and looking at him, going man, if that’s what that is, I don’t want any part of it. And I think Job is feeling that way. If that’s what that is, I don’t want any part of it, if that’s what ya’ll are. Me and God, will be me and God. And love and kindness works far better than bitterness. I love ya’ll.

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

Today is the 28^th day of August, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian. Like every day it’s great to be here with you on this particular day, as we greet a shiny sparkly new week out in front of us, a bit of a transitional week. Before this week is finished, we will have…we will have flipped over into a brand-new month, which is a bit incredible. Where did August go? But here we are in the last week of August continuing our journey through the book of Job as we observe and listen to the conversations and even arguments and insulting arguments that are happening between Job and his friends over whether Job can be innocent and righteous. So, as we begin today Job will be speaking. And this week we will read from the English Standard Version. So, today Job 28, 29 and 30.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and this brand-new week this reset that happens every seven days. We thank You for this reset. And as we look further into this week as it’s shiny and sparkly out in front of us, we see we will move into the month of September before this week is out. And, so, help us Father to finish well what we have started in August and to begin well the new month coming in a few days. May we be what the apostle Paul was talking about today in second Corinthians, the aroma of Christ. May just spill out of us because You are within us. Your goodness overflows. May the fruit of the Spirit be bountiful, that we might be a part of revealing what You are doing in this world. Holy Spirit come into this and lead us into this and lead us into all truth we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning this is doctor Mac from Alexandria VA I’m calling to pray for the gentleman who called in this morning saying that he’s new to the app and that he has mental issues and that he has tingling in his face and he’s had lots of health challenges, lost a lot of weight, doesn’t have a church family, doesn’t have anything, lost a lot of weight and is thinking that life is not worth living. I’m so glad you’re here, so glad that you found us. Now you have a church family. Now you have us who would love on you and pray for you. And yes, your life is worth living. Remember that Christ died for you. He suffered and He died for you. You may not understand why you’re going through all you’re going through and it’s difficult. I can well imagine how difficult it must be for you. Keep calling. Keep __. Keep near us. We will love on you, and we will pray for you daily. So, now let me say a short prayer for you before time runs out. Father, in the name of Jesus we pray that You are the God of impossible. Now do impossible things for my brother. You keep him under Your care, and You will send him the help that he needs. Pray that Father You’ll touch his body now and Lord You will give him strength, courage to keep on trusting in You. Let him sense Your presence and Your…

This is Standing on the Promises of God calling from Lagos Nigeria and I’d like to pray for the following people. Chris, you called regarding yourself and your wife Jean of 26 years. I pray that every broken area of your life the Lord shall repair, and He shall…and He shall restore concerning you and your wife in Jesus’ name. I also pray for godly wisdom and counsel even at this time for you and your wife. We also thank God for Demetrius ex-wife, and we pray that God shall perfect all that concerns you Demetrius’s ex-wife in Jesus’ name. And you shall see God…you shall see God’s beauty even at this time of your life. Someone also said we should pray for teachers as children are going back to school. I also have young children; two young kids and I pray for our teachers who help to shape and mold the mind of young…of youngsters and leaders of tomorrow. We pray for stability, we pray for strength, we pray for __ in every ramification and your life. We also pray for patience concerning these teachers because it’s not easy. Children look justly for their attention almost all at the same time. And someone…Maurice Woodson called for pastor John Pittsburgh who lost his wife of 48 years and is going through his grieving process. We pray for him at this time, and I pray that the Holy Spirit will not leave you nor forsake you. We pray for the Holy Spirit to counsel you even at this grieving time and we pray that weeping may endure for the night but your joy will come in the morning. Thank you very much.

Hello this is Anonymous in Tulsa I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while, but I have been praying. I kind of missed all of July was very ill but that's…I’m not really calling about me and I’ve just been catching up on the prayers and we’ve had so many. But August 25^th prayer list, the call ins there’s just so many and they’re so touching. And the gentleman that called to say his…he had no prayer family, no family basically or friends, but is very ill, lost a lot of weight, has anxiety, mental health issues, lost, you know…just nothing to look forward to. He summed up many of all of our…our concerns and prayers. And young man, I am praying so hard for you and…and everyone, that we all look for the best things that the Lord has to offer whether it’s a bird that lands on your windowsill or somebody that smiles at you with their eyes even though they’re wearing a mask. Whatever it is take the very best things in your daily life and enjoy them. Eat whatever it is that is the most nutritious for you and eat three times as much as that. Do whatever is best for you and know that you have many people praying. I’m praying all of our prayer lists requests…

Hi this is Anonymous from Tulsa again and I forgot to add this compliment to Gloria about her wanting to start this math lesson for the students that are starting school. And I think that is an awesome idea and I am praying for that to be totally successful because I know the Lord is working with you and I’m praying for that to continue and be not only wonderful for the students but a blessing to you as well. And thank you for sharing. Of course, you are included in the prayers for those in recovery. I am also a TBI person from over 25 years ago. And, so, we constantly are in recovery and in end of disease process because of TBI. So yes, ma'am, thank you for sharing that with us and I’m praying for you in that. You are a blessing to me. Thank you for sharing. May the Lord bless you and keep you and hold you in His ever-loving arms. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

Today is the 27th day of August, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian, it’s great to be here with you, as we bring to the conclusion another one of the weeks that we get to spend together. And we’re concluding this week by really getting going in this brand-new letter that we began yesterday, second Corinthians. And by continuing our journey through the book of Job in the Old Testament. So, let’s dive in. We are reading from the New Living Translation this week, Job, chapter 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 today.

Prayer:

Thank You Father for Your word. Thank You Lord, for another week together in Your word. Thank You for everything that the Scriptures have spoken into our lives through Your word. Thank You for Your kindness, Your grace, Your long-suffering, Your patience for us, as we are like sheep, learn to hear Your voice and trust it, and obey it. We ask, Holy Spirit, that You would plant what we’ve read, into the soil of our lives, that the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of Your Spirit may be bountiful and plentiful, so bountiful, that it spills out over into the world. Everywhere that we take a step, may we continue to be in step with You, following where You lead, available to You as a living sacrifice. And as we look forward into the weeks ahead, we look forward to all that You will continue to do within us. We pray this expectantly, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home, home of the Global Campfire, that is home base, it’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. The Daily Audio Bible app will let you do that as well, right in the palm of your hand and you can find that free, from whatever app store is connected to your smart device, just look for Daily Audio Bible and you find that and tune in from there and enjoy that experience. Check out the different sections, like the Community Section, that’s where to get connected. That’s where the Prayer Wall is. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop, there are a number of categories, with a number of resources in the Shop that are for the journey that we’re on through the Bible together this year. Check out the Initiatives Section, different things that are being focused on, so check that out.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. Thank you, we couldn’t be here without partnership, we can’t be here, if we weren’t in this together and so thank you for your partnership, as we continue to navigate through summertime. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top, 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.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Oh, sweet Margo. Your news has just broken heart and it just bent me over in the moment. Lord Jesus, I don’t even know what to pray but You know what is needed. Healing for Margo’s broken heart, for this grandmother who did this awful thing. Healing for everyone around who loved this little girl. Healing for Liberia. Oh, guide Margo’s sweet soul Lord. Guide us all through the heartbreaking moments where we don’t even know where to begin. In Jesus name, I pray. This is Summer and Her Songbird in Nebraska.

Margo from Australia and serving in Liberia, this is Joyce from Virginia. Sister, you were on my mind just the other day and I was wondering how you were doing. And then I heard yesterday’s call. I’ve been praying for you ever since. Let’s pray together now family. Almighty and ever-present Lord, thank you for Margo and her husband and the ministry You have them doing in Liberia. Lord, comfort Margo’s heart with a sense of Your presence and a reminder of Your call to Margo and her husband, to serve in Liberia. Open Margo’s eyes to see Your hand at work among the people of Liberia. Encourage her heart, even in the midst of such a tragedy. Lord, for this little girl, who’s been killed, receive her as the lamb of Your own flock, a sheep of Your own pasture. And Lord, for the grandmother who did this terrible thing, open her eyes to the horror of her actions. Grant her the gift of repentance and draw even this woman into Your kingdom. We pray these things, in the powerful name of Jesus our Lord. Amen. Margo, I love you. Be encouraged and keep on keeping on sister.

Hello, Daily Audio Bible, this is Anne, also Starting Over in Texas and I just thank all of you that call in and give us the opportunity to share your life and pray for and with you. And I’m so thankful for Brian and his commentary about Job right now, so I don’t get discouraged about his friends. But I wanted to thank Byron from Florida for calling in, asking for prayer about your team at work. I’m praying for you, and I wanted to tell you that I’m so impressed with your leadership skills, that I can tell are expressed in what you shared. How you wanna help people grow and anyone should want to grow, rather than just being beaten down or criticized. And I could tell that you have an approach with your team that’s made them already be successful in the endeavors ya’ll have been doing and that you’re gonna do a great job of helping them individually to grow and thrive even more. And I would say, just prayerfully be who you already are. And be confident in the abilities God has already brought and grown in you. I think it’s gonna be wonderful what you’re doing. I wish I was on your team so you could help me grow. So, God Bless you Byron in Florida.

Hello, this is Iris from Sun City, Arizona. And this prayer is for Byron from Florida. Lord God, I pray that You would give Byron Your mind, Your attitude and Your words as he speaks to his individual team members. Father, I pray that You would use Your Holy Spirit, to open their minds and hearts to be honest and to be productive and encouraging back-and-forth with Byron. Lord God, we ask that each of these encounters would be a landmark and a turning point for each of these individuals. And that they would see You eventually, if not right now, through Your eyes. Use Byron, however You would, Lord God. In Jesus precious, holy, powerful name. Amen.

Job 20:1-22:30, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, Psalms 40:11-17, Proverbs 22:2-4

Today is the 26^th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we continue forward on our journey through the Scriptures. Our journey lately has been bringing us through the book of Job, which is what we will continue to do. And then when we get to the New Testament, we will be beginning another of Paul’s letters, and we’ll talk about that when we get there. But first, we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Job chapters 20, 21, and 22 today.

Introduction to second Corinthians:

Okay, so yesterday we finished the letter, known as first Corinthians, which leads us to begin today a letter from the apostle Paul known as second Corinthians. Oddly, this is probably at least Paul’s third letter to the Corinthian church. There…there is a letter in first Corinthians referred to, an earlier letter that Paul wrote that we don’t have at least now or yet. It…it’s not preserved or it hasn’t been discovered, but there is generally consensus among scholars about the authenticity of this letter written by Paul. There are certain Pauline letters that…that are disputed among scholars whether Paul actually wrote it, or whether it was like a second generation in the Pauline way of thinking. And that is vigorously debated amongst scholars. And as with a lot of things about very very ancient texts we don’t have all of the answers, but most scholars agree that Paul wrote second Corinthians, as well as first Corinthians. There is some division about whether second Corinthians is a full and complete letter or if it’s actually a combination of more than one letter, possibly two or more letters. That’s because the way that the letter begins and them the way that the letter and ends, there’s a different tone. So, there are many scholars who would argue that this is a combination of more than one letter, while others would debate, no, it’s not. And that’s the way it is when you’re trying to reconstruct and pull together everything you could possibly know about the origin and about the…the time of something being written, what was actually going on to better understand how the original readers would’ve understood the letter so that we can then look through that lens and understand, that’s probably the lens we need to look through. So, second Corinthians was probably written on Paul’s third missionary journey. That would be somewhere in the very late 50s A.D. We know that Titus, who was a son in the faith of Paul’s along with his beloved son in the faith Timothy. Titus had visited the Corinthians and met up with Paul during Paul’s travels and then he was able, Paul, was able to get a first-hand accounting on how the letter that we just read had been received in the church in Corinth, which prompted him to write this letter that we’re about to read, second Corinthians. And if we remember first Corinthians, we remember that there were some power grabs, some divisions, some things being allowed to happen in the church that probably…well…not probably…that certainly shouldn’t have been happening. So, Paul is writing in that environment to instruct about those things, while also giving instruction about questions that he had been asked. As we approach second Corinthians, we see that there are still things going on. If we remember, Corinth was a cosmopolitan area full of all kinds of ideas, a large, secularized city, a melting pot. And a number of things had found their way into the church and there was plenty of division to go around in the church. There were a group of people actually in the Corinthian church that were absolutely playing church politics in a very early sort of way, but they were attempting to gain power and they were doing this by questioning Paul’s authority over the church, questioning whether he’s really an apostle, questioning the rules that he’s putting in place, and even questioning what he’s calling the gospel. And that is the backdrop for this letter known as second Corinthians. And as we read through this we can certainly notice this is ancient this is a couple thousand years old, but it doesn’t sound all that unfamiliar. So many of the things that were going on in Corinth are going on where we live. The issues of the heart remain the same. And, so, there is much opportunity for us to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit as we read this letter and examine our own lives and examine the things that we’ve experienced and observed. And, so with that, let’s begin. Second Corinthians chapter 1 verses 1 through 11.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth and amplifies the Scriptures in our lives, changing us, transforming us as we meditate upon the Scriptures and what we’re learning. And, so, we thank You for that. We thank You for the book of Job that we are moving through and all that it brings up inside of us as we listen to Job and his friends arguing with one another and even insulting one another. We also look forward with great anticipation to this brand-new letter from the apostle Paul that we are moving into, second Corinthians. And Holy Spirit we ask that You will help us to recognize things that are still going on and to question our own involvement. We love You. It is our desire to, day by day step-by-step be transformed so that we are like You and that our thoughts and our words and our deeds honor You. Come Holy Spirit into this we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it's…it’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. And you can do that in the Daily Audio Bible app as well, which you can find at the app store that is associated with whatever device that you use. Just look for Daily Audio Bible and check that out.

Check out the different sections. Like, the Daily Audio Bible Shop is full of resources that have been developed over time for the journey that we are on whether that be things to wear, things to read, things to write with or write on, things to listen to, things to take the journey deeper. They can be found in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly. Thank you. We are a community. It’s a community experience that we share together around the Global Campfire every day and it couldn’t burn if we weren’t here if we weren’t in this together. And, so, thank you, humbly, deeply, honestly, profoundly for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the 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 if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that’s the little red button up at the top no matter where you are in the world 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:

So, this is Juan from the Philippines. I wanted to pray first for Brooke. She seems to be dealing with a lot of struggles right now with regard to her decision and with regard to moving forward. I pray that even if she feels that she’s not able to love, if she’s not able to reciprocate anyone’s love, remind her Father that Your love for her is more than enough, more than everything she needs. Please help her to feel accepted. Please help her to remember Your love for her and help her to move on, help her to continue to abide in Your love and to grow strong in You so that she will be able to love others in return. I also wanted to pray for a BJ from New York who feels like she’s stuck and she’s dealing with a lot right now. I pray that you’ll continue to remind her that Your love for her is…though she doesn’t deserve it…Your love for her is greater. Your love for her is given as a gift. Please help her to find a way out of her struggle right now and help her to trust in You to take her moment by moment through everything. Please bless them both. Bless the both of them. And pray for myself guys. Please pray for me as I study for this exam __ step two. And I pray that I’ll be able to make it on time for this year’s application cycle for medicine. Thank you.

Hey what’s up family this is Nathan from North Dakota I’ve been incarcerated for nine years now and I’ve been listening to DAB for everyday for the past two years. I want to thank Brian and his wonderful family for the Daily Audio Bible. I love you guys. This podcast has changed my life in a lot of ways. My father and I listen to it every day and it’s brought us so much closer. I’m actually asking for prayer for my…my dad. He suffers with blindness. He’s legally blind and he has diabetes. So, I just, you know, I hope he hangs in there for a while. You know, I’d also like to have some prayers for my…my three children. You know, I’ve got a son and two daughters, and I haven’t been able to embrace them for nine years now like I said and it's…it’s taken a toll on me. I just…I pray for a healthy reconciliation with them not only them but, you know, with their mother as well. I appreciate the Global Campfire and I keep all of you in my prayers. Thank you so much. I love all you man.

South Carolina Tina, longtime longtime listener and prayer warrior. Just weeping with Mario in Liberia and sending the great peace of God and love of God to surround you in you and remember that you are a lighthouse where you are, that your light is being spread everywhere you walk. And also praying for that grandmother, that you will be a light that will shine in a way that will convict her and give her the peace to deal with what she has done. And just remember that little girl is with Jesus now that will teach her and guide her in all that she is. Let your wholeness come from the light that is within you to shine brightly wherever you walk wherever you breathe in the mighty and powerful and healing of Jesus.

Hi this is New Envision girl out of New York this prayer is for Margo in Liberia. I heard your message today. I actually had to rewind just to make sure that I heard what I heard. And if it was devastating for me, I cannot imagine what you’re going through. And I just wanted you to know I’m praying for you. I also pray for our vulnerables, which are elderly people, disabled people, and babies. And I pray each and every day that God would just continue to have his angels surround them and keep them from neglect, harm, and danger. I want you to know I heard you say, you know, you just want to kind of escape. Unfortunately, as believers and as the word says I believe it’s first John 5:19 that, you know, we are surrounded by evil, that the whole world lie in wickedness. And I want you to know that that thing that harmed that baby was not of this world. That was pure evil. And, you know, I don't…and I pray that you do not feel at all guilty. And my encouraging word would just be just to know that that 4-year-old baby is with Jesus right now. Right now, I just really pray for your heart, and I pray O God that God will give you a peace that surpasses all understanding during this time and that you would be a prayer warrior for God and just against this evilness of this world. Know that I love you, that I’m praying for you, and I’m praying for all of our vulnerables.

Margo this is your sister Betty. For a moment there it was a shock. My heart is broken for you sis. And I pray the Lord will give you courage and calm your heart and just replace it with hope. I am truly sorry that this has happened to you. I cannot even begin to imagine what you’re going through on account of this child. But it is my prayer Jesus’ name, and I’m sure brothers and sisters who are listening or who heard you will pray along with me, that the Lord will keep you, give you wisdom and courage and just show you and direct you as to what to do while we continue to pray for you. And in all this know that at the very least or the very most the baby’s safe in the hands of the Lord and she’s not suffering anymore. God keep you; God bless you and God direct you. In the name of Jesus. Take courage, take courage.

He DABbers it’s Panted Deer in Michigan having a great day and I just wanted to give a piece of wisdom I heard a few years back. And a lot of the prayers seem to have a common theme, they feel people are looking back too much and I heard that if you… there’s a windshield and a rearview mirror. If you look out the windshield, that’s where you’re supposed to be looking all the time and then glance in the rearview mirror now and then to see where God brought you. So, God bless I hope that helps with anyone that it needed to today. And just have a glorious day in Jesus. Amen.

Job 20:1-22:30, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, Psalm 40:11-17, Proverbs 22:2-4

Today is August 25th, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today, as we do what we do, gather and take the next step forward together. So, it’s good to be around the Global Campfire today as we move forward together. And our next move forward is certainly the next step after where we left off, which leads us back into the book of Job, where conversation between Job and his friends is turned a little bit more aggressive, a bit more argumentative. Mostly because Job is holding onto innocence and his friends are defending God saying that can’t be, and so Job has some more to say about that. Today, Job chapters 16, 17, 18 and 19.

Commentary:

Okay so, in the book of Job, we can see in the conversation, that it has gotten agitated, even to the point where like, some insults are being hurled at each other. Job’s friends are exasperated, they cannot understand where he is coming from, they understand what he is saying, they understand what he is declaring about himself, that he is innocent and what he is experiencing has no justice in it at all. But that doesn’t make any sense to them, they can’t comprehend what he is saying, especially when what he is saying is that God has treated him unjustly. And so, we can look at the agitation of the friends and even the agitation of Job in the way that they’re going at each other and go, come on guys just calm down here like, man when we’re trying to explain something to someone or share our point of view and offer corrective advice or even comfort and there’s a lot of pushback and God is in the middle, we can see how we would get pretty agitated to, and we do this kind of stuff, including telling people where they’re going to go, if they if they don’t agree that we’re right. Like, we’re not really doing any better than Job’s friends, when it comes to a situation like this one. Because when we encounter something that’s problematic for us, we want the solution to the problem, so that the problem can be eradicated. And when we’re faced with something that we can’t comprehend and so, it…it forces us to question, we want the answer. I do, I’m like that. I have a lot of questions about a lot of things, and I would love to know the answer to all of them. But what I have found is that questions, lead to more questions and if we keep asking the questions, then at some point we reach the end of human wisdom. And the answer to the question is, nobody knows, which is frustrating, but it is also the place where faith begins. We don’t have to put our faith in what we already know, we already know it. Faith isn’t really required; faith keeps us reaching beyond ourselves. And Job is trying to reach beyond himself and finding frustration in the reach, at the same time he’s got his friends telling him that he’s on the wrong path altogether. He’s going about this the wrong way, which doesn’t bring Job all that much comfort at all. So, Job says, and I quote, “I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are. Don’t you ever stop blowing hot air? What makes you keep on talking? I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.” Job has questions that he cannot find answers to but those questions themselves, are very disruptive to his friends, because they have a worldview and an understanding. And now Job is questioning all that because of the circumstances that he is in and so there’s this conflict. But if we think about our own experiences with grief and suffering and people who are in suffering, that we interact with, we realize that we have the same tendencies. We want to give the person some kind of advice that can correct and help them, we want to help them have some kind of perspective that will make some sense, even to us, because so often, when we’re giving the advice that we’re giving to a suffering person, we’re speaking to our own fears. That this might someday happen to us, we’re speaking at our own fears and faithlessness and that is fertile soil for conflict an argument because somebody needs to be right or there’s going to be a lot of disruption, and we become very insecure about what we think that we know, that we need to be right. And we’re watching this with Job and his friends, battle over who gets to be right. It’s just that Job thinks he is right. But what he wants is to find that out from God. And so, even in our reading today as we’re watching the back-and-forth, the agitation, even the insults that are happening between Job and his friends, we still see Job is unshakable in what he believes. Like, he has not deviated from the moment the tragedy began. He has stuck to his story. And like, even though he has all kinds of questions, what he seeks is God. To see God. Which brings us to a very famous passage from the book of Job, as Job is reaffirming his own position and it’s riveting, as for me, right, like, I don’t know about the rest of you, but as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and He will stand upon the earth, at last, and after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God. I will see Him for myself. Yes, I will see Him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought. And just hearing Job say that I am overwhelmed at the thought too. To know that one day, we will see God. We will see God for ourselves. That is an overwhelming hope. So, regardless of what’s going on in the back-and-forth, what we are seeing is that Job has a sense of how things are and he’s staying to that, he believes he can be corrected. But the only one that can do that is God. And so, that is where his focus is. May we use this as a backdrop to contemplate our own lives and once again continue to look at our own seasons of wilderness and suffering and hardship, is that where we land? Do we listen to everyone else’s voice or is our hope utterly and completely in God? So that, we too, can say I know my Redeemer lives and He will stand upon the earth, at last, and after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God. I will see Him for myself. I will see Him with my own eyes. It’s an overwhelming thought.

Prayer:

And Father, it is an overwhelming thought. And our trials and tribulations and hardship and pain and suffering and grief and loss, they tear us down but they tear us down in such a way that we must reach for You as our only hope. Help us to examine our lives in the ways that we have tried to comfort ourselves or try to arrange for comfort or force comfort to be given to us in a way that we want, as opposed to a resolute steadfast pursuit of Your presence. Come, Holy Spirit into this we pray, in the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com that is home base, that’s where the Global Campfire is burning. And if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, it’s burning there, as well, so check it out. Check out the different sections. Check out the Community Section, there are links there to get connected on social media and that is where the Prayer Wall is and that is an always on, always available resource for us. We can always go and share what’s going on in our lives and ask for prayer, we can always go there and pray for one another and let each other know that they’re being prayed for and it’s a beautiful gift to know that you’re being prayed for by your brothers and sisters. And so, that is at the Prayer Wall in the Community Section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. If the mission to bring the spoken word of God, read fresh, every day and offered freely to anybody who will listen, anywhere on planet Earth or anywhere that, anywhere, anywhere that you can get the Internet. Which I imagine probably can go beyond, I’ve never been beyond earth, but nevertheless, anywhere there is Internet, you can be around the Global Campfire and building community around that rhythm and going through it together. That’s, that’s what we’re doing here, that is life-giving and has made a difference, then thank you for being life-giving, we wouldn’t be here if we weren’t here together and so thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can certainly hit the Hotline button in the app, no matter where you are in the world or there are a number of numbers that you can dial depending on where you are in the world: in the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call, if you are in the UK or Europe 44 2036 088078 is the number to dial, and if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61 3 8820 5459 is the number to call.

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

Job 12:1-15:35, 1 Corinthians 15:29-58, Psalms 39:1-13, Proverbs 21:30-31

Today is the 24^th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it’s wonderful as it is always to be here with you today around the Global Campfire as we continue our journey forward. Our journey has led us all the way from Genesis now in the Old Testament to Job and we are working our way through the conversations that Job and his friends are having. It’s pretty clear at this point that Job’s friends are trying to convince Job of one thing. Job is trying to convince his friends of another thing. And that thing being Job’s innocence. And, so, we will pick up the story and Job has a few things to say. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Job 12, 13, 14, and 15 today.

Commentary:

Okay so in the book of Job today if we…if we didn’t see where things were going, we are in full kind of debate and argument mode between Job and his friends. And let’s remember Job is suffering and is incredibly depressed and his friends have just been trying to comfort him while kinda moving him in a direction of acceptance where he can acknowledge that things don’t happen randomly and there’s gotta be a reason for this. And that is really the dichotomy because Job is claiming there is no reason for this. I didn’t deserve this. I am not unrighteous. I am blameless before God. And what would be most comforting to Job is for his friends to at least at minimum, acknowledge that he truly feels that way. He just wants them to be fair. But how can they be fair when it’s between Job and God? And this human being, Job, is claiming innocence against God like he’s being judged unfairly, and his friends can’t get their mind around how to comfort him in that. And, so, they can’t and so they come against it, and it gets pretty agitated in today’s reading because Job’s friends believe that God can’t have done what Job is claiming. Like He could’ve done it. He’s powerful enough to have done it, but not indiscriminately. If He did it, if God has anything to do with this it’s because Job deserved it. And, so, his friends are trying to lovingly while aggressively tell Job, you need to look inside a buddy. You need to look at your own heart. Your mouth is saying incriminating things against you. You need to repent. But Job is sticking to his conviction that he truly is righteous and blameless before God, and that anything that his friends could tell him to bring comfort or counsel or wisdom or insight he already knows those things. He needs to hear it from God himself. Here’s the irony between the sufferer, which is Job and the comforters which are his friends. They all fundamentally believe the same thing. They all believe that God is good, that God is just, that He’s righteous, that He is all-powerful, that He is holy. They all believe that. And yet Job sincerely believes that he has not been unholy, that he has not been unrighteous before God ,that he hasn’t done anything anywhere near the kind of judgment that he feels like he is experiencing and he fully believes God is doing this to him. And, so, a huge problem is sitting in the middle of all of this between Job’s friends and Job. If God is righteous, all-powerful, good and just, and Job is totally innocent and righteous before God, then why is Job suffering? And that is precisely what Job wants to know. That is what he is trying to find out. But the wisdom of his friends is exhausted, and he knows all the wisdom that they already told him. He wants an audience with God but where do you find such an audience? And if he did find God, how would he be able to say anything that didn’t make him guilty? Because how can you be…how can you be sinless? How can you be righteous and holy before God on your own? How could Job go and stand before God and claim his innocence and in the end not say things that incriminate him and make him realize that he’s guilty? Because he’s talking to God. And, so, Job makes a statement to his friends that is really riveting to me and it’s basically that Job is going to seek and attempt to find God. And he says, God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with Him. In another translation this is translated, though He may smite me still I will hope in Him. So, even though there’s some back and forth arguing going on before Job’s friends, Job is being solidified. It is God that He seeks. It is God that can rescue Him. There is no other. And maybe God really is not mad at Job. But Job needs to go find out and even if God kills him, he will still hope in God. That just…that blows my mind. That posture is so rare. This is basically Job saying, even if he pursues God and in all his pursuits, he reaches dead ends that are hopeless he will still hope in God. And that is what we should carry forward with us today, just that picture of Job’s posture. And as we consider the kinds of things that we might be going through, and truly we’re not likely to be going through the kinds of things that Job is going through, but that doesn’t mean the things that were going through our hard or painful or debilitating or sap our strength or take away our hope. And we may in fact be looking for answers that can’t find or looking for something that we can’t have. And when we think about those things we need to look into our heart. Like, what is coming up? What does that do when we think about those things? Does it bring anxiety, or frustration? All those things are human but doesn’t draw us near to God or does it thrust us away from God in mistrust? Job determined he couldn’t find answers unless God gave him answers and so he would seek God and even if you found God, and it was hopeless, and God killed him he would still hope in God. May we consider that deeply today.

Prayer:

Father, right at the outset here we hope in You and confess what we know. You are the only hope, that the wilderness seasons of our lives invariably teach us the same lesson, we are utterly dependent upon You and completely hopeless without You. It’s just often that when we suffer in some sort of way we feel like we’ve messed up, or You’ve messed up and these thoughts can begin to swirl, especially when understanding doesn’t make itself apparent. And, so, we start to subtly distance ourselves from You and subtly start blaming You because we don’t understand. And we confess that we don’t understand, and we confess that there is a lot more swirling around then we’re aware of. And when it feels like we need more than intervention is to be aware that You are with us. And, so, often in times when we’re struggling we’re not aware of that and we ask questions like, where did You go when we have simply ceased to be aware that You are near. So, Holy Spirit come. Grant us grace even in the difficult times to be aware that You would never leave us, that You are with us. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home, home base, home of the Global Campfire, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can do the same thing. Just push the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. And if you’re not using the Daily Audio Bible app, check it out. You can find it at the app store that is connected to your device. Just search for Daily Audio Bible and you should be able to find it there.

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Check out the Initiatives, different things that are being focused on or featured. You can check that out in the initiatives section. So, check it out. Spend a little time either on the web or in the app.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if you find that being around the Global Campfire is life-giving and encouraging and that the Scriptures in this way, going through it together in community is meaningful then thank you for your partnership. We have only ever been in this together and we certainly wouldn't…wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. And, so, thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the 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 in the app 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:

Coming soon…

Job 8:1-11:20, 1 Corinthians 15:1-28, Psalm 38:1-22, Proverbs 21:28-29

Today, is the 23rd day of August, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, as we gather around the Global Campfire together, find our place and with anticipation find out what the Scriptures have to speak into our lives today. It is wonderful to be here with you. And we are a couple of days in now, into the book of Job. We kind of understand the lay of the land. We understand what happened to Job, and the…the tragedy that’s really unspeakable and what he’s gone through. We’ve watched his posture be to stay loyal to God, to not speak against God. He has plenty of questions and I guess that’s something to really observe, he has plenty of questions. He’s not making a bunch of accusations. He will not speak against God. And so, we’ve watched him settle into grief, watched him truly be suffering and we’ve seen his friends come and sit Shabbat with him for a whole week before anybody says anything. And then Job starts talking and that’s the bulk of the book of Job, and so where we find ourselves now, we are in conversation, Job is speaking to his friends. His friends are counseling him back, we’re kind of just getting going. Eliphaz has basically told Job that everything happens for a reason and if you trust God, He will rescue you. Job has basically responded I need God. And as we are moving into today’s reading, we will hear from another one of Job’s friends, his name is Bildad and so, let’s dive in. Today, Job, chapter 8, 9, 10 and 11.

Commentary:

Okay, so as we’re reading through first Corinthians today, we are seeing Paul and his Pharisee glory. Not because of who he is anymore, but rather because of what he’s laying out. So, let’s just get our bearings. During the time of Jesus, during the time of Paul, there were essentially two leading camps of thought that led Judaism. So, on one side we have the Sadducees and they were definitely the ruling elite among the Jews. They also consider themselves to be the true ancestors among the priests and they were mostly centered in the capital city of Jerusalem, very, very powerful people, very entrenched people, very conservative people. In fact, some would’ve looked at the Sadducees as people who had kind of corrupted things because they were responsible for keeping the peace among the Hebrews so that the Hebrews could exist and so they were in collusion with the Romans a lot, including the crucifixion of Jesus. On the other side there are the Pharisees, who are devout like, we see Pharisees coming and questioning Jesus and trying to trick Jesus and so, in the Gospels we get this idea that they were the bad guys, they were devout. They very, very much wanted to obey God and they were spread out among the people, they weren’t centered in the capital city, they were out among the people, teaching the people to interpret the Torah. Paul was a Pharisee and one of the many distinctions but a key distinction that’s layed out even in the Scriptures between the Sadducees and the Pharisees where their thoughts on resurrection from the dead. Sadducees essentially believe that when you die your dead, you return to God. That’s it. End of the story. Pharisees, on the other hand, they hoped in the resurrection from the dead. So, we could say that even Jesus, during his ministry agreed with the Pharisees, in this respect. And so, that being a key backdrop in the experience of Paul is very important. The Jesus that Paul met, was the resurrected Christ. So not only did this change Paul fundamentally, it also affirmed what he had always thought was the truth that there is resurrection and he met someone who was resurrected from the dead, game changer for Paul. Life changer for Paul, actually a game changer for the whole world. And so, to put this in Paul’s words I quote from first Corinthians “tell me this since we preach, and Christ rose from the dead. Why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead or if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised then all our preaching is useless and your faith is useless and we apostles would all be lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave, but that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you’re still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost in of our hope in Christ is only for this life we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” And that really is Paul’s worldview that Jesus is the first one to rise from the dead. But he won’t be the last. And everyone who believes in Jesus will also get to experience resurrection. Our belief in Jesus allows us to be reunited with God in Spirit in hope of resurrection. Paul explained like this just as death came into the world through a man. Now, the resurrection from the dead is begun through another man, just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection, Christ was raised as the first of the harvest, then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. As we’ve said earlier in our journey through the Bible, this faith in Jesus doesn’t work without resurrection. And so, this is where we are in first Corinthians and obviously will be continuing forward in seeing what Paul continues to unpack for us and talk about it then. But we’re here now with resurrection front and center. And we have to wonder, would we be Sadducees or would we be Pharisees in terms of the resurrection. How do we functionally live because how we feel about resurrection, will actually shape the way that we live. So, let’s commit it to thought today, let’s contemplate our own resurrection.

Prayer:

So, Father, we love You, we thank You, we worship You. There is none higher than You. There is no equal to You, there is no one like You and you are Father and we are grateful. Love you. So, as we’re contemplating the things that the apostle Paul had written in this letter to the church in Corinth about resurrection, we invite Your Holy Spirit to come and give us hope, that all things indeed will be made new again, including us. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus. 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.

Prayer and Encouragements will be posted later this evening.