PREFACE

The Book of Job is an excellent Book to study to get insight, comfort and spiritual strength to get through the rough days on the way to Heaven. Job's experience tells us how bad things can get on the journey. We are living on earth, not in heaven, and earth is a battleground. Job got through the days of suffering and the nights of sorrow - how ? This Book tells us how. We learn from it not only how to understand and help others, but also how to get help from God for ourselves. Perhaps the greatest lessons of the Book are to prove that Christians can have a ' disinterested faith ' ( contrary to Satan's sneer in ch.1:9) and that God's promise will be kept, the promise to keep them enduring to the end ( Heb. 7:25). - Someone prays for us, and His prayer never fails ( John 17:24).

My thanks again to my friend Harry Woods for all the technical aspects of putting this book together.

James Clark. MA MSc MEd MTh.

APRIL 1

" Though I were righteous I could not answer him...If I justify myself my own mouth would condemn me. "  Job 9:15,20.

While Job's justification by faith was perfect, his sanctification was not ( 1 John 1:8), it was in process. Indwelling sin, the ' old man ', and temptation combined against him, and he sinned daily ; whether his sins escaped outside his thoughts or not. We are ' justified sinners ', as Luther used to emphasize. His friends were trying to prove that Job must have committed some particularly wicked sin in order for God to make him suffer so much. Job denied this, although he did accept that some sins are ' more heinous in the sight of God than others. There seems to be degrees of sin mentioned in Scripture ( John 19:11), eg. sins of ignorance, sins aggravated by knowledge and experience, sins against gratitude. etc. If he were to be judged by the Law alone, there would be no mercy, and therefore his plea before God is not based on his avoiding of some sins in his life. David also spoke in this manner eg. Ps.32:1ff   Ps.51:1ff  Psalm 130.

It is to be feared that the majority of our sins are not blatant transgressions of the Law, but daily lack of conformity to the Law. Job would not boast of any attainments, like Paul ( Philipp.3;9,12). Job was aware of how easily deluded we can become regarding our spiritual condition, just because some ' great ' sin has not registered in our conscience ( vs.21). " Those who have most real worth are least in their own eyes." ( J.Caryl ) Some who intend to confront God on the Day of Judgement by reciting the good deeds of their own life will either be rendered speechless, or their own words will condemn them. " They have no sense of His majesty or have come to accept the image of God as an indulgent grandfather. Job rightly understands that this is an illusion. " ( D.Garrett )

APRIL 2

" For He breaks me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds withoutcause."    Job 9:17.

" A tempest or whirlwind implies a sudden and unexpected affliction, and also its fierceness and violence. Who can stand before it ? it takes his breath away, he has no relief." ( J.Caryl ) Job was a broken man and only God could repair him. He does not deny that God has His reasons but is still perplexed when he sees no way out of his painful condition. Shall he have no happy days now in this world ? Pain makes a person think thoughts he has never had before, and Job is doing that now. A tempest, which is usually ( but not always) a symbol of God's anger ( Nahum 1:3), broke upon him suddenly and he had no shelter. Only God controls the winds, they are as His voice ( Ps.29:5). But what was God saying to Job with this ' voice ' ?" In order to profit by what is contained in this Book of Job, we must first understand the aim of the Book. The story written here shows us that we are in God's hand and that it lies with him to determine our life ; to dispose of it according to His good pleasure. And that it is our duty to submit ourselves to Him with all humility and obedience." ( Calvin ) Time does not heal all wounds but the blood of Christ does, Jehovah Rophi ( The Lord our Healer ). Let us apply to the right Physician, in the right way. Healing takes time, but with Christ ( unlike the world ) it is inevitable. He can make promises He can keep, always.

APRIL 3

" The earth is given into the hand of the wicked."  Job 9:24.

It is evident that God does not have the pre-eminence in any human government in this world. the ethics of Atheism or false religions dominate the earth. Democracy is based on humanism, the 'freedom ' is to disobey God  with impunity, as they think. Psalm 2 is the rebellion of the people, and iis as true today as it was when it was written. The carnal mind does not change, it will always be ' enmity against God.' ( Rom.8) Human government is flawed, untrustworthy and self-seeking - but the people still prefer it to God's government. In the second part of vs 24 we read about the bribes and coercion of the leaders of society. Even the judges defy God's law." Having shown how the innocent are afflicted, Job now shows how the wicked are exalted, and how it therefore cannot be known by a state of affliction or prosperity whether a man is godly or wicked. There is a gift by Providence whereby He gives the earth into the hand of the wicked. When Nebuchadnezzar conquered the land, he had no thought of doing the Will of God, but of serving his ambition and covetousness. Yet the lord says of this cruel oppressor, ' I have given him all the lands ' etc. " ( J.Caryl)

Despite all appearances to the contrary, The Lord reigns...and soon will be seen to reign !

APRIL 4 

" If I say I will ...comfort myself."  Job 9:27.

How could he comfort himself ? He suggests, by ' forgetting his complaint ' and ' leaving off his heaviness.' (vs.27) This might be a distraction, a pause in his mental torment, but old thoughts will soon return ! Memories are never neutral, an emotion comes attached to them. " Where is the blessedness I knew ? " sighed William Cowper. Job's heart was too heavy to rise, it was filled with the wrong things, and not by choice. He could not take hold of anything to help him up. The verb ' to comfort ' derives from ' to strengthen ', and he could see nothing to give him that strength. Would he ever be happy again ? Some say we are to think positive thoughts, or recite H-A-P-P-Y over and over, but this cannot repair a broken heart ; it is 'papering over the cracks.' There are no " Ten ways to lead a victorious life." 

DIY comforting does not work. If God makes the wounds (vs.17), only He can heal them ( Ps.147:3). It is not what I say to myself that matters, it is what God says, and may my soul echo His Words, to fill some of the emptiness there. " All means shall prove ineffective unless the Lord gives the blessing with them." ( J.Caryl) A counsellor cannot put in what God has left out.There is still pain while a wound heals. Comfort is rooted in the presence and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Job was living through a spiritual winter ; no conscious comforting fruit, but the ' root of the matter ' ( ch.19) was in him !

APRIL 5

" I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that thou wilt not hold meinnocent"  Job 9:28.

His sorrows and his imaginings troubled him (34,35). He was afraid to speak of them to others ; what He was thinking they would not understand, indeed they would wonder if he was a believer. He certainly did not feel innocent or pure, and he knew that God knew what he was thinking (vs.29-31. cf Ps.88:15). he was afraid that his sense of sorrow was deepening and his thoughts correspondingly getting worse ; he was anxious and restless. How many times have you thought," things can't be worse than this." - and then they were ! This was Job's experience too.

He was finding it very difficult to ' live with himself.' He was not ' innocent ' in God's sight, because of the way he thought. His sorrows were ' like a noose around his neck ' and he expected God to confirm this and hold him accountable for such hard thoughts which rose up in his mind. He needed his sins to be " blotted out " ( Coloss.2:4), as promised for sinners who flee to Christ. Unless God forgave him, he was but ' labouring in vain.' ( vs.29)

" He is not a man as I am," says Job ( vs.32) We cannot judge God by our standards or expectations. Some profess to have more pity than God, but their mistake is thinking that God is like themselves ( Ps.50:21). God does not repent of anything He has said or done ( Numbers 23:19) ; it is we, the sinners, who  need to.

APRIL 6

" If I wash myself with snow water...my hands clean, yet..." Job 9:29.

The water we put over us ( even in baptism ) does not make the internal soul clean ; water does not penetrate to the inside. Job accepts that he cannot make himself clean, he needs to be ' cleansed ' ( passive, as in Ps.51:7. Isaiah 1:18. 1 John 1:7). He needs more than the product of nature to cleanse him from guilt. The washing of hands ( like Pilate, or lady Macbeth ) is a sign that you want to escape guilt for having done something. It is acceptance that you are not clean, even in your own eyes...and you start washing. Many who suffer from OCD wash themselves many, many times a day. A sense of guilt is a terrible thing to live with. For many with OCD it is a false sense of guilt for things that are guiltless, but when it comes to real sin we are all guilty. Psalm 51 was not written for David alone, but for all of us. 

Only the blood of Christ shall cause the 'pricks of conscience ' to cease troubling us ( Acts 9:5), and this requires knowing Christ, as Paul and every other Christian has experienced. When Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, saying, " But you were washed.", ( 1 Corinth.6:11) he was referring to the Spirit's application of the blood of Christ to the guilty soul ( Rev.7:14). They could not wash their own guilt away, and many times God shall ' put us in the ditch ' (vs. 31) to remind us that He alone can cleanse us. " Thoughts of our own purity only discovers our impurity. We are never more defiled in God's sight than when we are pure in our own ; like the Pharisee in Luke 18." ( J.Caryl)

APRIL 7

" Neither is there any Daysman ( Mediator ) between us, that might lay His hand upon us both."  Job 9:33.

Job accepts that sin has produced a great gulf between us all and God ( Is.59:2) and that by his own merit he cannot plead or prevail with God, his Judge. He needs a Mediator, God who also has our nature, God who also has hands to take hold of us. Only Christ has these two natures, a Divine and a human nature in one Person. This Person alone can bridge the gulf and bring God and the sinner together in peace. Job would say more about this Redeemer in chapter 19. Job had come very low, but faith looks for the Mediator. Sadly, few today believe that we cannot come to God as we are, on our own merit, but only through Another, Christ Jesus - there is no other Mediator,no other way ( John 14:6). And this mediator must be appointed by God and not man. We cannot choose how we come to God or worship Him.

It was the intercession of this mediator that upheld Job through all his troubles, although Job could feel nothing inside. The son has the commission to remove all barriers between the sinner and God. Whatever was required to reconcile the two parties was done and nothing left undone by Christ - " It is finished ! " The wrath of God and the enmity of the sinner are removed so that both may come together in peace, ' peace though the blood of the cross.' ( Coloss.1:14,20)

APRIL 8

" Then would I speak and not fear Him, but it is not so with me."  Job 9:35.

" Then I would come boldly to the Throne of Grace, and freely pour out my soul into His bosom...but I am not like that, for I am still scourged and frightened, so that I scarcely know what I am saying." ( J.Trapp) Job is confused, nothing in his mind seems to fit as he tries to make sense of his situation. He felt he was no longer master of his emotions or words, but carried along by the torrent of what had floored him, into the dust. He was not the person he used to know, and he was worse inside than he looked from the outside, which was dreadful enough. He does not know about the decisions made in heaven ( ch.1&2), as we do, and he has only ' the view from below.' This is the view we all have, a very limited one, dependent upon God's revelation to help us understand. Like ourselves in prayer sometimes, Job was afraid to open his mouth in case he said the wrong thing. He preferred to listen to God, but his problem was that he wasn't hearing anything from God at present. He had prayed for relief, but all he heard was more accusations. Few prayers are answered immediately ; this fact teaches us many things. Like Job,we can feel that, despite our prayers,we are getting worse.

We can identify with Job. We are not what we ought to be or desire to be. We do not have the power to accomplish our wishes or maintain a constant sense of peace within us. This is why God gives us the faith to look away from ourselves to the One He has set before us ( Ps.16:8) - the way is hard, but it is still ' the path of life ' (Ps.16:11).

APRIL 9

" My soul is weary of my life."  Job 10:1.

" It is a lifeless life ! " (J.Trapp) He could not resist the forces which made his life a misery, without pause. Rebecca also said the same ( Gen.27:46), as did Elijah, but it was only life here not life with God. Job was suffering but in faith and for his faith. Without faith, the devil would have left him alone.

" God does leave for a season His own children to manifold temptations, and to the corruption of their own heart, to chastise them for their former sins or to discover to them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their own hearts, that they may be humbled and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon Himself." ( Westminster Confession : Providence ). Matthew Henry reminds us that ' these afflictions are continued no longer than they need to do their work.'. ' They break the schemes of earthly joy, that I may seek my all in Thee. ' ( John Newton) Job feels that he is lacking support from his Friend, but continues faithful anyway - this is what faith does. Job could not give an answer to, " Why do Christians suffer ? " but he exemplified the response to it in opposition to Satan and his followers ( ch.1:9).

APRIL 10

" Show me why Thou contendst with me."  Job 10:2.

' Is it for sin or for trial ? ' asks John Trapp. Job felt he was in a court, being prosecuted without knowing the actual charges against him. He was indeed being tried." Perhaps, O tried soul, the Lord is doing this to develop your graces. There are some of your graces which would never have been discovered if it were not for the trials...It was but a little time ago that, on your knees, you were saying,' Lord, I fear I have no faith. Let me know that I have faith.' Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials ? For how can you know that you have faith until your faith is exercised ? Moreover, it is not merely discovery, but real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials. God does not train His soldiers in tents of ease and luxury." ( Spurgeon)

To wish to know what has come between you and God is a mark of faith ( Ps. 139:23,24). When we are under the pressure of trials, Satan will encourage us to think that God is angry with us, but faith believes God's love is eternal and unchangeable ( Jerem.29:11), like Himself.

APRIL 11

" Seest Thou as man sees ? "  Job 10:4.

Man sees things and people with limitations, ignorance and bias ; and false assumptions always lead to false conclusions. But God's perspective is total, complete and perfect. He sees ' the inward parts ' (Ps.51:6) which man cannot.Man often sees in order to look for faults in what he sees, and Job is afraid God is looking at him this way. If we can see faults in ourselves, God can see more ! ( James 3:2). " God's infinite vision is accompanied by an infinite comprehension." ( W.F.Adeney) Possibly Job is asking God to see him as he is, and not as his ' friends ' see him ; Job was sincere and open, not hiding behind words as his friends thought ( vs.7). Job did not claim perfection, but he did not pursue wickedness either ( as God Himself confirmed, ch.1 and ch.42 ). Man judges ' according to the flesh '(vs.4), but God sees deeper and further. Job looks for vindication, and later he would have it - his Redeemer lives.

God knows more about man than man shall ever discover about himself. Man catalogues his achievements, but not his sins ; though he often cites the sins of others as a foil to highlight his own self-righteousness." There are more eyes fixed on man than he knows of, and he does not see as he is seen. It is nothing that angels see me or devils watch me, compared with the overwhelming truth that God at all times sees me ( Gen.16:13 ). " 

( Spurgeon)

APRIL 12 

" Are Thy days as the days of man ? "  Job 10:5.

No, God is eternal, not born into time as we are; and our days on earth are numbered, whereas He is present in every generation ( Ps.90:2,12).

" The eternity of God is the foundation of the stability of the Covenant [of Grace], the great comfort of the Christian...Moses here mentions His eternity ( Ps.90:2), not only with respect to the Essence of God, but to His federal providence - He is the dwelling place of His people in all generations." ( Stephen Charnock)God works in time, and the sinner flees in time. At death his soul enters eternity, while his body remains in time until Christ returns, when Christ shall end time with all its separations. We find it impossible to define time,we make our own definitions of it using the sun etc but eternity is incomprehensible, until the experience of it comes." God, who inhabits eternity, need not hasten His work...but may take what time He needs. And He does not work in the time or season that man expects." ( J. Caryl) This is something Job and we must remember ; to ask Job's question is ( as is often the case) to answer it. The believer in Christ shall live as long as Christ does, they are eternally united.

APRIL 13

" There is none that can deliver out of Thy hand."  Job 10:7.

Job acknowledges the omnipotence of God, that His power is greater than any other ; He can create and uncreate ( Heb.1:11.Rev.20:11.) " With God nothing shall be impossible," even the Virgin Birth ( Luke 1:37). His name in the old Testament is El Shaddai, the Almighty. " According to His absolute power, He can do all things which are not contrary to His nature and perfections, and which does not imply a contradiction." ( John Gill)

But Job also acknowledges that God's justice has a claim upon him ( vs.6) and only God's mercy can deliver him from the consequences of his iniquities ( 1 Samuel 2:25. Ps.130:3,4,7). Happily for sinners, there is a ' freedom' in God's justice to accept the death of a Surety, a Substitute, to suffer the death of others. Job knew that he had a Redeemer, a Near-Kinsman, to act on His behalf, to pay the ransom to set the prisoner free ( Job 19:25. Isaiah 49:9 & 50:8,9). God has power to condemn, and power to acquit, and to do both justly ( Rom.3:19,26). There is no mercy offered in the Law, but mercy is offered in the Gospel.

There is also power to set free the sinner from the dominion, the chains of his own sin ; the power to give a new heart and take away the enmity of the carnal mind ( Rom.8:3,4,7 ) and to preserve the believer in perseverance, keeping her by ' the power of God ' ( 1 Peter 1:5). God's power will bring us all through resurrection to judgement. All must appear in His court, to be condemned or acquitted - condemned because of our sins or acquitted because of Christ's righteousness ( Ps.109:7,31). " Who is on the lord's side ? " as Moses said.

APRIL 14

" Thy hands have made me ...as the clay."  Job 8,9.

Man's body is made from the ground ( Gen.2:7) ; man's soul comes direct from God. He is frail ( Ps.103:14. Ps.78:39), but he is still the wonder of creation. The penalty for sin is for the body to return to the dust ( Gen.3:19). This includes the bodies of those who are justified by faith, but it is not the end of the body. For believers, death is no longer seen as a punishment, but as the door to heaven. Christ's death has changed the character of death for them. Vessels of clay can be broken, but the vessels of mercy, despite the cracks in them ( 2 Corinth.4:7-11), Christ's grace will preserve on their journey to heaven ( Rom.9:21-23). The Christian is God's workmanship ( Ephes.2:20), made for heaven." David, speaking of man and of God's goodness to him ( Ps.8:1,9), begins to wonder before he speaks ; then he ceases to speak, but does not cease to wonder." ( J.Trapp)" When we have been brought low by the weight of affliction, so low that we feel as if we had been brought back to that condition of soul in which we were at first, when God by His spirit began to operate upon us. Let us believe that it is His purpose to make us into a better vessel, more suitable for his use. Job's latter days are an evidence of this." ( J.Smith) The vessel can be marred, but it is still in the hands of the Potter ! ( Jerem.18:4 ).

APRIL 15

" Thou hast granted me life and favour, and Thy visitation has preserved my spirit."  Job 10:12.

God's providence has kept Job safe amid the constant dangers from Satan and a hostile, sinful world. He has visited Job with His care and strength, to preserve his soul from despair ; to which he sometimes came to the edge of. Job thanks God for the constancy and faithfulness of His care, for we have learned by experience that we cannot keep ourselves ( Ps.121). Despite appearances to the contrary, Job was protected ( ch.2:6 ) The lord told us not to be anxious about our life ( Matt.6:25,26). As Toplady said, ' we are more happy in heaven, but not more secure.' Job knew this ( vs.13), but having knowledge does not mean that we can control our feelings. We can trust and be afraid at the same time ( Ps.56:3). " As God in His providence visits us, so we should visit Him by prayer." ( J.Caryl)

Job had a suffering life while God's favour never left him. He sees us suffering and this tempts people to anger when He does not lift the burden. we have to trust that somehow, in some inexplicable way, it is for our good - we have His Word for this ( Rom.8:28. Faith is put to the test ; what/who do we believe in this matter ? God or our feelings ? This choice comes to the sufferer every morning when she wakes up ( Lament.3;23).

" Faithfulness is essential to God's nature, without which He would not be God. To be unfaithful would be to deny Himself." ( John Gill) To trust God is to take Him at His word, and that He will finally take us to be with Him.

APRIL 16

" I am full of confusion."  Job 10:15.

In his confusion he thought that God had hard thoughts towards him( vs.14) ; he was tempted also by others to think that he had been guilty of hypocrisy. The devil likes to tempt believers with this disturbance, but the real hypocrites he does not disturb ( Luke 18:11). Job cannot lift up his head, he stoops under the burden of his misery. His posture is one of mourning, but also one of worship. He still believes he is under God's eye ( vs.15), and therefore there is still hope. In his distress he has not forgotten God's revealed character. He is a judge, but a righteous Judge ; He will do the right thing for His people, as Abraham said ( Gen.18:25). His confusion is fuelled by the fact that God is not explaining to him what He is doing, and he is anxious and perplexed, but not in despair ( 2 Corinth.4:8) ; such was the experience of the Apostle also. " Job's spirit had received as much sorrow as it could hold, and more than he could well digest." ( J.Caryl) God has reasons for His actions, but He is not obliged to explain them ; anger, therefore, will not change this. Job was in confusion, but faith stayed alive in the midst of it, and patience with it. Job knew that though he wanted to speak in his defence, no opportunity was given. But it is notable that when the opportunity came ( ch. 42), he preferred to say nothing, but to listen to God ( 1 Samuel 3:10. Luke 10:39) - to abide in His presence was all he needed.

APRIL 17

" Are not my days few ? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort  a little, before I go whence I shall not return."  Job 10: 20,21.

We see in this prayer of Job that his thoughts of God troubled him. He does not find that his prayers are peacefully answered. He believes his days ahead are few - can he not have a little happiness before he departs ? He sees no light in his darkness. On the contrary, he feels he is going down deeper into it  daily ( vs.21,22.) Job is becoming more impatient than before. " Watch against  the corruptions in our nature. They are not quickly mortified, but will express themselves when under hardship." ( J.Durham) Job was talking about 'days', he found it difficult to lift his mind to think about eternity. Every day to him was about how to survive it, get through it ! In the midst of suffering " the nature of the flesh is to put a wrong construction upon God's dealings. The object of Satan is to misrepresent God's character. In times of trouble, hard thoughts of God are a special temptation." ( T.Robinson) The grave is a dark place, the body lies there at death in darkness until light comes in at the resurrection. Job was perhaps at his lowest point now, he wants to be left alone...and yet he is still praying for contact with God. We are a riddle to ourselves sometimes. But we can depend upon God to act with wisdom towards us, and with patience towards such prayers as Job's, or ours.

APRIL 18

" Know then, that God exacts from thee less than thy iniquity deserves." Job 11:6

Zophar did not understand the depth, the meaning of his statement. He is a legalist, believing only in retribution for sins, and yet he is talking about a truth, a gracious passing by ( Rom.3:25) of sin ie. God does not punish it as was expected. Sadly, he did not apply this truth to himself ( vs.11) ; he thought that he was too good for God to punish him. Alas, there are still many ' experts ' today who see  ( and give verdicts upon) themselves and others, but it does not agree with how God sees them. God does remove the sins of believers ( Ps.103;12), their sins are punished out of His memory ( Heb.8:12); they were punished, but He did not lay the punishment on them ( Isaiah 53:6). 

No, we are not treated as we deserve, but according to the grace of Christ. When God forgives, it is for all past, present and future sins ; He knows what we have done, and what we shall do in the future. There is not a day on earth when we do not sin ( Eccles.7:20 ), ' but it is not with a guilt which requires atonement.' ( Rutherford) - that has been accomplished, " finished ". ( Heb.9:28  1 John 1:7), the debt to God's offended justice paid. God is not surprised by anything we do, but we are surprised at the infinity of His grace. it truly is ' grace abounding ' ! ( Rom.5:20).

APRIL 19

" Canst thou by searching find out God ? "  Job 11:7.

God has His ' secrets of wisdom' (vs.6) and the finite mind cannot understand the infinite - although Zophar seems to think he knows more than others. God would soon correct that ! ) We understand the course of His providence, nor can angels. Paul repeats this truth in 1 Corinthians 2:9. His love for sinners is incomprehensible also (Eph.3:18,19) ; what we do know is that they are loved in Christ. Sinners " shall be blessed in Him " alone ( Ps.72:17). Zophar by his words has made God too small, for he thinks he can explain Him to Job ; he sees no mystery in Job's condition. But there shall always be more to God than we think. There is a ' hiddenness' about God, not everything is revealed ( Deut. 29:29). We must accept that there are limits to our knowledge of God. He has ' one Mind ', one Will, partly revealed and partly concealed." Blessed are they who have not seen, but believed.' ( John 20:29) We may apply this truth to things hidden ( Heb.11:1), things which angels themselves are still looking into. ( 1 Peter 1:12).

" I'd rather walk in the dark with God

  Than go alone in my own light ;

  I'd rather go on by faith in Him

  Than go alone by sight."  ( Anon.)

APRIL 20

" Who can hinder Him ? "   Job 11:10.

" What God decrees to do, He will do." ( J.A.Blair) No one can frustrate God's desires, His intentions ; He never changes His mind - to do so would reveal a flaw in His wisdom, which is perfect. We sometimes have desires but lack power to fulfil them. It is not so with Him ( Ps.115:3). Zophar again states a truth but misapplies it to Job's condition. We can sometimes draw false conclusions from truths also. God is not accountable to us for whatever He has said or done, or will do. Zophar thought he already knew God's verdict about Job and himself, but he was wrong ( ch.42). Some people can be sincere in holding an opinion and be sincerely wrong. Paul reminds us of a ' zeal without knowledge.' None of us can oppose God ( successfully ) and every knee shall yet bow before Him at the end of the days 9:3)." God's omnipotence is as an ocean which cannot be fathomed, so the comforts from it are  streams which cannot be exhausted. What joy can be lacking to him that finds himself folded in the arms of omnipotence ! This perfection [ of power] is made over to believers in the Covenant, as well as any other attribute of God, ' I am the Lord your God.' ...How comforting it is to think that you have a God who can do what He pleases ; nothing so difficult that He can accomplish it, nothing so strong but He can overrule it ! " (Stephen Charnock).

APRIL 21

" For he knows vain men."  Job 11:11.

Adam tried to hide from God, but in vain." God sees the unreasonableness of man ; wicked men are absurd men ( 2 Thess.3:2)." ( J.Trapp) Without faith a man has lost the wisdom of His reason, to live without acknowledging God is to choose a course of despair and self-destruction. Vain man wants to be wise ( vs.12) and go his own way, like the Prodigal son ; who soon became empty and desperate, turning to things he never thought he would. But " the rod and the word work miracles when God works with them." ( J.Caryl) Affliction has often been used by God to bring His children Home, showing them what a misery life is without Him ( Ephes.2:12,13). " How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee ? " ( Jerem.4:14)

God knows what is in man, how little is in him ( 1 John 2:20,21). He can ' see through ' people ; and human nature is inherently deceitful. The devil tempts  empty lives with empty promises, and the world takes up his theme. But whatever the world gives you it will take away from you when you leave the world. But follow Christ, and you lose nothing, except what can be lost. Whereas, the gains which He gives those who trust Him and trust themselves to him, are everlasting gains ( Philipp.3:7-9). God knows men, what they think about, and what they think of Him ( Ps.94:11). The First Commandment is the foundation for all others. 

APRIL 22

" If thou prepare thy heart, and stretch out thy hands toward Him." Job 11:13.

This is the action of prayer ( 1 Kings 8:22), the empty hands stretched out signifying need. " We all come to God as beggars." ( Luther) Sadly, Zophar's hands were not empty, he was still holding on to his own righteousness ; unlike Paul, who cast his away for Christ's ( Philipp.3:9). Moreover, our hands must drop the sin we cling to as we approach God ( 14). Unconfessed sin will drain our conscience of peace and our heart of strength to serve. An honest, sincere servant of God will have strength and confidence (15). Hosea is relevant to us all as we prepare to meet God,especially before death ( Amos 4:12). Job certainly wanted to come near to God, asking unanswered questions as he went on, but he did go on ! ( Is.50:10) Faith and repentance prepares the heart for the final approach ( Acts 20:21).

It is possible that Zophar was tempting Job to bargain with God ( with his prosperity theology) ie. ' If you do this, God will do that.' But it is Christ who does all the doing ( Matt.1:21), faith does all the receiving ; there is no merit in receiving everything as a gift  from God.The rebellions of sin within us can be powerful and cast down our confidence. But to prepare the heart for heaven does not mean that we must make ourselves sinless. No, we must be justified and forgiven ( Rom.5:1 & 8:1). Then the sheep may lie down peacefully, protected by the Shepherd ( Ps.4:8).

APRIL 23

" Thou shalt be secure, for there is hope."  Job 11:18.

It is a spiritual security which is here promised, subduing distracting and disturbing fears ( vs.19). " Hope is the daughter of faith, a staff to her aged mother." ( J.Trapp) With repentance comes hope (vs.20), and it is of the nature of hope to give comfort, and strength for endurance. This hope is outside the enemy's reach, it is ' within the veil ' ( Heb.6:19), bound up in one Person ( 1 Tim.1:1) ; He gave it to us and it returns us to Him. " You can survive the loss of many things, but not the loss of hope." ( B.Gass) For the Christian,' Where's there's hope, there's life.' We remember former deliverances from God, and each Ebenezer ( 1 Sam.7:12) remembered strengthens our hope in troubles. This light is sown in the soul ( Ps.97:11) and rises opportunely to comfort us in dark times. But also, while we wait for Christ to come for us, to bring us Home, " we can take comfort from the future also." ( Spurgeon) ( cf.1 Thess.4:16-18).

" The path of sorrow, and that path alone,

  Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown."   ( William Cowper)

" If God be for us, who can be against us ? "  ( Rom. 8:31).

APRIL 24

" No doubt but you are the people, and wisdom shall die with you ! "  Job 12:2.

There are young fools and old fools, and both attempt to be omniscient. But man needs more than human wisdom to enter eternity safely ( Prov.2:6). Human wisdom may impress others and get such through this world, but at the end the ineffectiveness of it will be revealed. God shall have the final word, not man. The standards of Job's friends are their own, and they thought they could judge him without reference to God's revelation ( which would correct them in ch,42). " It is the emptiness of knowledge, not the fulness of it, which makes so great a sound." ( J.Caryl) Or, as an old Scottish saying puts it, " Empty vessels make the most noise." ( referring to ships which have no cargo). The friends could give him no comfort, they believed that his condition deserved none. They treated him as a 'case' for discussion, and not a friend who needed care. They would have shown wisdom by saying as little as possible ( Prov.17:28 ).

Job reminds them that they shall die, but will this be the end of the world's wisdom ? Do they carry it about infallibly with themselves ? No one ought to speak as if they knew everything ; everything remains to be said when we die. Paul makes the same kind of response to the Corinthians when they succumbed to the same temptation as Job's friends ( 1 Corinth.4:10). Only God's Spirit can overcome our own spirit's natural pride and prejudice. " Many people may actually be wronging God and truth, when they intend to defend both.these men thought they were doing both, yet Job calls them ' forgers of lies' (13:4)." ( J.Durham ) How much do we really understand about other people, when we cannot share their thoughts ?

APRIL 25

" The tabernacles [tents] of robbers are secure."  Job 12:6.

Regarding this mystery of Providence, how the wicked seem to prosper, while the godly suffer, Andrew Fuller writes,

" The great controversy between Job and his friends respected the system of Providence. Job maintained that good and evil come alike to man, whether they were righteous or wicked. Success often attends the worst of men, even in the worst of causes (eg. their tents are full of treasure). Also, wicked men possess the largest proportion of the earth and its productions. Public calamities also come alike to all ; drought, famine, floods. Moreover, instead of his friends' minute rules about retributive justice, God causes both the mighty and the weak to subserve His infinitely wise purposes ; the deceived and the deceiver are His ' (vs.16). His control also extends to the rise and fall of nations ( vs.19).O my soul, can I meditate on such catastrophes without feeling for others, or fearing for my native country ? Yet, if such should be its lot, it is part of that great system of Providence that directs all human suffering, and works for the ultimate good of God's people. Meanwhile, ' having received a kingdom which cannot be moved ', may I have grace that I may serve God acceptably with reverence and with godly fear. ( Heb.12:28). "

APRIL 26

" And they that provoke God are secure ! "   Job 12:6.

Job asks them to apply their theological principles to the real world ! There is no evidence to prove their assertions, quite the contrary ( but there is no sign that they accept these facts). This principle of non-immediate punishment of sin is a principle highlighted in this Book. It was only after 120 years that a warned, wicked world was drowned by God ! Psalm 73 also emphasizes how the wicked shall feel secure until the end comes ( 1Thess.5:3). Jeremiah was perplexed by God's ' delay ' in punishing the wicked ( Jerem.12:1,2), but justice delayed is not justice denied. We must guard against being over-influenced by appearances. ' Prosperity can make you spiritually insecure, deceived into thinking that riches and possessions are tokens of God's love when " they are tokens of God's wrath." ( J.Trapp) Riches and prosperity often work against spiritual desires in the pilgrim also. Faith must struggle to maintain its grasp on the unseen riches. But for the unbelieving, " riches often reveal those evils which were treasured up in their hearts. To have wealth without grace to use it to the glory of God is a curse to the possessor, and often hurtful to all around him." ( J.Caryl)

APRIL 27

' In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."  Job 12:10.

" God is everywhere, but ignored or forgotten." ( Spurgeon) Can 7 billion people on earth be blind to God's Truth, and not acknowledge the Trinity ? Yes. Either this is true or the Bible is not telling the truth. The Word of God continues to divide people over the Person, Identity and teaching of Christ Jesus the Son of God. All life on earth is dependent on its Creator to preserve it and shape its future. Belshazzar had to be reminded of this truth, as did the intellectual Athenians,but it did not humble them to acknowledge it ( Daniel 5;23. Acts 17:28)." There is an influential omnipresence of God. He is present with all things by His authority, because all things are subject to Him ; by His power, because all things are sustained by Him ; by His knowledge, because all things are naked before Him ( Heb.4:12,13). He is present in the world, as a King is in all parts of His kingdom, regally present. He is providentially present with all, since His care extends to the meanest of His creatures. His power reaches all, and His knowledge pierces all." (Stephen Charnock )

APRIL 28

" Does not the ear try words, and the mouth taste its meat ? " Job 12:11.

Job says here that he cannot hear the sayings of his friends uncritically. The function of the ear is to examine the statements submitted to it. the ear is given to make distinction in the sounds ( 1 Corinth.14:7,8,15)  ; some receive approval, some do not. Moral and religious truths come to us by hearing ( Rom. 10:17). When we read something there is an inner voice, for we think in words. It is our duty to examine. what we hear ( Acts 17:11)  Job examines not only his friends' words but the words of the past, the traditions handed down to them. " Are they Biblical ? " should be our question to any teaching we hear. We cannot afford to make mistakes about our duty to God ; what to believe, how to worship, what we practise. What God says should rule in our thoughts ( Isaiah 8:20). We are to ' prove all things ' and ' try the spirits ' ( 1 Thess.5:21. 1 John 4:1). Modern ' priests ' deny the people the right of private judgement. They say, ' You can read the Bible but we alone can tell you what it means.' But a man has no authority to contradict what God says. Ourselves alone are responsible for what we believe about God and what we fail to believe from God. The best Interpreter of Scripture is the Author of Scripture, and therefore we must ' compare Scripture with Scripture ' to help us arrive at its meaning, as the Reformers taught. " With God is wisdom. " ( vs.13) ' Cruden's Concordance was always at my right hand ', said Spurgeon.

APRIL 29

" With Him is wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding," Job 12:13.

God's wisdom as our Counsellor for all situations in life is asserted throughout Scripture ( Prov.8:14. Isaiah 9:6. Micah 4:9). We must go to what He says first before we consult the creature. " Power and wisdom are here mentioned as two supports for our faith ; power to help and the will to assist...We should never think of the excellency of the Divine nature without also thinking of the duties they demand from us. The stability of a gracious soul depends upon the wisdom as well as on the power of God. The Gospel itself is a manifestation of that wisdom. No one could imagine such a way of justification as the Gospel declares. The wisdom was His and the illumination of our minds must be from Him also. As God alone manifested the Gospel,so He only can open our eyes to see the mysteries of Christ in it." ( Stephen Charnock )

The world will sometimes seem to us to be in confusion, but God has a plan for it, and for all in it ; a plan formulated before the beginning of the world. He can use ' sinful instruments ' who are already in the world, to carry out His holy purpose eg. the king of Assyria, Isaiah ch.10. The knowledge of this should help us to establish our faith in the midst of a world bent on anarchy, the anarchy of their own wisdom and definitions of ' freedom.'

" We must beware of a feeling of hopelessness when we see things confused, knowing that ' there is nothing too hard for Him.' And though we are at our wits end ( Ps.107:26,27), and have no strength to believe, yet we are to quieten ourselves upon His wisdom and strength."  ( J.Durham)

APRIL 30

" Behold, He withholds the waters and they dry up."  Job 12:15.

God is in control of all that He has made, and is sovereign over nature also. Nature can be a destructive force eg. the Flood, Plagues of Egypt, the Red Sea. God's power is absolute, but also wise and good. He ended the Flood once it had done the work assigned to it, likewise the Plagues in Egypt. The miracles at the time of Christ on earth also ceased once they had given testimony to Him. The waters of the Red Sea ' dried up ' until the Israelites passed over, likewise the Jordan river to let Joshua and the people pass over. God makes it rain in one part of the world and dries up another

( Amos 4:7 ). People speak of ' climate change ' as if nature had a mind of its own. But what if the reasons for it went beyond fossil fuels, what if the cause was moral and spiritual ? Are we looking to Nature or to God ? Is the former not idolatry ?" In a spiritual sense ( Amos 8:11,12), when God withholds the communications of His grace, the effect is that the people are in withering circumstances, ' dried up'. Their love grows cold, their faith is ready to fail, along with hope and strength." ( J.Gill ) Surely such a spiritual condition, as there is in the church today, should put us on our knees, not only in weakness but in prayer. We can make ourselves weak, but only He can make us strong. We cannot put into ourselves what He withholds. If we are dried up we must go back to the Well, or we shall thirst again ( John 4:13-15.) The dried up have no voice, but the watered shall sing Isaiah 12:3,4).