Watching Daily At Wisdom's Gates

  Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit." Job 37:24 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.37.24.ESV Elihu seems to be having a not so subtle dig at Job here. Talk about kicking a man when he's down! Elihu has been accusing Job of speaking empty words, when he has simply been trying to express his anguish of heart to his miserable 'comforters'. As it turns out, God abruptly interrupts Elihu's outburst by condemning him with the very words he accused Job of- 'who is this who darkens my counsel with words without understanding'. Elihu has been to the theology school of Job's comforters, but God judiciously disqualifies them. It seems in this book that exactly what Elihu insinuated of Job here was true of him. God doesn't seem to have much regard for Elihu. It's almost like He can't bear to be misrepresented by him, so feels compelled to interrupt his rant. If we're honest, we the readers are in a...

  For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. Job 33:14 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.33.14.ESV Elihu seems orthodox enough here. The fact God doesn't directly address him in the end leaves the jury out on his contribution. Job's comforters were rebuked, but interceded for. There's no mention of God's verdict on Elihu directly. He does seem to speak from Job's comforters playbook, so hopefully he repented of any idle words he may have spoken. He has a good point in this verse though. He's responding to Job who's moaning that God isn't responding to him. Unbeknownst to them, God was soon to speak out of a storm. For now, Elihu considers different ways God speaks. Even now, Biblical theologians would mention numerous ways God communicates with us. God communicates in creation, in our consciences, in His word, and in Job's case, audibly. The supreme communication of God to us is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of G...

The Occilolist I love the folkiness of this track, which reminded me a bit of Stuart Townend's Vagabonds, or a Seth Lakeman song. I want a copy of the lyrics because they seemed intriguing! Whiskey and Wine The style of this song is slightly reminiscent of the band of some other friends: Tillerman Tomorrow I love the fact that the song title is juxtaposed with a wistful, nostalgic tone. There's a retro feel to this track. I love the backing harmonies too which give it a warm fuzzy glow :) Where Did You Go? This is a really sweet song. Steven's rich baritone is beautifully complimented by gentle harmonies. Song For You Nice song with an upbeat feel to it. The Heart is Not A Toy The most familiar song on the album as it was released a few years ago in another form. This version is more polished, like a finely honed jewel. One of the best songs lyrically on the album. Brittle Bones Lovely duet with a female vocalist who is well matched with Steven's dulcet to...

  Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. Job 32:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.32.2.ESV The jury's out on Elihu. Some dismiss him as a young upstart, others applaud him for setting the stage for God's entrance onto the scene. I kind of sit on the fence about him- in my opinion it's not either/or but both/and. Elihu does seem to be cut from the same cloth as Job's comforters. He couldn't seem to acknowledge that Job genuinely did have integrity. Just as Job's comforters seemed to get hot under the collar, Scripture repeatedly tells us that he 'burned with anger'. When God bursts in and says 'who is this who darkens my counsel with words without knowledge', Elihu has just been speaking. So before we leap to the conclusion that Job (who responds) is being addressed, or his 'comforters', I think the most direct app...

  How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? Job 25:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.25.4.ESV These are good questions, but they're rhetorical. The questioner has already reached his conclusion. Bildad assumes that because we're all naturally evil, we all get what we deserve. Bildad was attempting to shoehorn Job and his situation into his own worldview. So as far as he was concerned, Job was getting what he deserved. Thankfully, his questions are answerable. Nothing we can do can make us right and pure before the Holy God. Thankfully, He Himself sent His Son to reconcile us to Himself. Jesus can make us right and pure before Father God. As Jesus Himself said, 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'. When we allow God to purify our hearts through the blood of Jesus, we get to see Him as He is. God is pure, yes, but He's also overflowing with mercy and grace. 'Merciful God, we're thankful t...

 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? Job 22:3 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.22.3.ESV Eliphaz's rhetorical question was pushing for a 'no'. He was almost a deist, seeming to think that God's not really bothered about us. When we consider God's greatness and our relative insignificance, we might be tempted to concur. Even though we're like ants in comparison to Almighty God, He genuinely does take pleasure in people doing the right thing. God isn't like the Islamic allah who's pretty ambivalent about humanity. He really does want what's best for us. God Himself is righteous. So it follows that He appreciates it when people are similarly righteous. God delights in turning sinners into saints. Eliphaz is quite horrible here to Job. He's basically saying that even if he was righteous (which he was), God wouldn't care. Thankfully, he couldn't have been further fr...

  Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Job 21:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.21.7.ESV Job knew that his comforters' central hypothesis was wrong. They were very much into a form of karma or 'reaping what you sow'. They assumed that because Job was reaping suffering that he'd somehow done something to deserve it. Job contradicted his comforters' claim here in this verse. Very often, he observed, the wicked live to a ripe old age- they don't necessarily die young. Far from being weak, they often grow mighty in power. Sadly, experience proves Job to be right. Nice as it would be for the wicked to get their comeuppance in this life, it often doesn't happen like that. In fact, often the opposite happens. Not only do the wicked often thrive like weeds, but the righteous often really struggle, like Job was at this time. The key difference is faith in God. The righteous look forward to vindication by Him; whereas unrepentant e...

  Surely now God has worn me out; he has made desolate all my company. Job 16:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.16.7.ESV I know Job is seriously depressed in this verse, but I really appreciate his recognition of God's sovereignty. He knew God is all powerful, and therefore allowed him to suffer like he did. Sadly, Job only seems to have had part of the picture. He didn't realise about the adversary of our souls. In his devout theism, he forgot about the evil one. This isn't to say we need a dualistic worldview. It's just that the Sovereign God sometimes allows the devil to afflict us. Satan can only attack us with God's consent. Thankfully, we'll never be tempted beyond what we can bear. Job suffered immensely, but he never lost his faith in God. God ultimately vindicated him. 'Sovereign Father God, thank You that when we belong to You, we can always trust that we will ultimately be vindicated. In Christ our Lord's name we pray, amen'

  and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves. Job 11:6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/job.11.6.ESV Job's comforters only seem to get worse as the book rolls on! Here, Zophar insinuates that Job is a fool, that he needs some divine wisdom. The deceitful thing about Zophar's speech is that by invoking God he gives it a faux-pious veneer. Job is revealed to have much more wisdom than his accusers, who mouth off empty nothings in accusation against him. He is shown to be a man of great integrity in the face of great suffering. O that we would display similar fortitude in difficult circumstances. Zophar however is like a dog with a bone. Together with his friends, they're like a pack of wild dogs. Talk about kicking a man (Job) when he's down! Horribly, to add insult to injury, Zophar says Job deserves worse than what he's getting. He can't seem to fathom ...