Looking for Job

[JLG]

107) Looking for Job


Job 12

However, ask, please, the animals, and they will

instruct you;

Also the birds of the heavens, and they will

tell you;

Or give consideration to the earth, and it will

instruct you;

And the fish of the sea will declare it to you.

Who among all these does not knowledge

That the hand of God has done this?


- Yes, Job answers back!


- And he says that God’s creation tells us about God!


- God’s creation is an open Book of God’s wisdom!


- What a difference with man!


- He is only a copier and a bad one!


- Look at what he has done of the earth!


- And the more the time passes the worse it is!


- And he seems to be proud of it!


- And more people talk about a plan B!


- But there is no plan B!

 

[JLG]

108) Looking for Job


Job 12

In his hand is the life of every living thing

And the spirit of every human.


- Yes, God created us!


- And we are his creation!


- And we can live thanks to all his creation!


- And he knows us!


- We can’t trick him!


- And yet he listens to his servants and to those who are really looking for him!


- And he listens to Job!


- But he answers him at the appropriate time!


- And God’s time is not ours!


- It is easy to forget it!


- And think wrong!

 

[JLG]

109) Looking for Job


Job 12

Does not the ear test out words

As the tongue tastes food?


- We have five senses but because of modern life we are losing them more and more!


- And we have good sense: may we use it!


- Job tries to use it as much as he can!


- He keeps fighting!

 

[JLG]

110) Looking for Job


Job 12

Is not wisdom found among the aged,

And does not understanding come with a long life?

- Job tells about what he knows!


- May we listen to him and benefit from his words to build up our personality and be active for God!


- How we need such faithful examples especially in this confused and superficial period of time!

 

[JLG]

111) Looking for Job


Job 12

With him there are wisdom and mightiness;

he has counsel and understanding.


- Job keeps thinking well about God!


- He knows he is the source of wisdom and mightiness!


- And he invites us to listen to him!


- And both testaments are essential for that!

 

[JLG]

112) Looking for Job


Job 12

When he tears something down, it cannot be rebuilt;

What he has shut, no man can open.

When he withholds the waters, everything

dries up;

When he sends them out, they overwhelm

the earth.


- He looks nature that is God’s creation which tells us about God and what he is able to do!


- May we do the same to find inspiration and motivation to action!


- Of course, there is no one like God!


- Every day we can see God’s power and wisdom in action!


- And every day we can see man’s weakness and stupidity!


- And nature enhances both and opposes them!


- And it should encourage us to humility!

 

[JLG]

113) Looking for Job


Job 12

With him there are strength and practical

wisdom;

To him belong the one going astray and the

one leading astray;


- He is the only one who can lead humanity!


- It is completely lost!

- And we know where it is going and it is dark!


- Emptiness!


- Only God can bring brightness!

 

[JLG]

114) Looking for Job


Job 12

He makes counselors go barefoot,

And he makes fools of judges.

He loosens the bonds imposed by kings,

and he binds a belt around their waist.

He makes priests walk barefoot,

And he overthrows those who are firmly

established in power;


- Man is inclined to pride!


- But Job invites us to humility!


- We are nothing compared to him!


- And it doesn’t matter if we are powerful or not!


- We are all going to die!


- And sometimes it arrives faster than we think!

- Humility may help us to be careful and work for our health!


- Job was old and apparently in good health when the devil acted against him!


- When everything came back to normal he could keep enjoying a peaceful life and a faithful one!


- Definitely a good example to follow and to think about and to remember at any time!

 

[JLG]

7) Job - comparing faithfulness to Yah.weh

• Thus Yah.weh tolerates the devil’s attacks on Job!
• And his attacks are extremely violents!
• He takes all Job’s animals!
• He kills all Job’s servants!
• He kills all his children!
• He makes everything so Job can only imagine that Yah.weh did it!
• Because Yah.weh is Job’s only reference!
• Imagine you think that your best friend has just dont that to you!
• What would you think?
• How would you react?
• Let’s have a look at Job’s answer!
• Job 1:20:

Then Job
אִיּוֹב֙ (’î·yō·wḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 347: Job -- a patriarch

stood up,
וַיָּ֤קָם (way·yā·qām)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

tore
וַיִּקְרַ֣ע (way·yiq·ra‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7167: To rend

his robe,
מְעִל֔וֹ (mə·‘i·lōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4598: A robe

and shaved
וַיָּ֖גָז (way·yā·ḡāz)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1494: To cut off, to shear a, flock, shave the hair, to destroy an enemy

his head.
רֹאשׁ֑וֹ (rō·šōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

He fell
וַיִּפֹּ֥ל (way·yip·pōl)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

to the ground
אַ֖רְצָה (’ar·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

and worshiped,
וַיִּשְׁתָּֽחוּ׃ (way·yiš·tā·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

• He tore his robe!
• He shaved his head!
• He fell to the ground and worshiped!
• What dignity!
• RESPECT!

 

[JLG]

8) Job - comparing faithfulness to Yah.weh

- Job 1:21:

saying:
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Naked
עָרֹ֨ם (‘ā·rōm)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6174: Nude, either partially, totally

I came
יָצָ֜אתִי (yā·ṣā·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

from my mother’s
אִמִּ֗י (’im·mî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 517: A mother, )

womb,
מִבֶּ֣טֶן (mib·be·ṭen)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 990: The belly, the womb, the bosom, body of anything

and naked
וְעָרֹם֙ (wə·‘ā·rōm)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6174: Nude, either partially, totally

I shall return.
אָשׁ֣וּב (’ā·šūḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

The LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

gave,
נָתַ֔ן (nā·ṯan)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

and the LORD
וַיהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has taken away.
לָקָ֑ח (lā·qāḥ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

Blessed
מְבֹרָֽךְ׃ (mə·ḇō·rāḵ)
Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

be
יְהִ֛י (yə·hî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

the name
שֵׁ֥ם (šêm)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8034: A name

of the LORD.”
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

- Job’s words are equal to Job’s attitude!
- What dignity!
- RESPECT!
- The devil did everything so Job would think Yah.weh acted against him!
- He knows that Yah.weh is Job’s only reference!
- Thus Job has absolutely no idea of what is going on!
- And he keeps his dignity!
- Blessed be the name of Yah.weh!
- Who does the same today?
- THE BIG MAJORITY IS NOT!
- DOUBLE RESPECT!
- AND SHAME ON THOSE WHO ACCUSE JOB!

 

[JLG]

9) Job - comparing faithfulness to Yah.weh

- Job 1:22:

In all
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

this,
זֹ֖את (zōṯ)
Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

Job
אִיּ֑וֹב (’î·yō·wḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 347: Job -- a patriarch

did not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

sin
חָטָ֣א (ḥā·ṭā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2398: To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn

or charge
נָתַ֥ן (nā·ṯan)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

God
לֵאלֹהִֽים׃ (lê·lō·hîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

with wrongdoing.
תִּפְלָ֖ה (tip̄·lāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8604: Unsavoriness, unseemliness

- DO I HAVE TO REPEAT?
- APPARENTLY YES!
IN ALL THIS
JOB DID NOT SIN OR CHARGE GOD WITH WRONGDOING!

 

[JLG]

115) Looking for Job


Job 12

He deprives trusted advisers of speech

And takes away the sensibleness of old

men;

He pours out contempt upon nobles,

And he makes powerful ones weak;


- We can think we are important but anything can happen in our life and remember us that we are nothing!


- Anything can happen to bring us back to reality!


- It doesn’t matter when!


- Job got in trouble because of the devil but he kept faithful and his life got back to normal!


- We can imagine he was humble enough to use what happened to him to live a better life!


- We need to grow and build up our personality and try to be better in all senses!

- Of course, it is not an easy journey but it can be a fruitful one!

 

[JLG]

116) Looking for Job


Job 12

He reveals deep things from the darkness,

And he brings deep darkness into the light;


- God is definitely the source of knowledge, the creator of everything!


- We can check that every day if we open our eyes and ears to look at and listen to nature!


- We can learn a lot from the Bible if we take time and use patience and effort!


- But we need to make efforts to get closer to God!


- We need to open our minds!


- And it is not easy in this superficial modern world!


- In history they speak about dark ages!


- Are we far from it today where everything is superficial and confused?

 

[JLG]

117) Looking for Job


Job 12

He makes nations grow great in order to

destroy them;

He enlarges nations, that he may lead them

into exile.


- We have good examples in the Bible!


- But they opposed God!


- Especially Israel which was special to God because of Abraham!


- And it revealed so many times rotten that it ended completely rotten!


- But it was their choice!

 

[JLG]

118) Looking for Job


Job 12

He takes away the understanding of the

leaders of the people

And makes them wander in trackless

wastelands.

They grope in darkness, where there is no

light;

He makes them wander about like drunken

men.


- First, it comes in my mind the case of Nebuchanezzar!


- But we can think of all the great empires of which the Bible speaks about and how they were crushed and their powerful men with them!


- And all history is full of these powerful and proud men!


- All that for that!


- Poor humanity!


- History is mankind’s testimony of its inability to learn anything!


- That’s why we are where we are on the verge of collapsing!

 

[JLG]

119) Looking for Job


Job 13

“Yes, my eye has has seen all of this,

My ear has heard and understood it.

What you know, I also know;

I am not inferior to you.


- Job knows himself!


- He knows he is faithful to God!


- He is not a young boy anymore!


- He is wise!


- God says it!


- His words show it!


- And he will keep fighting!


- Job has a fighting spirit!


- And his faithfulness is the source of it!


- May we follow his example and let him strengthen us!

 

[JLG]

120) Looking for Job


Job 13

For my part, I would rather speak to the

Almighty himself;

I desire to argue my case with God.


- Job's only reference is God!


- As a consequence he wants to defend himself in front of God!


- He thinks God is responsible for his situation!


- He doesn’t understand what he has done wrong!


- In fact, he hasn’t done anything wrong!


- On the contrary, he is attacked because of his faithfulness to God!


- The verb desire shows a strong will on his part!


- When we read and study this chapter, we don’t find anything about his pain and suffering!


- Job is combative!

 

[JLG]

121) Looking for Job


Job 13

But you are smearing me with lies;

All of you are useless physicians.

If only you would keep absolutely silent,

That would show wisdom on your part.


- According to Job they are lying!


- When you lie, it is not a positive action but a negative one, one to hurt someone!


- That’s not the right way to help someone who is hurt mentally and physically!


- On the contrary!


- He tells them to keep silent!


- It doesn’t come from God but definitely from the devil!


- God’s final words are the end of the Book of Job are clear!

 

[JLG]

122) Looking for Job


Job 13

Listen, please, to my arguments,

And pay attention to the pleadings of my

lips.


- Despite what they say, Job keeps asking them to listen to him!


- What’s the interest?


- They don’t want to listen!


- But no, Job keeps on asking!


- It shows again his strong will!


- He needs a lot before stopping!


- But we remember that he will finally stop speaking with them!


- Because he wants to speak with God!


- He thinks he is the only one who can understand him!


- That’s something!

 

[JLG]

123) Looking for Job


Job 13

Will you speak unjustly on God’s behalf,

And will you speak deceitfully for him?

Will you take his side,

Will you try to plead the case of the true

God?

Would it turn out well if he examined you?

Will you fool him as you would a mortal

man?


- Job tells them to tell the truth not lies!


- God knows what they are doing!


- He warns them and he is right because God condemned them!


- But they don’t care!


- They keep acting the same way!


- They definitely speak for the devil!


- Think about the religious leaders!