DAY 068: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR – JOB 19-20

March 7, 2024

JOB 19-20
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DAY 068: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

In today’s journey, things pick up with Job responding to Bildad. Job describes how the people he knows and trusts have turned their backs on him. In the midst of this great darkness, Job sees light. Zophar torments Job, declaring Job’s sin has caught up with him.

Take some time to pray, asking God to reveal Himself to you through His Word, our journey through Job 19-20, and sharing whatever concern and/or praises you may have with/for Him. It is time to start our journey!

Job and his friends have each made assumptions about God, about how God rules, and about how justice in the world works. These assumptions are revealed throughout this book. Many of these assumptions continue to be held today!

Job 19-20: Job shares a different side of the torment he is enduring. He shares that his wife, his family, his closest friends, have all turned their backs on him. Even his servants ignore him. Job has lost contact with those he loved and trusted because they viewed Job, they judged Job, Job’s value to them, was only his outward appearance. His wife, his family, and his closest friends did not know Job. In Job’s confused state, Job still knew that one day he would meet his redeemer. This is faith. Zophar, a friend of Job’s, declares his wisdom. Zophar has a very narrow understanding of God and a much narrower view of Job’s predicament: Job is a sinner and God’s retribution for Job’s sin has caught him. Zophar believes that bad things only happen to sinners. Zophar accuses Job of loving sin so much that he could not give it up to be released from his torment. Zophar did not understand that Satan was the source of Job’s torment. (Job 19:1-20:29)

Read chapters 19 and 20, and ask yourself these questions: What assumptions about God and the way He rules are being made by Job? What assumptions about God and the way He rules are being made by Zophar? What assumptions have you made about God and the way He rules in your life?

Godspeace!