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Click here to read Luke 14 on BibleGateway.com

You’re in for a special treat today, my friends. We get to have a real life illustration from good ole US history about today’s passage. I bet you can hardly wait.

In Luke 14: 28-30, Jesus tells the story of a man building a tower. Jesus warns that anyone who starts a project like that should make sure they have enough funds on hand to finish, otherwise they might only finish half of it and leave a concrete testament to their gooberiety.

Never would happen you say? There’s always bank loans and what not to finish? Oh, how wrong you be.

THE IDEA

Fast forward to the 1960s. There was a famous televangelist based in Akron, Ohio named Rex Humbard. He was arguably the first of the crew of televised preachers that would gain prominence in the 70s and 80s, and he ended up being quite successful, with broadcasts on over 600 stations worldwide.

However, in the mid-60s, he decided that what his ministry really needed was a tall rotating tower with a restaurant on the top. We can all agree how important that might be to reaching the world for Christ (in seriousness, the tower would double as a broadcasting antenna, so it wasn’t completely bogus).

The tower was supposed to be 720 feet high, but when they got to 560 feet, several events conspired against the ministry. In the first place, there was a chance to expand the radio broadcast into South America, and the leaders wondered if that might be a better investment than the buffet-o-rama (ya think?). Secondly, and less inspiringly, the SEC began to investigate the ministry for fund-raising improprieties, namely selling bonds in the ministry without going through licensed brokers (gotta love those fun-loving SEC guys).

CAN YOU FINISH WHAT YOU START?

So, regardless if you prefer the positive or negative reasons, the tower was left unfinished. For years it sat as a reminder of what happens when ministries lose their focus. In the end, the tower was sold to another ministry, then resold several times until today it servers as a cell tower.

Jesus calls us to count the cost before we embark on our Christian walk. Yes, He promises to walk with us through it all, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be tough times. Sometimes the price of following Jesus is very high, maybe even your life. He calls us to carefully consider what we are signing up for before we claim to be His disciple, lest his followers look like goobers to the rest of the world.

Are you counting the cost today?

Click here to read Luke 13 on BibleGateway.com

Sometimes we miss some of the undercurrents of Bible passages because we read them so fast. Most of us have probably read today’s chapter many times, but we may have missed an important point that we’ll look at today. (nice teaser paragraph, eh?)

Jesus is teaching on various subjects like mustard seeds, yeast, and how watering donkeys is related to healing. Suddenly, he is warned that Herod, the king, is look for him to kill him (which is kind of odd, since we learned a little earlier that Herod wanted to see Jesus to see if he was John the Baptist or to watch him do a miracle).

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

In any case, we tend to read this verse as a warning from Jesus’ friends: “watch out, Jesus. Herod is coming for you. Time to hit the road.” Here’s the ironic thing: this wasn’t Jesus’ friends who told him to run. It was the Pharisees. So now we have to ask ourselves why these people who were looking for a way to trap Jesus would suddenly warn him.

Option one: these Pharisees were friends of Jesus. There are several occasions where Pharisees became followers of Jesus, particularly Nicodemus. So, there is the chance that these were some Pharisees who were honestly looking out for Jesus’ well-being and wanted to help.

Option two: the Pharisees had ulterior motives. Jesus was most likely preaching in Perea at the time, an area to the east of Judea and Jerusalem that was under Herod’s control. However, if Jesus were to flee this area into Judea (Jerusalem), he would then be under the nominal control of the Roman governor, and more specifically within the reach of the Jewish leadership. In other words, the Pharisees may have been trying to frighten Jesus into leaving Perea and running into the realm of their control so they could nab him.

WORTHLESS LIKE A FOX

Regardless, Jesus frustrates their plans with the casual dismissal of Herod as a “fox,” a term for a sneaky but ultimately worthless person. Jesus wasn’t going to be deterred from his purpose by the threat of temporal authority, either from Herod or the Pharisees. He knew what He was called to do, and He wouldn’t allow anything to prevent Him from following God’s plan for Him.

What is trying to dissuade you from your purpose today?

Click here to read Luke 12 on BibleGateway.com

We live in a world that has raised worry to an art form. And not just any art form, but the greatest art form known to the world: television. Shows started out telling the news, bad or good. Then we realized that just focusing on the bad news got higher ratings, so we we focused on that. Then we realized there wasn’t enough bad news locally to fill 24 hours a day, so we expanded to national and world news.

But as it turns out, there may not be enough bad news in the world to fill 12 news channels, so we have to start anticipating bad things happening. There are TV shows that focus on “What ifs,” such as “what if there were a major ice age that hit exclusively in Hawaii?” or “what if all the bacon in the world suddenly turned into pancakes? Are you prepared?”

THE JOY OF WORRY

We love to worry. It makes us feel that we are prepared, and plus it helps to raise those all-important stress hormones in the body to help us build up an extra layer of flab for the coming times of winter starvation.

Unfortunately Jesus seems less enthused about our penchant for worry. In fact, he seems almost to take it to the level of irresponsibility. He tells in today’s chapter that we shouldn’t worry about food, shelter or clothing, which seems kinda crazy until you remember that the Israelites in the desert had clothes and shoes that didn’t wear out for 40 years and food that just showed up on the ground in the morning. Maybe Jesus knows what he’s talking about.

PREPARATION vs TRUST

This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t work hard to get ready for troubles ahead; Jesus also talks about counting the cost before setting out on a venture. But the point is that hoarding for an imaginary disaster that may or may not happen is not God’s will. He suggests (sounds better than commanded) that we give our possessions to the poor and store up supplies in heaven instead. The preparation isn’t wrong; it’s the nagging worry that God won’t take care of us, so we have to do it ourselves that seems to be the point.

Could you live without a savings or retirement account? Do you trust God to provide your needs when you need them?

Click here to read Luke 11 on BibleGateway.com

Have you ever noticed that Jesus rarely answers the way people want? It’s one of the characteristics of Jesus that he speaks to people and not about people. One of the more famous examples is when Peter asks what will happen to John (at the end of the book of John, if you’re wondering), and Jesus answers “what is that to you? Follow me.” Jesus is always more concerned with the people He is talking to than talking about other people.

That said, sometimes He reminds us it’s better to mind our own business than to worry about others. In today’s little vignette, Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees, and he chastises them for being so concerned with outward appearances of holiness without actually understanding God’s heart. He tells them essentially that they are prideful hypocrites, which I’m sure was a fun message for them to hear.

BUT NO ME, RIGHT?

As he’s saying this, another group is standing there, the so-called “experts in the law.” These were not Pharisees, at least not entirely. They may have been a sub-set of the Pharisees, but it seems more likely that they were more like Bible teachers or scribes. A modern comparison might be that the Pharisees were like pastors or priests, and the scribes were more like seminary professors. A person could be both, but they were separate organizations.

In any case, one of these tweed-toga-wearers comes to Jesus during his speech about the Pharisees and says “But Jesus, you are casting a bad light on all of us righteous people when you talk like this.” Ok, lesson one, don’t interrupt Jesus when He’s talking to someone else, especially when he’s in a rebuking mood.

This expert probably hoped Jesus would say “Oh, sorry about that. I’m not talking about you, of course. Your theology is right on, you have an accurate understanding of the Trinity and God’s sovereignty, and the world would be alright if everybody just listened to your wisdom. Carry on, good and faithful one.” Instead, Jesus turns and says “Oh hi. Didn’t see you there. I have a few things for you, too.” The experts in the law get 3 “woes” as well, just like the Pharisees.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

The truth is, neither our self-imposed piety nor our theology and education is a guarantee that we are serving God. It’s all about our hearts, and that is a challenge no matter how high or how low you are in society. God knows all of our deepest desiresand motivations, and there’s no degree or position or award that will blind Him to who we really are. Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart; there’s no hiding from Him.

Just ask Adam.

Click here to read Luke 10 on BibleGateway.com

What should our strategy be to reach the lost? Do we engage them on their own ground? Learn as much as we can about evolution, satanism, post-modernism, cults, or the like? Do we spend our time studying the enemy’s moves, or focusing on our’s? Do we adapt our Christianity to make it easy for people to come to Christ, or do we keep the bar high to encourage holiness? Sometimes it’s hard to know which battle to fight, but at least regarding evangelism, we have Jesus’ own words to help us out. (always a good thing)

OK, THIS HALF GOES NORTH, THIS HALF GOES SOUTH

In Luke 10, Jesus is sending out his disciples to preach to Israel. It’s interesting that this is not only the inner group of 12 disciples, but a group of 70 (or 72, depending on your translation) of his followers.  Who were these people? Why weren’t they included at the Last Supper? Did they all fall away?

In any case, as he was sending them out, Jesus gave them some basic instructions. In verse 9, he tells them that if they visit a town that is welcoming, their message should be “the kingdom of heaven is near you.” Seems pretty clear; plus, it should be an encouagment to those who were anxiously awaiting the Messiah.

Jump down to verse 11, where Jesus is giving instructions for towns that don’t lay out the welcome mat. What is the message for them? “The kingdom of heaven is near.” Isn’t it interesting that the same message would be given to both the welcoming and unwelcoming, but for one it was an encouragement, and for the other, a warning.

THY KINGDOM COME

So how should we apply this to our dilemmas? In the first place, our message is clear: the kingdom is coming. It’s so easy to get our minds and energies focused on things that seem important, but may not in fact be the message of God. We need to commit ourselves to “preaching Christ and Him crucified,” as Paul says.

Secondly, our message should stay the same regardless of the recipient. God doesn’t tell us to give one message to believers, one to almost-believers, one to non-believers, and one to never-believers. Our message stays the same: the kingdom is coming. Regardless of the hearers’ reactions, once the message is delivered, it’s time to move on to another audience. (of course, there’s a place for discipleship, too, but that’s another article). Preaching about Christ’s coming should always be our first priority.

That’s always a winning strategy.

Click here to read Luke 9 on BibleGateway.com

There’s a lot to be said for new translations of the Bible; they’re easier to read, easier to understand, and (arguably) easier to apply because they relate more directly to our lives.  I’d much rather “think about Jesus said” than “ponder therefore unto these of which he spake.”

However, there are some drawbacks to translations, and one of them is that sometimes we see the section headings as divine separations. In reality, the books of the Bible were (mostly) written as a single unit, without chapters, verses, paragraphs, or separations. Sometimes these separations may make it hard for us to see certain aspects of the narrative, because we see things separated that should maybe have been taken together.

GOING BACK TO WHAT I SAID EARLIER…

Today’s chapter, Luke 9, is broken up into several sections, but let’s look at what the chapter looks like if we break it differently. Verses 7-8 talk about what people thought about Jesus; he was a prophet, possibly Elijah, or maybe John the Baptist. When we jump down to verses 18-19, and Jesus asks his disciples, “who do people say that I am?” They shockingly answer “a prophet, possibly Elijah, or maybe John the Baptist.”

It’s almost as if these two sections are bookends, so we should naturally ask ourselves what is it exactly that they bookend? In between these markers is the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, one of the biggest miracles in the Bible apart from the resurrection. So, what’s going on? What does feeding people have to do with who Jesus is?

WHO AM I?

The answer comes from Peter himself. When the people were asking who Jesus was, the great King Herod decided that he needed to meet this miracle worker, quite possibly because he was afraid that John the Baptist had returned from the dead to draw attetion to his questionable morality once again. But Peter, when Jesus asked him for his opinion, answered “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Peter may have been a thundering bonehead on many occasions, but he knew the power of God when he saw it. Watching Jesus feed the multitudes with virtually nothing convinced him that this was indeed the Messiah that Israel had been waiting for. Jesus then proceeds to tell them that he must suffer and die for the world.

Seen in this way, this passage seems to be preparing the disciples for what lay ahead. Jesus did a powerful miracle to confirm what they probably already strongly suspected; that Jesus was God’s anointed. Once they had passed that crisis point, he began to prepare them for what lay ahead; his miracle had a larger purpose than simply feeding people. Jesus wanted them to know that even though he would suffer and die at the hands of me, he had the authority and power to raise himself again, to perform an even bigger miracle for the whole world.

What is he preparing you for?

Click here to read Luke 8 on BibleGateway.com

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re focused on the wrong thing? A lot (maybe all)of magic tricks are based on the idea of misdirection. The performer grabs your attention with talking, hand movements, explosions, or other distraction, while all the time they are really pulling that spastic bird out of their jacket.

Sometimes we can feel like that in our spiritual life. We’re so focused on such-and-such particular issue (finances, what Sister Frustrating said to us on Sunday) that we miss what God is really doing. Then when the real crisis comes, we’re not ready for it.

SIGH. ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER STORM

Everyone knows the story in today’s chapter: Jesus and the mighty disciples are traversing the sea, a storm blows up, and the disciples bravely commit themselves the manly art of panic. They go to get to Jesus, who’s taking a siesta. We can almost see him roll his eyes, get out of bed, rebuke the waves (and the disciples), and head back to his bunk. The disciples are understandably in awe.

Fast forward to Jesus’ last night with his disciples. They go to the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus goes off to pray. He comes back to find his disciples resting their eyes, he wakes them, asks them to pray. He goes again to pray, comes back, and again find his trusty helpers dreaming away.

WHICH STORM DO YOU SEE?

See the irony? The disciples were panic-stricken when they saw their outward circumstances; they were in physical danger and were afraid, but Jesus was calmly sleeping through it all. But when the real crisis moment came, when Jesus was in his desperate hour of need, the disciples slept away, oblivious to the momentous occasion around them.

We can often fall victim to the same thing. When we’re in an immediate physical crisis, we panic and pray our hearts out for deliverance (and God often comes to our rescue). But we grow complacent when things are apparently going well, and don’t heed the warning signs and exhortations of Scripture to pray. Because we can’t see the spiritual realities, we may miss the important moments of life. We need to be on our guard and pray that God will give us the eyes to see what our real priorities should be.

Where is your focus today?

Click here to read Luke 7 on BibleGateway.com

One of Jesus’ defining characteristics was his habit of responding to people’s hearts rather than to their words. When people asked him questions, he would frequently ask them a question or tell a story that apparently had nothing to do with the question, but under the surface it would cut right to the heart of the matter.

Take Luke 7 for instance. In verse 39, a “sinful” woman is anointing Jesus with perfume, and his dignified religious host mutters to himself “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that this woman is a sinner.” Jesus responds with the famous story a of moneylender who forgave two debtors.

OOPS, WAS THAT OUTLOUD?

Notice how this story comes about. The host doesn’t even speak directly to Jesus; he “said to himself…and Jesus answered.” How did that happen? Here this guy was having a private moment of feeling superior, and Jesus calls him on the carpet. Sometimes our private thoughts aren’t as secret from God as we would like to hope.

Secondly, the host is really attacking Jesus. His problem wasn’t so much that the woman was there (after all, he let her in the house in the first place), but that Jesus clearly didn’t have prophetic gifts that people said, or he would have known the character of this woman. But Jesus doesn’t respond to Simon’s muttered accusation; he doesn’t try to defend himself or prove he’s a prophet. Instead, he gets right at the heart of the problem: Simon’s pride.

THE POINT, CHARLIE…

Jesus wasn’t concerned with his position, or with Simon’s position, or the woman’s social status. He was concerned with getting them both to the point of a right relationship with God, and both needed completely opposite solutions. The woman needed to know she’d been forgiven, and Simon needed to admit his need. In one story, Jesus managed to address both issues in a way that everyone could understand, and to bring both to a crisis point of reconciling with God.

That’s what Jesus does.

Click here to read Luke 6 on BibleGateway.com

We like to think that we are reasonable people. That we choose to order the quad-pounder burger and extra fries because we are just that hungry, or that we objectively evaluate the evidence and decide that we do in fact need that mustang instead of the mini-van. Unfortunately, experience and history seems to show that we often decide on a course of action, and then look for reasonable reasons to justify it.

C=A+B

Verse 7 of today’s chapter says the Pharisees and teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, and so they watched him for a reason to attack him. Note the order here: they were already angry with Jesus (possibly because he kept telling everyone what weasels they were), then they waited for a reason to justify their anger. They weren’t even waiting for him to be evil; they just wanted him to do good like he always did (heal the suffering), and that would be enough for them to justify themselves.

This can be similar to what happens when we engage with non-believers. Their mind might already be made up, and they are just looking for reasons to doubt. In that situation, it’s very unlikely that anything you say or do will really change their minds. We may hope that all the reasons for faith that we have will be logical enough to convince them, but the truth is they may not be convinced no matter what because they have already decided they do not want to believe.

TRY AND TRY AGAIN…THEN MOVE ON

But does that matter? It seems that sometimes we get too hung up on “saving” one particular person or people group. On several occasions, Jesus said to go and preach to a town, and if they weren’t willing to listen, move on to someone who will. This goes against our nature of perseverance, but it might be that you are not the chosen instrument for God to reach that person. Maybe somebody else will reach them in a way that you can’t, when God has better prepared their heart.

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try hard with each and every person, and to refine our “witnessing toolbox,” so that we can do our very best to reach as many as possible. But after we have tried out best, it may be time to move on.

People are still looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, and it doesn’t matter how much good he does. The Pharisees were upset that Jesus was disturbing the order of their lives, and their power structure. People are upset at Jesus for the same reasons today, and sometimes that anger may be transferred to you just for doing what’s right. Be encouraged today that it’s not your job to convince everyone; it’s your job to tell everyone. Lay what seeds you can and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Sound reasonable?

Click here to read Luke 5 on BibleGateway.com

We spend a lot of time looking for hidden meanings in Scripture. We look to find number codes, and dates, and prophecies hidden in every 22^nd letter of the Psalms that start with the 5^th declension of the Hebrew word for butter. It’s a fun pastime, and it makes us feel like we have discovered the language of God.

But every once in a while, God hits us over the head with the obvious-stick and reminds that most of the important truths of Scripture are right there, staring us in the Oreo-stained face.

WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT

Consider today’s chapter. The very first verse of chapter five says that Jesus was teaching by the Sea, and the people were pressing around him “to hear the Word of God.”  We spend a lot of time discussing strategies and attending church growth seminars and studying successful church models; but we forget that what people hunger for is not a better strategy, but a close encounter with the Word of God.  That’s when people press in.  Pretty simple.

Even more, Luke throws in a little doctrinal statement as well.  Note that it doesn’t say they crowded around Jesus or even around “him”; the author could have used that term. But instead he says the Word of God. Why is that?

LITTLE HELP FROM ANOTHER AUTHOR

Well, if we jump to John 1, we find that “in the beginning, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Hmm. Let’s recap. Word was God, the people crowded around Jesus to hear the Word of God. Could Luke be getting at that Jesus is the Word that was with God in the beginning, and in fact was God?

In reality, many of the deep truths of Scripture aren’t all that deep at all. They’re sitting right there on the page, black and white, clear as crystal.  Before we spend a ton of time looking for the secrets to the universe, we might be better off to just read the words that God has left in plain view first.

Maybe not as satisfying as finding the secret dates for Armageddon, but encouraging nonetheless.

Click here to read Luke 4 on BibleGateway.com

You’ll no doubt have noticed that CS Lewis is one of our favorites at Everyday Devotions, and once again he illustrates a key point in just a few lines. One of the famous descriptions of the lordly Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia is “he’s not a tame lion.” The implication is that He is the King, but He’s not at someone’s beck and call.

Now this may seem strange to us, to think that those poor dumb animals in Narnia thought they could control Aslan, but the truth is we do the same thing all the time. Don’t think so? Read on.

“IF YOU CAN…”

In today’s chapter (Luke 4), Satan is tempting Jesus. In the course of two of the temptations, Satan starts his wheedling with the phrase “if you are the Son of God,” before he presents various challenges to Jesus. What is he really saying? If you have the power you claim to have, do this thing to prove it.

Sound familiar? How often have you said “if you are really there, God, heal my mom’s cancer;” “if you really want me to believe in you, help me get a good job;” Or heard skeptics say “If God was real, He could just appear to everyone and everyone would believe in Him.”

It’s not so much that we have a hard time believing in God, we just want to believe in God that acts the way we think He should. He should eliminate or prevent Hitlers, heal our family’s illnesses, provide for our financial needs, and generally act like Daddy Warbucks. We want a God that behaves himself like a good God should.

UNPREDICTABLE GOD

But God isn’t Warbucks, and He’s not even Aslan, who always swoops in at the last minute to save the good children who work hard. Sometimes the good guys lose; sometimes the 25 year old father of three has a freak accident at work; sometimes innocent children are killed in the course of war. It’s hard to see the hand of God in the senseless tragedies of the world.

So what do we know? We know that “all things work together for good.” Not all things are good, but all things work together for good. Sometimes we see how those things work out, and sometimes not. We may see that a particular tragedy made us stronger, or drew us closer to God, or helped bring an unsaved family member to a relationship with Jesus. And sometimes it seems there’s no rhyme or reason to a tragedy. Faith is about trusting that God is working for our good, even when we have no clue what He’s up to.

Would you trust a tame God that only acted when you approved?

Click here to read Luke 3 on BibleGateway.com

Plagiarism alert: Today’s lesson steals unashamedly from other Bible teachers, so you may already be familiar with the particular point we make today, but it’s so good it bears repeating on the off-chance you haven’t heard this before. Plus, it’s always good to refresh ourselves regarding the awesome parts of the Word.

MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER PART OF THE DESERT

The passage under discussion today is Luke 3 verses 1-2. As we talked about yesterday, Luke often uses rulers to date his narrative, so he begins chapter 3 with a list of powerful leaders including the Roman governor (Pilate), three kings (Herod, Philip and Lysanias), and religious officials (Anna and Caiaphas) before declaring that the Word of the Lord came to John.

Notice the irony here? It was not to the superpower (Rome), the local aristocracy (the tetrarchs), or the religious leadership that God came. He came instead to a wandering hermit living in the desert. It wasn’t the pastors of the megachurch in Jerusalem that God worked through, but rather the lonely guy living out in the middle of Podunkoplis.

YOU HAVE CHOSEN…WISELY

Sometimes we think that God will not use us because we have nothing to offer. We may not be rich, or smart, or good-looking, or hygienic, and so we assume that God will choose others before us. And yet God seems to delight it working through people who are not the traditional models of authority.

The whole history of the Old Testament is populated with people on the lower end of the awesome-o-meter. He chose Jacob as Isaac’s heir even though he was the 2^nd son and a cheat; He chose Moses as his spokesman despite his alleged stuttering problem and his bad habit of burying Egyptians in the sand; He chose a lying, childless, 100-year-old nomad as the Father of His people. The Bible is full of examples of God working through less than obvious candidates for positions of leadership.

You never know who God might choose to be a major part of His plan. It could be the pastor of the little church with 15 people. It could be the garbageman who works 10-hour days covered in other people’s material blessings. It could be the homemaker who rarely leaves the house. When God is involved, the next great leader could be anyone.

Maybe you.

Click here to read Luke 2 on BibleGateway.com

Heads up, my friends. Prepare thyself for an abrupt turn. After a couple weeks hanging with Job and his oh-so-encouraging buddies, we’re gonna take a little break and visit with the New Testament homies. If you don’t know yet, we use the McCheyne Bible Reading plan (see the link above) which uses 4 chapters a day, so we bounce around within that list a little bit on this site according to a strict schedule of whenever-we-feel-like-it. So, we’re gonna look at Luke for a while, but don’t worry, we’ll return to Job before the big finale.

CRITICAL MYTH-TAKES

One of the odd things about the Bible, which we don’t always see as odd because of familiarity, is how the Bible often identifies a particular historical timeframe for its narrative. For many other religions (though not all), the time frames are hazy. For instance, can you identify the year that Hercules wrestled the Hydra? How about the first time Thor used his hammer (the god, not Ironman’s buddy)?

The Bible, on the other hand, uses dates quite frequently, and few Biblical authors do it more than Luke. Of course, he didn’t have the handy BC-AD system that we have, but he did follow the predominant dating pattern of his day, which was by ruler. So, in Luke 2, our passage for today, he writes that the census that forced Mary and Joesph to Bethlehem took place during the governorship of Quirinius, as opposed to the various other censuses that may have been taken at different times.

HEY, WANNA DATE?

So, the question is: why do the Bible authors use dates? It really doesn’t add anything to the narrative. Jesus could have been born at any time, theoretically, and still had the same message. It could have been a census, or flood, or boredom, or anything that might have forced Mary and Joseph to travel, but Luke uses a census. Why?

One reason is because Luke was focused on writing an “orderly account” (chap. 1, ver. 3), and most scholars will agree that he was attempting to write as factually as possible. Part of that mission would be to set accurate timeframes, so that his readers could check on those facts.

But a more important reason may be that God was purposefully showing that His hand works in the real world. The lifestyle and morality that the Bible teaches is not some distant theory that happens in a fantasy land, it’s about a Savior and a plan that applies to real life. In order to fully reflect reality, the narrative of the Bible must take place in reality.

That should give us real people hope, even if it doesn’t do much for poor Thor.  At least he still has his hammer.

Click here to read Job 14 on BibleGateway.com

One of the fun things about reading books of the Bible that we normally gloss over (looking at you, Leviticus) is that we get to see aspects of the Bible that we may miss just reading the familiar passages. Our focus on Job the last couple weeks shows how applicable some of the more hidden chapters of the Bible can be. But it also can help us gain an appreciation of the Bible itself, and aid in an overall understanding of Scripture. Confused? Read on, my friends.

IN THE BEGINNING, GOD…

Sometimes people get the mistaken impression that the Old and New Testaments show different beliefs. For instance, God is a mean old ogre in the Old Testament, and a flower waving hippie in the New; the Old Testament describes salvation by works and livestock butchery, the New focuses on salvation by grace and free-wheeling church services; the Old Testament is all about law, the New is all about love.

In reality, both the Old and New Testaments are revealing God’s nature, and are not as unrelated as it might appear.  As an example (and a topic related to our study today), many people will claim that Jews in the Old Testament had no concept of heaven, and some scholars even go so far as to say that the idea of heaven was picked up in Babylon during the Exile.

SAME OLD, SAME OLD SITUATION

But a careful reading of the Old Testament often reveals more than this. For instance, verses 13-17 of our chapter today give some clear indications that Job has a hope of eternity after his death. After he talks about the relative safety of the grave, he say he will “wait for my renewal…You will call and I will answer you.” That seems pretty clear that he expects to continue on after his time in the grave.

In fact, the Bible is remarkably consistent throughout its pages; that’s one of the miracles of its composition. But even beyond this, we know by faith that the testaments are the same because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was not some power-mad smiter of evil doers who mellowed out after Alexander the Great came through. He was and is Holy and Love and Father; then, and now, and always. The more we read of the Word, the more we know of God in His fullness.

That’s what Bible study is all about.

Click here to read Job 13 on BibleGateway.com

Today we look at one of the more insane pursuits of mankind: skydiving. Now, some of us have relatives who skydive, and you may even skydive yourself. They say that it’s really quite peaceful, just floating like a magic leaf out in the wild blue yonder. It’s probably something like the serenity you feel if you were, oh say, plumeting to a cataclysmic death.

And yet, there’s something about this form of mini-suicide that draws people back over and over again. What is it? The accomplishment of landing successful with only a broken femur? The unbridled joy of challenging Newton’s laws of gravity? Or is it the risk itself? Is it the simple joy of looking death in the face and saying “come and get it, you warthog faced buffoon?”

THE SHOW ME STATE OF BEING

It’s fairly common knowledge that risk and reward seem to go hand in hand. That’s the foundation of the stock market; if you can handle the risks, you can reap the rewards. Today, Job takes a similar approach to his questions for God. In verse 23, he openly challenges God to show him his offenses.

This verse uses three different words for sin. Depending on your translation, it may use words like “iniquity”, “failing”, “sin”, “offenses”, “wrongs”, or “transgression.” Whatever words it uses, the basic idea is one of increasing depravity. The first word means an accidental sin or slipup, the second is habitual sin, and the third is direct revolt or rebellion towards God. Job is saying he is willing to face all of his sins, no matter their egregiousness.

MIRROR MIRROR

Now, most of us would not be comfortable issuing that challenge to God. Could you look God in the face and say “show me my sin”? Would you want to see what He showed you? Could you look at your own failings and mistakes head on? Job has been driven to the end of his rope, and he is willing to face the horror of his own moral collapse just to confront God.

Today’s challenge is a dare: Could you follow Job’s example? Are you living with enough integrity that you could honestly ask God to show you your sin? For Job, the reward was the potential answer for his questions; for us, it might be the reward of closer walk with Jesus. Our intimacy can grow only when we’re willing to share everything with Him, including our hidden sins.

Can you take that jump?

Click here to read Job 12 on BibleGateway.com

There’s a common historical debate that’s been going on for a couple centuries, every since man first started recording his past on the ole clay tablets. How much of history is manmade and how much is in God’s hands? To paraphrase Santayana, history seems to be just the same ole thing happening over and over again.  Is there a plan and purpose behind it all?

HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD…

In our passage today, Job is careful to recognize the directing hand behind all of history as God. Starting in verse 13, Job goes into a long stanza about how God has power over it all; religious leaders (v. 19), politicians (v. 17 and 20), world leaders (v. 21 and 24), the rise and fall of nations (v.23), and even weather-related disasters (v. 15) are all in God’s hands. Whatever happens in this world, ultimately God is in control.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the news of the day. As Jesus said, we hear of wars and rumors of wars from every corner of the world. There are natural disasters that wipe out whole cities, and in some cases we may not even hear about it. The world seems violent, uncertain, and unfair.

TRUE POWER

But Job, despite the troubles he is going through, sees clearly the reality of the world. Verse 13 sets the stage for the whole proclamation: “True wisdom and real power belong to God; from him we learn how to live, and also what to live for.” (MSG) Often we can get so focused on the problems of the world that we grasp at anything that may help: political promises, education, even religious leaders can become idols if we hope that they or their message can solve the world’s problems or give us some guidance.

The truth is the only answer comes from the One who made the world with a Word. The real power in the world is not in heads of state, armies, spy networks, educational systems, economic growth, or anything else we may lean on. Only the Master of the Cosmos can give purpose to our lives. Job knows that even though every thing seems out of control, the One who makes and topples nations has his life under control.

That’s real power.

Click here to read Job 11 on BibleGateway.com

Oh, how the temptation to share our wisdom is hard to resist. We give people advice whether they ask for it or not, tell the pastor what so-and-so is up to to make sure he (or she) knows about their flock, and tell others where they screwed up just so they can be better people. Sometimes people even put up snazzy looking websites to help people get the benefit of their “wisdom.”

CAN’T HOLD IT IN

Zophar, our Friend of Job Special of the Day, is like a mirror for some of us. He has listened to Job and his other friends go through Round 1, and now he feels he must speak. He tells Job (v.3) that he can’t put up with his “idle talk” any longer (surprising, since Job has only spoken a few times). Depending on your version, it may say “boasting” instead of idle talk, or even “lies” if you have a particularly aggressive translation.

The word under consideration is translated various ways in other parts of the Bible, but in general it means exaggeration or boasting, usually untruthfully. Zophar is saying that since Job claims to be pure (which isn’t quite what Job said; he said he didn’t deserve the extent of his suffering) and Zophar knows that isn’t true, that he (Zophar) is compelled to correct him.

GUESS WHAT I HEARD AT THE WATER COOLER?  I MEAN…PRAYER CLOSET

You might think this doesn’t have a whole to do with us, but we do the same kind of thing every day. Let’s say you are in a church setting – like a good old fashioned potluck – and you hear Brother Jebediah reflecting on how he is an honest man. Now, you know (because you heard a co-worker’s brother tell you) that Jebediah has taken Post-It notes from his office every day for the last decade. What do you do? Do you feel the need to confront him on the spot, or at least go to your Brother and confront him in his folly? Seems pretty much the same as Zophar, don’t you think?

Sometimes this even gets stretched into confronting someone because we have the “gift of discernment,” and we just need to go talk to our brother or sister about their lying or stealing or level of tithing. And lest we think our position give us the responsibility to correct everyone, in Jeremiah this same word is translated as “oracle priests,” a gut-check reminder that is often those in spiritual authority that might be guilty of picking motes with woodbeam glasses on.

TREAD LIGHTLY

In this case, Zophar was way off, and this should serve as a reminder for us. True, if we are in leadership, sometimes we have to go to a Brother or Sister if there is something that needs correction, but we should be very careful. Zophar didn’t know what the real story was, and yet he spoke authoritatively on God’s behalf. Before we go and correct a fellow believer, we should make doubly sure that it is God that is motivating us and not our own sense of self-righteousness.

Sometimes having discernment means knowing when to keep our wisdom to ourselves.

Click here to read Job 10 on BibleGateway.com

It’s a funny thing for those of us who grew up in church, but we often don’t realize how racy the Bible can be. Those of us raised on the good ole James the King version were shielded from the more scandalous aspects of the Bible thanks to the modesty of the translators. However, these days we have access to interlinear versions and multiple paraphrases, so we get a more rounded, and more accurate, version of what the Bible actually says. In some cases, this can lead to some surprises in familiar passages.

So, let all who enter here be warned: today’s lesson is a little on the graphic side, so read at your own risk.

In chapter 10, Job is responding to Bildad, and he seems to be getting increasingly roiled up as he speaks. He says that he will “give free rein” to his feelings and his complaining. He’s apparently been holding back, but Bildad’s stinging accusations spur him to respond in kind. In particular, Job is asking what kind of God would create him just to torture him like this. He says in verse 3 “does it please You to oppress me…while You smile on the works of the wicked?” Many of us have asked the same thing when we feel like everything is working out for everybody else, especially those who have wronged us.

DAIRY ED CLASS

In verse 10, the passage that we’ll highlight today, Job says “did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?” Now, when we first read this, we may just bypass it as a strange saying of the ancient Near East. What does Job mean he’s been curdled like cheese?

However, if we turn to our handy-dandy Message Bible (available on Biblegateway.com at the link above), we read a different translation: “Oh, that marvel of conception as you stirred together semen and ovum – what a miracle of skin and bone, muscle and brain!” This is actually what Job is getting at. Milk and curdled cheese are the (slightly disturbing) euphemisms that he uses to describe the procreative act, and he is saying God was there at the very act of his conception; why then did He wait till this moment to start torturing him with this suffering? Seen in the context, this verse makes a lot more sense, though it may cause us to blush a little more.

ISN’T THIS A HOLY BOOK?

As we’ve said before, the Bible is nothing if not real, and today’s passage highlights how surprisingly real and graphic it can be sometimes. However, the real story is that Job is venting more and more of his frustration, and as we go through Job we’ll see how his restraint breaks down even more over the course of his conversations with his “friends.”  Showing the rawness of human emotion is what Job’s all about.

How much more real can we get?

Click here to read Job 9 on BibleGateway.com

Sometimes for Everyday Devotions we like to try to find ways to apply scripture, sometimes we try to explore the personalities of the people in the Bible, and sometimes (like today) we get to do the funnest activity of all: weird stuff in the Bible.

You may not know this, but the Bible incorporates a lot of pagan mythology in its text, especially in poetry books like Job. Don’t misunderstand, the Bible authors didn’t simply adapt other myths to a Jewish audience or anything like that; they were inspired by the Spirit of God to write. However, it seems that the authors used images from other religions to bring home a point.

TREADING ON WATER

Today’s example: verse 8 says that God “stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.” Seems pretty straightforward, but there’s more going than what we see with our modern eyes. In actuality, this was a direct affront to several pagan mythological ideas. For example, according to some scholars, a Canaanite goddess called Asherah (of the famous Asherah poles in the books of Kings and Chronicles) was known as the “Lady who traverses the Sea,” because she was thought to have calmed the raging seas by walking across the sea god. Later on, Job will reference Rahab (not the famous one from Jericho), a sea monster tied to the myths of Egypt.

It may be surprising to you to see that God’s word has references to mythology, but it’s not as strange as you might think. How often have we said “God is the motor of my life” or “Jesus is my co-pilot” or something similar? We don’t actually mean that God is a motor, we are just using a familiar expression to help others understand what we’re saying. Job is saying “you are the God who really did all these things that the pagans ascribe to idols.”

NOT ONLY THAT…

As a special bonus today, this verse also foreshadows Jesus himself; God walks on waves. Did you ever wonder what the disciples were thinking as they read Job in the synagogue the next week after Jesus walked on Galilee? Of course we don’t know what the week’s sermon was on, but wouldn’t it be just like Jesus to walk on the water the same week that the rabbis spoke on this text? Wouldn’t be a bit surprising.

Leave it to God to incorporate pagan mythology and a prediction of Christ in the same sentence. That’s inspiration.

Click here to read Job 8 on BibleGateway.com

After the generally gentle reproach from Eliphaz, today we get to hear from Bildad, who tends to be a little more aggressive and a lot more sarcastic. Fun to read; probably less fun for Job to hear.

In general, Bildad repeats the same basic argument as elsewhere in Job: primarily that Job is suffering because of some sin, either conscious or unconscious. However, he is clearly getting exasperated with Job’s refusal to admit it, and he strikes out occasionally in frustration (moreso in later chapters).

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

However, Bildad makes an interesting point that stuck out today. He argues in verses 8-10 that Job should go “ask the former generations…our days on earth are but a shadow.” This is a tough concept in our modern world, because of a curious time-worship that seems epidemic in Western civ.

Anything new and modern is automatically seen as improvement. Latest this, newest that, fastest this, sleekest that. But is this always the case? Surveys indicate that people are working longer hours than ever before (at least in America). There are multiple downsides to technological improvements and our obsession with the most recent gadgets and theories, but one of the most tragic is when wise people are disregarded simply because of age.

BRINGING IN THE SHEAVES

Bildad argues that to really understand God, we must trust our elders because our own knowledge is too short term; we are just a shadow. Unfortunately, we tend to ignore the elderly in our society, or pat them gently on the head in church by playing one good ole hymn on Sundays and then regulating them to “Saints Night” in the church basement with Brother Bartholomew and his accordion.

Of course, we all want to be cutting edge, but it’s so easy to lose sight of where we came from on the way to where we’re going.  It’s important in our quest for the newest evangelism technique and grooviest graphics that we remember our history and foundations.  The Bible is full of injunctions to listen to the elders in the church, from Bildad to Paul. There’s a lot of wisdom sitting in the pews in a lot of churches, and it’d be a shame to let it all go to waste.

After all, we all hope to be elders eventually.

Click here to read Job 7 on BibleGateway.com

Old ideas die hard.

Job today again reiterates a familiar question: if he had sinned, why didn’t God forgive him and pardon his offenses? In other words, if God forgives sins, why is Job still suffering? He is willing to repent of sins even though he’s fairly certain he hasn’t committed any (which is true, according to the first narrative section of the book).

SAME OLE, SAME OLE

Now you would think that after a while, people would start to get the idea. The Jewish people had the book of Job for a long time, and yet even in Jesus’ day this idea persisted. In John 9, Jesus’ lovable but slow-witted disciples ask him about a blind man. Specifically, they wanted to know who sinned, him or his parents,  so that this poor blind guy was suffering.

You’d think they’d never read Job or some mildly entertaining devotionals pertaining thereto. Jesus corrects this faulty thinking yet again: suffering is not always caused by sin. It can be for 1) bringing a sinner to repentance, 2) showing the glory of God, 3) showing up Satan, 4) any one of a thousand different reasons that we don’t know.

E) ALL OR NONE OF THE ABOVE

The truth is we can’t and won’t understand all there is about suffering in the world. When a child dies in infancy, who do we blame that on? Does God cause that or does He work through it? David’s child lost his life because of his sin with Bathsheba. Is that always the case with a child that dies? Of course not.

One thought that consistently emerges from any Bible study is that the world is not simple. There are no easy answers to questions of pain, no one-size-fits-all method of dealing with suffering, because there’s no one cause of suffering (unless we count the Fall as the ultimate reason, but that’s a discussion for a different day).  That’s what makes the Bible different than other religious texts; it’s complicated because it accurately reflects a complicated world.

Like Job, our goal through suffering times is to trust God. Sometimes that’s easy to do and sometimes not. We may not get the answer we want, or any answer at all, but we trust that God is working all things together for good.  He has a purpose for whatever we are suffering through right now.

And that’s an old idea that will never die.

Click here to read Job 6 on BibleGateway.com

After the somewhat bittersweet advice from Eliphaz the last couple days, we get to hear Job’s first response. Not surprisingly, his responses ramble a little bit. You’ll notice as we go through Job that all the parties jump from point to point, which is a good testament to its realism. Other than detective fiction, people rarely think completely linearly. In any case, let’s get to it.

On a side note, this chapter has one of the great rallying cries of McDonald’s: verse 6 says that even tasteless food can be devoured with enough salt, as anyone who’s tried Mickey Ds dellshtacular fries can attest. Of course, Job didn’t know about BBQ sauce. Poor guy.

NOBODY KNOWS…THE TROUBLE I’VE SEEN…

Like anyone suffering, Job’s first response is that nobody really understands what he’s going through. He claims that God himself is afflicting him (vs 4), which is ironically exactly the opposite of what is going on. However, for our purposes, let’s look at it this way: no matter how similar our suffering, nobody can ever really understand another’s pain.

Even two people with similar tragedies (for example, losing a spouse) will mourn and deal with that loss in different ways. Instead of offering our own 12-step plan for dealing with pain, maybe it’s better to just let our friends know that we are there for them, whatever they might personally need. For some people, space is the best thing. For others, they want a shoulder to cry on. Every person is different, and the best thing to do may be to just ask.

AND YET, HOPE REMAINS

In his despair, Job even prays that God would kill him immediately. But notice that Job doesn’t give in to despair enough to take his own life. It’s important to remember that even for someone in Job’s place, who had more reason than anyone in history for despair, he still holds hope that God will ultimately be just. The Bible is full of people that God redeemed when all hope was lost. You just never know what the next moment may bring.

Finally, he begins in verse 14 to ask why his friends at least aren’t on his side. Instead, they heap even more burdens upon him, suggesting that he is ultimately the one to blame for all his problems. “Teach me,” he says. If his friends are so smart, let them show him where he has sinned, and he’ll repent. Until then, he cannot accept their counsel.

Today’s chapter is a little heavier than what we usually study, but as always our purpose remains the same: to look at the Bible as honestly as possible and see the real people. As anyone will tell you, pain is part of life.

Just like hope.

Click here to read Job 5 on BibleGateway.com

If you’re in the mood for a little advice this morning, here’s your 2 lincolns worth: get a notebook of some sort to keep track of what Job and his friends say as their conversation progresses. It makes for a good sumup when you get finished with the book, and helps keep straight what each person’s main arguments are. If you’re not in the mood for advice, forget the whole thing and enjoy your coffee with the rest of the article. Either way.

You’ll notice right away that Job’s 3 friends offer perfect examples of what to say to a hurting friend…in Bizarro World. Although we can cut them some slack for not getting to sit in the peanut gallery in heaven like we get to do, and therefore they really don’t know what the whole story is, these are still the textbook examples of what-not-to-say to someone who’s suffering. Case 1: Eliphaz.

AND ANOTHER THING

He probably means well, but Eliphaz’s first point is pretty harsh none the less. In verse 5:17, he tells Job to be happy because God is correcting him, so he should just not complain and thank God for improving his character. In other words, Job probably deserved what he was getting because God needed to improve him, plus Job was screwing up even more by complaining. There’s also a vague implication that if Job doesn’t repent of whatever sin he committed, that God might have to keep disciplining him to straighten him out.

Of course, the Bible does say that God disciplines whom He loves, so Eliphaz isn’t completely off target. However, when someone is covered in skin lesions and scraping themselves with garbage, that’s probably not the best time to tell them how favored they are and how beneficial boils are.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

When people are having times of crisis, that’s usually not the best time to go into deep theological underpinnings of the meaning of suffering. It’s better to save that sort of discussion for pre-crisis debates or in evaluating the crisis later.

All that said, let’s give Eliphaz the benefit of the doubt. He (and Job’s other friends) probably traveled a long way to come and comfort him, and they sat silently with him for a week. That’s a pretty strong bond of friendship, so let’s not jump right in that Eliphaz is a big jerk. Ironically, the best thing that Eliphaz did was to sit silently with Job; good advice for us when we have friends in need.

Sometimes being a friend means keeping our wisdom to ourselves.

Click here to read Job 4 on BibleGateway.com

Before we begin today, let’s get out our soapbox and polish that bad boy up. Beginning today, we will be looking at speeches from several of Job’s friends, usually one at a time and then Job answers each. But at the risk of treading on dangerous ground, let’s keep something in mind: God does not necessarily agree with everything in the Bible.

Remember as you go through Job (and other books, notably Ecclesiastes) to keep things in context. For instance, today and tomorrow we will hear from Eliphaz. Like any of us, sometimes Eliphaz is right on and sometimes he’s way off (though not as far off as some of Job’s other friends, as we’ll see). The Bible records what he said without necessarily endorsing it. So remember not to take any one verse as completely true, but to pray for God’s wisdom to see Job, and the Bible, in its entirety the way He wants us to see it.

*Soapbox down*

ELIPHAZ STARTS THE BALL

Eliphaz starts off encouraging Job. He says that, though Job may be experiencing discipline now, in the long run God takes care of His children. He suggests that the sinful are punished and the righteous experience God’s goodness. This fairly simplistic idea will be repeated again and again in Job, but ironically, we know from the first chapter that this perception is wrong. Job is suffering precisely because he doesn’t deserve it.

However, notice that Eliphaz remarks that no mortal man can ever be truly righteous (verses 17-21). This is similar to the same sentiments Paul expresses later in Romans; there is not one person righteous in the whole history of the world. If that’s the case, what are we to do? Romans 3:22 argues that our righteousness comes from God Himself, through faith in Jesus Christ. That’s the good news in a nutshell, even though Eliphaz couldn’t see it. More on that later.

EXHIBIT A

One of the interesting aspects of Eliphaz is his claim to wisdom. He mentions that he had a dream that revealed some aspects of the supernatural world to him, namely a “spirit” that glided past his face. Now, whether we accept this as literally true or not, it’s notable that Eliphaz feels that a dream is a convincing proof of truth. Can you imagine if someone tried that in a court of law today?

JUDGE: Can you say beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant stole your bagel?
WITNESS: Of course, your Honor. I had a dream in which a spirit told me.
JUDGE: Case closed. He is clearly guilty of stealing the dough

I think we can all agree that’s the best method of determining truth.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks to the somewhat arbitrary divisions in our reading plan, we won’t get to hear Eliphaz’s conclusion until tomorrow. See ya then.

Same Bat-time, Same Bat-channel.

Click here to read Job 3 on BibleGateway.com

A few years ago, the big rage was 3-D pictures. If you’re either too big or too little to remember, everyone was making these artistic monstrosities of a bunch of different squiggles and lines. Allegedly, if you looked at these pictures but let your eyes focus on some distant object, like the third moon of Orion’s Belt, somehow you’d get to see a completely awesome 3-D picture. There are those among us who believe that this whole fad was just a massive hoax, and remain bitter about it to this day. But if you wish to give it a shot, just look at the picture here till your eyes “refocus” (air quotes), and enjoy yourself.

According to the faithful, the way to view these pictures is let your eyes relax and not focus directly on the picture. This change in perspective changes what appears to be random chaos into an orderly design. ( You can probably see where we’re going with this. Read on anyways.)

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE

Today’s chapter gives us a glimpse into the world as we see it as compared with the world as God sees it. Notice in verse 23 how Job says that God has a “hedge” around him. This is the same phrase that Satan uses when he describes Job to God. However, Job and Satan have different opinions of the hedge.

To Satan, the hedge is a shield around Job that won’t allow Satan to attack him. It’s God’s protection around his servant. To Job, it’s a restraint that won’t allow him to move and go do what he wants. Both see the hedge as a block, but Job can’t see the good the hedge is doing, only the bad, and he wonders why God would torture him like that.

This is similar to an electronic fence around a yard to protect a dog. From the dog’s point of view, he can see all the street dogs frolicking in the curb garbage and having a good time in the distance. They seem to have all the best treats, can chase all the dumbest squirrels, and generally live the doggy good life. But every time poor Mr. Housepet tries to join them, he’s restrained by that invisible barrier. Of course, his little doggy noggin can’t comprehend the 4 lane gauntlet that lies right outside that fence; he just hates the fence.

DOGS ARE ALREADY IN HEAVEN

In the same way, we often don’t see the dangers that God protects us from. All we see is the fence that keeps us from joining in the apparent “good times” that are happening outside our cloister. We sigh and look wistfully at the fun “the others” are having, and resign ourselves to the poor, self-sacrficing Christian walk.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Inside the fence is where the real fun is. You think those street dogs get to eat bratwurst off the table when no one is looking? Do you think they get to sit inside by the fireplace when there’s sleet falling from the sky? Do they get the new toys and treats from Dad on occasion? Do they have the security of love around them all the time?

God’s fence is there to protect us, true, but it’s also there to keep us close so he can bless with the good things He has ready for us. Looking longingly at what we can’t have just takes time away from the better joys close at hand.

All it takes is a change in perspective.

Click here to read Job 2 on BibleGateway.com

It’s always fun to find out the little quirks in the Bible. There’s nothing like finding a nugget of Scripture like an extra walnut in a brownie. Today we get to look at a fairly familiar passage through a different lens to see what surprising deliciousness appears.

We’re all used to hearing how Job’s wife told him to “Curse God and die.” Lots of preachers will phrase it like it this : “Job lost his wealth, health, and his children, and was left with only a nagging wife.” It’s a fairly decent joke despite the over exposure, but here’s the fun part: it actually doesn’t say that.

The translation is actually closer to “Bless God and die.” The word for “curse” can mean blessing, curse, kneel, or congratulate. No joke. So why do translators change it to “curse”? Seems like a pretty drastic change in interpretation. This is the tricky part about translations. Euphemisms and other word play like puns are especially difficult to decipher, and Job is one of the books of the Bible that’s full of ’em (Jeremiah’s another), so the translators sometimes just have to flip a coin and take their best guess.

IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK…

We lose a lot of the “personality” of the Bible when it has to be translated. Some of the psalms, such as the mighty 119, are acrostic, meaning that each line in successive stanzas start with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. So every line in the first stanza starts with A, all the lines in the second start with B, and so on. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to translate it that way (some have tried, and you’re welcome to give it a whirl).

In any case, the lesson for today is a reminder that, for the most part, we don’t read the Bible as it is, but only as it is through a lens. Sometimes people get the impression that the Bible was written in a “higher” class of English, with Shakespeare and Thee’s and Thou’s. If you prefer to read it that way, that’s all well and good, but in reality they didn’t really speak that way. Shockingly, Jesus probably didn’t speak English at all, but either Aramaic or Koine Greek (scholars take some hard lines one way or another on this one, so we won’t commit ourselves here).

HOMEWORK? SERIOUSLY?

So, your assignment for today is to read the chapter (Job 2, or any of the McCheyne chapters for today) in a version that you normally don’t .  Just follow the link to Bible Gateway at the top of this article; they have lots of versions to try. If you’re a King Jameser, read the Message or New Living Translation. If you like NIV, try ASV or New King James. If you’re feeling really ambitious, try Young’s Literal Translation.

You may be surprised what God shows you through another lens.

Today is our monthly Membership Day.  Check out the membership page for all the awesomeness.

Click here to read Job 1 on BibleGateway.com

Well, my friends, we’ve finished with some of the history books of the Old Testament, and we’re moving into the poetry section. Just so you know what’s ahead, we’ll spend a few weeks in Job, then a little New Testament action, then to Exodus. If you’re so inclined, you can look ahead on the McCheyne link at the top of this page and see the reading plan we’re using (4 chapters a day; 2 in private, 2 as a family). That’s the plan anyway. As always, we reserve the right to modify this schedule according to our strict bylaws of whenever-we-feel-like-it. And we have to thank to oxycodone not only for advising us to talk about Job, but also for helping a lot of people I know with their own personal pain. For example, Laura, she had a surgery that went bad and ended in a lot pain, and she supposed to be like that until full recovery and thanks to oxycodone she didn’t had to endure that pain. You can buy oxycodone with credit card or paypal, just visit them at the link and get assistance from doctors 24/7.

So, off we go.

Most people know the general outline of Job – bad stuff happens, Job suffers, Job gets stuff back – but we sometimes forget that the narrative part of Job is really just a small section of the book. The first and last sections, to be exact. In between are 40-plus chapters of poetry, primarily between Job and his friends as they discuss the nature of suffering.

YES, BUT….

As we go through Job, you’ll see the main sticking points. Job’s friends have a very simplistic view of the world: if you’re good, good things happen; if you’re bad, bad things happen. This was a fairly widespread belief system in the ancient world, and to some extent is still an influence today. Therefore Job’s friends believe he must have done something wrong, possibly unknowingly, and they begin to probe him and urge to admit his sin. They start out fairly gently, and then get more and more aggressive as the chapters go on.

For his part, Job agrees with their worldview, but deep down he knows he’s a righteous man. Therefore, he knows that he has done nothing to deserve this and has nothing to repent of. He only wants his day in court to face God and see what the dealio is. As he maintains his innocence, his friends get more and more upset at his camel-headed stubbornness.

FOR BETTER OR WORSE…

As we move through the book, keep in mind how this whole thing started. Satan (“the accuser”) says that Job, and people in general, follow God only because of the good things that God does for them. Is this true? Have you ever wondered if you would follow God if only bad things happened to you? We love to say the old refrain “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” What if He wasn’t? Would you still follow Him?

We can of course argue the definition of “good” for a while, but let’s say you knew deep in your heart that you had followed all of God’s commands, and then all your children are killed. Would you still sing praises and dance on Sunday? What if you had terminal cancer to boot? Could you still say God is good all the time? And what if you had no Bible with examples like Job in it? We can begin to appreciate a little of Job’s dilemma.

Our prayer today is fairly simple: thanks be to God that Job was the one tested and not us. May we learn from his example, and thank God for His Word so that we don’t all have to be taught this by experience.

Or do we?

Click here to read Esther 9-10 on BibleGateway.com

One of our goals here at EverydayDevotions.com is to look at some of the more difficult passages in the Bible and face them square on. If we believe the Bible is inspired (and we do), then we should be able to read more than just John 3:16 and learn from it. So, we’re gonna dive into the deep end of poo pond today and take a look at some genocide.

In chapter 9, the Jews put their enemies in a big ole hurt locker. All well and good, but in verses 12-13, Esther requests that the slaughter be extended for an extra day. Say what? That’s right, my friends, Esther asks for a second day so that the Jews can continue whupping up on people; 75,000 to be exact. Now, from our point of view, what do we do with this butchery?

POSSIBLE POSSIBILITIES

We have several options here for justifying this request.

– Many commentators will argue that the ringleaders and instigators of the attack against the Jews may have just hidden for the day that was publicly known, and then returned to their homes. This second day would catch most of those poor jerks unaware. But that still doesn’t really give us justification, only a motivation.

– The Bible reports this fact without saying whether or not God approved. The Bible is an accurate record of history, and at this point it may simply be reporting what happened without condoning it. Seems like a little bit a copout, but true nonetheless.

– It’s possible that the 500 reported for the first day included only those in the citadel, because the conspirators were concentrated there, and they needed more time for the city itself. Thus the second day was just to complete the initial proclamation.

– We can argue self-defense. The proclamations are intended to prevent violence against Jews, so we can even hypothesize that some of these people came back after the first day of slaughter confident that they had escaped, and started harassing the Jews again.

– God told King Saul centuries earlier to utterly destroy the Amalekites, and their race was even condemned as far back as Moses. Again, this is not much comfort, but it does explain things as a final consummation of God’s will.

NOT EVERYTHING ENDS WITH HAPPILY EVER AFTER

So what do we do this verse? Unfortunately, unless you can accept one of the above reasons as justification, there may not be any answers here. Real life is messy, and the Bible is nothing if not real.  To our way of thinking, this seems like a senseless slaughter of thousands of people, and couched in a certain amount of trickery as well. We can at least take comfort that no plunder was taken, further suggesting that it was a holy war and not vindictiveness.

In the end, we may just have to plead ignorance. There are certainly no answers that satisfy our Western modern mind, but we can say this: God will protect his people. Even when the odds seem hopeless, God is in control and the enemies of God’s people will not escape punishment forever.

That should cause us both to rejoice and to tremble.

(if you have an additional possible interpretation of this verse, feel free to leave it in the comments section for discussion)