DAYSTREAMERS/JANUARY 7-13

Here are your passages for week two of Daystreamers. One passage – one thought – to propel you through your day – with God on your mind. A great way to begin or end your day! One woven Story – one amazing opportunity. Kind of a cool way to breeze through chapters, don’t you think?

Remember, we are reading Job along with Genesis because it is also a very old book. There is no “Jewishness” in Job. You could compare him to people like Enoch (if you looked him up in early Genesis :). ENJOY!

7
Job 1:1-3   Who was Job?

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.”

It is interesting that God singles out someone so successful both in human and spiritual ways. There appears to be no “pay back” involved and it is important to see the “greater issues” at play here. It is easy to look at the world through a “we are most important” lens. And while we are the crown of God’s creation, there is something greater than us. Determining whether or not we feel God is capricious in His dealings with humanity is key as we put together the purposes within the God Story.

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Job 1:6-8 What?

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

The relationship between humans and other created beings is key to understanding the greater purposes of God. Here God opens the door to the reasons behind human suffering. Is it about our happiness or our holiness?

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Job 1:9-12 Escalation

“Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”

What do you think God is trying to prove? How can God allow something so cruel? Why does Satan even have access to God? Weird. James 1:13 is interesting here.

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Job 1:21-22 Job’s Heart

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

What do you learn about Job from his response to his suffering? How do you feel about his perspective? This is a watershed verse in the God Story. Job’s response to his intense suffering reveals his deepest heart. Can you feel it?! Once we integrate the reality of suffering into faith, hope, and love – we are closer to understanding the purposes of God.

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Job 2:6-10 The Last Straw

“So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a fragment from a clay pot to scrape his sores while he was sitting among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” “You speak as one of the insensible women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

I assume Satan derived satisfaction from this. Creep. There are many emotions produced from intense suffering. Of course Job’s loving wife would be discouraged. She had lost everything as well. It must have been maddening. What does Job’s response tell you abut what is inside of Job’s heart? I wonder what God was feeling?

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Job 2:11-13 Shocking Sight

“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.”

If these were Job’s closest friends, what kind of people do you think they were? What they saw stunned them. Each begins to ask the question “why???” Their intent was to sympathize with and comfort their friend Job. What do their actions tell you about the type of people they were?

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Job 3:11-13 If Only

“Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? “Why did the knees receive me, and why the breasts, that I should suck? “For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest…”

You can imagine the depths of Job’s contemplations. And of his pain. Surely it is understandable that Job would dig deeply to find the answer to the “why” question. There is a proverb that says “better a live dog than a dead lion.” How would you relate it to this passage?

1 Peter 4.19 can be helpful here.
“Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”

Only six reading per week. Take the seven off. Is that Sunday or Saturday?

OK. LET’S DO IT AGAIN – ARE YOU GAME?!

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