Verses 1-5:
"Then the Lord said to Job,
2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”
3 Then Job replied to the Lord,
4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
5 I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”
How crazy would it be to have God say all that He has just said and then expect an answer from you? I think I would follow Job's lead here and be like "yup, I'm done." lol.
Verses 6-14:
6 "Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
8 “Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you are right?
9 Are you as strong as God?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 All right, put on your glory and splendor,
your honor and majesty.
11 Give vent to your anger.
Let it overflow against the proud.
12 Humiliate the proud with a glance;
walk on the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them in the dust.
Imprison them in the world of the dead.
14 Then even I would praise you,
for your own strength would save you."
Wow. God's speaking all of this, to Job, FROM A WHIRLWIND!!!!! CRAZY!!! I couldn't help but reflect back on God's words in verse 14. If Job were able to do all of what God told him to do here, then he would be strong enough to save himself by his own strength. I think you could connect this over with saving oneself from sin and death. These acts that God's telling Job to perform are characteristic of God. If Job were able to do them, he would be God. Therefore, only God could save anyone from any situation, including sin and death. I hope that connection made sense to you guys. If not, just say so. Well, that or just forget what I said, haha. =)
Verses 15-24:
which I made, just as I made you.
It eats grass like an ox.
16 See its powerful loins
and the muscles of its belly.
17 Its tail is as strong as a cedar.
The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze.
Its limbs are bars of iron.
19 It is a prime example of God’s handiwork,
and only its Creator can threaten it.
20 The mountains offer it their best food,
where all the wild animals play.
21 It lies under the lotus plants,
hidden by the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotus plants give it shade
among the willows beside the stream.
23 It is not disturbed by the raging river,
not concerned when the swelling Jordan rushes around it.
24 No one can catch it off guard
or put a ring in its nose and lead it away."
I would love to one day meet one of these creatures. Some text footnotes (ex: NIV) might suggest that this animal is an elephant. However that doesn't make any sense to me because of the pure existence of verse 17. An elephant's tail is NOT as strong as a cedar tree! Anyway, this creature has been debated among scholars as to whether it was a real creature or one of ancient mythology. Regardless of which one it turns out to be, both show that God is involved with His creation. If the creature was real, God knows everything that it does and provides for it. He even takes joy in seeing it as a mark of his handiwork. If it turn out to be a mythological creature, this shows that God is deeply entwined with human interaction. He knows what is being talked about and believed, and He even uses these things to teach/prove a point. What do you guys like from this chapter?
"Father thank You for loving us! I thank You that You created heaven and earth and that You didn't leave us alone after You did. I pray that You would fill each of us with Your Spirit so that we can see people as You do. We are not strong enough to change our condition by ourselves or save ourselves. We need You. I pray that we would always crave You and seek to be filled with You on a daily basis. Thank You for Jesus and it's in Jesus' name that I pray, amen."
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