Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised....Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? Job 1:21, 2:10
Day 251 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith)
continues as I start a study of Job. My commentary* starts by exploring how those during the time of the exile are likely to be asking "how can they believe in a God who would allow such suffering? On the other hand, how can they curse God in times of adversity when he has previously brought such prosperity? Is their faith to be contingent upon economic well-being? The ones who must be the most perplexed, however, are the faithful ones who never understood their personal involvement in the first place."
*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
My commentary* describes Job as an appropriate character study of suffering as "Job apparently struggled with the reasons for his adversity before coming to peace about it."
The first three chapters of Job describe his prosperity and righteousness, how God allows Satan to test Job, and we see all of Job's children and belongings taken from him. We also see Job covered from head to toe with painful sores. Yet Job does not curse God - even though his wife urges him to (see Job 2:9). Instead his response is instructive for us all.
Humility is a key attribute to demonstrate during suffering as we must recognize, as Job does, that all that we experience is from God so that if He takes it away, it wasn't ours to begin with.
Every good and perfect gift is from above[.] James 1:17
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has provided everything to me and most importantly You saved me - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such a gift as my sin continues. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
