Day 26
Job 1:1-3:26
(1 | 2 | 3)
Job is a man who has everything. He has ten children, thousands of livestock and loads of servants. More than that, he fears the LORD. He frequently made sacrifices of atonement for his kids, just in case they had sinned in their hands. He is a righteous and upright man.
One day, God starts boasting to Satan about Job. Satan argues that Job is only the way he is because God has provided so much for him. God allows Satan control of Job's life, but prohibits him from harming Job physically.
We all have bad days, but Job's here takes the biscuit. Within the space of a few minutes and numerous messengers, Job goes from being a man with everything to a man who has lost virtually everything. Yet Job continues to praise and worship the LORD.
God again boasts to Satan about Job. This time, he talks about how Job continues to worship despite having lost so much. Satan replies that if he were actually physically harmed, Job would certainly curse the LORD. So God puts Job in Satan's hands, but on the condition that Job would not die.
So Satan afflicts Job with painful sores. Yet Job still refuses to curse God. Three of Job's friends hear about his affliction, so they come to comfort him. When they reach him, the four of them sit without speaking for seven days. Job eventually breaks the silence by going on a bit of a rant. However, rather than curse God directly, he curses the day of his own birth. It all sounds a bit melodramatic at first - but then you remember how much he is suffering.
Matthew 18:10-35
(18:10-35)
Jesus tells two parables. The first speaks of a shepherd who owns 100 sheep. One wanders away, so the shepherd leaves the ninety nine to find the one that ran away. The same is true of God; he doesn't want any of his children to be lost. This is part of Jesus' mandate while on Earth; to find and bring home the lost sheep.
The second parable is about a servant whose master forgives him his debts, but then refuses to forgive the debts of a fellow servant. This ought to remind us of the Lord's Prayer; forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The only difference here is that the unforgiving servant is punished. Debt here is a metaphor for sin; sin can only be forgiven by God and the victim. Since God had forgiven us our sins, we need to forgive those who sin against us, to paraphrase popular liturgy. Presumably the end of this passage is also where the concept of purgatory comes from.
Sandwiched in between these two parables is advice on how to deal with people sinning against you. There's a misconception that Jesus is all about forgiveness and turning the other cheek. Don't get me wrong, he is, and these are very important things to do. But Jesus advises us to let the guilty party know they're doing wrong. If someone sins against us without realising and we say nothing, they'll just go right on sinning. Which is bad for everyone involved. Confronting someone about wrongdoing might seen anti-Christian, but if done properly and from a place of love, it can be beneficial for everyone.
Psalm 16:1-11
(16)
This psalm starts with David crying out for protection. He rejoices in and worships the LORD. He thanks the LORD and promises not to run after false gods, saying sorrow will be the only thing to increase in the lives of those who do.
Job 1:1-3:26
(1 | 2 | 3)
Job is a man who has everything. He has ten children, thousands of livestock and loads of servants. More than that, he fears the LORD. He frequently made sacrifices of atonement for his kids, just in case they had sinned in their hands. He is a righteous and upright man.
One day, God starts boasting to Satan about Job. Satan argues that Job is only the way he is because God has provided so much for him. God allows Satan control of Job's life, but prohibits him from harming Job physically.
We all have bad days, but Job's here takes the biscuit. Within the space of a few minutes and numerous messengers, Job goes from being a man with everything to a man who has lost virtually everything. Yet Job continues to praise and worship the LORD.
God again boasts to Satan about Job. This time, he talks about how Job continues to worship despite having lost so much. Satan replies that if he were actually physically harmed, Job would certainly curse the LORD. So God puts Job in Satan's hands, but on the condition that Job would not die.
So Satan afflicts Job with painful sores. Yet Job still refuses to curse God. Three of Job's friends hear about his affliction, so they come to comfort him. When they reach him, the four of them sit without speaking for seven days. Job eventually breaks the silence by going on a bit of a rant. However, rather than curse God directly, he curses the day of his own birth. It all sounds a bit melodramatic at first - but then you remember how much he is suffering.
Matthew 18:10-35
(18:10-35)
Jesus tells two parables. The first speaks of a shepherd who owns 100 sheep. One wanders away, so the shepherd leaves the ninety nine to find the one that ran away. The same is true of God; he doesn't want any of his children to be lost. This is part of Jesus' mandate while on Earth; to find and bring home the lost sheep.
The second parable is about a servant whose master forgives him his debts, but then refuses to forgive the debts of a fellow servant. This ought to remind us of the Lord's Prayer; forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The only difference here is that the unforgiving servant is punished. Debt here is a metaphor for sin; sin can only be forgiven by God and the victim. Since God had forgiven us our sins, we need to forgive those who sin against us, to paraphrase popular liturgy. Presumably the end of this passage is also where the concept of purgatory comes from.
Sandwiched in between these two parables is advice on how to deal with people sinning against you. There's a misconception that Jesus is all about forgiveness and turning the other cheek. Don't get me wrong, he is, and these are very important things to do. But Jesus advises us to let the guilty party know they're doing wrong. If someone sins against us without realising and we say nothing, they'll just go right on sinning. Which is bad for everyone involved. Confronting someone about wrongdoing might seen anti-Christian, but if done properly and from a place of love, it can be beneficial for everyone.
Psalm 16:1-11
(16)
This psalm starts with David crying out for protection. He rejoices in and worships the LORD. He thanks the LORD and promises not to run after false gods, saying sorrow will be the only thing to increase in the lives of those who do.
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