Day 29
Job 11:1-14:22
(11 | 12 | 13 | 14)
A third friend of Job's, Zophar the Naamathite, then pipes up. I'm not 100% sure, but I think his argument is pretty much that Job must have done something wrong, whether he's willing to admit it or not. God seems to already have decided that Job has done something wrong, who is he to argue with God's judgement? Zophar's advice is to identify the sin and remove it from his life. Once he's done that, he'll back in with God.
Job replies that he knows all this; none of what his friends have said so far is new to him. He knows what they are telling him is true. He says all he wants is to be able to plead his case with God, face to face. He reminds his friends that they have sinned, and that were God to judge them, he would find fault. With that in mind, he challenges his friends to name the sin that they're adamant Job must have committed. If they can find it, he will surely die. Job laments the ephemeral nature of life; it's transient, and Job urges God to wait until the end of someone's life before judging them. In the same vain, Job says it's okay for a tree. If someone cuts down a tree, it will grow back. It'll take a while, but it will. But if a man is cut down, he stays down.
Matthew 20:1-19
(20:1-19)
Jesus begins to elaborate on a phrase he uses a fair amount: "the last will be first and the first will be last". Jesus uses the parable of hired hands working on a vineyard. At the end of the day, the master pays the hands hired an hour before the end of the day one denarius. When he comes to pay those who worked the entire day, he pays them one denarius each too. The workers are slightly miffed; they've been working longer, surely they deserve more? Well, they were perfectly happy with their wage at the start of the day, how can they be unhappy at the end of the day to receive the wage they agreed on? In any case, it's the master's money to do with as he pleases.
Essentially, we're all signed up to receive the same thing from Jesus; that is life eternal in the kingdom of God. It doesn't matter when we sign up or how much of God's work we get done between when we start and when Jesus returns, we'll all receive the same reward. So, in a way, those who do the LORD's work longer get less for their efforts than those who work for the shortest amount of time, even though both parties receive exactly the same. It's an odd way of looking things, but it sort of makes sense. Sort of.
Psalm 17:6-12
(17:6-12)
David here is calling on the LORD's protection. He recognises enemies on every side, some hiding out of sight to spring an ambush. David asks for God's protection from such people.
Job 11:1-14:22
(11 | 12 | 13 | 14)
A third friend of Job's, Zophar the Naamathite, then pipes up. I'm not 100% sure, but I think his argument is pretty much that Job must have done something wrong, whether he's willing to admit it or not. God seems to already have decided that Job has done something wrong, who is he to argue with God's judgement? Zophar's advice is to identify the sin and remove it from his life. Once he's done that, he'll back in with God.
Job replies that he knows all this; none of what his friends have said so far is new to him. He knows what they are telling him is true. He says all he wants is to be able to plead his case with God, face to face. He reminds his friends that they have sinned, and that were God to judge them, he would find fault. With that in mind, he challenges his friends to name the sin that they're adamant Job must have committed. If they can find it, he will surely die. Job laments the ephemeral nature of life; it's transient, and Job urges God to wait until the end of someone's life before judging them. In the same vain, Job says it's okay for a tree. If someone cuts down a tree, it will grow back. It'll take a while, but it will. But if a man is cut down, he stays down.
Matthew 20:1-19
(20:1-19)
Jesus begins to elaborate on a phrase he uses a fair amount: "the last will be first and the first will be last". Jesus uses the parable of hired hands working on a vineyard. At the end of the day, the master pays the hands hired an hour before the end of the day one denarius. When he comes to pay those who worked the entire day, he pays them one denarius each too. The workers are slightly miffed; they've been working longer, surely they deserve more? Well, they were perfectly happy with their wage at the start of the day, how can they be unhappy at the end of the day to receive the wage they agreed on? In any case, it's the master's money to do with as he pleases.
Essentially, we're all signed up to receive the same thing from Jesus; that is life eternal in the kingdom of God. It doesn't matter when we sign up or how much of God's work we get done between when we start and when Jesus returns, we'll all receive the same reward. So, in a way, those who do the LORD's work longer get less for their efforts than those who work for the shortest amount of time, even though both parties receive exactly the same. It's an odd way of looking things, but it sort of makes sense. Sort of.
Psalm 17:6-12
(17:6-12)
David here is calling on the LORD's protection. He recognises enemies on every side, some hiding out of sight to spring an ambush. David asks for God's protection from such people.
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