Day 38
Job 40:3-42:17
(40:3-24 | 41 | 42)
After God's questions to Job in yesterday's passage, Job is predictably shocked. He replies that he is unworthy of responding, and tries to leave it at that.
God goes back to questioning who Job is. He challenges him to demonstrate his godliness - if Job is equal to God, he should prove it! Since Job has called on God to justify his actions, surely he himself is equal to God. How else would he be able to challenge God in such a way?
God then speaks of two of his mightiest creations - the behemoth and the leviathan - and asks who can tame such creatures. God can, of course, but who else? Can anyone else? If no one can do this, then who can stand against God?
Job realises at this point that when he was questioning God, he was speaking about things he did not understand. Now that he has seen the LORD, he repents of his disbelief that God is doing anything.
God says he's angry with Job's first three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) for misrepresenting him, and orders them to sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams. He says Job will pray for them, and that he will accept Job's prayer. So once Job has prayed for them, God accepts his prayer, and doesn't deal with them based on the foolishness of their words. (Elihu isn't mentioned, so presumably God is happy with what he said.)
God goes on to prosper Job again. In the end, Job is even more blessed than he was before, and ends up seeing a fourth generation of his descendants before dying at a very old age.
Matthew 25:14-46
(25:14-46)
Jesus starts this passage with another parable - the parable of the talents. A man gives three servants talents (money) based on their respective abilities; one receives five, another receives two, the other receives one. Upon the man's return, he discovers that the first two servants invested the money he entrusted to them, and ended up doubling what they had. The man is delighted with them and rewards them. The final servant was terrified of losing what he had, so he buried the money, and gave the man the exact amount back. The man is furious and has this servant thrown out.
This parable is about investment - not necessarily financial investment, but personal investment. We each have things we can invest for God; our own talents and our time, to name two. We've been given the message. In order to propagate the message and fulfil the Great Commission, we need to invest ourselves in to projects and to people. Essentially we need to use everything for God. Since everything we have is his anyway, we have to give everything back over. Instead of just keeping it safe so we don't lose it, we have to invest it in certain places. If we invest everything we have for God, we will see a return. It's all about being fruitful, as we saw a few days ago.
The second thing Jesus says in this passage is about helping others. He says any time we help those in need, we're helping him. It might not physically be him, but by sacrificing for another, we're sacrificing for him. It's about investment and fruitfulness again in a way. Anyway, people who help out those in need are his sheep. Those who don't are not, and will not enter eternal life. It's a simple but challenging message. Jesus says that the greatest commandment is love your God with everything you have. Loving your neighbour is the second greatest commandment. Enacting both of these commandments will result in you helping out those in need.
Psalm 18:43-50
(18:43-50)
David is still excited about the deliverance he received for the LORD. He says that he is respected and feared by all. He doesn't even try to accredit this to any personal victory he's had. Instead, he gives all the glory to God, and praises God for granting him salvation and victory.
Job 40:3-42:17
(40:3-24 | 41 | 42)
After God's questions to Job in yesterday's passage, Job is predictably shocked. He replies that he is unworthy of responding, and tries to leave it at that.
God goes back to questioning who Job is. He challenges him to demonstrate his godliness - if Job is equal to God, he should prove it! Since Job has called on God to justify his actions, surely he himself is equal to God. How else would he be able to challenge God in such a way?
God then speaks of two of his mightiest creations - the behemoth and the leviathan - and asks who can tame such creatures. God can, of course, but who else? Can anyone else? If no one can do this, then who can stand against God?
Job realises at this point that when he was questioning God, he was speaking about things he did not understand. Now that he has seen the LORD, he repents of his disbelief that God is doing anything.
God says he's angry with Job's first three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) for misrepresenting him, and orders them to sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams. He says Job will pray for them, and that he will accept Job's prayer. So once Job has prayed for them, God accepts his prayer, and doesn't deal with them based on the foolishness of their words. (Elihu isn't mentioned, so presumably God is happy with what he said.)
God goes on to prosper Job again. In the end, Job is even more blessed than he was before, and ends up seeing a fourth generation of his descendants before dying at a very old age.
Matthew 25:14-46
(25:14-46)
Jesus starts this passage with another parable - the parable of the talents. A man gives three servants talents (money) based on their respective abilities; one receives five, another receives two, the other receives one. Upon the man's return, he discovers that the first two servants invested the money he entrusted to them, and ended up doubling what they had. The man is delighted with them and rewards them. The final servant was terrified of losing what he had, so he buried the money, and gave the man the exact amount back. The man is furious and has this servant thrown out.
This parable is about investment - not necessarily financial investment, but personal investment. We each have things we can invest for God; our own talents and our time, to name two. We've been given the message. In order to propagate the message and fulfil the Great Commission, we need to invest ourselves in to projects and to people. Essentially we need to use everything for God. Since everything we have is his anyway, we have to give everything back over. Instead of just keeping it safe so we don't lose it, we have to invest it in certain places. If we invest everything we have for God, we will see a return. It's all about being fruitful, as we saw a few days ago.
The second thing Jesus says in this passage is about helping others. He says any time we help those in need, we're helping him. It might not physically be him, but by sacrificing for another, we're sacrificing for him. It's about investment and fruitfulness again in a way. Anyway, people who help out those in need are his sheep. Those who don't are not, and will not enter eternal life. It's a simple but challenging message. Jesus says that the greatest commandment is love your God with everything you have. Loving your neighbour is the second greatest commandment. Enacting both of these commandments will result in you helping out those in need.
Psalm 18:43-50
(18:43-50)
David is still excited about the deliverance he received for the LORD. He says that he is respected and feared by all. He doesn't even try to accredit this to any personal victory he's had. Instead, he gives all the glory to God, and praises God for granting him salvation and victory.
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