I am beside myself. Cameo - please check your PM's ? For the record, I am sorry as I had no intention of making you feel as though you were being attacked. Many threads branch off a little bit, and more foten than not seem to return to the topic at hand. I made a point of saying " respectfully", and I would like you to know I was sincere...I will clarify in my PM and thank you advance for a reply.
Back to the thread topic?
I read the book of Job last night. First time ever. I read it with the NIV, and often referred to the footnotes along the way. I t has extensive footnotes, and when it came to the 3 counselors that, essentially, told Job to repent cause that HAD to be the problem, I skimmed through their comments. I did read the footnotes and their interpretation though.
I find it amazing how ignorant my comment was before. "Long story short. He stuck to his guns and was rewarded." While it is true, there is a LOT more to it.
I know your not a big YHWH fan to begin with as well, and try to make that clear without trying to be too confrontational, thats coming though too here as well.I do see a little bit of contradiction in this book of Job. I will expand on it with hopes of open discussion. I will note, with hopes of a reply, that in my Kundelini experience, that through it, and at the end, it was to have me discard the YHWH. Perhaps it was only my interpretation only, due to my upbringing, that I chose to see. I haven't decided yet. If you wish to reply to that in a PM because it sounds accusatory, please do. No offense intended.
I see what you mean now with regards to Job "losing everything", and ultimately was just a bet between God and the Devil. Mean "fun" on a wee man.
By the looks of things, Satan did not even "notice" Job. It was the Lord that drew Satans attention to him. 1:8 "...there is no one like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Job goes through his "crap" and as 1:12 brings out, "In all of this, Job did not sin by chargingGod with wrongdoing." His wife tells him to "Curse God, and die". Job retorts with a " your talking smack, shall we accept good and not bad?" 2:10 "...in all of this Job did not sin in what he said." So it would appear he is holding his ground at this point.
Job's "friends" come around, and essentially tell him that he MUST have done something wrong. While not right away, this is what they do later on.
Job, feeling the burn, curses the day of his birth. ( Interestingly that in itself doesn't count as against God.) He loathes the day of his birth. Yet he still doesn't blame God. 10:12 "you gave me life and 'showed' me kindness, and in your providence, watched over my spirit". Yet he does ask god,in 10:20 "to turn away from me, so I can have a moment's joy." Of note to me at the time of reading was 12:14 "...the man he imprisons cannot be released."
By the looks of things though, Job still praises god through his suffering. But his tones do get more "aggressive" along the way. I found it interesting too, that really ,despite his "friends" trying to "convince him" that he should repent, Job would not. Ch 23 pointed this out as I was reading. In fact Job was quite insistent that he was good and in the clear. 23:11 " My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside". Perhaps he was in denial?
Cue Elihu. I really liked his approach. Some of the things he sad made me really think. He insists that God DOES speak, and Job is not looking at things right. He points out that God does these things to a man, 33 :30 "to turn back his soul from the pit" Job apparently lacks wisdom (proving that age doesnt always reflect this as Elihu is much younger) ( Ch 34 is a GREAT chapter to present to Witnesses too...its not "about" listening JUST to the GB ) Elihu then lets know that God is on his way for a little chat. 38 to 41 is all God speaking, and it's quite impressive to this wee lad.
Job never "heard" God before when he tried to speak to him. 42:5 " My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." He repented. He was blessed for doing such.
All very interesting to me. Confusing, but interesting.
Job WAS favoured before all this happened to him. Despite the fact that, by todays standards of a Christian, and surely back then, he didn;t walk the "straight and narrow", but he THOUGHT he did. I can;t find it at this very moment, But iread last night (correct me if im wrong) that Job was actually a fornicator and a bad buisnessman? Perhaps a bit of a drunk as he did host a few parties? Ignorance was bliss, and God had to show him perhaps? One logically has to wonder : Job was all these things, yet he still was "favoured" by God. It's a stark contrast to Mosaic Law.
Also, I read in the footnotes of this study bible, at even Elihu was unaware of how "important" Job was to God at the time, as that info was "classified" for lack of a btter word.
I can hear it now " Yes lurk3r, its about 'genetics'. " (just having some fun here)
Perhaps he was being groomed. Somewhere in my reading of the book, I believe Job made refernce to Jesus....yes?
lurkr
