Genesis 46-50, Job 1-18

Okay, I have been waiting all week to ask this...did you see Jesus? Did you notice Him? I think one of the challenges for me this time around is to look for Him in the pages of Old Testament scripture. With that said, I hope you caught a glimpse of Him in Genesis 49 during Jacob's blessing.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until He comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is His. Genesis 49:10.

I just love getting little glimpses of my Saviour. Like a breath of fresh air.

One other random thought struck me about Judah. Leah was his mother. So, even though Jacob preferred Rachel, God blessed Leah with Judah. Her bloodline was passed down through the ages to Boaz, David, Solomon, Josiah and finally to "Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." (Matthew 1:16) All I can say is "Hooray for the underdog!"

And then there's Job. Bless his heart. I am overwhelmed by him. I love the fact that in the beginning, when all these troubles came his way, "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." (1:22) I am impressed by his practicality when he utters, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (2:10) His friends touch my heart when "they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. They say on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was." (2:11,13)

But then the trouble begins. Lisa said that she was going to read Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar's words as though they were speaking with a tone of love. I found this to be a great idea and it helped me to have a slightly different perspective than when I read it last year. I also checked out several commentaries to see what they had to say. I was somewhat surprised by what I found.

The Holman Old Testament Commentary on Job says, "Although well meaning, Eliphaz was dangerous in what he spoke. In reality he was a tool of the devil, one sent to erode and weaken Job's faith in God. His arguments were well crafted, but they missed the mark with Job. All Eliphaz could think was, What had Job done to bring such crisis upon himself?
Yet, in reality, Eliphaz knew nothing about the battle between God and Satan recorded in the opening chapters. Rather than being a friend who brightened Job's world, Eliphaz darkened it. Although he could not have known about the cosmic contest transpiring in heaven, he should have been a source of encouragement to Job's broken heart, not and agent of discouragement." (p56) I found these words to be a harsh reminder to be careful of what type of comfort I offer to someone who is suffering. I need to remember that I very seldom see the "big picture." My words should be an encouragement, not divisive or depressing. (Sort of like, "Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees. 4:3-4" )

I have to say, I have notes on every page of scripture that we read this week. If I relayed all of them here, this post would take forever to read. It's difficult to pick and choose the best of the best because when it comes to the Word, it's all the best! I could not help but feel for Job as he spoke. I felt his overwhelming grief as he cried out in despair. I think when I read previously, I thought he was a little arrogant, but now I just think he's heartbroken. Just as I would be. (Only I think he handles it better.) As I read through chapters 6 and 7 I came to the conclusion that sometimes we just need to grieve. Sometimes a loss is no one's fault. And whether the author meant it this way or not, I saw a glimpse of an answer in Job's longing of "If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both."9:33 (Did you think Jesus?)

Last May, our family was dealing with some difficult circumstances. My heart was heavy. Dragged the ground, pushed into the mud and stomped on heavy. I was checking out Ang's blog one day and she had posted a video to a song called, We are Hungry by Brian Sites. As the song began to play, a verse came up on the screen. It was Job 12:10: In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

My breath caught in my throat and my heart began to pound. Tears filled my eyes as I realized that God meant for me to see this. This was His reassurance that all would be okay. I am in His Hand. My life cradled in His palm. What more did I need? Oh, and the song? Brian is one of the worship ministers at my church. As far as I know, this is the only song by him on youtube. Ang just happened to pick the very song that I needed to minister to me at that moment. (and no, I don't believe that she just happened to do anything. I am so grateful for her obedience.)



You will call, and I will answer you;
you will desire the creature your hands have made.
Then you will count my steps,
but you will not keep track of my sin.
My wrongs will be closed up in a bag,
and you will cover up my sin.
Job 14:15-17