R³ Devotional - Day 9
R³ Devotional - Day 9 from Job Chapter 21 – 23
Job, what a powerful book of the Old Testament. There is so much “meat” for believers in this book, and diving into these teachings allows us a better understanding of ourselves and our Father in Heaven. There are Bible scholars who believe (with scriptural reference) that Job is the first Bible book written, with potential reference to Job and one of his friends in Genesis 36:33. That stated, no matter where included in the Bible or when it was written, the story of Job, a righteous follower of God who was subjected to sever hardships and trials due to God allowing Satan to take everything from him but his life, the learnings from this book of the Bible are many. Job is a poetic book of the Bible which highlights what happened to Job and focuses in on his response and conversations with three other men of God at the time, along with direct conversation with God and His response, and input from a wise young contributor named Elihu. While journeying through the book of Job, we can learn many meaningful and life-applicable lessons. In this devotion we will focus on Job chapters 21 through 23, where we witness Job’s response to Zophar (Ch. 21), the accusations of Eliphaz (Ch. 22), and Job’s reply to Eliphaz (Ch. 23). As we study these chapters, be on the lookout for lessons on 1bearing burdens and how to respond to fellow believers, 2standing boldly in truth, 3all suffer – even believers, and 4we can (and will) feel separated from God.
Devotion Learnings
Bearing Burdens – Though we only focus on three chapters in Job here, Chapters 3 through 31 contain back-and-forth dialogue between Job and three “friends”. We only focus on one full charge against Job and his two replies in this devotion. In these short chapters, we can see that two of Job’s accusers are dedicated to showing Job how unrighteous he is with accusations because they believe that terrible things don’t happen to righteous people…Job had to have dishonored God to receive such punishment. Job is detailed in his responses to these accusations (21: 7-26) and in pointing out that unrighteous people receive “earthly” blessings, so hardships and trials do not necessarily mean he did anything against God.
- Consider these points…
1. Job’s “friends” could have come together to support him in his challenging times, yet they stand in his face accusing him of unrighteousness.
2. Job could have shown Godly behavior in not mocking his “friends” in response to their mockery.
3. How well do you show God’s love by supporting and encouraging fellow believers and non-believers alike in their time of hardship?
4. We should be helping one another by looking for what God could be teaching us in our trials rather than looking for what they did wrong for God to punish them.
Bearing Burdens – Though we only focus on three chapters in Job here, Chapters 3 through 31 contain back-and-forth dialogue between Job and three “friends”. We only focus on one full charge against Job and his two replies in this devotion. In these short chapters, we can see that two of Job’s accusers are dedicated to showing Job how unrighteous he is with accusations because they believe that terrible things don’t happen to righteous people…Job had to have dishonored God to receive such punishment. Job is detailed in his responses to these accusations (21: 7-26) and in pointing out that unrighteous people receive “earthly” blessings, so hardships and trials do not necessarily mean he did anything against God.
- Consider these points…
1. Job’s “friends” could have come together to support him in his challenging times, yet they stand in his face accusing him of unrighteousness.
2. Job could have shown Godly behavior in not mocking his “friends” in response to their mockery.
3. How well do you show God’s love by supporting and encouraging fellow believers and non-believers alike in their time of hardship?
4. We should be helping one another by looking for what God could be teaching us in our trials rather than looking for what they did wrong for God to punish them.
Stand Boldly in Truth – Job speaks truthfully of what he sees in the world (21: 27 – 34), and powerfully about attributes of God (23: 8 – 17) that he understands fully (and his “friends” seem not to). In contrast to this, we see Eliphaz making unfounded or assumed (very harsh) accusations to fit his narrative that Job must have done something wrong to deserve his circumstances (22: 5 – 11).
- Consider these points…
1. Job does not deny what he sees around him, even showing wisdom in what he gathers from his observations where wicked people flourish and appear blessed. This does not mean that God is blessing them for their unrighteousness.
2. When it comes to trials and hardships, we should be focusing on the truth of God’s word and His promises. Sure, He can bless us abundantly (and does when we finish the race), but many times on our earthly walk, we as believers will still face hardships and trials. What separates us from non-believers, is that we do not blame God for them, we seek to understand the lessons we can take from them, trusting that He is with us every step of the way.
3. As believers, rather than accusing and arguing, we should be walking side-by-side with our fellow believers (and non-believers as well) supporting with prayer, support, and reassurance of God’s love for us and His rewards for us in Heaven.
- Consider these points…
1. Job does not deny what he sees around him, even showing wisdom in what he gathers from his observations where wicked people flourish and appear blessed. This does not mean that God is blessing them for their unrighteousness.
2. When it comes to trials and hardships, we should be focusing on the truth of God’s word and His promises. Sure, He can bless us abundantly (and does when we finish the race), but many times on our earthly walk, we as believers will still face hardships and trials. What separates us from non-believers, is that we do not blame God for them, we seek to understand the lessons we can take from them, trusting that He is with us every step of the way.
3. As believers, rather than accusing and arguing, we should be walking side-by-side with our fellow believers (and non-believers as well) supporting with prayer, support, and reassurance of God’s love for us and His rewards for us in Heaven.
All People Suffer, Even Believers – We gather from Job’s responses that he fully trusts in God and understands that he has lived as righteous as possible to God. Yet God, trusting in Job’s faith, allows Satan to do anything to him except to take his life away. Though not a part of our reading, we should be familiar with the beginning of this story because it tells of what Satan is always waiting in the wings for…a chance to pull us away from God. Luckily in our readings today, we see Job having questions for God, but not doubting Him in all the sufferings (23: 1 – 7).
- Consider these points…
1. It does not take much reflection to look back and find challenging times in our lives, whether before we knew God or after. I personally witnessed the sufferings of my mother battling cancer five times in her life, and I could have easily said, “no God would allow this, she’s such a great person.” Instead, I and my family chose to trust God through those trials, seeing how many she impacted for God in the process and seeing her triumph over cancer each time. When hit with hardships and trials, we must turn to God, not away from Him.
2. Understanding that suffering is a given helps us as believers to show God’s light and love to others in those trials. Our trial may help us, others, or both if we keep our trust and faith in God in the process.
3. As you complete the book of Job, we see Job learning from this experience and blessed again. We must realize that our healing may not be on this side of eternity. Job was not allowed to have his life taken by Satan, but had that been the case, his rewards for his righteousness would have been fulfilled in Heaven.
- Consider these points…
1. It does not take much reflection to look back and find challenging times in our lives, whether before we knew God or after. I personally witnessed the sufferings of my mother battling cancer five times in her life, and I could have easily said, “no God would allow this, she’s such a great person.” Instead, I and my family chose to trust God through those trials, seeing how many she impacted for God in the process and seeing her triumph over cancer each time. When hit with hardships and trials, we must turn to God, not away from Him.
2. Understanding that suffering is a given helps us as believers to show God’s light and love to others in those trials. Our trial may help us, others, or both if we keep our trust and faith in God in the process.
3. As you complete the book of Job, we see Job learning from this experience and blessed again. We must realize that our healing may not be on this side of eternity. Job was not allowed to have his life taken by Satan, but had that been the case, his rewards for his righteousness would have been fulfilled in Heaven.
We Can, and Will Feel Separated from God – When we are struggling through trials and hardships, we can easily feel separated from God…it is who we are. What many fail to realize is that the more we turn to Him and trust in Him, the closer we will draw to Him. God is allowing Satan near “full access” to punish Job, and then have people he trusts berate him as an unrighteous man. In doing so, God is trusting in Job’s faith in Him. We should have relationships so strong with God that the same trust could be placed in us.
- Consider these points…
1. How close are we to God, and how much do we trust Him and His sovereign plans?
2. In our trials and hardships, we must not waiver in our faith, trusting that the season we are in is part of a much larger plan that we may not understand until we join Him in eternity. This is not easy by any means but something we should be striving for in our faith-walk.
3. We should minister to others in trials and hardships with the same approach and understanding.
- Consider these points…
1. How close are we to God, and how much do we trust Him and His sovereign plans?
2. In our trials and hardships, we must not waiver in our faith, trusting that the season we are in is part of a much larger plan that we may not understand until we join Him in eternity. This is not easy by any means but something we should be striving for in our faith-walk.
3. We should minister to others in trials and hardships with the same approach and understanding.
Closing Thoughts
I stand here today writing this devotional as someone who has faced numerous trials and hardships, from watching my mother go through her battles, to struggling with my faith, to caring for my sister-in-law in hospice care, to losing both parents before I hit 50 years old, to loving my Wife through some horrible things that happened in her youth. I want to state firmly that I am not comparing myself in any way to Job, however, I do know what it feels like to feel separated from God, to wonder where the heck He is in a situation, and to cry out to Him asking “why” and “what for.” In all I have faced, the comfort, the peace, all the good things that I felt in those rough times came from God directly, or others He sent in those situations to be there for me, to remind me that His plans are greater than ours, to keep me close to Him in every situation. As I look at Job and his ability to remain committed to and trusting in God while being belittled and mocked by his “friends,” I am so thankful that my trials and the responses of others around me to them were Godly and grounded in the learnings we have discussed today.
God’s Many Blessings,
Justin McCoy, Pre-teen Minister
Anderson Baptist Church
I stand here today writing this devotional as someone who has faced numerous trials and hardships, from watching my mother go through her battles, to struggling with my faith, to caring for my sister-in-law in hospice care, to losing both parents before I hit 50 years old, to loving my Wife through some horrible things that happened in her youth. I want to state firmly that I am not comparing myself in any way to Job, however, I do know what it feels like to feel separated from God, to wonder where the heck He is in a situation, and to cry out to Him asking “why” and “what for.” In all I have faced, the comfort, the peace, all the good things that I felt in those rough times came from God directly, or others He sent in those situations to be there for me, to remind me that His plans are greater than ours, to keep me close to Him in every situation. As I look at Job and his ability to remain committed to and trusting in God while being belittled and mocked by his “friends,” I am so thankful that my trials and the responses of others around me to them were Godly and grounded in the learnings we have discussed today.
God’s Many Blessings,
Justin McCoy, Pre-teen Minister
Anderson Baptist Church
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