December - Reading 8

Good evening -

Our Scriptures for today were:

John 16:12-24

Revelation 5

Job 31:1-23

Amos 1-2

 

Mark - I hope to get to your questions of the past week this evening.

 

Job

Sunday School 7/2/06

Job 31​

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As we enter chapter 31, Job continues to plead his innocence. Though Job had initially indicated that a trial between himself an God was an absurdity (as both were on the same side), the arguments of his friends left him with little to no choice on playing the role of the defendant. Throughout the Book, Job has maintained his innocence and his integrity but now he pleads his innocence by making a list of specific sins which he denies in the form of oaths.

The value for the modern believer is that we find here a roster of the characteristics that form high moral value. It defines the description of Job found in the prologue. Job now shows specifics to his plea that he has not fallen into sin.

Job 31:1-4 My Covenant

The chapter begins with a technical term for making a covenant. Job does not state that this covenant has been made with God but the implication is there. The wisdom Job had been imparted “fear the Lord; turn from evil) dictated to him a necessity for upholding a strong ethical lifestyle and mindset.

Job asserts in verse 1 that he has gained mastery over his senses and his emotions. Jobs ethics involved his whole person. Job viewed his senses and emotions as being inferior to himself, not equals. He was a man who exerted his will over his desires.

Verses 2-3 state God’s control over the fate of a man’s life. It is from God one receives his portion and inheritance. These elements of fortune or disaster come from the Almighty. In line with the thinking of his friends, Job concedes that ill fate befalls the unrighteous. The section ends with the affirmation raised in a question, “Does God see and know my ways?” Of course He does and what Job is about to say will come as no surprise to God.

Job 31:5-8 “If I Have Walked with Falsehood”

This Passage takes the typical form of an oath beginning with the word “if.” Job is swearing the coming fact to be true and “if” it is not he is calling down a curse upon himself. In a legal sense, Job is recognizing the punishment for perjury.

Verses 5-6 speak of sin in a general sense. Walking in falsehood (vanity) is wrongful behavior in a wide sense. Being weighed in a just or even balance is a common Biblical image for judgment. Job is crying to God in verse 6 to confirm the oaths he is making throughout this chapter.

The punishment for perjury in this case is that Job would be denied the fruits of his labors.

Job 31:9-15 If My Heart Has Been Enticed
This section involves two separate parts. In the first, Job denies any guilt of adultery. Some interpreters have understood “grind” as referring to grinding grain as a slave but the early Jewish interpreters recognized the sexual overtones of the phrase and this line of interpretation is picked up by the accompanying phrase of “others bow down upon her.,” a euphemism for sexual intercourse. In short, Job is stating, “If I have done so, let others do even more so unto me…”

The second part of the section involves Jobs relationship to servants. Jobs statements in verses 13-15 are the clearest teachings of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man in the Old Testament. The sentiments expressed here are rare for Old Testament thought as Job recognizes a common status for all men. These teachings would become a cornerstone of Christian teachings in the New Testament.

Job 31:16-23 If I Have Withheld from the Poor

In Verse 22:7-9, Eliphaz had accused Job of neglecting the poor, the widows and the orphans. Job now puts these sins in his list of oaths as a denial to be affirmed by God. Job has, in fact, had a lifelong commitment towards aiding the underprivileged.

The phrase “loins have blessed me” in verse 20 is a poetic image of the parts of the body of those in need thanking Job for his aid. The loins that were before cold and naked are now covered in warm fleece and bless Job in return. In verse 21 the phrase “help in the gate” likely refers to the practice of aiding with argument one accused of some crime at the gates of the city. Job was an advocate for the poor.

 

Our Scriptures for 12/9 are:

John 16:25-33

Revelation 6

Job 31:24-40

Amos 3-4

 

Our Scriptures for 12/9 are:

John 16:25-33

Revelation 6

Job 31:24-40

Amos 3-4

 

Our Scriptures for 12/9 are:

John 16:25-33

Revelation 6

Job 31:24-40

Amos 3-4

 

Our Scriptures for 12/9 are:

John 16:25-33

Revelation 6

Job 31:24-40

Amos 3-4

 

Our Scriptures for 12/9 are:

John 16:25-33

Revelation 6

Job 31:24-40

Amos 3-4