This is a small group that was following the plan to read through the Bible one chapter at a time with Good Morning Girls. Good Morning Girls is on an indefinite break. But will we continue reading through the Bible.
Each Monday go to the Weekly Reading Plan or the Bible Study Thread for our current book to see the introductory post for the week and the weekly reading passages, discussion questions, and memory verse.
Be sure to come here each day to see what the members of the group are sharing. Try to participate in the discussion with a post at least once each week to share with us what God is teaching you. Posting on the forum helps motivate all of us to keep reading by seeing the others persevering and it provides additional insight and learning.
Each Friday we will attempt to share a Friday Devotional that addresses some of the topics we have read that week.
Please also take time to read the Group Overview post that provides some ideas on how to get the most out of your study here! You can find this post in the the "Bible Study" section of the board.
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Re: Job
Job 21
This was a hard chapter on me. I had to spend some time with this and read some commentaries. It is hard to understand why the wicked prosper.
21:15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?’
This is spoken of the wicked, but how like this are we when we question God and get angry at God for allowing our suffering.
We ask who is God that He should not do as I think best, why am I not gaining by serving Him? This diminishes God and exalts ourselves. After all, who are we that we should be subject to God; who is God that He should not be accountable to me?
From Matthew Henry about why God does not punish sinner in this life.
..it is because the measure of their iniquities is not full. This is the day of God’s patience, and, in some way or other, he makes use of them and their prosperity to serve his own counsels, while it ripens them for ruin; but the chief reason is because he will make it to appear there is another world which is the world of retribution, and not this.
To lessen the difficulty. God suffers them to prosper; but let us not wonder at it, for the prosperity of fools destroys them, by hardening them in sin,
See how light these prospering sinners make of God and religion, as if because they have so much of this world they had no need to look after another
I guess it also gives them to the last moment to turn and it shows their hardness that even at the last they will not submit to God’s forgiveness and mercy.
And it is not a blessing that they live a good life, rather a curse because it keeps them from God. Would we rather God use whatever is necessary to draw us to Him or have ease and prosperity if it may act to dampen our intimacy with Him?
We cannot demand that God explains everything to us, things that at some point may be beyond our ability to understand. It comes back to trust and it comes to submission; we simply must submit to God’s sovereignty as Lord.
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Re: Job
Job 22
Job 22:21-22 Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.
This is a mistake that is sometimes made in evangelism when the message is to just come to God and then everything will go ok. Well in spiritual terms everything will go well, but in this world sometimes there will be even more trouble after someone comes to Christ.
The real hope is not that things will go great externally, but that there will be real internal peace: know the presence if God in their life, have joy in an intimate relationship with God even when things in life don't bring happiness, have hope in the middle of hopeless times.
However this is something we need to embrace for ourselves. We need to submit to God if we really want to be at peace with God. A part if this submission is to accept His word and His statues and embrace His laws into our hearts.
Job 22:23-26 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God.
This is true and very encouraging - when those living in sin return to God and cease in their sin then they will be restored and God will delight in them. What an encouraging message that there is always a way back to God.
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Have you ever been in the midst of a spiritual battle and had friends make accusations about your relationship with God being the issue? If so, how did you respond to the accusations?
Job’s friends started accusing him of bring sinful when they have no way if knowing that and they were in fact wrong about this.
This chapter is an example of the kind of judgmental attitude I think Christ was referring to. They are not judging fruits as Christ specifically instructed us to, they are sitting on the outside not really knowing all the details and deciding that they know Job’s motives and what is in his heart.
We must be vigilant not to act like this. It is fine to observe behavior and identify that behavior as sinful if it is not consistent with scripture, but we can go too far and start jumping to conclusions about someone's overall spiritual state and their heart and motives.
It is frustrating and insulting to be falsely accused.
A minor incident was when a friend of mine did not know the details of what was going on with our foster kids and exhorted me that sometimes we need to do hard things. I was annoyed because it had nothing to do with trying to avoid hard things there was a lot more going on and instead of asking me why I was feeling the way I was or making the decision I chose to make she made an assumption that I was just not wanting to take on a challenge.
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Thread Starter- TBG
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Re: Job
Job 23
Job 23:3 Oh that I knew where I might find him that I might come even to his seat!
Job tries to defend or justify himself. The truth is that although he may be considered upright he is still not without sin. No one deserves blessing. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death. So all deserve condemnation and hell fire. When we get blessings that is just from God’s unmerited favor (grace), so we cannot be upset when trials come because we are not deserving of blessings.
As my friend in Sunday School once said, “if God gave us what we deserved, we would be hanging on a cross.”
Job 23:10-12 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
Job seeks the Word of God even over food. It is more important to him to have God’s guidance than even the very provision of life.
Oh that I will say this during times of trial. Oh that I will be found to be that faithful.
Even in small disappointments and minor difficulties I can struggle to be as faithful as Job is here. Regardless of the difficultly to keep my feet closely flowing God’s path, to keep to His ways and not turn aside to my own effort or understanding to faithfully keep his commandments.
Oh Lord, may I not treasure my desires or my needs more than Your Word. I don’t want those things, I only want Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit living in me and intimacy with God, to know God and to experience His presence.
Psalm 34: 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
It reminds me of two songs, the first is Give me Jesus
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
Oh that we as believers have tasted and known that God is good and so want nothing of this world, only Jesus.
The other song is I Shall Not Want
From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God
From the need to be understood
From the need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
From the fear of serving others
From the fear of death or trial
From the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
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Thread Starter- TBG
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Re: Job
Job 24
24:12 The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help. But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
24:19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
24:22-24 But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.
So as I read this I struggle with the question of why God allows the wicked to not be judged until death. But, then I thought that God also is gracious to not judge me until death and gave me time to accept His son as my covering. So, who am I to question His timing with others?
What is it to me what happens to others? The important thing is serving God and being about His work. God wants my heart and not for my desire to be for this world.
I found an excellent post that does such a better job than I could of really unpacking this issue.
Why does God allow the wicked to prosper?
Another, lengthier post can be found here. Why Do the Wicked Prosper?
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Thread Starter- TBG
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Re: Job
Job 25-26
Job 26:14
And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
Wow, all the powerful and amazing things we know and see of God are just the fringe of His works. He is so much greater than we can even imagine.
We question God and struggle with understanding, but really, how can we fully understand Him and His vastness, power, and wisdom?
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Thread Starter- TBG
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Re: Job
Week of February 8, 2016
This Week’s Reading Assignment
S.O.A.K. any verse of your choosing.
Don't forget to check the introduction on Mondays and the devotional on Friday at Good Morning Girls.
Monday
Reading: Job 27
Verse of the Day: Job 27:4
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Job refuses to speak out against his friends, who spoke out against him, because of his integrity. How have you kept your integrity with friends that have spoken out against you?
Tuesday
Reading: Job 28
Verse of the Day: Job 28:28
Optional GMG Discussion Question: In order to gain wisdom and understanding, we must fear the Lord and depart from evil. What steps are you taking to pursue wisdom and understanding in your life?
Wednesday
Reading: Job 29
Verse of the Day: Job 29:14
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Job walked with the Lord and touched the lives of many in his lifetime and beyond. How has Job's testimony impacted your life?
Thursday
Reading: Job 30
Verse of the Day: Job 30:16
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Job served the Lord and others faithfully, but trials still came his way. Have you had a similar experience? If so, in what ways did you continue growing in the Lord throughout the process?
Friday
Reading: Job 31
Verse of the Day: Job 31:6
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Job speaks out to clear himself from the false accusations of his friends. If you were in Job's situation how would you have attempted to clear your name and still give glory to God as Job did?
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Thread Starter- LoriMI
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Re: Job
Hi ladies! Between not feeling well for a couple of days and then just plain being busy and feeling overwhelmed at times, I haven’t posted at all this week – but I try and pop in every day to hear your thoughts, so keep them coming 
. Thought I’d take a few minutes to share some of my thoughts from the week...
Job 21 v.5 Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.
When others need our help, we need to pay attention to how what we are saying affects them. Sometimes the best course of action may even be to put our hand over our mouth.
Job 22 v.21-23 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
Eliphaz made an assumption about where Job was in his faith – and he was wrong. We need to be careful of how we judge others.
Job 23 v.8-10 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Job can’t see God. He can’t “feel” Him. On one hand, he feels as if God is hiding from him, but on the other, he clearly recognizes that God is doing a work in him, and he will be a better man because of it. Oh, how I can be like Job!
Job 24 v.24 They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
The wicked, though it may appear now as if they are prospering, eventually will be brought down. Don’t envy their present prosperity; grieve their future state.
Job 25 v.4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
OOO!!!! Oooo!! I know the answer to this one... by the blood of the Lamb, the blood of our precious Lord!
Job 26 v. 14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
The thunder of God’s power... when Moses was talking to God on the mountain, the people heard thunder. So when it thunders during a storm, I try and listen to hear the voice of God. On one hand, I would love to hear His voice like Moses... on the other, I think the power of it would terrify me!
My apologies in advance for any typos or unclear sentences. I have 5 minutes before I must hop in to bed, so I’m trying to hurry
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Re: Job
Job 27
27:5 I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
Job seems so confident in his integrity. That is a tough one because when wise, godly people challenge you you should be humble enough to sincerely evaluate their feedback and search yourself for any truth to see if you need to repent or change. However, in this case Job was being falsely accused. He was completely confident in his integrity.
I think that if you have pure motives and pure heart you can be confident in your integrity when others falsely accuse you. But if you have other motives or desires in your heart even if your actions are pure, then it may be time to evaluate your integrity.
Matthew Henry had some interesting input
Job speaks highly of God, in calling him the living God (which means everliving, the eternal God, that has life in himself) and in appealing to him as the sole and sovereign Judge. Yet he speaks unbecomingly of Him in saying that God has refused to do him. This accused God of not being righteous.
Job says God vexed his soul and has given him such affliction that he has become embittered.
The commentary points out that this shows how apt we are to despair of favor if it is not shown us immediately because we are so poor-spirited are so soon weary of waiting God’s time.
But we, by our impatience, vex our own souls and then complain that God has vexed it.
We see Job’s confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God, that though God seemed to be angry with him, and to act against him for the present, yet he could cheerfully commit his cause to him.
Despite his confidence in God he could not wait patiently and allowed his impatience to cause vexation to his soul.
We do the same thing Job did and allow ourselves to despair because of our impatience and lack of trust. We have much more knowledge of God than Job did because we have access to the Word of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How much more so should we have complete confidence in the fact that God is just? We know that we can trust Him and that we are in His loving hands. This should strengthen us to hold fast to our faith and trust in God and in His goodness.
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Thread Starter- TBG
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Re: Job
LoriMI wrote:
Hi ladies! Between not feeling well for a couple of days and then just plain being busy and feeling overwhelmed at times, I haven’t posted at all this week – but I try and pop in every day to hear your thoughts, so keep them coming
Sorry you were not feeling well, but glad to see you back.
Job 23 v.8-10 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Job can’t see God. He can’t “feel” Him. On one hand, he feels as if God is hiding from him, but on the other, he clearly recognizes that God is doing a work in him, and he will be a better man because of it. Oh, how I can be like Job!
There are definitely times when it seems we just cannot feel God's presence. We just have to lean on our knowledge of His truth and our knowledge that He is with us even when it is too dark to see Him and we are too numb to feel Him holding us.
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Re: Job
Job 28
Job 28:12-13 But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.
Wisdom won't be found through things of the world, but found through spiritual insight. One may through the Word of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit gain some understanding of true wisdom, but we may not have complete, full, ultimate understanding and may not truly grasp wisdom in this world.
Job 28:23-24 God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
I have heard pastors speak about how God sees everything from beginning to end as if he were looking at all of it at other same time as if it were in the present and happening now. He sees everything more clearly than we do. This explains why we sometimes cannot understand what He is doing or why things are happening.
Job 28:28 And he said to the human race,“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
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