David, A man after God's own heart - A study of Psalm 63!

DAVID A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART

A STUDY OF PSALM 63

This is a part of the Senior Sunday School Lesson - The Book of Psalms & A study of Psalm 63    that will be posted in the English Sunday School Lesson Blog    https://jacobsladdersundayschool.blogspot.com/ 

Psalm – 63 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;

But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Author of the Psalm – King David

Time Period & Historical Background

Many of the psalms contain superscripts, which reveal the context and the historical setting of the psalm. In psalm 63 there are two possible incidents in the life of David that could provide the context for this psalm. The superscript of Psalm 63 mentions “A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah”. The first possible setting is when David fled King Saul (I Samuel 23). He spent much time in the Judean wilderness (I Samuel 23:15). But the difficulty with this narrative is that David refers to himself as “king” in this psalm (Psalm 63 - verse 11) but Saul was still the king of Israel during this incident. At the same time, David had already been anointed by Samuel to be King of Israel (1 Samuel 16), and though he had not yet assumed the role of King, the office was already assigned to him.

The second possible context is found in 2 Samuel 15-16, when David fled from Absalom, his son. At this point, David is the king of Israel and spent time in the wilderness of Benjamin and Judah as he fled for his life. King David being faint and thirsty are mentioned in 2 Samuel 16:2 and 17:29. This setting is often considered a better option to fit the context of the psalm, though both the settings are seen as possibilities by Biblical scholars. Whichever option is chosen, this psalm should be studied as a song of hope and trust sung by David, when he was threatened by his enemies and had to leave the city and flee into the wilderness.

Exposition of Psalm – 63

To extract the true essence of Psalm 63, we need to take a journey back to the time when King David lived and walk along with him in the desert and experience the life he lived during those days. The deep spiritual connections David had with God to be called “the man after God’s own heart” and be given the privilege to be one of the ancestors of the Messiah could be gleaned from this psalm.

Verse 1

1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

The magnitude and depth of this verse can be truly understood by anyone who has lived or travelled in the middle eastern or any other desert during the intense summer days and has experienced the heat waves and sunbaked sands. The glorified deserts we see in the modern days are not the ones experienced by David thousands of years ago. A desert, thousands of years ago, was a forlorn and forgotten desolate place without any cover from natural calamities, wild animals, venomous vipers, and poisonous insects. Gathering food and water in the desert would have been an impossible task in those days, especially for someone who had chosen it as a hiding place from his enemy. No one would willfully choose to go and hide in the desert. A desert is chosen as a hiding place only when the choice is between desert and death.

Ein- Gedi Desert

Coming to the first verse in Psalm – 63, Forced out of the city of Jerusalem, away from God’s holy sanctuary because of his enemies, David found himself in the middle of a dry and parched land. David was thirsty but there was no water anywhere in sight. David was neither the first one to live in the desert nor the first one to experience thirst in the desert. There were several instances in the history of Israel connected with the desert. When the Israelites came out of Egypt and were travelling through the desert they too experienced thirst (Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:10-13). When the Israelites experienced physical thirst and they could not find any water, it instigated anger and rebellion against Moses, their leader; they murmured, complained and even thought of stoning Moses. In Deuteronomy 8:2, Moses told the Israelites, “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” When God tested Israelites in the desert, it revealed the wicked condition of their heart.

Parched Desert

David’s life had turned upside down. He went from being a respected leader to an insulted individual, from comfort to discomfort, from safety to danger. But when David passed through the same desert test as that of his ancestors, even though he was thirsty in a dry and parched land, his response was contrary to that of his ancestors. David’s hunger and thirst for God, his spiritual thirst overpowered his physical thirst for water. Not only was his soul longing for God, even his flesh, his physical faculties and organs joined along with his soul in seeking God, His power and His glory. When David passed through the “desert test” it did not bring out bitterness, anger, range or disappointment from his heart but brought out the true intentions and proclivities of his heart, his one desire and intense longing for God. The very first statement “O God, You are my God” indicates the personal relationship David had with God. It is no wonder that God found David as a man after his own heart.

Verses 2 – 6

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

The Tabernacle in the wilderness, illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible, 

Picture credit: Public Domain

David lived during the Old Testament days, the act of worship during those days involved going to the Holy place, God’s sanctuary setup at Jerusalem, performing rituals and offering sacrifices. The religious life of the ancient Israelites revolved around Jerusalem. David was not an exception. His yearning and love for God’s sanctuary and Jerusalem can be seen in Psalms 122. But at this point in his life, physically he was away from God’s sanctuary, out of Jerusalem in a faraway desert. Yet David decided to look for God in the desert, making it his sanctuary to experience the power and glory of God.

Verses 3 – 6 clearly reveals to us that David experienced the divine presence, loving kindness and goodness of God in the desert. This is the worship Jesus Christ taught the Samaritan woman near the well. Jesus Christ told the Samaritan woman, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father…. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:21-24). Even though David was faraway in the desert, unable to fulfill the ritualistic expectations dictated in the Old Testament worship, he offered to God something higher and better. David worshipped God in spirit and in truth. David understood the heart of God. God does not delight in sacrifices or burnt offerings more than doing his will or having a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 40:6,7; Psalm 51:16,17). His enemies might have thought because David was away from God’s holy sanctuary and could not offer the mandatory sacrifices required of him, he would be forsaken by God (Psalm 42:3 – 6). But David’s heart and soul were in close communion with God. 

David knew that the prayers he offered in the desert, far away from the Sanctuary would rise up before God as an incense; when he lifted up his hands in reverence, standing on the parched land, it would be like offering a fattened calf as an evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2). The loving kindness of God that David experienced in the forlorn desert was much better than all the temporal and carnal pleasures of his royal life in the luxurious palace. David was overflowed with the fullness of joy found in the presence of God and the unending pleasures found at the right hand of God (Psalm 16:11). He could not stop meditating about God even through the dark and dreadful nights in the desert. David proved to be more of a New Testament worshipper than many who lived and live in the New Testament days. When the mystery of true worship was revealed to David, he could not contain his joy. David’s soul was satisfied as though fed with marrow and fatness.

Verses 7 –11

7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

"My soul follows close behind you" - This statement could be used as the summary of David's life. When David assumed kingship, he wanted to build a permanent dwelling place for the Ark of God, a magnificent Temple of God, so that God's presence could permanently dwell among his people. Even though God did not permit him to build the Temple, He accepted David's desires and intentions and made an everlasting covenant with him. David's desire was realized when the son of David came to this world as Immanuel "God with us" to dwell among us and within us through his Holy Spirit.

When David experienced the presence of God, he was assured of help from God. David’s assertion “You have been my help” indicates God had helped David from the hands of many evil people and brought him out of life-threatening situations previously. And remembering those instances built up his faith. God could do this again. David felt safe in the shadow of God’s presence. That is the place where no enemy could penetrate. The phrase, “the shadow of your wings” is the portrayal of baby chicks being protected by a mother bird under her wings when there is danger. David was rejuvenated and his faith renewed. God’s right hand was upholding him. David proclaimed that he would rejoice in God in the desert because he was upheld by God’s right hand and his life was safe but his enemies who were prowling to destroy him would be judged by God. We know from the Holy Bible that, David was in fact restored to power and his enemies were destroyed.

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Nail in a Sure Place

 NAIL IN A SURE PLACE

Bible Verse for Devotion: Isaiah 22:23, 24

23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. 24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

Isaiah 22 can be called as a chapter of lamentations of Prophet Isaiah (verse 4) over the Valley of Vision. In this devotion, the contextual message of the entire chapter is not taken, only the essence of verses 23 & 24 is considered.

Eliakim, son of Hilkiah

The above two verses (23 & 24) of Isaiah 22 is about a man named Eliakim, son of Hilkiah whom God had chosen to replace Shebna, a treasurer. Shebna had accumulated great wealth and as was the custom of ancient rich men, he had even hewed out a sepulcher for himself on a rock. He did great works for himself, but failed to look unto his maker (verse 11) and hence God intended to strip him of his role, wealth and honor and send him into captivity. His place was given to Eliakim. God said that Shebna’s robe, girdle, positions and authority would be given to Eliakim. He will be also given the custody of the key of the house of David and will inherit the blessings.

Nail in a Sure Place

Photo courtesy: photos-public-domain.com

The final promise made by God to Eliakim was that: He would fasten Eliakim as a nail in a sure place. Eliakim would be like a nail driven deep into a secure and firm wall. Consider a nail, if it is not driven deep into the wall and not kept secure, it will break off and fall if a burden is hung on it. If the wall is not strong enough to hold the nail also, the nail will dislodge. But in these verses, God promised to fasten Eliakim as a nail in a sure place. When a nail is driven deep into a firm wall, it can be of much use to those around it. When a burden is hung on the nail, it does not swerve or budge under the weight. Because the firm wall bears the weight of the burden hung on the nail.

Servants of God - Firm Nails:

When a nail is fastened in a wall, it is done so with a purpose. In village houses we can see all sorts of things hung on the nail. From expensive to inexpensive items, from heavy to light objects, pots, baskets and fruits everything was hung in those days from nails driven on wooden planks or walls (at least common in eastern countries). In verse 24, God told Eliakim that people will hang all the glory of his father’s house on him. People would appreciate him, honor him, respect him and glorify him and that would be marvelous. But that is not the only thing to be hung on him.

People of his household will also hang vessels on him from small cups to magnificent articles. In olden days, vessels were an essential part of day-to-day life. Unlike present days, where we can shop for vessels wherever and whenever we want. In olden days it took great effort and time to make these vessels. People would be careful and responsible with their vessels. There were vessels and cups of gold and silver that were of great importance and also clay pots that were of lesser significance. Gold told Eliakim all sort of vessels would be hung on him. Vessels indicate their means of livelihood, duties, cares, responsibilities etc.

Bearing Each Other’s Burden

As servants of God, like Eliakim there are different phases. There are times when we feel encouraged and appreciated. But there are other times, when our friends, family and the people whom we minister share their pain, loss, sickness, sadness with us it is like a burden is hung on the nail of our heart. Many ministers feel bogged down under the weight of the burden and they feel pressurized. If you are a nail fastened on a firm wall you don’t have to bear the weight of the burden. The firm wall will bear the weight for you and help you to remain stable.

We all know about Jesus Christ’s invitation to those who are weary in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. But when people around us go through trials and tribulations and reach out to us for help, as children of God we have to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” as Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:2. But before that we have to make sure that we are like the nails fastened on a firm wall.

A Firm Wall and a Sure Place:

In the New Testament we can often find phrases such as, built on a strong foundation, being deeply rooted etc. All of these have similar meaning i.e. being strong and steady. What is our secure and firm place where we can stay stable and steady? Jesus himself is our sure foundation (Isaiah 28:16) of our strong city. The Bible tells in Isaiah 26:1, “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks”. The salvation we have received through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ gives us firmness and security. The hope we received through the promises of God gives us surety as given in Hebrews 6:14 – 20.

Finally, the exhortation given by Apostle Paul to the Ephesian Church to remain steadfast in their faith saying “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” in Colossians 2:6,7 encourages us also to do the same. If we are careful about our relationship with God, we will be like a nail fastened on a firm place. And whenever a burden is hung on us, we don’t have to bear the weight, because the weight will be transferred on to the firm place we are driven into and we can remain stable and steady through it all. 

So, before you venture out to minister especially during these days of great need, spend some time to check whether your nail is fastened onto a firm place. If not, take God’s help to fix you deep in a sure place.

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The Restoration of Job - Part 3

       THE RESTORATION OF JOB - PART 3

 (Please follow the links to get the other parts of this study

How to study the Book of Job?

The Restoration of Job (Part - I)

The Restoration of Job (Part - II)

God’s dealings with Job: (Continued from the Previous Post)

Chapter 40

Job 40:2, 7, 8, 9- “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: “Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?

(To understand why God said this to Job, read Job 10^th chapter)

Job 40:11-14

There are many commentaries which state that God was reminding Job about his inability to save himself from the wicked and the proud and he had to depend on God for his salvation. But that would be incorrect. We have to understand this passage in the context of this book.

1.      God’s Hand – Satan wanted God to stretch forth his hand and afflict Job, which God did not do (1:11, 2:5); But God removed His hand from Job and placed him on satan’s hands (Job 2:6)

2.   Satan’s Hand – All over the book of Job, where Job was telling God’s hand was oppressing him, it was actually satan’s hand that was oppressing him, which Job could not recognize (6:9,10; 19:6-11)

3.   Job’s Hand – Since God had removed his hand from Job, at this point, God could not save Job with his hand. But God had to strengthen Job’s hand against satan’s hand. Otherwise how could a man who was waiting for the day of his death could have got the strength to rise up from the ashes, change his sack cloth, face his adversaries, build up his family again and earn back his wealth?

God exhorts Job that his own right hand can save him (40:14)

What did God mean by that?

1.      God told Job to adorn himself with majesty and splendor, and array himself with glory and beauty (Verse 10). Until this time, Job was sitting on the ashes and scraping himself with a potsherd. God told him to get up from his ashes, to go back to his home and adorn himself like a noble man, as he had done before his illness.

2.     God told Job to take revenge on two groups of people (Remember he was not healed yet, with the strength he had, God asked him to do that).

·        Everyone who is proud (Verse 11)

·        Wicked (Verse 12)

 These two group of people had distressed Job greatly. Job described about the proud people (Job 19: 5 onwards) and about the wicked people (Job 21) in these chapters.

Until that time, Job thought nothing could be done about these people (Job 21:30,31) but God told him to rise up from the ashes, strengthen himself and take revenge on the wicked and the proud. God promised that he would appreciate and commend Job when he does that (Verse 40:14). Doesn’t it mirror the exhortation given in Hebrews 12:1 to Christian believers?

Behemoth & Leviathan (Chapter 40: 15 – 41:34)

Celestial Non-natural Beings or Natural Beings?

There is no evidence or reference to suggest that these are celestial non-natural beings that are referred to in the book of Job. It is possible that there are celestial beings that exist with the same name, however there is nothing to suggest those are referred here. I would like to give the following reasons for that.

1.      In chapter 39 all the animals that were mentioned were those which Job could relate and understand easily (In chapter 38 some supernatural elements and processes were mentioned, but that is to remind Job that he did not have control over God’s creations)

2.     While speaking about Behemoth and Leviathan, God specifically mentions their natural habitats, their diet and the interactions humans have had with them previously, which Job understood easily as God was narrating to him. There is nothing non-natural or celestial about their physical life.

3.     The most important aspect to remember while reading these passages are with respect to the time, place and situation where this happened. Just because Behemoth and Leviathan were untamable in Job’s time doesn’t mean they still remain untamed. God speaks to each one of us in the language which we can understand. For some God speaks through nature, for others through art, music etc. Our mind has to be tuned with God to listen to what he is telling us. To us people in this century if God had to take an example, perhaps he would use covid-19. (In the future it may be brought under control, but for us now it is an example that could be related to and understood).

4.    I don’t know what exactly these two creatures are. They may be some dinosaurs that are extinct now or they may be creatures that are alive now and known by some other name.

5.     In the middle east, there is at least one place where Job was supposed to have lived, which has different types of natural habitation and lush green vegetation, mountainous region with lots of water spots around and sea nearby to support such huge creatures.

 Lesson from Behemoth and Leviathan:

I would like to split God’s lectures on Behemoth and leviathan into two parts based on the final message he gives from these two creatures

First Message: Chapter 41:1-10 - No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up Who then is able to stand against Me?

Second Message: Chapter 40:15-23 - Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth; Chapter 41:12 - 34 - On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”

First Message: Chapter 41:1-10 - No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up Who then is able to stand against Me?

The first message of God seems to be an answer to Job’s invocation of people with some mystic forces who could stir up Leviathan and who could curse a day (Job 3:8). In many of the Eastern countries there are still traces of those mystics who claim that they have power over nature and could tame nature at their will. During Job’s days it is possible there could have been a belief about people with such mystic forces who had tremendous power to arouse Leviathan, which could not be subdued by normal human beings with natural power; and also had the power to curse and darken a day. In Acts 8:9 we read about Simon, the sorcerer who practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, and they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” But God made Job realise that there is no one with such great power to stir up Leviathan and no one had the power to stand against Him also.

Second Message: Chapter 40:15-23; Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth; Chapter 41:12 - 34 - On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”

The second message of God is also clear. I want to mention Job 41:12 where God says “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form”. I am referring to NIV, since this version is closest to Tamil translation. After God corrected Job of his misconception about mystic forces, God wanted to reveal more about Leviathan. It is about it’s strength and how it faces various challenges and overcomes them.

In the second message from both Behemoth and Leviathan, God speaks about how he has created them with the physical structure, strength, agility and attitude to face all the challenges and courageously face those who try to hunt them. There could be a separate study on the challenges faced by Behemoth and Leviathan and the mechanism they have to overcome it.

God’s speech on Behemoth and Leviathan would have given Job revelation that God had already endowed him with innate strength and mechanisms to overcome his physical challenges; ideas and plans to maneuver various situations to face difficulties, oppositions and afflictions.

Restoration of Job – Job’s Two-fold Blessings

Although the Holy Bible does not describe Job’s exact response to God’s exhortation.  Job would have changed his sackcloth and worn his rich robes as God instructed him, took revenge on the wicked, offered sacrifice for his friends (for offering sacrifice he would not have gone on his sackcloth). God restored his fortune double-fold. (Job 42: 7-17). Job could once again say what he had said earlier, “My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand” (Job 29:20).

It was the Sabeans who took the oxen and the donkeys and the Chaldeans who took his camels. If Job had waited for the Sabeans and Chaldeans to repent, acknowledge their mistakes and bring back his cattle, Job would still be sitting on the ashes, scraping his skin with a potsherd. But Job had to realise, ultimate good comes from God and ultimate evil arises from satan. Since Job depended on God alone for his restoration, God restored everything he lost double-fold.

The lesson from the book of Job can be summarized using two verses from the New Testament

 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18)”.

“And also Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37)”. 

                                                    GOD BLESS YOU!

The Restoration of Job - Part 2

                  THE RESTORATION OF JOB - PART 2

 (Please follow the links to get the other parts of this study

How to study the Book of Job?

The Restoration of Job (Part - I)

The Restoration of Job (Part - III)

Was there God’s direct intervention during Job’s trials or any miraculous work in Job’s life to restore him back again?

There could not have been God’s direct intervention during Job’s trials, because that was the challenge between satan and God.

If God could not have intervened directly during Job’s trials, how did God answered Job’s questions, cleared his doubts and helped him to overcome his trials?

Imagine Job with his body covered in sores, with dirty clothes on him, sitting on ashes, mocked and scorned by everyone. At what point did he get the strength to getup, walk away from where he was sitting, clean himself, put on his rich robes and face everyone with his old confidence, honour and vigour?

We cannot find God in the form of man visiting, counselling or comforting him. We also don’t find any miraculous events that happened that could have changed Job. So what was that, that gave the strength to Job?

The answer might lie in God’s words to Job.

God’s Words to Job:

Job's shift towards his restoration happens in the four chapters between 38 – 41. I have read many commentaries for these chapters and I see that most commentators have portrayed as though Job needed a lot of soul searching for his questioning of God. Job was over righteous, so God had to put him in his place by teaching about his omnipotence and his power and majesty. When I read such commentaries, I feel we too are standing alongside Job’s friends accusing him of things which he did not do!

1. Job never questioned God about his omnipotence or about what he can or cannot do (26:6_14). Job never questioned God’s power or any other divine attributes. Job never questioned God about the way he cared for his other creations. The only question Job had for God was about God’s dealings with him! God who had taken care of him until then, why did he abandon him suddenly? Even if he had done some mistake, why should God punish him so severely? These were some of the questions asked by Job.

Job’s questions to God:

First Question (Chapter 6:11-13)

“What strength do I have, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life? Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze? Is my help not within me? And is success driven from me?

Second Question (Chapter 7:12)

Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, That You set a guard over me?

Third Question (Chapter 7:17 – 21)

“What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him, That You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment? How long? Will You not look away from me, and let me alone till I swallow my saliva? Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity?

Fourth Question (Chapter 10:4-7)

Do You have eyes of flesh? Or do You see as man sees? Are Your days like the days of a mortal man? Are Your years like the days of a mighty man, That You should seek for my iniquity and search out my sin, Although You know that I am not wicked, and there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?

Fifth Question (Chapter 13: 22 – 25)

How many are my iniquities and sins? Why do You hide Your face, And regard me as Your enemy? Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro? And will You pursue dry stubble?

Sixth Question (Chapter 14:3, 10, 14)

And do You open Your eyes on such a one, and bring me to judgment with Yourself? Indeed he breathes his last and where is he? If a man dies, shall he live again?

Seventh Question (Chapter 21:7)

Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power?

(This is a question for which Job knew the answer. As he said in 21:16, For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath)

From these questions we can understand that, these questions arose out of genuine incomprehensibility of Job about his suffering and not because of any arrogance or disbelief.

Job’s entire miswordings about God was only because he didn’t know that it was satan who had touched him and not God. Eventhough Job had questioned God a lot with regard to his sufferings, it was because he had no way of knowing it was satan’s test.

 2.Job neither acted over righteous or nor did he think too much about himself. Job refused to accept his friends’ accusations of him (27:5,6). Although he was a righteous man, even testified by God, he did not dare to hoist his righteousness in front of God (9:14-21)

3. Job felt utterly hopeless and he thought he was at the point of no return. He did not have any hope that his life could be restored back, eventhough he wished to have it restored back to it’s former glory. The entire 14^th chapter of Job talks about that, especially verses 7-10.

God’s dealings with Job:

Eventhough satan had stopped God’s direct intervention with Job, God could still communicate with Job through his creations. That might be the reason why God would have communicated with Job through the whirlwind at first. After that, through other God’s creations, God was speaking to him. Psalm 19: 1-4 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world”. Romans 1: 20 also tells the same thing, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead”

Chapter 38: 1-38

Chapter 38 seems to be the response to Job’s curse on the day of his birth. Job invoked darkness, shadow, clouds, stars etc. as though they are at his will. God had to correct Job and tell him that, he did not have control over any of these. Job knew very well that he did not have any control over the creator. But God had to remind Job that he did not have any control over God’s creations also.

Job 38:2 - “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? (Even though, this sounds very harsh, we can understand that God did not speak it out of anger, but just to remind Job that nothing of nature is under Job’s control. Remember Job had spoken as though he could darken the days and summon the nature to convey his anger and displeasure) 

1.     Job: May the day perish on which I was born (3:3)

God: Have you commanded the morning since your days began (Job 38:12)

2.   Job: Nor the light shine upon it (3:4

God: “Where is the way to the dwelling of light? (38:19)

3.   Job: May darkness and the shadow of death claim it (3:5)

God: Have you seen the doors of the shadow of death (38:17)

4.    Job: May a cloud settle on it (3:5)

God: I made the clouds as a garment for the sea (38:9)

5.     Job: May the blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night, may darkness seize it (3:5,6)

God: And darkness, where is its place, that you may take it to its territory, that you may know the paths to its home? Do you know it, because you were born then, or because the number of your days is great? (38:19,20,21)

6.    Job: May it not rejoice among the days of the year, May it not come into the number of the months. Oh, may that night be barren! May no joyful shout come into it! (3:6,7)

God: Who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (38:6,7)

7.     Job: May the stars of its morning be dark (3:9)

God: Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? (38: 33)

8.    Job: And not see the dawning of the day; Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, Nor hide sorrow from my eyes. (3:9,10)

God: “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,

And caused the dawn to know its place, That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? (38:12,13)

Chapter 38:39 – 39:30

Between these 33 verses, God takes the example of 9 animals / birds and their young ones ( Lion (38:39, 40), Raven (38:41), Wild mountain goats (39:1 - 4), Wild donkey (39:5 – 8), Wild ox (39:9 - 12), Ostrich (39:13 – 18), Horse (39:19 – 25), Hawk  (39:26) & Eagle (39:27 – 30).

God asked Job whether he knew anything from their conception, birth, the way they take care of their young, how they live and die. Most of these questions seem to be a response to Job’s anguish about the circumstances of his birth. 

1.      Job: May the day perish on which I was born, and the night in which it was said, a male child is conceived. Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? (3:3,11)

God: Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?  Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young? They bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their offspring. Their young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them (39: 1-4)

2.       Job: Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? (3:12)

God: Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food? (38:41)

 Job failed to mention God as his creator or spoke as though God did not have anything to do with his conception, birth and his life. (It could have been simply because of his anguish and pain, that’s why God did not consider it as a sin). God had to remind Job that from the simplest of animals to the greatest even those that are roaming in the wild are taken care of by him. From birth till death, nothing happens without His knowledge. That seems to be the summary of the message given here.

                                                                                             - To be continued