Job 40
LORD confronts Job verse 1- 2
Moreover the LORD answered Job and said
Shall he that contends with the Almighty instruct HIM?
He that reproves God – let him answer it
Job replies to the LORD verse 3- 5
Then Job answered the LORD and said
Behold – I am vile – What shall I answer YOU?
I will lay mine hand upon my mouth
Once have I spoken – BUT I will not answer – yea – twice
BUT I will proceed no further
LORD answers Job out of a whirlwind verse 6- 7
Then answered the LORD to Job out of the whirlwind and said
Gird up your loins now like a man
I will demand of you and declare you to ME
LORD challenges Job to put on his power verse 8- 14
Will you also disannul MY judgment?
will you condemn ME – that you may be righteous?
Have you an arm like God?
Or can you thunder with a voice like HIM?
Deck yourself now with majesty and excellency
and array yourself with glory and beauty
Cast abroad the rage of your wrath
and behold every one that is proud – and abase him
look on every one that is proud – and bring him low
and tread down the wicked in their place
hide them in the dust together
and bind their faces in secret
THEN will I also CONFESS to you that
your own right hand can save you
LORD describe HIS created Behomoth verse 15- 24
BEHOLD now behemoth
which I made with you – he eats grass as an ox
lo now – his strength is in his loins
his force is in the navel of his belly
he moves his tail like a cedar
the sinews of his stones are wrapped together
his bones are as strong pieces of brass
his bones are like bars of iron
he is the chief of the ways of God
HE that made him can make HIS sword to approach
to him
Surely the mountains bring him forth food
where all the beasts of the field play
he lies under the shady trees
in the covert of the reed – and fens
the shady trees cover him with their shadow
the willows of the brook compass him about
Behold – he drinks up a river – and has not
he trusts that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth
he takes it with his eyes – his nose pierces through snares
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. (7043 “vile” [qalal] means to be insignificant, diminish, small, of little account, light, light thing, abate, bring into contempt, despised, or be of little account)
DEVOTION: We live in a time period when everything we believe is questioned. We have many individuals who call themselves Christians denying the Word of God and its teachings. On the moral front we have questions regarding who should marry whom. The Bible is plain on that issue – a man should marry a woman. Another test is whether our human race started with just Adam and Eve. The Bible is plain on the issue – the answer is YES.
Job questioned the actions of God. He thought God should be doing something different in his life. He told his three “friends” that he was innocent of sin but not sinless. He thought God should treat him differently.
This is the second chapter with the LORD confronting Job with WHO he is in relation to Job. HE is the creator of the universe. HE is the one who knows the time of the birth of all the animals. HE has the power to create. Job responds with putting his hand over his mouth.
When faced with the LORD, Job realizes that he had no answers. He realizes that he is of little account in the light of eternity. He knew that he had to stop talking and listen to the LORD.
There is a time to question what God is doing and there is a time to listen to the LORD speaking to us. Job had been comparing himself with other believers or other human beings. He knew in his heart that he was being as faithful as he could be to the LORD. His friends were misunderstanding why these things were happening to Job. They were not really “friends” but individuals who wanted to judge instead of give him the benefit of the doubt regarding why these things were happening to him.
God on the other hand understood WHO HE was and what HE was doing. We are allowed to question but not to think that God is doing something wrong in our lives. We are to trust HIM.
Are we listening to HIM when we should be? What is HE saying to us? We need to keep in mind that this suffering is just for a short time compared to eternity. It is hard to remember this when we are going through great trials.
CHALLENGE: Study the questions that the LORD asks Job. Realize that God is in control and knows what HE is doing. Trust HIM!!! Life in that peace that only HE can give while we go through our trials.
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: 4 “Behold, I am vile [קלל , (7043, qalal) to be small, insignificant, contemptible, to be little, to be trifling, to be of little account]; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.”
DEVOTION: Job’s first response to God’s questions is to recognize how insignificant or small he is compared to the Lord. God has challenged him with observations of HIS greatness based on creation, and seeks to make Job realize that only someone who is as great as God is could make and control the earth.
This again is a serious challenge to the evolutionists, who think that man could have originated from other forms of life in the primitive world. But where did these more primitive types of life come from, if they did not come from a Creator? Only a Creator could both have made such an orderly world and then sustained it.
What God is looking for on mankind’s part is for an attitude of humility and contrition (Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 66:2). That means that we are to approach God with the realization that HE is infinitely great and that we are small in comparison with HIM. The Bible mentions that we are to have awe in regard to God. That means we are not to treat HIM as simply “the big man in the sky” or use any aphorisms which trivialize HIS greatness. Rather, the idea of awe in front of God is an idea which has been lost on our generation.
The point of worship, then, is to acknowledge the greatness of God. HE is our Heavenly Father, but HE is our Heavenly Father Who Is in Heaven. That is why we should pray that HIS name would be hallowed and HIS kingdom come. It is amazing in this light that HE has encouraged us to come to HIM with our petitions so that HE may grant them.
Only once we have the right perspective on who God is can we have a right perspective on our relationships with our fellow man. God wants us to seek HIM first and then reflect HIS nature to those around us.
CHALLENGE: Who is it that you need to share the greatness of God with today? (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 Will you also disannul MY judgment? Will you condemn ME, that you may be righteous? (6565 “disannul” [parar] means to break, destroy, suspend, make useless, to hinder or prevent the efforts, plans or desires, frustrate, or put and end to)
DEVOTION: God is asking Job a question or a group of questions regarding what Job thinks of the way that God judges things. HE is asking if he thinks that God’s judgments are not fair.
Job seems to think that he would judge fairer than God. Is that a true evaluation of the facts or is Job just disturbed because God has allowed him to go through HIS judgment? God is acting in a way that fits HIS control of the universe. As a human being Job seems to think that he should have some say in the judgments that the LORD lays down in his life and in the lives of others.
In the back of Job’s thinking is that he is more righteous or right than God could be. He thinks that God is not right in some of HIS decisions. Do you think that we can think these same thoughts regarding what the LORD has done in our lives?
Job went through a lot with his children dying and his wife telling him to curse God and die. He didn’t think it was “fair” of God to put him through all that he was going through at the time.
Our understanding of fair and God’s understanding of just are two different things. We think that we know as much as God at times. We think that we would do a better job than God in running the world. These are thoughts that come from another source other than God.
Our human thinking can but shouldn’t be controlled by someone other than God but it is. Our lives are a battle between the thinking of God and the thinking of self with an influence of Satan. We think we understand what is going on around us but we really don’t. We are just like Job in thinking that what God allows in our lives is wrong and HE shouldn’t allow it to happen.
God has given every human being a choice to make between what is right and wrong. Most of the time humans pick what is wrong. However, we don’t think that is fair. It would be great if we would all think God thoughts rather than listen to the world, the flesh and the devil.
CHALLENGE: God is righteous all the time. We are sinners most of the time if we have Jesus in our heart. We need to let God be God in our lives.
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: 14 Then will I also confess to you that your own right hand can save you. (3034 “confess” [yadah] means to praise, take confession, to admit to a punishable deed or sin, to profess, give voice, express praise, to give thanks)
DEVOTION: God issues a challenge to Job. If he would judge the world what would he do differently? HE wants Job to deck himself with majesty and excellence. HE wants Job to array himself with glory and beauty. The list goes on but the final thought is that if Job can do these things than God would confess that Job’s own hand could save him.
This is a challenge that Job cannot accept because it is impossible for him to do all the things God has asked but somehow Job and most humans think that they can do what God has challenged them to do.
God knows that humans don’t have the same ability as HE does but so often they think that they can judge better than HE can. We need to realize that God is sovereign and we are sinful human beings.
God wants Job and us to get the right perspective of who we really are and who HE really is in our world. This is not easy because we think most of the time that we are just as smart and good as God is.
Our little brain thinks that we can think God thoughts all the time when in reality we think sinful thoughts all the time and God thoughts only occasionally and that only happens under the ministry of the Holy Spirit in genuine believers.
The devil likes to cause us to think that we can be just as good as God in our thinking and actions. This is a lie that we should NEVER believe.
CHALLENGE: This challenge of the LORD is one that we can never accept because HE is Holy and we are not without HIS help.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 He is chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach him. (7225 “chief” [re’shiyth] means beginning, what comes first, starting point, first and best, the first or hightest in an ordering or series, sometimes with the implication of being best, or firstfruit.)
DEVOTION: It is thought that this is a description of a dinosaur. God is describing an animal that has strength that can only compare to HIM. HE is sovereign, HE is in control. HE is the creator of all the animals. HE wants Job to understand that HIS power is greater than his.
Too often we think that we are stronger than God because we think that some of the decisions God has made were not as good as the decisions that we can make. This is a trick of the enemy.
Job was thinking that God was not acting and creating as good as he could do. He was thinking that if he was in control he would have done things differently. This is going to be a temptation of humans throughout history. We tend to think that if we were God we would have done everything differently.
These are the thoughts of Satan as well. He challenged God and lost but it didn’t stop him from challenging God. We have the same problem. We think that we can challenge God by telling HIM that we would have done things differently.
Job fell into this trap as well. He thought that he would have done things differently than God at the beginning. This is wrong thinking but we as human seem to be able to think these thoughts.
God knew what HE was doing in the beginning and HE is working HIS plan right now. We have to accept what HE has done and follow HIM no matter what is going on in our life.
Job was beginning to learn this but he had a long way to go. God was willing to work with him and HE is willing to work with us throughout our lifetime.
CHALLENGE: Are we willing to work with God while we are here on this earth? HE wants us to trust HIM to know what is best for us.
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: 23 Behold, he drinks up a river, and hastens not: he trusts that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. (982 “trusts” [batach] means to be confident, unsuspecting, to have or be marked by confidence or assurance, or to be bold)
DEVOTION: God created the behemoth. He created him right beside humans. HE wanted Adam to know and Job to know that HE was the creator of all the animals as well as human.
Here is an example of a very powerful animal that didn’t seem to fear anything. It would go into rivers and not worry about the water taking control of him. He was assured the in his thinking that he was stronger than any current that the river could produce.
God wanted Job to think about all of creation and what each animal was capable of doing. HE wanted Job to realize that each animal knew his strengths and weaknesses.
Job needed to realize these facts as well.
If God could create an animal like the behemoth and give him understanding regarding what he could do and what he couldn’t do then HE gave humans the same abily to know what he should do and what he shouldn’t do.
Job had to realize that all of creation had a purpose and was supposed to do things according to the purposes of God. God had given intelligence to the animals and HE has given humans intelligence to learn from the animals.
When we look at what is going on in the animal kingdom does it help us understand that God has a purpose for all of HIS creation. HE has a purpose for us to understand what HE is trying to teach us each day as we look around at our world. HE wants us to understand who HE is and what our relationship to HIM needs to be.
We are not sovereign – HE is. We have to accept who we are and trust HIM to help us throughout our lifetime. This was the lesson that HE was teaching Job and through our understanding of the lessons for Job we can understand what HE expects of us.
CHALLENGE: Are you trying to learn the lessons that the animals of the world learned or are we not willing to look and see what HE wants from us and follow HIM?
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 6
Almighty verse 2
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 2, 9, 19
In a whirlwind verse 6
Majesty verse 10
Excellency verse 10
Glory verse 10
Beauty verse 10
Wrath verse 11
Abase proud verse 11, 12
Tread down the wicked verse 12
Save verse 14
Created behemoth verse 15- 24
Chief of the ways of God
Ways of God verse 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Job verse 1- 14
Shall I contend with the Almighty
Can Job instruct God
I am vile
I will lay my hand on my mouth
Asked by God if he will disannul HIS
judgments
Will he condemn God to make himself
righteous
Do you have an arm like God?
Do you have a voice that thunders?
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Contend with the Almighty verse 2
Instruct the Almighty verse2
Reprove God verse 2
Vile verse 3
Condemn verse 8
Proud verse 11, 12
Wicked verse 12
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Instruct verse 2
Reprove verse 2
Righteous verse 8
Confess verse 14
Save verse 14
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
In prayer we have too many words to speak to God. We are always telling him what he knows already, and often dictating to him what we think he should be doing, instead of patiently waiting for his voice and humbly submitting to his will. There is room for more silence in religion and in all life. (The Pulpit Commentary: Job. 2004 (H. D. M. Spence-Jones, Ed.) (650)
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Suggestions as to the identity of this animal include an elephant, a rhinoceros, a plant-eating brontosaurus (dinosaur), a water buffalo, and a hippopotamus. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary: An exposition of the scriptures (Job 40:15–24).
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40:15–24. God mentioned several things about the behemoth: its position with Job as a fellow creature (v. 15), its diet (v. 15), its physical strength (vv. 16–19), its habitat (vv. 20–23), and its fierceness (v. 24). The word behemoth is the plural of “beast.” Since one animal is described in verses 15–24, the plural probably points up the animal’s greatness. Suggestions as to the identity of this animal include an elephant, a rhinoceros, a plant-eating brontosaurus (dinosaur), a water buffalo, and a hippopotamus. The common view that this huge creature is the hippopotamus is supported by several observations: (1) The hippo is herbivorous (it feeds on grass like an ox, v. 15). Therefore wild animals do not fear being attacked by it (v. 20). (2) It has massive strength in its loins, stomach muscles … tail … thighs, metallike bones and limbs (vv. 16–18). Unlike the elephant, a hippopotamus’ stomach muscles are particularly strong and thick. The rendering that his tail sways like a cedar (possibly meaning a cedar branch, not a cedar trunk) suggests to some that “tail” means the trunk of an elephant. However, Ugaritic parallels indicate that the verb “sways” (which occurs only here in the OT) means “stiffens.” In that case the hippopotamus’ tail, though small, was referred to. The tail stiffens when the animal is frightened or is running. (3) The hippopotamus was the largest of the animals known in the ancient Near East (he ranks first among the works of God, v. 19). The adult hippo of today weighs up to 8,000 pounds. “There may have been an especially gigantic variety that flourished in the Jordan in those days, and as such he may have outclassed even the elephant …” (Gleason L. Archer, Jr., The Book of Job, p. 107). (4) The hippo is difficult if not impossible to kill with a mere hand sword. The words His Maker can approach him with His sword (v. 19) suggest that only God dare approach the beast for hand combat. Nor can he be captured or harpooned when only his eyes or nose show above the water (v. 24). (5) As a hippopotamus lies hidden … in the marsh.… the stream, and the river (vv. 21–23), its sustenance (perhaps vegetation) floats down from the hills (v. 20). This huge creature is undistrubed by river turbulence for the rivers are his habitat (v. 23). An elephant or brontosaurus would hardly be described this way. A surging river would hardly reach the depth of a brontosaurus’ mouth. (Zuck, R. B. (1985). Job. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 771–772). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The hippopotamus (Job 40:15–24). Most students agree that the animal described is the hippopotamus, although some prefer the elephant or the water buffalo. The word “behemoth” is the transliteration of a Hebrew word that means “super-beast.” Today’s big-game hunter with his modern weapons would probably not be deterred by the hippo’s size or strength, but this beast was a formidable enemy in the days of arrows and spears.
God reminded Job that He was the Creator of both the hippo and man (v. 15), and yet He made them different. The hippo eats grass and is strong and mighty; Job ate a variety of fine foods and was weak and unable to fight with the hippo. The hippo has a powerful body, with strong muscles and bones like iron rods; while man’s body is (comparatively speaking) weak and easily damaged. The hippo lounges in the river, hidden under the water, and feeds on the vegetation that washes down from the hills; while man has to toil to earn his daily bread. A raging river doesn’t frighten the hippo, and hunters don’t alarm him. In Job’s day, it was next to impossible to capture the hippopotamus; but how easy it is to capture a man!
“Now, Job,” asks the Lord, “can you capture and subdue this great creature? If so, then I’ll believe that you have the power and wisdom to judge the world justly.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (p. 151). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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40:15–24 Behemoth. While this is a generic term used commonly in the OT for large cattle or land animals, the description in this passage suggests an extraordinary creature. The hippopotamus has been suggested by the details in the passage (vv. 19–24). However, the short tail of a hippo is hardly consistent with v. 17, where tail could be translated “trunk.” It could refer to an elephant, who could be considered “first” or chief of God’s creatures whom only He can control (v. 19). Some believe God is describing His most impressive creation of land animals, the dinosaur species, which fit all the characteristics. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Job 40:15–24). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
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Ver. 15. Behold, now behemoth, &c.] The word is plural, and signifies beasts, and may be used to denote the chiefest and largest of beasts, and therefore is commonly understood of the elephant; and certain it is that a single beast is described in the following account, and so the word is rendered, Psal. 73:22. The word is here rendered by the Septuagint σηρια, beasts; which is the word used by the Greeks for elephants, as belluæ, a word of the same signification, is by the Latins: and so the Sabines called an elephant barrus, and the Indians barro, בער, a beast; and it may be observed, that ivory is called shenhabbim, 1 Kings 10:22. i.e. shenhabehim, behem or behemoth, the tooth of the beast: and it may be also observed, that Senecag says, that the Nile produces beasts like the sea; meaning particularly the crocodile and hippopotamus. Bochart dissents from the commonly received opinion of the elephant being meant; and thinks the hippopotamus, or river-horse, is intended, so called from its having a head like a horse; and is said to have a mane, and to neigh like one, and to bear some resemblance to it in its snout, eyes, ears, and back. And the reasons that celebrated author has given for this his opinion have prevailed on many learned men to follow him; and there are some things in the description of behemoth, as will be observed, which seem better to agree with the river-horse than with the elephant. It is an amphibious creature, and sometimes lives upon the land, and sometimes in the water; and by various writers is often called a beast and four-footed one: which I made with thee; or as well as thee; it being equally the work of my hands, a creature as thou art: or made on the continent, as thou art, so Aben Ezra; and made on the same day man was made; which those observe, who understand it of the elephant; or, which cometh nearest to thee, the elephant being, as Pliny says, the nearest to man in sense; and no beast more prudent, as Cicerol affirms. But the above learned writer, who interprets it of the river-horse, takes the meaning of this phrase to be; that it was a creature in Job’s neighborhood an inhabitant of the river Nile in Egypt, to which Arabia joined, where Job lived; which is testified by many writers: and therefore it is thought more probable that a creature near at hand and known should be instanced in, and not one that it may be was never seen nor known by Job. But both Diodorus Siculusn and Strabo speak of herds of elephants in Arabia, and of that as abounding with them; and of various places called from them, and the hunting of them, and even of men from eating them. He eateth grass as an ox; which is true both of the elephant and of the river-horse: that a land-animal should eat grass is not so wonderful; but that a creature who lives in the water should come out of it and eat grass is very strange and worthy of admiration, it is observed: and that the river-horse feeds in corn-fields and on grass many writers assure us; yea, in the river it feeds not on fishes, but on the roots of the water-lily, which fishermen therefore use to bait their hooks with to take it. Nor is it unlike an ox in its shape, and in some parts of its body: hence the Italians call it bomaris, the sea-ox; but it is double the bigness of an ox. Olaus Magnusr speaks of a sea-horse, found between Britain and Norway; which has the head of a horse, and neighs like one; has cloven feet with hoofs like a cow; and seeks its food both in the sea and on the land, and grows to the bigness of an ox, and has a forked tail like a fish. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 509). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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1 Corinthians 8
Take care that your actions do not wound another Christian.
INSIGHT
There is an inseparable link between Christ and the church. In Acts 9:4 Jesus appears to Saul on the road to Damascus and asks, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Yet Saul had not persecuted Jesus; he had never even seen Jesus. However, because he was persecuting the church, Jesus rebuked Saul for persecuting Him. Again in 1 Corinthians 8 Paul teaches that if we sin against our brothers in Christ-wounding their consciences when they are weak-we sin against Christ. We must be cautious with our words and actions. (Quiet Walk)
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THE LOVE OF THE WORLD
Love not the world. 1 John 2:15
What is “the world” is this case? Now I think it is important that we should agree that he is not referring here to creation as such; he is not thinking of the mountains and the valleys and rivers, the streams and the sun and the moon and the stars. He does not mean the physical world. There are people who have even thought that to “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” means to shut one’s eyes to the glory and beauty of nature.
But it does not mean that; neither does it mean the life of the world in general. It does not mean family relationships, though there are people who have misinterpreted it like that; they have often regarded marriage as sinful. Not once but very often in my ministerial life have I had to deal with nice, sincere Christian people who have solemnly believed, through misinterpreting a text like this, that Christian people should not marry. Their reason is that marriage involves certain relationships that they regard as sinful; they would regard the very gift of sex as being sinful in and of itself.
So “the world” does not mean creation; it does not mean family relationships; it is not the state; it does not mean engaging in business or a profession or all these things that are essential to life; it does not mean governments and authorities and powers, for all these have been ordained by God Himself. There is nothing so grievous as to misinterpret “the world” in some such terms as that.
What, then, does it mean? Clearly the very text and the whole teaching of the Bible shows that it must mean the organization and the mind and the outlook of mankind as it ignores God and does not recognize Him and as it lives a life independent of Him, a life that is based upon this world and this life only. It is the whole outlook upon life that is exclusive of God.
A Thought to Ponder
“The world” ignores God and lives a life independent of Him, a life that is based upon this world and this life only.
(From Walking with God, pp. 84-85, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Hastening His Coming
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
These very familiar words of the Lord Jesus are commonly considered as a statement of His Great Commission, commanding us to go “into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Actually, however, it is not given here as a command but rather as a declarative statement— indeed, a prophecy—saying that we shall witness for Him to the very ends of the earth.
Then, His disciples were promised that “this same Jesus” would return (Acts 1:11), with the promise clearly tied to the prophecy. Just a few weeks previously they had asked, “What shall be the sign of thy coming?” (Matthew 24:3). And Jesus had answered, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (v. 14). Mark recorded His answer very simply: “The gospel must first be published among all nations” (Mark 13:10).
Peter says that the Lord may seem to have delayed “the promise of his coming” because He “is longsuffering…not willing that any should perish,” urging us to “account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” (2 Peter 3:4, 9, 15), suggesting that we should be “looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:12).
We can hardly draw any other conclusion from such passages than that if we want the Lord to return quickly, we can hasten His coming by fulfilling His command and His prophecy, doing whatever we can to publish His gospel among all nations. His coming has always been imminent because this could well have been done—and can be done—at any time. But it evidently has not been done yet.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hat those that speak it” George Orwell
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When to Pray
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)
There is no set time to pray, for it is always appropriate. Our text tells us to “continue” in prayer, and this is the same word as in Romans 12:12, which urges us to be “instant in” prayer. In fact, the admonition of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is to “pray without ceasing.”
Children should pray, as did little Samuel. When the Lord called him, he could answer: “Speak; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10). Young people should pray, as Timothy, who was exhorted by Paul to make “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks . . . for all men” (1 Timothy 2:1). Adult men should pray, as did Paul himself, who could say to the Christians of Philippi that he was “always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” (Philippians 1:4). Old men should pray, like Simeon, and old women, like Anna, who “served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:25, 36-37). And even dying men should pray, as did Stephen who, as he was being stoned to death, was also “calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).
We can pray at dawn like David, who said: “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3). In a Philippian prison, “at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25). Daniel “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed” (Daniel 6:10). There is no time that is not a good time for prayer. One should pray in times of sorrow and also in times of joy, as did Hannah in both circumstances (1 Samuel 1:15; 2:1).
It is a most marvelous privilege that we have through Christ that we are able to speak to the infinite God in prayer and to know that He hears and cares. Therefore, pray! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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After a brilliant career as Israel’s leader, Joshua bids them farewell. He urges them not to allow themselves to be corrupted by the gods or people of the nations around them. Then Joshua encourages them that if they are faithful, “all the good things” of the Lord will come upon them (23:15); if they are not faithful, “the Lord will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land” (23:15). (Quiet Walk)
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WHEN WE DON’T UNDERSTAND
All things work together for good to them that love God.Romans 8:28
Our Lord’s message to us is that we must trust Him absolutely and explicitly, even when we cannot understand. That, in effect, as we have seen, is what He was saying to John in Matthew 11:2-6. “I am doing the things you have heard reported of Me. But then you say, “Why aren’t You doing other things?” But if you really believe that I am the Messiah, the Son of God, cannot you leave it to Me? Even about this question of your being in prison and what your friends are saying about My not being concerned about you “John, if you know that I am who I am, cannot you trust Me there in prison itself?”
Faith means that I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ absolutely. Ah, we all have to learn this lesson. Even Paul had to pass this way. He had a thorn in the flesh, and he could not understand it. It seemed all wrong to him. He wanted to preach the gospel, but the thorn was a hindrance to him. Three times he besought the Lord to remove it, but this was the answer he got: “My grace is sufficient for thee.” “I am not taking out the thorn,” said the Lord in effect, “but I will do something infinitely bigger. I will bless you with the thorn in your side. I assure you that even with the thorn I can do wonders through you.”
“Quite right,” says Paul, “and I see that when I am weak, then I am strong, and I care about nothing except that I be right with You.” The place that God would have us come to is the one in which we can say, “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). “All things”—it doesn’t matter what. “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11).
A Thought to Ponder: Faith means that I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ absolutely.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 51-52, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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