Job’s reply here to Zophar is quite simple – you’ve got to be kidding me… Look around… The wicked don’t suffer like this… They prosper and go to their grave in peace… Your words are completely false, they don’t stand up to the most simple and basic observations of life. As we’ve seen before, Job’s words here are an expansion… Read more →

Zophar continues to sound like an expert health, wealth and prosperity preacher. Zophar seems to pick up from Job’s words that Job isn’t taking him seriously or listening his perspective (3). He then proceeds to tell Job what is supposedly so obvious that everyone knows it, but Job (4). Verse 5 sums up Zophar’s thesis – “the exulting of the… Read more →

If I were planning this series down to the day, I would have planned for this chapter to fall on Easter Sunday. Yet we come to it on Easter Monday – as it is called here in New Zealand. Through the first 22 verses of his reply, Job continues to describe and lament his plight. His “counsellors” have continued to… Read more →

Today is Easter Sunday and a most unusual Easter Sunday at that. it is also day 18 of our national lockdown in New Zealand. As a result this will be the third Sunday when we will meet as a church online rather than in one another’s physical presence. As far as I know this will be the first Easter Sunday… Read more →

Job 17 is a difficult chapter. Here Job concludes this speech. In his conclusion he further critiques his friends and their lack of help. He further loathes his suffering. He then raises some difficult questions near the end, which he does venture to answer here. Firstly, it is helpful to recognise in the Old Testament, the word “Sheol” is not… Read more →

Job’s reply in chapter 16, though immediately following Eliphaz’s second speech is more a reply to all of his “friends” than only Eliphaz. We see this in how he refers to them as a group in verse 2. He begins his reply by stating how worthless their words have been thus far. Job could have said as much as they… Read more →

Round two begins. Eliphaz steps back up to the mic. He has much to say, at least in words. He doesn’t really say much in substance. His message is similar to what has already been said – Job has sinned. All of this would not have happened to him unless he had sinned in some way. Specifically, Job is accused… Read more →

Today marks the halfway point for our four week lockdown here in New Zealand. There are, of course, rumours the lockdown could be extended. There are, of course, calls for it to be lifted early. The one thing, I think, most of us know is that we really have no idea what the next weeks or even months will be… Read more →

In this middle portion of Job’s reply to his three “friends” he continues firstly by reiterating in no uncertain terms, that their “counsel” has been less than helpful. Job says they have, in fact, misrepresented God and would have shown themselves to be wise if they had stayed silent! Since they didn’t, Job says they will be held to account… Read more →