Words inscribed in stone

Continuing on in the book of Job, chapter 19, Job again speaks, asking his friends why they hurt him with their words.  How long will they keep this up, insulting him.  He knows he has sinned, but does not want to hear it from his friends.  He wants the Lord to tell him what he had done to deserve such punishment.

He laments on that his friends have abandoned him, when he cries out, no one listens.  All of his family are gone and he is considered a foreigner to all others.

He pleads for mercy from his friends.  He wishes for his words to be recorded, inscribed in a monument for all to see.  He is detested by all.

But the Lord, the Redeemer, lives on and his enemies should be fearful.

The nature of the wicked

In the 18th chapter from the book of Job, Bildad, one of the friends seated with him, responded to Job's latest tirade.

First, he scorned Job for speaking to his friends like they were animals, that they were stupid.  But he sid, despite his anger, will that do any good?  Will the earth tremble from his mere words?

Then, Bildad goes on to describe the nature of those who are wicked.  Those who are wicked, those who reject God, will live in darkness, they are living in a constant trap in their lives.  They will have no descendants to honor their lives.  He goes on and on, describing the vile ways in which those who reject the Lord, the wicked, will live an appalling life.  They will have no survivors, and the only remembrance will be those who cherish and honor the Lord. for they will say, "This is the home of a wicked person."  Their reputation will follow them to the grave.

The Lord's Face Shines Down On You

The author of Psalm 80 makes a plea to the Lord, asking to show His mighty power to rescue us.  There are numerous passages where he asks God to shine His face down on us.

Only then, will we be saved, by His Holiness.

The author reminds God that He brought His people out of Egypt, drove away the pagan nations, cleared the choice land for us, gave us everything we ever needed.  He begs the Lord not to turn His back on us, not to abandon us.

The Lord shines down upon us.

With God, we are saved.

One Crushed Spirit

The first verse of chapter 17, from the book of Job, starts with, "My spirit is crushed . . ."

I'm positive all of us have felt a crushed spirit at one time or another.  Whether it's at the seat of a dying loved one, a huge financial or job loss, devastating news about a close relative, harsh medical news, or even car troubles while in the middle of nowhere--and countless other scenarios--we have all felt that feeling of hopelessness, helplessness, and a downright crushed spirit.

In the next few verses, Job expresses how his life is nearly snuffed out and that he is surrounded by those who continuously mock him.

No one will stand up for him.

He pleads with God for his innocence.  His hopes have vanished.  His heart's desires are torn away from him.

Hope, he prays for.  He searches to find any hope, saying that his only hope may go down in the grave with him.

The Chosen - a dramatic portrayal of Jesus unlike anything else (and that's a good thing)

Some days I feel like I'm late to the party on many things, and the 2019 drama titled The Chosen is no exception.

The Chosen is a dramatic portrayal of Jesus through the eyes of those who were with him.  I have been watching season 1 on DVD, and as of this posting I have one episode left.

If I have to describe The Chosen down to one word, it's this: AMAZING!  Throughout each episode, I've laughed, cried, cheered, and have been amazed.

As far back as I can remember, I've loved watching movies about Jesus.  Most of them seem to tell roughly the same story.

The Chosen tells this dramatic story of Jesus quite unlike other movies or TV shows--and that's a good thing.  The story isn't told in a linear fashion, from His birth to death, but rather in a unique telling, mixing Old Testament with New Testament historical events.

According to the website for The Chosen, it will be seven seasons long, and it is one of the best crowd-sourced film projects of all time.  Currently, season 2 is in production.  This is definitely one you will not want to miss.

Sins of our ancestors

Psalm 79 is a very visual psalm in the first few verses.

It starts by proclaiming that pagan nations have conquered our lands, and that the bodies of the Lord's servants have been left as food for the birds, the flesh of godly people have become food for wild animals.  Blood flowed through Jerusalem like water.

And that's just the first three verses.

We are mocked by our neighbors--something many have felt this past election season in the United States.  We have been mocked by our faith, our convictions, when the hypocrisy from others have been ripe and vengeful.

Verse 8 stood out for me: "Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors!"  So much of our division nowadays seems to stem from past events.  Events that occurred several decades, if not centuries ago.  Even against people who are long since dead.

But in the end of this short psalm, it pleads that we the people of the Lord, like the sheep of God's pasture, will thank you forever and ever.  We will pass on our praise to Your Greatness from generation to generation.

Amen.

An advocate for God

Continuing on in the book of Job, chapter16, Job responded to his friends about how empty their words of supposed comfort are, that he would do a better job of stringing words together than them.

What Job was looking for was an advocate of God.  He knew he couldn't speak to the Almighty Lord Himself, so the next best thing would be an advocate.

Job's enemies have attacked him from all angles.

There is a saying that keeps me going each day: God can bring you to it, and God can bring you through it.  Whenever I'm struggling with something tough, I'm reminded of this.  So much was done to Job, and yet he still wanted to have a conversation with God.

Speak to Him through prayer.