Psalms 23-27: Timeless praise

There are so many beautiful passages in these five Psalms, that it is difficult to concentrate on one at the expense of the others.  Obviously, the most familiar is the 23rd Psalm, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, But then there's Psalms 24:1: The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Psalms 24 also contains the passage that forms part of Handel's Messiah

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. - Ps. 24:7-9 KJV

Then there's the heartfelt cry in Psalm 25  which has been made into another song.
Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in thee:
let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Ps. 25:1-2 KJV

Again, in Psalms 27 two more passages made into songs sung in recent years:
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Ps 27:1 KJV

And the source of some of the words in the Song 'Better is one day in Your house':

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. - Ps. 17:4

With all the education we have, all the tools that are available to us, all the creativity we are surrounded with, these ancient psalms still have the ring of truth.  The apostle Paul knew what he was talking about when he said:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord - Eph. 5:19 NIV

Psalms 20-22: Some May Trust in Chariots

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. - Ps. 20:7

When David was full of confidence, he wrote psalms like Psalm 20 and 21 where he rejoiced in God's strength.  He could see what God was doing, and he lifted the Lord up on his praises.

O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!
You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever.
Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.  - Psalms 21:1-6 NIV
 
But with Psalm 22, David's tone changes.  'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' he cries.  David may have written the words, but it is not David speaking.  It is another king. Another king in David's own lineage, the rightful owner of the throne.  What kind of a king would the Jews be looking for?  Certainly not one who would let himself be taken without a fight.  Someone who would restore the ear of one come to arrest him.  Not someone who would let himself be crucified. Not someone who found himself in the situation where he would say:
 
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing....
...You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. - Ps. 22:15-24 NIV

Just as David, Jesus trusted in his father, God,  He did not put his trust in horses or in chariots, but in the name of the Lord God.

Psalms 18-19: You're My Rock

It is impossible that the words of our heart and especially the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to God unless we totally rely on him as our rock.

David knew that.  He knew that God strengthened him.  He knew that he was wholly dependent on him.  He knew he was lost without God in his life, and with him, there was nothing that could stand against him.  He knew that God was perfect, in every aspect.

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the LORD ? And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great. - Psalms 18:30-35 - NIV

The only thing that David couldn't know or see, although perhaps his words in this psalm foretell it, is just how far God would stoop down to make us great.  None of the ancients could see, except as through a glass darkly, the extent of God's love for his creation.  They did not know that he loved us enough that he sent his only son that we might be saved.  They did not know that those outside the chosen children of God could be grafted in and become children of God as well, because of his great love and the sacrifice of his son.

Psalms 12-17: Help, Lord for the godly are no more.

It's easy to think that life, right here and now, is as bad as it can get.  That the politicians are more corrupt than ever; that all they care about is their own welfare.  Wall Street is a bunch of greedy crooks.  Big business is out for itself and the little guy suffers.  The environment is being destroyed by our demand for oil.  We are signing away our children's prosperity and burdening them with debt.  Godlessness and licentiousness have become rampant.  Nothing has ever been or will ever be worse than these times.

Then we hear the Psalmist's lament: 
Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.  - Ps. 12:1-2 NIV
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. - Ps 14:1 NIV

But before he decries it as being hopeless, he gives it over to God. 
The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. - Ps. 14:2 NIV

And puts his trust in God alone, not in government or commerce or money.

I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."  - Ps. 16:2 NIV
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
- Ps 16:6 NIV
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. - Ps 16:11 NIV

So in the end, the Psalmist asks for nothing more than to be with God. 

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings - Ps. 17:8 NIV
And I—in righteousness I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. - Ps. 17:15 NIV
 
Can we be satisfied with that, with being the apple of His eye, with hiding in the shadow of His wing, with seeing His face?

Psalms 5-11: In the Lord I Take Refuge

Over and over again in the Psalms you hear the refrain, 'Lord God, Save me because of your unfailing love(Ps. 6:4), save me from those who pursue me (Ps. 7:1)

And over and over again, you hear this response. 'The Lord is in his Holy Temple.' The Psalmists knew where their help came from. 

In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain.
For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. - Ps. 11:1-4 NIV

The Psalmist also knew what our reaction to trouble is to be.
Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.

Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God:
for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning,
O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.-  Ps. 5:1-3 KJV

The God who has been the refuge of his people for generations is still listening for our voice in the morning. He hears the voice of shepherds and cowboys.  Of mothers and kings.  Of the weak and even of the strong.

Psalms 1-4: Taking Stock

With the Psalms, a shift in the telling occurs in the Old Testament.  It is no longer a recitation of the historical events.  Now it becomes much more personal, but the tenor never changes.  It has always been, and will always be about the relationship between God and mankind, his creation.

The Psalms reflect every aspect of that relationship, the awe and wonder, the difficulty in walking out one's faith, the trials and tribulations that all of God's people encounter at one time or another, especially as regards those who do not believe, and the reward for being faithful.

While the Psalmists know that they are set apart and the struggles and frustrations that come as a result of being different, they also recognize God's sovereignty and ultimate power. The first Psalm starts out by saying:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. - PS 1:1-2 NIV

The wicked, however, are tossed to and fro, they are chaff that the wind blows away.  The same can be said for governments, regardless of the era.  Let us break their chains, the officials say.  We know what's best for our subjects.  And all the while, God in heaven is laughing.  The one who trusts in God knows he doesn't have to fear even if ten thousand are arrayed against him, and he also knows that the only way to lie down and sleep in peace is with God by his side.

There is no law that can guarantee us fair treatment, no government that can promise us any security, prosperity or safety and conversely, there is no army that can come against us, no hordes we have to fear, and there is nothing that has any greater power than our God.

Job 40-42: My Eyes Have Seen

In the end, everything that Job had lost was restored; replaced by more than he had before.  But it wasn't because he vindicated himself before God or that he impressed God with his righteousness.  Job finally realizes that.

"I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more." -

'Brace yourself,' God speaks out of the storm, 'brace yourself because you have seen nothing yet. You wanted me to give you answers as to why this calamity has fallen on you. Well, then, brace yourself.'

I will question you, and you shall answer me.
"Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God's, and can your voice thunder like his?
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low,
look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand. - Job 40:7-12 NIV

Who then is able to stand against me?
Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me. - Job 41:10-11 NIV

This elicits the only response Job is able to give:

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know......
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you. - Job 42:3-5 NIV

My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.  That confession sums up the book of Job.  Our ears and all of our knowledge cannot fathom who God really is.  He is not our size, he is not some magician or wizard that we can conjure up to do our bidding.  He is the creator of the universe. the one who hung the stars in space untold centuries ago.  He is all knowing, all seeing.  He holds all life in the palm of his hand.  Job's eyes have finally seen.

Job 38-39: Out of the Storm

Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. - Job 38:1 NIV

Out of the storm that has been surrounding Job, God finally speaks.  But it is not to give Job the answer as to why all of his calamities have befallen him.  Instead it is to ask of Job eternal questions that will put him in his place.

   Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand....
   Who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
   "Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?
   "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail?
   Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades?  Can you loose the cords of Orion?
   Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?
   "Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied his ropes?
   "Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?  - Job 38-39

All these and many more are the questions that God laid before Job.  It is almost as if God was saying, 'Job, you think your troubles are overwhelming.  Think again, look at me.  I am overwhelming.'
The Psalmist, David, had it right.  He often found himself in perilous situations just like Job, yet he was moved to sing:

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. - Psalm 8:3-5 KJV

God has always been speaking to his chosen out of the storms, and peace lies not in the solution to our problems, but in the knowledge of who God really is.

Job 36-37: The Right Perspective

All of us enjoy reality shows.  We like to watch other people struggling and failing instead of ourselves.  Is that what had been happening with Job's three friends.  Were they secretly glad that Job was the one that had fallen on hard times rather than themselves?  The exception to the rule was the youngest one in the bunch, Elihu.  He saw that this was not just a story about Job...it was a story about God.

"God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose....
"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction,
to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. - Job 36: 5 & 16 NIV

You're on a slippery slope, Elihu tells Job.  You cannot see the whole picture, and so you are choosing to argue with God. 

Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.
"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? - Job 21-22 NIV

You want to see a reality show, look at how God manifests himself in the world. 

Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.
After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.  - Job 37: 2-5

The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
Therefore, men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? - Job 37:23-24 NIV

And with that, no one can speak.  They have been looking at the wrong thing all the time.  It was not all about Job.  It was all about the creator and owner of the universe.  It was all about God.

Job 32-35: Wise Beyond Years

Sometimes it's much better to sit and observe rather than trying to argue until one gets the point across.  Elihu, the youngest of the bunch has been holding his tongue throughout all of the dialog between Job and his friends.  He has listened to both of the arguments and is not convinced by either side.  Now he is about to burst.  'I have held my tongue', he tells them, 'because I am young and respect my elders'.

I thought, 'Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.'
But it is the spirit in a man,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right. - Job 32:6-9 NIV

Elihu, though he is young, allows himself to be led by the spirit. 
 
I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know.
For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me;  - Job 32:17-18

And with that, he begins to refute Job's arguments.  Why do you complain that God will not speak with you.  He speaks to men all of the time, in dreams, in visions, his spirit whispers to them.  God may even speak to men by chastening them when he wants them to turn back to Him. 

Elihu goes on further to say that, when Job says that God is denying him justice, he is in fact committing a sin with that declaration.  It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,that the Almighty would pervert justice....But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him?  - Job 34:12 & 29 NIV

God doesn't need any one to speak for him.  He needs people who will listen.  Job is so caught up in his own circumstances that he can only ramble on about how unfair it is, and his words drown out the breath of heaven that would whisper to him.  Fortunately, Elihu who has been siting quietly on the sidelines, has heard the whisper of God's breath.

Job 29-31: It Isn't Fair

In spite of his conclusions, Job still cannot understand why all this calamity has happened to him.  He was such a good man.  He fed the poor, he took care of widows and orphans, he prospered, everyone knew who he was and looked up to him.  His heart was in the right place as well.  He was faithful to his wife and never lusted after another woman.  He did not make gold his god or search after any other gods.  In short, Job was exactly as God described him to Satan.  Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."  - Job 1:8 NIV

And so all of the dialog between Job and his three friends comes to an end.  They have reached no conclusion.  They have maintained all along that Job must have committed some sin against God ,while Job has remained steadfast in his belief that he has done nothing to bring about his situation.

The truth of the matter goes back to the garden when sin entered the world and we have only one response.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. - 1 Peter 5:6-9 NIV

What Job was facing was not new.  The people of God, down through the ages have faced all kinds of persecution from the enemy.  Amidst their cries of 'It isn't fair.  I've done nothing wrong.' they have lost their property and their children.   There has been no mercy even though they begged for it.  The prison doors have not been opened, their wounds have not been healed.  They have wandered without a home or even a country. They have been sent to gas chambers and burned at the stake.

And where was God all of this time.  Right where he has always been, in heaven, looking down on his creation and offering the grace to get through any circumstance if they will only ask.

Job 24-28: The Beginning of Wisdom

Job has grown faint in trying to reason with God.  Now he is just trying to figure it out, to come to a logical conclusion.  The first thing he concludes is that life is not fair.

"Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
Men move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen.
They drive away the orphan's donkey and take the widow's ox in pledge.
They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding. - Job 24:1-4 NIV

Job's second conclusion echoes his friend Bildad who said "Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. - Job 25:2 NIV  Job can see God's majesty and power
 
Death is naked before God; Destruction lies uncovered.
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.
He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it ....
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?" - Job 26:8-14 NIV

Job's final conclusion is that wisdom comes from God. 
 
"Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air.
Destruction and Death say, 'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.'
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.
When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,
when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,
then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.
And he said to man,
'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.' " - Job 28:20-28

Perhaps Job will stop arguing his case now that he is beginning to understand that life is not fair, God is in charge, and God alone is the source of wisdom.

Job 20-23: Confused But Not Bitter

The banter between Job and his 'friends' continues, but the tenor is beginning to change.  Zophar maintains that the fate awaiting the wicked is calamity, while Job points out how the wicked seem to survive without any visible distress.  It doesn't make sense, Job says.

One man dies in full vigor, completely secure and at ease, 
his body well nourished, his bones rich with marrow.
Another man dies in bitterness of soul, never having enjoyed anything good.
Side by side they lie in the dust, and worms cover them both.  - Job 20:23-26 NIV

'So what if you were perfect." Job's friend Eliphaz retorts.  Can a man be of benefit to God, Can even a wise man benefit him? - Job 22:2-3 NIV  'If you return to God, he will restore you.'

This does not cheer Job up.  All he feels is utter abandonment...there is no light at the end of the tunnel. He can no longer see God. 

"But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him.
When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." - Job 23:8-10 NIV

God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.
Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face. - Job 23:16-17

Job is mystified by the calamity that has come upon him.  He cannot understand it's source.  He has always followed God, obeyed his commands, and now this.  Job knows that God is sovereign, even if he doesn't understand His ways.  He is confused, but he is not bitter.

Job 18-19: My Redeemer Lives

Poor Job.  It never ends.  For every argument, for every protest of his innocence, his so-called friends lob the ball right back to him.  'Do you think we're stupid?' Bildad asks, 'It's not all about you, Job.'

"You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?
The lamp of the wicked is snuffed out; " - Job 18:4-5 NIV

'That's it,' Bildad says, 'That's what's going on.  Evil comes to those who don't know God.' 

Some friends you are, is Job's response.
 
If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone.
If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me,
then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me.
"Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.  - Job 18:4-8

But, no matter the reason and no matter what has been done to me, I cannot turn my back on God.

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!  - Job 18:25-27 NIV

And with those words, Job challenges all of us who have trusted in the Lord down through the ages. I know, in spite of overwhelming odds, in spite of fiery trials, in spite of overwhelming temptation, in spite of death, divorce, lost jobs, a faltering economy, bankruptcies, crime, murder, abortion, hurricanes, earthquakes, and oil spills, I know that my Redeemer lives and someday I will see him with my own eyes.

Job 15-17: Is There Any Hope?

Job's wish to argue his case with God brings Eliphaz to life.  'Who are you',  he asks, 'to make such nonsensical requests or to think you have led a blameless life? You sound like a bunch of hot air to me.' 

"Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen,
what wise men have declared, hiding nothing received from their fathers
(to whom alone the land was given when no alien passed among them):
All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless through all the years stored up for him.
Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him.
He despairs of escaping the darkness; he is marked for the sword.
He wanders about—food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. 
Distress and anguish fill him with terror; they overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty," - Job 15:17-25 NIV

 'What miserable friends you are', Job replies. 
"I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all!
Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing?
I also could speak like you, if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. 
But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
"Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away. - Job 16:1-6

Job can find no comfort in any of the words of his friends. 'Say what you will,' Job tells them, 'it's a bunch of foolishness.  I am not going to change my ways.  I will keep my hands clean in spite of my circumstances even though my days have passed, my plans are shattered and so are the desires of my heart.  Don't tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel.  If the grave is my only hope, then is there any hope?' Job cries out. 'Who can see any hope for me? '

Job 11-14: Zophar's Accusation

Job's friend Zophar comes at him next.  'You must have done something wrong,' he tells him.  'God is higher than you think, more than you can know.  He can see things about you that we can't.  He's not deceived.  All you need to do is reach out to him.  He can make what's wrong right.'

"Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and without fear. - Job 11:13-15 NIV

'Easy for you to say', Job replies.  'Even the animals know that God is sovereign.  That he can do what he wants, for whatever reason he wants.  Did it ever occur to you that I may have done nothing wrong.'

"My eyes have seen all this,
my ears have heard and understood it.
What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
But I desire to speak to the Almighty
and to argue my case with God. "- Job 13:1-3

All Job wants is a chance to plead his case with God.  He thinks that if he can go before the Almighty he may get God to stop his suffering.  He knows how mighty God is, but Job also knows that the sovereign God is his only hope.
 
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
I will surely defend my ways to his face.
Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,
for no godless man would dare come before him! - Job 13:15-16

All Job asks of God is two requests:  that he stop his afflictions and that he let Job speak directly to him so Job can defend himself.

Job 8-10: Bildad- Leaning on a Spider Web

If you trust in anything other than God, you will come to nothing, Bildad tells Job. 

Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
so perishes the hope of the godless.
What he trusts in is fragile;
what he relies on is a spider's web.
He leans on his web, but it gives way;
he clings to it, but it does not hold.  - Job 8:13-15 NIV

'But if you're blameless,'  he goes on to say, 'God will not reject you.'

"Indeed, I know that this is true."  Job replies,
But how can a mortal be righteous before God?
When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him....
 ....If he snatches away, who can stop him?
Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' - Job 9:1-12 NIV

'What good does it do me to complain to God,' Job asks,  'Even you, my friends, think that I must have done something wrong to deserve this.  But I maintain my innocence.  How can I confront God.  How can I confront my creator'.

If only I had never come into being,
or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!
Are not my few days almost over?
Turn away from me so I can have a moment's joy
before I go to the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and deep shadow,  - Job 10:19-21 NIV

'I'm not leaning on a spider web,' Job says.  'I trust God, but I see no good outcome for me.  I may as well die.'

Job 4-7: Searching for Answers

Eliphaz, one of Job's three friends, tells Job what he thinks the problem is.  "Obviously", he says in so many words, "You must have done something wrong."  What innocent person was ever punished?"  he asks, "When were the upright ever destroyed? You, Job, are not more righteous than God,. You must have done something wrong.  There is no one to call on but God.  You are being foolish if you don't do so."

"Blessed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
For he wounds, but he also binds up;
he injures, but his hands also heal." - Job 5:17-18 NIV

"What kind of friend are you?" Job asks Eliphaz.  You think if I confess my sins to God this will all go away?  I tell you, I have not sinned.  It was not my actions that brought this calamity on me.  It's the plight of man.  I see no reason to live.:
 
I despise my life; I would not live forever.
Let me alone; my days have no meaning.
"What is man that you make so much of him,
that you give him so much attention,
that you examine him every morning
and test him every moment?
Will you never look away from me,
or let me alone even for an instant?
If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of men?
Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a burden to you?  - Job 7:17-20 NIV

Job 1-3: A Blameless Man

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. - Job 1:1

Satan's argument to God was that Job was blameless and upright only because God had put a hedge of protection around him.  He was blessed with sons and daughters, fields and flocks.  So God gave Satan permission to strike everything Job had.  When Job's children and possessions were all taken away and he still did not curse God, God granted Satan's second request and gave him permission to do anything he wanted to Job short of taking his life.  So Job was afflicted with painful sores from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. 

Job must have been miserable to look at.  His wife's response was that he should just curse God and die.  And his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who rushed to his side when they heard of his calamities, were dumbstruck.  They sat on the ground with him for seven days without speaking. 

When someone finally does speak it is Job.  And all he can say is that he wishes he had never been born.  He has forgotten all the joy he experienced during his life.  He has forgotten the joy of watching his children grow, the joy of sharing good food and drink with family and friends, the joy of seeing his business prosper.  Perhaps it was true as Satan said that Job's peace and trust in God was only because of the hedge that God had placed around him.  Will this blameless man blame God?

Esther 5-10: Celebration of Purim

Esther ends her response to Mordecai with a request that the Jews who are in Susa fast day and night for three days.  "When this is done, she tells Mordecai.  "I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.  And if I perish, I perish" - Esther 4:16

So while Haman hatches his plot for killing the Jews, Esther hatches her plot as well.  Both are dangerous, but only one has the Lord God and a lot of fasting and praying behind it.  As a result of those petitions to God on behalf of the Jews, the king finds himself unable to sleep.  He has the chronicles of his reign brought in and discovers the record of Mordecai exposing the threat against him and thus saving his life. 

Haman's plot is foiled even before Esther can put her plan into place.  The king finally honors Mordecai for his actions and Haman realizes that he is doomed.  The gallows built for Mordecai become Haman's death sentence. 

Finally, the edict that Haman had issued to kill all of the Jews is reversed and a new edict grants the Jews the right to assemble and protect themselves.  Mordecai, who had been dressed in sackcloth and ashes left the kings presence in royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. 

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, when the Jews were to be killed, instead they were able with the permission that had been granted, to kill their enemies instead.  They killed seventy-five thousand men and established the custom of celebrating for two days each year which is called Purim. Because Haman had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. - 1 Chron 9:24  NIV

Once again, what man meant for evil God uses for good.

Esther 1-5: For Such a Time as This

The Israelites have lost their position.  They are strangers in a strange land, subject to the laws and customs of that land.  How do they preserve their identity without risking their lives.  Keeping a low profile is not always the best way although it may be what comes to mind first.  And so it is with Esther.  She's a natural beauty, and that beauty allows her to hide her identity from the King Xerxes.  But it could not have been just her beauty that made her attractive.  There must have been something else, because she won the favor of everyone who saw her.  Even the king's eunuch, Hegai, saw something special in Esther and took her under his wing. 

Meanwhile, a lot of plotting and scheming is going on.  First Esther's uncle, Mordecai, uncovers a conspiracy to assassinate Xerxes.  God has placed Esther in a position where she can report this and this plotters are taken care of.  Then Haman starts putting into action his own plot to eliminate all of the Jews and the edict goes out that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, all the Jews are to be killed and their goods plundered. 

What can be done, the Jews are helpless.  Mordecai tears his clothes and puts on sackcloth and ashes, but the deed is done. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. - Esther 4:3 NIV

There is nothing that any of the men of Israel can do to prevent what is about to happen.  The only Jewish person in any position of influence is Esther.  She is in that position because of her beauty.  Is that enough?
When Esther sends word to Mordecai that she has to have permission to enter the kings presence or she will be killed,  he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  - Esther 4:13-14 NIV

Perhaps it wasn't her beauty at all that caused her to be taken into the kings palace.  Perhaps she was placed there for just such as time as this.

Nehemiah 11-13: Dedication of the Wall

Nehemiah's efforts at rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem finally paid off.  The leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem and they cast lots in the surrounding villages to resettle one tenth of the people living there to Jerusalem.  Among those going to Jerusalem were priests descended from Levi, gatekeepers, temple servants, and descendants of Asaph who led in thanksgiving and prayer.

With all these, it was time to dedicate the wall of Jerusalem.  What a sight that must have been.  The Levites provided the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres and singers came from the surrounding villages.  The priests purified themselves, they purified the people and the gates and even the wall.  Then, two large choirs proceeded along the top of the wall  surrounding Jerusalem from two sides followed by the leaders of Judah, priests with trumpets and musical instruments.  They stopped at the Gate of the Guard where they gave thanks then went to the temple where they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy.  The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem was heard far away. 

The people who had been taken away were finally back home and once more praising the Lord.  The walls of Jerusalem once more surround God's people and his love surrounds them as well.

As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
so the LORD is round about his people
 from henceforth even for ever. . -Ps 125:2 KJV

Nehemiah 8-10: Stand Up and Bless the Lord

How many generations have passed since the exile, since the Children of Israel were ripped from the promised land because they had forgotten their God and his commandments?  After 70 years, or about three generations, some of them were allowed to return to build the temple.  Nehemiah's return was another 70-80 years later.  Three more generations have passed and now it was time for the people to be told once more of the covenant God had made with their ancestors.

Nehemiah, the governor, and Ezra, the scribe, go before the people.  Ezra stood on a high wooden platform facing the square from the Water Gate, where all could see him.  He opened the book of the law and all of the people stood up.  He read it aloud from daybreak until noon.  Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!"  Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. - Nem. 8:6 NIV

The more they discovered about the law, the more they committed themselves to their God.  They celebrated the feasts of booths with great joy for seven days. Then some of the Levites stood on the stairs and with loud voices called to the Lord God while others told the people to "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. "
"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD.  - Nem. 9:5 NIV
 
The song echos down through the ages, sung by those with contrite hearts. 
 
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your glorious name
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise
For You alone are the Lord

Stand up! and bless the Lord
Forever and ever
Stand up! and bless your God
He alone is the Lord

Stand up! and bless the Lord
Forever and ever
Stand up! and bless your God
He alone is the Lord of all!

© 1986 ZionSong Music

Nehemiah 5-7: Safe Once More

Nehemiah faced so many obstacles when he was trying to rebuild walls around Jerusalem, but as the good and trusted administrator, he persevered through all of them without losing sight of the goal.  None was more discouraging than the complaints of some of the Israelites against their Jewish brothers.  The people who returned from exile earlier were sold to the Gentiles as slaves.  When they could, they were bought back, but now they were being sold to the more prosperous Jews who had returned to be administrators.  In the past, the administrators had placed a heavy burden on the poor Jews remaining in Israel.  They took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine.  The people lost their houses, fields, vineyards and olive groves.

Nehemiah called all of the priests, nobles and officials and made them take an oath that they would return what was due to the rightful owners and stop the practice of usury between their fellow Jews.  Once this issue was settled, and the poor of God's people were being treated rightly by their own, work was able to continue with God's blessing.  In spite of all the insults and intimidation, the wall around Jerusalem was completed.  So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.  When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. - Nem. 6:15-16 NIV

Finally, the walls are done, the doors have been set in place, gatekeepers, singers and Levites have been appointed and Jerusalem is safe once more.

Nehemiah 1-4: Cupbearer to the King

According to Wikipedia, a cup-bearer was an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, a person must be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold this position. He must guard against poison in the king's cup, and was sometimes required to swallow some of the wine before serving it. His confidential relations with the king often gave him a position of great influence. The position of cup bearer is greatly valued and given to only a select few throughout history. Qualifications for the job were not held lightly but of high esteem valued for their beauty and even more for their modesty, industriousness and courage.

Nehemiah was all of these things and even more.  He was fully aware of God's might and the reason the Israelites found themselves in exile.  He was also brokenhearted and contrite before God.  When he heard the report that the Israelites who had returned from exile earlier were in great trouble and that Jerusalem's walls were broken down, he sat down and wept, then mourned, fasted and prayed for days.
"O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. - Nem. 1:4-7 NIV

When the king saw that Nehemiah was so downcast, he asked what was wrong.  The interesting thing about Nehemiah's response is that he prayed to God before he gave the king an answer.  It doesn't say that he went into his room and prayed, only that he prayed.  Nehemiah was constantly aware of his God.  He knew that it was God that gave him favor with the king.  He also knew that it was God who was behind his desire to rebuild the gates and the walls of Jerusalem.  Even Sanballat and Tobiah, with their ridicule and mockery, and later their threats to fight the Israelites and priests doing the restoration, could not discourage him.  A lesser man might have been tempted to give up, but not Nehemiah.  Not only was he a trusted servant to king Artaxerxes, but he was a trusted servant of God.  He knew he had to guard against the poison of those who wanted to prevent Jerusalem from being restored.  He was cupbearer to The King.

Ezra 8-10: Less than Our Sins Deserved

The Jews who resettled in Israel during the reign of Cyrus had been there for several generations when Ezra, with the permission of the reigning king, Artaxerxes, left Babylon for Jerusalem.  Ezra, the priest, was seen as a leader because he had devoted himself to the study and observance and teaching of the law. All of the exiles in Babylon that wanted to return to Jerusalem assembled with Ezra at the canal that flows toward Ahava to prepare for the dangerous journey through territory that was occupied by enemies and bandits.

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him."  So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. - Ezra 8:21-23 NIV

Ezra knew, and communicated to the people, that God's anger is against all who forsake him.  So when they arrived in Jerusalem and Ezra saw that the people who had returned from captivity earlier had intermarried with the neighboring people, it was only natural that Ezra would be appalled.  He tore his tunic and cloak and pulled out the hair from his head and beard.  At the evening sacrifice, Ezra fell on his knees and prayed:
"O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens......"What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this. Shall we again break your commands and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor?  O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence." - Ezra 9:6-15 NIV

In order to purge the sin from Israel,  the men who had intermarried had to come before the leaders of the family divisions and separate themselves from the foreign wives.  A hard thing to do, but no more difficult than setting off on a journey through dangerous territory without soldiers and horsemen for protection.  Ezra knew that humility and repentance before God was crucial for the Jew's survival.  The fact that God had preserved a remnant showed his faithfulness; that the Israelites would put away their foreign wives showed their humility and contrite hearts.