Second Bible Read Thread

[SarahsKnight]

Day 12: Feb 8

Job 32 through 34

 

[SarahsKnight]

Where did this Elihu come from, by the way? In chapter 32 he's sort of just ... there, out of the blue, and really starts to verbally lace into Job and his three friends, each for different reasons. In fact, in the first passage of 32 Elihu makes it apparent the precise injustices he finds in Job's words and that of Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 13: Feb 9

Job 35 through 37

 

[NurseAbigail]

Day 10: Feb 6

Job 24 through 28

This part caught my attention, interesting how he mentions that...
Job 25:5 Behold, even the moon hath no brightness...
This is scientific...the moon only reflects light from the sun...I think this is pretty cool that Job understood this...

Job 28, was very fascinating as well, very poetic, I love how Job composed it, he talked about the different kinds of precious stones where they could be found, but that Wisdom is more precious than all of these. And he says that the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding, to which this was actually quoted later on in Proverbs by King David.

Where did this Elihu come from, by the way? In chapter 32 he's sort of just ... there, out of the blue, and really starts to verbally lace into Job and his three friends, each for different reasons. In fact, in the first passage of 32 Elihu makes it apparent the precise injustices he finds in Job's words and that of Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad.

Lol, yeah, he was the youngest of them. Kinda funny to have a visual image of him based on how he described his longing to speak...
18 For I am full of words; The spirit within me constraineth me.
19 Behold, my breast is as wine which hath no vent; Like new wine-skins it is ready to burst.
20 I will speak, that I may be refreshed; I will open my lips and answer.

 

[Multifavs]

A little late, but I was busy when we read this part:

Job's speeches and mourning remind me in a way of myself at the times when my anxiety was at its worst. I felt so sad and scared, sometimes feeling like it was hopeless and even wondering what my purpose could possibly be. I think we all can feel this way sometimes when things are going badly. We've got to place our trust in the Lord, even if it isn't always easy. But we know He is always there for us no matter what and He is in control.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 14: Feb 10

Job 38 and 39

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 15: Feb 11

Job 40 through 42

Here the Lord finishes rebuking Job directly for his attempting to appear righteous before God but by his own ways, however God afterward also rebukes Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar for also speaking wrongfully of Him (perhaps it was by their presumption that Job must have done something bad enough for God Himself to bring about this calamity as punishment, when that was not the case - basically the opposite extreme from the wrong that Job spoke in trying to suggest that he was righteous enough on his own to deserve no calamity).

I noticed a similarity here - perhaps it was deliberate - in chapter 42 when God commands Job's three friends to bring an offering as repentance but that only Job could pray for their sins of harsh judgment to be removed. It seemed like an illustration of the concept to come later in the New Testament that Jesus Christ would have to remove our own sins from us that we may be reconciled to God. We could not do it by our efforts and sacrifices. It doesn't mean that Job could be Savior for us, of course, but it does go to show that someone else need take our place to right our wrongs, to intercede for us. And God strongly suggested here in commanding Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar to have Job pray on their behalf, that their own prayers would not be enough Job would have to intercede for them. Who knows? Perhaps God had it worked out this way with Job and his friends to give us a picture of the new and better system of ultimate salvation and forgiveness of sins, with our one and only Savior Jesus Christ, later to come? There are prophecies about Christ coming soon in many of the OT books of prophecy like Isaiah, so why not a foreshadowing here in Job as well?

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 16: Feb 12

Genesis 12 through 15

 

[NurseAbigail]

Day 15: Feb 11

Job 40 through 42

Here the Lord finishes rebuking Job directly for his attempting to appear righteous before God but by his own ways, however God afterward also rebukes Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar for also speaking wrongfully of Him (perhaps it was by their presumption that Job must have done something bad enough for God Himself to bring about this calamity as punishment, when that was not the case - basically the opposite extreme from the wrong that Job spoke in trying to suggest that he was righteous enough on his own to deserve no calamity).

I noticed a similarity here - perhaps it was deliberate - in chapter 42 when God commands Job's three friends to bring an offering as repentance but that only Job could pray for their sins of harsh judgment to be removed. It seemed like an illustration of the concept to come later in the New Testament that Jesus Christ would have to remove our own sins from us that we may be reconciled to God. We could not do it by our efforts and sacrifices. It doesn't mean that Job could be Savior for us, of course, but it does go to show that someone else need take our place to right our wrongs, to intercede for us. And God strongly suggested here in commanding Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar to have Job pray on their behalf, that their own prayers would not be enough Job would have to intercede for them. Who knows? Perhaps God had it worked out this way with Job and his friends to give us a picture of the new and better system of ultimate salvation and forgiveness of sins, with our one and only Savior Jesus Christ, later to come? There are prophecies about Christ coming soon in many of the OT books of prophecy like Isaiah, so why not a foreshadowing here in Job as well?

True, maybe Job was like the/a very first priest.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 17: Feb 13

Genesis 16 through 18

 

[TheGirlOnFire]

I don't know what Sarah was thinking with this one.

I also think its interesting that Ishmael is considered to be a descendant of Muslims

 

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

I don't know what Sarah was thinking with this one.

I also think its interesting that Ishmael is considered to be a descendant of Muslims

he's considered the father of them.

 

[SarahsKnight]

I don't know what Sarah was thinking with this one.

How she laughed at the thought of bearing a child in her old age (although obviously not old enough to no longer be considered beautiful and desirable if the Egyptians' treatment of her is anything to go by; it couldn't have been that long ago from the time today's reading took place). And yet God was still faithful and blessed she and Abraham.

Chapters 16 through 18 are probably among my most favorite events that occur in all of Scripture. How God established His covenant with Abraham simply because Abraham believed in His promises (the sacrifice of the animals and the vision of the torch passing among them as Abraham slept); His fulfillment of one of those promises despite Sarah's crazy idea with giving Hagar her maidservant to Abraham just to have children vicariously, displaying her unbelief; Abraham's pleading with God to withhold his killing hand from Sodom despite its wickedness (the hideous nature of which we will soon discover - with the wanton raping of even angelic messengers from God and all), and God promising in response that even for the sake of as little as ten righteous people to be found in Sodom and Gomorrah, He would not destroy them.

Just ... beautiful illustrations to me, I guess.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 18: Feb 14

Genesis 19 through 21

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 19: Feb 15

Genesis 22 through 24

 

[SarahsKnight]

Really love the story of Isaac, Rebekah, and Abraham's loyal servant in chapter 24. Just the events and the encouraging and overly polite way all of the people involved in the situation of the servant finding a wife for Isaac, spoke with one another. ^-^

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 20: Feb 16

Genesis 25 and 26

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 21: Feb 17

Genesis 27 through 29

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 22: Feb 18

Genesis 30 and 31

 

[SarahsKnight]

Chapter 31 => Yeah, Jacob may be the father of the twelve Israelite tribes in the OT, but he's one to talk about being deceived and manipulated (to Laban), right? Am I the only one who thinks Jacob kind of had a taste of his own medicine when Laban made him work an extra seven years for Rachel after tricking him into marrying Leah?

I remember a sermon at my home church in Magnolia once about how there is some indication that Leah was the better woman of the two daughters of Laban despite appearances (she is described as having "weak eyes" in Genesis while Rachel apparently turned more heads with her beauty). I honestly don't remember the Scriptural reasoning here on why, as this sermon must have been way back when I was in college, but at the very least it does seem apparent in Genesis that Jacob's desires were a bit shallow, his wanting Rachel, and seemingly throwing Leah aside and ignoring her for a time after he realized he'd been duped by Laban and married her instead of Rachel. And Rachel does seem to have misplaced jealousy for her older sister when she sees that God hears Leah's distress and gives Leah not one but FOUR children, before Rachel or either of the sisters' two maids Bilhah and Zilpah can. I like how the twelve children of Jacob are presented to us in chapter 31, that he bore with Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah, who become the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. For some reason, I kind of like the names Reuben and Dinah best.
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Day 23: Feb 19

Genesis 32 through 34