Podcasts about in job

No one is truly alone. Some people have many relatives and friends, others just a few. Occasionally, someone will have no real friends or family, but all of us interact with humans, and that over time, has proven to be dicey. The health of our relationships is one of the biggest factors in how we function each day. Turmoil and chaos at home or work, or both, puts us in emotional quicksand. On the other hand, healthy relationships in our lives improve our overall health and make us more productive.In Genesis, God modeled right relationships for humans, and this model continues through the Bible right to the end in Revelation. From this, we see that our first priority in relationships is to be in fellowship with our Creator. Get that one right, and everything else flows. Following close behind is finding harmony in our human relationships, and getting this right is crucial to finding peace. Ephesians 4:2–3 says, “Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”Most people are familiar with the well-known Bible verses that deal with relationships, such as Paul's wisdom from Ephesians, but Scripture is loaded with helpful and healing relationship commands. We hesitate to call it advice because God doesn't really give advice. He tells us what is good for us and what may be harmful. For example, a fairly obscure passage in Job speaks to mean in any era having healthy relationships with women. In Job 31:1 the suffering man says, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.” Wow. So simple, yet very important and profound.That chapter goes on to say that God sees all that we do. He's watching how we treat people. Job made it clear that a man can decide he's going to treat women with respect. It isn't complicated or beyond our reach. So often, simply deciding to be a decent human being leads to waves of healing and peace of mind for everyone. Lots of books have been written about relationships, from marriage to raising children, but the best book of all has the best wisdom, and if you check that out, your relationships will thank you. Let's pray.Father God, you've given us the gift of interacting with other people. Each is unique and created special. We ask that you send the Holy Spirit to guide our relationships so that they're pleasing to you and to others. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Speaker: Brent Kercheville. The book of Job has now come to its conclusion where the Lord is now giving the final word about how he runs the world and the reason for Job's suffering. The Lord has appeared in a whirlwind and is speaking to Job from that whirlwind. In Job 38-39 the Lord has challenged Job to […] The post Seeing God’s Power In Suffering (Job 40-41) appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.

In Job 41–42 and Psalms 1–22, God reveals His unmatched power and wisdom, leading Job to humility and restoration, while the psalmists celebrate the blessings of trusting the Lord through worship, suffering, repentance, and confidence in His deliverance.Read the WHOLE Bible with me! Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If you appreciate what is happening on this channel, please like, comment and most importantly, share this everywhere you can so we can bring as many people as possible with us on this Bible reading journey. GOD IS SO GOOD!Here is a link to all of the worship songs I have finished the Bible readings with. Worship with me!https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0l3ExigVUcMr6ja88bC607BoR1EaQuF&si=e1HfJdRXr4LSdU7WHere is the link to read the WHOLE Bible with me on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0l3ExigVUdyHEiJ2X2tFvXNINmLMs7O&si=FM_Od_qVefeWU1kYDo you want a Bald Headed Country Boy t-shirt? You can find them on my website with the link below.https://baldheadedcountryboy.com/

In Job 25–40, Job and his friends continue debating the meaning of suffering and God's justice, until the Lord responds with His overwhelming wisdom and power, reminding Job of His sovereignty over all creation.Read the WHOLE Bible with me! Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If you appreciate what is happening on this channel, please like, comment and most importantly, share this everywhere you can so we can bring as many people as possible with us on this Bible reading journey. GOD IS SO GOOD!Here is a link to all of the worship songs I have finished the Bible readings with. Worship with me!https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0l3ExigVUcMr6ja88bC607BoR1EaQuF&si=e1HfJdRXr4LSdU7WHere is the link to read the WHOLE Bible with me on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0l3ExigVUdyHEiJ2X2tFvXNINmLMs7O&si=FM_Od_qVefeWU1kYDo you want a Bald Headed Country Boy t-shirt? You can find them on my website with the link below.https://baldheadedcountryboy.com/

In Job 1–24, Job endures devastating loss and suffering yet continues seeking understanding from God, while wrestling with difficult questions about pain, justice, and faith alongside the misguided counsel of his friends.Read the WHOLE Bible with me! Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If you appreciate what is happening on this channel, please like, comment and most importantly, share this everywhere you can so we can bring as many people as possible with us on this Bible reading journey. GOD IS SO GOOD!Here is a link to all of the worship songs I have finished the Bible readings with. Worship with me!https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0l3ExigVUcMr6ja88bC607BoR1EaQuF&si=e1HfJdRXr4LSdU7WHere is the link to read the WHOLE Bible with me on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0l3ExigVUdyHEiJ2X2tFvXNINmLMs7O&si=FM_Od_qVefeWU1kYDo you want a Bald Headed Country Boy t-shirt? You can find them on my website with the link below.https://baldheadedcountryboy.com/

Speaker: Brent Kercheville. Job has said many words that need to be addressed. In Job 32-33 Elihu responds to Job who has contended that God was silent throughout his suffering. God is not silent in suffering but is speaking through suffering. Trials are protective and corrective, not punitive, transforming us and moving us closer to the image of […] The post God Is Not Unjust When Suffering (Job 34) appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.

Show Notes: Charles Spurgeon's SermonWhen you're crying out to God in pain and getting only silence, is He ignoring you?Job has lost everything. He's been interrogated by three friends, talked over by a brash young man named Elihu, and God still hasn't said a word. In Job 35–37, Elihu makes his final case, and for one breathtaking moment he actually gets it right.As a storm gathers on the horizon, Elihu stops dissecting Job's theology and does something none of them have done yet. He looks up. And what he sees changes everything he says next.What you'll learn:Faith vs. transaction: Elihu lands a truth worth sitting with. Your relationship with God was never meant to be a deal. Faithfulness isn't a payment God owes you a return on.Why God sometimes seems silent: There's a difference between crying from pain and crying for God. And it turns out it matters deeply which one you're doing.Songs in the night: What an ancient phrase from Job 35 and a famous Spurgeon sermon reveal about finding peace when it makes no sense to worship.God's power reframed: Job feared God's power would crush him. Elihu argues it's actually the guarantee of justice, a tension that pays off big in the next episode.How not to comfort someone: After four men and dozens of speeches, the most practical lesson in these chapters may be the simplest. Listen before you speak and build bridges, not walls.Discussion Questions for Job 35-37Have you ever tried to comfort someone who was suffering, but your words made things worse instead of better?Is there a trial in your life right now where you need to cry out for God's presence rather than just His intervention?Has God ever used your own suffering to prepare you to comfort someone else?This podcast episode is part of our ongoing Bible Book Club series, Season 18: The Book of Job.We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Contact Bible Book ClubDONATE Buy merch Like, comment, or message us through Bible Book Club's InstagramLike or comment on Susan's Facebook or InstagramLeave us an Apple reviewContact us through our website formThanks for listening and happy podcasting!

Eine Kuh ist lila-weiß und ein Stück Salami wächst auf dem Baum – vermutlich ist das etwas übertrieben, aber trotzdem wachsen viele Kinder heute ohne Bezug zur Landwirtschaft auf. Und damit auch ohne Bezug, wie und wo Nahrungsmittel angebaut und produziert werden. Bauernhof-Kindergärten sind eine Möglichkeit, auch den Kleinsten diesen Bezug wieder näherzubringen. Hanna Dangers kommt von einem Betrieb mit Ackerbau mit Rinderaufzucht in der Region Hannover. Sie ist gelernte Erzieherin, hat dann aber gemerkt, wie sehr ihr die Landwirtschaft fehlt und nochmal Agrarwissenschaften studiert - heute kombiniert die 30-Jährige beides. Sie leitet einen Bauernhof-Kindergarten auf dem landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb ihrer Eltern. Täglich betreuen sie und weitere Erzieherinnen 21 Kinder. Die Kids packen mit an, kümmern sich um die Hühner und schrubben Kartoffeln. Viele von ihnen können sogar die Treckermarken am Geräusch erkennen.Mit Landwirtin Maja Mogwitz und Verbraucher Kuhlage spricht Hanna darüber, warum es ihr so wichtig ist, Kindern viele Themen aus der Landwirtschaft in den ersten Jahren des Lebens nahezubringen.Majas Landwort: "Unterfußdüngung" bei 2:16 min.Im Podcast "63 Hektar" sprechen Verbraucher Kuhlage und Landwirtin Maja Mogwitz miteinander statt übereinander und bequatschen verschiedenste Themen rund um die Landwirtschaft. Denn es gibt häufig Missverständnisse, Vorurteile und auch verhärtete Fronten zwischen Verbrauchern und Landwirten. Außerdem schauen sie hinter die Kulissen.Habt Ihr Themenvorschläge? Dann schreibt uns an 63hektar@ndr.de.Die Folgen im Überblick: https://1.ard.de/63hektar21 Unser Podcast-Tipp: "Eltern ohne Filter"https://1.ard.de/eof_28?q2=63hFilmtipp:Schaut rein in das TV-Geschichtsformat "Job fürs Leben". Da treffen junge Berufstätige auf langjährige Berufserfahrene und sprechen darüber, was ihren Job ausmacht. In der zweiten Folge treffen die jungen Landwirte Elise Köhler und Florian Stolze aus der Region Hannover auf die erfahrenen Landwirte Ottfried Thieleking und Hartmut Giermann. Ottfried hat seinen Acker in den 1960-er Jahren noch mit Pferden bestellt, Hartmut war ein Agrarpilot in der DDR und hat Felder mit Pestiziden besprüht. In "Job fürs Leben" kommen die vier gemeinsam an einen Tisch und sprechen zum Beispiel darüber, wie es war, als Elise nach dem Tod ihres Vaters den Familienhof übernommen hat. https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/job-fuers-leben/landwirtschaft/ndr/Y3JpZDovL25kci5kZS9wcm9wbGFuXzE5NjM3NjUzM19nYW56ZVNlbmR1bmc

When life feels like God has gone silent and everything seems unfair, how do you keep believing He's still good?Job has defended his innocence, the three friends have finally run out of arguments, and an eerie silence has fallen over the city gate. Then a young man named Elihu steps out of the crowd, and he is furious. Furious at Job for questioning God. Furious at the friends for failing to prove their case. And absolutely convinced he has the answer everyone else has missed.But does he? In Job 32–34, Elihu delivers some genuinely fresh theology and some head-scratching contradictions. He says God speaks through suffering to redirect us, not just punish us. He even unknowingly describes a heavenly mediator who sounds remarkably like Jesus. Yet, by the end of chapter 34, he's doing the same thing the three friends did, accusing Job of wickedness and asking for him to be tested even further.What you'll learn in this episode:Who Elihu is: A young outsider with real spiritual insight but also an ego he can't quite keep in checkGod's surprising megaphone: How God speaks through dreams, pain, and messengers, and why your suffering may be redirection, not punishmentA hidden glimpse of Jesus: How Elihu accidentally describes the mediator Job has been crying out for since Chapter 9, a ransom-payer who rescues us from the pitThe pattern we all fall into: Why Elihu starts with compassion but ends up sounding just like Job's friends and what that says about how we handle people in painGod's justice on trial: Elihu's three-part case for why a just God cannot be wrong, and where his argument misses Job's heart entirelyDiscussion Questions for Job 32-34Elihu says that God speaks to us through dreams, suffering, and messengers. Has there been a moment in your life when you recognized that God might have been speaking to you through a difficult experience? What did that realization change for you?Elihu started out wanting to vindicate Job, but the longer he spoke, the more he ended up condemning him. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you began with good intentions but frustration caused you to say something you ended up regretting?Elihu's insight that suffering can be preventive rather than punitive is a powerful idea. Is there a "thorn in your flesh" in your own life that, looking back, you can see God may have used to redirect or protect you?This podcast episode is part of our ongoing Bible Book Club series, Season 18: The Book of Job.We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Contact Bible Book ClubDONATE Buy merch Like, comment, or message us through Bible Book Club's InstagramLike or comment on Susan's Facebook or InstagramLeave us an Apple reviewContact us through our website formThanks for listening and happy podcasting!

Speaker: Brent Kercheville. Job has been proclaiming the need for faithfulness when suffering. In Job 28 we see Job proclaiming to anyone who will listen that the fear of the Lord is wisdom. Turning away from evil is understanding (cf. Job 28:28). The friends of Job believed they had come to Job with wisdom to comfort and correct […] The post Faithful Through Suffering (Job 29-31) appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.

Every day, all over the earth, plants engage in chemical warfare against insects and animals that would eat them. When this drama is described by evolutionary scientists, they usually talk about plants as though the plants were skilled chemists who developed their abilities on their own.For example, the leaves of the oak tree contain tannins. Tannins form complexes with proteins so that, when eaten, they have little nutritional value. An evolutionary account of how this arrangement came about describes how the trees supposedly developed this strategy for self-defense. Stories like this make one wonder how oak trees gained so much knowledge about animal digestion and chemistry. Some species of milkweed and dogbane produce powerful muscle relaxants that can be fatal to humans.One might picture, in the far distant past, white-smocked milkweeds working in the chemistry lab. Other “doctor” milk-weeds are feeding various concoctions to humans in cages to test their responses. When one tries to account for this without a Creator, the picture can become silly.The Bible provides an answer that makes a great deal more sense. In Job 38 and 39, the Lord—the Creator—asks Job about dozens of aspects of the creation. In His questioning, He asks Job about the source of the knowledge and abilities found in living things. The answer, of course, is that the creating God, and no one else, designed, built, and taught the creation. Other answers simply can't satisfy.Job 38:4“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.”Prayer: Father, remind me that You are the source of all true knowledge and wisdom in the world, especially when I am tempted to follow human wisdom. In Jesus' Name. Amen. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

This was the first podcast I did on AI in 2024: https://drlaurendeville.com/podcasts/what-the-bible-says-about-artificial-intelligence And these are the rest of my notes, if you want to visit some of the verses I didn't read... שָׁמַע šāmaʿ: - to hear, listen to, obey, discern, perceive, understand- Listening to God specifically, and obeying: - Solomon's request (1 Kings 3:9): what he asks for is a heart that שָׁמַע šāmaʿ - to hear, listen to, obey, discern, perceive, that he might שָׁפַט šāp̄aṭ - judge, govern, vindicate, punish, and בִּין bîn - discern, understand, consider between good and evil. God gives him a heart that is חָכָם - ḥāḵām - wise, skilful, shrewd, learned, prudent, as well as בִּין bîn - discern, understand, consider between good and evil. - Gen 22:18: Abraham obeys God and was willing to offer Isaac (and now all the nations of the earth will be blessed), and then God reiterates this promise to Isaac (Gen 26:5) - Ex 15:26: If the people will listen and do God's commandments, they will be healed - Ex 23:22: if the people will listen, God will fight against their enemies - Ex 24:27: The people promise they will do what God said - (and many more examples of listening to God and obeying, esp in Psalms)- God's šāmaʿ to our prayers--if He hears, He responds (1 John 5:14-15) - Gen 16:11: He heard Hagar's distress and told her she'd have Ishmael - Gen 17:20: Abraham asks God to bless Ishmael and God agrees - Gen 29:33: Leah's prayers to God for children because she is hated - Ex 2:24: God heard the groanings of the Israelites - (and many, many more)- Listening and taking action (whether the action is good or bad, doing what the other person wanted or not--what is heard just prompts a response): - Gen 3:8: Adam and Eve šāmaʿ God after they ate the fruit, and hid themselves. - Gen 3:17 Adam šāmaʿ Eve (hearkened to): he ate the fruit when she asked him to. - Gen 11:7: God confused speech at the Tower of Babel so that they would not šāmaʿ each other - Gen 14:14: Abram heard (šāmaʿ) Lot was taken captive, and it caused him to gather an army - Gen 16:2: Sarai told Abram to sleep with Hagar, and he listened (šāmaʿ) to her - Gen 18:10: Sarai overhears (šāmaʿ) God's promise of a child... but her response is to laugh - Gen 27:5: Rebekah overhears (šāmaʿ) Isaac's word to Esau and takes matters into her own hands. - (and many, many more) שָׂכַל śāḵal: to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper, skill. Interesting that the same word means the knowledge of how to act, and also to prosper and gain favor - cause and effect are wrapped up in the same word. - Incidentally, the same word (sāḵāl), but spelled with a samekh (סָכָל) instead of a shin (שָׂכַל), means fool (Ecclesiastes 2:19, 7:17, 10:3, 10:14, Jeremiah 4:22, 5:21) - samekh סָ root meaning: a shield, leaning on, "supporting" or, in a negative sense, "blocking" (blocking one from God's wisdom) - vs shin שָׂ: A letter of fire, illumination, light - This is the word used in Gen 3:6, describing the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. It apparently thus also means the ability to choose your allegiance. It is spelled there with a shin... - To understand the bigger picture and act accordingly: - Deut 32:29: "O that they were wise, that they understood (śāḵal) this, that they would consider their latter end!" - 1 Sam 18:5: "And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely (śāḵal): and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants." - Same word twice - for emphasis? 1 Sam 18:15: "Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself (śāḵal) very wisely (śāḵal), he was afraid of him." - Ps 32: 8: "I will instruct thee (śāḵal) and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." - Prov 1:2-3: This is the purpose of Proverbs: - "To know wisdom (hok-maw) and instruction; to perceive (bîn) the words of understanding (bînâ), To receive the instruction of wisdom (śāḵal), justice, and judgment (mišpāṭ), and equity." - This is the action as well as the adjective in most Proverbs translated "wise": 10:5, 10:19, 14:35, 15:24, 16:20, 16:23 (here it was the verb, to teach), 17:2, 19:14 (translated prudent here), 21:11 (here it's the passive verb, is instructed), 21:2 (here it's to consider), 21:16 (understanding here), - Isa 44:18: Jesus quoted this about people not understanding his parables " They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand (śāḵal)" - To prosper or to have favor: - Deut 29:9: "Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper (śāḵal) in all that ye do." - Joshua 1:7-8: "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (śāḵal) whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (śāḵal)." - Also used for this meaning in Proverbs: 17:8- To be skillful: Dan 1:4, 1:17 (describing the Hebrew children) - In Job 34:35, Elihu speaking: "Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom (śāḵal)."- Prophecies of Jesus having śāḵal: Isaiah 52:13 Wisdom: חָכְמָה: (hok-maw):—skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit. - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," Ps 111:10, and "For the LORD giveth wisdom" (Prov 2:6). You can't have wisdom apart from His counsel (Prov 21:30).- God made the earth with wisdom (Jer 10:12, 51:15, Ps 104:24)- Humility precedes wisdom (Prov 11:2)--because fear of the Lord is a posture of humility (Prov 15:33, 1 Pet 5:6-7, Matt 5:3, 5). - If instead you trust in your own heart (reasoning), you are a fool - but wisdom will deliver you from trouble (Prov 28:26). - But too much wisdom can also somehow lead to pride, and pervert: Isaiah 47:10, Eze 48:4-17 (allegory of Satan) - and "knowledge puffs up" (1 Cor 8:1)- It's "the principal thing" (Prov 4:7), better than anything else we can desire (Prov 8:11, 16:16).- It described the Israelites if they followed God's laws (Deut 4:6), leaders anointed by God with the wisdom to lead (Deut 34:9) - For children, physical discipline eventually teaches wisdom (Prov 29:15).- An example: 2 Sam 20:22: the Israelite woman whose city is besieged because Sheba son of Bichri, a rebel against King David, was within. She speaks to Joab, finds out they want Sheba and if they give him up, Joab will spare the city. So "in her wisdom" (hok-maw) she promises they will throw his head to them over the wall. They do so, and Joab and his army departs. This is wisdom: not simply reacting with the typical emotions of anger, fear, etc from being besieged, but instead identifying and articulating both problem and solution. - Elihu says that he will teach Job and his three friends, who accuse God, wisdom (Job 33:33). - He later says that it is God who puts wisdom and understanding in our hearts (Job 38:36), and that he deprived animals of the same ability. A person who lacks understanding can only be controlled with physical consequences, by contrast (Prov 10:13) - and kids have to start out learning by physical discipline (Prov 29:15) as they are inherently foolish. - Numbering our days leads to wisdom (Ps 90:12) - bc we're "redeeming the time bc the days are evil?" (Eph 5:16) This sounds like wisdom is also discerning what truly matters vs what is passing away. - 2 Chron 1:10: in this version Solomon does ask for חָכְמָה: (khok-maw), and knowledge מַדָּע madāʿ- Then 1 Kings 3:28: after Solomon's judgment between the two would-be mothers (where he infers from the story that the real mother will love the child more than herself, and uses that to reveal hearts), the people conclude that he has חָכְמָה: (khok-maw). The Queen of Sheba came and asked him hard questions and there was nothing he couldn't answer (1 Kings 10:1-9).- Jesus displayed this kind of wisdom: - Prophesied: Isaiah 11:2 "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" In the NT: akouō (to hear, hearken, give audience): carries a similar "and to understand and obey/respond" implication as does šāmaʿ: Matt 15:10, 17:5, 18:15, Mark 7:14, Mark 12:29, Luke 8:21, 9:35, 10:16, 11:28, John 6:60, 8:23, 8:47, John 10:20, John 11:41-42- Matt 7:24, Luke 9:47-48: the man who hears and does what Jesus says is like the house built on the rock- John 5:25: those who hear Jesus (and respond) will have life--spiritually and literally (v 28)- If the people in the cities don't hear your words, shake the dust off your feet: Matt 10:14, Mark 6:11 - Matt 10:27: preach whatever you akouō from Me- Matt 12:42, Luke 11:31: The Queen of Sheba went to akouō Solomon's wisdom- Luke 10:39: Mary prioritized hearing Jesus- John 10:3, 16, 27: the sheep hear His voice- John 16:13 The Holy Spirit tells us what He hears from the Father- "He who has ears to hear, let him hear": Matt 11:15, 13:9, 13:43, Mark 4:9, 4:33, 7:16, 8:18, Luke 8:8, 14:35- Those who heard and understood were astonished: Mark 6:2- Luke 16:29-31: Those who hear Moses and the prophets and understand what they hear will also hear about Jesus (because they pointed to Him)- Matt 11:4-5, Luke 7:22: John's disciples were to go back and tell him what they had seen and heard- Luke 10:24: Wise men of old desired to hear what the disciples heard - He speaks in parables bc the people don't have ears to hear: Matt 13:13-18, Mark 4:12, 4:23, Luke 8:10 - The parable of the sower: those who hear but don't understand have nothing to take root. This is the precondition for wisdom. Matt 13:19, Mark 4:15, Luke 8:12 - But if you do understand, you still have to maintain single focus so it's not choked out: Matt 13:20-23, Mark 4:16-20, Luke 8:13-15- "Take heed what/how you hear" precedes "with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Mark 4:24, Luke 8:18: what you listen to (and respond to) determines the direction of your life. - Also often used to just mean to hear with your ears (many places) phronimos (intelligent, wise, prudent, i.e. mindful of one's interests)- Matt 7:24: the man who builds his house upon a rock by doing what Jesus says rather than just hearing it is phronimos - Matt 24:45, Luke 12:42: the wise servant is the one whom the Master will find doing what he was told, when the Master returns. - Matt 25: the parable of the wise virgins (also prepared with oil); the parable of the talents right after this seems to imply the same (looking ahead and making the most of what we've been given) though the word 'wise' doesn't appear there. - Luke 12:42-48: describes the foolish servants who know the will of their master but when he returns, he finds them disobeying. - Matt 10:16: wise as serpents, harmless as doves: - AW: This means we aren’t totally defenseless. Wisdom is a powerful force that gives us an advantage. - Luke 16:8: the parable of the unjust steward - he's called wise (shrewd) for looking out for his own interests. (Still not sure what the point of this parable was) Sophia: wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters. The varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, and summed up in maxims and proverbs, the science and learning, the act of interpreting dreams and always giving the sagest advice, the intelligence evinced in discovering the meaning of some mysterious number or vision, devout and proper prudence in intercourse with men not disciples of Christ, skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth, the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living; supreme intelligence, such as belongs to God.- Matt 12:42, Luke 11:31: Jesus used this word to describe Solomon's wisdom - Acts 7:10 same word describes Joseph, and 7:22: Moses - Matt 13:54, Mark 6:2: the people said Jesus had this after listening to his teachings and were astonished- Luke 12:11-12, 21:15: God promises to give His followers such godly wisdom that none of our adversaries would be able to resist it - Acts 6:10: example of this - 1 Cor 1:17, 2:5: and yet Paul says the wisdom of words is insufficient; the gospel needs power to back it. That's because (worldly) wisdom wouldn't receive it--the world considers godly wisdom foolishness (1 Cor 1:19). The wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God are diametrically opposed! (1 Cor 1:20-25) - 1 Cor 2:6-8: Paul again contrasts the wisdom "of this age" with the wisdom of God. (Makes me think of sāḵāl - same word, two spellings, one meaning foolish, depicting that the person is blocked off from God's wisdom, and one meaning wise, and the letter means that he is guided by the light of God's wisdom). Even so, the natural man considers the things of God foolish (1 Cor 2:14), and God likewise considers the wisdom of this world foolish (1 Cor 3:19-20). - Jesus also said God hid Him from the "wise and prudent" (of that age) and revealed them to babes (Matt 11:25).- James 1:5: we can ask God for sophia- Matt 5: The Beatitudes teach an inversion of the world's wisdom: how the world actually works. - It's summed up with Matt 6:33 (and Luke 12:22-34): "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matt 10:27-31 says similar: don't fear men; fear God (trusting that He loves you). Live in single-minded allegiance to Him. And 11:39: "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." If you "find your life" apart from Him, you've lost everything: the ultimate foolishness. He repeats this: Matt 16:25-26 - and Deny yourself, take up your cross - if you desire to save your life you'll lose it, and if you lose your life for Him you'll find it (Luke 9:23-27, John 12:25). - As you do this, by abiding in Him, You get whatever you desire (John 15:7-8, 16) - Mary and Martha: another lesson about singleness of focus on Him being the most important thing (Luke 10:38-42). - Luke 11:33-36: it takes light and a receptive eye to see. Jesus is always shining - It’s our eyes that don’t see. Jesus was telling us how to get our eyes opened to His light: we have to be single in our focus on Him. The Greek word that was translated “eye” in this verse is “OPHTHALMOS.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines this Greek word as “singleness of motive.” If our attention is divided, however, we will have the darkness of this world in us instead of God’s light. - So it isn't that we have to have "VIEW" rather than a POINT of view in order to see the bigger picture. Rather, our point of view needs to be fixed on Him, and then everything else will find its proper alignment. - True leaders must serve all (Mark 9:35, 10:43-45, Luke 22:26). Last will be first, and first will be last (Mark 10:31, Luke 13:30). If you humble yourself you will be exalted, and if you exalt yourself you will be humbled (Luke 14:11, 18:14). - What you give, you get back and then some (Luke 6:38, 14:14, 18:29-30) - Luke 12:16-21: Conversely, a fool is one who lays up treasure for himself in this life. - Luke 19:12-27: the parable of the minas: The wicked servant was motivated by fear; he didn't trust the master's heart, and didn't use what he had. So he lost even that. - He draws a hard line: all in or all out (Luke 11:22)-- because this is a war (Luke 9:58-62). You must comparatively hate everyone, even your own life, in comparison to Him (Luke 14:26). No one is neutral. He describes opponents in adversarial language ("lambs among wolves", Luke 10:3), and everything hinges on what people do with the message of the Kingdom (10:11-16). You either love the light or love the darkness (John 3:19-21). - So many parables Matt 24:45, Matt 25, Luke 12:42-48, Luke 13:24-30) are about servants doing what their master wants while he is away so that he will find them so doing when he returns... probably bc the point is "redeem the time bc the days are evil" (Eph 5:16) and numbering our days gives wisdom (Ps 90). It seems the point is, time is short, and the stakes are very high, so be single-minded in your focus on Jesus and the Kingdom. - Luke 14:25-33: Just as a king wouldn’t engage in war without thoroughly considering all the possible outcomes, so no one should attempt to become a disciple of Jesus without counting the cost. It would be better never to start following Jesus than to start and then turn back (Luke 9:62 and 2 Peter 2:20-22). - The rest of the Sermon on the Mount: teaches that what matters isn't actions (as all their teachers had told them), but motive--and ultimately this goes back to allegiance. - Matt 11:28: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden" - with trying to follow the law. So stop both trying to be good enough, and also trying to follow your own wisdom. - Spirit vs flesh: allegiance determines this too. We have to come to Him, and He will give us the Spirit, without which we cannot successfully worship Him (John 4:24). Outwardly keeping the OT was all in the flesh, and it would never work. It was never meant to. Only the Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63).- He repeatedly says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matt 11:15, 13:9), and explains that those who have [wisdom] will get more, and those who have chosen not to hear and see will lose even what they have (Matt 13:10-17) - The parable of the sower: God's word brings wisdom (Prov 21:30), but the people have to hear and understand (šāmaʿ). If they don't, the enemy will steal it right away (13:19). The one who hears, understands, and receives with joy, but has no root--he might šāmaʿ, but if he doesn't śāḵal (act accordingly), he won't bear fruit either. Same with the one who is choked with the cares of the world. But the one who both šāmaʿ (hears and understands) and śāḵal (acts accordingly, is a doer of the word) is the one who will bear a harvest--seeking the Kingdom and letting God bring the supply for their needs and increase. - The parable of the two sons: the one who says he won't do the will of the father but does has truly śāḵal, while the one who says ok and doesn't is just a hypocrite: Matt 21:28-32 - In dealing with the Pharisees: their "wisdom" said good was following the law, and anyone who didn't do so according to their own teachings must be evil. The people surely could have been confused by what is good and what is evil. So Jesus clarifies: - makes the distinction of the spirit vs the letter of the law (Matt 9:11-13, 12:3-8, 12:11-12, 15:17-20, John 7:22-24) -- and also illustrates how they've added their own "letters of the law" and elevated those above what God actually said (Matt 15:3-9) - Uses the logic of motive (a house divided cannot stand): Matt 12:24-30, Luke 11:16-22). - tells the people to judge good and evil by the fruit it produces: Matt 12:33-35 - When they're trying to trap them, He: - turns the tables and asks them a question He knows they won't answer for political reasons: Matt 21:23-27 (John's baptism: from heaven or men), Matt 22:41-45 (how David can call his son 'Lord' - bc He's also God, which they didn't want to admit) - gives them an accurate non-answer: Matt 22:15-22 (the image of Caesar on the denarius) - answers the real question, rather than the one they were asking: Matt 22:23-33 (is there a resurrection of the dead?)- Enigmatic, dark sayings: Matt 8:20-22, 9:16-17, 12:31-32, Matt 13:35 (prophesied that this would be the case, in Ps 78:2) - He seems to jump topics without bothering to explain the connection (Matt 12:38-42: the pharisees ask for a sign. He says they'll get the sign of the prophet Jonah - in retrospect we know this was his death and resurrection. Then because they still won't believe, they will be condemned... and says "this wicked generation" will be like a wicked spirit cast out that then returns and brings more evil spirits, 12:43-45) - He jumps from one metaphor to another without explaining the connection (from the parable of the sower - God's word - to a lamp - God's word too) and then just says "if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:21-22). Then "take heed what you hear" - if you steward and obey the word you have been given, you'll get more. But he never says that this refers to the word explicitly either (Mark 4:24-25) - Luke 12: all over the place: the "do not worry" passage, followed by servants being faithful while their master is away, followed by Christ bringing division on the earth within families, and then "discern the time," and then "make peace with your adversary" -- are these related? - He speaks to John's disciples in a riddle only John will likely understand (Matt 11:2-6) - In what way is the kingdom of God "tiny" only to later grow and become large? (Luke 13:18-21) and what is the point of saying so? - He just changes the subject to what He wants to talk about (Matt 12:48-50): "your mother and brothers are here," and he says, "those who are my mother and brothers are those who do the will of My Father." - Another example: Luke 12:14-15: someone comes to him and asks him to arbitrate inheritance between brothers. He says that's not his job, and then warns the crowd against covetousness. - He clearly understood the foundations of how the world worked--why things were the way they were. Everyone around him saw only the carnal, visible, literal reality, and lived and reacted on that level. He was frustrated by this, and tried to teach: - What matters is not external actions, but the motive of the heart, which eventually comes out in words (Matt 15:16-20) - Reality bows the knee to faith: Matt 16:8-11, 17:20-21, 18:18-20, 21:21-22, Mark 11:22-24 - This is why He was so impressed with the Centurion: he understood that Jesus' authority transcended the physical world (Luke 7:9). Everyone else was so focused on the practical reality that this never even occurred to them. - Jesus met people on this physical level and gave them evidence (Luke 24:38-43) but said that wasn't the highest form of faith (John 20:29) - He understood the big picture: not just what was, but why things were the way they were, God's original purpose, and how He fit in (Luke 4:18-21, 24:25-27) - Because He knew context, rather than just the words and commands of scripture, Satan couldn't twist it to trap Him either (Luke 4:2-12.) - All the prophets that the Pharisees spent their life studying pointed to Jesus, and they missed it (Matt 16:2-4, John 5:38-40, 46-47)... because they were focusing on keeping the literal letter of the law (to the point of physical phylacteries, from Deut 6:8). It seems to never have occurred to them why things were the way they were. - I suspect their focus on minutiae and not on the underlying realities was also what allowed them to stop looking at the Lord as their source, which led to misplaced priorities, and greed (John 2:16 - buying and selling at the temple). I can see how they might have justified this, that it didn't *preclude* prayer and sacrifice to have a little side business going there too. But it revealed the focus of their hearts, and where their trust was, and effectively made God's real purpose for the Temple into a footnote. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.” (Luke 22:53 NLT) One of the most maddening moments in the Garden of Gethsemane came when Jesus’ enemies finally arrived to arrest Him. Leading the way was Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed the Lord. According to Luke 22:47, “Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss” (NLT). The obvious question is “Why?” Judas Iscariot had followed Jesus for three years. He had listened to the Lord’s teachings. He had witnessed miracle after miracle. He had watched Jesus expose the hypocrisy of the very people he conspired with to betray Him. So, why did Judas do it? The closest we get to an answer in Scripture is Luke 22:3, which says, “Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot” (NLT). But that only leads to another obvious question. Why does God allow Satan to exist? In Job 1:7, Satan says, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on” (NLT). But he’s not a passive observer. He’s looking for trouble. He’s looking for lives to ruin. He’s looking for saints to stumble. So, why does God allow him to carry on? Why doesn’t the Lord just take him out, as He could in a nanosecond? You might be surprised to learn that Satan, in his own twisted way, serves the purposes of God. Consider how he unwittingly played a major role in the cross of Christ. In his enduring hatred for God’s Son, Satan thought it would be a great idea to have Jesus betrayed, arrested, beaten within an inch of His life, and then crucified and put to death on a Roman cross. Everything went according to Satan’s plan. As Jesus told the mob who came to apprehend Him, “But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53 NLT). The power of darkness did indeed reign that day, and Satan’s plan succeeded. But so did the plan of God. What the evil one didn’t realize was that it was God’s plan all along that the Messiah would die for the sins of the world. In the prophecy of Isaiah, we’re told, “It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (Isaiah 53:10 NIV). Unaware that he was making the biggest blunder since his rebellion against God, Satan played into the plan and purpose of God when, in his rage and hatred, he prompted Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (see Zechariah 11:12–13). Satan’s “best shot” against God and the people of God was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And in that act, he not only unwittingly sealed his own doom, but he also opened the door for Jesus to offer redemption and salvation to the whole world. Remember, then, if you hold on to God and trust Him through the dark times, Satan’s best shots against you also will end up working for your good—and God’s glory. Reflection question: What is an example from your life when God used Satan’s attacks against you for your good and His glory? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when suffering stops being about what you have and starts being about who you are? In Job chapter 2, the Accuser challenges God to touch Job's "bone and flesh," leading to a second wave of affliction that leaves Job sitting among the ashes. Join us as we discuss the difficult theology of a God who doesn't hide from the "no reason" behind Job's pain and what it means to maintain integrity when everything—including your health—is stripped away. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more insightful discussions! Learn more about the Further Faith Podcast, subscribe to the audio podcast or email notifications, and browse our entire library at https://furtherfaith.org. Did this conversation raise a question or do you have an idea for a future series? We would love to hear from you! https://furtherfaith.org The Further Faith Podcast is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake, IA (https://fpcspiritlake.org).

Pastor Femi Paul continued our teaching series In Search of Character (Part 6) with a teaching drawn from the lives of Noah and Job. Both men stood out in their generations because their integrity was evident. In Job 1:8, God Himself testified that there was no one like Job on the earth, a man blameless, upright, and devoted to God. This message challenged us with a sobering thought: in a world filled with many voices and influences, God is still searching for people whose lives clearly reflect honourable character. The question is whether our lives would stand out the way Noah's or Job's did. Through scriptures such as Acts 17:11 and Ruth 3:11, we saw examples of people known for noble character. Their integrity was visible and widely recognised. Pastor emphasised that God expects growth in our character so that we become more honourable and dependable. Ultimately, who we are matters far more than what we possess. As Ephesians 5 reminds us, having come into the light of Christ, our behaviour should clearly reflect that transformation. The teaching concluded with the benefits of good character. Scripture shows that those who please God enjoy wisdom, joy, answered prayers, and divine favour. As we grow in character and pursue lives that please Christ, we position ourselves to experience the powerful things God desires to do in and through us.

12:4 I am a joke to my friends- The LXX omits lines a and b of verse 4. His friends should have provided support, but he is a laughingstock to them. This same word sechoq can mean laughter (8:21) or laughingstock in Jer. 20:7; Lam. 1:7; 3:14; Ps. 31:11-12; 35:15; 41:9; 69:10-12. While generally it is the wicked who mock the righteous, Ps. 52:5-7 is an occasion for the righteous mocking the wicked. The word friends had been used in the book in the description of these three men coming to Job in 2:11 and in a description of how they disappointed Job (6:14 27). Usually, in the Psalms the mistreatment comes at the hands of enemies. It particularly hurts to be mistreated by friends as Job 16:20; Ps 38:11; 88:18 show. The one who called on God and He answered him- Ps. 99:6 mentions Moses, Aaron, and Samuel among those who called upon the LORD and He answered. Job had often called on God and God had answered though that is not the case in the present (9:16; 27:9; 30:20-21).The just and blameless man who is a joke- The just or righteous (9:14-15, 20; 10:15) and the blameless (1:1, 8; 2:3; 8:20; 9:20, 21,22) are important words throughout the book. Now Job, though innocent has become the subject of their ridicule (Ps.69:10-12). The contrast between who Job really is and how he is viewed by his friends and society is stark. 12:5 He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, The NKJV differs strongly several other versions here.[1] Those at ease are referred to in Ps. 123:4; Isa. 32:9, 11; Jer. 3:26; Lam. 1:15; Amos 6:1; and Zeph. 3:13. These passages seem to refer to those who are blessed presently but who look down upon or are indifferent to the suffering of those who are beneath them. As prepared for those whose feet slip- The idea of unsteady or faltering feet or steps is found in Job 4:4; Ps. 18:36; 37:31; 73:2; Prov. 25:19. The innocent are sometimes pictured with firm footing (Ps. 26:1; 37:31) and the feet of the wicked are on shaky ground (Prov. 25:19). The step that slips may be a deliberate rejection of God's path in Prov. 4:10-12, 26-27.  12:6 The tents of the destroyers prosper,- Job talked about God ignoring or even promoting the wickedness of the foolish in 9:23-24 and looking favorably on the schemes of the wicked in 10:3.And those who provoke God are secure- This same root word translated secure was used by Zophar. Zophar said that if Job turned to God, he would be secure (11:18). While Eliphaz (5:24); Bildad (8:6), and Zophar (11:15-19) have promised peace and safety to those who follow God, Job knows plenty who live in defiance of God and are secure. Whom God brings into their power- Is God the subject (as in the KJV, NASB, NKJV, CSB) or the object (NET, ESV, NIV) here? The ESV has “he carries his god in his hand.” On the other hand, the CSB has “God holds them in His hands.” Is this a picture of how the wicked provoke God or is it a picture or how the wicked are in God's hand and yet He still blesses them? We can compare Gen. 31:29; Micah 2:1; Neh. 5:5; Hab. 1:11 and suggest the overall meaning is that their power is their god. In Job 21:7-16 Job will expand on the theme of the prosperity of the wicked that he hits upon here in 12:4-6.[1] The NET Bible argues the first word could be translated lamp or torch that yields no satisfactory meaning and argue for the word misfortune or calamity. 

When Your Faith Wrestles (Job 3)Faith often grows strongest when it has to wrestle. In Job's suffering we see that real faith is not the absence of pain or questions. It is the willingness to bring both honestly before God. Job shows us how to wrestle through lament, bold questions, and humble trust in God's wisdom. Even when answers are unclear, God is present in the struggle, shaping endurance and drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him.

Today on the Daily Nugget, Mike here. In Job 37:13 we're reminded that God directs the clouds and the rain, sometimes for correction, sometimes to water the earth, and sometimes as an expression of His love. Even the weather reminds us that creation is under God's authority and care.

Welcome to Day 2816 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Monotheism Redefined: Returning to the Biblical View. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2816 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2816 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God's Word. John's lessons can be found on his website   theologyinfive.com.   Today's lesson is titled:  Monotheism Redefined: Returning to the Biblical View. What we today call biblical monotheism did not deny the existence of other spiritual beings. Instead, it affirmed that only one God, Yahweh, is uncreated, eternal, and supreme over all. The biblical writers used the Hebrew word elohim to refer to beings who inhabit the spiritual realm. In English Bibles, elohim is most often translated as “God” when referring to Yahweh. However, the same word is also used in the Hebrew text for other beings, such as angels, foreign gods, and even the spirits of the dead. What makes Yahweh unique is not the term itself, but His nature. He alone is the Creator, and He alone possesses ultimate authority. The other elohim are real, but they are created beings whose existence does not diminish His supremacy. Worship belongs to Yahweh alone, not because no other spiritual beings exist, but because only He is worthy of it. Scripture presents a consistent picture of a populated spiritual realm. Psalm 82 depicts God standing in the divine council, judging other elohim. Deuteronomy 32:8–9 reveals that the nations were divided among the sons of God, while Israel was kept as Yahweh's own inheritance. In Job 1, heavenly beings present themselves before God. These texts are not metaphorical. They reflect a worldview in which Yahweh reigns supreme among many spiritual beings, none of whom share His nature or authority. This understanding of monotheism is relational and covenantal. It is not about counting spiritual beings, but about recognizing who is worthy of worship. Biblical monotheism is the exclusive devotion to the Most High Creator, not a claim that all other spiritual beings are imaginary or irrelevant. The first segment is: How the Definition Changed in the 19th and 20th Centuries. During the 19th century, scholars in Europe began applying evolutionary models to religion. They proposed that belief systems advanced in stages: from animism, to polytheism, to henotheism, and eventually to monotheism. According to this framework, biblical faith was not divinely revealed but merely the latest and most refined stage of human religious development. Thinkers like Max Müller and Julius Wellhausen categorized biblical texts in ways that supported this theory, suggesting that Israel's monotheism did not emerge until the prophetic or exilic period. This idea undermined the consistency and unity of the biblical witness by treating it as a collection of competing theological layers. In the 20th century, the redefinition continued. Monotheism came to be seen not as exclusive worship of one God, but as the belief that only one divine being qualifies for the category of “god.” Other spiritual beings were still acknowledged, such as angels, demons, and Satan, but they were reclassified into separate categories and stripped of any language that could associate them with divine authority or rulership. Terms like gods, elohim, or sons of God were either translated away or explained in ways that avoided conflict with the modern framework. As a result, the rich biblical portrayal of a divine council, spiritual rebellion, and cosmic hierarchy was flattened into a safer, more abstract system. The supernatural world remained populated, but only with beings understood as radically different in nature from God. They were no longer referred to as elohim in any meaningful sense. The Bible's spiritual structure was preserved in part, but its vocabulary and implications were domesticated. This shift had enormous consequences. It obscured the spiritual conflict that runs throughout Scripture and made it harder for modern readers to grasp the true stakes of idolatry, false worship, and divine judgment. It also reinforced the mistaken idea that the Bible evolved from polytheistic origins, when in fact its authors consistently proclaimed the supremacy of Yahweh while acknowledging the reality of other divine beings. The second segment is: Why This Is Not Polytheism. Polytheism is not simply the belief in many spiritual beings. It is a system in which multiple gods receive worship and exercise competing or overlapping authority. In polytheistic systems, gods can rise or fall in prominence. They may be born, die, or change form. Power is distributed across a pantheon, with no single deity holding permanent and unrivaled rule. Worshipers often align themselves with whichever god best serves their needs or offers the most favorable outcome. This stands in stark contrast to the biblical view. Yahweh does not rise or fall. He was not born, and He cannot be overthrown. His dominion is eternal, and He alone is the Creator of all things. The existence of lesser spiritual beings does not diminish His sovereignty. On the contrary, it highlights His role as the one who delegates authority, holds court over the divine council, and ultimately judges all rebellion. In passages like Psalm 82, the other elohim are real, but they are held accountable by the Most High. Their downfall is certain, and their authority is temporary. The key difference is that biblical monotheism calls for exclusive worship of Yahweh, not because others do not exist, but because only He is worthy. Polytheism distributes power and loyalty across many gods. The Bible calls for undivided allegiance to the one who created everything. The third segment is: Why Recovering the Biblical View Matters. Restoring the biblical definition of monotheism helps us recover the Bible's original supernatural worldview. It makes sense of otherwise puzzling passages and clarifies the nature of spiritual warfare. It also refutes the claim that Israel's faith evolved from earlier polytheistic traditions. From the earliest texts, the Bible presents Yahweh as supreme, surrounded by other spiritual beings, but ruling over them with absolute authority. Understanding this framework allows Christians to better grasp the cosmic conflict behind idolatry, the mission of Jesus to reclaim the nations, and the destiny of believers to share in His rule. It also exposes the false systems of worship that mimic divine hierarchy but are rooted in rebellion. True monotheism is not a denial of spiritual reality. It is a declaration of loyalty to the one true God. In Conclusion. Modern theology often acknowledges the existence of angels, demons, and other spiritual beings, but it tends to avoid describing them in the biblical language of gods or elohim. This narrowing of categories flattens the supernatural world of Scripture and redefines monotheism in a way that disconnects it from the biblical authors' intent. The Bible never asks readers to believe Yahweh is the only spiritual being in existence. It calls them to worship Him alone because He is the uncreated Creator and sovereign King. The other elohim, while real, are created, limited, and ultimately subject to judgment. Recovering this vision restores clarity to the biblical narrative and reminds us that monotheism is not about spiritual math—it is about loyalty to the Most High. For further study consider the following DISCUSSION QUESTIONS. How does the biblical use of the term elohimchallenge modern theological categories of angels, demons, and gods? Why is it important to distinguish between the existence of other spiritual beings and the exclusive worship of Yahweh? In what ways did 19th- and 20th-century scholarship alter the way people read the Bible's portrayal of the spiritual realm? How does recognizing a divine council and spiritual hierarchy enhance our understanding of passages like Psalm 82 or Deuteronomy 32:8–9? What are the dangers of reducing monotheism to a purely philosophical idea rather than seeing it as a call to covenantal loyalty? Join us next Theology Thursday to learn Our Rights Come from Yahweh, Not Government: Remembering Our Identity as His Imagers If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of  ‘Wisdom-Trek,  Creating a Legacy.'                  Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly,   I am your friend as I serve you through this...

Why does God allow suffering to get worse even when you're already doing everything right?In Job chapters 1–3, the loss piles up fast for Job. Then Satan unleashes physical suffering so severe that Job's own friends don't recognize him when they arrive, and they sit in stunned silence for seven days. Job's wife, broken by her own grief, urges him to curse God and die. And in chapter 3, the man who worshipped through catastrophe opens his mouth and wishes he had never been born.What you'll learn:Suffering's two sides: How suffering can be both the absence of every good thing and the presence of every bad thing.Satan's strategy: Why Satan escalates from attacking Job's possessions to attacking his body, and what the phrase "skin for skin" actually means.Job's wife: Why her shocking outburst isn't villainous. It's deeply human, and the Accuser knows exactly how to use it.What real comfort looks like: What Job's three friends do right before they do everything wrong, and what it teaches us about showing up for suffering people.Job's darkest words: Why Job cursing the day of his birth isn't a loss of faith, and what it reveals about honest grief before God.Discussion Questions: Reflecting on Job 1-3Job worshipped God in the middle of devastating loss. When suffering hits, what is your first instinct, and what would it look like to respond like Job?Job's wife told him to "curse God and die" out of her own grief and exhaustion. Have you ever received advice from someone who loved you but unintentionally led you away from God rather than toward Him?Job's friends sat in silence for seven days, just present with him in his pain. Who in your life right now needs you to simply sit with them rather than offer answers?When suffering occurs, the lesson from Job is not to ask "How do I get out of this?" but "What can I get out of this?" What is a current trial in your life where God might be asking you to shift that question?This podcast episode is part of our ongoing Bible Book Club series, Season 18: The Book of Job.We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Contact Bible Book ClubDONATE Buy merch Like, comment, or message us through Bible Book Club's InstagramLike or comment on Susan's Facebook or InstagramLeave us an Apple reviewContact us through our website formThanks for listening and happy podcasting!

Job 1010:1 I loathe my own life- This uses a different Hebrew word for loathes than is used in 9:21.10:2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;- He is addressing God. With all he has said about the impossibility of receiving a fair trial before God, He is still the One to whom Job turns. Let me know why You contend with me- Contend is a form of the Hebrew rib, a word often used in a legal context (Job 9:3; 13:8, 19; 33:13; 40:2). It seems that a plaintiff was obligated to make known the charges against the defendant and Job has not been given that right. Job is genuinely confused and disoriented by this whole process and longs to know the why. 10:3 Is it right for You indeed to oppress, - The word translated right in the NASB is a word used repeatedly in the creation account in Gen. 1 . Is it good for God to act as He has toward Job? The verb oppress is used 35 times in the OT. It describes the horrors God's people suffered at the hand of the Assyrians (Isa. 52:4) and the Babylonians (Jer. 50:33).  God brings justice for those who are oppressed (Ps. 103:6; 146:7). Proverbs 14:31 says, “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker.” The one who oppresses men ultimately insults God.  What is striking about this use of the verb in Job 10 is that it is God doing the oppressing. It is God who delivers the oppressed. This is the only time in the OT that God is the subject of the verb oppressed. To reject the labor of Your hands,- The phrase work/ works of Your (His) hand/ hands is used in Ps. 138:8; Job 14:15; 34:19 speaking of man as the object of God's care. But here instead of God showing compassion, God is rejecting, repudiating what His hands have made. And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked? The verb look favorably  is a rare word in the OT used in Ps. 94:1 where the author begs the God of vengeance to shine forth. In Ps. 50:2-3 God has shone forth to bring fire on his adversaries. In Job 10:3 Job laments that instead of God showing His vengeance to the wicked, He is showing His favor. The two words translated schemes of the wicked here are translated counsel of the wicked in Ps. 1:1. In that Psalm the man who avoids the counsel of the wicked is blessed.   10:4 Have You eyes of flesh? God is Spirit and not flesh in II Chron. 32:7-8; Isa. 31:3 /Or do You see as a man sees?- Here he emphasizes that God does not see the same way man sees (I Sam. 16:7; Job 26:6; 28:24; 31:4; 34:21; Prov. 16:2; 21:2).  10:5 And Your days as the days of a mortal, Or Your years as a man's years- In 36:26 Job says of God that “the number of His years is unsearchable.” Ps. 90:1-12; 102:27. 10:6 That You should seek for my guilt- The word seek is often used to describe God being the object of man's seeking (Job 5:8; I Chron. 16:10, 11; II Chron. 7:14; 11:16; 15:4, 15; 20:4).  And search are my sin? The word search is also used with God being the object of our search in I Chron. 10:14; 15:13; 16:11; 22:19; II Chron.12:14; 14:4, 7; 15: 2,1 2; 16:12. Here it is God searching out our sin.   10:7 And there is no deliverance from Your hand- Often this word for deliverance is used in a context speaking of God as the One who gives deliverance (Gen. 32:11; Ex. 3:8; 6:6; I Sam. 10:18; 17:37). While God is usually the One who brings deliverance, here He is the One from whom deliverance is sought. 

Jesus' Fulfillment of Job 9:14-35  Job is not stating a prediction of the Messiah but is expressing a longing, a desire. Job was longing for an umpire who could somehow go between himself and God and lead to Job receiving a fair trial and being pronounced innocent before God. The word for umpire in the NASB was translated mediator in the LXX. In the NT this word is used of the work of Jesus in I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24. This is particularly tied to what was accomplished by the death of Jesus in several of these passages. Job as an innocent man (9:15, 20-21) longed for a mediator that he could get a fair trial before such a holy God. Jesus' work as mediator goes far beyond what Job expected. It is not only innocent people who can stand before God, but guilty people, guilty people who have turned to Him for forgiveness. Rom. 4:5 tells us that God “justifies the ungodly.” These same three Greek words translated “justifies the ungodly” are used in the same order in the LXX of Ex. 23:7 to warn judges not to kill the innocent or righteous because God “will not acquit the guilty.” The reason God can now justify the ungodly is because Christ died for the ungodly in Rom. 5:6.  In Jesus we have One who is both God and man and can serve in the way that Job 9:32-33; 16:19-21; 19:23-27 describe. The deity of Jesus is stressed in the New Testament (John 1:1-3; 8:58; Phil. 2:5-8; Titus 2:13). The humanity of Jesus is also stressed (John 1:14; I Tim. 2:5-6; I John 4:1-3; II John 7). While Job lamented “He is not a man as I am,” Paul proclaimed Jesus as the “man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5; Acts 17:31).  The deity/ humanity of Jesus qualifies Him as a faithful and merciful high priest Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-16; 5:7-10. Jesus would live and die to bridge the gap between God and man. Job complained that God mocks the despair of the innocent (Job 9:23), but in Jesus' death man mocks the pain and suffering of God (Matt. 20:19; 27:29, 31, 41; Mk. 10:34) (The Greek word in the LXX in Job 9:23 is not the same as used in these NT passages).   In Job 9 Job proclaimed his innocence (9:15, 20, 21) and stated that his wounds were without cause (9:17). Job had done nothing to earn them his suffering. His suffering showed (to Job) that God made no distinction between the blameless and the guilty (9:22-24). Job's innocence does not compare to Jesus' innocence (II Cor. 5:21; I Peter 2:22). While Job will complain in the bitterness of his soul (10:1), Jesus offered no complaint or protest (Isa. 53:6-7).  Job feared that even though He was innocent the words of his mouth would be used against him (9:20). Unjust judges condemned Jesus by words from His own mouth (Matt. 26:64-66; Lk. 22:70-71).  Job 9:30-31 In the Bible story it is we who have plunged ourselves in the pit and soiled our clothes and it is God who washes us and makes us clean. God far from mocking the despair of the innocent (9:23) enters into this world of sin and suffering to redeem us. Jesus weeps with us and for us (John 11:35; Luke 19:41-44; Heb. 5:7).  Job lamented the brevity of life in Job 9:25-26. Job's life was so full of pain that he could say he despised his life (9:21, 27-28). Jesus answered this lament via His resurrection. He gives eternal life (John 11:23-26; I Cor. 15:50-58; I Thess. 4:13-18). The pain that Job feared would One day pass away and be no more (Rev. 21:4).

Life is full of adversity, but what if hardship is not meant to crush us, but to clarify us? In Job 42, we see how God uses suffering to give us a clearer picture of who He is and who we are. Through Job's response to God, this message reminds us that adversity reveals our dependence, deepens our understanding of God's character, and calls us to trust Him fully. God still rewards those who faithfully seek Him, even in the hardest seasons of life.

How can a sinful person ever be right before a Holy God? In Job 9, Job wrestles honestly with God's righteousness, power, and holiness, and comes to a stunning conclusion: we need a mediator. This message walks through Job's longing for someone to stand between God and man and shows how Jesus Christ ultimately fulfills that need.   Thank you for listening to the Truth for Today Podcast! For more content from Pastor Terry Fant, click the links below! www.youtube.com/@terryfant885 www.facebook.com/terry.fant.14 www.instagram.com/pastorterryfant https://www.truthfortodayministries.org  

What does real worship look like when life falls apart? In Job 1–2, we see that authentic worship is not suppressed by difficult circumstances. Through unimaginable loss, Job demonstrates that true worship loves the Giver more than the gifts, trusts God beyond understanding, and remains anchored in God's character rather than circumstances.   Thank you for listening to the Truth for Today Podcast! For more content from Pastor Terry Fant, click the links below! www.youtube.com/@terryfant885 www.facebook.com/terry.fant.14 www.instagram.com/pastorterryfant https://www.truthfortodayministries.org

Your restoration depends on one choice—and Job 42 reveals what it is.If you've felt delayed, disappointed, weary, or wounded, this prophetic word will strengthen your faith and bring clarity for this season. In Job 42:10, we see the turning point in Job's breakthrough: the Lord turned Job's captivity when he prayed for his friends.Many believers overlook this, but it's a Kingdom key: forgiveness unlocks restoration.In this powerful conversation, Apostle Mike Herzog and Robert unpack how releasing offense and blessing those who hurt you isn't weakness—it's spiritual authority. It's a pathway to healing, breakthrough, renewed hope, and the restoration God promised.

Life is one continuous test. In Job 7:18 it reads, "Thou visits man every morning and try him every moment."    What is the reason for these tests? They reveal our hearts to God. But what is God looking for in our hearts? Learn more with Bill and Annette in this new episode. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/  You can find more of Bill's teachings at: BillWieseTV-YouTube

In Job 1:1-3 we get the background on Job himself, and we beginexploring the entire narrative through the Spirit's idiomatic use of numbers and animals. In other words, the numbers and animals are a secret code conveying the message of the entire story. Download Transcript

In Job chapter 35 Elihu condemns Job. If we wonder about whether Elihu is a brash upstart, or whether he is a faithful younger man whose speech demonstrates the wisdom of God - this chapter provides us with the answer to that puzzle. And the answer is that the second statement represents Elihu's character.Every accusation against Job, which Elihu makes, is endorsed by the Almighty in His final speeches. Elihu contests that whether you're right, or whether you sin, God is no way advantaged. However, the LORD is pleased with children whose pleasure it is to please Him. You, Job, he says must see that you are just an insignificant speck of dust. The creature cries out because of pain and suffering, but so infrequently turns to God for His love and support (Romans 8verses18-25). Surely God made us to be more than brute beasts (Ecclesiastes 3verses17-22). Job, wake up to yourself and order your speech aright before your Sovereign. In order to put things in their true perspective, for Job and his friends, in chapter 36 Elihu extols the virtues and might of our Creator. Be patient and listen, Elihu urges them. I will speak in truth and wisdom he declares. It is not the intention of the Almighty to inflict endless sufferings on the wicked (see Hebrews 12verses5-11). He is, in His wisdom, crying to the sons of men, "Repent, turn to Me and be saved". Don't go to the grave in anger and vexation. It's so easy to judge the wicked and at the same time fail to see our own failures. Learn from failure and in all things praise and thank the Almighty. Consider the magnificence of His wisdom - all creation shouts, "In wisdom You have made us".

In Job 34 Elihu asserts that God is, and can only be, just. Elihu uses magnificent poetry, as did Job and his 3 friends, telling us of the folly of assuming that older civilisations were by comparison to the modern age primitive. Elihu asserts that Job's claims are not in accord with the humility, which Job should show when dealing with the Almighty. It is so wrong to challenge God. The LORD in an instant could wipe out all flesh by withdrawing their breath. You wouldn't even dare to talk that way to earthly dignitaries, who come and go in a moment of time; why then protest against God? Yahweh should not be subjected to human interrogation, nor will He answer any who should dare to try. Lay your hand upon your mouth and suffer in silence; and by this show yourself to be wise.Zechariah 10 deals with Yahweh's restoration of Judah and Israel. The rains had been withheld as the contemporary prophecy of Haggai indicated. Now upon their faithful asking the blessing would be returned. The vanity of both the nation and its leaders had formerly brought judgment upon Yahweh's lost sheep. For the condition the nation found itself in was the responsibility of their shepherds - who had proven themselves to be irresponsible shepherds, who should have known better (for this God would hold them to account). The people of the LORD would be his mighty battle horse. Verse 4 tells us that every good purpose of His people was from their Sovereign. The nation's might before their foes would be irresistible. Yahweh's love and compassion always encompasses His flock. The scattered remnants will be regathered and will bring the Gentiles into submission. From every place which has persecuted and scattered Israel will the Jews be brought to the Land of their fathers. Their Mighty One will empower His chosen family.

In Job 20 Zophar advances his second round of argumentation. He contends, that the wicked always suffer; and since you, Job, are suffering it follows that you must be wicked. The arguments are going round in circles and getting nowhere. Job, says Zophar, you insult our understanding. From the time of Creation, he says, it has been evident that the wicked have always suffered. They're scorning for the ways of the LORD is but momentary. And the wealth that the scorners have accumulated is merely laid in store for the just. How exotic and colourful is the language that Zophar uses. The Almighty will swiftly bring retribution upon the hypocrites is his contention. Zophar was correct in stating that the time will come when the LORD punishes the hypocrites. But he was totally wrong as to the timing of the recompense.Our Sovereign is patient and not willing that any should perish. God is patient in the hope that people will respond, consider 2 Peter 3verses8-9; 1 Timothy 2verses3-7.Zephaniah's theme is expressed in chapter 2verses3. The message is timeless and comes to us today with as much power and compulsion as it did in the prophet's day. Slowly read aloud, pause and ponder. Verses 4-5 deal with the judgments that would befall Judah's southern neighbours when the Babylonian invasion would soon overtake God's people. However, verses 6 and 7 tell of a coming time of peace and restoration. The 9th to 11th verses speak of the taunts of the Moabites and Ammonites and Yahweh's determined response. Verse 12 speaks of wrath falling on the Cushites of Northern Africa (including the Egyptians). Then finally the Almighty will bring judgment on the oppressing power of the Assyrian (Nineveh) told of in verses 13-16. It would become a waste, a desolate howling wilderness inhabited by wild beasts and birds of prey. The pride of the Chaldeans would be brought low by the LORD God omnipotent. Let us seek the LORD our God with all our heart so that it will be our Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom to His childrenverses see Matthew 25verses34-40.

Join us as we conclude the book of Job and continue in the book of Acts. In Job 42, we witness Job's final response to the Lord and the restoration that follows humility and repentance. In Acts 4, we see the boldness of the early church as Peter and John stand firm in their witness, declaring obedience to God above all else.Connect with us on social:Telegram: @beholdisraelchannelInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amir.tsarfati/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beholdisrael/X: https://x.com/beholdisraelYouTube: https://youtube.com/@beholdisrael

In Job 12 we have a continuation of his response to Zophar. This chapter tells us Job accepts that all that has happened to him is from the Almighty (Shaddai - a Hebrew word which expresses two different aspects of God's character - it means "the destroyers" and also, "the nourishers"). In chapter 42verses11 we are told that Job's suffering was from God. Job starts chapter 12 with supreme sarcasm, "No doubt you (my 3 friends) are the people, and wisdom will die with you" ESV verse 1; i.e. you're know-alls so why should I, Job, bother talking to you. Can't you see the wicked also prospering, he contends. In verse 10 we have another Hebrew parallelism i.e. the first expression meaningfully correlates to the second - the life of the beasts equates to the breath of humanity (Ecclesiastes 3verses19).Nahum was an Elkoshite from the southern kingdom of Judah. His name means "comfort" (a similar idea to the "parakletos" - Comforter of the New Testament). Jesus made Capernaum (city of comfort, or consolation) his base of operations in Galilee. The comfort of the prophecy of Nahum was that Judah's oppressor would be dealt with by the Almighty. The book was written between 624 AD and612 AD when Nineveh was overthrown by Babylon. As Egyptian power declined from the middle of the 7th century BC Assyria rose to prominence. Firstly, Nineveh and then Babylon assumed the dominant position in the threatening Assyrian development. Then in 612 BC Babylon conquered Nineveh and she no longer had a rival. Judah rejoiced for although the Babylonians, who God would bring against them in His chastisement, were exceedingly cruel they were more humane than their Ninevite brothers. Chapter 1 of Nahum deals with the Almighty's wrath against Nineveh. Verse 2 describes God's jealousy - Nineveh had been the nation who had brought the LORD's punishment upon God's guilty people. But the Assyrians had delighted in the cruelty meted out on Israel. Israel's Sovereign demonstrated His power over nature. When Yahweh is aroused to judge who can withstand His might. But after chastisement has been given our Potentate will compassionately pardon His people and destroy their oppressors. Chapter 2 details the destruction of Nineveh. All of Nineveh's powerful defenders and defences would be useless against the coming Babylonian onslaught. The panic within Nineveh is graphically portrayed. Colourful and emotional language describes the chaos experienced by the Ninevites. The den of the former ravening lion has itself become plundered.

In Job 8 Bildad, the next youngest in age, of Job's friends speaks. He together with Eliphaz contends that Job suffers because he has sinned. What is needed from Job is repentance. God will not allow you to suffer if you are upright. The fact that your suffering persists is proof of your guilt. Don't question the Almighty about your suffering - our experience is too limited to rightly judge - just acknowledge your guilt. He, like Eliphaz, musters his arguments from his understanding of nature. Job you must relent, change your way, confess to God and you will be restored.In Micah 3 the rulers and prophets are denounced for their corruption, contempt for God's people, callousness to the poor and total self-interest. Yahweh's face would be hidden from these godless religious leaders. These leaders prophesied of a peace that was not possible given the deplorable state they had brought upon their nation. The consequence of the nation's refusal to receive the Word of God would, verse 6, be a withdrawal of the inspired prophetic guidance - "the sun would go down over the prophets". We notice the parallels of Hebrew poetry - the expression is repeated to be reinforced in different words to say the same thing, "I am filled with power, with the spirit of Yahweh and with justice and might" (v 6 ESV). In this verse, the spirit of Yahweh is power, and is also the same as might. I This occurred from about BC 444 until the ministry of John the Baptist around 21 AD. There would be for them (verse 7) "no answer from God". By way of contrast to this the prophet Micah was "the inspired Word of Yahweh" to the kingdom of Judah (verse 8). And Micah would forthrightly denounce their transgressions, in order that God may save a remnant of them. The prophet's message was that their violence had filled up the cup of LORD's patience. God's exhausted patience the reason "Zion would be ploughed as a field" (verse 15). This message shook king Hezekiah to the core (see Jeremiah 26verses18-19). The prophecy was fulfilled by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD. Chapter 4 says that, nonetheless, Zion (meaning "conspicuous"), Jerusalem's aspirational future glorious state would be realised at Christ's coming kingdom. Read verses 1-5 aloud, and pause and ponder - compare with Isaiah 2verses1-4. Verses 6-13 tell us that at that future time Yahweh will restore Zion (Jerusalem). The prophet calls the nation Jacob, after the father of the nation. Micah shows us that Jacob's personal life finds echoes in the nation's history - "her that halters" loops back to when Jacob's thigh was dislocated to teach him dependence on his God (Genesis 32). Likewise, the Almighty's affliction of the nation was designed to bring her finally in faith to her Maker. And through restored Zion Yahweh will bring all nations of the earth into subjection to Zion's glorious king.

Join Mike Golay and Andy Mills (co-creator of PRS for Behold Israel) for this powerful PUBLIC READING OF SCRIPTURE session.In Job 38–39, God steps directly into the conversation, confronting Job and his friends with piercing questions and divine perspective.We then turn to Acts 1–2, where we witness the thrilling origins of the early Church—the ascension of Jesus, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of a movement that changed the world.Listen, reflect, and let Scripture speak with clarity and authority.CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/beholdisraelInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/beholdisraelTelegram: https://t.me/beholdisraelchannelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/beholdisraelX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/beholdisraelWebsite: https://beholdisrael.org

The Bible is God's message, God's word (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21). However, in the Bible there are speakers that say things that are incorrect or particularly designed to deceive. For example, the words of the serpent, the devil in Gen. 3:4-5; Matt. 4:1-11. The words of false prophets are recorded in I Kings 22:9-12 or Jer. 28:1-4 and false accusations against John and Jesus are recorded in Matt. 11:18-19 and Luke 7:33-34. When the Bible reports something happening it is true but there are those in its pages who do not speak on God's behalf.  Job is the most difficult book of the Bible to determine whether the spokesman is from God or not. In the epilogue the LORD says that Eliphaz and his two friends have not spoken of Him what is right (Job 42:7). The LORD plainly says it, these men do not speak for Him. Does that mean that everything they say is wrong? In Job 5:13 Eliphaz says, “He captures the wise by their shrewdness.” Paul quotes these words in I Cor. 3:19 and introduces them with “For it is written.” The only time that Job is specifically quoted in the New Testament it is the words of Eliphaz. Obviously, not everything that Eliphaz and his friends said was wrong. On the other hand, Job was said to speak of God what was right in Job 42:7. While Job spoke what was right, does that mean that all he spoke was correct? The LORD said that Job, “Who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2) and Job repeats these words confessing his sin of speaking of the things “which I did not understand” in 42:3. After this confession, he retracts and repents in 42:6. Clearly, Job says things that are not right. Also, how do we take the words of Elihu? Elihu is not mentioned at all by God at the end of the book. Does that mean that he said nothing different from the friends or does it mean that God approves of his words? The question is how do we know what the various speakers say that is from God and what is not? These factors make Job an extremely difficult book. 

“O that I knew where I might find Him!” — Job 23:3 In Job's uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. The longing desire of an afflicted child of God is once more to see his Father's face. His first prayer is not “O that I might be healed of the disease which now festers […]

Send us a textWhat if the worst day of your life revealed the best thing about your faith? We walk through Job 1:12 and confront a hard truth with a hopeful center: God may allow your outer world to be shaken, but he will not surrender what he has sealed. That single boundary—“only upon himself put not forth your hand”—doesn't signal divine retreat; it announces divine rule.Across the conversation, we map the difference between what you have and who you are before God. Satan targets Job's goods, family, status, and health because he assumes worship is fueled by gifts. He miscalculates. Faith that God gives and guards is not up for negotiation. We unpack why permission is not abdication, how hubris blinds the enemy, and why genuine worship survives when comfort dies. Along the way, we challenge a common myth: knowing verses equals knowing God. Information can quote the hedge; revelation bows to the Holy One who gives and takes away and remains worthy.We also explore the theme of instruments in a sovereign hand. Believers pray to be instruments of peace, and paradoxically, God can even turn the enemy's malice into material for mercy. Think Daniel's lion's den, the furnace, and ultimately the cross—evil plotted, God overruled. In Job's case, the stripping of the outer life exposes a deeper reality: the soul God saves, God keeps. That's why no true believer will curse God; not because we are strong, but because God is faithful to his promise and unwilling to let his own perish.If you've confused blessing with bank balance, or if loss has tempted you to doubt what's left, this conversation invites you to anchor worship in the only unlosable thing—God himself. Listen, reflect, and share with someone who needs to remember that grace is stronger than deprivation. If this resonated, follow the show, leave a review, and tell us how you've seen God set limits around your hardest trials.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a textA single question in a heavenly courtroom—“Where do you come from?”—pulls back the curtain on spiritual reality. We walk through Job 1:6–12 and sit with the tension of a scene where the sons of God report, Satan slips in among them, and God draws a confession that reshapes how we think about suffering, authority, and the limits of evil. This isn't abstract theology; it's the backbone of hope when the hedge thins and life hurts.We read the passage closely and confront common myths many of us absorbed without noticing. Scripture never paints Satan as once-holy or as a celestial choirmaster; Jesus calls him a murderer from the beginning. And “god of this world” does not crown him king over creation. In Job, the adversary roams the earth yet stands before God to answer and to ask. He proposes that Job's devotion is bought with blessing. God sets a boundary that both permits the test and proves who reigns: “All that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.”Along the way, we trace how evil often moves unnoticed—Judas keeping the bag, Peter resisting the cross—while the Lord unmasks the heart of the matter. The real contest is worship: is God worthy when gifts are gone? By watching this dialogue, we learn that spiritual warfare is real but regulated, suffering is painful but purposeful, and Christ reigns now, not later. If Satan needs permission, your story is not adrift; it is held.Listen and reflect with us on sovereignty, discernment, and steadfast faith when accusation rises. If this helped you see Job—and your trials—with clearer eyes, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to tell us what shifted for you.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Job 22:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD- The scene in 2:1-6 is a repetition of the scene produced in 1:6-12. Just as parallelism can drive home the point in poetry, prose often stresses its point by repeating the narrative (Gen. 24:1-27;24:28-49). 2:1 is a verbatim repetition from 1:6 except 2:1 adds the three Hebrew words that end the sentence translated to present himself before the LORD. 2:3 And he still holds fast his integrity- The verse from this point on adds to the words of 1:8. This verb holds fast is a common verb and means be strong or strengthen (Josh.1:6, 7, 9; Job 4:3) or seize (Gen. 19:16). Job held fast to his integrity as some hold fast to deceit- Jer. 8:5. This word will be used also in Job in 2:9; 4:3; 8:15,20; 18:9 and 27:6. In Job 27:6 Job declares I hold fast to my righteousness.  The picture of the divine council does not eliminate the picture of an omniscient God (Psalm 139:1-6; Isa. 40:13-14).2:4  What does skin for skin mean? Much has been written to answer this question, but few good answers have been provided. The meaning seems to be something along the lines that even if a person loses their possessions, children, and all else, that the person will respond differently when the suffering is his and his death is imminent. I think the meaning of the phrase is largely derived by the next line that all that a man has he will give for his life. 2:7 Deut. 28:35 speaks of boils from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. The phrase from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head is also used of Absalom in II Sam. 14:25. In II Sam. 14:25 there was no blemish on Absalom from his foot to his head. Job's case is the opposite of Absalom's attractiveness. 2:9 Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!'These are the only words we have from Job's wife. Job does make a reference to her in Job 19:17 saying that his breath is offensive to her. Job 19:13-20 demonstrates Job's deep sense of alienation from those who we would expect to be closest to him. Job's wife uses the same phrase that the LORD used in speaking of Job in Job 2:3 you hold fast your integrity. God used this to praise Job, but Job's wife uses the phrase in criticism of Job. In The Testament of Job she sells her hair to buy bread for Job and herself. Does she believe the sin of cursing God will be punished by God with Job's instant death?2:10 ‘Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?' The word adversity is also used in the next verse in 2:7, 10, 11. Some versions translate the Hebrew term ra' by the English word evil. Evil can be moral evil (1:1, 8; 2:3) or it can refer to a calamity or disaster (2:10, 11; 42:11). “Out of about 640 occurrences of the word ra' (which ranges in meaning from a ‘nasty' taste to full moral evil) there are 275 instances where ‘trouble' or ‘calamity' is the meaning”[1] God is sovereign over good and bad (Deut. 32:39; Job 1:21). God is not responsible for moral evil (Hab. 1:13; Jas. 1:13), but His hand is involved in adversity (Isa. 45:7; Lam. 3:37-38; Amos 3:6). The translation adversity or calamity is better than the translation evil in this verse. [1] J.A. Motyer, Isaiah, 359.

Holding on, hanging in there, being patient, sitting in the waiting room—none of those come easy for me. And being put on hold on the telephone is particularly annoying—don't you agree? So, today more than anything else I'm talking to me, and you can listen in, as I remind myself again that I have to hold on when I'm on hold. When you think of someone in the Bible who was on hold, you most likely think of Job. Talk about holding on when he was on hold, nobody has ever endured more than Job did while waiting for God to move. In Job 6:8, 11-12 he says: Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for. What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? And in chapter seven, he goes on to say: My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and they come to an end without hope. Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again (Job 7:6-7). His words may express your heart today. Like Job, you may be saying or thinking: Why hasn't God granted my request? I don't have the strength to keep holding on. After all, I'm just flesh! I've lost hope, and I'll never be happy again. For most of us, this feeling of hopelessness doesn't show itself outwardly so much as it corrupts us on the inside. It takes the form of what Thoreau called “quiet desperation.” You keep going, saying the right things, and maintaining a semblance of normalcy, but on the inside you've truly given up. You're going through the motions of a marriage or a job; you're making people think everything's okay with your children or parents, but in reality, you're emotionally detached; there's no more fight left in you, and you're almost at the place where you really don't care. I want to share three simple truths that will help you hold on when you're on hold. And the first one is: Trust in God's Sovereignty. That simply means you continue to believe that nothing happens in God's universe outside of God's influence and authority. And you believe the same is true in your life. God is sovereign in your life. Therefore, you can trust that in his sovereignty, he will make all things work together for your good, even the evil and wrongs of others and the cruelty of this sin-infested world. Believe me, I know it's not easy to trust when you're on hold, especially when it looks like your world is crumbling around you. I think of a friend who went through years of pain and suffering from an unfaithful husband and a broken marriage, death of two children, another child who walked away from God, and other significant losses. Honestly, she was a Job-story for today, and I often wondered how she made it through. Obviously, all those things left deep scars and hurt, but she turned it into opportunity for her to minister to others. She completed a biblical counseling degree, and now she has a voice to help others who are “on hold” because she has walked deep, dark roads. In God's sovereignty and as only God can do, he turned her sorrow into dancing and has given her a broader, more effective ministry as a result. So, if you can put your trust in God's sovereignty today, regardless of your feelings, and simply repeat that you believe he is still in control, that is step one in holding on while you're on hold. Step two is to Trust in God's Timing. Listen to these verses from Psalm 37:5-7: Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. God's timing often seems so inappropriate to us. What possible good can come from waiting any longer? That's how we see it. I can look back on my life and see how the waiting periods of my life were there for a purpose—a purpo...

Send me a Text Message! (I can't directly respond, but I can answer questions and share comments in upcoming episodes! As we see the fruit of wickedness unfold each day in our nation I have to truths to give balm to the soul and sobering perspective as we live in our small window of time.   In Job 21:14-15 Job says of the wicked: "They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?'"All of our days are numbered. Yours. Mine. Our children. The wicked. The difference is that when our day comes and our breath is cut off, we will be with God. Fully healed whole justified. But for the unrepentant - only God's wrath.God is not mocked.We all deserve death. But Christ alone delivers. ----------------------------Lennox Kalifungwa: https://x.com/LennoxKal/status/1966264085420630019Matthew Henry Job 21 commentary: https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary/matthew-henry-complete/job/21Surveying the Text: Nahum: https://dougwils.com/the-church/s8-expository/surveying-the-textnahum.htmlSupport the showLove wellness products for your whole family? Shop Earthley and support SPF!Get 10% off your first order with code FIRSTSPF : https://earthley.com/?affiliateId=lauren-hlushakSupport SPF $5 a month: patreon.com/sheprovesfaithfulSign Up for the SPF newsletter: sheprovesfaithful.com/newsletterIf you're enjoying the SPF Podcast, please leave a review on your favorite podcast player! Thank you!

In Job 34, Elihu speaks with boldness, reminding Job—and us—that God's justice is never in question. While Job wrestles with suffering and unanswered questions, Elihu insists that the Lord does not act wickedly or pervert justice. In this episode, we walk through an exegesis of Job 34, exploring Elihu's arguments, his appeal to God's righteousness, and what this means for us when life feels unfair.You'll discover:✅ Why Elihu emphasizes God's sovereignty and impartiality.✅ How God's justice is perfectly balanced with His goodness.✅ Encouragement for today: we can trust that God will always do what is right.Join us as we unpack these timeless truths and find hope in the unshakable justice of God.

Today’s Bible Verse: “He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, as though disaster were for those whose feet slip.” - Job 12:5 It’s easy to show compassion when life is hard—but what about when we’re comfortable? In Job 12:5, we’re reminded how easy it is for those “at ease” to look down on the struggles of others, forgetting that pain, loss, and setbacks are part of the human story. This verse challenges us to check our hearts, grow in empathy, and recognize that calamity can reach anyone’s door—including our own. “Want to listen without ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/ Meet Today’s Host: Carol Ogle McCracken

The Devil Will Pay for This – Part 2” | Pastor Travis Greene | Forward City ChurchThe story of Job reminds us of a powerful truth: no matter what the enemy tries to steal, God is able to restore—and He doesn't just give it back, He multiplies it.

When life doesn't make sense, how do we keep trusting God? In Job 23, Job wrestles with deep questions and struggles to understand what God is doing — yet he refuses to let go of his trust. In his very first message, Student Pastor Nathan Johnson shares how we can anchor our faith in God's character, even when we can't see the whole picture. Discover how Scripture reveals who God is and why He is worthy of your trust in every season. Watch now and be encouraged to lean on His unchanging nature in your hardest moments.

No one is truly alone. Some people have many relatives and friends, others just a few. Occasionally, someone will have no real friends or family, but all of us interact with humans, and that over time has proven to be dicey. The health of our relationships is one of the biggest factors in how we function each day. Turmoil and chaos at home or work, or both, puts us in emotional quicksand. On the other hand, healthy relationships in our lives improve our overall health and make us more productive.In Genesis, God modeled right relationships for humans, and this model continues through the Bible right to the end in Revelation. From this, we see that our first priority in relationships is to be in fellowship with our Creator. Get that one right and everything else flows. Following close behind is finding harmony in our human relationships, and getting this right is crucial to finding peace. Ephesians 4:2–3 says, “Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”Most people are familiar with the well-known Bible verses that deal with relationships, such as Paul's wisdom from Ephesians, but Scripture is loaded with helpful and healing relationship commands. We hesitate to call it advice because God doesn't really give advice. He tells us what is good for us and what may be harmful. For example, a fairly obscure passage in Job speaks to mean in any era having healthy relationships with women. In Job 31:1 the suffering man says, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.” Wow. So simple, yet very important and profound.That chapter goes on to say that God sees all that we do. He's watching how we treat people. Job made it clear that a man can decide he's going to treat women with respect. It isn't complicated or beyond our reach. So often, simply deciding to be a decent human being leads to waves of healing and peace of mind for everyone. Lots of books have been written about relationships, from marriage to raising children, but the best book of all has the best wisdom, and if you check that out, your relationships will thank you. Let's pray.Father God, you've given us the gift of interacting with other people. Each is unique and created special. We ask that you send the Holy Spirit to guide our relationships so that they're pleasing to you and to others. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.