Daily Bible Devotionals

A Prayer of Repentance - To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him after he had gone into Bathsheba.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.”  Psalm 51:1-4 (NKJV)

In order to fully understand the context of today’s psalm, we must see it through the narrative of 2 Samuel 12.

“…Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’  So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’ Then Nathan departed to his house.  And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill.”  2 Samuel 12:7a-15 (NKJV)

I remember reading 2 Samuel 12 as a new believer, young in the faith, and I could not understand how King David could mutter, “I have sinned against the Lord,” and actually be forgiven.  Oh, the injustice!  Who would avenge Uriah the Hittite?  Something about God’s forgiveness seemed wrong.  But today’s psalm helps us understand that David did not simply utter a short prayer.  David fully acknowledged his sin and articulated to anyone watching-on (the whole nation soon saw David’s kingdom under siege from within his family) that, unlike Job, David was about to get what he deserved, but with mercy. Instead of dying for his sin, David had to live with it.

This account is both frightening and comforting. David knew he could never cleanse himself, but that God could and would.  He begged God for a new heart and a steadfast spirit.  And, like all believers, David received it.  (Romans 15:13; Jeremiah 24:7)

“Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:22-23 (NKJV)

The cultural era in which we live rejects established institutions and moral absolutes. If it has a place for ‘god,’ it is not the God of the Bible. The god this generation establishes is a god of love without judgment. This being the case, many so-called “believers” are rejecting the notion of a literal hell, a real place where real people who do not receive the real gospel will really go.   To them, Jesus is the ultimate pacifist. Perhaps they simply ignore that Scripture says He made a whip and drove buyers and sellers from the Temple complex!

Today’s passage focuses on the Messiah and reminds us of a God of judgment and grace with limits. He says, “Consider, lest I tear you to pieces.”  God communicates His desire to commune with His people while at the same time declaring a certain judgment if they do not repent. This is the same picture we get of Messiah Jesus from the gospels.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all His angels are with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. The people of every nation will be gathered in front of Him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on His right but the goats on His left.” Matthew 25:31-33 (NKJV)

So, we have a picture of a God who will judge unrepentant sinners righteously yet will show salvation to those who “order their conduct” (repent). Notice this same message being preached by John the Baptist before Jesus’ public ministry began.

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:7-12 (NKJV)

But shortly, Jesus would arrive, whose Hebrew Name, “Yeshua” means “Salvation.”

“‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’” Matthew 1:20b-21 (NKJV)

“This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah. Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), he, shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.” Psalm 49:13-20 (NKJV)

In early 2016, Republican political outsider Donald Trump began amassing power. One by one, he took down establishment “shoe-in” candidates. His style was brash and unpredictable. His campaign slogan was simple: “Make America Great Again.”  On an election night that stunned the nation, Trump won.  

Donald Trump’s presidential victory was primarily because Americans were tired of politicians. They believed a billionaire (the man whose book “The Art Of The Deal” was a best-seller) could make us prosperous again. Time would tell whether Trump would bring back financial & military prosperity to the nation through shrewd business deals. Sadly, many Americans don’t read the Bible. If they did, they would have gleaned wisdom from today’s psalm entitled “Confidence of the Foolish  .”Remember, God does not look at the outward appearance; He judges the heart.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)

Based on today’s psalm, ask yourself what good it is for a nation to become financially & militarily prosperous yet lose its soul.

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36-37 (NKJV)

Our nation should trust the Lord and, specifically, place its faith in the Messiah Jesus. Only He can redeem our souls “from the power of the grave.”

“If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:9-12 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 48. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.”  Psalm 47:1-9 (NKJV)

When we read, “Clap your hands, all you peoples…” we must remember that the psalmist is not speaking exclusively to folks within hearing distance, listening to the song. Different than when we go to a concert and the singer exhorts the crowd to clap along. For example, no singer at a concert in Memphis expects people in China to clap along. But that is exactly the intent of the psalmist here in Psalm 47. He is writing a song, not for the people, but for the PEOPLES…all people, everywhere. Why? Because God is not the creator of just the Jewish people. He is the creator of the whole earth! And there is inclusion with respect to worship. Even though the cultures are separated by geographical boundaries, God calls all men everywhere to worship Him! It is not an exclusively New Testament idea, but we see it articulated by Paul in the book of Acts, God’s heart for the Nations.  

“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, “For we are also His offspring.” Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.’ And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” Acts 17:22-34 (NKJV)

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. - Selah” Psalm 46:10-11 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm is subtitled “A Song For Alamoth.”  That Hebrew word is a plural for  “alma,” which means “virgin/young girl.”  It is a song written to be sung by a choir of young girls. So, what can we learn from that? Quite a bit!

First, at a glance, in a Biblical worship sense, it appears that men dominated the landscape of Old Testament Jewish worship. Today’s psalm indicates that corporate worship for Biblical Israel was not an all-male event with women passively standing by. Women participated as well. At times, the spotlight was on the ladies, with songs written specifically for women to present to the congregation.

Second, the imagery is feminine.  

“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. -  Selah” Psalm 46:4-7 (NKJV)

And lastly, the message of the psalm specifically resonates with a woman’s core spiritual and emotional needs. While men tend to need to be reassured of their significance, women typically express that feeling secure is atop their core needs. Can’t you just picture this psalm being presented by a choir of young girls declaring that their security does not come from their personal beauty or from the man they may someday marry? It must have had a profound ministry impact, not only on women in attendance but also on the men who were seeking a woman of God who had her priorities firmly aligned with God’s Word, His plan, and purpose!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.  - Selah” Psalm 46:1-3 (NKJV)

The imagery of today’s psalm reminds me of Jesus’ words, contrasting how wise and foolish men build their houses. Wind and rain (difficult seasons) beat against all men’s houses, but the home built on the secure foundation of God endures.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”  Matthew 7:24-25 (NKJV)

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him.” Psalm 45:6-11 (NKJV)

Several years ago, while I was teaching Bible studies in coffeehouses around Southern California, a young man who was quite upset approached me. His rub was that I had taught how a particular Psalm was about the Messiah. He said, “The psalms don’t have anything to do with Jesus!” Short answer: he was wrong. Many of the psalms are about Messiah Jesus, and today’s psalm is directly attributed to Jesus by the New Testament writer of the book of Hebrews.

“But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’” Hebrews 1:8-9 (NKJV)

The fact that the psalmist addresses Messiah as “O God” is supporting evidence (like Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2) of Messiah’s (Jesus’) deity and that He has existed forever. Furthermore, Psalm 45’s instruction of foreign “daughters” to “forget your own people also, and your father’s house” reminds us of the story of Ruth.

“Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, ‘Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” Ruth 1:14-17 (NKJV)

God’s heart has always been for Gentiles to repent of pagan ways to follow Him.

“‘Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants - everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant - even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.’ The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.’” Isaiah 56:6-8 (NKJV)

“If we had forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground. Arise for our help and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.”  Psalm 44:20-26 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm is divided into three sections: past, present, and future. During a time of great distress, a small remnant in Judah has set their hearts toward revival. The psalm begins with God’s past faithfulness along with the admission that any past deliverance was solely the Lord’s doing and not their own. So, the psalmist does not petition the politicians, the merchants, or the army. He seeks the Lord, who fights on behalf of His own. He alone delivers! It is the same point the apostle Paul makes to the church in Rome, even quoting Psalm 44 to provide context for his faith.

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 (NKJV)

While the nation of Israel was being judged for having departed from God’s Word, the remnant of those who had returned to the Lord and committed to living according to His Word wondered if the Lord had noticed their repentance. They even asked if He was sleeping! It brings context to a New Testament account.

“But as they sailed He (Jesus) fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!’”  Luke 8:23-25 (NKJV)

Even if we feel God is asleep, He’s always in control. Rest and know that He’s got you!

“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”  Psalm 43:1-5 (NKJV)

You never know that God is all you need until God is all you have. It is one of the great lessons of the Psalms. Just as every Christian college Freshman away from home for the first time must learn to cope with the absence of familiar things and learn to rely on God, we must fight the urge to detach ourselves from (or skip past) the loneliness of the psalmists. They are speaking to each of us. We all feel alone and forsaken at times, but here in the Psalms, you can find comfort in both the brotherhood and the hope to overcome.

How should you respond if you find yourself in a situation where you are isolated and unjustly accused? Worse, what if you find yourself JUSTLY accused before God? That’s right. What if someone is casting accusations about you to God, and you know you have no defense because their facts are correct? Not only does that happen, but it is also happening against you in the heavenly realm right at this moment!

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’” Revelation 12:10 (NKJV)

So, if Satan is accusing us day and night, who stands to vindicate us day and night?

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John2:1(NKJV)

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” 1 Timothy 2:5-7 (NKJV)

Jesus paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. We find hope in the psalms and can go to the altar with “exceeding joy,” not because we will be found innocent of the accusations against us, but precisely because we are GUILTY of the accusations, yet Jesus himself has delivered us! (Zechariah 3:3-4)

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“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’ When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”  Psalm 42:1-5 (NKJV)

You may not guess by looking at me today, but I used to be a college athlete. I recall those long cross-country workouts, seven or eight miles from my dorm room, thirsting for a drink of water! That memory of long-distance race training is how I picture the deer of the Ein Gedi, whose life depended on finding a random stream in the desert. It is also an excellent word picture of how we should seek the Lord, not as a RESOURCE for living, but as THE SOURCE of life. Jesus used the same image.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (NKJV)

Exactly what is the psalmist thirsting for? God! But what aspect of God does he want? His protection? His prosperity? No, it is His proximity, His presence. More specifically, going to the temple and worshipping with others. The psalmist sought the presence of the Lord within the community of believers, the “multitude.”

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV)

The psalmist attended the temple at the appointed feasts: Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost) & Sukkot (Festival of Booths), but now his sin has forced him to stop. Many followers of Jesus become convinced that their sin separates them from the godly community. Satan whispers discouragement and counsels against approaching God. It is how the enemy isolates us from God’s merciful forgiveness and our rejoining the community of believers.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

God is faithful and just to forgive those who ask. Experience His blessing again!

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, “This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”’” Numbers 6:22-26 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 41. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth - praise to our God; many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Psalm 40:1-4 (NKJV)

The Biblical image of “the pit” is literally the grave and figuratively Hell. Sometimes, a trip to the pit was a direct judgment of a person’s rebellion against God, as was the case with Korah after Israel’s exodus from Egyptian captivity.

“‘But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.’ Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.” Numbers 16:30-33 (NKJV)

Other times, a person was thrown into a literal pit, as unjust punishment by men. Daniel was thrown into a pit with lions. Joseph (aka the Prince of Egypt) was thrown into a pit by his brothers. And Jeremiah went to the pit to prophesy God’s Word.  

“Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: ‘My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.’ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit before he dies.’ So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the pit to Jeremiah. Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, ‘Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.’ And Jeremiah did so. So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the pit. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.” Jeremiah 38:7-13 (NKJV)

So, how do we endure the unjust “pit”? We cling to God’s Word, as David in verse 4!

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more.”  Psalm 39:12-13 (NKJV)

We have all, no doubt, seen movies where a military leader is inspecting his troops. I picture the long military parades common in Communist countries, where miles of soldiers march and a nation’s power is on display to encourage its citizens and intimidate its enemies. There is also the more personal inspection of a drill sergeant with his boot camp recruits. Far from a display of polished medals and military hardware, the drill sergeant looks for the slightest imperfection. His goal is to teach the entire unit how the carelessness of a single soldier can affect them all. No boot camp soldier wants the drill instructor to stop abruptly, turn on a dime, and stare him down.  

That is the picture David paints of the gaze of God. David has messed up. He had promised to “guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue.” But then, when he was unguarded and goofing off (“While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue.”), David shot his mouth off in a way that demanded the rebuke of God.

Yes, God is loving, gracious, and kind, but He is also just and demands that His followers discipline themselves. It is not just an Old Testament idea; Jesus calls us all to be “disciples.” And what is a disciple but a person who disciplines themselves to follow the Lord, saying “no” to the flesh and “yes” to God and His Word?

You may wonder what the big deal is. We live in a generation that shoots its mouth off on Twitter & Facebook, 24-7! Well, the “gaze of God” is more than just a glance. When God gazes at you, He is scanning your whole being, soul & all, as a TSA agent X-rays airplane passengers. And by no means do you want to glare back at God as if you could find fault with His judgment and call His character into account!

“And he (Moses) said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’ Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’ And the Lord said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’” Exodus 33:18-23 (NKJV)

David knew he was guilty and that God had no problem identifying David’s pride, the source of his sin. But David knew as we know. While God is a righteous judge, He is also gracious and merciful. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“O Lord do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.”  Psalm 38:1-5 (NKJV)

During his 2016 election campaign, President Donald Trump shocked Christians at the Family Leadership Summit when he told an interviewer that he considered himself a Christian but had never asked God for forgiveness. What appalled Christians was how a person could declare himself a believer but skip over an essential mechanic in the process of salvation: repentance! To turn to Jesus, one must admit they need salvation and be willing to turn from their sin.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21 (NKJV)

In the days that followed Trump’s statement, efforts were made by other interviewers to have Trump clarify. Cal Thomas extracted from the candidate, “I will be asking for forgiveness, but hopefully, I won’t have to be asking for much forgiveness.” Fellow candidate Ben Carson even told reporters he had prayed with Trump, who had asked the Lord for forgiveness. But the damage was done.   The reason I mention Trump’s statement is not to denigrate President Trump. Instead, I was taken aback by the contrast of Trump’s not feeling he needed to ask forgiveness set against the backdrop of King David’s burden over his self-admitted transgressions and “foolishness.” Humility is a far more powerful quality for a leader than hubris. And we can learn from David not just how to defeat giants and elude Saul but how to return to the Lord after we have sinned. If you do not feel you need forgiveness, remember this:  there is a little “Saul” in us all.

But can David be sure God will listen to his prayers, much less respond positively to his entreats? More importantly, what happens when we repent?  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

Indeed, while David could not be certain of the degree of mercy the Lord would show him, he knew he could trust God at His Word. A small measure of God’s mercy is worth infinitely more than political correctness and human effort.

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5:32 (NKJV)

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.” Psalm 37:3-10 (NKJV)

I love the “cause & effect” language in today’s psalm. Trusting & doing good leads to dwelling & feeding on. Delighting in the Lord leads to Being Given. Committing & trusting leads to God Bringing-to-Pass & bringing Forth. We get a strong sense that God does not just demand our obedience but that He also delights in it!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)

In all of this “cause & effect,” it is easy to get an opinion of God that He can be manipulated into doing whatever we want, literally, giving us the “desires of our heart.” We should be cautioned that God is not our “genie” in heaven. He is our FATHER in heaven. This being the case, we should seek Him to align ourselves with Him.  When we read His Word and apply it to our lives, we begin to trust Him, learning to love the things He loves and avoid the things He disapproves of. Such people ask of the Lord and can expect to receive because they ask according to His will as they grow closer to Him daily. He gave us His Word so we would seek it daily, meditate on it, and continually discuss it.  

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NKJV)

Also notable in today’s psalm is the idea of inheriting the earth. It reminds us of both the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12 (NKJV)

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (NKJV) (Eph 6:1-4)

The Hebrew word “HaEretz” means more than just “earth  .”It refers to a “Covenant Land.”

“Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. our righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, you preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. or with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart." Psalm 36:5-10 (NKJV)

God’s mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, and judgment all work together to give us a glimpse of His holiness. It is not arbitrary that David combines these attributes in his worship of the Lord as he sought refuge under His “wings.”  The grace of God is shown to men, even though all men are sinful, and we can be confident that God will show us mercy whenever we turn from our sin. He literally protects the same people who, before repentance, deserve His rebuke. When we see the word “wings,” we should be reminded of the prophet Malachi as he is speaking of Messiah.

“But to you who fear My Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” Malachi 4:2 (NKJV)

Jesus described His desire to show mercy, particularly concerning those who killed and stoned the prophets, as that of a mother hen extending her wing of protection to her wandering chicks.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Matthew 23:37 (NKJV)

Not only do repentant sinners come under the protection of the Lord, but also His direction, His “light” (John 1:4), and provision, quite literally the “fountains of living water.”

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17 (NKJV) (Revelation 21:6)

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13 (NKJV)

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” John 4:10 (NKJV) (Proverbs 13:13-14; Proverbs 14:27)

“Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear, and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation.’” Psalm 35:1-3 (NKJV)

I have been in several troublesome situations during my lifetime. The kind of trouble that I could not fathom a way out. So, I can identify with David’s words. I know how it feels to have exhausted all imagined escape routes, knowing salvation must come from the Lord if it is to come at all. Perhaps that is why Jesus’ Name in Hebrew, “Yeshua,” literally means “Salvation.”  More precisely, “Salvation of God.”  In verses 5 and 6, David cries out to Messiah (The Angel of the Lord) to personally save him. The same Messiah to whom we cry out for salvation.  (Micah 5:2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4)

“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’” Matthew 1:19-21 (NKJV)

For a moment, let’s lay aside the idea of our need for eternal salvation. Instead, let’s focus on various situational needs for salvation we may encounter, such as health issues, financial crises, and relational or criminal aggression. Whenever we encounter a situation we are certain that only the Lord can rescue us from, we typically ask the Lord, “How long?” or plead, “Please do not let this situation go any further!”  

“This You have seen, O Lord; do not keep silence. O Lord, do not be far from me. Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, to my cause, my God and my Lord. Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, ‘Ah, so we would have it!’ Let them not say, ‘We have swallowed him up.’ Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who rejoice at my hurt; let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who exalt themselves against me.” Psalm 35:22-26 (NKJV)

Remember, the Lord allowed Pharaoh to pursue Israel so closely that Egypt literally overtook the Israelites at the Red Sea. He allowed this so the Egyptians would know the Lord is God, and the faith of the Israelites would be strengthened.

“And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.” Exodus 14:8-9 (NKJV)

Regardless of how close the enemy gets, remember that God can save you at any distance!

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 34. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!  For praise from the upright is beautiful.  Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.  Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.”  Psalm 33:1-2 (NKJV)

While this psalm begins with a praise band and songwriting, it is primarily a tribute to the Word of the Lord.  And that really is the major role that music plays within a church service: to serve & support the preaching of God’s Word.  In the words of Martin Luther, “Music is the handmaiden of theology.”

Being a songwriter myself, I pay particular attention to the term “Sing to Him a new song.” Whenever I teach a songwriting course at a university or a conference, I almost always get this question: "Which comes first, the melody or the lyrics?”  Concerning Psalm 33, David would say his new song sprang forth from seeing God’s Word fulfilled.  And doesn’t that happen to us whenever we read the Bible and God reveals something to us that constitutes a paradigm shift, a significant change in how we now view the world through the lens of Scripture?  You may not play an instrument, but doesn’t your heart burst forth in song as you ponder what He has revealed to you, how, as you committed to studying His Word, He responded by meeting you and revealing His truth?  If you have had that experience, surely you can resonate with David’s words!  If not, keep reading the Bible because God delights to reveal His Word to those who diligently seek Him in Bible study!

So, what else can we learn today from Psalm 33?  Have you noticed how David goes on and on about the Word of the Lord and how everything was made by God’s word?

“For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.  By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.  He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.” Psalm 33:4-7 (NKJV)

Now consider Psalm 33 in light of John, chapter 1, where we learn that the “Word of the Lord” is Messiah, Jesus.  That’s right before He was born as a baby and before we knew Him as “Jesus.”  He is “The Word” existing before creation, from eternity past.  (Micah 5:3)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:1-4; 14 (NKJV)

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”  Micah 5:2 (NKJV)

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. - Selah -  I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. -  Selah” Psalm 32:1-5 (NKJV)

There is a false idea circulating the Church-at-large that salvation in Old Testament times was obtained by doing the works of the Torah (Law/Teaching). This wrong idea is not a modern church invention. The Apostle Paul had to set the record straight in his letter to the young church in Rome. As his evidence that salvation had never been obtained through the works of the Law but had always been by God’s grace when men faithfully believed in Him, the apostle Paul quoted Genesis 15:6 along with today’s psalm.

“For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” Romans 4:4-8 (NKJV)

Not only was God’s forgiveness available to David, but he describes how, in his pride, he resisted confession, which staved off God’s restoration. Before we hiss at David, we can all remember times when we refused to confess sin. Biblical confession leading to restoration is more than simply admitting we have sinned. True confession includes the desire and serious intent not to sin again. David details how his refusal to confess his sin prolonged God’s “heavy hand” upon him and made his bones ache and groan. The moment that David acknowledged his sin, God forgave him. What a great God we serve! Still, His offer of forgiveness is not extended forever.   Eventually, His grace & mercy must be eclipsed by judgment. Hence, there is URGENCY in the gospel. Seek Him while He may still be found!

“For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. – Selah” Psalm 32:6-7 (NKJV)

“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7 (NKJV)

“In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” Psalm 31:1-5 (NKJV)

While suffering on the cross, the Bible records that Jesus made seven statements. They were, in order, loosely phrased as such:

1) To His accusers, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,”

2) To one thief next to Him on the cross, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise,”

3) To His mother (referring to John the disciple’s new responsibility of taking care of Jesus’ mother): “Woman, here is your son,”

4) To the Father, “Why have You forsaken Me” (quoting Psalm 22),  

5) “I am thirsty” (also quoting Psalm 22),

6) “It is finished” (The sin debt of the world had been fully paid for, God’s requirement had been satisfied),

And finally, today’s psalm is quoted 7): “Into Your hand, I commit My Spirit.”

“Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:44-46 (NKJV)

For those who truly study the Bible, it is apparent that Jesus was not making random, mindless, or arbitrary statements from the cross. He was prophesying, mostly quoting Scripture. He presumed that we should know the deeper meaning of His statements because we should all be studying and meditating on His Word every day.  

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NKJV)

When we read Jesus’ statement, “Into Your hands I commit my Spirit…” in the gospel, we should be mentally filling in the beginning and end of that statement from Psalm 31: “For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net, which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength - You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”  That is what He intends for us to do. We are to know the passage He is quoting and automatically fill in the blanks. That way, we understand that Jesus’ 7th statement from the cross was not communicating resolute defeat. He gave a final statement of faith that He believed God would deliver Him from the grave so that we would remember, as the chapter title of Psalm 31 states, “The Lord is a Fortress in Adversity,” even the adversity of the cross and tomb!

“I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:1-5 (NKJV)

While I was living in Chicago back in the early 2000s, there was a Romanian bass player named Dan on my worship team. One day, I asked Dan how he came to live in the United States. He told me that he, along with his father and uncle, fled the Communists by floating on an inner tube across the Danube River. He also described how hard it was to worship in a Communist state, where the police would often burst into a home Bible study, physically beat the leader, and drag him to jail. Dan said they prayed for years that the Lord would let them escape Romania, and he added that he would never forget God’s graciousness to his family, where they had a home in Chicago in which they could study the Bible without fear.

King David was a fugitive most of his early adult life. The song he wrote upon completing the construction of his house meant more to David than a simple tribute to architecture and property value. It was the fulfillment of all he had prayed for during those run-for-your-life years, sleeping in caves and on the desert ground. David even compared his house in Jerusalem with having been resurrected from the grave, “You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.”  

We, too, can often feel there is no end to our personal suffering. In desperation, we offer prayers, pleading for deliverance. We hope the Lord hears, cares about our plight, and has the power and character to deliver His children today.  David’s song of praise should encourage us to see how the Lord can deliver us from the greatest depths imaginable and that He still turns mourning into dancing!

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.” Psalm 30:11-12 (NKJV)

But what of those who do not hope in the Lord?  What of those who choose to rebel and refuse to trust Him?  Where is their comfort when the dance party ends?

“The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance has turned into mourning.” Lamentations 5:15 (NKJV)

The good news is that there is nobody beyond rescue who is so bad that they cannot have the grace of Messiah Jesus if they will simply turn from their sin and commit to following Him.  (Ezekiel 18:23; John 6:36-37; Matthew 11:28-30, John 3:16)

“The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” Psalm 29:10-11 (NKJV)

As a child, I recall people singing the hymn “Have Faith in God.”  The chorus was simple, “Have faith in God, He’s on His throne. Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own; He cannot fail, He must prevail. Have faith in God, Have faith in God.” That is David’s message to us in Psalm 29: God is in control, even in the midst of the greatest calamity. It is also a reminder to all the “mighty” men (kings & business tycoons) that they are NOT in control. God is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Hence, He is worthy of all honor & glory, for all power is His.

“Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:1-2 (NKJV)

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, ‘Glory!’” Psalm 29:3-9 (NKJV)

Note how David mentions natural signs accompanying the presence and work of the “voice” of the Lord. They are the same signs Elijah experienced at Mount Horeb.

“Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” 1 Kings 19:11-13 (NKJV)

So, what is the Voice of the Lord declaring? The powerful Word of the Lord!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. …  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3; 14 (NKJV)

“Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up.” Psalm 28:3-5 (NKJV)

Grace is a gift. It’s getting something we do not deserve. Mercy is more closely attached to punishment. Mercy means we do not get what we deserve, at least to the extent that the law says we should have gotten it. Mercy is always at the discretion of the judge or the person offended. Often, after having arrested a perpetrator in a domestic dispute, the police will ask the person offended if they want to press charges. Whenever the person offended says “no,” the perpetrator has received mercy. Whenever a jury recommends a life sentence for a convicted felon, and the judge reduces that sentence, the felon has received mercy. Neither the judge nor the person offended is under any compulsion to extend mercy, and neither would be at fault for demanding the full extent of the law to fall upon an offender. Still, the law allows for mercy. When our eternities are on the line, with God’s standard being perfection and us falling short, I am certainly glad God is willing to extend His mercy toward us through Messiah Jesus!

David’s psalm combines both his personal plea for mercy, “...Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity...”, and his demand for his enemies’ justice, “...give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors...”. That’s pretty much where we live: in need of mercy yet demanding justice. What separated David as a human from his enemies, i.e., what separates sinners like us from sinners like them? David faithfully believed the Lord’s Word and received salvation by grace, in addition to God’s mercy. David acknowledged that it was the Lord who had established him and glorified Him.  David’s enemies refused to “acknowledge the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands.”  We are reminded of Peter’s response to Jesus’ provision of the “great haul of fish,” even though Peter cast the net. The difference between believers & unbelievers is how believers know Who deserves the credit for their salvation.

“Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your Word I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Luke 5:3-8 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 27. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Vindicate me, Lord, because I have lived with integrity and have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Test me, Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I live by Your truth. I do not sit with the worthless or associate with hypocrites. I hate a crowd of evildoers, and I do not sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence and go around Your altar, Lord, raising my voice in thanksgiving and telling about Your wonderful works. Lord, I love the house where You dwell, the place where Your glory resides. Do not destroy me along with sinners, or my life along with men of bloodshed in whose hands are evil schemes and whose right hands are filled with bribes. But I live with integrity; redeem me and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; I will praise the Lord in the assemblies.” Psalm 26:1-12 (HCSB)

Vindication is needed whenever a person has been unjustly accused of a crime. We do not know the crime of which David was accused, but we know there was a time when he was unjustly pursued by Saul’s army. Saul had to convince his army that David deserved to be punished, so we can be certain the basis for that pursuit was a lie. However, vindication works both ways. Vindication not only clears the innocent; it also makes accusations certain. For instance, if you unjustly accused your neighbor of stealing your lawnmower, your neighbor would be vindicated if the police found your lawnmower in your own garage. Likewise, if your neighbor accused you of stealing his lawnmower, although you are typically an upstanding citizen and your neighbors did not believe the accusation, your neighbor would be vindicated if the police found his lawnmower in your garage.

So, what kind of retribution is David pleading? In some ways, BOTH. David wants vindication because he is innocent, but his accusations about his enemies’ guilt are also proven right. As with many psalms, David’s words also remind us of Jesus, the “Son of David,” who was unjustly accused.

The word “lovingkindness” in verse 3 (translated as “faithful love” in other Bible versions) is more akin to “mercy.” That is, David is a man, hence, not perfect. His plea for vindication is based more on God’s mercy than his own righteousness. For instance, he also pleads in verse 9, “Do not destroy me along with sinners….” David knows he deserves judgment, so he seeks retribution from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9) David has placed his faith in God and His Word. David’s works are merely evidence of his faith, but His vindication must come from God alone.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV) (see also: Romans 5:6-11)

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.” Psalm 25:4-11 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm, a psalm of David, is titled “A Plea for Deliverance And Forgiveness.”  There is something both comforting and irritating about God’s mercy. It is comforting because we all need it. Apparently, we need it often because the Bible says God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).  While each of us receives God’s mercy, delivered daily to our doorsteps, we typically are slow to dispense mercy to others. We tend to want to see people “learn their lessons” rather than give them a fresh start. In today’s psalm, David is not simply looking for forgiveness; he wants to learn from his circumstances so that he will not sin again. David shows himself to be a man after God’s own heart because his plea to learn God’s Word, His “paths,” echoes the heart of God, speaking through Jeremiah.

“Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”  Jeremiah 6:16 (NKJV)

The process of adopting a value system that aligns with God’s Word is not merely the byproduct of listening to sermons or taking notes during classroom lectures. We learn to value God’s Word when we obey it. We also learn when we don’t obey it, we suffer the consequences. God’s mercy is so wonderful in that it allows us to experience the pain of the consequences of disobedience, but not to the extent as to destroy any chances of our full restoration and Kingdom usefulness.

“Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 25:12-13 (NKJV)

David’s declaration reminds us of the “Son of David,” Messiah Jesus, and lends understanding to Jesus’s beatitude message.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)

Meekness means “power under submission.” David’s psalm gives us the source of that “earth inheriting” meekness: Obedience to God’s Word, the ancient path that leads to life. Not just life for the individual but for the entire nation. (Psalm 25:22)

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face.  Selah” Psalm 24:1-6 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm begins with a very obvious, yet often overlooked, fact when people consider the various world religions and how the adherents of those religions coexist in society: There is only ONE TRUE GOD…and He is the God of all men, everywhere. There is only one true God, and He has articulated through the Bible how mankind must worship Him and that all other religion, regardless of how ancient they may be (or how sincere their followers are), is false. The apostle Paul addressed this very issue.

(Paul speaking) “‘God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.’ And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” Acts 17:24-34 (NKJV)

God is exclusive in His divinity, yet he liberally desires for all men to be saved.

“Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants - everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant - even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.” Isaiah 56:6-8 (NKJV)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3 (NKJV)

As perhaps the best-known psalm in the world (definitely one of the most familiar passages in the Bible for believers and non-believers alike), Psalm 23 covers both fear of the present and hope for the future in their greatest extremes. So, how do we unpack the gravity of this passage in a few short paragraphs? Frankly, it cannot be done, but let’s try to anyway!  

Everyone, everywhere, regardless of their station of life or ethnicity, resonates with the idea that they are sheep in need of a shepherd. After all, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray.” (Isaiah 53:6). Sadly, most of the people who apply for the job of shepherd (religious and political leaders) fall short of God’s standard. At best, they are flawed shepherds. We can all agree the world is weary of self-serving “bad shepherds”; those whose care for the flock only extends to their provision of mutton and wool! That is why Jesus introduced Himself as the Good Shepherd, the long-awaited Messiah. (John 10:11-18). His feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:30-44) is a direct parallel with Psalm 23, right down to making His followers lie down in the green grass. It is easy to accept a shepherd who feeds, cares for, and guides us, but where is a good shepherd during hard times? Does He abandon his flock? Absolutely not! Even in the midst of life’s greatest hardships, His is right here with us.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)

Where else do we find this “shadow of death” concept in the Bible?

“Give glory to the Lord your God before He causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it dense darkness. But if you will not hear it, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.” Jeremiah 13:16-17 (NKJV)

The “shadow of death” is a condition we bring about ourselves. It does not refer to a sickness or disease, per se. The “shadow of death” is the result of our idolatry. The fact that Psalm 23 informs us that the Good Shepherd is with us in the “valley of the shadow” is a sign of His mercy and willingness to forgive us from our lowest places. Lastly, once we are restored, we dwell in His presence by His grace!

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.”  Psalm 23:5-6 (see also: Jeremiah 52:31-34; Revelation 21:3-4; John 14:2-3) (NKJV)

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ‘He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!’ But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb, You have been My God.” Psalm 22:1-10 (NKJV)

It is a fairly common occurrence that whenever I discuss the idea of Messiah with Jewish non-believers, in order to get the conversation started, I propose some ground rules. They will not speak from the Talmud (a collection of extra-Biblical rabbinic opinions), and I will not speak from the New Testament. After all, if Jesus is the Messiah, then He should be clearly seen in the TANAKH (Hebrew Old Testament). “Fair enough,” they say, and off we go. But it never fails that whenever I read Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, the Jewish non-believer says, “STOP! You said you would not speak from the New Testament, and you are obviously talking about Jesus!”  I simply turn the Bible around and show them that King David could describe Messiah Jesus more clearly hundreds of years before His crucifixion than their rabbi can see Him today, 2000 years after the fact.

One of the most misunderstood statements that Jesus made from the cross was, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  Often, so-called “experts” put forth that in the midst of the trauma of crucifixion, Jesus stammered in His faith and lost sight of the goal. I overheard (and quickly corrected) one Israeli non-believing tour guide who taught his tour group, “Every prayer Jesus prayed, God answered, except for His selfish prayer that the “cup would be removed” from Him in the garden. Then Jesus caught Himself and said, ‘Nevertheless…’ Even on the cross, He was unsure of God’s deliverance and asked, ‘Why have You forsaken Me…?’”  Let me say, that guide was not at all happy when I stepped in to give the proper Biblical understanding of the passage.

So, what did Jesus mean when He asked, “Why…?” Well, what is the subject matter of the psalm? It is the prophetic confession of Messiah, Who would bear the sin of both Israel and the world. Jesus was not confused, and His faith had not faltered. He was quoting a psalm about Himself - not only His unjust punishment but also the hope of His resurrection! Anyone who knew the first part of the psalm knew the rest.  

“You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! Psalm 22:21b-24

“For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.” Psalm 21:7 (NKJV)

Psalm 21 has thirteen verses. The first six verses deal with God’s salvation of David, with strong Messianic overtones. For instance, David speaks of the recipient of God’s salvation as having his days extended “forever and ever” and that he is “blessed forever  .”Also to consider is that Jesus’ Name in Hebrew is Yeshua, which means “God saves.”  

“He asked life from You, and You gave it to him - length of days forever and ever. His glory is great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon him. For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.” Psalm 21:4-6 (NKJV)

For a moment, let’s consider that David was not speaking about Messiah. David’s words, then, indicate he believed in the resurrection and anticipated to spend eternity in God’s presence, that his earthly deliverances were only foreshadowing of a permanent heavenly one.

The last six verses of Psalm 21 focus on the judgment of God’s enemies. Fire and arrows are His tools of wrath. Arrows are silent, swift, and come from afar. God says that His enemies are hit when they least expect it, and His judgment comes quickly. Of course, we see fire as a means of judgment throughout Scripture. Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-Nego were saved through the furnace (without even smelling of smoke), while the men who threw them into the fire were burned alive. (Daniel 3) Most notably, the “Lake of Fire” (alongside the Word of God/the sword from Jesus’ mouth) is the final instrument of judgment in the Revelation.

“They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:9-10 (NKJV)

If we are not cautious, we can scan today’s psalm and see it in two parts: God saves the righteous and punishes the unrighteous. But is anyone righteous before God on their own merit? (Romans 3:10) Don’t we all deserve punishment for sinning and falling short of God’s glory? (Romans 3:32) So, how can anyone be considered righteous? Smack in the middle of Psalm 21 is verse 7. David trusted in the Lord, and in His MERCY, God delivered him. David was not righteous, but his applied faith in God’s Word was counted as righteousness. Therefore, God chose to bestow MERCY (not getting what he deserved). And that is how we are saved today. God’s Grace (gift) is that we receive MERCY when we place our faith in the Living Word (John 1:1-14), Jesus, turning from our sin and committing to follow Him. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 20. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

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“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” Psalm 19:1-6 (NKJV)

I can understand how Christians have different religious views and even that other people would follow after false religion. What is completely baffling to me is how a person could claim to be an atheist to deny that God exists at all. All people, everywhere, receive nature’s testimony (also see Romans 1:20)! Therefore, the atheist is a “fool.”

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Psalm 14:1a (NKJV)

Today’s psalm tells us that God’s glory is declared by nature itself! No honest, open-minded person could deny the existence of a creator because creation shouts, “Believe!”  So, does that mean a person is saved, apart from trusting in Jesus, by simply by taking a trip to Yosemite? Absolutely not! (Acts 4:12)  Creation prompts people to search for a Creator, but that search always leads them first to His perfect Law. When we get closer to God, we must face the fact that He is holy and has articulated a standard through which communion (fellowship) with Him is possible. That is why Psalm 19 moves from nature’s revelation to Scriptural revelation.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11 (NKJV) (see also: 1 Corinthians 14:1)

Once nature says there is a God, and Scripture tells us how Holy He is, we face a dilemma: We are not holy at all! Therefore, something (or Someone) must cleanse us from our iniquity! (1 John 1:9) Enter Jesus. In Him, alone, are we saved.

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:12-14 (NKJV)

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

“They cried out, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets. You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations; a people I have not known shall serve me. As soon as they hear of me they obey me; the foreigners submit to me. The foreigners fade away, and come frightened from their hideouts. The Lord lives!  Blessed be my Rock!Let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name. Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore.  Psalm 18:41-50 (NKJV)

The title & direction ascribed to Psalm 18 is “God the Sovereign Savior (To the chief musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and the from the hand of Saul…)”. If we are paying attention, we should focus on the phrase “…delivered him from all his enemies and from the hand of Saul”, because David quickly moves beyond his immediate deliverance and transcends to Messiah and His deliverance.  (Luke 20:43; Acts 2:35; Matthew 22:44; Psalm 110:1) We must remember that one of the titles of Messiah (Jesus) is “Son of David.”

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham….” Matthew 1:1 (NKJV)

Another item to note is how David distinguishes between “Enemies” and “Foreigners.”  There is a false idea that God (in the Old Testament) hates foreigners.  That is not so.  God hates foreign gods.  Whenever a foreigner (in the Old Testament or New) renounces their foreign gods and embraces both the God and people of “Israel,” they are no longer considered “foreign,” even though they are not descended from a Hebrew family.

“Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the Name of the Lord, to be His servants - everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant - even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to Him others besides those who are gathered to Him.”  Isaiah 56:6-8 (NKJV)

Why would the Gentiles praise the God of Israel?  Because He has defeated the enemies of Messiah. And HOW? By the grace and mercy of God.  When a Gentile converts to the Lord, he not only ceases to be an enemy of Israel, but he becomes gathered (along with the outcasts of Israel) to God’s flock! (John 10:14-16)

“Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer. Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip. I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings, from the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.” Psalm 17:4-9 (NKJV)

Satan has a three-fold agenda: Steal, Kill, Destroy. (John 10:10) He wants to steal God’s sheep (us) by promising a better life if we reject God. He seeks to kill by stealing the seeds of the gospel, sown through evangelism. (Matthew 13:19). By doing so, Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy any hope that we may have of a joy-filled life and eternity with God. So, how does David stay away from the Destroyer (Satan)? By staying off the Destroyer’s path!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)

And how does one ensure they do not travel in the Destroyer’s path, aka: “the path of sinners”? By seeking and obeying God’s Word, “the Word of Your lips.”

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

We must remember that while there are many “paths” promising to lead us to a joyful relationship with God (and many of those paths are seemingly trustworthy simply because they are ancient), there is only ONE true path.

“This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths: Which is the way to what is good? Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, “We won’t!”’  Jeremiah 6:16  (see also: John 14:6; Matthew 7:13-14) (HCSB)

Notice how David communicates that while he stands blameless before the Lord when he wrote this psalm, he is not counting on his personal righteousness to deliver him. He relies on God’s right hand (Isaiah 41:10-13), confident that he is the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8-9) and will be gathered under His “wing  .”Are you willing to be gathered?

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!”  Matthew 23:37 (NASB)

“I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:8-11 (NKJV)

Here, in Psalm 16, David is speaking prophetically and pleading emphatically. He begins with desperation, “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.” Obviously, David has found himself in a jam only God could get him out of. It is not unlike many prayers that you or I have prayed, looking for a way through a dilemma for which we cannot imagine a solution. But David’s situation leads us to believe that he feels he may not make it out alive. So, he is declaring his belief that if he dies, God will preserve him, resurrecting him from the grave.

Notice his words, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol (Heb: the grave)….”  

David is declaring his belief, not just in God’s ability to resurrect the dead, but in His willingness to resurrect David, personally, because he has placed his faith in God. For those who hold to the notion that the resurrection of the dead is a purely New Testament idea, this is solid evidence otherwise! But don’t feel lonely; the Old Testament’s teaching (of the resurrection of the dead) was hotly debated, even in the days of Jesus and His apostles.

“Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.’” Acts 23:6 (NIV)

Just when we might believe Psalm 16 is purely a declaration of David’s belief that he will be resurrected, his psalm moves to the subject of Messiah (Jesus) and His resurrection: “…nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:10b (NKJV)

It should not surprise us that David prophesied about Messiah. After all, the Messiah was also known as “the Son of David.”  However, David was not the only prophet who understood the Messiah’s role. Every single Old Testament prophet plainly saw Jesus and His role & resurrection. (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 53; Psalm 22; Isaiah 9:6)  Furthermore, they all knew there would be no salvation other than Messiah Jesus.  

“All the prophets testify about Him (Messiah) that through His Name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:43 (see also: John 12:41) (NASB)

“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12 (NKJV)

“Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.”  Psalm 15:1-5 (Compare: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) (NLT)

There is a false assumption dominating the understanding of many Christians that Old Testament believers were somehow justified by the works of the Law. Reading today’s psalm, it’s easy to assume a “salvation by works” mindset, so some explaining is necessary. Nobody has ever been justified solely by their good works. Salvation has always been and forever will be, by grace, through faith.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)

Old Testament righteousness, by grace, through faith, is the primary message of the New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews was written to the Jewish community after Jesus’ resurrection to drive home the reality that none of the Old Testament heroes were justified in the eyes of God based solely on their own good works.  

So, exactly how were those Old Testament heroes justified before God? They were saved when they put their faith in God’s Word, which said that if they would repent and turn from their sin as He prescribed, He would forgive them. Again, it was not their works that saved them but their faithful belief that God’s Word was true. That faith motivated their works and met His standards. Works must follow faith, but faith does the heavy lifting. Otherwise, a person with no faith in God could do certain prescribed actions and be saved without believing in God. As one pastor put it, “We are not saved by faith & works. Rather, we are saved by faith that works!”  Notice how the Apostle John introduced Jesus as “the Word” in his gospel.  

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1;14 (NKJV)

So, what does the Bible say we must do to be saved in our generation? We must believe God’s Word. The Bible says that God loves the world and desires to forgive sinners who are willing to repent. (John 3:16)  We must repent (turn from our sin), placing our faith in Jesus, that He paid our sin debt by dying on the cross and was raised from the grave. By God’s grace, we are saved when the object of our faith is Jesus’ work, not our own. By His work, we stand blameless before God! By faith in Jesus’ work, we are made righteous, and that motivates our good works.

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the Lord? There they are in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” Psalm 14:1-7 (NKJV)

Several years ago, while I was living in California and teaching Bible studies in various coffee shops, a young man got quite angry at me when I put forth that certain psalms were prophetic…speaking of the Messiah (Jesus, who would come many generations later) and of other events that did not occur until after the psalmists had passed. Of course, I shared today’s Psalm, along with a few others, and posed the question: Were the people of Israel in exiled captivity during David’s lifetime? Undeniably, no, they were not.

In trying to understand today’s psalm, perhaps it helps to read it in reverse. Because if we read it from the top down, we tend to get stuck on the idea that all men have turned aside and become corrupt. It is not until later in the psalm that we recognize there is a “generation of the righteous.”  So, if all men are corrupt and do not seek God, how does a righteous generation arise? Of course, by the end of the psalm, we learn that salvation comes not from the works of unrighteous men but rather from the atoning work of the Lord Himself. Only then, when the Lord saves, will captives truly be set free, for the captivity of God’s people is not solely defined as unwilling restraint by a foreign people. Our true captivity, which ALL MANKIND holds in common, is the captivity of sin & death. Both have been defeated on the cross by the Lord Himself, Messiah Jesus! (Micah 5:2; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Notice how the prophet Isaiah describes that “generation” for which the Messiah atones.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.”  Isaiah 53:6-10 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 13. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.” Psalm 12:6-7 (NKJV)

Today, let’s start with the positive message of this psalm: God will preserve His Word throughout the generations, even unto eternity! College professors, entertainment stars, business giants, and militant false religions may war against the Bible. They may seek to silence and destroy those of us who commit our lives to faithfully submit our lives to the Word, but God will preserve it. Sure, we may train ourselves to “defend” the faith, but God will personally sustain it! By way of spiritual oppression, what we see may appear to be insurmountable mountains of opposition all around us. But God only sees grass that needs to be mowed! In fact, the Lord told the prophet Isaiah to tell the people who considered themselves too highly that they were merely grass in His sight.

“The voice said, ‘Cry out!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry? All flesh is grass,

And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, and the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.’” Isaiah 40:6-8 (NKJV)

The Hebrew word for “breath” or “wind/air” is Ruach. It is also the word for “spirit.” So, when the Lord says that He blows on the grass and the grass (even the more flowery grass) dies, He is saying that by His “Ruach HaKodesh” (Holy Spirit), He establishes men, allowing them to have glory (flower). Furthermore, He brings them to their end. Meanwhile, His Word, which seemed (in the short term) to be on the verge of extinction, keeps on keepin’ on!

When Godly men pass away, we tend to fret that the light of the gospel and the preaching of the Word will cease. Notice David’s anxiety.

“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, ‘With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?’… The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.” Psalm 12:1-4; 8 (NKJV)

There is the long-fought struggle…and then God weighs in. The time of our faithful wait is over, as God Himself brings His faithful Word to pass! Are you waiting in faith for God to deliver you? Hold on! He is faithful to complete what He has called us to.

 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” Psalm 12:5 (NKJV)

“In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’? For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.”  Psalm 11:1-2 (NKJV)

A few years ago, my brother sent me a photo of a deer he shot with his bow. Unlike rifle hunting, the bow and arrow are silent killers. Due to the slower velocity of the arrow as compared to a rifle bullet, bow hunting demands the archer position strategically and wait patiently. The animal must get as close as possible before letting go of the string. TWANG! Thud. Bull’s-eye!

David uses the image of an archer to describe how the wicked are taking aim at him. The Bible describes how David was literally hunted by his enemies, stalking him with both literal arrows and figurative ones: injurious testimony and discouraging words. David’s response? He remembered the Word of the Lord, the foundation of our faith, and God’s promise to those who pursue righteousness.  

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  Psalm 11:3 (NKJV)

If we depart from the Bible, what foundation can we stand upon when it seems no hope is in sight? If we have forsaken God’s Word, where do we turn when we need to be encouraged and refreshed? What well can we drink from if we have left the source of Living Water?

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13 (NKJV)

God’s Word declares that we can stand firm and have joy when all around us seems hopelessly dark. We remember that the Lord sees us and has the power and determination to save His own people in the time and manner He determines!

“The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked, He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.”  Psalm 11:4-6 (NKJV)

It is our memory of Scripture that calms our hearts in these days when it seems that followers of Jesus are perpetually “in season  .”Wicked men seek to destroy the faithfulness of God’s Word by hunting His people. Still, we take heart knowing a righteous Judge presides over His creation and delights in His righteous ones.

“For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.” Psalm 11:7 (NKJV)

“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble? he wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.”  Psalm 10:1-2 (NKJV)

“Why, Lord?”  It is the age-old question that shows no signs of going out of style. Who can know the mind of God that they could call His character into account? He has an aerial view of time (accompanied by a precise, detailed knowledge of how creation was designed) that our imaginations and calculations could never envision. He knows the cause-and-effect nature of circumstances concerning world happenings, and He ALWAYS chooses to act (or not) correctly. No degree or error. Still, we are human, so we ask, “Why?”

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

Consider the conversation between Moses and the children of Israel when Pharaoh overtook them as they fled in the Exodus, hemmed in at the edge of the Red Sea. Does it not mimic David’s internal struggle in Psalm 10?

“And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, “Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.’ And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’”  Exodus 14:10-14 (NKJV)

“Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, ‘You will not require an account.’ But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none. The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land. Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more.”  Psalm 10:12-18 (NKJV)

Whatever you are going through, remember that the Lord knows. Cry out in prayer and know that He is there. He is holy, cares, and has the power to affect change!

“The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. The judgment knows the Lord He executes; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. MEDITATION. (Selah) The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah” Psalm 9:15-20 (NKJV)

As David said, the Lord is known by the judgment He executes. But “judgment” is often misunderstood to mean “angry vengeance.” Indeed, most Christians hold an opinion of God that He was always angry in the Tanakh (Old Testament). God did not change His image at halftime, between the Old & New Testaments, emerging from the locker room as a cuddly grandfather. It is easy to have this opinion of God if our only source of Biblical understanding is listening to the occasional sermon in the average church. But, when we take time to read the Bible for ourselves, the Holy Spirit reveals that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  

“For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Malachi 3:6 (NKJV)

Furthermore, since Jesus is God, made flesh, He never changes.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)

So, all throughout the Bible, God judges righteously. He gives grace to the humble and repentant, and he rebukes and punishes the proud and unrepentant. We should reflect on that. As a matter of fact, David even instructs the musicians to add a solo section (“Higgaion”:  Hebrew for “meditation”) where the worshipper can ponder God’s judgment & mercy, which should result in our praise: Selah.

Again, God is not only angry in the Old Testament; He is also gracious and merciful. He cares for widows, orphans, wild animals and even foreign refugees.

“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. When He avenges blood, He remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the humble. Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.” Psalm 9:9-14 (NKJV)

Have you put your faith & trust in the Lord? If so, He both cares and fights for you!

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm 8:1-2 (NKJV)

The great value of the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to all followers of Jesus at the moment of their decision to believe, is that He reveals the truth of God’s Word.  

“But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV)

And one of the ways the Spirit teaches us is to “whisper” in our hearts and minds as we read the Bible. The Holy Spirit whispers how we should apply Scripture to change our lives to align ourselves with God’s will. He warns us of the world around us by revealing how present-day scenarios mimic ancient scenarios so that we can expect predictable outcomes. And He brings us to a recollection of things we have read earlier in the Bible so we can spot Biblical trends that run throughout Scripture. Reading today’s passage, we should hear a whisper, asking, “Where have you seen ‘mouth of babes’ before?”

“But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant and said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’

And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise”’?”  Matthew 21:15-16 (NKJV)

What does “Hosanna” mean? It means “Save us now!”  So, in quoting Psalm 8, Jesus clarifies that the “strength” that comes out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants is the declaration that Messiah is the source of that saving strength and that He is Messiah! In directing their praise to Jesus, those children (along with adults) declared that Jesus was the Messiah, coming to save His people.  

Furthermore, Jesus’ name in Hebrew, Yeshua, means “YHWH (God) is our salvation  .”So, when the children were directing their praise “Hosanna” at Jesus, they were literally declaring His deity, “God is our salvation; save us now!”  That perfectly aligns with who the Hebrew prophets knew that Messiah would be: God made flesh. (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 9:6). No wonder the religious leaders sought to silence the children. When they read Psalm 8, they focused on “What is man that you are mindful of Him and the son of man that you visit him?”, thus missing the Messiah, whom even a child could see!  (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:7)

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!”  Psalm 8:9 (NKJV)

“Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”  Psalm 7:9-11 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm is a “meditation of David” sung to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. We do not know much about this fellow, Cush, other than the fact that he was from the tribe of Benjamin. But that actually tells us quite a bit about his character and allegiances. At the time of David’s writing of this psalm, the tribe of Benjamin had just come out of a very dubious season in Israel’s history. The book of Judges ends with the tribe of Benjamin’s war against the rest of the tribes of Israel. Benjamin had refused to hold rapists and murderers accountable within their tribe. While the war began in Benjamin’s favor, were it not for God’s merciful intervention, Benjamin would have been eliminated as a tribe. We know that King Saul was a Benjamite, and he was pursuing David to kill him. Saul was controlling not just the army of Benjamin but the rest of Israel’s troops as well.

We also know what Cush was saying about David because David asks God to weigh Cush’s false accusations and judge fairly.

“O Lord my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands, if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, or have plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; yes, let him trample my life to the earth, and lay my honor in the dust.  Selah” Psalm 7:3-5 (NKJV)

We will meet some people in life, and they will form false assumptions about us. They will observe our lives and string together false assumptions about our characters. It is like the neighborhood kids who pass by an old widow’s run-down house, observe her overgrown yard, rusty gate, and cats moving through the bushes, and assume she is a witch. It is wrong to make such judgments, but how they develop is understandable. Such judgments could be reversible if the kids simply met the old lady and discovered she is actually very kind.

Then, there are other people who are simply prejudiced and envious. ENVY is PRIDE wounded in competition. That was Cush. He was just plain mean! Cush knew that David had fallen out of favor with Saul, and he tried to earn Saul’s favor by lying about David’s character and behavior. It is good to know that when we have nobody to defend us, we can appeal to the Lord! He is more than capable of judging wisely and delivering the oppressed. (Romans 12:9; Deuteronomy 32:35) Therefore, we can find joy even in the midst of unjust persecution.

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 7:17 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 6. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.”  Psalm 5:4-8 (NKJV)

The holiness of God is incomparable to mankind. That truth is often confusing when God determines to bestow mercy on some men while sternly judging others. Our great existential predicament is that we are all sinful and imperfect creatures (Romans 3:23). Yet, His standard for communing with us is that we must be perfect (Matthew 5:48). In today’s passage, David, a sinner like the rest of mankind, is beseeching the Lord to make a judgment between himself and men who are seeking to kill him. What is intriguing to us is how David asks the Lord to distinguish his pursuers as deserving of judgment while he expects God’s mercy for himself.

Indeed, some people believe their personal righteousness deserves God’s reward, yet they will not receive it. Consider the words of Jesus concerning the arrogance of unbelievers expecting an eternal reward.

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Mathew 7:23 (NKJV)

Does this mean we are all doomed sinners, fated to eternal damnation for falling short of God’s standard? Absolutely not! We have a choice.

“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” Ezekiel 33:11(NKJV)

The fact that we are sinners does not exclude us from the hope of salvation. But it is not our accumulation of personal righteousness that saves us. Instead, it is the object of our faith, Jesus, who saves us! He has paid the penalty our sin deserves, and moreover, He imputes (accredits) His righteousness to us when we place our trust in Him, alone, for our salvation.  

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:8) (NKJV)

How could David confidently make a distinction between himself and other men? Because He had chosen to follow the Lord, as revealed in His Word. The same is true for us.  

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” John 1:12 (John 1:1;14) (NKJV)

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame?  How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?  (Selah)” Psalm 4:1-2 (NKJV)

It has never been easy to live faithfully in the world. Never, ever. As far back as the book of Genesis, people of unbelief & half-hearted devotion toward God have been at war against people with whole-hearted faithfulness. Cain killed his brother Abel out of envy because God favored Abel’s devotion. So why would we be surprised when a modern-day college professor, politician, or filmmaker would seek to destroy the faith of Christians? While unrighteous men have always sought to tarnish the “glory” of God’s children, the Lord has always been inclined to hear the prayers of His people. God delivers us, and He “re-polishes” our glory through redemption.  

King David may not have written the music to “The Safety of The Faithful” in Psalm 4, but he certainly lived out the theology it communicates! David had survived the pursuit of Saul. God’s faithfulness to His Word to David grew David’s faith to the extent that David understood this…while we do not know what the future holds, we place our confidence in The One who holds the future. In that knowledge, there is a peace that calms us, even in the midst of great conflict.  

“But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  (Selah)” Psalm 4:3-4 (NKJV)

It is possible to be angry and indignant about injustice and not to sin. The wise and faithful know not to be driven by the flesh but rather to seek the Lord in how to respond. Also, God’s favor cannot be bought nor coerced through hasty repentance, which only turns back to worldliness once the difficulty subsides. God knows the differences between anxious “turning from sin” and true repentance. We may pray the Aaronic blessing (“Lift up Your countenance upon us” Numbers 6:22-27) over people, but only those judged by God as righteous may receive the blessing.

“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.”  Psalm 4:5-6 (NKJV)

When we meditate on God’s Word and His past faithfulness, we find joy. Literally, the peace which passes understanding.  (Philippians 4:6-7)

“You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:7-8 (NKJV)

“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ (Selah) But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. (Selah) I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; you have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is up on Your people. (Selah)” Psalm 3:1-8 (NKJV)

I am embarrassed to admit it, but my wife and I used to own a little Chihuahua. She was 50% tremble and 50% rage. The typical Chihuahua is a Pit Bull cursed with a Guinea Pig’s body. A few years ago, we noticed our Chihuahua’s breath was increasingly horrible, so we took it to the veterinarian. Turns out, the dog had severe gum disease that required the vet to pull every tooth from the dog’s mouth! I used to be hesitant to pet the dog for fear of getting bitten. Not after that! The dog could bristle, growl, bark, and bite. It just couldn’t do any damage.

This is like the picture the Lord is painting with David’s psalm. God had broken the teeth of David’s enemies and took the bite right out of them! And He does exactly the same for us through Messiah Jesus.

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus, Messiah.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NKJV)

And who were David’s enemies? At the time this psalm was penned, David was pursued by his own son, Absalom (along with the majority of Israel who had previously pursued David under Saul’s reign). Why would a man’s own son seek to kill him? Well, the short version is that God punished David for killing Uriah the Hittite, whose wife, Bathsheba, David, had gotten pregnant. God told David that people from within his own house would rise up against him. So, was that it for David? Was there no forgiveness for him? David was a broken man, and he sought the Lord’s forgiveness. However, he did not want to presume the Lord owed him anything. Consider David’s words as he fled Jerusalem as compared to Psalm 3.

“And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness. There was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. Then the king said to Zadok, ‘Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place. But if He says thus: “I have no delight in you,” here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.’” 2 Samuel 15:23-26 (NKJV)

“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.’” Psalm 2:1-3 (NKJV)

I have heard it said by various church leaders that Christians should be known more for what they are “for” than what they are “against  .”Their point is that Christians have a negative image in the world and that non-believers’ perception of us is that we are always negative: “Don’t do this or that….”  That may be the case in some instances. I have met quite a few negative, unloving Christians. However, the cure for the world’s perception of us is not that we must engage in increased levels of positive conversation. They will rage against us regardless! The psalmist (in this case, David) tells us that the nations have ALWAYS plotted against the Lord and His people, not because of our rhetoric, but because they perceive God’s Word as restraining them from the so-called “happiness’ offered by Satan and his demonic fleshly influence in the world. Satan always promises high and delivers low.

The reality is that God does not “bind us in cords” to keep us from enjoying life, as the world suggests. Yes, God’s Word (including our freedom in Christ) commands us to be disciplined and adhere to certain restrictions and prohibitions. Those guidelines are given to enhance and ensure our joy, not keep us from it! He describes His Word as leading us gently, with bands of love, not dragging (or restricting) us from fun.

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. As they called them, so they went from them; they sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to carved images. I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.”  Hosea 11:1-4 (NKJV)

The prophet Hosea described how the Northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) had forsaken God, choosing the so-called “unrestricted freedom” of worldly idolatry against the ordered worship of the Lord. In the end, Assyria (whose false gods Ephraim had worshipped) defeated the Northern kingdom and took them away captive. The world’s promised freedom always leads to bondage far worse than any “burden” the Lord would require. Satan only seeks to trap and control you, keeping you from the blessings of a Godly life. Perhaps that is why Jesus’ words were so comforting to many people in His generation and ours as well.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1 (NKJV)

As a young recording artist, I received some veteran advice from an older colleague: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This artist communicated the reality that most first-time concertgoers form their opinions of your music before your first song ends. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you immediately seize their attention, earn their trust, and establish your message within the first three minutes. No pressure, right? And musical “first impressions” are powerful in our culture. Most churchgoers will not download their pastor’s sermon and listen to it over and over the following week. However, they will go to a music streaming website and listen to worship music. That is why it is so important that the music we sing also communicates the correct theology. Martin Luther said, “Music is the handmaiden of theology,” but for some people, music is their primary source of reinforced theology, especially for young believers who have yet to form the habit of daily Bible study.

So, when it comes to “first impressions,” what is God communicating to His people within the first line of the first song in Israel’s hymnal? Seeking and living according to His Word is paramount for success in life! Notice how He describes a pattern of decline whenever people seek “ungodly” counsel. And what makes counsel ungodly? It simply denies God’s Word. The moment we replace God’s Word, the Bible, with some extra-Biblical source, we are replacing the pursuit of Godly blessing with Worldly goals. Ungodly counsel segregates God from certain areas of our lives where we feel He may hinder progress and sends us into a downward moral trajectory, where we go from seeking non-Biblical counsel to actually “standing” in the path of sinners and being more comfortable around non-believers than among Christians who seek God’s Word.

The longer we live not just among the ungodly but literally “becoming as” the ungodly, the more we become solidified in the world’s value system. Increasingly ungodly values spiral us even further down to the point where we become fully established, sitting in the “seat of the scornful.” This means that we have descended, Biblically, to the point where we are actually mocking and scorning Christians who believe the Bible and are striving to live according to it!

For those of us who have determined to seek God’s Counsel, we begin to spiral upward spiritually. We become more established in a faith that does not defer hope. Instead, God proves Himself faithful to our pursuance of Him.

“But his [the blessed man’s] delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night.”  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:2-3 (See also Revelation 22:1-3) (NKJV)

“The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”  Psalm 1:4-6 (NKJV)

“Then at last, Job gave the Lord this answer: ‘I know that You can do everything, that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, “Who is this, hiding his counsel, without having knowledge?” Yes, I spoke, without understanding, of wonders far beyond me, which I didn’t know.  Please listen, and I will speak.  You said, “I will ask questions and you, give Me answers” – I had heard about You with my ears, but now my eyes see You; therefore I detest myself and repent in dust and ashes.’” Job 42:1-6 (CJB)

Growing up, I loved old-school horror movies, films like the original Dracula, the Mummy, Creature From The Black Lagoon, and, of course, Frankenstein. An interesting moral in the Frankenstein narrative is that a well-intended person can create something that gets so out of control that it eventually destroys its creator.

In a rebuke that lasts five chapters, God instructs Job that He created everything and that everything He made is entirely under His control. Even great beasts like Leviathan and Behemoth must answer to the Lord. Scholars have debated over the identities of these creatures. Some say they are a whale and a crocodile. Others believe they are a dinosaur and a giant squid. Still, others suggest they are symbols of sin and the Devil. It doesn’t matter what they are as long as we understand they are under God’s control!

There is so much in this World that we do not understand, and it is comforting that we are not required to know everything about everything. Have you ever gone out with friends and, while you were out together, something so incredible happened that you can’t stop talking about it? Then, when another friend asks what you are talking about, you say, “We can’t explain it; you just had to be there….” That is how it is with God. He tells us all that we NEED to know about Him, but not ALL there is to know about Him. We simply cannot understand some things, such as what existence was like before creation. Or the sound it made when the land was separated from the ocean. We just had to be there. But we weren’t.

It is much the same situation when we share the gospel with non-believers. How can we convey what it is like to know and follow God through a saving relationship with Messiah Jesus? It cannot fully be described, as all analogies end up falling short of the real thing. God cannot be fully appreciated in theories and descriptions. A relationship with God must be lived.  Our relationship with Him must be personal. (John 14:6)

And that is what Job has been doing for 42 chapters, living out his faith in the worst situations. Job’s faith has been tested to the point that it is realized as fact.  Job held on, and God showed up.  That is Job’s confession in today’s passage:

“I had heard about You with my ears, but now my eyes see You; therefore, I detest myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6 (CJB)

Are you experiencing difficulty in your faith journey? Hold on! Trust the Lord and His Word and keep pressing on until He shows up and proves His Word true in your life.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Job 41. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“The Lord answered Job out of the storm. Stand up like a man and brace yourself. I will ask questions; and you will give the answers! Are you falsely attacking my justice?  Putting Me in the wrong will prove yourself right? Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His? Come on, deck yourself with majesty and dignity, robe yourself in glory and splendor. Let loose your furious anger, look at all who are proud, and humble them. Look at all who are proud and bring them down; tread down the wicked where they stand. Bury them in the ground together, bind their faces in the hidden world. If you do this, then I will confess to you that your own power can save you.” Job 40:6-14 (CJB)

In today’s passage, in essence, God is telling Job, “Everybody wants My job, but nobody can do it!” Whenever we are in the midst of hardship, why is there always some part of us that wants to indict God’s character? We want to claim that God is not being fair or that He is too busy or blind to see us. Perhaps He has the will, but sometimes we wonder if He actually has the power to affect change.

Because we know that God can alleviate suffering, we spend much of our time on earth frustrated that we are not where we feel we should be. Sometimes, the world doesn’t make sense, and God allows wicked people to prosper. Basically, we have seen the system manipulated so many times in the world that we wonder why the rules can’t be bent for us. In short, that kind of attitude communicates one thing: we want to be our own god! But honestly, we only want to determine our destinies until things get over our heads. And things can get over our heads pretty quickly! Not only can you not be God, but it is also impossible for you to be your own savior.

“If you do this, then I will confess to you that your own power can save you.” Job 40:14 (CJB)

For a moment, ponder the gravity of that statement. Only God can save a man. Man cannot save himself. Now consider that if only God can save a man, who must the Savior of all mankind be? Some believe Jesus was a good man, perhaps the best man who ever lived. They even claim that Jesus is the Messiah (the salvation of both Jew & Gentile), but in their ignorance of Scripture, they deny His deity.  

“Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.” Micah 5:2  (see also: John 1:1-14; 10:17-18a)

Because Jesus is God, made flesh, He has both the power & authority to save not only Himself but all mankind as well!

“This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.” John 10:17-18 (HCSB)

“Did you give the horse its strength? Did you clothe its neck with a mane? Did you make him able to leap like a locust? Its majestic snorting is frightening! It paws with force and exults with vigor, then charges into battle; mocking at fear, unafraid, it does not shy away from the sword. But the rider’s quiver rattles over it, his gleaming spear and javelin.  Frenzied and eager, it devours the ground, scarcely believing the trumpet has sounded. At the sound of the shofar it whinnies: as from afar it scents battle, the roar of the chiefs and the shouting.” Job 39:19-25 (CJB)

In today’s chapter, the Lord asks for Job’s knowledge and understanding of eight of His creatures. Job is given a pop quiz concerning the birth of mountain goats & deer that live among treacherous cliffs. He speaks of the impossibility of taming wild donkeys and oxen. The Lord asks if Job has knowledge of the ostrich, which has wings but no wisdom, compassion, or understanding. He points out the wisdom of the hawk and eagles, and in today’s passage, the Lord describes the horse.

Speaking of horses, I grew up in Arkansas and Louisiana horse country. I appreciate the beauty of a horse. In the words of American orator Will Rogers, “There is nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.” That being said, I also know how dangerous horses can be. A college friend of mine was killed when the horse he was riding was startled and bucked him off.

Horses under submission are very useful, but an un-submissive horse is dangerously unreliable, useful for nothing. The term horse trainers use for taming a horse is “making him meek.” Meekness is power under submission. When considering God’s description of the horse in today’s passage, I am reminded of myself as a young believer. I had a lot of energy and zealous passion, but I had to learn to submit to Jesus.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Jesus’s words were a quote from the Psalms and were intended to contrast those Israelites who made themselves meek to the Lord against those who rejected submission and pursued evil. If you remember, it was Israel’s refusal to submit to God that led to their being conquered and deported. God promised that if Israel repented, they would be restored to the land.

“For evildoers will be cut off, but those hoping in the Lord will inherit the land. Soon, the wicked will be no more; you will look for his place, and he won’t be there. But the meek will inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” Psalm 37:9-11 (CJB)

Have you made yourself “meek” by placing yourself under submission to the Lord’s Word? Or are you still trying to do something big for God in your own way by your own power? When we submit and seek to do the Lord’s work the Lord’s way, we find ourselves resting in the Lord’s peace. God is teaching Job to be meek, surrendering himself to the Lord’s gracious “bridle” so he could be led and not try to seize the reigns.

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm: ‘Who is this, darkening my plans with his ignorant words? Stand up like a man and brace yourself; I will ask questions; and you, give the answers!’” Job 38:1-3 (CJB)

In reading Job, it is easy to get the impression that Satan is taking advantage of God and the Lord is passively standing by. It is as if God has been conned by the Devil, pick-pocketed, as it were, and robbed of His best follower. But that is not the case. Satan may be taking advantage of the situation, but he is not taking advantage of God. We must remember that it was God who brought Job into the conversation.

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.’; Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’” Job 1:6-8 (NASB)

So, now we see that it was God’s idea. It sounds cruel - as it no doubt felt to Job - but if God allowed it, Job’s suffering must have ultimately been a good thing. For one thing, at the pinnacle of his suffering, Job uttered these words:

“And to human beings, He said, ‘Look, to fear the Lord is wisdom!  Shunning evil is understanding!’” Job 28:28 (CJB)

We began this probe into Job’s story with a simple thought: FAITH is not FACT until it is TESTED. At the beginning of the book of Job, God declares that Job was “a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil.” Of course, it is easier to be blameless and upright when the times are good! But what if you stripped a man of all his worldly possessions and brought a man to the brink of death? That was basically Satan’s argument to God. Through it all, Job never stopped fearing God, nor did he ever embrace evil.  

In the beginning, Job’s faith was mainly a theory, but by the end, Job had the most valuable knowledge available. Job’s faith was the real thing. God knew it from the beginning, Satan learned it, and (most importantly) Job learned it, but Job still didn’t understand why all this was happening. I am certain he understood after the following conversation with the Lord!!

In today’s passage, the Lord says, “Who is this, darkening My plans with his ignorant words?”  It was God’s plan, not Satan’s, for Job to undergo such tribulation. Therefore, it was ultimately for good.  (Romans 8:28)

Do you feel like you are in the “olive press,” being squeezed for no apparent reason?  When what we believe is not what we feel, and we still hold on, that is when we truly know for certain that we’ve got the real stuff!

“Teach us what we should tell Him, for the darkness keeps us from organizing our case. Is He to be told that I will speak? Can a man speak at all when he is already swallowed up? Now people don’t see the light, which is bright in the sky; but then the wind blows and clears the clouds away. Out of the north comes a golden glow, fearsome majesty surrounding God. Shaddai, whom we cannot find, whose power is immense in His great righteousness does not pervert justice. This is why people fear Him; He does not consider those who think of themselves as wise.” Job 37:19-24 (CJB)

In today’s passage, Job’s friend Elihu takes one final stab and accuses Job. His basic ongoing indictment is that Job is undergoing judgment for his sin by the righteous Judge. As we remember, Elihu is the more mystical and spiritual of Job’s friends. But as far back as chapter 4, Elihu reveals the source of his theology: Satan.

“For a word was stealthily brought to me, my ear caught only a whisper of it. In passing thoughts flashing through visions at night, when sleep lies heavy on people, a shiver of horror came over me; it made all my bones tremble. Then a spirit passed in front of my face; the hair on my flesh stood on end. It stood still, but I couldn’t make out its appearance; yet the form stayed there before my eyes. Then I heard a subdued voice, ‘Can a human be seen by God as righteous? Can a mortal be pure before his maker? God doesn’t trust His own servants, He finds fault even with His angels; much more those living in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust.’” Job 4:12-19 (CJB)

I know it may be laboring that I continue to bring this up, but if we can pinpoint the source of Elihu’s counsel, we can comprehend the real agenda behind the conversation. The reader then must ask, “What is Satan trying to accomplish from this conversation?”  What is evil communicating? I believe Satan is envious of God’s affection towards humanity, and he cannot understand why God would condemn him to Hell yet choose to redeem sinful men & women.

Pay attention to Satan’s question in chapter 4:  “Can a human be seen by God as righteous? Can a mortal be pure before his maker? God doesn’t trust His own servants, He finds fault even with His angels; much more those living in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust.”  Job 4:17b-19 (CJB)

Compare that with Satan’s questioning in today’s passage: “Shaddai, whom we cannot find, whose power is immense in His great righteousness does not pervert justice. This is why people fear Him; He does not consider those who think of themselves as wise.” Job 37:23-24 (CJB)

Satan is telling his own story and trying to convince Job that they have common eternal destinations, so Job should just give up! Envy is pride wounded in competition, and Satan is envious and hates believers because we have attained, by God’s Grace, what he could not achieve, even with his great power and position.

“Those who have a godless heart harbor anger; even when God binds them, they do not cry for help. They die in their youth; their life ends among male cult prostitutes.  God rescues the afflicted by their affliction; He instructs them by their torment. Indeed, He lured you from the jaws of distress to a spacious and unconfined place.  Your table was spread with choice food. Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you. Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large ransom lead you astray. Can your wealth or all your physical exertion keep you from distress?” Job 36: 13-19 (HCSB)

Continuing from yesterday’s chapter, Elihu is proclaiming the goodness of God. Indeed, God is good, and for the most part, we find nothing wrong with Elihu’s proclamation, except for one majorly minor tidbit: Job is not being judged! So, while Elihu’s proclamations sound like praise, they expose a major error in his theology. Elihu’s faith (along with the rest of Job’s “friends”) could not comprehend the suffering of the righteous or the (worldly) prosperity of the wicked. He is not the only person in the Bible to wrestle with that concept. Consider these verses:

“Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?” Jeremiah 12:1 (NKJV)

“There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 8:14 (NKJV)

Our job is not to hold God accountable as if we could understand His ways and hold His wisdom and Lordship in contempt. Our job is to trust in His character (as articulated in His Word) and live obediently, knowing it will all make sense in eternity.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

Yes, God resists the proud, but His greatest delight is when sinners turn to Him.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10  (NKJV)

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8 (NKJV)

“Are you so convinced you are right, that you say, ‘I am more just than God’? For you ask what advantage is it to you, ‘How do I gain from not sinning?’” Job 35:1-3 (CJB)

When my wife and I moved from suburban Chicago to Southern California years ago, we were amazed at how many varieties of fruits and vegetables could grow in our backyard.  In Chicago, we only grew icicles. In the 1950s, my old So-Cal neighborhood was a fruit orchard; many of those original fruit trees were still scattered throughout the neighborhood. As a result, everyone in my neighborhood had more than enough oranges, lemons, walnuts, limes, pomegranates, etc., than they knew what to do with! The reason that the neighborhood has fresh fruit today is that someone planted seeds a long time ago.  

In today’s passage, Elihu rebukes Job for asking, “How do I gain from not sinning?” Job asks an honest question, especially if one cannot pinpoint the reason for their suffering. We have the benefit of flipping to the end of Job’s story.  From our perspective, we say, “Hold on, Job! It won’t be long until God restores even more than He allowed to be taken away.” But poor Job couldn’t see how his conditions would turn out. He was literally living on faith and trying to hold on to God’s Word, even when it didn’t feel right.

We would like to believe our faithfulness would be rewarded immediately by the way some sustained level of personal comfort or success. But sometimes, that faithfulness is never realized, at least in our lifetimes. Sometimes, we have to enlist the faith of a “patriarch.” That is, our faithfulness should set into motion habits and patterns of faithfulness that our children or grandchildren will implement. And they will see a level of blessing we only hoped to achieve. This is the story of Israel, leading up to Joshua’s leading Israel into the land of Canaan.

So, what does this all have to do with the fruit trees in my neighborhood and Elihu’s rebuke of Job’s question, “How do I gain from not sinning?” When we faithfully follow the Lord, He guides us by His Spirit. Our faithfulness is like good soil and His Spirit planting the good seed of God’s Word in us. If we continue in faith, God’s Word will develop roots, produce shoots and leaves, and, eventually, bear fruit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB)

The benefit of holding on to God’s Word, even when it isn’t comfortable, is that God truly does reward faithfulness, just not always in the ways or time frame we expect. But the more we wait faithfully, the more we experience God’s faithfulness, which builds our endurance and deepens our trust in His Word. That deepened trust manifests itself in love, peace, patience, kindness, etc. It takes soil, seed, water, manure, and time. In time, Job’s faith was realized. That is what Job gained from not sinning in the midst of his suffering. Faith isn’t fact until it’s tested, so hold on and let faith work!

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Job 34. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“So, Job, please, hear my speech; listen to all my words. Look, I am opening my mouth; the words are on the tip of my tongue. I will say exactly what is on my mind; what my lips know they will speak sincerely. It is the Spirit of God that made me, the breath of Shaddai that gives me life. So refute me, if you can; organize your words, take your stand! Look, before God, I’m the same as you; I too am fashioned from clay. You don’t need to be afraid of me; my pressure on you will not be heavy.” Job33:1-7 (CJB)

Over the past few years, I have noticed a bumper sticker on more and more cars. It is a sticker that reads “coexist,” and the letters are made up of religious symbols: Muslim crescent & star, Satanic pentagram, “e” from the theory of relativity, yin-yang, Karma wheel dotting an “I,” and of course, the Cross. The problem with this bumper sticker is that these religions can’t coexist! If you study the teachings of these religions, devout followers of each would always be trying to kill or convert the others. Given these religions’ various conflicting claims to truth, it is a naive notion that they could ever live in harmony.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)

We should indeed be respectful to all mankind, remembering that all life is a gift from God. At the same time, we must be certain that the object of our worship is the one that leads to eternal life.

“Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NIV)

The young Elihu claimed to speak from the Spirit, which was breathed into him by God and gave him life. But just because he was alive, that was no grounds for Elihu to be an emissary of God’s saving grace. Satan is obviously speaking lies through this young man.   Notice how Elihu’s promise of lightening Job’s spiritual burden mimics the words of Jesus. The best heresies are those which closely resemble the real thing. They claim the same God to divine new revelations from the same Spirit, and they bend God’s Word to mean the opposite of its intended message. “From such, turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5b (NKJV)  

“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:27-30 (NKJV)

While we are all called to share the gospel, ultimately, it is Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Who reveals the Father to the unbeliever at the soul level.

“Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused. So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: ‘I am young in years, and you are very old; therefore I was afraid, and dared not declare my opinion to you. I said, “Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.” But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice. Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.’” Job 32:4-10 (NKJV)

In today’s chapter, we are introduced to Elihu. Elihu has been silently present for all the conversations leading up to this point. Perhaps because he was young, he felt the voices of age-old wisdom should speak. Not only did the old guys fail to put Job in his place, but Job ended up silencing them by proclaiming the truth of God’s Word. Job’s older friends’ failure to coerce a confession teaches us two important lessons about departing from God’s Word: 1) You lose your moral ground, and 2) You eventually lose your followers!

“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.” Proverbs 29:18 (NIV)

Elihu casts off his restraint. Because there was no Godly leadership and clear direction from God’s Word, Elihu lost his faith in the establishment. A youth movement was born.  We see that same scenario developing in the Church at large today, and often for obvious reasons. Many young people are frustrated with the hypocrisy and inefficiency they have experienced in the Church. But some of the assumptions put forth from certain emerging strains are just as off base as Elihu’s rebuke of Job! The way to combat a lack of Godliness in the establishment is not just to be more creative and mysterious but to be adherent to God’s Word.

There is nothing wrong with youthful passion or even rebuking the establishment as long as one is meek. “Meekness” is power under submission, and Godly meekness for young people means submitting all that youthful energy to the authority of Scripture and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Contrast Elihu’s words with Paul’s exhortation to Timothy:

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” 1 Timothy 4:12-13 (NIV)

The source of Elihu’s boldness was nothing more than old-fashioned, youthful, rebellious gut feelings: “The spirit in a person.” But Paul reveals how a young person can be justified in boldly leading people much older than himself: By being an example in all that he is & does through reading, preaching, and teaching the Bible.

“I wish I had someone who would listen to me! Here is my signature; let Shaddai answer me! I wish I had the indictment my adversary has written! I would carry it on my shoulder; I would bind it on me like a crown. I would declare every one of my steps; I would approach Him like a prince.” Job 31:35-37 (CJB)

In today’s chapter, every curse/judgment that Job calls upon himself (in the event he is found unrighteous) is found in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was called to communicate God’s certain judgment if Israel remained unrepentant. Of course, Israel refused to repent, so many years later, Jeremiah reported how God fulfilled everything that was prophesied through Isaiah.  

Reading the opening lines of today’s passage, I am thankful that we have someone who will listen to us! Jesus is the advocate before God for all believers, defending us as the Adversary accuses us. In the days of the priesthood, the high priest wore two black stones on the shoulders of his garment. These black stones represented the sin of Israel and symbolized the priest’s duty to atone for them, literally “shouldering” the sin and guilt of the people.

“Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel – six of their names on the one stone and the six remaining names on the other, in the order of their birth. An engraver should engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones as he would engrave a seal. Mount the stones in gold settings and put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the vest as stones calling to mind the sons of Israel. Aaron is to carry their names on his shoulders as a reminder.” Exodus 28:9-12 (CJB)

The inefficiency of the priesthood to provide lasting atonement for Israel was replaced by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  Jesus “shouldered” the sin of the World.  

“Now every priest stands every day doing his service, offering over and over the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this one (Jesus), after He had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God, from then on to wait until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by a single offering He has brought to the goal for all time those who are being set apart for God and made holy.” Hebrews 10:11-14 (CJB)

Jesus paid the sin debt we owe, the same sin debt the Adversary accuses us of in his indictment against us before the Lord. But his accusation cannot stand because Messiah’s atonement has covered our sins, and God remembers it no more.

“But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’” Hebrews 10:15-17 (NKJV)

“I call out to You God, but You don’t answer me; I stand up to plead but You just look at me. You have turned cruelly against me; with Your powerful hand You keep persecuting me. You snatch me up on the wind and make me ride it; You toss me about in the tempest. For I know that you will bring me death, the house assigned to everyone living.” Job 30:20-23 (CJB)

One of the hardest things for followers of Jesus to comprehend is the problem of pain and hardship in the lives of believers. It is easy to take the stance of Job’s friends whenever non-believers suffer. Perhaps we could say they earned it. But what about the suffering of the righteous? Is God not paying attention? Does He not have the power to save? Or worse, does He not exist after all? These questions can go through the minds of even the most ardent followers of Jesus when serious trials come upon them.

While it is unimaginable for me to answer the “why” of everyone’s individual troubles, at least it is comforting to know that Jesus can relate to whatever pain you may be going through. Job had it bad - but Jesus had it worse. This is primarily because Satan was ordered to stop short of killing Job. With Jesus, Satan was permitted to go all the way. Job may have felt close to the edge, but Jesus got pushed over it! In those final moments on the cross, Jesus cried out with words that seemed to come from Job’s own mouth.  

“Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ Matthew 27:45-46 (NASB)

“Why?” It is not as if Jesus did not know God’s plan of salvation or His role in the salvation of mankind. You see, as Jesus was paying a debt He did not owe, He was also demonstrating the response (to God) of all who would die apart from His atonement. Furthermore, when we analyze the psalm Jesus quoted at that moment, we recognize His cry was also a song of hope, of enduring to the end. It was a hope based on the testimony of God’s Word concerning His faithfulness throughout the generations.

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my help are the words of my groaning. My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You rescued them. To You they cried out and they fled to safety; In You they trusted and were not disappointed.” Psalm 22:1-5 (NASB)

Believer, are you suffering at the moment, wondering, “Why, God?” It is a logical human response. But be encouraged! Even if all hope seems lost and your present situation carries you to the grave, God’s promise of eternity with Him in Heaven endures. It was true for those believers who came before you and will be true for you.

“Job again took up his discourse and said, ‘Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me; When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness; Just as I was in the days of my youth, When the protection of God was over my tent; When the Almighty was still with me, And my children were around me; When my steps were bathed in cream, And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!’”  Job 29:1-6 (NASB)

When I was a new believer, young in the faith, I was blessed to be invited to join a group of fiery young men bent on building the Kingdom through Bible study, fellowship, and personal evangelism. I’ll never forget the closeness of that community and how it seemed to come together organically without much effort on anyone’s part. Later in my life, I was involved in several ministry efforts that seemed forced and unnatural, but those early discipleship days for me were truly amazing. Each of us went on to pursue full-time ministry, and we have all been highly successful. That group of guys was a gift from the Lord to each of us, but as naturally as it came together, it fell apart. Each one of us heeded the Lord’s calling to other places, much like friends in Army boot camp must eventually be deployed to their areas of specialty for the good of the Army’s greater mission.  

I miss those early Christian days when heeding God’s call was more rooted in “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) than “You will be hated by everyone because of Me.” (Matthew 10:22; John 15:15-18; Mark 13:13) In today’s chapter, Job is lamenting bygone days when “God watched over me…”.  But Job had a lesson to learn: God was as close as He had ever been or ever could be.  It is just that Job’s personal theology placed Job in the center of the world, not God.  God does not exist to accomplish our purposes; we exist to accomplish His through the power of His Spirit and to the glory of His Son, Messiah Jesus. How can I say that?  Because God’s Word teaches it.  In that idea, we share Job’s struggle to cling to God’s Word when the road ahead is dark and uncertain.

“Through Your precepts, I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments”.  Psalm 119:104-106 (NKJV)

We serve a God who never leaves or forsakes us, even when the valley darkens with the shadow of death.  (Hebrews 13:5 - Deuteronomy 31:6;8 - Joshua 1:5 – Psalm 23:4)  And our “job” (pun intended) is to take Him at His Word. Job may not have possessed a copy of the Bible as we know it, but God made His Word abundantly clear to Job, as He has to us, through His Spirit when we read the Bible. Not only did God have a lesson for Job, but He also used Job (as He sometimes uses us) to teach lessons to onlookers. Does your faith have the capacity to be used as a lesson on faithfulness?

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”  John 14:26 (HCSB)

“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’” Job 28:28 (NKJV)

I became a follower of Jesus when I was almost 21 years old. I was raised by parents who took me to church, but for some reason, religion didn’t seem to have worked on me. Some kids have drug problems. I was drug to church, and that was a problem for me!  When I reached 18, I left home and went to college on a track scholarship. For me, happiness was Fort Smith, Arkansas, in my rearview mirror.

When I got to college, I had three priorities: 1) Running track, 2) Looking for girls, and 3) Figuring out the meaning of life. Part of fulfilling  #3 was taking a World Religion course. At the time, I wasn’t real high on Jesus, so I was willing to swap religions if I found one that suited my needs better. Interestingly, a survey put out by UCLA a few years ago found that only 13% of college students search religion to find out what God requires of them. The vast majority only want to know what God can do for them as if He is some cosmic genie obligated to fulfill our wishes.

I will never forget my first day in World Religion class. The lady teaching the course stated that she was a devout Christian (an Episcopalian) but wasn’t convinced that Christianity was the only way to Heaven. Even as a non-believer, I thought that was an oxymoron: “Devout believer” who isn’t sold out! Nobody could question her knowledge of the Bible. She had memorized many long passages and knew certain nuts and bolts, but all her knowledge had not gained her wisdom. That is, she had not fully committed herself to the truth of God’s Word. She had read all about God but did not know Him personally. Because she did not know Him personally, she opened herself up to all sorts of non-Biblical ideas and life choices.

Biblical wisdom is a gift from God, and so is understanding. Wisdom & understanding must be spiritually enabled, so it is of utmost importance that people who seek God’s wisdom & understanding be filled with His Spirit. Now, the gift of the Holy Spirit is only available to those who believe in Jesus, yet it is immediately given to believers the moment we place our faith & trust in Him. Furthermore, wisdom & understanding are things the Bible recommends we seek & petition God for.

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.’ James 1:5-6 (HCSB)

Godly wisdom brings about understanding as to Who He is and how the World works in relation to Him. Understanding is applied wisdom. Understanding says, “Based on what I know about God, I am making these specific changes to my life.” In short: fearing the Lord and shunning evil.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Job 27. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“But Job answered and said: ‘How have you helped him who is without power? How have you saved the arm that has no strength? How have you counseled one who has no wisdom? And how have you declared sound advice to many? To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit came from you? The dead tremble, those under the waters and those inhabiting them. Sheol is naked before Him, And Destruction has no covering.’” Job 26:1-6 (NKJV)

After Bildad’s scathing “How can humans be righteous with God?” rebuke, Job snaps back with the response, “With friends like you, who needs enemies?”  

Speaking of “enemies,” Job pinpoints the source of Bildad’s argument as Satan. This information is not new to us. It was Elifaz who first revealed the enemy’s counsel.

“For a word was stealthily brought to me, my ear caught only a whisper of it. In passing thoughts flashing through visions at night, when sleep lies heavy on people, a shiver of horror came over me; it made all my bones tremble. A spirit passed in front of my face; the hair on my flesh stood on end. It stood still, but I couldn’t make out its appearance; yet the form stayed there before my eyes. Then I heard a subdued voice, ‘Can a human be seen by God as righteous? Can a mortal be pure before his maker? God doesn’t trust His own servants, He finds fault even with His angels; much more those living in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust.’” Job 4:12-19 (CJB)

Now that Job has established that he is aware of who is actually speaking to him, he goes on the offensive - not just against Bildad but also against the demon counseling him. Job recalls how God judged demonic influence in the days of Noah through the flood. How, then, could such counsel override God’s Word? Demons had already been proven subject to God’s power. Job’s insight should remind us of the true source of the Worldly, non-Biblical counsel we are often subjected to. Not only is it demonic, but more importantly, its demonic source has already been judged and sentenced to an ultimate Hellish end!

The concept that Job brings up, that “the ghosts of the dead tremble beneath the water with its living creatures,” was the source of a superstition prevalent in Jesus’ day. Many people held that demons lived at the bottom of large bodies of water. The idea behind the superstition was that since spirits are eternal, they must still live at the bottom of the seas, held over from when Noah’s flood subsided. This is most likely the source of the disciples’ exclamation upon seeing Jesus walking in the water in the midst of the storm.

“Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost!’ they said, and cried out in fear. Immediately Jesus spoke to them. ‘Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’” Matthew 14:25-27 (HCSB)

“Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: ‘Dominion and fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His high places. Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise? How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman? If even the moon does not shine, and the stars are not pure in His sight, how much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm?’” Job 25:1-6 (NKJV)

Whenever one steps away from God’s Word and attempts to establish righteousness apart from it, they eventually have to deal with two opposing factors: 1) God’s complete holiness and 2) man’s incurable spiritual inadequacy.

If we say mankind can earn his salvation through some system of good works, we exaggerate man’s righteousness and humiliate God’s holiness. If we say, God is holy and impossible for man to please, then mankind is hopeless. So, here is humanity’s dilemma: How can imperfect people commune with holy God? Every major religion errs in one of these two perspectives.  

So, what distinguishes the follower of Jesus in such a way that we can confidently say, “We are saved!”? The distinguishing factor is God’s grace and mercy. Grace, in that He offers humanity a salvation we could not afford and do not deserve.  

“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (CSB)

Mercy, in that God offers to not give us the punishment we deserve for our sins.

“…But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! Romans 5:8 (HCSB)

In today’s passage, which is actually the entire 25th chapter, Bildad’s theology contradicts his earlier arguments, along with those of his friends. Up to this point, the arguments have been simple: If a man is righteous, God will bless him; if he is unrighteous, God will judge him. Today, Bildad says it is impossible for anyone “born of a woman” to be considered righteous before God! That’s what we call a flip-flop, which is always the ultimate intellectual end of religion, apart from God’s Word. Only in the Bible do we find a God who imputes righteousness on the basis of faith, as opposed to works. Only in the Bible do we find a Messiah who is fully God and fully man, who becomes our sin offering and offers salvation, free of charge, to all who would accept it.

Satan’s argument (spoken through Job’s friend Bildad) cuts to the righteousness and deity of Jesus. Notice his language, “How can those born of a woman be clean?” The fact is that Jesus was born of a woman; the Word made flesh. And He walked among us in human form. (John 1:14) God bridged the gap between Himself and mankind through the God-man, Jesus, distinguishing as “saved” those who follow His Son.

“Yet God keeps pulling the mighty along – they get up even when not trusting their own lives. However, even if God lets them rest in safety, His eyes are on their ways. They are exalted for a little while; and then they are gone, brought low, gathered in like all others, shriveled up like ears of grain. And even if it isn’t so now, still no one can prove me a liar and show that my words are worthless.” Job 24:22-25 (CJB)

Job has been suffering the insults & accusations of his friends, who hold to a “theology” that claims God only punishes those who do evil, and He only rewards those who do good. Amid such a caustic environment, Job (in today’s chapter) gives evidence to the contrary of his friends’ beliefs.

“Men are groaning in the city, the mortally wounded are crying for help, yet God finds nothing amiss!” Job 24:12 (CJB)

Job points to the apparent injustices in their midst, where men who do wicked prosper, and the righteous suffer. But Job goes further to suggest a reckoning is coming.

“Yet God keeps pulling the mighty along – they get up even when not trusting their own lives. However, even if God lets them rest in safety, His eyes are on their ways. They are exalted for a little while; and then they are gone, brought low, gathered in like all others, shriveled up like ears of grain.” Job 24:22-24 (CJB)

Yes, we will all die someday. Both the righteous and unrighteous must face death. To be honest, I am not afraid to die. That’s not to say I want to suffer! It’s just that believers should not fear death. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Job says that what is to be feared is to be absent from the body but not in the Lord’s presence! True, the wicked may die with millions in the bank, healthy children, and smiles on their lips, but then there is judgment and eternal separation from God.  

People who believe in Heaven do so by faith. But the same is true for those who believe in Hell. Interestingly, those who reject the Bible’s description and requirements concerning salvation also reject its claims of judgment. One can reject the notion of God, Jesus, the need for salvation, Heaven, and Hell - but rejecting those truths does not mean they don’t exist. Job is telling his friends that a reckoning is coming, believe it or not.

“And even if it isn’t so now, still no one can prove me a liar and show that my words are worthless.” Job 24:25 (CJB)

Are you ready for the reckoning?

“If I head east, His isn’t there; If I head west, I won’t detect Him, if I turn north, I don’t spot Him; in the south He is veiled, and I still don’t see Him. Yet He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My feet have stayed in His footsteps; I keep to His way without turning aside. I don’t withdraw from His lips’ command; I treasure His words more than my daily food.” Job 23:8-12 (CJB)

Because I have taught the Bible in coffeehouses, I am always on the lookout for a new cool location. On one occasion, I stumbled onto a vibey coffeehouse, almost hidden in a downtown neighborhood. The shop’s owner told me he considered his business to be a ministry, so I began thinking we had another Bible study location. But when I asked him to define what he meant by the word “ministry,” the owner told me he was a “universalist Christian.” What?  Oxymoron. Basically, he believes all religions lead to Heaven, and no specific religion has a corner on the complete truth.

Now, if “Christian” means “follower of Christ” (lit: follower of Messiah), how could this fellow deny the words of Jesus?

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life: No one comes to the Father except  through Me.” John 14:6 (ESV)

According to Job, God cannot be found in the “discipline-without-personal-relationship” philosophies that define Eastern religion. God also cannot be found in the “Liberty-without-accountability” philosophies that define Western religion. Go to the North or South, and you won’t find Him there, either. God can only be fully found in His Word, as Job admits at the end of today’s passage.

Can we honestly say, as Job professed, that our feet have stayed in the path of Jesus’ footsteps? He is, after all, the Word made flesh.  

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14a (ESV)

Can we say that we have kept His way and not strayed to the right or left (east or west) of it?

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7 (NIV)

If you are undergoing a personal “trial,” remember to stay faithful to God’s Word, the Bible, and be faithful to the “Word-made-flesh,” Jesus. When your season of testing is over, you shall come forth as gold. I love God’s promises!

“Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: ‘Can a man be profitable to God?  Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.  Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you? Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities. For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing. You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man lived in it. You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you, or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.’” Job 22:1-11 (ESV)

Are you bored with the monotony of these arguments from Job’s so-called “friends”? You should be; that is precisely why the Lord keeps confronting us with their arguments. We must endure the repetitiveness of their arguments because they are the same arguments Satan uses against us today! When we hear worldly counsel from well-intended yet Biblically context-ignorant church friends, we are intended to respond, “Oh, I’ve heard that argument before, and it is not of the Lord!”

Eliphaz is still convinced that Job is being judged by God, as opposed to being tested by Him, by allowing Satan’s divinely limited attack. Eliphaz argues that Job’s good works have not allowed him to escape God’s judgment of secret sin. That is, Job’s righteousness is of no profit to God. And that counsel is Biblically accurate in that we can never accrue enough good works to say that God OWES us anything. In fact, Jesus compared believers to servants who owe everything to their master who redeemed them and shouldn’t assume He owes them anything for their service.

“So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” Luke 17:10 (NKJV)

But when taken out of Biblical context (Eliphaz did not include in his operational theology that God would test His servants to such an extreme as Job endured), otherwise Biblically correct counsel can turn people to despair as opposed to repentance and restoration. In Job’s case (where he committed no sin, which led him to such horrible circumstances), Eliphaz’s words extend no hope that Job could hang his faith.

No, our good works do not profit God. He does not need us, yet He chooses to call, equip, and use us to build His kingdom. The calling, equipping, and kingdom are all supplied by Him, but the choice to participate is ours. And therein lies the love of God: while our righteousness is of no profit to Him, our faith brings Him pleasure.  And the faithful should strive to hear Him proclaim, “Well done!”  (Mathew 25:21-23)

“Why do the wicked go on living, grow old and keep increasing their power? They see their children settled with them, their posterity assured. Their houses are safe, with nothing to fear; God’s rod is not on them.  Their bulls are fertile without fail, their cows get pregnant and don’t miscarry. They produce flocks of babies and their children dance around. They sing with tambourines and lyres and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace. Yet to God they say, ‘Leave us alone! We don’t want to know Your ways. What is Shaddai, that we should serve Him? What do we gain if we pray to Him?’” Job 21:7-15 (CJB)

I once heard Dr. Adrian Rogers say, “For the non-believer, this World is as close to Heaven as they are ever going to get, so they had better get all they can while they are here! But for followers of Jesus, this World is as close to Hell as they have to get.” Don’t worry about getting cheated here. Eternity in the Lord’s presence awaits you!

In a passage that could have been lifted from the book of Ecclesiastes, Job laments that, sometimes, the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. It all seems futile, and it would be, were it not for the promise of Heaven. If we could keep an eternal perspective, we would realize this World is but a passing vapor.

“For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18 (ESV)

“For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison…” 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NASB)

“Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.” 1 Peter 4:13 (HCSB)

Nobody wants to suffer, but the believer knows their suffering is also an opportunity to give reason for the hope in them. The hard-hearted non-believer does not want to hear that sort of gospel! They want to “get all they can and can all they get.” To God, whose tremendous and holy plan would include suffering, they say, “Leave us alone!” This World is their “heaven,” and it is as close to the real one as they will get. They only want to know God for what He will do for them, not so they can know what He requires of them.

In today’s passage, the name “Shaddai” comes up in the original Hebrew. Often misinterpreted as “God Almighty,” Shaddai actually means “All-Sufficient One.”  “Shad” in Hebrew means “breast.” As a mother’s milk provides an infant with all the nutrition it needs, God provides His children all they need in this life and the next. Those who reject God feel they cannot live on His provision alone, so they must provide for themselves what the Lord is either unwilling or unable to do for us Himself.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Job 20. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“He has made my brothers keep their distance, those who know me are wholly estranged from me, my kinsfolk have failed me, and my close friends have forgotten me. Those living in my house consider me a stranger; my slave girls too – in their view, I am a foreigner. I call my servant, and he doesn’t answer, even if I beg him for a favor!” Job 19:13-16 (CJB)

As we move into the second half of the book of Job, the Messianic imagery gets more identifiable to the narrative of Jesus’ suffering. It is as if Job had heard the story of Jesus. Try reading today’s chapter alongside Isaiah 53.

Moving on to today’s passage, it is as if we are transported to Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin at Ciaphas’ home. Earlier, Jesus predicted that his close followers would abandon Him when he began to suffer persecution leading up to His crucifixion.  

“‘You will all fall away,’ Jesus told them, ‘for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’” Mark 14:27 (NIV) (Their abandonment was also prophesied in Zechariah 13:7)

Specifically, Jesus told Peter (who was declaring he would follow Jesus, even unto death) that he would deny Him outright.

“Peter declared, ‘Even if all fall away, I will not.’ ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.’” Mark 14:29-30 (NIV)

There is an interesting twist in today’s passage. Nestled in the midst of Job’s lament that his friends have abandoned him, Job mentions that his slave girls consider him a foreigner. Consider the dialogue between Ciaphas’ servant girl and Peter, as he was warming himself by the fire in the high priest’s courtyard, afraid to identify with Jesus:

“As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘I neither know nor understand what you are saying.’ And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, ‘This is one of them.’ But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, ‘Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.’” Mark 14:66-70 (NKJV)

Hebrews 4:14-16 describes how Jesus is our superior “High Priest.” That being the case, shouldn’t the high priest’s home have been Jesus’ home? And shouldn’t the servant girl of the high priest have been Jesus’ servant girl, strictly in principle? Yet, she considered Jesus a “Nazarene” when, in fact, He was actually a Judean by birth. In Israel’s history, the Galilee region was part of the northern kingdom of Samaria, known for idolatry. So, the servant girl’s mention of Peter’s accent was also a strong racial slur.

“Bildad the Shuchi said, ‘When will you put an end to words? Think about it – then we’ll talk! Why are we thought of as cattle, stupid in your view? You can tear yourself to pieces in your anger but the earth won’t be abandoned just for your sake; not even a rock will be moved from its place.’” Job 18:1-4 (CJB)

In today’s chapter, we hear from Job’s friend, Bildad, again. Bildad’s name means “son of contention,” and that is exactly what he is. Bildad is the most aggressive in his accusations against Job.

It is important to note that Job’s friends all hold to the “prosperity” gospel, which is itself not the gospel. In a nutshell, the prosperity gospel holds that God brings prosperity to people who follow Him rightly and adversity to those who follow Him wrongly. It is a divine “quid pro quo” tit-for-tat scenario. Therefore, in the eyes of the “prosperity” belief, if you are successful, you must be right with the Lord. Conversely, if you are undergoing a season of trial, it must have been brought on by your sin. Obviously, the people who put forth this “gospel” aren’t seriously considering the book of Ecclesiastes.

While each of his friends holds to the same theology, they each approach Job from different angles. Eliphaz is more spiritual and mystic; Tzofar claims Job’s problem is his lack of wisdom or judgment. Bildad’s approach is humanistic, with his action-oriented “save yourself” speeches. What is scary about their counsel is that, when you put their arguments together, Job’s friends distort God’s Word to send a clear message: “Job, you can be your own Judge, define your own truth, and save yourself.”  

By the way, “Judge,” “Revelation of Truth,” and “Salvation” are the ministries of the Father, Spirit, and Son. Job’s friends are “clinging to a ‘form’ of godliness, but denying the power, thereof.” (2 Timothy 3:5). Essentially, they are counseling Job away from relying on all three persons of God. Interestingly, 2 Timothy 3:5 exhorts believers, “from such people, turn away.”

Toward the end of today’s passage, Bildad evokes images of Jesus’ prophecy concerning the future of the Temple in Jerusalem.

“Some of His disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’” Luke 21:5-6 (NIV)

Also interesting is how Jesus’ accusers used this same prophecy against Him during His trial: “Finally two came forward and declared, ‘This fellow said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.” Matthew 26:60b-61 (NIV)

Shortly after this accusation, Jesus testified (again) that He was the Son of God. (See also: John 10:30-33)

“He has made me a byword among the peoples, a creature in whose face they spit. I am nearly blind with grief, my limbs reduced to a shadow. The upright are perplexed at this, the innocent aroused against the hypocrites. Yet the righteous hold-on to their way, and those with clean hands grow stronger and stronger.  But as for you all, turn around!  Come back! – yet I won’t find a wise man among you.”  Job 17:6-10 (CJB)

Job 17 is a continuation of Job’s answer, beginning in the 16th chapter. True to the form, Job 17 is full of Messianic imagery, which those familiar with the New Testament will recognize. We see substitutionary atonement: “Be my guarantor yourself! Who else will put up a pledge for me?” (v. 3)

In today’s passage, we see a parallel between Jesus’ persecution and Job’s. Job describes how his suffering condition led him to become a byword among the people, to the point of being spat upon:  

“Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists. Others slapped Him and said, ‘Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who hit You?’” Matthew 26:67-68 (HCSB)

Not everyone who observed Job’s condition threw insults at him. Job said that the righteous were “perplexed” and that his state aroused the innocent against the hypocrites.  Surely, Job was the talk of the town as everyone commented about Job and tried to reckon his suffering with their personal theologies. The whole scene is reminiscent of how James exhorted followers of Jesus to consider the trials they were facing as the result of obedience to God.

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.” James 1:2-8 (CSB)

Through it all, Job held firm to his faith. He pleaded with his friends to turn from their sin. Perhaps the best indicator that we truly believe the gospel is our willingness to suffer to share it and to share it in the midst of our suffering. Job also knew that a reckoning was coming. Just because the Lord has not judged your sin yet doesn’t mean that He won’t.  Still, He gives us the opportunity to repent beforehand.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

“My enemies look daggers at me. Wide-mouthed they gape at me; with scorn, they slap my cheeks; they gather themselves together against me. God delivers me to the perverse, throws me into the hands of the wicked. I was at peace, and he shook me apart. Yes, he grabbed me by the neck and dashed me to pieces. He set me up as his target – His archers surrounded me. He slashed my innards and shows no mercy, he pours my gall in the ground. He breaks in on me again and again, attacking me like a warrior.” Job 16:9b-14 (CJB)

I have read the book of Job several times, and this is the first time that I noticed how “messianic” many of Job’s statements are. Chapters 16 and 17 are especially messianic and relay specific instances that Jesus suffered. Job can be considered (along with Biblical figures like David, Joseph, and Daniel) as a “type” of Messiah.

Some of the images of Jesus’ suffering are found in Job 16: Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemene (v.v. 15-17), Jesus as our High Priest (v.v 18-22)

In today’s passage, the first image is of the suffering of Jesus before the Sanhedrin at Ciaphas’ home:

“My enemies look daggers at me. Wide-mouthed they gape at me; with scorn, they slap my cheeks; they gather themselves together against me. God delivers me to the perverse, throws me into the hands of the wicked.” Job 16:9b-11 (CJB)

“Meanwhile, the men who were holding Jesus made fun of Him. They beat him, blindfolded Him and kept asking him, ‘Now, prophesy!  Who hit You that time?’ And they said many other insulting things to Him.” Luke 22:63-65 (CJB)

The second half of today’s passage paints a graphic image of Jesus’ suffering on the Roman cross:

“I was at peace, and he shook me apart. Yes, he grabbed me by the neck and dashed me to pieces. He set me up as his target – His archers surrounded me. He slashed my innards and shows no mercy, he pours my gall in the ground. He breaks in on me again and again, attacking me like a warrior.” Job 16:12-14 (CJB)

“The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been put on the cross beside Jesus, then the legs of the other one; but when they got to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they didn’t break His legs. However, one of the soldiers stabbed His side with a spear, and at once blood and water flowed out.” John 19:32-34 (CJB)

“Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: ‘Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind? Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or by speeches with which he can do no good? Yes, you cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God. For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; yes, your own lips testify against you. Are you the first man who was born or were you made before the hills?  Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us? Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, much older than your father.’” Job 15:1-10 (NKJV)

Envy is pride, wounded in competition. Whenever someone is envious of you, regardless of whether you sense any degree of competition with them, just know that they are in competition with you and they feel endangered of losing. Envy is a negative defense mechanism that many people use when they feel threatened by competition. Envy’s goal is always to crush its competitor to the degree that they never rise up in competition again. Envy’s tactics include gossip, misinformation, and false counsel. Envy is what we observe from Eliphaz the Temanite’s conversation with Job, and the competition stemmed from Job’s former status of being “the greatest of all the people of the East.” (Job 1:3b)

When you read the first chapter of Job, did you not sense a bit of competition with Job yourself? When I read that Job was blameless & upright, that he feared God and shunned evil, had a big happy family, the respect of his peers, and great wealth, I compared my life to Job’s. I assumed the difference in our lifestyles must be related to my lack of righteousness to some degree. Just being honest. So, when God allows Satan to come at Job so hard, it rocks our life expectations because we must all admit that (to some degree) we hold to a theological paradigm of “quid pro quo” blessing for righteousness. Job forces us to stop comparing our lives & lifestyles with those of others.  Comparing lifestyles (based on blessing-for-righteousness) is actually a form of competition that is an open door for envy. We should not compare ourselves to others but rather to God’s standard, as He has articulated in His Word, the Bible. Then, our appreciation for Messiah Jesus’ atonement is elevated because we realize we can never earn enough to merit His favor. Our purpose in life is to seek Him and share Him with others, regardless of lifestyle reward.

In his envy, Eliphaz wrongly rebukes Job by attacking his 1) Personal experience, 2) Ability to receive God’s counsel, and 3) Going against the tradition of the elders. When the theology is off, the diagnosis is off; thus, the suggested road to recovery and expectations of healing never pay off. We seek God’s Word so we can weigh counsel. Bad counsel comes from bad theology, which leads to competition & envy.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1(NKJV)

“I wish You would hide me in Sh’ol, conceal me until Your anger has passed, then fix a time and remember me! If a man dies, will he live again?  I will wait all the days of my life for my change will come. You will call, and I will answer You; You will long to see what You have made again. Whereas now You count each step of mine, then You will not keep watch over my sin. You will seal up my crime in a bag and cover my iniquity.” Job 14:13-17 (CJB)

In today’s passage, Job introduces the idea of resurrection. More than simply bringing up the subject, Job professes to believe in the certainty of resurrection: “If a man dies, will he live again? I will wait all the days of my life, for my day will come”, “You will call, and I will answer,” and “Whereas now You count each step of mine, then You will not keep watch over my sin.”

It has been put forth by some so-called “experts” that the idea of “the resurrection” is not consistent with Judaism. Well, we see here that the belief in the resurrection predated even the call of Abraham! Furthermore, several generations before Moses, people held to the ideas of sacrifice and atonement for the removal of personal sin and guilt. I love how Job describes God sealing up Job’s crime in a bag and covering his iniquity!

Of course, the resurrection of the dead is an actual occurrence and a promise that followers of Jesus hope for. It allows us to endure suffering to follow the Lord.

“By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.” 1 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) (See also: Romans 6:4-11, John 5:21, John 6:39-54…)

It is comforting for believers to know for certain that we will be resurrected to everlasting life in Heaven. But did you know that non-believers will also be resurrected?

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB)

What makes the “good news” of the gospel so good is that the “bad news” is so bad. The reality is that salvation is offered to all who would receive it, free of charge, paid in full by Jesus. Have you accepted His free gift of eternal life? If so, are you sharing the “good news” with others so they, too, can turn to the Lord and be saved?

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Job 13. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Job responded: ‘No doubt you are the only people that matter; and when you die, so will wisdom. But I too have a brain, as much as you, in no way am I inferior to you. Besides, who doesn’t know things like these? Anyone who calls on God, and He answers him, becomes a laughing stock to his friends – they make fun of an innocent, blameless man.  Those at ease have contempt for misfortune, for the blow that strikes somebody already staggering. The tents of robbers prosper, the homes of those who anger God are secure, those who carry their gods in their hands.” Job 12:1-6 (CJB)

Today’s chapter begins with Job answering Tzofar’s merciless rebuke with a bit of country sarcasm. Amid such condescending counsel, Job defends his intellect. Any follower of Jesus who has sat in a secular university classroom has felt Job’s pain! Many in the “intellectual” community believe that believing the Bible means checking your brain at the door!  

Having departed from God’s Word, the World has developed a “wisdom” and “knowledge” of its own, based on observations made from presumptions based on their non-Biblical worldview. Then, they look back at Christians and openly mock them for believing ancient “myths” devised before science could prove them wrong. Many young believers, weak in Scriptural knowledge, have fallen prey to the arguments of such “authority figures.” Scripture predicts the natural downward moral progression of those who depart from God’s Word.

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” Psalm 1:1 (NASB)

When a believer departs from following God’s Word, they begin to distance themselves from it by allowing the advice of the wicked to lead them astray. Over time, they find their pursuit has led them to adopt a belief system that is, at best, partly Biblical. They are now standing firm in the way of sinners, and the Bible calls it “wicked.” Then, looking back at the true believers they have distanced themselves from, they mock them as “unenlightened,” “bigoted,” and “self-righteous.” They have exchanged the truth of God for lies.  Believing themselves enlightened, they mock the faith of true believers.  

This is exactly the case with Job’s friends. They had departed from God’s Word and followed the advice of the wicked. (Job 4:12-21) Now, claiming to be enlightened experts on God, they are mocking righteous Job. Have you ever been graced by such “believers”?  I have, and they always seem to show up when I need wise counsel! They are like mirages in the desert: They promise refreshment but leave us ever unsatisfied.

Job’s friends’ heresy was centered on prosperity. Think of it as Christian Karma: Good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to the bad. The pride of such “theology” refuses to recognize that God’s ways are not always so predictable. Prosperity is not always the merit of the believer or under the control of the faithful. God has His purposes, and man has his obligation to faithfully follow God through His Word.

“Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: ‘Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated? Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?’” Job 11:1-3 (NKJV)

In today’s chapter, another of Job’s “friends” offers his counsel in the form of a rebuke.  It seems he feels like a little “tough love” is in order. Now, there is nothing wrong with tough love. There are times when sin must be directly confronted. And things get more complicated when we have to confront sin in our friends’ lives.  

Let’s remember that one of the most “friendly” and compassionate things we can do is to lead a friend back to repentance. We should always be gracious and compassionate when intervening in such issues, especially with friends. Still, we must be willing to risk friendships (possibly losing those friends forever) to lead people back to the right relationship with the Lord. Ultimately, it is for their benefit. Godly rebuke is a blessing to those who will accept correction.

But what about the scenario where a “counselor” has departed from God’s Word? This is an all-too-common experience. It is doubly worse when such “counselors” claim to speak from the Bible! Here, we can learn from Job’s friends. Once a person distances himself from a correct understanding of God’s Word, he also distances himself from the attributes of a believer who has a right standing with the Lord, namely, compassion, grace, mercy, gentleness, and empathy.

But notice how cold and hateful Tzofar the Na’amati is! They don’t say, “Job, help me understand why you feel this way.” This “friend” launches straight into accusation and condemnation. You see, a departure from God’s Word leads to bad theology. Bad theology leads to wrong assumptions, and wrong assumptions lead to false counsel and ham-fisted delivery.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:7 (HCSB)  

I generally do not receive rebuke with immediate contriteness & humility. I don’t know anyone who does. It is because sin is foolish, and it takes a moment for God’s Spirit to override our foolishness and convict us of our actions and attitudes. But, once we accept God’s Word on the matter, we turn from that sin. Rightness has been restored.

Things get complicated when we have experienced a history of “wrong rebuke,” where people have misused the Bible and given us false counsel. We tend to throw up our defenses even when a true believer with proper knowledge of Scripture corrects us. That is why we must seek the Bible ourselves: to know God’s Word and live according to it. At times, we will even be called to discern the difference between Godly Biblical counsel and those who misinterpret or misuse Scripture.

“Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see as humans see? Are Your days like the days of mortals? Are Your years like human years, that You have to seek my guilt and search-out my sin? You know that I won’t be condemned, yet no one can rescue me from Your power. Your own hands shaped me, they made me; so why do You turn to destroy me? Please remember that You made me, like clay; will You return me to dust?” Job 10:4-9 (CJB)

God knows how it feels to have “eyes of flesh” and to “see as humans see.” Not only did He create humanity, but He also chose to redeem the World as a human.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing made had being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.” John 1:1-4 (CJB)

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NKJV)

Jesus, the “God-man,” came into this World as a man - fully God, yet fully man - to seek and save the sinner.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time, the Messiah died on behalf of ungodly people. Now it is a rare event when someone gives up his life even for the sake of somebody righteous, although possibly, for a truly good person one might have the courage to die. But God demonstrated His own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:6-8 (CJB)

So, exactly, who is a “sinner”?  Everyone is a sinner.

“…for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23 (NKJV)

“As it is written, there is no one righteous, no, not one,” Romans 3:10 (NKJV)

As the man, Jesus, God can truly empathize with our human condition. But more importantly, Jesus came to save us. His salvation is not some uncertain Heavenly event set aside for the dead.  Salvation is sudden, and it is certain. Alongside the promise of Heaven, Jesus came to give us abundant life here on earth. The knowledge of His reconciliation gives us the peace to endure all manners of hardship. This kind of peace seems foolish to those who consider themselves wise in this World!  

“Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of His bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered by His life, now that we are reconciled! And not only will we be delivered in the future, but we are boasting about God right now, because He has acted through our Lord Jesus the Messiah through whom we have already received reconciliation.” Romans 5:9-11 (CJB)

“For He is not merely human like me; there is no answer that I could give Him if we were to come together in court. There is no arbitrator between us who could lay his hand on us both. If He would remove His rod from me and not let His terrors frighten me, then I would speak without fear of Him; for when I’m alone, I’m not afraid.” Job 9:32-35 (CJB)

Job understood that it was impossible to take God to court. He understood that he could never bring forth a case against God’s character because God is flawless and perfect in all His ways. Still, Job could not understand why he was undergoing such hardship. One of Job’s frustrations was focused on the great gulf that separated God from man. If only God were a man! Perhaps mankind could relate to Him. If only He could relate to mankind! Perhaps He would be gracious and merciful towards us. Enter Jesus: God, made flesh, fully God and fully man.  

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing made had being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.” John 1:1-4 (CJB)

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NKJV)

Now that we see how God can relate to us on a human level let’s look at Job’s next frustration: Who could arbitrate between God and man? Arbitration is a legal process used in lieu of taking a case to court. In arbitration, a third party (the Arbitrator) negotiates a settlement between the two “at odds” parties, whereby justice is served. In mankind’s case, God has done nothing wrong! Therefore, arbitration is out of the question. So, how can imperfect man commune with perfect God? Enter Jesus: our advocate.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV)

With Jesus as our advocate, we have no need for arbitration. Messiah Jesus settled our “sin debt” to God by personally fulfilling our “righteousness obligation” on the cross. Now, turning from our sin and accepting Jesus’ offer of atonement does not stop the efforts of the Accuser (Satan) to persuade God to judge us to the full extent of the Torah. But, at the same time the Accuser is ranting against us, our Advocate (Jesus) simply raises his nail-scarred hands and says something to the effect of, “Their debt is paid in full. The Torah’s requirements have been fulfilled through Me. They are blameless and righteous in Your sight, Father!”

“Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:  ‘How long will you speak these things, and the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?  Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice?  If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression. If you would earnestly seek God and make your supplication to the Almighty, if you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you, and prosper your rightful dwelling place. Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.” Job 8:1-7 (NKJV)

Several years ago, I received a phone call from a friend who was considering placing his mom in an asylum. “Her dementia has become too much to handle,” he explained. His mom’s symptoms were textbook dementia and borderline Alzheimer’s. For instance, she would wear two or three outfits on top of each other, insist they had doctor appointments in the middle of the night, and call the police because she was convinced family members were trying to kill her. In her mid-70s, she displayed the behavior of women in their late 80’s. There was only one problem. She did not have dementia. She had a urinary tract infection. Thank the Lord that one doctor suggested an antibiotic because she was back to normal within a few days.

When the diagnosis is wrong, the treatment and expectations for healing are wrong, and sometimes with devastating consequences! This was the case with Job’s friends. Each was convinced God was judging Job for some secret sin, to the point where they became indignant whenever Job defended his character. Never mind Job’s testimony about himself; let’s consider Job from God’s testimony.

“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’” Job 1:8 (NKJV)

Have you ever been wrongly judged? I have. Between the years 2008-2010, there was a massive financial downturn. One-in-four homes in Southern California were in danger of foreclosure. I know because I lost my home in that downturn. So, there I was, a minister of the gospel who had left Middle America to follow God’s call to Southern California. I firmly believe that God provides whenever He guides, so it was a major blow to my faith paradigm when we lost our home, so I had a serious decision to make. Was I going to curse God and die, as Job’s wife recommended, or was I going to hold on to God’s Word that EVERYTHING works together for the good (Romans 8:28)?  My wife and I chose to hold on. Other people chose to judge us.

If you are ever in foreclosure, you can’t qualify for another mortgage for three more years. Three years later, a pastor offered me a job outside of California. Had we saved our CA home with its pre-collapse mortgage, we may not have been able to heed God’s new call in another state. Sometimes He provides long-term by not providing short-term. Hard times may be unrelated to our personal righteousness and more related to His plan!

“Human life on earth is like serving in the army; yes, we drudge through our days like a hired worker, like a slave longing for shade, like a worker thinking only of his wages.” Job 7:1-2 (CJB)

It has been said that the “American Dream” is to work hard and become your own boss. When I was in high school, I met one of the most successful Americans. I was living in Arkansas and working at Wal-Mart’s store #125 when a voice came over our loudspeaker, “Hello, everyone! I am Sam Walton, owner of Wal-Mart, and I would like to meet you.” It was the first time I ever shook a billionaire’s hand. I must have washed my hands too soon after that handshake because the billions didn’t transfer to me!

Several years later, I heard a news report that Sam Walton had died. And how much of those billions did he take with him?  $0. Here is my point, and perhaps Job’s as well: Even if we become the boss of the world, we still must submit to the Lord. We work for God.

Yes, I know it grates at our independent spirits! We don’t want to work for anyone or take orders from any authority. But that doesn’t change the fact that we are bondservants at the beck-and-call of our master. It pleases God when we recognize our place in His Kingdom and willingly offer ourselves to His service. Consider Jesus’ conversation with a Roman centurion.  

“‘Lord,’ he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, ‘Shall I come and heal him?’ The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.’” Matthew 8:6-10 (NIV)

Job understood his place and the calling of all mankind to serve God. He compared it to the life of an army soldier. Well-disciplined soldiers do not question orders from their superiors, even when they seem absurd. Job did not like his condition one bit, but he had hope in God’s character. When what he believed to be true about God did not seem consistent with his immediate circumstances, Job held on to the Lord in faith.

What a perfect message for our present-day World!

But here’s the better news: We serve a Master Who (through the atoning work of His Son, Jesus) esteems us “slaves” (who have been purchased by Jesus’ shed blood) as ‘sons and daughters,’ making us co-inheritors with Messiah Jesus.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Job 6. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole. He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.” Job 5:17-19 (NKJV)

When my older children were still very young, my wife and I determined that we would keep our kids as close to church as possible. We toted the kids to every program the church offered. When the kids got a bit older, we decided to enroll them in Christian schools. This was all because we were trying to protect our children from worldliness and its influence within the public school system.  

For the most part, our plan worked, but as time progressed, we began noticing that not all “Christian” families have the same rules and standards as us. We soon came to understand that it was not enough to protect our children from worldliness by shielding them from the World. We also must shield our kids from worldly Christians. That is, Christians whose worldview is based more on their knowledge of the World than their knowledge and faithful belief in the Bible.

This scenario is precisely what Job is facing in today’s passage. His “friends” have a form of godliness but a wrong understanding of God. When people depart from God’s Word, the Bible, they immediately lose track of the spiritual “true North” and cannot be trusted as a moral compass. That means their counsel may contain “religious-sounding” terms, be filled with sincerity, and be passionately presented…but it will probably not be consistent with God’s standard. When filtered through the lens of Scripture, what may appear to be common spiritual “horse sense” may actually be good, old-fashioned heresy!

Listen to how sincere Elifaz’s “tough love” encouragement sounds: How happy the person whom God corrects! Don’t despise Shaddai’s discipline.  

The problem was that the Lord was doing a whole other thing in Job’s life. Job was not undergoing the Lord’s rebuke. Job’s friend had misdiagnosed Job’s condition in a self-righteous rush to judgment, fueled by his Biblical ignorance. The source of Eilphaz’s spiritual pride was his lack of understanding of God, and this lack of understanding came from heeding the ungodly counsel of Satan himself.  (Job 4:12-21)

Once a person departs from God’s Word yet seeks to follow Him through some other means, not only is that person deceived, but any counsel they give has potentially eternal adverse effects on the lives of others. Notice how Elifaz prophesies, drawing wrong predictions of Job’s future based on an incorrect understanding of the Lord. This condition is rampant within the Church-at-large because so few professing believers read the Bible. We should discern all teaching and advice, just as the Bereans did.  

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 (NIV)

“For a word was stealthily brought to me, my ear caught only a whisper of it.  In passing thoughts flashing through visions at night, when sleep lies heavy on people, a shiver of horror came over me; it made all my bones tremble. Then a spirit passed in front of my face; the hair on my flesh stood on end.  It stood still, but I couldn’t make out its appearance; yet the form stayed there before my eyes. Then I heard a subdued voice, ‘Can a human be seen by God as righteous? Can a mortal be pure before his maker? God doesn’t trust His own servants, He finds fault even with His angels; much more those living in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust.’” Job 4:12-19 (CJB)

Today’s passage is the first of a series of counsel/rebukes by Job’s friends. When I read the counsel of Job’s friends, I ask the age-old question: With friends like these, who needs enemies?  

This first “counsel” comes from a fellow named Elifaz the Teimani (Hebrew).  Elifaz, in Hebrew, means “my god shines purely as gold.”  Perhaps it is eluding that Job’s friend was an idolater. One thing is sure: Elifaz reveals the source of his counsel: Satan.

In the same way the “snake” slithered up to Eve and struck up that infamous conversation in the Garden of Eden, Satan whispers in Elifaz’s ear in the night.  Interestingly, nothing Satan says is blatantly false. One of Satan’s grand schemes is to present the truth in a negative light. You see, better than getting people to reject God’s Word completely is to convince them to follow God’s Word incompletely! Both tactics keep people from a saving relationship with the Lord through His Son, Jesus. It also keeps followers of Jesus from being effective witnesses and counselors to the lost and hurting.

That is why we read God’s Word every day, asking Him to personally reveal the truth of His Word so we can know it rightly. Then, we ask Him to give us someone to share it with. Why?  Because Satan has many “Job’s friends” planted throughout this world and even in the Church. If it were not so, why would Paul have written these words?

“In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:12-17 (HCSB)

We search God’s Word daily, so we can weigh both the world’s counsel and so-called “Christian” counsel that may deny critical aspects of the Word. Also, we can give Godly counsel to those who perceive their suffering as “for no reason.”

“Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than hidden treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings pour out like water. For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.” Job 3:20-26 (NKJV)

Have you ever wished you were never born? Have you ever cried out that the Lord would take you out of this world, that there is no reason to be alive, and that light and air are even wasted on you? That is a miserable way to feel, but you are alone. I have felt that way. Job felt that way. God knew you would feel that way, and He has written this account to help give insight into the redemptive “why” regarding the suffering of the righteous. Consider Paul’s words.

“For if we live, we live in relation to the Lord; and if we die, we die in relation to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord – indeed, it was for this very reason that Messiah died and came back to life, so that He might be Lord of both the living and the dead.” Romans 14:8-9 (CJB)

The reason we exist (in this world and the next) is to glorify the Lord. Our culture has somehow convinced many of us that God exists to serve mankind. This mindset has even taken root in the Church-at-large. That is exactly the opposite of the truth. Even Heaven is not the “eternal recess” many believe it will be. We belong to the Lord, and our lives (even in eternity) are to be lived unto Him for His purposes, chosen by His great wisdom. It is our obligation to trust that even if our circumstances do not resemble blessing, He is ultimately working all things together for good. (Romans 8:28) Again, consider the words of Paul, no stranger to suffering for following the Lord.

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advance of the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is in the cause of Christ. Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly.” Philippians 1:12-14 (HCSB)

“My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ—which is far better— but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” Philippians 1:20-2 (HCSB)

Paul could be encouraged because he knew what Job didn’t: the end of Job’s suffering! We see the end of Paul’s and, perhaps, most importantly, the eternal end of Jesus’.

“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.’” Job 2:3-6 (NKJV)

Many followers of Jesus have a superstitious wariness concerning the book of Job.  It is as if once they read the book, God will have a similar conversation with Satan about them! I know I feared reading the book of Job for many years. My fear was mostly centered on my misconception that God exists solely to make me happy and give me a life of worldly abundance. I did not want to face the truth that God’s great plan and purpose for my life may include my suffering for His gospel!

These first two chapters of Job are some of the most dreaded chapters in the Bible and pretty much single-handedly dismantle the “prosperity” gospel.

Something that profoundly leaped out of today’s chapter was Satan’s argument against Job that a man will give up everything he has to save his life. What was so interesting is that Satan’s argument was exactly the opposite of what Jesus did. Jesus, the Creator of all that is (John 1), left His position of power, honor, and glory to offer up His life for us.

“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (HCSB)

Furthermore, Satan argued that if he were allowed to curse Job’s flesh, Job would curse God to his face. Again, this is precisely the opposite of Jesus’ response, even at the pinnacle of His suffering.

“And Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.’  Saying this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:46 (HCSB)

Whereas Job’s life was spared, Jesus’ life was not. That meant that His sacrificial atonement was complete! And we know that it pleased God to see Jesus honor Him all the way through His suffering, as evidenced by the Father’s testimony upon Jesus’ resurrection.

“Now to which of the angels has God ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool?” Hebrews 1:13 (NIV)

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” Job 1:1 (NKJV)

I believe the two most dreaded verses in the Bible are “Turn away from Me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23) and “Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant...?’” (Job 1:8a)  Personally, the notion that God & Satan may be talking about ME at this very moment terrifies me! I would rather live a peaceful life, having received salvation. I would be content to simply read my Bible, share the gospel, love my family, earn an honest wage, and maybe vacation at the beach for a week every year. I would be good with that!  But my “American Dream” scenario is not found anywhere in Scripture. The reality is that the “accuser,” Satan, is always trying to convince God to condemn us.  And how does Satan know that he has a case against mankind?  Because he is the one who enticed us to sin in the first place!

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

We should not be surprised at the notion that our lack of righteousness is being discussed in Heaven, nor should we be afraid. Just as we have an accuser, we also have an advocate (attorney).

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2 (KJV)

So, Satan’s ongoing argument about the sin of God’s people (and his demand that God rebuke & cast us away) presents us with a dilemma for which we have no human solution. After all, Satan is correct in his assertion that we deserve judgment. Enter Messiah Jesus. Not only is Jesus our advocate (argues on our behalf), but He is also our “propitiation”. That is, Jesus has paid the fullness of our sin penalty, in its entirety, forever!

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” Revelation 12:10 (NKJV)

Job’s name in Hebrew translates as “Hated/Persecuted.” While Job was hated and persecuted by Satan (and later also by his so-called friends), he was loved and sheltered by God. That is encouraging for us!  We should take courage that while Satan and the world may hate us as believers, God loves us!  (John 3:16)

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” John 15:18 (NKJV)

“And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.”  Esther 10:1-3 (NKJV)

Today’s chapter, the last in the Book of Esther, is one verse away from being the shortest chapter in the entire Bible.  One might be inclined to wonder how such a short chapter could warrant much attention.  To me, Esther, chapter 10 is like the very end of a TV program.

Near the end of a television drama or sitcom, after the murder has been solved, the marriage has been restored, or the problem has been resolved, there is often a brief commercial break followed by a short segment that brings closure to the show.  If we apply this analogy to the Book of Esther, we observe the central problem of the story being resolved by 9:19.  We then watch the commercial break in 9:20-32 – an infomercial about Purim holiday celebrations.  Finally, we discover the last three verses of the book (today’s chapter), wrapping up the whole story and leaving us with both a sense of completion and a realization that life goes on as before in the Medo-Persian empire.

The Book of Esther could comfortably end with Esther’s command in 9:32, which establishes Purim as a legal holiday for the Jews.  Yet the book is not a simply passionate commercial for a holiday; it is concerned with a much larger issue – the “hidden” work of God on behalf of His people despite their spiritual condition.  Nothing can keep God from accomplishing His purposes, not even the sin of His people!  Therefore, just because God is using you to accomplish His purposes (or just because you are living a seemingly “blessed” life while pursuing a sinful one) does not necessarily mean you are in God’s favor.  It may simply mean that God is working in spite of you!

Thus, to highlight that larger issue, the author adds three seemingly innocuous verses that zero in on a tax, a book, and a person.  In actuality, these three verses are anything but innocuous.  They invite us to re-evaluate the details of the book in light of the broad thematic scope of the book.  If we see them as only a historical postscript, we miss the author’s closing comments that give the final definition to all that he has previously placed before our eyes.

So, how do we bring closure to this chapter AND this email?  How about we answer a question you may have had at the beginning of this email: What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?  It also happens to be appropriate to end this chapter.

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify Him, all peoples! For His faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.” Psalm 117:1-2 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Esther 9. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“The city of Susa shouted and rejoiced, and the Jews celebrated with gladness, joy and honor.  In every province and every city, wherever the king’s command and his law reached, rejoicing and jubilation took place among the Jews.  There was a celebration and a holiday.  And many of the ethnic groups of the land professed themselves to be Jews, because fear of the Jews had overcome them.” Esther 8:15b-17 (HCSB)

Break out the Manischewitz!  The city of Susa was in the middle of a party that rivaled the one that opened the Book of Esther.  To this very day, the Jewish holiday of Purim is a festive occasion and one of the happiest events on the Jewish calendar.  As one Jewish comedian put it, “Purim is like the Jewish Halloween” because everyone dons costumes rattles noisemakers, and sends presents & food to one another.  It is amazing what happens when God’s people esteem His Word over their own self-preservation instincts.  Talk about transformations!  Esther did more than change her attitude; she became tenacious toward what she was formerly timid.  She became a “wolverine,” as it were.

Wolverines are built with powerful legs that propel them mile after mile in search of food.  They possess tremendous strength and determination.  Once they set their mind on their target, they press on despite all odds, seemingly never giving up until they achieve their goal.  This describes Queen Esther.  Once she made up her mind to secure the deliverance of her people, Esther tenaciously pressed forward until she achieved that end.  Even after victory over Haman was secured, Esther forged ahead to ensure that her enemies were thoroughly defeated and that her own people established a permanent means to remember their amazing victory.

But we must remember that the Jews were simply a small people group within a vast kingdom that spanned from India to Ethiopia.  So, what was the reaction of the other peoples within Achashverosh’s kingdom?  There was sheer fear and dread of the Jewish people…to the point where people declared themselves Jewish, simply to escape potential harm.

Years ago, I pondered (as many of you may have) the source of anti-Semitism.  Why have so many people groups hated the Jewish people; why have so many world leaders sought to destroy them?  In short, Satan hates the Jewish people.  Historically, Satan tried to kill off the Messianic line of David because redemption for the World would come through Messiah, Jesus.  But as God’s affection for the Jewish people endures (Romans 11), enraged envy and jealousy still wells up within the evil one, Satan.  Haman was undoubtedly a representative of the antichrist, as were Hitler, Stalin, and a host of others.

But how could anti-Semitism infect the Church?  Where were the seeds of anti-Semitism?  Today’s chapter ends with the reaction of the Medo-Persians toward the Jewish people: Fear and dread.  Now, picture several generations later when Roman heralds ride throughout the Empire, announcing that Constantine has decreed that every pagan Roman citizen is now a Christian and must worship the Jewish Messiah…

“Then Queen Esther answered and said, ‘If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.’ So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, ‘Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?’ And Esther said, ‘The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!’” Esther 7:3-6a (NKJV)

Several years ago, my band Big Tent Revival performed at a Christian music day at Universal Studios Theme Park in Orlando, Florida, called “Rock The Universe!”  After our performance, a park employee confided to my drummer and me that he could smuggle us into an (as-of-then) unopened section of the park, where we could preview their new roller coaster, “The Hulk.”

The Hulk is an “acceleration coaster,” different from the traditional roller coaster because its power is generated magnetically instead of the traditional “gravity” coaster.  Put simply, instead of creeping up a hill and then accelerating as the cars roll over the peak, acceleration coasters literally shoot the cars up the hill.  Acceleration coasters are very common these days, but we had no idea what to expect back then!  The ride started off like usual, creeping upward, but halfway up the incline, a noise went off, and the coaster shot off like so many Floridian space shuttle launches!

Delving into chapter 7 of the Book of Esther is much like buckling into an acceleration coaster.  There is a sense of anticipation at first, followed by the explosive acceleration of Esther’s accusation.  This leads to a momentary pause as the king leaves the room.  Immediately after that, the terror returns as Haman “attacks” the queen, and the king catches Haman in the act.

Once more, a few short sentences and a lull in the action occur, during which the king’s servant mentions the gallows that Haman has built.  The action quickly resumes when the king commands that Haman be hanged, and Haman is executed.  The chapter then comes to an abrupt halt, and everyone except Haman seemingly breathes a sigh of relief.  The ride is over.

All of that to say, we are reminded again in today’s chapter that there are two things that confound a fool: How slow God is to act and how quickly He shows up!  Haman was a fool, making him the perfect pawn for Satan’s plan to annihilate God’s people.  And he truly believed he would succeed, as did Hitler, Balaam & Balak, several Roman emperors, the Catholic Inquisitors, Stalin, Nero, Nebuchadnezzar, and a host of others.  Then, God showed up.

“That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. Then the king said, ‘What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?’”  Esther 6:1-3 (NKJV)

UCLA basketball coaching legend, John Wooden, had an endearing impact on his players.  Even after his players left to pursue their respective careers, they considered him as much a father as a coach.  One of the unorthodox things that Wooden would do to establish trust was to teach each recruit how to put on their socks and tie their shoes properly.  A simple thing, but it built that sort of father/son relationship and sent the message: “It doesn’t matter what you think you know; I am going to teach you how to play the game from the ground up.”  There is nothing quite like lacing up gym shoes in anticipation of an upcoming sporting event.

Forgive me for trying to make the tying of shoes into a spiritual experience!  But the whole process of tying shoes is a good analogy for the Book of Esther because lacing shoes takes mental effort that subconsciously anticipates the struggle that is about to take place in the sporting world.  The threads of Esther’s story are interwoven, much like gym shoes – the laces that (at the beginning) seem to work at cross purposes to each other are finally revealed to be drawn up together.  The author of the Book of Esther is weaving the laces of the story together in such a nonchalant way that we are almost surprised when things begin to cinch tightly together.

When seemingly unrelated or opposing agendas suddenly cinch together to accomplish God’s will, that’s called “Providence.”  It means that God is working from an elevated perspective, viewing the big picture in ways that are impossible for us to perceive.  Here on earth, at the pedestrian level, we can only see from a very limited perspective.  That means we must trust that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present and that His character never changes.

In today’s passage, we feel the laces cinch together in a way that nobody could have predicted.  We can only read today’s chapter and praise the Lord for doing something only He could accomplish.  He awoke the king in the middle of the night and gave him a strong desire to read the records of the daily journal, where the king discovered Mordecai was never honored or appreciated for his heroic and patriotic act.

Do the circumstances of your life seem loose, contradictory, and randomly unrelated?  God causes all things to work together, to literally cinch up like shoelaces, for the good of everybody who loves Him and is called, according to His purpose.  (Romans 8:28)

“On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the in the inner courtyard of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall.  The king was sitting on his royal throne in the king’s hall, across from the entrance to the hall.  When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, she won his favor; so the king extended the gold scepter in his hand towards Esther.  Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.  ‘What is it you want, Queen Esther?’ the king asked her.  ‘Whatever your request, up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.’” Esther 5:1-3 (CJB)

History records that on January 10, 49 B.C., Julius Caesar, who by the Senate of Rome had been declared an enemy of the Roman state, took a step that forever changed the course of history – he crossed the Rubicon.  By leaving his home province and crossing that shallow river with his army, Caesar, in effect, had declared war on the Roman Empire.  Alea jacta est – “The die is cast.”

Caesar risked his all and succeeded as, perhaps, no one else could.  Would the same be true for Esther now that she had taken that one small step across the threshold to the king’s royal hall?  We might anticipate big drama and suspense here, but the author tells the story almost as if it was an everyday event, with no special emphasis.

Interestingly, the author chooses not to build tension surrounding Esther’s approach to the king but immediately reveals that the king graciously welcomed Esther into his presence.  Thus, Esther is not painted as a heroine of super-human proportions but merely as someone who has a task to do and does it calmly & efficiently.  There is a lesson for followers of Jesus here.  We should not seek to be heroes or to be recognized as anything other than obedient to the Lord.  If we will live our lives in simple, diligent devotion, there is no end to the amazing things the Lord will accomplish through us.  Where, then, is heroism?  Is it not God who works through us; doesn’t the glory completely go to Him for the deeds of even the most pious among us?

The events of chapter 5 take place “on the third day,” that is, the day the fast that Esther instituted was to end.  What a difference three days make in her willingness to risk her life and luxury for the betterment of others!  It begs the question: What is fasting?  More than simply not eating, fasting is the intentional denial of fleshly desire.  When we fast, we are making our flesh submit to our will.  When we combine prayer with fasting, we make our flesh submit to our will as we submit to the Lord’s will.

Now, we see where Esther’s boldness comes from!  She has put herself under God’s direction and made her flesh be under hers.  Are you struggling with a difficult decision?  Do you feel as if your flesh continues to lead you down paths your spirit does not want to travel?  Try seeking the Lord daily through His Word and prayer and deny your flesh the control it wants.  There can be only one “Alpha” in control of your life.  And He should be the “Alpha & Omega!”

“Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: ‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.’ So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: ‘Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’” Esther 4:10-14 (NKJV)

Have you ever started to tell somebody about a problem you’re having, only to have that person interrupt you by saying, “You think you’ve got problems; you should hear what I have to put up with!” Then the person goes on to explain in detail some minor issues they are facing.  If so, you can relate to Mordekhai’s situation in today’s passage.

Mordekhai relays to Esther that his problem is a life-threatening one, not only for himself but also for the entire Jewish population in Medo-Persia, and that Esther has the responsibility to do something about it.  Esther immediately reacts by saying, in effect, “You think you’ve got problems….” Interestingly, she does not express any concern for Mordekhai’s or her fellow Jews’ plight; instead, she worries because she might personally have to risk incurring the wrath of government authority and that such an act would put her own life in jeopardy.  To top it off, she mentions that her marriage has not been going well lately…30 days since she had last been in the king’s presence.  Oy vey!  Perhaps, the beauty treatments and luxurious lifestyle were starting to go to Esther’s head.

In this verbal exchange, relationships are being determined.  Would Esther perceive the conversation to be between queen & subject or uncle & niece?  In the greater sense, the whole debate was a commentary on the existential condition of the Jewish community in exile.  Had the Jews assimilated and simply considered themselves “Medo-Persians,” or did they still hold on to the prophecy of Jeremiah that they would someday be given the opportunity to return to the Promised Land?  Esther personified that existential condition.  Assimilation is still a significant issue for the Jewish Community, and the question of “what does it mean to be Jewish” is the main issue.  

It is also a major question for the Christian community.  Just as the Jewish exiles were commanded to be “among but not of” a foreign people, all believers are to live with the hope of Heaven, not seeking our identities in this World.  Like Esther, we must all choose to love the Lord and stand with His people, no matter the personal cost.