Day 241 – August 29, 2021
Scriptures - Job 10-12, Psalm 39 Job 12:13 - “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” God’s sovereignty comes into view. Job outlines his understanding of God as sovereign over the nations, sovereign over the wind and the rain. I have read, and I have no way of proving one way or the other, that Job is the oldest book in the Old Testament. A search through Job reveals no mention of Abraham, Noah, Adam, David, Joseph or Israel. This is fascinating. In a book that could certainly draw from the lives of Adam, Noah, and Abraham, there is no mention of them? Not a single mention of Joseph, who could certainly had shed light on God and Job’s difficulty. I mention all of this, because it is quite remarkable when we read, “If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.” Time and time again, we see God withholding rain, holding back the waters, and letting them loose as well. He could have mentioned the Exodus, the crossing of the Jordan, but he does not. He could have brought into view Egypt and God’s sovereignty through that situation for Israel. We don’t hear any of it. I don’t know the timeframe of this, but Job understands something about God and his sovereignty. God reigns and works out his righteous judgment. Here’s a thought that is unvetted. Just a thought from reading through the scriptures. If Job is in fact the oldest book, it seems that the rest of the Bible is fleshing out and revealing the God of the Bible. Job’s wrestling of God and his identity is fleshed out in all of the Bible. God is the creator and promise making God in Genesis. God is the faithful God, mightier than all other gods in the book of Exodus. God is mighty to save in Joshua. Jesus is the son of God in the Gospel of John. Jesus is God, the sovereign one, over all of creation, and brings a new creation in Revelation. Every page of scripture gives us a new perspective and understanding of the God we see glimpses of in Job. And the misunderstandings among the friends, well the Bible sorts them out. God is one who is sovereign over the nations, and he has set apart one nation, Israel to be his people and witnesses in the world. He will help us see the God in Job, as a God of compassion, faithfulness and lovingkindness. I don’t know if this is right. But I like it. God is sovereign, as revealed in the truth of his word. Blessings, Jordan
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AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
December 2022
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