Bible Journaling

How Many Miserable Comforters Did Job Have?

~ Pat Vick ~ 1 Comment
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

I was continuing my daily bible reading in the book of Job. As I started chapter 32, I had to go back and start over. Verse 3 stopped me.

“Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.” (Job 32:3)

Wait. What?

I’ve read the Bible through 30+ times, and have never realized there were FOUR men other than Job in the story.

…This is embarrassing, and convicting. I’m silently hoping I’m not the only one…

I really have no defense. I’ve heard and read statements over and over about Job’s three miserable comforters, which they were. But that catch phrase became part of the foundation of my knowledge of Job’s story. I never even realized a fourth man entered the story.

My lack of knowledge is due to the fact that I never studied deep enough to pull all the names of the characters out and learn them individually.

Here they are just in case you thought there were only three, as well:

-Eliphaz the Temanite

-Bildad the Shuhite

-Zophar the Naamathite

-AND Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite!

The Living Word

We never reach a point that we stop studying the Word of God. Even stories we have read countless times still hold unlimited nuggets of truth. God’s Word is alive, and is ever revealing, layer upon layer. There’s always a need and a way to study deeper.

If we are satisfied with a superficial knowledge of the Word of God, that’s easily obtained with a quick read through. But if we want to know the deep things buried in the Word of God, it requires digging deeper, and mining them out.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.“ (2 Timothy 2:15)

Warm Regards In Jesus’ Name!

-Pat

A Miracle In The Making

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment
Photo by Jon Carlson on Unsplash

 

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7)

It was Christmas Eve in Bethlehem. Christmas, or Christ’s Mass, wouldn’t be known as such until 1038 AD in England. Nevertheless, that night in the small hamlet of Bethlehem, Israel, the first Christmas Eve had come, and there was a miracle in the making.

To be clear, it didn’t look, feel, sound, taste or smell like anything resembling a miracle. Mary and Joseph weren’t guests in a comfortable inn. They were in a stable of all places. Mary didn’t have the comforts of soft bedding or an attending midwife. There was only Joseph wiping her brow, and attempting to be strong and hold himself together. No excited family members were pacing outside the door breathing whispered prayers, and waiting their turn to congratulate the happy couple. There were animals which would explain the unusual sounds and smells surrounding the event. 

They had traveled for days. There was exhaustion, hunger, fear, astonishment at this overwhelming circumstance…and pain. No one observing with their natural senses would have thought this was a miracle in the making. It was all there, however. All the raw material needed for a miracle. What good is a miracle when everything is perfect? Can it even be called a miracle if it’s not desperately needed, and impossible?

That night must have been so dark for Mary. She must have felt so hopelessly afraid and alone. She most likely couldn’t see the star from inside the stable. She wrestled with the process. She prayed. She wept. She hoped. All night.

The morning light revealed the Truth. The God of all glory had come to His people. Mary and Joseph wept joyful tears. Heaven watched in awe. Angels sang. This sweet baby Jesus, Jehovah Savior. Immanuel, God with us. The whole painful process, it had been a miracle in the making.

So, how are things in your world? How about your health? Relationships? Finances? The condition of your very soul? Is your situation looking impossibly bleak? PERFECT! It’s Christmas Eve, and you have the perfect setup for a miracle in the making!

Warm Regards & Merry Christmas,

-Pat

Can You Dig It? (A Bible Journal Entry)

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

I’m thinking about biblical archaeology this morning. I love reading about bible sites and objects being found and excavated. The truth of the stories in the bible is all around us. Literally buried layer upon layer. The problem is that our memories and lifespans are too short to connect the dots and dates. At least not without interest and effort.

Another problem is that we think it’s all about us, not taking into account that every generation before us thought the same thing. We build and plan, focusing only on us and ours, believing somehow we’ll be the generation that beats the odds, and lives forever. Psalm 49:11 speaks to this point:

”Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.” (Psalm 49:11)

We live on a farm with many acres of land. On the backside of the farm, there is bottom land with two raised mounds of earth. These are Indian mounds where generations of Native Americans lived their daily lives. Many arrow heads have been unearthed  as a result of breaking up the ground in preparation for spring planting.

We act surprised every time we find a piece of their history like we have forgotten they existed. Or like they lived millions of years ago in a different reality. When, in fact, it’s only been a few generations since the land we call ours was sustaining them and their families.

Bible lands, the Promised Land, Israel is no different. It’s all there. Every Bible character. Every story. Every battle. Every weapon forged. Every scrap of cloth. Every drop of blood spilled. Every grave or tomb. Every brick oven. Every well or cistern. Every altar. It’s all still there under the layers of each generation’s passing. A silent testimony of the Truth of God’s Word.

I love biblical archaeology, but I’ll probably never have the opportunity to take part in an actual archaeological dig. It’s a good thing that digging into the Word of God, mining out nuggets of history and truth is even more trustworthy than shards of pottery and dead men’s bones. It’s the Living Word, and it’s not just history. It’s our story too.

Warm Regards In Jesus’ Name!

-Pat