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Discussions Prophets and Writings

Job 38-42: God speaks for Himself; Iyyob repents and is restored

What are the lessons of the book of Job? ’Iyyob (Job) needed to understand how to judge rightly and justly. Our focus should be on God’s wisdom and knowledge, not on the work God is doing in someone else.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

Job 32-37: Elihu prepares Iyyob to meet God

There’s a tendency to discount what the friends of ’Iyyob (Job) have to say, because God corrects them at the end of the book. Yet, significant portions of counsel from one friend, Elihu, actually prepare ’Iyyob’s heart — for example, hope of a mediator with God and resurrection — for the epic encounter with God in the closing chapters of the book.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

Job 8-14: Iyyob begs God to end the war against him

As we go through this book, Iyyob (Job) and his friends become more hostile. His friends can’t convince Iyyob that he is a unrepentant sinner, and Iyyob can’t convince his friends of his integrity. Iyyob said God was fighting against him, but Iyyob would not assume to fight against God.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

Job 5-8: Learning to lovingly ‘disagree’ with God

When someone “disagrees” with God, we should encourage them to read the book of Job. God Himself tells us that ’Iyyob (Job) had integrity, fortitude and was a righteous man, yet he still to learn how God acts.
Most believers long to speak with God face to face, as Moshe (Moses) did. If you pray to God you willing to hear what He has to say in response, you will hear Him and have a fulfilling relationship.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

Job 1-4: Be slow to judge others

Given an outside view of what the Adversary was allowed to do to ’Iyyob (Job), we can look down on the spiritual ignorance of his three friends and even of ’Iyyob’s statements in his defense. Rather, this is a powerful lesson on proverbially removing the “log” from one’s eye before looking for the “sawdust” in someone else’s.

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Discussions Tithe & Finances Torah

Deuteronomy 13-14: Destroy false ‘true’ prophecy; tithe in the third year

God’s severe instruction for dealing with someone who has dreams or receives messages that come true and who performs miracles is sobering. It was not a problem for a prophet or dreamer outside the Levitical community to perform miracles or have visions. This passage also covers God’s actual instructions for what is commonly called the “third tithe.”

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 15–28 recap — Vision vs. trance; sons of God, daughters of men, unequal yoking

This section of Genesis introduces us to Abraham and his family. We start to see how God communicates His revelation through Abraham’s family (not just the men, but the women as well). We also rediscover how God calls, trains and corrects those He longs to call His sons and daughters.