Job 2

 Job 2

The mystery of chapter 1 deepens in chapter 2. The “why” of the conversation here is beyond our comprehension. Satan, for his part of the story, is done; he is less significant than we often think. But there is a character we need to pay attention to because we find ourselves in her. Job’s wife only has two verses (9-10), but she reflects many people. While she has not been physically afflicted, she has suffered much; she has lost all her possessions, plus she is a mother who has lost 10 children. Her world and the foundations on which that world was built have been torn to shreds. Her comment may have been more of a confession than reasoning. It cannot be justified, but it might be understandable. The expectation of “Do good and good things happen to you; do evil and evil things happen to you” was the view of the three friends. Perhaps it was her opinion as well. In that worldview Job must have been a bad man. Perhaps she is telling Job, “The evidence is clear you are a bad man. Speak the true condition of your heart, i.e., curse God, before you die. Why go to your grave with your false piety?” In the discourse with the friends, Job does come close to cursing God. He never crosses that line, but in a deeply honest moment he reveals a heart that accuses God of evil.

We would do well to keep in mind the emotional state of Job’s wife. She is not blaming God; she is blaming Job for all her misery. Her worldview was confused, and therefore she could not correctly interpret events. Perhaps rather than being a bad woman, as Job accused, she was operating from a commonly shared false paradigm, one she shared with and perhaps learned from Job himself.

One final thought. She had been spared the physical suffering, and that might need to be examined. The absence of hardship is not necessarily evidence of God’s blessing. It may indicate favor by the enemy or even that we are not important enough to harass. We cannot endorse Job’s wife, but we might see ourselves in her.

“Lord, give me the capacity to see things from the perspective You want me to have, and not an invalid worldview. AMEN."

Job 1

 Job 1

There is no doubt that Job is the most enigmatic book of the Bible. In almost every way, it seems to beg more questions than it specifically answers. It is a lot like life in that way. And like life, it is beautiful, distressing, challenging, and ultimately pointing toward God. We cannot answer all the questions this book raises, but we can learn from it certain principles.

From the first chapter, there are two principles that will work well in our lives. First, piety and wealth are not certain protections from natural calamity. Job was a man of remarkably sincere character. The description is not of sinlessness but of unadulterated morals; he was not “faking it." He was a good man through and through. His wealth was remarkable. The description of his livestock tells us he was a sort of multinational corporation of his day. The sheep and oxen speak of agribusiness; the donkey and camels tell us of both short- and long-haul carriers along the trade routes. To say he had many employees, or slaves, might be an understatement. How many people did it require to handle, manage, and care for 11,000 head of stock? But all that piety and wealth did not provide protection for the loss of everything he had except a cranky wife and ‘know it all’ friends.

There is another lesson for us, and it comes from the presence of Satan and his dialogue with God. The existence of this conversation brings to mind many unanswerable questions, but it points to a key principle behind it all. Perhaps this analogy will help. Satan is stacking blocks like a toddler on a nursery floor. God is building a mansion. The complex schemes of the enemy of humanity may at time seem powerful, complex, and overwhelming, but they are inconsequential compared to what God is doing in the same moment and indeed by the same events. Satan knows his cause is lost, but in hate he acts against us. Those very acts God will use for our ultimate benefit.

“God, in the midst of the enemies' schemes, accomplish Your purposes in me. AMEN."

Song of Solomon 8:8-14

Song of Solomon 8:8-14

One of the challenges of this book is that, at times, it is hard to be certain who specifically is speaking. Many scholars offer many opinions; however, there is a shared certainty that the bride's chastity is her greatest treasure.

Having returned home, there is a sort of flashback or trip down memory lane for the girl’s brothers. In verses 8-9 they recall how when she was not yet of marriageable age, they protected her. Any young girl with strong, godly, protective men around her has a decided and distinct advantage. She was one such protected maiden. 

But in verse 11 she has had the moral maturity and character to be committed to her own chastity. The vast wealth of Solomon and even the wealth of his workers are despised compared to the value of her moral purity.

The husband finds contentment with his wife, described in verse 10b. Then in verse 13 her voice is a delight to him. For her part, she invites him again to enjoy the sexual satisfaction of the marriage covenant.

“Thank You, God, for making sexual fulfillment part of Your universe. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 8:1-7

Song of Solomon 8:1-7

With each successive poem, the narrative becomes more intense. The first couple of verses of this chapter may seem strange to us. This is not an appeal to incest. But in a culture where public displays of affection were strongly forbidden, she has a hard time keeping her hands off her beloved. The couple has come to her hometown, and this has awakened memories of passionate feelings, which find their fulfillment in verse 3.

Passionate love is so powerful it is best entered into judiciously, and so verse 4 repeats that warning.

Verses 5-7 are the apex of the collection of these poems. In the second part of verse 5, the groom recalls a place of meaningful moments. In verses 6-7 is a description of the supreme power of love. The implications of "seals" are many, but to translate into our culture, let us say, “Once I put a wedding ring on your finger, nothing was ever the same.” Love is like an irresistible flash flood, like death and the grave; once it has you, it never lets you go. Some have given up everything for the sake of love. While those around them may scoff, the lovers feel that it was worth it too.

“Lord, awaken in me the holy love of my courtship. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 7:1-13

Song of Solomon 7:1-13

One theory about this chapter is that this is the story of a young woman who is loved by another but is being wooed by Solomon. According to this interpretation, the chapter closes with the final rejection of Solomon in verse 10. But there is the possibility that the young man was actually the young Solomon before he was corrupted.

Regardless, before us is a highly sexualized description of both the lovers' responses to her body. Verses 1-6 may be a description provided by the groom or by those who help dress the bride. Verses 7-9a are the descriptive words of the king, with verses 9b-13 being the description of the bride as she desires to give herself and a description of giving herself to her husband.

While the descriptions and similes may not be what we are used to, the description of giving oneself freely to one's spouse is something that transcends culture and language. There is within the safe and secure bonds of marriage a radical and open freedom. In verses 11-13, the bride and groom get away for an escape so that nothing distracts them from the delights and pleasures of sexual fulfillment.

“Lord, thank you for the freedom we enjoy in marriage. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 6:1-13

Song of Solomon 6:1-13

This book is at times challenging, to say the least. This chapter is no exception. But love is, at times, challenging and difficult to understand. This chapter opens with other women showing an interest in the groom and the bride’s feelings of jealousy. She doesn’t answer their questions directly; rather, in verse 2 she refers to their intimacy and in verse 3 asserts their commitment to each other.

In verses 4-9 the groom renews his declaration for her but adds a couple notes. First he says he has been conquered by her beauty, so much so that when she looks at him, he is unable to think straight (v. 4). Second, he next describes her beauty again in verses 5-7. But in verses 8-9 we see he desires her over his whole harem. This harem of 140 women indicates a younger Solomon, who later had a harem of nearly 1,000 women. Among all the options available in his harem, she was unique. Verse 12 may be the most difficult verse to understand in the whole book. In the context of jealousy, self-doubt, and a multitude of women in the harem, we see the bride in the difficult reality of harem life. Perhaps verse 13 is an attempt of the harem to make her only one of many. But why?

“Thank You, Lord, for Your plan of one man with one woman for one lifetime. AMEN.”

Song of Solomon 5:1-16

Song of Solomon 5:1-16

Perhaps you can relate; you have a bad dream in which something is amiss in your dearest relationship. The dream is so vivid as to disturb the moments soon after awakening. We sometimes feel inadequate for our lover and believe that they could have done better. One's insecurities may be unfounded, but that does not alleviate the anxiety.

In verses 1-8, the bride has a dream sequence in which the groom comes to her, but she rejects him as a bother. Changing her mind, she finds he is gone. The dream gets worse; she searches for her lover but rather encounters abuse. Verse 8 may be part of the dream, or it may be the panicked, disoriented pleas of her as she has just awakened from the nightmare. In verse 9 her friends ask why she is so panicked about her lover and what makes him special. The bride, in verses 10-16, gives a highly sexualized description of her man. We should not assume that this is a moral, intellectual, or spiritual attraction or metaphor. Rather, in this godly marriage there is a raw physical sensual attraction. She wants his body and wants to do things with his body. One aspect of a godly marriage is powerful sexuality.

“Lord, draw husbands and wives to each other in every way. AMEN.”