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1143 - Job’s Final Protest of Innocence

Job’s Final Protest of Innocence “I made a covenant, with my eyes, not to look, with lust, at a young woman. For what, has God above, chosen, for us? What is our inheritance, from the Almighty, on high? Isn’t it calamity, for the wicked, and misfortune, for those, who do evil? Doesn’t He see …everything I do, and every step I take? “Have I lied to anyone, or deceived anyone?  Let God weigh me, on the scales of justice, for He knows my integrity. If I have strayed from His path, ….or if my heart has lusted, for what my eyes have seen, …or if I am guilty of any other sin, …then let someone else eat the crops that I have planted. Let all that I have planted be uprooted. “If my heart has been seduced, by a woman, …or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife, …then let my wife serve another man; let other men sleep with her. For lust is a shameful sin, … it is a crime that should be punished. It is a fire that burns …all the way to hell. It would wipe out everything that I own. “If I have be
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1142 - Job Continues Speaking of His Anguish

Job Continues Speaking of His Anguish “Now, my life seeps away. Depression haunts my days. At night, my bones are filled with pain, …pain that gnaws at me, relentlessly. With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me, by the collar of my coat. He has thrown me into the mud. I’m nothing more than dust …and ashes. “I cry to you, O God, …but You don’t answer. I stand before You, …but You don’t even look at me. You have become cruel, toward me. You use Your power, to persecute me. You throw me into the whirlwind, and You destroy me, in the storm. I know You are sending me to my death—to the destination, of all who live. “Surely no one would turn, against the needy, when they cry for help, in their trouble. …Did I not weep, for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved, for the needy? So I looked for good, …but evil came instead. I waited for the light, …but darkness fell. My heart is troubled, …and restless. Days, of suffering, torment me. I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand i
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1141 - Job Speaks of His Anguish

Job Speaks of His Anguish “Now, I am mocked by people, younger than I, by young men, whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs. A lot of good they are to me—those worn-out wretches! They are gaunt, from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground, in desolate wastelands. They pluck wild greens, from among the bushes… and they eat from the roots, of broom trees. They are driven from human society, and people shout at them, as if they were thieves. So, now, they live in frightening ravines, or in caves, and among the rocks. They sound like animals, howling, among the bushes, huddled together, beneath the nettles. They are nameless fools, …..outcasts from society. “And, now, they mock me, with vulgar songs! They taunt me! They despise me, and they won’t come near me, …except to spit, in my face. For God has cut my bowstring. He has humbled me, …so, they have thrown off all restraint. These outcasts oppose me, to my face. They send me sprawling, …they lay traps in my path. The
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1140 - Job Speaks of His Former Blessings

Job Speaks of His Former Blessings “I long for the years gone by, when God took care of me, when He lit up the way before me, and I walked safely, through the darkness. When I was in my prime, God’s friendship was felt in my home. The Almighty was still with me, and my children were around me. My steps were awash in cream, and the rocks gushed olive oil for me. “Those were the days, when I went to the city gate, and I took my place among the honored leaders. The young stepped aside when they saw me, and even the aged rose, in respect, at my coming. The princes stood in silence, and put their hands over their mouths. The highest officials, of the city, stood quietly, holding their tongues, in respect. “All, who heard me, praised me. All, who saw me, spoke well of me. For I assisted the poor, in their need, and the orphans, who required help. I helped those, without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused, the widows’ hearts, to sing for joy. Everything I did was honest. Righteousness co
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