This week we are finishing up the book of Job and beginning the first few chapters of Psalms.
Finally we hear God's response to everything that has come before with Job. And just as Jesus in the New Testament always answers a question with a question or a parable, God asks a series of rhetorical questions of Job designed to remind Job of God's sovereignty in creating and maintaining the world. The basic idea is that God has experiences and understanding that Job does not. Humbled by God's response, Job is speechless, then repents of his previous demands for justice and we are given the epilogue to the story in Job 42, in which God condemns Job's friends for their ignorance and lack of understanding and then sets about restoring Job's health, wealth and family.
Next it's on to Psalms.....the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters. We'll cover the first 6 Psalms this week. The entire book is attributed to King David although some of the later Psalms may have actually been written years later during the exile. From the notations in the text, we see that many of the Psalms were actually hymns to be sung to familiar tunes of the time. And we see the range of human emotion portrayed throughout the book, with many songs of thanksgiving and celebration and many psalms of lament and pain. In Jewish tradition, the Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, each closing with a doxology or benediction. The first book comprises the first 41 Psalms, most of which are ascribed directly to David (except 1, 2, 10 and 33) and this is presumed to be the oldest section of the book.
Here is the schedule:
29, Sunday: Job 21-24
30, Monday: Job 25-28
01, Tuesday: Job 29-32
02, Wednesday: Job 33-36
03, Thursday: Job 37-40
04, Friday: Job 41 - Psalm 2
05, Saturday: Psalm 3-6
May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
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