Every time I read the book of Job, I see something else and learn something new that relates to my situation of chronic illness. When I read Job this year, I was in a few weeks of level, (relatively) easy terrain in between valleys–an unusual experience that, if I’m honest, I didn’t know how to […]
If you’ve seen the show The Chosen, you may know the fictional backstory given to one of the disciples, James the son of Alphaeus (fondly called “Little James” in the show). Little James has a physical condition that limits his movements and affects his appearance. Throughout the episodes we see Little James tired, sore, self-conscious, […]
One of the things I’ve noticed in the almost-five months since my move, more than ever before in my life, is the juxtaposition life can offer of hard and good at the same time. Some weeks ago I was talking about it with my mom, and she said (in paraphrase, since I don’t remember her […]
Fruit in the Ashes Most of us know the story of Joseph, Jacob’s first son by his beloved wife, Rachel (the one who died near Ephrathah): given dreams of a great future, envied by his brothers, sold into slavery in Egypt, falsely accused of crime, forgotten in prison, and finally not just restored but elevated […]
How much do you know about the place called Ephrathah in the Bible? The ancient name for Bethlehem and the region around it, Ephrath or Ephrathah first appears in Genesis 35:16-20 as the place where Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, died. The only Ephrathites mentioned by name in Scripture are Elimelech, his wife, and their two […]
“So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.” Job 2:13 The book of Job, while offering a study of human suffering, also presents a study of human emotion, particularly the emotions experienced […]
We study the life of Job with the gift of perspective: we know how his story ends. We know what goes on behind the scenes. We know, as readers, what he as the main character never learns in his lifetime, a biblical study of dramatic irony. We watch and learn from his life like […]
We’ve already looked at Job’s response when he lost his possessions, his family, and his health. He responded with humble worship not only because he had a right perspective of God, but also because he had placed his security in God. His security was not in this world. Not in his possessions, not in his […]
After Job’s expression of worship in Chapter 2, his next speech is a poetic curse on the day of his birth: “Why did I not die at birth?Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?. . .Why is light given to him who is in misery,And life to the bitter in soul […]
“In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” Job 1:22 When we’re walking through a valley of suffering, it’s easy to look at God with bitterness and maybe even anger. We’re tempted to let our pained cries of “Why, God?” turn into angry fist-shaking or sullen back-turning. Satan (2:5) and Job’s […]
The Valley