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E-pistle

FreeWay Foundation            April 22, 2014

 

Mighty oaks from tiny acorns    grow!

(Job 8:1-22)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

            1.  Bildad, Job's second friend, began his speech by calling Job a windbag

                 . . . "How long will you speak these things, and the words of your mouth

                 be like a strong wind?" vv. 1-2.

            2.  Bildad stated his premise that God's ways are absolutely just:  that the

                 righteous are blessed and the wicked are punished (even saying that Job's

                 sons died because of their sins); he urged Job to repent, vv. 3-7.

            3.  Bildad believed in the orthodox tradition of retaliation:  health and prosperity

                 meant God was blessing a good person, and suffering and calamity meant

                 God was cursing a bad person, vv. 8-18.

            4.  Bildad closed his speech by expressing his desire for Job's restoration and

                 his hope that Job again would find occasions for rejoicing, vv. 19-22.

II.  Meditation:  on some fallacies in Bildad's arguments

            1.  Bildad was insensitive to Job's feelings, rejecting his cries of innocence and

                 ignoring his suffering; in fact, Bildad's mention of the deaths of Job's sons

                 not only was rude, it also drew the erroneous conclusion that they died

                 because of their sins, not Satan's destructive work, v. 4.

            2.  Bildad states that if Job really were pure and upright, God would surely "awake"

                 and prosper him; however, according to Bildad, Job's continuing suffering proved

                 that he was impure and unrighteous.

III.  Revelation:  on two brilliant gems of promise in this chapter

            1.  "Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly,"

                 v. 7.

            2.  According to Jesus, His kingdom work would start extremely small but grown

                 tremendously large, Matthew 13:31-32.

            3.  "He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing," v. 21.

            4.  Jesus taught that persecuted disciples should "rejoice and be exceedingly glad,"

                 anticipating their reward in heaven, Matthew 5:12.

IV.  Applications:  as a Christian, I need to . . .

            1.  Be sensitive to, and accepting of, the feelings of other people.

            2.  Refuse to identify all suffering with punishment from God.

            3.  Live in faith and hope that God will produce abundant results out of my small

                 beginnings, Zechariah 4:10. ("Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow!")

            4.  Rejoice in God promised grace and mercy, Luke 10:20.

 

 

 

 

 

Give, and it will be given unto you

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  GIVE WHAT? . . . NOT MONEY!

            1.  Mercy (36) = leniency toward a guilty person; compassion

            2.  Judge not (37) = to decide; to give an opinion; to criticize.

            3.  Condemn not (37) = to blame; to censure; to pronounce guilty; to reprove;

                 to sentence; to declare unfit for use.

            4.  Forgive (37) = to pardon; to cancel; to cease to bear resentment against.

            "Give mercy and forgiveness, not judgment (criticism) or condemnation

            (pronouncing a guilty verdict and a penalty).

II.  Meditation:  GIVE HOW?

            (See Malachi 3:10; Ephesians 3:20)

            1.  Good measure = full; up to standard (16 oz. pound; 32 oz. quart).

            2.  Pressed down = compacted to hold even more (grain, raisins, etc.).

            3.  Shaken together = increased capacity; more volume.

            4.  Running over = so full, it can't hold any more.

III.  Revelation:  GIVE WHY?

            1.  Because God gives us His blessings this way (36).

            2.  Because "What goes around, comes around!"

            3.  Because without mercy and forgiveness, Christians are blind leaders

                 of the blind who fall into a ditch, (36).

            4.  Because such "giving" shows Christian growth . . . into the likeness and

                 stature of Christ.

IV.  Applications;  IF NECESSARY, A CHRISTIAN MAY . . .

            1.  Criticize the deeds of others . . .

            2.  but only with compassion (mercy).

            3.  Reprove the actions, speech, and attitudes of others . . .

            4.  But only in the spirit of forgiveness (without resentment).

 

"Success seems to be largely a matter of

hanging on after others have let go."

--William Feather

 

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