RIGHTEOUSNESS
Suggested Reading: Job 24-26
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
On the way from Maresha National Park and Bet Guvrin to Jerusalem, the sky was spectacular over a farmer's field and greenhouses.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.
The key verse is fact. Ancient beliefs were incredibly dumb. For example, the Babylonians believed that the Earth was a great giant and we were the vermin on its hide. The Greeks believed in Atlas, a giant man holding up the earth, etc. The Bible is not a textbook on science, but Job had knowledge which was accurate. God reveals Himself in His creation. Psalm 19 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Job had no doubt that God is the great Creator and the Sustainer of all things. Job believed that the manifestation of God in nature was just a tiny revelation of Who God is. “Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways.” These people from more than 4,000 years ago were extremely intelligent.
Bildad, in the short chapter 25, asked the right questions. God has given us lots of answers in His Word. For example, Bildad asks, “How can a man be righteous before God?” The word “righteousness” is repeated over 300 times in the Bible. Several statements answer Bildad’s question. Philippians 3:9 informs us that our righteousness is not from our personal efforts but is from God by faith. A New Testament reading which refers to people God considered righteous, who lived even before the time of Job, is Hebrews 11:4-7.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, I thank You that I don’t come before You in my own righteousness, because as Your Word teaches me, my own righteousness is as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). I pray for grace to consistently trust You for Your righteousness, which is mine by faith. In the Name of the One who alone is 100% righteous, Jesus Christ, Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
It was just one month after my lifetime decision to serve Jesus with all my heart that I was asked to give a public witness at a Youth For Christ rally in the auditorium of my high school in Pembroke, Ontario. I asked my boss at the Chrysler dealership, Syd Healey, (where I had a part-time job) for advice on what I should say. He turned in his Bible to the little book of Titus and read from chapter 3, verse 5, “Not by works of righteousness which I have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” I think I changed the word, “us” to “me”, and I quoted this verse to about 500 people that Saturday evening. I told of what had happened to me in the high school in Ottawa, where just a few days before I had gone forward at the invitation, openly declaring my intentions to serve Jesus and trust His Word where he said, “Whoever comes to Me, I will not cast out” (John 6:37). I told them that I simply believed that Jesus would not lie, and John would not write a lie in his Gospel. Therefore, I was assured of my salvation and my salvation does not rest on my goodness but on the goodness and righteousness of Jesus. Around that time, at 16 years old, I began to ask God to give me a call into full-time Christian ministry, if it was His will. The following summer at Youth Camp, God called me in such a clear way that I could never turn back from that call.
Yours for trusting in the “righteousness” of Jesus alone!
David
In chapter 26 Job ponders God’s great glory and majesty. We too ponder upon His glory and majesty every time we look upon Jesus in faith and trust. For it is Jesus alone who can renew our hearts and set us on a new fresh path in life. I think it would be fantastic if we could all state as David stated in the blog today, “Therefore I was assured of my salvation and my salvation does not rest on my goodness but on the goodness and righteousness of Jesus.” To ponder upon Jesus is a wonderful thing but to accept Him into one’s life as Lord and Saviour is an even more magnificent wonder! To ‘ponder’ is an at-arms-length activity of a quizzical mind and sometimes a searching heart, but to actively engage and accept Jesus into one’s life is the beginning of an eternal relationship.
Another facinating picture which ties in so well with todays reading containing so much of Gods creation in nature. Thank you, Reynold. It is amazing how Job talks about the stars, moon, curvature of the horizon, and thunder as only a glimpse of the almighty. Righteousness found only in faith is a profound message. I am grateful to be able to have this time each morning with others in prayer, reading scripture and following your commentary. Thank you to all who make this possible! Have a great day!
Amen, David M., Scott and David. “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house.” (Acts 16:31). Have a good day, everyone.
Reynold, You did it again! You have captured the magnificent glory of God in the sky. l love your photograph! David, in Job 26:10 NKJ. we read : “He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters” l heard that the fact that the world is round and not flat, as was believed for many years, was revealed in this scripture. l went to other translations, but they all seem to miss this. Fascinating! Blessings to everyone!
I too was thinking how perfect the picture fit today’s readings. Don’t know if Reynold took the pictures with a Scripture in mind, or if the Holy Spirit just moved him to take photos He knew one day would be used for this purpose. Either way it is quite the blessing to have these visible illustration of the Word. I too hope one day this blog will be made into a book, pictures and all. Wishing everyone a blessed day.
As always you are in my prayers!!!! God bless you and yours from now to eternity!!!!! Amen
David, you are obviously an educated man academically as well as spiritually, so I ask question: if the book of Job is one of the oldest books of our recorded ‘scriptures’, who was writing down, word for word, what these men said to each other in these long discussions that are presented in the book of Job? Just wondering…
Excellent comments bloggers and I totally agree with you!! I am so glad that salvation does not rest on my own goodness or I would be in trouble. It is by GRACE you are saved through FAITH!!! PTL!!! There is none righteous, no not one.
And Yes, the pictures are spectacular and they always fit in so well with our readings. Thanks Reynold!!
Have a great day everyone and blessings to all!!!
Great is thy faithfulness oh God For He is our Light and Salvation ,Thank you Lord
Jesus, with out you I would be nothing, Like the scripture said this morning
our righteousness is like filthy rags …i’ve been made righteous by his blood
thank you Jesus…. Bless you all , Have a good day….R…
This morning I read from (NIV) Hebrews 11 titled “By Faith” Heb.11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”
Heb. 11:3 “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible”
Reynold’s photograph is spectacular!! Psalm 19, one of my favorite psalms.
Irene
Job’s friends remind me of the false prophet Muhamed. They seem to be righteous but at the end God says that Job is the only one who spoke rightly. Reading the Q’uran, at first it seems consistent with the bible but it is deceit. Likewise, Job’s friends were only saved because Job prayed for them. They thought they were wise but God said they were false. Who is righteous before God? Job, Noah, Daniel, Enoch and Abel are a few. Muhamed said that Jesus was not crucified and instead an imposter was crucified. He said that Jesus is not the Son of God. He said that he would turn people into human mosquitoes to persecute people, including christians, who reject him. Yet, he said repent from sins and fear God. He said it hypocritically. As the offering made by Cain does not seem evil or less than Abel’s offering, it is. God said to Cain, if you do evil sin is at your door. Likewise, though Job’s friends seemed Godly, God said they were wrong. To fear God is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding. This is true. Yet, if I say it hypocritically, God will not have respect for me over Job.
My Sunday School Teacher has her PHD in business. She is the richest woman in town. If our church runs behind at the end of the business year, she writes out a check to cover it. Job and his problems are something like hers. Very hard to believe. I will be very happy to get to the part in Job where God makes it all up to him. I agree with my fellow bloggers that the pictures in your blog are fantastic David and the help you receive from your other son is so good. You are blessed with a wonderful wife and family.
🙂