Job 32:2-3 (KJV) Trusting God Without Answers

Job 32:2-3 (KJV)

Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

Elihu is an interesting character in the book of Job. His introduction makes me cautious. Three times we are told that his wrath was kindled. Wrath is not generally the best spirit from which to offer counsel. Still, I do not think we should dismiss Elihu as merely another of Job’s misguided counselors.

Job repeatedly answered Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. He never answers Elihu. When Elihu finishes, the LORD answers Job out of the whirlwind. At the end of the book, God specifically rebukes the three friends and requires Job to pray for them. Elihu is not included.

That does not prove every word Elihu spoke was right, but neither should we accuse him of errors the Bible does not identify.

There is another distinction that makes considerable sense to me.

The three friends were trying to explain why Job’s suffering began. Elihu is much more concerned with how Job responded after it began.

The three friends reasoned backward from Job’s suffering. Job was suffering; God judges wickedness; therefore, Job must have committed some terrible sin. They could not prove their accusations, but they condemned him anyway. Elihu was angry with them for precisely that reason: “they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.”

Elihu’s concern with Job was different. His wrath was kindled “because he justified himself rather than God.”

That leads me to something important.

When life happens—and it does to all of us—it is more important how we respond than why it is happening.

We spend a great deal of energy trying to answer why. Why did God allow this? Why now? Why me? Why did He not prevent it?

Job never learned what we learn in chapters one and two. The book records no explanation given to him. When God finally spoke, He did not explain why Job’s suffering began. He addressed Job’s response.

There will be things that happen in our lives for which we may never receive an explanation. The greater concern is what those circumstances draw out of us.

Do they cause us to question God’s goodness, wisdom, or justice? Or do we continue to trust Him when we cannot explain what He is doing?

As we listen to Elihu through the next several chapters, I want to hear him out. I will not assume he is wrong because he spoke in wrath or place him alongside the three friends when God did not.

I want to listen carefully, compare his words with what God says afterward, and let Scripture form my judgment.

#WhenLifeHappens #TrustGodAnyway #HowWeRespond #LessonsFromJob #DailyVisitWithGod

Trusting God Without Answers: A Different Perspective on Suffering

When life happens, do you spend more time asking God why or considering how you should respond?

Job 32:2–3 challenges us to examine our response to suffering rather than demanding an explanation for it.

Share your thoughts in the comments: What has the book of Job taught you about trusting God through difficult circumstances?

Visit MarvinMcKenzie.org  for more daily Bible studies, practical Christian encouragement, and resources to strengthen your walk with God.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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Job 32:2-3 (KJV) Trusting God Without Answers

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/Ugkx1E8wcwB6RI6QPZP2JHNSnGjtP-pLgOK9?si=fLLxXO2fLQvEmkCe

Job 31:40 (KJV) Is It Time to Stop Defending Yourself?

Job 31:40 (KJV)

Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

Whether this final sentence was Job’s closing statement or one added by Moses, whom I presume to be the writer of this document, we may not know. But I am struck by the words, “The words of Job are ended.”

Job had given a commanding defense of himself, and the three men never answered it. I suggested in a Daily Visit a few days ago that perhaps they had come under conviction and could no longer continue their accusations. Others have suggested that they simply reached the place where they believed arguing with Job any longer was a waste of time.

Whichever the case, Job was finished.

He will speak again, but not to continue his argument with these men. His next words will be directed to the Lord. Eventually, he will pray for the very friends who had accused him.

But for now, “The words of Job are ended.”

God has given us a mouth and the ability to communicate. It is not wrong to use it. There are times when we ought to explain ourselves, defend what is right, answer an accusation, or state our case.

But there must also come a time when our words are ended.

Especially in hard circumstances, we can keep explaining long after anything useful is being accomplished. We can repeat our defense, answer the same accusation again, and insist upon having one more word.

Job had said what he had to say.

Then he stopped.

In hard circumstances, it is best to know when to end your words.

#TheWordsOfJobAreEnded #KnowWhenToStop #WisdomInSilence #HardCircumstances #DailyVisitWithGod

Is It Time to Stop Defending Yourself? How to Handle Accusations When Your Words Aren’t Enough

When Is It Time to Stop Defending Yourself?

Job 31:40 reminds us that there comes a time to end our words, even when facing accusations and difficult circumstances.

Have you ever continued an argument long after you should have stopped? Share your thoughts in the comments. How do you recognize when you've said enough?

Visit marvinmckenzie.org  for more daily Bible studies, practical Christian encouragement, and lessons from the King James Bible.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Job 31:40 (KJV) Is It Time to Stop Defending Yourself?

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxFkG6Zbck4z8MLtOx_4PR-3ja4XXXdWfM?si=cjq4BgZ_EKPtCGRx

Job 30:16 (KJV) When Grief Takes Hold: Are You Thinking Clearly?

Job 30:16 (KJV)

And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

And now….

We all have seasons where what once was is no longer. Job was there. Whatever had been wasn’t the issue anymore.

“And now my soul is poured out upon me.”

Albert Barnes writes of this, “The language is derived from the fact that the soul in grief seems to lose all firmness or consistence.”

It is wise for a man to recognize when his soul is in such grief that it seems to lose all firmness or consistence.

They tell us it is healthy to live in the present, to be aware of our emotions, our circumstances, and how they affect and influence us. Job was there. He recognized the condition of his soul.

We seldom make good decisions or act in a reasonable manner when we are there. That makes it important that we recognize when we are there.

Job’s case was far more extreme than most men can ever imagine. His soul was poured out. The days of affliction had taken hold upon him.

But even Job did not stay there.

We all get there. We will seldom stay there. But we do need to recognize when we are there.

#Job30v16 #DaysOfAffliction #TrustGod #ChristianWisdom #DailyVisitWithGod

When Grief Takes Hold: Are You Thinking Clearly? Recognizing Your Emotional Condition

Is grief affecting your judgment? Job 30:16 teaches us the importance of recognizing when affliction has taken hold of our souls. We may not stay in that condition, but we need to know when we are there.

What have you learned about making decisions during difficult seasons? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Visit marvinmckenzie.org  for more daily Bible studies, practical Christian wisdom, and encouragement from God's Word.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Job 30:16 (KJV) When Grief Takes Hold: Are You Thinking Clearly?

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxrKgenh3vZx7TfNzwA41C4obU5xdTmdT4?si=HDf-Cv3adF6TOo6b

Job 29:18 (KJV) The One Thing We All Face

Job 29:18 (KJV)

Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

As any man would, Job wished for things to go back as they once were.

He liked when people respected him and heard him.
He liked being a blessing to others.
He liked feeling confident and comfortable in his home, as if it were a nest—a safe place with his wife and children around him.
He liked thinking he would live a long, comfortable, and happy life.

It just hadn’t turned out that way.

Life seldom turns out the way we expect or think it will. It’s because we’re not meant to live here. We are, as God called Abraham, a stranger and a pilgrim.

We make our plans. We build our nests. We imagine how our lives will unfold. But this hostile land can turn its hostilities against even the most successful of men.

I’m writing this from Tombstone, Arizona, in an RV park just below Boot Hill. It’s a strange mixture of inhabitants.

Some whose lives were famously taken by violence.
Some whose lives ended in terrible tragedy.
Some whose lives have been forgotten.
Some, history claims, were lied about and killed.

One thing is true of them all.

As we are, they once were.
As they are, we will all be soon enough.

Some of us will go peacefully and with many years. Some of us will experience tragedy. Some of us will endure very hard things before our end comes.

Job thought he knew how his life would go. He would die in his nest after multiplying his days as the sand. He was wrong.

We don’t know how our lives will end either.

Here’s the key. Regardless of how it happens, we will all have the common experience of the grave.

Are you ready?

#DailyVisitWithGod #Job29v18 #StrangersAndPilgrims #AreYouReady #LifeIsBrief

The One Thing We All Face: Are You Ready?

Job thought he knew how his life would unfold. We often do too. But none of us knows what tomorrow holds—or how our time on earth will end.

What would you say if you knew today was your last day? Share your thoughts in the comments.

For more KJV Bible studies, daily devotionals, and practical lessons from the Word of God, visit MarvinMcKenzie.org.

The grave is certain. The question is: Are you ready?

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Job 29:18 (KJV) The One Thing We All Face

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxUBeLcwQ-Aor57KmZetruv7z3ULrvOngS?si=zB0ce7fcRoRynEux