JOB 31:1-33:33
2 CORINTHIANS 3:1-18
PSALM 43:1-5
PROVERBS 22:8-9
JOB 31:1-33:33
" I [Job] made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman. 2 What has God above chosen for us? What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high? 3 It is calamity for the wicked, misfortune for those who do evil. 4 He sees everything I do and every step I take. 5 " Have I lied to anyone or deceived anyone? 6 Let God judge me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity. 7 If I have strayed from his pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin, 8 then let someone else harvest the crops I have planted, and let all that I have planted be uprooted.9 " If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor's wife, 10 then may my wife belong to another man; may other men sleep with her. 11 For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. 12 It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell. It would wipe out everything I own. 13 " If I have been unfair to my male or female servants, if I have refused to hear their complaints, 14 how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me about it? 15 For God created both me and my servants. He created us both. 16 " Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows who looked to me for help? 17 Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with hungry orphans? 18 No, from childhood I have cared for orphans, and all my life I have cared for widows. 19 Whenever I saw someone who was homeless and without clothes, 20 did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm? 21 If my arm has abused an orphan because I thought I could get away with it, 22 then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket! 23 That would be better than facing the judgment sent by God. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there? 24 " Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold? 25 Does my happiness depend on my wealth and all that I own? 26 Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway, 27 and been secretly enticed in my heart to worship them? 28 If so, I should be punished by the judges, for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven.29 " Have I ever rejoiced when my enemies came to ruin or become excited when harm came their way? 30 No, I have never cursed anyone or asked for revenge. 31 My servants have never let others go hungry. 32 I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone. 33 Have I tried to hide my sins as people normally do, hiding my guilt in a closet? 34 Have I feared the crowd and its contempt, so that I refused to acknowledge my sin and would not go outside? 35 " If only I had someone who would listen to me and try to see my side! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty show me that I am wrong. Let my accuser write out the charges against me. 36 I would face the accusation proudly. I would treasure it like a crown. 37 For I would tell him exactly what I have done. I would come before him like a prince. 38 " If my land accuses me and all its furrows weep together, 39 or if I have stolen its crops or murdered its owners, 40 then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley." Job's words are ended.32:1 JOB'S three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence. 2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him. 3 He was also angry with Job's three friends because they had condemned God by their inability to answer Job's arguments. 4 Elihu had waited for the others to speak because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily. 6 Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said, " I am young and you are old, so I held back and did not dare to tell you what I think. 7 I thought, ` Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.' 8 Surely it is God's Spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent. 9 But sometimes the elders are not wise. Sometimes the aged do not understand justice. 10 So listen to me and let me express my opinion. 11 " I have waited all this time, listening very carefully to your arguments, listening to you grope for words. 12 I have listened, but not one of you has refuted Job or answered his arguments. 13 And don't tell me, ` He is too wise for us. Only God can convince him.' 14 If Job had been arguing with me, I would not answer with that kind of logic! 15 You sit there baffled, with no further response. 16 Should I continue to wait, now that you are silent? Must I also remain silent? 17 No, I will say my piece. I will speak my mind. I surely will. 18 For I am pent up and full of words, and the spirit within me urges me on. 19 I am like a wine cask without a vent. My words are ready to burst out! 20 I must speak to find relief, so let me give my answers. 21 I won't play favorites or try to flatter anyone. 22 And if I tried, my Creator would soon do away with me.33:1 " LISTEN, Job, to what I have to say. 2 Now that I have begun to speak, let me continue. 3 I speak with all sincerity; I speak the truth. 4 For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5 Answer me, if you can; make your case and take your stand. 6 " Look, you and I are the same before God. I, too, was formed from clay. 7 So you don't need to be afraid of me. I am not some great person to make you nervous and afraid. 8 " You have said it in my hearing. I have heard your very words. 9 You said, ` I am pure; I am innocent; I have not sinned. 10 God is picking a quarrel with me, and he considers me to be his enemy. 11 He puts my feet in the stocks and watches every move I make.' 12 " In this you are not right, and I will show you why. As you yourself have said, ` God is greater than any person.' 13 So why are you bringing a charge against him? You say, ` He does not respond to people's complaints.' 14 But God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. 15 He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in bed. 16 He whispers in their ear and terrifies them with his warning. 17 He causes them to change their minds; he keeps them from pride. 18 He keeps them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death. 19 Or God disciplines people with sickness and pain, with ceaseless aching in their bones. 20 They lose their appetite and do not care for even the most delicious food. 21 They waste away to skin and bones. 22 They are at death's door; the angels of death wait for them. 23 " But if a special messenger from heaven is there to intercede for a person, to declare that he is upright, 24 God will be gracious and say, ` Set him free. Do not make him die, for I have found a ransom for his life.' 25 Then his body will become as healthy as a child's, firm and youthful again. 26 When he prays to God, he will be accepted. And God will receive him with joy and restore him to good standing. 27 He will declare to his friends, ` I sinned, but it was not worth it. 28 God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light.' 29 " Yes, God often does these things for people. 30 He rescues them from the grave so they may live in the light of the living. 31 Mark this well, Job. Listen to me, and let me say more. 32 But if you have anything to say, go ahead. I want to hear it, for I am anxious to see you justified. 33 But if not, then listen to me. Keep silent and I will teach you wisdom!"
2 CORINTHIANS 3:1-18
Are we [Paul and his coworkers] beginning again to tell you how good we are? Some people need to bring letters of recommendation with them or ask you to write letters of recommendation for them. 2 But the only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves! Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ prepared by us. It is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on stone, but on human hearts. 4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God. 6 He is the one who has enabled us to represent his new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life. 7 That old system of law etched in stone led to death, yet it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses' face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn't we expect far greater glory when the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old covenant, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new covenant, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new covenant. 11 So if the old covenant, which has been set aside, was full of glory, then the new covenant, which remains forever, has far greater glory. 12 Since this new covenant gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory fading away. 14 But the people's minds were hardened, and even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. 17 Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. 18 And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.
PSALM 43:1-5
O God, take up my cause!
Defend me against these ungodly people.
Rescue me from these unjust liars.
2 For you are God, my only safe haven.
Why have you tossed me aside?
Why must I wander around in darkness,
oppressed by my enemies?
3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.
Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live.
4 There I will go to the altar of God,
to God--the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
O God, my God!
5 Why am I discouraged?
Why so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again--
my Savior and my God!
PROVERBS 22:8-9
Those who plant seeds of injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will end. Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.
