Devotional

On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me. Psalm 138:3 CSB

There was a day when people weren’t as connected as they are today. There was this device that sat on a table or mounted to a wall that allowed you to make and receive a phone call, it was a telephone. Voicemail and answering machines had yet to be invented, and so when you made a call you were dependent on a person being near the phone. Times have changed and now people are connected 24/7. There’s more opportunity for connection, but people don’t necessarily feel more connected. In today’s verse the writer recognizes the significance of a God connection. God is always there, and God always answers when you call. What do you need to tell Him today? What is the answer you need to hear? Take a minute and make the connection. God would love to hear from you.

Job 12 CSB

Job’s Reply to Zophar

12 Then Job answered:

2 No doubt you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!
3 But I also have a mind like you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who doesn’t know the things you are talking about?

4 I am a laughingstock to my friends,
by calling on God, who answers me.
The righteous and blameless man is a laughingstock.
5 The one who is at ease holds calamity in contempt
and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping.
6 The tents of robbers are safe,
and those who trouble God are secure;
God holds them in his hands.

7 But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;
ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you;
let the fish of the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 The life of every living thing is in his hand,
as well as the breath of all humanity.
11 Doesn’t the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
12 Wisdom is found with the elderly,
and understanding comes with long life.

13 Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are his.
14 Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
whoever he imprisons cannot be released.
15 When he withholds water, everything dries up,
and when he releases it, it destroys the land.
16 True wisdom and power belong to him.
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes judges go mad.
18 He releases the bonds put on by kings
and fastens a belt around their waists.
19 He leads priests away barefoot
and overthrows established leaders.
20 He deprives trusted advisers of speech
and takes away the elders’ good judgment.
21 He pours out contempt on nobles
and disarms the strong.
22 He reveals mysteries from the darkness
and brings the deepest darkness into the light.
23 He makes nations great, then destroys them;
he enlarges nations, then leads them away.
24 He deprives the world’s leaders of reason,
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
25 They grope around in darkness without light;
he makes them stagger like a drunkard.

Job 13 CSB

13 Look, my eyes have seen all this;
my ears have heard and understood it.
2 Everything you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 Yet I prefer to speak to the Almighty
and argue my case before God.
4 You use lies like plaster;
you are all worthless healers.
5 If only you would shut up
and let that be your wisdom!

6 Hear now my argument,
and listen to my defense.
7 Would you testify unjustly on God’s behalf
or speak deceitfully for him?
8 Would you show partiality to him
or argue the case in his defense?
9 Would it go well if he examined you?
Could you deceive him as you would deceive a man?
10 Surely he would rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.
11 Would God’s majesty not terrify you?
Would his dread not fall on you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ash;
your defenses are made of clay.

13 Be quiet, and I will speak.
Let whatever comes happen to me.
14 I will put myself at risk
and take my life in my own hands.
15 Even if he kills me, I will hope in him.
I will still defend my ways before him.
16 Yes, this will result in my deliverance,
for no godless person can appear before him.
17 Pay close attention to my words;
let my declaration ring in your ears.
18 Now then, I have prepared my case;
I know that I am right.
19 Can anyone indict me?
If so, I will be silent and die.

20 Only grant these two things to me, God,
so that I will not have to hide from your presence:
21 remove your hand from me,
and do not let your terror frighten me.
22 Then call, and I will answer,
or I will speak, and you can respond to me.
23 How many iniquities and sins have I committed?
Reveal to me my transgression and sin.
24 Why do you hide your face
and consider me your enemy?
25 Will you frighten a wind-driven leaf?
Will you chase after dry straw?
26 For you record bitter accusations against me
and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet in the stocks
and stand watch over all my paths,
setting a limit for the soles of my feet.

28 A person wears out like something rotten,
like a moth-eaten garment.

Job 14 CSB

14 Anyone born of woman
is short of days and full of trouble.
2 He blossoms like a flower, then withers;
he flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 Do you really take notice of one like this?
Will you bring me into judgment against you?
4 Who can produce something pure from what is impure?
No one!
5 Since a person’s days are determined
and the number of his months depends on you,
and since you have set limits he cannot pass,
6 look away from him and let him rest
so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.

7 There is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its shoots will not die.
8 If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump starts to die in the soil,
9 the scent of water makes it thrive
and produce twigs like a sapling.
10 But a person dies and fades away;
he breathes his last—where is he?
11 As water disappears from a lake
and a river becomes parched and dry,
12 so people lie down never to rise again.
They will not wake up until the heavens are no more;
they will not stir from their sleep.

13 If only you would hide me in Sheol
and conceal me until your anger passes.
If only you would appoint a time for me
and then remember me.
14 When a person dies, will he come back to life?
If so, I would wait all the days of my struggle
until my relief comes.
15 You would call, and I would answer you.
You would long for the work of your hands.
16 For then you would count my steps
but would not take note of my sin.
17 My rebellion would be sealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.

18 But as a mountain collapses and crumbles
and a rock is dislodged from its place,
19 as water wears away stones
and torrents wash away the soil from the land,
so you destroy a man’s hope.
20 You completely overpower him, and he passes on;
you change his appearance and send him away.
21 If his sons receive honor, he does not know it;
if they become insignificant, he is unaware of it.
22 He feels only the pain of his own body
and mourns only for himself.

Job 15 CSB

Eliphaz Speaks

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2 Does a wise man answer with empty counsel
or fill himself with the hot east wind?
3 Should he argue with useless talk
or with words that serve no good purpose?
4 But you even undermine the fear of God
and hinder meditation before him.
5 Your iniquity teaches you what to say,
and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I;
your own lips testify against you.

7 Were you the first human ever born,
or were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on the council of God,
or have a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we don’t?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the elderly are with us—
older than your father.
11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you,
even the words that deal gently with you?
12 Why has your heart misled you,
and why do your eyes flash
13 as you turn your anger against God
and allow such words to leave your mouth?

14 What is a mere human, that he should be pure,
or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 If God puts no trust in his holy ones
and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16 how much less one who is revolting and corrupt,
who drinks injustice like water?

17 Listen to me and I will inform you.
I will describe what I have seen,
18 what the wise have declared and not concealed,
that came from their ancestors,
19 to whom alone the land was given
when no foreigner passed among them.
20 A wicked person writhes in pain all his days,
throughout the number of years reserved for the ruthless.
21 Dreadful sounds fill his ears;
when he is at peace, a robber attacks him.
22 He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness;
he is destined for the sword.
23 He wanders about for food, asking, “Where is it?”
He knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Trouble and distress terrify him,
overwhelming him like a king prepared for battle.
25 For he has stretched out his hand against God
and has arrogantly opposed the Almighty.
26 He rushes headlong at him
with his thick, studded shields.
27 Though his face is covered with fat
and his waistline bulges with it,
28 he will dwell in ruined cities,
in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.
29 He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure.
His possessions will not increase in the land.
30 He will not escape from the darkness;
flames will wither his shoots,
and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart.
31 Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray,
for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
and his branch will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes
and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will have no children,
and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb prepares deception.

Psalm 138 CSB

A Thankful Heart

Of David.

1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name
for your constant love and truth.
You have exalted your name
and your promise above everything else.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased strength within me.

4 All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord,
when they hear what you have promised.
5 They will sing of the Lord’s ways,
for the Lord’s glory is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted,
he takes note of the humble;
but he knows the haughty from a distance.

7 If I walk into the thick of danger,
you will preserve my life
from the anger of my enemies.
You will extend your hand;
your right hand will save me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.
Lord, your faithful love endures forever;
do not abandon the work of your hands.

Job 12 CSB

Job’s Reply to Zophar

12 Then Job answered:

2 No doubt you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!
3 But I also have a mind like you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who doesn’t know the things you are talking about?

4 I am a laughingstock to my friends,
by calling on God, who answers me.
The righteous and blameless man is a laughingstock.
5 The one who is at ease holds calamity in contempt
and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping.
6 The tents of robbers are safe,
and those who trouble God are secure;
God holds them in his hands.

7 But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;
ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you;
let the fish of the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 The life of every living thing is in his hand,
as well as the breath of all humanity.
11 Doesn’t the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
12 Wisdom is found with the elderly,
and understanding comes with long life.

13 Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are his.
14 Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
whoever he imprisons cannot be released.
15 When he withholds water, everything dries up,
and when he releases it, it destroys the land.
16 True wisdom and power belong to him.
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes judges go mad.
18 He releases the bonds put on by kings
and fastens a belt around their waists.
19 He leads priests away barefoot
and overthrows established leaders.
20 He deprives trusted advisers of speech
and takes away the elders’ good judgment.
21 He pours out contempt on nobles
and disarms the strong.
22 He reveals mysteries from the darkness
and brings the deepest darkness into the light.
23 He makes nations great, then destroys them;
he enlarges nations, then leads them away.
24 He deprives the world’s leaders of reason,
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
25 They grope around in darkness without light;
he makes them stagger like a drunkard.

----

Job 13 CSB

13 Look, my eyes have seen all this;
my ears have heard and understood it.
2 Everything you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 Yet I prefer to speak to the Almighty
and argue my case before God.
4 You use lies like plaster;
you are all worthless healers.
5 If only you would shut up
and let that be your wisdom!

6 Hear now my argument,
and listen to my defense.
7 Would you testify unjustly on God’s behalf
or speak deceitfully for him?
8 Would you show partiality to him
or argue the case in his defense?
9 Would it go well if he examined you?
Could you deceive him as you would deceive a man?
10 Surely he would rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.
11 Would God’s majesty not terrify you?
Would his dread not fall on you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ash;
your defenses are made of clay.

13 Be quiet, and I will speak.
Let whatever comes happen to me.
14 I will put myself at risk
and take my life in my own hands.
15 Even if he kills me, I will hope in him.
I will still defend my ways before him.
16 Yes, this will result in my deliverance,
for no godless person can appear before him.
17 Pay close attention to my words;
let my declaration ring in your ears.
18 Now then, I have prepared my case;
I know that I am right.
19 Can anyone indict me?
If so, I will be silent and die.

20 Only grant these two things to me, God,
so that I will not have to hide from your presence:
21 remove your hand from me,
and do not let your terror frighten me.
22 Then call, and I will answer,
or I will speak, and you can respond to me.
23 How many iniquities and sins have I committed?
Reveal to me my transgression and sin.
24 Why do you hide your face
and consider me your enemy?
25 Will you frighten a wind-driven leaf?
Will you chase after dry straw?
26 For you record bitter accusations against me
and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet in the stocks
and stand watch over all my paths,
setting a limit for the soles of my feet.

28 A person wears out like something rotten,
like a moth-eaten garment.

----

Job 14 CSB

14 Anyone born of woman
is short of days and full of trouble.
2 He blossoms like a flower, then withers;
he flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 Do you really take notice of one like this?
Will you bring me into judgment against you?
4 Who can produce something pure from what is impure?
No one!
5 Since a person’s days are determined
and the number of his months depends on you,
and since you have set limits he cannot pass,
6 look away from him and let him rest
so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.

7 There is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its shoots will not die.
8 If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump starts to die in the soil,
9 the scent of water makes it thrive
and produce twigs like a sapling.
10 But a person dies and fades away;
he breathes his last—where is he?
11 As water disappears from a lake
and a river becomes parched and dry,
12 so people lie down never to rise again.
They will not wake up until the heavens are no more;
they will not stir from their sleep.

13 If only you would hide me in Sheol
and conceal me until your anger passes.
If only you would appoint a time for me
and then remember me.
14 When a person dies, will he come back to life?
If so, I would wait all the days of my struggle
until my relief comes.
15 You would call, and I would answer you.
You would long for the work of your hands.
16 For then you would count my steps
but would not take note of my sin.
17 My rebellion would be sealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.

18 But as a mountain collapses and crumbles
and a rock is dislodged from its place,
19 as water wears away stones
and torrents wash away the soil from the land,
so you destroy a man’s hope.
20 You completely overpower him, and he passes on;
you change his appearance and send him away.
21 If his sons receive honor, he does not know it;
if they become insignificant, he is unaware of it.
22 He feels only the pain of his own body
and mourns only for himself.

----

Job 15 CSB

Eliphaz Speaks

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2 Does a wise man answer with empty counsel
or fill himself with the hot east wind?
3 Should he argue with useless talk
or with words that serve no good purpose?
4 But you even undermine the fear of God
and hinder meditation before him.
5 Your iniquity teaches you what to say,
and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I;
your own lips testify against you.

7 Were you the first human ever born,
or were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on the council of God,
or have a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we don’t?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the elderly are with us—
older than your father.
11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you,
even the words that deal gently with you?
12 Why has your heart misled you,
and why do your eyes flash
13 as you turn your anger against God
and allow such words to leave your mouth?

14 What is a mere human, that he should be pure,
or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 If God puts no trust in his holy ones
and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16 how much less one who is revolting and corrupt,
who drinks injustice like water?

17 Listen to me and I will inform you.
I will describe what I have seen,
18 what the wise have declared and not concealed,
that came from their ancestors,
19 to whom alone the land was given
when no foreigner passed among them.
20 A wicked person writhes in pain all his days,
throughout the number of years reserved for the ruthless.
21 Dreadful sounds fill his ears;
when he is at peace, a robber attacks him.
22 He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness;
he is destined for the sword.
23 He wanders about for food, asking, “Where is it?”
He knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Trouble and distress terrify him,
overwhelming him like a king prepared for battle.
25 For he has stretched out his hand against God
and has arrogantly opposed the Almighty.
26 He rushes headlong at him
with his thick, studded shields.
27 Though his face is covered with fat
and his waistline bulges with it,
28 he will dwell in ruined cities,
in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.
29 He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure.
His possessions will not increase in the land.
30 He will not escape from the darkness;
flames will wither his shoots,
and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart.
31 Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray,
for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
and his branch will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes
and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will have no children,
and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb prepares deception.

----

Psalm 138 CSB

A Thankful Heart

Of David.

1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name
for your constant love and truth.
You have exalted your name
and your promise above everything else.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased strength within me.

4 All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord,
when they hear what you have promised.
5 They will sing of the Lord’s ways,
for the Lord’s glory is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted,
he takes note of the humble;
but he knows the haughty from a distance.

7 If I walk into the thick of danger,
you will preserve my life
from the anger of my enemies.
You will extend your hand;
your right hand will save me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.
Lord, your faithful love endures forever;
do not abandon the work of your hands.

DAY ONE HUNDRED-FORTY THREE

Devotional

Job 12 CSB

Job 13 CSB

Job 14 CSB

Job 15 CSB

Psalm 138 CSB

Job 12 CSB

Job 13 CSB

Job 14 CSB

Job 15 CSB

Psalm 138 CSB