Spiritual Training

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May 18 - Evening

"Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
'Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated? Will your idle talk reduce others to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock? You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.’ Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin!' "

- Job 11:1-6

Zophar's First of Two Speeches


Zophar feels the need to speak some reality into Job's idle talk. Zophar came to be sympathetic and comfort his friend job, but Job’s mocking of God and Job’s statements claiming his own self-righteousness cannot go unanswered.

Zophar speaks only two times: Job 11 and Job 20, but it is enough! Zophar cuts right to the quick of the matter and accuses Job of sin and declares his punishment fair. In fact, Zophar tells Job he should consider himself lucky because, “God has even forgotten some of your sin!” Job’s disasters could have been worse if God was actually paying attention to Job and had really given Job his best shot of discipline.

Zophar wishes God would speak for himself instead of letting Job do all the talking because there are two sides of the story. Zophar would like to hear God’s side of the story!

“Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.” – Job 11:5-6

Zophar is tired of Job mocking God (11:3) and presenting his theology as if it were "flawless." (11:4). Zophar is upset. This may be why he only speaks twice - Zophar is so angry he just gives up on this idle talker.
Apekduomai (Gr) – Take Off (Eng) – in Colossians 3:7 apekduomai is used to refer to completely remove from oneself or strip away from yourself.
Do I have faith in truth, or do I have faith in what I want to be true?



Bible Reading Descriptions Here

Narrative

(morning only)

Complete Text

General Text




Personal

Children's education

Church

Influence on community
ACLU
Estonia



Inside a rolling stone tomb in Galilee are niches called loculi (or kokhim). These are narrow shafts cut in stone inside the tomb where the bodies would be layed. After about a year the flesh would have decayed and the bones would be gathered and placed in an ossuary. This was the most common style of burial, but the second most common was the tomb that housed a burial bench called arcosolia which served as a resting place for the deceased body until the bones where collected. (Details 1, 2, 3)
Cities in Israel and Judah in the Old Testament




Someone to Quote

“Man, made in the image of God, has a purpose - to be in relationship to God, who is there. Man forgets his purpose and thus he forgets who he is and what life means.”
- Francis Schaeffer

Something to Ponder

Five sects in modern Judaism that you may be confused about:

1- Hasidic Judaism, Jewish mysticism that began in Poland in the 1700’s as a reaction against overly legalistic Judaism. The poor and uneducated turned to mysticism since they were separated for Talmud study. (1, 2)

2- Reform Judaism, a reformation of Jewish worship in the 1800’s that considers the advances of modern scholarship (1, 2)

3- Orthodox Judaism, a movement from the 1800’s that desires to preserve traditional values by strict obedience to the Torah (1)

4- Reconstructionism, an American based movement from the 1900’s that believes Judaism is an evolving religious civilization with standards of conduct established by the Jewish community. There is considerable theological diversity with the movement. (1, 2)

5- Zionism, a secular political movement focused on establishing a national homeland in Palestine for the Jews. (1, 2)

Here’s a Fact

Eusebius says that Dionysius, the member of the Areopagus in Athens that believed Paul’s message, went on to become Athens first bishop. (Acts 17:34) (Details) (Eusebius writes of Dionysius Here.) (Writings of Dionysius Here)

Proverb

"The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe."

- Proverbs 18:10

Coach’s Corner

Ignorance makes the simple seem complex.
Understanding makes the complex seem simple.

Job 11
New International Version (NIV)
Zophar
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

“Are all these words to go unanswered?     Is this talker to be vindicated?

Will your idle talk reduce others to silence?     Will no one rebuke you when you mock?

You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless     and I am pure in your sight.’

Oh, how I wish that God would speak,     that he would open his lips against you

and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,     for true wisdom has two sides.     Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God?     Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?     They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?

Their measure is longer than the earth     and wider than the sea.
10 
“If he comes along and confines you in prison     and convenes a court, who can oppose him?
11 
Surely he recognizes deceivers;     and when he sees evil, does he not take note?
12 
But the witless can no more become wise     than a wild donkey’s colt can be born human.
13 
“Yet if you devote your heart to him     and stretch out your hands to him,
14 
if you put away the sin that is in your hand     and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
15 
then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;     you will stand firm and without fear.
16 
You will surely forget your trouble,     recalling it only as waters gone by.
17 
Life will be brighter than noonday,     and darkness will become like morning.
18 
You will be secure, because there is hope;     you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
19 
You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,     and many will court your favor.
20 
But the eyes of the wicked will fail,     and escape will elude them;     their hope will become a dying gasp.”
Job 20
New International Version (NIV)
Zophar
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

“My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer     because I am greatly disturbed.

I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,     and my understanding inspires me to reply.

“Surely you know how it has been from of old,     ever since mankind was placed on the earth,

that the mirth of the wicked is brief,     the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens     and his head touches the clouds,

he will perish forever, like his own dung;     those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found,     banished like a vision of the night.

The eye that saw him will not see him again;     his place will look on him no more.
10 
His children must make amends to the poor;     his own hands must give back his wealth.
11 
The youthful vigor that fills his bones     will lie with him in the dust.
12 
“Though evil is sweet in his mouth     and he hides it under his tongue,
13 
though he cannot bear to let it go     and lets it linger in his mouth,
14 
yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;     it will become the venom of serpents within him.
15 
He will spit out the riches he swallowed;     God will make his stomach vomit them up.
16 
He will suck the poison of serpents;     the fangs of an adder will kill him.
17 
He will not enjoy the streams,     the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18 
What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;     he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.
19 
For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;     he has seized houses he did not build.
20 
“Surely he will have no respite from his craving;     he cannot save himself by his treasure.
21 
Nothing is left for him to devour;     his prosperity will not endure.
22 
In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;     the full force of misery will come upon him.
23 
When he has filled his belly,     God will vent his burning anger against him     and rain down his blows on him.
24 
Though he flees from an iron weapon,     a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.
25 
He pulls it out of his back,     the gleaming point out of his liver. Terrors will come over him;
26 
    total darkness lies in wait for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him     and devour what is left in his tent.
27 
The heavens will expose his guilt;     the earth will rise up against him.
28 
A flood will carry off his house,     rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.
29 
Such is the fate God allots the wicked,     the heritage appointed for them by God.”
2 Kings 14
New International Version (NIV)
Amaziah King of Judah
14 In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
After the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the Lord commanded: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”
He was the one who defeated ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela in battle, calling it Joktheel, the name it has to this day.
Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, with the challenge: “Come, let us face each other in battle.”
But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”
11 Amaziah, however, would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 12 Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 13 Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section about four hundred cubits long. 14 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria.
15 As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, what he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 16 Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son succeeded him as king.
17 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 18 As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?
19 They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20 He was brought back by horse and was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors, in the City of David.
21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22 He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.
Jeroboam II King of Israel
23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.
26 The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. 27 And since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
28 As for the other events of Jeroboam’s reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 29 Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son succeeded him as king.
Psalm 61
King James Version (KJV)
61 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations.
He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.
____
Psalm 62
King James Version (KJV)
62 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.
They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
_____
Psalm 64
King James Version (KJV)
64 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.
But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.


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