Job 28 - Psalm 6: You chew on Scripture day & night

When God finally answers Job, his words are stunning--strong, powerful, beautiful. The imagery of the horse, the leviathan (a huge sea creature that belches fire), the stockpiles of hail and snow, the boundaries set for the seas, the herds of stars--wow, just wow. Stunning.
- Shut up and listen:  Job responded in two ways, first by deciding to shut up and listen (Job 40:3-5), and next by acknowledging God's sovereignty and his own weakness and limitations (Job 42:1-6). I have a lot to learn from Job about listening to God. I do think God honored Job's honesty and his questions by giving Job an audience and by responding personally.
- Job taking a stand:  When God restored Job's health, family, and possessions (two-fold), I noticed that the passage notes that Job treated his daughters (named Dove, Cinnamon, and Darkeyes) the same as his sons and gave them the same inheritance (Job 42:12-15). In a time where women were treated as property, this godly man took a stand and showed that men and women are equally valuable in God's eyes. Love this.
On to the Psalms!
- Love songs:  Like a fresh breeze come the Psalms. After eons of battles, sin, evil, and judgment come love songs and poetry written to God. Last night Jim Sweetman mentioned that the book of Psalms encompasses over 1000 years. Here are a couple of passages from the Psalms that stood out to me today:

• "You thrill to God's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom" (Psalm 1:2-3).
• "But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, You lift my head high" (Psalm 3:3-4).

Elena's verse of the day:  "I heard about your from others; now I have seen you with my own eyes" (Job 42:5).

Job 6 - 27: Is it okay to question God?

Out of order:  Job was a wealthy desert sheikh who lived during the times of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Not sure why the book of Job appears in this spot, when chronologically it belongs further back. Same with Esther--which belongs before Ezra & Nehemiah chronologically. I'll see if I can find an answer to this.)

Testing, testing:  Job underwent two divine tests: 1) His possessions, wealth, and children were taken away from him. 2) His health was destroyed. Everyone pretty much abandoned him, even his own servants who found him disgusting (he had weeping boils from head to toe). However, several friends came to visit. At first they seem sympathetic, but before long they accuse him of everything under the sun and even begin to mock him.
Questioning God:  Job decides to lay everything out on the table before God (Job 7). He makes several requests of God and begins to ask him questions (Job 14). I can relate to Job. Can you? Do you ever wonder these things or make these requests to God? Job was honest, painfully honest.

• Lay off the afflictions...they are too much for me.
• Address me directly. I need answers! 
• What are my sins (that you would punish me so)?
• If we humans die, will we live again? Will there be a Resurrection? 
• Why do the wicked prosper? Why do good people suffer? (Job 21)

Elena's verse of the day:  "You, the source of my life, showered me with kindness and watched over me. You have not explained all of your mysteries" (Job 10:12-13).