Book of Job
Chapter
9
1. Then Job answered: 2. "Indeed I know that this is so; but how can a mortal be just before God?
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verses 1 and 2)
Oh God, You are so good and in fact, all goodness is found in You. However, on the contrary, we are not as good as You due to our sinful condition without Your intervention we can never be as good or holy as You. Therefore, I pray oh God that You help us in our deficiencies so that we could merit to be considered as being just in Your eyes.
3. If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand. 4. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength who has resisted him, and succeeded?
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God our wisdom can never match Your wisdom and logic. Even though we try to use reasoning and logic in order to understand what You mean by this and that situation, we can never be sure, for Your holy Spirit enlightens us in different ways in order to help us make head and tail of a given situation, which today may be considered to be negative and in the future when giving it to You may develop to be a purely positive situation. Oh God my Father, You are in control of our lives. There is no situation that is greater than You! No crisis or war can ever be beyond Your control, for You are able to manipulate an evil scheme or situation in our favour so that we can be out of harms way.
5. he who removes mountains, and they do not know it, when he overturns them in his anger; 6. who shakes the earth outs of its place, and its pillars tremble; 7. who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; 8. who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the Sea; 9. who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; 10. who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number, 11. Look. he passes by me and I do not see him; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verses 5 to 11)
Oh God we realize Your love might and power as in the case of Job, however when we are deep down in our sorrows even if You come and pat us on the back or give us a big hug we may not recognise You for both our minds and soul are hindered by means of our emotional state from doing so. We become egocentric and start focusing mainly on ourselves and start justifying our actions even though they are not justifiable at all.
12. He snatches away: who can stop him? Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?'
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 12)
Oh God Job is correct in saying that nobody is worthy of challenging Your Supreme Authority, however, many during our times have long since trying to prove that You do not exist. However when doing so they are digging their own grave and slab and the pathway to their destruction.
13. "God will not turn back his anger; the helpers of Rahab bowed beneath him.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 13)
Oh God my Father You are so loving and kind. Even though we give You many reasons, for being angry at us, You always show us love and mercy.
14. How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him? 15. Though I am innocent, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 14 to 15)
Oh, Job my friend, with God my Father you do not need to choose or be careful in what we think or say, for before the actual idea is created in our brain God is already aware of it!. Moreover, as in the given circumstances Job's accuser is not God but the Devil who has been given permission to test Job, and from this evil spirit, there is no chance of mercy because mercy only comes from You my, Father.
16. If I summoned him and he answered me, I do not believe that he would listen to my voice.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 16)
As in the case of us, humans we may be under the impression that our prayers are not heard or answered, however in both respects we are wrong oh God, for not even one of our prayers that we offer to You is ever wasted. Even though You may not be as prompt as we would wish You to be to answer or prayers, in Your own 'God' time You always give us an answer at the proper time.
17. For he crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause; 18. he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 17)
Oh God what misconceptions we have of You! If we believe that You are a Father of love, how can we make such declarations about You?
18. he will not let me get my breath but fills me with bitterness.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 18)
Oh God, You are my only hope and my salvation, in You I find refuge, consolation and the only reason for remaining alive in this valley of death. Those who place their trust in You invest in life, however, those who do not invest in death. Amen.
19. If it is a contest of strength, he is the strong one! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 19)
Oh God, indeed there is nobody who can match You or outmatch You in strength justice and even love. The social concept of Justice can easily be corrupted, however, Your justice is pure and irreversible. It is justice beyond justice and nobody is worthy of contesting it. Amen.
20. Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. 21. I am blameless; I do not know myself; I loathe my life.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verses 20 to 21)
As in a court oh God my Father all that is said can be used against us, however, You are a just and loving Father who is aware of all our actions, and therefore, do not need to actually hear the truth from us, because even before we commit an act You are already aware of it. You love us so much that You try to make us aware of our sins instead of giving us what we deserve.
22. It is all one; therefore, I say, he destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 22)
Oh God my Father, verse 22 is a perfect example of when we come to conclusions based on generalisations When doing so we are concluding that without absolute proof we are placing all people in one category, regardless of the possibility that there might be one in a million who happens not to fall into the category that we created as in the example "All S is P". As in the case of Job who is implying that You oh God considers both the good and the bad as being both worthy of destruction. In truth accidents happen to both the good and the evil or not so good, however, those of us who take unnecessary risks with probability, are more at risk of experiencing accidents than others. Therefore, it is not always the will of God, for You oh God take no pleasure in seeing us experience such negative acts.
23. When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 3 verse 23)
Oh, Job my friend this is truly a false accusation and I will personally intervene for how can I call God my Father as a loving Father if he takes pleasure in my calamities. Indeed oh God even though we consider ourselves as being good people, however, deep down in our hearts, we may have experienced disappointments which have left marks of hurt and resentment to You my God, that are expressed during such moments of anguish and pain. Oh God, when we cannot make sense of our world and all that we experience as humans we tend to place the blame on You. Forgive us oh God of this irresponsible action and attitude. Amen.
24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the eyes of its judges - if it is not he, who then is it?
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 24)
Oh God, many people think that t he world has become totally dominated by the evil which is cropping up like weeds in many areas of life both the spiritual and the secular. It truly seems to be that many rulers are either blind to the current situation or have accepted it as a given and are turning a blind eye to the current situation. I leave the judgement of you oh God for I am also weak in my actions and judgements and am therefore not worthy of passing judgement. Amen.
25. "My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 25)
Oh God, My Father the clock never stops ticking, it is something that we cannot stop, however, we are to make good of the time that You have lent us and not waste a second of it. I pray oh God my Father that You grant me enough time to publish all the books of the Bible in this form and share it with many others. Then You can take my life. I also wish that I will continue to grow with my family and continue witnessing and praising and thanking You for the important events, that we have been experiencing and that You have planned for us to experience in the future. Amen
26. They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey. 27. If I say, 'I will forget my complaint; I will put off my sad countenance and be of good cheer,' 28. I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verses 26 to 28)
Oh God, my Father when we are experiencing such pain and anguish the temptation is to give up and put the issue aside as if it did not exist, even though we are more than aware of our pain. It may also be the case in our relationship with You, my God and Father. After a long period of praying for healing and this never comes we may start feeling depressed. We might be given the impression by doctors that we need to learn how to live with the pain or condition, however, You do not wish that we remain in such as a state. Job's situation was there until the test was over until the devil was proved wrong in his wager with God and not forever.
29. I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain?
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 29)
Oh God, my Father when we start using reasoning a bit too, much we at times start asking the wrong questions which lead us to even questioning Your and our very existence, and even the reason for still being alive, which may even plunge us into a cloud of depression if pushed beyond its limits. Oh God, You are the answer to all our questions. In You we find all the needed answers, however at the time, we do not understand what You intend to mean by means of Your answers, for our wisdom is no match when compared to Yours. It is only with Your divine illumination that we manage to understand critical issues in our lives.
30. If I wash myself with soap and cleans my hands with lye, 31. yet you will plunge me into filth, and my own clothes will abhor me.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 31)
Good morning my God and Father I am surprised at how patient You are with our negative attitude to life. Negative attitudes bring negative outcomes and, therefore, negative behaviours. Although we consider ourselves as being Roman Catholics or Christians if we have such an attitude we are not reflecting our belief in You my God.
32. For he is not a mortal, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 32)
Oh my, God, we discredit You so much. Although we may not always see You with our human eyes, through our conscience we can sense if we are doing something good or bad. Amen
33. There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand on us both. 34. If he would take his rod away from me, and not let dread of him terrify me, 35. then I would speak without fear of him, for I know I am not what I am thought to be.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verses 33 to 35)
Oh God, unlike Job I pray that You never lift off me Your rod of discipline. Although it is not always easy to walk according to Your will, without Your correction I would not be better off than If I were to live life according to my wishes and desires which are not always according to Your will. Oh God may You always be my guide and point of reference. I love You and place my whole love faith and trust in You even though I am still a sinner. Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following reflection:-
What is one of the greatest notes found in music?
'B Positive'
Oh God even if life is hard at times we are to place our faith in You and rise up to continue our journey for even from what seems to be a negative You oh God can change into a positive. Amen.
3. If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand. 4. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength who has resisted him, and succeeded?
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God our wisdom can never match Your wisdom and logic. Even though we try to use reasoning and logic in order to understand what You mean by this and that situation, we can never be sure, for Your holy Spirit enlightens us in different ways in order to help us make head and tail of a given situation, which today may be considered to be negative and in the future when giving it to You may develop to be a purely positive situation. Oh God my Father, You are in control of our lives. There is no situation that is greater than You! No crisis or war can ever be beyond Your control, for You are able to manipulate an evil scheme or situation in our favour so that we can be out of harms way.
5. he who removes mountains, and they do not know it, when he overturns them in his anger; 6. who shakes the earth outs of its place, and its pillars tremble; 7. who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; 8. who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the Sea; 9. who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; 10. who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number, 11. Look. he passes by me and I do not see him; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verses 5 to 11)
Oh God we realize Your love might and power as in the case of Job, however when we are deep down in our sorrows even if You come and pat us on the back or give us a big hug we may not recognise You for both our minds and soul are hindered by means of our emotional state from doing so. We become egocentric and start focusing mainly on ourselves and start justifying our actions even though they are not justifiable at all.
12. He snatches away: who can stop him? Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?'
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 12)
Oh God Job is correct in saying that nobody is worthy of challenging Your Supreme Authority, however, many during our times have long since trying to prove that You do not exist. However when doing so they are digging their own grave and slab and the pathway to their destruction.
13. "God will not turn back his anger; the helpers of Rahab bowed beneath him.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 13)
Oh God my Father You are so loving and kind. Even though we give You many reasons, for being angry at us, You always show us love and mercy.
14. How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him? 15. Though I am innocent, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 14 to 15)
Oh, Job my friend, with God my Father you do not need to choose or be careful in what we think or say, for before the actual idea is created in our brain God is already aware of it!. Moreover, as in the given circumstances Job's accuser is not God but the Devil who has been given permission to test Job, and from this evil spirit, there is no chance of mercy because mercy only comes from You my, Father.
16. If I summoned him and he answered me, I do not believe that he would listen to my voice.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 16)
As in the case of us, humans we may be under the impression that our prayers are not heard or answered, however in both respects we are wrong oh God, for not even one of our prayers that we offer to You is ever wasted. Even though You may not be as prompt as we would wish You to be to answer or prayers, in Your own 'God' time You always give us an answer at the proper time.
17. For he crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause; 18. he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 17)
Oh God what misconceptions we have of You! If we believe that You are a Father of love, how can we make such declarations about You?
18. he will not let me get my breath but fills me with bitterness.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 18)
Oh God, You are my only hope and my salvation, in You I find refuge, consolation and the only reason for remaining alive in this valley of death. Those who place their trust in You invest in life, however, those who do not invest in death. Amen.
19. If it is a contest of strength, he is the strong one! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 19)
Oh God, indeed there is nobody who can match You or outmatch You in strength justice and even love. The social concept of Justice can easily be corrupted, however, Your justice is pure and irreversible. It is justice beyond justice and nobody is worthy of contesting it. Amen.
20. Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. 21. I am blameless; I do not know myself; I loathe my life.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verses 20 to 21)
As in a court oh God my Father all that is said can be used against us, however, You are a just and loving Father who is aware of all our actions, and therefore, do not need to actually hear the truth from us, because even before we commit an act You are already aware of it. You love us so much that You try to make us aware of our sins instead of giving us what we deserve.
22. It is all one; therefore, I say, he destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
(Book of Wisdom Chapter 9 verse 22)
Oh God my Father, verse 22 is a perfect example of when we come to conclusions based on generalisations When doing so we are concluding that without absolute proof we are placing all people in one category, regardless of the possibility that there might be one in a million who happens not to fall into the category that we created as in the example "All S is P". As in the case of Job who is implying that You oh God considers both the good and the bad as being both worthy of destruction. In truth accidents happen to both the good and the evil or not so good, however, those of us who take unnecessary risks with probability, are more at risk of experiencing accidents than others. Therefore, it is not always the will of God, for You oh God take no pleasure in seeing us experience such negative acts.
23. When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 3 verse 23)
Oh, Job my friend this is truly a false accusation and I will personally intervene for how can I call God my Father as a loving Father if he takes pleasure in my calamities. Indeed oh God even though we consider ourselves as being good people, however, deep down in our hearts, we may have experienced disappointments which have left marks of hurt and resentment to You my God, that are expressed during such moments of anguish and pain. Oh God, when we cannot make sense of our world and all that we experience as humans we tend to place the blame on You. Forgive us oh God of this irresponsible action and attitude. Amen.
24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the eyes of its judges - if it is not he, who then is it?
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 24)
Oh God, many people think that t he world has become totally dominated by the evil which is cropping up like weeds in many areas of life both the spiritual and the secular. It truly seems to be that many rulers are either blind to the current situation or have accepted it as a given and are turning a blind eye to the current situation. I leave the judgement of you oh God for I am also weak in my actions and judgements and am therefore not worthy of passing judgement. Amen.
25. "My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 25)
Oh God, My Father the clock never stops ticking, it is something that we cannot stop, however, we are to make good of the time that You have lent us and not waste a second of it. I pray oh God my Father that You grant me enough time to publish all the books of the Bible in this form and share it with many others. Then You can take my life. I also wish that I will continue to grow with my family and continue witnessing and praising and thanking You for the important events, that we have been experiencing and that You have planned for us to experience in the future. Amen
26. They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey. 27. If I say, 'I will forget my complaint; I will put off my sad countenance and be of good cheer,' 28. I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verses 26 to 28)
Oh God, my Father when we are experiencing such pain and anguish the temptation is to give up and put the issue aside as if it did not exist, even though we are more than aware of our pain. It may also be the case in our relationship with You, my God and Father. After a long period of praying for healing and this never comes we may start feeling depressed. We might be given the impression by doctors that we need to learn how to live with the pain or condition, however, You do not wish that we remain in such as a state. Job's situation was there until the test was over until the devil was proved wrong in his wager with God and not forever.
29. I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain?
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 29)
Oh God, my Father when we start using reasoning a bit too, much we at times start asking the wrong questions which lead us to even questioning Your and our very existence, and even the reason for still being alive, which may even plunge us into a cloud of depression if pushed beyond its limits. Oh God, You are the answer to all our questions. In You we find all the needed answers, however at the time, we do not understand what You intend to mean by means of Your answers, for our wisdom is no match when compared to Yours. It is only with Your divine illumination that we manage to understand critical issues in our lives.
30. If I wash myself with soap and cleans my hands with lye, 31. yet you will plunge me into filth, and my own clothes will abhor me.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 31)
Good morning my God and Father I am surprised at how patient You are with our negative attitude to life. Negative attitudes bring negative outcomes and, therefore, negative behaviours. Although we consider ourselves as being Roman Catholics or Christians if we have such an attitude we are not reflecting our belief in You my God.
32. For he is not a mortal, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verse 32)
Oh my, God, we discredit You so much. Although we may not always see You with our human eyes, through our conscience we can sense if we are doing something good or bad. Amen
33. There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand on us both. 34. If he would take his rod away from me, and not let dread of him terrify me, 35. then I would speak without fear of him, for I know I am not what I am thought to be.
(Book of Wisdom Job Chapter 9 verses 33 to 35)
Oh God, unlike Job I pray that You never lift off me Your rod of discipline. Although it is not always easy to walk according to Your will, without Your correction I would not be better off than If I were to live life according to my wishes and desires which are not always according to Your will. Oh God may You always be my guide and point of reference. I love You and place my whole love faith and trust in You even though I am still a sinner. Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following reflection:-
What is one of the greatest notes found in music?
'B Positive'
Oh God even if life is hard at times we are to place our faith in You and rise up to continue our journey for even from what seems to be a negative You oh God can change into a positive. Amen.
