Contemplative Bible Reading

Job 36:26 (New Living Translation) Look, God is greater than we can understand. We find this statement in one of the more contemplative (hi)stories in the Bible. God is great. God is so great, we cannot understand God. We cannot truly know God, because God is just…well, God. There are days when I wonder in […]

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Job 1:1 (New Living Translation) There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. Such begins the Old Testament book that recounts the (hi)story of Job. A simple statement that describes the man. Note the […]

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Job 42:12-13 (New Living Translation) 12 So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. Throughout the (hi)story […]

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Job 2:8-9 (New Living Translation) 8 Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” Job’s misery. Yikes, that sounds painful. Job’s faithful wife chimes in with some advice. She […]

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Job 16:7-8 (New Living Translation) 7 “O God, you have ground me down     and devastated my family. 8 As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones.     My gaunt flesh testifies against me. Job is talking to Jehovah God the Creator. Job is partly correct in his assessment of the situation. God […]

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Job 1:18-19 (New Living Translation) 18 While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. 19 Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I […]

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Job 19:4 (New Living Translation) Even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours. This is Job talking a long time ago in a place far, far away. Suppose a Christian near me said this. Would I agree with him? Yes: It is none of my business how he lives. No: He is […]

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Job 6:6 (New Living Translation) Don’t people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg? This is Job talking. He is attempting to justify his complaining to God about his circumstances. Please note, Job is in some bad circumstances. And then Job throws in this phrase: Does anyone want the […]

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Job 21:22-26 (New International Version 2010) 22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest? 23 One person dies in full vigor, completely secure and at ease, 24 well nourished in body, bones rich with marrow. 25 Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having enjoyed anything good. 26 Side by […]

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Job 35:5-6 (New International Version) 5 Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you. 6 If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him? One of Job’s associates is speaking to Job. Job’s associates meant well, but didn’t […]

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