Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional

but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. – Job 5:7 ESV

Warrior;

The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible and the first of the five books of the Pentateuch, which were all written by Moses. It is believed that Moses wrote the majority of the Pentateuch during Israel’s exile, which lasted from around 1446 – 1406 BCE. The oldest book in the Bible is, unsurprisingly, found in the Old Testament. The Book of Job is estimated to have been written in the time of the Patriarchs , between 1900 and 1700 B.C. The Book of Job is also one of the lesser read books of the Bible, despite the fact that it is referenced repeatedly throughout Scripture. While the themes found in Job are common across the ancient world, the language is not. This is why it is believed to be the oldest book. Job is written in a form of Hebrew that is even older than the ancient Hebrew that makes up most of the Old Testament. In fact, the language used in Job is not even usually referred to as ancient Hebrew. Instead, it is called “Paleo-Hebrew.” The book also contains Syriac and Arabic expressions, which support the claim that it is the oldest book written in the Bible.

Leader, people have been questioning why suffering occurs for almost as long as humanity has existed and the book of Job is about suffering. Job endured so much suffering that the world talks about someone who is long-suffering as having the PATIENCE OF JOB. There are many famous scripture verses that come from the book of Job, one of the most famous is; And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21) Job was caught in the middle of a battle that we are all caught in the middle of a battle between GOOD and EVIL, Our God and our pride, HIS WAY and OUR WAY. Job had a lot, he was blessed, and he was a good man, a righteous man, a man who feared God and served Him. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. (Job 1:1-3) Job was blessed and He was ‘Living the dream’ and then everything changed! Job lost his children; he lost his possessions and then Job loses his health and to top it all off- JOB DID NOTHING to create this outcome. It was all about the heavenly battle that has been raging since time began for man, and continues to this day.

Conduit, people have been questioning why suffering occurs for almost as long as humanity has existed. Job did it and many today are still doing it, especially with the pandemic going on and the fear and panic of our “world being shaken’. Job’s world was so messed up that three of his friends came to sympathize with him and the Bible says: And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. (Job 2:12-13) Through all of Job’s suffering he never denied God and He never lost his faith; it actually grew stronger. The world is going through a lot right now and there is much confusion, fear and unknown. In these times, we need to cry out to our God, the maker of the heavens and earth and use this time to get closer to our God and to get closer to what really matters in life; God, Family, relationships and eternity to fulfill our purpose for existence. I pray in this tough time that you reach out to God, spend more time on your knees, CRY OUT to know our God closer and not let this trauma go to waste. We serve a GOOD GOD, a RIGHTEOUS GOD and a PURPOSIVE GOD- HE IS IN CONTROL, seek Him in this tough time. We need help from the government, from each other- but what we need most of all is an intimate relationship with our CREATOR and it can only be established through HIS SON, our SAVIOR- Jesus the CHRIST. We must find the patience of Job in these hard times and remember that Job was better and closer to God when it all ended! Remember the words of Job in this time of suffering: For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. (Job 19:25) And like Job’s well-intentioned friends- reach out to someone else in need. Many more are struggling worse than you, empathize with them and share what you have! “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. (Job 6:14)