Job 36, 37 and Matthew 15:1-20
All right. Big day today. Job 36 is pretty freakin’ cool. Elihu is going crazy on Job and Job is feeling the burn. In chapter 36, Elihu goes on about how great God is, and if Job was God, he wouldn’t be so selfish or confused. Job needed to remember that this is the same God he served so faithfully before, and even though times are tough (that’s an understatement!), God is still in control. Then, in chapter 37, Elihu talks about the MAJESTY of God. This passage gave me chills.
Some verses that stuck out to me in chapter 36 were 10-11 and19. That first one tells how God rewards us when we honor Him. The second verse was more like a kick in the pants to me. Elihu is like, Is all this complaining going to help!? I’m a complainer, so this hit home. Verses 37:14 and 24 just made me stop. I paused and I reread them.
Stop and consider the wondrous works of God….he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.
And now on to Matthew 15. I noticed that in the first verse here, it says the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem. I don’t know how far that is, because I didn’t look it up, but I would imagine its a good distance. I chuckled a little. They thought they had something good on Jesus. Haha. He was pinned, they thought. But then Jesus, like a Bible-ninja, whips out Isaiah on them! Go Jesus. But then I read that passage from Isaiah. It’s us. It’s our generation, our country.
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me.
Matthew 15:8-9a
So Jesus pissed off the Pharisees again, and the disciples were confused about the meaning of Jesus’ words. They are so dense! But Jesus teaches them. And I felt moved again in verse 19. These are things that my heart wants. It takes me making a conscious effort to worship Jesus alone, and love him alone.
Lord, thank you for speaking so many things to me today. I appreciate how much you care for me, even when I continually disobey you. Help me today to understand your majesty even more and remind me that you are a good God. Jesus, help me to have a heart for you. I want the outpouring of my life to be your fruit and sweet-tasting to you. I want to worship you alone, Jesus! Even when I make these stupid mistakes, I really just want you! Thank you for your Word and your teaching. I love you, Jesus.
Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.
– C.S. Lewis
