Emiri:
In this week’s bible reading I learned that even when there is hardship and it seems like nobody is watching over you, like what Job felt when he was inflicted with diseases and when his friend’s blamed Job, himself, for the misfortune, it’s especially important to remember that God is always with us in those situations. I can apply it by always keeping the scripture inside of me (Joshua 1:9) and not forgetting that God is always with me, at school and at home.
Tomas:
This week’s Bible reading, I learned about how Job believed that God had forsaken him since he gave offerings to God and expected for God to give him blessings but rather disease came upon him. But God used this as a way to teach Job and didn’t want Job to just rely on offerings for blessings but have Job love him and pray to him. Applying this to my life, I know that God watches over me, and I should pray to God for guidance in things I need help on such as my history projects, math work, and also my reading assignments.
むかい：
今回の聖書朗読ではじぶんで耕した種は必ず自分で刈り取らなければ行けないことがわかりました。
ヨブ記の４章の「私の見てきたところでは、不法を耕して 害悪を蒔く者が、自らそれらを刈り取るのだ。」のところでした。
このことを生活に取り入れると自分が放った言葉などは自分で回収しないといけないので、良い言葉を放ちそれを刈り入れるようにしていきます。
Timothy:
In this week’s Bible reading, we see Job and his friend (specifically Elipaz)’s reaction to his hardship. Job is understandably depressed, wishing to be dead and expressing his despair and hopelessness. Rather than trying to comfort his friend, Elipaz essentially accuses Job of sin, and in God’s righteousness, he is getting what he deserves; “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty” (5:17). He exemplifies his confidence/arrogance and holier-than-thou attitude when he says, “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself” (5:27). However, we know that Job’s suffering is not the cause of Job’s wrongdoings, but is the test of his faith. Elipaz acts as though he understands God’s plan, speaking on behalf of him, and we see his lack of empathy throughout his speech. He offers judgment rather than kindness (Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty, 6:14), making Job feel worse than he already did. Applying this to my life, I should not judge anyone and stay humble.
Jun’s comment re: Emiri:
it’s especially important to remember that God is always with us in those situations.
Is there anything more you learn? Did God just want Job to learn that even in misfortune, God is with him? That’s all?
When you guys do the Bible reading, don’t just look for confirmation of truths you know already. Likewise, don’t just latch on to “words of comfort” (words that make you momentarily feel better about yourself). Look for the hard-to-understand truths and things you don’t know already.
I can apply it by always keeping the scripture inside of me (Joshua 1:9) and not forgetting that God is always with me, at school and at home.
You mentioned this also in your testimony, but it seems like it’s not quite working (you don’t quite feel strong and courageous like Joshua was able to be). Why do you think that is?
Jun’s comment re: Tomas:
God wanted Job to live a blameless life not out of fear of God, but out of love for God. A parallel to your life as a student, would be studying hard and doing well in school not out of fear of parents/teachers, or to get good grades and enter a good university (and eventually land a good job), but to do all these things because you love studying and learning new things, because it brings you closer to God (the more you know about the world he created, the more you come to know God) and makes you a bigger vessel to be used for his purpose.
Jun’s comment re: Mukai:
今回の聖書朗読ではじぶんで耕した種は必ず自分で刈り取らなければ行けないことがわかりました。
ヨブ記の４章の「私の見てきたところでは、不法を耕して 害悪を蒔く者が、自らそれらを刈り取るのだ。」のところでした。
確かに害悪を蒔くものは、それを刈り取る時が来るけど、この言葉はヨブの友達が勝手に話してる言葉だとわかってるね？（神様がヨブのことを、どのように評価しているか覚えてる？１：８と２：３をもう一回読んでください。）
このことを生活に取り入れると自分が放った言葉などは自分で回収しないといけないので、良い言葉を放ちそれを刈り入れるようにしていきます。
ただし、行いが伴ったいないと、言葉は働きません。いくらいい告白をしても、行いと日々の生活が伴っていないと、サタンに笑われます。
聖書通読やってることは、すごくパワーになるよ！むかいはやっぱり、聖書の全体の知識がないから、穴だらけの状態です。続けてやれば、だいぶ成長できます。
Jun’s comment re: Timothy:
Overall quite good, Timothy.
However, we know that Job’s suffering is not the cause of Job’s wrongdoings, but is the test of his faith.
Yes, you can say it is a test of faith, but not in the sense of, “let’s see how strong you stay, when I throw all these misfortunes at you.” That is Satan’s stance, but not God’s. God allowed Satan to attack Job, only because there was something he wanted Job to learn, and God knew Job was strong enough to withstand Satan’s attacks. So it is a test in the sense that God wanted Job to pass and rise to the next level, so that he could be an even bigger vessel for God (and with that, came even bigger blessings as we will see).
and we see his lack of empathy throughout his speech.
I understand what you’re getting at, but be careful of putting too much value on empathy. Empathy is meaningful only if it is in line with God’s truth and perspective. Empathy on a merely human level can be dangerous and often gets in the way of God’s will. Another way to put it is, we should strive to have empathy with God, rather than with other humans. Eliphaz’s mistake was not so much a lack of empathy, but arrogance and a lack of understanding concerning his own place and level (i.e. much lower than Job’s). One can also surmise that Eliphaz was probably jealous of Job and how blessed he was, so was secretly a little happy about how Job was now suffering. It is important to know that this is how friends of the world usually are.