FEAR THE LORD… IS TO HATE EVIL!  And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ —Job 28:28 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. —Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate —Proverbs 8:13             Do you and I have a proper perspective on Who our Lord God Almighty is?  If so, that is wisdom.  Wisdom is the proper application of knowledge and will “turn away from evil.”  Fools hate wisdom.  They…

TRUST! Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?  They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.  What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’ —Job 21:7, 14-15             Do we look at our lives sometimes and wonder why the wicked are prospering when they want nothing to do with God?  We think, “Why am I having difficultly Lord?  I am following You.  Why am I cut down with health issues in the flower of my age when the wicked live to be old.  Why do I…

GOD’S CREATION! For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. —Psalm 139:13-16 Let’s contrast what our Lord says about a child in the womb and what the world says.  Remember, the world system is headed…

GOD IS IN CONTROL! In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. —Job 12:10  He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. —Job 12:23             Think about this— every living thing and the very breath of all mankind is in His hand.  Yes, He is in control of all things.  Whether it is an individual cell, person, animal or plant— He knows all about it and He is in control of it.  Whether it is one nation of people or all the nations of this world— He knows all about them and He is in…

EVER ASK “WHY?” Why did you bring me out from the womb? —Job 10:18 Job had a good understanding that he was a person in the womb and that it was Almighty God that brought him “out from the womb.”  This is such a basic understanding.  But today as down through the ages basic understandings are not understood.  Sin has so skewed people’s thinking that they “call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).  These people need to “come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken…

BEWARE OF UNGODLY COUNSEL Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. —Job 5:17             Wow!  Truth is truth, but truth misapplied isn’t true!  Now that is something to think about!             Eliphaz the Temanite is “counseling” Job when this truth is mentioned.  And yet Job is not being reproved by God for wrong-doing.  Nor was Job being disciplined for some sinfulness in his life.  What was happening in Job’s life was a “scheme” of Satan’s (II Corinthians 2:11) and Eliphaz was being used as his mouthpiece.  This was also true of Job’s wife when she said, “Are you still maintaining your…

SERVANTHOOD IN/THROUGH ADVERSITY 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. —Job 1:1 And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil. —Job 1:8   Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.  And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken…

REJOICE!  BE JOYFUL! Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. —Habakkuk 3:17-18             Do we trust God only when things are going well?  Will we trust Him when things are not going as we think they should?  Habakkuk concluded that this is what he would do.  Even if things were not going well he would “rejoice in the LORD” and “take…

TAKE REFUGE! The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. —Nahum 1:3 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.  The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.  But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. —Nahum 1:6-8             What will people do with the Lord when He is angry with them?  What will they…

GODLY CHARACTER He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? —Micah 6:8             Yes, God had told us what is good and what He requires of those who follow Him.  This is it— “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”  Justice is to make sure people are treated equally and fairly.  Loving kindness is to do “to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12; 22:37-40).  To…