Day 36 - Nehemiah 13:15 - Job 7:21

In today's section, we read about:

The end of Nehemiah, where he puts a number of issues straight
The story of Esther, Mordecai and Haman
The beginning of the book of Job, where he loses his wealth, family and is afflicted by sores
Job curses the day he was born, his friends try to comfort him, and we get the first speech of Eliphaz and Job's response to it

Some thoughts that struck me:

I was struck by the contrast between the commitment of the people to be faithful to God in ch 10 (esp v30-31) and the issues that Nehemiah has to confront at the end ch 13. What is also notable is that Nehemiah does not in any way shrink from confronting these issues, even inflicting violence and pain on the wrong-doers (25).

13:26 is a nice confirmation that our interpretation of Solomon's failings is the one shared by those much nearer to events and whose faith and knowledge of God is so much more profound than ours.

Est 1:18, 20 - insubordinate wives threaten the well-being of society! Take note everyone!!!

Est 2:5 - does this mean Mordecai was related to Saul?

Est 2:15 - was Esther admired by everyone because she was willing to take advice, or just because she was very beautiful?

Mordecai refused to bow down, just as the four men did in Daniel (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel).

It's interesting that the accusation against the Jews in 3:8 is that they keep themselves separate and obey different laws - this is exactly what God had commanded them to do!

Est 4:14 offers a really good perspective. God doesn't need us for his will to be achieved, but the amazing thing is that He wants us to be partners in achieving His aims.

Haman is twisted by the petty perceived slight from one man, so that he completely loses the plot. The amount of money he is willing to spend to wipe out the Jews indicates just how wealthy he was, and yet because he is upset by one man, he loses everything.

The NLT version of 6:10 is great - "Excellent!" says the king, when Haman has outlined how he wants to be honoured himself. However, his worst nightmare comes about when he has to carry out for Haman all the homage he had envisaged he would have received.

6:13 - Haman's wife realises that Haman is not just fighting human forces, but actually is pitted against God - a struggle he cannot hope to survive.

8:17 is a real out-working of the principle Paul enunciates in Rom 8:28.

This Persian empire had great bureaucracy - I love the way in which the records are there, and Mordecai recorded for posterity as being righteous, just, famous and wise.

After reading a whole book without a single mention of God, it is nice to read about Job in Jb 1:1 "He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil."

Job's replies in 1:21 and 2:10 are not stoic resignation, but an expression in his trust in a good, gracious and loving God. He knows God (or thinks he does, cf 42:5) and God knows him - 1:8; 2:3.

I know a few people who fit the description of 3:8 "experts at cursing"

4:17 - "Can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone be pure before the creator?"

4:18-19 - Eliphaz says "If God does not trust his own angels / and has charged his messengers with foolishness, / how much less will he trust people made of clay! / They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth." Yet the wonderful thing is that God does choose to trust us!

5:17-18 - "But consider the joy of those corrected by God! / Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. / For though he wounds, he also bandages. / He strikes, but his hands also heal."

6:10 is a real comfort to Job - "Despite the pain, / I have not denied the words of the Holy One"

7:17 - cf Ps 8:4

I can really empathise with 7:21, paraphrased as 'please God, just get a move on and let me feel better'.