Read through the Bible in 2020: Notes from the Bible Recap Day 5

Read through the Bible 2020
Bible Recap Day 5 Job 6-9
Personal notes from reading Job 6-9
After losing everything including his health, Job is in complete despair.  Friends who see the devastation are convinced that Job has done something and this is surely the punishment.  Hold on a minute there cowboy! Who in the world thinks they can assume that someone’s hardships are being delivered directly from the fierce hand of God as a form of punishment??  This was a test allowed by God, not a cruelty delivered by God. So Job’s friends thought they knew enough about God to give him counsel, confident that it was inspired. Yikes! I think that one of the greatest things I can gain from this part of scripture is to spend time in prayer for my friends rather than to spend time counseling them with “all my knowledge” (I even cringe writing that!!).  Prayer. Continuous prayer. Focused prayer. I have a feeling that Job’s friends weren’t in constant prayer for their grieving friend. Instead, I think they were spending their time trying to figure out what Job had done to receive such harsh discipline from God.  
But Job didn’t give in to the bad advice.  He knew he was innocent. He certainly didn’t understand, but he knew this wasn’t a punishment for wrongdoing.
Notes from the Bible Recap Job 6-9
Mercy is when you don’t get what you deserve.  Grace is when you get what you don’t deserve. Job knew he deserved eternal punishment, but he was hopeful for God’s mercy.  Job spends some time boasting about the power of God. Our God moves mountains and controls the sun and stretched out the stars and calms waves.  He is a mighty God. He is the God of the Universe and in charge of everything, yet His heart is focused on me. On you.
Job 7:17  What is man, that You make so much of him, and that You set Your heart on him.

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