Bible Reading Plan Day 1

Today, I embark on my bible reading plan. Being the student of my realist husband and acutely familiar with my own lack of discipline and focus, I am less than optimistic about sticking with it even though I am inspired by the new yearly bible reading plan I discovered on the internet. I've tried reading programs in the past. They just didn't appeal to me. To dry. To boring. Who wants to spend weeks reading through genealogies or archaic laws about issues of blood? Combine that with the fact that routine and I don't mesh so beautifully. This new reading program shows promise, even for me. Rather than read straight from Genesis to Revelation or Genesis to Malachi and Matthew to Revelation, this plan has you reading different types of books each day. Sunday's are for the Epistles (another added bonus is that the plan sets Sunday as the first day of the week – very Jewish), Monday - The Law (Genesis – Deuteronomy), Wednesday - the Psalms, Thursday - Poetry, Friday - Prophecy and finally Saturday - the Gospels. I'm excited about this layout, so much so that I printed out three copies and foisted two of them on my children. They were equally thrilled as you can image. “You want me to read every day?!”

So already it's later in the morning than I'd like although I got up in plenty of time to read and sit with God. But of course I had to write this and putz with the dishwasher. Undaunted I begin my reading. Today's entry is Job 1-2. I am delighted because Job is one of my favorite books of the bible and I have been studying Job with a friend several times a month. There is so much in the first two chapters that I could write a book. I have so much to comment about. But I am determined not to babble. Just find one small thing that makes an impact on me personally and comment on it. Hmmm. Ok, I am honing in on verses 20 and the all famous 21. I really like verse 20 though, specifically the first three words. I don't know what there is about it that strikes me so.

“ Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground before God.”

Job stood up. Wow. I don't know if you've ever experience real grief and shock but standing up doesn't sound like something I'd be capable of after such news as Job received that day. In fact, I have received terrible news that struck close to home and I did just the opposite. I fell to the floor wailing. Job stands up, tears he robe (now I can relate), shaves his head (another sign of mourning) and then falls down. A very deliberate move to follow the proper mourning protocol of the day. Torn robe, shaved head, on the ground. I'm not sure why the phrase “Job stood up” strikes me as it does. But I think it has to do with acceptance. Job didn't succumb to the horrors around him based on his feelings or even his own imaginations. He heard the awful report and did what was expected of a man in mourning. Job is a man dedicated to the traditions of his faith. Providing sacrifices for his family as the priestly patriarch. Offering up prayers to the invisible God he loves. Obeying the oral law of this God with all of his heart. Helping the less fortunate, giving wise counsel, being completely honest in all his business transactions. This was the life of Job. It was programmed into him to follow the ancient paths (albeit rather young paths by our time frame). He found joy in following the Lord. Belonging to God didn't mean ease and comfort for Job, even though he enjoyed it for much of his life. As he states in verse 21, “The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” Job does not ascribe to the entitlement theory here. He knew he hadn't really earned his great wealth himself. He knew that riches were fleeting. He never trusted in them. He knew also that life is fleeting, as a vapor. And he ascribes the terror that has struck him as coming from the hand of the LORD. Verse 22 says “In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God”. In other words, Job knew God was responsible for his calamity but he didn't say “You have no right to do this”. Job was no Word of Faither. You can't talk like this in the Word of Faith camp. You cannot assign any blame for any evil to God. And you cannot accept a “bad report”. Today Job would have been instructed to ignore the tidings of the four remaining servants and continue to claim all his wealth as though it still existed. I'm not sure how they would have you speak of ten dead children, no amount of word gymnastics can bring them back, but you would not under any circumstance be allowed to say that God did this. Today's Word of Faith teachers would rebuke you soundly for even thinking such things. You would immediately begin “binding and rebuking” whatever spirit you had in mind to be angry at about this; “I rebuke the Chaldean spirit of death...I rebuke the wind” and then top it all off with those ever magical words “In Jesus name”. Perhaps Job would have said “In the name of the LORD”. Incantation complete. Then Job's friends would have coached him relentlessly to keep claiming his victory until such time as they tire with his stubborn reliance on the sovereignty of God and abandon him to his sorrows. Only to learn later that he triumphed over them without their help. I love the book of Job. I love the plan of God overarching our lives. I love living in the reality that bad things happen to all of us, not because Satan slipped in there but because God allowed it for His higher reasons. Sigh. Day 1 and I'm exhausted already.