DAY 33 (Job 21-23): In the aftermath of Job's astonishing tragedy, a raging debate has broken out between him and his wise friends. Because God is always just, rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked, it follows that Job's anguish must be proof that he has committed a grave offense against God. When Job protests his innocence, his friends take bitter offense, assuming Job is both lying and insulting God by insisting that God is punishing an innocent man. But Job isn't finished. He will take his argument a step further, pointing out not only does God allow the righteous to suffer, He also fails to punish the wicked.

DAY 32 (Job 17-20): Last chapter, Job cried: 'Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven. He who vouches for me is on high. My friends scoff at me. My eyes pour out tears to God that he would maintain the right of a man with God, of a son of man with his neighbor!' Now Job's anguish reaches a fever pitch, as he stands defiant against his accusing friends, promising them that 'upright men' will vindicate him; because without vindication, what hope can there possibly be?

DAY 31 (Job 14-16): Job sees himself as one unjustly persecuted by God, one whose punishment is completely out of proportion to any wrong he may have committed. Now, Job contemplates the mortality of Man, questioning the finality of death. Shouldn't Man, after he dies, experience life again, as a tree stump sprouts new growth when given rain to drink?

DAY 30 (Job 10-13): Last chapter, Job complained that it wasn't fair for God, who is not human, to judge Man, who is. Why have a relationship with God, if it only condemns us to His judgment? 'For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, that we should come together in judgment. There is no umpire between us, that might lay his hand on us both.'

DAY 29 (Job 6-9): In the depths of his grief, Job concluded it was better not to be born than to live a troubled life. Job's friend Eliphaz responded by saying that all people are sinners, deserving of punishment, but that by turning to God, Job can experience redemption. However, Job will ignore this advice, accusing his friends of callousness, comparing them to streams which only run in the spring, but in the hot summer when men are thirsty, the streams dry up. Shouldn't friends be more compassionate in the face of tragedy?

DAY 28 (Job 1-5): The Book of Job is an extremely ancient work of uncertain origin. The name Job derives from the Hebrew 'ayab' which means 'hated' or 'persecuted,' and the Book of Job tells the harrowing tale of a man who loses everything: his property, his family, even his health, all with explicit endorsement from God, and all seemingly due to a bet between Yahweh and Satan.

DAY 27 (Genesis 47-50): When Israel and his sons settle in Egypt, they must come to grips with their new status as serfs under Joseph and the Egyptian Pharoah. After seventeen years, as Jacob nears his last breath, he summons his twelve sons for a final blessing. Having turned their lives over to the protection of Egypt, Jacob no longer had property of his own to speak of, and so this series of blessings would have to serve as his sons' final inheritance

DAY 26 (Genesis 44-46): After Jacob sends his sons again to Egypt to purchase grain for relief during a great famine, Joseph again recognizes them, and struggles to find the right occasion to reveal to them his true identity. Remember that these are the same brothers who for jealousy had bound Joseph and sold him into slavery many years earlier. Had the intervening years softened their hard hearts? Did they repent of their earlier evil deeds?

DAY 25 (Genesis 42-43): Famine now engulfed the ancient world, and destiny demands a reunion between Joseph and his estranged brothers, since all available grain lies under Joseph's supervision. How will Joseph respond to this sudden visit from those who sold him into slavery years ago?

DAY 24 (Genesis 39-41): We now embark upon autobiographical material originally written by Joseph son of Israel, who despite living under Yahweh's favor found himself victim to multiple injustices. Confined to an Egyptian prison, Joseph interprets many dreams, leading to a dramatic reversal of fortune.