Transcript

Today's Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 31-34 NLT

Associate Producer

James from Norway

Podcast Introduction

This is Poetry Thursday, and we’ll read Job 31-34. The show title is ˆLook Away.”

Design: Jason Paschall | Photo: Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash

Comments on Job 31

There are so many things I could say about our reading today, but I want to focus for a few moments on chapter 31. Job’s youngest accuser, Elihu showed up for the first time in chapter 32, be he’s going to  be with us until chapter 37, so we’ll talk about him next week.

But chapter 31 records Job's words to his accusers. In it, Job lists many different sins that a person could be accused of, and he tells how he is not guilty of any of them.

He starts with one of a man's most common sins: looking with lust at a young woman. How many men can say that he has not done that? He says that he made a covenant with his eyes not to do that. I remember reading that Billy Graham, in all his travels made a similar covenant with his eyes. He would always avert his eyes to the ground when he was in a place where a pretty woman was around. This is a good strategy.

Job asks if he has lied or deceived anyone, and then challenges God to weigh him on the scales of justice.

Job goes on and on, saying that if he has done any of these things, then let one calamity or another happen to him if he has done wrong.

Beloved, it probably goes without saying, but Job was a better man than me. I am far from the paragon of virtue that he was, and I would never say the things he said, because I would expect a righteous God to take me up on the challenges. And I would be left in a heap of hurt.

Except that I wouldn't. Why? Because God sees me as clean. Spotless. As righteous as Job...and even more so. How could this be? Because I have been declared righteous in God's sight. Not by my good works, because as Paul said, my most righteous acts are as filthy rags. But because of what Jesus, my Lord and my Savior has done for me. He gave Himself so that I could be made clean and guiltless. Once I accepted His free gift of salvation, all of my sins were cast as far from me as the east is from the west. I am no longer that wretched soul who had no hope. Now I have the assurance that when the time for me to stand in front of the truly righteous Judge of all mankind, I will be declared worthy to enter eternity with Him, because I belong to Jesus.

If you do not have that kind of confidence, you can have it now. All you have to do is accept Jesus into your heart today. If you want to do that, pray with me right now. Just say these words, either out loud, or quietly.

Dear Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that I have fallen short of your perfection, and I know that I need your forgiveness. Please, Lord. Come into my life right now. I know that you lived a perfect, sinless life, and that you are the Son of God. I know that you are at the Father's right hand, and that I need you. Please save me now. Help me to be the person you want me to be from this time forward. Thank you for saving me. In your name I pray. Amen.

A sinner's prayer

If you prayed that prayer with me, then this is the most important day of your life. Congratulations. Whether you feel any different now than you did when you started listening to this podcast, or not, the Bible, which is God's perfect Word, tells us that you are now a new creature in Christ. Old things have passed away, and all things are new. 

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Transcript

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Steve Webb 0:00He's not guilty of any of them.

Steve Webb 0:09This is the Lifespring one year Bible c...