Carefully Examining the Text

Tommy Peeler
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To know God and to make Him known through the teaching of the Scriptures

  1. 5d ago

    Job 19:13-22

    19:13-20 Job a byword and outcast (17:6) Job mentions some twelve groups here that have been alienated from him. The mention of these groups show how isolated and alienated Job has become.  A common theme in psalms of lament is how the writer or speaker has been isolated from family and friends (Ps. 31:11; 38:11; 41:9; 55:12-14; 69:8; 88:8, 18). 19:15 Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger- The one who dwells in his house, gar, would refer not to blood relatives but to outsiders taken in by the good will of the homeowner. These were outside the bonds of family (Ex. 20:10, 12; Deut. 5:14; 16:11, 14). These would generally be bound by the strongest bonds of loyalty to his benefactor but not in this case. “The tables are now so completely turned that the very persons who owed their places in the household to Job now look upon him as outside the family.”[1] I am a foreigner in their sight- The terms stranger (from the first line) and foreigner are used in parallelism. Often sojourners and maids were taken from foreign nations (Lev. 25:44-46; II Kings 5:2). Job has taken in people outside the nation and now these treat Job as if he were the stranger and foreigner.   19:16 I call to my servant, but he does not answer;- Job 9:14-16 uses the verb call (vs. 16) and answered (vs. 14, 15, 16).  The servant was the lowliest member of the community (though see Job’s respect for them in 31:13-15). The servant usually was very attentive to the master’s wants (Ps. 123:2; Luke 17:7-10). Just as God did not answer in vs. 7 so the servant does not answer. Job gets no answer from God, his friends, or even his servants, he is “a man without an answer.”[2] I have to implore him with my mouth- The word implore is the word translated pity in vs. 21. The proper of order of things is not that the master begs the servant but even after this, the servant still does not properly respond. Job’s world has truly been turned upside down.  19:13 He has removed my brothers far from me,- In Ps. 69:8 David was estranged from his brothers. This word far from me, rachaq, is also used begging God not to be far away (Ps. 22:11, 19; 35:22; 38:21; 71:12). God is the One driving the wedge between Job and those closest to him. “The whole sorry catalogue of Job’s losses of human intimacy is laid at God’s door.”[2] Job experiences what many sufferers, even innocent sufferers experience, though their friends may be many in times of blessing, they are often few in times of suffering. In suffering the sufferer is often left to fend for himself. Ps. 38:11-12; 69:9; 88:8, 18. And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me- No friend with words to comfort nor hand to help was there for Job.  19:13-20 Job being forsaken by his closest associates foreshadows the greatest innocent sufferer of all who was forsaken by those closest to Him. His brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). His own family sought to take custody of Him thinking He has lost His senses (Mk. 3:20-21). Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve (Matt. 26:14-16; 21-25, 47-50). His most outspoken follower Peter denied even knowing Him (Matt. 26:69-75). All the disciples forsook Him and fled at His arrest (Matt. 26:31, 56), including the youngest and strongest (Mk. 14:51-52). He came to His own and His own did not receive Him (John 1:12). The servants in God’s house rejected Him and He was viewed as a stranger in His own house (Matt. 21:12-17, 23-27).

  2. Jul 17

    Job 19:1-12

    19:7 To cry, tsaaq, violence is implicitly a cry to God for help from violence. The weak party cries to God for relief from suffering (Ex. 8:12; 14:10; 22:23, 27; Deut. 22:24, 27).  But I get no answer- Often God’s servants uttered similar cries, and God heard them (Ps. 34:17). But in Job 35:12 Elihu is going to use both the verb cry and answer to say that sometimes God does not answer because of the pride of evil men. It is sometimes true that God does not answer one’s cries because of our attitude or behavior. For example, the one who refuses to hear the cry of the poor will also call himself and not be answered (Prov. 21:13). However, that is not the case with Job. I shout for help, but there is no justice- The verb translated shout, shava is used in Job 24:12; 29:12; 30:20, 28; 35:9; 36:13; 38:41. Putting together several of these passages in Job is interesting. In 36:13 the godless does not cry for help. In 30:20 Job shouts to God and gets no answer (30:28). In 24:12 when the wounded cry out, God does not pay attention. However, when Job was able to help and the weak cried out to him, he delivered them (29:12). However, Job 38:41 offers hope because God hears the cry of raven’s young therefore there is hope that He will hear Job’s cry.  19:9 He has stripped my honor from me- This verb stripped is used of the brothers stripping Joseph’s coat in Gen. 37:23, Aaron’s garments (Num. 20:25, 28), and Saul’s weapons  (I Sam. 31:8, 9). Also see Ezek. 16:39. Honor is portrayed as a garment to be put on or stripped off. Character and blessings are garments to be worn in Job 29:14. It is God who has stripped off these things.  And removed the crown from my head- God removed crowns in Jer. 13:18; Lam. 5:16. This language does not indicate that Job was actually a king, but the respect that Job had among his people was as great as that of any king in 29:8-10, 25.  This line serves as quite a contrast with Psalm 8:5. “His experience is diametrically opposed to the traditional belief that God crowns (‘atar, the verb that corresponds to the noun used in Job 19:9) a man with glory (kabowd) and honor (hadar).”The Hebrew word translated honor in Psalm 8:5 does not appear in Job 19:9.  Jesus and Job 19 19:2 Job spoke of the words of his friends’ crushing him. The word crush, daka, is used in Isaiah 53:5, 10 to speak of the servant of the LORD being crushed by God.   19:7 God’s ultimate display of justice was the cross. The irony is that the most horrible act of injustice in all history demonstrated the justice of God. God punished sin in way to provide salvation to the sinner (Rom. 3:21-26).

  3. Jul 8

    Job 18 Part 2

    What is the truth and error of Bildad’s words? Bildad says several things about the fate of the wicked that are elsewhere said in the Old Testament about the end of the wicked. 18:5 The light of the wicked goes out. This is stated in Proverbs 13:9; 20:20; 24:20.  18:7 The schemes of the wicked bring him down. This is stated frequently in Scripture in Psalm 7:15-16 and Prov. 26:27. 18:11, 14 Terrors frighten the wicked man. Ps. 73:19 tells us that the wicked are swept away by sudden terrors.  18:13 pictures the skin of the wicked devoured by disease. In Zech. 14:12 the LORD will strike those who go to war against Jerusalem and their flesh will rot as they stand on their feet.  18:15 tells us that brimstone will be scattered on the habitation of the wicked. Ps. 11:6 says the same basic thing. 18:16 The picture of the wicked is of a plant totally consumed, both its root below and its branches above. This is a picture of judgment upon the wicked in Isa. 5:24; Hos. 9:16. 18:17 says that the memory of the wicked perishes. This is also stated as a judgment upon the wicked in Ps. 9:6; 34:16; Prov. 10:7.  18:19 The statement that the wicked would have no posterity nor offspring is the same thing said of the king of Babylon in Isa. 14:22.   Bildad speaks truth about the ultimate fate of the wicked.   Is anything wrong with his words? To focus on one example, in 18:5 what is the problem with Bildad’s statement that the lamp of the wicked goes out?   The problem is also not in the statement itself but in how it is used. The statement affirms that the way of the wicked will end in disaster though it does not say when nor how it will end in disaster. These statements are not given to help us to determine who is wicked and who is righteous.   There are plenty of passages in Proverbs that contrast the fate of the righteous with the fate of the wicked (Prov. 10:24; 11:5; 12:13...). Is this always revealed in this lifetime? What the friends say about the fate of the wicked is correct. But is the wicked man fully repaid for his wickedness in this life? The whole Bible reveals that the final balancing the scales of justice will come in final judgment. Often it will not be evident until eternity as to who was wicked and who was righteous. In this light, the statement about the wicked leading to disaster is always like Bildad pictures it but the full truth is not revealed in this life.   It may be that the picture of the wicked particularly at 18:14 may represent in a seed form the doctrine of eternal judgment. The language of 18:15 may invoke the language of judgment on Sodom. The judgment on Sodom is given as a picture of warning for God’s judgment upon the wicked for all time in II Peter 2:6-9 and Jude 6-7.   Jesus and Job 18 18:5-6, 18 Jesus is the light of the world. The gospel of John portrays Jesus as the light (John 1:4, 5, 7, 8, 9; 3:19, 20, 21; 5:35; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9, 10; 12:35, 36, 46).   18:13-14 Jesus gives victory over the terrors of death- I Cor. 15; Heb. 2:10-18.   18:19 The wicked has no offspring or posterity. This is contrasted to Jesus- Isa. 53:10. This is contrasted with Jesus as He will see His offspring. As many as received Him to them He gave the right to be the sons of God (John 1:12).   18:20 The word appalled is used in Isaiah 52:14 of the suffering servant.

  4. Jun 28

    Job 18 Part 1

    Job 18:1-4 Bildad asks why Job regards him and his friends as ignorant 18:5-21 Bildad's description of the wicked man  Ways Bildad's description of the wicked agrees with Eliphaz’ description of the wicked 18:5-6, 18 Darkness is the ultimate dwelling of the wicked 15:22-23, 30 18:16 A plant that is destroyed 15:30b, 32-33 18:15 Fire plays a part in his destruction 15:30, 34 18:7 His success will not last 15:27-31 18:11, 14 Anguish terrifies the wicked 15:21, 24 18:6, 14-15 The tent of the wicked is destroyed 15:34 18:21 The wicked does not know God 15:4, 13, 25-26  Ways Bildad’s words are especially directed against Job  18:11 Terrors hounded Job- 3:25-26 18:13 The word for skin, or, is used in Job 2:4; 7:5; 10:11; 19:20, 20, 20; 30:30; 41:7 elsewhere.  18:15b The fire of God consumed Job’s livestock (1:16). 18:19 Eliphaz stated the same kind of thing about the wicked in 15:34. These things match Job’s experience (1:18-19). Bildad is describing the wicked man to say to Bildad that you are the man. What is the essence of the disagreement between Job and his friends? 1. 18:4 Tear and anger are the same Hebrew words used in 16:9. Job said God is tearing me in His anger but Bildad says no Job, you are tearing yourself.  2. 18:5 The lamp of the wicked goes out. In 12:22, 25 Job emphasizes God making people grope in darkness but sin is never given as the reason for that in Job 12. In 21:17 Job questions how often the lamp of the wicked goes out. 3. In 18:6 the lamp in the tent of the wicked goes out but in 12:6 Job asserted that often the tent of destroyers prosper. The use of the word tent highlights the difference between the wicked in the thoughts of the friends and Job.  4. In 18:8-10 Bildad pictures the wicked laying traps and hunting devices for himself by his own sin. In 16:9 Job said God is hunting him and in 16:13 shooting arrows at him.

  5. Jun 17

    Job 17

    What does Job 17 say? About the friends- 17:2, 4, 5, 10, 12 God Himself- 17:3, 6 About Job and his hopeless situation- 17:1, 7, 11, 13-16 Jesus and Job 17 17:2 Jesus was surrounded by mockers- Servants of God often found themselves as surrounded by hostile mockers (Ps. 119:51; Jer.20:7) and Jesus is the ultimate illustration of this (Ps. 22:7, 12; Matt. 27:29, 41).   He was surrounded by them even in his death  17:6 Job is a byword as the innocent sufferer of Psalm 69:11-12. Psalm 69 is often quoted in the NT and applied to Jesus. (Ps. 69:4/ Jn. 15:25; Ps. 69:9a/ Jn. 2:17; Ps. 69:9b/Rom. 15:3; 69:21/ Jn. 19:28-30). Spitting is a major form of disgrace. Job endured people spitting in His face. Job’s experiences foreshadow the experiences of the ultimate righteous sufferer (Matt. 26:67; 27:30; Mk. 10:34; 14:65; 15:19).  17:8 This verse speaks of the upright being appalled. The verb appalled is used of the suffering servant in Isaiah 52:14. Many will be appalled at the appearance of the Servant.   17:13-16 Jesus’ death and resurrection can provide us with hope, a hope that even sin and death cannot take away (I Corinthians 15; Heb. 2:10-18).

  6. Jun 8

    Job 16:15-22

    16:18 O earth, do not cover my blood- The earth is sometimes called to witness men’s sins (Deut. 30:15-20; Isa. 1:2; Micah 6:1-2) but here Job calls upon it to testify of His innocence.  Job’s longs for the earth not to cover his blood. The phrase cover his blood also appears in Gen. 37:26; Isa. 26:21. In Gen. 4:10 the voice of Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. Blood represented life itself (Lev. 17:11), and it is precious. Even an animal’s blood was to be covered with the ground (Lev. 17:13; Ezek. 24:7-8). Because life and blood were so precious, taking life demanded one’s life be taken (Gen. 9:5-6; Num. 35:29-34).  And let there be no resting place for my cry- The law of Moses made provision for an avenger of blood who executed the killer of his near kin (Num. 35:9-34). If the avenger failed to act, God was expected to act. Job begs that his cry find no resting place until he was avenged.  16:19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,- While Job’s appearance served as a witness against him in vs. 8, he is confident of a witness in heaven (vs.19). The witness is more than just a man. He is in heaven. But who is this witness, this advocate? Some argue that the witness is God Himself.[1] In this context, the witness seems like a 3rd party who will plead his case before God (vs. 21).  And my advocate is on high- The word translated advocate is only used here.   16:20 My friends are my scoffers;- There is question about the translation of key words.  The word translated friends is used of Job’s friends in 2:11; 32:3; 42:10. The NET translates this phrase “My intercessor is my friend.” This word translated intercessor can carry the idea of scoffer (Ps. 1:1; Prov.1:22; 3:34; 9:7, 8, 12; 13:1; 14:6) or it can speak of a translator or an interpreter (Gen. 42:23; II Chron. 32:31; Job 33:23; Isa. 43:27).[1]  [1] Newsome, 460-461, does not believe these words variously translated are from the same Hebrew word but that they are different words. Clines, 371, agrees and has some good notes about the translation.  Jesus and Job 16:15-22 16:16, 20 Job’s face is flushed with weeping. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35), at the triumphal entry to the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44), and at Gethsemane (Heb. 5:7). Jesus offered strong crying and tears to the One able to save Him.   16:17 Job was innocence and there was no violence in his hand. Jesus was completely innocent and there was no violence in His mouth on a much greater level than Job (Isa. 53:9; I Peter 2:22).   16:18 Job begs that the earth not cover his blood. While the blood of Abel cries out for vengeance, the blood of Jesus cries out for mercy (Gen. 4:10; Heb. 12:24).  16:21 Compare this to Job 9:32-33; 19:25; 33:23-24. Job is not prophesying of Jesus in the sense of stating what He will do. Job is expressing a longing, a desire for One who will do what Jesus accomplishes. Jesus actually goes far beyond what Job desired. Job’s sins, however small, had made him God’s enemy (Rom. 5:6-10). All the things Job experienced, and more were endured by Jesus on the cross to bring those who were His enemies back to Him.

  7. May 28

    Job 16:1-14

    16:7-14 God is ferociously and relentlessly attacking Job. God is the subject of almost all the verbs in this unit. The name El, God, is used in vs. 11. Most of the verbs are 3rd masculine singular with the subject being He (vs.7a, 8b, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14).  Verse 10 is the exception to this because it used 3rd person plural verbs translated they. Eliphaz stated that Job is attacking God in 15:25-26, but Job insists that it is God who is attacking him in these verses.  16:7  You have laid waste all my company- The word company is the same word used in 15:34. Eliphaz pictured the company of the godless as barren in 15:34 and God has certainly done that to Job laying waste his whole company. Job has lost his children and most of his servants (1:13-19; 19:13-20).   16:8 You have shriveled me up, It has become a witness;- The word for witness is used here and in vs. 19 of the chapter. His physical appearance screams of his guilt.  16:9 His anger has torn me and hunted me down- The word torn, taraph, indicates a wild animal tearing a person (Gen. 37:33) or another animal apart (Ex. 22:13). The verb is used in the picture of the wicked tearing the righteous in Ps. 7:2; 17:12. When God is portrayed as doing the tearing, it is a result of the people’s sins (Hos. 5:14; 6:1). In 18:4 Bildad uses the same verb torn to say that Job has torn himself.  He has gnashed at me with His teeth;- The phrase gnashing the teeth is used of the wicked’s treatment of the righteous (Ps. 35:16; 37:12). This the only time God is pictured in Scripture as gnashing His teeth in Scripture.   My adversary glares at me- This line speaks of God as an adversary against His people (Lam. 2:4). .   16:10 They have gaped at me with their mouth,- Three verbs with 3rd common plural suffixes are used in 16:10 and are translated they. Job is attacked both from above and below. God’s violent opposition lead to the crowds turning against Job. Since Job’s sufferings were viewed as a result of his sins and God is viewed as the source of Job’s sufferings, then his enemies would feel free to unleash their fury on Him.  They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt;- To be slapped on the cheek is a great insult (I Kings 22:24; Ps. 3:7). The “loss of dignity is just as agonizing for Job as the excruciating physical pain.” 16:11 God hands me over to ruffians- While God (El) is the subject of the verbs in this section (vs.7-14), this is the only instance where He is specifically mentioned.  And tosses me into the hands of the wicked- Instead of the wicked suffering intensely as Eliphaz described in 15:17-35, Job as an innocent man has been handed over to them.   16:12 I was at ease, but He shattered me,-  And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces- God is the predator who has captured Job by the neck and destroyed him. Gen. 49:8; Ex. 23:27 show the powerful grabbing his enemy by the neck. 16:13 His arrows surround me- The Almighty shots at Job with His arrows in Job 6:4; 30:12. We see the same idea of the LORD shooting at His people in Ps. 38:2; Lam. 3:12. In Ps. 64:7 He shoots at the wicked.  Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;- The word mercy, chamal, sometimes describes God’s mercy or compassion upon His people (II Chron. 36:15; Ezek. 16:5). More frequently it is used to describe God as having no compassion or

  8. May 18

    Job 15:17-35

    We seek to establish in the podcast on vs. 20-35 that many of the things said about the wicked by Eliphaz are pictured as judgments upon the wicked throughout the Bible. If that is so, what is wrong with Eliphaz speech? He is not wrong about the punishment of the wicked, but he wrong in classing Job among the guilty. Second, Eliphaz is not wrong about the judgment of the wicked, but do all these judgments work out in this life? Luke 16:19-31 gives us additional light from the New Testament. Lazarus laid at the rich man's gate, begging for things to eat, and having his sores licked by dogs fits Eliphaz' picture of the wicked man. On the other hand the righteous man's abundance and blessings seem to indicate him as a righteous man. However, things were much different than they appeared outwardly. The ultimate blessings of righteousness and penalties of wickedness do not manifest themselves always in this world.    The things Eliphaz says are the very things that have happened to Job. Fire consumes (15:30, 34; 1:16), marauders attack (15:21; 1:13-15, 17), possessions are taken away (15:29; 1:17), his wealth did not endure (15:29; 1:13-17), and the houses of his children crumbled (15:28; 1:19). The discussion above has sought to call attention to how the same vocabulary words and ideas used by Eliphaz were used by Job to describe his own experience. Jesus and Job   15:22 The wicked was destined for the sword. The LORD of hosts reckons the sword against His Shepherd declaring that the Shepherd will be struck and all the sheep scattered in Zech. 13:7. Jesus quotes a portion of Zech. 13:7 in Matt. 26:31 and Mark 14:27 and applies it to Himself and His disciples. Jesus too was destined for the sword.

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To know God and to make Him known through the teaching of the Scriptures

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  • Creator
    Tommy Peeler
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    205
  • Rating
    Clean
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    © 2026 Carefully Examining the Text
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