Scripture Union Discovery 10th March 2023, Friday Devotional Message
TOPIC: The Good Old Days
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Opening Prayer
Almighty God, as I reflect on who you are and what you have done, I am, as the hymn says, “…… lost in wonder, love, and praise”. (Love Divine, All Loves Excelling hymn by Charles Wesley)
Read JOB 29
Job’s Final Defense
29 Job continued his discourse:
2 “How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
6 when my path was drenched with cream
and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.
7 “When I went to the gate of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside
and the old men rose to their feet;
9 the chief men refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands;
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,
12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
13 The one who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow’s heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth.
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
19 My roots will reach to the water,
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.
20 My glory will not fade;
the bow will be ever new in my hand.’
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;
my words fell gently on their ears.
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face was precious to them.[a]
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;
I dwelt as a king among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.
Footnotes
- Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think back on a happy memory. Recall the joy of that moment or season. Thank God for his past blessings to you.
Scripture Union Discovery 10th March 2023
‘Oh, for the days when I was in my prime!’ I suspect many of us can sympathize with Job’s heart cry in verse 4 of today’s reading. Maybe we weren’t all as highly respected or abundantly blessed as Job goes on to describe, but it is natural when we face difficulties or failing health to look back and long for happier, easier times. We may even have a nostalgia for past eras of history, when life was simpler (ignoring the fact that it was also usually more hazardous!).
How should we as believers think about the past? The Bible often commands God’s people to recall their past. The Israelites were told to tell, year after year, the story of their rescue from Egypt and God’s miraculous provision and protection. Jesus told us to break bread and drink wine in remembrance of him.
The purpose is not to make us nostalgic for ‘the good old days’, ‘when the Almighty was still with [us]’ (29:5). Rather, the idea is that remembering what God did then will give us faith and hope for what he is doing now.
Apply
Thank God for giving us his Word that reveals his power and love at work in his people.
Closing prayer
Father, please help me to remember that you are still at work, just as you always have been. Help me to trust you for the future. Amen
THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
NUMBERS 24, 25 / ACTS 21
