10 February 2009
Food news from Europe
- Seaweed granules may be used to replaced salt. It has similar nutritional content but less sodium (3.5% compare to 40% in salt), and can inhibit microbial growth just as salt.
- 'Portion size' may not be a good way to control food intake of people as consumers understanding of portion size is the amount of food to be eaten in order to benefit optimum level of nutrition rather than as index to estimate personal food intake. So, portion size is not associated with the 'appropriate amount to eat' in the minds of consumers.
- Self-assembled emulsion droplets encapsulated in carrageenan-based gels may one day be able to deliver flavours and nutrients in food, says preliminary research from Nestle.
- UK consumers are buying less salt in foods.
Peaking into 2009 Food Trends in the US
- Consumers will notice more of reduced portion size as the manufacturers way of cutting production cost. This will affect more in their decision making.
- Sweeteners such as Stevia and Agave are getting more acceptable, more consumers considers it as "natural".
- Increase trends for Fair Trade products. It is moving beyond cocoa, tea and coffee.
- Still important areas for food manufacturers: satiety, reduced-calorie, removal of artificial colours and flavours.
- Food price hikes, retailers are doing more push-back.
- South American flavoured snacks are forecast to be much popular in the years ahead. American eat more meat per capita than anyone else in the world (124 Kg each year, FAO stats). Flavours from Argentina and Brazil with cactus and chimichurri – a chili-based sauce for grilled meats will be trendy. In order to tap into the trends, flavours suggested new twists on salsa, and spicy steak flavors, as well as Latin-inspired flavorings for snacking seeds, such as chili and lime.
- Interesting enough....children will continue to be attracted with bright colors and cartoon characters, young adults aged 14-32 will be attracted to extreme flavors, above 40 are more health conscious with nostalgic flavors preferences.
- NPD predicted children under nine, adult 30-39 and 50-59 years will continue to be the major snacks consumers until 2017. I was amazed by the prediction (2017 is a long way to go).
- People are going for high quality food products with fewer and higher quality ingredients, less mass-produced, with narratives that includes craft values and traditions. Despite recession, consumers are still hunting for fresh, local, quality products. People are more interested in celebrational eating, eating for better immunity and digestive health compare to detoxifying and supplemented food.
- People are dining out less thus are more interested in prepared foods. Consumers are substituting more expensive to less expensive retailers.
08 February 2009
Quiet Happiness
Yesterday, I went to Michael Card concert. It was two thumbs up! Good music and good lyrics. His love for the scripture is just contagious! contagious! contagious! Can just about feel his love for the Lord in every song! Thank you B.L.E.S.S, Navmedia and Covenant Evangelical Free Church who worked hard to put out this event.
Today, went to church. Was just good to see brothers and sisters in Christ. In the afternoon, we watched The curious case of Benjamin Button. I like that movie! even though it might be a little different, a story about a guy who was born old and growing younger to face death. He was fed with the love of a stranger, and was able to love others by making sacrificial choices in his life. I was quietly satisfied.
My two "learning projects" coming up: 30 days challenge from True Woman Conference (Series on Proverbs 31), essay on "The covenant of grace: a key to understanding the Bible". Interesting stuff :D :D :D.
Lilis is contented. Ahh, quiet happiness. All to thank the Lord for.
07 February 2009
A cup of tea with Job Part 2
Job 20
Zophar
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: 2 "My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.
3 I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
4 "Surely you know how it has been from of old,
ever since man [a] was placed on the earth,
5 that the mirth of the wicked is brief,
the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
6 Though his pride reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
7 he will perish forever, like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'
8 Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found,
banished like a vision of the night.
9 The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.
10 His children must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.
11 The youthful vigor that fills his bones
will lie with him in the dust.
12 "Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,
13 though he cannot bear to let it go
and keeps it in his mouth,
14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;
it will become the venom of serpents within him.
15 He will spit out the riches he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit them up.
16 He will suck the poison of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.
19 For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;
he has seized houses he did not build.
20 "Surely he will have no respite from his craving;
he cannot save himself by his treasure.
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;
the full force of misery will come upon him.
23 When he has filled his belly,
God will vent his burning anger against him
and rain down his blows upon him.
24 Though he flees from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.
25 He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors will come over him;
26 total darkness lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire unfanned will consume him
and devour what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.
28 A flood will carry off his house,
rushing waters [b] on the day of God's wrath.
29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God."
Zophar simply believes that the wicked will not prosper. The righteous is spared and the wicked suffers. Is that reality?
Job 21
Job
1 Then Job replied: 2 "Listen carefully to my words;
let this be the consolation you give me.
3 Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.
4 "Is my complaint directed to man?
Why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be astonished;
clap your hand over your mouth.
6 When I think about this, I am terrified;
trembling seizes my body.
7 Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?
8 They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not upon them.
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They send forth their children as a flock;
their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of tambourine and harp;
they make merry to the sound of the flute.
13 They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave [c] in peace. [d]
14 Yet they say to God, 'Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?'
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
verse 7 (and the verses after)/Job goes on his arguments, disagreeing with Zophar "formula". God does let the wicked to prosper. Psalm 37:4 "...fret not yourself over the man who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices." Then, we probably think "so what's the point in being good and holy? What bleak future we have when in the end there is no difference between the good and the bad guys?" My answer is No, there is a difference. God has promised those who follow Him, an eternal life - life without pain, sorrow and the existence of sin.
Remember Romans 1:21-26:
"21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."
Notice, the repetition of God giving them over. God let them perish, following their own desires because they have rejected Him. They may prosper now but the life that is now is temporary, it's not going to last forever. Their fate is sealed, which is eternal punishment. So, a very different ending compare to us. We really have hope, guys. God's promises are true and trustworthy.
17 "Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does calamity come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a gale?
19 It is said, 'God stores up a man's punishment for his sons.'
Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it!
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction;
let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. [e]
21 For what does he care about the family he leaves behind
when his allotted months come to an end?
22 "Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since he judges even the highest?
23 One man dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,
24 his body [f] well nourished,
his bones rich with marrow.
25 Another man dies in bitterness of soul,
never having enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust,
and worms cover them both.
27 "I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 You say, 'Where now is the great man's house,
the tents where wicked men lived?'
29 Have you never questioned those who travel?
Have you paid no regard to their accounts-
30 that the evil man is spared from the day of calamity,
that he is delivered from [g] the day of wrath?
31 Who denounces his conduct to his face?
Who repays him for what he has done?
32 He is carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over his tomb.
33 The soil in the valley is sweet to him;
all men follow after him,
and a countless throng goes [h] before him.
34 "So how can you console me with your nonsense?
Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!"
Verse 34/Haha. I always note Job's answers to his friends. I like it when he daringly retorted that their answers are nonsense and of falsehood.
Job 22
Eliphaz
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 2 "Can a man be of benefit to God?
Can even a wise man benefit him?
3 What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
4 "Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?
5 Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
6 You demanded security from your brothers for no reason;
you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked.
7 You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
8 though you were a powerful man, owning land—
an honored man, living on it.
9 And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.
10 That is why snares are all around you,
why sudden peril terrifies you,
11 why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.
Eliphaz rebuked Job for what he had not done. Eliphaz thinks that Job must have sinned greatly to have suffered badly.
12 "Is not God in the heights of heaven?
And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13 Yet you say, 'What does God know?
Does he judge through such darkness?
14 Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us
as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.'
15 Will you keep to the old path
that evil men have trod?
16 They were carried off before their time,
their foundations washed away by a flood.
17 They said to God, 'Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?'
18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,
so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.
19 "The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,
20 'Surely our foes are destroyed,
and fire devours their wealth.'
21 "Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you.
22 Accept instruction from his mouth
and lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:
If you remove wickedness far from your tent
24 and assign your nuggets to the dust,
your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold,
the choicest silver for you.
26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty
and will lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
28 What you decide on will be done,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When men are brought low and you say, 'Lift them up!'
then he will save the downcast.
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
Job 23
Job
1 Then Job replied: 2 "Even today my complaint is bitter;
his hand [i] is heavy in spite of [j] my groaning.
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!
4 I would state my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would find out what he would answer me,
and consider what he would say.
6 Would he oppose me with great power?
No, he would not press charges against me.
7 There an upright man could present his case before him,
and I would be delivered forever from my judge.
8 "But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
verses 9-12/here we have some more insights to Job's spiritual life. Job loves the Lord.
13 "But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?
He does whatever he pleases.
God does whatever He pleases. Even the blameless like Job was allowed to be tested. Job wants to ask God. Why? Why God would allow such misery? (verses 3-5 above). Did God get angry when Job asked why? when you are miserable, asking why is normal. But, what is the attitude of our heart? Do we humbly want to seek God's will by asking why the suffering? or Do we shake our fists to God and refuse His will? But, God did not answer Job's questions. Instead, God showed Job who He is (later chapter 30 ish).
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.
15 That is why I am terrified before him;
when I think of all this, I fear him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Job 24
1 "Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
2 Men move boundary stones;
they pasture flocks they have stolen.
3 They drive away the orphan's donkey
and take the widow's ox in pledge.
4 They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
5 Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go about their labor of foraging food;
the wasteland provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder in the fields
and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
8 They are drenched by mountain rains
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;
they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces [k] ;
they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
13 "There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up
and kills the poor and needy;
in the night he steals forth like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, 'No eye will see me,'
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, men break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
17 For all of them, deep darkness is their morning [l] ;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness. [m]
18 "Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;
their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one goes to the vineyards.
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,
so the grave [n] snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm feasts on them;
evil men are no longer remembered
but are broken like a tree.
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow show no kindness.
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
but his eyes are on their ways.
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
25 "If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?"
Job 25
Bildad
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: 2 "Dominion and awe belong to God;
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
3 Can his forces be numbered?
Upon whom does his light not rise?
4 How then can a man be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
He is right. Adam's sin is passed on to us. Adam represented all of us. Even some who denied such history, when we were faced the same decision that Adam has to make, we will sin also. Whether we accept our ancestors had done wrong or not, we all have this sinful nature working in us. We are born hopelessly always saying yes to sin. It is our nature, until the Holy Spirit does the miracle of regeneration to our soul.
5 If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,
6 how much less man, who is but a maggot—
a son of man, who is only a worm!"
Job 26
Job
1 Then Job replied: 2 "How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight you have displayed!
Haha. Job.. Job..
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?
5 "The dead are in deep anguish,
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 Death [o] is naked before God;
Destruction [p] lies uncovered.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"
verse 7-14/this is the works of the Lord. Blessed is His name.
Job 27
1 And Job continued his discourse:
2 "As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will utter no deceit.
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
7 "May my enemies be like the wicked,
my adversaries like the unjust!
8 For what hope has the godless when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?
9 Does God listen to his cry
when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he find delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 "I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 "Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:
14 However many his children, their fate is the sword;
his offspring will never have enough to eat.
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust
and clothes like piles of clay,
17 what he lays up the righteous will wear,
and the innocent will divide his silver.
18 The house he builds is like a moth's cocoon,
like a hut made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
a tempest snatches him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him off, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy
as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands in derision
and hisses him out of his place.
Job 28
1 "There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man puts an end to the darkness;
he searches the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft,
in places forgotten by the foot of man;
far from men he dangles and sways.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 sapphires [q] come from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 Man's hand assaults the flinty rock
and lays bare the roots of the mountains.
10 He tunnels through the rock;
his eyes see all its treasures.
11 He searches [r] the sources of the rivers
and brings hidden things to light.
12 "But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
13 Man does not comprehend its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, 'It is not in me';
the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or sapphires.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 "Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds of the air.
22 Destruction [s] and Death say,
'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.'
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to man,
'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.' "
verse 12-28/I love this part! Wisdom, where to find? not in the deep, not in the sea. It is priceless, can not be bought even with rare gems. Only God knows, wisdom is always with the Lord. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
Wisdom is hidden from every living thing..."And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor 4:3-4). Verse 24/God is omnicient. I like the conclusion verse...It was revealed to us what is terribly precious, what calling is worthy. That is to fear the Lord and to shun evil. This body wants to do what it does not want to do and didn't do what it supposed to do. May the Holy Spirit so empowers us.
May the word of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you o Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Ps 19:14).
06 February 2009
Do not think yourself more highly than you ought
A cup of tea with Job
Job 15
Eliphaz
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 2 "Would a wise man answer with empty notions
or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
3 Would he argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?
4 But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.
5 Your sin prompts your mouth;
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.
7 "Are you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on God's council?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?
10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
men even older than your father.
Verse 9-10/ shows Job's friends are older than him (implicitly).
11 Are God's consolations not enough for you,
words spoken gently to you?
12 Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage against God
and pour out such words from your mouth?
14 "What is man, that he could be pure,
or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
16 how much less man, who is vile and corrupt,
who drinks up evil like water!
verse 14-16/ true words of Eliphaz but he is wrong in saying that Job suffered because of his own sins.
17 "Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,
18 what wise men have declared,
hiding nothing received from their fathers
19 (to whom alone the land was given
when no alien passed among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,
the ruthless through all the years stored up for him.
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;
when all seems well, marauders attack him.
22 He despairs of escaping the darkness;
he is marked for the sword.
23 He wanders about—food for vultures [a] ;
he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror;
they overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
26 defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.
27 "Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,
verse 27/ this verse reminds me with the fat King that Judge Ehud killed with sword. Hihi.
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,
houses crumbling to rubble.
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,
nor will his possessions spread over the land.
30 He will not escape the darkness;
a flame will wither his shoots,
and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away.
31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,
for he will get nothing in return.
32 Before his time he will be paid in full,
and his branches will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb fashions deceit."
Job 16
Job
1 Then Job replied: 2 "I have heard many things like these;
miserable comforters are you all!
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?
What ails you that you keep on arguing?
verse 2-3/just reminds us, to think before talking to our friends. We want to build up our friends not to tear down. Not to deceive ourselves as wise person...or we might as well show ourselves as fools from our speech.
4 I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head at you.
5 But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
6 "Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.
7 Surely, O God, you have worn me out;
you have devastated my entire household.
8 You have bound me—and it has become a witness;
my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
9 God assails me and tears me in his anger
and gnashes his teeth at me;
my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.
10 Men open their mouths to jeer at me;
they strike my cheek in scorn
and unite together against me.
11 God has turned me over to evil men
and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
he seized me by the neck and crushed me.
He has made me his target;
13 his archers surround me.
Without pity, he pierces my kidneys
and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again he bursts upon me;
he rushes at me like a warrior.
15 "I have sewed sackcloth over my skin
and buried my brow in the dust.
16 My face is red with weeping,
deep shadows ring my eyes;
17 yet my hands have been free of violence
and my prayer is pure.
verses above/poor Job, he suffered so much: pain from the sores, unwise friends that can't keep their mouth shut, unbelieving wife, death of his kids and losing all he has, ridicules from the outsiders and God that seems so silent over his suffering.
18 "O earth, do not cover my blood;
may my cry never be laid to rest!
19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend [b]
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as a man pleads for his friend.
verses 19-21/Job's faith in God amazes me. This verses sort of telling me that Job knows Jesus, might not know His name but knows who Jesus going to be, a mediator between God and man. He said my intercessor is my friend, on behalf of a man he pleas with God as he pleads for his friend. Just quite amazing that He has this concept since people in the OT can only hope and learn about the Messiah from the proclamation of the prophets. Just sheer intimacy and assurance that he has an intercessor (and this intercessor is his friend), an advocate for him before God.
22 "Only a few years will pass
before I go on the journey of no return.
Job 17
1 My spirit is broken,
my days are cut short,
the grave awaits me.
2 Surely mockers surround me;
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 "Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.
Who else will put up security for me?
verse 3/this verse was brought to my attention because it seems that Job felt that God demanded him something he can not meet up (that's why he is in deep suffering). Just forsaking Job's logic for his hardship for the moment, and concentrate on his request. God's standard is higher and he knows that only God Himself can fulfill such impossible pledge. So, he is not ashamed to ask. To me, this is similar to telling God, "God, I will only fall short of your righteous requirements. I don't measure up. Enable me, O Lord! for you are perfect and able." Just like how we are called not to depend on ourselves but on God in terms of Holiness. Pleading for His grace and mercy to sanctify us.
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If a man denounces his friends for reward,
the eyes of his children will fail.
6 "God has made me a byword to everyone,
a man in whose face people spit.
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;
my whole frame is but a shadow.
8 Upright men are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.
Again, a picture of how miserable he was.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands will grow stronger.
This tells me that our clean hands will support us, strengthen our feet. When we are doing what we preach, it frees us from guilt and shame when we are judged. I do not mean to take Jesus from the picture. Our own doing will not make us clean before God's eyes. When we practice what we preach, our words gain hearing and respect from man.
10 "But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.
11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered,
and so are the desires of my heart.
12 These men turn night into day;
in the face of darkness they say, 'Light is near.'
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave, [c]
if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,'
and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,'
15 where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?
16 Will it go down to the gates of death [d] ?
Will we descend together into the dust?"
Job 18
Bildad
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: 2 "When will you end these speeches?
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle
and considered stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?
5 "The lamp of the wicked is snuffed out;
the flame of his fire stops burning.
6 The light in his tent becomes dark;
the lamp beside him goes out.
7 The vigor of his step is weakened;
his own schemes throw him down.
8 His feet thrust him into a net
and he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.
10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap lies in his path.
11 Terrors startle him on every side
and dog his every step.
12 Calamity is hungry for him;
disaster is ready for him when he falls.
13 It eats away parts of his skin;
death's firstborn devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the security of his tent
and marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Fire resides [e] in his tent;
burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below
and his branches wither above.
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;
he has no name in the land.
18 He is driven from light into darkness
and is banished from the world.
19 He has no offspring or descendants among his people,
no survivor where once he lived.
20 Men of the west are appalled at his fate;
men of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;
such is the place of one who knows not God."
Job 19
Job
1 Then Job replied: 2 "How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?
3 Ten times now you have reproached me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me
and drawn his net around me.
God is to be blamed. For He permits sorrow in Job's life.
7 "Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response;
though I call for help, there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
10 He tears me down on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope like a tree.
11 His anger burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.
12 His troops advance in force;
they build a siege ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.
13 "He has alienated my brothers from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14 My kinsmen have gone away;
my friends have forgotten me.
15 My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger;
they look upon me as an alien.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18 Even the little boys scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.
19 All my intimate friends detest me;
those I love have turned against me.
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;
I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth. [f]
21 "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
for the hand of God has struck me.
He is dead sure. It can't be anyone else but God. True, because God is sovereign. His ways are mysterious to us but He is neither crazy nor enjoy in punishing us. "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Christ Jesus" (1 Thes 5:9). Amen?
22 Why do you pursue me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?
23 "Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on [g] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
25 I know that my Redeemer [h] lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. [i]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet [j] in [k] my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
verses 25-27/my favorite verses!!! His firm faith in God is inspiring. Despite blow by blow of anguish and sorrow, Job knows that in the end God will redeem him. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God" (Mat5:8). He did not dishonor God with unbelief. He did not give in to think lowly of himself, to guilt and shame, despite such persuasions from his close friends. "We are hard-pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed." (2 Cor 4:8-9)
28 "If you say, 'How we will hound him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him, [l] '
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,
and then you will know that there is judgment. [m] "
My own reflections:
I long to be healthy and strong. Small things can get me really anxious. Yes, small. I find it hard to fall asleep these days even though I am lying down in calmness, not fretting about things. I am not. Strange as it sounds. Each morning, I learn to embrace the life that God gave me. Be it with sleep or without. Be it full of energy or lacking. Be it with headache or free. God is...good. and like Jim Elliot says "live to the hilt of every situation you believe to be the very will of God". "Let not your longing slay the appetite of living".
I am tempted to compare myself with others. Why people do not have the same problems like me? I went to the dermatologist because I keep getting skin rash, he said I have immune system disorder. Not too serious than it sounds lah. But, God's ways are not my ways. His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. I refuse to rely on my own understanding because I only see what's in front of me but God sees it all...past to future. He really knows the best for me. What's more, His purpose for Lilis can never, ever be thwarted. I accept my lot. He is going to stretch my faith, He is. and I am going to get to know Him some more. I am excited with that proposition.
My infirmities scare me, as it might affect the prospect of me getting employed. Here's one, who once felt secure in her achievements must be brought low and rely on God. My peace was shaken slightly as people keep talking about securing a job, or getting another title. I can't get a scholarship for master at NUS (they did offer me to be considered for PhD). My GRE score was lower than minimum required. I do not delight in being idle. In fact, I am not. I think a job I can enjoy will be good.
After assessing everything, I am grateful. God has given me a lot of good things. I know things will be beautiful in His time. I take comfort in that.