Thousands of years ago, people thought terrible hardships meant a person had sinned against an avenging god. Obviously, Job’s friends had been taught to think that way, but Job knew he’d done nothing to disobey God, and he could think of nothing that might even have offended the Lord.
Centuries later that Mediator came to earth as our
go-between – Jesus Christ, The One Who forgives and forever reunites us with the Almighty God.
Job 9:25-35 – a prayer of Job
in contemporary English
My life sprints by like a runner – so swiftly
it’s hard to catch a glimpse of happiness.
Life vanishes like a speedy little boat made of paper
or like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
If I made up my mind to forget my complaints
and put away a sad face to be cheerful,
I would still shudder with pain.
O, God, I know You’ll never say I’m innocent!
No matter what, I will be found guilty,
so why should I even try?
If I scoured myself with soap
and washed my hands with lye,
You might thrust me into a muddy ditch,
so even my clothes would hate my filth!
God, You’re not a regular person like me,
so how can I argue my case? How can I
take You to trial?
Oh, if only a Mediator stood between us –
someone who could bring us together again.
From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected
from a variety of translations researched on Bible
Gateway then paraphrased
into everyday English by Mary Harwell
Sayler, ©2019
Job 9:25-35 – a prayer of Job
from the King James Version
Now my days are swifter than a post:
they flee away, they see no good.
They are passed away as the swift ships:
as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
If I say, I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my heaviness,
and comfort myself: I am afraid
of all my sorrows, I know that thou
wilt not hold me innocent.
If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?
If I wash myself with snow water, and
make my hands never so clean;
Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch,
and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
For he ( God) is
not a man, as I am,
come together in judgment.
Neither is there any daysman betwixt us,
that might lay his hand upon us both.
in contemporary English
it’s hard to catch a glimpse of happiness.
Life vanishes like a speedy little boat made of paper
or like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
If I made up my mind to forget my complaints
and put away a sad face to be cheerful,
I would still shudder with pain.
No matter what, I will be found guilty,
so why should I even try?
and washed my hands with lye,
You might thrust me into a muddy ditch,
so even my clothes would hate my filth!
so how can I argue my case? How can I
take You to trial?
someone who could bring us together again.
from the King James Version
they flee away, they see no good.
as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
If I say, I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my heaviness,
and comfort myself: I am afraid
of all my sorrows, I know that thou
wilt not hold me innocent.
make my hands never so clean;
Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch,
and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
come together in judgment.
Neither is there any daysman betwixt us,
that might lay his hand upon us both.
From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019
Praise God for Jesus Christ, our mediator. I can sense the intensity Job faced in his conversation. How hopeless we would feel today without Christ. Such a reminder to thank Him for living a selfless life on our behalf.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Thanks, Valerie.
ReplyDelete