Job 13:27

You put my feet in shackles,

   Watch over all my paths,

      Mark Your brand on the soles of my feet,

 

I finished working on Job 35:15, and I thought ‘I love this.’ Normally I do not like to think I love things, especially when people think I love my car, but for once I responded with well, I do love God, so I think it is ok to love learning more about Him. Job 35:15 is a difficult one with one source stating: this is just conjecture.

‘Put’ was also fasten’. ‘Shackles’ was ‘stocks’ the other seven times.

‘Paths’ was also ‘ways’ and ‘step’ with some emphasis on how closely the watching was done.

‘Brand’ was also ‘mark’, but also the different meaning of ‘limit’, ‘bound’ and ‘hemming in’. ‘Soles’ was also ‘heels’, ‘step’, ‘roots’, and simply feet. I did not dislike the different meaning in the final stitch but felt the similarity to match the first stitch meaning was forced and the broadening of Good’s control was better suited to the flow.

Another thought I had this morning was how critical it is for me to finish out this verse by verse work before trying to understand the overall story in a true study of the book of Job. When looking at the forest, the shape of an individual tree is generally not critical, but in language where a single stroke of the pen can alter the meaning of a whole passage, getting each tree right has more importance. One of the goals we speak about in my accountability group and Bible study group is improving how are we using the information we are learning. Head knowledge is great, but if we never use it, how did it help.

The novels I am reading have a focus on the activities of the secret service, and a recent passage highlighted the importance of the secret service practicing so much that their actions are not held back by having to think. If someone asks my name, I know it so well it just comes out. If someone asks my phone number, I have to think about which one to give out. Its even worse with trying to sort out among the twenty or so email addresses I have.

The particular novel I am reading has a comparison between living in freedom in the US vs not so much in countries where the majority have a different religious background. The US ideal is the freedom to do whatever you want. This is a lie as we are not supposed to infringe on the freedoms of those around us while pursuing our own. To me freedom should be the path where I never have to apologize for what I have done. Like honesty; if you never lie, you never have to remember what you said or worry about it. I believe that Christ brings me the freedom to deny myself to the point that I never have to apologize for any of my choices. That freedom is the one I am chasing.

Written 7/27/24, Posted 8/21/24, Job 310