Job 6:12

Is my strength the strength of stone,

   Is my flesh bronze?

Stone Age and Bronze Age are two periods that designate the advancement of knowledge of man. During the stone age, people used sticks and stones as tools (including to hurt other people) and the age ended when someone figured out how to use metal to make tools, probably most significantly with bronze (one would assume). The iron age eventually took over for bronze, but maybe this was not the poet’s thoughts when writing about Job at all.

“Bearing” was an “option” for strength and “rock” was an option for “stone”, but neither makes a difference.

The variations for the second stitch were the use of “or” as a transition, and the addition of “made of” between flesh and bronze. Again, neither changed a meaning.

This verse was pretty straight forward and is what I think of as rhetorical. Early voting begins today here in Texas, and I feel like many people think the question of whether they are voting Republican or Democrat is rhetorical. They never admit that the other side probably thinks the same thing when asked this question: “Are you an idiot? Of course, I am a…” Many people probably feel the last year has been very good to their side in the argument. Voter turn out is expected to give a clear indication of how things will go in the fall when the two parties and anyone else competes for votes. Regardless of the numbers, I do expect a lot of incumbents to not run or fall in the primaries as we in general are tired of the politicians not getting any results. We are likely to end up with a split decision and continue with no group to lead us into the “new order” where Russia and China want to destroy us enough to work together.

God was with people in the Stone Age. He was with people in the Bronze Age. He was with People in the Iron Age. And He will be with us as we continue in the “surely it has to end soon” age. The answer to the question is that our strength, our only strength, is in the will of the Lord. God is my rock and owns my flesh. Our job is to make plans that account for the age in which we live, but also to follow Him for the small daily guidance of how to deal with the short comings around us. People in the Stone Age did not have to worry about paying extra for a variable speed air conditioner. But it should not seem like it costs an arm and a leg, made of gold.