Job 15:13

That you vent hot air towards God,

   Let empty words pour forth from your mouth.

I am listening to my favorite Christmas album. Some years I find I am too busy to take time to do so. But I recognized that I want to act on the decision that spending time with God is more important that work or chores. Maybe not more urgent, but not something to skip.

‘Vent’ was also ‘let loose’, ‘turn’, and ‘render’. ‘Hot air’ was also ‘rage’, ‘anger’, and ‘speech’. ‘Towards’ was also ‘against’ and ‘on’. Several had ‘turning your spirit against God’. This lined up with my new thought that they misunderstood that Job was chasing God, not running from Him.

‘Empty words’ was also ‘such words’ and ‘hot words’. ‘Pour forth’ was also ‘issue’, ‘emit’, and ’go out’.

As I listen, I want to turn this to a positive phrase like ‘That you render praise to God, Pour blessing out from your mouth.’ The controversial song has just come on. I must admit that I always found it a little off, but it sounds wonderful. The memes still floating around comparing it to the foul, super popular song that contrast the differences in opinion across our culture are still funny. Another example of the negativity police hitting the low hanging fruit and not trying to ‘fix’ the big problems that everyone knows about.

I had a new baseball card I was following on ebay. I got one last year for a reasonable price. One earlier this year went for significantly more, but less than the elevated price I had a chance to get it out before bidding even started. So, for this new one I had hope. The good thing for buyers is the price is only one increment higher than the second highest bid. You could bid $220 on a card and win it for $0.99 if no one else bids. The one earlier this year didn’t go very high as I was the second highest bidder. But this time, the second bidder bid three times what I did. The winner won both and there is no telling how high he actually went above and beyond the rest of us.

My point in bring all this out is that we cannot understand all the variables in bidding for a single baseball card, so how can we think we can understand the world enough to pick and choose what it right and wrong. One great aspect about God is that He knows everything. He can set right and wrong because He can see all the potential outcomes and chose the best. In a funny, the tv show we are watching had a city girl come across a rattlesnake. Instead of slowly backing away as those of us who grew up in their habitat were taught, she froze. The snake started to get excited as this thing did not heed its warning rattle and began to move her way. The old crusty guy had to come around and kill the snake to save her. Probably not what the producers intended, but this might be used as an example of how the all knowing God comes and destroys sin to protect us. How can we not glorify Him for that?

Written 12/14/24, Posted 1/18/25, Job 350