1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the chapter today Audio Bible. 4 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Job chapter sixteen, 5 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. Job said, 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: I have often heard this and it offers no comfort. 7 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: So why don't you keep quiet? What's bothering you? If 8 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: I were in your place, it would be easy to 9 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: criticize or to give advice, but I would offer hope 10 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: and comfort instead. If I speak or if I don't, 11 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: I hurt all the same. My torment continues. God has 12 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: worn me down and destroyed my family. My shriveled up 13 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: skin proves that I am his prisoner. God is my 14 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: hateful enemy, glaring at me and attacking with his sharp teeth. 15 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,400 Speaker 1: Everyone is against me. They sneer and slap my face. 16 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: And God is the one who handed me over to 17 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: this merciless mob. Everything was going well until God grabbed 18 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: my neck and shook me to pieces. God set me 19 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: up as the target for his arrows, and without showing mercy, 20 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 1: he slashed my stomach open, spilling out my insides. God 21 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: never stops attacking, and so in my sorrow I dress 22 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: in sackcloth and sit in the dust. My face is 23 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: red with tears, and dark shadows circle my eyes. Though 24 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: I am not violent, and my prayers are sincere. If 25 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: I should die, I beg the earth not to cover 26 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: my cry for justice. Even now, God in Heaven is 27 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: both my witness and my protector. My friends have rejected me, 28 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: but God is the one I beg to show that 29 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: I am right, just as a friend should, because in 30 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: only a few years I will be dead and gone. 31 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:20,959 Speaker 1: Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word, and 32 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: we thank you for the privilege of being able to 33 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: look at it together today. And Lord, as we continue 34 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: to look at Job's laments and his cries before you, 35 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: and the comments that he makes before his friends, Lord, 36 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: we continue to feel compassion for him, particularly since his 37 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 1: friends aren't offering him much hope at all, and certainly 38 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: don't seem to be offering him very much comfort. Rather, 39 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: it seems like they're insulting him and making his trial 40 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: feel even more painful. Lord, We're thankful that even though 41 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: Job at this point felt like you had set yourself 42 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: against him as his enemy, he also recognized that you 43 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: were his only source of hope, that his circumstances would 44 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: only change if you were the one that restored them. Lord, 45 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: we know that in our context as well, you are 46 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: our source of hope. We have hope through your son 47 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. We have new life, and we have an 48 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: outlook toward the future that is bright because of all 49 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: that he has accomplished on our behalf. Lord, we're grateful 50 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: for these things, and we're grateful for the fact that 51 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: you are with us in the midst of our suffering, 52 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: in the midst of our trials, and in the midst 53 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: of the situations that we find ourselves in that test 54 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: our resolve in all kinds of areas. But Lord, when 55 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: we're going through these seasons, we pray and we know 56 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: that as your word tells us that you will strengthen 57 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: our faith and you will help us, Lord as we 58 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: seek to become more and more christ Like in the 59 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: midst of our day to day lives. Lord, we love you, 60 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: and we thank you for all of these things, and 61 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: we commit this day to your care and pray this 62 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: in Jesus' name. Amen.