Hey everybody. Welcome back to another edition of the daily Bible podcast. Folks is what. The estate is Wednesday. It is Wednesday, the 15th of January. Now. Next Wednesday, are you having a youth next Wednesday? The 22nd. The Wednesday before our retreat is a no-go no youth on the Wednesday, the leaders and the pastor need. They're there rest before the storm. Oh yeah, for sure. And you guys are going to, I think I said blooming spring on Sunday. It's blooming Grove. That sure. There's no blooming spring. Uh, is there not, there's no plumbing spring in Texas, but there's a Bloomington. Yeah. That's where you guys are going. There is a blooming Grove and I'm looking at the house right now, man. This is beautiful. I can't wait to go here. There's a pickleball court. There's a slide that leads into a pool. There's a driving range. There's a kickball field. Yeah. And there's also going to be super cold weather to join us, which is amazing, which I can't wait for. I'm looking forward to being really cold. It's a winter retreat after all. It is, and it wouldn't be so bad if we got a little bit of snow, not as much now as we got last time around, but a little bit would be good. Yeah, for sure. And I, I told people this on Sunday night, I just want to reiterate it, man. These are such formative times for our students. Uh, you can't underestimate. I mean, you can pass her out. Do you know this you've been in ministry for years? You can preach. Endless. Series on a Wednesday night and yet the, the impact of getting away and having, you know, three, four messages. In a condensed amount of time can have a much greater impact on those students then. Four years of hearing, you know, 20 sermon series of the course of four years. Not that those 20 sermon series, aren't doing something as well. Sure that there's something about it that as parents more spiritual. Yeah. Yeah, totally. The motivation should be there for parents to say, Hey. This is good for our kids to be at this, at this retreat. Yeah. And they're always such a bonding experience. Do people find it themselves connected in different ways and you would otherwise, whenever you put a lot of people together in a small space, which is the space isn't terribly small, but whenever you do that, As it being conversations and relationships that are built and continued to be forged that otherwise just would not have happened. So this is a great thing for everybody. It's going to be fun. We're going to have a great time. There's so many fun things to do. The pictures are really exciting and I'm working on sermons. I am. I've got them all outlined. Now we're just going to have a, I just got to add meat to the bones, which is going to take some time. That's awesome. That's awesome. Give us an overview though. In real life, the thrust of the sermon series is going to be on well IRL, even though that's the terminology I'm using. I'm really trying to talk about the role of technology in the Christian life. So first sermon is called distract Topia. Your tech is training. You. And part of the training is that you're being trained to live in a distracted way, which causes you then to really struggle, to focus on what really matters. So our first sermon distract Topia is your tech is training you and only one thing is big enough to be your everything. So you should flee from anything that distracts you. Second sermon is face filters, avatars and emojis. This one's going to be. More geared toward the, the way that social media and technology in particular really makes it difficult to avoid a real relationships. And so we're going to talk about the way that Devices and as great as they are. And I love devices. As great as they are. They can cause us to live disembodied disconnected lies from one another and that's something to be avoided. So we had to train our tech to enhance our real life love for God and others. That's my driving point there. And then the last one is called shotguns chainsaws and driver's licenses. And this, the subtitle for this one is my point, the more powerful the tool, the more important the training. Yeah. So I'm going to tell them and encourage them. To really understand what they're holding in their hands. If they do have those devices already and how to utilize them in a way that helps them to love God better and to love one another. And also to do that in a helpful way. I mean, The new world ahead of us is going to be treacherous. Navigating AI. And all these things that we talk about is a big deal. And it's surprising to me that with the power that we have in our hands or under. In our iPads or phones or computers. We don't have the same kind of training that we do with a car or a shotgun. We don't just hand a chainsaw to a kid. And yet a lot of parents do that with their kids. So here's your chainsaw kid, right? Have fun. Don't cut a limb off, right? Of course, they're going to do that. And I feel the same way about a phone. Uh, device, any electronic device, it has access to the internet. This is something that needs training. So I'm going to give them some. Biblical wisdom about how to approach their, this really powerful tool. It's going to be so good, so good. And you might have a Supreme court ruling on Tik TOK to be able to refer to you in the rear view mirror, perhaps. And it, and the only thing is Tik TOK might get bought up by an American company and it'll still be around. So it's really the platform that sends all of our private information to China. That's the problem, but I think there's a bigger problem and that it's, it stills up all of our attention. Right. And it's really, really good at it. Right. Cause if it's not Tik TOK, then it's going to be Instagram or then it's going to be something else. That's going to fill its place. They all do steal from one another. They. They don't adopt the same kind of stuff. It's not exactly the same, but the same enough to say, oh, stand on our platform. We do all the things that Tik TOK does to. Yeah. That you mentioned AI there. We got an email written in from one of our faithful listeners and somebody that we love. He was so mad. He took issue with our angry, our discussion of AI and, and a little bit of the genetic modification things. Um, I think maybe some clarification would be helpful. I don't think either of us are, are behind the. Full bore AI and genetic manipulation, everything else like that, I think. Um, you and I even have some nuances between each other. I think what we have to. To kind of keep it neat and tidy without dragging everything back up again. I think both of us would say, man, If these realities are going to present themselves to us as Christians, which I think the cat's out of the bag on that one. At this point as much as we might wish, at least I might wish AI to go back away and never come up again. It's not, that's not the reality that we live in. And so as Christians, we're going to have to think about how to engage with these things in a way that is good and godly and can they be redeemed and, and I think with so many things and this factors into what you're going to be preaching on with the students, You can look at it. Uh, thing that in and of itself is neutral and say, okay, this can be used for evil, or it can be used for good. How is we as Christians can, how can we approach it and use it in a way that's good, instead of in a way that's, that's evil and wicked. And, uh, for some, you're going to lean in more to use those things and others aren't going to use them as much. That's fine. The reality is though. They're here and we have to figure out how do we navigate this with their presence in our midst. And even the Bible software that I'm looking at right now utilizes AI to do really great work. Yup. And I think it's all about the it's it's about the user. Now, granted, I think a part of his argument was the programmers. They come in with sinful ideas and sinful inclinations, and we agree with that. There's, there's definitely a liability. To saying, I'm going to trust this thing full bore, but you could say that about a dictionary. Yep. Which is also written by centers. Or the news. Yeah. The news also interpreted by centers. So you could talk about the encyclopedia, Britannica also contributed by center. So there's a lot of things. Yeah, no, but as someone wants that about the word of God, God can use crooked sticks to draw straight lines. And I think that's also true. Generally speaking, making cars. Uh, we drive cars and we don't take issue with that because even though it's made by simple people and designed by sinful designers, we can still make good use of it. And I think that's our point. We can use most things that God has given us, and it is a gift. To honor him. And then that's the mentality that we're both trying to take here. Yeah, for sure. For sure. Well, let's jump into job and finish up the book of job today. We are in joke, 40 41 to 42 and job 40 opens up. Um, with a question where God says to Joe, Hey. Uh, can you really stand up to me? Can you contend with the almighty and this prompt job? He gets the point. At this point, he takes his hand and he puts it on his mouth and he basically says, listen, I'm going to shut up. Uh, because I've, I've, I've spoken too much and I'm not going to speak anymore. And, uh, that's not enough though. It's not like God is like, okay, Joe, good. You got the point. Let's move on. Uh, because God keeps going and he keeps going after him and he keeps challenging job and he goes in even further against job in, in asking him more and more questions. And this is like the second round of, uh, of interrogation and he asked Joe questions. Verses eight through 14. Are, are you really Jo? Are you pretending to be like me or are you suggesting that you're better than me, that you would charge me with wrongdoing? He says Joe 40 verse eight. This is chilling. Will you condemn me that you may be in the right. Ah, man, that is, is. Sober because so often. We can be tempted when we suffer. Uh, in our complaint to basically without maybe realizing it or without seeing the direct words of saying, Hey, Uh, God, you've done me wrong in this situation and we gotta be careful too, to guard against that. And I think when we read it the way it's put there in verse eight, are you going to condemn me that you might be in the right? None of us would say, yeah, I got it. I want to be right. And you be wrong. But sometimes we can embrace that mentality. And that certainly seemed to be what Joe was doing in his complaints against God. Remember, whatever God means, uh, and chapter 42, which we will get to in a second. Keep this in mind here. God is charging. JoBeth wrong. God is saying, Joe, you were wrong about me. Chapter 40 verse two shall a fault finder contend with the almighty. Uh, he who argues, argues with God, let him answer. Will you even put me in the wrong, will you condemn me that you may be in the right? So God is saying job was wrong. I keep that in mind, because we're going to have to use that to nuance our understanding of what he means in chapter 42. So chapter 40. Uh, than the rest of it. We get into talking about this animal and then in chapter 41, another animal. So the first animal that we deal with is called the behemoth, the behemoth, and a lot of people have suggested this seems to be the hippopotamus. Maybe it's a massive beast that God has created a and these aren't questions, but an invitation rather from God to consider. Uh, this massive mighty animal that God has made it as one commentator put it one of his pets and that's, that's just a unique picture. None of us would keep a hippopotamus as a pet, but. Uh, God's power is such that it's it's as though it's a pet. It's as though it's a hamster. In, uh, in God's. Uh, Providence and God's power in his might. Uh, verse 19, then we see this word first show up. And it's important for us to know when it says he's the first of God's works. Uh, that that's not necessarily chronologically. It's not saying that that God made the hippopotamus first before all creatures. But the first and rank the, the behemoth it's, it's the most powerful of all the animals that God made. And so that's what got to sing there. There's, there's nothing greater than this animal joke. Have you considered this animal? And again, it's meant to make God or to make God big and jovial small in light of God. And that's what he does in verses one through 34 in chapter 41 to. Uh, really all I guess, of chapter 41, when he talks about the Leviathan. Now we kicked this around last year a little bit, so we don't need to dig this up again. Some have suggested this is a dragon because of the words of the fire and everything else. There are other explanations out there such that the, if this is for example, a. Uh, crocodile or some sea creature that when it sneezes the particles of water, Gleaner, glimmer in the air and give the appearance of fire being breathed out of the animal's mouth there, or this is just simply an invitation to consider a mythical creature there. But, um, I don't think this is suggesting that dragons existed back in, in job's day. And then all of a sudden don't exist today. Uh, this is again, job being invited to consider another massive creature. If this is a dragon or a crocodile or a dinosaur, perhaps. Uh, yeah, got us St. Joe fuel. Small and realize that I'm the creator. Um, and that leads then to chapter 42, which is job's repentance and restoration. So pastor rod, you were talking about chapter 42 and how we need to. Th to think about the fact that Joe was in the wrong, the guy was charging him with rocks. So help us walk through what that means now in chapter 42. Well, let me just back up one quick second here. Let me just add one thing to what you were saying. I think the important contribution that chapters 40 and 41 plates were understanding of God is that if you can't domesticate a wild animal, certainly you should not try to domesticate God. You can't wrap your mind around what these animals are, how to take care of them, how to control them. Don't try to do that with God, if you're wise enough not to do that with human, rather with creatures that we see on this planet, then certainly don't do that with the. Divine. Maker of all the things that we see on the planet. And I think that's an important consideration for all of you to, to think about. And this is all done. Got God is meditating. If I can call it that on creation and saying, think about what you see all around you. This sounds a whole lot like Jesus. When he says consider the birds. Consider the Ravens consider the lilies and Jesus is doing what God the father does here with job. And he's inviting you to do the same. So when you're having a difficult season, thinking about creation, thinking about what God does in nature is a really good starting place. But secondly, chapter 42 here. Uh, you'll notice that after the Lord had spoken these words to job, the Lord said to Ellie FAS the team of night. My anger burns against you and against her two friends where you have not spoken to me, what is right as my servant job has. And he says there's multiple times. He says again, in verse eight, you have not spoken to me. What is right as my servant job has. And the reason I'm pushing back on a strict, literal understanding of that. It's because God himself says Joe did not speak right about me. He's a fault finder. He's darkening my counsel with these windy words. He says some of the same things that Ellie FAS actually says. And so here's what I think is happening in chapter 42. I think God is specifically saying Jobe was right in that he did nothing wrong to warrant this, this. All of this action, all this tragedy. Where this is where Ellie FAS and his friends were wrong. They were wrong about saying job. You must've done something sinful. You must have been blameworthy for this to happen. And he's saying that in that sense, you guys are wrong, but in that sense job is right. So everything else that you read in the book of job though, I think needs to be qualified. It's okay. What does the Bible say about that by and large? Their primary argument wrong. But some of their other supporting arguments, you could say, well, yeah, there's truth to that. There's true things that they say about that. So when God says job is right, he's saying he's right about that. Not about everything job says because God himself, as I'm going to charge him with being wrong. Yeah, I think you're right there. And I think that may also lend some evidence as to why Ellie who was left on challenged, because that was Ellie who's positioned. Ellie, who was dealing with what job was saying? Not whether or not Joe was just before all the suffering came into being, but. Uh, job's response to God after the suffering. And so it seems like. Uh, to, to further draw the comparison there that, that there's comparisons between, uh, yeah. God's position there. And Ellie who I think Ellie who would have said, yeah, Joe was a righteous man prior to this, and that's why friends, you, you guys are wrong. And in you're focused on the wrong thing, not proving that he was in error before, but, but not pointing out how he's an heir now in his response to the suffering. And I think there. We would see a parallel there. Absolutely. And notice that the amount of bulls and Rams, they have seven bulls and seven Rams. It tells me that there. Sin against job was costly. Yeah, it was an expensive sin. What they said was heavy and weighty. And consequently God is saying to you, you owe a lot, this is an expensive sacrifice, and this is not actually repeated in the new Testament or. The old Testament, rather, God, doesn't give you this many for anything else except for this. So this is a big deal. Their words were painful. They were painfully wrong. And consequently, God is saying, you, you, you have a debt to pay now. Right. And in men, Because I was just thinking about this. It's been interesting. I don't know if your X feed has been filled up with as much as mine has on. It seems like there's a renewed. Uh, focus on the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism in, in theological circles today, it seems like there's some Catholics that are gaining traction in the social media world, and that some of the distinctions are being brought back into the public circle. And there's, there's some debate taking place again. I think about this, that the way that I look at penance in the Catholic church, you know, you're going to go into, you're going to meet with a priest and the priest isn't gonna say we'll take seven bulls and seven Rams. But the priest is going to say, Hey, you need to do this many hail Mary's and you need to do. You know, this. Say this prayer over here, our fathers, and you need to do this and that. And, and then that's penance and you will have absolution for your sin. And the beauty with this, we can read job 42 8 and be like, wow, that was a costly payment that these men had to make to a tone for their wrong doing. And yet we should bear in mind that our sin cost way more than seven bulls and seven Rams. Th that the Atoma that was necessary for us was the blood of Christ on the cross. And that's where. You know, our, our Catholic friends, I'm not going to call them brothers and sisters, but our Catholic friends that you may have out there. Uh, that that's the danger in, in their approach to the gospel is that they would look and they say, oh, you have to bring your seven bowls and your seven Rams. In addition to the blood of Christ, that Christ has already paid on your behalf to atone for your sin. So we can read Joe 42 8 and say, God, thank you for Jesus. Jesus has paid the penalty and we're going to get into that big time when we get into the law in a little while here, when we get into the giving of the law and read about all the requirements in the sacrificial system, and we can sit back and say, Oh, man. The, the book of Hebrews is so sweet in light of this, but I think we see the same idea here in Joe 42 8. Amen. Well, th th the book ends on a high note. Um, job's fortunes are restored and he receives back even more than he had prior to that. And, uh, and yet I can't help, but think we can't just say, oh, well, everything was great for Joe for the rest of his life. Cause he, he lost his children in this and, and I think that's something that we can't overlook. Like this was a lesson that would have resonated with Joe until the day died. Yeah. He, things were, were better. Things were. We're not as, as painful. And yet he always had to remember me and. I lost my kids in this process and I lost a lot. And so I think that the suffering that we go through. Uh, sometimes God will be kind to us and bring us out of the valley to an even higher mountain top than we were on before. But it doesn't mean that the valley doesn't stay with us and that the pain isn't still there and continues to teach us and keep us humble. Uh, for the rest of our lives, I gotta imagine that his job consider the loss of his children. He was reminded of the humility that God desired from him for the rest of his life. Even after things got better for him towards the end. I read something that was really interesting. In fact, There was a suggestion that I thought I think is spot on. Everything else that Joe had was doubled. And you double the camels, double the double, everything, double the yoke of oxen, double the female donkeys. And there's one glaring area where he does not have anything doubled. And that's the kids. You just brought it up here. He has the same number of kids. And so it says here he had seven sons, three daughters, and that was it. You would expect if God were going to double that he would do the same thing, but he doesn't. And the rationale for that was because he does have a double sons and daughters. I may not have them all alive. But God effectively, he's going to give them to him eventually. But he'll have a chance to receive them again in the next life. And so even though they're, they're gone, they're not gone in a permanent sense and an ultimate sense. He will be able to see them again and enjoy them in the next life. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's an interesting insight for sure. Well, there's job. Job's all done. So we're going to be jumping back in tomorrow to Genesis in picking back up with the story of Abraham. So make sure you tune in again tomorrow for another edition of the daily Bible podcast, but before then let's pray and then we'll be done for today. Got thanks for, uh, this testimony of, of, uh, job's life and what we can learn for it. And I know just even thinking about some people in our church right now, who are going through a time that they would. Not compare to Joe because job's suffering was so insanely immense, but just going through valleys, going through times of suffering were. We're we're grateful for job's, uh, example that we can learn from, especially in the end of the book where he in humility just submits himself to your sovereignty and trust in you. And that doesn't remove the pain, but it does give comfort in the sense of. Of knowing that you are a God in control. And that is something that is so good for us to hold on to you when it feels like everything else is out of our control. So God give us such a mindset. We pray in make us men and women that are so grateful that our sin has been a tone for by. Uh, payment that is far more than the blood of bulls and goats as we read about not long ago, last year in the book of Hebrews. And we'll again later on this year. So we're thankful for Christ and the atonement that we have in him. And we pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Are y'all keep, bring your Bibles and tune in again tomorrow for another edition of the daily Bible podcast. See it. Bye.

Hey, thanks for joining us for another episode of the daily Bible podcast. We hope and pray this has been a blessing to you and your time in the word. If it has, if you would subscribe to this podcast, leave a like, leave a comment and share it with some friends and family. That would be awesome. If you need more information about Compass Bible Church here in North Texas, you can go to compassntx. org. Again, that's compassntx. org. And we'll be back with you tomorrow for another episode of the daily Bible podcast.