Reading with Ben

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Psalms. This is episode #06 chapters 11 and 12. Psalms Chapter 11, Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolved to live and die. The believe...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #05 chapters 09 and 10. Job Chapter 09, God is more powerful than our enemies and concerned for our struggles.  We can and should turn to God in the midst of our struggles.  Even while we praise God and pray to God we may still suffer.  This should not stop our desire to praise the God w...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #04 chapters 07 and 08. Job Chapter 07, The Hebrew title to this psalm reads: A Meditation of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite . The New King James Version translates the Hebrew word “shiggaion” as meditation , though the word is difficult to translate and is u...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #03 chapters 05 and 06. Job Chapter 05, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation". In Latin, it is known as "Verba mea auribus percipe Domine". The psalm is traditionally attributed to David. Job Chapter 06, Lord in thine anger do not reprehe...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #02 chapters 03 and 04. Job Chapter 03, Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us." Job Chapter 02, He...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #01 chapters 01 and 02. Job Chapter 01, This psalm makes sure we know the difference between good people and evil people. In case you didn't get the memo, the writers of Psalms think that people who worship God are righteous, and people who don't are wicked. Job Chapter 02, Why do the nations conspire,...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #22 chapters 41 and 42. Job Chapter 41, Can Job draw Leviathan out with a fishhook? Can he put a rope in its nose? Can he play with it or put it on a leash for a children’s pet? Indeed, he couldn’t even hope to capture it; it’s so fierce that nobody dares confront it. God speaks of Leviathan’s “coat of...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #20 chapters 37 and 38. Job Chapter 39, God continues asking Job if he knows when mountain goats or deer give birth to their young. Who let the wild ass go free to roam in the mountains? Did Job give the horse its might and fearlessness in battle? Is it because of Job’s wisdom that the hawk soars and t...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #20 chapters 37 and 38. Job Chapter 37, Elihu says that God ’s thundering voice causes his heart to tremble. God unleashes lightning across the earth, and his voice roars majestically. Nobody can understand how he causes the snow and rain to fall, sending animals into their dens. He also sends whirlwin...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #19 chapters 35 and 36. Job Chapter 35, Elihu continues speaking. It’s not right, he says, for Job to assert his righteousness and to ask, “How am I better off than if I had sinned?” Elihu will answer him and his friends. He tells Job to observe the skies. Elihu says that neither Job’s transgressions n...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #18 chapters 33 and 34. Job Chapter 33, Now, Elihu tells Job to hear his speech; his words will demonstrate his uprightness. The spirit of God compels him to speak, and Job must answer him if he can. Elihu summarizes Job’s claim to be sinless and unjustly persecuted by God. He then asserts that Job’s a...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #17 chapters 31 and 32 Job Chapter 31, Job goes on, saying that he’s made “a covenant with [his] eyes” not to look at a virgin. If he’s done anything wrong—false, deceitful, or unclean—then others should reap and enjoy whatever he’s sown. If other women have enticed him, then it would be only fair if h...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #16 chapters 29 and 30. Job Chapter 29, Job isn't happy with the pain and embarrassing nature of his position. He reminisces about the good ol' days and tries to understand why he's being punished. Job Chapter 30, He concludes that he has done all God asked, and that God owes him an explanation. Wait,...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job. This is episode #15 chapters 27 and 28. Job Chapter 25, We're not sure who's talking, but it's a discussion of divine justice and how the evildoers (nonbelievers) will get what's coming to them by God. If this is Job speaking, it's probably an ironic speech, given that he's been yammering on about how divine justice h...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #13 chapters 25 and 26. Job Chapter 25, This chapter is short but punchy. Bildad asks Job, "How can a mortal be righteous?" Job Chapter 26, Job's ready with an answer. He declares that of course, God is the master of the universe, but it doesn't matter. He still deserves some explanation. God may be wit...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #12 chapters 23 and 24. Job Chapter 23, Job reflects on what he would do if he were actually allowed to present his case to God.  Job Chapter 24, He makes the call: he would "heed" him but not "contend" with him. God is, after all, God. Contending may not be the best idea.

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #11 chapters 21 and 22. Job Chapter 21, The wicked, he says, go unpunished all the time. Not that he's cool with that. He prays for the sinners' destruction, and then tells Zophar to stop being so depressing. Job Chapter 22, Eliphaz won't back down. He tells Job that he definitely messed up somehow to m...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #10 chapters 19 and 20. Job Chapter 19, Apparently no one is listening, so Job reaffirms his desire to plead his case before God. He's so worked up about it, he wants to etch his complaint in something more permanent than his mortal voice. Maybe on a rock or—surprise, surprise—in a book. Job Chapter 20,...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #09 chapters 17 and 18. Job Chapter 17, Why shouldn't he, a penitent man, get a fair hearing? Job Chapter 18, Guess what he's saying this time? That's right: God punishes the wicked. This time, though, he adds (in a possible reference to Canaanite lore) that the Firstborn of Death will visit the evil.

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #08 chapters 15 and 16. Job Chapter 15, Eliphaz is back on the scene. He says that that Job is undermining God by questioning his ways, which are both unknowable and infinitely powerful. We feel like we've heard that one before…. Job Chapter 16, In case we didn't get the picture already, Job reiterates...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #07 chapters 13 and 14. Job Chapter 13, Now that he knows all his friends are kind of jerks, he talks back. After all, he says, he's their equal and, well, they're not being very nice. Job Chapter 14, He knows that God is almighty, sure. But he still thinks he deserves an explanation for why God is shre...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #06 chapters 11 and 12. Job Chapter 11, Time for more thoughts from the peanut gallery. Zophar says that Job must have done something wrong; God is unfathomable, sure, but he always punishes people less than they deserve. Some friend. Job Chapter 12, Now that he knows all his friends are kind of jerks,...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #05 chapters 09 and 10. Job Chapter 09, Job wants a mediator. Can't someone just judge who's right—him or God? Because really, if God is omniscient and omnipotent, then what he did was really, really mean . He laments that there is no justice between mortals and immortals, and then he demands a trial wi...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #04 chapters 07 and 08. Job Chapter 07, Job decides he won't take this lying down. This is his "why me?" moment. He asks God why he specifically has become God's target. He's in such pain that even death would be better. We're really starting to feel for the guy. Job Chapter 08, Bildad (friend #2) tells...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Let's continue the lecture on the book of Job This is episode #03 chapters 05 and 06. Job Chapter 05, Eliphaz is still chatting away. Now he says that God doles out both good and bad, and that the righteous have nothing to fear from him. Finally some good news. Job Chapter 06, Job isn't buying it. He's in pain, he's covered with sores and ashes, and he wants some...