Day 91 – Defense

Job 29:1 Job further continued his discourse, and said, 2 “Oh, that I was as in months past, as in the days when Elohiym watched over me; 3 when His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness; 4 just as I was in the days of my prime, when the friendly counsel of Elohiym was over my tent; 5 when the Shadday was yet with me, when my children were around me; 6 when my steps were bathed with cream, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

 7 “When I went out to the gate by the city, when I took my seat in the open square, 8 the young men saw me and hid, and the aged arose and stood; 9 the princes refrained from talking, and put their hand on their mouth; 10 the voice of nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. 11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me, and when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12 because I delivered the poor who cried out, the fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the case that I did not know. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked and plucked the victim from his teeth.

 18 “Then I said, ‘I will die in my nest, and multiply my days as the sand. 19 My root is spread out to the waters, and the dew lies throughout the night on my branch. 20 My glory is fresh within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’

 21 “Men listened to me and waited and kept silence for my counsel. 22 After my words they did not speak again, and my speech settled on them as dew. 23 They waited for me as for the rain and opened their mouths wide as for the spring rain. 24 If I mocked them, they did not believe it, and the light of my countenance they did not cast down. 25 I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; thus, I dwelt as a king in the army, as one who comforts mourners.

 30:1 “However, now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. 2 Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor perished. 3 They are gaunt from want and famine, fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste, 4 who pluck mallow by the bushes, and broom tree roots for their food. 5 They were driven out from among men, they shouted at them as at a thief. 6 They lived in the clefts of the valleys, in caves of the earth and the rocks. 7 Among the bushes they brayed, under the nettles they nestled. 8 They were sons of fools, yes, sons of vile men; they were scourged from the land.

 9 “Now I am their taunting song; yes, I am their byword. 10 They abhor me; they keep far from me; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. 11 Because He loosed my bowstring and afflicted me, they have cast off restraint before me. 12 At my right hand the rabble arises; they push away my feet and raise against me their ways of destruction. 13 They break up my path, they promote my calamity; they have no helper. 14 They come as broad breakers; under the ruinous storm they roll along. 15 Terrors are turned upon me; they pursue my honor as the wind, and my prosperity passed like a cloud.

 16 “Now my soul is poured out because of my plight; the days of affliction take hold of me. 17 My bones pierced me at night, and my gnawing pains take no rest. 18 By great force my garment is disfigured; it binds me about as the collar of my coat. 19 He cast me into the mire, and I became like dust and ashes.

 20 “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. 21 However, You have become cruel to me; with the strength of Your hand, You oppose me. 22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success. 23 For I know You will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for the living.

 24 “He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, if they cry out when He destroys it. 25 Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the poor? 26 However, when I looked for good, evil came to me; and when I waited for light, then came darkness. 27 My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me. 28 I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. 29 I am a brother of jackals, and a companion of ostriches. 30 My skin grows black and falls from me; my bones burn with fever. 31 My harp is turned to mourning, and my flute to the voice of those who weep.

 31:1 “I made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman? 2 For what is the allotment of Elohiym from above, and the inheritance of the Shadday from on high? 3 Is it not destruction for the wicked, and disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 Does He not see my ways, and count my steps?

 5 “If I walked with falsehood, or if my foot hastened to deceit, 6 let me be weighed on honest scales, that Elohiym may know my integrity. 7 If my step turned from the way, or my heart walked after my eyes, or if any spot adhered to my hands, 8 then let me sow, and another eat; yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

 9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I lurked at my neighbor’s door, 10 then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down over her. 11 For it would be wickedness; yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. 12 For it would be a fire that consumes destruction and would root out my increase.

 13 “If I despised the cause of my male or female servant when they complained against me, 14 what then will I do when Elohiym rises? When He punishes, how will I answer Him? 15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

 16 “If I kept the poor from their desire, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17 or eaten my morsel by myself, so that the fatherless could not eat of it 18 (but from my youth I reared him as a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow); 19 if I saw anyone perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without covering; 20 if his heart has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21 if I raised my hand against the fatherless, when I saw I had help in the gate; 22 then let my arm fall from my shoulder, let my arm be torn from the socket. 23 For destruction from Elohiym is a terror to me, and because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

 24 “If I made gold my hope, or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’; 25 if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand gained much; 26 if I observed the sun when it shines, or the moon moving in brightness, 27 so that my heart was secretly enticed, and my mouth kissed my hand; 28 this also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, for I would have denied Elohiym who is above.

 29 “If I rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted myself when evil found him 30 (indeed I did not allow my mouth to sin by asking for a curse on his soul); 31 if the men of my tent did not say, ‘Who is there that was not satisfied with his meat?’ 32 (However, no sojourner lodged in the street, for I opened my doors to the traveler); 33 if I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 34 because I feared the great multitude, and dreaded the contempt of families, so that I kept silence and did not go out of the door— 35 oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Shadday would answer me, that my Prosecutor had written a book! 36 I would carry it on my shoulder and bind it on me like a crown; 37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps; like a prince I would approach Him.

 38 “If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together; 39 if I have eaten its fruit without money or caused its owners to lose their lives; 40 then let thistles grow instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

God’s names:

Elohiym – Supreme God

Shadday – Almighty

Yeshuwa – Jesus

Theos – Supreme Divinity

God’s character:

Counselor

Prosecutor

Do you let those who condemn you know how you lived your life? Do you ask for consideration from those who would pass judgment on you?

Job continued his discourse, letting his friends know how he helped people in need, the fatherless and widow, helping those who had nothing to live their lives in peace and safety. He asked Elohiym for help in his affliction and wondered at His lack of response.

When Satan brings trouble your way, and you lose everything including your health, do you turn to Yeshuwa for help? When trouble keeps coming, do you wonder why He doesn’t answer? Do you let people know how you treated others before trouble came your way, defending yourself and your actions when times were good? Or do you turn away from Yeshuwa and accept whatever comes your way?

Yeshuwa told a parable about the sower.

Luke 8:5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 However, others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of Theos. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they believe and be saved. 13 However, the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with care, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 However, the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Christians fall into one of these types of people. Those who fall among thorns falter when life gets too rough to handle and turn away from Yeshuwa and back into their old lives. However, those who stay the course, trusting Yeshuwa to take care of them no matter what Satan does to them, will see Yeshuwa’s blessings on their lives.

What type of Christian are you? Are you like Job who continued to defend himself and his actions, seeking answers from Elohiym and not giving into the accusations of his friends?

Life is a test. Yeshuwa will test your faith to find out if you will stay on the course and honor Him even when things go wrong. You need to stand strong, reading your Bible, singing praises, and worshiping Him with your whole heart. When you do, you will see victory in your life. You will see Yeshuwa’s blessings and Satan will flee, knowing he cannot bring trouble your way without seeing Yeshuwa defending you and keeping you safe.

What trouble do you face? Give it to Yeshuwa and watch Him bring victory in your life.

Let’s pray: Father, thank you for keeping me safe in the storms of my life. Let me praise You and worship You, knowing that when I do, Satan will flee. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 19 April 2025 by Valerie Routhieaux