Saturday, January 07, 2012

Finding Delight - Week 1: I Know That My Redeemer Lives


I’ve decided to join Leslie in her blog carnival, Finding Delight. She is going to be blogging as she discovers the word “delight” in the Scripture during her reading.  I hope to share instances where I’ve found delight as I read the Bible each week, too, though I may not be as conciously looking for the word ‘delight’ each day. 
I mentioned in an earlier post that I am using a chronological reading plan this year to read through the Bible. For quite a few years now I have read through the Bible each year, but I’ve pretty much just gone through it in order, reading some from the Old Testament and some from the New Testament each day, and I also read one chapter of Proverbs each day. This year I wanted to try reading it chronologically because I noticed last year that I found the books of the prophets difficult and I’d really like to read them alongside the history books and get a better understanding of what each prophet was speaking to as the Word of the Lord came to him. 
Anyway, my reading this week has me in Job. What I found particularly delightful in reading Job this week is found in 19:25-29: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! If you say, “How we will pursue him!” and, “The root of the matter is found in him,” be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgement.” 
In the midst of great suffering, in the face of being vastly misunderstood and wrongly judged by his friends, even in the midst of questioning God to some extent, Job expressed his solid faith that God is his Redeemer. That is delightful.  Job’s faith held in the midst of the storm. Job’s faith held in the face of his accusers. He knew that his Redeemer lives and that he would see Him. Though he did not understand his situation and he had questions, and I confess some of his questions make me very uncomfortable, but he does not lose his faith that God is his Redeemer. 
When God answers Job, which I will be reading shortly, we see so much about God’s sovereignty. This, too, is delightful to read and know and embrace. 
Because another delightful thing I’ve read this week is Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  It is in the right fear of the Lord that I learn to trust my Redeemer, and to know that Jesus is the anchor of my soul, and nothing in my hands I bring, but simply to His cross I cling. 
Please join us over at Leslie’s to see what others share as we are Finding Delight in God's Word.

3 comments:

Lynn said...

I look forward to the wonderful day when we see Him with our own eyes.

Lisa Hellier said...

Jesus as the anchor of my soul is of especial delight to me. And a theme I've studied in Hebrews as well. During my study I found out that the anchor was the first symbol early Christians used to identify themselves before they used a fish. How cool is that?

Anonymous said...

(Cool, Elle, I didn't know that!)

I love it when I'm reading different parts of the scriptures at the same time and can draw parallels or see things in a different light. Great post! Thanks for sharing.