"Only Life Changes"

Job Chapter 10

My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me. Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth? Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man’s days, That thou enquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after my sin? Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand. Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. And these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee. If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity. If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction; For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me. Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me! I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

1. How did Job begin this chapter?
2. What was his worst pain?
3. Job wanted to know what God had __ him for.
4. What did Job really care about, if it was not the loss of his wealth?
5. Who did Job believe was oppressing him?
6. What did Job call himself in verse 3?
7. What is the answer to those questions?
8. What can God see, that man cannot see?
9. God is _.
10. What is the approximate life span of mankind?
11. In verse 7, Job said, “Thou knowest I am not _”.
12. Job was aware that he was no more than __ in the hands of the LORD.
13. The Creator can do with His __ as He wishes.
14. What did Job say that God started with, when he made him?
15. What does “granted”, in verse 12, show?
16. Verse 13 is speaking of the ____ of God.
17. If I sin, then thou __ me.
18. The wages of sin is _.
19. If I be wicked, __ unto me.
20. Job was confused because he knew he was not a _ man.
21. How was he a type of Christ, here?
22. Thou huntest me as a fierce _.
23. It seemed that Job felt that everything was happening to him _ .
24. In verse 21 and 22, what is this place of darkness?

“Job Chapter 9”

Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? Which removes’ the mountains, and they know not: which overturned them in his anger. Which shakes’ the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. Which commanded the sun, and it rise not; and sealeth up the stars. Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou? If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him. How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him? Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge. If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice. For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause. He will not suffer me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead? If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life. This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he? Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good. They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey. If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself: I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. If I be wicked, why then labor I in vain? If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me: Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

Questions:

1. What must we remember about the problems that came upon Job?
2. Job was feeling that he must have __ God in some way he was unaware of.
3. It would be a _ thing for man to contend with God.
4. No man who hardens his heart against God could ever _.
5. From verse 5 through 13, we must see that God is in _.
6. What is verse 6 speaking of?
7. When did Jesus manifest His control over the water?
8. What constellations that God made are mentioned by name?
9. Which one of them is called the bear?
10. Job never questioned the __ of God.
11. Why could Job not see God?
12. We _ and _ _ question the actions of God.
13. What is the outcome, when someone rebels against Him?
14. Job explains that he would pray and ask God to help him, but he would not __ with God.
15. Job was having great __ in breathing.
16. The only strength that Job had was in the __.
17. In verse 20, Job says his own _ condemns him.
18. He who says he has not sinned is a _.
19. It rains upon the and on the .
20. It appears to Job that the wicked people were in _ __.
21. What is a post?
22. In verse 26, what did Job compare to the swiftness of life?
23. Even if Job stopped complaining out loud, he would still have the complaint in his __.
24. God thinks of murmuring as _.
25. Fear of anything, except God is __.
26. How is the only way that verse 32 could be fulfilled?
27. Who is the daysman?
28. When was his rod taken away from mankind?

1. Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2. How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
3. Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
4. If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
5. If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6. If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7. Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
8. For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
9. (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
10. Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
11. Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
12. Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13. So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
14. Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.
15. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.
16. He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
17. His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.
18. If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
19. Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
20. Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:
21. Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
22. They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Bildad was a __.

What did he say that the words of Job’s mouth were like?

How did he speak to Job?

What was the answer to these questions?

Bildad accused Job’s children of what?

What was he calling Job’s children’s death?

What did he accuse Job of in verse 5?

What did he call God in verse 5?

Job had scolded his wife for what?

What had Job done immediately on hearing of his children’s death?

What had Job’s friend made up his mind about?

What are many ministers, today, telling their people brings automatic prosperity?

What was verse 7 saying?

Bildad told Job to inquire of whom?

Our days upon earth are a __.

What was the rush in verse 11?

What was the flag?

Whose hope shall perish?

Why does a spider build a web?

What happened to the house in verse 15?

Where did the water come from, that was feeding the plant in verse 17?

What was Job’s friend saying in verse 19?

What would God do for the perfect man?

• “Job’s Life See’s there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?
• As a servant earnestly desires the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:
• So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.
• When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossing’s to and fro unto the dawning of the day.
• My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.
• My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
• O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.
• The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.
• As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
• He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
• Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
• Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?
• When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;
• Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:
• So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.
• I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.
• What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
• And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?
• How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?
• I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?
• And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be Futile. Job chapter 7 end!

The days of man on earth are _.

His days are like the days of a _.

What is a hireling?

What does a hireling look for?

What were the months of vanity speaking of?

Why were the nights wearisome for Job?

In verse 5, we see that his flesh was clothed with _.

His disease had become so terrible, that he hated his _ _.

When Job looked back over his life, it seemed to have passed in a __.

Why was his life compared to the wind?

In verse 8, Job felts as if he was near __.

How is he compared to a cloud?

In verse 10, we see that the house he used to live in, would now be inhabited by the ___.

How had Job found peace in his past life?

Why had Job decided to complain?

Job did not desire to live in this __ state.

Why was strangling mentioned?

What questions did Job ask God in verse 17?

Job felt that he had fallen short of the __ of God.

What was Job asking for in verse 19?

What had God not revealed to Job?

Why did Job not say what his sin was?

Why did Job want God to pardon his transgressions?

If Job had sinned, Job knew God is a __ God.

Job knew God would stop the chastisement sometime, but believe he would be _ by that time.

Have a awesome day full of blessings.

“Story of Job Responds: Continues”
Job Chapter 6:1-23
Then Job replied: “If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas— no wonder my words have been impetuous. The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God’s terrors are marshaled against me. Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder? Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow ? I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill. “Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut off my life! Then I would still have this consolation— my joy in unrelenting pain— that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me? “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow, but that stop flowing in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels. Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go off into the wasteland and perish. The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope. They are distressed, because they had been confident; they arrive there, only to be disappointed. Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid. Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth, deliver me from the hand of the enemy, rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?
“Show me how I have erred. ‘Job Chapter 6:24-30
“Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove? Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat my desperate words as wind? You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend. “But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face? Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice?

“Man is born for trouble”

Chapter 5:1-7
“Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. I myself have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed. His children are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender. The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from among thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

“My Cause Before God”

Chapter 5:8-27
“But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside. The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away. Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night. He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will touch you. In famine he will deliver you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword. You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes. You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the wild animals. For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. You will know that your tent is secure; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing. You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season. “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.”

“Job Speaks! Bewall’s his birth”” Chapter 3
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said: “May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’ That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it. May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm it. That night—may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months. May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it. May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn, for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes. “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest with kings and rulers of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins, with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day? There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout. The small and the great are there, and the slaves are freed from their owners. “Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure, who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”
“Jobs Friend Eliphaz” Chapter 4
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can keep from speaking? Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees. But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed. Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope? “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. At the breath of God they perish; at the blast of his anger they are no more. The lions may roar and growl, yet the teeth of the great lions are broken. The lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. “A word was secretly brought to me, my ears caught a whisper of it. Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on people, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end. It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes, and I heard a hushed voice: ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker? If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error, how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth! Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces; unnoticed, they perish forever. Are not the cords of their tent pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’

“Character and Wealth” Job Chapter 1:1-11
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
“Job’s Afflictions Multiply” Job Chapter 1:12-22
Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
{Chapter 2:1-10}
On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
“Three Friends Visit Job” Chapter 2:11-13
When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

{Women are heroes in the Bible. Did you know that there are only two books of the Bible named after women? Esther and Ruth. Ruth is one of the few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus referenced in the book of Matthew. What is significant about this is that women weren’t ordinarily included in genealogies. Many have regarded the book of Ruth as an inspiring piece of sacred literature with an important message. In this story, we see a simple Moabite widow becoming an essential character in the powerful story of salvation entwined in the Bible. There are many important figures in the Bible who are recognized for their strength and quality. While many think of men first when it comes to these strong biblical figures, there are also a number of important women in the Bible, like Ruth who inspire. They do this, not only because of how they lived, also because of their rock-solid faith, even in some of the toughest of situations. Sadly, too often, women’s stories have taken second place to the interests and needs of men Biblical writers and men leaders in Christian churches, but this didn’t mean their stories weren’t important, especially in the eyes of God. A strong woman is fearless when it comes to facing hard situations. They are confident in who they are and what they believe, and in their example of fearlessness, they encourage others to be courageous, encouraged and make a difference in all that they say and do.}

“Ruth’s story of faith, dedication and loyalty inspires us all.”

{Ruth Chapters 1,2,3,4}

During the time judges ruled Israel, a man named Elimelech and his wife, Naomi moved from Israel to the land of Moab.

His sons married Moabite girls, and they all lived together for about ten years. Then Elimelech and his two sons all died, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in-law.

Naomi decided to go back to her home in the city of Bethlehem in Israel. She asked her daughters-in-law if they would rather stay in Moab, the land where they were born and where all their friends and relatives lived, or whether they wanted to move to Israel with her.

When her daughters-in-law learned of her decision to return to Israel, they cried. One of them, Orpah, decided to stay in Moab; but the other, Ruth, didn’t want to leave Naomi.

“I’ll go with you,” she said, “and live wherever you live. Your friends will be my friends, and your God will be my God.”

When Naomi saw how much her daughter-in-law Ruth loved her, she didn’t urge her to stay in the land of Moab, but agreed to let her come with her to the land of Israel.

So they came to the city of Bethlehem where Naomi had lived before moving to Moab.

Her neighbors remembered her, of course, and the news of her arrival spread quickly. “Oh, theirs Naomi!” They would exclaim. But she would reply, “No, don’t call me Naomi anymore, for Naomi means ‘Pleasant.’ Call me Mara, because that means ‘Bitter.’ “For the Lord has given me bitter troubles.” She meant that when she left Bethlehem so many years before, her husband and her two sons were with her; but now all three were dead.

One day during harvest time, Ruth said to Naomi, “Let me go out to the harvest fields and pick up grain dropped by the harvesters.” She said this because one of God’s laws was for His people was that poor people must always be allowed to pick up any bits of grain that dropped to the ground at harvest time. Ruth wanted to get some of this grain for them to eat.

Naomi agreed to this, Ruth went to a field belonging to a man named Boaz and began picking up the grains behind his workers.

When Boaz came out to the field later that morning, he asked the foreman in chargeof the reapers. “Say, who is that girl over there?”

“She is the one who came with Naomi from the land of Moab,” the foreman replied.

Boaz went over and talked to Ruth. He was very pleasant to her and told her to stay with his reapers and not to go to some other field, for he had warned his young men not to bother her. When she was thirsty, he said she should get water from the pitchers placed there for his workers and drink as much and as often as she wished. And Boaz told her to eat ;unch with his workers from the food he provided for them.

Ruth thanked him very much and asked him why he was so kind to her since she was only a stranger. Boaz said it was because he knew about her kindness to her Mother-in Law: how she had left her father and mother and the land where she was born, and had come to live among the people of Israel. He said he hoped God would bless her because she had done these things. He was glad, he said, that she had left the land of Moab where the people worshipped idols and had come to Canaan to worship the Lord.

Afterwards Boaz told his workers to drop some handfuls of grain on purpose so that she could find the grain and pick it up!

Ruth stayed in his field until evening, then beat out the barley grain she had gathered, and took it to her mother-in-law. When Naomi saw how much Ruth brought, she was glad, and asked the Lord to bless the man who had been so kind to Ruth. She asked who it was, and Ruth said: “the man’s name is was Boaz.” Naomi was surprised and told her he was a close relative of theirs! He was a very rich man, Naomi said.

Ruth said he had asked her to keep coming back to his field until the harvest ended. Naomi, too, said to do this; so Ruth went went back day after day until the end of the harvest.

One day Naomi said to Ruth, “Boaz is threshing Barley tonight at the threshing floor.” In those days the grain was separated from the straw and chaff by throwing it up in the air while the wind was blowing. The wind would blow away the straw because it was so light, but the grain was heavier and would fall in a pile on the ground. A threshing floor was smooth, level piece of ground where this was done. Naomi had heard that Boaz was divide his barley from the chaff that night, and she had a plan! She told Ruth to go to the threshing floor and find Boaz. Then she told her what to say to him.

Ruth did as her mother-in-law said. Boaz and his workers winnowed his barley that night, and after a hearty supper he lay down for the night beside a stack of sheaves. When it was dark, Ruth went over and lay at his feet! Around midnight he woke up, startled and afraid. “Who’s there? he demanded.

“It’s only me, sir,” Ruth replied.

Then she said what Naomi had told her to say. Because he was a close relative, she wanted him to take care of her and marry her.

The idea pleased him very much. “May the Lord bless you my child,” he replied. Boaz said he would gladly marry her if he could, because all the people of Bethlehem knew what a fine person she was. But first he would need to talk with another man who was even closer relative to Naomi’s, who had the first right to marry her. If he didn’t want to, then Boaz would. Boaz said he would talk to the other man that very day. So Ruth slept at his feet all night; and early the next morning before it was light, he gave her a large sack of barley to take home to Naomi. When she told Naomi what Boaz said and showed her his present, Naomi told Ruth to be patient and see how it would all turn out.

That day Boaz called together ten of the city officials and told them that he wanted to marry Ruth. Soon, the other man who had the first choice of marrying her came by. Hew said he didn’t want to marry Ruth, so Boaz could. Then all the city officials prayed that the Lord would bless Ruth and make Boaz still richer and greater than he was already.

So Boaz married Ruth, and Naomi was very happy. The Lord gave Boaz and Ruth a son, and grandmother Naomi loved the baby very much. They named the little boy Obed.

Questions:

Why did Ruth go to Canaan with Naomi?

Why did Ruth go to the Harvest fields?

What kind thing did Boaz tell Ruth?

Who got married in this story?

One day Samson decided to visit a Philistine girl friend of his named Delilah. When the kings of the Philistine cities knew he was there, they promised to give Delilah eleven hundreds pieces of silver if she would help them capture him. So Delilah begged Samson to tell her the secret of his great strength and how he could be made as weak as other men.

Samson told her a lie. He said that if he were tied with seven ropes made from green flax, then he would be as helpless as any other man.

{Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in cooler regions of the world. Textiles made from flax are known in Western countries as linen, and are traditionally used for bed sheets, underclothes, and table linen. Its oil is known as linseed oil. In addition to referring to the plant itself, the word “flax” may refer to the unspun fibers of the flax plant. The plant species is known only as a cultivated plant, and appears to have been domesticated just once from the wild species Linum bienne, called pale flax. The plants called “flax” in New Zealand are, by contrast, members of the genus Phormium.(Seven ropes made from green flax stems) Flax seeds are used in salads or you can make with tea for diet purposes. Just saying.}

Delilah told this to the kings of the Philistines, and she tied him with the ropes while he was asleep. Samson didn’t know there were men hiding in the room to grab him.

When she had tied Samson up she cried out, “The Philistines are here to get you, Samson!” Instantly, Samson woke up and broke the ropes as easily as if they were threads.

Delilah said he had mocked her and told her a lie and begged him to tell her the truth. How could he be tied up so that he couldn’t get away! This time Samson said that if he were tied with two new ropes that had never been used before, he would not be able to break them. So she took two new ropes and tied him, while men hid in the room, then called out to him as before that the Philistines were coming to get him. But he broke the new ropes as easily as before.

{My husband said, Samson has to know they are hiding in there room. I am telling Walt the story as I go. He He!}

Delilah scolded Samson for lying to her again, and again she begged Samson to tell her how to tie him so he couldn’t get away, Samson said that if she would weave his long hair into a loom, his strength would leave him and he would be helpless. So she did this. But when she told him the Philistines were coming, he was as strong as ever.

“How can you say, ‘I love you’ when all you do is make fun of me and lie to me?” She asked. Day after day she begged him to tell her and would give him no rest. At least Samson told her the truth. He told her he had been a Nazirite since he was born. His hair had never been cut, and if it were, he would no longer be strong, but as weak as other man.

Why did Samson tell her this secret? He was telling her how to take away the strength the Lord had given him to fight against the enemies of Israel. He did it because he had chosen a girl for his friend who didn’t care about god, and e listened to her until she persuaded him to do this great sin against God. You and I must be careful not to do wrong things even if people we like want us to and say we should. We must always listen to the Lord instead.

Delilah realized that this time Samson was finally telling her the truth. She sent this message to the kings of the Philistines; “Come once more; this time he has told me the truth!” So they came again and brought her the money they had promised.

Then, while Samson was asleep, a barber came and cut his hair.

Delilah woke Samson up and told him that the Philistines were coming to get him. He thought he could easily get away as he always had before, for he didn’t realize that the Lord had let his strength go away. But this time the Philistines caught him, for he could no longer fight against them, and they bound him with bronze chains. They poked out his eyes, making him blind, and shut him up in prison where they made him work very hard turning a millstone to grind their corn.

But while he was in prison, his hair began to grow longer again, and the Lord gave him back his strength.

One day the kings of the Philistines called the people together in their idol’s temple to offer a sacrifice to their god Dagon and to rejoice because Samson had been caught. Everyone present praised Dagon (he was and idol), because they thought he had helped them catch Samson! They were all very happy.

“Send for Samson so we can tease him,” someone suggested. So they brought blind Samson out of the prison and set him between the two pillars that held up the roof of the temple an d made fun of him there.

The temple was packed with people, including all the kings of the Philistines. Many of the people were having a party on the roof, while those inside the temple were laughing at Samson. A boy held him by the hand to lead him because he couldn’t see. Samson asked the boy to place his hands on the pillars that held up the temple roof, so he could lean against them. The boy did.

Then Samson prayed, “Oh Lord, help me, and give me strength only this once.” He gave a mighty push against the two pillars as he stood there between them, and said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” As he pushed, the pillars moved apart, and the roof fell on the kings of the Philistines and on all the people inside killing great numbers of them.

Samson died with them, but in his death he killed more of the enemies of Israel than Samson had while he was alive. Then his brothers came and took his dead body and buried it.

Questions:

Who was Delilah?

What did she want Samson to tell her?

Why was Samson so strong?

What happened to him when he finally told Delilah the truth?

What did the Philistines do to Samson?

How did he die?

{Judges Chapter 16}