The Berean Pursuit
Then Job answered:
"Truly then you are the people
with whom wisdom itself will die!
But I also have a mind;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these?
I am a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called on God, and He answered.
The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.
The one at ease scorns misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
The tents of robbers are safe,
and those who provoke God are secure-
those who carry their god in their hands.
But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;
ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
let the fish of the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?
The life of every living thing is in His hand,
as well as the breath of all mankind.
Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes its food?
Wisdom is found with the elderly,
and understanding comes with long life.
Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are His.
What He tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man He imprisons cannot be released.
If He holds back the waters, they dry up,
and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.
True wisdom and power belong to Him.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes fools of judges.
He loosens the bonds placed by kings
and fastens a belt around their waists.
He leads priests away barefoot
and overthrows the established.
He deprives the trusted of speech
and takes away the discernment of elders.
He pours out contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.
He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into light.
He makes nations great and destroys them;
He enlarges nations, then disperses them.
He deprives the earth's leaders of reason
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
They grope in the darkness without light;
He makes them stagger like drunkards.
"Indeed, my eyes have seen all this;
my ears have heard and understood.
What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty
and argue my case before God.
You, however, smear with lies;
you are all worthless physicians.
If only you would remain silent;
for that would be your wisdom!
Hear now my argument,
and listen to the plea of my lips.
Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf
or speak deceitfully for Him?
Would you show Him partiality
or argue in His defense?
Would it be well when He examined you?
Could you deceive Him like a man?
Surely He would rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.
Would His majesty not terrify you?
Would the dread of Him not fall upon you?
Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.
Be silent, and I will speak.
Then let come to me what may.
Why do I put myself at risk
and take my life in my own hands?
Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.
I will still defend my ways to His face.
Moreover, this will be my salvation,
for no godless man can appear before Him.
Listen carefully to my words;
let my declaration ring in your ears.
Behold, now that I have prepared my case,
I know that I will be vindicated.
Can anyone indict me?
If so, I will be silent and die.
Only grant these two things to me,
so that I need not hide from You:
Withdraw Your hand from me,
and do not let Your terror frighten me.
Then call me, and I will answer,
or let me speak, and You can reply.
How many are my iniquities and sins?
Reveal to me my transgression and sin.
Why do You hide Your face
and consider me as Your enemy?
Would You frighten a windblown leaf?
Would You chase after dry chaff?
For You record bitter accusations against me
and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth.
You put my feet in the stocks
and stand watch over all my paths;
You set a limit
for the soles of my feet.
So man wastes away like something rotten,
like a moth-eaten garment.
"Man, who is born of woman,
is short of days and full of trouble.
Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away;
like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.
Do You open Your eyes to one like this?
Will You bring him into judgment before You?
Who can bring out clean from unclean?
No one!
Since his days are determined
and the number of his months is with You,
and since You have set limits
that he cannot exceed,
look away from him and let him rest,
so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.
For there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its tender shoots will not fail.
If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump dies in the soil,
at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth twigs like a sapling.
But a man dies and is laid low;
he breathes his last, and where is he?
As water disappears from the sea
and a river becomes parched and dry,
so a man lies down
and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no more,
he will not be awakened or roused from sleep.
If only You would hide me in Sheol
and conceal me until Your anger has passed!
If only You would appoint a time for me
and then remember me!
When a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait,
until my renewal comes.
You will call, and I will answer;
You will desire the work of Your hands.
For then You would count my steps,
but would not keep track of my sin.
My transgression would be sealed in a bag,
and You would cover over my iniquity.
But as a mountain erodes and crumbles
and a rock is dislodged from its place,
as water wears away the stones
and torrents wash away the soil,
so You destroy a man's hope.
You forever overpower him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
If his sons receive honor, he does not know it;
if they are brought low, he is unaware.
He feels only the pain of his own body
and mourns only for himself."
A Psalm of thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD,
all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
come into His presence with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good,
and His loving devotion endures forever;
His faithfulness continues to all generations.
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?"
The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle-those who dwell in heaven.
Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast-all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.
He who has an ear, let him hear:
"If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he will go;
if anyone is to die by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed."
Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.
And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.
And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark-the name of the beast or the number of its name.
Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.