Thematic Selections from the Bible

Job 29:3

3 When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;

Job 11:16

16 For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away,

Ps 18:28

28 For thou wilt light my lamp: Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.

Neh 8:10

10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.

The father of a good friend of mine recently passed away. It was so sudden, so unexpected. She was plunged into darkness. It left her shaken with grief, regret and an utter sense of loss. It meant waking up to tears in the morning, as dreams of her father faded into the night.

The Bible is filled with passages that provide comfort to the soul. God is the father to the fatherless – He will not abandon you. When you have fallen into that dark, bottomless pit, He is that distant, flickering flame in distance. Run towards it – as you fix your eyes on the light of Christ and run towards Him, that light will grow and He will light up your life again. He will bring joy to your life and give you the strength to live on.

It is interesting to read that two of these passages come from Job. If you read Job, you will see that he is truly suffering. His business failed, his crops were gone, his property was destroyed. His sons and daughters died in an unfortunate tragedy and his body was covered from head to toe with sores – all within a span of 2 days! Yet, he was able to praise God, and sought for God with all his might. God saw this, was pleased, and blessed him greatly. Will you seek God as well? Will you cling to Him in the darkest moments of your life? If you do, He will comfort you!

Job 1

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil.

2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.

4 And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

6 Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them.

7 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil.

9 Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face.

12 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah.

13 And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,

14 that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them;

15 and the Sabeans fell , and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house;

19 and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

20 Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped;

21 and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 2

1 Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.

2 And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.

6 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.

7 So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.

12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job 42

1 Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,

2 I know that thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.

3 Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

5 I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth thee:

6 Wherefore I abhor , And repent in dust and ashes.

7 And it was so, that, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

8 Now therefore, take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept, that I deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as Jehovah commanded them: and Jehovah accepted Job.

10 And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before.

11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him concerning all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one a ring of gold.

12 So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: And he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.

13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

14 And he called the name of the first, Jemimah: and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.

15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

16 And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations.

17 So Job died, being old and full of days.