Erica Hawkins

This psalm starts in a way that Isaac our worship leader starts certain songs. “Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!” In verse 4 it says that we inherited the Promised Land, but when I think of our inheritance, I tend to focus on heaven and not things of the earth. I wonder if the psalmist meant that as well.

This chapter is about laws concerning vows that the Israelites make to God or under oath. It says, in verse 2, “A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.” Then there is a distinction made. Here, the law differs for men and women. While a woman must also fulfill her vows, certain men in her life were able to nullify the vow she makes within one day of hearing it. The only women who were not under the authority of their fathers or husbands were widowed and divorced women.

Elihu accuses Job of being apathetic and yearning for irreverent talk. Irreverent means showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously. Right before that, Job said that ears test the words it hears.

Job speaks of things that people know to do – advancements that people have made in science. In verse 5 he says how the earth is melted by fire. I find it amazing that in 2000-1800 BC, they already knew that the earth had a fiery core.

In Job 16, we see Job at one of his lowest points. Surrounded by friends who wound him with accusations instead of comfort, Job feels crushed and abandoned. Yet, in verse 19, he lifts his eyes and declares: