2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Our Lord Yshua took our place and became the sin for us. That is the individual sin of rebellion and disobedient nature in us. It is not about the wrong things that we do in many instances in our lives. Only God who is perfect Himself can be the perfect sacrifice. We cannot redeem ourselves - someone had to do it for us. The power of Yshua's work on the cross must be accepted by us and lived by us, not just knowing about it.

He who was going to redeem Israel

Luke 24:21
But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

The followers of Jesus seemed to be quite dejected on the third day after His Crucifixion. It is not clear how many actually understood Jesus' prophecy that He will rise again. In any case, their confidence seem to have deserted them.

It actually turns out that, on the third day, the Lord rose again. Is this the light beyond the tunnel? Can we see the Light yet? In the times of trials, will we feel abandonend, or cling on in faith, to the promises of Yshua Ha Masiach?

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men

As the last chapter describes the qualities of elders, this chapter too describes the qualities of believers but for various different groups. The older men are called to be patient, having love and faith. The older women have more roles especially in teaching the younger generation and being good examples to younger women. Young men are called to live righteously while workers are called to be diligent at work.

The main themes for the different groups of believers are to live soberly or be sober-minded, as oppose to physically drunk or even drunk by the lust of worldly pursuits. Believers should also deny ungodliness and pursue live righteously. Finally we are reminded of the blessed hope of our Lord Jesus appearing again. So in the mean time, we are to tell others that the Lord has gave Himself up and redeemed us.




Titus 2
Qualities of a Sound Church

1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

6 Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,[a] 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.[b]

9 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

Trained by Saving Grace

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ

Paul makes a very interesting summary of the position of His chosen people the Israelites - although they have the inheritance and blessings, they were like slaves - possibly meaning slaves to sin. Their appointed guardians may be the prophets and the judges. Then in God's fullness of time, His Son Yeshua came, who also receive the Gentiles as adopted sons. Only through Christ who gave us the Holy Spirit, we can become the true sons of God.

The Galatians had started out right in faith but they had somehow gone back to some traditions or some other forms of bondage which Paul is vehemently rebuking. Paul commended their previous attitude that they would have given them their eyes if Paul needed it. Paul then uses the history to teach the Galatians the difference between the covenants made to Isaac and Ishmael. His audience may even feel jolted or insulted as he compared the current Israelites as those of Ishmael. The promise and blessings to Ishmael was a covenant related to the bondwoman, that is associated with slavery. This is being likened to the Law of Mount Sinai - who made the Israelites into slaves of the Law. The covenant with Isaac is that of a free woman and to be under this free covenant is to be under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.




Galatians 4

4 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born[a] of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of[b] God through Christ.


Fears for the Church

8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 What[c] then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

17 They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. 18 But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.



Two Covenants

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the[d] two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband.”[e]

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”[f] 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

He Awakens Me Morning by Morning

This chapter starts with the description of Israel's situation of sin and transgression. God pointed out the consequences were the result of their own transgressions. God again tells of the future Messiah, and although the references can be quite general, there are some specific ones which were written of Messiah Yeshua. These includes "I gave My back to those who struck Me, And I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. Messiah was also referred to as Servant.



Isaiah 50
The Servant, Israel’s Hope

1 Thus says the Lord:
“Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce,
Whom I have put away?
Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
For your iniquities you have sold yourselves,
And for your transgressions your mother has been put away.
2 Why, when I came, was there no man?
Why, when I called, was there none to answer?
Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea,
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink because there is no water,
And die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness,
And I make sackcloth their covering.”
4 “The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.
5 The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7 “For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is My adversary?
Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
The moth will eat them up.
10 “Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God.
11 Look, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—
This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down in torment.

Indeed My Hand has Laid the Foundation of the Earth

A call to the people of Israel - whom they know themselves to be God's people. But yet, they are described here by God as obstinate and worshipping idols. God continues to warn them and also to reveal His salvation plans. God makes it clear that His motives are for His glory and His own sake, and not because the people deserve it in any way.

God reminds them of His supreme authority as Creator, but also calls Israel especially to be His people. God reminds them of His various promises and His ability to do as He wish with the other nations such as Babylon.


Isaiah 48
Israel Refined for God’s Glory

1 “Hear this, O house of Jacob,
Who are called by the name of Israel,
And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah;
Who swear by the name of the Lord,
And make mention of the God of Israel,
But not in truth or in righteousness;
2 For they call themselves after the holy city,
And lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of hosts is His name:
3 “I have declared the former things from the beginning;
They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it.
Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
4 Because I knew that you were obstinate,
And your neck was an iron sinew,
And your brow bronze,
5 Even from the beginning I have declared it to you;
Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you,
Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them,
And my carved image and my molded image
Have commanded them.’
6 “You have heard;
See all this.
And will you not declare it?
I have made you hear new things from this time,
Even hidden things, and you did not know them.
7 They are created now and not from the beginning;
And before this day you have not heard them,
Lest you should say, ‘Of course I knew them.’
8 Surely you did not hear,
Surely you did not know;
Surely from long ago your ear was not opened.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
And were called a transgressor from the womb.
9 “For My name’s sake I will defer My anger,
And for My praise I will restrain it from you,
So that I do not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it;
For how should My name be profaned?
And I will not give My glory to another.

God’s Ancient Plan to Redeem Israel

12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob,
And Israel, My called:
I am He, I am the First,
I am also the Last.
13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
And My right hand has stretched out the heavens;
When I call to them,
They stand up together.
14 “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear!
Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;
He shall do His pleasure on Babylon,
And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken;
Yes, I have called him,
I have brought him, and his way will prosper.
16 “Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
From the time that it was, I was there.
And now the Lord God and His Spirit
Have[a] sent Me.”
17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.
18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand,
And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand;
His name would not have been cut off
Nor destroyed from before Me.”
20 Go forth from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing,
Declare, proclaim this,
Utter it to the end of the earth;
Say, “The Lord has redeemed
His servant Jacob!”
21 And they did not thirst
When He led them through the deserts;
He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them;
He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.
22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

The Waters Saw You, They Were Afraid

A few psalms that we have seen already include prayers in the format of describing God and His characteristics and then praising Him for them. This psalm continues with this pattern where the psalmist tells us that God hears him as he calls out to God. The psalmist describes his anguish where his soul refused to be comforted, his spirit overwhelmed, he cannot speak, but he did meditate in his heart.

He asks rhetorically has the Lord stopped showing favour and his mercy ceased? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Then he remembers God and His wonders. He meditates on it. God is the One who has redeemed His people. There is no one greater than God. Finally he describes God's total control of the seas, the sky, the thunder and lightning.

In particular, the psalmist describes "The waters saw You, they were afraid;". This is certainly fulfilled by Jesus's display of His powers as He commanded the seas and the storms to be calm.


Psalm 77
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 I cried out to God with my voice—
         To God with my voice;
         And He gave ear to me.
 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
         My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
         My soul refused to be comforted.
 3 I remembered God, and was troubled;
         I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.  Selah
       
 4 You hold my eyelids open;
         I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
 5 I have considered the days of old,
         The years of ancient times.
 6 I call to remembrance my song in the night;
         I meditate within my heart,
         And my spirit makes diligent search.
       
 7 Will the Lord cast off forever?
         And will He be favorable no more?
 8 Has His mercy ceased forever?
         Has His promise failed forevermore?
 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
         Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?  Selah
       
 10 And I said, “This is my anguish;
         But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
 11 I will remember the works of the LORD;
         Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
 12 I will also meditate on all Your work,
         And talk of Your deeds.
 13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
         Who is so great a God as our God?
 14 You are the God who does wonders;
         You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
 15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
         The sons of Jacob and Joseph.  Selah
       
 16 The waters saw You, O God;
         The waters saw You, they were afraid;
         The depths also trembled.
 17 The clouds poured out water;
         The skies sent out a sound;
         Your arrows also flashed about.
 18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
         The lightnings lit up the world;
         The earth trembled and shook.
 19 Your way was in the sea,
         Your path in the great waters,
         And Your footsteps were not known.
 20 You led Your people like a flock
         By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Save Me, O God! For The Waters Have Come Up To My Neck.

As David pours out his heart to God, we see the many dimensions of his troubles. He is in such trouble as if he is drowning in it, as he is waiting for God. He feels his enemies are targeting him unjustly. He admits that he has sinned and he is rejected by those around him. Yet he prays to God and trusting in his mercy and salvation.
He knows about God's lovingkindness and tender mercies and calls on God to redeem him. He describes his self-pity and there is no one else who would pity him. He then calls upon God to show His wrath to his enemies. Finally he praises God and offers thanksgiving. He reaffirms his believe in God's covenant promises to His people concerning Zion and the inheritance for their descendants.


Psalm 69
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.”[a]A Psalm of David.

 1 Save me, O God!
         For the waters have come up to my neck.
 2 I sink in deep mire,
         Where there is no standing;
         I have come into deep waters,
         Where the floods overflow me.
 3 I am weary with my crying;
         My throat is dry;
         My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
        
 4 Those who hate me without a cause
         Are more than the hairs of my head;
         They are mighty who would destroy me,
         Being my enemies wrongfully;
         Though I have stolen nothing,
         I still must restore it.
        
 5 O God, You know my foolishness;
         And my sins are not hidden from You.
 6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
         Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
 7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
         Shame has covered my face.
 8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
         And an alien to my mother’s children;
 9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
         And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
 10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
         That became my reproach.
 11 I also made sackcloth my garment;
         I became a byword to them.
 12 Those who sit in the gate speak against me,
         And I am the song of the drunkards.
        
 13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
         O LORD, in the acceptable time;
         O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
         Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
 14 Deliver me out of the mire,
         And let me not sink;
         Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
         And out of the deep waters.
 15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,
         Nor let the deep swallow me up;
         And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
        
 16 Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;
         Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
 17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
         For I am in trouble;
         Hear me speedily.
 18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
         Deliver me because of my enemies.
        
 19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
         My adversaries are all before You.
 20 Reproach has broken my heart,
         And I am full of heaviness;
         I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
         And for comforters, but I found none.
 21 They also gave me gall for my food,
         And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
 22 Let their table become a snare before them,
         And their well-being a trap.
 23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;
         And make their loins shake continually.
 24 Pour out Your indignation upon them,
         And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
 25 Let their dwelling place be desolate;
         Let no one live in their tents.
 26 For they persecute the ones You have struck,
         And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
 27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,
         And let them not come into Your righteousness.
 28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,
         And not be written with the righteous.
        
 29 But I am poor and sorrowful;
         Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
 30 I will praise the name of God with a song,
         And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
 31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull,
         Which has horns and hooves.
 32 The humble shall see this and be glad;
         And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
 33 For the LORD hears the poor,
         And does not despise His prisoners.
        
 34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,
         The seas and everything that moves in them.
 35 For God will save Zion
         And build the cities of Judah,
         That they may dwell there and possess it.
 36 Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
         And those who love His name shall dwell in it.

It was Your Right Hand, Your Arm, and the Light of Your Countenance

A recount of the journey of the Exodus is given here. They recalled how God's favour on them resulted in their possession of the Promised Land, rather by their own efforts. They acknowledged that it was God who gave them all the victories and that no enemies could stand against them.

Then they also recalled when God cast them off and let them be defeated by their enemies. They were scattered, some sold to slavery, they were scorned by their neighbours, people shaking their heads at them, they were dishonoured and ashamed.

However, they did not forget their God. It appeared that this is a handful of people who kept the ways of God ("we dealt falsely with Your covenant"), yet suffered the punishment God unleashed on the nation as a whole. So they continued to cry out to God to wake up and see their affliction and oppression, and called for God's mercy to redeem them.

Psalm 44

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation[a] of the sons of Korah.

 1 We have heard with our ears, O God,
         Our fathers have told us,
         The deeds You did in their days,
         In days of old:
 2 You drove out the nations with Your hand,
         But them You planted;
         You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
 3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
         Nor did their own arm save them;
         But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
         Because You favored them.
       
 4 You are my King, O God;[b]
         Command[c] victories for Jacob.
 5 Through You we will push down our enemies;
         Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
 6 For I will not trust in my bow,
         Nor shall my sword save me.
 7 But You have saved us from our enemies,
         And have put to shame those who hated us.
 8 In God we boast all day long,
         And praise Your name forever.  Selah
       
 9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame,
         And You do not go out with our armies.
 10 You make us turn back from the enemy,
         And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
 11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
         And have scattered us among the nations.
 12 You sell Your people for next to nothing,
         And are not enriched by selling them.
       
 13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
         A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
 14 You make us a byword among the nations,
         A shaking of the head among the peoples.
 15 My dishonor is continually before me,
         And the shame of my face has covered me,
 16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
         Because of the enemy and the avenger.
       
 17 All this has come upon us;
         But we have not forgotten You,
         Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
 18 Our heart has not turned back,
         Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
 19 But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals,
         And covered us with the shadow of death.
       
 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
         Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,
 21 Would not God search this out?
         For He knows the secrets of the heart.
 22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
         We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
       
 23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
         Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
 24 Why do You hide Your face,
         And forget our affliction and our oppression?
 25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
         Our body clings to the ground.
 26 Arise for our help,
         And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.

Nehemiah Ends Oppression in Judah

When the Babylonians invaded Judah and took many of the Israelites captives back to Babylon, they also replaced Judah with people from various cultures. When the Jews returned to Judah during the Persian rule in the region, there would have been many foreign people settled in Judah. As part of the return from exile policy, the Israelites would be given the opportunity to govern, that means the governors in Judah would now be Jewish.

This chapter reveals the initial Jewish rulers in Judah were oppressing the non-Jews living in Judah. Among the complaints were that it was difficult for them to buy grain, probably at inflated prices, they were charged high taxes that they needed to mortgage their lands and homes, they were selling themselves and their children into slavery because they could not afford the high costs.

When Nehemiah heard this he was outraged because the Jews themselves had recently gain their freedom and to treat their neighbours in that way was not right. Nehemiah called on them to remember to fear the LORD and ordered that everything be restored to their non-Jewish brethren living in the land. The Jewish leaders agreed with this with no apparent opposition.

Nehemiah added that his government stopped using the governor's provision which they were entitled to. This was because there was already a heavy burden on the people and Nehemiah did not want to take advantage of his privileges unlike the previous local governments.



Nehemiah 5

Nehemiah Deals with Oppression

 1 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
3 There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”
4 There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”
6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”
Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 9 Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”
12 So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”
Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 Then I shook out the fold of my garment[a] and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”
And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.

The Generosity of Nehemiah
 
14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we[b] did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.
17 And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
19 Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

God Builds David am Eternal House

The kingdom of David was enjoying the peace that God delivered to them by destroying their surrounding enemies. David's love and gratefulness to God caused him to think how he could do something for God. Perhaps as was done by other pagan nations, David thought of building a temple for God. Nathan, the prophet for David, initially encouraged David to do as he pleased but the LORD spoke to Nathan to tell David to stop.

God explained to David via Nathan that He has been with Israel, even physically, since they came out of Egypt. Then on a more personal level, God also explained that He took David from being a shepherd to rule over Israel and had destroyed the enemies. Contrast this to the false pagan gods which people had to make idols to represent and build temples to house them. The God of Israel, creator of heavens and earth, in all his magnificence and glory would not be able to be housed in any man made temple.

Instead of accepting the House David intended to build for God, God turned around and declared that He will build a house for David that will last forever. This is the prophecy concerning the Messiah. God revealed the details of the Messiah being the descendant of David, and that the Messiah's throne will be everlasting.

After hearing God's prophecy it appeared David had a good understand of it and went straight to thanking God. He did insist on building the temple anymore but wholeheartedly accepted God's future plans. His thanksgiving praise to God below is a very interesting and unique example of how to receive blessings and give thanks for it. The amazing way that he thanked God was by accepting God's promises literally and completely and more than just thanking God, he prayed and asked God to bless the prophecies to make it come true. He knew God was trustworthy and God's promises will come true, yet David immersed himself in the future blessing and got involved in the blessing by praying to God to make it come true.

How often do we pray only when things seem humanly impossible? How often do we get involved in the promises and blessings of God, by praying for them to come true, even though we already know God will make them come true. Perhaps this is what it means when we pray in the Spirit, pray according to the Will of God and pray according to the Will of God.


2 Samuel 7

God’s Covenant with David

 1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”
3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’ 8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.[a]
12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.[b] Your throne shall be established forever.”’”
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Thanksgiving to God
 

25 “Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.
28 “And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

Debt Cancellation, Generosity to the Poor, Freeing of Slaves

A few interesting laws to govern the everyday life of the Israelites were given. These range from finance to charity to livestock.

One extraordinary law is the cancellation of debts every seven years. Any Israelites who has lent money to a fellow Israelite will cancel the debt. If the borrower is a non-Israelite however, then the debt is not cancelled. This is no doubt unfair as seen from an outsider, but nevertheless it is God's will. Perhaps God's lesson here is so that His people do not take money to seriously and that everything belongs to God. The blessing promised for this is that God will even prosper His people more: "you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you."

The character of God can be seen in the following laws which require His people to care for the poor and not have a hardened heart towards them. God commands His people to give or lend to the poor without a grudge. The generosity should extend to the release of slaves. Besides the forgiving of debts, at every seven years, slaves are also set free. In addition, when the slave leaves, God commands the owner to give generously, in fact to let the slave choose whatever from the flock, granary or the winepresses. God reminds His people of how He provided for them when the Israelites freely took whatever they need when they left Egypt. With regard to the flock, the Israelites are supposed to keep the firstborn of the animals for an offering to God, unless the animal has some defect.

Deuteronomy 15

Debts Canceled Every Seven Years

 1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD’s release. 3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, 4 except when there may be no poor among you; for the LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— 5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

Generosity to the Poor
 
7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. 9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you. 10 You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

The Law Concerning Bondservants
 
12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the LORD your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today. 16 And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.

The Law Concerning Firstborn Animals
 

Warning against false prophets and false teachers

Many of the teachings from God Himself to the Israelites apply to us today of are children of God through Jesus. In particular the warnings on the passage below refer to, in Jesus own words, false teachers and false prophets. They produce signs and wonders, which is nothing wrong if they are from God, but their power comes from the Enemy and their motivation is too lead people away from God. The passage below is clear about their motivation which is to lead people to serve other gods.

In the time of the Israelites, God commanded them not only not to follow the false prophets, but they have the right to destroy them, such as by stoning, so that God's people will not be led away into wickedness. And if any one of the cities of the Israelites were corrupted and their inhabitants came out and tried to influence other cities to serve other gods, then that entire corrupted city will need to be destroyed. Even the plunder from that city needs to be destroyed and the city is not to be rebuilt.

In today's globalized community, God's people live among non-believers as well as those who serve other gods. The commandment to love others is clear, and so is the commandment to make disciples of the nations. However, we must remember why God viewed the false prophets and false teachers as such an abomination and as God's people we are not to be influenced by them.


Deuteronomy 13

Punishment of Apostates

 1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.
6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, 7 of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, 8 you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; 9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 11 So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.
12 “If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell in, saying, 13 ‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods”’—which you have not known— 14 then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword. 16 And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again. 17 So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, 18 because you have listened to the voice of the LORD your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

Year of Jubilee

The Sabbath as most would know it today is the 6 days work and the 7th day rest. That 7th day which we dedicate to the Lord is called the Sabbath. However, God also instituted the Sabbath year in which the 7th year is a year where the land is not used for planting, thus God giving rest to the land to recuperate.

Beyond the Sabbath year, after seven of the Sabbath year, thus 49 years in total, then the next year or 50th year is called the year of Jubilee. This is also the year in which Israel shall not work on the land, people are to return to their families.

On the seventh year that the Israelites are not allowed to work their land, God promised to supply their needs in the sixth year with provisions for the sixth, seventh and eight year.

The year of Jubilee is a kind of year for redemption. Under certain conditions, properties which are bought and sold may be able to be redeemed during the year of Jubilee.

God also stated His principles of lending. If the people are to lend to the poor, then they should not charge any interest. This may include lending money or letting the poor stay in their homes and giving them food for which they must not charge them.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Year of Jubilee is the release from bondage. When one becomes poor, one can sell oneself to be a slave in ancient Israel. However, in the year of Jubilee, such slaves and their families are to be set free. The release of slaves does not apply to slaves who are not Israelites. This is because God considers the Israelites to be brothers of each other who must not rule over one another. However if an Israelite sold themselves to a non-Israelite, then at the Jubilee Year, the Israelite slave may be redeemed at a fair price.

The year of Jubilee involved the freeing up or redemption of land, money and human freedom because God wanted his children to treat each other fairly and to acknowledge that everything belongs to him; v55 "For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."

Leviticus 25

The Sabbath of the Seventh Year

 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land. 6 And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you, 7 for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land—all its produce shall be for food.

The Year of Jubilee
  
8 ‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.
13 ‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another. 15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. 16 According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. 17 Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

Provisions for the Seventh Year
  
18 ‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.
20 ‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.

Redemption of Property
  
23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. 24 And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land.
25 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold. 26 Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, 27 then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession. 28 But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.
29 ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee. 31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee. 32 Nevertheless the cities of the Lemvites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Lemvites may redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchases a house from the Lemvites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Lemvites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the common-land of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.

Lending to the Poor
  
35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

The Law Concerning Slavery

  
39 ‘And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 And then he shall depart from you—he and his children with him—and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God. 44 And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property. 46 And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.
47 ‘Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself. 50 Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him. 51 If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought. 52 And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption. 53 He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight. 54 And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee—he and his children with him. 55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Elihu begins to speak

Elihu makes his first main appearance in this part of Scripture. Elihu is younger than the other 3 of Job's friends, that is why he kept quiet until now. Elihu must have been a thinking man as well as a man who know about God somewhat - as he was quite frustrated by the responses of Job's friends and Job himself. So chapter 32 is all about Elihu explaining how he is just busting to speak.

Elihu first repeats to Job that Job was claiming that he is righteous but faced calamities from God. So Elihu tries to teach Job wisdom. Like Job, Elihu assumes it is the hand of God that caused the hardship for Job. So by logical (although incorrect) reasoning, if the punishment is from God, then it must be Job who is unrighteous.

One more interesting about the passages below is in Job 33:23-28, which appears to speak of the future Christ who came to pay the ransom for our sins,
v26 "He restores to man His righteousness", and v28 "He will redeem his[b] soul from going down to the Pit".


Job 32

Elihu Contradicts Job’s Friends

 1 So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. 3 Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
4 Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job.[a] 5 When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.
6 So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said:
      “I am young in years, and you are very old;
      Therefore I was afraid,
      And dared not declare my opinion to you.
 7 I said, ‘Age[b] should speak,
      And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’
 8 But there is a spirit in man,
      And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
 9 Great men[c] are not always wise,
      Nor do the aged always understand justice.
 10 “ Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me,
      I also will declare my opinion.’
 11 Indeed I waited for your words,
      I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.
 12 I paid close attention to you;
      And surely not one of you convinced Job,
      Or answered his words—
 13 Lest you say,
      ‘We have found wisdom’;
      God will vanquish him, not man.
 14 Now he has not directed his words against me;
      So I will not answer him with your words.
 15 “They are dismayed and answer no more;
      Words escape them.
 16 And I have waited, because they did not speak,
      Because they stood still and answered no more.
 17 I also will answer my part,
      I too will declare my opinion.
 18 For I am full of words;
      The spirit within me compels me.
 19 Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent;
      It is ready to burst like new wineskins.
 20 I will speak, that I may find relief;
      I must open my lips and answer.
 21 Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone;
      Nor let me flatter any man.
 22 For I do not know how to flatter,
      Else my Maker would soon take me away.


Job 33

Elihu Contradicts Job

 1 “But please, Job, hear my speech,      And listen to all my words.
 2 Now, I open my mouth;      My tongue speaks in my mouth.
 3 My words come from my upright heart;      My lips utter pure knowledge.
 4 The Spirit of God has made me,      And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
 5 If you can answer me,      Set your words in order before me;       Take your stand.
 6 Truly I am as your spokesman[a] before God;      I also have been formed out of clay.
 7 Surely no fear of me will terrify you,      Nor will my hand be heavy on you.
 8 “Surely you have spoken in my hearing,      And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,
 9 ‘I am pure, without transgression;      I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.
 10 Yet He finds occasions against me,      He counts me as His enemy;
 11 He puts my feet in the stocks,      He watches all my paths.’
 12 “Look, in this you are not righteous.      I will answer you,       For God is greater than man.
 13 Why do you contend with Him?      For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
 14 For God may speak in one way, or in another,      Yet man does not perceive it.
 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,      When deep sleep falls upon men,       While slumbering on their beds,
 16 Then He opens the ears of men,      And seals their instruction.
 17 In order to turn man from his deed,      And conceal pride from man,
 18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit,      And his life from perishing by the sword.
 19 “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed,      And with strong pain in many of his bones,
 20 So that his life abhors bread,      And his soul succulent food.
 21 His flesh wastes away from sight,      And his bones stick out which once were not seen.
 22 Yes, his soul draws near the Pit,      And his life to the executioners.
 23 “If there is a messenger for him,      A mediator, one among a thousand,       To show man His uprightness,
 24 Then He is gracious to him, and says,      ‘ Deliver him from going down to the Pit;       I have found a ransom’;
 25 His flesh shall be young like a child’s,      He shall return to the days of his youth.
 26 He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him,      He shall see His face with joy,       For He restores to man His righteousness.
 27 Then he looks at men and says,      ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right,       And it did not profit me.’
 28 He will redeem his[b] soul from going down to the Pit,      And his[c] life shall see the light.
 29 “ Behold, God works all these things,      Twice, in fact, three times with a man,
 30 To bring back his soul from the Pit,      That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
 31 “Give ear, Job, listen to me;      Hold your peace, and I will speak.
 32 If you have anything to say, answer me;      Speak, for I desire to justify you.
 33 If not, listen to me;      Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”