I've wanted to write a blog on my Bible reading for a while, so we'll see how this goes. If it's anything like my other blog attempts it will have 3 posts and die a painless death.

My goal will be to expound the scripture and draw out points that I find interesting, without over analyzing it or removing it from its context. Often I think people read too much into Scripture and don't let it speak for itself. Much of what is said is not necessarily as rational as we in modern western society like things to be. In the vein of Donald Miller in Searching for God Knows What, I will try not to formularize scripture.

I just read Esther, and as I am reading through the bible, I'm moving on to Job, one of my favorite books of the bible.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.

Job is rich; he is the greatest man in all the east. Already we see Job atoning for others by offering sacrifices for them. He is acting as a priest already, and we shall see that he does this later as well. Check out the end of Job.

After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have no spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends.

So we see that Job also prays and intercedes for his friends. Notice the extremely redemptive language: Job's friends did not deserve mercy, but God accepts Job's prayer for them and God will 'not ... deal with [them] according to [their] folly.' It's amazing Job actually does pray for his friends, because they have been accusing him all along of being sinful and had no faith in him whatsoever through the whole book. However, he does pray for them, and in doing so, is redeemed himself.

All quotations from the Bible are from the ESV.