Chapters 32-37 are a long monologue spoken by Elihu, introduced by a brief explanation of who this young man is and implying that he has been silently observing everything since arriving at the scene with Job’s friends. Elihu is angry; angry at the friends and angry at Job. The friends have failed to answer any […]
URC Daily Devotion by Matthew Prevett
1 In wrath do not rebuke me, LORD,Or in your anger chasten me.2 Your arrows deeply pierce my soul;Your hand lies on me heavily. 3 Because your anger rests on me,My body has no health within;There is no soundness in my bones,Because you judge me for my sin. 4 My guilt has overwhelmed my soul;Its […]
URC Daily Devotion
‘O that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me;when his lamp shone over my head, and by his light I walked through darkness;when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent;when the Almighty was still with me, when my children were around me;when […]
URC Daily Devotions 9th March
‘Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold to be refined.Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.Miners put an end to darkness, and search out to the farthest bound the ore in gloom and deep darkness.They open shafts in a valley away from human habitation; they are forgotten by travellers, they […]
URC Daily Devotion 8th March
Job again took up his discourse and said: ‘As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,as long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit.Far be it from me […]
URC Daily Devotion 7th March
Chapters 24-26 cause problems for readers and translators alike. Structurally we expect Bildad to speak next, then Job, then Zophar and then Job again – but this third cycle of dialogue isn’t complete. In 24:1-12 the Hebrew text consistently reads ‘they’ as the subject. The NRSV translator is probably correct to interpret this as ‘the […]
URC Daily Devotion 6th March
Then Job answered: ‘Today also my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy despite my groaning.O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling!I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.Would […]
URC Daily Devotion 5th March
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: ‘Can a mortal be of use to God? Can even the wisest be of service to him?Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?Is it for your piety that he reproves you, and enters into judgement with you?Is […]
URC Daily Devotion 4th March
1 Do not fret on account of the wicked,do not envy the ones who do wrong;2 For like grass they will very soon wither,like green plants they will not flourish long. 3 Put your trust in the LORD and be upright;then secure in the land you will live.4 Take delight in the LORD above all […]
URC Daily Devotion for Easter Tuesday by Andy Braunston
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ […]