Job (Program #2) – The Trials of Job (1)

The Old Testament book of Job tells the story of a man whom God allowed to be touched and even damaged by Satan himself. The natural or even religious thought would say that this must have been because of God’s judgment upon Job due to some some sin or failure at his part. But let’s consider for a moment what the Bible has to say about this man, Job. In chapter 1:6-8, “Then one day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, Satan also came among them…And Jehovah said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.” It’s remarkable isn’t it? For not only does the Bible reveal that Job was not a sinful man, quite the opposite it says that he was perfect and upright; and one in whom God even boasts of his goodness. So the age old question persists – Why then did God allow Satan to strip this righteous man of his possessions, his family, his health and even his most prized attainment, his integrity? That’s the subject not just of our program today but really this entire life study of the book of Job.

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1 & 2 Kings (Program #16) – The Reign of Hoshea over Israel

As the kings of both houses of Israel slid further and further into degradation and failure, the Old Testament provides us with a parallel account of the prophets that God had raised up during the same period to carry on the line of His testimony and of His economy.  Often the prophecies of these ones touch the very center and focus of God’s New Testament economy in His eternal purpose which was embodied and manifested in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The prophet Isaiah particularly is rich with references to both Christ’s incarnation, His marvelous and all-effective redemption.Yet the challenge for us as believers today is not to stop with Christ’s wonderful redemption but rather to take it by faith as God intends as a starting point for our Christian life and walk.  This is what we hope to touch in today’s life study.

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1 & 2 Kings (Program #15) – The Reign of Azariah, Jotham, and Ahuz over Judah

The history of Israel and the various kings over Israel is recorded in the book of Kings and 1 Chronicles and other history books reveals again and again how Israel and its kings failed God and His expressed intention for them as His people.  Yet even when their failure reached extraordinary levels forcing God to temporarily abandon the nation of Israel, there always remain a line of faithful ones.  Ones that would stand with God for His purpose and for His testimony.  The prophets were such ones, prophets like Nathan and Elijah, Elisha and even Isaiah.  The New Testament has a name for such ones; it is overcomers.  In the book of Revelation, this title appears seven times, most of which sounding like this reference in Revelation 2:7, “he who has an ear, let  him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.”

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #17) – The History Concerning David (4)

The young man David was chosen by God and anointed to be king over Israel. Yet the Lord allowed David to fall into the most difficult environment imaginable to perfect and prepare him for his coming kingship. 1 Samuel chapters 25 & 26 depict David being tested in things both big and small. How interesting it is that in the big things David is found faithful to the uttermost yet in the small things he’s exposed. We’ll see a window into the weakness of his flesh that will eventually give way to his greatest failure.

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #5) – The History Concerning Samuel (3)

The situation in Israel was degraded and even the priesthood was waning but Jehovah reacted as He often reacted to the failures of Israel by raising up one person who would be according to His own heart. The young boy Samuel, son of Elkanah and Hannah had already been consecrated to the Lord.  But the child’s up bringing also had a deep impact upon him for he witnessed the corruption of the sons of Eli firsthand. And he watched, as the priest Eli failed to rule over his two evil sons even as they usurped the ark of the covenant and allowed to be taken captive by Israel’s enemies. As a result the glory of Jehovah departed from the tabernacle and from Israel. But what he had witnessed left a deep impression upon Samuel and was used by Jehovah to produce in him one who faithfully restored the testimony to Israel and whom the Lord ultimately used to turn the age.

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Judges (Program #6) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (5)

In the varied history of the nation of Israel that is recorded in the book of Judges, we have of course the interesting and well known story of Samson.  Endued with the power of the Spirit, he was mighty and fierce in his struggle against Israel’s enemy the Philistines but he had a very specific failure that gave Satan, God’s real enemy the ground to tempt him and and ultimately defeated him. Of course the beautiful Philistines woman, Delilah  typifies this failure.  Samson indulgence of the lust of his flesh led to his down fall. The story of Samson and the warning that we as God’s people today must take from this case is our topic on this life study of the Bible.

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Judges (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

The first chapter of the book of Judges records the marvelous story of Judah and Caleb fighting against the Canaanites after the death of Joshua. Jehovah displayed again that He was with Israel and that they can trust Him to fight with and for them against their enemy. But just as an unfaithful wife forsake her husband thereby damaging their marriage Israel eventually forsook Jehovah.

Listen to Judges 2 : 11-13  “And the children of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah and served the Baals. And they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out from the land of Egypt; and they followed after other gods from among the gods of the peoples who surrounded them; and they worshipped them and provoked Jehovah to anger. And they forsook Jehovah and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. Then the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of plunderers; and they plundered them. And He sold them into the hand of their enemies around them, and they were no longer able to stand before their enemies.”

From this point on the book of Judges becomes an ugly history a failure and humiliation for Israel as she turned from the purity and enjoyment of her days as a bride to Jehovah, becoming a harlot in His eyes.

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Deuteronomy (Program #10) – The Rehearsal of the Law (3)

To the assembled nation of Israel preparing to cross over the Jordan river and enter Canaan, Moses had this to say, “Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross over the Jordan this day in order to enter in and dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are big and fortified up to heaven, know therefore today that Jehovah your God is the One crossing over before you as a consuming fire; it is He who will destroy them, and it is He who will subdue them before you, so that you may dispossess them and destroy them quickly, as Jehovah has said to you.”

Surely these words must had filled the people with hope and expectation. but Moses also brought their earlier failures to remembrance, “Remember; do not forget that you made Jehovah your God furious in the wilderness; from the day that you came forth from the land of Egypt up until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against Jehovah.”  Moses once again preparing this new generation to overcome, enter and possess the land.

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Exodus (Program #63) – The Negative Aspect of the Giving of the Law (3)

The living of Christ was reproduced in Stephen.  When our brother Stephen was being stoned, was he wondering what would Jesus do in this situation?  How am I suppose to conduct myself when I am being stoned?  He was just loving the Lord, one with the Lord and the Lord was living in him.

The Bible commands us to do many things, even beyond the well-known ten commandments.  Page after page of Scripture can seem like one demand after another.  A lot of people shy away from the Bible for just this reason, because they are well aware that every attempt to carry out the demand seems to be met with discouraging failure.  So what should be our response whenever we are faced with a “thou shall not” or “thou shall”?  Stay tune for the surprising answer on today’s life study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

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Mark (Program #39) – The Death and Resurrection of the Slave-Savior for the Accomplishment of God’s Redemption (1)

The record in Mark chapters 14 and 15 give a striking account of how the Lord Jesus prepared Himself for His crucifixion. Even manipulating those who would ultimately kill Him to do so according to God’s time table and not man’s.

Often overlook in this portion, however, is that the same chapters also record the experiences of Peter. In a very real sense Peter also was being prepared by the Lord to pass through the process of death and resurrection.

It’s somewhat easy to realize that Peter in these chapters is representative of all the disciples. What’s not so easy to see, but just as significant is that Peter’s experiences of failure upon failure eventually resulting in his been striped of any confidence in his natural strength and ability, represents all of us, the Lord’s believers as well.

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