Daily Bible Reading Day 190

Job 38-39; Acts 15:1-21.   God now speaks to Job. I always find it interesting that here is Job in pain and misery having lost everything (well, he lost his children, his wealth, and his health but he still has his  wife) and his three friends are torturing him with words and when God speaks it is not a word of comfort for Job. Instead God asks Job a series of questions concerning creation. Where were you when I created the universe? He continues to question Job by bringing up all different kinds of animals and asking Job if he knows about how to deal with them or why they do what they do? What he does is say to Job, "Look at creation and tell me if you can explain it? If not then you cannot instruct me." He seems to imply that what Job has said so far isn't right.

Paul and Barnabas must deal with some Pharisees who become believers and then come to Antioch where they are located and begin teaching that the Gentiles must accept the covenant of Moses by being circumcised before they can be saved by Jesus. In other words they must become Jewish proselytes first before they can enter the kingdom. Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem to work this out. They share the conversion of the Gentiles with the churches as they travel to Jerusalem. Upon arriving they begin the discussion. Peter speaks first. He reminds them of the first Gentile converts which he privileged. I wonder if this is what Jesus meant by giving the keys of the kingdom to Peter - he speaks first to Jews and unlocks for them the kingdom and then he speaks to Gentiles and they come to the kingdom as well. Then James, the brother of Jesus, speaks and quotes from Amos 9. He agrees with Peter and then offers a suggestion as to what they can say to the Gentiles that will help this situation.