Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. Receive instructionThe Hebrew word for "receive" is "laqach," which implies an active acceptance or taking hold of something. In the context of Job 22:22, it suggests a willing and deliberate act of embracing wisdom. The term "instruction" is translated from "torah," which often refers to divine teaching or law. This phrase encourages believers to actively seek and embrace God's guidance, emphasizing the importance of being teachable and open to divine wisdom. Historically, the concept of receiving instruction was central to the Jewish faith, where the Torah was not just a set of rules but a way of life that guided moral and spiritual conduct. from His mouth
This phrase underscores the divine origin of the instruction. The "mouth" of God is a metaphor for His spoken word, which in biblical times was considered powerful and authoritative. In the Hebrew tradition, God's words were seen as life-giving and transformative. The imagery of God's mouth conveys intimacy and direct communication, reminding believers that divine wisdom is not distant or abstract but personal and accessible. This highlights the importance of Scripture as God's direct communication to humanity, urging believers to seek His word for guidance and truth. and lay up His words
The phrase "lay up" comes from the Hebrew "tsaphan," meaning to treasure or store up. This suggests that God's words are valuable and should be preserved and cherished in one's heart. The act of laying up His words implies meditation, memorization, and internalization of Scripture. Historically, this reflects the Jewish practice of memorizing and reciting Scripture, ensuring that God's teachings were always present in their lives. For Christians, this emphasizes the importance of Scripture in daily life, encouraging believers to internalize God's word as a source of strength and guidance. in your heart
The "heart" in Hebrew thought is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. It is not merely the seat of emotions but the core of one's identity and decision-making. By instructing believers to lay up God's words in their hearts, the verse calls for a deep, transformative engagement with Scripture that affects every aspect of life. This reflects the biblical understanding that true wisdom and righteousness come from a heart aligned with God's will. For Christians, it is a call to let God's word shape their innermost thoughts and actions, leading to a life that reflects His character and purposes. Persons / Places / Events 1. Job- A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing intense suffering and questioning the reasons behind it. 2. Eliphaz the Temanite- One of Job's three friends who comes to comfort him. In this chapter, Eliphaz is speaking, offering his perspective on Job's suffering and urging him to return to God. 3. Teman- A region in Edom, known for its wise men. Eliphaz is identified as a Temanite, suggesting he is considered wise and knowledgeable. 4. God- The ultimate source of wisdom and instruction, whose words are to be received and treasured. 5. The Book of Job- A poetic and philosophical text in the Old Testament that explores themes of suffering, justice, and the nature of God. Teaching Points Receiving God's InstructionEmphasize the importance of actively listening to God's word, as it is the source of true wisdom and guidance. Internalizing ScriptureEncourage believers to memorize and meditate on Scripture, allowing it to shape their thoughts and actions. The Role of HumilityHighlight the need for humility in receiving God's instruction, recognizing our dependence on His wisdom rather than our own understanding. Transformation through God's WordDiscuss how internalizing God's word leads to transformation, aligning our lives with His will and purposes. The Importance of CommunityReflect on the role of community in understanding and applying God's word, as seen in the dialogue between Job and his friends. Bible Study Questions 1. How can we ensure that we are truly receiving instruction from God's mouth in our daily lives? 2. In what ways can we "lay up" God's words in our hearts, and what practical steps can we take to do so? 3. How does the advice of Eliphaz in Job 22:22 compare to the wisdom literature found in Proverbs and Psalms? 4. What role does humility play in receiving and applying God's instruction, and how can we cultivate it? 5. How can we support one another in a community of faith to better understand and live out the teachings of Scripture? Connections to Other Scriptures Proverbs 2:1-6- This passage emphasizes the importance of seeking wisdom and understanding, paralleling the call to receive and treasure God's words. Psalm 119:11- Highlights the practice of hiding God's word in one's heart to avoid sin, similar to the instruction in Job 22:22 to lay up God's words in the heart. James 1:21-22- Encourages believers to receive the word with humility and to be doers of the word, not just hearers, aligning with the call to receive and act on God's instruction. People Eliphaz, Job, OphirPlaces Ophir, UzTopics Establish, Heart, Instruction, Law, Lay, Mouth, Please, Pleased, Receive, Sayings, Stored, TeachingDictionary of Bible Themes Job 22:22 5014 heart, human
6604 acceptance, human
8662 meditation Job 22:21-22 6703 peace, divine OT Job 22:22-26 8287 joy, experience Library December 29 Morning
Understanding what the will of the Lord is.--EPH. 5:17. This is the will of God, even your sanctification.--Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.--This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.--We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily PathKnowledge and Peace
'Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.'--JOB xxii. 21. In the sense in which the speaker meant them, these words are not true. They mean little more than 'It pays to be religious.' What kind of notion of acquaintance with God Eliphaz may have had, one scarcely knows, but at any rate, the whole meaning of the text on his lips is poor and selfish. The peace promised is evidently only outward tranquillity and freedom from trouble, and the good that is to …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture What Life May be Made
'For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. 28. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. 29. When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, ... lifting up; and He shall save the humble person.'--JOB xxii. 26-29. These words are a fragment of one of the speeches of Job's friends, in which …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Whether all Things are under Divine Providence
Whether All Things are under Divine Providence We proceed to the second article thus: 1. It seems that not all things are under divine providence. For nothing that is ordained happens contingently, and if all things were provided by God, nothing would happen contingently. There would then be no such thing as chance or fortune. But this is contrary to common opinion. 2. Again, every wise provider, so far as he is able, preserves those in his care from defect and from evil. But we see many evils in …
Aquinas—Nature and Grace Whether God is Everywhere by Essence, Presence and Power?
Objection 1: It seems that the mode of God's existence in all things is not properly described by way of essence, presence and power. For what is by essence in anything, is in it essentially. But God is not essentially in things; for He does not belong to the essence of anything. Therefore it ought not to be said that God is in things by essence, presence and power. Objection 2: Further, to be present in anything means not to be absent from it. Now this is the meaning of God being in things by His …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Everything is Subject to the Providence of God?
Objection 1: It seems that everything is not subject to divine providence. For nothing foreseen can happen by chance. If then everything was foreseen by God, nothing would happen by chance. And thus hazard and luck would disappear; which is against common opinion. Objection 2: Further, a wise provider excludes any defect or evil, as far as he can, from those over whom he has a care. But we see many evils existing. Either, then, God cannot hinder these, and thus is not omnipotent; or else He does …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Doctrine of God
I. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD: (Vs. Atheism). 1. ASSUMED BY THE SCRIPTURES. 2. PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. a) Universal belief in the Existence of God. b) Cosmological:--Argument from Cause. c) Teleological:--Argument from Design. d) Ontological:--Argument from Being. e) Anthropological:--Moral Argument. f) Argument from Congruity. g) Argument from Scripture. II. THE NATURE OF GOD: (Vs. Agnosticism) 1. THE SPIRITUALITY OF GOD: (Vs. Materialism). 2. THE PERSONALITY OF GOD: (Vs. Pantheism). 3. THE UNITY …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible The Case of the Christian under the Hiding of God's Face.
1. The phrase scriptural.--2. It signifies the withdrawing the tokens of the divine favor.--3 chiefly as to spiritual considerations.--4. This may become the case of any Christian.--5. and will be found a very sorrowful one.--6. The following directions, therefore, are given to those who suppose it to be their own: To inquire whether it be indeed a case of spiritual distress, or whether a disconsolate frame may not proceed from indisposition of body,--7. or difficulties as to worldly circumstances.--8, …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul Bands of Love; Or, Union to Christ. "I Drew them with Cords of a Man, with Bands of Love: and I was to them as they that Take Off the Yoke on their Jaws, and I Laid Meat unto Them. " --Hosea xi. 4.
BANDS OF LOVE; OR, UNION TO CHRIST. SYSTEMATIC theologians have usually regarded union to Christ under three aspects, natural, mystical and federal, and it may be that these three terms are comprehensive enough to embrace the whole subject, but as our aim is simplicity, let us be pardoned if we appear diffuse when we follow a less concise method. 1. The saints were from the beginning joined to Christ by bands of everlasting love. Before He took on Him their nature, or brought them into a conscious …
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come A Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity: Or, an Exhortation to Christians to be Holy. By John Bunyan.
Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.'--[Psalm 93:5] London, by B. W., for Benj. Alsop, at the Angel and Bible, in the Poultrey. 1684. THE EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. This is the most searching treatise that has ever fallen under our notice. It is an invaluable guide to those sincere Christians, who, under a sense of the infinite importance of the salvation of an immortal soul, and of the deceitfulness of their hearts, sigh and cry, "O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed. The lights in the firmament of heaven were appointed to be for signs, affording direction to the mariner, the husbandman, and others. Miracles wrought on memorable occasions, were constituted signs or tokens of God's universal government. The gracious grant of covenant signs was made in order to proclaim the truth of the existence of God's covenant with his people, to urge the performance …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Epistle xxxix. To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria.
To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria. Gregory to Eulogius, &c. As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country (Prov. xxv. 25). But what can be good news to me, so far as concerns the behoof of holy Church, but to hear of the health and safety of your to me most sweet Holiness, who, from your perception of the light of truth, both illuminate the same Church with the word of preaching, and mould it to a better way by the example of your manners? As often, too, as I recall in …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Job 22:22 NIVJob 22:22 NLTJob 22:22 ESVJob 22:22 NASBJob 22:22 KJV
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