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Acacia Mission, Singapore (2026)

25/05/2026

Job 34-36 done ✅.
In Job's suffering, a young figure named Elihu emerges. In chapters 34-36, Elihu delivers a harsh yet wise message about justice, pride, and God's purifying work. Although not entirely perfect, Elihu's words serve as important preparation before God Himself speaks.
✅. Chapter 34: Elihu affirms that God cannot do evil (34:10-12). He rejects Job's implicit accusation that God is unjust.
1. Suffering is not evidence of God's injustice
2. Humans are limited in their ability to judge God's perfect plan
3. God sees and rewards every deed (34:25-27).
✅. Chapter 35: Elihu reminds us that human sin or righteousness does not affect God's glory (35:6-8). God is not dependent on humans.
1. Don't feel "meritorious" before God.
2. Unanswered prayers can be caused by pride (35:12-13).
3. Humility is the key to approaching God.
✅. Chapter 36: The essence of Elihu's message: God uses suffering to save and teach (36:15-16). Suffering is not punishment but character building.
1. God is fully sovereign over nature and history (36:26-33).
2. Suffering can be "God's school" to awaken us from pride.
3. The ultimate goal is restoration and glory (36:22).

Elihu's Limitations: He didn't yet know that Job's suffering wasn't due to a specific sin, but rather a test of faith. Yet his teachings about God's sovereignty and justice remain relevant.
Elihu was right about God's sovereignty and justice, but he didn't know the Incarnation and Redemption. Now we have greater light: the Cross of Christ. There, God is not only just—He also loves unto death. There, suffering is not just discipline—but a path to glory.
Just as Job finally said, "Now my eyes see you" (Job 42:5), so too we look to Jesus, through whose suffering we are saved.

Reflection for our Christian faith:
1. Don't judge God based on our suffering.
2. Abandon the pride that presumes to be righteous before God.
3. Accept God's discipline as evidence of His love, not His anger.
4. Trust that God is doing something glorious behind the suffering.

23/05/2026

Job 30-33 done ✅.
This is the section where Job's suffering reaches its peak.
✅. Chapter 30: Job laments honestly: he is despised by the lowly, sickly, and feels abandoned by God.
Job's suffering is real, brutal, and heartbreaking. He is not feigning it. Job teaches us that being honest with God in bitterness is authentic faith, not sin.
✅. Chapter 31: He maintains his integrity—not pride, but a pure heart.
Job does not claim to be perfect, but he knows he does not deserve such harsh punishment. He lives justly, purely, and helps the poor.
Integrity does not make us immune from suffering, but it gives us the courage to question God. Job stands firm: "I do not deserve to be destroyed like this."
✅. Chapters 32–33: A young man named Elihu appears. Unlike Job's three judgmental friends, Elihu brings a new perspective: God doesn't always punish, but often disciplines with love.
Elihu is different. He is angry with the three friends for failing to defend God righteously, and with Job for being more self-righteous than God. However, Elihu expresses true comfort:
"Behold, all these things God works twice, even three times for a man, to bring his soul back from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living." (Job 33:29-30).
Elihu introduces the concept of restoration through divine education. Suffering is not always punishment—it can be rework by the Master Sculptor.

Reflections for our Christian faith:
1. Don't despair when insulted like Job—remember that Jesus was insulted first.
2. Don't rely on your own integrity—rely on the righteousness of Christ.
3. Listen to the voice of "Elihu" today—the Holy Spirit who comforts, educates, and leads us to joyful repentance.
4. Our suffering is not in vain — God is working out eternal glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

23/05/2026

Job 27-29 done ✅.
A farmer had two large trees in his yard. One day, a violent storm came. The first, large and shady tree, fell. The second, seemingly smaller tree, remained standing. The farmer was amazed. After the storm passed, he dug up the roots of both trees. The fallen tree turned out to have shallow roots, only on the surface. The tree that survived had roots that penetrated deep into the ground, even to the water source beneath.
Job was like the second tree. The storm of suffering did not uproot him because his roots of integrity and fear of God were deep. He did not rely on external blessings, but on God Himself.
✅. Job 27: Job affirmed his integrity. He vowed that "as long as I have breath, my lips will not speak deceit" (Job 27:3-4). He knew that the wicked would receive their reward.
Do we remain true to our faith when everyone accuses us? Or do we readily confess "sins" we haven't committed just to be accepted?
✅. Job 28: This is a poem about true wisdom. Wisdom cannot be bought with gold or precious stones. "Behold, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; and to turn away from evil—that is understanding" (Job 28:28).
Man can dig deep mines, find sapphires and gold, but he cannot "dig up" wisdom. Wisdom is only found in a right relationship with God.
The world offers much "wisdom" through education, philosophy, and technology. But all of it is in vain without the fear of God.
✅. Job 29: Job longed for the past when God cared for him, when he was respected for his justice, and when he was "eyes to the blind and feet to the lame."
The righteous may long for past blessings. Job was not sinful in longing for the good old days. But he did not get bogged down in bitterness. Instead, he reminded himself of God's goodness.
Let us not be ashamed to long for the times when God was so real in our lives. But use that longing as fuel to hope for the restoration that God provides.

Reflections for our Christian faith:
1. Maintain integrity even if everyone accuses you.
2. Seek wisdom not in wealth or intelligence, but in the fear of God.
3. Long for God's presence more than any blessing that has ever been lost.

Job said, "I know that my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25). The New Testament answers: The Redeemer is Jesus, who is truly alive, has risen, and will come again. That is the good news that changes Job's despair into the certainty of our faith.

21/05/2026

Job 24-26 done ✅.
The brutal struggle of Job. He speaks of rampant injustice, then faces Bildad's accusation of simplifying God, and finally responds with a confession of God's greatness.
✅ Chapter 24: "Why hasn't the Almighty set a time for judgment?" (Job 24:1). Isn't this the honest complaint of a Wounded Man?
The poor are robbed of their land, orphans are used as collateral for debt, widows are left naked, and even murderers operate at night (24:2-17). Job doesn't deny God's existence—he longs for His justice.
Healthy faith isn't afraid to ask questions. Let's be honest with God about our disappointments. The psalms, Job's lamentations, even Jesus on the cross struggles: "My God, why have you forsaken me?" Questioning isn't a sin—giving in to bitterness is.
✅ Chapter 25: "He is powerful and greatly to be feared, He who makes peace in His high place!" (25:2).
Bildad was right about God's greatness, but wrong in his application. He seemed to be saying, "Job, you are but dust; how can you accuse God?" Bildad's theology was doctrinally correct but cold and uncompassionate. He used God's greatness to silence Job's suffering, not to comfort him.
Never use God's greatness to belittle the suffering of others. Yes, God is great—that's why He cares about every tear.
✅ Chapter 26: Job replied with subtle sarcasm: "How good it is that you help those who have no strength!" (26:2), then he launched into the most beautiful praise of God's power:
"God sets the north over empty space; he hangs the earth over nothing... by his power he crushes the sea" (26:7, 12).
Job did not deny God's greatness. He acknowledged it more deeply than Bildad. Yet Job was still dissatisfied with an answer that simply repeated, "God is great, so keep quiet." Job longed for justice, not just doctrine.

Job 24–26 teaches us that true faith dares to ask questions, remains in awe of God's greatness, yet is not satisfied with injustice. The New Testament answers this struggle in the person of Jesus Christ:
1. On the cross, God himself entered into the most extreme suffering and injustice.
2. In the resurrection, God assures us that justice will prevail.
3. In heaven, all of Job's "whys" will be answered—not with explanations, but with God's all-healing presence.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) — This is the answer Bildad never gave, but Christ gave with open arms on the cross.

20/05/2026

Job 20-23 done ✅.
The story of Job teaches us about inexplicable suffering. In chapters 20-23, we witness a heated debate between Job and his three friends. (Chapter 20) Zophar accuses harshly, (Chapters 21-23) Job responds with a deep struggle of faith.
✅. Chapter 20: Zophar said: "The joy of the wicked is short, the joy of the ungodly is but for a moment" (Job 20:5).
Zophar was right that sin brings destruction, but he WRONGLY applied it to Job. He didn't know that Job's suffering wasn't due to hidden sin. Zophar was instead a harsh judge, not a comforter.
Because suffering isn't always the result of specific sin. Instead, suffering can be a vessel of God's grace and glory.
✅. Chapter 21: Job asked: "Why do the wicked live, grow old, and even grow rich?" (Job 21:7).
Job boldly dismantles the simplistic theology of his friends. The world is not that simple. The righteous can suffer, the wicked can prosper. This does not mean God is unjust, but His plan is more complex than we understand.
Job shows that God is not afraid of the honest questions and complaints of His people. The New Testament confirms that in Christ, we have full access to God the Father.
✅. Chapters 22-23: Eliphaz accuses (chapter 22): "Isn't your wickedness great?" Then Job replies (chapter 23): "If I had known how to find him... I would have pleaded my case before him" (Job 23:3-4).
This is the pinnacle of Job's faith. He is disappointed in his friends, confused by the situation, but he does not abandon God. Instead, he longs for God's vindication. Job's faith is not an easy faith, but a struggling faith.

Reflection for our Christian faith:
1. Don't imitate Job's friends who judge with shallow theology. Instead, be like Jesus who is merciful.
2. Job's faith was tested and proven pure, but in Christ, we have a perfect example: Jesus himself who suffered without sin, was crucified, then glorified.
3. Job's longing for a "Defender" mirrors that of Jesus. Not a defender who only hears things, but a Redeemer who died in our place.
4. Job's story does not end in chapter 23 – God finally speaks (chapters 38-41) and restores. Likewise in the New Testament "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

19/05/2026

Job 17-19 done ✅.
We've all experienced dark times in life. When everything feels shattered, when prayers seem unanswered, when friends hurt us. Job was at the lowest point in his life. He had lost his possessions, his children, his health, and now he had to face friends who accused him of sin. Yet amidst all this, there was a remarkable confession of faith from Job.
✅. Chapter 17: Job said, "My days are past, my plans are cut off, the hope of my heart has perished" (Job 17:11). He felt surrounded by death, scorned by his friends, and abandoned by God.
Job's despair was honest and real. The Bible never tells us to pretend to be happy. Cast out your sorrows to God. Even the Psalms contain lamentations. Job teaches that true faith is not afraid to admit weakness before God.
✅. Chapter 18: Bildad, Job's friend, accused Job: "There is no descendant or living person after him in his dwelling place" (Job 18:19). He said that the wicked will perish—subtly accusing Job of wickedness.
Don't be a modern-day Bildad. True service is not about judging the suffering, but about accompanying them with love. Jesus said, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1).
✅. Chapter 19: Job 19:25-27: "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, I will see God in my flesh. I will see him myself; my eyes will see him, not another. My heart is breaking with longing for this!"
Job believed that in heaven there was a "Go'el" (redeemer) for him—God himself, who would later become human in Jesus Christ. This is a prophecy of the Incarnation and Resurrection. Job saw far into the future: the Savior would come, rise from the dead, and Job would see Him with his own eyes.

Job had no answer to why he was suffering. But he gained something greater: the assurance that his Redeemer lives. When we lose everything, we still have Him.

Reflection for our Christian faith:
Job was an Old Testament prophet who saw the day of Christ from afar (John 8:56: Abraham saw My day, and so did Job). What Job held onto as hope—a living Redeemer, bodily resurrection, vindication in heaven—we see concretely in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when we suffer like Job, do not say, "There is no hope." But say with Job, and now even more strongly because we know that Jesus has risen: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the earth."
—which is fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection, and our resurrection with Him.

18/05/2026

Job 14-16 done ✅.
Job teaches us about the suffering of the righteous. In chapters 14-16, we hear three voices:
1. Job's complaint about the transience of life (chapter 14).
2. Eliphaz's stern rebuke (chapter 15).
3. Job's poignant response (chapter 16).
✅. Chapter 14: Job reflects on the shortness and hardship of human life. "Man, born of woman, is of few days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). He longs to hide in the realm of the dead until God's wrath passes.
Job is honest with God. He doesn't pretend to be strong. His desire to "hide" reveals a struggling faith—not a dead faith, but a questioning faith.
✅. Chapter 15: Eliphaz accuses Job of pride and sin. "Your mouth declares your iniquity" (15:6). He argued that the wicked must suffer—as if all suffering were punishment.
Eliphaz was right theologically (God punished sin) but wrong pastorally. He is not merciful. We are often like Eliphaz: quick to judge, slow to hear.
✅. Chapter 16: Job felt surrounded, "God gave me over to the wicked" (16:11). But in the midst of despair, he cried out: "Now in heaven there is my witness, there is my supreme defender" (16:19, free translation).
This is the peak of Job's faith. He saw no answer, but he believed there was a Defender in heaven. This is a shadow of Jesus Christ, our Mediator (1 John 2:1).

Reflections for our Christian faith:
1. Don't be like "Eliphas" who judges people who are suffering. Instead, be like Jesus: "He does not break a bruised reed" (Matthew 12:20).
2. Job only watched from a distance his Defender. We have real Defenders. Whenever we feel accused by Satan or our conscience, remember: "Who will condemn? Christ Jesus who died, even more so who rose, who sits at the right hand of God, who makes an intercession for us" (Romans 8:34).
3. Death and mortality (Job 14) are not the end. Jesus' resurrection was the answer to Job's lamentation. Withered flowers will bloom again in the garden of resurrection.

17/05/2026

Job 11-13 done ✅.
We will reflect on the conversation between Job and his friend, Zophar. Job was at the peak of his suffering—having lost his possessions, children, and health. But instead of receiving comfort, he received accusations from those closest to him.
✅. Chapter 11: Zophar, Job's third friend, took on the harshest and most judgmental tone. He said: "Will a talkative man not be answered? Will a talkative man be justified?" (Job 11:2).
Zophar even dared to say: "Do you know the secrets of God?" (11:7-8). He claimed to fully understand God's justice. Yet, humans can never fully comprehend God's sovereignty and plan.
✅. Chapter 12: Job did not remain silent. He responded with sharp sarcasm: "You are men of wisdom, and when you die, wisdom will die!" (Job 12:2). Job asserts that he is no less wise than they are.
Job then declares his firm faith: "With him belong wisdom and strength; with him belong counsel and understanding" (12:13). He describes God's sovereignty over nature, nations, and even world leaders.
Although Job does not understand why he is suffering, he does not abandon his faith in God's sovereignty. He knows that God has the right to do what He wills, without needing permission or explanation from humans.
✅ Chapter 13: Job's response culminates in his deep longing: "Behold, I will speak with the Almighty; I will plead my case before God" (13:3).
Job rejects the advice of his friends because they "cover lies with lies, and all are worthless physicians" (13:4). He prefers to remain silent and listen to God rather than listen to the accusations of men.
Job expresses extraordinary faith: "Behold, he is about to kill me, yet my hope is in him" (13:15, literal translation). This is the pinnacle of faith: hoping in God even when life is at risk.

Reflections for our Christian faith:
1. Don't despair over the wrong advice of men. Keep hoping in the sovereign and just God.
2. Don't be quick to judge. Give your presence and love to your brothers and sisters.
3. True faith isn't always understanding God's plan, but trusting in Him even when you don't.

In Jesus Christ there is a greater hope: restoration not only in this present world, but also in the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
"The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
The apostle Paul even suffered a "thorn in the flesh" that God did not remove, yet he heard: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

16/05/2026

Job chapters 7-10 done ✅.
Job lost everything: his children, his possessions, his health, and even his wife's support. Job wasn't preaching doctrine, but he was struggling. He was frank with God about the bitterness, confusion, and death he longed for. This is one of the most honest struggles of faith in the Bible.
✅. Chapter 7: Job said, "Isn't it necessary for man to struggle on the earth?" He compared life to a laborer waiting for pay or a slave longing for shade.
Job didn't pretend to be strong. Biblical faith isn't about denying pain, but about bringing it to God.
Job said, "I will not restrain my mouth." He accused God of being like a guard surrounding him.
Job felt God was too cruel, too close to avoid, yet too far to understand. He longed for death as an escape—but he didn't commit su***de; he continued to speak to God.
✅. Chapter 8: Bildad accused him, "Your children have sinned, and therefore they die." Like a mourner who comes, and instead of supporting me, he judges me with cold theological words. Job replies: "It is true that God is Almighty, but I cannot see him. There is no intercessor between me and God."
Job longs for a mediator—someone who can bring him together with God. This is a longing that was long ago fulfilled by Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).
✅. Chapter 9: Job says: "There is no intercessor." He is like a defendant in court who has no lawyer, but whose judge is both prosecutor and executioner.
Job needs God in human form. We know Jesus is the answer.
✅. Chapter 10: Job laments the day of his birth. He says: "Let me alone for a little while before I go into the land of darkness."
Job doesn't receive a direct answer to the question "why I was born," but the Bible records his struggle. This means that God is not afraid of our honest complaints.

Job chapters 7–10:
✅. Teaching that faith doesn't always have to be neat and quiet. Faith can cry out, ask questions, even lament. Job didn't fall into sin because he kept his struggles directed to God, not abandoning Him.
✅ It's a shadow that seeks fulfillment as a mediator, genuine justification, and the hope of resurrection—all found in Jesus Christ.

Reflections for our Christian faith:
1. Be honest in prayer. Don't hide your bitterness from God.
2. Be a friend who listens, not judges.
3. Job longed for someone to bridge the gap between human sin and God's holiness. Jesus is the answer.
4. Don't be quick to conclude that people who are sick or struggling are sinners.
5. Keep talking to God even when it feels futile.

15/05/2026

Job 4-6 done ✅.
Job was a pious man, wealthy, and had a happy family. But in one day, he lost everything: his possessions, his children, even his health. Three friends came to comfort him, but what ensued was a heated argument. Chapters 4–6 are the first series of these conversations. Eliphaz of Teman speaks on behalf of the "popular theology" that suffering is necessarily the result of sin. Job answers honestly, painfully, but still does not abandon God.
✅. Chapters 4-5: Eliphaz is correct that God is holy and humans sin. However, he is wrong in applying the principle universally. Not all suffering is punishment. The proof is that Job was indeed righteous (Job 1:8). Eliphaz also claims divine revelation, but in fact, that revelation is not automatically true if interpreted with false premises.
✅. Chapter 6: Job does not hate God. He continues to speak to God even though he does not understand His plan. Job's honesty is a mature faith: he does not pretend to be strong; he complains in prayer.

Three Key Messages from Job 4–6
1. Beware of Overly Simplistic Theology.
2. True Faith Is Not Afraid to Complain to God.
3. Be a Comforter, Not a Judge.

The New Testament does not simply repeat Eliphaz's theology, but corrects the notion that all suffering is punishment. Instead, it shows that:
1. The suffering of the righteous can glorify God.
2. True comfort comes from the Holy Spirit and Jesus as Advocate.
3. We must not judge others based on limited knowledge.
4. Job is an example of faith and patience, not a hidden sinner.

14/05/2026

Job 1-3 done ✅.
Job was a pious, wealthy, and respected man. In a short time, he lost everything: his possessions, his children, and his health. Chapters 1-3 invite us into the depths of incredible suffering, but also into the honest struggle of faith.
Imagine a farmer who loses his entire farm in a flash flood. His house is swept away, and his child dies. As he sits atop the rubble, a neighbor asks, "Do you still believe God is good?" The farmer cries, then says softly, "I don't understand why this happened. My heart is broken. But I still remember that God gave me crops before, and the same God will sustain me now, though I don't know how."
That's a small glimpse of Job's struggle: faith that endures even though reason cannot answer the "why."
✅. Chapter 1: Job is blessed by God. Satan accuses Job of fearing God only because he is protected. God allows Satan to take his possessions and his children. Job said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).
✅. Chapter 2: Satan accuses again: "Skin for skin! Job will curse You if he is harmed." God allows Satan to attack Job's body with terrible boils. His wife tells Job to curse God and die. Job refuses.
✅. Chapter 3: Job opens his mouth and curses the day of his birth. He wails in deep bitterness.

From Job 1-3 we learn three things:
1. Suffering is not always the result of sin.
Job is called "righteous and upright" by God Himself. His suffering is a test of faith, not punishment. This debunks the notion that all suffering is due to guilt.
2. True faith is not built on material blessings.
Job worships God after losing everything. His wife embodies the world's logic: "Just die if God doesn't help." Job shows that God is worthy of worship not only because of what He gives, but because of who He is.
3. Honesty in lament is part of faith.
Many people think a godly person should never be angry or disappointed. Job chapter 3 refutes that. He cursed the day of his birth, but he didn't curse God. He was honest with God—and God didn't punish him for it.

Reflections for our Christian faith:
1. Don't be quick to judge those who suffer.
It's better to be silent and present than to give shallow answers.
2. Exercise faith in good times to be strong in bad.
Daily spiritual disciplines prepare it for the big storms.
3. Confess our feelings to God.
A believer's prayer doesn't always have to be "neat and positive." The Psalms, Lamentations, and Job teach us that God is able to accommodate our bitterness.
4. Hold fast to God's facts, not our feelings.
Faith is a decision to trust God's character even when circumstances tell us otherwise.

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