“Accept instruction from His mouth…” Job 22:22a

This hint from the book of Job suggests ancient texts to which the faithful turned for spiritual discovery, comfort and guidance. In Job’s day, only the very wealthy actually had copies of the sacred scrolls which were tediously copied by the hands of scribes who had been thoroughly vetted for their attention to detail and commitment to preserve codified texts. These scrolls may have been some pre-Judaic literature that had been passed down through oral tradition before the innovation of writing. The most logical source of such literature would have been the creation account – which may have been quite similar to Moses’, found in the Pentateuch.

This verse also reflects a common reference for Job and his friends: a resource for living rightly. These writings would often be the basis of governing documents for tribes, defining the social and personal expectations for living; weighing the actions of Job and his friends without bias. However, as is common through humanity, there are those who use authoritative literature for their own selfish purposes – manipulating the lives of others through some distorted view of truth. Such seems to be the case with Job’s friends; which is why there is so much accepted truth found within their conversations with Job… and this
verse is a great example of such.

The entire remark by Eliphaz was: “Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.” By itself, it appears as worthy counsel. However, paired with Eliphaz’s previous indictment of Job, it is a continued accusation of Job’s wickedness, implying Job had not been accepting instruction from the sacred texts. Presenting a basis of commonality, though, may have been just the catalyst to prepare their hearts for God’s soon to come interruption of their conversation.

In my book, “Discovering Psalm 119: A King’s Tribute to the Sacred Texts”, I show how God’s Word is the subject and focus of the entire psalm, written in an alphabetized acrostic for ease of memorization. The benefits of knowing and understanding God’s inspired Word are emphasized throughout the chapter. The 160th verse declares all God’s words to be true and all His righteous laws to be eternal. We can never go wrong when we submit to the wisdom and guidance of God’s Word when understood within its historical and literary contexts; especially if we are diligent to pray for understanding before reading it, as well as seeking
textual and expert confirmation before acting upon it.

The bible is its own best commentary, and I find the more I get into it, the more of it gets into me. It is my hope these vignettes will encourage you to search the scriptures for discoveries to guide your life and develop spiritual disciplines for living.

Have a blessed day…