"A Man's Heart is Sensitive; his soul is grieved..." (Prov 14,10 LXX)

Sometimes the LXX gives us a totally different take from the usual MT translation and Prov 14,10 is a good example. And the Lord used the Septuagint version to speak to me as I was feeling particularly sensitive over a number of things and my soul was becoming grieved as a result. The second half of the verse reads, "when he rejoices he does not mingle with pride". How true and how important when we worship the Lord and rejoice before Him it is purely out of our love for Him in all humility and acknowledgement for what He has done in our lives. No proudful person will stand before Him for He knows the proud from afar but those who hope in His mercy draw near to Him.

What better book to read during times of grief and afflictions than the book of Job. I have reading it for almost a whole week now and it is very likely I will preach from Job in my final sermon during the Youth Conference finale. Job is known for painful contradictions and is filled with ironies and paradoxes. Why is it that those you love hurt you the most and you hurt those whom you love most? Why is it love is painful...even God's love comes with the pain of the cross for in it God's love is poured out in the sufferings of Jesus Christ?  Why is human love is often painful to a degree unbearable? Even erotic and romantic love are hurtful and are full of contradictions. Why is it that those who love and wish to draw near to run away from us? There is a time to embrace and there is a time to refrain from embracing? There is a time for every purpose under heaven and perhaps even love, agape and phileo and eros all full of contradictions will be resolved in the time to come, in the age where there is no marrying and no giving in marriage but all are like angels before God. When we become pure spirits though enfleshed in the new body, then all contradictions will vanish away as then the mystery will be made known and we will know Him as He is known.