In the Merry Old Land of Uz?

Evie Polsley — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 21:21:16 +0000

For many of us the first things we think about when we hear “the Land of Uz” is a yellow brick road and magic shoes. But that is the Land of Oz. The Land of Uz was a real place, filled with real people, who lived real lives (and they didn’t need to click their heals to get there). When the Bible lists a location it’s for a reason, for context. If there is a place we don’t know about it’s a great opportunity to do some additional study to understand why that location is important to the story.

Read from the Swindoll Study Bible to learn about Uz, the land Job called home.

Job lived in “the land of Uz” (Job 1:1). The location sounds as strange to our modern ears as the Land of Oz.

Determining the location of the land of Uz is no easy task. The presence and ancestry of various people named Uz in Scripture could suggest an Aramean location for the land of Uz (Gen. 10:23; 22:21; 1 Chr. 1:17). Jeremiah makes a connection between Uz and Edom, the land of Esau (Lam. 4:21). But at the same time, the prophet maintains a distinction from it (Jer. 25:20-21). The geographical and etymological references seem to place the land of Uz somewhere in northern Arabia, in close proximity to the wilderness as well as to land that could sustain livestock and agriculture (Job 1:3, 14, 19; 42:12).

Our unfamiliarity with Uz—as with many other geographical sites referenced in Scripture—might make this part of the text easy to dismiss. But mentions of these places are not throwaway statements. References to “the land of Uz,” as well as to other places mentioned in the Bible, do more than merely locate biblical events, as valuable as that can be. Naming specific places upholds the truth that biblical accounts are not mere fables or myths. They are history. The places where the people in the Bible lived and met God tie their lives and experiences to a particular context that is important for properly understanding their encounters with God. The place name of the land of Uz gives credence to the life of Job.

Understanding the historical details of Scripture helps us grasp the actual truth of the Bible and see its principles as grounded in real life. Even in cases like Uz, where the specific location is difficult to pin on a map, the reality of knowing that biblical stories happened to real people in real, named places in the world helps us to recognize the tangible truth that God is alive and active in the places we live today.

Learn more about the Swindoll Study Bible

Giving God Our Best

Evie Polsley — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 08:22:25 +0000

It’s amazing how challenges and struggles that the men and women in the Bible faced are often similar to the ones we face today. Though the setting and context can be different, the heart issue is often very much the same. Read from the Christian Basics Bible about Haggai’s struggle to get the returning exiles to get their priorities straight.

Read Haggai Chapter 1

Haggai’s central challenge was that the returning exiles simply weren’t giving God their best. Of course they needed to build homes and plant fields, but this had become the sole object of their attention. They weren’t content with simple homes but wanted luxurious houses (Haggai 1:4). These personal projects had consumed their resources, leaving little to give to God’s work, meaning that his house (the Temple) remained a ruin (1:4). So God challenged them to bring timber and rebuild his house; then he would “take pleasure in it and be honored” (1:8). Only then could he lift the curse they had brought upon themselves (1:10-11; Deuteronomy 28: 38-40).

It is always easy to rationalize not giving God our best. Here the people were saying that the time wasn’t right (Haggai 1:2). But this was just an excuse. God is realistic – he knows we need a home, clothes, and food (Matthew 6:25-32) – but Jesus said our priority is to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,” promising that “he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). When we get our priorities right, God’s provision is always released to us.

Note taken from the Christian Basics Bible. Take a look inside.

Bible notes – New Living Translation

In the Merry Old Land of Uz?

Giving God Our Best