Copr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.
Introduction: this is the start of a new quarter, and the study of
the book of Job. Job was probably one of the very first books of
the bible to be written. Perhaps that is because God wanted to get
the message of this book before his followers as soon as possible.
I am really looking forward to going through the study of this book
with you. My bet is that everyone of us will, if we have not
already, ask God some of the same important questions that Job
asked God. These lessons may be critical to retaining our faith in
God. Lets get into it.
I. Job the man
a. Read Job 1: 1-5. What kind of person was Job? Lets list all
the things that we learn about him.
1. Man
2. Uz (edon, southwest of the dead sea)
3. Blameless (hebrew word literally means "complete."
4. Upright (hebrew means literally "straight.")
5. Feared God (revered God)
6. Shunned evil. (literally "turned off.")
7. Rich (7k sheep; 3k camels; 500 oxen; 500 donkeys)
8. Famous
9. He was blessed by God to have seven sons and three
daughters. (a complete number. Notice the same for
his animals which also add up to 10)
10. Personal and real concern about the spritual welfare
of his family--a man who believed in "family
values."
b. Would you like to be like Job? Didn't he have a great life?
II. Tragedy strikes.
a. Our lesson wants us to wait until next week to look at
verses 6-12, so we will. Look with me at V. 13-15.
1. What kind of disaster is described? How would you
guess it would affect Job? (half of his wealth. Scratch
the oxen and the donkeys)
b. Read v.16. What is the significance of the fact that the
first reporter was still speaking? (that Job had not had
a chance to recover from the first terrible news.)
1. What kind of disaster is described here? How would it
affect Job? (scratch the sheep and the servants:
probably more than 3/4 of his wealth)
2. What is this fire from God? (lightning)
3. Do you think that the devil could control lightning
even way back then? (not want to divert from the
lesson's order too much, but 1:12 has God putting
Job's stuff in the devil's hands. This is actually
a very sobering thought as we consider the
increasing number of natural calamities.)
c. Read v.17. Note that the second reporter is still speaking.
1. What kind of disaster is described here? (scratch the
camels: the rest of his wealth)
d. Read v.18-19. As you consider the list that we made about
Job, what is gone? (all of his blessings. His material
goods and his children.)
1. Tell me the impact of the loss of all of your children
for a man whose regular custom (1:5) is to give
sacrifices for each one of them? (he obviously
cared a great deal for them. His love and daily
concern continued even when they had grown up.)
2. Once again, notice how they died -- a disturbance of
nature that is apparently controllable by Satan.
e. Lets make this real personal: imagine that in the last
twenty minutes you have: lost your Job; lost all the
money in your checking and savings account; lost all of
your other sources of income; and all of your children
have been killed.
a. How do you react?
f. How did Job react? Read v.20-21. What a guy!
g. We will look at the interplay between christ and Satan next
week, but I want you to consider the power of the devil
for a minute.
1. In those four disasters that overtook Job's blessings,
how precise was the devil's work?
2. Four times only a single person survived: just exactly
the number needed to convey the tragedy to Job.
3. In the wind storm, all ten of Job's children were
killed, not one survived, not one just injured.
4. I suggest that if that does not scare the living
daylights out of you, that you need your head examined.
5. Are the issues of good and evil just a game? Is sin
just good clean fun? Can anyone be neutral?
6. Someone said to me recently, I'm pro-choice, but I'm
not pro-abortion: I think this story shows that
there are no spectators in the war between good and
evil, there is no neutral zone. As jesus said in mt
12:30 "he who is not with me is against me, and he
who does not gather with me scatters." (same lk
11:23)
h. Notice in v.21 again: Job does not say, "what horrid luck
we had today: bad weather and unruly neighbors." how close is Job
to the truth? What role did luck and God play here?
III. The second test
a. Read Job 2:7-10. What is taken from Job this time? (his
health)
b. What is notable about this skin disease? (that it is
painful.)
1. Could you walk?
2. Sleep?
3. Does Satan have the knowledge and ability to ruin our
health too?
c. Why is Job scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery?
what kind of treatment is that? (matthew henry is a very old
commentary, and he has an interesting observation about Job's
treatment. He says that others should be covering Job's sores with
salve. But Job cannot afford a doctor; his children and servants
are dead, and his wife doesn't care. And Job doesn't do a very good
Job of taking care of himself.)
d. What does Job have left? (his life, his wife, and his
friends.)
1. Lets talk about Satan's "precision bombing" for a
minute. Why does Job have his life? (as we will study
next week, the lord restrained the devil from taking it.)
2. Why does Job have his wife? Was Satan restrained from
taking her?
3. Why does Job have his friends? Was Satan restrained
from taking them?
e. What does Job's wife encourage him to do? Compare her words
with those of Satan in 2:5. (tummah (toom-maw') the word translated
"integrity" in every translation that I consulted, is the feminine
form of "innocence.")
f. What do you think she means by this? (Satan tempted eve
with the idea that God wanted to withhold something good from her.
I think the idea here is that God is withholding good from Job.
that God wanted to do this to Job, and that Jobs best way to get
back at God is to curse him. Job's wife says, "don't be innocent,"
"don't be naive.")
1. How many of us, when things do not go right, decide
that we should "get back" at God, by refusing to give him our
allegiance.
g. Isn't Job's wife suffering every bit as much as Job, except
for the sores?
h. Did God say to Satan, consider Job's wife, she is perfect?
(no.)
1. We are going to discuss next week how Job got into
this mess, how did Job's wife get into this mess?
2. Did she sin and cause it?
3. Was she an object of the struggle between good and
evil? (it seems that nothing happens by chance here, but
she seems to be caught up in a fire zone. It seems it is
not her fault or her fight.)
i. What do you think about Job's response to the suggestion of
his wife?
1. Must we always be on our guard, even with people that
we trust, to ensure that their advice squares with the
bible?
IV. The friends.
a. Read Job 2: 11-13. Why don't they recognize him?
b. What was the purpose of the three friends? (to sympathize
with him and to comfort him.)
1. Tell me first what they did, and whether you think
that accomplished their purpose of comforting him and
sympathizing with him?
(a. They showed that they could hardly recognize him
by weeping out loud, tearing their coats and
sprinkling dust on their heads.
b. They sat on the ground with him and said
nothing.)
2. When you have been sick, is this what you wanted your
friends to do? (there is a couple of very good things
here. First, they came to see him. Second, they shared
his grief: they wept. Third, they shared his discomfort
as much as possible, they tore their coats, sprinkled
dust and sat on the ground for several days.)
V. Next week: "The Adversary," a study of what went on behind the
scenes of Job's suffering in the heavenly courts. Job 1:6-12, 21,
22; 2:1-10.)
Introduction: last week we saw how Job went from the rich, the
famous and the blessed, to the infamous and, seemingly, unblessed.
he lost all of his material wealth, lost his 10 children, lost his
health, and was left with his wife and three friends.
no doubt Job was asking himself why this happened. Sometimes
ask ourselves why when trouble comes our way. Well, this week we
do not have to wonder, we get to find out exactly why all of this
happened.
I. Behind the scenes
a. Open your bibles with me to Job (just before Ps and Prov)
chapter 1, and I'll read to you verses 6--12.
b. This past week my kids and I were studying Luke 12:8 where
it says, "whoever acknowledges me before men, the son of man
will also acknowledge before the angels of God." shortly
thereafter I was working on my lesson and read our text:
1. Do you think that maybe Job would have liked to avoid
the aggravation and not had God acknowledge him in
heaven?
c. Lets look seriously at this whole thing.
d. The KJV says that the "sons of God" are gathered together,
the NIV says "angels." do you think that the sons of God
refers to angels?
1. Is Satan a son of God? (the hebrew word is "ben"
(bane) and it means descendant. Satan was a created being
and so he, the angels and us are all sons of God.)
2. This is not a council of kings: there is only one
king, the lord and those that meet with him are created
by him.
3. Why do you think that the angels have regular meetings
with God?
4. What was the purpose of this meeting? (to present what
they had been doing.)
5. God says to Satan, where have you come from?
a. Didn't God know?
b. Why did he ask?
c. Was he really asking him what he had been up to?
6. I think that God was really asking Satan what he had
been up to. Have you ever asked your kids what they have
been doing when they have been doing something that is
not right?
a. What do they say? "just hanging around?" "just
talking?"
b. Did Satan admit that he had been in the middle of
making a bunch of trouble? (no! he says he has been
wandering about.)
e. So God says to Satan, "have you considered my servant Job?
he is blameless (kjv-perfect) and upright a man who fears God
and shuns evil"
1. Why do you think that God said this?
2. Would not God know what Satan's reaction would be?
3. Wasn't God needlessly putting Job on the line?
f. Lets put this in a little different light. Lets assume that
Satan showed up at this meeting as a challenge to God. That
his statement that he had been roaming the earth was an
assertion of his control and rulership over the earth. That
he was sticking his fist in God's face.
1. In that light, is God's reference to Job a statement
that Satan does not control the earth? That God still has
his loyal subjects?
2. Is God's description of Job, a rebuke to Satan in the
sense that Job is what Satan should be?
3. Is this the duty of each and every one of us, to
willingly wade into the battle between good and evil?
[skip to II.unless need for discussion] a) we will look at Job's
character in a lot more detail later, but I wanted to mention the
kjv translation in which God is calling Job "perfect." the hebrew
work is "tam" and vine's says that the meaning is not that Job was
really "perfect" in the ultimate sense, but rather that he was
"blameless" or "had integrity."
II. God's authority, power and responsibility.
a. Lets consider Satan's response. What charges does Satan
make? I see three of them in 1:9-11. What are they?
1. First he challenges God's character: people like you
because you give gifts, not because you are worthy of
love.
2. Then he challenges Job's character: Job is in it for
the money and the protection. He does not serve God
because he loves him.
3. If God's care is taken away, Job will curse God.
b. We are looking right now at one of the major themes of the
book. One theme is why do bad things happen? But another
theme is why do we serve God. Lets consider these in turn:
1. Let me ask you: would you serve God if there were
nothing in it for you? No heaven. No protection from
problems. We like to say that following God's will makes
for a better life. Assume that is not true.
2. Can you say that, "I've seen the controversy between
God and Satan, I've chosen sides, and that is that. I
don't care about anything else!
3. Do you think that we need to say that? (it seems to be
a charge that Satan throws up to God. If this were not
a problem, why wouldn't God say, "so what?"
4. Especially during easter weekend. I hope we can we
say, "I've seen enough of the controversy, between good
and evil, I have chosen sides and I'm a volunteer!
c. Lets look at Satan's third charge of cursing God. Look at
Job 1:5. Job's fear in life was that his children would curse
God in their heart. Then in Job 1:11 Satan says that Job will
curse God to his face. Then in Job 2:5 Satan repeats the
charge. Then in Job 2:9 Job's wife says that he should curse
God and die.
1. What is cursing God? This sin that seems to hold
center court in this story?
2. Does man have the power to curse God? (no one in this
book doubts that God has his hand on the throttle, that what
happens, happens because God does it or because he permits it.
when Job refused to curse God, he simply said that God was in
charge and that was that. The man who would curse God would second
guess God. He would be the same one who would say that he knew
more than God. And the ability to curse comes from having a higher
authority. So cursing God is the attitude that man knows best, he
is a higher authority.)
d. Satan suggests that God is responsible for Job's blessings.
do you think that God is "responsible" for the good and bad
that happens?
1. If he is not, why didn't God say, "hey, he was on his
own?"
2. Do you think that time and chance happen to us all?
e. Lets look at the issue of God's control in 1:12. Why did
God say Satan could not touch the man? Yet we will see
shortly, that God lets Satan touch Job? (it was not a matter
of principle, or God would never have let Satan touch Job. It
shows God is in control.)
1. Do you remember the "precision bombing" that we
attributed to Satan last week? (one person survives,
marauders, lightening, wind storms)
2. Is God more precise, and therefore more to be feared?
in that God controls the precise devil?
f. If Satan can be so precise, do you think that we sell God
short if we say that something "just happened" for no reason?
1. But do you get mad, and feel the need to defend God if
someone says about some tragedy that, "its God's will?"
2. Was it God's will that Job's blessings be taken away?
(ultimately the buck stops at God. And God accepts it. Look at 2:3.
God takes the blame for what happened to Job! I think that it was
not "God's will" that Job be hurt, but it is his will, as part of
the conroversy between good and evil that it happen.)
g. In matt 10:30 and luke 12:7 it says that the "very hairs of
your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more
than many sparrows."
1. Can you imagine that God knows how many hairs we have
put does not have close and intimate knowledge of everying that
happens to us?
2. Is God just some sort of walking encylopedia of
trivia, without the power and control over what happens?
h. Does God put a hedge around those who serve him?
(yes. But Job (and his wife) shows us how this is not always
the case.)
i. Does the fact that someone has a "hedge" around them mean
that God has put it there?
III. The next assembly
a. Read Job 2:1-6. God says, "i was right. Job is still
faithful." (put that in your pipe and smoke it!)
b. Would you like to have God bragging about you?
c. What is Satan's excuse now? It is difficult to understand
exactly what is meant by the term "skin for skin." one reasonable
explanation is that Job was selfish, and although he had lost all
of his possessions, because he had not been personally touched, he
did not really care. Satan says if I can get to him personally,
things he will then curse you God.
d. But we see in V. 10, that even though Satan touched Job
personally, he still remained faithful.
e. We see now what happened to Job and why. We see that Satan
was wrong and God was right about Job. We see that Job was
faithful. Although that might seem to be the end of the story, none
of this is known on earth. So we turn next week to how the people
on earth analyzed what had happened and why.
IV. Next week: study Job 3-5. Job's three friends
Introduction: Lets review for a minute: in the first chapter of Job
we saw him go from being wealthy, famous and blessed to poor,
infamous and apparently unblessed. He lost just about everything
he owned and finally, in the lost his health..
In week two we got to be a fly on the wall in heavens board
room. By listening in to what happened at two meetins of the "sons
of God" we found out the reason why Job lost everything, including
his health, was because he was such a good man. His faithfulness
made him a battle ground in the controversy between good and evil.
While we know exactly why this happened, neither Job, his wife
nor his friends knew why this happened. So this week we begin
studying a series of conversations about why evil befell Job and
others.
The setting is that Job is sitting on the ground scraping
himself, and the three friends who have been sitting around him for
seven days and seven nights without saying anything are still
sitting there. Job speaks first:
I. Job's response.
a.read 3:1-3,6. Does Job curse God?
b. What does he curse instead? (the day that he was born. He
says that he wishes that day would simply drop off the
calendar.)
c. What is he really saying? (that he wished that he never
was. Sort of erase his existance.)
d. Read 11-15. What does Job wish here? (that he would have
died as soon as he was born.)
e. Read 3:20-22 and 25-26. What does Job wish for here?
(death)
f. How would you describe Job's overall mood? (he says that he
wishes that he never was. But since he was born, he wishes
that he had died at childbirth. But since he did not die at
childbirth, he wishes that he would die now.)
g. How is this different, if at all, from the feelings he
expressed in 2:10?
1. How do you account for the change between 2:10 and
now?
(the passage of time, the presence of his three important wealthy
friends who do not have these problems, and his soul searching over
why this happened to him.)
h. Satan predicted that Job would curse God. Does he do that
in this speech? (no)
i. What do you think is going on in Job's mind? (when all of
these things first hit Job, his immediate reaction was one of faith
and trust in God. Some time has passed here. We know that at least
seven days and the travel time for his three friends from their
three countries has passed. (Job 2: 11-13) I think that now Job is
asking himself why this happened. I think that there are two key
phrases that reveal his mood. In V. 26 Job says, "i have no peace,
no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil." in V. 25 he says
that "what he feared has come upon me." he has no peace, he has
turmoil. It is fine to say that all of these things are in God's
hands. But then you say, "what happened?" "what am I doing
different now that would cause God to do this to me?" my bet it
that what he feared was being disfavored by God, not just financial
ruin.)
j. Lets look at Job's mood a bit more to apply it to our lives:
1. Do you think that these three wishes are a natural
response in view of what has happened to Job?
2. Have you ever felt like this?
3. What is your emotional reaction to Job's speech?
4. If you had been there, how would you have responded to him?
k. How you respond depends in part on why you think people
suffer. Job is clearly a good man, yet he loses his wealth,
his children, and his health.
1.can a christian expect God's preferential treatment in
life?
l. When you visit someone who is sick or grieving, how do you feel?
m. What do you do to try to help?
n. Have you ever been on the receiving end of such help?
o. What did people do that was helpful or unhelpful?
II. Advice of eliphaz. Now that we have set the stage for what we
think should be said and done for those who are suffering, lets
turn next to what Job's three friends did to help him.
a. Before we hear from eliphaz, let me explain a bit about the
way it is written. When I write briefs or argue a point, i
generally organize the argument by building the argument until
I come to the conclusion. Eliphaz statements are not set up
that way. Here is how you would organize his statement. This
was apparently a common practice in writing then.
a. Opening remark 4:2
b. Exhortation 4:3-6
c. God's dealings with man 4:7-11
d. The revelation of truth 4:12-21 *
c. God's dealings with man 5:1-16
b. Exhortation 5:17-26
a. Closing remark 5:27
you have this balance around the revelation of truth.
b. Read 4:1-2. Is eliphaz polite or what? He says after
travelling to see Job for who knows how long, and then sitting
there for seven days, "may I have a word with you? I really
would like to say something."
c. Read 4:2-4. Is this a good way to start out in helping a
friend? What is eliphaz saying? (he is encouraging him with
the statement that Job is has helped others who were in tough
circumstances. He knew what to tell others to do to help in
the problem)
d. Do you see a rebuke in the statement that Job has
instructed many who were having problems, so why is he
sounding like this now that he has problems?
e. Read 5-6. Now it is clear, eliphaz seems to say that he
should be able to work this one out for himself. But, does
eliphaz suggest that Job should not be discouraged now? (it
seems that way. He says, "isn't the fact that you are such a
good guy your reason for hope?"
1. Do you see something wrong with this statment? (he
assumes that if you are good you will be ok. ****but a
very important theme is developming: if Job continues
with his current problem, that means to eliphaz, that
contrary to his belief, Job is not such a great guy. And
if Job buys this theory, it means that God is
unfair--since he is good.)
f. Read 7-11. Lets look at the first statements of God's
dealings with man. What does eliphaz say about the
relationship between sin and suffering?
1. What is he implying about Job?
2. What happens to wicked people according to eliphaz?
3. Is eliphaz correctly stating a principle of the
universe? (yes, ps 34; 1 pet 3:10-12; mark 4:24; rom 4:9-11.)
4. Does it apply here? (not on its face.)
5. Is there a lesson in that?
6. What do you think is meant by his statements about
lions and great lions?
(i think he is saying that no matter how big the problem, God works
it out for the benefit of the righteous.)
g. How does eliphaz know? (he bases this on experience.)
h. The second statement of God's dealings with man in found in
5: 1-16 according to the pattern I outlined for you before.
lets just sample what eliphaz is saying: read 5:11-16
1. Is this the same theme as before? That you reap what
you sow? (yes)
i. Now we come to the revelations of truth. In 4: 12-21. Lets
break it up. Read first 4: 12-16
j. What is happening here to eliphaz? (eliphaz has some sort
of dream when he was sleeping, and he gets a message from it.)
k. Read v.16-20. What do you think is the message of this
dream that he shares with Job?
(that man is not perfect. Man is inferior to God. Since angels can
make mistakes, how much more can man. These statements are true.
the implication is that Job has made an error. Since Job is a man,
and not God, he should just acknowledge his error.
l. The next exhortation, that flows from this truth, is found
in 5:17-26. What is he exhorting Job to do? (to accept the
discipline, repent, and God will make it all ok because Job
will no longer be a person who has fallen from favor with
God.)
m. Read 5:27, the closing remark. So eliphaz says that we have
considered all of this, what I told you is true, so get on
with the application.
n. Is what eliphaz said true? (yes indeed).
1. But is it true in this case? (absolutely not. God did
not say to Satan, "have you considered my servant
eliphaz." he said, "have you considered my servant Job!"
Job was the one who was more upright, yet eliphaz still
had all of his stuff.)
o. So what should be our attitude in giving advice to others?
p. What should be our attitude in giving advice to ourselves
when things are not going right? (to have this attitude of
trust. That everything is in God's hands, that nothing happens
without his approval, and that he will make everything right
because he is God and we are not, he is good and we are not,
and he died for us, so he could not care more for us.)
III. Next week: read Job 6-8. Job responds to eliphaz and then
Bildad puts in his words of advice.
Introduction: you recall that last week, after seven days and
nights of sitting around on an ash heap together, Job decided to
speak. Then eliphaz, one of Job's friends, politely asked Job if he
could have a word with him. Eliphaz said a number of things that
we discussed last week, but the essence of what he said is that you
sow what you reap. If things did not get better fast for Job, he
should start looking at his life.
This week we start out with Job's response to this helpful advice
from eliphaz
I. Job's response
a. Read 6:1-3. Did you ever think about weighing your misery?
just how bad does Job say that he feels?
1. What does he mean by this talk about the sand? (he
says that his anguish and misery outweight all the sand
of the seas. That is an expression in the ot that means
"i couldn't measure it." gen 32:12 but you have said, `i
will surely make you prosper and will make your
descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be
counted.'" (niv)
b. Read v.4-5. Why is Job so upset and why have his words been
so wild. why is he so upset? (he is terrified because he
beleives that the lord is set up in battle formation against
him. The picture is of a chariot riding archer who is shooting
poison arrows into Job.)
c. Why does Job believe that? Because eliphaz told him that?
(this is part of his anquish: that he beleives that the lord
is behind this. The lord is (at least in part) behind this,
but not for any of the reasons suspected by Job and his
friends)
d. Job says that being that upset affects the way he is
talking about this and causes his yelling.
1. Do you find that to be true in generally when someone
is really close to a problem?
2. If someone is suffering, do they sometimes say
something that they do not mean?
(I see that all the time. In our class we generally have answers or
discussions based on an understanding of the bible, but
occassionally someone will be so affected by the topic that they
emotionallly speak from the heart and it is hard to make that
person look at the topic rationally.)
e. Read v.8-10. This seems to be a prayer. Job still wants to
die. He wants God to "let loose his hand" and kill him.
1. If God is attacking him, why does he have to pray for
this? (the idea is that he feels God is, for some reason,
punishing him. It would be a release if he were to die,
but God is not letting go of him so he can die.)
2. Lets step back for a moment and see if we can find a
practical application for our lives.
3. Is Job doing too much thinking here? Could he ever, in
a million years, figure out what has happened in heaven?
(no)
4. We are going to talk a bit later about trying to
figure our the cause of our suffering, but a big point
here is that Job is thinking too much and beating himself
up too much, with the result that he even has a solution
to his problem for God: death!
f. In this does he curse God? (no. He says that his
consolation is that he did not deny God.)(this may be an
answer to Job's belief that eliphaz is suggesting a failure in
Job's relationship to God.)
g. In verses 11-13 Job says that he has no hope, and just is
unable to take this any longer. However, he says that he
should be able to depend on his friends in such a situation,
so lets read what he says about them in V. 14-21.
h. What does Job call his friends? (he says that they are like
a streambed that flows with water in the rainy season, but is
dry in the summer. People look down them thinking that they
might find water, but there is none.)
1. Doesn't this seem to be a bit harsh on the kindly
eliphaz?
2. Didn't eliphaz do his best?
3. Why do you think that Job responded so strongly?
4. Consider the parallel to the wagon trains looking for
water down this dry hole. Do you think this is what
made Job mad at his friends? (yes. Job is looking for an
explanation, I bet he was hopeful when he saw his
friends. But eliphaz simply made it worse by suggesting
that Job should clean up the sin in his life.)
5. Job said something very interesting in V. 21. He said
that they "saw something and were afraid." there is a lot
of debate on this by the commentators. Can you see any
way in which Job's friends are "afraid?"
a. Can we be "afraid" in helping others who face
grief? (1)in boston with gt, "afraid" to say
wrong thing to him. Especially think this
might be God's way to convert him. But
"converting him" would be an act of hostility,
not the act of a friend. (2) having rules is a
great comfort to those who play by them. If
good do well, if bad suffer. Since the friends
were doing well, they might very well have
been afraid to consider the possibility that
even good people get wacked. This would open
them up to something bad.)
i. Read v.28-30. Does this cast more light on the reason that
Job is so upset with his friends? (he told them that he had
not sinned. By them insisting that he must have done
something, they make him out to be a liar: even between them.)
j. In 7:1-6. Job tells us that he spends his nights in
misery, tossing and turning. And it appears that this has been
going on for months. My bet is he is awake at night, not simply
because his body is covered by worms and scabs, but mainly because
he is trying to work out just why this all happened.
k. Read 7:8-10 what is the eye that sees Job now? (God)
1. What is his point about the eye looking for him in
vain in the near future?
2. Why should God be looking for him?
(Job wants to see God. He wants to discuss with him what has
happened. We will see this later in the book at 19:27. And Job says
that if God does not hurry and come that he will have died.)
l. Read 7:11-16. So lets put this together. Job has said that
he is in terrible misery, and that if God is going to see him,
he needs to act fast. So what does Job do to be able to talk
to God?
(since Job very badly wants to talk to God about this, he says
that he will not shut up (v.10), he will speak out in bitterness
and anguish that God is needlessly attacking him.)
m. Is that ok? Is that sin? (i don't think so. I think the
worst thing that God fears is that we ignore him. (rev
3:15-16. I wish that you were either hot or cold) hannah
prayed with the incoherence of a drunken woman (1sam 1:13),
jesus offerred up prayers and supplications with loud cries
and tears ...and he was heard. (heb 5:7))
1. If Job were not bitterly complaining, we might have a
hard time identifying with him?
n.lets finish up Job's rebuttal by reading the last two verses
of chpt 7 (V. 20-21.)
1. What does Job want? (he wants to know "why!")
o. That sets the stage for his friend Bildad to tell him why.
lets go there next.
II. Bildad's response:
a. Read 8:1-4. Score two points for Bildad.
b. What two points does he make with Job? (1. That Job is a
windbag. 2. That Job's children deserved to die.)
c. How is that for encouraging your friend?
d. Lets look at this more seriously. Bildad says in v.3, "will
God pervert justice? Does the almighty pervert what is right?"
1. What is the answer?
2. And what do you think that Bildad means by this?
(Bildad has a very simple view of things. That the good prosper
and the evil are destroyed. You might not be able to tell who is
evil and who is good from the outside, but what happens to them
tells the truth. So since bad things are happening to Job, someone
did evil.)
e. Does Job disagree with this idea that the good prosper and
the evil do not? (Job agrees. His problem is that he cannot
see the justice in his situation since he cannot see what it
was he did to deserve this. Since Job cannot explain what is
going on, Bildad sees the implications that somebody is
responsibile for this: and it must be Job's children.)
f. Do you think that Job had considered the possibility that
his children had sinned and caused this? (bet so. If you look
at 1:5, you will remember that Job was concerned about his
children's unknown sins and was sacrificing for them. So since
he was worried about this before, you can bet he is worried
now that there is real reason to think that they might have
sinned.)
g. Read v.5-6. What are the implications of this? (if you look
to God, if you plead with him, if you are pure and upright
(unlike your children), you will return to your rightful
place.)
h. Read v.8-10. What authority does Bildad claim to base his
opinion? Why should Job believe him? (he says that the old
people know this, and that Job should therefore believe it.)
i. Is this a good argument? (could be. But sometimes just
because it is old, doesn't make it right. My dad used to have
a saying that, boiled down to its essence, said "dopes grow
old too."
j. Read 8:13-15 and 20-22. Do we doubt what Bildad says? (greg
was telling us the other day how we should take personal
responsibility for our sins and I told him he was Bildad.
Bildad says that if you build a web and lean on it, you are
going to fall down. Isn't this true?)
k. Read matt 27:43. Isn't this like Bildad's statement in 8:20
that God will not reject a blameless man? (God will not reject a
blameless man. But we must never lose sight of that truth based
upon the reality of what is happening in our lives.)
III. Next week: study Job 9-11.
Introduction: this week we continue our study of Job. We will be
looking at chpts 9-11.
you remember that last week we ended up hearing from Job's friend
Bildad. Bildad told Job that he was a windbag and that Job's
children died because they sinned against God. Bildad's position,
which he says, comes from the knowledge of past generations, is
pretty well summarized in 8:20, "surely God does not reject a
blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers." as part of
his views, Bildad holds out hope that everything will be fine for
Job again in the future. This week we get to read what Job has to
say about that!
we are going to jump about a little bit this week because of the
sheer bulk of the material that we have to cover.
I. Job's reply to Bildad.
a. Read Job 9: 32-33. What does Job say that he wants to do?
(he wants to sue God! now there's an idea! he wants to have a
hearing with someone to judge between him and God.)
1. Read Job 9:3. The word translated "contend" in the kjv
and "dispute" in the NIV is a term used to plead a case.
so this is more evidence that he wants to be in court
with God.
b. If Job could sue God, what does he want to prove?
1. Why does he say in 9:3, "i could not answer him [God]
one time out of one thousand?" (it appears here that Job
may want God to sue him. Because Job is answering the
questions instead of God.)
2. If you can't win, what is the point of suing God? Or
having a hearing with God?
c. Let me give you a very short law lesson: in order to win in
court you have to prove: 1) that on important details your
statement of the facts is correct; and, 2) that your statement
of the law is correct.
d. What facts does Job want to prove? (that he is not guilty
of some sin that would deserve what happened to him.)
e. What law would he argue? (this goes back to Job's theme,
which is the same as his friends, that you get what you
deserve.)
f. So are Job's facts wrong? How about his law? (his law is
screwed up in his situation.)
g. Lets back up a bit and go over what Job is saying in more
detail. Read 9:2a what is true? (8:20: that you get what you
deserve.)
h. Read 9:2b-11. Does Job think that he could get a fair trial?
1. does he attack God? (no he cannot get a fair trial
because the opposition is so mighty. He says that
God has all the power. You cannot stand up to God.
and worse, (in v.11) Job cannot even see God,
cannot even percieve when he passes by!)
i. Read 9:14-16; 19-20. Aside from God's great power, what
other problem does Job think he faces in the courtroom? (he
says that even if he were innocent, his mouth would not work
right and he would confess guilt.)
j. Do you think that Job is just reverently proclaiming the
power of God?
1.or do you think that he is attacking God, being most
unfair with God?
(i don't know. He seems that he is saying that God uses his might
and power to unfair advantage. And that God is unjust. On the other
hand, he may just be saying that man is so weak in comparision that
he has no chance in a debate with God.)
k. Job's seeming attack on God increases, lets read 9:21-24.
1. what does Job say here? (that God:
a.) destroys both the good and the bad;
b.) laughs at the despair of the innocent; and,
c.) causes the judges of the earth to act
improperly.)
(one commentator says that Job is not attacking God because Job is
simply saying what he started out saying, that we get both good and
bad from God. But I have a lot of trouble with that, because it
seems to me that Job accepts the theology of his friends: you reap
what you sow. And how do you explain v.23-24?)
l. Does God have the right to get mad here? Consider that all
of this nonesense from Job arises from his screwed up theology
(his error of law) that you reap what you sow.
1. This is something that we need to be very careful
about: we start saying bad things about God because we do
not understand the rules by which he operates.
m. We are going to skip over most of the rest of Job's
statement because it is similar to what he has already said.
lets pick up the last few verses of his statement. Read 10:19-22.
1. Is he looking forward to heaven? (absolutely not. This
is typical of the ot. It gives a very confused look at
life after death. Ecclesiastes 9:5, which is one of our
major proof texts for the idea that the dead know
nothing, is another example of a confused and negative
statement. That is why I suggest that if you are talking
with someone about the state of the dead you avoid the ot
and use some of the nt texts, such as 1 cor 15).
II. Zophar: lets see what Job's friend Zophar has to add to this
discussion.
a. Read 11:1-4. How would these words make you feel if you
were Job? Compare how Bildad started out (8:1-4) and eliphaz
started out (4:1-5)
1. Who has the best approach? (eliphaz. Interestingly,
eliphaz probably takes more abuse from Job than the other
two.)
b. Can you believe that these guys are Job's friends and that
they travelled a long way to make him feel better?
1. Can you explain what they say? (they apparently
think that Job is attacking God and that God needs to be
defended and Job straightened out!)
c. Read 11:4-6. Zophar says several things, lets look at them
and see if they are true.
1. Lets read V. 4 again. What does Zophar say? (that Job
is arrogant.)
2. Does Job want God to speak? Is Zophar as arrogant as
Job when he predicts that God would "open his lips
against [Job]?"
a. What makes Zophar think that he has been let in
on the secret knowledge that Job is a sinner?
(1) is Zophar right that God would speak
against Job? (no. When God does come he speaks
against Zophar: 42:7)
3. If we are trying to comfort, should we be more
concerned about speaking the truth than with comforting?
4. Do you think that Zophar is right in saying that
wisdom has two sides? Does it? (in this case it certainly
does. Job and his three friends have stated general
principles of living. We could call it the down side (man
side) of wisdom. But we see that there is an up side
(God's side) to wisdom in this case.)
d. What does Zophar mean when he says that God has forgotten
some of Job's sin? (that if the truth were known, Job probably
deserves more than he is getting right know.)
e. Read 11:7-9. Is this true? Is this the right attitude to take?
(i think that Zophar intended to say that Job cannot fathom God and
therefore he should just take his punishment. But the real truth is
that we cannot fathom or know the mysteries of God. I think we need
to be ready to say this. The idea that we have an explanation for
everything is pure arrogance.)
f. Except for a little personal attack (maybe a lot of
personal attack) in v.10-12, the balance of the chapter is
devoted to Zophar calling Job to repentance and telling him
that if he does repent, that everything will turn around for
him.
III. Next week: Job 12-15. Some words in response by Job: as to how
his friends are letting him down.
Introduction: now we have heard all three of the friends who came
to comfort Job: eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. This week we will
primarily be studying what Job has to say about all the comfort
that he has been getting -- and more importantly, we will look at
Job's philosophy of life.
I. Job's response.
a.read Job 12: 1-3. What Job says in verse two reminds me of
what I hear a lot of people say (my children included) when
they get into an argument.
--how would you put v.2 in today's terms? ("you think
you're so smart, well you're not!" or "you think you know
it all!")
b. Is Job being nice? (no. Sarcastic.)
c. Before we consider verse 3, lets kick back to something
Zophar just got through saying in 11:12.
1. What does Zophar appear to say about Job here? (that
he is a donkey)
2. What reply does Job make in 12:3? (he says that he has
a brain too and is not inferior.)
d. Read verse 4 & 5. Notice that in V. 3 Job protests that he
is not inferior and he now says that he has become a
laughingstock.
1. Do you think that Job feels inferior?
2. Is this a common attitude of those who are suffering?
3. Why would Job be a laughingstock? Why would people
laugh at him?
4. How would you rate the loss of his respect and honor
among his other losses? (probably as bad as anything so
far.)
e. There is debate over the interpretation of verse 5, but i
like the way the NIV puts it: men at ease have contempt for
the misfortune of those whose have problems.
1. Do you think this is true?
2. Is it part of the problem here?
3. Is this something that we should be very conscious of
when we are trying to comfort someone?
4. Is this a rule of thumb that we should apply if
someone is suffering -- that if we have gone through this
problem we should consider that a call to try to comfort
the person?
f. Read v.6. Compare this with the last part of V. 4. (draw
this) what is Job's complaint about the situation?
called on God carry God in hands
blameless/righteous wicked (marauders)
laughingstock secure and undisturbed
1. Verse 4 says that God answered. Did he answer this way?
2. Do you remember that we previously decided that Job
and his friends agree on the law: that you reap what you
sow. Has Job changed his mind here? (not sure. I don't
think so. I think this is why he wants to talk to God. He
wants to find out why the rules are not working.)
g. Read V. 7-10. Job seems to say that God is in charge. But,
what is the lesson that we learn from nature? Do we find in
nature that we reap what we sow?
1. Or do we find in nature that the strongest and most
aggressive wins out?
2. Is God in charge of nature as Job says? (yes)
3. Then why does he allow this?
h. Lets skip ahead: read 12:15-21. Does God have the power to
do these things? Do you agree with Job? (God certainly does
have the power to do these things. Job does not say that these
people deserved or did not deserve what happened to them ---
but it seems suspicious.)
i. We know of the natural disasters of chpt 1, and we know
that they came from Satan instead of God. So God was in
charge, but he did not cause these things.
II. Job wants to have a word with God
a. Read 13:1-3. Job affirms that what he just said is true: he
has seen and heard it. What does Job want to do because of
this? (he wants to speak with God and to argue his case.)
b. What would you guess he wants to speak to God about? (i
think this is the best answer to Job's charges in the last
part of chpt 12. He says that God is in charge. And he says
that he has seen some pretty tough things in his life--
prominent people brought down --so he says that he would like
to discuss it with God!)(and my bet is his case is the first
on his list to discuss)
c. Read 13:4-5. (the word translated "smear" in the NIV and
"forgers" in the KJV (and others) is a word which means to "stick
on." the word translated "physicians" is "to heal" or "healer."
1. What lie did they tell about Job?
2. Is he looking for a lawyer to sue them for
malpractice?
3. What is the smartest thing that they can do? (be
quiet. The idea may be that they do not know what to say.
therefore they make something up. They "stick on" the lie
to the problem that they cannot solve. Job says that he
has caught them, and therefore lying to him does not heal
and it would be better for them to just be quiet.)
4. Is this good advice for us? Should we sometimes be
quiet instead of making something up to hide our
ignorance of God's wisdom?
d. Read 13:6. Job says that he wants to argue his case with
God. But since God does not seem to him to be present, before
whom will he present his case? (his friends.)
e. Before Job argues his case to his friends, he takes some
verbal whacks at them in V. 7-13 (which we will skip) and then
restates the reasons that he wants to argue his case.
1. Lets read why.the next few verses are famous: read
v.14-16.
2. The rsv, the asv and something the lesson calls the
jps translate the second clause of V. 15 as "i have no
hope."
3. The commentary that I like the best argues that the
context of V. 15 requires this to be stated positively as
the NIV and the KJV state it.
4. Do you think that it shows hope? And what kind of hope
or trust can come out of a situation where God slays Job?
(i would not call this the affirmation of faith that some
make it out to be, but Job is saying that he has this
innate trust in God's fairness, and that fact that he is
willing to take his life in his hands and appear before
God should impress God that he is in fact unjustly being
punished.
a. He still counts God as the power in the universe
b. He still counts God as the judge.
c. And even if he gets killed over it, he still
believes in the justice of his case and the fact
that God is really the only one to which he can
appeal.)
f. So lets look at the argument that Job constructs. Read
13:19-27. This is much longer but I think most of the elements
are here:
1. Generally lawyers leave the request for relief until
the end. Here Job starts out with it. He says in V. 20
that he wants two things; what do you think that he wants
from what we just read?
a. First, he wants God to withdraw his hand and stop
terrorizing him. (V. 21)
b. Second, he seems to want to have an indictment
drawn up: he wants to know the specific charges and
who are the witnesses who have charged him with
these crimes. (v.19, 22, 23)
2. If God did this, what would he write? (that Job was
blameless and that got him in trouble.)
3. Could Job any more completely misunderstand the
situation? Could he any more completely miss the picture
that God was looking at?
4. Can there be any stronger argument that man does not
have a clue about the wisdom and the situation that God
faces?
g. The essence of the argument is in v.24-27. What do you see
as his argument? (that he is so small that God should not
bother with him. He is small, his sins are long ago (the sins
of my youth), and God is keeping too close watch of such an
unimportant guy.)
1. What do you think of this argument--that I'm too small
to watch so closely?
2. Since we know the big picture, is this true?
(absolutely not!! Job, and his allegiance are of
extraordinary importance to God and the leaders of the
universe. There is extraordinary interest in his
situation and what he does! nothing could be farther
from the truth.)
III. Eliphaz
a. Ok, its eliphaz second chance to speak. Read 15:1-6.
1. How does eliphaz start out now compared to the last
time? (4:1-6)
2. Why the great difference? (first, eliphaz believes
that Job is attacking God (15:4) and second, he is
attacking eliphaz 15:6)
3.eliphaz remarks are summarized in V. 20-21 and 29.
eliphaz just comes out and says that Job is a wicked
person and these things happen to wicked people. He also
notes that wicked people shake their fists at God.
(15:25-26)
IV. Next week: Job 16-18.
Introduction: Job's three friends suspected that he had done
some evil when these terrible things befell him. When they
listened to him. They were sure of it. You remember that last week
we ended with eliphaz second speech to Job.
Unlike eliphaz's first speech, which started out so politely,
this was a ground scourcher. Lets just look at one short passage
from last week (that we did not get to) 15:4-6:
Job 15:4 but you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God.
Job 15:5 your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the
crafty.
Job 15:6 your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips
testify against you.
So friend and comforter eliphaz says, "Job you sinned" and
since you do not admit it, "you're a hypocrite too."
Lets start now with Job's response to this.
I. Job's response to eliphaz.
a. Read 16:1-6 everyone in this book likes to call the other
a windbag and this is yet another example.
b. However, Job has some very interesting things to say here
about how we should comfort those who are having problems.
Job asks: "what ails you that you keep on arguing?" what is
the answer to that?
1. Why do his friends argue?
2. Lets assume that it was sin on Job's part that caused
his problems, would you have told Job that when you heard
him (as we will hear him today) blame God for it? (i tend
to think that I might have argued with Job.)
3. So why would we argue? (more important to be right,
then to comfort?)
4. Do you have to start with the truth to get to the
bottom of things?
c. Job says in v.4 that if the roles were reversed, he could
make those same speeches. Do you think that he would? (i
would guess that he would be tempted to because (at least in
the beginning) he agreed with the theology of his friends.)
d. Job says in v.5 that he would not. But, just as he says it
is easy for his friends to make these speeches, it is a lot
easier for him to see why those speeches are not the right
approach when he is the one who is down.
e. In V. 5&6, he gives what he sees to be the goal of a
comforter--what is it? (to encourage, comfort and bring
relief.)
f. How do you think this can best be done? (Job says that
comfort can come only from his friends, his own talking--or
lack of talking--bring him no comfort.)
1. Do you agree that arguing with friends brings no
relief. So should we make it a point to avoid arguing
with those that we are trying to comfort?
II. The attack
a. Not read: in verses 7-8 Job says that God has attacked him.
this is like his earlier statement that God is arrayed like a
warrior in a chariot against him.
b. The next few verses are very interesting so lets read them.
read V. 9-13. Does this remind you of any other story in the
bible? (sounds like the crucifixion. Go into what jesus must
have felt and the whole idea of this being such a great
temptation.
1. Strike: Job 16:10/john 18:23 "if I said something
wrong," jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But
if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?"
jn 19:3 and went up to him again and again, saying,
"hail, king of the jews!" and they struck him in the
face. (niv)
mk 15:19 again and again they struck him on the head with
a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they
paid homage to him. (niv)
2. Pierced:Job 16:13/jn 19:34 instead, one of the
soldiers pierced jesus' side with a spear, bringing a
sudden flow of blood and water. (niv)
3. Jeer:Job 16:10/mk 15:29 those who passed by hurled
insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "so! you
who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three
days, (niv)
4. Turned me over to wicked men: Job 16:11; mk 15:34 and
at the ninth hour jesus cried out in a loud voice, "eloi,
eloi,lama sabachthani?"-- which means, "my God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?" (niv)
c. Job directly says that God is doing this and that he is
being attacked. Do you think that jesus had much the same
feelings as Job?
1. How same? (Job believes that he is attacked by God and
his three freinds, who he says are not worthy to accuse
him of wrongdoing. Jesus was attacked by people who he
clearly knew were inferior.)
2. How are they different? (i trust that jesus had a
better idea of what was going on and that God was not
attacking him because of his sin, but rather that he was
suffering because of the sins of others.)
3. Read 16:16-17. This makes the point that Job thinks
that he did not deserve this. And we should keep in mind
that God did not deserve the verbal beating that he is
getting from Job here.
III. The intercessor
a. Read 16:18-22. For what does Job plead?
b. Is this something that is missing from the picture so far?
we had Satan talking to God about Job. Satan accused Job,
asked God to let him take away Job's stuff, and nobody stood
up and said, "wait a minute!"
c. Did Job need a mediator? (Job is talking about his death
when he says, "don't cover up my blood." "only a few years
will pass before I go on the journey of no return." in death
he will need a mediator. For his friends are right when they
say (eliphaz) in 15:14, "what is man that he can be pure, or
one born of woman that he could be righteous?")
1. Wasn't Satan technically entitled to do what he did to
Job?
2. Or did Job just think that he needed a mediator?
d. Do you see a statement of faith here? (he is looking to
heaven for his mediator, his help.)
e. Job continues in chpt. 17 with a request to get into court
with God (again) (v.3, the pledge); he says that his future is dark
(11-14) and he says that his friends are no help (10)
IV. Bildad's second reply
a. Read 18:1-4
b. Read 5-12
c. Read 18-21.
V. Next week: Job 19-20. Substitute: I'm preaching the sermon!
Introduction: thank edwin for teaching for me last week. This week
we cover a lot of ground. We look at chpts 21 through 25 of Job.
first we start out with Job's response to Zophar's speech of last
week. Then eliphaz gives Job and us his thoughts. This is followed
by Job's reply and last we read Bildad's short speech. Lets get
into it
I. Job's reply to Zophar.
a. Read Job 21:1-3&5. We have often discussed what it is that
we can do to comfort those who are hurting. What does Job suggest
is the best thing here?
1. What does he mean when he says they should clpa their
hands over their mouths? (to just listen: he says, "let
this be the consolation that you give me. Part of his
advice on how they should be good comforters is to : a)
look appalled (astonished) and b) clap their hands over
their mouths and listen.)
b. In v.3 Job says, "after I have spoken, mock on." why would
Job be comforted by them listening to him if afterwards they would
mock him? (it seems that he says that they do not have to agree
with him, he just wants to be given given the chance to say his
piece and be heard by them. And then if they still disagree they
can mock him.)
c. Read V. 4. Is Job's complaint directed towards man? (no
his complaint is against God.)
1. Since Job says that his complaint is directed towards
God and not man, he suggests it is "ok" to be impatient.
do you agree? (i think that God deserves a break
everytime. We do not know what is going on and he
deserves the benefit of the doubt (i.e. The benefit of
our ignorance!)
2. Why would man be less patient towards God? (perhaps
Job is simply saying that the normal considerations that
appy when dealing with man simply do not apply when
dealing with God. For example, limited time, limited
resources, limited interest in us? I think that he is
saying that God does not expect a break from his created
beings.)
d. Read verses 7-14. Job has often seemed to agree that you
reap what you sow, and his defense has been that some big
mistake has been made - he does not deserve what he has gotten
- and therefor he wants to sue God.
1. Is that what Job says here? (no. He says that the
wicked do just fine, thank you.)
2. Lets make some specific comparisions. Look at what
Zophar argued in 20:11. What does Zophar mean when he
says that "the youthful vigor will lie in the dust?" (if
you look at the verses that precede this (v.5-10) they
suggest that the wicked come to an early death. Then V.
11 suggests that the bones that lie in the dust had
youthful vigor.)
3. In comparision in 21:7 Job says that the wicked grow
old and do not die in their youth.
4. In chpt 18 Bildad has a discourse on the wicked (v.5)
which says, in part, (V. 19) that they die childless.
(this of course seems to be the fate of Job now.)
5. What does Job say about this in 21:7-8? (that they
will grow old and will se their offspring.)
e. Who do you think is right? Job or his friends? Do the
wicked prosper and live to be old?
f. Read 21:29. Job suggest that if you do not agree with him
you are a mope who knows very little about what goes on. He
says, "have you never spoken to those who travel? To those who
get around outside your little circle?"
g. If you are a traveller and you voted that the wicked can do
"ok, "lets peek back at 20:5. Doesn't Zophar admit that the
wicked can do "ok?"
1. But what is his response? (that they do "ok" for just
a brief period of time.)
2. Do you agree with that modification of the rule?
h. One commentator suggests that a further response of Zophar,
in 20:10, is that even if the wicked do "ok" in this life, their
children will pay for the sins of the father. While I have some
trouble with this interpretation of Zophar, Job thinks somebody
said this. Lets look at Job's argument about this in 21:19-21. You
can see that Job is quoting this argument from somewhere.
1. What does Job say about this? (that the man himself
should pay for his sins and not his sons.)
i. Do you agree that sometimes the wicked live all right and
that it is the sons or daughters that pay for the sins of the
father (or mother)?
j. Lets read 21:23-26. Job says that they both die, different
lives, but a common fate: the worms get them. You still agree
with Job? (the fact that Job gets more strident casts doubt on
all of his argument.)
k. Reality check: lets assume that you knew nothing about life
except what you read in Job. Would Job be right, that the
wicked do as well as anyone? That it does not make any
difference? (no. Satan said Job was doing well because God
blessed him. Job then got wacked because he was good, not
because it does not matter, or because bad things are random.)
II. Eliphaz responds: lets move ahead and look at what eliphaz has
to add to this.
a. Read 22:1-3. First, do you agree with this? (he says that
God does not care and does not gain if we obey.)
b. Second, who is saying this? Is this eliphaz saying his own
words? Or is he quoting Job? Job has always said that not
only is he innocent, but he is a good guy.
1. Based on your inside information about the situation,
do you think this statement is correct? (manifestly not.
it does not make God any taller if we obey, but look at
how this whole thing started. In Job 1:6-8, God used Job
to rebuke Satan's claim that he was the master of the
earth. And this occurred before the sons of God. I
think it is very important to God whether we obey. And i
think it was especially important for Job. Read :
1 cor 4:9 for it seems to me that God has put us apostles on
display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in
the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to
angels as well as to men.)
c. Read 22:4-5. Eliphaz says its pretty obvious Job that you
did not get into this situation because you are so good. You
have all of these problems because of your sin!
1. Is this right? (we know that it is absolutely wrong
because the curtains were pulled back for us in the first
chpts of Job. It is because Job is so faithful that he
is in misery.)
d. Eliphaz then says that Job's sins are endless and he lists
them, lets read them in V. 6-9.
1. Do these strike you as serious sins?
2. Is eliphaz just as wrong about the nature of these
actions being sin as he is about his allegation that Job
is guilty of these sins?
3. Do these seem to have anything to do with religion in
a formal sense? (eliphaz says that you can tell a mans
goodness by the way he treats his fellow man. These sins
he lists seem to be hurting or failing to help the poor.
the ot does command that the people help the widows and
the orphans and aliens. Job, in 31:16-22 denies that he
has hurt the widow or the fatherless or failed to help.
the currently "politically correct" people to help do not
seem to be on the list of those the ot says should be
helped. Ie. "homeless" adult males who are not interested
in regular Jobs. But we need to keep in mind that
eliphaz has an excellent point that true religion is not
just belief, but putting those beliefs into action.)
4. Isn't this (lack of people concern) a lot like Job's
complaint about eliphaz? That he is treating Job poorly?
III. Job's response.
a. In chpt 23 Job says some of the things that he has said
before. He says that he wants a hearing with God. That he
wants to be heard by God. But that he can't have that hearing
because he cannot find God. Lets continue from there.
b. Read 23:10-16. What does Job suggest that God is doing?
1. Is this a new theory about why bad things happen to
good people? (Job says God is testing him.) (in the past
Job has suggested that evil is random, that God helps to
oppress the good or that the bad are rewarded with evil,
but his is a case of mistaken identity.)
c. Is God testing him? (sort of. Really the devil is
conducting the test.)
d. On what basis does Job expect to stand before God? (his
obedience and the fact that he treasures and studies God's
words.)
e. Does Job think that things are going to get better or
worse? (he says in V. 14-15 that he thinks that things are
going to get worse for him and he is terrified.)
f. What is the reality of this? Will things get worse for Job?
(no. They will get better.)
g. What positive lesson can we learn from this? (that God has
only our best interests in mind. That we may be discouraged
and think that things will only get worse, but our loving God
has in mind things becoming better for us.)
h. Lets read 24:1. Job asks a question here? What is his
question and what do you think is the right answer? (he says
when is God going to make things right? This is part of his
searching for God to sue God or at least get a hearing before
God.)
i. When will God set a time for judgment? (at the second
coming.)
j. The rest of the chpt Job devotes to a complaint about how
the wicked are terrorizing the weak. He says that nothing is done
to these marauders. In comparision the righteous may do well, but
only for a little while. He then says that they both die with the
implication that they have a common fate.
IV. Bildad
a. Read 25:1-3. Does this tend to contradict Job's last
statements? (yes. Job says everything is out of wack and Bildad
says everything is in perfect order.)
b. Is that characteristic that we view life differently based
on what is going on in our life? (yes. Something we need to keep in
mind when we are helping someone who is hurting.)
c. Read 4-6. What is Bildad's point in response to what Job
has said? (Job says that he is a good guy. Bildad says no one is a
good guy.)
V. Next week: Job 26-31.
Introduction: each week I tell you that we have another speech by
one or more of Job and his three friends. Well, we are coming to
the end of the speeches. Chpt 26 begins Job's last speech-and it
goes through to 31. One commentator said that chpt 26 is the one
of the grandest recitals of the entire book of Job. So lets get
into it.
I. God's power
a. Read 26:1-4. Lets answer Job's question to Bildad and the
others: who helped them utter those words of help?
1. Whose spirit spoke through their mouth?
b. If you say the devil, weren't they correctly stating the
biblical principles: that you reap what you sow?
c. Wasn't it Job who incorrectly said that God attacks
those who are good?
d. Wasn't it Job who incorrectly said that God does not care
about the righteous?
e.so what can we conclude here? (that just stating bible
principles is not good enough, we also to be aware of the
impact on the person who is suffering and beware of the
problem of pride in stating those principles.)
f. Read 26:5-6 our lesson has a real insightful comment about
the this verse and the next few, it says that these reveal the
majesty of God through contrasts:
so lets look at this.
g. Verse 5 suggests that the buried dead cannot be seen by
humans. They are deep, they are beneath the waters.
1. What contrast do we find in verse 6? (that God sees
it all. He sees the dead.)
2. What does this say about the power of God? (that
although we may forget, God does not forget. Now this
seems to be in direct contrast to what Job has previously
said about God not caring about the righteous, and in
particular hiding himself from Job.)
h. Lets read 26:7-8. What does he say about God in v7? (that
he suspends the earth and sky with nothing. Nothing appears to
support the earth.)
1. What contrast do you see in V. 8? (the sky does not
fall. The water does not fall out of the clouds!)
i. Lets read V. 9-10. The other translations that I looked at
said God covered his "throne" instead of the "face of the full
moon" as the NIV says. I'm not quite sure why the niv
translates it this way, the word translated "throne" means
covering. Lets go with throne here.
1. What does Job say about God in V. 9? (that you cannot
see his throne.)
2. What is the contrast in V. 10? (you cannot see God's
throne, but you can see the horizon and the contrast
between day and night.)
j. Lets read 11-13. What does Job say about God in 11-12?
(that he has the power to stir up the sea.)
1. What is the contrast in V. 13. ( that God can also
calm the sea.) (the reference to rahab apparently refers
to some creation myth and not the woman who aided the
spies with the destruction of jericho?)
k. Lets read v.14. When Job says that these are but the outer
fringe of God's works (ways), the faint whisper of God, what
is he suggesting? (that we cannot know God. That we have too
little information to understand how he works.)
1. What is the contrast in the last part of V. 14? (that
although we know only a "faint whisper," what we do know
thunders in our lives.)
II. Job's vacillation
a. Read 27:1-5. Job says that God has denied him justice. How
can he possibly say this in light of the fact that he just
said that we cannot understand God's ways? That we know only
about the boarders of God? (two things: first, a man that is
in despair will vacillate between two opinions. He argues with
himself about what is correct. Second, he is saying that as
far as he understands justice has not been done.)
b. Do you find that when you are in trouble, or having a
problem that you cannot solve, that you sometimes go back and
forth about why it happened and what you should do to get out
of the problem?
(this is typical of a person in trouble. Presumably if they knew
exactly what the problem was and how to get out of it, they would
not have gotten into the problem in the first place.)
c. Lets skip a head and read 27:13-15. Do you remember the
debate we considered last week between Job and his friends?
they said you sow what you reap, Job said that is not true,
have you never travelled? Ie. Are you so naive that you
do not know this? (21:29) and then his friends said, "well if
the fathers do not reap what they sow, the children do, it is
just delayed. To which Job said in 21:19 that God should
repay the man himself so he will know what he did.
1. So what is Job saying now? (just the opposite!) (he
now rightly admits the ultimate punishment and
destruction of the wicked.)
d. Lets move ahead. In chpt. 28:1-11 Job has a very
interesting discussion on how man knows how to mine precious
metals, and to smelt ore. It goes into detail on how man can
find these elements, but the animals cannot. Let pick it up by
reading 28:12-15.
1. Can wisdom be found by the same intelligent, diligent
process that man uses to mine these precious stones and
ores? (Job says no. For three reasons. First, man does
not understand the worth of wisdom like he understands
the worth of gold. Second, it cannot be physically found
on the earth (the ground and the sea say, "its not
here!") and third, it cannot be purchased.)
2. From V. 16-19 Job waxes on about how valuable wisdom
is.
3. Any idea if man can get wisdom? And if so, how? (at
first it seems that Job is going to argue that only God
has wisdom. But he does not say that. He says that God
is the way to wisdom (28:23). But finally in V. 28 he
concludes this chpt by saying that we get wisdom by
fearing God and shunning evil.) (v.28)
e. Job's days gone-by.
1. In chpt 29 Job reminisces about how life used to be.
how he was honored and respected and how, "i thought, 'i
will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the
grains of sand.'" 29:18. And importantly for this
setting, he said that after he spoke, those around him
spoke no more. (29:22)
2. Then in chpt 30 he recites how all of that has now
changed.
3. Lets read two small parts of these chpts that show
this difference: 29:2-5 and 30:18-20.
4. How does God treat him then and now?
5. Was Satan right? Did Job serve God because of his
protection?
III. Next week: Job 32-37. Enter Elihu!
Introduction: have you ever overheard an extended argument between
two people? After a while they seem to repeat the same things that
they said before, right? After the three rounds of argument
between Job and his three friends I'll bet you are ready for
something new -- and that is what the book of Job has for you.
enter a new character named Elihu.
I. Enter Elihu.
a.open your bibles to Job 32. Read V. 1.
1. Just because Job was righteous in his own eyes, why do
you think that his three friends stopped arguing with
him? (they probably figured that if Job thought he was
okay, it was futile to try to help him.)
2. Leaving aside the fact that we know that Job was
ok, is this attitude a problem in counselling others?
3.in finding the truth ourselves? (you bet. If you think
you are just fine and have no need of change, this would
seem to be one of the more hopeless problems. You feel no
need of change. And you feel superior to others who are
trying to help you.)
b. But we have someone else who has been listening in and does
not share that opinion.
c. Lets read 32:2-3. What is Elihu's problem? (that: 1)Job
justified himself instead of God; and, 2) the three friends
condemned Job even though they could not refute what he said
to them.)
d. Read 32:4-10. Why had not Elihu spoken before? (because he
was young)
1. What makes him think that he should speak now?
(because he has wisdom beyound his age.)
e. Read 32:18-20. Apparently Elihu is not holding back any
longer!
f. Lets take a hard look at Elihu. What kind of attitude do we
see in his words?
1.doesn't he sound like he has the same attitude that
Job's friends said that Job possessed? (he is sure that
he is right.)
g. What do we see about him in v.2 where it says that he was
angry at Job for justifying himself instead of God? (he is
anxious to stand up for God and why God is right according to
Elihu)
II. Elihu's view of God's answer to Job
a. Elihu tells us that Job complains that God has not treated
him fairly. Read 33: 12-14.
1.is God obliged to answer us?
2. Do we have a right to complain if God does not seem to
answer our questions? (Elihu says who are you that God
has to answer you? He is right! God is under no
obligation to answer us. However he has voluntarily
offered to answer.
luke 11:9 "so I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (niv)
b. Elihu tells Job that not only is God not obliged to answer
him, but he also suggests in V. 14 that that God did in fact
answer Job and Job did not notice it. Elihu says,"God speaks
to us in several different ways: even if we do not know that
God is speaking to us."
c. Lets read about how this works. Read 33:16-20.
1. How does he say that God speaks to us? (by revelation.
or by discipline (p.s. Job, like what happened to you.)
2. Is Elihu right here? (i think so.)
d. Elihu suggest that God speaks to us to help us avoid
disaster, ("the pit") by revelation or discipline.
e. Lets read 33:23-25.
f. If we take the warning that we find in the bible or from
discipline, what does Elihu suggest might happend so that we
can stay out of the pit? (that we would have a mediator
intervene for us.)
g. Lets look more closely at Elihu's view of a mediator. Read
33:26-30.
1. Do you agree with his view? That the mediator says, "i
found a ransom for this sorry fellow." and that the
mediator keeps us from getting what we deserve?
2. What is the key to getting this help from the mediator
according to Elihu? (it seems in v.23, that it is sort of
just finding a mediator (messenger) to take your side.
h. The punch line for Elihu is that the person who gets help
should confess that he has sinned and Job has not done that.
just the opposite. Our lesson suggests that Elihu has only a
primitive understanding of the need for a savior.
i. Elihu ends this part of his speech by saying, (V. 29) God
will do this for man two or maybe even three times. I hope he
is wrong.
III. God V. Job (34)
a. Read 34:2-4. Elihu says that the ear tests words as the
tongue tastes food.
1. What does that mean and do you agree?
(just as food doesn't taste quite right, it seems to me that
you can say that doesn't sound quite right.)
2. If something doesn't sound quite right, what should we
do next? (Elihu suggests in 34:4 that you should talk to
others about it. Since Job may be the first book of the
bible that was written, today I would say study the bible
and talk to others who are studying the bible.)
b. Read 34:5-6. Elihu sets up the problem. He says that Job
says he is innocent and God is unjust. I am right, but God's
arrow is in me. From this he concludes that only one can be
right. Either Job is right or God is right.
1. What is the error in his logic? His thinking? (that
somebody has to be wrong. In fact, the only thing wrong
is that Job and Elihu think that God is doing this.)
c. In the next few verses (v.7-30) he leaves not doublt about
who he thinks is right. He says that Job hangs around with
terrible men and says terrible things. God knows the secret
things that a person does and he punishes evil. In sum he
says that Job got exactly what he deserved.
d. Finally, in V. 31 through the end of the chpt Elihu says
that because of what Job has said, he now adds rebellion
against God to Job's other sins.
IV. The effect of our lives
a. We are going to skip over most of chpt 35. But lets read V.
3-8. Elihu says that Job has said that there is no profit in
obedience. And his reply is that God does not get any taller
or richer because we obey. Obeying only affects two things:
1. Others (v.8; and,
2. Wickedness only affects you?
3. Do you agree? What influence do we have on others?
a. To what degree should we be concerned about this?
b. (Job did not know it and neither did Elihu, but
Job was affecting the entire universe. The entire
universe was looking over his shoulder.)
4. Is that the case with us? Should we feel that the
entire universe is peeking over our shoulder?
V. In chpts 36-37 Elihu extolls the might power of God. It is all
true and if you have not read it yet, suggest you read it this
afternoon.
VI. Next week: finally, God is heard. And we will hear what he has
to say about all of this next week. Study your lesson, it covers
Job 38-41.
Introduction: have you ever seen a western where the sheriff shows
up just when you were hoping he would? Well, this week God shows up
and talks to Job and his (now) four friends.
In all that we have studied in the book of Job so far, Job and his
four friends have been debating why this has happened to Job. Job
has repeatedly said that he wanted to talk to God; he even wanted
to sue God and have a hearing on his claims, he wanted to confront
God with what has happened to him and what has not happened to the
wicked. (31:35) well he is here. So lets find out what God says.
I. God arrives
a. Read 38:1. Do you have the picture in your mind? God speaks
out of a storm! why do you think God answers Job "out of a
storm?" (God is showing his power.)
b. Do you remember that Job's troubles really began when a
storm killed his children? (1:19) is it chance that God now
appears to Job in storm? (no. I think that God is showing Job
that he is in charge and that he is coming straight at the
problem.)
c. Read 38:2. What do you think that God means when he says
that Job is darkening his counsel with words without
knowledge? (darken counsel probably means to make his counsel
worse or cast aspirsions on his counsel. Job and his three
friends said a lot about God. As we know, they did not have
a clue as to what was really going on. So they said things
that were wrong. God is now going to enter and supply the
knowledge.)
d. Read 38:3. Is this what Job had in mind when he asked for
a trial? (no. It seems that he wanted to be the one to do the
questioning because he had a lot of questions and he thought
God had a lot of things to answer for.)
1. I like this picture of God. No wimp here. "you want
to talk to me? Well brace yourself and answer me."
e. Lets read some of God's questions and treat these as if God
were asking us those questions. Read 38:4-7. What is the
answer to this? Do you know?
1. Would any man know this? (no. Man was created last. So
he was not around for the first work.)
2. Is that God's point? (i think so. "you accuse me of
doing wrong? Well, where were you when I set up this
whole thing?")
f. Read 38: 8-15. God says that the sea and the light and
darkness have limits: they can only go so far.
1. What does that tell Job about his problems? (do you
remember that Job's friends said that the wicked do not
prosper and Job said, "where have you been all your life,
under a rock?" the suggestion is that the wicked do
prosper, problems do arise, but God holds these things in
check.)
2. If God sets the limits for the sea (v.10-11) and
controls the dawn and the morning (v.12), does he have
control of everything else? Or or other things different?
g. Read 38:19, 24, 31-33. What is the answer to this? (no. And
this sets up one of the most interesting questions about the
universe. Scientists believe that the universe is very slowly
moving out. If it moved in, gravity would make it implode. If
it moved out too fast, the loosening of the gravitational pull
would allow the universe to spin apart. But it moves just
enough not to implode and not to spin apart.)
h. Lets stop a minute. Why does God ask these questions
instead of giving Job answers to his questions about why all
these things happened to him -- a just man?
1. What is God's purpose in asking these questions? (God
is showing Job that God should be trusted. He did all the
tough stuff, so Job should just trust him with the minor
things (like Job's life and family.) (Elihu is probably
clapping right now because God is also clearly putting
Job in his place.)
i. Consider the tough things that have happened in your life
or to people that you know. Or consider the attacks that you
hear on the character or justice of God.
1. Do you consider these questions to be a sufficient
answer?
2. Does the fact that God created and controls everything
mean that he is just? Do the two have anything to do
with each other?
3. And what is the answer to Job's question? (i think God
is saying, "you as smart as me, boy?" "if not, just trust
me. I made this machine and you just stick with me.")
4. Does this sound like you and your parents when you
were a teen-ager? You wanted to know "why," and they
said to you, "do it because I told you to!"
5. I think this is an acceptable answer for God. That is
not good enough for the proud, arrogant, pseudo-
intellectuals. If they can't explain it, it must not be
right! wait till the 2nd coming, "brace yourself like a
man; I will question you and you will answer."(38:3) that
is my king. He does not have to answer to slugs! but the
beauty of it is that he does. He wrote this book!
II. Chpt. 39.
a. Lets move on to chpt 39, where God continues to ask Job
questions. This group questions Job about the animals.
b. Lets look at what God says about the ostrich in 39:13-18.
read. I think this group of comments and questions helps to
paint the picture that God wants Job (and us) to see.
1. Does the ostrich have good feathers? (average. They
cannot compare with the feathers of the stork.)
2. How is the ostrich as a parent and egg watcher?
(lousy. Lays the eggs, but leaves them where they can be
stepped on and crushed. And if any manage to hatch, she
does a lousy Job as a mother too.)
3. What does God say in v.17 is the reason for this?
(that God did not give her wisdom or good common sense.)
4. What is the ostrich really good at? (running. She runs
so fast that she leaves the horse in the dust.)
5. How do you explain the ostrich? (not to put too fine
a point on it: you can't. God just did it that way, and
he does not have to explain it. That is why God told this
story of the ostrich.)
III. Job's answer
a. Job now has a chance to answer God. Lets see how he does it.
b. Read 40:1-5. What is Job's reaction? (that he doesn't want
to talk now.)
1. What does this reveal about Job? (he has some common
sense.)
2. Does Job admit that he deserved what happened to him?
(no. He does not.)
3. I think that may explain why God continues his
questions to Job. Once again God speaks out of a storm,
once again he tells Job to brace himself and answer God's
questions.
c. Read 40:8-10. Does Job discredit God's justice? (yes. Do
you remember that Job's friends said that Job had to have
sinned because all of these bad things happening to him were
God's judgements (or at least the result of God's system).
Job said he was not wrong and that God must have it wrong.
(27:2) that is why he wanted to have a hearing with God.
(31:35)
d. God says to Job, "would you condemn me to justify
yourself?" are we truly on the horns of a dilemma? That either
Job or God is wrong? (no. We know from the beginning that
neither God nor Job are wrong. It is Satan who had done this.)
e. Does Job have an arm like Gods? And what are we talking
about anyway? (i love this expression which is common in the
OT. God asks, "is my arm to short to do this?" and he means
am I too weak, or too short, or incapable of this? God's arm
is never too short and Job obviously does not have the power
that God has.)
f. In Isrealite society, if a judge gave a verdict he was
obliged to see that justice was done. He made sure that
things were made right. So God says to Job, you question my
justice, do you begin to have the power to make things right?
the obvious answer is no, Job does not. God has to vindicate
Job, he cannot.
IV. Behemoth and Leviathan.
a. In the last part of chpt 40 and in chpt 41 God talks about
a subject that is much in the news today: monsters of the
past. We will not read this, but God's point is that he
controls these animals and he knows what to do with them. Job
could never begin to control them or profit from them.
V. Next week: the wonderful conclusion to Job's story. Read chpt 42.