Daily Studies

Here are Tabletalk Online's daily Bible-study selections. This month Tabletalk examines the book of Job, which brings us face-to-face with "the urgent problem of divine justice," according to renowned Old Testament scholar Derek Kidner.

We will finish 1995 studying this profound book. This month we begin by considering Job's trials -- so graphically displayed in the opening two chapters. At that point we break from Job to consider more carefully the problem of pain and suffering with a week of studies adapted from R.C.'s insightful series Surprised by Suffering.

Suffering is a very tough subject, yet one we are all called to face at some point in our lives. The problem of pain has spawned reams of material by Christian authors, from St. Augustine to C.S. Lewis to R.C. Sproul. We'd love to know if -- and how -- Tabletalk is helping you face this subject, as well as how we can help with further questions. Please click here to get a message to us.


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Oct. 2 Bible Study Page

Monday, Oct. 2 -- "The Book of Job"

Ezekiel 14:12-23

Job, whose location in the Canon has varied through the centuries, is placed before the Psalms in English Bibles. Matthew Henry tells us that this is because scholars have considered this book to stand alone, laying the foundation of the doctrine of God for the following devotional and practical books of Psalms and Proverbs.

For the rest of this year, we will study the "wisdom literature" of Job adapting material from Matthew Henry's commentary. Henry reminds us from the outset that despite the difficulties that often arise out of its poetical structure and ancient construction, Job is a divinely inspired book. It is, therefore, profitable for instruction, rebuke, and encouragement. There has been much debate about who wrote Job, but since ancient times it has been a part of the canon of Scripture. It receives the stamp of approval from the apostle James (James 5:11). And against those who believe this to be a figurative story, Henry reminds us that Ezekiel names him with Noah and Daniel (14:4). Therefore, the historical validity of the book must not be lost amid the poetical structure.

As for the authorship, some believe that, while he was in Midian, Moses wrote the account of this most pious Gentile. It is possible that Moses delivered this account of Job to his suffering brethren in Egypt "for their support and comfort under their burdens, and the encouragement of their hope that God would in due time deliver and enrich them, as He did this patient sufferer." Henry believed that Elihu was the penman, at least of the discourses. "Moses perhaps wrote the first two chapters and the last, to give light to the discourses; for in them God is frequently called Jehovah [Yahweh], but not once in all the discourses, except in 12:9."

The book of Job may date from about the era of the Patriarchs, making Job a contemporary of Isaac and Jacob. It has been speculated that Job was a descendent of Abraham's brother Nahor, who also worshiped the one, true God (Gen. 22:21). At that time, God was known by the name God Almighty more than Yahweh, and He is referred to as such more than 30 times in the book. This book, therefore, brings the reader to consider the power and the authority of God as He exercises His righteous rule over creation.


What did Noah, Job, and Daniel have in common? How did God show His power in their lives? How did the piety of these men compare with their neighbors? How did God bless them in the midst of great wickedness? Name specific ways God has shown His power in your life.


For further study: 1 Chron. 29:10-13; Ps. 65; Luke 8:22-25

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 24-26; Ephesians 4


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Oct. 3 Bible Study Page

Oct. 3 -- "This Noble Poem"

James 5:7-12

The book of Job is an historical account of the sufferings of Job, and it comprises a number of discourses written in poetic form. Most of the book is a compilation of disputes. The opponents are Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. The respondent is Job. The moderators are Elihu and then God Himself. The subject of the dispute is Job's honor and prosperity. Job teaches us that "many are the afflictions of the righteous, but that when the Lord delivers them out of them all, the trial of their faith will be found to praise, and honor, and glory," Henry wrote.

"This noble poem," as Henry calls it, presents five general topics for instruction. The first is a "monument of primitive theology." The principles of the light of nature, on which natural religion is founded, are considered as eternal truths in each of the discourses. Throughout the book, Job recognizes the being of God and His authority in every area of his life. "Were ever the being of God, His glorious attributes and perfections, His unsearchable wisdom, His irresistible power, His inconceivable glory, His inflexible justice, and His incontestable sovereignty, discoursed of with more clearness, fullness, reverence, and divine eloquence, than in this book?" Henry asks. "The creation of the world, and the government of it, are here admirably described, not as matters of nice speculation, but as laying most powerful obligations upon us to fear and serve, to submit to and trust in, our Creator, owner, Lord, and ruler."

The second subject is a picture of true Gentile piety. Job affirms the statement made by Peter that God brings people of every nation to Himself (Acts 10:35). This was true in ancient times; it is true today.

The book also gives us great illustrations of God's providence, His control over every area of life, and His sovereignty over the spirits of darkness. It also provides us with an eminent example of patience and faithfulness to God in the midst of trial. And last, it gives us an "illustrious type of Christ." "Job was a great sufferer, was emptied and humbled, but in order to his greater glory," Henry writes. "So Christ abased Himself, that we might be exalted."

Read James 5:7-12. What does James say we should learn from the account of Job's suffering (v. 11)? Think of a time that you suffered under some affliction. How did God prove Himself to be full of compassion and mercy in that situation? Thank God today for those times that He taught you patience and showed you mercy.


For further study: Psalm 103; Isa. 63:7-19; Heb. 4:14-16

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 27-28; Ephesians 5


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Oct. 4 Bible Study Page

Oct. 4 -- "Prosperity and Piety"

Job 1:1-5

The account of Job begins with a description of his prosperity and piety. These are set before us from the very beginning to show that neither piety nor wealth secure us from the calamities of life. Job's friends wrongly assumed that disaster cannot strike the truly pious, but this is contrary to God's ways -- for He has said that "all things come alike to all." Neither will worldly blessing protect one from life's ills, even though the rich often think their wealth to be a fortress with unscalable walls.

Job lived in the land of Uz, in the Chaldea, near the Euphrates -- probably not far from Ur of the Chaldees, the homeland of Abraham. God exalted Job to a place of great influence and wealth. While it is rare for a wealthy man to enter the kingdom of God, nothing is impossible with God. Here we have a case of an extremely wealthy man, who had been blessed with a large family, a great household, and numerous livestock, yet was obedient to the Lord.

While Job was famous throughout the land for his great wealth, he was also held in high esteem for his wisdom and righteousness. The Scriptures say he was "blameless and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil." Job is a testimony to God's promise that He has kept a remnant for Himself in every nation, as well as out of every tribe of Israel (Rev. 7:9).

Job was a religious man, one that feared God, which means he worshiped God according to His will and governed himself by the rules of divine law. Job was by no means perfect, as he himself says (Job 9:20). "But, having a respect to all God's commandments, aiming at perfection, he was really as good as he seemed to be, and did not dissemble in his profession of piety," Henry wrote. "The fear of God reigning in his heart was the principle that governed his whole conversation. This made him perfect and upright, inward and entire for God, universal and uniform in religion."

Job's religion affected his entire family, for as a faithful father he was concerned about the righteousness of his children. He made sure that after their feasting they attended their spiritual duties. In Christ-like form, he offered sacrifices to atone for his children's sins.

Read Psalm 31:19 and Luke 1:50. Examine your life in the light of what these verses say about the person who fears the Lord. In what ways do you not fear God? Memorize one of these verses. Meditate on it whenever you have the opportunity during the day.


For further study: Gen. 39:1-6; 2 Chron. 26:1-15; Psalm 1

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 29-30; Ephesians 6


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Oct. 5 Bible Study Page

Thursday, Oct. 5 -- "Satan's Accusation"

Job 1:6-12

In this passage we see the King of heaven and earth exercising His divine authority over the spiritual realm. Satan comes into the Lord's presence after he had been walking the earth, no doubt doing mischief of one sort or another. It is likely that Satan boasted of his activities as if saying, "See, I am prince of this world, and I do what I please in the earthly realm." God responded by pointing out that not every person on the earth had fallen subject to his wickedness. As long as there are those in the world who worship the one true God, Satan is reminded that he has not won the struggle for men's souls.

Satan scoffed at God, maintaining that the only reason Job worshiped Him was because he had been so abundantly blessed. "If you take all that away, if you allow me to remove this hedge of prosperity," Satan said, "then he would prove to be a hypocrite and follow me instead of You."

God decided to prove Job's sincerity by allowing Satan to strip him of his worldly prosperity. This allowance by God is difficult for many to accept. How could God give Job over to Satan?

Henry writes, "It is matter of wonder that God should give Satan such a permission as this, should deliver the soul of His turtle-dove into the hand of the adversary, such a lamb to such a lion; but He did it for His own glory, the honor of Job, the explanation of Providence, and the encouragement of His afflicted people in all ages, to make a case which, being adjudged, might be a useful precedent. He suffered Job to be tried, as He suffered Peter to be sifted, but took care that his faith should not fail (Luke 22:32) and then the trial of it was found unto praise, honor, and glory (1 Peter 1:7). But, it is matter of comfort that God has the devil in a chain, in a great chain (Revelation 20:1). He could not afflict Job without leave from God first asked and obtained, and then no further than he had leave: 'Only upon himself put not forth thy hand; meddle not with his body, but only with his estate.' It is a limited power that the devil has; he has no power to debauch men but what they give him themselves, nor power to afflict men but what is given him from above."

Read Deuteronomy 8:2, John 6:5-6, and James 1:1-3. Why does God test His people? Will God be surprised by the outcome of the test? What does James say should be the attitude of God's people during testing? Is it unfair for God to test us? Thank God that He preserves and protects you in the midst of testing and trials.


For further study: Psalm 17; Zech. 13:7-9; Mal. 3:1-5

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 31-32; Phil. 1


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Oct. 6 Bible Study Page

Friday, Oct. 6 -- "Job's First Test"

Job 1:13-19

The day of Job's testing began like any other day. As in the days of Noah, the flood of trial came while people were going about their daily affairs. This should serve as a caution for each of us to keep up our guard at all times. When we least expect it, Satan is most likely to strike, but those who seek the Lord daily and prepare their hearts for whatever Providence might bring will be ready to stand their ground when the floodtide rises.

Satan sent his storm of calamity, not over the course of time, but all at once, without warning. First, a group of foreigners killed Job's livestock and servants. "We have no reason to suspect that either Job or his servants had given any provocation to the Sabeans to make this inroad," Henry wrote, "but Satan put it into their hearts to do it, to do it now, and so gained a double point, for he made both Job to suffer and them to sin. Note, when Satan has God's permission to do mischief he will not lack mischievous men to be his instruments in doing it, for he is a spirit that works in the children of disobedience."

Everything is down hill after that -- first the oxen, then the sheep and the camels, in each case losing the servants who, in this covenant era, were considered members of Job's household. Then, Job hears the saddest news of all. A storm had come and collapsed the house, leaving the dead bodies of his ten children buried in the ruins. This was the greatest of Job's losses. Satan hoped that if any of the other calamities failed, surely this would make him curse God. "Our children are pieces of ourselves; it is very hard to part with them, and touches a good man in as tender a part as any," Henry wrote. "But to part with them all at once, and for them to be all cut off in a moment, who had been so many years his cares and hopes, went to the quick indeed." No doubt, an added burden to his grief was that they died in the midst of feasting. It would have been more comforting for this godly father if his children had died on their knees in prayer rather than with bottles in their hands.

Let each of us remember to be prepared in season and out and to guard our hearts against Satan's designs to crush our spirits and undermine our faith.

Read Psalm 80; 1 Peter 1:3-12; Rev. 2:1-7; Isaiah 34-36; Phillipians 2 -- Weekend: Philippians 3-4


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Oct. 7-8 Daily Study

"No Mere Permission"

By Laura England

My six-year-old daughter and I love to read together, and she has come to enjoy stories of adventure, mystery, and fantasy the same as I did at her age. She delights in hearing how the heroes triumph and the virtuous are vindicated. When we choose a story that takes its protagonist into especially fiery flames of trial, Hannah's eyes are riveted to the page, trying to read ahead so that she might discover in advance what is to happen. But when the going gets really tough, she turns her face toward me until she is only peeking out of the corner of her eye as she anticipates the danger the hero is unwittingly about to step into. I can feel her heart racing and see her lips mouth a warning to the character.

Her fear arises from knowing something the character does not. That the hero is oblivious to the trouble ahead -- and so is not experiencing the same fear she is -- does not comfort her much because she is only too aware. In this same way, our shock at the seemingly casual way with which God casts Job's future to Satan's disposal is a result of knowing something that Job doesn't. The poor guy has no idea what's about to hit him, but we do and this makes us nervous about God's intentions. It shouldn't because the message of Job is one of promise and not one of persecution.

God doesn't often give believers this opportunity to observe how things work in the realm where He sits in counsel. In fact, the knowledge which theologians past and present base confessions and creeds on, regarding the manner in which God and Satan interact; the origin of suffering; the permission Satan must seek to touch not only one of us, but the best of us; or the confidence God displays in the righteousness of His own -- all would be much more speculative were we not able to witness this dialogue in the beginning of Job (Job 1:6-12). What we know about a wholly and infinitely sovereign God is first encountered in God's response later in this book. What we affirm about the goodness of God we in part abstract from this biography of a man caught within Satan's cross-hairs and restored to abundance by his Defender.

However, like Hannah hiding from the inevitability of the story's conflict, we try to evade the significance this book has to our existence -- that God holds us in His mighty and powerful hand. We deny God's providence when we should heed the theologians and count on the promises of Job's story -- that no hair of our head can be touched without God's permission.

Imagine the book of Philippians if Paul were not able to proclaim with confidence that the suffering he endured in prison was for Christ. Might not Paul's assurance blossom partially from his studied digestion of the book of Job when he was trained as a young Jew? Or consider whether he would have been able to declare the promises of an unchanging and eternally righteous and faithful God in Romans had he not immersed himself in the stirring poetry of the Creator of the Universe found at the end of Job. Although we are not afforded the privilege of hearing the triune counsel plan the trials to afflict Paul, as we are with Job, because God's goodness has never been tainted, because Job's righteousness was never at risk, because we know that for and in Christ all things are possible, we can rejoice with Paul in his suffering (Matt. 19:26; Phil. 1:18).

Likewise John Calvin found this piece of wisdom literature to be worthy of a year-long series of weekday sermons. These were among the Reformer's most popular. The identification with a man who seemed to be wrongfully persecuted was keen, and the confidence in a sovereign God was comforting.

Calvin endured vehement opposition and was threatened with expulsion, charges of heresy, and often even death, yet his reliance upon the good providence of God, as evidenced in Job, kept at bay fears that, though the world appeared in chaos and God out of control, all was firmly in the gentle and just grip of the Master (Job 1:21). It was "no mere 'permission'" given Satan to wreak havoc on the holy man's life, and on this assurance Calvin offers the comforting words, "Therefore whatever men or Satan himself may instigate, God nevertheless holds the key."

Does God manage the affairs of my life as particularly and personally as He did Job's? Absolutely, just as He did the lives of Paul and Calvin. We may wish for the comfort of knowing in advance the dangers that lie ahead, but no one has been given that privilege -- and I'm not convinced it would be the comfort we imagine. Let us rejoice instead in what this otherworldly Joban dialogue affirms: that what God affects toward His own is always good (Ps. 5:11-12).

Laura England is associate editor of Tabletalk and a freelance journalist.


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Oct. 9 Bible Study Page

Monday, Oct. 9 -- "Job's Lament"

Job 1:20-22

Despite Satan's efforts to prove Job the hypocrite, Job proves himself to be a truly pious man. He had just lost everything, but he still praised God. Job's reaction is something the world could never understand. It is always interesting to see how unbelievers react when they witness a Christian going through a great hardship. If the believer praises God in the midst of his suffering, unbelievers maintain that he is simply in denial, that the despair will set in later. The world cannot grasp the concepts of faith and trust in a sovereign and good God.

Instead of blaming God or rejecting Him as either cruel or helpless to intercede on his behalf, Job recognized God's hand in his suffering and praised Him. This does not mean that Job did not grieve. Grief is a legitimate, natural part of the human experience. If we did not grieve, something would be wrong. Job grieved when his children died; Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. It is certainly acceptable for us to grieve as well. The Scriptures tell us that Job got up and tore his robe -- an outward testimony of his sorrow. But unlike Jacob who continued to grieve for years after Joseph's alleged death, Job turned his grief into worship. "He humbled himself under the hand of God, and accommodated himself to the providences he was under, as one that knew how to want as well as how to abound," Henry wrote. ". . . and as one that abased himself even to the dust before God, he fell down upon the ground, in a penitent sense of sin and a patient submission to the will of God."

Job turned his thoughts from himself and considered God. He did not act as if he did not deserve such terrible afflictions, but he admitted quite the contrary. Naked he had come from his mother's womb, and naked he would return to the dust. If he should be stripped of his worldly gains in between, who is to say that is unjust? "If we are impoverished, we are not wronged, nor much hurt, for we are but as we were born," Henry observed.

Job provides for us an eminent example of piety. He acknowledged God's hand in both his mercies and his afflictions. He adored his God in both. In all this, Job did not sin, but acted honorably before God and men.

Read 2 Samuel 12:15-20 and 18:19-19:8. What did David do when his first son died? What was wrong with the way he acted when Absalom died? What did David do once Joab rebuked him? If you have been unable to overcome grief, go to the Lord. Worship Him and praise Him for everything He has given you.


For further study: Gen. 37:17-36; Matt. 2:13-18; John 11:1-44

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 41-42; Col. 1


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Oct. 10 Bible Study Page

Tuesday, Oct. 10 -- "The Test of Suffering"

Job 2:1-8

Seeing that his efforts to turn Job's heart had failed, Satan devises another plan. If the death of his children and the loss of his wealth would not cause him to curse God, then maybe a threat to his own life would do it. With this in mind, Satan approaches the throne of God, once more recognizing that he could do nothing without God's permission.

In an almost mocking tone, God extols Job's integrity in front of Satan. "Instead of letting go his religion, and cursing God, Job holds it faster than ever, as that which has now more than ordinary occasion for," Henry writes. "He is the same in adversity that he was in prosperity, and rather better, and more hearty and lively in blessing God than ever he was, and takes root the faster for being thus shaken."

Job's integrity inflames Satan, who once again accuses Job of insincerity. If only his own life were in jeopardy, Satan argued, he would certainly curse God. Henry observes that there is a ring of truth in what Satan said. "Self-love and self-preservation are very powerful commanding principles in the hearts of men. Men love themselves better than their nearest relations, even their children, that are parts of themselves, will not only venture, but give, their estates to save their lives. . . . We ought to make a good use of this consideration, and while God continues to give us our life and health and the use of our limbs and sense, we should the more patiently bear the loss of other comforts."

God gives Satan permission to test Job again -- he could do anything except kill him. Satan afflicts Job in a most terrible manner. He causes ulcers and sores to break out all over his body. The only relief Job can find is to scrape them open. We do not read of Job covering them with soft linen, or reclining on his bed for relief. But, in a truly humble frame, he sits among the ashes, draining his sores with a broken pot. Even in the midst of pain, Job remains the humble servant.

Henry advises us to consider Job when we are sick and hurt. "If at any time we be exercised with sore and grievous distempers, let us not think ourselves dealt with any otherwise than as God has sometimes dealt with the best of His saints and servants."

Read Deuteronomy 7:15; Jeremiah 30:17; and Hosea 6:1. We have learned that God sometimes uses afflictions to strengthen our faith. What hope do you find in these passages? Why is it comforting to know that God not only inflicts suffering but brings healing? In whom do you put your hope in when you are sick?


For further study: Deut. 28:58-68; Ps. 41; Luke 8:22-25

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 43-44; Colossians 2


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Oct. 11 Bible Study Page

Wednesday, Oct. 11 -- "Surprised by Suffering"

1 Peter 4:12-19

As we read of Job's suffering, we cannot help but reflect on our own. In truth, that is exactly what we are supposed to do. God gives us the account of Job in part to teach us something about pain and suffering. Suffering is a common experience of God's people throughout Scripture. Why is it so common? And if it is so common, why are we still surprised when it happens to us? Because this is a reality everyone faces in one form or another, we will explore the theme of suffering in the next six studies, using Dr. Sproul's tape series Surprised by Suffering. For information about this series, click here.

The Apostle Peter wrote on this subject to some dear friends in 1 Peter 4. We learn some great lessons from Peter on how to comfort those who are going through difficult circumstances. First, he told them not to be surprised by the fiery trials they were then suffering, as if it were a strange occurrence. Why did Peter not consider this suffering to be strange? It is because all Christians should expect to live as their Lord had lived -- a life of suffering. Paul tells us that we must share in His suffering that we might also share in His glory. That means we cannot expect to be treated by a world hostile to God any differently than the way in which Christ was treated. Peter, then, concludes that if you suffer as a Christian, you should not be ashamed, or confused, but you should rejoice because then you know that the Spirit of God rests upon you. Not only should we expect suffering in some measure, we should anticipate it.

Next, Peter tells his friends that their suffering is also the result of God's judgment (v. 17). This is a very difficult thing to tell someone who is facing a trial, and it should be done with great gentleness. But one way God teaches us, corrects us, and shapes our character is through suffering. How then, should we act when God disciplines us? Peter says that those who suffer according to the purposes of God should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do the good works He has called them to do. This takes a great deal of humility, for we must recognize that we have received no more than we deserve and that God's ways are higher than ours. God has a purpose in our pain, and that is our anchor in the midst of suffering.

We suffer for two reasons: as followers of Christ, and as God's children, whom He disciplines. Why do both these reasons give you hope in your suffering? What is the purpose of discipline? How does this reveal God's love for you? What kind of changes do you need to make in a your attitude concerning suffering?


For further study: Rom. 8:17-27; 2 Cor. 4:7-18; Heb. 12:1-13

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 45-47; Col. 3


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Oct. 12 Bible Study Page

Thursday, Oct. 12 -- "The Power of God"

John 9:1-12

When Jesus met a blind man on the street, the disciples immediately wanted to know why the man was blind. Was it because of his sins? Was it because of his parent's sins? Jesus told them it was neither. The man was blind so that God's power might be revealed through his weakness. In the same way, Jesus humbled Himself, suffered the weaknesses of the flesh, and died to reveal the glory and power of God.

The purpose of Jesus's life was clear to Him from the very beginning. His life would be one of sorrow, of suffering, and of death so that salvation would be given to those whom God had chosen. Jesus had no illusions about His life. He would not be a king, at least as the Jews wanted Him to be. He would not lead armies in battle against the Romans. Instead, He would be a suffering servant who would die for the sake of others. But His death was not the culmination of His life, for Jesus would rise again. The power of the Lord would break the chains of death, and Jesus would be resurrected in glory and reign as King forever.

In the same way, our suffering is a pathway to glory, not only in the life to come but in the present. One day we will be raised to glory like our Lord, but even now as we suffer, God's power is revealed. How many saints have suffered in the name of Christ so that God's power and glory might be revealed through their trials?

The persecution of the early Christians in Jerusalem caused them to scatter and, as a result, take the Gospel to other regions. In their suffering, God revealed His power and purposes to bring others from distant nations into His kingdom. The Puritan pastors of England who fled to Europe when Queen Mary took the throne imbibed the doctrines of Calvinism during their exile. When they returned, God used them to spread the truth and to develop a new form of government that eventually saw its fruit in the new world. The examples go on and on. Needless to say, our suffering plays a much bigger part than any of us can imagine. God will reveal His power, and often He does so through our pain -- just as He revealed the power of redemption through the suffering and death of His only Son.

Sometime this week get hold of a biography of a Christian who suffered for the sake of the Gospel (for example, Jim Elliot or Eric Liddell). Ask your pastor for a recommendation or look through a Christian catalog. If you have children, read the biography together. As you read it, notice how God's power is revealed in that person's life.


For further study: Isa. 53; 2 Cor. 12:1-11; Phil. 1:12-30

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 48-49; Col. 4


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Oct. 13 Bible Study Page

Friday, Oct. 13 -- "The Trial of Faith"

Ezekiel 14:12-23

The third chapter of Daniel relates a chilling account of how three Israelites faced a trial few of us could ever imagine. When the king proclaimed a decree that everyone must worship a golden idol, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused, even under the threat of being thrown into a fiery furnace. As the three faced the fury of the king and the fiery flames of the furnace, their faith kept them strong (Dan. 3:17-18).

The three Israelites did not have any false pretenses about their situation. They knew there was a very good chance they might die. But they still did not turn. They refused to abandon God under any circumstance -- even under the threat of torture and death. Through it all, they put their hope and their faith in the only One who could deliver them -- God Himself. And even if God allowed them to die, they accepted that possibility and still honored and worshiped Him.

Like Job, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego passed the test of their faith. They were exiles in a foreign land, surrounded by idolatry and immorality. It must have been very tempting to forsake God for their own comfort. It was also probably tempting to become angry with God because of their difficult circumstances. But we see no bitterness, no anger, no unbelief in these men, only humble submission to God's will and steadfast faithfulness even when they felt the searing heat of the furnace.

Such faith is given to all of God's children. It is not reserved for the Shadrachs, Meshachs, and Abed-Negos of this world. It is a gift from God, and it is strengthened as we focus on God and remember His faithfulness even when death is staring us in the face. Our constant hope, which is the anchor of our faith, is that Jesus Christ is victorious and He has promised that all those who believe in Him will have eternal life. No matter what we go through now, we know that Christ is with us and one day we will be with Him in glory.

Seek out someone in your church or a neighbor who is sick, near death, or struggling with a difficult circumstance. How can you help strengthen their faith and encourage them? Write them a note of encouragement, fix them a meal, visit them. If he or she is not a Christian, tell them about the hope they could have in Christ Jesus.


For further study: Daniel 6; Acts 27:13-44; Hebrews 11

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 50-52; 1 Thess. 1 -- Weekend: Isaiah 53-58; 1 Thess. 2-3


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Oct. 14-15 Bible Study Page

Weekend, Oct. 14-15 -- "Grammar School of Suffering"

By Bruce Waltke

Most interpreters of the book of Job focus on its theme: suffering and the question "Why do the righteous suffer?" Theologians refer to this problem as a theodicy, defending God's justice in light of the suffering. To be sure, in the dialogue between Job and his friends, they generate a lot of heat discussing the issue without shedding much light on it.

A more sophisticated interpretation suggests that the book attempts to answer the prior and deeper questions: Why are the righteous pious? Why do saints fear God? Indeed that is the way Satan framed the debate. In response to the Sovereign's question, "Have you considered My servant Job?" Satan replies: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" According to the adversary of the covenant community, God has no true worshipers. The righteous are righteous for selfish reasons, and so in fact none is righteous.

These interpretive approaches, however, overlook the obvious. The book of Job is a biography about a person: "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job."

However, the narrative of Job is twisting and convoluted. There emerges not one picture of Job but three. Though always a servant of the Lord he behaves very differently in the prologue (chaps. 1-2), in the dialogues with his "friends" (chaps. 3-37), in the divine monologues (chaps. 38-41), and in his concluding years (chap. 42). We tend to think Job finds divine approval only in the prologue and at the end of the book, not in his dialogues with his three friends. God, however, is angry only with the friends, not with Job (Job 42:7). James holds Job up to the church as a model of piety and endurance (James 5:11).

Under the sovereign hand of God Job is promoted through three schools, roughly corresponding to the first three divisions of the book and finally he is graduated summa cum laude at its conclusion. The prologue represents him in elementary school, the dialogues in high school, and the divine monologues in college. Each school offers a different set of challenges and he excels in each. In the first section he is presented as an inexperienced "youth" who tastes for the first time the bitter reality of suffering. In the second section, he is presented in his spiritual adolescence, in high school, as a sophomore disputing directly with his friends and indirectly with God against His cosmic mismanagement. In the third section he is presented in his maturity, in college, as he radically changes his view about God and repents about himself. Each school exacts a different response, and three schools are necessary to become a mature sage. In these three articles we will sketch that development.

In elementary school Job learned the "ABCs" of inherited wisdom, such as is taught in Proverbs. God rewards virtue with well-being and wickedness with misery. He is the best student in the school: ". . . that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil" (1:1 NKJV). His Teacher can boast: ". . . there is none like him on the earth" (1:8) and rewards him with the perfect number of sons and daughters (1:2) and of chattel property (1:3). Job enjoys a social status commensurate to his righteousness: ". . . this man was the greatest of all the people of the East" (1:3b).

Although Job must learn that righteousness is not rewarded immediately, but may be accompanied with severe suffering and postponed hope, at the end of the day the Lord cannot act unjustly. God will more than compensate Job for what he loses during his suffering (Job 42:10-16). The ABC of morality is sure; but how it comes to pass is not so sure. This education is foundational for a sage approved by God.

While still in elementary school, however, God takes the initiative in handing Job over to Satan to test his spiritual metal and to prove Satan a liar. Spiritual virtue must be tested in the crucible of history. Instead of throwing Satan in the abyss and bypassing history, God validated His own virtues in the laboratory of this time-space-mass continuum (Rom. 11:33-36). Abraham was fully persuaded that God would give him offspring (Gen. 15:6), but his faith had to be tested by the bizarre and absurd act of offering up Isaac (Gen. 22:1). God tested Israel and our Lord in the desert (Deut. 8:2; (Luke 4:2). We too must be tested and learn in life's desert.

It is important to note that God withdraws His protective hedge around Job but retains His sovereignty. Satan's chaos can operate only within the Sovereign's limits.

In the innocence of grammar school Job passively accepts his suffering. To his spiritually divorced wife, who lacks his faith, he gives his valedictory address: ". . . Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (2:10b). He is graduated with flying colors: "In all this Job did not sin with his lips" (2:10b). He must grow up, however, as we shall see.

Bruce Waltke contributed the notes for Genesis and Micah for the New Geneva Study Bible.


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Oct. 16 Bible Study Page

Monday, Oct. 16 -- "Expecting Miracles"

John 10

One of the most influential movements that has become deeply entrenched in evangelical churches is the charismatic movement. Many in this movement lay claim to miracles as if they were Gospel promises -- if you have enough faith, God has promised that He will heal you of whatever disease or disability you have. Such an unbiblical doctrine is based on an erroneous understanding of miracles and their role in redemptive history.

Jesus healed people to reveal his power and authority as the Messiah. His miracles affirmed His message of redemption. Jesus gave this power to His disciples because they would teach others even as He had taught them. The authority they had to cast out demons and heal the lame and sick was given directly to them by Christ Himself.

When John was in Herod's prison, he sent a message to Jesus asking Him whether or not He was the Messiah. Jesus told John's messengers that the blind have received sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor (John 7:21-23). In a round about way, Jesus was saying, "Yes, I am the Messiah because I have the power to perform miracles and proclaim the Gospel, just as the prophets said I would."

The miracles of the New Testament served as signs and seals of the Gospel promise. Nowhere does God promise that those who have enough faith will be healed of all their diseases in this life. To believe such a thing is to twist Scripture. Miracles played a particular role in the historical unfolding of redemption. We no longer need a miraculous affirmation of Christ's power and the truth of the Gospel message because we have the Holy Spirit who is the seal of the promise.

Is it, then, pointless to ask God to perform a miracle? Certainly not! God tells us in James to pray for the sick, to anoint their heads with oil. God heals people every day. But many sincere Christians remain sick and disabled because that is God's will for their life. To say they remain sick because they have no faith is to put them in spiritual bondage. We can pray and hope for God's healing mercies, but He has not promised to heal us in this life. Only in the life to come will we be truly free from all the infirmities of the flesh.

Read Acts 8:1-25. What was Philip's goal in this passage, miracles or proclaiming the Gospel? What was Simon most interested in? What is the emphasis of Paul's ministry, proclaiming the Gospel or performing miracles? How is Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:1-10) a proof that people of faith are not always healed?


For further study: Matt. 11:1-19; John 2:1-11

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 59-61; 1 Thess. 4


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Oct. 17 Bible Study Page

Tuesday, Oct. 17 -- "The Resurrection of the Body"

1 Corinthians 15

Christianity stands alone in its unique teaching on the resurrection of the body. Some religions teach that the body and the soul will be annihilated. Others teach that the body will return to the dust and the soul will be absorbed into God, thus losing its personal identity. Many believe that the soul will be reincarnated in another form, but the original body will be lost forever. Some teach that the individual soul will be eternally separated from the body. Only Christianity teaches that the body and the soul will be reunited after death, that the bodies of believers will be raised from the dead and transformed into redeemed and perfected bodies in glory. We will not receive a newly created body, but our same flesh, these bodies that are now wasting away and burdened by the effects of sin, will be raised and transformed into glorious, incorruptible, imperishable bodies.

God created mankind as body and soul. When man fell, both his body and his soul were affected. Would it be right, then, to allow only the soul to be redeemed and not the body? Would it be true to God's created order to separate man's physical and spiritual natures, discarding his body as if it were evil? Certainly not. God, in His goodness and wisdom, has promised to redeem the whole man, not just our souls, but our bodies as well.

Jesus Christ is living proof of the resurrection (

Read 1 Corinthians 15 again. Describe one new insight about the Resurrection that you have gained from this study and Paul's teaching to the Corinthians. Write a personal statement affirming the truth and relevancy of the Resurrection. Include why this doctrine is so important to you.


For further study: John 20; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; Phil 3:12-4:1

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 62-64; 1 Thess. 5


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Oct. 18 Bible Study Page

Wednesday, Oct. 18 -- "A Glorious Inheritance"

Rom. 8:18-39

In Romans 8, Paul encourages his fellow believers to persevere in their suffering. This would have meant a great deal coming from Paul because he knew what it was like to suffer. He had been beaten, stoned, thrown in prison, hounded like a dog, shipwrecked, rejected by his people. He knew hunger and thirst, exhaustion and poverty. He suffered some kind of thorn in his flesh, which might have been a painful illness or disability. Because he was a man who knew suffering in a personal way, each of us can find great encouragement by his letter.

Paul found encouragement and strength in the midst of suffering by remembering who he was in relation to God and what he could expect in the future. Paul was not an outcast or a slave, but he was a son. As a son of God he was an heir, and as an heir of God he was a joint heir with Christ. To be a joint heir with Christ meant that he must suffer as Christ had suffered. But that was not all. Once the suffering was done, he would be glorified even as Christ had been glorified.

Those who suffer as the children of God will be raised in glory as the children of God. At that time, we will receive the inheritance of the Lord. Like the son who looks forward to the day when he will be old enough to receive his inheritance, so we look forward to the day of glory. On that day we will brought into the heavenly kingdom of God, fitted with a crown of glory, and clothed in robes of majesty.

When Paul said that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us, he knew what he was talking about. Not only had he experienced great suffering, but he had peered into the third heaven. He had a foretaste of what awaits us. Like Isaiah, he saw the glory of the Lord, and its splendor left him speechless. Once he had seen God's glory, the inheritance of the saints, he knew that all the suffering in the world could not outweigh the glory we will receive in heaven. That is our hope, our encouragement. As children of God, we have an inheritance in store for us, one that will make all the pain and sorrow of this life melt into oblivion.

In the May Tabletalk, we studied heaven in detail. Review those studies that dealt with the saint's inheritance. What things in your life, thoughts, or emotions, cloud your view of heaven? Whenever you are discouraged, afraid, or in pain, read passages that describe heaven (use For further study). Memorize one or two verses.


For further study: Rev. 19, 21, and 22

Through the Bible in a year: Isaiah 65-66; 2 Thess. 1


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Oct. 19 Bible Study Page

Thursday, Oct. 19 -- "An Unexpected Tempter"

Job 2:9-10

We return now to our study of Job by examining another of Satan's schemes to induce Job to curse God. Satan spared Job's wife so that she might mock her husband and tempt him to turn from God.

Notice what she says: "Curse God and die!" What a scathing rebuke from one who was supposed to be a help mate and a support. Instead of encouraging Job to hold on to his religion, to bless God and live, she tells him to renounce his religion.

"Live no longer in dependence upon God, wait not for relief from Him, but be your own deliverer by being your own executioner," Henry paraphrased, "end your troubles by ending your life; better die once than be always dying thus."

These are two of the worst temptations of Satan. To blaspheme God goes against our conscience, and to kill ourselves goes against our nature. We can be assured when these temptations assault us, they are an attack by Satan himself.

Job responds to the temptation with righteous indignation. "What! Curse God? I abhor the thought of it." You can almost hear him saying, "Get behind me Satan!" Job reproves his wife, calling her words foolish. He then instructs her in the ways of righteousness (Job 2:10).

"The consideration of the mercies we receive from God, both past and present, should make us receive our afflictions with a suitable disposition of spirit," Henry wrote. "If we receive our share of the common good in the seven years of plenty, shall we not receive our share of the common evil in the years of famine? If we have so much that pleases us, why should we not be content with that which pleases God? If we receive so many comforts, shall we not receive some afflictions, which will serve as foils to our comforts, to make them the more valuable (we are taught the worth of mercies by being made to want them sometimes). . . . If we receive so much good for the body, shall we not receive some good for the soul; that is some afflictions, by which we partake of God's holiness (Heb. 12:10), something which, by saddening the countenance, makes the heart better? Let murmuring therefore, as well as boasting, be forever excluded."

Job recognized God's sovereignty over all areas of his life. Do you recognize and submit to God's authority in both the good times and the bad? Consider your life. Do you hold any bitter thoughts against God for past or present suffering and trials? If so, confess them to God today and praise Him for all things.


For further study: Ruth 1; Ps. 32; Eccl. 7:13-14

Through the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 1-2; 2 Thess. 2


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Oct. 20 Bible Study Page

Friday, Oct. 20 -- "Faithful Friends"

Job 2:11-13

In the midst of his suffering, Job received a visit from three friends. These friends, like Job, were of Gentile descent; they were outside the covenant promises made to Israel, but graced with religious piety. Eliphaz descended from Temnan, the grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:11). Bildad probably descended from Shuah, Abraham's son by Keturah (Gen. 25:2). Zophar is thought by some to be the same Zepho who was a descendant of Esau (Gen. 36:11).

Job's friends heard of his great affliction, and they quickly made an appointment to travel from their distant countries to share the burden of his grief. This is a great testimony of friendship. When true friends see a loved one in need, they do not wait for an invitation, but they put aside their own concerns for the sake of their friend.

When we visit those who are suffering, both parties are blessed. It is profitable to the one who visits by giving him a look at the troubles of another, thus causing him to reflect on his own life more seriously and praise God for his health and welfare. It is profitable for the afflicted one by bringing him the love and support of loved ones.

"Job's friends came, not to satisfy their curiosity with an account of his troubles and the strangeness of the circumstances of them. . . but to mourn with him, to mingle their tears with his, and so to comfort him," Henry wrote.

Job's friends allowed themselves to feel Job's pain. When they saw his disfigured and twisted body, they wept aloud. They rent their clothes and sprinkled dust on their heads, a sign of profound grief. They sat with him among the ashes in a spirit of true compassion. They did not just stop by for a brief and unaffected visit, but they stayed with him and tried to counsel him; although, as we will soon see, they were miserable counselors. Many who seek to do good often make mistakes and fail to bring the comfort they intended. Nevertheless, Job's friends should be commended for standing by him in a time of great need.

May each of us follow not only the example of Job's friends but the supreme example of Christ, who is our greatest friend, as we encourage others, comfort them in their affliction, and help carry their burden of grief with sincerity and compassion.

What kind of friend are you? Are you willing to put aside your own concerns for the sake of a friend who needs encouragement? Take some time this week to visit a friend, even if he or she is not in some crisis. We all need encouragement from time to time. Put your friend's concerns before your own. Above all, listen.


For further study: Prov. 17:17, 18:24, and 27:10; John 15:1-17

Through the Bible in a year: Jer. 3-4; 2 Thess. 3 -- Weekend: Jer. 5-8; 1 Tim. 1-2


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Oct. 21-22 Bible Study Page

Weekend, Oct. 21-22 "Who Took Job's Flocks?"

By David Chilton

Right at the outset of the book of Job, we are faced with a moral dilemma of staggering proportions: The blameless and upright Job is stricken with an excruciating tragedy as Satan, eager to attack Job's integrity, manages to wreak havoc upon all Job's possessions, ruining all that he owns, driving the Chaldeans to steal his flocks, even killing his children. As shocking as this is, we are unprepared for an even greater shock: Job's stalwart confession of faith in a sovereign God, as we see that the godly man's immediate, instinctive response to tragedy is worship and adoration (Job 1:21-22).

"The Lord has taken away!"

A more striking affirmation of abject confidence in the complete, utter sovereignty of God would be difficult to find -- especially in such a moment of extreme crisis. Commenting on this incident in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin rightly asks: "How may we attribute this same work to God, to Satan, and to man as author, without either excusing Satan as associated with God, or making God the author of evil?" Calvin's answer, perhaps surprisingly, is that the solution is easy.

First, he points out the three very different purposes involved in the trials of Job. God's purpose was to exercise Job's patience by means of the trial; Satan's intent was to drive Job into apostasy; and the Chaldeans -- who cared neither for Job's personal sanctification nor for the cosmic struggle being played out between God and Satan -- simply lusted after someone else's property.

Second, Calvin noted there is a similar difference in the manner of the actors in this drama. The Lord sovereignly allowed Satan to afflict His servant, showing that believers are not exempt from Satan's attacks. God then handed over the Chaldeans to be driven by Satan, having chosen them as His ministers for this task. Satan, in turn, aroused the wicked minds of the Chaldeans. They dashed madly into this willful injustice, and surrendered their God-given powers and abilities to commit the crime. They therefore are fully responsible for their actions, and are under God's judgment even at this moment. In another sense, we can see that Satan acted in the minds of these reprobates, and he bears eternal responsibility for his own actions.

Finally, God is also said to act in His own way, because Satan himself, since he is the instrument of God's wrath, turns himself this way and that at God's command to execute His just judgments. As Calvin says, "We see no inconsistency in attributing the same act to God, Satan, and man; but the distinction in purpose and manner causes God's righteousness to shine forth blamelessly, while the wickedness of Satan and man betrays itself by its own disgrace."

Indeed, Calvin observes that "certainty about God's providence helps us in all adversities." He cites the example of Joseph, who was cruelly betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers; and yet, when given the chance at revenge, acknowledged God's providence in the events of his life (Gen. 45:5-8 and 50:20).

"If Job had turned his attention to the Chaldeans, by whom he was troubled," Calvin writes, "he would immediately have been aroused to revenge; but because he at once recognized it as the Lord's work, he comforted himself with this most beautiful thought: 'The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

Amidst all the frustrations of life, the turmoil and anxiety all around us caused by the vicious acts of sinful men and women, how can we keep a steady head? If we look only at the acts of men, we may easily give in to despair. But if we keep in mind that even the worst acts of sinful men are completely under our sovereign, loving God, we will not despair. Even the very worst sin ever committed against God in human history was done entirely according to what God's hand and purpose predetermined (see Acts 4:27-28). If that is true, what reason have we to be anxious about our petty difficulties? Next time you get worried, ask yourself: "Who took Job's flocks?"

Benjamin B. Warfield, the great champion of Old Princeton in its golden era, wrote in his classic Biblical and Theological Studies: "In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in the unfolding of His eternal plan; nothing, however small, however strange, occurs without His ordering, or without its peculiar fitness in the working out of His purpose; and the end of all shall be the manifestation of His glory, and the accumulation of His praise."

David Chilton is the author of Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators.


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Oct. 23 Bible Study Page

Monday, Oct. 23 -- "A Foolish Lament"

Job 3:1-10

Job is to be praised for not cursing God as Satan wanted him to. In the midst of his suffering, however, he cursed the day of his birth which in effect curses God's providence. This heart-wrenching display of human emotion and grief, while common enough, should not be emulated because it dishonors God. Job did not curse God, but he did question God's wisdom.

"To curse the day of our birth because then we entered upon the calamitous scene of life is to quarrel with our God of nature, to despise the dignity of our being, and to indulge a passion which our own calm and sober thoughts will make us ashamed of," Henry wrote. "Certainly there is no condition of life a man can be in in this world but he may in it (if it not be his own fault) so honor God, and work out his own salvation, and make sure a happiness for himself in a better world. Then he will have no reason at all to wish he had never been born, but a great deal of reason to say that he had his being to good purpose. Yet it must be owned, if there were not another life after this, and divine consolations to support us in the prospect of it, so many are the sorrows and troubles of this that we might sometimes be tempted to say that we are made in vain and to wish we had never been. There are those in hell who with good reason wish they had never been born. But on this side of hell, there can be no reason for so vain and ungrateful a wish. It was Job's folly and weakness to curse his day."

Job's lament is foolish because it hopes for something that cannot be. It curses something -- the day of his birth -- that cannot be hurt. It asks for something that were it possible to bring it to pass would have been dreadful for Job's mother. He wished for something that would have brought her pain and suffering. And lastly, it despises the goodness of God in giving Job life and existence. We should never undervalue human life, no matter how afflicted it might be. All human life, being made in the image of God, is of great value and worthy of dignity. Do not ever curse the day of your existence, but look forward to a better day when you will behold the glory of your Creator with a body and circumstances devoid of affliction.

Read Lamentations 3:1-33. How is the first part of this passage similar to Job 3? What kind of change is there in verse 22? What gives Jeremiah hope? Instead of cursing the day of his birth, what does he do? What should you do when you are afflicted? If you have behaved like Job, confess it to God. As Jeremiah did, put your hope in God.


For further study: Ps. 88; Jer. 20:7-18; Acts 7:54-60

Through the Bible in a year: Jer. 9-10; 1 Timothy 3


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Oct. 24 Bible Study Page

Tuesday, Oct. 24 -- "A Plea to Die"

Job 11:26

For many days, Job sat in dust and ashes, scraping the oozing blisters that covered his body. He had no comfort, no rest, no peace. Is it any wonder that he longed to die and even questioned why God kept him alive? Many who have suffered unbearable pain have considered death to be better than life. How many family members have watched a loved one suffer for so long that they could not help but wonder why God refused to bring a final end to the pain? Such a time calls for extraordinary trust in the wisdom of Providence. God has ordained all of our days before even one of them comes into existence. In the same way that we must trust God's goodness when He takes away a loved-one "before their time," we must be confident that He has a good and righteous reason for keeping those here whom we think should have died long ago.

Because every one of us could fall prey to the calamities of life, at any moment, each of us should prepare for that day and trust that God will deliver us when He sees fit.

Henry wrote, "Let it be our great and constant care to get ready for another world, and then let us leave it to God to order the circumstances of our removal thither as He thinks fit: 'Lord, when and how Thou pleasest;' and this with such an indifference that, if He should refer it to us, we would refer it to Him again. Grace teaches us, in the midst of life's greatest comforts, to be willing to die, and, in the midst of its greatest crosses, to be willing to live."

One of the most difficult challenges of the Christian life is to come to the point where you surrender your desires utterly to the will of God. When you get to that point, you are even willing to suffer like Job if it is God's will; or you are willing to die if that is God's will. This does not mean, that if you are called to live in suffering, that you do not desire to die so that you can be with Christ, but you would not desire to die simply to escape your pain. In this we follow the example of our blessed Savior, who faced the tortures of the cross because it was His Father's will, and who trusts His father without fail.

Make a list of the characteristics of God that give you reason to trust Him when it comes to situations of life and death, pain and suffering. Look up verses, using your concordance, that highlight those characteristics of God, i.e., God as deliverer, Psalm 40. Meditate on those verses and find comfort in God's perfect will.


For further study: Ps. 23; Matt. 26:36-46

Through the Bible in a year: Jer. 11-13; 1 Tim. 4


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Oct. 25 Bible Study Page

Wednesday, Oct. 25 -- "Eliphaz's Rash Counsel"

Job 4-5

Once Job broke his seven-day silence, Eliphaz took the opportunity to give him some advice. He began by praising Job for the many righteous acts he had done. He commended him for not only instructing his immediate family in the ways of righteousness but also his fellow countrymen.

Eliphaz's praise turned into admonishment, though, as he realized that Job was not as righteous as he seemed. Eliphaz rightly assumed that calamity falls upon the wicked on account of their sin. However, he unjustly lumped Job in with the wicked, while God praised him for being upright. He intimated that Job was a hypocrite (Job 4:6). Eliphaz assumed that bad things cannot happen to righteous people; therefore, since such tribulation had fallen upon Job, it must have been because of his sin.

This conclusion, of course, was erroneous. The Scripture is filled with examples of pious men falling prey to the heavy hand of providence -- Abel, Lot, Jacob, and, of course, David, who suffered unjustly at the hands of his enemies. Eliphaz judged Job too harshly.

"Those that pass rash and uncharitable censures upon their brethren, and condemn them as hypocrites, do Satan's work, and serve his interest more than they are aware of," Henry wrote.

Eliphaz tried to find support for his conclusions from a vision (Job 4:15-21). Henry maintains that the vision was given to Eliphaz from God not to condemn Job for his sin or to accuse him of hypocrisy but to rebuke him for his murmuring against God. Job had questioned God's wisdom in allowing him to live, and this vision most likely was directed against Job's discontent. Eliphaz, however, took it too far and passed an inappropriate judgment on Job. He tried to soften his accusation somewhat when he assured Job that God would not abandon him forever. Despite Eliphaz's bad counsel, he proved himself knowledgeable of God's ways by reminding Job that God would deliver him (Job 5:20)).

Read John 9:1-12. How were the conclusions of the disciples similar to those of Eliphaz? What is Jesus's response? Does this mean that God never disciplines us because of our sin (Heb. 12:3-11)? Why is it not our place to judge another's trials? Have you wrongly judged someone? If so, confess and repent of it today.


For further study: Romans 2:1-4; 1 Cor. 4:1-5; James 4:11-12

Through the Bible in a year: Jer. 14-16; 1 Tim. 5


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Oct. 26 Bible Study Page

Thursday, Oct. 26 -- "Is There Any Hope?"

Job 6-7

Eliphaz questioned Job's integrity by claiming that his tribulations were the result of his sin. Job refused to believe Eliphaz's accusation and challenged him to provide proof to defend his argument. In the midst of all the physical and spiritual anguish he had suffered, Job had not forsaken his God. This was the testimony Job clung to, and until Eliphaz could prove his hypocrisy, he would not believe that his suffering was due to any particular sin.

While Job was certainly justified in defending himself against the false accusations of his friend, he was not entirely in the right. He still considered death to be better than life and prayed that God kill him. He could have learned something from Eliphaz who offered hope in the faithfulness of God. But Job focused on his own strength instead of God's (Job 6:11). The result was despair.

Anytime we look to our own ability, we will lose all hope. This is especially true when it comes to our assurance of salvation. Those times when we doubt and lose our assurance, we must not look to the strength of our faith, but the strength of Him who maintains our faith. God has given us new life, and He has promised to sustain us by the strength of His arm, not by the weakness of our faith. Likewise, in the physical realm, we find our sustenance in God, for in Him we live and move and have our being. Our physical strength is frail in this life, and it grows weaker with the passing of time. But God remains the same forever, His strength never fails, and one day He will raise to perfection those who believe in Christ.

We can learn two very important lessons from Job's response in these chapters. First, because he walked uprightly before the Lord, his conscience was clear when his friends falsely accused him. May each of us have such solid confidence when our friends and family question our integrity in the midst of suffering. Second, Job did not put his hope in God as he should have. This caused him great spiritual torment, which incited him to seek death as the only escape from his troubles.

Read Romans 8:18-39. Around the dinner table or another suitable time, role play with your spouse, children, or others in your household. Take turns being Job and Job's friends. Using this passage, what advice would you give to Job? How is it different from the advice Eliphaz gave? How should Job respond to your advice?


For further study: Proverbs 14:32; Jonah 4; 1 Peter 3:8-22

Through the Bible in a year: Jer. 17-19; 1 Timothy 6


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Oct. 27 Bible Study Page

Friday, Oct. 27 -- "Wrong Assumptions"

Job 8

Bildad's response is similar to Eliphaz's in that much of what he says is generally true: God's providences are never unjust, the wicked are punished by a righteous God, and hypocrites will receive their due while the righteous will be restored. However, like Eliphaz, Bildad wrongly assumed that Job should be counted among the wicked because God would never cause a righteous man to suffer. Bildad ignores Job's cry for compassion and simply asserts that Job should repent of his sin.

He also harshly admonishes Job for accusing God of perverting justice -- something Job did not do. Job was guilty of questioning God's wisdom, but he had not yet accused God of being unjust. He maintains from the very beginning that God was just in allowing his children to die.

Matthew Henry wrote: "It is true that we and our children have sinned against God, and we ought to justify Him in all He brings upon us and ours,but extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces; and in our judgment of another's case (unless the contrary appears), we ought to take the more favorable side, as our Savior directs (Luke 13:2-4)." This is simply one more instance of how Job's friends misunderstood his situation.

Bildad's counsel concerning the hypocrite is correct: The hope of hypocrites is groundless (8:13-15). Job was guilty of crying out against God for not ending his life, and he failed to rely on God's strength in his overwhelming suffering. But this was not sufficient evidence to cast him among the hypocrites as Bildad was so willing to do.

God brings Bildad's own words back to haunt him when, later, He restores to Job everything he had lost. Bildad said that "God will not cast away the blameless." This is true. While the blameless may suffer for awhile, God will not forsake them forever. So it will be with Job. God will not forsake him. This, however, is unforeseen to Bildad who assumes that Job is a hypocrite and maintains that unless he repent of that sin, he will be cut off forever.

Go through chapter 8 again and notice all of Bildad's statements that are generally true. How does he falsely apply these truths to Job? What does he say that is blatantly wrong? Do you err in the application of truth? Ask a friend or your spouse if they discern any way in which you take a fundamental truth and wrongly apply it.


For further study: 1 Sam. 15; Matt. 12:1-14; Matt. 23

Through the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 20-22; 2 Timothy 1 -- Weekend: Jeremiah 23-26; 2 Timothy 2-3;


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Oct. 28-29 Bible Study Page

Weekend, Oct. 28-29 -- "God in Job"

By R.Laird Harris

There is somewhat of a problem in studying the character of God in the book of Job, for much of the book is fallacious in its revelation. We can say this reverently, of course. All of the book is inspired and actually all the characters except Satan express some elements of truth, but at least the speeches of the three comforters are not normative for theology. Some things Job said about God are true. Some things are not. So, much of the dialogue is not divine teaching and for fully authoritative teaching about God, we are restricted to the speeches of Jehovah at the end and to the prose framework at the start and finish of the book.

The case is somewhat like that in Ecclesiastes. Much in it also is preliminary to the conclusion. The author there tries various philosophies of life and finds them false. He is shut up to the final conclusion that the chief end of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. So also in Job, it is the final answer that we want. It is the ultimate vision of God that satisfied the patriarch's heart.

God reveals Himself to Job as creator. How puny man is in comparison to the power of God, the Creator of all. One need not explore the use of time as a fourth dimension to realize that time for us is very short. We are creatures of a day. The psalmist says that we are like grass which grows up in the morning and is cast down in the evening (Job 38:4)? How we would wish to know at least some of the secrets of God's creation!

If God is really the Creator, we are assured that He is the ultimate reality. There is none behind or over Him. But God is not only transcendent Being. He reveals Himself to Job in His providence. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines God's works of providence as His "most holy, wise, and powerful, preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions." God is immanent in the sense that He is active in His creation.

It is no contradiction in the Bible when Isaiah 5:6 says that clouds bring rain and yet Job 38:28 asks "Hath the rain a father? Or whom hath begotten the drops of dew?" The poetry of Job is striking in its figures of speech. And the thrust of it is that puny man can observe the stars, but the Almighty God guides the stars in their courses. There is matter of great comfort here. We are not alone in the fell clutch of circumstance and we do not suffer under the bludgeoning of chance. We live under the protecting shadow of a Sovereign God.

Adapted from Sitting With Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job (Baker Books, 1992). Used with permission.


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Oct. 30 Bible Study Page

Monday, Oct. 30 -- "Contending With God"

Job 9-10

Like his friends, Job seems to have believed that extraordinary calamities fall upon those who have committed terrible crimes. But Job had not committed any grievous sins. Why, then, was God allowing him to suffer?

With this complaint in hand, Job struggles against his Maker. He begins by affirming his total inability to contend with God. He is unable to dispute with God because He knows all things whereas Job knows nothing. God is righteous and true in His judgments, and Job admits that he is a sinner. This admission can cause some confusion when first reading Job's discourse. On the one hand, he admits that he cannot stand before God because no one is righteous. Then on the other hand, he maintains that he is "blameless" and "innocent." A distinction must be made in how Job is using the word righteous. He is "righteous" because he is a follower of the true God. Sin is not the ruling principle in his life as it is among the wicked. He is "blameless" because he has not committed any grievous sin and because he trusts God. He is trying to find some connection between a specific sin and his particular suffering. When he cannot find one, he complains that God is being unfair.

Job despairs of being reconciled with God because he admits that creatures cannot oppose their Maker. God is all-powerful and is sovereign over all things, so Job says it is fruitless to try to change what He has ordained. Finally, Job finds it impossible to bring his case before God because he is a sinner. He admits that man must be pure to stand before the righteous judgment of God. How can a man, who is sinful, be found righteous in God's sight? This question haunts Job, and his only conclusion is to cry out for a mediator. Because of the vast differences between God and man, and because man is sinful and God is righteous, Job recognizes his need for an arbiter.

Job's request is met in the person of Jesus Christ. He is our Mediator, the one who intercedes on our behalf in God's court. In Him, we can stand before God and find reconciliation because we are clothed in Christ's righteousness. When we sin, we can go to Christ, who is our advocate at the right hand of God. In Him, there is no condemnation.

Using Romans 3:9-31 and 5:1-11, respond to Job's complaint. What are some key points that Job did not understand? In what ways did Job honor God in his discourse? How did he dishonor Him? Do we always suffer on account of sin? What does the Romans 5 passage say about suffering? Apply this to Job's situation.


For further study: Rom. 4; 1 Cor. 1:18-31; Phil. 3:1-11

Through the Bible in a year: Jer. 27-28; 2 Timothy 4


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Oct. 30 Bible Study Page

Monday, Oct. 30 -- "Contending With God"

Job 9-10

Like his friends, Job seems to have believed that extraordinary calamities fall upon those who have committed terrible crimes. But Job had not committed any grievous sins. Why, then, was God allowing him to suffer?

With this complaint in hand, Job struggles against his Maker. He begins by affirming his total inability to contend with God. He is unable to dispute with God because He knows all things whereas Job knows nothing. God is righteous and true in His judgments, and Job admits that he is a sinner. This admission can cause some confusion when first reading Job's discourse. On the one hand, he admits that he cannot stand before God because no one is righteous. Then on the other hand, he maintains that he is "blameless" and "innocent." A distinction must be made in how Job is using the word righteous. He is "righteous" because he is a follower of the true God. Sin is not the ruling principle in his life as it is among the wicked. He is "blameless" because he has not committed any grievous sin and because he trusts God. He is trying to find some connection between a specific sin and his particular suffering. When he cannot find one, he complains that God is being unfair.

Job despairs of being reconciled with God because he admits that creatures cannot oppose their Maker. God is all-powerful and is sovereign over all things, so Job says it is fruitless to try to change what He has ordained. Finally, Job finds it impossible to bring his case before God because he is a sinner. He admits that man must be pure to stand before the righteous judgment of God. How can a man, who is sinful, be found righteous in God's sight? This question haunts Job, and his only conclusion is to cry out for a mediator. Because of the vast differences between God and man, and because man is sinful and God is righteous, Job recognizes his need for an arbiter.

Job's request is met in the person of Jesus Christ. He is our Mediator, the one who intercedes on our behalf in God's court. In Him, we can stand before God and find reconciliation because we are clothed in Christ's righteousness. When we sin, we can go to Christ, who is our advocate at the right hand of God. In Him, there is no condemnation.

Using Romans 3:9-31 and 5:1-11, respond to Job's complaint. What are some key points that Job did not understand? In what ways did Job honor God in his discourse? How did he dishonor Him? Do we always suffer on account of sin? What does the Romans 5 passage say about suffering? Apply this to Job's situation.


For further study: Rom. 4; 1 Cor. 1:18-31; Phil. 3:1-11

Through the Bible in a year: Jer. 27-28; 2 Timothy 4


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Oct. 1 Bible Study Page

Tuesday, Oct. 31 -- "A Call to Repent"

Job 11

Zophar, by far the most severe of Job's counselors, misapplies truth just as the others had done. Unlike Eliphaz who spoke gently to Job, Zophar pounces upon the poor man. He shows little patience for Job's complaints and basically tells him to quit whining. He treats Job as if he were just prattling on, but this is far from the truth. Job spoke from conviction and profound inner turmoil.

He also accuses Job of claiming to be sinless. This Job did not do, as we learned in yesterday's study. He simply maintained that he was not a hypocrite. Job's evaluation of himself is faithful to God's judgment, for remember, at the beginning of the book God calls Job upright.

Zophar's charge against Job is that he is a sinner who needs to repent. He extols the greatness of God's glory, reminding Job of his humble and lowly position before such an awesome judge. Zophar's advice would be appropriate for a profligate sinner, but it does not apply to Job, whom God has already declared to be blameless. Let us, then, look at Zophar's counsel as it might apply to one who is guilty of living in sin. The advice is good when taken in that context. First, he advises the sinner to examine himself. This can only be done by the power of the Spirit, who prepares the heart and brings life-changing conviction of sin. Second, he must pray to God and yield himself to Him. Third, he must put his sin far from him. Those who come to worship the Lord while still clinging to beloved sins profane His worship. Finally, he must remove all devotion to sin not only in himself, but in his family.

Once a person repents of his sin and no longer follows after the wicked desires of his heart, he will have a holy confidence before God. He will be steadfast in his commitment and not be buffeted by guilt and fear. His past troubles will be forgotten, and he will have a hopeful expectation of future peace.

As you can see, this is good advice to one who is living in sin, as long as one assumes that the ability to repent comes from the grace of God. However, the advice does not apply to Job, and Zophar's appeal to God's judgment will fall, not on Job's head, but on his own.

Read Job 11 again, but this time think of it, not as advice to Job, but as advice to someone living in serious sin or hypocrisy. How does this compare to the call to repentance in the rest of Scripture? Read Isa. 55:7 and Acts 3:19. Have you repented of your sins? Consider carefully these warnings.


For further study: Jer. 3:6-18; Jonah 3; Luke 15:11-32

Through the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 29-30; Titus 1


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