"OVERVIEW OF JOB"
Notes
Transcript
Background info –
Author – Unknown
Date – 2000 BC
Place – Ur
Theme – “Suffering and Sovereignty”
Situation of Job 1-2
Read Job 1:1-2 – Lifestyle of Job -
Job is a good man – blameless and upright God has blessed him beyond belief
Read 1:6-12 – Discussion between God and Satan –
God is proud of Job and begins to boast about his servant
Could you imagine that? God is boasting about you Satan said – Job serves you b/c you have given him everything, Satan goes on and says that if you take away all the material things that he has then he will surely curse you to your face. Vs 12 – God grants Satan permission to attack all that he has except his life
1:13-19 – The loss of all material possessions–
The point is that Job lost all material possessions that he had
If you lost all your stuff, how would you feel?
Your parents Your friends Your academic skills Your athletic abilities Your talents and giftedness Keep in mind that Job has no idea about the discussion that Satan and God had.
He does not know that God was essentially boasting about Job and his faithfulness He has no clue as to why these things are happening to him
Read 1:20-22 – Job’s Response to the loss –
Keep in mind that Job has just lost everything He worships – that is he bows down to the Lord He understands that God has given, and He has taken away He did not fall into sin because of this great loss
2:1-6 – 2nd Discussion between God and Satan –
God is proud of Job and asks Satan if he has considered Job Satan goes on and says that he is faithful b/c of his health Satan says that if you take away his health, he will surely curse you to your face – God grants permission – Job is unaware of the discussion that God and Satan have – 2:7-8 – READ
All these things have just happened to Job – keep in mind that Job has do idea about the discussion that God and Satan have had. From the end of chapter 2 all the way to chapter 37 you have a dialogue taking place with several different people as to why all of this has happened to Job -
Dialogue of Job 3-37
Job’s Wife – 2:9
Her conclusion is – curse God and die –
I believe that his wife’s point is this – God is against you that is why all of this has happened to you.
“Curse God and die; live no longer in dependence upon God, wait not for relief from him, but be thy own deliverer by being thy own executioner; end thy troubles by ending thy life; better die once than be always dying; thus, thou mayest now despair of having any help from thy God, even curse him, and hang thyself.’ ’[i]
Eliphaz – 4:8, 5:17
Talk Thru the Bible describes him as –
A Theologian Relies on observation and Experience Considerate Use’s Philosophy Conclusion is – “If you sin you suffer” View of God – Righteous; punishes wicked, blesses good
Bildad – 8:8
A Historian and a legalist Relies on Tradition Argumentative Use’s History Conclusion is – “You must be sinning” View of God – Judge; immovable lawgiver
During these false accusations look what Job says in 19:25 – “I know my redeemer lives…”
Zophar – 20:5
A Moralist and dogmatist Relies on Assumption Rude, and blunt Use’s Orthodoxy Conclusion is – “You are sinning” View of God – Unbending, merciless
Elihu – 27:23
A Young theologian, intellectual Relies on Education Perceptive, and some conceit Use’s Logic Conclusion is – “God purifies and teaches” View of God – Disciplinarian, and teacher
Throughout the discussion with these different people the conclusion is that Job has been sinning or is living in a pattern of sin. Job knows in his heart that this is not the case – So the question as to why all of this happened to him has not yet been answered -
Response of Job 38-42
Read – 38:1-5 – (this continues through chapter 39)
God challenges job –
40:3-5 – Job’s response –
Job says I will keep my mouth shut and will listen to you
42:1-6 – Job’s conclusion –
Acknowledges the sovereignty of God He repents
It is interesting to know that the question of why this happened was never answered –
God said Job you trust in me; I am sovereign over all things.
Talk Thru the Bible – “The oversimplified solutions offered by Job’s three friends are simply inadequate. Elihu’s claim that God can use suffering to purify the righteous is closer to the mark. The conclusion at the whirlwind is that God is sovereign and worthy of worship in whatever He chooses to do. Job must learn the trust in the goodness and power of God in adversity by enlarging his concept of God.”
“Suffering is not always associated with sin; God often sovereignly uses it to test and teach”
Application –
Remember how God was boasting about Job b/c he was blameless and upright? Would God boast about you? Are things happening that you don’t like or understand?
Trust in the Sovereignty of God
[i] Henry, M. (1996). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Job 2:7–10). Peabody: Hendrickson.