Webinar - UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF JOB

 

Was He a Real Person?

·           Ezekiel 14:14-16 even if these three men--Noah, Daniel and Job--were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord…16as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.

·           James 5:11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

·           When? No mention of Mosaic Cov?

·           Job 6:10  This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

THE KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING JOB:

Job 1:1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

QUESTIONS:

Since Job was blameless, why did God treat him so badly? Is God unjust? Psalm 19:12-13 “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

What did the three friends say that was so wrong? (Sat quietly with him for seven days!) Job 5:17-18 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 18For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. (Eliphaz)

Who was Elihu? Is he speaking Gospel truth? He seems quite pompous and criticizes Job as had the three friends: Job 33:3-5 My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know. 4The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5Answer me then, if you can; prepare yourself and confront me.

 

The Structure Gives Interpretive Clues

1. 2 Divine Praises and 2 Satanic Challenges:

·           Job 1:8-11 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." 9"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10"Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

·           Job 2:3-5 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason." 4"Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."

2. 2 Job Triumphs:

·           Job 1:22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

·           Job 2:10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Last mention of Job not sinning!)

3. 2 Human Provocations (Wife & 3 friends)

·           Job 2:9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

·           ELIPHAZ: Job 22:4-10 "Is it for your piety that he rebukes you and brings charges against you? 5Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? 6You demanded security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked. 7You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry…9And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless. 10That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you,

4. 2 Restorations (Job & friends)

5. 2 God’s Speeches (38:1-40:2; 40:6-41:34)

6. 2 Job Repentances (40:3-5; 42:1-6)

7. 2 Restorations (Job—42:10 and Friends—42:8-9)

8. 2 Job Families

9. 2xWhat Job Had Before (42:7)

10. 2 Divine Corrections (Elihu & God)

ELIHU’S INTRO GIVES US INTERPRETIVE INSTRUCTIONS: Job 32:1-5 (ESV)

So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger.

CLEARLY, THIS WAS ELIHU’S MESSAGE:

• Job 33:8-12 "But you have said in my hearing--I heard the very words-- 9'I am pure and without sin; I am clean and free from guilt. 10Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy. 11He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.' 12"But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than man.

• Job 34:5-6 "Job says, 'I am innocent, but God denies me justice. 6Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.'

WAS ELIHU CORRECT? YES, ACCORDING TO GOD!

• Job 38:1-2 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

• Job 40:8 "Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?

EVIDENCE OF JOB’S SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS:

·       Job 9:21-24 "Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life. 22It is all the same; that is why I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.' 23When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent. 24When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it?”

·       Job 10:2-3  I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me. Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the designs of the wicked?

·        Job 27:2-6 "As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul.”

·       Job 16:12-17 All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target; 13his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground. 14Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior…17yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.

·       DANGERS OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS: Luke 16:15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

What Then can We Learn from Elihu?

Job 33:13-28 Why do you complain to him

that he answers none of man's words?

14For God does speak--now one way, now another--

though man may not perceive it….

17to turn man from wrongdoing

and keep him from pride,

18to preserve his soul from the pit,

his life from perishing by the sword.

19Or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain

with constant distress in his bones…

23"Yet if there is an angel on his side

as a mediator, one out of a thousand,

to tell a man what is right for him,

24to be gracious to him and say,

'Spare him from going down to the pit;

I have found a ransom for him'—[but Job was always making sacrifices!]

25then his flesh is renewed like a child's;

it is restored as in the days of his youth.

26He prays to God and finds favor with him,

he sees God's face and shouts for joy;

he is restored by God to his righteous state.

27Then he comes to men and says,

'I sinned, and perverted what was right,

but I did not get what I deserved.

28He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit,

and I will live to enjoy the light.' [Results of tough love!]

 

Job 37:19-24 "Tell us what we should say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

20Should he be told that I want to speak?

Would any man ask to be swallowed up?

21Now no one can look at the sun,

bright as it is in the skies

after the wind has swept them clean.

22Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;

God comes in awesome majesty.

23The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;

in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

24Therefore, men revere him,

for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?" [no break!] --

Job 38:1-3 Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2"Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3Brace yourself like a man; I will question you,and you shall answer me. (Also 40:7-8)

Why “Out of a Storm?” Psalm 83:14-15 As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, 15so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.

GOD’S SECOND INDICTMENT OF JOB: Job 40:2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

WHAT DID JOB SAY THAT WAS “RIGHT?”  Job 42:7-9  After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. [8] So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." [9] So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job's prayer.

JOB’S RESPONSES:

Job 40:4-5 "I am unworthy (“vile” NKJV)--how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 5I spoke once, but I have no answer--twice, but I will say no more."

Job 42:3-6 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know…5My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

A JEWISH INTERPRETATION: Suffering is Incomprehensible! “There is no way of understanding the meaning of suffering. That is, in the Lord’s argument, the reasons for suffering—if there are any—are simply beyond human comprehension.” “Human suffering is not necessarily deserved…When…God says to Job’s three friends, ‘You have not spoken the truth about Me as did My servant Job’ (Job 42:8), God is in effect agreeing with Job’s contention, among others, ‘He destroys the blameless and the guilty’(9:22)” (Jewish Study Bible)

LESSONS:

1.     Everyone has a breaking point: 1 Cor. 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

2.     Judging Others: James 1:19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

·           John 9:2-3   His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" [3] "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

3.     Judging Self:

·           1 Corinthians 11:28-32 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

·           WE ONLY SEE IN PART, DIMLY: 1 Corinthians 8:2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

 

• Bad theology negatively impacts relationships, while understanding brings light: Job 38:2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?

4.     God’s ways aren’t easy to discern when we’re in the midst of a trial: Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;

5.     We have been given more grace than Job, simply by having a greater revelation:

·           Job 14:10-14 But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more…12so man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, men will not awake or be roused from their sleep. (Job was never promised eternal life (42)

·           Ephes. 3:4-5 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.

• WHAT WE NOW KNOW ABOUT SUFFERING:

• 2 Cor. 4:7-11     But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. [8] We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; [9] persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. [10] We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. [11] For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

• 2 Corinthians 1:8–10 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

TRIALS ARE ALSO GRACE. HIS PRUNING:

• John 15:1-2  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

• Philippians 3:8-10  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
  ⁹  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

• Hebrews 12:5-6; 11 (ESV) And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”… For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

• THE LORD MEANS EVIL FOR GOOD: Job 42:11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. (Romans 8:28)

6.     NO MATTER HOW GOOD WE MIGHT BE, WE STILL HAVE SIN:

• Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• Luke 17:10  So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

• God wants to bless us in all ways, even materially. But can we contain the blessings? (Pride)

 

Christological Understanding of Job

 

• Struck Down by God

• Rejected by His Own People

• Makes Intercession for His Tormentors

• Exalted