Thursday
Evening Bible Study
April
9, 2015
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Target 3300 words Video
= 75 wpm
Shallow lives
I don’t know if it’s an American thing, or just a human thing, but it seems
to me that most of us have as an underlying goal in life to be “comfortable”.
We want to live a life free from pain and trouble.
At the slightest headache I want to take some Tylenol.
When I have trouble in a relationship, I want the pain to go away.
We want the most difficult questions in life to consist of things like:
“Where shall I go to lunch today?”
“What shall I wear today?”
“Will the Angels win the World Series?”
I fear that most American Christians sound an awful lot like the church of
Ladodicea:
(Revelation 3:15–17
NKJV) —15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish
you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and
naked—
I think we’re a lot like Laodicea because we do everything we can to avoid
the uncomfortable.
Jesus advised the church to buy “gold refined in the fire”, which speaks of
difficulty, of trials.
We seem to be like the seed sown
among the thorns:
(Matthew 13:22 NKJV) Now he who
received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this
world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes
unfruitful.
Some of us have become so entangled
with the things of this world that we no longer are useful to God.
For those living shallow lives, the book of Job is a mystery.
It deals with things that make us uncomfortable.
It makes us ask the harder questions of life, like,
“Why do bad things happen to good people?”
“If God loves me, why is there pain in my life?”
Theologians calls these questions “theodicy”, answering why God allows
evil.
“Is there a
purpose for my life?”
Even worse, the book doesn’t give us the answers we’re looking for.
There are some answers to these questions, but I have a
feeling that some of these questions aren’t going to be answered satisfactorily
on this side of heaven.
I think that we don’t want to even ask these questions until we find
ourselves going through a difficult time.
Superstition
Some of us have fallen into thinking that reading or studying the book of
Job is going to result in our going through the worse problems we’ve ever
experienced.
That’s just not true.
I had one friend who used to read through the Bible every year with me, and
he would read the book of Job in a single day just to get it out of the way.
What it will do is make you look at your troubles a little closer, and that
makes you think that it’s the book’s fault, when in fact you’re just paying
more attention to your problems. Everyone goes through difficult times.
Background
We believe that the book of Job is the earliest book actually written in
the Bible. It would seem to have been written around the year 2000 BC, the time
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Even though the book of Genesis covers much earlier history, it wasn’t
written until 1400 BC by Moses.
This is a book of poetry. Many
poets through the centuries have acclaimed this one of the greatest epic poems
ever written.
1:1-5 Meet Job
:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that
man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
:1 the land of Uz
We’re not sure yet just where this is.
There is a connection to the land of Edom, southeast of the Dead Sea. (Lam.
4:21)
(Lamentations 4:21 NKJV) Rejoice
and be glad, O daughter of Edom, You who dwell in the land of Uz! The cup shall also pass over to you And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked.
But this might mean that it was
just a land connected to Edom in the days of Jeremiah.
Some have suggested it was the land of Bashan (northeast of Galilee), south
of Damascus. Others suggest northern Arabia.
We do know it was near a desert (Job 1:19), and was fertile for agriculture
and livestock (1:3; 14; 42:12).
(Job 1:19 NKJV) —19 and
suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four
corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I
alone have escaped to tell you!”
(Job 1:3 NKJV) —3 Also, his
possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke
of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this
man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
(Job 1:14 NKJV) —14 and a
messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding
beside them,
This area was also identified with
Uz by Ptolemy, a Greek general under Alexander the Great, in the third century
B.C. (Ryrie)
:1 whose name was Job
– ‘Iyowb – “hated”; “the one who turns back to God”, “the assailed or
persecuted one”
Some have suggested that this might be the same individual mentioned in:
(Genesis 36:33 NKJV) And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his
place.
Reasons: It’s the correct time
frame of Job. Jobab was one of the rulers of Edom, and one of Job’s friends has
a name that could be related to a descendant of Esau (Edom) – Eliphaz the
Temanite (Gen. 36:10-11)
(Genesis 36:10–11 NKJV) —10 These were the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of
Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and
Kenaz.
:1 blameless and upright, …feared God…
Job was a good guy.
This doesn’t mean he never sinned. We all sin.
This means he was a man of integrity.
You can’t point to Job and say that his difficulty was some sort of punishment
for his sin (though this is what his friends will accuse him of).
Bad things happen to good people.
We live in a fallen world ravaged
by the consequences of sin.
Everyone experiences difficulty.
:2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him.
This was part of Job’s blessedness.
(Psalm 127:3–5 NKJV) —3 Behold,
children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall
speak with their enemies in the gate.
:3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels,
five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large
household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
:3 five hundred female donkeys
Female donkeys produce a type of
milk that is considered a delicacy in the MidEast
:3 the greatest of all the people of the East
Job was a “somebody”, one of the greatest men alive at that time.
:4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed
day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
:4 feast …each on his appointed
day
It could be that this means that
they rotated the parties every day.
It might mean that they celebrated
on each child’s birthday with birthday parties.
:5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job
would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer
burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It
may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did
regularly.
:5 rise early … and offer burnt offerings
Lesson
Parental responsibility
After each time the family parties, Job would get up early the next day and
offer sacrifices for his kids just in case some of them had done something bad.
This was before the time of Moses and the Law. Job is functioning as a priest
for his family.
I think that all of us parents ought to be praying every
day for our kids, naming them by name, asking for God’s help and guidance in
their lives.
Job was “there” for his kids.
Even though the apostle John was talking about spiritual children, it does
echo a parent’s heart:
(3 John 4 NKJV) I have no
greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
1:6-12 Satan’s first challenge
:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the Lord, and Satan also
came among them.
:6 sons of God – a term used for angels
:6 Satan – satan –
adversary, one who withstands.
As you’ll see, Satan is a very real person. He is not just “evil
influence”. He has a will. He challenges God. He roams the earth.
:6 before the LORD – Satan and his demons have access to heaven.
Some folks have the mistaken idea that Satan can’t come before God.
He has a purpose in heaven, he acts as heaven’s “prosecutor” before God:
(Revelation 12:10b
NKJV) …for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God
day and night
When he accuses us before God, Jesus is our defense attorney.
(1 John 2:1 NKJV) My little
children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone
sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
There will be a day when Satan is kicked out of heaven, but that won’t
occur until half-way through the Tribulation period. (Rev. 12:9)
(Revelation 12:9 NKJV) —9 So the
great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who
deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him.
:7 And the Lord said to
Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from
walking back and forth on it.”
:8 Then the Lord said to
Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him
on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
:8 Have you considered My servant Job
It sounds as if God is kind of proud of Job. It kind of makes you wonder if
you want God being proud of you (just kidding).
Lesson
Good enough for trials
We tend to think like Job’s friends and think that if we’re going through
difficulty that it’s because we’ve done something to deserve it.
But what if God is thinking about you like He thought about Job?
What if God is thinking that He’s kind of proud of you and knows that
you’ll stand up to anything that’s thrown at you?
What if God wants to show the whole world how a man or woman of God
responds to difficulty, how they continue to trust God?
:9 So Satan answered the Lord
and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
:10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around
all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his
possessions have increased in the land.
:10 a hedge around him
Satan is complaining that God has protected Job from difficult times and
this is why Job fears the Lord.
“He only serves you because You’re nice to him”.
Lesson
Fair weather Christian
Are you a “fair-weather” Christian?
Do you follow Him only when things are going good?
Jesus said,
(Matthew 13:20–21
NLT) —20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message
and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They
fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s
word.
Satan is suggesting that Job only serves the Lord because he gets blessed
for doing it. Is that the case with us?
Warren Wiersbe writes,
The fundamental reason for Job’s
suffering was to silence the blasphemous accusations of Satan and prove that a
man would honor God even though he had lost everything.[1]
Sometimes you will hear Christians praying for people, asking God to “put a
hedge around them”.
But perhaps we have it all wrong.
Instead of asking God to keep Satan from us, perhaps we ought to be asking
God to make us strong enough to withstand Satan when the hedge is down.
:11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will
surely curse You to Your face!”
:12 And the Lord said to
Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand
on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
:12 only do not lay a hand on his person
Lesson
Satan’s boundaries
God is giving permission for Satan to touch Job.
Yet God also sets limits on what Satan is allowed to do.
Though you might be going through a tough time, you are not at the mercy of
your enemy. He can only go as far as God permits Him. God knows what your
limits are.
(1 Corinthians
10:13 NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what
you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that
you may be able to bear it.
The word for “temptation” could also be translated
“trial”.
God always promises a way of escape.
Sometimes it’s through enduring the trial with His help.
Sometimes it’s by running for the hills.
1:13-19 Job’s First Losses
:13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and
drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house;
:14 and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the
donkeys feeding beside them,
:15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have
killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to
tell you!”
:15 the Sabeans raided them
The Sabeans were nomadic Bedouins.
Job’s servants in the field were
attacked and killed while the animals were stolen.
:16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The
fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and
consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
:16 the sheep and the servants
Some servants were killed by marauding Sabeans.
Others were struck by lightning.
Insurance companies call it an “act
of God”.
It seems that God gets blamed for
some things that perhaps He didn’t do.
The context would seem to indicate
that Satan was behind this attack of lightening.
:17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The
Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and
killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to
tell you!”
:17 Chaldeans
The inhabitants of Chaldea, living
on the lower Euphrates and Tigris. People from Iraq.
:17 Chaldeans formed three bands – could these have been the deadly
“rock” band, “marching” band, and the scariest of all, the “polka” band?
:18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your
sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest
brother’s house,
:19 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck
the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are
dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
:19 it fell on the young people
The worst of all bad news.
Job’s children are dead.
1:20-22 Job’s response
:20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the
ground and worshiped.
:20 fell to the ground and worshiped
worshipped – shachah – to
bow down, prostrate oneself; before superior in homage; before God in worship
Job didn’t blame God (yet), he worshipped God.
:21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I
return there. The Lord gave, and
the Lord has taken away; Blessed
be the name of the Lord.”
:22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
:21 The Lord gave…has
taken away
Lesson
Understanding Possessions
It’s important to realize that all that we have has been given to us by
God.
As toddlers, one of the first words we learn is “MINE”. We have to unlearn
it.
Hold things lightly in your hands.
God gave me all I have, He can take it away as well.
It’s all His, not mine.
:21 Blessed be the name of the Lord
Lesson
Worship silences Satan
Job isn’t aware of this at the time, but he is responding in a manner
contrary to how Satan want him to respond.
His submission to God, his responding in worship of God, is silencing the
challenge of Satan in heaven, at least for now.
So what would you rather do, give Satan something to boast about, or shut
him up?
2:1-6 Satan’s Second Challenge
:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the Lord, and Satan came
also among them to present himself before the Lord.
:2 And the Lord said to
Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from
walking back and forth on it.”
:3 Then the Lord said to
Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him
on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?
And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him,
to destroy him without cause.”
:3 And still he holds fast to his integrity
It sounds as if the Lord was pretty proud and happy at Job’s response.
:4 So Satan answered the Lord
and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
:4 Skin for skin!
Satan is charging Job with not caring about others.
He’s saying that Job is willing to give up the skins of his animals,
servants, and even his children to save his own skin.
Lesson
Finding fault
It’s interesting to note that whereas God didn’t find any fault in Job,
Satan thinks he’s found fault.
He thinks that Job is simply a self-centered, selfish man.
God is for us. Satan is against us.
(Romans 8:31–34
NKJV) —31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall
bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is
he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
:5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he
will surely curse You to Your face!”
:5 touch his bone and his flesh
Satan is saying that Job only loves God because he still has his health.
People will sometimes handle a difficult time by saying, “Well, at least I
still have my health!”
What if you didn’t have your health?
Illustration
A surgeon was checking on a patient who had a hernia operation three days
before. The doctor asked the man why he had not gotten out of bed. “I hurt,”
the man said. “You don’t know how it feels.” “I know exactly how it feels,” the
doctor said. “I had the same procedure last month, and I was back at work two
days later. There’s no difference in our operations.” “Oh yes there is,” said
the patient. “You had a different surgeon.”
:6 And the Lord said to
Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
God again gives Satan permission to touch Job, but he is not allowed to
kill Job.
2:7-8 Job’s Health Problems
:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his
foot to the crown of his head.
:8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he
sat in the midst of the ashes.
:7 struck Job with painful boils
As we’ll see through the coming chapters, Job’s whole body is going to be
affected, and by more than just boils.
Job’s condition
His entire body was affected (vs.
7)
He had intense itching (vs. 8)
His skin attracted worms and became
crusty and hard (7:5)
(Job 7:5 NKJV) My flesh is caked with
worms and dust, My skin is cracked and
breaks out afresh.
He had bad breath (19:17)
(Job 19:17 NKJV) My breath is offensive
to my wife, And I am repulsive to
the children of my own body.
He lost weight (19:20)
(Job 19:20 NKJV) My bone clings to my
skin and to my flesh, And I have
escaped by the skin of my teeth.
He had fever and chills (21:6)
(Job 21:6 NKJV) Even when I remember I
am terrified, And trembling takes
hold of my flesh.
He experienced aching bones (30:17)
(Job 30:17 NKJV) My bones are pierced
in me at night, And my gnawing pains
take no rest.
He had diarrhea (30:27)
(Job 30:27 AV) My bowels boiled, and
rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
His scabs puss and turned darker in
color (30:30)
(Job 30:30 NKJV) My skin grows black
and falls from me; My bones
burn with fever.
:8 potsherd – broken piece of pottery
Anyone want to trade places with
Job?
2:9-10 Job’s Wife
:9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity?
Curse God and die!”
:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In
all this Job did not sin with his lips.
:9 Curse God and die!
This is coming from Job’s wife.
She is asking Job to do the very thing that Satan wanted Job to do, to
“curse God” (2:5)
Satan has taken Job’s wealth, Job’s children, and now Job’s health. He
didn’t take Job’s wife. Perhaps he didn’t think he needed to. Or he didn’t want
her.
Lesson
Hurting those closest
It seems that a common thing in many relationships is that the closer we
get to a person, the meaner we become.
We can be very polite for complete strangers, but when our wife needs us to
hold the door open for her, we don’t.
I think our priorities get confused.
Illustration
A husband went to the sheriff’s department to report that his wife was
missing.
Husband: My wife is missing. She went shopping yesterday and has not come
home.
Sergeant: What is her height?
Husband: Gee, I’m not sure. A little over five-feet tall.
Sergeant: Weight?
Husband: Don’t know. Not slim, not really fat.
Sergeant: Color of eyes?
Husband: Never noticed.
Sergeant: Color of hair?
Husband: Changes a couple times a year. Maybe dark brown.
Sergeant: What was she wearing?
Husband: Could have been a skirt or shorts. I don’t remember exactly.
Sergeant: What kind of car did she go in?
Husband: She went in my truck.
Sergeant: What kind of truck was it?
Husband: Brand new 2015 Ford F150 King Ranch 4X4 with eco-boost 5.0L V8
engine special ordered with manual transmission. It has a custom matching white
cover for the bed. Custom leather seats and “Bubba” floor mats. Trailering
package with gold hitch. DVD with navigation, 21-channel CB radio, six cup
holders, and four power outlets. Added special alloy wheels and off-road
Michelins. Wife put a small scratch on the driver's door.
At this point the husband started choking up.
Sergeant: Don’t worry buddy. We’ll find your truck.
Your spouse ought to be your highest priority among people living on this
planet.
You ought to be encouraging your spouse to trust God, not curse him.
2:11-13 Job’s Friends
:11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come
upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the
Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together
to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him.
:12 And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him,
they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled
dust on his head toward heaven.
Job was in such bad physical shape that they could hardly even recognize
him.
:13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights,
and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very
great.
:11 to comfort him
Lesson
Comforting others
We’re going to see that these “friends” aren’t that great of friends. But
that’s for future weeks.
For now, they do some things that are quite appropriate.
They came
One of the best ways to find out who your friends truly are – go through a
terrible hardship
We will have plenty of tough things to say about these
three friends, but at least they showed up.
They sat
They even sat with him for seven days.
Note to those visiting people in the hospital: Don’t overstay your visit. Be
sure your friend wants you to stay as long as you do.
It is not fun to be ill, in the hospital, in a stupid
hospital gown, and feel like you have to entertain the people visiting you.
Sometimes we’re not the counsellors we make
ourselves out to be.
Video: Cookie Monster Life Coach
That may be cute for
Cookie Monster, but it’s not cute when we give nonsense answers.
The trouble with Job’s friends is that they
won’t stay silent.
When they open their mouths, they are going to be saying all sorts of
uncaring, unthoughtful, stupid things.
Be careful about opening your mouth and trying to solve all your friends’
problems. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just sit and listen.