The Book of Job
Ray of Hope Christian Church
April 24, 2012
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.
Job 1:1
Experiential – they focus on the Heart
The Book of Job deals with suffering.
The Book of Job deals with the
question of “why the righteous,
the good suffer?”
Blameless and upright, one who
feared God and shunned evil.
Job 29:1-17 and 31:1 is
Job’s testimony of
how he lived his life
From God’s perspective,
there was no one
like Job among men
(1:8)
Job was a rich man:
rich in character,
rich in relationships
Job was rich in possessions.
Ezekiel 14:14
James 5:11 says,
you have heard of the
perseverance or the patience of Job
Isaiah 14:12-15
Ezekiel 28:12-17
Satan is now in the scripture as
the “accuser of the brethren”
Rev. 12:10-11
Zechariah 3:1-2
Luke 22:31
Do we trust him for nothing?
Satan says, “Let’s test Job’s
faith and faithfulness?
What we need to know about Satan is this:
• Satan is accountable to God
• Satan is neither omnipotent nor
omnipresent. He is not all powerful nor can
he be in more than one place at a time.
What we need to know about Satan is this:
• Satan can do nothing without permission
from God – Job 38:11. He has to ask for
permission to mess with us.
• In every permission, there is limitation – Job
1:12 ; 1 Peter 1:6
1:20, though he grieved, he
worshipped. Verse 22 says,
“In all this, Job did not sin by
charging God with wrongdoing”
I Thessalonians 5:16
Shall we accept good from God
and not evil. In all this, Job did not
sin in what He said.
Job 2:10
We have seen Job’s prosperity and
his adversity, now in chapter 3, we see
his perplexity. Five times in this
chapter, we find Job as he begins the
dialogue portion of this book, asking
God, “Why?” “Why me Lord?”
Job 3:20-24
Job is not the first saint to wish for death.
Moses asked God to take his life –
Numbers 11:10-15
Elijah prayed to die after his encounter
with Jezebel– I Kings 19
Jonah wanted to die – Jonah 4:3
Job should have remembered that
God was in control
• Whenever God allows us to go through trials, he
is always there with us. Isaiah 43:1,2. Daniel 3:
1-6. He always goes through the fire with us.
• Whenever we are in the fire, God keeps his eye
on the thermostat; he never lets it get too hot for
us
Job should have remembered that
God was in control
• He is refining us, developing perseverance and
character in our lives – James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:3-7
• Job realized that because he said in 23:10,
But he knows the way I take; when he has
tested me, I will come forth as pure gold.
When we are going through the fires
of adversity, we live on promises,
not on explanations
In a series of triads, the friends share their
ideas about why Job is suffering from
their different perspectives
1. Eliphaz is the oldest and wisest. He comes
from the perspective of experience – 4:8, As I
have observed . . . 5:17-27 “Blessed is the man
who God corrects.” in 22:4-9
In a series of triads, the friends share their
ideas about why Job is suffering from
their different perspectives
2. Bilhad is a traditionalist who knows all these
sayings and so he bases his opinion on what
the elders think - 8:8. His focus is on Job 8:20,
18:5-20.
In a series of triads, the friends share their
ideas about why Job is suffering from
their different perspectives
3. Zophar bases his argument on assumption –
He is a dogmatist and comes across in a very
dogmatic way. He is right and no one else is
right – 11:5-6; 20:4-5. This is the way it is.
Job’s response is disgust with
his friends
Job 16:1-5
Job makes clear that the
righteous also suffer
Job 19:23-25
Elihu
God sends suffering to chasten
and to teach us as saints
33:9-20;35:10-16
Job was
• Broken – 16:12-14
• Melted – 23:10
• Softened – 19:21; 23:16
• Finally God answers. God speaks to Job
out of the whirlwind – 38-41
He is all powerful!
• He is all powerful over the earth
• He is all powerful over the heavens
• He is all powerful over all living
creatures
God’s purpose in all of this is to bring
Job to himself – 40:1-5
Job has to repent – 42:5-6
In the Epilogue – 42:7-17
Job’s three friends were rebuked by
God for their dark counsel
Job was transformed, vindicated and
restored – Psalm 37:7