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Daily bread - Old testament [2000]
18 - Job
Job
Key Verse:
INTRODUCTION TO JOB
The book of Job is very old. No one knows who wrote it, but it is set in the time of the patriarchs. It deals with a timeless question--"Why does God allow good people to suffer?" (Is God good? Is God almighty?) When Job, a righteous man, suffers the loss of everything, his friends come to comfort him. They offer reasonable answers from their human perspective. They don't know about the great spiritual conflict that is raging between God and Satan. They do not know God, nor do they know the depth of his love and mercy, so their words only burden Job. In seeking the answer to this question, Job discovers who God is and who he is. He struggles with doubt and comes to a personal relationship with the Sovereign Creator, the Lord of heaven and earth. And he learns that he is a sinner. May we also meet the Sovereign God morning by morning as we study this book.
The book may be divided into 5 parts:
I. Satan's challenge; Job's test--1:1-2:13
2. The three friends explain--3:1-31:40
(There are three cycles of arguments.)
3. Elihu's answer--32:1-37:24
4. God meets Job; Job repents--38:1-41:34
5. God blesses Job--42:1-17
The key verse is 2:3. "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.'"
JOB'S LIFE AND FAITH
Job 1:1-22
Key Verse: 1:21
1. Job's blessed life (1-5)
Job was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. God blessed him with every blessing, and put a hedge of protection around him. His home was full of children's laughter. He was rich and famous. His success did not make him proud; rather, he was more zealous to serve God. He prayed and offered sacrifices for his children.
2. Satan's challenge (6-12)
“Satan” means “accuser.” Satan challenged God. He said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" He accused Job of being faithful only because he received benefits. If tragedy struck, Job would curse God. The Lord accepted the challenge.
3. 4-fold tragedy strikes (13-22)
Job's wealth and his beautiful children were snatched away in one day. When Job heard the successive bad news, climaxing in the death of his children, he was in agony of soul. But he did not curse God. He praised the name of the Lord who gives and who takes away.
Prayer: Lord, help me to fear and praise you and, humbly accept your sovereignty.
One Word: Naked I came; naked I will go
JOB MAINTAINS HIS INTEGRITY
Job 2:1-13
Key Verse: 2:3b
1. Skin for skin! (1-10)
Job maintained his integrity though Satan had incited God to ruin him without any reason. But Satan was not finished. He challenged God to permit him to strike his flesh. Satan afflicted Job with painful sores. When Job sat in the ashes, scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery, his wife urged him to curse God and die. She was not a good helper, and Job rebuked her: "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" Job acknowledged God's sovereignty and waited on God. He did not give in to his wife.
2. Job's friends come to comfort (11-13)
Three of Job's friends came to comfort him. When they saw his agony, they were speechless. They tore their robes, put dust on their heads and sat with him in silence for seven days. They tried to share his agony.
Prayer: Lord, help me to keep my integrity of heart by trusting and worshiping you every day.
One Word: Don't yield to Satan's pressure
JOB LONGS FOR PEACE
Job 3:1-4:21
Key Verse: 3:26
1. Job curses the day of his birth (3:1-26)
Job wanted peace. His parents rejoiced at his birth, but he wished he had been stillborn. He thought of death as a great release from his pain. Kings and counselors are all alike in death. Death brings release to the captive and freedom to the slave. He longs for death--he does not realize that death is not the end. What he feared most happened to him. But, in spite of these feelings, he did not attempt to take his own life. He asks some fundamental questions about suffering. Why does God let those in misery continue to live? He does not have the answer, but he acknowledges God’s sovereignty.
2. Eliphaz' vision (4:1-21)
Job's friend Eliphaz reminds Job that he had once given advice and counsel to many people, but now is the time for him to listen to advice. Eliphaz told him of a terrifying vision. The ghost said, "Can a mortal be more righteous than God?" Eliphaz implies that Job has some secret sin that is the cause of his trouble. Eliphaz once envied Job; now he feels superior.
Prayer: Lord, when hard things come, help me not to worry about why. Just help me to trust you.
One Word: Trust in God; don't despair
ELIPHAZ' EXPERIENCE
Job 5:1-27
Key Verse: 5:17
1. Man is born to trouble (1-8)
Eliphaz' world view is pessimistic. He was rebuked by God in 42:7 for misrepresenting God. Much of what he said was right, but his basic assumption was wrong. He assumed that God was punishing Job for some sin. He counsels Job, not from God’s word, but from his own experience.
2. God wounds, but he also binds (9-27)
God indeed performs miracles that cannot be fathomed; he gives rain to the earth; he lifts up the lowly. No one can deceive God. (Paul quotes verse 13 in 1Co 3:19.) It is true that God's discipline is a blessing--that he wounds so that he can heal. Eliphaz promises Job that God will rescue him from all his calamities (19-27). The problem is that Eliphaz is not qualified to speak for God. His counsel cannot bring real encouragement to Job. It would be better if he would quietly pray for his friend.
Prayer: Lord, I cannot understand your ways. Help me to pray for your people and study the Bible with them instead of giving advice based on my own experience.
One Word: God wounds, but he binds up
FAITHFUL IN SPITE OF UNRELENTING PAIN
Job 6:1-7:21
Key Verse: 6:10
1. One desire in the midst of anguish (6:1-13)
Job's misery outweighs the sand of the sea. He begs God to let him die before he denies God's word. It is his consolation and joy in the midst of unrelenting pain that he has been faithful to the words of God.
2. Don't depend on people (14-30)
He compares his friends to an undependable, intermittent stream that overflows when water is abundant, but drys up in a drought. He learns that he cannot depend on them, for they are never there for him when he really needs them. Only God is dependable.
3. Forgive my sins, O Watcher of men (7:1-21)
Job waits for relief like a slave longs for the evening. He lies awake at night because he is covered with painful sores. When he finally falls into a fitful sleep, he is tormented by nightmares. He knows that only God can help him, so he complains to God and pleads for his mercy.
Prayer: Lord, help me to hold your word in my heart and be faithful to you.
One Word: Don't deny God's word
ASK THE FORMER GENERATIONS
Job 8:1-22
Key Verse: 8:8,9
1. We were born only yesterday (1-10)
Bildad spoke truly when he reminded Job that we need a sense of history. He was rebuked in chapter 42, however, for misrepresenting God. He assumes that Job's problems are the result of some specific sin in his life, or in the lives of his children (4). God is just; if Job is righteous, and pleads with God, he will be restored. Bildad admits his ignorance. We must look at God's history, and seek answers from the people who have gone before.
2. Those who forget God will perish (11-21)
Our roots must be in God or we will perish like papyrus reeds without water or like a plant trying to grow among rocks. To trust anyone or anything other than God is like leaning on a spider's web. If a man continually seeks God, God will restore his fortunes. Job doesn't need friends who diagnose his problem; he needs friends who pray for him.
Prayer: Lord, give me a sense of history; help me to be rooted in you, so that I can know my ignorance and pray.
One Word: A sense of history; roots in God
O, IF THERE WERE A MEDIATOR!
Job 9:1-35
Key Verse: 9:33
1. God is the Almighty Creator (1-13)
God's wisdom is deep and his power is limitless. He shakes the earth; he moves mountains; he alone stretches out the heavens and arranges the stars in constellations. The most powerful sea monsters cower at his feet when he passes by. Who can ask him, "What are you doing?"
2. I can only plead with my Judge for mercy (14-31)
Job knows that a mortal man cannot be righteous before God (1). But he feels that he is innocent, for he can't think of any sin that he has committed. He can't protest his innocence, because he has already been pronounced guilty. He thinks about forgetting his complaints and wearing a plastic smile, but this solves nothing.
3. If only there were someone (32-35)
Job is longing for Jesus, the one Mediator between God and man (1Ti 2:5). He is longing for the One who speaks in our defense to plead his case before God (1Jn 2:1,2).
Prayer: Lord, who can stand before you, the Sovereign Creator? Thank you for Jesus, the one Mediator between God and man.
One Word: One Mediator between God and man
JOB SPEAKS FROM BITTERNESS OF SOUL
Job 10:1-22
Key Verse: 10:12
1. I will give free rein to my complaint (1-12)
Job is in great pain, pain which he cannot understand. He complains to God who made him. He does not doubt God's sovereignty; he does not think of himself as an orphan in the universe. He knows that God personally created him and that God has watched over him. He believes that God also is well aware of his agony. This is why he complains to God. He bitterly wonders if God smiles on the schemes of the wicked and oppresses him.
2. I am full of shame (13-22)
He wonders if God is a celestial policeman, just waiting to catch him in some wrong. If he is guilty, he expects hard punishment; even if he is innocent, he is full of shame. If he tries to overcome his shame and holds his head high, he feels that God would stalk him once more. He asks God to forget about him for a moment. Later, he repents of his false ideas of God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to trust you in difficult times. Give me a repentant heart.
One Word: Come to God with repentance
I DESIRE TO SPEAK TO THE ALMIGHTY
Job 11:1-13:5
Key Verse 13:3
1. Zophar's shallow wisdom (11:1-12:5)
Zophar's words contain much truth. Job is a sinner, for all men have sinned. God knows all men's hearts. No one can fathom the mysteries of God. Zophar confidently states that if Job devotes his heart to God and puts away sin, then all his troubles will disappear. This is not necessarily true. Zophar does not know about Satan's treachery, nor does he fathom the mysteries of God. He is a man at ease who has contempt for those suffering misfortune (5).
2. Job longs to speak to the Almighty (12:6-13:5)
Job knows everything Zophar knows and more. He knows that God is sovereign; that he holds in his hand the life of every creature (10); that to him belong wisdom and power and counsel and understanding. What God tears down cannot be rebuilt; he makes nations great and destroys them. But academic knowledge does not satisfy Job; he wants to know God and talk with him personally.
Prayer: Lord, help me to accept your sovereignty and talk with you personally.
One Word: Know about God; know God
YET WILL I HOPE IN HIM
Job 13:6-28
Key Verse: 13:15a
1. Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf? (6-19)
Job answers Zophar: Zophar does not need to speak for God. He and his friends are worthless physicians. Later, God rebukes them for misrepresenting him (42:7-9). Job asks Zophar to be quiet. He, Job, will speak what is on his mind, no matter what the consequences. "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." If Job were a godless man, an unbeliever or a rebel, he would not come to God. He has prepared his case before God like a lawyer. He is confident that he will be vindicated. He is ready to die if he is proved guilty.
2. Show me my sin (20-28)
Job asks two things of God: that God withdraw his hand of punishment, and that God speak with him directly. He asks that God put him on trial and show him his offense. He has become like a windblown leaf or dry chaff because he has lost direction. God's punishment is hard for him to endure, but in spite of his complaints, Job seeks God's face.
Prayer: Lord, my hope is in you. I have no other hope. Lord, teach me your ways.
One Word: Trust in God no matter what
IF A MAN DIES, WILL HE LIVE AGAIN?
Job 14:1-22
Key Verse: 14:14a
1. At least there is hope for a tree (1-12)
Job thinks of the mortality of man and despairs. He wonders why God bothers with men. If indeed they spring up like flowers and wither away, if they are like fleeting shadows, why does God fix his eye on them? He says that a tree has more hope than a man because if it is cut down, it's stump will sprout again! Every man longs for immortality, for every man has an immortal soul. Job asks a fundamental question: "If a man dies, will he live again?" Job, in his despair, could not answer at this time. But God's answer in Scripture is "Yes" (1Co 15:12-20,49).
2. Surely you will cover my sin (13-22)
Job waits for renewal to come (14). He knows that he can only be renewed when God covers his sins. He prays that God may count his steps, but not keep track of his sin. But in his pain, he despairs. He can't think of anything but the pain of his own body.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for resurrection hope that you have given us in Jesus. Thank you for covering my sins with his blood.
One Word: Hope in God and in his Son
MY INTERCESSOR IS MY FRIEND
Job 15:1-17:16
Key Verse: 16:19-21
1. Eliphaz' second round (15:1-35)
Eliphaz had been sympathetic, but in his second speech he impatiently rebukes Job for not listening to him. His words come from theological correctness, not love. He seeks to prove that Job is being punished because he deserves it. He again points out that no one is pure (15:14-16; 4:17-19). He suggests that Job will suffer even more because he does not listen to the counselors.
2. Job longs for an intercessor (16:1-17:16)
Job called his friends "miserable comforters." Their long-winded speeches do not help him because they did not speak in love. He cries out to God. For some reason which he cannot understand, God has crushed him. He longs for Christ, the intercessor who will plead with God for him as a man pleads for his friend. He has almost lost hope, but he longs to have hope. He longs for friends who will encourage him.
Prayer: Lord, help me not to be critical. Walk with me so that I may find strength and love to share with others.
One Word: My Intercessor is my Friend
I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES
Job 18:1-19:29
Key Verse: 19:25-26
1. Bildad's return (18:1-21)
Bildad had bluntly insisted that Job was being punished because he was a sinner (ch. 8). In his second speech, he states his resentment that Job did not listen to him. He paints a grim picture of the fate of the sinner. The "king of terrors" is death. Bildad's description resembles Job's suffering. He suggests that Job can only look forward to oblivion. His ideas are logical, but they don't give any hope or encouragement to Job. Rather, they quench hope and plant despair. Bildad doesn't know the living God, so he only adds to Job's burden.
2. Job's faith (19:1-29)
Job rebukes Bildad for kicking him when he is down. He asks his friends to have pity on him, for the hand of God has struck him. Then he confesses his faith. He is sure that God his Redeemer lives. God will judge the whole earth. Death is not the end; Job will meet his Redeemer God--and his heart yearns to do so.
Prayer: Lord, let Job's resurrection faith fill my heart and sustain me this day.
One Word: I know that my Redeemer lives
HOW CAN YOU CONSOLE ME WITH NONSENSE?
Job 20:1-21:34
Key Verse: 21:22
1. Zophar's understanding (20:1-29)
Zophar is inspired by his own understanding, not by God. He is insulted by Job's words (19:21-22). His logic tells him that no wicked man can escape God's punishment. This is true. But he implies that Job's troubles are God's just punishment for sin. This is not true. Zophar does not know God; he does not pray for his friend--he only tries to explain why he is suffering. This is unnecessary.
2. How can you console me with nonsense? (21:1-34)
Job knows wicked men who live godless lives, who say to God, "We have no desire to know your ways." Yet they seem to prosper and grow old without any troubles. But Job is not deceived by this. He is not a pragmatist. He knows that God is sovereign, and he rejects the counsel of godless men. Job has no easy answers. He doesn't know why the wicked prosper, but he knows that Zophar's words are nonsense, because he does not know or love God (34).
Prayer: Lord, give me compassion and a prayerful heart--not pat answers--for those who suffer.
One Word: Don't teach God; learn from him
ELIPHAZ' ACCUSATION
Job 22:1-23:17
Key Verse: 23:12
1. Is not your wickedness great? (22:1-30)
At first, Eliphaz spoke gently; now, as he speaks for the third time, he becomes impatient. He is sure that Job, once a rich man, is guilty of sins against the needy and weak. The evidence is Job's suffering, which he sees as God's just punishment. He and Job both know that God demands justice and mercy. Eliphaz calls Job to repent (21-23). He insists that if Job repents, God will restore his fortunes. His words sound reasonable, but he does not know God or understand what God is doing in Job's life.
2. Job longs for God (23:1-17)
Job knows that he is not guilty of the sins against the poor and needy of which he is accused. He refutes these charges in detail in chapter 29. He longs to find God. He has loved God's word and tried to follow God's ways. But this is not enough. Fear of God has come into his heart. Thick darkness covers his face because he feels cut off from God. God is sovereign. He is awesome. But still Job seeks God. He wants to meet him personally and talk with him.
Prayer: Lord, help me to treasure your word more than my daily bread.
One Word: Seek God; treasure his word
FALSE SECURITY
Job 24:1-25
Key Verse: 24:23
1. Does God charge no one with wrongdoing? (1-12)
Contrary to the theory of Eliphaz, there is much injustice in the world which seems to go unnoticed and unpunished by God. Job's suffering has enabled him to empathize with the plight of the poor, and he longs for God's righteous judgment just as they do.
2. Those who rebel against the light (13-25)
Job goes on to think about the people who rebel against the light. They do not come to the light because their deeds are evil (Jn 3:19-21). These include murderers and adulterers, and those who prey on helpless people when they think no one is watching. They seem to get away with what they do, but Job knows that God sees. God may let them rest in a feeling of security for a time, but the time of judgment will surely come.
Prayer: Lord, help me to understand the suffering of people. Help me to trust your justice and wait prayerfully and patiently on your just judgments.
One Word: God knows everything; God is just
WHO CAN UNDERSTAND GOD'S POWER?
Job 25:1-26:14
Key Verse: 26:14
1. How can a man be righteous before God? (25:1-6)
Bildad's 1st and 2nd speeches were long (Chapters 8, 18). He was certain that Job's troubles were a direct result of his sin. This 3rd speech is short; it reemphasizes the same theme. What he says is basically true--no man can be righteous before God. But his "cause and effect" idea of God's justice shows that he does not understand God or Job. He is awed by God's majesty and repulsed by man's depravity to the point of having no hope; it is because he has no personal relationship with God.
2. Who can understand? (26:1-14)
Job's answer to Bildad begins with a sarcastic retort. Bildad's advice has not helped him. He then picks up the theme of Bildad's words and speaks about the greatness of God's power and wisdom, especially as it is displayed in nature. Bildad thinks he knows God, but Job, who knows him better, is deeply aware of the smallness of his own knowledge.
Prayer: Lord, cleanse me from sin and help me to know you.
One Word: Righteousness is God's gift
THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS WISDOM
Job 27:1-28:28
Key Verse: 28:28
1. I will not deny my integrity (27:1-10)
Job firmly decides in his heart not to go over to the side of God's enemies. He will not confess to sins he has not committed. He does not understand, but he will be faithful to God.
2. The fate God allots the wicked (11-23)
The wicked are those who never delight in God or call on him; they are ruthless toward their fellow man. They appear to be wealthy and successful, but terror will overtake them like a flood.
3. Where can wisdom be found? (28:1-28)
Therefore, Job does not understand why he suffers like the wicked. Where can one find wisdom and understanding? He describes the mining techniques by which men search for precious metals and jewels. To find wisdom is infinitely harder. Only God understands the way to wisdom (23,24). For man, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Prayer: Lord, my wisdom and understanding are so limited. Teach me to walk in the fear of the Lord and give me wisdom.
One Word: Fear God--shun evil
O FOR THE DAYS OF GOD'S FRIENDSHIP
Job 29:1-30:31
Key Verse: 29:3,4
1. When I walked by God's light (29:1-25)
Job remembers the blessed days of intimate friendship with God. He knew where he was going, for he had God's light shining on his head. He was like a tree whose roots reach the water. He helped the poor and fatherless (an answer to Eliphaz–22:9) and he was respected by all.
2. The churning inside me never stops (30:1-31)
Job's misery is compounded by the disdain and mockery which he receives from certain young men, sons of men of base character. Since God has “unstrung my bow,” leaving him helpless and vulnerable, these men are quick to take advantage of his defenselessness. However, the most painful part of Job's agony is the inner suffering which comes because he cannot meet God or understand what God is doing. He longs for his fellowship with God to be restored, but God doesn't seem to hear his cries. So the churning in him never stops.
Prayer: Lord, grant that I may walk through darkness by your light, and through life in intimate friendship with you.
One Word: Seek friendship with God
JOB'S FINAL DEFENSE
Job 31:1-40
Key Verse: 31:4
1. A covenant with my eyes (1-12)
Job was a man of integrity. He knew right from wrong, and he sought to do what was right. He did not allow his heart to be led by his eyes, so he maintained a pure heart and life.
2. To act justly (13-23)
Job feared God. He knew that God created all men equal (15). He sought social justice. He fed the hungry, cared for widows and orphans, provided warm clothes for the destitute, and used his influence to protect the helpless.
3. To trust God, not gold (24-40)
Love of money is idolatry. It is unfaithfulness to God (24-28). Rejoicing in the misfortune of an enemy, failing to practice hospitality toward strangers, holding in the heart unrepented sins, misusing the land, cheating tenants or the landlord--all of these are sins of which Job is innocent. He completes his defense and signs it.
Prayer: Lord, teach me Job's integrity. I want to give my heart to you so that you may keep me pure.
One Word: Make a covenant with your heart
A YOUNG MAN'S COUNSEL
Job 32:1-33:33
Key Verses: 33:28
1. The Spirit gives understanding (32:1-22)
Elihu makes four speeches in chapters 32-37. He is the one whom God does not rebuke (42:7,9). He hesitated to speak because of his youth. But he is like a new wineskin, ready to burst. He is angry with Job because Job is righteous in his own eyes. He is angry with the three friends because they condemn Job but do not really answer him. Elihu has something to say. If God's Spirit is in a man, then his age doesn't matter.
2. God does speak (33:1-33)
Elihu admits that he is also made of clay, just like Job. No man is pure and sinless. God is greater than man. God does speak to man--in many ways. God's purpose is always to turn a man from sin and save his soul (18). Every man needs a mediator--but there is only one mediator between God and man (1Ti 2:5). God restores suffering men; then they realize that they are sinners. When God redeems one's soul, he lives to enjoy the light.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for Jesus, our only mediator. Thank you for redeeming my soul.
One Word: God redeems the soul
GOD GIVES SONGS IN THE NIGHT
Job 34:1-35:16
Key Verses: 35:10,11
1. God can do no wrong (34:1-37)
Elihu's 2nd speech is addressed to the three friends, then to Job. God is the Sovereign Creator. There is no way to hide from him. He is just. He does not show partiality to prince or pauper (5-30). A man who does wrong must repent and seek God's mercy. He can't just say, "Sorry. I won't do it again," and end the matter. We must come to God in God's way, on God's terms. God wants us to repent of sin and seek his mercy (31-33).
2. Does God listen to proud men? (35:1-16)
Elihu's 3rd speech is addressed to Job. There is no reason why God should listen to Job or to anyone else. God is God. His essential nature is not affected by men's deeds--good or bad. He created us, and made us wiser than birds or beasts. When men suffer, and cry out in arrogance or bitterness, God does not listen. But when we seek God our Maker with humble and repentant hearts, he gives us songs in the night.
Prayer: Lord, I seek you with a humble and repentant heart. Hear my prayer.
One Word: God gives songs in the night
THE ALMIGHTY IS EXALTED IN POWER
Job 36:1-37:24
Key Verse: 37:23
1. The mighty God does not despise men (36:1-33)
This is Elihu's 4th and final speech. He proclaims God's justice. Even though God is mighty, he does not despise men. His eyes are on the righteous. When those who suffer repent of sin and seek him, he blesses. But godless men become stubborn and bitter when they suffer. With rebellious hearts they persist in sin and reap its consequences. God's ways are beyond our understanding (26), but we cannot doubt that our Maker is both wise and just.
2. God's voice thunders in marvelous ways (37:1-24)
Elihu prepares Job to listen to God's voice out of the storm. Elihu is awestruck when he sees God's mighty hand in nature. God hurls lightning to the earth; he tells the rain to become a downpour which makes men stop work and run for cover. Elihu asks Job to stop and consider the mighty works of God (14). God is almighty; he is exalted in power, but he does not use his power to oppress. Therefore, we must revere and worship him.
Prayer: Lord, I praise your name, for you are great and good.
One Word: God is the Almighty Creator
THE LORD ANSWERS JOB OUT OF THE STORM
Job 38:1-40:5
Key Verse: 38:2,3
1. Where were you? (38:1-41)
No human being was there when God created the heavens and the earth. But the morning stars sang, and the angels shouted for joy. These verses proclaim God's sovereignty over the earth and sea, light and darkness, over snow and rain, over the constellations and clouds and lightning. God's creation of the environment of the world in which we live is too marvelous for us to imagine.
2. Who understands the animals? (39:1-40:5)
God provides food for the animals. He designed and watches over the marvelous ways of the lion, the goat and wild donkey. The great strength of the wild ox is only exceeded by his stubbornness; the ostrich is foolish and joyful--one of God's jokes! The horse's strength, the hawk's keen sight are all God's gifts. God asks Job to do a better job if he can. Job has nothing to say. He is overwhelmed by God's greatness and his own unworthiness (40:4)
.
Prayer: Lord, I praise you for the wonder and beauty and power of your creation. Teach me your ways.
One Word: Worship the Creator God
WOULD YOU CONDEMN ME TO JUSTIFY YOURSELF?
Job 40:6-41:34
Key Verse: 40:8
1. Brace yourself like a man (40:6-14)
God asks Job some questions which have obvious answers. God brings proud men low. He is the one who can break a man or save him. We cannot understand God's ways, but when we come to him humbly, seeking his help, he will surely save us by his strong right hand. A man cannot justify himself by accusing God of wrongdoing.
2. Behemoth and Leviathan (40:15-41:34)
The behemoth is probably a hippopotamus or an elephant, and the leviathan, a crocodile. These are the largest and most impressive animals of land and water. Why did God create such wonderful and frightful beasts? He alone knows. Who can question his ways, or contend with these mighty beasts? Proud men are no match for the proud crocodile; he despises haughty people. God who created the ostrich has a sense of humor; and God who created the mighty beasts is mightier than all.
Prayer: Lord, my pride comes from ignorance of your almighty power and unsearchable wisdom. Forgive me.
One Word: God brings proud men low
JOB REPENTS
Job 42:1-17
Key Verse: 42:5,6
1. Now my eyes have seen you (1-6)
Job was not satisfied by hearing about God; he wanted to meet God personally. God spoke to him. He stood before the living God. His carefully constructed case collapsed. He had no answers to God's questions. And he had no more questions to ask God. He no longer insisted on his own righteousness, for no one is righteous before God. Job could only repent in dust and ashes. This is the only way sinful man can come to the Holy Creator God.
2. My servant Job will pray for you (7-17)
God was angry with Job's three friends because they did not speak what was right. (He does not include Elihu.) Their words came from their own self-righteousness. They did not know God, so they could not be right. God told them to ask his servant Job to pray for them. Job prayed for them, and God heard his prayer. God restored Job's fortunes and blessed his life.
Prayer: Lord, give me a repentant heart, so that I may know you and walk in your ways.
One Word: God's servant repents