In this lesson, we seek to get a handle of the book of Job: what are we supposed to learn from Job and his suffering? How was he able to do endure so much yet cling to God? The answers have much to do with God’s worth, God’s sovereignty, and man’s limited ability to comprehend the good purposes of God.
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how often did job offer these sacrifices the text says continually thus job did continually so it’s not just every once in a while or maybe once or twice he did it this is something he was concerned about all the time I wanted to be an intercessor for his children okay so we have a basic sense of who job is and what kind of wealth he has let’s read a little bit more verses 6 to 12. the scene is going to shift a little bit follow along with me now there is a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them the Lord said to Satan from where do you come and say an answer to Lord and said from roaming about on the earth and walking around on it the Lord said to Satan have you considered my servant job for there is no one like him on the earth a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil and Satan answered the Lord does joke fear God for nothing have you not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side you have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land but put forth your hand now and touch all that he has and he will surely curse you to your face then the Lord said to Satan behold all that he has is in your power only do not put forth your hand on him so Satan departed from the presence of the Lord okay where is this scene this is likely or this would be in heaven it says before the Lord so we’re talking about probably God’s Throne Room the very throne room of God in heaven who’s there in this Throne Room God of course who else the sons of God likely the Angels or yet that would be the angels and Satan Satan is also there now who starts the conversation God does the Lord does who first mentions job God does how does God describe job um what’d you say that’s right we hear the same descriptions about job though God also calls him his servant job is God’s servant God also says there’s no one like him on the earth and then he repeats the descriptions that we heard earlier in chapter one a thoroughly righteous man now for God to say a little side note there’s no one like job what kind of knowledge must God have he must be omniscient he must have total knowledge for him to be able to say there’s no one like job because I know all people God must be omniscient now Satan given gives an explanation for why job fears God what is Satan’s explanation that’s right you’ve just blessed him and protected him and you’ve given him many possessions if you take all those possessions away what to say and say will happen he will curse you not just that he will sin but he will curse you to your face as the most intense rebellion and disdain for God take away all your blessings take away your protection take away his possessions and he will curse you to your face and how does God respond to react or how does God respond to that assertion it doesn’t simply say no he won’t what does he do that’s right he says I I give you permission it gives the power over to Satan to afflict job and taking away all job has he says you’re in your power you can do whatever you want to him but you cannot touch job himself okay now let’s look at the next section chapter 1 verses 13 to 22. we’ve seen two sets of background the section on Earth the section in heaven now let’s see what happens verse 13.
now on the day when his sons that’s jobs and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house a messenger came to job and said The Oxen were plowing and the donkey’s feeding beside them and the sabines attacked and took them they also slew the servants with the edge of the sword and I alone have escaped to tell you 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 while he was still speaking another also came and said the Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword and I alone have escaped tell you while he was still speaking another also came and said your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine and rolled his brother’s house Behold 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 died and I alone have escaped to tell you then job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell to the ground and worshiped he said naked I came from my mother’s womb naked I shall return there the lord gave and the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord through all this job did not sin nor did he blame God just incredible let’s observe a little bit on this job gets messages from four Messengers in this section how far apart did these Messengers arrive from one another there’s one right now to the other back to back while they were still speaking it says multiple times in the text One messenger is just finishing up his message and another one comes with more news of calamity what is the first Calamity that falls upon job that’s right the sabians they come and take these oxens and his donkey or his oxen sorry and his donkeys and they kill the servants that are attending them by the way by the way from wanting by the sabines sabines a Sheba in Hebrew so this could be people from either one of the shibas in Genesis 10 their Descendants the sabians would be the people from Sheba so his oxen and donkeys are taken what’s the second calamity more servants are killed but who kills them before the Chaldeans fire from heaven fire from heaven Falls burns up the sheep and the servants with them then we get the third Calamity Chaldean Raiders come in and take all of job’s camels and kill the servants that are with them and then what’s the fourth and final calamity and all his children are killed Wind Blows down the older brother’s house and all of job’s children died and that’s the dagger in the heart right you lose all your possessions and on top of that all your children in less than five minutes probably job lost all of his Earthly Treasures aside from his wife but how does job respond he worships God he also Grieves we can’t miss that he Grieves and he worships and Grieves and he worships and we might have admired him if he simply grieved got up towards robe shaved his head did all that we might have seen I might have thought that’s pretty stalwart he’s just grieving not complaining not cursing God but he does more than that he acknowledges the transients of all his Earthly possessions and he calls down a blessing on the name of the Lord may God be happy may God be blessed he acknowledges that everything that he had was given to him by God and that God had the complete right to take it all away blessed be the name of the Lord verse 22 also says lest we miss this through all this job did not sin nor did he blame God how did you do that Joe how how are you not blaming God I mean we get late for a job interview and we start blaming God how did you not sin it all job how did you even find occasion to bless the name of the Lord we’ll get to that but we need to make more observations on chapter two because job is not done being afflicted let’s read the first six verses of chapter two verse 1 and chapter 2.
again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord the Lord said to Satan where have you come from then Satan answered the Lord and said from roaming about on the earth and walking around on it the Lord said to Satan have you considered my servant job for there is no one like him on the earth a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from Evil and he still holds fast his Integrity although you incited me against him to ruin him without cause Satan answered the Lord and said skin for skin yes all that a man has he will give for his life however put forth your hand now and touch his bone in his flesh and he will curse you to your face so the Lord said to Satan behold he is in your power only spare his life okay let’s observe once again we’re back in God’s Throne Room the sequence of events plays out almost the exact same way that it did previously in chapter one God starts the conversation with Satan and then brings up job God again notes job’s thorough blamelessness but then adds a new description what else does God mention about job exactly he maintains his Integrity even though you incited me to destroy him without cause job holds fast to his integrity Satan does not admit defeat though he proposes A new challenge what does Satan say will cause job to curse God to God’s face afflict his person that’s right touch his flesh maybe a person could be okay with losing all his stuff but touch his health make him physically miserable then he will abandon you God so God gives Satan permission once again he’s in your power you’ve taken away his stuff now I give you power over his body but you cannot kill him spare his life all right let’s see what happens this will be the last section we read in chapter two verses 7 to 10.
then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote job with sore boils from the soul of his foot to the crown of his head he took a pot shirt to scrape himself and he was sitting among the ashes and his wife said to him do you still hold faster integrity Curse God and die but he said to her you speak as one of the foolish women speaks shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity and all this job did not sin with his lips all right a few observations what did Satan do to job you get here what’s that Carol he did by bringing a very difficult circumstance to him that’s right Carol he he is tempting job to curse God hoping that job will curse God and he’s doing so by what you mentioned earlier Carol by giving job boils striking job with boils all over his body but the text actually says not just boils swore boils we have an idea of what boils are today but sore boils might be a little different what exactly is this we can’t say for sure but job does give a few details later on in the Book of Job that give us a little little understanding of his Affliction job 7 5 says this my flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt my skin hardens and runs job 30 30 also says my skin turns black on me and my bones burn with fever here’s a note from esword on the term sore boils shaken RA in Hebrew is thought to be the judham or black leprosy described by the Arabs or elephant elephantiasis by the Greeks it renders the skin like that of an elephant scabris dark-colored and furrowed all over with tubercles this loathsome and most afflictive disease is accompanied with most intolerable itching now that’s what they think it might be it could have been something else but this is something like job State his skin is hardening crusting turning black extremely itchy and filled with pain what does job do for relief that’s right scrapes himself with a pot shirt scraped himself with a piece of pottery while he sits in the ashes now job’s wife gives job some advice wants the advice Curse God and die now I think we laugh about this sometimes because it’s so ironically unhelpful but think about it it’s actually really tragic job’s wife she probably loves him she’s just endured all this Affliction with her husband and then she has to watch as her husband’s Health deteriorates rapidly Joe probably looked horrifying to her she can’t see God as anything but cruel and therefore she invites job to spite god with a curse and then just seek his own relief in death his wife actually becomes a tool of the devil at the misguided love for her husband a tool of the devil to tempt him into heinous sin but job’s response is amazing what does he say to her you speak like a foolish woman shouldn’t we accept both good and adversity from the Lord I think that’s really gracious he doesn’t say you’re a fool you’re dumb you’re evil no he says you’re speaking like a foolish woman speaks this isn’t the way you normally speak you’re speaking like somebody else’s thoughts don’t you remember who the Lord is the text then says again and all this job did not sin with his lips take away all his possessions afflict him with the most painful and ugly disease and job still does not sin or abandon the Lord Okay so we’ve observed these first two chapters let’s collect these observations into some interpretive conclusions how would you describe the relationship of God and Satan when it comes to Satan acting on the Earth it is a peculiar relationship can you explain more Joe that’s an interesting interesting comment you say why did it why is Satan allowed into God’s throne room and why do they Converse in a way that almost seems cordial I don’t know if we can call it as cordial they certainly do talk with one another and God does allow Satan into the throne room at least in this instance so there is Dan that is mysterious and the text doesn’t really get into that but my question is more about when Satan wants to do something on the earth or he he acts on the earth we say something from the first two chapters about God’s connection with Satan in that or his relationship to Satan in that what are you going to say Danny Martin Luther that’s right and I’ll explain that idea you’re totally right Danny the devil is God’s devil that is God has complete control over everything including the devil the devil cannot do anything Satan cannot do anything without first seeking God’s permission God shows firm control over Satan in a number of ways when Satan comes into God’s presence it’s God who directs the conversation Satan wants to do certain things to job he must first get permission from God and even when God gives permission he sets strict limits on what Satan can do you can do this but you can’t do that you can do this but you can’t do that and as Martin Luther said the devil is God’s devil God does not approve of or take part in Satan’s schemes but the devil can do more no more than what God allows and what God has already determined will serve God’s Own glorious and good purposes Satan of course means everything for evil God allows him to pursue that evil because he says I’m actually going to glorify myself and how I work this all out to further this point when job’s when job makes comment on his circum circumstances to whom does job attribute them not Satan God says God gave me this affliction therefore these first two chapters of job greatly emphasize God’s sovereignty is complete sovereignty and we’ll see this more throughout the Book of Job but why go through all of this why does God take up the challenge of the devil it’s not as if God is really wondering what job will do when job loses all his blessings and his health God is omniscient he knows job’s heart he knows what job will do so why go through with it why afflict job to the max is this needless what is God trying to prove to answer that question let’s ask another question what would it have said about God if job did abandon God when these things happened if as soon as job’s blessing disappeared job says I hate God I won’t follow him anymore what would that say about God okay it would it could be a criticism of a particular aspect of God that God didn’t really know that job was righteous or that God didn’t really know what would be good for job and because of that job doesn’t need to follow God anymore there’s there’s no point following God anymore what are you going to say really all right so you’re getting I think to the flip side of the question certainly job’s gonna need Grace he’s going to he’s going to be demonstrating some sort of Grace and being able to continually follow God but in terms of the question that I asked is what would it show if God or job abandoned God so we see that it would it would be a criticism of God’s character I think we can it can go one step further or we can say Francisco right job would have been making the claim that God himself is not enough God is not worthy God himself is not worthy if you take away the blessings that God gives it’s not enough to follow God anymore because God himself is not enough so then on the flip side if job stays with God worships God calls down blessings on God even when he experiences all these afflictions what does that say about God the opposite right God himself is enough God himself is so precious if I lose all the blessings that he normally gives I will still stay with God he is enough he is an objectively precious treasure now I think we can return to the question that we asked earlier how did you endure job why is it that you didn’t give in to the temptation to curse God and die oh it must simply be this he believed that God himself was a treasure he believed and beheld the satisfying beauty of God and so even whenever even with the loss of all Earthly things he was content this then is the secret right this is the secret to endurance if you hold God himself as your treasure then you will be able to endure the utmost calamity now of course as I think Roy was saying that is the grace given to you from God God has to reveal himself to you and he’s done that for each one of us right and he’s continually doing that that is a undeserved blessing of God but when God Reveals His Beauty shows himself to be objectively worthy of your worship you will endure you will not abandon God you will see that he is too lovely he is too lovely in his own self this is the great lesson that God is not only going to teach job but he will teach everyone involved in this account Satan included he’s showing this to all creation and showing this to Satan God says behold my infinite worth I am great I am so great that to those whom I have revealed Myself by faith they will never abandon me notice then a sobering fact this truth is so crucial and beneficial for all of creation that God in his sovereignty permitted the deaths of job’s servants and his family members and permitted intense suffering for job himself that’s sobering we might say that’s cruel no it is a Transcendent love I’ve said it many times in this class but I’ll say it again beholding God’s glory who he is and directing others to see it is more important than life itself it actually is the source of our joy it is the source of our life God doesn’t want you and me or any in creation to miss out on him The Treasure of him it’s too important so suffering and even death are secondary to that greater purpose job understood this but at the end of this ordeal he’s going to understand it a lot better and this is the same for all of us isn’t it we understand if you’re a Believer you understand in a fundamental sense that God is your treasure but you will be Sanctified you will grow in that understanding through Temptations through sufferings you will realize even more how much of a treasure god is not simply the things that God gives you but how much of a treasure he himself is Dwayne did you want to say something foreign okay because of course didn’t know the conversation but if uh if Joe did turn away then Satan would have betrayed right yeah so um right so to summarize your comment a little bit Dwayne God himself kept job from stumbling he was determined to not let jobs in or fall away he could not let Satan be right he was going to glorify himself he was going to give him the glory that he was worthy of and I submit to you that the way that God kept job from stumbling was that he kept firm in job’s mind how beautiful God is that God himself is worthy that God himself is glorious because that is what sanctifies us that’s the means of our sanctification it’s actually beholding God specifically for us beholding Christ who is the the foremost manifestation of God the most the clearest manifestation of God’s glory that is what sanctifies us so God of course was going to be determined to show forth his glory and be merciful to job in doing so yeah Steve I think if all those health and well Prosperity people would go through it to me sometimes you know I’m going to be honest as a Christian sometimes I feel like yeah but thank God just comes through an amazing way just let you know that it’s all about him and not the stuff right yeah that’s just some good comments Steve this is a demonstration of the perseverance of the Saints the p in tulip so I have to move on um but uh and also what a what a great counter to the health and well health and wealth gospel we do have more to discuss so hold your other questions and comments to the end we’ve gotten acquainted with job’s initial situation but the rest of the book is concerned with a discussion that job has with some friends some friends come to comfort Joe presumably to come for job these are elephants bildad and zofar they come from distant place and they want to grieve with job and comfort job but they end up actually afflicting job even more than he’s already afflicted and their dialogue takes up the 35 or so chapters in the middle of the book we don’t have time to read through those chapters but I wanted to give you a taste of what they’re about so what I did is I read through those chapters and I wrote a little summary of each chapter and so I’ll just present those summaries to you now we’ll go through each chapter of job and what each person is presenting in their discussion we start in chapter three job begins after the friends arrive they are actually silent for seven days because they see how much job has suffered and they don’t even say anything they can’t say anything then job says something he says death is better than life I wish I had died at Birth and I had not seen this trouble now the job is spoken the friends feel like they should speak eliphaz is the first to speak and he says You must be in sin job it is true that no man can ever be blameless and avoid God’s punishment so I guess it’s it’s your turn and now you’re being punished God’s judgment hurts but his blessings heal therefore repent well job responds you do me wrong to accuse me if you’re so sure I’m sinful of what sin am I guilty job says further God Appears to want to torture me endlessly for past sins sins which I’ve already repented of I forgot to mention this before but this discussion is going to center around why is this happening to job and already you can you can see what the friends are thinking chapter eight Bill dad your Calamity is evidence of judgment for sin this would only happen to you if you’ve sinned therefore repent and be blessed job says I’m sure I’m innocent though I could never win a case proclaiming my innocence to God no one can win against God I wish I knew why God Delights in oppressing me then zofar jumps in God has more understanding than you job you think you’re Innocent but God knows you’re not obviously because you’re being judged Joe God has all power and is responsible for the rise of and fall of both the righteous and the wicked chapter 13 your defenses of God actually make him unjust I believe God is just therefore I wish I could speak with him and ask why all of this is happening God why are you determined to show me evil and not good I long for your goodness job don’t be like the wicked who have miserable lives and Swift deaths job God continually abuses me though I’m innocent if only I had an advocate before him even my friends had betrayed me I have no hope chapter 18. remember job that the life of the wicked is misery repent please just come for me and stop accusing me I still trust in God don’t misunderstand me but I’m sure I’m innocent so far the wicked have no joy in this life and they only experience misery and destruction job contrary to your ancient wisdom so-called many Wicked people actually prosper your witness is very great job agree with God’s Judgment of your sin and be blessed again I cling to God I believe he will equip me it appears that at times or it appears just from looking at the world God does not rescue people from their oppressors I don’t understand this God actually allows many oppressors to prosper for a while before they die Bill Dad brings up that what was said earlier man can never be pure enough in God’s sight to avoid judgment just the way it is job how is it that you think you understand God he’s unfathomable I already know the Way of the Wicked is folly I cling to my innocence the only one with wisdom is God man can only gain wisdom if God gives it to him I once was blessed by God because of my righteousness but now my state is miserable God does not remember my righteousness or turn to help me when I cry to him I agree that if I had been sinful if I had persisted in habits of sin This calamity would have been a just punishment but I am innocent than a lie who jumps in is not mentioned until this point young guy Allahu let a young one speak job you’re wrong to say God doesn’t reprove wicked men God does speak to them through dreams and visions and when he heals their sicknesses job you’re wrong to question God’s justice God is never unjust or misinformed about anyone job you’re wrong to find fault with God’s attitude toward oppression God is not obligated to judge any men on this Earth or to respond to The Afflicted cries of those who do not acknowledge Him they don’t believe in God and they cry out he’s not obligated to help them job God does indeed punish evil and reward good but don’t become so obsessed with seeing that Justice that you fall into sin job can you understand the storms God sends on the earth or will withstand their power what makes you think you can understand God or stand before him and this is where their discussion ends because at the mention of Storms and whirlwinds God himself breaks into the discussion so let’s actually turn there to Job chapter 38.
we’ll read verses one to seven starting in verse 1 chapter 38.
thank you then the Lord answered job out of the Whirlwind and said who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge now gird up your loins like a man and I will ask you and you instruct me where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth tell me if you have understanding who said its measurements since you know well who stretched the line on it on what words base is sunk or who laid its Cornerstone when the morning Stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy okay stop here make a few observations what does God order job to do yeah he says go to go to bizloids remember that’s talking about how they would tuck in parts of their rope so that they could run or do some difficult activity but that’s metaphorical here what is he actually saying to job yeah Rob yeah prepare yourself for some questions you want to ask me some questions but that’s not what we’re going to do I’m going to ask you some questions God lays a series of questions at job we see the beginning part of those questions what do you notice about these questions what kind of questions are they well these specifically have to do with creation what else can we say about these questions they’re rhetorical questions they’re questions that are not meant to be answered because the answer is obvious when he asks where were you when I created the earth I was nowhere I didn’t exist on what words base is sunk I don’t know only you know and many of the questions are going to have the same kind of answers these are questions that only God can answer or they are ones that point to God’s power God’s wisdom God’s majesty and this set of questioning continues for quite a while until the end of chapter 41.
there are four chapters that are a barrage of questions from God to job God does take a short break however at the beginning of chapter 40. let’s turn there real quick to see if job has anything to say in response beginning of chapter 40 verse 1 verses one to five God says or it says then the Lord said to Job will the fault finder contend with the almighty let him who reproves God answer it then job answered the Lord and said behold I am insignificant what could I reply to you I lay my hand on my mouth once I have spoken and I will not answer even twice and I will add nothing more so that’s a pretty good response from Joe but God’s not done he has more questions and he continues that until the beginning of chapter 42.
a job again makes response so turn to chapter 42 now look at verses one to six thanks God finishes his set of questioning then job answered the Lord and said I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted who is this that hides counsel without knowledge he’s quoting God there therefore I have declared that which I did not understand things too wonderful for me which I did not know here now and I will speak I will ask you and you instruct me again quoting God I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear but now my eye sees you therefore I retract and I Repent in dust and Ashes so what is job acknowledging in his two replies to God he’s not worthy to speak what else is what is what else is he acknowledging about God and about himself we could summarize job’s response what he’s indicating in this way God you are all-powerful and all-knowing and I am not I have no right to ever question what you were doing forgive me for doing that nowhere in God’s speech does God explain to job the purpose of the suffering that job endured rather God reminds job by researching who God is that job must simply trust him God is always just God is always good God is always wise you and I have no right to question him or his motives at any time we may not see how he is but he is now the truth it’s not meant to depress you you might say oh now I can never question God I just have to accept it no that’s supposed to comfort you that’s supposed to liberate you remembering that you can trust God because of who he is should enable you to endure it should cause you to cling to promises like Romans 8 28 to 30.
I’ll read that passage to you and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose for Those whom we foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son so that he would not so that he would be the firstborn among many Brethren and these whom he predestined he also called and these whom he called he also Justified and these can be justified he also glorified and you’ve heard that verse many times but understand it is not simply a platitude it’s not an overused scriptural Band-Aid that doesn’t really have any comfort it should be your bedrock it should be my Bedrock for the trials that we encounter it should be the lifeline that you are directing your brothers and sisters to when they go through trials because it is the source of our comfort we know we can know because of who God is that all things work together for our good both the things that are easy and the things that are hard the things that we think of as good and the things we think of as bad if you belong to Jesus Christ this is true for you just throwing your back out work together for your good yes does getting fired from your job work for your good it does does a miscarriage work for your good yes does not having enough money for food work for your good yes if you belong to Christ is getting put in jail for calling homosexuality a sin work for your good yes does getting killed by ISIS because you are a Christian work together for your good yes we can know that because God has revealed it to us he’s revealed his character to us but how how do these things work to our good I don’t see how it works for our good it may not feel like it’s the flesh it may not look like it when we’re not thinking according to the scriptures but let’s learn the lesson of job we will often not see specifically how something is good wise or just but we can know that it is because of God’s unchanging and good character in Romans 8 29 takes it further we not only know that they are good wise and just things that God is doing but they are specifically designed to conform us to the image of Christ they are designed to make us more like Christ and why is that good not simply because it’s necessary but because by becoming like Jesus we gain or we be we get more access to the joy-giving glory of God we understand we see more we experience more the preciousness of God say it another way everything works for your good because if you are a Believer everything is directed toward giving you more of Christ more of God and there’s no greater good than that God is your constant reward through every situation he himself is the reward the reward you must look toward and God is generous and compassionate in how he rewards you and me with himself but God to drive that point home he does something special for job let’s look back again at chapter 42 because the book doesn’t simply end with God rebuking job and job repenting God restores job generously look at chapter 42 verses 10 to 17.
here’s verse 10.
the Lord restored the fortunes of job when he prayed for his friends and the Lord increased all that job had twofold then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him and they ate bread with him in his house and they consoled him and they comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him and each one gave him one piece of money and each a ring of gold the Lord blessed the latter days of job more than his beginning and he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and one thousand yoke of oxen and one thousand female donkeys that’s double what he had previously he had seven sons and three daughters he named the first Jemima and the second Keziah and the third Karen hapuk and all the land and all the land no women were found so fair as job’s daughters and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers that’s not normal by the way after this job lived 140 years and saw his sons and his grandsons four generations and job died an old man and full of days God’s ways are mysterious and transcendent but they are always just wise and compassionate understand God was not obligated to double job’s possessions but he did so because it pleased him to do so it fit his perfect purposes God wanted to demonstrate that he does indeed know how to reward the righteous not all the righteous will be rewarded in this life but if God can so reward job in this world for job’s trusting in God can God not also vindicate your trust in him and sufficiently reward you especially in the next life it is indeed as James 5 11 says with which we started today’s lesson we count those blessed who endured you have heard of the endurance of job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful merciful he will reward you he will vindicate your trust in him because he’s compassionate one final question did job remain innocent throughout this account or what’s his questioning and his complaining in chapters 3 to 37 actually sinful and not to be imitated was job sinning we must be careful in answering this question on the one hand God clearly rebukes job for finding fault with God and for seeking an explanation from God job consequently confesses his fault repenting in dust and Ashes saying that he despised himself on the other hand job is held up in James as an example of righteousness and endurance moreover in chapter 42 in a section we didn’t read God instructs job’s friends to ask job to pray on their behalf for God says to job in chapter 42 verse 7 second part my wrath is kindled against you elephants and against your two friends because you have not spoken of me what is right as my servant job has God therefore commends job for speaking rightly about him so the jokes in or did he demonstrate righteousness which is it I think the answer is a little both job did not sin at all initially even when losing his health proving Satan dead wrong about the worth of God and the power of faith however in job’s subsequent conversation due to provocation from his friends or the weakness of his own flesh job slipped into sin it was not wrong for job to present to God his griefs or to even tell God that he did not understand God’s purposes we see the same kind of righteous lamenting in other parts of the scripture like habakkuk God I don’t understand what you’re doing it looks like this and that seems inconsistent with your character additionally job does affirm throughout the debate his fundamental trust and Devotion to God but job did air he did Air at times by actually questioning God’s motives and for seeking an explanation from God as to how his specific circumstances were just and good and so let us not air as job did I just had the perspective that job had at the end which he also had in the beginning two other questions before we close and these come from the workbook in light of the trials job faced how would you respond to someone who made the claim that trials in your life or an illness you are facing is the result of sin you have not repented of we’re low on time today so I’ll answer this myself sometimes trials or sicknesses are a direct result of sin does have natural consequences even if you repented it sometimes you just can’t escape the natural consequences however a trial or sickness is not necessarily the result of sin God simply may be sanctifying you or working some Grand purpose that you do not understand please remember this looking to positive or negative circumstances to understand God’s will or approval is one of the great errors of Christian history it has been made time and time again since the beginning of the church God has never promised to speak to you through your circumstances he has never promised to do that the only way that God speaks to you and me and shows us what he approves of and what he disapproves of is the scriptures that’s the only way that God speaks to us the other question some people would claim that job was not a real person he was simply a character in a poem that helps us understand suffering how could James 5 11 be used to correct this misunderstanding I’m glad that we have this verse in James because if job is supposed to be an example of encouragement and of endurance it’s not encouraging unless you actually existed otherwise when someone tries to encourage us with job we would say well it’s easy for job to persevere because he wasn’t even real he can do anything but job did exist and does exist now with God in heaven so we can say I want to persevere like job did I want to understand and remember the same things that job understood and remembered so that I remain steadfast in trials what is it that job understood the worth of God we’re out of time for today don’t forget our memory verse Acts 17 26-27 a few more weeks with that let’s close and with a prayer God you are just good and wise all of the time and Lord that is no platitude it’s true it’s demonstrated it’s revealed again and again in the scriptures they wanted job to learn that lesson and to not say to himself I need to see how you are just how you were good how you were a wise God Lord thank you for being so gracious as to Humble him and therefore humble us Lord we have no good but you you are our treasure and you are determined to show us that because you were compassionate and it would help us to understand more just how much of a treasure you are help us God to be able to persevere because we understand that and help us be able to show you to others God so that they might also treasure you in Jesus name amen