Job
An
Outline
1. Background
Many
commentators believe Job to be the oldest
book of
scripture, written about the time of the patriarchs, for the
following reasons:
1. No mention is made of
the
Exodus or Moasic law.
2. The length of Job's life.
( 140 years Job
42:16-17)
3. Job acted as priest for his family,
something that was not
allowed
after the
exodus. (Job.
1:5)
4. Could the Eliphaz of Job
be that of Gen.
36:10-11?
2.
Message
This
book has one of
the oldest questions that is known to the human
race, why
do we suffer? Suffering was thought to be the
result of personal
sin, and this is the line that Job's friends
take.
But Job knew that he had not sinned and despite his
"comforters'
" protests, he insisted that he wasn't suffering because of
personal
sin. What none of them knew was that Satan and God
made Job
a battleground: Satan was sure that Job only
worshipped God
for the material benefits he received, whereas God knew that was not
the case. God never told Job or any of his friends this , He was just
wanting Job's total and complete trust.
3.
The
wrongness of everyone
1.
Satan was wrong in thinking Job only
served God for
material
prosperity.
2. Job's wife was wrong in thinking
the loss of wealth is the
loss of
everything.
3. Job's three friends were wrong in
thinking Job was
suffering because
of sin.
4. Elihu was wrong in thinking he
alone had the answer to
Job's
suffering.
5. Job was wrong in accusing God of
injustice.
4.Outline
We must remember in our analysis the words that
the
Lord spoke at the end of the book:
And it was so, that after the
LORD had
spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My
wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the
thing that
is right, as my servant Job hath.
Job 42:7
|
Section
|
Subsection
|
Ref.
|
Job's
calamities
|
|
| Quotes
of Job
| 1. loss
of possessions & family
| ch.1
| The
Lord gave and the Lord
hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. v21
|
2.
loss of health
| ch.2
| Shall
we receive good at
the hand of the God and shall we not receive
evil? v10
|
3.
loss
of patience
| ch.3
| For
the thing which I
greatly feared is come upon me. And that which I was afraid of is come
unto me. v.25
|
(a) We are told the reason for Job's
suffering , but Job was NOT.
(b) Job never
curses God, but he does curse the day of his birth.
| Ch. 1-3
|
The
discourses concerning suffering
|
Round 1
|
Eliphaz
|
Claims to have had a
vision giving the answer
| ch.
4-5
|
| Job
| "Thou scarest me with with
dreams; and
terifiest me through visions: so that my soul chooseth strangling, and
death rather than life" 7:14-15
| ch.
6-7
|
| Bildad
|
Avoids the issue by
asking
questions
| ch.
8
|
| Job
| "..how should a man be just
with God?"
9:2
| ch.
9-10
|
| Zophar
| Concludes Job is
wrong in behaviour and belief
| ch.11
|
| Job.
| " Ye are physicians of no
value. O that
ye would altogether hold your peace.........
though He slay me yet will I trust Him:" 13:4-15
|
ch.12-
14
| Round 2
| Eliphaz |
Tries to make out Job's
problems are not what he thinks they are.
|
ch.
15
|
| Job | "Miserable comforters are ye
all" 16:2
| ch.
16-17
|
| Bildad | Withdraws friendship
| ch.18
|
| Job | " ye are not ashamed that ye
make
yourselves strangers to me" v3
" I know that my redeemer liveth......shall I see God : whom I shall
see for myself..." vv25-27
| ch.19
|
| Zophar | Tries to support his
views by logic.
| ch.20
|
| Job | "How then comfort ye me in
vain, seeing
in your answers there remaineth falsehood?" 21:34
| ch.21
| Round 3
| Eliphaz |
Accuses Job of
treating others wickedly
| ch.22
|
| Job | "But He
knoweth the way that I take
: when He hath tried me , I shall come forth as
gold." 23:10
| ch.23-24
|
| Bildad | Just pours out
principles and platitudes
| ch.25
|
| Job | Job's parable.
" How hast thou helped
him that is without power" 26:2
"The words of Job are ended" 31:40
| ch.26-31
|
| Elihu
| He was angry with
Job because he justified himself rather than God & angry with
the
three friends for they found no answer yet condemned him.
However
Elihu whilst coming near to the truth, he was still missing the point.
1. He has a false sense
of humility 32:1-6
2. He has
a false
idea of authority( based on creed rather than character) 33:12-13
3. He has a false
application of chastisement
( Job was not being punished)34:31-37
| ch.
32-37
|
| Ch. 4-37
|
The
Lord answers
|
God never
tells Job why he was
suffering, instead He asks Job about the natural world;
implying
that if Job could not understand the natural government of
God
much less could he ever understand that which pertains to the
spiritual realm. All God was asking for is Job's
complete
confidence in Him whatever happened.
| Ch.38-41
|
The
end of the Lord
|
Job's
repentance
| Job
admits his
ignorance and repents.
| vv.1-7
| God's
anger
| God
was angry with the
three friends: they had misrepresented Him; Job offers a sacrifice
for them
| vv.8-9
| Job
restored
| The
end was better than
the beginning!
Jms.
5:11
| vv10-17
|
| Ch.42
|