Job: Lessons from Job

Wrap Up

One of my favorite Bible teachers is Chuck Swindoll. I have always appreciated his commitment to the text and his insight into practical applications. His integrity is also noteworthy to me. He remains the same, whether I’m in the audience listening to him speak to a large crowd or sitting with him one-on-one at lunch. There is no showmanship or pretense. I find that both rare and refreshing.

Swindoll recounts his experience of preaching on the book of Job at his church. He took the time to expound on it thoroughly. One Sunday morning, he announced that he was finally concluding his series on Job. The congregation gave him a standing ovation, expressing their relief that it was over! Perhaps you feel the same way!

As we conclude our study of Job today (I see you standing and clapping), I want us to reflect on a few key takeaways. An overview of the book is included at the end of this devotional.

Lessons from Job

1. Believers are in a spiritual battle.

The conversation between Satan and God pulls back the curtains of heaven, providing us a glimpse into what occurs in the heavenly realm. We know this interaction is not a one-time event. Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan accuses believers before God, day and night. He is like a roaring lion whose full-time job is “seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We must be prepared for all his schemes (Eph. 6:10-20). The good news is that Jesus defeated Satan at the cross (Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8), and we share in Christ’s victory (Col. 1:13-14). Therefore, we are always fighting Satan from higher ground.

2. We never know ahead of time the plans that God has for us.

Job was experiencing the best days of his life… and then, one day, life tumbled in. Job’s crisis was unimaginable. What life hasn’t been shaken by a diagnosis, a car wreck, substance abuse, or betrayal? And the list goes on. Yet in every situation, we have learned from Job that God is sovereign over all. The holy God does not work in evil. But sometimes, he allows it for his purposes (Rom. 8:28). As hard as that is, we learned this in our study of Job.

3. Be aware of friends during your suffering.

Some “friends” you will not have to deal with. They run from someone suffering like an antelope flees from a hungry lion. The people who attended Job’s recovery celebration are never mentioned during his painful ordeal. However, you may have friends like Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who tell you what they think you need to hear from a spiritual standpoint (and may suggest a few remedies you should try, too). A good friend asked, “Some guys want me to go to a healing service with them. I don’t have to go, do I?” This man was a spiritual giant, but his illness had worn him down. He just needed to hear that it was okay to tell well-meaning friends, “No!”

A friend like Elihu may offer support. If necessary, try to set aside their personality and embrace the message, allowing it to calm your heart and refocus your mind on the Person of God.

4. Be aware of the rhythm of suffering.

The beginning of calamities often comes with a spiritual high. Thank God for that. Job faced losing his family, wealth, and health, yet maintained his integrity. His wife, who was in unimaginable grief, said, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die. But [Job] said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips’” (Job 2:9-10). And as the suffering continued, the same Job said, “Surely now God has worn me out” (Job 16:7). Job was adamant that God take a seat on the witness stand and provide Job with answers to his many questions (Job 29-31). That leads me to another lesson.

5. Extend grace to those who are suffering.

Some of you thought I showed too much grace to Job’s wife. But let me ask you this question: If you had just lost ten children, all your wealth, and were watching your spouse suffer from a disease to the point of being unrecognizable, how would you respond? We also need to show grace to Job. His emotional and physical pain was unbearable. That’s why he wanted to put God on trial. However, it’s interesting to me that many will offer Job much more grace than they extend to his wife.

When people are hurting, let them vent. Listen and pray. Save your theological discourse for later. There will be a time to work through biblical truth. God will use you for that at an appropriate time if you use discernment and show the needed grace.

6. Seek to learn what God is teaching you in your suffering.

Job sought God to answer the “why?” We all ask the “whys?” as if understanding the divine reason for a loss, illness, or tragedy would satisfy us. God is sovereign over all. He doesn’t make mistakes. All things work together for good. These are truths we know. And... God's ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isa. 55:9). “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” (Rom. 11:34).

7. Trust the work of the loving sovereign God.

At the end of the day, the theme of this book is faith amid suffering. God’s response to Job involved three truths: Job did not participate in creation, he could not control God’s creation, and he could not conquer God’s creation. After his encounter with God, Job humbled himself and repented. He confessed that no plan of God could be thwarted, and the things he learned about God were too wonderful for him to grasp (Job 42:1-3).

Tomorrow, we will begin our study of Isaiah and continue to learn about this great God who refreshes and renews our souls. I pray that, from our time in Job, you have gained a deeper understanding of what it means to trust God, even when you don’t understand, and have been encouraged to share everything in your heart with the God who loves you unconditionally. After all, that is what prayer is: our heart’s cry as we communicate with God. Let me conclude this study with a description of prayer from a seventeenth-century Frenchman named Francois Fenelon. This is what conversing with our heavenly Father should encompass.

Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself and others.

If you pour out all your weaknesses, needs, and troubles there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration they say what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved, conversation with God.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Review your notes on the book of Job. What did God teach you from our study?

Talking to God
Re-read Fenelon’s description of prayer. Share with God everything that is on your heart. Keep the conversation ongoing….

Job Zoom Call
On Monday, May 5 at 7:00 pm, we will meet on a Zoom call to review what we have learned in Job and answer questions. Information and a link to join the call will be included in the May 5 devotion email.

Have Questions?
Be sure to send your questions to our team. We are happy to assist you as you explore God's Word. Submit your question below, and we'll reply soon. And if you don’t know where you stand with Jesus, we would love to have that conversation with you.

Join us tomorrow as we begin our study of Isaiah—God’s Story in Your Renewal.

OVERVIEW OF JOB

INTRODUCTION: JOB 1:1-5
“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job….” That’s how we are introduced to this man whose name has become synonymous with suffering. Job’s suffering was not the result of anything he had done. He was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (1:1, 8). He was a wealthy businessman with a large family and continually served as a spiritual mediator for his children. He was “the greatest of all the people of the east” (1:3).

Many have debated the timeframe of the book of Job in relation to other Old Testament narratives; however, I believe Job lived during the patriarchal era. In his commentary on Job in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck lists nine factors that support the conclusion that Job was a contemporary of the patriarchs. Here are three of those arguments:

• Job lived to be 210 years old, which aligns with the lifespans of Abraham's father, Terah (205), Abraham (175), Isaac (180), and Jacob (147).
• Job’s wealth was measured in livestock, a fact also true of Abraham (Gen. 12:16, 13:2) and Jacob (Gen. 30:43, 32:5).
• The Sabeans and Chaldeans were nomadic tribes during Abraham’s time.

SATAN’S ATTACK: JOB 1:6—2:10
One day, Satan, the accuser of all believers (Rev. 12:10), appeared before God. He argued that God had bought Job’s love and worship, saying, “Does Job fear God for no reason?” (1:9). God, who is sovereign over all, allowed Satan to act against Job. Satan was quick to respond, using neighboring warriors, fire from heaven, and a storm to destroy Job’s wealth and children.

Job’s initial response was to worship God. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” (1:21-22).

When Job responded in worship, Satan charged Job with selfishness and asked permission to go after Job’s health. Satan “went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (2:7). The “loathsome sores” appear to be the same illness that God inflicted on the Egyptians during the plagues (Ex. 9:8-11). Many commentators attempt to identify the disease but lack conclusive evidence. Scripture details the devastating symptoms: ulcerous sores (2:7), itching (2:8), degeneration of Job’s facial skin (2:7, 12), loss of appetite (3:24), depression (3:24-25), loss of strength (6:11), worm-infested sores (7:5), chronic wounds (7:5), difficulty breathing (9:18), foul odor (19:17), weight loss (19:20, 33:21), chronic pain (30:17), restlessness (30:27), rotting flesh (30:30), and fever (30:30).^[1]

Even amid his terrible suffering, Job did not sin (2:10).

JOB’S THREE FRIENDS (JOB 3-28)
While most of Job’s family and friends deserted him, his friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar wanted to show their support. Job’s grief and pain overwhelmed them to the point that they silently sat with him for days at the trash heap (or ash heap).

In Job’s misery, he lamented his birth and wished for death (3:1-26). Job said, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me” (3:25).

Beginning in Job 4, the three friends speak to Job. The back and forth occurs like this:

Round One
Eliphaz: First Speech (Job 4-5)
            Job’s Response (Job 6-7)

Bildad: First Speech (Job 8)
            Job’s Response (Job 9-10)

Zophar: First Speech (Job 11)
            Job’s Response (Job 12-14)

Round Two
Eliphaz: Second Speech (Job 15)
            Job’s Response (Job 16-17)

Bildad: Second Speech (Job 18)
            Job’s Response (Job 19)

Zophar: Second Speech (Job 20)
            Job’s Response (Job 21)

Round Three
Eliphaz: Third Speech (Job 22)
            Job’s Response (Job 23-24)

Bildad: Third Speech (Job 25)
            Job’s Response (Job 26-28)

Summary of the Discourses:

Eliphaz:

• Argues from experience.
• Job is guilty.
• Job is being punished for his sin.
• Calls for Job to repent and receive God’s blessings.

Bildad:

• Argues from history.
• God is just.
• God punishes the guilty.
• Job’s punishment is the result of his guilt.
• Calls for Job to repent and receive God’s blessings.

Zophar:

• Argues from dogmatism.
• Repeats the narrative of Eliphaz and Bildad.

Job:

• Does not claim perfection.
• Maintains his innocence.

JOB’S SUMMARY DEFENSE (JOB 29-31)
Job’s tragedies were not a result of his disobedience, and he argues his innocence in his summary defense. However, throughout the ordeal, pride and bitterness invaded Job’s heart. He calls for God to sit on the witness stand and demands, “Let the Almighty answer me!” (31:35).

ELIHU (JOB 32-37)
Elihu is a young man with much to say who, in my opinion, has an arrogant air about him (32:10, et. al.). Here is a summary of Elihu’s character, style, and message.

• Elihu was younger than Job and his three friends. He likely did not view Job as a friend but rather as a mentor, someone he respected. We can assume that while Job and the other men spoke, many people gathered to hear their dialogue, with Elihu among them.
  
  
• Elihu took numerous notes. Throughout his speeches, he frequently quotes Job, attempting to use Job’s words against him.
  
  
• Elihu is angry about what he has heard. He is upset with Job for justifying himself instead of God and furious with the other three men for accusing Job of sin without providing evidence.

While Elihu has insightful points to make, he comes across as self-important. He resembles someone fresh out of seminary, armed with a wealth of knowledge, ready to unload it on everyone whether they want to hear it or not! Three times in the first seventeen verses, he announces his readiness to “declare his opinion” (32:6, 10, 17). He claims that his knowledge is like a wineskin about to burst. He instructs his captive audience eight times to listen closely or pay attention (32:10; 33:1, 31, 33; 34:2, 10, 16; 37:14). He is intensely passionate about his message!

Elihu shares important truths, yet his attitude is brash, making him seem like a know-it-all. His caustic demeanor sometimes overshadows the hearer’s ability to accept his theology. However, Elihu gives instructive theological points that help Job simmer down before God appears in a whirlwind. Elihu argues for God’s greatness, justice, and majesty.

GOD ANSWERS JOB (JOB 38:1-42:9)
God answered Job in a loud thundering storm and told his servant to “Dress for action like a man….” (38:3). God challenges Job on three fronts:

• I am the Creator. You are not! (Job 38)
• I am in control of creation. You are not! (Job 39)
• I am the creator of creatures that you can’t conquer (Job 40:6-41:34)

In short, God says to Job, “I am the creator of all things and in control of all things. Who are you to question who I am, what I do, and why I do it?” Job responds with humility and repentance (40:3-5, 42:1-6).

GOD REBUKES JOB’S THREE FRIENDS (JOB 42:7-9)
In a twist of events, God rebukes Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, “for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (42:7). God calls on Job to pray for them.

RESTORATION (JOB 42:10-17)
After praying for his friends, Job’s health and fortune were restored. The Lord “gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job and his wife had ten more children, and “Job died, an old man, and full of days” (Job 42:17). Job lived for 140 years after his bout of suffering. Since he was given twice as much as before, most scholars believe Job was 70 years old when the tragedies hit and died at the age of 210.