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Text: Job 1-42
Job is a real man
- James speaks of Job; James 5:10-11 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
- Job is not a parable or folklore. This book would have no value as a parable. And because Job is real, these events in his life and the insight into heavenly conversation between God and Satan raise some of the most profound truths in this world.
- The prophet Ezekiel makes reference to Job back in 600 B.C. in Ezekiel 14.
- The truth is Job is the earliest real book in this world. I say real book because there are just a handful of earlier writings supposedly, but none of them have a plot, none of them contain science beyond their time, none of them contain any storyline with a beginning and ending, or deal with real problems or resolutions. Job is the first record in the history of this world of its kind.
- Yes, Moses wrote Genesis dating back to creation, but Job the man and his book predate Moses writing Genesis by 500 years.
- Job 19:24-27 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! 25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
- So this was said about the redeemer before there were any scriptures!
Job’s theme is God’s righteousness
- Some have said the theme is why do good people suffer? That’s not the theme, but it is a question that leads to the theme.
- The theme of Job, the most ancient book we have in existence in the world today, the theme is that God is right in everything He does. You will learn lessons about suffering, science, Satan, and prophecy, but the truth is God ALONE is righteous in all that He does.
- Job goes from the greatest man in the east to the most miserable man in chapters 1-2. Satan is given permission by God to take everything from Job except his life. The reason the LORD does this is in response to Satan’s accusation that the LORD is only loved by people he bribes.
- Since God’s righteousness is the theme, cursing God and questioning his righteousness shows up immediately.
- Job is concerned that his children may have cursed God in 1:5
- Satan is the being in creation who brings into question God’s righteousness: Job 1:9-10, 2:4-5, Job’s wife questions God’s judgment in 2:9
- The most important thing you have is your attitude toward God and what you think about his judgment.
- After complete loss of everything and his body filled with boils, Job curses the day he was born in chapter 3. Then for the next 21 chapters (4-25) Job is accused by his three friends of being the cause of his own trouble because of his secret sin.
- Circumstances can indicate godliness, just not in the way we think.
- Jobs friends say there must be something wrong in Job’s life, God said there was something RIGHT in Job’s life
- A church in Georgia was having a revival. The pastor’s wife was very sick and in lots of pain. As the pastor and his wife arrived at church that evening the pastor went up to take care of somethings, and a well meaning lady asked the pastor’s wife how she was. The pastor’s wife said, Well, to be honest, I feel terrible. The lady responded, I’m sorry to hear that. Then she added, Sometimes makes you wonder what’s really wrong.
- Isaiah 57:1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
- But after defending himself to his accusers, Job understandably stumbles and proclaims his own righteousness calling into question God’s righteousness in chapters 26-31
- Notice his questions in 26:1-4 that point to his own righteousness.
- Then 27:6-7 he directly proclaims his righteousness.
- Then 29:7-14 he continues, and in chapter 31 he concludes with twenty “if” conditions showing he has been righteous.
- Elihu, a type of Jesus Christ, responds to Job and Job’s three accusers by justifying God and destroying any question about God’s righteousness in chapters 32-37.
- 32:7-10 Inspiration is understanding
- 33:6, 26-28 Elihu speaks for God; God renders to man his righteousness as defined in 27-28.
- 34:10-12, 17, 23, 37 God will not pervert judgment, He is righteous.
- 35:2
- 36:3-6 …ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
- Then the Lord himself speaks in chapters 38-41. But the Lord uses questions to show his righteousness to Job. He interrogates Job at which point Job understands that God is right in all his ways.
- 38:4-5 Questions Job has no way of answering.
- 40:8
- The book ends with God being justified in Job’s heart and Job praying for his accusers then being restored double everything he had at the beginning.
- Spiritual growth that shows itself in a prayer life
- Job 42:10 Turned the captivity of Job WHEN he prayed for his friends
- Prayer for your enemies is LIBERTY! It is FREEDOM!
