Today’s passage: Job 2

Helpful thoughts:

• Satan accuses God of not playing fair (Even though Satan agreed to the testing in chapter 1).  He believed that Job’s testing had been insufficient because his own health was preserved.
• Had Job died, there would be no test.  It would have been mercy to allow him to perish.  The “saving” of his life allowed him to suffer in a prolonged fashion.
  • Job was willing to allow this testing and suffering even under the sad encouragement of his own wife.
• Job’s friends come to bring him comfort and to grieve with him.  They did a great job…for one week.

Questions to consider:

1. Why shouldn’t we be surprised when we see Satan bringing accusations, even against God (Revelation 12:10)?  What is our hope and security when Satan brings accusation against us (Romans 8:34-39)?
2. Why would God want Job’s life to be spared?  He certainly would not have gotten a kick out of seeing Job suffer!  What would be the end result of Job’s testing?  What is the purpose of our existence and life on this earth (1 Corinthians 10:31)?
3. We will eventually see things we might wish Job’s friends hadn’t said.  But at this point, how is their attempt at kindness and sympathy being shown?  How hard would it be to remain silent for seven days and nights just to mourn with your friend?  How could your presence speak more than any words?

Today’s passage: Job 1

Helpful thoughts:

• There are different ideas as to when the events of the book of Job occurred and when they were put in writing.  Because of the nature of the information surrounding the events and due to the use of other Scripture references, it is possible the events took place during the patriarchal period (Near the time of Abraham, which means Job was not a Hebrew) and that Job was written around the time of the exile.
• Job is the first book in the collection of the books of poetry and wisdom literature in the Old Testament.  Knowing this genre will help us to interpret what we read as we move along through the book.
  • Job is going to get a great deal of counsel from his friends in this book.  Not all their advice is good, and we are to read it in the context of the book as a whole.  So, as we read the book of Job, we will be careful not to come to conclusions and application that are not meant to be.
• In this first chapter, we see the Lord allow Job to be tested, and up to this point Job remains faithful.

Questions to consider:

1. What part does Satan play in this narrative portion of the book?  Is he in charge of what’s happening?  What were “his” demons doing (Verse 6)?  Why was Job right to say, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away” if Satan was the one orchestrating these tragedies?  What does this teach us about Satan’s “authority?”
2. Is Job going to be the real focus of this book?  Why isn’t the story about his children, or the servants who died?  To whom do Satan’s actions, Job’s reactions, and all of the other dialogue point?
3. Job’s offerings in verse 5 show he was aware of our problem of sin and the need for intercession.  What is God’s way (The only Way – John 14:6) of interceding for our sin?  Instead of burning sacrifices for our children, what must we tell people (Our children included) they need to do to have forgiveness of sin (Acts 16:30-31)?