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:
- 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?”
- 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?
- 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)?