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Hi all!
First I want to say "thank you" again to everyone for their support in the last couple of days. It's incredible how a person can feel "at home" with people he's never even seen before!
The book of Job has been on my mind for a while now, as well as the book of Psalms. I find the psalms to be a great encouragement because they are 150 chapters of praying! And sometimes they lift up my heart. Even in the trials.
I don't want to do a long spiel about Job however. I just want to bring out some parts I find particularly interesting, and I hope you all add to it!
I look at the book of Job as in 4 parts:
- The beginning, where we see the righteousness of Job, the omnipotence of God, and the importance of Satan. (ch. 1-2)
- The dialogue between Job and his 3 friends. (ch. 3-31)
- The intervention of Elihu (who seems to me very similar to Jesus) (ch. 32-38)
- And God's confrontation with Job, Job's repentance and reconciliation with God, and final blessings. (ch. 39-42)
I'm less interested in the second part (ch. 3-31) since Job is busy justifying himself, and when Elihu appears we learn that Job was sinning through his self-justification all along.
Hi all!
First I want to say "thank you" again to everyone for their support in the last couple of days. It's incredible how a person can feel "at home" with people he's never even seen before!
The book of Job has been on my mind for a while now, as well as the book of Psalms. I find the psalms to be a great encouragement because they are 150 chapters of praying! And sometimes they lift up my heart. Even in the trials.
I don't want to do a long spiel about Job however. I just want to bring out some parts I find particularly interesting, and I hope you all add to it!
I look at the book of Job as in 4 parts:
- The beginning, where we see the righteousness of Job, the omnipotence of God, and the importance of Satan. (ch. 1-2)
- The dialogue between Job and his 3 friends. (ch. 3-31)
- The intervention of Elihu (who seems to me very similar to Jesus) (ch. 32-38)
- And God's confrontation with Job, Job's repentance and reconciliation with God, and final blessings. (ch. 39-42)
I'm less interested in the second part (ch. 3-31) since Job is busy justifying himself, and when Elihu appears we learn that Job was sinning through his self-justification all along.
Comments so far?
blessings,
brian
Well I disagree with your assessment of the 1st part. The importance of satan is not really the issue, nor the righteousness of Job.. the question was the faithfulness of Job during good times as opposed to the faithfulness of Job through the bad times... Much like a marriage...
Hi all!
First I want to say "thank you" again to everyone for their support in the last couple of days. It's incredible how a person can feel "at home" with people he's never even seen before!
The book of Job has been on my mind for a while now, as well as the book of Psalms. I find the psalms to be a great encouragement because they are 150 chapters of praying! And sometimes they lift up my heart. Even in the trials.
I don't want to do a long spiel about Job however. I just want to bring out some parts I find particularly interesting, and I hope you all add to it!
I look at the book of Job as in 4 parts:
- The beginning, where we see the righteousness of Job, the omnipotence of God, and the importance of Satan. (ch. 1-2)
- The dialogue between Job and his 3 friends. (ch. 3-31)
- The intervention of Elihu (who seems to me very similar to Jesus) (ch. 32-38)
- And God's confrontation with Job, Job's repentance and reconciliation with God, and final blessings. (ch. 39-42)
I'm less interested in the second part (ch. 3-31) since Job is busy justifying himself, and when Elihu appears we learn that Job was sinning through his self-justification all along.
Comments so far?
blessings,
brian
Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, "A PERFECT AND UPRIGHT MAN, ONE THAT FEARETH GOD, AND ESCHEWETH EVIL".
The Creator himself in chapter 1 has given Job the highest laud that could be given to man by the one who sees the heart. Surely, God cannot be mistaken...
When God finally thundered and demanded an answer from one who were there when he created in chapter 36-42...WHO???
Job 38:2 Who is this that darkened counsel by words without knowledge?
Job had already been silenced way before...when Eliju spoke of being perfect in wisdom
Quote:
Job 36:2 Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I HAVE YET TO SPEAK ON GOD'S BEHALF.
3 I WILL FETCH MY KNOWLEDGE FROM AFAR, AND WILL ASCRIBE RIGHTEOUSNESS TO MY MAKER.
4 FOR TRULY MY WORDS SHALL NOT BE FALSE: HE THAT IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE IS WITH THEE.
And finally...
Quote:
42:7 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.
Where is Eliju? He's never mentioned again...
These salient points have baffled bible scholars for quite sometime now, i.e., Dr. Morris who wrote a commentary on this book.
To me, the book's about God - His sovereignty over (and usage) of Satan, Job's inability to reconcile any human grasp of the Almighty, and the purpose and benefit of squeezing us until we have nothing left but awe of Him.
Well, many critics of the book of Job have been made. What my thought is, is to present some of my own impressions, and see what you all think. Differing points of view are always helpful!
Yes, Job was "perfect" and "righteous" in the beginning. Yet satan suggested that he might sin, and God apparently believed this to be so.
We see some interesting things here:
1) satan presents himself before God, when the "sons of God" were also there! We don't know if this is a heavenly place, but nonetheless, God, some "sons of God" and satan are all together in the same context.
2) God doesn't just say, "get out of here, satan!" He actually converses with satan, and agrees to satan's proposals! Satan is a type of "messenger" of God. !!
3) Job makes some hard statements through the trials: "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." And, "shall we receive good from the Lord, and shall we not also receive evil?" -!!!!! So Job states that all things ultimately come from God, whether good or evil (no mention of satan at all), and we see that this is not a sinful thing to say, for: "In all this did not Job sin with his lips." (Job 2:10)
Well, many critics of the book of Job have been made. What my thought is, is to present some of my own impressions, and see what you all think. Differing points of view are always helpful!
Yes, Job was "perfect" and "righteous" in the beginning. Yet satan suggested that he might sin, and God apparently believed this to be so.
We see some interesting things here:
1) satan presents himself before God, when the "sons of God" were also there! We don't know if this is a heavenly place, but nonetheless, God, some "sons of God" and satan are all together in the same context.
2) God doesn't just say, "get out of here, satan!" He actually converses with satan, and agrees to satan's proposals! Satan is a type of "messenger" of God. !!
3) Job makes some hard statements through the trials: "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." And, "shall we receive good from the Lord, and shall we not also receive evil?" -!!!!! So Job states that all things ultimately come from God, whether good or evil (no mention of satan at all), and we see that this is not a sinful thing to say, for: "In all this did not Job sin with his lips." (Job 2:10)
blessings,
brian
Job also cursed the day he was born and asked God why He was bothering him. He wanted to go to Sheol (hell) so God would leave him alone.
Job's questions were actually more righteous than the 30 chapters of his friend's "answers" about who God was and how He works. So much for his friend's "wisdom."
Job also cursed the day he was born and asked God why He was bothering him. He wanted to go to Sheol (hell) so God would leave him alone.
Job's questions were actually more righteous than the 30 chapters of his friend's "answers" about who God is and how He works. So much for his friend's "wisdom."
Well, in a sense. "So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. " (32:1)
The problem is that Job had become "self-righteous." And Elihu was angry at him for the same reason: "Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God."
Job spent 30 chapters declaring that he was righteous!
Elihu says, "I have heard the voice of thy (Job's) words, saying, I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.
Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,
He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.
Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man"
So Elihu wants to make it clear to Job that God is not to be criticized or accused. Job had sinned by insisting that he was right! (Remember that Job was NOT accusing God when, in ch 1-2, he states that God sends good and evil.)
Later, Job repents of his self-righteousness after God reveals Himself more clearly.
God gives BLESSINGS and CURSES. We decide which ONE to accept!!
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (King James Version)
26Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 28And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
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