July 6
Adult | Lesson 32
Job’s Suffering
God is sovereign over all things, both good and bad.
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Bryan Osborne Lesson 32 Teacher Videocloud_download
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Overview

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Studying God’s Word

Group Prayer
Lesson Resources
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open_in_newUnderstanding Trials
Overview
Lesson Focus
The account of Job proclaims the sovereignty and omnipotence of God over all things—both good and bad. Job’s faith and trust in God remained firm through much affliction. We can find comfort in knowing that if we are children of God, he works everything in our lives according to his good purpose.
Key Passages
Job 1:1–2:10, 31:5, 38:1–7, 40:3–5, 42:1–6; James 5:11; Romans 8:28–30
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Recognize that God is sovereign over every circumstance.
- Describe the faith and trust of Job.
Memory Verse
Hebrews 11:1 & 6 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. . . . And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
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Lesson Preparation
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Write on the board, “Do good things happen to good people?”
AStudying God’s Word
Studying God’s Word
For the Understanding Trials activity, use Student Guides or print.
Optional Supplements
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Video Clips
Preview the recommended video(s) before class. If appropriate, show to your class and discuss before, during, or after the lesson.
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You may want to use the PowerPoint presentation provided to enhance your teaching.
Studying God’s Word
Introduction
In last week’s lesson, we looked at the origin of different people groups as a result of the confusion of the languages at Babel. We looked at a map of how the people had spread across the Middle East and into Asia, Africa, and Europe.
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- Write on the board, “Do good things happen to good people?”
- Don’t forget! Review the Optional Supplements and determine where you can use them.
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In light of these events described in the tower of Babel account, how many races are there on the planet, and what is your biblical support?
There is only one race—the human race. Acts 17:26 and Genesis 3:20 support this idea, as does knowing that only eight people were aboard the ark to repopulate the earth.
Because God has created each person in his image, we should respect and value each person regardless of their ethnic characteristics. This also reminds us that individuals from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people are guilty because of the sin inherited from Adam and are in need of the Savior. That is why it is so critical that we share the gospel with all people so that they might avoid the penalty for their sin and can bring worship to the Lamb who is worthy of praise (Revelation 5).
Today, we are going to look at a descendant of Shem by the name of Job. We will see in the text that Job was from the land of Uz. From Genesis 10, we know that Uz was a grandson of Shem through Aram and likely settled in a region south of the Dead Sea.
The book of Job is the oldest book of the Bible, and most scholars think that Job was the author. Based on historical clues, Job likely lived at about the same time as Abraham, around 2100 BC (though there are some who would place him a little later in history).
It may seem odd that we have jumped from the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, to Job, the eighteenth book of the Bible. But since we are looking at the biblical timeline chronologically, we are not following the order of books in the Bible. Job is positioned among the poetic or wisdom literature section along with Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. These are together in a group between the historic books (Genesis through Esther) and the Major Prophets (Isaiah through Daniel). But chronologically speaking, Job fits somewhere in the middle of the Genesis accounts.
The Trials of Job
Today we will be using a little different style of examining the text. We have a lot of ground to cover, so we are going to read a passage from Job and then make some basic observations, read another passage and make some observations, etc. We will cover Job 1:1–2:10 in five chunks, so open up your Bibles to Job, and let’s begin.
Let’s read Job 1:1–5 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.
- How is Job described? Blameless, upright, feared God, turned from evil.
- How many children did Job have? Ten—seven sons and three daughters.
- How wealthy was Job? He was the greatest (richest) of the people of the east. He owned 3,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (pairs) of oxen, 500 donkeys, and a very many servants.
- Why was Job presenting sacrifices? He was afraid that his sons and daughters may have sinned against God, so he was offering on their behalf.
Let’s read Job 1:6–12 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.
- Where is this scene taking place? It occurs “before the Lord,” so it is likely in the throne room of heaven.
- Who are the characters? The sons of God, Satan, and the Lord.
- In verse 8, how did God describe Job? He was God’s servant; he was unique among men. He was blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.
- What attribute of God is demonstrated in God’s statement that there is no other person like Job on earth? God must be omniscient (all-knowing) to make this statement.
- From Satan’s perspective, why did Job fear God? Satan suggested that Job feared God only because God had blessed him and protected him and his possessions.
- What did Satan expect to happen if Job’s possessions are taken away? Satan believed Job would curse God to his face.
- How did God respond to Satan’s proposal to test Job? God gave Satan permission to do anything to Job except harm him personally.
Let’s read the next part of the passage, Job 1:13–22, together. Have someone read the passage aloud.
- What did the first messenger (v. 14) report to Job? The Sabeans stole his oxen and donkeys and killed all the servants.
- What did the second messenger (v. 16) report to Job? Fire from heaven burnt up all of the sheep and servants.
- What did the third messenger (v. 17) report to Job? The Chaldeans took the camels and killed all of the servants.
- What did the fourth messenger (v. 18–19) report to Job? A great wind blew down the house where all of his children were feasting, killing them all.
- What phrase is repeated in this passage? “While he was yet speaking . . . .”
- How did Job respond after he heard all of these messages? He rose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and then worshipped God. Also, he did not sin nor charge God with wrong in his response.
- What was Job’s view of God’s role in what had just taken place? God had given him what he had, and God had taken it away. He did not charge God with wrong, but offered a blessing.
Let’s continue and read Job 2:1–6 together. Here we find another scene before God. Have someone read the passage aloud.
- How does this passage compare to the first scene before God (1:6–8)? It presents the same order of events: Satan appears before God and is questioned about his actions. Then God commends Job.
- In verse 3, how did God describe Job? The same way he did in chapter 1, but he added that Job still held his integrity even after his first set of trials.
- What was Satan’s response to God? Satan suggested that if Job were personally harmed, he would curse God.
- What permission did God grant to Satan? Satan could harm Job, but not take his life. This was a step further than the permission given earlier.
Let’s read what happened in Job 2:7–10 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.
- What did Satan do to Job? He struck Job with boils over his entire body.
- How did Job respond? He sat in ashes and scraped his sores with a piece of broken pottery.
- What did Job’s wife ask him to do? She told Job to curse God and die.
- How did Job respond to her request? He called her foolish and explained that God brought both good and bad into their lives.
- To this point, had Job sinned in his responses to his circumstances? No, he had not sinned with his lips.
Discover the Truth
We have just sped through this text, and we could draw out much more from this passage, but we are examining the idea of God’s sovereign control over events in the world.
- Who directly brought about the calamities in Job’s life? Satan.
- Who gave permission for the calamities to occur? God.
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How did Job demonstrate his understanding of God’s control over his circumstances?
Job said that both the good and bad in his life were the result of God’s hand. He also said that nothing he had was of his own doing, but that the Lord had given him what was taken away. Rather than cursing God, Job blessed God. He understood that God was in control.
After all that had happened to Job in a very short time, he recognized that both good and adversity come from God. God had given Job his family and his wealth, and God had taken Job’s physical and material prosperity away. This is a difficult idea to accept. For many, the adages “God helps those who help themselves” and “good things happen to good people” have replaced biblical truth about the circumstances in our lives. We see this mentality in the next section of Job.
God Questions Job
Rather than reading through the next thirty chapters of Job’s interaction with his friends, I will give you a summary of what took place and a few quotes.
As Job was mourning his losses, his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, showed up. They sat with him for seven days grieving together. Then Job cursed the day he was born, wishing it had never come (3:1–26).
Eliphaz responded to Job first in chapters 4–5 and suggested that Job’s suffering was the result of sin. Look at Job 4:7–8. “Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.”
In chapters 7–10 Job rejected the claim that he had sinned. However, Job called for God to give him an explanation for his sufferings (Job 13).
Zophar took up the charges, urging Job to repent. This cycle repeated itself with the three friends accusing Job and Job looking to God for hope and relief, knowing he had not sinned.
In chapter 32, Elihu, a younger man, broke in to rebuke the others and their false understanding of God. He explained that God is just, fair, almighty, wise, and loving. Job’s only sin was his demand that God answer him on his terms.
That led up to chapter 38 where God entered in a whirlwind. Rather than answering Job’s questions, however, God took a different approach.
Turn to Job 38 and follow along as I read verses 1–7. We will also look ahead through the end of the book to answer a few more questions. Read the passage aloud.
- What did God tell Job to do? Job is to prepare himself to be questioned by God.
- What followed God’s instructions to Job? A series of questions.
- Was Job able to answer any of these questions? No, they were rhetorical questions that only God could answer.
- How long does this continue in the text? Through the end of chapter 41, with a small break in chapter 40 where Job began to recognize his limits.
Discover the Truth
Nowhere in this exchange did God explain to Job the purpose in the suffering that he endured, yet Job recognized that God had ordained his circumstances and that he had no right to question God’s motives. This idea is reflected throughout the Bible. Let’s look at a few cross-references to help us understand this idea.
In James 5:11 we have a partial answer to the reason for Job’s sufferings. Read the verse.
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What did James use Job as an example of?
Steadfastness/perseverance.
The Christians James was writing to were facing many trials and persecutions. James pointed them to Job as an example of persevering and trusting God to show himself compassionate and merciful. God restored Job’s fortunes and doubled his possessions after his trials. Job serves us today as a witness to persevering in trials even if we can’t see their cause or their ultimate purpose.
Let’s look at another passage. Turn to Romans 8:28–30, and would someone please read it? Have someone read the passage.
- What works together for good? All things; this would include both good and bad circumstances in life.
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For whom do all things work together for good?
For those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
In verse 29, we see that the goal of those good and bad things in verse 28 is to conform us to the image of Christ. God uses the circumstances in our lives to make us more like Christ. He brought trials into Job’s life, and Job learned to honor God more as a result of those trials—he was more like Christ at the end of the trial.
If you look back through the verses leading up to verse 28, the “all things” includes the “sufferings of this present time” (v. 18).
Through all of his trials, Job trusted God. He trusted that God had given him the blessings of his early days and that God had taken them away as he saw fit. He had his moments of doubt and questioning, but he knew that the God in whom he trusted was worthy of his trust.
Understanding Trials Activity
- Have the students turn to the Understanding Trials activity in their Student Guides or print.
For some of you this may be a new idea, or a new way to look at trials in your life. Take a few minutes to respond to the “Understanding Trials” questions and then we’ll wrap up the lesson. Have the students take a few minutes to answer the questions in their Student Guides in light of the lesson.
Connect to the Truth
Application
Now that we have looked at the account of Job, I hope you have a greater appreciation for the sovereignty of God over our lives—in both our sorrows and our joys. Job is an example for us in terms of perseverance and trusting God even in hard times. It is because we know the character of God—his wisdom, sovereignty, omniscience, justice, holiness, mercy, love, etc.—that we can trust that his plans are always best, even though to us they may appear as disasters.
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- Some people would claim that Job was not a real person, but simply a character in a poem that helps us understand suffering. How could James 5:11 be used to correct this misunderstanding? If James is encouraging persecuted Christians, he would not point to a mythical figure as a model of perseverance. His use of Job as an example confirms Job’s existence. To use a mythical figure in this context would be like encouraging someone who was trying to lift a heavy object to remember the example of Atlas or Superman.
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What comfort can we draw from the behind-the-scenes look at the authority God exercises over Satan’s actions?
Satan is not free to do anything that he wishes; he must work within the limits of God’s permission. This truth should comfort us, for it reminds us that an all-wise God is controlling the trials that we face in life.
In Romans 8, we read that the circumstances in our lives are working together for good to grow us to be more like Christ. This is true for all who are in Christ by faith in his work on the cross.
- How does this view of circumstances differ from that of others who believe in ideas like karma, fate, chance, or the general principle that what goes around comes around? Rather than having no real hope about the future, Christians have a certain promise that God has called them to the position they are in. Trusting God offers a real hope that can’t be found in chance, fate, or hoping people will be nice to us. We know that God will ultimately transform us into the image of Christ.
- What truths have you drawn from our lesson today that you can put into practice as you face various trials throughout the next week? Discuss various answers.