Reflect on the fact that you actually give God, the Almighty, pleasure. Write down your thoughts to Him.

Transcription

1 Day 1: Job Day 2: Job 22: Day 3: Job 22: Day 4: Job Day 5 Job Day 6: Job 25 and Job 22 through 26 These readings and study questions are in preparation for next week's lesson. As you study each day ask the Lord to speak to you through His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to make the Word come alive to you for that day. Day 1: Read Job 22. Notice the four questions Eliphaz asks in verses 2 3: Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him? What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless? (NIV) Using the following verses, how would you answer Eliphaz s questions: Psalm 69:30 31 Proverbs 15:8, 26 2 Corinthians 5:7 9 Ephesians 5: Timothy 2:1 3 Reflect on the fact that you actually give God, the Almighty, pleasure. Write down your thoughts to Him.

2 Day 2: Job 22: Compare Eliphaz s description of Job in 22:6 11 with his description in 4:3 4. What do you notice? Eliphaz makes some strong accusations. Let s check if they are accurate. What do you learn when you compare Job 22:6 with Job 31:19 20? What do you learn when you compare Job 22:7 9 with Job 31:16 17, 21 22? Eliphaz switched from commending Job for his good deeds to condemning him for false deeds. In an effort to prove that Job is being punished for guilt, Eliphaz lies. He has moved from simply not knowing to outright sinning. Was there a time when you were so certain you were right about something that you went too far to prove you were right? What was the result? Perhaps, like Job, you ve been on the receiving end of this kind of criticism. Here s a helpful article:

3 Day 3: Job 22: Meditate on Job 22:21 30 and express what it means to you: to submit and be at peace with God to be restored by the Almighty to find delight in the Almighty and lift your face to God to be heard by the Lord

4 Day 4: Job 23 4 Read Job 23: But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. 11 For I have stayed on God s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food. (NLT) What do you learn about the paths we walk from Jeremiah 6:16 19? What further information do Proverbs 21:16 and 22:5 provide? Read Psalms 119: : 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (NIV) It is a great first step to read the Word of God and know the path, but it is not sufficient to only know and see the path. Even Satan knows God s Word. We must act on God s Word and, like Job, choose to walk His path. What path are you walking and where does it lead? What do you need to change in your life to get on or stay on the right path? Make Job s and the psalmist s words into a prayer for your path.

5 Day 5 Job 24 5 Read Job 24:1-17. Job raises the question: Why is God silent? Why doesn t He judge evil? In the opening verses of chapter 24 he describes some of the evil deeds that go unpunished. It is difficult to know if Job is crying out in frustration and confusion because of his own suffering, or if he is refuting Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar s declarations that the wicked are always punished and the righteous always prosper. Read Job 24: Job concludes that God s justice is not denied; it is merely delayed. The wicked flourish now, but judgment is coming. According to the New Testament why does God delay sending sinners to their fate? Romans 2:4 2 Peter 3:9 If God judged every sin the moment it was committed, who would escape judgment? Praise God for His great patience both in your life and in the world today.

6 Day 6: Job 25 and 26 6 Bildad s final words are the last we hear from Job s trio of friends. Read Job 25. Bildad correctly assesses God s power. And, yes, humans are is but worms compared to God. But God does not see us as maggots and worms. God created us in his image and tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139). Read Job 26:1-14. Job starts his final defense by sarcastically noting that his friends have been of no help (vv. 1 4). Though his friends declared that God was powerful, Job seems intent on proving he already knows this by giving an even stronger proclamation of God s power (vv. 5 14). Kathy Bartalsky and her husband, Steve, were missionaries in Ethiopia. Steve flew a helicopter, bringing the gospel and famine relief to the Ethiopian tribesmen. They moved there after their two young children had died and they had been serving for only two months in Ethiopia when on August 4, 1987, Kathy received the report that Steve s helicopter had crashed: both Steve and his passenger had been killed instantly. Three days after the accident, Kathy felt the need to go out to the crash site to be alone with God. As the Lord ministered to her, she became aware of the necessity of trusting Him and affirming the great truths of His Word no matter what life experiences we may encounter. In her own words: What I went through I didn t volunteer for. Yet I believe it comes down to these basic questions. Are you going to trust Christ, or aren t you? Are you going to stand on the Word you have been taught, or aren t you? What if I had sat on that hillside and said, Lord, I can t do it. I can t be Your child anymore. You demand too much from me. Where else could I go? What else in the world gives me the hope that is in Christ Jesus? Kathy s Job-like story is found in her book, Soaring on Broken Wings. Moody Publishers (June 1992) In the present section of Job we find Job and his companions coming to the same conclusion: the need to affirm the great truths of God, even when we cannot understand God s present dealings with us. What truth about God do you need to focus on this week? How will you keep this in mind?