The Book of Job

8th Bible: Old Testament

Main Idea: Do we serve God for what He gives or for who He is?

  1. When does the history of Job take place?
  2. All evidence points to the time of the patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  3. Consider how wealth is measured in number of cattle and servants. (Job 1:3; 42:12)
  4. Job was a priest in his family; offering sacrifices much like the patriarchs. (Job 1:5)
  5. Job had a long life span; he lived 140 years. (Job 42:16)
  1. What is wisdom?
  2. The book of Job is one of the wisdom books: (Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes)
  3. Job 28:28“And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.'”
  4. Are we truly wise?
  1. What does it mean to fear God?
  2. Fear of God = the reverential awe of God (to worship and adore God with reverence)
  3. Proverbs 9:10 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
  4. To fear God is to see Him for who He really is and to see man as he really is.
  5. John Brown: The fear of the LORD is “to regard the smiles of God more than the frowns of man; the smiles of man less than the frowns of God.”
  1. DOES JOB FEAR GOD?
  2. “Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Haveyou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God, and shuns evil?'” (Job 1:8)
  3. “So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan asks: does Job fear God for no reason? Satan is suggesting that the piety of Job is fake and out of self-love and because God has blessed him. (see Job 1:10)
  4. Does Job fear God truly or only for his family, cattle, and wealth?
  5. Satan then says to God: “But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has [take away his possessions], and he will surely curse You to Your face!” (Job 1:11) Satan is saying that since Job fears God for what God gives, he will no longer serve God if all his possessions are taken away.
  6. Satan suggests: Job is not really a Christian; take away all that he has and he will curse God.
  7. Then Job is put through the furnace of affliction to see if he fears God for the blessings or because He in truth loves God.
  8. Will Job curse God to His face? Will Job say farewell to God?
  1. Does Job fear God after all his possessions are taken away?
  2. Job’s wife says: “curse God and die” = say farewell to God (Job 2:9b).
  3. Satan wants Job to break his relation with God.
  4. Job’s fear of God was true and genuine. He did not curse his God.He never said farewell to God. He did not abandon God, although he did say things that he should not have said.
  5. Despite all the things that Job said wrongly, he still holds on to his God.
  6. Everything is taken away and yet his faith remains in God.
  7. Instead of cursing God, Job blesses God. Job says, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the Name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b).
  1. Conclusion:Do we truly fear, serve, and love God?
  2. Are we Christiansbecause we want what God gives orbecause we delight in having communion and fellowship with Him?
  3. Do we fear God because (or when) thingsgo well in our livesor because we love Him for who He is?