CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Job 31:24-40
Our scripture path this week takes us from Job 28-31. Job 28 is an interlude – sort of a break in the endless arguments. This interlude takes the form of a poem on Wisdom. Human wisdom allows mankind to extract all manor of precious metals and jewels from the earth – items of great value that mere animals and birds miss in their migrations. In the same way that valuable minerals evade bird and beast, godly wisdom evades humanity. It cannot be extracted from the hardest rocks, or found in the deepest waters, nor is it hidden in the realm of the Dead. It cannot be purchased with gold, silver, or precious stones. Wisdom is found only in doing right and avoiding wrong. This is the major theme of all the Wisdom writings.
In chapters 29-31, Job makes his final defense. In chapter 29, Job talks about the “good old days” following the classic balanced structure found in Wisdom writings. Verses 2-6 list the blessings Job once enjoyed – God, family, and wealth. Verses 7-11 describe the honor Job enjoyed as a city father, respected by young and old alike. The chapter hinges on verses 12-17, which detail Job’s benevolence to the poorest of the poor, and his pride in his social responsibility. 18-20 return to Job’s blessings, this time those he looked forward to enjoying in his old age. In Job’s culture, the ideal life for a city father was 110 years. The remaining verses return to the subject of the honor Job’s status once afforded him.
In sharp contrast to Job’s former days, chapter 30 describes his present state of suffering. Three times the chapter contains “but now” or “and now”, tying it to the previous words. Job once commanded the honor of kings, who wouldn’t make a decision without first consulting with him. “But now” the sons of worthless men – men Job formerly didn’t trust to watch his dogs – spit in his face! Job’s blessings were once so great that is seemed as if olive oil flowed from rocks before him, but now God had reduced him to “dust and ashes”. Job once showed great benevolence to the poorest of the poor, but now that he was the one in need of assistance, none came for him. He closes with the strongest word pictures thus far describing his gruesome condition.
Job’s final, official defense is summarized in chapter 31. Ancient near eastern people believed upon their death, they would be required to state all the wicked things they had NOT done, then swear an oath that their statement was true. Job makes such a statement here, hoping that God will finally hear his case. He has neither engaged in sexual sin, nor worshipped the fertility goddess. He has done his best to deal honestly with his fellow man, and if in anyway he has failed in this, he has received no benefit from it. He has not neglected the poor. He has not worshipped other gods. He has dealt fairly with both servants and enemies. Job feels secure that he has done absolutely nothing to deserve his suffering. The final words count as his solemn oath.
God does eventually answer Job’s charges. We’ll have to wait to hear God’s answer!
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
1. Have you ever had a problem that, no matter how you tried to explain, your friends or family just didn’t show you any sympathy?
2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Job 26
Our scriptures this week find us continuing in the third cycle of speeches between Job and his friends. In chapter 24, Job continues his response to Eliphaz. Job’s friends continue to insist that God only punishes the wicked and only rewards the righteous. Job insists this cannot be true, for the most powerful and wealthy in their culture were often the most wicked. Job outlines their oppression of the poorest – stealing their land, their flocks, their donkey (for a widow or orphan, their only means of survival) and even their children. He outlines their wicked deeds – adultery, theft, murder. At the end of the chapter he admits that the wicked sometimes suffer, but there seems to be no correlation between actions and suffering. God seems capricious.
In chapter 25, the dialogue breaks down. Job and his friends are no longer listening to each other, but merely interrupting and talking over each other. They have deadlocked. Bildad makes the shortest speech yet. Unable to dispute Job’s evidence of the prospering wicked in their culture, Bildad points to God’s dominion in the Heavens. The traditional view of the ancient near east was that heavenly bodies (stars and planets) had personalities, and were often in conflict. If God seems inaccessible to humans, it is because God is busy controlling the Sun, Moon, and stars – “keeping peace” between them! If even the brightest of stars was impure in the eyes of God, what hope could the most righteous human have?
Chapter 26 is difficult to understand. There are two clear sections – verses 1-4 and 5-14. They seemingly contradict one another, with the second section aligning more closely with Bildad’s words in 25. Is Job speaking the whole time, or is this a continuation of the back-and-forth interruptions? Also, it’s difficult to understand the tone behind the words. Is Job being serious or sarcastic with his questions? Finally, there are many allusions to mythology and ancient understanding of science and physics that are simply lost to us now. All of these challenges presented problems for the scholars who translated Job into English, as well as scholars who have attempted to determine its meaning.
It would be best for us today to understand the entire chapter as coming from Job’s lips. Remember – Wisdom literature is poetry, not history! We have a little leeway. If the original compliers intended for us to understand these words as Job’s, that should be good enough for us. While Bildad stated God’s power as an indication that people are mere maggots without hope, Job turns his argument around. God is certainly all powerful and God’s ways are unknowable. But God is still God of the dead (verses 5-6), He still keeps the earth in place and on schedult (verses 7-10), and is the ultimate conqueror over every power, natural and supernatural (v 11-14). For Job, God’s unknowable power is reason to continue holding out hope!
So, while Job’s friends have a limited, black and white view of God that cannot be questioned, it ultimately leads to hopelessness for people. Ironically, Job’s flexible, questioning and often angry faith ends up leading to hope.
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
1. Job used his culture’s understanding of nature to confirm his faith in God. How can current scientific discoveries affirm our faith?
2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Job 23
Job introduces us to the section of scripture known as Wisdom. The other Wisdom books are Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. Though very different, these books were placed together after the History, which told God’s people about the past, and before the Prophetic books, which told God’s people about the future. Wisdom books deal with the present. Wisdom uses poetic forms to teach truths about life, chiefly that happiness comes from worshiping God (The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom – Proverbs 9:10.) We treat Wisdom differently than other parts of the Old Testament. Like the parables of Jesus, the Wisdom stories are not to be treated historically, but as conveying principles about how life works.
The story of Job was an ancient epic, probably popular during the same time as the events of Judges. At that time, the story would have consisted of simply the first two chapters and the last chapter of the current book (bad things happened to Job, then good things happened to Job.) Centuries later – probably after the Babylonian Exile – the editors of Job either collected or added the poetry section in the middle. The main concern of Job is the problem of suffering, or “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Scholars refer to this issue as “theodicy” (theo – God, dice – justice). From a theological standpoint, Job attempts to answer this question: Will people do the right thing apart from reward and punishment?
It is no accident that Job comes right after the History section of scripture. Remember the theme of History – do good, be blessed by God; do bad, be cursed by God. But what happens when you do good, and still you suffer? Job was a wealthy, righteous man who in a very short period lost everything as a result of a test in the heavenly court. At first, Job remains righteous, even rebuking his wife (“should we accept good from the Lord, and not bad?”) Job’s three friends come to “comfort” him, but end up making him miserable in their certainty that Job must surely have unconfessed sin in his life, or all these troubles would not have befallen him. Each of these friends in turn rebukes Job, more harshly each time, while Job protests his innocence.
Today’s scripture focus finds us in the midst of another round of these “friendly” rebukes. Rather than respond to his friend Eliphaz, Job delves into his own complaints. Job has been insisting on his day in court with God. In the ancient Near East, to stand before God would mean certain swift destruction, but Job is so sure of his innocence, he knows if he could just stand before God and state his case, God would actually listen! In Job 23, Job laments that he can’t even find the courthouse. God has not only punished him unjustly, but has disappeared altogether. God’s presence has been completely removed from Job, making his suffering unbearable. Though he longs for God’s presence, He has become angry and defiant towards God.
In today’s sermon, we’ll examine how to cope when God seems absent.
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
1. Does everyone have to suffer? Is suffering part of God’s plan, or do “things just happen”?
2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
Today’s Sermon
Key Truths –
• Job longed for the presence of God.
• In tough times, we long for God’s presence.
• God didn’t meet Job’s demands.
• God doesn’t always meet our demands, either.
This Week’s Assignment –
Are you dealing with an absence of God in your life? The best way to endure is to keep praying, reading scripture, and focus on serving others until God shows up, in God’s way and in God’s time.
August 22nd, 2010
Today’s scripture focus: Job 19
Today we end “season one” in the story of Job. Next summer we’ll conclude with “season two”, and find out the fate of Job and his friends. Today’s scripture focus contains Job’s response to his friend Bildad’s second speech. Remember the cycle of Job – each of his three friends speak to Job, attempting to convince him of his wrongdoing, and Job responds to each friend in turn, defending himself. As the speeches progress, it is obvious that Job’s friends are simply talking over him, rather than listening and understanding, which simply adds to his misery. In each response, Job becomes more and more defensive. We will leave Job today in the middle of the second round of this cycle.
In chapter 18 we find Bildad’s words to Job. As has been the pattern thus far, he only addresses Job directly in the first few verses. He then spends the duration of the chapter expounding on the fate of all wicked people. Bildad considered Job beside himself a man no longer acting fully responsiblly (18:2). He resents Job’s belittling attitude, accusing him of obsessive self-focus. He considered Job weak on the subject of divine retribution, since Job continued to emphasize how the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. Bildad insists that all wicked people get paid in full in this life. He contrasts how their lamp goes out, only to be replaced with a tent of fire. Death is their final punishment.
Job’s reply is contained in chapter 19. In verses 2-5, Job shows increasing irritation over his counselor’s shameless attacks and his impatience with their superior claims. If he is in error, it is between him and God. Following this we find Job expressing his feelings of abandonment by God. He paints a word picture of a God at war with him. He believes God is attacking him, and is wrong to do so. Job blames God for alienating him from his family, his friends – even his wife (19:17). Verse twenty is another that presents translation difficulties, but apparently the only part of Job’s body unaffected by his illness were his gums. From this comes the popular English expression for narrow escape.
Then, something drastic happens. Amazingly, Job transitions from lament to a triumphant hymn of praise to the One who will champion his cause. Job believed after his death, he would be proved innocent. We learned about the word “redeemer” (19:25) in our study of Joshua. Job would have a blood avenger! Job and his friends didn’t understand the concept of life after death. That was why it was so important to their theology that reward and punishment must be meted out in the present. God, however, used their struggle to give us a beautiful picture of what awaits the redeemed when earthly life is over. Job 19:23-27 is often shared at gravesides today as a message of hope in life eternal.
CrossGroups
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.
1) Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
2) What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
3) How important is the concept of life after death to your faith?
Today’s Sermon
- Job had an Accuser.
- We have an Accuser.
- Job had a Redeemer.
- We have a Redeemer!
Assignment – Pray daily for the manifest presence of God in our worship.
Today’s scripture focus: Job 14
In chapter 11, the third of Job’s friends – Zophar – gave his response to Job. As Job continued to deny any wrongdoing worthy of God’s punishment, his friends’ speeches became increasingly harsh. Zophar was enraged by Job’s accusations against God. He was a severe man who lacked compassion and was extremely judgmental. He told Job that he was getting much less than he actually deserved from God. Surely Job’s sin was so great that God had caused him to forget it! Adding insult to injury, Zophar attacked Job’s wisdom, and doubted he would ever change. He compared Job to a wild donkey! Nevertheless, Job was once again instructed that if he would only admit wrongdoing, God would stop punishing him.
Beginning in chapter 12, Job gives his longest response to date. His patience was wearing thin and he began to return some of the harshness doled out by his friends. “Wisdom will die with you” – in other words, Job sarcastically accuses them of being the only wise men in existence. Job informed them there was nothing said he didn’t already know. In fact, he knew it all better than his friends knew it. Even nature itself knew that God punished the unjust and rewarded the righteous. Job expounded his thoughts with a three stanza poem. Job once again stated his problem, he expanded it to the whole creation, and stressed God’s of using His unlimited power to make suffering worse.
Job told his friends that he could talk about God just as skillfully as they, only he would be honest. Job was confident that given the opportunity he could state his case before God, for he knew the accusations of his friends (that he was being punished for wrongdoing) were false. According to Job, he had been smeared with lies by his friends. Job went so far as to accuse his counselors of lying on God’s behalf! He assures them they will not escape judgment for their use of empty maxims and nice sounding cliches. Job was so sure of his own vindication that, once again, he demands a hearing before God, even if he was slain in the process.
Chapter 14 is one of the most familiar in Job. After answering Zophar, Job began to address God, as has been his pattern. He turned right back to his hopelessness, asking God to just leave him alone for the brief time he has left on earth. Men, Job claimed, were like flowers that sprang up and then withered away. Why would God bother to even judge them, especially since all they did was determined by Him anyway? Nevertheless, Job had a brief moment of hope in 14:14-17, when he acknowledged that God could bring him back from the grave. For those who continue to call on God from the darkness of their troubles, there are always brief, sustaining flashes of hope.
CrossGroups
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.
1) Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
2) What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
3) Go around the table, and have everyone share three good things that are going on in their lives today.
Today’s Sermon
- Job had nothing but complaints.
- We sometimes have complaints.
- God reminded Job of His presence.
- God’s presence is here today.
Assignment – Pray daily for the manifest presence of God in our worship.