GOOD EVENING, FAMILY

1
GOOD EVENING, FAMILY!

• What is Zophars opinion of Jobs spiritual state
  (116b)?
• What does Zophar propose that Job do about his
  state (1113-20)?
• How do you think Job is going to react to
  Zophars sermon?
• For June 22 Be ready to study 1 Corinthians!
• For June 29 Study Job 15-17

2
THE POEM THE FIRST DEBATE CYCLE -- JOB 3-14

• Job 12-14 Job Responds to Zophar

3
JOBS RETORT I AM NOT INFERIOR! (Chapter
121-11)

• 1-3 A bitterly sarcastic attack on Zophar by
  Job, who claims to have understanding as well as
  you and to know such things as these
• What things does Job say he knows as well as
  they?

4
JOB KNOWS

• Vv. 4-9 That, though God rewards the faithful
  and punishes the guilty
• God isnt doing that for Job instead, J is a
  laughingstock to my friends, and the object of
  contempt all despite Jobs being a just and
  blameless man (4-5)
• Instead, while J, a just man, is suffering at
  Gods hands
• Robbers are at peace and those who provoke God
  are secure (6)! Whine, whine, whine
• Just like us (see song, Farther Along)!!

5
JOB KNOWS

• The hand of the Lord has done this (9)
• Even the beasts, the birds, the fish and the
  plants know this (7-8) everyone knows that
  God is behind everything!
• Problem Just because everybody knows it
  doesnt make it so just as everybody does it
  doesnt make it right!
• And, in this case the beasts, the birds, the
  fish, the plants, Job, and his friends are wrong!

6
JOBS RETORT WITH GOD IS WISDOM (1213-25)

• Gods wisdom and might make Him sovereign over
  all creation, giving Him power to make and break
  judges, princes, kings, chiefs and fools alike
• Job misses real truth of his own words God is
  sovereign, and has the right to run His creation
  as He sees fit and owes no one an explanation
  (foreshadows chapters 38-41)!

7
JOBS RETORT WORTHLESS PHYSICIANS ARE YOU ALL
(131-12)

• Vv. 1, 4 Jobs increasingly bitter reaction to
  his friends, calling them liars and worthless
  physicians
• Vv. 5-11 J accuses friends of arrogance in
  presuming to plead the case for God
• V. 12 Their arguments are not only
  presumptuous, but baseless ashes and clay

8
JOBS RETORT I WOULD SPEAK TO THE ALMIGHTY
(133, 15-28)

• Jobs bitter anger builds to a crescendoand
  turns toward God
• Vv. 3, 13-18 Job summons God into his Court of
  Inquiry in this Hearing, Job
• Demands a chance to argue my case (3b)
• Seems to realize that his bold demand may involve
  risk to himself (God may slay me -- v. 15),
  yet he
• Is determined to have his say, come on me what
  may (13)
• Is convinced that he will be vindicated (18)
• Wow! Job growing boldness toward God explains
  Gods response later in chapters 38-41 Just
  who do you think you are?!

9
JOBS RETORT I WOULD SPEAK TO THE ALMIGHTY

• Vv. 20-28 Jobs Closing Argument
• Grant two things to me (20)
• withdraw thy hand so that I wont suffer any
  more (21)
• Be careful what you ask for, Job!
• Make me to know mysin (21)
• Answer None
• Why do You count me as thy enemy? (24)
• Answer God doesnt

10
JOBS PLAINT MANIS OF FEW DAYS AND FULL OF
TROUBLE (Chapter 14)

• Bitter, angry tone changes to plaintive,
  reflective, mournful
• Vv. 1-8 Since man only has a few days on earth,
  Job asks God to look away from himthat he may
  enjoyhis days
• Vv. 9-14 Intimations of immortality
• Nature rejuvenates each spring (7-9)
• Yet man does diesand rises not again (10, 12)
• Job yearns for that day perhaps beyond this
  life in which my release should come, (14) a
  day in which

11
IF A MAN DIE, SHALL HE LIVE AGAIN?

• Job would hear Gods tender call and respond in
  obedience (15)
• God would overlook Jobs failings, keeping them
  sealed up in a bag (16-17)
• Job would find peace and comfort, not torment and
  pain
• Vv. 18-22 But that yearned-for day seems a
  hopeless dream as Job believes that God
  destroyest the hope of man (19) and is
  insensible to His creatures suffering (20-22)
• A very poignant soliloquy and very wrong!

12
PROCESSING OUR LEARNING

• Why is Jobs constant plea for God to leave him
  alone so ironicand dangerous?
• Do you think Job believed in the afterlife?
  Why/why not?
• For Sunday, June 29, please study chapters 15-17,
  which begin the Second Debate Cycle