“ ‘He also shall be my salvation, for a hypocrite could not come before Him’ ” (Job 13:16, NKJV).

1. Seven days of silence. Have you ever kept quiet about some issue in order to stay out of trouble with others at work or in the church? If so, did it work? Did Job follow that procedure? Why or why not? Can you imagine being visited in your sickness for seven days by three visitors who said nothing until those seven days were up? When they started talking, what do you think Job thought about those seven days of silence?
2. Forgers of lies. What does Proverbs 17:28 say about keeping silence? Did Job sit still and listen quietly while his “comforters” talked to him? What happens when we mix truth and error? How can we stay on the side of truth? We’re constantly encouraged to witness, to share, to speak out about our beliefs. What did Job’s “friends” say about God that was wrong? Did they change Job’s mind? Have you ever said something that was wrong and had to back out later?
3. Though he slay me. How did Job manage to keep hope alive in his heart when so much was going wrong with him? Does God ever “slay” someone who doesn’t obey Him? Is it our job–to ferret out the unbelievers and see that they are punished? Lacking a full trust in God, could Job have discussed the issues presented to him with confidence? Have you ever had an opportunity to praise God for His love even as you suffered physical, financial, or other calamities? How did you do that?
4. Intimations of hope. What was the source of Job’s hope even in his time of great suffering? Our church now has a “hope channel” on the Web. Do you sense the hope of our message in the image this new ministry uses? Have you ever suffered bad pain that it seemed would never go away? Before the cross, your lesson author says, God’s people offered numerous sacrifices but didn’t fully understand their full purpose. Living in the end time, just before the coming of the Lord, do you and I fully understand the vision of hope that God offers us? How can we obtain a fuller understanding?
5. Hope before the world began. What did God and the angels hope for before the creation of the world? What are they hoping for now? “As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour.” How far-reaching is that hope, as expressed in Titus 1:2? Can you and I comprehend the degree and quality of this hope? How can we thrive on this hope and make it the center of our thinking even as we’re surrounded by evil?

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