Read the following texts. What hope does each of them reveal? Gen. 3:15 “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Gen. 22:8 “And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’ So the … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Intimations of Hope” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV Sabbath School … Continue reading –>
Who among us, having gone through what Job did, could utter such a powerful affirmation of hope? His words are an eternal testimony to the reality of his life of faith and obedience. Job had hope, because he served a God of hope. Even amid all the sordid stories of human sinfulness, from the fall … Continue reading –>
“ ‘He also shall be my salvation, for a hypocrite could not come before Him’ ” (Job 13:16, NKJV). This verse follows right after the one we read yesterday. How does it affirm even more the idea that, despite everything, Job had hope, and that his hope was in God? What an interesting line to … Continue reading –>
When we started this quarter, we went right to the end of the book, and we saw how well things eventually turned out for Job. We saw that, even amid his terrible suffering, Job really had something to hope for. In fact, living when we do, and knowing the end of the whole book, i.e., … Continue reading –>
“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent” (Prov. 17:28, RSV). Whatever one wants to say about the man Job, one can’t say that he was going to sit there amid his sorrow and quietly listen to what his friends were throwing at him. On … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Prov. 17:28, Job 13:1–15, James 2:20–22, 1 Cor. 15:11–20, 1 Pet. 1:18–20, Gen. 22:8. Memory Text: “ ‘He also shall be my salvation, for a hypocrite could not come before Him’ ” (Job 13:16, NKJV). Man is the only animal,” wrote British essayist William Hazlitt, “that laughs and weeps; for … Continue reading –>
Last Sabbath’s introduction began with Albert Camus, who wrote a lot about his struggle for answers, not just to the question of suffering but to the question of life’s meaning in general, which suffering made only more problematic. As with most atheists, he didn’t make much headway. His most famous quote shows how little: “There … Continue reading –>
Read Proverbs 3:5. Though it is such a common text, what crucial message does it have for us, especially in the context of what we have been studying? Though the case of Job is extreme, it does reflect the sad reality of human suffering in our fallen world. We don’t need the story of Job … Continue reading –>
Read the following verses and think about the immediate fate of those depicted in the texts. Then ask yourself the question: How fair was life treating them? Job 1:18–20 “While he was still speaking, another also came and said, ‘Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and suddenly a … Continue reading –>
