“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 –>
Read Job 15:14–16. What truth is Eliphaz presenting to Job? Again, Eliphaz was speaking truth (as did the others), this time in regard to the sinfulness of all humanity. Sin is a universal fact of life on earth; so is suffering. And as we also know, all human suffering ultimately results from sin. And there’s … Continue reading –>
We often hear the question of “innocent” suffering. The Bible even uses the phrase “innocent blood” (Isa. 59:7, Jer. 22:17, Joel 3:19), usually in the context of assault, or even murder, of people who didn’t deserve what happened to them. If we use this understanding of “innocent blood,” then, as we all know, our world … Continue reading –>
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had a point: God does punish evil. Unfortunately, that point didn’t apply in Job’s situation. Job’s suffering was not a case of retributive punishment. God was not punishing him for his sins, as He would do with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Nor was Job reaping what he had sown, as can … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Job 10, Isa. 53:6, Rom. 3:10–20, Job 15:14–16, Job 1:18–20, Matt. 6:34. Memory Text: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Algerian–born writer Albert Camus struggled with the question of human suffering. In his book, The Plague, he used a plague as … Continue reading –>
As said earlier in this quarter, it’s important to try to put ourselves in the place of the characters in the story, because doing so can help us understand their motives and actions. They didn’t see the battle going on behind the scenes as we do. If we put ourselves in their shoes, it shouldn’t … Continue reading –>
