“Doth Job Fear God for Naught?” – Discussion Starters
- God’s Servant Job. [Lesson 5, Oct 15, 2016 ] It is true, is it not, that all of God’s children are blessed by God. Shouldn’t our state of being blessed lead us to a sense of thanksgiving? What about Job? Did the devil reason that Job was satisfied in the Lord because of the blessings bestowed upon him? If so, was he (the devil) confident that Job would give it up when the abundance of his blessings vanished? Do you and I paint a different picture with our lives than the devil did of Job’s?
- Skin for Skin: The Battle Continues. Ellen G. White declares that Christ came to this earth for a more profound reason even than the salvation of His people. What was that broader, deeper purpose? Why is that perspective more crucial to our understanding of Christ’s coming and His sacrifice on Calvary than is the offer of our eternal salvation?
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- Blessed Be the Name of the Lord. Are there any governments besides God’s that are based on love? Do you suppose that God and Job had a pre-battle conversation about why this trial was being imposed on Job? Why or why not? Put yourself in Job’s place. Could you pray to bless the Lord if He allowed for everything you valued (except your wife–or husband) to be destroyed? In what ways does the battle involving Job differ from the one centered on Adam and Eve? In what ways are the two battles similar?
- Job’s Wife Speaks. What kind of advice did Job’s wife finally offer to her poor husband? Would you have been comforted if you were in Job’s place receiving this advice? Your author hints that “Mrs. Job” stepped over the line between sympathy and scorn. Is that your reading, too? How does Job take the situation? Share what happened the last time you had the opportunity to defend God when things went bad in your life.
- Obedience Unto Death. Was Job a sinner? Or was he an object lesson of perfection? How was he able to remain faithful to God no matter what happened? How was the life of Job similar to the life of Jesus? Would Job have been a disgrace to God if he had cursed God and died as his wife recommended? Can you explain why a word is translated “curse” in Job 1:5, Job 1:11, and Job 2:9 (NKJV) instead of “blessing” as the same Hebrew word barak is rendered 302 times in the Old Testament?
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#5."Can you explain why a word is translated “curse” in Job 1:5, Job 1:11, and Job 2:9 (NKJV) instead of “blessing” as the same Hebrew word barak is rendered 302 times in the Old Testament?".
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I cannot offer an explanation, but I find this very interesting, Joyce. I've been looking at it, and just as you indicate, the Hebrew word "barak" is, in the vast majority of cases, translated "bless". But here in Job, the meaning is rendered the opposite way. This does seem unusual, although I know that the old Hebrew can be notoriously challenging.
One of the best [in my opinion] Hebrew Lexicons, is the work of Gesenius. I find it quite fascinating that he comments on the words of Job's wife, putting them like this : " "bless God and die" i.e. however much thou praisest and blessest God, yet thou art about to die; thy piety toward God is therefore vain : the words of a wicked woman."
And it certainly does appear to be true that Job (together with his wife and friends) expected that he would soon die. "My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me." (Job 17:1). From a worldly perspective, it really didn't matter how much Job praised/blessed God, if he was about to die, and God was not going to help him.
#3. "Are there any governments besides God’s that are based on love?"
The only governments that can afford to be based on love [agape], are the family and the church of God. In the New Testament, Paul writes about the State, that "rulers are not [to be] a terror to good works, but to the evil... [and] if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he [i.e. the State] does not bear the sword in vain." (Rom 13:3-4 KJV)
The State must be capable of presenting "a terror" to evil doers. This is the New Testament model. If evil-doers are not afraid of the State, then the State is not fulfilling one of it's God-given roles. But no State can afford to truly love it's enemies [or do good to those that hate it], and it is precisely for this reason that I do not believe that any earthly State can, in truth, be called a "Christian State."
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you. Because of the selfishness of sin, and its effects on the hearts of man, I do not know a governmental system, outside of the church of God, that is based upon and operates in love.
Dqueda,
would it be fair to say that there is to be "government" in a Christian home [a government consisting of father and mother]? and that that "government" can also be based upon, and operate in, love?
But again... no State can afford to truly love it's rebels, but within the confines of the family, and the church? Yes, I think it is possible to love our "rebels".
Accept a man forsakes not all that he has, he cannot be my disciple. God was trying to bless Job with this kind of victory over the devil. All on earth mourned his condition, all heaven rejoice in his resolve. Job was being blessed with victory we will need and experience just before our trip up
Thanks for your comment. It reminds us that though there may be suffering on earth, there is rejoicing in heaven. Often, we forget about the heavenly beings around us that are intently watching as this great controversy unfolds. We often focus on our temporal circumstances, while neglecting to imagine how our responses to sin and difficulties, and attitudes towards God, fit into the bigger, spiritual picture.
#2 - Skin for Skin: The Battle Continues. Ellen G. White declares that Christ came to this earth for a more profound reason even than the salvation of His people. What was that broader, deeper purpose? Why is that perspective more crucial to our understanding of Christ’s coming and His sacrifice on Calvary than is the offer of our eternal salvation?
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Christ came to earth for the broader, deeper purpose of vindicating the true character of God. Since there was war in heaven, the character of God has been on trial. It has been suggested by the devil that God's beautiful created beings, both man and angels, serve God out of reasons like fear and selfishness, instead of love and devotion. Christ came to make manifest the true character of God and fulfill the Law of God which states that God is love. This perspective is more crucial to our understanding of Christ's suffering and sacrifice than the offer of salvation because we are able to see the bigger picture and get a further understanding of the struggle around us, the great controversy. Understanding this cosmic dynamic provides us with the opportunity to evaluate the role that we play in the struggle against sin and why it is important to maintain an attitude like Job's, one that blesses the Lord in all times, simply because He is worthy to be praised.
I am taking this account of Job very personal because salvation is personal. I ask myself how would I behave when all that I hold dear in life is gone in a moment all at once. How do I relate to God when loved ones, significant others turn against me, mock my religious beliefs.that is when it hits home. The great controversy in my life?