Innocent Blood – Discussion Questions
- Pat Answers. As a Sabbath School teacher, were you ever put off–although of course nobody noticed–by pat answers? You might have begun a discussion on the essence of sin, for example, by asking the question, “What is sin?” and almost like a record player, someone would speak up, “Sin is transgression of the law.” Silence fell. True it may be, but it is a pat answer. Used so often, it ends the discussion. Job listened to a few pat answers from his “comforters.” How did he deal with them?
How should we? - Job’s Protests. Have things ever gone so badly in your life that, at least for a while, you wished you’d never been born? Was that truly Job’s thought? Did Job deserve to be punished? What was the purpose of his suffering? Did Job know this? Why or why not? Does God ever punish us for our faithfulness? Why do good people suffer the consequences of sin?
- Innocent Blood. Are you innocent and therefore not deserving of punishment for sins that you didn’t commit? Was Job likewise convinced that he had done nothing wrong and shouldn’t have to suffer as he did? Was Job a sinner in any sense of the word? Are you and I? Explain how Job could be convinced that he was a sinner but not deserving of the punishment he received. How could he know that?
- Unfair Fates. Does Eliphaz speak truth when he gives Job the “what for” about his supposed dereliction of duty? Think about infants and children you knew or knew about when they died as a result of a horrible–and even unknown–set of circumstances. Do you ever experience deep sorrow when you learn of innocent people who suffer and die through no fault of their own? Even if they sinned, do they deserve to be punished as they were? Why? or Why not?
- Sufficient for the Day. Have you ever known someone who packed up home and family and moved hundreds of miles (or kilometers) away to be in a more favorable environment? Don’t all of us spend our lives–more or less–searching for a better place to be? Explain what Jesus meant when He said, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Is any shred of evil sufficient for you and me? How can we enjoy the peace of understanding God’s love even in the presence of evil?
- Things Not Seen. Has your life, or part of it, or your observance of the lives of others demonstrated the presence of evil among us? What is the promise of Hebrews 11:1 when happenings around us are grim? What does faith have to do with the way we take the story of Job and apply it to our lives? Do we find faith on our own or does God give it to us?
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Job's situation brought on much attention even to this day. Although attention was on Job there was a constant switching to God. Through all of this a barrage of questions were issued by both Job and his visitors(They represent a mixed multitude). Why...? Job in all of this had to make a choice in exercising his belief as it rubs against the impact of His experiences. Job remained steadfast. The reminder comes to us from Romans 8:38,39.