Thursday: “Mah Enosh” (What is Man?)
Again, we must put ourselves in Job’s position. Why is God doing all this to me, or why is He allowing this to happen to me? Job hasn’t seen the big picture. How can he? He knows only what has happened around him and to him, and he doesn’t understand any of it.
Who hasn’t been in a similar situation?
Read Job 7:17–21. What is Job expressing here? What questions is he asking? Considering his situation, why do the questions make so much sense?
Image © Kevin Carden from GoodSalt.com
Some scholars have argued that Job was mocking Psalm 8:4–6, which reads: “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (NKJV; see also Ps. 144:3-4). The problem, though, is that Job was written long before the Psalms. In that case, then, perhaps the psalmist wrote in response to Job’s lament.
Either way, the question “Mah enosh?” (What is man?) is one of the most important we could ask. Who are we? Why are we here? What is the meaning and purpose of our lives? In Job’s case, because he believes that God has “targeted” him, he is wondering why God bothers with him. God is so big, His creation so vast; why should He deal with Job at all? Why does God bother with any of us at all?
Read John 3:16 and 1 John 3:1. How do these texts help us understand why God interacts with humanity?
“As John beholds the height, the depth, and the breadth of the Father’s love toward our perishing race, he is filled with admiration and reverence. He cannot find suitable language to express this love, but he calls upon the world to behold it: ‘Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.’ What a value this places upon man! Through transgression the sons of men became subjects of Satan. Through the infinite sacrifice of Christ, and faith in His name, the sons of Adam become the sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 563.
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i am in darkness.....i dont understand
I'll try to tell you what the lesson says
Man was made in the image of God and he was made a little lower than the angels but higher than the animals
We are wonderfully created to function in a body that is intricate and mind boggling
We have separate systems yet they work harmoniously together
Let's praise God for He is great and full of love to uphold us daily
Hi Bakang, maybe the Hope Sabbath school video discussion could help also. They have a Facebook page if you are on Facebook.
God bless.
Paulette, the rest of Jobs reasoning to Eliphaz found in chapters 6 and 7 has 51 verses of Jobs rebuttal. It shouldn't be difficult to find more than one particular verse to use as an example of Jobs logic and relationship with God.
We publish the HopeSS video on our blog every week. 🙂
As Myrtle said, man was created a little lower than the angels - but we have been elevated to being bothers & sister of Christ, we are now co-heirs with Christ. This happened after Christ redeemed us from Satan.
"Mah enosh" is a Hebrew expression for "What is man?" as found in today's text of Job 7:17. Please go back and read the whole chapter to get an idea of the circumstances in which Job asked this question.
The lesson author, Clifford Goldstein, is Jewish, and thus it is perhaps more natural for him than for others to use this Jewish expression, and in today's lesson he asks us to consider the topic of who we are and why we are here.
Inge, I like your explanation and additional thoughts. I couldn't find what I was looking for until now and am thankful for your additional input.
We merit but death; every breath we take from here on out are a Revelation of God's forgiving love. If you are breathing it is a sign that it is not to late. ☺️
yet, some are still breathing (Lucifer, his angels, etc) who have passed the point of no return. Any delay of even an hour might leave us eternally found wanting. Remember Lot's wife, Pharaoh, Balaam, King Saul, Belshazzar, Judas, Pilate, the Sanhedrin, just to name a few? There is no more convenient time than now.
Yes I get your point, yet though these people set their choice on being lost, it was not because God was fed up with them, he still washed Judah's feet, doing his best, to the last drop to appeal to him, while he was still breathing. who would it be encouraging us to think it is to late?
Well such an astonishing view, a human being a specie of no significance, only elevated above animals what is he that a high and mighty God far above the nature of Angels, self existent, immortal, assumed flesh and blood for the remission and atonement of our SINS. Now that Christ was made flesh with us he is one of us, then humans have been honored in the highest form, our kind have been elevated what manner of Love is this
If I may interject this thought...If Job was unaware of “the big picture”, would he have any reason to question what God allowed? Surely we can understand that if he did have a proper understanding of God's blessings on the righteous, and the curses of the wicked, he would naturally be perplexed by his sudden and overwhelming misfortunes after a life of God's richest blessings. Job had to know more than some today give him credit for. That strong of faith cannot exist in basic ignorance of the controversy and it's main players. People perish for lack of knowledge, but only because they reject the evidence of truth found in creation and through the faithfulness of God's divine revelations. Only a true knowledge of God can lead to righteousness God could commend before all of heaven.
Job was considered by God as "righteous". This cannot happen naturally in this life, which means Job had a right understanding of God, of good and evil, of the fall, the need for a propitiation for sinners, and yes, the devil. Job was given the wisdom from above, which leads to holiness and teaches us to "understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God". God did not leave His faithful servant in ignorance of the controversy, yet the sudden calamities did shake the faith of Job, yet without success as he never sinned against God in all his trial. This would have to indicate that Job did not point to God as the evil behind his misfortunes, but only the One who allowed it.
I would venture to say Job had a better understanding of the big picture than most today. If men today had Job's understanding, there would be more righteous men on the earth.
Is this safe to say?
Well said, brother. May the Holy Spirit continue revealing the truth through you to us. Stay connected please. All the glory to God in the highest!
The conversation between God and Satan certainly provides insight into the character of Job otherwise not included in all of the details as we might imagine. What we refer to as "the great controversy" is more helpful through the story of job than many other sources found in the Bible. Jobs wife had to have known Job better than anyone else in their household. It would follow that her declaration to Job was based on having lived enough years to raise a sizable family. The conversation between Job and his wife certainly indicates a history of unwavering faithfulness to God. There seems to be no specific reason for all of Jobs life and possessions other than God provides.