Job 6-10: "Defensive"

Summary of 6-10:

Job answers Eliphaz the Temanite with utter disgust for life and his friends.  He calls them "intermittent streams," places where a man goes to find a drink on his journey that were once mighty rivers and are now dry rock beds.  He defends himself against their accusations that the reason God is punishing him is that he has sinned.  Bildad the Shuhite repeats the accusation trying to use logic: "Does God pervert justice?"  In his time of need they are putting him down.  Job comes back with the question, how can I reason with God?  God is beyond him and there is no hope of standing up and defending himself to God: "If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion."

Questions:

1. How are Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar like "intermittent streams?"  

2. How does the word "complain" in verse 11 of chapter 7 affect your view of Job?  Is he complaining?  

3. Why does Bildad think Job is suffering?  

4. Does God pervert justice in the way He treats Job?  Does He in the way he treats everyone?

5. Of whom do verses 32-35 in chapter 9 make you think?

6. Do you think God is controlling every aspect of your life, all your losses and gains?  Why or why not?  Do you blame Him or praise Him for them?  Do you talk to Him about them?

Cool Things:

Verse 9 of chapter 9 mentions the Big Dipper (called the Bear), Orion, and the Pleiades.  The person who wrote "Job" saw the same stars that we see about 3,000 years ago.

RE-INTRODUCTION

Hey guys!  Thus we begin.

As you read Job circle key images and ideas.  Own the text.

Point out the interesting names (of people and places) and arresting images for the rest of us.  I have found that Job has the best poetry in the whole Bible.

As we try to absorb Job, let's consider these overall questions: what relationship is there between Job's suffering, Christ's, and our own, why is there so much dialogue and so little action in this story, and what the heck is God's deal?!?!

Job One - Five: "Lost"

Summary of 1-5:

In a great assembly of spiritual beings, God points to Job as an example of righteousness in man.  Satan claims that Job is righteous only because God provides for him.  God allows him to take away all of Job's blessings.  Job loses his wealth, his family, and his health.  His three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar come to sympathize with him.  Job's despair is so deep that he prefers death over life.  Eliphaz speaks to him first saying that God punishes foolishness but will forgive those who turn to him.

Questions:

1. What is Satan's role?  

2. What is noble and what is disappointing about Job's response to his suffering in chapter 3?  

3. Why does Eliphaz think Job is suffering?  

4. If you were Job, what would God take away from you? In other words, what do you hold dear or what are your measures of success, security, and comfort?

Cool Things:

Job has the same haircut that most of us have had at one time or another.

Before anyone speaks, Job's friends sit with him silently for SEVEN days, and then he gets to speak first.  That's a good pattern to follow when someone is grieving.  Presence is all that counts.

Eliphaz sees and describes a ghost.  He even describes his hair standing on end.