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.
4 comments:
Joe, your point about the big dipper being mention caught me as interesting too. It always amazes me knowing that even though we as humans change, God and the earth and heavens still stay the same (except for what man does to them).
I feel the friends showing respect but not really having any long lasting relationship with Job. When Job calls them intermittent steams, he is referring to their loyalty to God and to himself, because they are accusing him of sinning and the are not trusting that God has a plan for Job.
If you notice in the same verse that Job mentions his spirit. And when I think of the spirit of someone I think of when we are praying that our spirit groans and that those groanings are what God listens to. So when here that Job says complaining, I don't see that he is complaining in the sense that we think of it (whining like babies).
It seems that Bildad is a referring to Job as a materialist. He says in in verse 7 that his "beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be". I think that is a reference to Job having much wealth. He also states "such is the destiny of all who forget God." To me it sounds like Bildad is saying Job has forgotten God and has looked towards his belongings.
God does what is just.
This is definitely Jesus. I thought that immediately when I read it and kind of chuckled at it. He had no idea that one day there would be someone just like that.
God has a plan for us. We don't necessarily know the plan, but he has one. Whether it's controlled by him or not, I don't think he controls every aspect because we would not have free will. One thing about possessions and wealth though, I think God provides for us. Even those who do not believe in God he provides for. There is a guy at work who has two child support bills of $300 each and still makes it. I think that it God at work. I find it hard to "blame" God for anything. It's his choice to act in our lives. And since God has provided for me before, it's hard for me to look at bad things and blame God.
That's a great point, Ian, that Job is commenting on the friends' relationships with God also when he calls them "intermittent streams." I've had that phrase stuck in my head all month for some reason—I think because I have a tendency to be an intermittent stream myself. I think that's one of the most important aspects of being righteous: being steady, not only reliably there for your friends in times of need and not attacking them, but planning your time wisely and thus being able to mean what you say.
In a way I attacked all of you for being intermittent streams in my emails because I hate that attribute in myself and want so bad to purge it.
The friends seem more concerned with looking right than about comforting Job. When Job attacks his friends, it is very understandable because he is in a lot of emotional distress. His friends should take his harsh criticism and not try to defend themselves — his comfort should be more important to them than their own correctness.
He is not afraid to complain to God. I think that is a positive thing. For real relationship we need to be willing to communicate honestly with God. Just the fact that everything he is thinking about and talking about has to do with God impresses me. I have trouble thinking of God when I am confronted with struggles. If I focused more on God in times of trouble and brought my complaints to him, then I think that not only would the outcomes be better, but I would have stronger faith.
I agree with what Ian said about Bildad.
Its hard to say what justice is apart from it being whatever God's will is. Job claims to be blameless, which is quite a claim to make. If justice is blessings for good and curses for evil and if Job is truly blameless, then what happens to him is unjust. All of us have sinned, so our hardships are just according to that justice system. However, the ratios of good deeds to blessings and bad deeds to curses might not always be right. If justice is defined by God's will, though, then nothing God does could possibly be unjust.
Those verses make me think of Jesus, but the verses seem to say that Jesus saves us from an angry God rather than from sin.
I think he controls some things, but not everything. Some of my problems are caused by other people or by myself. God gives me and others free will, so he could not be behind it. I fail to praise or complain enough. I wish I could say I do both (preferably with the praising having an edge over the complaining) but I am not focused on God enough.
Cool Things:
I read the Message, so a lot of the word choices were different. I particularly enjoyed one passage — 6:13:
Do you think I can pull myself up by my bootstraps? Why, I don't even have any boots!
Joe, I am an intermittent stream. I also want to purge that attribute from every aspect of my life and not just responding to Cousin Job.
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