Wednesday Service | STRANGER THEMES | Part 1: The Book of Job

[1] Job isn’t us… he’s way than us

Job 1:1-3 (NIV)

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters, ³ and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

[2] Satan and the Sons of God

Job 1:6-7 (AMP)

⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the ^[d]Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” 

• Who are the Sons of God?
  • Genesis 6:4 – Job 38:7
• The title Satan means = , Accuser, Hostile One
• Satan is

Job 1:9-12 (AMP)

⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not put a hedge [of protection] around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands [and conferred prosperity and happiness upon him], and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But put forth Your hand now and touch (destroy) all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.” ¹² Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, only do not put your hand on the man himself.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

[3] Job’s initial response to disaster was

Job 1:20-21 (NIV)

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

• Job’s wife… is not someone we want to

Job 2:9 (NIV)

⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

[4] Job’s friends show up in shock and

Job 2:13 (NIV)

¹³ Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

• They start off right by simply being with him

• Once they start it all goes down hill

Romans 12:15 (AMP)

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief].

Job 4:12-16 (NIV) [Eliphaz]

¹² “A word was secretly brought to me, my ears caught a whisper of it… ¹⁵ A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end.
¹⁶ It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes, and I heard a hushed voice:

Job 20:1-3 (AMP)

Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said, ² “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me answer, Because of the uneasiness that is within me. ³ “I have heard the reproof which insults me, But the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.”

• Job’s friends seize an opportunity to feel to him

Job 16:1-6 (NLT)

Then Job spoke again: ² “I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are!
³ Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air? What makes you keep on talking? ⁴ I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you. ⁵ But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your grief. ⁶ Instead, I suffer if I defend myself, and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.

[5] Job is a foreshadowing of

Job 19:25-27 (NIV)

²⁵ I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. ²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; ²⁷ I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

• Job was beyond recognition of his friends… and so was Jesus

Job 2:11-12 (NIV)

¹¹ When Job’s three friends… heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes… to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹² When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their…

• Job was and so was Jesus

Job 5:1 (NIV)

“Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

Matthew 27:43 (NIV)

⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

• Both Job and Jesus were by their friends

• Job for his friends… Jesus prays for his friends and

Luke 23:34 (NIV)

³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

• Job was raised up after he for his friends… and Jesus was raised up to be our

Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)

²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

• Job couldn’t answer any of God questions… But can

[6] We learn from Job… that are real

• Tests are fundamentally about God

• Tests reveal whether you can be trusted with more

• God wants to use your test to bring to him

• One of our tests will be… how will we treat our when they are going through their test?