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Notes: Job 20-21

English Language Study Guide for January 16, 2008

After Zophar’s scathing accusations, Job responds.

Job 21

2-3: Listen to what I have to say, then make fun of me if you will.

4: Do you think I’m just making a show before men?

5: Be quiet; cover your mouth if you must.

7-19: Look around and observe the lives of wicked men

  • 7: They become mighty in power
  • 8: Their families are large and healthy
  • 9: They don’t live in fear of God’s chastening rod
  • 10-11: Their animals increase
  • 11-12: Their children enjoy life, music and dance
  • 13: They are wealthy
  • 13: They don’t have lingering deaths
  • 14: They bid God leave for they have no desire to know His will for their lives
  • 15: They consider worship to be unprofitable; they consider God to be irrelevant
  • 17-19: God ignores them for their insignificance

22: Would you advise God to run things differently?

23-26: All men die alike.

27-28: I know what you’re trying to do to me.

29-33: If you would but ask, you would learn that there is a future day of judgment for the wicked, and justice will prevail.

34: Why, then, do you keep lying about me and saying that all of this is judgment for my sins?

 

Job 22

Like a broken record, Eliphaz speaks again, repeating his false accusations.

2-3: Job, God doesn’t need you and He takes no pleasure in you.

Psalm 35:27  Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

Psalm 147:11  The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Psalm 149:4  For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Ephesians 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

5-9: Job, you are a wicked man.

  • taken from your brother without cause
  • stripped the naked
  • refused food and water from the hungry and thirsty
  • rejected widows and orphans

10-11: Because of your sin these things come upon you.

12-14: Dare you challenge God?

15-17: Don’t you remember what happened in the (not-so-distant) past? Recall that God destroyed the earth with a flood because of the wickedness of men (Genesis 6:5-7)

21-30: Draw near to God, Job; and He will give peace to your soul.

These last 10 verses would be most encouraging to the person riddled with guilt; but they offer no help to one of whom God says, “there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and avoids evil?” (Job 1:8).

 

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Notes: Job 19-20

English Bible Study Guide for January 15, 2008

Job 19

Job answers (again).

2: Job laments that his friends will not stop accusing him.

This continuing barrage against Job’s character is like Chinese water torture.

Proverbs 27:15  A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.

3: 10 times. Job’s friends have spoken heretofore only 5 times. With Job’s responses, this would be the 10th discourse; but this manner of reckoning for 10 doesn’t satisfy. Perhaps the number 10 is used figuratively to express a large number.

Genesis 31:7  “And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.”

With our inflated everything, we might say, “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times…”; ten doesn’t get anyone’s attention any more.

6-13: Job is certain that these calamities are the act of God. You may argue that the devil has brought these troubles; but you must acknowledge that the devil does so with the express permission and encouragement of God.

14-19: Like a leper, Job is an outcast, forsaken by family, friends, and neighbors. If Job had sinned and brought these things upon himself, we might understand why others would have nothing to do with him. But why would they avoid a good man who was having a bad time?

20: “I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.” That’s not much to have at the end of the day.

21: As we have noticed before, Job state plainly: You persecute me as God. His friends have taken it upon themselves to be the judge of Job’s character and conduct. If ever there were an example of why Jesus warned against presuming to be judges of others (Matthew 7:1-5), these friends are it. Job’s response, realizing that his friends have no clue to what God is doing, seems in keeping with Matthew 7:6,

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

23-24: Job’s wish has been granted; these things have been written in a book.

25-27: Is there a clearer statement of Job’s doctrine of salvation, eschatology and resurrection than this?

  • My redeemer lives
  • He shall stand on earth at the latter day
  • I shall see Him for myself
  • Even though this old flesh may decay and be eaten of worms, I’ll see God

Note that Job’s Redeemer is his God! Christians agree completely with Job.

Titus 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Job 20

Zophar speaks again.

1-2: I must speak.

3: Since the beginning of Man’s sojourn on earth, this is how it has been.

4-29: If the wicked prosper in this life, it is but for a short time; the judgment of the wicked is sure to come.

There is little in Zophar’s speech with which to disagree. The problem, as usual, is that his argument is non-sequitur, it does not apply to Job’s condition or question.

To be sure, the opposite is true.

28: Zophar would have Job believe that his vast wealth and large family were just temporary accidents that accompanied Job’s wicked life; and that now the truth is known about Job’s secret sins, and Job has lost both wealth and family as a consequence.

29: And God has done it (as Job has said); but not without reason. God has done these things because of Job’s wickedness.

Now read this section again and see how Zophar has slandered Job.

  • 11: Sins of the youth remain
  • 12: Hypocrisy hides the real, sinful soul
  • 14, 16: The poison of asps is within him (compare Romans 3:13)
  • 15: Greed and gluttony
  • 19: Without compassion or mercy, violent foreclosures

Do you not weep with Job?

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Notes: Job 16-18

English Language Study Guide for January 14, 2008

By now we see that Job’s friends are relentless in their analysis that Job has brought this evil upon himself; and Job is equally adamant that his troubles are no fault of his own doing. As in many discussions, reason is abandoned and heated words become the mainstay of the debate.

Job 16

Job answers.

2: You all are miserable comforters. Like "doctor of death", the irony of this expression is most telling.

3: What right have you to say such things? Why don’t you stop?

4: If you were in my place, I could do as well as you-no, I could do better than you;

5: At least I’d say something that would lighten your burden a little.

6-16: See how this stress has affected Job physically as well as emotionally

17: "It’s NOT my fault," he pleads.

20: My friends have abandoned me; but I appeal to God.

21: Oh how I need someone to plead my case with God. I need a mediator between God and me.

 

1 Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

22: One day soon I’ll die, be relieved of all this trouble, and I won’t be back.

 

Job 17

Job continues. At times it’s difficult to see whether he addresses all his friends, but one of his friends, or even God. Surely as the person(s) addressed changes, so also does the meaning.

1: I smell of death.

3: Will no one be my friend?

4. Has God hidden the truth from Job’s friends? Does God ever hide truth from anyone?

Matthew 11:25   At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26  Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

7: I’ve cried so much I can hardly see.

8-10: The truth will prevail; but as for you, my friends, not one of you understands the truth about my situation.

11-16: I’ll likely die without ever knowing why these horrible things have happened to me.

 

Job 18

Bildad speaks again, with more heat and less light.

2: Job, why don’t you stop talking and let us speak?

3: What have we done that has made you to despise us?

4: Job’s anger is tearing him apart-he thinks the whole world revolves about him.

5-21: Job, you don’t stand a chance of recovery because of your wickedness.

From "the light of the wicked shall be put out" (verse 5) to "this is the place of him that knoweth not God" (verse 21), Bildad describes the end of the unrighteous. While his description is accurate, his application of these thoughts to Job is absolutely wrong. Remember what God said about Job in chapter 1?

 

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Notes: Job 14-15

English Language Study Guide for January 13, 2008

Job 14:

Job continues.

1-3: Life is short, and full of trouble.

4: You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear; and you can’t get good out of a sinner.

5: God determines our life’s span.

Acts 17:26  And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

7-14: Does Job deny the possibility of resurrection, or does he say that once a man dies he never comes back to live on earth again to suffer tribulation?

16: God takes account of our every move.

Matthew 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

17: Ziplock freezer bags, anyone?

19: A science observation: waters wear the stones.  How long does it take for this erosion to take place?

 

Job 15

Eliphaz speaks again; and again he mixes some truth with some tradition and some pride.

2-3: Job, you are full of wind. You don’t know anything; listening to you is a waste of time.

4: Why aren’t you afraid that this will destroy your access to God?

5-6: Listen to yourself.

7-9: Do you begin to think that you know more than we do?

10: We are your elders!

1 Timothy 4:12  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

11-13: I can’t believe you’d speak like this.

14-16: Don’t you know that we all are sinners?

17-35: The wicked never prosper. (And that, Job, is the reason for your trouble.)

 

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