The Ambassador Group

The Book of Job

01. The Book of Job: The End

Exploration 1 The End By Byron Phillips and Lynette Newhart.

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.

In writing classes, students are taught the importance of a good ending to their pieces.

Particularly in fiction, where the whole thing is made up, the author needs to bring the end to a satisfactory close.

But even in non-fiction, a good ending is important.

What about life itself, lived not in the pages of a book or in a film script, but in flesh and blood?

Are the loose ends tied together nicely as in a good piece of writing?

This doesn't seem to be the case, does it?

How could they end well when our stories always end in death?

In that sense, we never really have happy endings, do we?

Though its conclusion is often depicted as a happy ending, at least in contrast to all that Job had suffered, it's really not that happy, because this story too ends in death.

As we begin the book of Job, we will start at its end, because it brings up questions about our ends as well, not just for now, but for eternity.

Happily Ever After Often times children's stories end with a line, and they live happily ever after.

The whole idea is that whatever the drama, a kidnapped princess, a nasty wolf, an evil king, the hero, and perhaps his new wife, triumph in the end.

That's how the book of Job ends, at least at first glance.

After all the trials and calamities that befall him, Job ends on what could be described only as a relatively positive note.

Listen to Job chapter 42 verses 10 through 17, the final verses of the entire book.

What do they tell us about how Job ended his days?

The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Then all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house.

And they consoled him, and comforted him over all the distressing adversities that the Lord had brought on him.

And each 1 gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.

And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.

For he had 14000 sheep, 6000 camels, 1000 yoke of oxen, and 1000 female donkeys.

He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, and he called the name of the first daughter, Jemima, and the name of the second, Keziah, and the name of the third, Karen Hepok.

In all the land, there were found no women so fair as the daughters of Job.

And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his sons and his grandsons 4 generations.

No question, were you to ask someone about a book of the Bible that ended well for the main character, a book that had a happily ever after ending, many would name the Book of Job.

After all, look at all that Job had as the story closes.

Family and friends, who weren't around during the trials, with the exception of Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu, and Job's wife.

They were generous too, giving him money.

As the story ends, Job had twice as much as he had at the beginning of the story, at least in terms of material wealth.

Job possessed 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke pairs of Oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great number of servants, so that this man was the greatest and wealthiest and most respected of all the men of the East, Northern Arabia.

2 Job 42 12 And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.

He had 10 children, 7 sons and 3 daughters, to replace the 7 sons and 3 daughters who died.

And in all the land no women were found as fair as the daughters of Job.

And this man, who had been so sure that death was right before him, lived on another 140 years.

Job 42 verse 17 tells us, So Job died, being old and full of days.

The phrase full of days in Hebrew, sometimes translated interestingly enough, full of years, is used to describe the last days of 3 other people in the Old Testament.

Abraham, in Genesis 25 verse 8, Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

And Isaac breathed his last, and he died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days.

And David, 1 Chronicles 29, 28, Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor.

It gives the idea of someone in a relatively good and happy place at the time of a decidedly unhappy event.

You like stories with happy endings, don't you?

What are some stories with happy endings that you know of?

UNHAPPY ENDINGS The book of Job concluded with things going well for Job, who died old and full of days.

As we all know, and know all too well, That's not how the story ends for so many others.

Even those who were faithful and honorable and virtuous didn't always wind up in a situation such as Job's.

How did the story end for these 6 Bible characters?

Cain talked with Abel his brother about what God had said, and when they were alone working in the field, Cain attacked Abel his brother and killed him.

Uriah 2 Samuel 11 17 And the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among the servants of David fell.

Eli 1 Samuel 4 18 When the messenger mentioned the ark of God had been captured, Eli fell off the seat backwards by the side of the city gate.

His neck was broken, and he died, for he was old and heavy.

King Josiah 2 Chronicles chapter 35 and verses 22-24 Yet Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight against him.

He did not listen to the words of Necho from the mouth of God, but came to fight against him on the plain of Megiddo.

The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I am badly wounded.

So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in the second chariot, which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers.

All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

He Herod Antipas sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

They continued stoning Stephen, as he called on the Lord, and said, Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit.

Then, falling on his knees in worship, he cried out loudly, Lord do not hold this sin against them, do not charge them.

When he had said this he fell asleep in death.

As we can see, the Bible is full of stories that don't have happy endings.

And that's because life itself is full of stories that don't have happy endings.

Whether martyred for a good cause, or dying from a horrible disease, or having a life reduced to pain and misery, many people don't come through their trials as triumphant as Job did.

In fact, to be honest, how often do things work out well as they did for Job?

00. Introduction to the Book of Job: The Perennial Question

Welcome to 14 adult Bible study guides exploring the book of Job.

Edited for audio and produced by the Ambassador Group.

Narrated by Byron Phillips and Lynette Newhart.

The Perennial Question Despite all the popular propaganda to the contrary, Christians have very logical and rational reasons to believe in God.

Though assured by some of the best and brightest that the evolutionary concepts of natural selection and random mutation can explain the complexity, wonder, and beauty of life, many people don't buy it, and logically so.

And despite the latest scientific pronouncements that the universe arose from nothing, most people find the idea of an eternally existing God as opposed to nothing the more logically satisfying explanation for creation.

And yet, even with logic and reason firmly on our side, there's still the ever-present problem of evil, and thus the perennial question, if God exists and is so good, so loving, and so powerful, why so much suffering?

How fascinating that Job, which deals with the perennial question, was 1 of the first books of the Bible written.

God gave us early on some answers to the most difficult of all issues.

Probably no 1 book of the Bible could answer them all.

Nevertheless, Joel pulls back a veil and reveals to the reader the existence of a reality beyond what our senses, even those aided by scientific devices, could show us.

It takes us to a realm that, while far removed from us in 1 sense, is incredibly close in another.

The book of Job shows us what so much of the rest of the Bible does too.

The natural and supernatural are inseparably linked.

Job is a portrayed drama of the principle and warning that Paul expressed ages later.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12, the New King James Version.

Though mostly about 1 man, the Book of Job is the story of us all, in that we all suffer in ways that often seem to make no sense.

And even the story of the 4 men who came to him reflects our situation too.

For who among us hasn't tried to come to grips with the suffering of others?

Yet we'd miss a crucial point about the Book of Job if we'd limited it only to suffering humanity's attempts to understand suffering humanity.

The story appears in a context that of the great controversy between Christ and Satan which is portrayed here in the most literal of terms.

And that's because it's the most literal of battles, 1 that began in heaven and is being played out here in the hearts, minds, and bodies of every human being.

These 14 explorations look at the story of Job both close up in the immediate drama of the narrative and from a distance in that we know not only how the book ends, but also the bigger background in which it unfolds.

As explorers then, with the knowledge not only of the book of Job, but of the whole Bible, 1 crucial issue for us is to try and pull it all together.

We try to understand as much as possible not only why we live in a world of evil, but more important how we are to live in such a world.

Of course, even after we explore Job, even in the context of the rest of the Bible, the perennial question remains.

We are assured though of the perennial answer found in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 7, Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the 1 through whom All answers come.

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02. The Book of Job: The Great Controversy

Welcome to another Adult Bible Study Guide, exploring the Book of Job.

Edited for audio and produced by The Ambassador Group.

The Great Controversy And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee.

Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Scattered across the pages of both the Old Testament and the New Testament lie many references and allusions to an unrelenting war between God and Satan, between good and evil, on both cosmic and personal levels.

Comparing these passages, we inlay their individual insights to form a mosaic window of truth through which we can perceive the total message of Scripture with greater clarity than otherwise.

That quotation is from the Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist theology, page 969.

The Great Controversy theme forms a template that can help us better understand the total message of the Bible, especially the plan of salvation.

Though the theme is much more apparent in the New Testament, it is found in the Old Testament too.

And perhaps nowhere in the Old Testament are we given a clearer glimpse of Satan and his conflict and how they can powerfully affect life here than in the book of Job.

In this exploration, we'll look at the broader reality behind the immediate reality that's the main focus of Job.

And though our lives and stories are different from Job's, we have 1 thing in common.

Like Job, we are all involved in this controversy.

The book of Job begins on a relatively positive note.

From a worldly perspective at least, we see a man blessed in every way.

What do the texts reveal about the kind of life that Job lived?

What were the positive aspects of Job's existence?

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, 1 who feared God and turned away from evil.

There were born to him 7 sons and 3 daughters.

He possessed 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each 1 on his day, and they would send and invite their 3 sisters to eat and drink with them.

Job certainly seems to have it all, including a righteous character.

The word translated in Job 1.1 as blameless, New International Version, comes from a word that can mean complete or full of integrity.

The word for upright means straight, which can give the idea of walking on a straight path.

In short, the book opens with an almost Eden-like scene depicting a wealthy man of faithfulness and integrity who has it all.

Nevertheless, he has it all in a fallen world.

We will now hear Job chapter 1 verses 5 and 6.

Another question, what do these verses reveal about the reality of the fallen world that Job inhabits?

And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all.

For Job said, it may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

Amid the festivities of his sons and daughters, he trembled lest his children should displease God.

As a faithful priest of the household, he offered sacrifices for them individually.

He knew the offensive character of sin, and the thought that his children might forget the divine claims led him to God as an intercessor in their behalf.

You can find those words written in the Ellen G.

White comments of the Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 3, page 1140.

Clearly Job had it good, about as good as it can get here.

As Eden-like as the scene is presented, a man with a full life, big family, a great name and many possessions, it's still a life lived on a fallen planet steeped in sin.

And so, as Job will soon discover, it comes with all the dangers that existence here brings.

What are the good things in your life right now?

How can you learn to be always in an attitude of thankfulness for them?

Cosmic Conflict The book of Job begins on earth, in a place of peace and tranquility.

However, by the sixth verse of the first chapter, the venue changes.

It instantly shifts to an entirely different aspect of reality, 1 that is not seen by humans unless through divine revelation.

And interestingly enough, this other aspect of reality, heaven, doesn't seem to be as tranquil and peaceful as things are on earth, at least in what is first presented here.

Let's consider Job chapter 1 verses 6 through 12.

Though we will study these verses in more detail later in these explorations, what is happening here?

How does it contrast to what we have just seen happening with Job on earth?

Now, verses 6-12 from the English Standard Version.

The Lord said to Satan, From where have you come?

Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.

And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "'Does Job fear God for no reason?

Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side?

You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land.

But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.' And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand.

Only against him do not stretch out your hand.

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

There is so much to explore in these few verses.

They reveal aspects of our universe that all our space telescopes don't detect and that human science doesn't even begin to fathom.

What's fascinating though is that they also reveal a cosmic conflict.

It's not a calm, peaceful, and tranquil conversation that we access in this passage.

God talks about Job with, to use a human idea, a sense of pride, like a father proud of his son.

Satan, in contrast, mocks what God says about Job.

So, Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?

Job 1 and verse 9, the New King James Version.

1 could almost hear a sneering sarcasm, a mocking tone in what Satan says to God.

Though the text doesn't explicitly say that this confrontation was in heaven, that's surely where it was.

And thus you have this created being, an angel, standing before God in heaven and challenging him to his face before other sons of God.

It's hard to imagine someone talking to a worldly leader like that.

But here we have a being doing so to God Himself.

The answer is found in a theme that appears in various places and in different ways all through the Bible.

It's called the Great Controversy, and it provides a powerful template to help us understand not just the book of Job, but the entire Bible and its explanation of the whole sad story of sin and suffering on earth.

And even more important, it helps us better understand just what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross in order to solve the problem of sin and suffering on The The Conflict on Earth The book of Job pulls back a veil and reveals a dimension of existence that our eyes and ears and worldly philosophies could never show us.

If anything, these verses should show us just how limited our eyes and ears and worldly philosophies are.

And worldly philosophies are when it comes to understanding the big picture.

And what these few verses show too, is a conflict between God and this other being, Satan.

And though the controversy is first introduced in the book of Job as taking place in heaven, it quickly shifts to the earth.

All through the Bible we find texts that point to this ongoing conflict, 1 that involves us as well.

How do the next 6 texts reveal the reality of a conflict being fought here on earth with evil supernatural powers.

Genesis chapter 3 and verse 14 the Lord God said to the serpent because you have done this you are cursed more than all the cattle, and more than any animal of the field.

On your belly you shall go, and thus you shall eat all the days of your life.

Zechariah chapter 3 in verse 2 And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan, even the Lord who now and ever has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you.

Is this not a law snatched and rescued from the fire?

Then Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Be sober, well balanced and self-disciplined.

03. The Book of Job: Doth Job Fear God for Nought?

Welcome to another Adult Bible Study Guide exploring the book of Job.

But he said to her, You speak as 1 of the spiritually foolish women speaks, ignorant and oblivious to God's will.

Shall we indeed accept only good from God, and not also accept adversity and disaster?

In spite of all this, Job did not sin with words from his lips.

That's Job chapter 2, verse 10, the Amplified Bible.

The book of Job opens up to us a whole new dimension of reality.

It gives us a glimpse into the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

And by doing so, it also provides us a template, a frame, an outline to help us better understand the world that we live in.

A world that so often baffles, dazes, even frightens us with what it tosses our way.

But the book of Job also shows that this great controversy is not merely someone else's fight, in that we have nothing to do with it.

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