Transcript Title Page

Title Page
Lesson Three
Job 1:1-3
Job 1:1-3
1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose
name was Job; and that man was perfect
and upright, and one that feared God, and
eschewed evil.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and
three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep,
and three thousand camels, and five hundred
yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a
very great household; so that this man was the
greatest of all the men of the east.
Job 1:4-5
Job 1:4-5
4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses,
every one his day; and sent and called for their
three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting
were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified
them, and rose up early in the morning, and
offered burnt offerings according to the
number of them all: for Job said, It may be that
my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their
hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Job 1:6-8
Job 1:6-8
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God
came to present themselves before the Lord,
and Satan came also among them.
7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence
comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD,
and said, From going to and fro in the earth,
and from walking up and down in it.
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou
considered my servant Job, that there is none
like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright
man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 1:9-12
Job 1:9-12
9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said,
Doth Job fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and
about his house, and about all that he hath on
every side? thou hast blessed the work of his
hands, and his substance is increased in the
land.
11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all
that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all
that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself
put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth
from the presence of the LORD.
Focus Verse
Job 1:8
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou
considered my servant Job, that there is none
like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright
man, one that feareth God, and escheweth
evil?
Focus Thought
Job’s integrity and confidence
in God carried him through his
deepest trials to victory.
Introduction
Introduction
The story of Job has fascinated Bible
readers from antiquity to the present. His
sufferings and losses are often used as an
example of human endurance under the
most trying conditions. When people
encounter tough times through the loss of
loved ones and possessions, they often
relate well to the story of Job. His
eventual triumph and restoration provide
hope to those who suffer.
We greatly respect Job for his patience
Introduction
and endurance, which are the trademarks
of his integrity. The early church revered
him as one of the prophets, noting his
exemplary patience as a worthy example
for believers facing persecution and
hardship (James 5:10-11). Job’s story has
greatly impacted and strengthened
society through its portrayal of a man
who triumphed over his trials and
temptations by remaining what he was—
a man of integrity.
The Righteousness
I. The Righteousness
of Jobof Job
It is impossible to force anyone to become
consistently good. The post-apostolic
church father, Clement of Alexandria,
described goodness as always being a
matter of personal determination: “It is
impossible for a man to be steadily good
except by his own choice.
I. The Righteousness of Job
For if a man be compelled to be good,
then he is not truly good; for he is not
what he is by his own choice. For it is the
freedom of each one that makes true
goodness and reveals real wickedness”
(The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2, Sermon
55).
I. The Righteousness of Job
The Bible reveals that Job was perfect and
upright. This certainly was not accidental,
and it did not come naturally; it was by
his personal choice. Job was good to the
core entirely because he wanted to be. He
probably did not realize the far-reaching
impact of his righteousness. It is
important for us to choose to live
righteously and godly because we do
influence our world.
I. The Righteousness of Job
“If there is righteousness in the heart, there
will be beauty in character. If there is
beauty in character, there will be harmony
in the home. If there is harmony in the
home, there will be order in the nation. If
there is order in the nation, there will be
peace in the world” (Chinese proverb).
IIProverbs
Timothy 2:2
14:34
“Righteousness exalteth a nation”
(Proverbs 14:34).
A. Job’s Relationship with God
I. The Righteousness of Job
Ahave a relationship with
Job chose to
God. No one forced or coerced him into
serving the Lord; he wanted to. Likewise,
each of us should seek to have our own
relationship with the Lord. We should
recognize that God wants much more
than a one-time encounter. His desire is
to share in our lives on a daily basis.
I. The Righteousness of Job
A
The Bible declares
that God places a high
value on our relationship with Him. He
has provided His love to mankind in
hopes that we would respond with a
reciprocating love for Him. For us, it is
the peace of knowing we have a “friend
in high places.” However, God also seeks
us out. He loves us first and best. (See I
John 4:19; John 3:16; I Corinthians 8:3;
II Timothy 2:19.)
I. The Righteousness of Job
God knowsA
who loves Him and who does
not. Job loved God and God knew he did.
In fact, Job’s good choices and lifestyle
stood out from the rest of mankind and
brought him special favor and attention
from the Lord.
Saint Ambrose
I. The Righteousness of Job
God alwaysAtests us to bring out the best,
while Satan tempts us to bring out the
worst. God was so pleased with Job that
He showed him off to Satan: “Hast thou
considered my servant Job, that there is
none like him in the earth, a perfect and
an upright man, one that feareth God,
and escheweth evil?” (Job 1:8).
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
Satan’s response was to sarcastically
accuse GodA
of protecting and favoring
Job. Satan declared that Job’s
righteousness was conditional, indicating
that Job served God only because he was
spoiled with wealth and good health.
However, God had such confidence in
Job as a man of integrity that He allowed
Satan to test him. Satan immediately
destroyed or took away all of Job’s great
wealth—reducing him to poverty.
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
He then went further by killing Job’s
A Job had no idea that God
children. Poor
was exhibiting him for all to observe. He
was entirely in the dark regarding the
contest into which God had entered him.
However, God knew Job’s heart and
trusted that he would persevere because
of his strength and conviction.
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
Despite Job’s excellent response to his
Apressed God to test him
losses, Satan
further. He wanted to take his health and
break him in body. He really wanted to
kill him, but God would not permit such
evil. Instead, the Lord allowed Satan to
take away Job’s health to see if he would
still retain his integrity.
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
Satan then afflicted Job with boils from
A head to the soles of his feet.
the top of his
The only relief Job could find for his
physical agony was to sit in an ash heap
scratching at his sores with pieces of
broken pottery. Although his wife lost
her faith, Job never ceased to trust God.
II Timothy
2:2
Job
2:9-10
“Then said his wife unto him, Dost
thou still retain thine integrity?
curse God, and die. But he said unto
her, Thou speakest as one of the
foolish women speaketh. What?
shall we receive good at the hand of
God, and shall we not receive evil?
In all this did not Job sin with his
lips”
(Job 2:9-10).
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
The Bible declares that Job was “the
greatest of A
all the men of the east” (Job
1:3). He had an excellent reputation
among the people who knew him, and he
drew others into his circle of friendship.
Perhaps he had insight into what Dale
Carnegie stated to be the basis for
friendship:
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
“You can make more friends in two
A
months by becoming
interested in other
people than you can in two years by trying
to get people interested in you” (Laura
Moncur, Motivational Quotations,
Quotation #2673).
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
Job had many friends besides the ones
Acomfort him, and they
that came to
figured largely in his life after he had
completed his trial.
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
Job was far more concerned about
having the A
right kind of attitude than in
developing a good reputation. Former
University of California at Los Angeles
basketball coach John Wooden expressed
the importance of this attitude: “Be more
concerned with your character than with
your reputation, because your character
is what you really are, while your
reputation is merely what others think
you are.”
I. The
Righteousness
of
Job
Job’s reputation was renowned because
A character; he was truly a
of his sterling
man of honor and integrity.
I.
B. Job’s Concern for His
The Righteousness
of
Job
Family
B
“But if any provide not for his
own, and specially for those of
his own house, he hath denied
the faith, and is worse than an
infidel”
(I Timothy 5:8).
Unlike
some modern men who
abandon
I. The
Righteousness
of Job
their wives and children in pursuit of
B
their own concerns
and pleasures, Job
was a good husband and a model father.
Job’s integrity became evident in the
great concern he had for his family’s wellbeing. Although he provided them with
an affluent lifestyle, he was also
concerned about their spiritual welfare.
He made sacrifices in their behalf in case
they had sinned (Job 1:5).
I. The Righteousness of Job
Job may have been a bit overindulgent in
B God holds each
doing this because
individual responsible for his own
actions. Certainly, Job’s children should
have made their own sacrifices, but Job’s
love and concern for them motivated him
to sacrifice just in case they had failed to
do it.
I.
C. Job’s Work of Sanctifying
The Righteousness
of Job
His Family
C
Although Job sanctified his children
continually, there is no clear explanation
of what Job did to sanctify his children.
(See Job 1:5.) He may have performed
the ritual of laying his hands on them
with a prayer to God for mercy and
forgiveness. He may have anointed them
with oil.
I. The Righteousness of Job
C
He possibly talked with them about the
things of God—teaching and instructing
them in the ways of righteousness. To
sanctify is “to set apart and make holy.”
We do not know for certain how Job
accomplished this, but he evidently
sought to make his children holy and
acceptable to the Lord.
I. The
Righteousness
of Job
The apostle
Paul clarified how
sanctification
C for unbelieving relatives is
possible through faith. (See I Corinthians
7:14.) Sanctification provides a special
setting apart in honor to God. It is not the
same as salvation, which one must
experience personally, but it is a desirable
thing. Parents and spouses of unsaved
loved ones should hold them up in prayer
before the Lord until they are born again.
The Steadfastness
II. The Steadfastness
of Jobof Job
Runner’s World (8/91) told the story of
Beth Anne DeCiantis’s attempt to qualify
for the 1992 Olympic Trials Marathon. A
female runner must complete the 26-mile,
385-yard race in less than two hours and
forty-five minutes to compete at the
Olympic Trials.
II. The
Steadfastness
ofhaving
Job
Beth started
strong but began
trouble around mile twenty-three. She
reached the final straightaway at two hours
and forty-three minutes, with just two
minutes left to qualify. Two hundred yards
from the finish, she stumbled and fell.
Dazed, she stayed down for twenty seconds.
The crowd yelled, "Get up!" The clock was
ticking—two hours and forty-four
minutes—less than a minute to go.
II. The
Steadfastness
Beth Anne
staggered to her of
feet Job
and began
walking. Five yards short of the finish,
with ten seconds to go, she fell again. She
began to crawl, and with the crowd
cheering her on, she crossed the finish line
on her hands and knees.
II. The
Steadfastness
of Job
Her time?
Two hours, forty-four
minutes,
fifty-seven seconds. She made it with just
three seconds to spare!
II. The Steadfastness of Job
We should be steadfast and persevere.
Jesus proclaimed, “He that endureth to
the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22).
II.
A. Was Not Controlled
The by
Steadfastness
of
Job
Wealth
A
“And said, Naked came I out
of my mother’s womb, and
naked shall I return thither:
the Lord gave, and the Lord
hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord. In all
this Job sinned not, nor
charged God foolishly” (Job
1:21-22).
II. The Steadfastness of Job
Despite the loss of all his wealth, Job
A
never became bitter or spiteful. He was
rich in material things, but he valued
spiritual things more highly. Job had his
priorities in order—God first, people
second, and things last. The loss of his
children caused Job more grief than the
loss of his possessions. He possessed his
possessions while he had them—they did
not possess him.
Jewish Proverb
II.
B. Withstood Discouragement
The from
Steadfastness
of
Job
Friends
B
With his wealth taken and all his children
dead, Job had only his wife and friends to
turn to for understanding and
encouragement. He found neither. As he
sat on an ash heap in pain from the boils
covering his body, his wife said to him,
“Dost thou still retain thine integrity?
curse God, and die” (Job 2:9).
II. The Steadfastness of Job
B
She questioned his character and honesty.
What a terrible thing to have the one with
whom you have been the most intimate to
question your integrity!
II. The
Steadfastness
of
Job
However, Job was greater than his
B He knew in his own
discouragement.
heart that the calamities he had
experienced were not due to sin in his life.
He had been upright and righteous to the
core. He was no hypocrite. Job responded
to his wife’s comments: “Thou speakest
as one of the foolish women speaketh.
What? shall we receive good at the hand
of God, and shall we not receive evil?”
(Job 2:10).
II. The
Steadfastness
of
Job
While Job sat alone in his pain, three of
his so-calledBfriends—Eliphaz, Bildad,
and Zophar—came to comfort him. They
came as friends to console him in his time
of sorrow, but they were overwhelmed
when they saw his condition. They were
speechless and just sat and gaped at him
for a week before they could even find the
courage to speak. Charles Buxton may
have had Job’s friends in mind when he
stated, “Silence is sometimes the severest
criticism.”
II. The
Steadfastness
of
Job
Job’s friends had always known him to be
healthy andB
wealthy. When they came
upon him sitting in an ash heap, they
were shocked and dismayed at his
predicament and made the mistake of
judging him by his circumstances. Their
initial silence, and later their
discouraging words and attitude, only
added to Job’s misery.
II. The
Steadfastness
of
Job
Instead of encouraging him and trying to
B better, they gave in to their
make him feel
own despair and added to Job’s misery
by accusing him of secret sins. To Job’s
credit he did his best not to let their
criticisms destroy his own sense of
personal integrity.
II. The
Steadfastness
of
Job
We can learn an important lesson from
B be careful not to judge
Job’s comforters:
others hastily. Things are not always what
they seem at first. That is why people
mistake education for intelligence, wealth
for happiness, and lust for love. Life is
not always fair because bad things do
happen to good people.
II. The
Steadfastness
of
Job
Like Job, many people experience
B tremendous sufferings that
injustices and
are not their fault. These poor souls may
have to wait for eternity to find
justification, for only in eternity will we
find perfect justice. Until then, we should
encourage the downtrodden rather than
criticize them.
II.
C. Worshiped in the Midst
The ofSteadfastness
of Job
His Trial
C
The word worship is a shortened form of
the old English word worthship, which
indicates God’s worthiness to receive
praise and that we should show God how
much we value Him. Job’s integrity was
most clearly seen in his continued desire
to worship the Lord despite his
circumstances.
II. The
Steadfastness
of
Job
He kept on trusting the Lord despite all
C
that had happened.
Some folks drop out
of relationship with God the first time
adversity hits them. They have shallow
roots and are easily choked out of their
spiritual growth. Job trusted God to see
him through the best of times and the
worst of times, and still he worshiped
Him! (See Job 23:10-12.)
The Integrity
of Job
III. The Integrity
of Job A
Throughout today’s lesson we have
considered Job’s integrity. Despite
appearances, Job was not guilty of the
things that his friends accused him of
doing. He was what he truly appeared to
be—a good man. He remained righteous
even when he was tempted to be
otherwise. He could have succumbed to
the temptations of self-pity, but he tried to
examine his life to see if there were things
that had led to his downfall.
A. Refused to Blame God
III. The Integrity of Job A
Job could have become bitter and
resentful and blamed God for treating
him unkindly, but instead he worshiped
Him. When others attempted to explain
his calamity as the result of secret sins,
Job defended himself. He strongly stated
his situation as not being a punishment
for any wrongdoing on his part, but he
also refused to blame God for his losses.
III. The Integrity of Job A
He correctly recognized that just as his
material blessings came from the Lord, so
also did his loss of all things. While he did
not understand why he was in such a
pitiful state, he refused to blame or
criticize God. He defended his losses as he
did his blessings as just being part of the
will of God for his life.
become bitter
and A
resentful
III.Many
Thepeople
Integrity
of Job
when bad things happen in their lives.
However, the Bible declares that it rains
on the just and unjust alike, and time and
chance happen to all. (See Matthew 5:45;
Ecclesiastes 9:11.) It is important for all
believers to understand that living for
God does not mean a life of ease without
trials. Being a Christian may sometimes
appear to be a bed of roses, but one soon
discovers some thorns along the way.
his book
Lee: The Last
III.InThe
Integrity
of Years,
Job Charles
A
Bracelen Flood described a scene that took
place after the Civil War. General Robert
E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady, who took
him to the remains of a grand old tree in
front of her house. There she bitterly cried
that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed
by federal artillery fire. She looked to Lee
for a word condemning the North or at
least sympathizing with her loss.
a brief
silence, Lee
III.After
The
Integrity
ofsaid,
Job“Cut
Ait
down, my dear Madam, and forget it.”
General Lee knew it is better to forgive the
injustices of the past than to allow them to
remain. We should not let bitterness take
root and poison the rest of our lives. Job
knew this and refused to let his condition
determine his character.
B. Relied on His Confidence
in God
III. The
Integrity of Job B
“The Lord knoweth how to
deliver the godly out of
temptations, and to reserve
the unjust unto the day of
judgment to be punished”
(II Peter 2:9).
III.Job
The
Integrity
of
Job
B
hung in there during the long time
of his trial. He never gave up, nor did he
lose confidence in the Lord. Job’s faith
in God propelled him forward to the day
when the Lord would redeem him and
restore him to full physical health. (See
Job 19:25-26.)
III.Job’s
Theconfidence
Integrity
of
Job
B
in God gave him a
source of encouragement in his worst
moments. His faith in God was steadfast.
Job declared that when he looked for
God and could not find Him, he never
lost his faith in Him. He always had
confidence that God would deliver him
(Job 23:8-10).
III.Oswald
The Integrity
of
Job
B
Chambers wrote, “It is not our
trust that keeps us, but the God in whom
we trust who keeps us.” Job’s life
displayed this kind of confidence, which
was not in his ability to trust; it was in
the One in whom he totally trusted—the
Lord.
III.Whom
The do
Integrity
of
Job
B
you trust? In whom do you
place your total confidence?
II Proverbs
Timothy 2:2
3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
III.AThe
Integrity
of
Job
B
church member was having trouble
with the concept of tithing. One day, he
revealed his doubts to his pastor: “I just
don’t see how I can give ten percent of my
income to the church when I cannot even
keep on top of our bills.”
III.The
The
Integrity
of
Job
B
pastor replied, “John, if I promise to
make up the difference in your bills when
you fall short, do you think you could try
tithing for just one month?”
After a moment’s pause, John responded,
“Sure, if you promise to make up any
shortage, I guess I could try tithing for
one month.”
III.“Now,
Thewhat
Integrity
of
Job
B
do you think of that,” mused
the pastor. “You say you would be willing
to put your trust in a mere man like
myself who possesses so little materially,
but you could not trust your heavenly
Father who owns the whole universe!”
The next Sunday, John gave his tithe, and
has been doing so faithfully ever since.
C. Repented and Prayed
for
His
Friends
III. The Integrity of Job C
At the end of Job’s trial, he repented of
his pride and presumptuousness (Job
42:6, 10). Before he actually had a
lengthy dialogue with God, Job had felt
he knew and understood God’s ways.
Because he had lived a righteous life, he
felt he had spiritual understanding.
However, he was mistaken.
the Lord of
and Job
obeying
III.Worshiping
The Integrity
C His
Word does not automatically guarantee
spiritual insight or understanding. The
prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
repented
when heof
finally
III.Job
The
Integrity
JobsawCthe
Lord in a way he had not even imagined
before his trial. (See Job 42:5-6.) We
should learn from Job’s lessons. We
should never consider ourselves to have
more knowledge or understanding of
God and His ways than others. We
should keep a humble spirit and admit
that we are nothing and the Lord fills all
creation with His glory.
D. Rewarded for His
Faithfulness
III. The
Integrity of Job
D
The story of Job has one of the happiest
endings imaginable. Out of the ash heap
of sickness and despair Job arose to
complete restoration. Job’s trial ended
when he repented and prayed for his
friends. His willingness to ask for
forgiveness as well as grant it to others
was the gateway to his own deliverance.
Repentance and mercy brought Job
III.forgiveness
The Integrity
of
Job
D
and blessing. Job’s friends
and relatives came to visit him, and they
truly comforted him for his past trials.
To show their love and concern, they
each gave him a small portion of wealth.
Just as Job’s past goodness and kindness
were returned to him in a material form,
we never know how the kindness we
show toward others today may be
rewarded in the future.
In Job’s case, he was given double what
III.heThe
Integrity
of
Job
D
had possessed before and a long life of
one hundred forty years in which to
enjoy it (Job 42:10, 16). This dispels the
notion that it is wrong to be wealthy. It is
possible that wealth could accumulate as
a result of God’s blessing and approval,
but wealth itself is emblematic neither of
God’s approval and blessing nor of His
disapproval.
The evil in money is not in having it; it is
III.inThe
Integrity
of
Job
D
loving it more than the Lord who
blesses us and allows us to have it. To
love money more than the Lord causes it
to become the root of all evil (I Timothy
6:10). Job’s second blessing came from
the Lord, who smiled upon him and
allowed him to enjoy much in the way of
material rewards.
Reflections
Job was a man of integrity who served
the Lord out of choice and not because
he was forced to. He was steadfast in his
confidence despite the horrible
conditions inflicted upon him.
Furthermore, he never lost his
confidence in the Lord. At the end of his
life, he was a better person because of the
test he had endured.
Reflections
At one time or another, all of us are
tested and tried. It is important that we
hold on to the Lord during those times. It
may be that the Lord has decided to
show us off to the devil and prove what
we are really made of!