Looking for Job

[JLG]

242) God and Job / Job and God


Job 16:


- He calls them troublesome comforters!


- Something is wrong and unnatural from their part!


- If he were them, he would encourage them!


- He thinks God has taken everything away from him!


- And his enemies are striking him!


- And he keeps talking about his pain and suffering!


- Thus he is left alone without any comfort!


- He is only waiting for death but till the last breath, he will fight and speak to God!


- He still thinks God will listen to him!

 

[JLG]

243) God and Job / Job and God


Job 17:


- He is broken!


- He is waiting for death!


- He only sees mockers!


- People spit at him!


- The three individuals are of no help to him!


- He just wants to put an end to his condition and die!


- He has enough!


- He doesn’t want anymore!


- It is really difficult for someone who is so close to God!

 

[JLG]

244) God and Job / Job and God


Job 19:


- They irritate his soul!


- They deal harshly with him!


- When we listen carefully to Job speaking of the three individuals and we connect it to God’s judgment regarding the three individuals, we understand better and realize how Job was right when he spoke about their attitude!


- They just want to show that they are better than Job!


- And Job is asking God why there is so much violence!


- And he gets no answer!


- And he keeps crying out but there is no justice!


- Everybody has left him!


- He doesn’t understand anything!


- That’s why the devil is tricky and vicious!


- He knows all that!


- And he is laughing!

 

[JLG]

245) God and Job / Job and God


Job 21:


- Job doesn’t lose patience because he complain to God and not to man!


- He tells them to shut their mouths!


- He thinks the wicked live in peace!


- He thinks God doesn’t punish them!


- They don’t care about God!


- But he still believes God will make them pay!


- Does he think the three individuals are wicked?


- Because they do everything to discourage him!


- But he is still confident in God!

 

[JLG]

246) God and Job / Job and God


Job 23:


- Job will keep complaining stubbornly!


- He has nothing to lose!


- And he wants God to listen to him!


- There is no other possible way!


- He would do anything to speak to God personally!


- He would TAKE NOTE!


- And he knows God would listen to him!


- And he knows that God will acquit him!


- He knows he is TESTED, and he knows that he will come out AS PURE GOLD!


- He knows he has kept following God’s way without deviating!


- He has treasured up God’s sayings!


- But not being able to speak to God makes him anxious and afraid!

 

[JLG]

247) God and Job / Job and God


Job 24:


- Job sees the poor treated badly!


- And the wicked are doing their business without any trouble!


- But Job knows that sooner or later they will pay the price for their bad actions!


- When they die they will be forgotten forever!


- God lets them become confident and secure!


- But he is watching them!


- Job will always be confident in God!

 

[JLG]

248) God and Job / Job and God


Job 26:


- Job says that the three individuals are good to nothing!


- He is asking who inspired them!


- Certainly not God!


- God is Almighty!


- He stretches out the northern sky over empty space!


- SUSPENDING THE EARTH UPON NOTHING!


- He is the creator of everything!


- And who can understand his mighty thunder?

 

[JLG]

249) God and Job / Job and God


Job 27:


- As long as his breath is within him and spirit from God is in his nostrils, HIS LIPS WILL NOT SPEAK UNRIGHTEOUSNESS!


- HIS INTEGRITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING!


- He doesn’t care if everybody is against him!


- He will keep being faithful!


- The wicked ones will pay the price of their wickedness!


- No one can escape God!

 

[JLG]

250) God and Job / Job and God


Job 28:


- Man digs for wealth!


- But it is not the same story for WISDOM!


- You can’t buy WISDOM!


- The fear of God – that is wisdom!


- And to turn away from bad is understanding!


- Job can only stay close to God!


- He is a magnet to him!


- He can’t live without him!


- He doesn’t matter what happens!


- But it is another story with man!

 

[JLG]

251) God and Job / Job and God


Job 29:


If only I were in the months gone by,

In the days when God was watching over me,

When he caused his lamp to shine upon my head,

When I walked through darkness by his

light,

When I was in my prime,

When God’s friendship was felt in my tent,

When the Almighty was still with me,

When my children were all around me,

When my steps were awash in butter,

And the rocks poured out streams of oil for

me.


- watch over= to supervise someone or something; to take care of someone or something.

- Job would like to go back to the past!

- He wants his relationship to God!

- He speaks about God’s relationship!

- He speaks about God being with him!

- And he wants his past life back to him!

- For him, there is no better life!

- He just wants his normal life, nothing more!

 

[JLG]

252) God and Job / Job and God


Job 30


God has thrown me down into the mud;

I am reduced to dust and ashes.

I cry to you for help, but you do not answer me;

I stand up, but you just look at me.

You have cruelly turned against me;

With the full might of your hand, you assault

me.

You pick me up and carry me off with the wind;

Then you toss me about in the storm.

For I know that you will bring me down to death,

To the house where everyone living will meet.

- Once again, God is his only reference!

- He only knows him!

- So he thinks God is responsible for his bad situation!

- But he keeps crying to God for his help!

- Even if he doesn’t understand what’s on, he knows his situation can only improve with God’s help!

- And thinking that God is against him is unbearable for him!

- If God doesn’t help him, he will die!

- He doesn’t see any other option!

 

[JLG]

253) God and Job / Job and God


Job 31

What, then would be my share from God above,

What inheritance from the almighty on high?

- Definition of inheritance: It is a process which involves the passing on of material property from one generation to another, usually within the family, generally from older parents (donors) to their adult children (heirs), which is completed after the death of the older generation.

- Job speaks about a relationship between members of the same family!

- And when we listen to Job, he speaks about God like his father!

- And it doesn’t matter how he feels, he keeps speaking the same way!

- That’s his reality, there is no other reality for him!

Does he not see my ways

And count all my steps?

- Job’s questions show he feels bad because the link is broken and Job doesn’t understand why!

Let God weigh me with accurate scales;

Then he will recognize my integrity.

- But he is sure that God will find him not guilty!

What can I answer him when he calls for an

accounting?

- He doesn’t know what to think!

- He is in the fog!

If he did not bless me

- In this case, there is no way or he can’t see any way!


- Their relationship is based on confidence!

And I could not stand before his dignity.

- But he is ready to defend himself!

Let the Almighty answer me!

- And he keeps asking for God’s answer!

I would give him an accounting for every step I took;

I would approach him confidently, like a prince.

- Of course, he is ready to defend himself!

 

[JLG]

254) God and Job / Job and God

Job 38-40

Then God answered Job out of the windstorm:

...

Job said in answer to God:

“Look! I am unworthy.

What can I reply to you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

I spoke once, but I will say no more.”

- Job has spoken and now he doesn’t want to say anything more!

- He is probably tired of defending himself!


- He knows he is nothing compared to God!

- But he knows he is not guilty!

- And yes, there is a time to speak and a time to shut his mouth!

- Can we think about situations where we don’t think it is necessary to defend oneself?

 

[JLG]

255) God and Job / Job and God

Job 42

Then Job said in reply to God:

“Now I know that you are able to do all things

And that nothing you have in mind to do is

impossible for you.

- Job has changed his attitude!

- He has listened carefully to God!

Therefore I spoke, but without understanding

About things too wonderful for me, which I

I don't know.

- Now he can understand he didn’t have all the elements to judge the situation correctly!

- He is not stubborn!

- He also shows that his relationship is always essential for him!


My ears have heard about you,

But now I do see you with my eyes.

That is why I take back what I said,

And I repent in dust and ashes.”

- Now he understands!

- Now he can speak with God!

- And he humbles himself!

 

[JLG]

256) God and Job / Job and God

Job 42

God said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and your two

companions, for you have not spoken the truth about me as my servant Job has.

…

I will surely accept his request not to deal with you according to your foolishness, for you have not spoken the truth about me as my servant Job has.”

- Here we get God’s decision!

- Here we can know what God thinks!

- His judgment about Job has never changed and will never change!

- May we try to look with God’s eyes and not with human eyes!

 

[JLG]

257) God and Job / Job and God

Job 42

After Job had prayed for his companions, God removed Job’s tribulation and restored his prosperity. God gave him double what he had before.

- Is there anything else to add?

- Maybe we need to think a bit more!

- Maybe we need to think about other biblical examples!

- Maybe we need to think about how we would react in such a situation!

- Maybe all this may help us to prepare for a world situation which gets worse and worse faster and faster!

- And maybe we will understand Job’s attitude!

- We should better do it because the storm is in front of us and it’s a big one!

 

[JLG]

258) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer


Job 1


There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. He was an upright man of integrity; he feared God and shunned what was bad.


- First of all, we are told about the man Job!


- Integrity!


- Fear of God!


- Going away from badness!

 

[JLG]

259) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer


Job 1

His livestock amounted to 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 cattle, and 500 donkeys, along with a very large number of servants, so that he became the greatest of all the people of the East.


- Second, we are told about Job’s wealth!


- We are told that he became the greatest of all the people of the East!


- It is quite surprising to think about a very rich man who puts his confidence in God!


- They have always put their confidence in themselves!


- Even Jesus says it is very difficult for a rich man to get into God’s kingdom!


- When we think about today’s rich men, it is not different!


- So Job is definitely an exception!

 

[JLG]

260) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer


Job 1

Each of his sons would hold a banquet at his house on his own set day. They would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. After a series of banquet days was complete, Job would send for them in order to sanctify them. Then he would get up early in the morning and offer up burnt sacrifices for each of them. For Job said: “Maybe my sons have sinned and have cursed God in their heart.” That is what Job would always do.-


- We have no information about how he educated his children!


- But we can imagine that he did his best!


- And his sacrifices to sanctify them show his personal concern about them!


- And the last sentence emphasizes his personal concern: That is what Job would always do!


- In fact, he is the only one who did such a thing in the Bible!


- So it reinforces the idea that there is no one like him on the earth!

 

[JLG]

261) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer


Job 1


And God said to Satan: “Have you taken note of my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth. He is an upright man of integrity, fearing God and shunning what is bad.” At that Satan answered God “Is it for nothing that Job has feared God? Have you not put up a protective hedge around him and his house and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock has spread out in the land.


- The devil has a very strange way to think!


- Parents take care of children and we think it’s normal!


- Animals do the same!


- God created a fantastic earth and he put man on it!


- And it’s a jewel: we know how the planets in the solar system are!


- And look what men keep doing: they destroy it faster and faster!


- Is that normal?


- Is that a way to thank God?


- Fortunately they will pay the price!


- And man won’t be able to do it again!