ELIPHAZ SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS

Portion For Reading JOb 21-24
I. JOB'S REPLY (21:1-34)
1. The wicked don't always suffer, but often prosper in this life
(21:1-16)
a. Job asks that they listen carefully, and then continue
their mocking
b. Some wicked do prosper in this life, even though they
reject God and His ways

Job 21:7-8
Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?

They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.

2. The wicked often die in comfort (21:17-26)
a. They don't always experience God's wrath in this life
b. Some even say that God lays up the iniquity of the wicked
for his children (though Job wishes God would recompense
the wicked one directly)
c. The fact is, some people die at ease, while others die in
bitterness

Job 21:23-24
One man dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,

his body [d] well nourished,
his bones rich with marrow.

II. ELIPHAZ SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS (22:1-24:25)

A. ELIPHAZ'S FINAL RESPONSE (22:1-30)
1. He rebukes Job again for his claims of innocence (22:1-3)
a. He affirms that God is self-sufficient, needing nothing
from man
b. Therefore Job's claim to be blameless is no way enhances
his standing before God

JOb 22:1-3
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
"Can a man be of benefit to God?
Can even a wise man benefit him?

What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?

2. He accuses Job of great wickedness (22:4-11)
a. God is not punishing Job because he fears God
b. It is because of Job's great iniquity, of which Eliphaz
gives examples
c. For such reasons Eliphaz says Job is being punished


Job 22:4-11
"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?

Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?

You demanded security from your brothers for no reason;
you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked.

You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,

though you were a powerful man, owning land—
an honored man, living on it.

And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.

That is why snares are all around you,
why sudden peril terrifies you,

why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.

Source:Ccel.org

JOB'S REPLY

Portion For Reading Job 18-20
A. JOB'S REPLY (19:1-29)
1. He responds to his critics (19:1-6)
a. "How long" will you torment my soul? - cf. 18:2
b. They continue to reproach him, but have not pointed out his
error
c. While they magnify themselves against him, he feels God has
wronged him!

Job 19:1-6
Then Job replied:
"How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?

Ten times now you have reproached me;
shamelessly you attack me.

If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error remains my concern alone.

If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me
and use my humiliation against me,

then know that God has wronged me
and drawn his net around me.

2. Job again directs his complaint to God (19:7-12)
a. God does not seem to hear his cry for justice
b. God has broken him down, uprooted any hope that he had
c. God treats him as an enemy


Job 19:7-12
"Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response;
though I call for help, there is no justice.

He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.

He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.

He tears me down on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope like a tree.

His anger burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.

His troops advance in force;
they build a siege ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.

3. He bewails his loneliness (19:13-22)
a. Abandoned by relatives, close friends, even his servants
b. He is repulsive to both wife and children, those he loves
have turned against him
c. He cries for pity from his friends


JOb 19:13-22
"He has alienated my brothers from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

My kinsmen have gone away;
my friends have forgotten me.

My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger;
they look upon me as an alien.

I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.

My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome to my own brothers.

Even the little boys scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.

All my intimate friends detest me;
those I love have turned against me.

I am nothing but skin and bones;
I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth. [b]

"Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
for the hand of God has struck me.

Why do you pursue me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?

4. He affirms his faith (19:23-29)
a. In his Redeemer who lives, and who shall stand at last on
the earth
b. In that after death, in the flesh, he shall yet see God
(i.e., the resurrection?)
c. In the judgment, in view of which he warns his friends


Job 19:23-29
"Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,

that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

"If you say, 'How we will hound him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him, '

you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,
and then you will know that there is judgment. "

Source:ccel.org

He expresses hopelessness in this life

Portion For Reading Job 14-17

1. He expresses hopelessness in this life (14:1-12)
a. Life is brief and troublesome, his days are numbered
b. Cut down a tree, and it will sprout again; but when man
dies, he is no longer here as long as the heavens last

Job 14:1-10

"Man born of woman
is of few days and full of trouble.

He springs up like a flower and withers away;
like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

Do you fix your eye on such a one?
Will you bring him [a] before you for judgment?

Who can bring what is pure from the impure?
No one!

Man's days are determined;
you have decreed the number of his months
and have set limits he cannot exceed.

So look away from him and let him alone,
till he has put in his time like a hired man.

"At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.

Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,

yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.

But man dies and is laid low;
he breathes his last and is no more.

2. He longs for death (14:13-22,14)
a. That God would so hide him from His wrath until it is past
b. Man's hope is slowly eroded as he goes through life, until
he knows no more of this life

If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service
I will wait for my renewal [c] to come.

I. ELIPHAZ SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS (15:1-17:16)

A. ELIPHAZ'S REBUTTAL (15:1-35)
1. Eliphaz attacks Job, rebuking his behavior and ridiculing his
wisdom (15:1-16)
a. Job is reasoning with unprofitable talk, his own mouth
condemns him
b. Job attempts to limit wisdom to himself, disregarding the
wisdom of others
c. Job cannot be as pure and righteous as he claims; if angels
and the heavens are not pure in God's sight, how much less
one who "drinks iniquity like water"?

Job 15:5,6

Your sin prompts your mouth;
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.

Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.

2. Job asks for relief (17:1-5)
a. He is broken, the grave is ready for him, and mockers are
with him
b. His friends have no understanding, can't God help him?

Job 17:1-2

My spirit is broken,
my days are cut short,
the grave awaits me.

Surely mockers surround me;
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

3. He resumes his complaint (17:6-9)
a. He is despised by others, even as he grows weaker
b. Upright men are astonished by him, the innocent are stirred
up against the hypocrite (is Job saying that is how they
view him?)
c. The righteous holds to his way, and those with clean hands
become stronger and stronger (perhaps Job is referring here
to his friends, and speaking with sarcasm)

JOb 17:9
Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands will grow stronger.

4. With no wisdom from his friends, he is losing hope (17:10-16)
a. His days are past, his plans are broken, and all his
friends can do is say "the light is near" when all is dark
b. If death and the grave is all that lies ahead, where is his
hope?

JOb 17:10-16
"But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.

My days have passed, my plans are shattered,
and so are the desires of my heart.

These men turn night into day;
in the face of darkness they say, 'Light is near.'

If the only home I hope for is the grave, [f]
if I spread out my bed in darkness,

if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,'
and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,'

where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?

Will it go down to the gates of death [g] ?
Will we descend together into the dust?"

Source:ccel.org

by SS

ZOPHAR SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS

III. ZOPHAR SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS (11:1-14:22)

A. THE COUNSEL OF ZOPHAR (11:1-20)
1. Affirms that Job has received less than he deserves (11:1-6)
a. The multitude of Job's words call for refutation
b. Job claims innocence; if only God would speak and show his
true guilt
c. God has exacted less from Job than he deserves You say to God, 'My beliefs are flawless
and I am pure in your sight.'

Job 11:5,6
Oh, how I wish that God would speak,
that he would open his lips against you

and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

2. Reproaches Job for desiring to search out God's hidden ways
(11:7-12)
a. Can Job find that which is beyond his ability to know?
b. God cannot be hindered, and considers the wickedness of man
c. A not-so-subtle rebuke of Job as a foolish empty-headed man

Job 11:10-11

"If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?

Surely he recognizes deceitful men;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?

3. Promises restoration upon repentance and confession of sin
(11:13-20)
a. Seek the Lord and put away sin if you wish to be pure and
steadfast
b. You would forget your misery and abide in brightness,
security and hope
c. But the wicked will not escape, and their only hope is loss
of life

Job 11:13-20

"Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,

if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,

then you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and without fear.

You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.

Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.

You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.

But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
their hope will become a dying gasp."

B. JOB'S REPLY (12:1-14:22)
1. He affirms God's own wisdom and strength (12:13-25)
a. God can do what He wants, and none can stop Him
b. He can overpower the wise and mighty, even the nations

Job 12:13-16

"To God belong wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.

What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man he imprisons cannot be released.

If he holds back the waters, there is drought;
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

To him belong strength and victory;
both deceived and deceiver are his.

2. The advice of his friends has been no help (13:1-12)
a. He already knows what they know; he desires to reason with
God
b. They claim to speak for God, but they are worthless
physicians and forgers of lies
c. Their platitudes and defenses are worthless

Job 13:3,4

But I desire to speak to the Almighty
and to argue my case with God.

You, however, smear me with lies;
you are worthless physicians, all of you!

3. Job appeals to God for an audience (13:20-28)
a. Upon the conditions of removing His hand and not
overwhelming him with dread, Job would speak with God
b. He desires to know where he has sinned, and why God regards
him as an enemy
c. Why has God so punished him?

Job 13:20-28

Withdraw your hand far from me,
and stop frightening me with your terrors.

Then summon me and I will answer,
or let me speak, and you reply.

How many wrongs and sins have I committed?
Show me my offense and my sin.

Why do you hide your face
and consider me your enemy?

"So man wastes away like something rotten,
like a garment eaten by moths.

BILDAD SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS

Portion For Reading Job 8-10

I. BILDAD SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS (8:1-10:22)
A. THE COUNSEL OF BILDAD (8:1-22)
1. Introductory remarks (1-7)
a. He rebukes Job for his words
b. He maintains that God deals justly
c. If Job's sons sinned, they were killed for their
transgression
d. Restoration would occur if Job would only seek God and
repent

2. Bildad appeals to the wisdom of the ancients (8-18)
a. Heed what others have already learned, for our time is
short
b. The wicked are like the papyrus with no support, for they
soon wither
c. God will not cast away the blameless, nor will He uphold
the evildoers (the implication is "Job, you are not
blameless")
d. God will yet restore Job (assuming he repents)

Job 8:8-13,21-22
"Ask the former generations
and find out what their fathers learned,

for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,
and our days on earth are but a shadow.

Will they not instruct you and tell you?
Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?

Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?
Can reeds thrive without water?

While still growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly than grass.

Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
so perishes the hope of the godless.

"Surely God does not reject a blameless man
or strengthen the hands of evildoers.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.

Your enemies will be clothed in shame,
and the tents of the wicked will be no more."

B. JOB'S REPLY (9:1-10:22)
1. He agrees with Bildad, but who can truly be righteous before
God? (9:1-13)
a. No one can contend with God, He is too wise and strong
b. Job provides numerous examples of God's power

Job 9:9-13
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.

When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.

If he snatches away, who can stop him?
Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'

God does not restrain his anger;
even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet

2. Feeling hopeless, Job bemoans the lack of a mediator (9:25-35)
a. His days go by, with no good to be seen
b. Why even try, if God has chosen to condemn him?
c. He knows there is no way to reason with God, and there is
no one to mediate between them
d. If God would only take His rod from him, but such is not
the case

Job 9:29-30,34-35
Since I am already found guilty,
why should I struggle in vain?

Even if I washed myself with soap
and my hands with washing soda,

someone to remove God's rod from me,
so that his terror would frighten me no more.

Then I would speak up without fear of him,
but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

3. In pain, Job gives free course to his complaint (10:1-22)
a. God, why do You condemn Me? Tell me why!
b. Does it seem good for You to despise the work of Your
hands?
c. Are You having to search for my iniquity, like a mortal
man?
d. Have You made me, just to destroy me?
e. Whether I am wicked or righteous, Your indignation
increases toward me!
f. Why then did You let me be born? How I wish I had died at
birth!
g. Can't You leave me alone so I can have a little comfort
before I die and enter the "land of darkness"?

Job 10:1-7,14,15,17,18,21-22
"I loathe my very life;
therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.

I will say to God: Do not condemn me,
but tell me what charges you have against me.

Does it please you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your hands,
while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?

Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees?

Are your days like those of a mortal
or your years like those of a man,

that you must search out my faults
and probe after my sin-

though you know that I am not guilty
and that no one can rescue me from your hand?

If I sinned, you would be watching me
and would not let my offense go unpunished.

If I am guilty—woe to me!
Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,
for I am full of shame
and drowned in [e] my affliction.

You bring new witnesses against me
and increase your anger toward me;
your forces come against me wave upon wave.

"Why then did you bring me out of the womb?
I wish I had died before any eye saw me.

Are not my few days almost over?
Turn away from me so I can have a moment's joy

before I go to the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and deep shadow, [f]

to the land of deepest night,
of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness."

Source:ccel.org
By SS

JOB 5-7

A. THE COUNSEL OF ELIPHAZ
1. Eliphaz warns Job (5:1-7)
a. There is danger in the anger of a foolish man
b. Such a one will see his sons crushed and his harvest
depleted
c. Affliction comes because man is born to trouble

2. Eliphaz directs Job (5:8-16)
a. Seek God and commit your cause to Him
b. For God does great things, catching the wise in their own
craftiness, saving the needy and giving hope to the poor

9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.

10 He bestows rain on the earth;
he sends water upon the countryside.

11 The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.


3. Job reminded of God's blessings on those who accept His
chastening (5:17-26)
a. Happy is the man God corrects; don't despise His chastening
b. God will make him whole, and protect him in times of
trouble
c. God will give him peace, many descendants, and long life

17 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. [a]

18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;
he injures, but his hands also heal.

19 From six calamities he will rescue you;
in seven no harm will befall you.

20 In famine he will ransom you from death,
and in battle from the stroke of the sword.

23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

24 You will know that your tent is secure;
you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.

25 You will know that your children will be many,
and your descendants like the grass of the earth.

26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,
like sheaves gathered in season.

-- Eliphaz's conclusion: "This we have searched out; it is true.
Hear it and know for yourself." (5:27)
27 "We have examined this, and it is true.
So hear it and apply it to yourself."

B. JOB'S REPLY (6:1-7:21)
1. He justifies his rash words (6:1-7)
a. They are prompted by his heavy grief
b. He is experiencing the poisonous arrows and terrors of the
Almighty
c. Animals don't complain when well fed; but food has become
loathsome to him

2. He longs for death, while his integrity is still intact
(6:8-13)
a. He wishes that God would go ahead and crush him
b. Then he would have some comfort in knowing that he had not
concealed (or denied) the words of God
c. How long can he hope to endure?

8 "Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant what I hope for,

9 that God would be willing to crush me,
to let loose his hand and cut me off!

10 Then I would still have this consolation—
my joy in unrelenting pain—
that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.

11 "What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
What prospects, that I should be patient?

12 Do I have the strength of stone?
Is my flesh bronze?

13 Do I have any power to help myself,
now that success has been driven from me?

3. Job reproaches his friends (6:14-23)
a. They should have shown proper kindness
b. They have been like a deceitful brook, that disappoints
those who come to it
c. They have been afraid of what they have seen
d. He had not asked for their assistance

4. He challenges them to show him where he has sinned (6:24-30)
a. Show him his error and he will be quiet
b. Reproving him with no proof is of no benefit, it is like
overwhelming the fatherless and undermining one's friend
c. Look at him again and treat him justly, there is no
injustice in him

24 "Teach me, and I will be quiet;
show me where I have been wrong.

5. Job speaks out in the anguish of his soul (7:11-21)
a. Why does God terrify him with dreams and visions, so that
he longs for death?
b. Why is God testing him every moment? How long will this go
on?
c. Why can't God just leave him alone?
d. How has he sinned? What has he done to become a target for
God?
e. If he has sinned, why doesn't God pardon his transgression?
f. As it is, he will just go ahead and die, and then God won't
have to bother with him anymore (the sort of foolish
statement for which Job later repents, 42:3,6)

7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;
my eyes will never see happiness again.

8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
you will look for me, but I will be no more.

9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
so he who goes down to the grave [d] does not return.

10 He will never come to his house again;
his place will know him no more.

11 "Therefore I will not keep silent;
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep,
that you put me under guard?

13 When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,

14 even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,

15 so that I prefer strangling and death,
rather than this body of mine.

16 I despise my life; I would not live forever.
Let me alone; my days have no meaning.

17 "What is man that you make so much of him,
that you give him so much attention,

18 that you examine him every morning
and test him every moment?

19 Will you never look away from me,
or let me alone even for an instant?

20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of men?

Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a burden to you? [e]

21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
and forgive my sins?
For I will soon lie down in the dust;

Introduction To The Book Of Job

Portion For Reading Job 1-4

Job was a God-fearing man who avoided evil, had seven sons and three daughters, and was immensely wealthy. God calls Job "A good man who fears God and will have nothing to do with evil." (Job 1;8). Satan scoffs, "Why shouldn't he when You pay him so well? ... You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm." God then allows Satan to do anything he likes with Job's wealth, but not to harm him physically.

Within those two parameters of interpretation, four things call for the closest examination a reader can muster: (a) Satan’s speech to God, (b) Job’s Oath of Innocence, (c) God’s two speeches to Job and (d) Job’s two responses to God. Only a proper handling of these four keys will unlock the treasures to be found in The Book of Job.

Job’s Complaint
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? (Job 3:11-12,16,20,23) With this fivefold plaintive cry, Job opens this section of The Book of Job. [3]

Job pleads for answers from God. As a religious person, he “knows” God must have a “purpose” in sending that evil, but he cannot understand why God has “hidden” that purpose in his “heart” and not revealed it to his servants. (Job 10:13) As a rational being, Job needs those answers. “My days are past, my plans broken off, the desires of my heart…where then is my hope? Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?” (Job 17:11, 15-16) Without those answers, life is virtually meaningless.

Summary

A series of misfortunes strikes Job. Three friends visit him, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and each try to explain Job's misery in a different way. There are three speeches by each of the three friends.

A fourth man Elihu, tries to summarize the situation, offering yet another explanation of why Job is suffering. Finally the Lord Himself speaks to Job, and Job recognizes that we do not always need answers to life's problems but that we always need God Himself. Job is then healed and given material and spiritual blessings far beyond his former state.

Job is mentioned, along with Noah and Daniel, in Ezekiel 14:14, as the only ones to be saved by their righteousness. In James 5:11 Job is mentioned as a man who continued to trust the Lord even in sorrow.

Source:aboutbibleprophecy.com & bookofjob.org