BIBL 105: Old Testament Survey
10 Wisdom Lit. Pt. 1 (Job)
Books of Poetry
Job: Why do the righteous suffer?
Psalms: How do we praise God?
Proverbs: How do we live a godly life while on earth?
Ecclesiastes: What is the purpose and meaning of life?
Songs of Solomon: What does a loving relationship look like?
Hebrew Poetry
Poetry: ___Visual Art________
___Couplets________ (2 lines) as basis for Hebrew poetry
o2nd line will complete, deepen, or contrast the 1st line
The Hebrew poets use words to weave patterns into their visual art
__Imagery_________: vivid descriptions to liven our imagination
___Metaphor________: help illustrate the meaning of what the poet is trying to convey
Purpose of Poetry
Praise God for:
___Creation________ (Ps. 19:1)
Salvation (Ps. 16:1)
Providence (Ps. 139)
Blessings (Ps. 103)
Redemption (Ps. 49:15)
___Lovingkindness________ ( (Ps. 51:1)hesed)
Convey __wisdom_________ (hochmah)
God is the source of wisdom
“__Fear_________of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10)
The poets convey wisdom through proverbs (wise sayings), riddles, analogies, and songs
Job
When? __Patriarchal Period_________ (around the time of Abraham)
Theme: Purpose of __suffering_________
Purpose: There are __exceptions_________ to the general idea that you reap what you
sow
Job shows that sometimes suffering comes from persecution from Satan or the fallen
world
However, __God_________ is ultimately in control and sovereign over all things
Job’s Affliction
Satan afflicts Job to try to prove that Job only worships God because God had been
blessing him
God allows this to occur, but God determines the boundaries of the affliction
Job loses all ten of his __children_________, his ____wealth_______, and his
_health__________
Job holds to God in ___faith________
Accusation by Job’s __Friends_________ (4-31)
Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar sit and comfort Job for 7 days
In 3 rounds of questions, they try to figure out why God allows these events to happen
to Job
Eliphaz: Job has sinned, and God is __punishing_________ him
Bildad: Job should ____repent_______
Zophar: Job deserves __worse_________
Job continues to state that he has not earned his suffering, but his friends do not believe
him.
As the questions continue, they become more and more aggressive.
Even Job’s wife suggests that he should curse God and die.
Elihu
oYoungest friend steps in who has been watching this unfold
oHe is a bit kinder, but ultimately he has the same message as the other friends.
He __blames_________ Job for the grief he’s experiencing.
oBy the end of Job 37, Job is completely frustrated and is still looking for
___answers________.
God Answers (38-41)
God’s response is anchored in his role as ___Creator________ and in his divine
__sovereignty_________
God is _God__________ and Job is not
Job confesses his ignorance
God rebukes Job’s friends
Job Restored (42)
God not only restores what was lost, but he __doubles_________ what Job had
God gives Job ten more children
Job’s restoration reveals how God found __Satan_________ to be wrong; Job remained
_faithful__________.
Application
1. Sometimes bad things happen as a direct consequence of sinful choices. Other times, we
suffer because of the actions of others, persecution from Satan, or as the result of living
in this fallen world.
2. God _will__________ reward our __faithfullness_________, but not always with
tangible success. Job’s story is his specific experience; it is not prescriptive. Many times,
our rewards are spiritual.
3. We need to be very __careful_________ about judging another person’s circumstances
and struggles.
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Job & Jesus
Job 9:32-34 – “He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, that we might confront
each other in court. If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us
together.”
Jesus as the _Creator__________ God
Jesus as the Righteous ____Sufferer_______
Jesus as the Living ___Redeemer________
Jesus as the Eternal __Mediator_________
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