THE TRIAL OF JOB (4)

I HAVE PREPARED MY CASE. I KNOW I WILL BE VINDICATED

From the storm

God storms into Job’s presence. Now, it’s my turn, he says. I will cross-examine you.

Throughout the dialogues between Job and his friends, Job especially, had claimed vast knowledge of the way things work — or should work — in this world. Job said of a hoped-for encounter with God, "I have prepared my case, I know I will be vindicated" (Job 13:18).

Now, out of the raging storm, God begins to challenge Job’s claim to understanding: "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?" (Job 38:2).

From the whirlwind, God demands of Job, "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?" (Job 40:2). God tells Job he doesn’t know what he’s talking about when he questions God’s fairness.

He isn’t going to answer any of Job’s "Why?" questions. God has come to cross-examine. "I will question you, and you shall answer me," he tells Job twice (Job 38:3; 40:7).

How does God answer Job? He sidesteps every question Job had. Instead, God gives Job a wilderness appreciation tour, recounting the majesties of nature from hail to horses (Job 38:22; 39:19). Is this relevant? Indeed, it is.

Aaagh!  How stupid I was, thinks Job. He smacks his brow and puts his hand to his mouth. Job finally understands the error of his hasty conclusion (Job 40:4). He grasps that his position is built on ignorance. He realizes God is quite capable of running the universe correctly.

A bigger God

Job now knows that whatever has happened to him — in some way he can’t fully understand — will work out for his benefit, for everyone’s benefit (see Romans 8:28). Job can say to God, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2).

Job is now convinced of God’s infinite wisdom in dealing with him as he sees fit. Job now knows there is a purpose for his suffering — God’s purpose. That is quite enough for him. The mighty voice of God thundering out of the whirlwind puts everything into perspective for Job. It says: God is alive; God is here; God cares; God is capable.

Job has been given an answer, not the one he expected, but one much more important. No matter that he had not been given a chance to present his own case. When God appears, Job’s questions melt away precisely because God has now revealed himself.

Surprisingly, God does not condemn Job for railing against him and accusing him. God only corrects Job’s misconception about his ability to rule the creation.

To be sure, God reprimands Job because Job condemned him for injustice. Out of the storm, God batters Job with these questions: "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself" (Job 40:8)? But God does not accuse Job of sin. God neither calls him self-righteous nor a blasphemer.                          …to be cont’d

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

God won’t condemn

Does this mean that we might also dare express our frustration, our anger — even call God to account in our ignorance and confusion — without being condemned by God? Shocking though it may be — yes, we can.

In Philip Yancey’s words: "One bold message in the Book of Job is that you can say anything to God. Throw at him your grief, your anger, your doubt, your bitterness, your betrayal, your disappointment — he can absorb them all." God is much bigger than we are.

Job also recognizes how big, how great, God is. After hearing God’s argument, Job says, "I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6). But repent of what? Of some specific sin? Not quite. Job explains, "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (verse 3).

It wasn’t that Job had to overcome a specific sin, but rather that he had to grow in understanding. Job had been too hasty in concluding God was unjust or inept. 

Job now had a deeper, clearer perception of his Creator. But this new awareness was only a by-product of the real purpose of Job’s suffering — the testing of his faith and love. In this case, God needed to know something about Job, and Job needed to know something about himself and about God.

The why of suffering

The book of Job, then, teaches us that suffering may occur for reasons we don’t understand unless or until God reveals them to us (see John 9:1-7, for example). Trials may come because God needs to know something about a faithful servant (Genesis 22:1-12). Job’s suffering had such an intent — to prove whether he would love God despite everything.

This message of Job has deep implications for the Christian’s relationship with God. Trials and suffering provide spiritual enrichment and build a relationship between us and God (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Hebrews 12:4-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 4:12-19).

Job also tells us no ironclad relationship exists between suffering and sin. Just because Christians suffer trials or tragedies does not mean God is punishing them for some sin.

The book of Job is about much more than suffering or God’s justice. Job affirmed that God was still God — no matter what — and always worthy of our love, reverence and worship. That was the test on Job, and he passed it. He vindicated both himself and God by remaining faithful. Job proved it is possible for humans to love God unconditionally.

Suffering had been an expansive, faith-demonstrating opportunity for Job. God had grown much bigger; Job had become smaller.

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

THE TRIAL OF JOB (3)

                   JOB CURSES HIS BIRTH

Bildad, resting his authority on tradition, suggests that Job is a hypocrite. He too, takes the inferential approach and says that since trouble has come, Job must have sinned. "If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee" (8:6). Zophar, who is a moralist, rests his authority on the belief that living a moral life brings blessings. Zophar condemns Job for verbosity, presumption, and sinfulness, concluding that Job is getting less than what he deserves: "Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth" (11:6)  

3 After seven days Job cried out and cursed the day he had been born, 2 saying:

3 “Let the day I was born be destroyed,

    and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born!’

4 Let that day turn to darkness.

    Don’t let God care about it.

    Don’t let light shine on it.

5 Let darkness and gloom have that day.

    Let a cloud hide it.

    Let thick darkness cover its light.

6 Let thick darkness capture that night.

    Don’t count it among the days of the year

    or put it in any of the months.

7 Let that night be empty,

    with no shout of joy to be heard.

8 Let those who curse days curse that day.

    Let them prepare to wake up the sea monster Leviathan.

9 Let that day’s morning stars never appear;

    let it wait for daylight that never comes.

    Don’t let it see the first light of dawn,

10 because it allowed me to be born

    and did not hide trouble from my eyes.

3:2-26 With a curse (vv.3-13) and lament (vv.14-26), Job pours out a torrent of pain and bitterness, seeing himself as the object of God’s anger. He longs for inner rest. He does not curse God, as Satan had wanted him to do; he does, however, curse his conception and birth. This outburst could also be read as an appeal for concern and sympathy from his friends.

11 “Why didn’t I die as soon as I was born?

    Why didn’t I die when I came out of the womb?

12 Why did my mother’s knees receive me,

    and my mother’s breasts feed me?

13 If they had not been there,

    I would be lying dead in peace;

    I would be asleep and at rest

14 with kings and wise men of the earth

    who built places for themselves that are now ruined.

15 I would be asleep with rulers

    who filled their houses with gold and silver.

16 Why was I not buried like a child born dead,

    like a baby who never saw the light of day?

17 In the grave the wicked stop making trouble,

    and the weary workers are at rest.

18 In the grave there is rest for the captives

    who no longer hear the shout of the slave driver.

19 People great and small are in the grave,

    and the slave is freed from his master.

20 “Why is light given to those in misery?

    Why is life given to those who are so unhappy?

21 They want to die, but death does not come.

    They search for death more than for hidden treasure.

22 They are very happy

    when they get to the grave.

23 They cannot see where they are going.

    God has hidden the road ahead.

24 I make sad sounds as I eat;

    my groans pour out like water.

25 Everything I feared and dreaded

    has happened to me.

26 I have no peace or quietness.

    I have no rest, only trouble.”

3:25 Know and understand that fear shows lack of faith in God and His promises. It is unnecessary to construe that Job's fears were responsible for producing his dilemma. The preceding narrative makes clear that Satan’s initiative brought the tragedy about, not Job’s uncertainties or fears (1:6-12,2:1-7). Job does, however, acknowledge his human fears, a common disposition of our humanity. His fears do not reflect on his understanding of God’s nature, but on his knowledge of life’s unpredictability.

Job’s tragic circumstances challenge and contradict everything he has always believed about God as a rewarder of the good. Life has gone crazy for Job, and he has been locked up in the padded cell of his own mind.

Wrestling with God

Job can only assume God is persecuting him hiding from him. He lashes out at God in pain and anguish. "If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target?" Job complains (Job 7:20).

We should not mistake Job’s terrible discouragement, his lashing out at God, for disbelief. God’s existence is not in question. Job knows that somewhere in the universe God must be alive. "Though he slays me, yet will I hope in him," Job cries out in despairing belief (Job 13:15). Still trusting in God as his Advocate, Job insists, "I know that my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25).

Meanwhile, Job’s friends are shocked at his outbursts against God. Surely, the comforters think, the fire of God is about to burn up this man. They are afraid to admit that no cause-and-effect reason exists for Job’s painful trial. That would imply they live in a senseless world. How could God be just and strike Job unjustly?

Blame the victim

Their answer? Job obviously must have sinned grievously against God. Yes, that’s it — Job’s sins are the cause of his suffering. God is off the hook. The friends put forth the old "if you are suffering you must be sinning" answer to suffering. It is blame-the-victim time. Although at first the came to console Job, they end up attacking him relentlessly as a hideous sinner.

Eliphaz pontificates: "Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless?" (Job 22:5). He and the other two friends completely misread Job’s spiritual condition and God’s purpose. They, too, try to find the perpetrator of the crime — the cause of Job’s dreadful suffering. But they accuse the wrong person — innocent Job. 

Part of what the friends say about the relationship of sin and cursing, virtue and reward is true. Sin does have consequences — we do reap what we sow (Psalm 1; Galatians 6:7). But Job’s friends misapply their remarks in Job’s case. They take a general principle and nail it to a specific person — Job — and the specific trial he is undergoing. They will soon be stunned to realize how wrong they are (Job 42:7-8).

                                                         ….to be cont’d

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

THE TRIAL OF JOB (2)

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 walking up and down in it.

The Second Assault of Satan

The bulk of the Book of Job is taken up with three dialogues between Job and Eliphaz, Job and Bildad, and Job and Zophar, followed by Elihu’s challenge to Job. The four men seek to answer the question, "Why does Job suffer?"  Eliphaz, basing his answer on experience, states that Job suffers because he has sinned. He argues that those who sin are punished. Since Job is suffering, obviously, he has sinned.

2 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3 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? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10 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.

The Arrival of Job’s Friends

11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

2:1 Diligently avoid any form of self-righteousness. Understand that it makes one unteachable and unshapable in God’s hand.

2:3-6 Understand that while God may allow us to be tested, He sets strict limits on the tests.

2:7 Sore boils: A similar description is given in Deut. 28:35 and Lev. 13:18, and may refer to elephantiasis, a disease resulting in extreme pain and disfigurement. The disease appears to have come upon Job suddenly and to have covered his body quickly.

2:8 There is no indication that isolation was imposed on Job; however, he had removed himself already to a place among the ashes in mourning for his children.

2:9-10 At this point, Job’s wife displays her lack of spiritual insight and sympathy for her husband’s condition. Astonished at Job’s continued integrity and steadfast faith, she taunts him. Tormented though he is, Job expresses a genuine faith in God.

2:11 Friends is a term used for those showing a solemn, covenant relationship. The three had a sincere desire to share his grief and ease his pain. Teman was in northern Edom, Shuah was on the Middle Euphrates, below the mouth of the Khabur River. Naamah was between Beirut and Damascus.….to be cont’d

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

THE TRIAL OF JOB (1)

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.

Author   The authorship of Job is uncertain. Some scholars attribute this book to Moses. Others attribute it to one of the ancient wise men whose works can be found in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, perhaps even to Solomon himself.  

                             

Date   The manners, customs, and general life-style of Job are from the patriarchal period (about 2000-1800 B.C.). Scholars differ, however, regarding when it was compiled, as its writing was an obvious recording of a long-standing oral tradition. Those who attribute it to Moses opt for a fifteenth century B.C. date. Others opt for as late as the second century B.C. Most conservatives assign it to the Solomonic era, the mid-tenth century B.C.

Background   Scripture itself attests that Job was a real person. He is referred to in Ezekiel 14:14 and James 5:11. Job was a Gentile, is thought to have been a descendant of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, and knew God by the name of "Shaddai" - the Almighty. (There are 30 references to Shaddai in the Book of Job.) Job was a wealthy man living a seminomadic life-style.

Content   The Book of Job has been call "a dramatic poem framed in an epic story" (J. Sidlow Baxter). Chapters 1 and 2 are prologue, which give the setting of the story. Satan presents himself, with the sons of God, and challenges the piety of Job, stating, "Doth job fear God for nought?" (1:9). He goes on to suggest that were everything to be taken away, Job would curse God. God gives Satan permission to try Job’s faith by stripping him of his wealth, his family, and finally, his health. Yet, "did not Job sin with his lips" (2:10). Job is then visited by three friends-Eliphaz, the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, who are so overwhelmed by Job’s deplorable condition that they sit in silence with Job for seven days.

Job, the Good Man

1 – 5 A man named Job lived in the land of Uz. He was an honest and innocent man; he honored God and stayed away from evil. 2 Job had seven sons and three daughters. 3 He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys. He also had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

4 Job’s sons took turns holding feasts in their homes and invited their sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 After a feast was over, Job would send and have them made clean. Early in the morning Job would offer a burnt offering for each of them, because he thought, “My children may have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Job did this every time.

Satan Appears Before the Lord

6 – 19

20 When Job heard this, he got up and tore his robe and shaved his head to show how sad he was. Then he bowed down to the ground to worship God. 21 He said:

                           “I was naked when I was born,

                             and I will be naked when I die.

                          The LORD gave these things to me,

                               and he has taken them away.

                             Praise the name of the LORD.”

                22 In all this Job did not sin or blame God.

1:6 Satan An opponent, or the Opponent; the hater; the accuser; adversary; enemy; one who resists, obstructs, and hinders whatever is good. Satan comes from the verb which means "to be an opponent," or "to withstand." As a noun, satan can describe any "adversaries" (2 Sam. 19:21, 22). However, when the form ha-satan (the Adversary) occurs, the translation is usually "Satan," not his name, but his accurate description: hateful enemy. Since Satan is the Hater, he is all the more opposed to God, who is love (1John 3:10-15; 4:7,8). Mankind did not witness Satan’s beginning, but by God’s design shall see his end, one of ceaseless, torment and humiliation.

1:1 This is not a parable but an account of a real man who was acknowledged by man and God to be perfect and upright.

1:6 – 2:7 Satan’s interviews with God tell us that:

1.      Satan is accountable to God (1:6), since he came to present himself to God

2.      Satan’s mind is an open book to God – God’s questions are asked to compel Satan to confess

3.      Satan is behind the evils that curse the Earth (2:7);4) he is neither omnipresent (nor omniscient)

4.      He is neither omnipresent nor omniscient

5.      He can do nothing without divine permission (1:10);6) when God gives permission to Satan. He sets definite limits on his power.

1:6-12 Choose to trust God’s absolute sovereignty in any adversity.

1:6 Sons of God is the same phrase that occurs in Gen. 6:2. Here, however, its meaning is clearly that of celestial beings or angels God created as His servants. Satan is among them. He appears as the "adversity" to disturb God’s kingdom by causing trouble.

1:8 Job is declared by God Himself to be a perfect and an upright man, and yet he is tried – not because of his unrighteousness but in spite of his righteousness. His trial was to establish his righteousness, as well as to give him deeper insight into his relationship with God and a greater understand of his own nature. While Satan’s goal was to prove Job to be a sinner, God’s goal was to establish forever the sincerity of Job’s faith. God does not allow trials to see if we will fail; He allows trials to strengthen our faith. The trial is, in fact; a statement of God’s faith in our faithfulness and integrity.

1:9 For nought means "without reason."  He is implying that Job’s good deeds spring from selfish motives of being blessed and protected by God.

1:22 Understand that to accuse God of any wrongdoing is the sin of blasphemy. Refuse to question any of God’s workings.  …to be cont’d

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

THIS IS HIS DAY

This is the day the LORD has made.We will rejoice and be glad in it.

-

PSALM 118:24 NLT

G

od gives us this day; He fills it to the brim with possibilities, and He challenges us to use it for His purposes.  The 118^th Psalm reminds us that today, like every other day, is a cause for celebration. The day is presented to us fresh and clean at midnight, free of charge, but we must beware: Today is a non-renewable resource-once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Our responsibility, of course, is to use this day in the service of God’s will and according to His commandments.

Today, treasure the time that God has given you. Give Him the glory and the praise and the thanksgiving that He deserves. And search for the hidden possibilities that God has placed along your path. This day is a priceless gift from God, so use it joyfully and encourage others to do likewise. After all, this is the day the Lord has made….

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

PRAY TO BE ON GOD’S SIDE

"ARE YOU FOR US OR FOR OUR ENEMIES?"

JOSHUA 5:13

"Pray not that God is on our side but that we are on God’s side." That saying, attributed to Abraham Lincoln, is the point of this story. Joshua, is put in his place when he challenges the warrior standing in the road with a drawn sword.

"Are you for us or for our enemies?" He wasn’t expecting to hear "Neither…but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Joshua is the one who should be answering the questions.

What Joshua hears is humbling, but it is also heartening. God is involved in Israel’s war - - actually, the war is God’s, and Israel is involved in God’s war. What a relief for Joshua, the rookie commander of the army.  Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant? " Joshua may not be sure of his battle plan, but he can have absolute confidence in God. What a relief to not have to figure things out ourselves, but to submit to God in humble reverence and do his will. That’s what prayer is: not asking God to do what we want, but doing what he wants. Then he lets us be a part of his great plan.

God’s plan will blow Joshua’s mind and topple the walls of Jericho. Do you have a "Jericho" to face? Be humbled, to heartened, be prayerful

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org