Friday, September 20
Read Job 15
Think About It:
- Eliphaz and Job’s other friends believed that bad things only happen to bad people. Therefore, since all of these catastrophes have fallen upon Job, it follows that he must be a sinful man. Yet, we know from scripture that Job is not a sinful man. Job 1:1 says, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” Think about what you believe regarding the cause of tragedy in the lives of people: Do you believe that when you become a Christian, you will have a good life from then on? Do you believe that because you are a good person and a Christian you don’t deserve to have trouble in life? Do you expect that God should and will protect you from tragedy and misfortune? Do you believe that if a Christian is plagued by sickness, poverty, loss, and grief that they must have sinned and done something that God is punishing them for? Do you believe that if you are a good Christian and seek God’s will in your life with all your heart that you will prosper not only spiritually, but also in your job, in your finances, and that good behavior attracts good things into your life?
- Again, Job’s friends appeal to the idea of tradition and “all the wise people know this.” They speak in terms of cause and effect associations between human wickedness and received judgment, and assume that this principle is always true in all cases—especially in Job’s particular case. “Job, it is only the wicked who suffer as you do. You are suffering in great pain; therefore you must be one of the wicked. The sooner you confess this and repent of it, the better it will be for you.” Why does Eliphaz want to believe that Job has committed some great sin for which he is being punished?
Family Time:
- Eliphaz began saying that Job’s words were what? “______________ notions and ____________ words.” (Verses 2-3)
- Eliphaz’s opinion was that Job was a great r n i n s e . (Unscramble the word.)
