Hanover Baptist Church

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Adult Sunday School

12/5/04

JOB – “DON’T QUIT!”      Job 32-37

With Friends Like These     9.  God is Just

Memory Verse for today:  Isaiah 45:21

Tell ye, and bring them near;

yea, let them take counsel together:

who hath declared this from ancient time?

who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD?

and there is no God else beside me;

a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

I.                   Elihu’s First Speech:  “God is not Silent”;

Job 32-33.

II.        Elihu’s Second Speech:  “God is Just”; Job 34.

-Justice (Biblical definition):  straightness or rightness, that which conforms to a given standard.

-Job 34:35; Proverbs 10:19.

III.       Elihu’s Third Speech:  “God is Great”;

Job 35.

IV.       Elihu’s Fourth Speech:  “God is Sovereign”;                     Job 36-37.

V.       Job and Ecclesiastes.

·         Under the sun.

·         Over the sun.

·         Contentment/joy comes from knowing God.

                        Ecc. 2:10-11, 26; 7:14; 9; 11:9-12:1, 13-14.

VI.       Elihu:  Arrogant or Godly???

·         Arrogant:  (Henry M. Morris, The Remarkable Record of Job, Baker Book House, 1988)

                        -Job 32:9-10, 18, 20; 33:2-3, 31, 33; 34:1

                        -Job 3:23-28.  Job 33:6, 32-33

·         Godly:  (Thurman Wisdom, “The Message of Elihu” in Biblical Viewpoint, BJU, 1987)

                        - Job 32:21-22; 33:8; 34:5; 35:2; 36; 37

*Knowledge is the ability to take something apart (Job’s counselors).  Wisdom is the ability to put it back together (GOD!—salvation!).

DESPITE CIRCUMSTANCES,

THE BELIEVER CAN ALWAYS BE ASSURED THAT GOD IS GREAT AND JUST.

Memory Verse for next time – Isaiah 50:10

Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

Lesson for next time

JOB – “DON’T QUIT!”    Job 38-41

God is Great and God is Good     10.  Trust Him

(Thurman Wisdom, “The Message of Elihu” in Biblical Viewpoint, BJU, 1987)

-Progressive development of the book of Job’s overall message (p. 28):

1.       Prologue; chs. 1-2; Suffering is from Satan with God’s permission.

2.       Job’s lamentation; ch. 3; Suffering is an agonizing mystery.

3.       The friends’ disputations; chs. 4-25; Suffering is from sin.

4.       Job’s self-vindication; chs. 6-31; Suffering seems arbitrary and unjust.

5.       Elihu’s exhortation; chs. 32-37; Suffering is for improvement.

6.       Jehovah’s revelation; chs. 38-41; Suffering is for the cultivation of reverential trust;.

7.       Epilogue; ch. 42; Suffering will be compensated.

-Quotes (pp. 32-35):

-“The problem in Job’s attitude was that he was trying to make Almighty God accountable to him—as if no action of God could be regarded as acceptable unless it appeared to be right in the sight of man.  The key to the correction of such vain thinking is the principle that God is infinitely greater than man.

-God, says Elihu, is great; but He is also good.

-“His greatness demands your reverence and your recognition of His sovereign right to deal with His creatures as He will.”

-“His goodness provides hope for restoration.”

-The book of Job …”is God’s message to all who suffer:  “It is utterly impossible for you to understand all the ways of Almighty God; but recognize that I am the creator and the sustainer of the universe.  I have demonstrated over and over again that I am wise, just, and good.  The key, therefore, to the great mystery of the suffering and burdens of life is simply to bow before me in humble reverence and trust Me that I will work all things for the good of those who love their Lord.”

BONUS MATERIAL

Ecclesiastes & Job Compared

E         Everything is vanity; Ecc. 1.

C         Contentment is not found in things; Ecc. 2.

C         Contentment is not the product of time; Ecc. 3.

L         Life, itself, is futile; Ecc. 4.

E         Evil is futile; Ecc. 5.

S          Satisfaction is humanly unattainable; Ecc. 6.

I           Iniquity is universal; Ecc. 7.

A         Authority is not given to men; Ecc. 8.

S          Subjectivism appears to be in control; Ecc. 9.

T         The way of wisdom is better than the way of foolishness; Ecc. 10.

E         Enjoyment in life is possible; Ecc. 11.

S          Salvation, satisfaction, and sense are possible only through God; Ecc. 12.

J          Just what is going on?  Job 1-31

O         Only trust Him!  Job 32-37

B         Believe in God’s justice and care—no matter what; Job 38-42.

HOW TO TRULY COMFORT SOMEONE

§         Empathize genuinely with the one who hurts.

§         Pray earnestly for the one who hurts.

§         Don’t ignore expressions of physical or emotional pain.

§         Don’t talk too much.  Listen!

§         Don’t become argumentative.

§         Don’t belittle the one who hurts.

§         Don’t assume that you know all the answers.

§         Don’t condemn with words that hurt.

§         Share encouraging words from God’s promises.

§         Tenderly pray with the one who hurts.