YO UT H WO R K S B IB L E S T U DY S E R I E S
OLD TE STA MEN T
Job
Trusting God in hard times
Ken Moser
First published November 2004 Revised edition published August 2011 Anglican Youthworks PO Box A287, Sydney South NSW 1235 Ph: 612 8268 3344 Fax: 612 8268 3357 www.cepstore.com.au Copyright Youthworks Press © Ken Moser 2011 This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without the written permission of the Publisher. Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. National Library of Australia ISBN 978-1-921460-77-7 Author – Ken Moser Editor, First edition – Julie Moser Managing Editor, Revised edition – Julie Firmstone Theological Editor, Revised edition – Marshall Ballantine-Jones Typesetting and design – Rebecca Jee
INTRODUCING THE BOOK OF JOB Get ready to go on an amazing adventure. Job is one of the most exciting and unusual books in the whole Bible. Read what these people in the past have said about this book: ‘This book is magnificent and sublime (awesome) as no other book of scripture.’ Martin Luther ‘The greatest poem of ancient or modern times.’ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ‘The Old Testament book about Job is one of the supreme offerings of the human mind to the loving God and one of the best gifts of God to men.’ Francis Anderson The book of Job is a book filled with marvellous imagery and lots of surprises. In fact, it has almost everything you could want from a great story. Job was a rich man and a devoted believer in God who lost everything, including his family, his life’s savings and his health. There was a great ‘contest’ between God and Satan as to whether Job would remain faithful to God even if he lost all that he had. Job had four clumsy friends who, although they loved Job and wanted to help, kept giving him bad advice and depressing him further. The story concludes with God appearing to Job out of a storm and giving back everything that had been taken away. Job is the story of a faithful man being tested to the edge.
Issues you will face in the book of Job The problem of innocent people suffering The problem of suffering has troubled people for centuries. Is God weak? Doesn’t he care? Why doesn’t he do something? While the book of Job doesn’t answer all these questions, it does provide some helpful guidelines for thinking through this issue. The existence of Satan – our evil enemy The book of Job shows us that we have an enemy who seeks to destroy our trust in God and devour us. While he is nowhere near as powerful as God, he will do anything (and everything) he can to destroy our faith. Trusting the sovereignty of God (sovereignty = power and control) The book of Job reveals that God is in control of everything. Everything! God is in control even when everything points to the opposite conclusion. This book encourages us to trust God through any difficulty. By the way, his name is pronounced Jobe (not like something you do to earn money)! Enjoy this fantastic book. Ken Moser Job
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“…Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:21
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JOB’S FIRST TEST JOB 1:1-22
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. Job 1:21
Share Have you ever lost (or had stolen) something valuable? What was it? How did it feel? Were you angry at anyone about it? OR What is something that would make you very upset if you lost it?
Introducing Job Read Job 1:1–22 Looking at verses 1 to 5, give a description of what you think Job’s lifestyle would be like if he was living today. (For example: What would his family life be like? What would his house be like? What car do you think he would drive? How rich would he be?)
What kind of person was Job? (Describe his character.)
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Read Job 1:6–12 What does this story teach us about Satan?
Why does God allow Satan to take everything away from Job?
What do you think about God versus Satan? Tick one of the boxes below and then discuss your answers: Two equals fighting. Good versus evil. A huge giant versus a tiny ant.
Does Job 1:6–12 teach us anything about the limitations of Satan’s power?
Everything is taken from Job Read Job 1:13–19 List everything that was taken away from Job: Verses 14–15
Verse 16
Verse 17
Verses 18–19
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If everything had been taken away from you, which of the following statements would you make? Choose one and discuss your answers.
GOD IS IN MY LIFE CONTROL IS OVER WHO DID HOW CA THIS? GET IT N I ALL I’M GONNA BACK? GET THEM Anything else? _____________________________
Job’s faithful response Read Job 1:20–22 What was Job’s response? How was his response different to how you would have responded?
Have you ever been angry towards God because things didn’t go well? (What did you say to God at the time?)
How have you responded to suffering in your life so far?
Responding to tough times Could you be described as ‘blameless and upright, a man/woman who fears God and shuns evil’?
What things can you do to improve?
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If God told Satan to test your faith, how would you do?
Would you stop being a Christian if God did the same thing as he did to Job in your life?
Memory verse ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ Job 1:21
Pray Pray that you would be ‘blameless and upright’ like Job. Pray that you will trust God even when things get tough.
Further reading Make sure you get ready for next week’s study by reading Job 2:1–10 sometime this week.
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When times get tough, how do you respond to God? The book of Job tells the story of a man who loses everything except his faith in God. This book describes his interaction with God in the midst of his pain and teaches us to trust God under all circumstances.
A B OU T T H E A U T H OR Ken Moser has been running youth groups and small group Bible studies for 25 years. In addition to a second Youthworks Bible Study: 1 Thessalonians – The changed life, Ken is the author of several youth ministry books and resources. These include Changing the world through effective youth ministry and Youth evangelism: Reaching young people in a way that honours God. He teaches youth ministry at Briercrest College and Seminary in Canada.
A B OU T T H E YO U T H W ORKS B I B L E ST UDY S E RIE S More than ever, young people today need answers to life’s big questions. The Youthworks Bible Study series is designed to challenge and encourage young people to be confident in their faith in Jesus in a changing world. The studies have been written by experienced youth leaders and are arranged into Old Testament, New Testament and Topical.
ISBN 978-1-921460-77-7
9 781921 460777