Day 11 – Job and Satan

• We’re leaving Genesis behind for four days, and jumping into the exciting, often mind-bending, and always wonderful book of Job. It’ll be a new challenge for those of you who aren’t familiar with it, but onward we’ll march and I’ll try to help you all the way! Job is 42 chapters long, but we’re only going to look at eight of them in this plan. I hope you really enjoy these four days.
• The author of this book, and the date it was written, is unknown. We’re reading it now because the story it depicts happens outside of the story of the Jewish nation, and classically has been dated as one of the earliest books of the Bible. The book talks of the eponymous character, Job, his three friends who come to comfort him when he faces difficult times, and their responses to the events that are occurring.
• Read through all the passages, if you haven’t done so yet. Think about Job’s character as he was described in chapter 1:1-5. What sort of man was Job? What did he do for his family? How did he treat God?
• The two scenes of God talking with Satan sound rather bizarre… like a science fiction movie maybe! But it’s real. It plays out like a royal courtroom with Satan acting as a prosecution lawyer. Spend a moment picturing the scene in your head and imagine how it might have looked. What was Satan’s main accusation?
• Make a list or a table of all the hard things that happened to Job in the first two chapters as Satan tests him twice. They are things that would have blown his world apart, and made him suffer terribly. How did Satan expect him to respond, and how did Job actually respond? Do you think that your reactions might have been different if you were in his shoes?
• Satan asked permission from God to test Job. God allows Satan to have limited power in the world and to bring about the pain/hurt/evil/sadness, etc.. that we see in the passage. That continues to this day – Satan still has that power. The effects of sin continues to hurt us all. Why doesn’t God just stop it?
• In Job 2:8, an exhausted and sorrowful Job sits down in the ashes. What is his reply to his wife’s call for him to curse God?
• Job’s friends come to join him, and sit with him – for seven days! Do you have friends like Job who come and be with you when you’re struggling? Do everything your friends say help you? We’ll find out tomorrow whether Job’s friends are helpful to him or not!
• How does the passage in James help provide some context to the reason for Job’s suffering? Might this passage be helpful to you if you/when you are suffering?

Job is a wonderfully interesting book, with many people, Christian and not, praising it as a stunning piece of literature, not only because it explores some of the most profound questions humans ask about their lives, but also because it is beautifully written. I hope you enjoy reading it this week. That said, it’s not an easy book to get your head around. Don’t worry if you have lots and lots of questions about this book, or if you struggle to understand every word of it. You may find it helpful to read some of the overview notes of the book in your study bible, if you have one, to frame your understanding of what we’re reading. I’ve attached the overview video of Job, and I highly recommend watching it to help you over the coming days.

You’ll undoubtedly struggle with the idea that “good” man like Job is allowed to have such awful things happen to him, as a loving God sits back and permits the suffering to occur. You’ll wonder, like Job, why “wicked” people prosper and “good” people often go through deeply painful experiences. As you read, try not to think too simplistically about this. Fairness, in simple human terms, isn’t always the agenda – just like it wasn’t “fair” that Jesus died for us whilst we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). We’ll think more about this as we finish the book and reflect on it.

For now, let me pick out one of my favourite verses in the whole bible. It’s Job 1:21. In the midst of his grief, Job falls to the ground and worships God, saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD”.

Oh my word, wow. Wow. Next time you get annoyed at your brother, or you stamp your feet when something doesn’t go your way, or you mess something up, stop and think of Job’s response to his suffering. It’ll do wonders to put your difficulties and frustrations into context, and to help you to continue to put God number One, both in victory and defeat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRHoRJDWWJI