God's Dealing with the Self

  1. The Background of Job's Life - Job 1
    2.
    1. His name - (In Hebrew = "persecuted one"; in Arabic = "one who turns back" or "repents")
    2. His relationship to the Lord and his character - Job 1:1, 5
    3. His family - Job 1:2, 4-5
    4. His wealth - Job 1:3
    5. His era and location - Job 1:1

  2. The Heavenly Scene - Job 1-2
    3.
    1. The persons involved - Job 1:6-7; 2:1-2; 42:11
      1. God, Satan, and man - Eph. 3:9-11; Rev. 12:9-11
    2. The issue - Job 1:8-12; 2:3-7
      1. Man being the center of a conflict between God and Satan

  3. The Earthly Scene - Job 1-3
    4.
    1. Job's trials - Job 1:13
      1. Possessions - Job 1:13-17
      2. Family - Job 1:18-19
      3. Physical - Job 2:4-8
    2. Job's response
      1. Worship - Job 1:20-21
      2. Resignation - Job 2:9-10
      3. The desire to escape - Job 3:1-26
        1. From birth - "Why was I born?" (Job 1-10)
        2. From preservation - "Why did I not die?" (Job 11-19)
        3. From continued existence - "Why do I live?" (Job 20-26)
    3. Job's three friends
      1. Mourning and comforting - Job 2:11-13

  4. Soulish Understanding - Job 4-31
    1. The first series of talks - Job 4-14
      1. Eliphaz ("My God has refined") - advice based on a vision (4:12-13f); you reap what you sow (4:8) under God's chastening (5:17), so seek God (5:8).
      2. Job's response - kindness should be shown to the despairing and failing (6:17), rather than right words (6:25). Job pours out his spirit and soul (7:11) and honestly inquires why he is God's target (7:20).
      3. Bildad ("Confusing love") - advice based on history (8:8); consider God's justice with Job's family (8:3-4) and the exampleof the past (8:10, 20).
      4. Job's response - Job agrees with history (9:4, 12), yet he considers himself blameless (9:15, 21-22), and will not be related to God on the basis of fear (9:34-35), but will freely complain to God (10:1-3, 15-17).
      5. Zophar ("Departing early"; "rough") - advice based on wisdom (11:6); because God knows all (11:7-9) he is requiring less than what Job deserves (11:2-6).
      6. Job's response - Job acknowledges their common wisdom and declares he is not inferior to them (12:2-3; 13:1-2), indeed, heridicules their "proverbs of ashes" (12:4,12), and appeals directly to God (13:15-16) without being afraid of his sins beingexposed (13:21- 23). Job reflects on man's unclean nature (14:4), life beyond the grave(14:14), and the general disappointments of life (14:18-22).
    2. The second series of talks - Job 15--21
      1. Eliphaz - he directly rebukes Job (15:2-6) and attempts to teach him with the wisdom and lessons of history (15:8-10, 17-18).
      2. Job's response - Job criticizes his friends as "miserable comforters" (16:2) and declares that he is in God's hands (16:11) Who has set him up as His target (16:12); thus, he despairs of life (17:11, 14-16).
      3. Bildad - he is obviously annoyed at Job (18:3) and seeks to frighten him to repentance (18:5, 11, 21).
      4. Job's response - Job testifies that he is under the hand of God (19:21) in his afflictions and has hope in the resurrection (19:25-27).
      5. Zophar - he assumes Job's wickedness by describing "the portion from God for a wicked man" (20:29).
      6. Job's response - he analyzes his friends' answers as "empty words" containing "false hood" (21:34) because the wicked often prosper (21:7f) when they reject God's ways (21:14-15).
    3. The third series of talks - Job 22--31
      1. Eliphaz - he implies that Job's wickedness is great (22:5), and then specifies various sins that Job must be guilty of (22:6-11). Finally, Eliphaz advises Job to get acquainted with God (22:21, 26-27) and light will shine on his ways (22:28)
      2. Job's response - Job longs to find God (23:3-5), but cannot find Him (23:8-9); neverthe less, he still has confidence that he will come forth as gold (23:10). Job also enumerates various sins that God allowed in the world without His interference (24:1-24)
      3. Bildad - he appeals to God's government in the world (25:2) and sets sinful man in the light of it (25:4-6)
      4. Job's response - Job exposes his friends' inability to help him (26:1-4), and then testifies of his own knowledge of the greatness of God (26:5-14)
      5. Job's continued discourse
        1. Job maintains his righteousness (27:1-6) and observes the end of the wicked (27:13ff)
        2. Job embarks on a search for wisdom (28:12-27) and discovers it in "the fear of the Lord" (28:28)
        3. Job reflects on his past (29)
        4. Job reflects on his present (30)
        5. Job reflects on himself (31)
        6. Job's self-righteousness (32:1-2) and his three friends' inability to answer rightly (32:3-5)

  5. Spiritual Understanding - Job 32-37
    6.
    1. The spirit is the source of understanding (32:8, 17-22)
    2. God's dealings (33:19-22) are for the purpose of bringing in light (33:27-28) and life (33:29-30)
    3. God is sovereign in His dealings with man (34) (See vv. 10-15)
    4. God's light exposes "words without knowledge" (35). (See v.16)
    5. God's righteous dealings among men (36:3)
    6. God's majesty in nature (37). (See vv. 5 and 14)

  6. God's Revelation of Himself - Job 38-41
    7.
    1. Through any means - Job 38:1 (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13; Nahum 1:3)
    2. Through the design of the universe - Job 38:4-7
    3. Through the creation of the earth and heavens - Job 38:8-38
    4. Through the phenomena of animal life - Job 38:39; 39:30
    5. Job responds to God's revelation - Job 40:1-7
    6. Through God's ability to deal with pride - Job 40:6; 41:34

  7. The End of Job's Life - Job 42 and James 5:11
    1. Recognizing God's sovereignty - Job 42:2, 11
    2. Beholding God's glory - Job 42:5-6
    3. Restored in praying for others - Job 42:8-10
    4. Living under God's blessing - Job 42:12-17