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Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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Introduction to Job: Authorship, Purpose, and Initial Trials 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining this morning. Tell you what, we're making some progress. We are now in our second book in our chronological journey through the Bible. Today, we're gonna be0:21 looking at the book of Job, chapters 1 through 4 verse 21 of chapter 1. And he said, naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The lord gave, and the lord has taken0:32 away. Blessed be the name of the lord. So what's the book of Job about? Who wrote it? When was it written? When did Job live? And why are we moving to the book of Job right after we0:44 finish Genesis? Those are all good questions, and I hope to answer those for you this morning. Alright. Alright. How many of you have heard of the patience or the endurance of Job? James actually writes about0:56 this in James chapter 5 verse 11. Indeed, we count them blessed to endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the lord, that the lord is very1:08 compassionate and merciful. Ezekiel speaks about the righteousness of Job. And Ezekiel 14 says, son of man, when a land sends against me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out1:20 my hand against it. I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these 3 men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in1:31 it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness, says the lord. So by the way, these, these 2 references in scripture to Job are a part of the confirmation that Job1:43 was in fact a real person. Alright? He wasn't a folktale or a fable intended just to convey a a moral truth. And others point, to the book of Job1:55 as answering that age old question, about why do righteous people suffer if god is just and merciful.2:06 Elihu, who, we're gonna read about, on our journey, he is the fourth and the youngest to speak to Job. And by some scholars, some scholars suggest that he may have been the author of the book. Well,2:18 he raises the prospect that, suffering has a refining purpose for the righteous, making us more usable for God. So which is it? What2:30 is what is the, the the real purpose here in the book of Job? Well, I think it's all of the above. I I do think that it answers that question about, why do good people suffer? And I also think it talks2:42 about how this, the suffering, the the the difficulty, the refining fires of life make us more usable to God. So who wrote it? Again,2:53 as I mentioned, Elihu is 1 of the potential authors, with references in the first person in chapter 32. Moses is also, another possible author according and and3:05 the the, Jewish tradition says that Moses is the author. Some scholars believe that he wrote the first 2, and the the first 2 chapters in the last chapter. Moses could have learned of the3:17 story of Job from Job himself or 1 of his immediate descendants while Moses was in the wilderness in Midian. So when was it written? Again, there are3:29 differing opinions. If Moses wrote it, then possibly, during his time in Midian. If Elihu, wrote it, then probably not long after the actual events occurred.3:41 Now the events in Job occurred before the children of Israel came out of Egypt, so we, that's why we're turning to it next in our chronological journey through the3:53 bible. Now Job is is history written in poetic form, and and that was done. And that's why it's kinda contained in this part of the Bible with the history I mean,4:05 rather with the, the wisdom in the poems, the the songs. And that that could have been done to, communicate the oral account, just as we saw in the first,4:17 couple of chapters of Genesis. But that does not diminish at all its historical, the historical nature of Job's account nor of the biblical doctrine4:29 that is contained in it. Again, borrowing from, ancient Jewish tradition, Job is a is is identified with Jobab, a descendant of Esau, the second king of Edom in Genesis4:41 chapter 36. The evidence contained within the book of Job itself suggested it was during the time of the patriarchs. Job's lifespan is more than 150 years, which points to that period4:53 before the lifespan of people were shortened to, 70 or 80. Now it would have been before Moses gave the law because after that point, sacrifices were confined to the tabernacle as we5:05 read Job was offering sacrifices on behalf of his children. So that helps us narrow the time frame down. Alright. Let's begin. Verse 1, chapter 1. Then there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was5:16 Job, and that man was blameless and upright, and 1 who feared God and shunned evil. Now let me just stop here for a moment. Those 2 things go together. Alright? Revere5:28 God and you resist the devil. Feared God and shunned evil. Alright. When we have a reverence for God, we are going to resist the devil. Verse 2,5:40 and 7 sons and 3 daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and5:52 a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. And his sons would go and feast in their houses each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their 3 sisters to eat and6:04 drink with them. So it was when the days of feasting had run their course that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For6:15 Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus, Job did regularly. Now Job provides us a bit of a contrast from what we read about Jacob6:27 not being intentional in his spiritual leadership of his family. We see that Job is doing just that. Even though Job's children were were grown and on their own, he was still6:39 he was still the spiritual leader of his family. Verse 6, now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the6:51 Lord said to Satan, from where do you come? So Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it. Now Job is 1 of the7:02 books like Daniel that pulls back the curtain on the spiritual realm. Right? The the stage is being set here in these first couple of chapters that,7:14 you know, Satan is here pressing his case to attack Job. But but let me turn for just a moment to the last book in the bible, Revelation, to provide some context, I think, to what we're7:26 reading. For those that, were on the previous journey, you may recall this passage from Revelation 12. I commented on it in when we went through it in Revelation. But verse 7, chapter 12 of Revelation, and war7:38 broke out in the heavens. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, the dragon being devil. But they did not prevail, that is the devil and his angels, nor7:50 was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast8:01 out with him. Now some interpret this passage in Revelation as occurring after Jesus' resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven. Alright. After Jesus8:13 conquered death and the grave, Satan no longer has had access to heaven to accuse believers. So knowing that his time is short, he is8:25 angry, walking about now full time on the earth like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Number 8 the verse 8. Then the lord said to Satan, have you8:37 considered my servant Job? I've always wondered, you know, why god recommended Job. I guess he had he had confidence in Job. He said, have you considered Job? I think I think God knew8:49 that Job could handle this test. I think I I I I'm I'm convinced of it. There there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, 1 who fears God and shuns evil. So Satan answered the lord and said,9:01 does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.9:13 Sure. He follows you, Satan said. You put a hedge around him where he can't be touched. I believe here that Satan was challenging the reputation of God. God has gone9:25 to great lengths to ensure the free will of man so that our love for him is genuine and not forced or contrived. Notice also that Satan refers to a hedge or a fence of protection9:38 that God had placed around Job. You see, Satan can only do what god allows him to do. He has to have access. And and we know that god will not9:49 allow us as his children to be tested beyond what we can endure. First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. Alright. Verse 11. Now but now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse10:01 you to his faith. This is Satan challenging God. And the Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not lay a hand on his person. Don't touch his body. You can't touch him.10:13 So Satan went out from the presence of the lord. So Satan goes out. He attacks Job, his his, his wealth, his family. And how does Job respond? Verse 20. Alright. We we go through that whole10:25 list of all the destruction that took place in verse 20. Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head all signs of mourning. And he fell to the ground and,10:37 what, worshiped. And he said, naked, I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.10:51 Blessed be the name of the lord. In all of this, Job did not sin nor charge god with wrong. That is powerful.Job's Health Affliction and Steadfast Integrity 11:02 Job worshiped and praised God, lost everything. He was recognizing that everything came from God. Therefore, God has the right to take it11:14 away. This should also help us realize that, frankly, we should enjoy the blessing of today today. We don't know what tomorrow may bring.11:26 Verse, 1 of chapter 2. Again, there was a day when the sons of God came, and this term sons of God generally speaks of angels. Okay? That's when we see that, and we're gonna see that,11:38 in the Old Testament. Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the lord. So like his heavenly staff meeting.11:50 Satan is, persistent in pursuing his prey. Right? We know that, and we see that here. Again, this is pulling back the curtain for us into the spiritual realm. This is where12:02 the the the patience to wait upon the lord comes in. The the the lord allows Satan to to go beyond. He gives him an update, and he says, well,12:14 he would curse you if you'd let me touch if you'd let me take his health. So the lord allowed Satan to attack Job's health. And it's so bad, so bad that Job's wife encourages him to curse12:26 god and just die. Verse 9. Then his wife said to him, do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said to her,12:38 you speak as 1 of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God? And shall we not accept adversity? In all of this,12:51 Job did not sin with his lips. Wow. I mean, look at this response. He says, I will not13:03 be a fair weather follower of the Lord. This is, it's remarkable.13:16 Then his 3 friends show up, and we're actually, we're gonna begin looking at their messages as they, and and don't pass judgment on them just yet. Okay? We're gonna talk about that next time.13:28 But be sure and read all 5 chapters because, next time, we're gonna look at chapters 5 to covering a lot of ground, so I don't have a whole whole lot of time. But we're gonna look at chapters 5 through 8 next time.13:40 Father, thank you for your word. And and, Lord, I'm I'm already challenged by by Job. Lord, a man of great righteousness as scripture describes, but we see it in his own13:51 words that, lord, that, he praised you and worshiped you in the midst of, Lord, just unimaginable14:04 tragedy of losing everything and just worshiping you. Lord, I pray that and and I and I think, in large part, that came out of a heart of gratitude14:17 and humility. Lord, I pray that we would have that kind of humility and that type of gratitude, or just to be thankful, Lord, not out of14:29 a sense of entitlement, but just, lord, because of your mercy and because of your goodness. Lord, help us to to learn on this journey. May the holy spirit continue to teach us and14:41 guide us. For we pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for being with me this morning, and let me again encourage you. This is a great time to invite someone to join us in this journey. You've already14:53 made it through 1 book, and that's fine. They can join us now in the book of Job. But if you've been blessed, let somebody else in on that blessing. The blessing comes from the word of God and abiding in it.15:05 So encourage them to go to f r c dot o r g slash bible. Until next time, keep standing on the word.15:15 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you15:27 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Introduction to Job: Authorship, Purpose, and Initial Trials11:00 Job's Health Affliction and Steadfast Integrity
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