Introduction: Job was God’s champion. In the controversy between good
and evil, God nominated Job as His warrior in the contest with Satan.
Interestingly, Satan chose himself to be the warrior for his side.
Does this remind you of anyone else in the Bible? What about Adam
and Eve? They were the focal point of the battle between God and
Satan. What about Jesus? This time God nominated Himself, but in the
form of humanity, to be the Champion for good. Have you ever thought
about whether you are a warrior for God? Does it matter in the
controversy between good and evil whether you succeed like Job and
Jesus, or fail like Adam and Eve? I think it matters. This week we
will look at how Job lived to see what points we can pick up about
being champions for God. Let’s jump into our study of the Bible!
- Job’s Right Attitudes
- Read Job 1:1. This says four things about Job. He is
blameless, upright, feared God, and shunned evil. Do all
four of these mean the same thing? Or, do you see
differences in them? (I see differences in all of these
terms. “Blameless” seems to say that you could not find
fault in him. “Upright” means that Job did what was
right.) - While blameless and upright have a lot of
similarities, what do you think about what it means,
as a practical matter, to “fear God?” (“Fearing” God
refers to an attitude: respecting and showing
reverence towards God. Perhaps it also means
understanding that God has the best plan for the
universe and for us.) - Is this different from “shunning evil?” (While many
understand that God has the absolute best plan for
their life, they find themselves being drawn to
evil.) - Is this your situation? In areas in which you
have a weakness for sin, do you draw a line for
yourself, and then get as close to the line as
possible with the thought that you will not
cross the line? (This is just the opposite of
“shunning” evil.) - Read Job 1:8. Do you want to be the best? Is there some
area of your life where you would like to say, “No one is
better than I am at this?” What does this text tell us
about Job’s ranking? (“No one on earth” was “like him” in
the characteristics we discussed: being blameless,
upright, fearing God and shunning evil.) - What does a life lived with these characteristics
look like? Let’s turn to that next. - Job’s Right Actions
- Read Job 29:11-12. We see poor people all around us. The
Bible does not teach that everyone should have the same
wealth. Rather, it suggests that the poor may have
spiritual advantages( James 2:5) and teaches that
Christians should learn to be content whatever their
wealth ( Philippians 4:12; Hebrews 13:5). How does Job
choose which poor to help? (He helps the poor “who cried
for help” and he helps the fatherless who have “none to
assist” them.) - I walked out of a store recently, and a well-meaning
young man told me that when he got off work he was
going to engage in “random acts of kindness.” I
asked him, “Why be random? Why not be intentional?” - Was Job “random” in his acts of kindness?
(Hardly. We see that he had a strategy. Help
those who seriously ask (“cried for help”), and
help those who had no one else to help them.) - Read Job 29:13. What kind of help is this?
- What would be the main concern for a dying man?
(Aside from the fact that he is dying, it would be a
concern about his family. In this case, his wife.) - Why would a widow’s heart sing when her husband is
dying? (When you think about this situation, it
becomes clear that Job is making some sort of
arrangement to make sure the widow will be supported.
My guess is that Job offers her a job somewhere in
his business enterprise.) - Read Job 29:16-17. What does Job think about injustice?
(He takes steps to stop it.) - What, specifically, does Job do? (He argues for the
“stranger” – someone who would not naturally have
friends in the courthouse. He rescues the victims of
the wicked.) - Are you surprised that Job would break the teeth of
the wicked? What does this mean? He punches bad
people in the mouth? (My translation says that Job
breaks the “fangs” of the wicked. In a snake, the
fangs are the method of delivering the poison. I
think Job is disabling the means by which the wicked
do their evil.) - Assume you are a modern day Job. How would you
do that today? (In the United States, the
government either funds or forces the funding
of organizations that promote evil. “Breaking
the fangs” of these organizations would be to
try to take away their funding.) - Read Job 31:1. We don’t know when Job lived, but clearly
it was before Jesus explained His expanded views on
adultery in Matthew 5:27-28. Compare Matthew 5:28 and Job
31:1 and tell me if you think Jesus and Job mean the same
thing? - When Jesus says the man looking lustfully at a woman
“has already committed adultery with her in his
heart,” what do you think the “in his heart” means?
(I’ve understood it to mean that if a man wanted to
commit adultery with a woman, but was unable for some
reason, the mental sin had already been committed.
Whether a man(or woman)has the opportunity or not
makes no difference.) - Read Job 31:1-3. What is Job’s overall message in these
verses? (God will ruin the wicked.) - If a person keeps his desire to have sex with someone
who is not his spouse to himself, would that cause
the person ruin in this world? ( Exodus 20:17 commands
us not to covet the spouse of another. Context
suggests that Job and Jesus are talking about
somewhat different things. Job is focused on the
issue of coveting someone who is not your spouse.
Jesus is talking about a decision to commit adultery,
if possible. Since Job tells us that God has in mind
ruin for those who disobey, he says “I determined not
to take the first step towards disobedience by not
looking lustfully at a woman.”) - Let’s skip down a few verses because Job revisits this
topic. Read Job 31:9-10. Is Job talking about sins of the
mind here? (While it is not completely clear, his
reference to other men sleeping with his wife suggests the
nature of the sin he is discussing – physically committing
adultery.) - Read Job 31:11-12. What does Job say is the result of
committing adultery? (Job says that it is “a fire that
burns to Destruction,” “shameful,” and something that
would “uproot my harvest.” This is a sin with lasting
consequences, one that overshadows the good things that a
person might have previously done.) - Read Job 31:5-6. In what other way has Job been obedient
to God? (He is honest. It is not his custom to practice
dishonesty (“walked in falsehood”), and he does not seek
to cheat others (“hurried after deceit”).) - Read Job 31:13-15. In what other way is Job faithful to
God? (In the way he treats those who work for him.) - Do you have to be an employer for this concern to
apply? (No. Anyone who is within your control, even
temporarily, is entitled to “justice.” This would
include people you manage at work, or those who serve
you in some way, like a server in a restaurant.) - What is the reason for showing justice to those
within your authority? (You both stand equal before
God.) - Friend, when you consider these areas of life, how do you
compare with Job? While we are saved by grace alone, and
not our works, we are “warriors” in the battle between
good and evil, and our actions have an impact on others.
Will you determine, right now, that by the power of the
Holy Spirit you will live a life that reflects well upon
God and has a positive impact on others? - Next week: Some Lessons From Job.
