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Old Testament Survey: Job, Proverbs-SOS

CCEA School of Discipleship

Winter Trimester: 3:00-4:00pm

Before Class

Be sure to sign in.

Have each student wear a name tag

Welcome to our Old Testament Survey Class … part 5.

This week we will be looking at what’s called the “Wisdom Literature” of the Old Testament.

That will be the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.

Just for fun we will also throw in the Song of Solomon.

Job

Author

Perhaps Job

Some suggest that maybe Moses gathered ancient documents and assembled it into a book

When

2000 BC

Scholars disagree greatly on this point. They are all over the map when it comes to dates for Job.

If this date is correct, it would make this the oldest book of the Bible.

I’d put it in the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) because of some of the internal evidence.

Esau was the twin brother of … Jacob.

One of Job’s “friends” is named “Eliphaz” from “Teman”.

Eliphaz was the name of Esau’s firstborn. Eliphaz had a son named “Teman”.

(Genesis 36:10–11 NASB 2020) —10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel the son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

(most likely Eliphaz started a city and named it after his son Teman – NOTE: this is one of those genealogies)

There is also a person in the descendants of Esau who could be “Job” himself, and he’s called a “king”

(Genesis 36:33 NASB 2020) Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah became king in his place.

Even though the book itself is considered part of the “Wisdom” literature of the Hebrews, you will notice that most of this book (as well as the other “Wisdom” books) is also written in the Hebrew poetry style we talked about last week with the Psalms.

Why?

The problem of evil.

Or …

Why do good people suffer?

This is a question that people have been asking since … well since the beginning of time.

Theologians call this issue “theodicy” (from the Greek words for “God” + “justice”)

Perhaps you know that Job is famous for having lived the most miserable life ever.

At the beginning of the book he loses his kids, his wealth, and then his health.

I’ve known people who treat this book superstitiously. If they are reading through the Bible, they will speedread through the book of Job because they are afraid that reading it will cause bad things to happen in their lives.

The truth is, reading the book of Job simply makes you more aware of the troubles you are already going through, and causes you to ask that sometimes unanswerable question, “Why”?

The book starts with two chapters setting up the story of Job and his suffering.

From the very beginning, we are told that God considered Job an upright, blameless man.

(Job 1:8 NASB 2020) The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

It seems that God wants to show the universe (in particular Satan) how a godly man will handle suffering.

But starting in chapter 3, Job complains about what he’s going through, and for the next 29 chapters, Job and his “friends” will argue over the issue of what the reason was for Job to have lost his family, his possessions, and his health.

Job’s friends are confident that Job must have some sort of sin that God is punishing.

Job is simply confused because he doesn’t know what he did wrong. And God isn’t answering his phone calls.

Speaking of complaining…

Illustration

A man went to a monastery and presented himself to the Abbot and asked to join the brotherhood. After several of the brethren counseled him, they met together and decided that they would give him a chance to see if he would fit.

“We are pleased to let you know that you can join us, but you must take a vow of silence for one year.” The man agreed and was silent for one year. At the end of his first year, the brethren told him he could only speak two words. The man thought about it and spoke two words.

“Bed hard.”

The brethren counseled among themselves, and the man was told that he would have to take a vow of silence for another year. Again the man agreed and was silent for one more year. At the end of the second year, the man was told he could only speak two words. Again, the man thought about it and spoke two words.

“Food bad.”

The brethren counseled among themselves and the man was told that he would have to take a vow of silence for another year. At the end of the third year, the man was told he could only speak two words. Again, the man thought about it and spoke two words.

“I quit.”

The brethren counseled among themselves, and the Abbot told him, “We were afraid of that. You’ve done nothing but complain since you came here.”

Back to Job … in Job 32, a younger “friend” named Elihu shows up and for six chapters he will have his say without really contributing much.

Then finally God shows up in chapter 38.

God’s biggest accusation against Job was that Job seems to talk a lot about things that he doesn’t know anything about.

God silences Job and his friends with His own great knowledge and power.

Job finds himself on his face before God, repenting of his complaints.

(Job 42:5–6 NASB 2020) —5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent, sitting on dust and ashes.”

An important point is found in that last chapter when God will rebuke Job’s friends:

(Job 42:7 NASB 2020) It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has.

You have to look back at all that these friends said, and realize that there were problems with what they said.

God will restore all that Job lost after he prays for his friends.

Here’s a couple of important things to note:

1. Job’s friends are wrong

These are not evil men, but they are still wrong.

Over and over again they tell Job, “If you would just repent from your sin, God would turn all this trouble around”.

Yet Job didn’t have anything to repent from.

They get a sound rebuke from God in the end.

Be careful that you don’t become like Job’s friends when someone you know is going through difficulty.

They are heartless. They say cruel things. And they are wrong.

They never give Job the benefit of the doubt.

Your conclusions about why someone is suffering may be wrong.

Be careful about giving conclusions about something you know nothing about.

2. Job’s friends say true things.

This is one of the reasons why this book makes you uncomfortable.

The problem is, even though they speak true things, they don’t speak what is applicable for Job.

Eliphaz will say:

(Job 5:17 NASB 2020) “Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines, So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.

Solomon will quote this:

(Proverbs 3:11–12 NASB 2020) —11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His rebuke, 12 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

The writer of Hebrews will also quote Solomon’s quote:

(Hebrews 12:5–6 NASB 2020) —5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are punished by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

The problem is this – God WAS NOT disciplining Job! God wanted to show the universe how a godly man handled suffering.

You may know a lot of truth in the Scripture.

But you need to know how to apply it to your life and the lives of others.

3. Job was good

Suffering people may not always have some secret “sin” that resulted in their trouble.

This is really hard for us to wrap our heads around.

When things get difficult in life, I often ask myself, “What did I do to deserve this?”

The answer may be “nothing”.

One of the lessons of the book of Job is that we need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

There may not be any quick and easy answers to a problem you or a friend is facing.

I’m not saying that if you or a friend are going through difficulty that you just throw up your hands and quit.

Keep seeking God.

Keep praying.

Ask God, “Search me O God…”

But just remember, it took Job over 30 chapters before God responded.

Quiz

1. What is one of the lessons of the book of Job?

a. It really is your fault

b. If you just repent, everything will turn around

c. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Messianic

Even though he is struggling through most of the book, Job has these flashes of inspiration, faith, and hope.

Like this –

(Job 19:25 NASB 2020) “Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.

Significant Verse

(Job 2:10 NASB 2020)

As one problem after another hits Job, he responds with this:

(Job 13:15 NASB 2020) “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.

Another translation says, “Though He slay me, I will trust Him”

This is a healthy faith.

I’m willing to trust in God no matter what happens to me.

I trust that God knows what He’s doing.

And that doesn’t mean I won’t stop asking questions.

Proverbs

Author

Solomon (for the most part)

The last two chapters are written by Agur (ch.30) and Lemuel (ch.31)

When

950 BC

This date is a little earlier in Solomon’s life than the book of Ecclesiastes.

Note: the book of Proverbs wasn’t written at a single sitting, but was collected over time.

Why?

Passing on wisdom

You will see several places where Solomon tells us he is writing to his son:

(Proverbs 1:8 NASB 2020) Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And do not ignore your mother’s teaching;

Solomon will tell us where wisdom starts…

(Proverbs 1:7 NASB 2020) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This idea is not original to Solomon.

Where did he get this? From Job himself –

(Job 28:28 NASB 2020) “And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”

The first nine chapters of Proverbs are general ideas about wisdom, even comparing wisdom and folly to two different women who are calling out to the streets looking for men to follow them.

The specific proverbs, the short “pithy” sayings start in chapter 10.

You should recognize something resembling Hebrew poetry with many of the Proverbs.

Sometimes the lines are complementary –

(Proverbs 17:28 NASB 2020)

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Can you see how the second line of each verse amplifies and explains the first?

Sometimes the lines are contrasting –

(Proverbs 28:6 NASB 2020)

Than

(Proverbs 27:6 NASB 2020)

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

Some of my favorite Proverbs are:

(Proverbs 11:2 NASB 2020) When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom.

For me, as someone who has spent much of his life in front of people teaching, pride is an easy thing to develop.

I think there is something inside each of us that wants to be liked, loved, valued, and appreciated.

Yet sometimes those yearnings can lead you to getting puffed up, especially when you get a compliment or two.

There’s another similar verse in Proverbs –

(Proverbs 16:18 NKJV) Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

It’s not uncommon for us to stumble, trip, or fall. But when you are filled with pride, you seem to have further to fall.

When I’m working at humility, I may still make mistakes, but it doesn’t hurt my “pride” as much because I don’t have as far to fall.

(Proverbs 14:4 NASB 2020) Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean; But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

Some of us like to keep things neat, clean, and organized.

Yet sometimes things don’t get done because we don’t want to “mess up our manger”.

Sometimes it’s good to get messy.

(Proverbs 15:1 NASB 2020) A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

When it comes to discussions or arguments, you have a choice as to what kinds of words you are going to use. You may not always be able to avoid someone getting angry, but you certainly don’t have to pour gasoline onto the fire.

Choose your words carefully.

(Proverbs 18:13 NASB 2020) One who gives an answer before he hears, It is foolishness and shame to him.

Sometimes we answer someone a bit too quickly. We might even interrupt them because they are taking too long to make their point.

Yet sometimes we’ve been mistaken in what we think they are saying.

A good practice when things are getting “tense” is to use the phrase, “I heard you say…” and try to share what you think they are saying.

You might be surprised to find out you were wrong in what you thought they meant.

Significant Verse

(Proverbs 3:5–6 NASB 2020) —5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

This is a verse that you all should have memorized – and if you haven’t, perhaps you might consider this as the passage you memorize for your final.

Ecclesiastes

Author

Solomon

When

935 BC

This is most likely written towards the end of Solomon’s life

Why?

Live for God

Solomon has become a cynical old man in his later years.

When it comes to being “happy” or fulfilled, he’s tried about everything, and it’s all a waste of time. And he’s documented everything he’s tried.

“Vanity, vanity, all is vanity…”

His conclusion is found at the end:

(Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT) …Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.

If you want true fulfillment, learn to get things right with God and follow Him.

You don’t have to be an old man to learn this. You don’t have to experience all the “pleasures” of the world to learn this. You just need to come to that point where you realize that living for God is the ultimate thing you can do in life.

Listen to Pastor Chuck …

Video: Chuck’s Call to the Ministry

Be careful that you don’t think that the entire book is one long rant about how worthless things are.

Wise Solomon let’s a couple of gems slip through his cynicism.

(Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 NASB 2020) —9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; 10 for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up! 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

We had this verse read in our wedding. We wanted Jesus to be that “third” cord.

(Ecclesiastes 5:2 NASB 2020) Do not be quick with your mouth or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

Don’t take this verse wrong. Solomon isn’t saying we shouldn’t be spending time in prayer, or bothering God with our prayers.

He’s saying we need to remember who we are talking to.

God isn’t your “buddy” upstairs. He’s the Creator and Ruler of the Universe.

And yes, He loves you.

(Ecclesiastes 7:2 NASB 2020) It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every person, And the living takes it to heart.

I’ve used this verse often at funerals.

Honestly, nobody enjoys going to funerals. Yet it’s good to go to funerals. It’s good to be reminded that we will all one day die.

It’s good to learn to live your life to the fullest and make it count.

Significant Verse

I could have used any of the verses I’ve just shown you, but perhaps this odd little verse might be worth memorizing for some of us:

(Ecclesiastes 10:1 NASB 2020) Dead flies turn a perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more potent than wisdom and honor.

If you let a few little flies get into your “perfume”, they will end up spoiling what was meant to be beautiful.

Be careful about those “little” things that can end up causing trouble in your life.

Song of Solomon

Author

Solomon

When

965 BC

It’s likely that Solomon first wrote this book (965 BC)

Then he penned the Proverbs over a period of time (950 BC)

Then he wrote Ecclesiastes (935 BC)

These are all rough ideas about dates.

Why?

A love song

We are told that over his life, Solomon…

(1 Kings 4:32 NASB 2020) He also told three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005.

He spoke more proverbs than we have recorded.

He wrote quite a few songs, most of which we don’t have.

Most Bibles will have the book laid out more like a play than a song. Look at it in your Bible…

The editors have tried to help us know that there are different people taking turns speaking various lines.

There’s the “Shulamite” (or Bride) – this is the gal who will be wife to Solomon.

There’s the “Beloved” (or Groom) – this is Solomon.

There may be other references in your Bibles to “daughters of Jerusalem”, “her brothers”, or “His friends”.

Again, these “titles” aren’t inspired, but they are a pretty good guess when it comes to who is speaking which lines.

I know.

Some of you smarties are going to tell me that Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (1Kings 11:3).

So which one is this one?

Don’t go there. It will make your head hurt.

I’m not going to try and explain away one of Solomon’s biggest problems (his many wives).

Some suggest this might have been his first. Who knows?

There are two main ways that Bible teachers handle this book.

1. Solomon and his bride

This is about a man and his wife.

That’s certainly how it presents itself.

I have to admit that once you become acquainted with some of the language used, some of it is quite racy.

I’m sure now some of you will be sure to read it.

One of my favorite passages is (Turn there please):

(Song of Solomon 4:1–4 NASB 2020) —1 “How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Mount Gilead.

I think we sometimes lose things in the translation… 😉

2 “Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep Which have come up from their watering place, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young. 3 “Your lips are like a scarlet thread, And your mouth is beautiful. Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil. 4 “Your neck is like the tower of David, Built with layers of stones On which are hung a thousand shields, All the round shields of the warriors.

I’ll stop there for a moment.

I think this is the kind of thing that a husband ought to say to his wife.

Yes, some of it gets “lost in translation” when we apply it to our culture.

“Hair like a flock of goats” might get you slapped.

“Teeth like a flock of sheep … bearing twins…” might get a pinch (though it’s talking about a woman with a full set of teeth – unique and beautiful in Solomon’s day)

Then skip down to…

(Song of Solomon 4:7 NASB 2020) “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish on you.

This is how a husband should see his wife. And tell her.

It’s not that she doesn’t have any faults.

It’s that he’s focusing on her beauty and her strengths.

Husbands – this takes work. It takes thought. It takes words. It takes action.

There are two things I try to make sure I tell my wife every single day:

1. I love you

2. You are beautiful

I may not use those exact words. I may say it in a different way.

But I mean it.

Sometimes I try to surprise her and she thinks I’m going to say something else and then I say it.

If you read through the Song of Solomon, you’ll find that she says very similar things back to him.

So wives, you can practice this as well.

Don’t misunderstand me – healthy marital love is much more than saying words. But it certainly starts with it.

2. Jesus and His bride.

Over the centuries, a very common approach is to make it all into an allegory – about Jesus and His bride, the church, and to make everything to be symbolic.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of allegorizing the Scripture.

If you’re not careful, you can make any story “mean” whatever you want it to mean.

I resisted this approach for years.

But I have to admit, Jesus does keep peeking through this book.

How about when the Shulamite says this:

(Song of Solomon 2:4 NASB 2020) “He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.

It reminds me of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb we will be a part of in heaven (Rev. 19)

(Song of Solomon 3:6 NASB 2020) “What is this coming up from the wilderness Like columns of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all the scented powders of the merchant?

This kind of reminds me of the picture of the Messiah coming back in Isaiah 63 – from the wilderness.

(Song of Solomon 7:10 NASB 2020) “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me.

Did you know that Jesus’ “desire” is for you, the church?

Remember that passage in chapter 4, and the line …

(Song of Solomon 4:7 NASB 2020) “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish on you.

Did you know that this is how Jesus sees you? This is what He wants to speak to you.

Look at what Paul writes,

(Ephesians 5:25–27 NASB 2020) —25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

Some fellows think this means you ought to read the Bible to your wife – which is a good thing.

But the Bible is God’s word.

Your spouse ought to be washed in YOUR word. How do you speak to them?

27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

Do you see the parallel here with what Solomon wrote in 4:7 (“no blemish”)?

So husbands, learn to wash your wives in the water of YOUR word. You will find that you are married to the perfect person.

Wives, you can do the same for your husbands.

Significant Verse

I think this is one we should all meditate on:

(Song of Solomon 4:7 NASB 2020) “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish on you.

Jesus died for you and paid for your sins.

He sees you now as beautiful, and without blemish.

Homework

Read HBH section on “The Prophets” through the introduction to “Isaiah” (about 6 pages)

Halley groups the prophets into four groups (see chart) – what are those groups?

What is going to be your memory verse for your final?

Quiz

1. What is one of the lessons of the book of Job?

a. It really is your fault

b. If you just repent, everything will turn around

c. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Next Week:

We will be covering the book of Isaiah through Ezekiel

We will also be taking up that timeline of significant events and where the Old Testament books fit into the timeline.

richcathers.com

Before Class

Be sure to sign in.

Have each student wear a name tag

(We will also be attempting to begin to build a timeline of significant events and where the Old Testament books fit into the timeline.)

Welcome to our Old Testament Survey Class … part 5.

This week we will be looking at what’s called the “Wisdom Literature” of the Old Testament.

That will be the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.

Just for fun we will also throw in the Song of Solomon.

Job

Author

Perhaps Job

Some suggest that maybe Moses gathered ancient documents and assembled it into a book

When

2000 BC

Scholars disagree greatly on this point. They are all over the map when it comes to dates for Job.

If this date is correct, it would make this the oldest book of the Bible.

I’d put it in the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) because of some of the internal evidence.

Esau was the twin brother of … Jacob.

One of Job’s “friends” is named “Eliphaz” from “Teman”.

Eliphaz was the name of Esau’s firstborn. Eliphaz had a son named “Teman”.

(Genesis 36:10–11 NASB 2020) —10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel the son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

There is also a person in the descendants of Esau who could be “Job” himself, and he’s called a “king”

(Genesis 36:33 NASB 2020) Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah became king in his place.

Even though the book itself is considered part of the “Wisdom” literature of the Hebrews, you will notice that most of this book (as well as the other “Wisdom” books) is also written in the Hebrew poetry style we talked about last week with the Psalms.

Why?

The problem of evil.

Or …

Why do good people suffer?

This is a question that people have been asking since … well since the beginning of time.

Theologians call this issue “theodicy” (from the Greek words for “God” + “justice”)

Perhaps you know that Job is famous for having lived the most miserable life ever.

At the beginning of the book he loses his kids, his wealth, and then his health.

I’ve known people who treat this book superstitiously. If they are reading through the Bible, they will speedread through the book of Job because they are afraid that reading it will cause bad things to happen in their lives.

The truth is, reading the book of Job simply makes you more aware of the troubles you are already going through, and causes you to ask that sometimes unanswerable question, “Why”?

The book starts with two chapters setting up the story of Job and his suffering.

From the very beginning, we are told that God considered Job an upright, blameless man.

(Job 1:8 NASB 2020) The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

It seems that God wants to show the universe (in particular Satan) how a godly man will handle suffering.

But starting in chapter 3, Job complains about what he’s going through, and for the next 29 chapters, Job and his “friends” will argue over the issue of what the reason was for Job to have lost his family, his possessions, and his health.

Job’s friends are confident that Job must have some sort of sin that God is punishing.

Job is simply confused because he doesn’t know what he did wrong. And God isn’t answering his phone calls.

Speaking of complaining…

Illustration

A man went to a monastery and presented himself to the Abbot and asked to join the brotherhood. After several of the brethren counseled him, they met together and decided that they would give him a chance to see if he would fit.

“We are pleased to let you know that you can join us, but you must take a vow of silence for one year.” The man agreed and was silent for one year. At the end of his first year, the brethren told him he could only speak two words. The man thought about it and spoke two words.

“Bed hard.”

“Food bad.”

The brethren counseled among themselves and the man was told that he would have to take a vow of silence for another year. At the end of the third year, the man was told he could only speak two words. Again, the man thought about it and spoke two words.

“I quit.”

The brethren counseled among themselves, and the Abbot told him, “We were afraid of that. You’ve done nothing but complain since you came here.”

Back to Job … in Job 32, a younger “friend” named Elihu shows up and for six chapters he will have his say without really contributing much.

Then finally God shows up in chapter 38.

God’s biggest accusation against Job was that Job seems to talk a lot about things that he doesn’t know anything about.

God silences Job and his friends with His own great knowledge and power.

Job finds himself on his face before God, repenting of his complaints.

(Job 42:5–6 NASB 2020) —5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent, sitting on dust and ashes.”

An important point is found in that last chapter when God will rebuke Job’s friends:

(Job 42:7 NASB 2020) It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has.

You have to look back at all that these friends said, and realize that there were problems with what they said.

God will restore all that Job lost after he prays for his friends.

Here’s a couple of important things to note:

1. Job’s friends are wrong

These are not evil men, but they are still wrong.

Over and over again they tell Job, “If you would just repent from your sin, God would turn all this trouble around”.

Yet Job didn’t have anything to repent from.

They get a sound rebuke from God in the end.

Be careful that you don’t become like Job’s friends when someone you know is going through difficulty.

They are heartless. They say cruel things. And they are wrong.

They never give Job the benefit of the doubt.

2. Job’s friends say true things.

This is one of the reasons why this book makes you uncomfortable.

The problem is, even though they speak true things, they don’t speak what is applicable for Job.

Eliphaz will say:

(Job 5:17 NASB 2020) “Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines, So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.

Solomon will quote this:

(Proverbs 3:11–12 NASB 2020) —11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His rebuke, 12 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

The writer of Hebrews will also quote Solomon’s quote:

(Hebrews 12:5–6 NASB 2020) —5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are punished by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

The problem is this – God WAS NOT disciplining Job! God wanted to show the universe how a godly man handled suffering.

(Job 2:10 NASB 2020)