Debate with friends
* God is just—>he operates the world according to justice—> Job “must have sinned”
* Elihu— God is just—> he operates the world according to justice—>suffering may be a warning to avoid future sin because it builds character (don’t accuse God of being unjust)
Conversation with God
* where were you…(chp38)
* Job doesn’t have a universal vantage point
* Job is not in a position to accuse God
* 40-41
* Behemoth (hippo), leviathan (dragon)—symbols of disorder and danger that exist in God’s good world
* these creatures aren’t evil, but they aren’t always safe
* God’s world is good, ordered, and beautiful….but it’s also not perfect, wild, and dangerous
Why is there suffering in the world??
* we live in an amazing world that is not designed to prevent suffering
God asks for Jobs trust
Job responds humbly
Job tells his friends they were wrong and spoke to simply about him
God honors:
* Job’s struggle
* Job’s honesty
* Job’s prayer
Book ends with Job’s family being restored
an act of God’s generosity and blessing, not as a reward to Job
Doesn’t answer the question of suffering
Invites us to bring our pain and grief to God and trust that he cares and he knows what he’s doing
Story of Job (summary)
Who do you surround yourself with?
wife
* 2:9 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
friends:
* 8:20 Surely God does not reject one who is blameless, or strengthen the hands of evildoers.
* see God as predictable
* if Job is experiencing hardships, he must have sin in his life
Takeaway: trust in God during struggles
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