- We're doing the book of Job, faithful living in times of crisis. Faithful living in times of crisis this is lesson number one in this series and we're going to do a
brief critical introduction, not a very long lesson tonight. I want to put all the critical
and introductory material together in the first
lesson so we can move ahead in lesson number two and
get into the characters and all that business. So the title of this series describes the resource as well as
the reality and the purpose of this series of studies. The book of Job will be the main resource that I'm going to use to demonstrate
and build the model life, hopefully the model Christian life, model Christian attitude, that we as Christians
should have all the time but especially during times of crisis. And how do you define times of crisis? If you have a economic upheaval,
you have health issues, you have social unrest, add to that an important
election that's coming along, certainly in this country
there's plenty going on we could say easily without
it becoming over the top, we can easily say that we're living through
a time of crisis here. Times of crisis well describes, as I say, the state of not only our lives but the lives of everyone around us. We all go through challenging episodes in our personal lives, like going to college for the first time, or getting married,
having children, moving, (chuckles) all those things are challenging various episodes in our lives. But it is a rare occurrence
when the entire world is challenged by the same
event, all at the same time. That doesn't happen, that
does not happen very often. We read about that in history
books, a world war, okay? World War II, World War I, consumed all the countries
in Europe and North America. It affected almost everyone in the world no one was kind of absolved, no one kind of got away from
being affected by the war, that was a worldwide
phenomenon, if you wish. And since then there've been smaller wars and skirmishes and things that happen but this pandemic that is taking place now is a worldwide phenomenon. They're dealing with
it in the Philippines, they're dealing with
it in the United States and in Canada and Hawaii, everywhere you go they're having
to deal with this pandemic and it's affecting most of them in many of the same ways
that it's affecting us. So if nothing else, this
pandemic has the ability to test everyone regardless
of age or social status or worldview with the very same challenge and reveal the value and the viability of our various belief
systems and worldviews, how are the Hindus handling this? How are the Muslim nations handling? 'Cause they're having to
deal with the same thing we're dealing with. How do Christians handle
a crisis like this, take your time to examine that. And then in the title, I also
mentioned faithful living and faithful living
describes not only the goal or the model life that
Christians strive for in both good and bad times. It is the rock and the
shelter that will sustain us in this crisis. Marty's prayer well said, he's mentioned that
before and I have as well, and I've heard it from many of you. How do people who have no faith make it? My answer is, well, they
just don't. (laughs) They don't make it or they
don't make it very well. So not only is faithful
living our response to this and every crisis, it becomes a light and a
witness to an unbelieving world, thrust further into
darkness by this pandemic and this confusion and fear. Make no mistake, people watch how other people are
reacting to this thing. How are you reacting? And it doesn't matter if you're a student or if you're a grandpa,
or if you're a homemaker or a teacher, people around
are watching your attitude. How are you responding to the
things that are taking place, affecting everyone else around them? If there was ever a time for a witness, this is a very good time, a great opportunity for Christian witness. And so Job therefore is
the biblical character whose experience most resembles the nature of our experience today. Other characters have suffered, Joseph in the Old Testament, other characters have had
challenges, but Job oh my, he really is going through a lot of what we're experiencing today. He experienced a one man
pandemic and he came through it battered, bruised, and
suffering great loss, irreplaceable loss. You lose a child, you never replace it. You may have two, three,
five, 10 more children, but that child you lost is irreplaceable. His experience and reaction
is, it's messy at times and it's not necessarily heroic at times however, his story provides us with the picture of a man,
a faithful and sincere man, however an imperfect man and
how he reacted to his moment when he was in the eye of the storm. And so the book of Job is valuable especially during these times of crisis because it shows us not only
what we as believers should do but it also demonstrates
what we shouldn't do. Just like all of us,
normal people, believers, Job's life is a mixed bag
of good and not so good and even things left
unanswered and unresolved. The most difficult idea
that has been thrust upon us in our culture is the idea of closure. We got to get closure
on every single thing, every single debate, every argument, every issue has got to
get some sort of closure. (laughs) Well, life doesn't work that way. You can't always get closure, closure doesn't always happen,
no matter how hard you try. And if there's one person who finds out that sometimes you just
can't get closure it's Job. And we're going to see that. We can therefore, despite the fact that we can't always get closure, we can therefore relate to him not only as a Bible
character from long ago, but also as a human being, doing his best under trying circumstances. So as we do, when we study a Bible book, we're going to begin with
some preliminary information about the book and its author and the time it was written
and the general theme, and maybe look at some outlines before we dive into the subject itself. So let's talk about
the literary importance of the book of Job. Aside from its unique subject matter one feature of this book is
the beauty of its writing. Martin Luther said of it, that it was a magnificent and sublime as no other book in scripture. Martin Luther, not Martin Luther King now. Alfred "Lord" Tennyson, who
was a British poet Laureate, knew something about poetry. He said of the book of Job, that it was the greatest poem
of ancient or modern times. So secular individuals recognized the beauty of the poetry
found in the book of Job. We often focus so much on the story of Job that we fail to appreciate
the quality of the style and the expression of the author. Some scholars have referred
to the author of Job as the Shakespeare of the Old Testament, such is the quality
and the high mindedness and the beauty of the words
that are put together. Of course, we know that God is the author, ultimately of all the books of the Bible but he uses people as his
instruments of writing and in using the individual
who wrote the book of Job, He used someone who had a
great command of the language and patterns of thought. There's been no consensus among scholars as to the actual author who wrote it, or the time exactly that
this book was written since there are no clues
within the book itself, there's no kind of internal
evidence as to its author or date or authorship. When Paul writes in epistle, he says, "I Paul," well
okay, "I am writing to you," "Me Paul, I'm writing to you, Timothy." Well, there's internal evidence that Paul is the one
who wrote that letter, but in Job, the author
doesn't name himself, we're not sure of who it is. As a book it is grouped according
to its style and category. In other words, it's part
of wisdom, literature, poetry, wisdom, literature, which consists of the books
in the Bible, the book of Job, the book of Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. So all of that is classified as poetry and wisdom literature in the Bible. These books are so called because they deal with human struggle and real life experience. Even though the book of
Psalms is a book of poetry, the poetry is about real life experiences, especially of King David, he doesn't just write about
the beauty of the morning sun and how nice the birds are to listen and somebody he loves, he doesn't talk about that, he talks about his relationship with God. He talks about how much
he hates his enemies, how much he wants God to punish them, or he talks about how much he's messed up and the sins that he's done and God please take me back. A real human being talking about his life, talking about his
victories and his failures, all of it written in poetic form and so Job is this kind of book. There are several ideas about
its date and its authorship. Some think it's a early Jewish tradition, ascribed it's writing to Moses. So the Jews early on ascribed
Moses as the author, 1400 BC later scholars believed that
it was produced by Solomon Martin Luther comes back again he was one of those
scholars of the middle ages, he thought Solomon was
the one who wrote it, Solomon around a thousand BC and more modern scholars believe it was written by an unknown author during the time of the exile of the Jewish people in Babylon, somewhere around 600 years before Christ. Suffice to say that the
book of Job was accepted and included in the canon of
the Old Testament by 150 BC. In other words, the Jews
accepted that this book was inspired of God. By 150 BC it was accepted as a part of the inspired writings, along with the prophets and the Pentateuch and so on and so forth,
it was included there and remain there of course to this day. One question that comes, the book of Job, is it historical? Was there this guy named Job? Is it historical or is it simply a story? It's a poem, which is it? That's one other question
that some scholars who specialize in the study of Old Testament documents have. One question, as I said that arises is if Job is a purely historical book about what happened to
a man and his family, or is it a work of fiction that teaches important
theological principles? Which is it of the two? Again, the earliest Jewish teachings claimed that Job was history. He was history, a real person
experiencing real things. I go back to Martin Luther. He wrote that Job was a
work of poetic imagination set in a historical framework. Well, we know what that is, don't we? We see movies like that all the time. We see movies about the civil war, it's only a movie and it's
based in the civil war, a true historical event,
but it's just a movie. Well, some people think, well, this is a, it's a story based somewhat
on a historical event, like historical dramas that we see that are based on true events. Some claim that it's an uninspired work by Heathen fiction. In other words, some
people reject it altogether that it's not inspired, it's not true, it's not anything. Spinoza, for example,
the Dutch philosopher, that was his idea. Most conservative scholars however hold that Job is an inspired literary work based on a true historical
character and events. And that's pretty much what we go with we don't have any other
information that would suggest that it is not about a historical
character and so we, as I say, most conservative scholars and we are conservative Christians, our point of view about the Bible. And so we believe that there was a Job and Job did live through these things and this is an inspired
record of his life. A more important focus for study aside from the time and the authorship is the reason for the book. Why write this book at all? Why include this book? We get it, we get why
Psalms are in the Bible. David wrote the Psalms and so you kind of figure
out what's going on during David's life. Well, we know why that's in there, even Song of Solomon, we
know why that's there. Job, why, is such a depressing, sad thing why is that in there? Why is that in the Bible? Actually, this book has a
number of ideas and issues that it deals with that's
very important for us to know. One of the earliest views was that, it was a study of the patience
demonstrated by a good man while he was being
tested by various trials. You're wondering who says
that, that sounds familiar, who else says something like that? Well, James says that, doesn't he? James chapter one verses two to four, think of Job and think of James writing, "Consider it all joy my brethren, "when you encounter various trials," well that's what Job did he
encountered various trials, "knowing that the testing of
your faith produces endurance." And we know Job and I think we're all pretty much
familiar with the story. We know that his faith was being tested. We know that almost from the get go. He doesn't know that (laughs) but we know his faith is being tested. And James is saying, "knowing that the testing of
your faith produces endurance "and let endurance have its perfect result "so that you may be perfect and complete, "lacking in nothing." And we'll find out how Job arrived there. later on in our study. So James summarizes the
principle that is played out in a man's life in the book of Job. The theme, if someone says,
what's the theme of Job? Well, you could say,
well, the theme of Job is James one verses two to four, okay? Another important person, a
purpose rather of this book is that the experience of
Job points out the falseness of the prevalent dogma at that time, which taught that personal suffering was always the result
of personal sin, okay? Now Job himself does
not refute this fallacy used by his friends to explain
what has happened to him and why, he actually defends himself, but he doesn't completely
refute their arguments. Understand what I'm saying? In other words, this book, one of the purposes for
it was to demonstrate that an idea that was
prevalent at the time was false idea. And that idea was that, if you're good, God will
bless you right away and if you're bad, God
will punish you right away. In other words, God's
judgment is in real time. And this idea was held by
many people at the time it was their conventional thinking. Imagine if this idea was
actually the way things operate (laughs) wow, every day if you did something good, you'd be expecting, come
on let's go, bring it on and if you messed up you'd
be hiding in your closet waiting for the roof to cave in. And I want you to keep
in mind throughout Job, that Job also bought into this idea and that was one of his problems but well, we'll kind of peel
that onion when we get there. Now, you have to realize the readers who see what goes on behind the scenes, who see things from God's viewpoint, they're able to conclude that this notion, personal sin is the direct
cause of personal suffering. We, when we're reading Job
we know that that's not true because we're seeing the
story from behind the scenes. Oh, we see the devil talking to God and challenging God to let him punish Job just to show him that his faith
is not as good as it really. we see all of that, but Job
doesn't see all of that. And so his belief system
is put to the test, not as belief in God, his belief system, as to how God operates is put to the test. And then the most comprehensive idea is that the book of Job deals specifically with the very real problem
of innocent suffering. This idea has been the
view of the majority of Bible scholars who have
written books and commentaries on the book of Job. Here are some summary statements
from some of these writers. "The important truth revealed in Job "is that there is a
suffering of the righteous "which is not a decree of wrath, "but a dispensation of God's love. "This is the heart of
the book of the Job." One writer, Franz Delitzsch. I think that's how you pronounce his name. Someone else wrote what his Job about, Edgar Goodspeed, he says, "In the end Job's
problem is left unsolved, "except that in the
infinite wisdom of God, "undeserved suffering
must have an explanation "beyond our comprehension. "This is, after all, the
simple doctrine of faith, "which does not insist upon
explaining everything." I mentioned that at the
beginning, remember, we live at a time and in a culture where closure, everything's about closure. We got to get closure let's go for counseling
so we can get closure about my mom's death or
my dad's early death, or I get closure about why
I lost my leg in the war. You know what I'm saying? It's all about closure. And this book here is telling us, faith does not need
closure to continue on. Very important idea, as he says, this guy, Goodspeed, "This is, after all, the
simple doctrine of faith, "which does not insist upon
explaining everything." If you have to understand
exactly how God created the world in order to believe in God, you're not going to believe in God, because God himself tells us that by faith we understand that the things that are were created from things not seen. In other words, God Himself is telling us, I'm not going to explain
to you how I did this. You're going to have to take this, this one is going to be by faith. So I love archeological, what do they call it? Archeological approves about
the flood and just data and information that confirm
a lot of things in the Bible is very encouraging. I find it so fascinating, but those are not the things that actually make me believe or not believe. I believe because the scriptures tell me that I must believe. Those who approach God
what do they have to do? They must first believe that He is. And that He is a rewarder of
those who diligently seek Him. So it's like saying to
God, okay, you first, (chuckles) you first and if you give me
enough, then I'm on board. God gives us enough. But we believe in Him on
His terms, not on our terms. Some people stop believing
in God on their terms. You did this, this bad thing
happens to me, we're done I'm cutting you off God. I could take it when this
happened and that happened. but when my lovely wife, that I love and that I begged
you not to take, passed away that's it, we're done. You went too far God. We don't set the conditions for faith He sets the conditions for faith. I'm amazed, when I look up in the sky, I imagined I was past 70 when, this shows my ignorance, of course but I looked up in the sky and they show these magnificent pictures of this, the Milky Way and you see the stars and
there's so many of them and then in the back there's
like, it looks like a cloud, it looked like a cloud, and I went, yeah, is that amazing, God did all of that. And a couple of years ago,
someone pointed out to me, you know that cloud that
looks like clouds in the back I said, "Yeah" I said,
those are all stars. (chuckles) They're not mist,
they're not fog up there, those are all stars. It's just mind boggling. And then another quote about Job. "It is when Job comes
face to face with Him "that he comes to himself. "He does not get definite
answers from God. "In the book when God speaks, "there is no new instruction,
only His presence. "God is bent simply on being God." Oh, I love that. When he said, I am that I am, I am, I am the great I am, ain't that marvelous. God is bent simply on being God. He has nothing to prove to us. And so, the focus of the book is the problem of innocent suffering. The book doesn't actually give
easy answers to the question, why do innocent people suffer? Or why do unfair and unjust
things happen in this world? People always, it seems
to me mistakenly say, well, we need to go
look at the book of Job to get the answers to why
there's the suffering. Well, (mumbles) Job doesn't either, the book of Job does not
answer that question. I hate to give away the plot, but he never finds out. (laughs) God never tells him. We know, you know we're reading, we're seeing behind the scenes, but he never finds out why he went through all of this stuff. It's almost like you're saying, okay, God tell him, tell him. Well, Job, it's like this,
one day the devil came to me and he said, I bet you, I could get Job and deny and I... No. After all of that suffering, you think that Job kind
of deserved an explanation but it didn't get one. We need to remember that in our own life. It also presents the book rather also presents one particular case and it's extra ordinary circumstances. In other words, Satan
personally attacks an individual and God lets it happen. And we are witnesses to the developments and eventual outcome,
which is God appears to Job and then he is restored. The circumstances of Job's experience are difficult or impossible
to apply directly to ourselves in order to then draw lessons from. It's very, believe it or not,
hard to draw lessons from Job however, how Job feels
about his experiences, shock at losing a material possessions, sorrow and grief at losing his family, pain and suffering because of his illness, humiliation at the loss
of prestige and respect. I always told my children the most important thing that you have is your name, your name. Once your name is soiled,
it's very hard to get it back. You can lose a leg, you
know what I'm saying? You can lose the vision in your right eye, you can lose a job, you
can lose those things, but your name is very important. That was one of the
things that Job suffered, the loss of his prestige,
the loss of his honor, the loss of respect, then of course frustration and anger at the seeming injustice and
unfairness of his situation. He may have also been
among those who believe that personal suffering
was the judgment of God upon an individual
because of personal sin. Imagine he's going through all of this and it's practically shouting at him, you must have done something wrong. This may have been why he was upset and thought that he was
being punished unjustly. He knew that he was a good and just man and yet here he was
being punished anyways. The facts didn't line
up with his theology, which one was he going to... He couldn't deny the facts and he was committed to his theology and that idea is still prevalent today. Not as an official doctrine or anything like God punishes you in real time. But that thing, that thing emotionally
is still with us today. You fall short in doing something, you don't perform the way you
think you ought to perform you simply fail, you
just tell a big fat lie whatever it is. And along with the guilt
as Christians, right? Along with the guilt,
aren't you also wondering if a bad thing is going to happen to you? Or if a bad thing happens why you happen to have messed up. Don't we all think, maybe God is punishing
me now for what I did? That idea, that punishment in real time, that's still alive today. God is not behind it by the way that's the other guy
that's behind that idea. I'm not saying there's no judgment, I'm just saying that
we're not only sometimes very quick to judge ourselves but we're also very
quick to blame ourselves for the bad things that
have happened in our lives which we may really
not be responsible for. So we are witnesses to
his unjust suffering as well as how he feels
and deals with these things as a human being. Our life lessons come from
comparing his life experience to ours because to one degree or another, we also experienced shock and
sorrow and anger and despair. Of course, we rarely experience all of these emotions at the
same time, over the same issue, but individually or collectively
Job's experience mirrors our experience as people of
faith, dealing with adversity. So our life doesn't get
maybe as bad as his life, but oftentimes we do
experience facets of his life. It's as if Job represents
a one-stop example of how one believer dealt with suffering, he didn't understand and didn't deserve. How many times in your
life did you have suffering that you didn't understand
and didn't deserve? How many times have you
even said that to yourself? I didn't deserve this. I tried my best, I did
what I thought was right. I worked hard, I sacrificed
from my kids, for example, they didn't turn out exactly
the way that I wanted them to. I tried. And so the book of Job doesn't provide nice, neat bullet point solutions to the problems and injustices of life instead, Job presents how
one man lived the faithful, not a perfect, how he
lived a faithful life during a time of crisis in his life. And so many times, I'll close with that, so many times, that's
the problem, isn't it? We confuse a faithful
life with a perfect life. God is not searching for
us to have a perfect life, that's us wanting that, but He
does require a faithful life. And I think of all the things
that we can learn from Job is to observe a man living an imperfect, but faithful life during
a time of adversity. So our own life lessons therefore will come from examining Job's journey from a blessed life to
unjust suffering and loss, to revelation, and then
finally restoration for a blessed life once again. So we're going to follow that journey and we're going to follow it in
the various crises that he has. And we're going to examine each crisis that he has in his life, physical crisis, theological crisis, spiritual crisis, and how all of this is
resolved in the end. So next lesson, we're going to look at the possible ways you could chop this book up and we're going to kind of
go over all the characters so we're kind of familiar with
all the characters that appear so that we don't have to spend time explaining them every time
we mention their name. I would encourage you to read Job chapters one, two, and three if you're not having
a daily Bible reading, well, then let that be your Bible reading. Take Job, read one to three, because this is not going
to be a line by line study, but a thematic study. So I'm going to quote some of it, we're going to look
carefully at some passages, but it's a way too long a
book to do in nine, 10 weeks. So I'm expecting those of you in the class and you folks at home watching read ahead, be familiar with what I'm going
to be talking about next week. Alright, that's our class for this time, thank you for your attention.
