Dr. Pothana's Teaching

3. Job 1:13-22
Job – Part 1:
“The Relevance of Suffering”

4. Setting for the
Story
Uz

5. Job:
An Integrative Study

6. Why an Integrative Study?
o An integrative study provides a most
complete framework for the study of Job
o Allows us to consider facts and theology
while not losing the practical implications
of the book of Job

7. Objectives of this Study
 To demonstrate that God is worthy of love apart from
the blessings he provides.
 To explain that God may allow suffering as a means to
purify and strengthen a person in godliness.
 To explore the justice of God who treats the righteous
with suffering.

8. Characters
 Job
 Mrs. Job
 God
 Satan
 Three Friends
 Eliphaz
 Bildad
 Zophar
 Elihu
Job & Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar
Job’s wife

9. Job And The Problem of
Suffering
Why do the righteous suffer?

12. Introduction
• Often, we wonder why a
loving God would allow
suffering to exist in the
world
• Further, we ask, why do
the righteous suffer?
• In the book of Job, we
have an example of a
righteous man who
suffered greatly

13. • Why does God allow Job to
suffer?
• What can we learn from Job
that will encourage us today
while suffering?
• Many so-called Christians
teach that God has promised
Christians would be healthy
and rich
• If we are not healthy and rich,
then we lack faith
• Account of job denies such
claims

14. The problem for Job
His friends’ wrong views
Job’s understanding
The Lord answers Job
The Lord restores Job
Job And The Problem of
Suffering

15.  The reasons for suffering in a believers life
are not necessarily related to human
explanations of personal unrighteousness,
but are within the scope of God’s good and
powerful providence resulting in the defeat
of evil and glory to himself.

16. A Blind Man Is Healed
 Another Example Of An
Afflicted Person In Scripture
Was A Man Born Blind.
John 9:1-3
“As he went along, he saw a man
blind from birth.
His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that
he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents
sinned," said Jesus, "but this
happened so that the work of God
might be displayed in his life”.

17. God’s Work Is Seen
 Some Thought This Man’s Blindness Was
Punishment For Sins Committed.
 Jesus Said The Blindness Happened So That
God’s Work Could Be Seen.
 This Man Suffered The Affliction Of Blindness
From Birth So God’s Power Could Be
Demonstrated When Jesus Healed Him.
 We, Too, Might Face Suffering So That God May
Be Glorified In The End.

18. A Study of Positions
What is a position?
A position is a theological or philosophical
stand regarding an issue.
Who had positions in the book of Job?
Satan, Mrs. Job, Job’s friend, Job, Elihu,
and God.

19. Satan’s Position
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” 1:9
“Skin for skin, a man will give up all he has for his
own life”2:4

20. “Are you still
holding on to
your integrity,
curse God
and die”
Chap 2: 9
Mrs. Job’s
Position

21. Position of Job’s Friends
In three cycles of speeches they
rebuke Job:
1) Cycle 1 of Speeches and Job's
Response-
God Punishes the Wicked and
Blesses the Good: 4:1--14:22
2) Cycle 2 of Speeches and Job's
Response- -
The Wicked Suffer and Perish because
They Are against God: 15:1--21:34
3) Cycle 3 of Speeches and Job's
Response—
God Is Majestic, but Job is
Wicked: 22:1--27:23
Job & Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar

22. Eliphaz versus Job
 Eliphaz 1: Eliphaz accused Job
of being inconsistent since
suffering results from sin and no
one is pure before God; thus he
urged Job to ask God to help
him and affirmed that God would
deliver him after He had
disciplined him 4:1--5:27
 Eliphaz 2: Eliphaz affirms that
Job's words are meaningless,
that he is guilty, and that he is
like the wicked because he is in
distress 15:1-35
 Eliphaz 3: Proclaiming God's
disinterest in Job for his social
deviations and spiritual defiance,
Eliphaz urges him to repent for
God is great 22:1-20
 Job: Job responded by affirming
that his suffering was causing his
rash desire to die, Eliphaz's
response has disappointed him, and
by asking for forgiveness if he has
sinned 6:1--7:21
 Job: Job responds rebuking his
friends for being no help, desiring to
plead his case with God, and
affirming is situation of despair
16:1-- 17:16
 Job: Job longs to plead his case
before God 23:1--24:25

23. Bildad versus Job
 Bildad 1: Bildad affirmed that history
has confirmed that if Job is righteous
God will restore him, unlike the
ungodly who perish 8:1-22
 Bildad 2: Bildad rebukes Job for his
arrogant words about them, and
affirms that the wicked, like he, are
weakened, ensnared, diseased,
insecure, forgotten, hated, and alone
18:1-21
 Bildad 3: Bildad affirmed that because
God is great and man is small and
impure there was no hope for Job to
be just and clean 25:1-6
 Job: Job responds by affirming
God's wisdom and power, asking
why He is against him, and
requesting to die 9:1--10:22
 Job: Job rebukes his friends for
tormenting and insulting him,
affirms that God has wronged him,
urges his friends to have pity on
him, and affirms that God will prove
his innocence after his death and
judge his friends 19:1-29
 Job: Job affirms that his friends are
not help to him since he knows that
God is great and powerful over
nature 26:1-14

24. Zophar versus Job
 Zophar 1: Zophar rebukes
Job by affirming that God
should show him true
wisdom and by affirming
that if he would turn to
God, he would be blessed
11:1-20
 Zophar 2: Zophar
accuses Job of insulting
him and reminds him that
the wicked may be
blessed, but they will
then loose their riches
20:1-29
 Job: Job responds by
criticizing Zophar for not
telling him anything new,
not helping him, and not
representing God well,
whereupon, he again asks
God to let him die 12:1--
14:22
 Job: Job retorts that his
impatience is excusable
and reminds Zophar that
the wicked prosper and
live (unlike he) 21:1-34

25. Job’s Final Remarks
 Job affirms that although man is skillful in
mining, wisdom is harder to find for it is God
who knows where wisdom is 28:1-28
 Job wishes that he was in his former days
of spiritual blessing, material prosperity and
social prestige which occurred because he
helped the needy, exercised justice and
counseled others 29:1-25
 Job proclaims his misery as he is mocked
by poor young men and vagabonds, and his
humiliation as he is in pain and nobody helps
him 30:1-31.
 Job's Ultimate Challenge--An Oath of
Innocence which 'Legally' Calls God to
Answer" 31:1-40
Job & Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar

26. Elihu’s Position
 Four Speeches by Elihu: 32:1--37:24
 Introduction of Elihu: 32:1-5
 Elihu's First Speech- God Instructs people
through Affliction: 32:6--33:33
 Elihu's Second Speech to the Three Friends
and Job—God is Just and Prudence is
Vindicated: 34:1-37
 Elihu's Third Speech to Job—There are
Advantages to Piety: 35:1-16
 Elihu's Fourth Speech to Job (and Friends)–
God is Great and Job is Ignorant: 36:1--
37:24

27. God’s Position
God interviews Job in two speeches:
1. First Interview with Yahweh-- Job is Limited in
Knowledge: 38:1--40:5
1) Yahweh Challenged Job: 38:1-3
2) Yahweh Questioned Job Regarding Two Areas of
Creation: the physical and animal world.
Here God asks Job to listen.
2. Second Interview with God –Job is Limited in
Power: 40:6--42:6
1) Yahweh Challenged Job to Listen: 40:6-14
2) Yahweh questioned Job Regarding Two animals of
Creation: the Behemoth and the Leviathan
“Brace yourself like a man, I will question
you and you shall answer….” 38:9

28. Job’s Reply
 Job Replied with Repentance: 42:1-6
 “…Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."

29. God’s Response
 Once Job has seen God, admitted God’s charges,
worshiped Him, the test is over.
 God then praises Job, humbles his friends.
 Job’s other “friends” come back.
 God gives Job double what he lost.
Two times the wealth
Same number more children
 God is no cheapskate.
Though we serve Him for nothing …
… He will not send us away empty-handed.
Ü But the full reward cannot come till the test is over.

30. Testing Of Our Faith
James 1:2-4
“Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face
trials of many kinds, because
you know that the testing of
your faith develops
perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its
work so that you may be mature
and complete, not lacking
anything.”

31. Things Here Are Temporary
The Troubles We Face Here Are
Temporary But God Has Promised A
Tremendous Reward With Him Forever In
Heaven.
He Says That This Brief Moment Of
Difficulty And Separation Will End And All
Of Life’s Hard Questions And
Circumstances Will Be Answered And
Explained In His Presence.

32. 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-9
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a
building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home
in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are
confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with
the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in
the body or away from it.
Your Earthly Body Is Described As A Temporary Tent.
Tents Are Not All That Comfortable
Or Secure And Living In One Can
Be A Real Struggle.
But God Has A Mansion Prepared
For You In Heaven (John 14:2).
That Is His Promise To All Those
In Christ Jesus.

33. Romans 8:18
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”.
Paul Says Volumes In This
Verse About This Subject Of
Suffering.
God Wants Us To See Our
Suffering As Small Compared
To How Wonderful Heaven
Will Be.

34. The Victory Is Ours
Fans At An Athletic Event
Are A Good Example Of
This.
Even If The Game Is Not
Over But The Victory Is
Sure, They Begin To
Celebrate, Knowing They
Have Won.
The Same Is True For A Believer Still In
The Midst Of Hurtful Struggles; He Knows
The Victory Is Already Secure And Soon
To Come.

35. John 16:33
“I (Jesus) have told you these
things, so that in me you may
have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the
world”.
This World Will Always
Have Trouble, But He Has
Overcome This World And
Enables Us To Be
Overcomers, Too.
“He Overcomes
The World For Us”

37. Thank you