About the book of Job Chapter five

[JLG]

Haven't we heard this argument by Bildad before? Is it persuasive to you?

In fact, they ask Job to stop his empty words and try to speak reasonably and say that the bad one is condemned. It’s always the same speech like a leitmotif. That’s not original, it doesn’t help at all, it is definitely stupid ! It goes nowhere, but do they want to go anywhere ?

 

[JLG]

Why has Elihu jumped into the fray?

Because Job is still convinced of his own righteousness and the speech of Job’s three companions is useless. So he wants to prove Job wrong. He doesn’t want to help him so it is the same story, they just want to prove Job to be wrong, they don’t want to help him, in fact they don’t care about him, that’s the simple reality, there is no place for friendship. Is it a competition where everybody wants to show that he is the best, that he knows more ? But is Elihu a ghost because when God answers Job, he only speaks of his three companions, nothing about Elihu ? Isn’t it worse when you are ignored ? It seems to be he didn’t say anything !

 

[JLG]

What happens to Job? To his friends? Is this happy ending appropriate, given the majestic vision God has provided in earlier chapters? Why does God shower special attention upon Job?

God restores Job’s prosperity and gives him double what he had before. Job’s companions must offer sacrifices to God and Job must pray for them and God accepts his pray. It is an appropriate happy ending because thus God recognizes Job’s righteousness and Job understood there are things he can’t understand. God shows special attention upon Job because once again he demonstrated his faithfulness to God and there is no price for that. He has shown exceptional and a precious servant of god!

 

[JLG]

https://www.olivetree.com/blog/big-questions-from-the-book-of-job/

Is God guilty of neglect?

No. But to those who have hit bottom and feel abandoned, God might appear to be neglectful.

In his despair Job paints a horrifying—and incorrect—picture of God, saying that He afflicts for no reason (9:17), overwhelms people with misery (9:18), destroys both the righteous and the unrighteous indiscriminately (9:22), laughs at the pain of the innocent (9:23) and allows injustice (9:24). Job’s fear of this tyrannical deity could even force him to confess to sins he had not committed (9:20)!

But these are the words of a despondent, discouraged Job. On the whole, Job had a higher view of God than this. The major difference between Job’s view of God and that of his friends was his belief that afflictions in this life come to both the righteous and the unrighteous—that suffering could not always be explained in terms of what one deserved.

Severe and sudden calamity is no more a sign of disfavor with God than sustained prosperity indicates God’s approval and blessing. But in the next life God promises to balance the scales and make right all that has been perverted by sin here on earth. God is not guilty of neglect, but He may allow some suffering to accomplish His greater purposes, often beyond human comprehension.

Well said! Nothing to add!

 

[JLG]

https://www.kevinathompson.com/37-questions-answers-book-job/

6. What was the point of the “bet” between God and Satan regarding Job?

I’m not completely sure beyond God has used it to further reveal himself to us. I’m sure more was at work than this, but this is enough for us. Our understanding of God, ourselves, Satan, this world, good/evil, friendship, etc are much deeper because this event occurred.

Well I think it was at another level and not at a human level : according to God there was no one like Job on earth in term of faithfulness to God : if the devil could have destroyed the relationship between God and Job it would mean that every human being could go away from God and if it was so with human beings why not being the same with all the angels ! So many implications ! And even if there are not many examples of true faithfulness in the bible we can find good ones to inspire and encourage us to be faithful because there is no one like God in the universe and there is so much to learn by serving him especially in the future !

 

[JLG]

Does God really cause suffering?

Of course, the best example is the book of Job, the devil was responsible for Job’s suffering !

 

[JLG]

23. What words would God say to comfort those who are experiencing the deep pain of divorce?

I don’t know. I assume: “I love you. I want your identify found in me. Grace is bigger than your circumstances. I see you. I haven’t forgotten about you.” I can say what I would say: Understand the power of God’s grace. Seek to understand and repent of any sin on your part. Make any amends necessary in response to what you learn. Study yourself and what happened in order to prevent it from happening again (this cannot happen alone, it requires a community). Choose wisely if getting into a new relationship.

Does he have anything to say ? We have his Word the Bible and inside we can fing his words ! When we look at the book of Job we find pain and suffering so we want him to listen to us and we want to cry out and express all our pain and suffering !

 

[JLG]

If we stay faithful through suffering will we automatically get rewarded?

God rewards faith. This doesn’t guarantee an earthly reward, but heaven is promised for every believer.

Well, being faithful is a reward. It develops out fightinh spirit and mental power. There is nothing better than working for our creator and learning from him and knowing that in the future it will be possible to really work for the benefit of humanity and make the earth more beautiful and not an open dump which stinks !

 

[JLG]

Sometimes, in the midst of our suffering, we sin.

God accepts a humble and repentant heart. In Job 42, we see Job surrender to God and repent. Job recognized that God is the creator and he is just his creation.

I despise myself, and repent in the dust of ashes.
~Job 42:6​

Yes, and it is even more true because we aren’t Job (there was no one like him on earth). And the more we read the book of Job the more we know we have to make big efforts !​

 

[JLG]

If we want God to forgive us, we need to make efforts to change and improve ourselves. It is so easy to follow this modern society which goes nowhere and get lost. We need to think about the few good biblical examples of faithfulness. We must prepare for the future when God replaces this society and the future is now. We must learn to strengthen ourselves to face the storm we are living and that can only worsen and take in mind what is essential and not superficial! Remember Lot and his wife!

 

[JLG]

When you doubt everything around you, don’t doubt God.

It is not a question of doubting everything around us, there is nothing around us except chaos and human society can only lead to chaos! The only one who is able to get rid of this chaos is God, so how is it possible to doubt God, no way except if you want to wait for chaos to overcome our society!

 

[JLG]

https://thinkaboutsuchthings.com/lessons-from-job/

1. Don’t Blame God for your Misfortune

We can get into trouble because of our decisions. We can take good or bad decisions. But we must learn from it so as not to repeat the same mistakes! Unfortunately, through history, we can see that human beings repeat the same mistakes! And it is the same in the Bible, human beings usually don’t care, they just want to act selfishly! That’s personal choices! We can also get into trouble because of others and it happens every day! It is not always easy to face such situations but that’s how it works in this world so we must learn through experience to make us stronger and how to escape or adapt to survive in this depressing world always having in mind that God still have the same purpose which is to make of this earth a paradise without those who don’t want it!

 

[JLG]

#4 - Be still!

"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). We rarely learn anything while thrashing about spiritually. Note that Job's wife was exasperated with him. "Do something," she more or less said to him, even if it meant cursing God and ending one's life.

However, the spiritual man or woman's first response to crisis is stillness, not action.

« I don’t think it’s always stillness, it can also be action. It depends on the situation. When we read the Acts for example, when Christians received holy spirit, they wouldn’t stay still, they would act ! So once again it depends on the situation. Sometimes stillness is necessary, sometimes action is necessary ! With God’s help, we can use stillness or action ! Every situation is different and sometimes it is necessary to act as fast as possible ! That’s what we are told when we read about the faithful examples in the Bible ! »

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 6:

Anyone who withholds loyal love from his
fellow man
will forsake the fear of the Almighty.

- Job would never do that!

- he is the ESSENCE OF LOYAL LOVE!

- The POSITIVE FEAR OF THE ALMIGHTY RUNS THROUGH HIS BLOOD!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 6:
Instruct me, and I will be silent;
Help me to understand my mistake.

- A dialogue is interesting when it is constructive, when it helps you to go ahead, to push you, to analyze a situation, to visualize different perspectives!

- And Job has the experience to go in this direction but the people who have come to him are unable to be constructive, they are just condemning him!

- So it goes nowhere except when we listen to Job because again he has the experience!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

- SUCCULENT DISHES WE NEED TO CHEW IN OUR BRAINS AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHEN WE GET UP, DURING THE DAY, WHEN WE GO TO BED AND WHEN WE SLEEP, AT ANY TIME?

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 6:
You would also cast lots over an orphan
And sell your own friend!

- Job’s words are really hard!

- But sometimes and often it is important to tell things as it has to be told!

- Otherwise we may regret it!

- And Job invites us to remember his words and not act like the three individuals who came to see him to help him but did the reverse!

- Of course, when we act stupidly, we need to be told!

- But someone who is desperate or depressed first need people to understand how he feels and to listen to him and to be encouraged to go back to life gradually and not too fast!

- Imagine someone who has been in coma and must learn everything again!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 7
Am I the sea or a sea monster,
That you should set a guard over me?
When I say, ‘My couch will comfort me;
My bed will help ease my misery,’
Then you terrify me with dreams
And frighten me with visions,
So that I would choose suffocation,
Yes, death rather than this body of mine.

- The devil never gives up!

- He has sent the three individuals!

- He sends visions to one of the individuals against Job to terrify him at night and it works!

- The devil wants Job to commit suicide!

- He pushes him to his limits!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 9:
He made the Ash, the kesil, and the Kimah
constellations,
And the constellations of the southern
sky;

- Just opening our eyes at night when we can see some stars!

- Everything made by God is incredible!

- We can’t say the same with man!

- On the contrary, man is a pale imitator!

- Man can only destroy and pollute!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 9:
Even if I keep my integrity, I am not confident
about myself;
I reject this life of mine.

- Job is faithful to God and he is not going to change!

- But he knows his situation and he can’t bear it, he has enough of it!

- The use of the two verbs keep / reject are clear: he makes a difference between his faith in God and his life!

- Remember his personal situation: month after month, nothing improves, on the contrary, everything goes worse!

- And the three individuals are there to make it worse so he doesn’t get any rest!

- But whatever happens, his faithfulness is not for sale!

- But he has no hope, so it would be better to put an end to it!