About the Book of Job Chapter four

[JLG]

Just because your friends care about you and profess to believe in your God, you can’t assume their wisdom is godly.

We first need to improve our communication with God, it is a question of survival! We need to feel our mind with God’s knowledge to feel secure whatever may happen and get stability and mental strength. We must build our strength. Then when we are strong enough, it can benefit our friends and the people we meet according to their need! But people must make efforts to conform their lives with God’s principles!

 

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5. Job sets us up to embrace a Savior who suffers.

Job learned endurance through pain and suffering, he could think about his relationship with God and others, what was important and not or less! He was able to grow personally faster! He became a different man! Job was in a trial and Jesus was also in a trial when he came to Earth and suffers! He could live a human life and understand what it means from the inside! We remember the angels who disobey God to go to the Earth and get married with women! We remember Jesus trained his disciples progressively and even through this special training it was difficult for them to understand! And he was with them 24 hours a day! And till his death they behaved like children! And after his death they all go back to their home till he appears to them and encourage them and they would receive holy spirit to get more experience and really become apostles! On the contrary, Paul had just his eyes opened and then he went straight away! But that’s how we get real characters in the Bible, not illusions! We can imagine ourselves in their shoes!

 

[JLG]

#3 - Your faith works only when you work your faith

We note at the beginning, before he faced all of the crises, Job practiced those things that built a strong faith. Things like righteous living, faithful worship and benevolence. He was doing all of these things while he was healthy, while he was rich, while everything was going well. He was practicing acts of faith and working that faith so that when the storms came, his faith held fast.

Soldiers train while there is no war so that they are ready when the war does come. In the same way, we train and strengthen our faith while there is peace so that when the storm comes, and it will, our faith will be fully functional and strong because we have been dutifully working at it.

Remember that trials (of any kind) can cause us to lose, or worse, consciously abandon our faith.

• The sudden death of a spouse or child
  
• A loss of income or a job
  
• Forced changes in where or how we live
  
• A broken family
  
• Legal problems
  
• Constant immoral behavior by ourselves or others near to us

These and other trials constantly battering us will cause fatigue, discouragement, anger, resentment and despair. We let ourselves go spiritually when things like this begin to take place. We develop an attitude that says, "Well, if God doesn't care, why should I care?" This is where a well-developed faith can naturally take over and lead us through the storm to safety.

« That’s right, we need to build up our faith by developping our knowledge of God by taking time to study the Bible and speak about God and speak to him as more as we can every day and whatever we do ! We must build up our relationship to him and get closer to him ! We mustn’t wait for the others to do it for us, it is our responsibility and we must be 100 % active ! There is no time to sleep, our faith must stay awoken and must be ready to operate ! »

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 6: For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me,
And my spirit is drinking their venom;
The terrors from God are lined up against me.

- Of course, we are not Job, we are not the one about whom God says there is no one like him on earth. We know that Adam had a close relationship with God but he lost it, we know that Job had a close relationship with God, a special one and he kept it. But because of Satan this relationship was momentarily disturbed so Job was not feeling bad only because he lost everything but also because of this disruption which was unbearable for him! Just imagine what was the most important, the most precious for him! Any disruption must have been destructive and maybe if our relationship with God is really strong, we may understand that or maybe not! When it fills your day and your thoughts, how is it possible to do it without? IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!

 

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Looking for Job

Job 6:
Is my strength like that of rock?
Or is my flesh made of copper?
Is there any way that I can help myself
When all my means of support has been
driven from me?

- There is nothing from Job!

- He thinks he is nobody!

- he thinks he is helpless!

- he thinks he is reduced to nothing!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 6:
My own brothers have been as treacherous as
a winter stream,
Like the water of winter streams that dry up,
They are darkened by ice,
And in them the melting snow is hidden.
But in due season they become waterless and
come to an end;
When it becomes hot, they dry up.
Their course is diverted;
They flow into the desert and vanish.
The caravans of Tema look for them;
The travelers from Sheba wait for them.
They are ashamed because of their misplaced
trust;
They come there only to be disappointed.
For this is how you have become to me;
You have seen the terror of my calamity, and
you are afraid.
Have I said, “Give me something,”
Or requested that you make a gift for me
from your wealth?
Have I asked to be rescued from the hand of an
enemy
or to be saved from oppressors?

- SO POWERFUL!

- From where he is, Job finds the strength to speak about his own family and they are not here, they are of no help!

- Of course, we are all different!

- We take different ways!

- It is difficult to build a strong connection between human beings!

- We don’t go at the same speed!

- Do we go faster when we are alone!

- Job is incredible with all the strength he finds from his pain and suffering!

- Do we need to be be in such a mental condition to be able to express our deepest feelings!

- It also tells us how much we have to strive to get closer to God and Jesus if we want them to do the same!

- It’s a two way move!

- We have to work hard to build a special relationship!

 

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Looking for Job

- I have never thought of that, but IS THE BOOK OF JOB A BIG TABLE FOR THE SINNERS WE ARE WITH PLENTY OF SUCCULENT DISHES WE NEED TO DIGEST AND BEFORE THAT CHEW AS RUMINANTS DO?

 

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Looking for Job

- Having to do with someone who is paraplegic is also difficult!

- It’s not easy to stop being able to walk and run and do many things with the legs!

- But there are so many examples of people who are doing sport being paraplegic!

- And at first, they may get depressed!

- But we have our legs and we can go for a walk with them pushing their wheelchairs and nature is so beautiful and has so much to offer and so much life!

- And we can help them do some sport!

- And mental activities are also important!

- Think about blind people and how they can compensate the loss of sight!

- There are always ways to enjoy life and studying the Bible is an essential one to keep hope in spite of what happens every day in the world!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 7
Like a cloud that fades and vanishes,
The one who goes down to the Grave does
not come back up.
He will not return again to his house,
And his place will acknowledge him no
more.
Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth.
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in my bitter distress!

- Job is waiting for death!

- he has no hope!

- He has nothing to lose!

- The only thing left for him is to speak and defend himself!

- Job is equal to himself, he will fight till the end!

- He wants to wash his honor!

 

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Looking for Job

Job 9
He spreads out the heavens by himself,
And he treads upon the high waves of the sea.

- The universe is made of emptiness and yet there is so much activity

- And everything is balanced, the whole keeps together in spite of everything going in every direction!

- And we can say the same with the oceans: there are so powerful!

- And yet the only thing we find is polluting them and destroying life inside!

- We can see the majesty of God and man appears as a rat: but he will never be able to destroy God’s creation!

 

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Looking for Job

Job 9:
If I were in the right, my own mouth would
condemn me;
Even if I keep my integrity, he will declare
me guilty.

- Job has so few elements so he can only be lost!

- Once again he only knows God, his only reference is God, there is nothing else!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 9:
For he is not a man like me that I may answer him,
That we should go to court together.

- Of course, God is superior to us!

- But God finds pleasure and satisfaction when people serve him faithfully!

- Think about the devil’s jealousy about people worshiping Gog with faithfulness!

- We are made in His image!

- So it means we are able to develop a special relationship with him!

- Think about working with God forever in a world dominated by him!

- No more injustice and the possibility to live in a world where nobody can oppose him and make a world where it is impossible to live!

- On the contrary, living in a world where we can get up every morning and be sure that we can make it better and better!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 10
Remember, please, that you made me out of clay,
But now you make me return to dust.

- God creates man!

- But he didn’t make us like other creatures!

- We are the ones who have spiritual needs because God is our root like trees have roots and without them they can get vital elements!

- This world has cut itself from God that’s why it is crazy and going to the pit

- WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT OUR ROOTS!

- The devil makes Job believe he has lost his ROOT!

- DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT!

- When we read what people say about the Book of Job, it shows they don’t understand that!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 10
Before I go away – and I will not return -
To the land of deepest darkness,
To the land of utter gloom,
A land of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like the gloom.

- These words remind me of those of Jesus speaking about death as if it was sleep!

- deepest darkness, utter gloom, deep shadow and disorder, the light is like gloom!

- Quite a different vision from what people usually think it is!

- Maybe they should think about!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 12
When he tears something down, it cannot be rebuilt;
What he has shut, no man can open.
When he withholds the waters, everything
dries up;
When he sends them out, they overwhelm
the earth.

- He looks nature that is God’s creation which tells us about God and what he is able to do!

- May we do the same to find inspiration and motivation to action!

- Of course, there is no one like God!

- Every day we can see God’s power and wisdom in action!

- And every day we can see man’s weakness and stupidity!

- And nature enhances both and opposes them!

- And it should encourage us to humility!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 13
Will you speak unjustly on God’s behalf,
And will you speak deceitfully for him?
Will you take his side,
Will you try to plead the case of the true
God?
Would it turn out well if he examined you?
Will you fool him as you would a mortal
man?

- Job tells them to tell the truth not lies!

- God knows what they are doing!

- He warns them and he is right because God condemned them!

- But they don’t care!

- They keep acting the same way!

- They definitely speak for the devil!

- Think about the religious leaders!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 13
You have put my feet in stocks,
You scrutinize all my paths,
And you trace out each of my footprints.
So man decays like something rotten,
Like a garment eaten by moths.

Stocks and pillory
These were used to punish people for crimes such as swearing or drunkenness. Criminals would sit or stand at a wooden frame and the local people would throw rotten food or even stones at them. The stocks and pillory were used as a punishment throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...q/revision/3&usg=AOvVaw0G4njiF_KsRLlTSX3fCzWS

- In such punishment you were unable to move!

- You can imagine what the people would feel!

- Mentally and physically!

- Thus it is exactly what Job feels!

- Except that for Job the punishment lasted for months!

- It is like being eaten alive by red ants and you can’t escape!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 14
As a mountain falls and crumbles away
And a rock is dislodged from its place,
As water wears away stones
And its torrents wash away earth’s soil,
So you have destroyed the hope of mortal
man.

- Once again he speaks of the devil without knowing it!

- and that’s exactly what the devil wants!

- No hope, just thinking about the present because there is no future!

- And that’s exactly what man is doing!

- Man is responsible for the calamities he provokes!

- He has no excuse!

- And he is proud of it!

- Thus he shows that his father is the devil not God!

- When you have a father, you try to do your best to develop and maintain a good relationship with him especially when he provides for you!

- Thus by acting badly man shows who is his real father!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 16
Even now, my witness is in the heavens;
The one who can testify for me is in the
heights.

- Job’s only reference is God!

- No one else exists as an authority!

- And God knows that he has done nothing wrong!

- It is an evidence for him!

- And he doesn’t understand why God doesn’t answer him!

- But he will keep crying out!

- He will never stop!

 

[JLG]

Looking for Job

Job 17
Where, then, is my hope?
It will go down to the barred gates of the
Grave
When we all descend together into the dust

- NO HOPE!

- JUST BARRED GATES!

- WE ALL DESCEND TOGETHER INTO THE DUST!

- And Job will keep calling for God!

- is that a small light in the darkness of pain and sufferance?

- Or a big one?