Job Chapter 10

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JLG

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#41
(DANIEL CHAPTER 8)

Chapter 8 : It’s time for Bildad to speak. Like Eliphaz, he is not encouraging at all !
Job 8:3 : « and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind ? »
So Job was able to help many people who were in trouble and now he is good to nothing ! Strange !
Where is pride ? For Bildad, Job is a sinner and is guilty because God doesn’t pay attention to him ! Childish again, pure nonsense ! Is it because you are in trouble or ill that you are guilty ? It seems to be that Eliphaz and Bildad say the same things, but I don’t see any encouragement, it seems really boring ! But then it enhances Job’s personality ! There is not a lot to say !


(DANIEL CHAPTER 9)

According to Job, man is nothing compared to God ! God is powerful ! He is the creator of everything ! There is no one like God ! May I say that Job is angry against God, I don’t know, he tries to do his best to be God’s friend, he was blessed and now the situation has changed to the opposite and he doesn’t know why ! Does he complain ? Yes because he doesn’t understand at all ? Who wouldn’t do the same ? Would it be wrong ? I’m not saying that believers would complain to God but what I know is that many complain today because they don’t understand what’s going on ! Many think that if there was a God, he wouldn’t permit what’s on ! I’m not discussing this point, it’s only to make people think about Job’s attitude !

Job is a man and so he acts according to what he knows, nothing more nothing less! do we don't do the same?

- 1 Dino246 :

« Is it really necessary to have separate threads for each chapter of book of Job? It’s an awful lot like spamming. »

- Thanks for the question! That's a good one! You are the first to ask such a question at chapter nine! Personally I would have never asked such a question! I would have not thought about it! But think when I do something I read it again and again! Let's take the way I am trying to answer your question: it's not a text I am writing from beginning to end, not at all, when I start to read it again, I have more ideas, not at the end of the text, no, at the first line or the second one or the third one... I would say when you buy a sandwich, there isn't one flavor, people have different tastes, some will stay with one flavor, others will want to try every flavor! Does a tree have only one root to feed itself and to stay firm? What is more important? The number of neurons we have or the interconnections between them? When you go to a building, do you go to all the floors or do you choose one or more? if everybody was answering the question, would they give the same answer? There are plenty of reasons! Why does the Bible have so many books and not only one? If you watch TV, do you always watch the same channel? People may decide only to look at Chapter one or some chapters or all chapters, it's up to them, it's a free choice! Personally, I try to answer everything I can whenever possible or according to what I want to say! For me, it's far easier to do so, I couldn't do the same if there was only a big amount of pages and pages! I would find it boring! Sometimes people answer, sometimes no, but when nobody answer or only few people, I can concentrate on the summary and add something I hadn't thought about! It's more personal, it helps me to go deeper because the more you think about one idea, the more ideas you get! Personally, I often do different things at the time, I have always done that! My thoughts go faster than my hand which writes! It always go in many directions and I want to explore all these directions! if you hadn't asked your question I would have never said what I am saying now! Every chapter is a new experience, a new travel to Job! I want to exchange ideas with a maximum of people and that's what I do by doing it through chapters! It's a way to renew the ideas on each chapter because each chapter has its own importance and can make you think about something particular and it is not possible if you just have one big puzzle! When you do a puzzle, you finish it and that it, you forget it, that's not my way! I always want to renew the subjet and push people to express themselves! Sometimes they need time, a lot of time, maybe never, who knows, it doesn't matter! I just want to give the possibility to people to THINK! Probably the best answer is that if I hadn't do so, you wouldn't have asked your question and I wouldn't have written this text!

- According to the World health Organisation here are some facts about depression:

Key facts

  • Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, it is estimated that 5.0% of adults suffer from depression (1).
  • Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.
  • More women are affected by depression than men.
  • Depression can lead to suicide.
  • There is effective treatment for mild, moderate, and severe depression.
Overview
Depression is a common illness worldwide, with an estimated 3.8% of the population affected, including 5.0% among adults and 5.7% among adults older than 60 years (1). Approximately 280 million people in the word have depression (1). Depression is different from usual mood fluctuations and short-lived emotional responses to challenges in everyday life. Especially when recurrent and with moderate or severe intensity, depression may become a serious health condition. It can cause the affected person to suffer greatly and function poorly at work, at school and in the family. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. Over 700 000 people die due to suicide every year. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15-29-year-olds.
Although there are known, effective treatments for mental disorders, more than 75% of people in low- and middle-income countries receive no treatment (2). Barriers to effective care include a lack of resources, lack of trained health-care providers and social stigma associated with mental disorders. In countries of all income levels, people who experience depression are often not correctly diagnosed, and others who do not have the disorder are too often misdiagnosed and prescribed antidepressants.


Patient and desperate at the same time! Do you know many people like that!
 

JLG

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#42
(DANIEL CHAPTER 10)

Job speaks out of his distress : he thinks that everything that happens to him comes from God. He doesn’t know what’s on ! He still is the same, he hasn’t changed ! He is asking God why !

(DANIEL CHAPTER 11-14)

Empty talk, empty-headed man, you are guilty : same chorus !

So you are the people who know but I am not inferior to you. Job is calling God for an answer. Bad people are in peace ! But god is the creator of everything ! He has wisdom, mightiness, counsel and understanding, human beings are nothing compared to him : what a curse ! What an empty talk ! But Job only wants to talk to God, no one else : is he wrong ? His associates have just empty talks ! He tells them to shup up, he has enough of rmpty talks ! Job is prepared to talk to God who is the only one who can be his salvation : what a curse ! Staying silent for him means being dead ! He wants to know his errors ! When a man dies he lies powerless ! If a man dies, can he lives again ? Job is waiting for God calling him : what a curse !


(JOB CHAPTER 15)

Eliphaz speaks about vain knowledge, unprofitable talk, talk alone with no benefit, thine iniquity, your lips testify against you, do you hear the secret of God, do you limit wisdom to yourself, we hame wisdom, how can you be pure and righeous, you don’t trust the saints, the wicked man will suffer, wil be in trouble because he defies God. So he makes a description of Job as someone who is bad, against God and good to nothing ! He only condems him. That’s definitely how you can help a friend who is in trouble ! That’s completely crazy ! How can job listen to that ! Who would listen to such talk ! Unbelievable viloent ! It’s like shooting someone in the face !

(JOB CHAPTER 16)

Job answers : he calls them miserable comforters. He could do the same to them, if they were in trouble, he could speak against them but he would never do that. He would strenghten and encourage them ! Whatever he makes, either speaking or not, it’s the same, he doesn’t find any comfort. Everybody is against him and God too : so yes he is accusing God to destroy him mentally and physically. But
is he wrong : once again, he had everything and all of a sudden he loses everything, there is no fate ! Of course he doesn’t know what’s on, but he thinks according to what he has. And God doesn’t answer him ! And he has always do his best to serve God !
 

JLG

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#43
(JOB CHAPTER 17)

Job can’t be more clear : he is down, broken, he is waiting for death. And all around him are mockers :

Job 17:2 : « Are there not mockers with me ? And doth not mine eye continue in their provocation ?

He doesn’t see wise men around him : on the contrary. Anyway, he is hust waiting for DEATH, that’s his only HOPE.

(JOB CHAPTER 18)

Bildad : So for Job they are « ANIMALS » and « stupid » ! The wicked one will get into trouble, the one which has not known God : what encouragements indeed !

(JOB CHAPTER 19)

Job answers : his « associates » think they are better than him, they can only criticize him and they don’t feel ashamed. Job keeps crying out « VIOLENCE » but he get no answer, he keeps crying for « HELP », but nothing changes. So yes, he accuses God of taking everything from him, is that wrong, knowing his stressful condition and the fact that he doesn’t know what’s on ? He asks them for compassion but their hearts are closed ! Poor world ! In fact, he has hope that one day he will see God and he may understand why everything happens to him !

(JOB CHAPTER 20)

Zophar : he feels insulted and he doesn’t know why ! The wicked one will get into trouble and his end is near ! How good they are to repeat again and again the same speech ! They can’t renew it ! Poor men !

(JOB CHAPTER 21)

Job answers saying the contrary : the wicked one will leave in peace ! He doesn’t care about God ! Who is he ! But he is not like them ! But sooner or later God will pay them back ! But there is no one like God ! One can die in peace and another one in distress but when they die they have the same end : they lie down in the dust ! So their comfort is meaningless !

(JOB CHAPTER 22)

Eliphaz : « Is not thy wickedness great ? And thine iniquities infinite ? » According to him, Job did only bad things against widows, fatherless children ! He has left God but if he comes back to him, his situation will improve ! I would say they aren’t his friends but his enemies !

(JOB CHAPTER 23)

JOB DOESN’T CARE WHAT THEY SAY, HE WILL COMPLAINING: IS THAT SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ? HE IS LOOKING FOR GOD, HE WANTS TO DEFEND HIMSELF IN FRONT OF HIM ? AND THEN HE WOULD LISTEN TO HIM AND TAKE NOTE : IS THAT SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ? HE THINKS GOD WOULD LISTEN TO HIM ! BUT HE CAN’T FIND HIM ! HE KNOWS HE IS BEING TESTED AND THAT AFTER HE WILL BECOME BETTER LIKE PURE GOLD. HOW IMPRESSIVE ! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE ! HE REPEATS AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT HE FOLLOWS GOD AND HE NEVER DEVIATES FROM GOD’S PATH ! ALL THAT GOD SAYS ARE TREASURES ! BUT YES HE IS ANXIOUS AND AFRAID BECAUSE OF GOD ! IS HE WRONG !
 

JLG

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#44
(JOB CHAPTER 24)

Job sees those who suffer keep suffering and he doesn’t know why he hasn’t set a time to put an end ! But God is watching the wicked and he will die and nobody will remember him !

(JOB CHAPTER 25)

Bildad answers. Compared to God, human beings are nothing !

(JOB CHAPTER 26)

Job answers : did you help people ? God is everything and he created everything ! There is no one like him !

(JOB CHAPTER 27)

Job keeps answering :
HE WILL NEVER SPEAK UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, DECEIT. HE WILL KEEP HIS INTEGRITY TILL HIS DEATH. THE GODLESS MAN HAS NO HOPE WHEN HE IS DESTROYED, GOD WILL NOT LISTEN TO HIM WHEN HE CRIES ! GOD WILL NOT LISTEN TO HIM !


(JOB CHAPTER 28)

Man can get many things but for wisdom , it’s another story. It’s of great value but man doesn’t understand it ! He can’t buy it ! God is the only one who knows where the source of understanding is ! Because God knows and sees and can make everything ! The fear of God is wisdom !

(JOB CHAPTER 29)

Job imagines he is back in the past when he had God’s approval and friendship and when he had everything and when he was respected and people listened to him and when he could help those needing help. He speaks of all the good things he could do.

(JOB CHAPTER 30)

Now everybody laughs at him. He suffers day and night. He cries to God for help but he gets no answer. Yes he accuses God for everything happening to him : is he wrong ? And he keeps complaining !
 

JLG

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#45
(JOB CHAPTER 31)

Job wants God to measure him and his integrity and he enumerates all the bad things he never did and all the good things he did !

(JOB CHAPTER 32)

Then Elihu comes and starts to speak : he wants to answer Job.

(JOB CHAPTER 33)

He says that Job is wrong when he speaks about God.

(JOB CHAPTER 34)

According Elihu, Job is wrong and God is right !

(JOB CHAPTER 35)

Same speech from Elihu.

(JOB CHAPTER 36)

Same speech

(JOB CHAPTER 37)

Same speech

(JOB CHAPTER 38 - 39)

Job answers Job : « na’ » = please =
a primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may usually be rendered: "I pray," "now," or "then"
definition :

1. I (we) pray, now, please
2. used in entreaty or exhortation
So God asks Job where he was when he created the earth. He tells him about everything he created. It is far from what human beings can understand.


(JOB CHAPTER 40)

Job says he has nothing more to say. Once again God says « na’ » to Job and about his justice and all what he did.

(JOB CHAPTER 41)

God is the creator of everything that’s why he knows everything.

(JOB CHAPTER 42)

Job says he has spoken without knowing and thus he repents. Then God says he is angry against Job’s companions because THEY DIDN’T SPEAK THE TRUTH AS JOB DID. AND HE TELLS ELIPHAZ TO OFFER A SACRIFICE TO HIM AND HE WILL SAVE THEM IF JOB PRAISES HIM TO DO SO BECAUSE THEY SPEAK FOOLISHLY. SO THE THREE DO IT. THEN GOD RESTORES JOB’S PROSPERITY TO THE DOUBLE. THEN JOB LIVES 140 YEARS MORE.
 

JLG

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#46
In the Books of Job and Daniel we are told about the relationships between men of faith and God, on the one hand there was no one like him on earth and, on the second hand, a precious man. 42 and 12 chapters! We can learn from both: I prefer the Book of Job because Job opens his heart to God even if it's difficult to understand for some and also because there is a dialogue between God and Job and also because God is clear about what he thinks about his servant at the opposite of what some think but there will always be a difference between human level and God's level!
 

JLG

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#47
When I think about 1 Samuel 6 and the killing of 50,070 who were killed because they looked upon the Ark knowing they couldn’t do it, it reminds me of all the mistakes of the Jews and at the other side, it enhances Job’s attitude toward God and the fact there was no one like him on earth !
 

JLG

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#48
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/oldtestament/section11/

Job is a wealthy man living in a land called Uz with his large family and extensive flocks. He is “blameless” and “upright,” always careful to avoid doing evil (1:1). One day, Satan (“the Adversary”) appears before God in heaven. God boasts to Satan about Job’s goodness, but Satan argues that Job is only good because God has blessed him abundantly. Satan challenges God that, if given permission to punish the man, Job will turn and curse God. God allows Satan to torment Job to test this bold claim, but he forbids Satan to take Job’s life in the process.
In the course of one day, Job receives four messages, each bearing separate news that his livestock, servants, and ten children have all died due to marauding invaders or natural catastrophes. Job tears his clothes and shaves his head in mourning, but he still blesses God in his prayers. Satan appears in heaven again, and God grants him another chance to test Job. This time, Job is afflicted with horrible skin sores. His wife encourages him to curse God and to give up and die, but Job refuses, struggling to accept his circumstances.
Three of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, come to visit him, sitting with Job in silence for seven days out of respect for his mourning. On the seventh day, Job speaks, beginning a conversation in which each of the four men shares his thoughts on Job’s afflictions in long, poetic statements.
Job curses the day he was born, comparing life and death to light and darkness. He wishes that his birth had been shrouded in darkness and longs to have never been born, feeling that light, or life, only intensifies his misery. Eliphaz responds that Job, who has comforted other people, now shows that he never really understood their pain. Eliphaz believes that Job’s agony must be due to some sin Job has committed, and he urges Job to seek God’s favor. Bildad and Zophar agree that Job must have committed evil to offend God’s justice and argue that he should strive to exhibit more blameless behavior. Bildad surmises that Job’s children brought their deaths upon themselves. Even worse, Zophar implies that whatever wrong Job has done probably deserves greater punishment than what he has received.
Job responds to each of these remarks, growing so irritated that he calls his friends “worthless physicians” who “whitewash [their advice] with lies” (13:4). After making pains to assert his blameless character, Job ponders man’s relationship to God. He wonders why God judges people by their actions if God can just as easily alter or forgive their behavior. It is also unclear to Job how a human can appease or court God’s justice. God is unseen, and his ways are inscrutable and beyond human understanding. Moreover, humans cannot possibly persuade God with their words. God cannot be deceived, and Job admits that he does not even understand himself well enough to effectively plead his case to God. Job wishes for someone who can mediate between himself and God, or for God to send him to Sheol, the deep place of the dead.
Job’s friends are offended that he scorns their wisdom. They think his questions are crafty and lack an appropriate fear of God, and they use many analogies and metaphors to stress their ongoing point that nothing good comes of wickedness. Job sustains his confidence in spite of these criticisms, responding that even if he has done evil, it is his own personal problem. Furthermore, he believes that there is a “witness” or a “Redeemer” in heaven who will vouch for his innocence (16:19, 19:25). After a while, the upbraiding proves too much for Job, and he grows sarcastic, impatient, and afraid. He laments the injustice that God lets wicked people prosper while he and countless other innocent people suffer. Job wants to confront God and complain, but he cannot physically find God to do it. He feels that wisdom is hidden from human minds, but he resolves to persist in pursuing wisdom by fearing God and avoiding evil.
 

Nehemiah6

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#49
Job’s friends are offended that he scorns their wisdom.
And God is offended by the "wisdom" of his friends. So Job was right after all.
 

JLG

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#50
Without provocation, another friend, Elihu, suddenly enters the conversation. The young Elihu believes that Job has spent too much energy vindicating himself rather than God. Elihu explains to Job that God communicates with humans by two ways—visions and physical pain. He says that physical suffering provides the sufferer with an opportunity to realize God’s love and forgiveness when he is well again, understanding that God has “ransomed” him from an impending death (33:24). Elihu also assumes that Job must be wicked to be suffering as he is, and he thinks that Job’s excessive talking is an act of rebellion against God.
God finally interrupts, calling from a whirlwind and demanding Job to be brave and respond to his questions. God’s questions are rhetorical, intending to show how little Job knows about creation and how much power God alone has. God describes many detailed aspects of his creation, praising especially his creation of two large beasts, the Behemoth and Leviathan. Overwhelmed by the encounter, Job acknowledges God’s unlimited power and admits the limitations of his human knowledge. This response pleases God, but he is upset with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar for spouting poor and theologically unsound advice. Job intercedes on their behalf, and God forgives them. God returns Job’s health, providing him with twice as much property as before, new children, and an extremely long life.
 

JLG

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#51
Analysis

The Book of Job is one of the most celebrated pieces of biblical literature, not only because it explores some of the most profound questions humans ask about their lives, but also because it is extremely well written. The work combines two literary forms, framing forty chapters of verse between two and a half chapters of prose at the beginning and the end. The poetic discourse of Job and his friends is unique in its own right. The lengthy conversation has the unified voice and consistent style of poetry, but it is a dialogue between characters who alter their moods, question their motives, change their minds, and undercut each other with sarcasm and innuendo. Although Job comes closest to doing so, no single character articulates one true or authoritative opinion. Each speaker has his own flaws as well as his own lofty moments of observation or astute theological insight.
The interaction between Job and his friends illustrates the painful irony of his situation. Our knowledge that Job’s punishment is the result of a contest between God and Satan contrasts with Job’s confusion and his friends’ lecturing, as they try to understand why Job is being punished. The premise of the friends’ argument is that misfortune only follows from evil deeds. Bildad instructs Job, “if you are pure and upright, / surely then [God] will rouse himself / for you” and he later goads Job to be a “blameless person” (8:6, 8:20). The language in these passages is ironic, since, unbeknownst to Job or Job’s friends, God and Satan do in fact view Job as “blameless and upright.” This contrast shows the folly of the three friends who ignore Job’s pain while purporting to encourage him. The interaction also shows the folly of trying to understand God’s ways. The three friends and Job have a serious theological conversation about a situation that actually is simply a game between God and Satan. The fault of Job and his friends lies in trying to explain the nature of God with only the limited information available to human knowledge, as God himself notes when he roars from the whirlwind, “Who is this that darkness counsel / by words without / knowledge?” (38:2).
 

JLG

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#52
The dominant theme of Job is the difficulty of understanding why an all-powerful God allows good people to suffer. Job wants to find a way to justify God’s actions, but he cannot understand why there are evil people who “harm the childless woman, / and do no good to the widow,” only to be rewarded with long, successful lives (24:21). Job’s friends, including Elihu, say that God distributes outcomes to each person as his or her actions deserve. As a result of this belief, they insist that Job has committed some wrongdoing to merit his punishment. God himself declines to present a rational explanation for the unfair distribution of blessings among men. He boasts to Job, “Have you comprehended the / expanse of the earth? / Declare, if you know all this” (38:18). God suggests that people should not discuss divine justice since God’s power is so great that humans cannot possibly justify his ways.
One of the chief virtues of the poetry in Job is its rhetoric. The book’s rhetorical language seeks to produce an effect in the listener rather than communicate a literal idea. God’s onslaught of rhetorical questions to Job, asking if Job can perform the same things he can do, overwhelms both Job and the reader with the sense of God’s extensive power as well as his pride. Sarcasm is also a frequent rhetorical tool for Job and his friends in their conversation. After Bildad lectures Job about human wisdom, Job sneers, “How you have helped one / who has no power! / How you have assisted the arm / that has no strength!” (26:2). Job is saying that he already knows what Bildad has just explained about wisdom. The self-deprecating tone and sarcastic response are rare elements in ancient verse. Such irony not only heightens the playfulness of the text but suggests the characters are actively responding to each other, thus connecting their seemingly disparate speeches together. The poetry in Job is a true dialogue, for the characters develop ideas and unique personalities throughout the course of their responses.
 

JLG

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#53
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/things-to-know-about-the-story-of-job.html

Too often in conversations about suffering, one particular Bible story is not consistently discussed. The Book of Job is a story that details the life of one man who was not a distinguished church figure facing persecution. He was an everyday man, albeit affluent in possessions and faith. The Bible describes Job’s financial stature as making him a noteworthy person in his region of the east. He had a large family of a wife, seven sons, and three daughters. In his possession were also large quantities of land and animals (Job 1:2-3). Of all that he owned, his greatest asset was his faith.
“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1)​
Job’s ability to believe was so impressive that he garnered the attention of God and also Satan. In this first chapter of Job, we read an account of God questioning Satan about his schemes. Satan confesses to roaming about the Earth, and God asks if the Devil has considered Job. The question sets Job up for an intense season of suffering, one that breaks him physically, emotionally, even spiritually, but he never forsakes his faith. All this occurs as a test, allowed by God to show Satan Job’s faith (Job 1:11-12).
Job’s story continues to be relevant to Christians today because of his ability to believe despite suffering. His season of loss is a reminder that no possession or relationship on this Earth is guaranteed to last forever. Not even our health. Job found himself losing all that he owned, all except for his faith. However, Job’s story is not limited to suffering or maintaining faith amid trials. There are a number of different lessons we can glean, but first, we must understand the purpose of the Book of Job and why it was included in the Bible.
Who Wrote the Story of Job and Why Is the Book of Job included in the Bible?
The Bible is authored by a number of different people, prophets and kings included. There are even unknown authors of certain passages. As for the Book of Job, the author is unclear. There is no indication of the author within the book itself, and Job’s death is mentioned in chapter 42, the last chapter of the book. There is speculation amongst the scholarly community that Moses wrote the book, but there is no conclusive evidence.
Even without an author, the story’s inclusion in the Bible informs us that there is something God wants to glean from His word (2 Timothy 3:16). In addition to authorial speculation, the inclusion of Job’s story is believed by some to be purposed in answering the question of why innocent people suffer. By the conclusion of the book, there is no answer given as to why innocents suffer, but there is a solution, trust.
The idea and word trust appears multiple times throughout the Bible spoken by different people. The idea is also present here as Job experiences suffering and seeks God for help. With this greater understanding, we can analyze the 5 the story of Job.
 

JLG

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#54
5 Important Things to Know about the Story of Job
1. Job Suffered while Innocent
Job did not commit any sin that led to his suffering. On the contrary, Job’s suffering came about as God allowed Satan to test his faith. Why did Job have to suffer at all? The same question has been asked throughout the ages after events such as school shootings or natural disasters. Why do innocent people suffer for seemingly no reason? And Job was so greatly afflicted by his problems that he cursed, not God, but the day that he was born.
After this, Job began to speak and cursed the day he was born.” (Job 3:1)
This was not an inconvenience that Job experienced. Life as he knew it was turned upside down and made into something that brought him intense pain. Job represents the truth that innocent people suffer, but by the end of his story also shows that God is in control the entire time. God allowed Satan to attack Job spiritually, emotionally, and physically, but never to the point of death (Job 2:6). God remained in control.
2. Job Questioned God
As shown in the Psalms, which follow after the Book of Job, prayer is shown to be communication with God that is deep, intimate, and honest. As Christians, we can talk to God about things going well in our lives, and also our troubles. Job did not hide his troubles and spoke openly.
If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
Watcher of humanity?
Why have you made me your target,
so that I have become a burden to you?

(Job 7:20)

In his anguish and confusion, Job sought to have dialogue with God as a means of understanding his plight. We are like Job when we experience suffering. We may ask God questions like “How long?” or “Why is this happening to me?” Though not immediately, God does respond to Job later in the book (Job 38). God also answers our prayers, just in His own timing. In the way God responds to Job, He makes clear that though we may ask, our sense of comprehension will never fully grasp God and His ways. Still, He is trustworthy.
 

JTB

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#55
Wow.
 

JLG

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#56
3. Job’s Loved Ones Didn’t Help
Job’s wife was the first to reveal her lack of faith in God. “His wife said to him, ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!’” (Job 2-9)
Job’s response shows just how much faith he had in spite of her doubts. “‘You speak as a foolish woman speaks,’ he told her. ‘Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said” (Job 2:10). Job posits an excellent question to consider. If God promises salvation in the form of heaven, why is life expected by some to only be good?
Job’s three friends when introduced to the story bear witness to his suffering. They go so far as to lament on his behalf (Job 2:13). As the Book of Job continues each friend has a chapter where they engage in dialogue with Job. Then Job is given a chapter where he responds. The friends’ attempts to “help” go so poorly that God is ultimately disappointed in them (Job 42:7). God was so upset he had them offer sacrifices as repentance. The reason for this is that the friends blamed Job for his suffering, unbeknownst to them God allowed Job to suffer despite being a righteous man.
His friend Eliphaz was the first to blame Job. “Consider: Who has perished when he was innocent” (Job 4:7)? Their relationship helps us see how we as believers seek counsel from others. While people may mean well in their advice-giving, no one can truly comprehend how God works in our lives and should not speak on His behalf. Moreover, suffering is to be experienced even by the innocents, like Job, not because someone has committed an offense against God, but because suffering is a part of life.
God used Job’s suffering to build him up and show the Devil that Job would keep his faith.
 

JLG

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#57
4. Job Was Restored
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and doubled his previous possessions.” (Job 42:10)​
In the end, Job gained more than he lost. And he was restored in all aspects of his life: health, family, finances. God showed Job favor as he remained faithful in his belief. This information is important because these details reflect the loving nature of God. God’s love was present despite Job’s unhelpful friends, wife, and harsh circumstances.
God does not allow sorrow for the sake of suffering. He allows us to experience trials to make us better people and expose weak areas in our lives. Job was able to learn more about God during his struggle and further build his trust in the Lord. Job’s suffering too also allowed God to affect Job’s friends. They initially blamed Job and learned that Job hadn’t done anything to merit his suffering, thus, showing them a side of God they were unaware of before.
5. Job Kept His Faith
Throughout the entire book, Job prayed, struggled, and eventually overcame. He never stopped having a relationship with God. Nor did he curse God as his wife encouraged him to do in the second chapter. Job’s steadfast faith offers proof that no matter life’s circumstances, maintaining faith is always a possibility. Whether we are spiritually, emotionally, or physically stricken, we can keep our trust in God. He will at some point deliver us from our troubles, and make us better from the experience.
 

JLG

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#58
A Modern Day Job
As we read and learn from Job we can ascertain that suffering comes upon all, sinful or guiltless. Jesus was the only person without sin and even He knew suffering. While we may encounter our own unexpected problems like Job, his story reminds us that even when we don’t understand why we can put trust in God. That trust is not limited to circumstances, nor by the “advice” given by other believers. Trust is not an explanation of why Job suffered, or why we suffer. Yet, the idea of trust gives us a solution to bear the suffering.

No one can fully understand God, and that gives us all the more reason to pray. And when we pray and while we wait, we know in the end God will make us into someone better than where we started. Job proved that.
 

JLG

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#59
When we feel bad, it is better to read the book of Job and sip his mental strength than going to the doctor and feel empty or going in circle in our mind and getting more depressed. And going for a walk in the forest or in the countryside is also efficient especially if we have dogs: it is also incredibly powerful and better than any pill.
 

JLG

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#60
What state of existence would he prefer? Consider the contrasts that he draws.

He would be sleeping and at rest like all the people who are dead !

He draws the contrasts between life and death, light and darkness, twilight and daylight. He compares the night he was born with a woman and he uses the word barren. He speaks of the doors of his mother’s womb. And his groaning pours out like water that is incessantly!
 
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