Job - chapters 3-31

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The Book of Job - Notes on chapters 3 - 31

• Side Note>>>>Worship is the ultimate goal of the church - - - not evangelism ........Evangelism and missions is a temporary stop-gap necessary fill-in measure until worship happens........Evangelism and missions exist because worship doesn't.......
• These are 29 chapters of bad theology ....... Why are they here????
• Like us, Job did well at the beginning, but then, as it continues, the battle then rages on
• Job 7:2 - "I am allotted months of emptiness........." So, this was a long term issue.......we think - - -he's made it through the trial in chapters 1-2, but has he???? It continued on.........
• In the beginning - - - Job's friends were quiet for 7 days - - - see, people don't need your answer in the time of crisis and pain........they need your company....
• At first, the friends wept, mourned, and they sat for 7 days with him.......Sit with people when their suffering is great.........
• Job 39-41 - God speaks
  
  Overview
  
• Job 4-14 - - Cycle 1
• Job 15-21 - Cycle 2
• Job 22- - Cycle 3 - but, Zophar does not speak
• Job 39-41 - God speaks
  
  Cycle 1
  
• Chapter 3 - Job curses the day he was born...........why did I not die at birth?........his faith is beginning to waiver here............
• Friends begin to respond gently, then they become more brutal....
• Job 4:7-8 - Eliphaz says, "Those who plow iniquity, reap the same - - - trouble comes as a result of sin",
• 4v17 - Eliphaz knows we are all sinners...........
• 5v17 - however, some trouble comes as discipline from God.........
• when Eliphaz comes to apply this theology (which is all somewhat true - - sin has consequences (4:7-8) , and God does discipline (5v17)) to Job, however, he is insensitve and superficial........
• Ch 4:5-6 - - Eliphaz says, "and now it has come to you, and you are impatient........"
• Why does Eliphaz respond here? Why not just let his words go and listen some more?
• Ch 5v8 - Eliphaz sayd "I would seek God and to God I would submit my cause"
• Ch 5 v 18 - "God wounds but he binds up."........
• Piper believes Eliphaz is criticizing Job too simply, too quickly, too superficially (5v8, 5v18)
• Job claims in ch 6v10 - "I have not denied the words of the Holy One" 6v24 - Teach me...show me where I've sinned !
• Ch 8v3-4 - Bildad says - does God pevert justice........then he talks about his children - - right after they died!!!!..........he applies a principle with such pastoral cruelty....when Bildad doesnt know the situation of the 10 kids - - - saying, they must have committed a huge transgression to receive this awful consequence....
• Then he goes after Job - - - Ch 8v6-7 - - "If you seek God.....are pure and upright.....surely the he'll rouse himself for you ........." see Job - you must have some hidden sin in your life - If you'd repent, God will rise up and deliver you.........
• Job believes this simple way of viewing life is far to simple and naieve...(big sin - big suffering) Ch 9v22-24 - - Job says, "God destroys the blameless and the wicked...." The wicked prosper and the innocent get killed - - -and God's behind it all" I don't buy your simple theory!)
• Ch 10 v6-7 - - Job says Lord "you know I am not guilty"...........Piper believes Job will begin to overstate his own position......maybe not here......because Piper believes he's not wrong to say this here...........later, he is not rebuked for his sin by God, but he is rebuked by the Lord! ......
• Zophar speaks - - Ch 11v14-15 - - he's even more harsh - - "If iniquity is in your hands - put it away" - - he challenges Job - - If youre not guilty than lift it up and you will be vindicated...
• Job becomes sarcastic - ch12v3 - - "everyone's heard this"........13v4 - worthless physicians.......13v3 - I want to argue my case with God.......

As they go forward, the words become harsher and less credible.......

Cycle 2

• Eliphaz - 15v20 - "the wicked man writhes in pain"
• Bildad - 18v5 - "the light of the wicked is being put out
• Zophar - 20v5 "the joy of the wicked is short

Cycle 3

• Eliphaz - 22v5+ - totally brutal -most brutal speech of all - - "is not your wickedness great? there is no end to your inequities.....you have stripped the naked of their clothing........no water to the weary....not given bread to the hungry......sent widows away empty......."
• there's not a shred of truth in this at all!!!! Since his theology can't handle Job, so he distorts Job.......when you have a distorted theology, you're going to hurt people.........the only way you can handle reality to fit your bad theology is to distort reality to fit it in there.....
• Bildad - 6 verses........probably thinking what eliphaz said is a little much....
• Zophar - says nothing...........

The Pattern

• Cycle 1 is real long - - everyone's getting there theology out on the table
• Cycle 2 is shorter - - much of the same, BUT..... it getting more harsh and less credible
• Cycle 3 is real short - - and the 1 sppech is the most brutal...and untrue...the other says a few things and the third says nothing.....

What's happening?

• the structure breaks down - - - which is a poetic way saying the theology is breaking down.........at first, Eliphaz's speech had symmetry to it, sensitivity, gentleness, some querying to it, .. and then it gets more brittle, more wooden, less in touch with reality.....
• the theology of big sin corresponding to big suffering / big righteousness corresponding to big prosperity does not work!

Job's Faith

• Does his faith increase or decrease during these chapters?
• ch7v9 - No future after the grave
• Ch 10v20-22 - land of gloom and deep darkness is death
• Ch14v14 - he raises a question - if a man dies, shall he live again?
• Ch19v25-27 - I know that my redeemer lives - and at last he will stand upon the earth, and after my skin has been destroyed, then, from my flesh, I shall see God......
• Ch 26v14 - his way are above understanding - the thunder of his power - who can understand?
• Ch28v12 - man does not know the way to wisdom - God understands the way to it...
• Ch26v6 - I hold fast to my righteousness......my heart does not reproach me for any of my days....I'm not going to agree with my accusers and demeaning God's sanctifying work in my life.

Applications

• true theological statements can be false - you read these 3 guys and you agree with them, but its the balance and sensitivity......they hold so tight to their principle, but it's just not true in this case..Job is agood man and righteous....theology can hurt people as well as help them....you can use true statements so badly.......poeple get a little truth and they wreck lives with it......
• suffering and prosperity are not distributed in the world in proportion to evil and good they do (ch 21v30 - the wicked are spared in the day of calamity)......what the 3 friends theology just doesn't work in the real world
• Nevertheless, God reigns over the affairs of men from the greatest to the smallest ....the sovereignty of God is never questioned by any of the 4 men in this book........
• there is wisdom behind the arbitrariness of the world - and it is hidden from man (deut 29:29)
• therefore, hold fast to God !

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