Bible: Beginning to End - Job 22-42: Speeches, The Lord Challenges Job, & Epilogue

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

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Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end, where we are reading through the scriptures together from Genesis to Revelation. As always, I will be reading through the chapters, and I will be stopping along the way to ask critical thinking questions as we read through each chapter of the Bible. Right now, I'm using the Berean Standard Bible, so if you would like to read along or follow along, you can find a link to the chapters that I'm going to be reading today in the description of this episode. So let's do a little recap of where we are. So we read through the first, about half of Job last time. So we read through chapters 1 to 21. So if you haven't listened to that episode, go back and give that a listen before jumping into the rest of Job. Remember at the beginning

of the book of Job, we are introduced to a man named Job, who is said to be blameless in the side of God, a man who has abundance in his life and a man who is seen as righteous. Then the story shifts into heaven. We see the scene between God and his heavenly court. And God talks to this character called the Satan, and the Satan asks God if he has permission to test Job and see if if Job is truly committed to God. Then we see Job go through all sorts of suffering, losing everything he has, losing his children, losing his livelihood. Then the book of Job shifts in chapter three to a series of conversations among Job and his three friends who have come to grieve with him after the series of loss he has experienced. And these conversations

are written in the form of poetry. And there are three rounds of speeches. And in these speeches, Job and his friends are talking to each other and trying to figure out why Job is going through such deep suffering. His friends keep telling him, well, you must have done something wrong. You must have sinned to receive a punishment such as this. And Job keeps saying, I haven't done anything wrong. I am blameless. If you search my history, you won't find anything that I've done that would have caused this suffering.

And they come up with their own ideas about why this suffering is happening. And a lot of the questions we were asking last time is, well, who's right? Is Job right? Are his friends right? Is there another answer to this question? Why is Job suffering? And the bigger question that the book of Job helps us answer and deal with is, why do people suffer in general? So we made it through that prologue and the first two rounds of speeches last time. And then in Job 22, we're going to pick up with the third and final round of speeches among Job and his friends. And then God himself will come and speak to Job at the end of the

book of Job. So as you're reading, be thinking about this question of suffering, be listening to what Job and his friends have to say, and try and discern who's telling the truth, who's right, who's wrong in these speeches. Okay, so now that we have been caught up on where we were last time, we can go ahead and jump in to Job 22 right after this quick break. Okay, so in Chapter 21, Job gave his final speech for the second round of speeches. And in that speech, he says to his friends, I don't understand because when I look around, I see wicked people prosper on earth and good people suffer.

And yet at the end of their life, they're both buried, and they both end up dead in the ground, is basically what he's saying. He's questioning, why does God allow this to happen? So that's where we were in chapter 21, and now we can start Job 22, where Elaphaz responds to Job. So this starts the third round of speeches. Job 22. Elaphaz, can a man be of use to God? Then Elaphaz, the Temanite, replied, Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit him?

Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does he profit if your ways are blameless? Is it for your reverence that he rebukes you and enters into judgment against you? Is not your wickedness great? Are not your iniquities endless? For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing. You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished, while the land belonged to a mighty man, and a man of honor lived on it.

You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. Therefore, snares surrounded you, and sudden peril terrifies you. It is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. Okay, so pause there. How does Elifaz start this speech? Why does he start out by asking this question, can a man be of use to God? Does God gain any benefit from man? Why is he asking that? And then he shifts again, and he's saying again to Job, you must have done something. And what does he accuse Job of? He goes to this list saying, basically, you must have done this, you must have done that. Why is he creating this list of sins and sort of accusing, Job and trying to figure out what Job did wrong. Verse 12.

Is not God as high as the heavens? Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are. Yet you say, what does God know? Does he judge through thick darkness? Thick clouds veil him so he does not see us as he traverses the vault of heaven. Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod? They were snatched away before their time and their foundations were swept away by a flood.

They said to God, depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us? But it was he who filled their house with good things, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked. The righteous see it and are glad. The innocent mock them. Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire has consumed their excess. Okay, so pause there.

How is Elifaz responding? to Job's idea that the wicked prosper. What does Elifaz say about the wicked in response to Job? And then how does Elifaz respond to Job's view of God? In verses 12 to 14, he talks about God being as high as the heavens and being lofty in the stars. So what is he responding to here? What does he think Job is getting wrong when Job talks about God?

Verse 21. Reconcile now and be at peace with him. Thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents and consign your gold to the dust and the gold of offer to the stones of the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold and the finest silver for you. surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. You will pray to him and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. Your decisions will be carried out and light will shine on your ways. When men are brought low and you say lift them up, then he will save the lowly. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 22. What is Eliphaz implying in this last section?

He's telling Job, if you would just reconcile with God, he will make everything right. He will restore you. He will make you righteous again. He will lift you up. He will give you power. If only you would reconcile and return to him. So what does that imply about Job?

Does he get anything right in this last section? Does he get anything wrong in this last section? Because Elifaz here is implying that Job needs to reconcile with God, that he's done something wrong that he needs to repent for in order to restore his life back to the way it was. But what do we know about Job? Did he sin? Was sin the cause of his suffering?

Okay, so now we can start Job 23. Job is going to respond to Elaphaz. So Job 23, Job longs for God. Verse 1. Then Job answered, Even today, my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning. If only I knew where to find him,

so that I could go to his seat. I would plead my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments, I would learn how he would answer and consider what he would say. Would he contend with me and his great power? No. He would certainly take note of me.

Then an upright man could reason with him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge. If I go east, he is not there, and if I go west, I cannot find him. When he is at work in the north, I cannot behold him, when he turns to the south I cannot see him. Yet, he knows the way I have taken. When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

My feet have followed in his tracks. I have kept his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the command of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. But he is unchanged. And who can oppose him? He does what he desires, for he carries out his decree against me,

and he has many such plans. Therefore, I am terrified in his presence. When I consider this, I fear him. God has made my heart faint. The Almighty has terrified me. Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 23.

What is Job saying in response? He starts out by acknowledging his bitterness and then talking about how he looks for God, but he cannot find him. Why is it important that Job acknowledges his emotions and his feelings? And then Job says, you know, I can't find him, but I still stay true to him, and he knows where I am and where I'm going. So why is it important that Job is reminding his friends that he is staying true to God, that he's not abandoning God? How is he using his words to defend himself?

And then why does Job say that he fears God? What is it about God that makes Job afraid? And then what do you think? What did Job get wrong, if anything? What did Job get right, if anything? Okay, so now we can start Job 24. Job is still talking in this chapter, and it is called Job Judgment for the Wicked.

24, verse 1. Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know him never see his days? Men move boundary stones they pasture stolen flocks, they drive away the donkey of the fatherless, and take the widow's ox in pledge, they push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.

Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food. The wasteland is food for their children. They gather fodder in the fields and glean the vineyards of the wicked. Without clothing, they spend the night naked. They have no coverings against the cold. Drenched by mountain rains,

they huddle against the rocks for want of shelter. The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast. The nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt. Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry the sheaves, but still go hungry. They crush olives within their walls. They tread the wine presses, but go thirsty. From the city, men groan and the souls of the wounded cry out.

Yet God charges no one with wrongdoing. Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths. When daylight is gone, the murderer, rises to kill the poor and needy. In the night, he is like a thief. The eye of the adulter watches for twilight, thinking, no eye will see me, he covers his face. In the dark, they dig through houses. By day, they shut themselves in, never to experience the light. For to them, deep darkness is their morning. Surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness.

They are but foam on the surface of the water. Their portion of the land is cursed so that no one turns toward their vineyards. As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so sheel steals those who have sinned. The womb forgets them. The worm feeds on them. They are remembered no more. So injustice is like a broken tree. They pray on the barren and childless and show no kindness to the widow. Yet by his power, God drags away the mighty.

Though rising up, they have no assurance of life. He gives them a sense of security, but his eyes are on their ways. They are exalted for a moment. then they are gone. They are brought low and gathered up like all others. They are cut off like heads of grain. If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar

and reduce my words to nothing? Okay, so pause there at the end of Job 24. Job describes a lot of injustices in this chapter. So what are some of the injungey? that Job sees around him, that he sees wicked people committing to those around him. Are these similar to injustices we see in the world now? And then according to Job, what does he see happening to wicked people who commit these injustices? How does Job think God feels?

and what actions does Job think God takes toward people who commit these injustices? And what does Job think God does, if anything, to protect the victims of these injustices? And what does Job say God does to the righteous people? Is Job right? What do we know about God? Does God care about injustice?

Should we care about injustice? How should we respond to injustice and how do we think God responds to injustice committed against people on earth? And lastly, does this argument that Job makes in Chapter 24 align with his past arguments or does it seem different from the things Job has said so far throughout the book? Okay, now we can start Chapter 25. Bill Dad, man cannot be righteous. Job 25 verse 1.

Then Bill Dad the shoe height replied, Dominion and awe belong to God. He establishes harmony in the heights of heaven. Can his troops be numbered? On whom does his light not rise? How then can a man be just before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon does not shine, and the stars are not pure in his sight,

how much less man who is but a maggot and the son of man who is but a worm? Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 25. What do we think about Bildad's response? Is it a good response? Is it a good argument based on what Job just said? Do you agree or do you disagree with Bill Dad's points? He talks about how God is powerful, God is awe-inspiring, and he's saying, so how could a man be righteous before God?

So he's insinuating again, Job, you must have sinned, you must have done something wrong, to receive this punishment. But remember, what do we know about Job? What were we told about Job at the beginning of Job? Also, Job spends a lot of time in the last chapter talking about all these injustices and talking about how the wicked prosper, even though they commit all these injustices. Did Bildad respond to that in any way? And that is the last speech we're going to get from one of Job's friends. So, do we think that they made a good case?

Did they have a strong argument? Were they correct in anything that they said? Were they wrong in anything that they said? Okay, so now we can start Job chapter 26. Job is going to respond again, and this chapter is called Job. Who can understand God's majesty? Verse 1.

Then Job answered, How you have helped the powerless and saved the arm that is feeble, how you have counseled the unwise and provided fully sound insight. To whom have you uttered these words and whose spirit spoke through you? Okay, so pause there at the end of verse four. Is Joe being serious when he says these things? How you have helped the powerless and saved the arm that is feeble. How you have counseled the unwise and provided fully sound insight.

To whom have you uttered these words and whose spirit spoke through you? Is he being serious or is he using sarcasm here? And if he is using sarcasm, what point is he trying to make about his friends? Verse 5. The dead tremble. Those beneath the waters and those who dwell in them. Sheal is naked before God. An abandon has no covering.

He stretches out the north over empty spaces. He hangs the earth upon nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading over it his cloud. He has inscribed a horizon on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness. The foundations of heaven quake, astounded at his rebranded at his rebrand. By his power he stirred the sea. By his understanding, he shattered Rehab. By his breath, the skies were cleared. His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed, these are but the fringes of his ways.

How faint is the whisper we hear of him. Who then can understand the thunder of his power. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 26. What is Job saying about God? He's talking about all these amazing things God can do, how he forms the world, how everything works, how he holds everything together. What point is Job trying to make by reminding them of all these amazing things God can do? And then he lists all of these things and says, but what we know of God. What we hear of God is but a whisper compared to who he really is. We could never understand the fullness of his power. Do you agree with that? Do you agree with what Job is saying there? And why do you think he's trying to make that point to his friends? Okay, so now we can start Job

27. This is going to be Job's final speech to his friends. And this chapter is called Job affirms his integrity. 27 verse 1. Job continued his discourse. As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice, the almighty, who has embittered my soul, as long as my breath is still within me, and the breath of God remains in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will not utter deceit. I will never say that you are right. I will maintain my integrity, until I die. I will cling to my righteousness and never let go. As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me. Okay, so pause there. Why is it so important to Job that he maintains his righteousness, that he maintains the fact that he did not do anything wrong? The next section is

the wicked man's portion. Verse 7. May my enemy be like the wicked, and my opponent like the unjust. For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off? When God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times? I will instruct you in the power of God. I will not conceal the ways of the Almighty. Surely all of you have seen it for yourselves. Why, they Then do you keep up this empty talk? This is the wicked man's portion from God. The heritage, the ruthless, receive from the Almighty.

Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword. And his offspring will never have enough food. His survivors will be buried by the plague, and their widows will not weep for them. Though heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe robe like clay. What he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent. The house he built is like a moth's cocoon, like a hut set up by a watchman. He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more. When he opens his eyes, all is gone. Terrorers overtake him

like a flood. A tempest sweeps him away in the night. The east wind carries him away and he is gone. It sweeps him out of his place. It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power. It claps its hands at him and hisses him out of his place. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 27. So Job starts the chapter by declare. once again, I am innocent. And then he goes into the section where he talks about what he thinks is going to happen to the wicked.

So what does Job think will become of wicked people? Why is it important that Job expresses this point to his friends? And is Job right about what happens to the wicked? Okay, so now we can start Job 28. Job is continuing his speeches,

his final speeches, and this chapter is called, Where Can Wisdom Be Found? Chapter 28, verse 1. Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to the darkness.

He probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness. Far from humid habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways. Food

may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire. Its rocks are the source of sapphires containing flecks of gold. No bird of prey knows that path, no falcons

eye has seen it. Proud beasts have never trodden it. No lion has ever prowled over it. The miner strikes the flint. He overturns mountains at their base. He hues out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure. He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light. But where can wisdom be found? And where does understanding dwell? No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The ocean depths say, it is not in me, while the sea declares it is not with me. It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

It cannot be valued in the gold of offer in precious onyx or sapphire. Either gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it. Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention. The price of wisdom is beyond rubies. Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. Okay, so pause there.

In the first section, verses 1 through 11, Job talks about all these places in the earth where you can find. precious jewels, where you can find gold or you can find copper, where you can find all these things that are worth money. And then he asks the question, where can wisdom be found? So here, Job is kind of comparing man's search for precious resources, gold, silver, copper, to man's search for wisdom. And what does he say about these two things? What does he say? What does he say about where silver and gold and copper can be found versus where he thinks wisdom can be found? And why do you think he compares the two? Why do you think he compares this search for precious jewels,

precious materials, to the search for wisdom? And why do you think Job makes this claim that wisdom cannot be found in the land of the living? Verse 20. From where then does wisdom come and where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air. Abandon and death say, we have heard a rumor about it. But God understands its way and he knows its place, for he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,

when he set a limit for the rain and a path for the earth. thunderbolt. Then he looked at wisdom and appraised it. He established it and searched it out. And he said to man, behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. And to turn away from evil is understanding. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 28. What conclusion does Job come to at the end of this chapter about wisdom and understanding? What does he say that wisdom is? And what does he say understanding is in that last verse. Do you agree with Job's conclusion? Is he right about wisdom and understanding? Okay, so now we can start Job chapter 29, which continue Job's final speeches, and this chapter is called Job's former blessings. Chapter 29, verse 1. And Job

continued his discourse, how I long for the months gone by, for the days when God God watched over me, when his lamp shone above my head, and by his light I walked through darkness, when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent, when the Almighty was still with me, and my children were around me, when my steps were bathed in cream, and the rock poured out from me streams of oil. Okay, so pause there. What is Job, What time of his life does he miss? What was going on in Job's life during this time that he's remembering? And what is going on in his life right now?

Why do you think that Job sees the past as a time when God watched over him? Does Job feel like God has abandoned him and is not watching over him anymore? Verse 7, he's going to continue talking about this time in his life that he misses. Verse 7. When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet. The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.

For those who heard me, called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried out, and the fatherless, who had no helper. The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow's heart sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. Justice was my robe and my turban. I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger. I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.

Okay, so pause there. According to Job, what kind of person was he during this time? Who did he see himself as? Verse 18. So I thought, I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand. My roots will spread out to the waters and the duces. You will rest nightly on my branches. My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.

Men listen to me, with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel. After my words they spoke no more, my speech settled on them like dew. They waited for me as for rain, and drank in my words like spring showers. If I smiled at them, they did not believe it. The light of my countenance was precious. I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 29.

What point is Job trying to make? Why is he talking about the type of person he was before all this suffering happened to him? Okay, so now we can start Job, chapter 30, as he continues his final speeches, and this chapter is called Job's honor turned to contempt. Chapter 30, verse 1. But now, they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I have refused to entrust with my sheep dogs. What used to me was the strength of their hands since their vigor had left them. Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land and the desolate wasteland by night. They plucked, mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom trees were their food.

They were banished from among men, shouted down like thieves, so that they lived on the slopes of the wadis, among the rocks and in the holes in the ground. They cried out among the shrubs and huddled beneath their nettles. A senseless and nameless brood, they were driven off the land. And now they mock me in song. I have become a byword among them. They abhor me and keep far from me. They do not hesitate to spit in my face. Because God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me,

they have cast off restraint in my presence. The rabble arises at my right. They lay snares for my feet and build siege ramps against me. They tear up my path, they profit from my destruction with no one to restrain them. They advance us through a wide breach,

through the ruins they keep rolling in. Okay, so pause there at the end of that section. So what has changed in Joe? Job's life after his suffering. What has happened to his social status and his social standing with the people around him? And who does Job blame for this? The next section is Job's prosperity becomes calamity. Verse 15.

Terrorers are turned loose against me. They drive away my dignity is by the wind and my prosperity has passed like a cloud. and now my soul is poured out within me. Days of affliction grip me. Night pierces my bones and my gnawing pains never rest. With great force, he grasps my garment. He seizes me by the collar of my tunic. He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes. I cry out to you for help, but you do not answer me. When I stand up, you merely look at me. You have ruthlessly turned on me. You oppose me with your strong hand. You snatch me up into the wind and drive me before it. You toss me about in the storm. Yes, I know that you will bring me down to death to the place appointed for all the living. Yet no one stretches out his hand to a ruined man when he cries for help in his distress. I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?

But when I hoped for good, evil came, when I looked for light, darkness fell. I am churning within and cannot rest. Days of affliction confront me. I go about blackened, but not by the sun. I stand up in the assembly and cry for help. I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of ostriches. My skin grows black and peels and my bones burn with fever.

My harp is tuned to morning and my flute to the sound of weeping. Okay, so pause there at the end of Chapter 30. How has Job's suffering affected him emotionally? How does he feel about this situation?

How does he feel about his life? How does he feel about how this suffering has affected him? How does Job think his suffering has affected his relationship with God? Because we have that section in verses 20 through 23, where he's saying, I've cried out to you for help, but you don't answer me, you have ruthlessly turned on me. And those yous in that section are capitalized. So who is he talking about there?

And how is he seeing his relationship with God right now? And then towards the end, he is comparing himself to animals. And he's saying that his bones burn with fever and his skin is growing black and peeling. So what is he saying is happening to him? Does he feel like he is at the end of his days? Does he feel like he's going to die because of all of this suffering? And why does he feel that way? Okay, so now we can start Job chapter 31.

This is Job's final speech to his friends, and then another person is going to come in and make a final round of speeches, and then God is going to come in. So Job 31 is Job's final appeal. He's making his final case to his friends about his situation. And here's what he says. Job 31, verse 1. I have made a covenant with my eyes.

How then could I gaze with desire at a verse. For what is the allotment of God from above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high? Does not disaster come to the unjust and calamity to the workers of iniquity? Does he not see my ways and count my every step? If I have walked in falsehood, or my foot has rushed to deceit, let God weigh me with the honest scales that he may know my integrity. If my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has followed my eyes, or if impurity has stuck to my hands, then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.

If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor's wife, or I have lurked at his door, then may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her. But that would be a heinous crime and iniquity to be judged. for it is a fire that burns down to abandon. It would root out my entire harvest. If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maid servant, when they made a complaint against me, what will I do when God rises to judge?

How will I answer when called to account? Did not he who made me in the womb also make them, did not the same one form us in the womb? If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow's eyes to fail, if I have eaten my morsel alone not sharing it with the fatherless, though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my mother's womb I guided the widow, if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing or a needy man without a cloak,

if his heart has not blessed me for warming him with the fleece of my sheep, If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate, then may my arm fall from my shoulder and be torn from its socket. For calamity from God terrifies me in his splendor I cannot overpower. If I have put my trust in gold, or called pure gold my security, if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hands had gained so much. If I have beheld the sun in its radiance Or the moon moving in splendor

So that my heart was secretly enticed And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth This would also be an iniquity to be judged For I would have denied God on high If I have rejoiced in my enemy's ruin Or exalted when evil befell him I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for his life with a curse

If the men of my house have not said, Who is there who has not had his fill? But no stranger had to lodge on the street, for my door has been open to the traveler. If I have conquered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart, because I greatly feared the crowds and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside.

Oh, that I had one to hear me. Here is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me. let my accuser compose an indictment. Surely, I would carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown. I would give a count of all my steps. I would approach him like a prince. If my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,

if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirits of its tenants, then let briars grow instead of wheat and stinkweed. instead of barley. Thus conclude the words of Job. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 31. What point is Job trying to make to conclude his argument? He's listing all of these potential sins that he could have committed in his life,

and he's saying, you know, have I let my men go hungry? Have I not cared for the fatherless? Have I not cared for the widow? Have I not cared for the poor? have I not cared for the hungry? And he's saying, if I have, you know, let my arm fall off. If I have, punish me. If I have, I will accept my fate. So why is he saying this? Why is he listing all of these examples and saying, well, if I've done these things, then punish me? Because what do we know about Job? Has he done any of these things? Is he deserving of punishment based on what we've

been told about Job? And this is going to conclude Job's argument. Job's case defending himself against his friends as they sit there and try to figure out why Job is experiencing all this suffering. So what do you think about Job's argument? Do you think he made a good case for himself? And do you think that his friends will believe him that he hasn't sinned, that he hasn't done anything wrong to quote unquote deserve this suffering? Okay, so now we can start Job 32, where a new voice is going to be introduced into this story. So Job has made his final speech after he has spoken back and forth among him and his friends. So we've heard Job talking with Bildad, we've heard Job talking with Elifaz,

we've heard Job talking with Zofar, and we've heard their back and forth through these three rounds of speeches. And now a new voice, someone called Elahoo, is going to into the conversation. So we have a new person coming in who hasn't been mentioned before, but from what we can tell from the story, he has been listening to what they've all been saying. So let's hear what Elahoo is going to say in Job 32, which begins with a section called Elohu rebukes Job's Friends. Verse 1. So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. This kindled the anger of

Elehu, son of Barockel, the Buzzite of the family of Rom. And he burned with anger against Job's three friends because they had failed to refute Job and yet had condemned him. Now, Elahoo had waited to speak to Job because the others were older than he. But when he saw that the three men had no further reply, his anger was kindled. Okay, so pause there. Why is Elahoo angry? What is he witnessed among Job and his friends?

that has made him angry and that he thinks is wrong. What does he think Job's friends have done wrong? Verse 6. So Elohu, son of Barockel the Buzzite, declared, I am young in years, while you are old. That is why I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know. I thought that age should speak and many years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in a man,

the breath of the almighty that gives him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand justice. Therefore I say, listen to me, I too will declare what I know. Okay, so pause there. Why did Elehu wait to speak? And do you agree with him when he says that young people can be wise? Is he correct when he says that God gives him? us wisdom through a spirit within us.

Verse 11. Indeed, I waited while you spoke. I listened to your reasoning as you searched for words. I paid you full attention. But no one proved Job wrong. Not one of you rebutted his arguments. So do not claim we have found wisdom. Let God not man refute him. But Job has not directed his words.

against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments. Job's friends are dismayed with no more to say? Words have escaped them? Must I wait, now that they are silent, now that they stand and no longer reply? I too will answer. Yes, I will declare what I know, for I am full of words, and my spirit within me compels me. Behold, my belly is like unvented wine. It is about to burst like a new one.

wine skin. I must speak and find relief. I must open my lips and respond. I will be partial to no one. Nor will I flatter any man, or I do not know how to flatter, or my maker would remove me in an instant. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 32. Why is Elahoo so compelled to speak? Why does he feel like he has to say something? And why is it important that he listened? first, that he listened to everyone's argument, everyone's side of the story before he decided to say something. Why is it important that he talks about how he feels led by the spirit to speak? How do we know when it's God telling us to say something versus our own desire to say something? And why is it important for us to listen first before we say something? Okay, so now we can start

Job 33, which begins with a section called Elahoo rebukes Job. Verse 1. But now, O Job, hear my speech and listen to all my words. Behold, I will open my mouth. My address is on the tip of my tongue. My words are from an upright heart, and my lips speak sincerely what I know. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty He gives me life. Refute me if you can. Prepare your case and confront me. I am just like you before God.

I was also formed from clay. Surely no fear of me should terrify you, nor will my hand be heavy upon you. Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words. I am pure without transgression. I am clean with no in me. yet God finds occasions against me.

He counts me as his enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks. He watches over all my paths. Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Why do you complain to him that he answers nothing a man asks? For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices. In a dream and a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds,

he opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword. A man is also chastened on his bed, with pain and constant distress in his bones, so that he detests his bread and his soul loathes his favorite food. His flesh wastes away from sight, and his hidden bones protrude. He draws near to the pit, and his life to the messengers of death. Yet, if there is a messenger on his side, one mediator in a thousand to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, spare him from going down to the pit,

I have found his ransom. Then his flesh is refreshed like a child's. He returns to the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor. He sees God's face and shouts for joy, and God restores his righteousness to that man. Then he sings before men with these words. I have sinned and perverted what was right.

Yet I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to see the light. Behold all these things God does to a man two or even three times to bring back his soul from the pit that he may be enlightened with the light of life. Pay attention, Job, and listen to me. Be silent, and I will speak.

But if you have something to say, answer me. Speak up, for I would like to vindicate you. But if not, then listen to me. Be quiet. And I will teach you wisdom. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 33. What is Elehu saying to Job? He's rebuking Job for something, and he's saying there's something, Job, that you're not doing. What is he rebuking Job for? Elahoo says to Job, he says, Job, you're complaining and saying that God's not answering your questions. And then he says, but God does speak to us. He speaks to us in dreams and in visions,

and there are all these different ways that God speaks to us, and Elehu says, basically, but Job, you're just not listening. So is Elohu telling the truth here? Is that what's going on with Job? Has God actually answered Job's question, but Job is just not listening? Or unaware that God speaks in different ways? And then, according to Elohu,

when and how does God speak? What is God telling us when he speaks? How does God warn us while we sleep and what is he protecting us from? You can look at verses 14 to 18 to help you with these answers and understand what Elohu's philosophy of God is. And then in verses 19 to 22, according to Elohu, how does God discipline us and what is the purpose of this discipline. And then in verses 23 to 25, how do angels intercede for us according to Elohu? And then in verses 26 to 33, how does God rescue and restore us, according to Elahoo?

These are all claims Elohu is making about how God works. Do you think any of Elahoo's points are correct? And how do any of Elahue's claims relate to the question of why we suffer? Okay, so now we can start Job 34, which is called Elahoo confirms God's justice. Chapter 34 verse 1. Then Elahoo continued, Hear my words, O wise men. Give ear to me, O men of learning. For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food. Let us choose for ourselves what is right. Let us learn together what is good, For Job has declared I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice.

Would I lie about my case? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression. What man is like Job, who drinks up derision like water? He keeps company with evildoers and walks with wicked men, for he has said it profits a man nothing that he should delight in God. Okay, so pause. there at the end of that section, why is Elehu accusing Job of being an evil-doer? And what is he saying about God's justice and how he thinks God's justice works?

According to Elohu, what does Job say that makes Elehu think he spends time with evil-doers and walks in the way of the wicked? Verse 10, therefore listen to me, O men of understanding, far be it from God to do wrong, and from the Almighty to act unjustly. For according to a man's deeds, he repays him, according to a man's ways, he brings consequences. Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice. Who gave him charge over the earth? Who appointed him over the whole world? If he were to set his heart to it and withdraw his spirit and breath, all flesh would perish together, and

mankind would return to the dust. Okay, so pause there. What is Elahoo implying here? When he says that God repays man based on what they do, and that God deals out consequences based on what a man has done, when he says that, what is he implying about? Job. And is Elahoo correct when he implies this? Is he correct when he says that what happens to a man happens because of what they have done? Because what do we know about Job? Has he done anything wrong? And then he talks about how God cannot do anything wicked. God cannot pervert justice because God created everything. So if we know that to be true about God, then is it just that Job experienced all of this suffering even though he did nothing wrong.

This is one of the big questions from the book of Job, one of the big questions that we probably ask ourselves a lot as we walk through life. Is it just that we suffer even if we didn't do anything wrong? Verse 16. If you have understanding, hear this. Listen to my words. Could one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty one

Who says to kings you are worthless And to nobles you are wicked? Who is not partial to princes And does not favor rich over poor For they are all the work of his hands. They die in an instant In the middle of the night The people convulse and pass away.

The mighty are removed without human hand for his eyes are on the ways of a man and he sees his every step. There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide. For God need not examine a man further or have him approach for judgment. He shatters the mighty without inquiry and sets up others in their place. Therefore he recognizes their deeds. He overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. He strikes them for their wickedness in full view

because they turned aside from him and had no regard for any of his ways. They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, and he heard the outcry of the afflicted. But when he remains silent, who can condemn him? When he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he watches over both man and nation that godless men should not rule or lay snares for the people. Suppose someone says to God,

I have endured my punishment. I will offend no more. Teach me what I cannot see. If I have done wrong, I will not do it again. Should God repay you on your own terms when you have disavowed his? You must choose, not I. So tell me what you know. Men of understanding will declare to me,

and the wise men who hear me will say, Job speaks without knowledge. His words lack insight. If only Job were tried in the utmost for answering like a wicked man, for he adds rebellion to his sin, he claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 34. Is Elohu right about the way God works?

He claims that God couldn't be God if he wasn't, that if God hated justice, he wouldn't be able to govern over us. And he says that no one can hide their wrongdoing from God. And that if someone does something wrong, God will punish them. So when he talks about God in this way, is there anything that Elehu is getting right? And is there anything that he is getting wrong about how God works? And, you know, Elahoo is really accusing Job of arrogance.

He's accusing Job of speaking against God of being angry with God and lacking wisdom. He accuses Job of asking God to administer justice on Job's terms, not God's. And he's saying that God is just and punishes the wicked, but remains silent when he needs to. So is Elehu right about how God works? Are Elehu's accusations against Job true? Is Job angry toward God? Is Job accusing God? of injustice.

And is Job sinning when he does these things? Because then at the end, he basically says, Job, if you would just tell the truth, if you would just go ahead and tell us what you've done, then we'll know why God has allowed this suffering to happen to you, because you must have done something wicked to receive this punishment. But what do we know about Job?

Did he do anything wrong to receive this suffering. Okay, now we can start Job 35, which is called Elohu recalls God's justice. Verse 1. And Elohu went on to say, Do you think this is just? You say, I am more righteous than God,

for you ask, what does it profit me and what benefit do I gain apart from sin? I will reply to you and to your friends as well. Look to the heavens and sea, gaze at the clouds high above you. If you sin, what do you accomplish against him? If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give him, or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself and your righteousness only a son of man.

Men cry out under great oppression. They plead for relief from the arm of the mighty. But no one asks, where is God my maker, who gives us songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air? There they cry out, but he does not answer because of the pride of evil men.

Surely God does not listen to empty pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it. How much less than when you say that you do not see him, that your case is before him, and you must wait for him, and further, that in his anger, he has not punished or taken much notice of folly. So Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 35. What is Elohubes? saying in this chapter, he starts out by asking this question, if you sin, what effect does that have on God?

And if you are righteous, what effect does that have on God? And then he makes this claim that when you sin, when you do something wrong, and even when you're righteous, when you do something good, it only affects the people around you. It has no effect on God. So do you agree with Elohu here? Is he saying something that you think is correct? And then he goes on to say that when people are being oppressed, they plead, but they don't ask,

where is God? And that because of their pride, that's why God doesn't answer them. And he says to Job, that you keep saying, you can't see him. And Elahoo is saying to Job, but God will bring justice if you just wait. So again, do you agree with what Elahoo is saying? Do you agree with him about this being the way God? works, or is he getting it wrong here? Okay, so now we can start Job 36, and Elahoo is going to continue speaking, and this chapter is called Elohu describes God's power. Job 36, verse 1.

And Elahoo continued, bear with me a little longer, and I will show you that there is more to be said on God's behalf. I get my knowledge from afar, and I will ascribe justice to my maker. For truly my words are free of falsehood. One perfect in knowledge is with you. Okay, so pause there. What is Elohu saying right now about himself? And do we believe him that he is perfect in knowledge and that he is wise and what he is saying is correct? Verse 5.

Indeed, God is mighty, but he despises no one. He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not keep the wicked alive, but he grants justice to the afflicted. He does not take his eyes off the righteous, but he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. And if men are bound with chains caught in cords of affliction, then he tells them their deeds and how arrogantly they have transgressed. He opens their ears to correction and commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve him, then they end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness.

But if they do not obey, then they perish by the sword and die without knowledge. Okay, so pause there. What is Elohu saying about God and how God handles the wicked and how he handles the righteous? He says that God deals out justice to the wicked, and that he doesn't take his eyes off the righteous, but he exalts them forever. And he says that if people obey God, then they will have prosperity and happiness, and if they don't, then they will perish. So do we agree with what Elohu is saying here?

Do we think he's right about how God works? Does God promise us happiness and prosperity on earth if we follow him? What do we know about Job and what's happened to Job, who is a man that we're told, did, and does obey God. Verse 13. The godless and heart harbor resentment. Even when he binds them, they do not cry for help. They die in their youth among the male shrine prostitutes.

God rescues the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ears and oppression. Indeed, he drew you from the jaws of distress to a spacious and broad place. to a table full of richness. But now you are laden with the judgment do the wicked. Judgment and justice have seized you. Be careful that no one lures you with riches. Do not let a large bribe lead you astray. Can your wealth or all your mighty effort keep you from distress?

Do not long for the night when people vanish from their homes. Be careful, not to turn to iniquity, for this you have preferred to affliction. Okay, so pause there. What warning is Elohu giving to Job? Is this a wise warning to give Job or to give anyone? Verse 22, Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has appointed his way for him or told him, you have done wrong? Remember to magnate, his work which men have praised in song, all mankind has seen it. Men behold it from afar. Indeed, God is great, beyond our knowledge. The number of his years is unsearchable,

for he draws up drops of water which distill the rain from the mist, which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind. Furthermore, who can understand how the clouds spread out? How the thunder roars from his pavilion. See how he scatters his lightning around him and covers the depths of the sea. For by these he judges the nations and provides food and abundance. He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. The thunder declares his presence, even the cattle. Regard the rising storm.

Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 36. What is Elohu saying about God at the end of this chapter? He's talking about God and talking about his power and how he is so unique and so unlike any other entity in the world that we can't understand him. He's beyond our knowledge. Is this true? Is he giving good advice? Is he giving good wisdom about God?

Are we learning something about God through what he's saying that is in line with what we already know about God. Okay, so now we can start chapter 37. Elohu is just continuing his speech, and this chapter is called Elohu proclaims God's majesty. Verse one, which is continuing right on from where he stopped in the last chapter. At this, my heart also pounds and leaps from its place. Listen closely to the thunder of his voice.

and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole sky and sends it to the ends of the earth. Then there comes a roaring sound. He thunders with his majestic voice. He does not restrain the lightning when his voice resounds. God thunders wondrously with his voice. He does great things we cannot comprehend. End. For he says to the snow fall on the earth, and to the gentle rain, pour out a mighty downpour.

He seals up the hand of every man so that all men may know his work. The wild animals enter their layers. They settle down in their dens. The tempest comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds. By the breath of God, the ice is formed, and the watery expanses are frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture. He scatters his lightning through them. They swirl about whirling at his direction, accomplishing all that he commands over the face of all the earth. Whether for punishment or for his land, he accomplishes this in his loving devotion. Okay, so pause. Why is Elehu giving all these examples of God's power and might and majesty?

And then what does Elehu say motivates God? What is God's motivation when he does everything that he does? Verse 14. Listen to this, O Job. Stand still and consider the wonders of God. Do you know how God dispatches the clouds or makes the lightning flash? Do you understand how the clouds float, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? You whose clothes get hot when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

can you, like him, spread out the skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze? Okay, so pause there. Why does Elohu want Job to consider the wonders of God and consider all these things about God that we can't understand. What benefit does he think that we'll have on Job? Verse 19. Teach us what we should say to him. We cannot draw up our case when our faces are in darkness.

Should he be told that I want to speak? Would a man ask to be swallowed up? Now no one can gaze at the sun when it is bright in the skies after the wind has swept them clean. Out of the north he comes in golden splendor. awesome majesty surrounds him. The Almighty is beyond our reach.

He is exalted in power. In his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Therefore, men fear him, for he is not partial to the wise and heart. Okay, so pause there. That is the last thing that Elohu is going to say. So what is he saying in this last section to Job?

In this section, he compares God to the sun and talks about how people, we can't look directly at the sun because it's too powerful. And he's using that metaphor to compare the sun to God, saying God is also like that. He's so powerful and so glorious that we can't even imagine what he looks like. And that even though he is just and great, he does not destroy us. He doesn't oppress us. And that's why wise men fear him. So what is Elohu trying to say here in this last section? Why is he using that metaphor?

And why is he making that his final point? And there's a couple of questions to ask. One is, is he correct? Is this sound wisdom? Is this correct information about who God is? And then also, does his point apply to Job? is he correct about Job's situation? Okay, so now Job, his three friends, and Elahoo, have made their statements.

They've made their speeches, they've made their arguments, they've stated their positions, they've made their rebuttals, and they've kind of closed their case or their discussion among each other. And the core questions at the center of these debates among friends came out of Job's suffering. So we have Job, a righteous man who has done nothing wrong, suffering here on earth. And so they're asking this question, is God just? And when God rules over earth, does he rule using justice? And then if God is just, then how do we explain Job's suffering?

And a big theme among the arguments is their idea of God's justice, this idea that they think, if you're good and do good things, then you will be rewarded on earth. And if you're bad and do bad things, then you will be punished on earth, right? That's why we see Job struggling so much here, because, his idea and understanding is that I haven't done anything wrong, so I shouldn't be suffering. And then his friends are all saying, well, you must have done something wrong. That's why you're suffering, because their understanding of God is that you do something wrong, you get punished.

You do something right. You don't do anything wrong. You get rewarded. And so we have Job's main argument consistent throughout this book being, I'm innocent. And so what I'm experiencing is not punishment because I haven't done anything wrong. And so from what we know, from what we've read of Job so far, and from what we witnessed at the beginning of Job when we saw God in heaven with his heavenly court and the conversation we heard between him and the Satan,

is Job telling the truth when he says, I've done nothing wrong and my suffering is not a punishment from God. And then sort of the conclusion that Job comes to at the end of his arguments is, well, if I didn't do anything wrong, then my suffering cannot be a result of sin and my suffering cannot be a punishment. Therefore, God does not run the universe using rules of justice, or maybe God isn't even just himself, because if God was just, then I would. wouldn't be suffering like this. So, is Job correct with the conclusion that he draws? Is that what we know about God? His friends, on the other hand, Zoffer, Elifaz, and Bildad

come to this conclusion that, yes, God is just, and he does run the world through the principles of justice. Therefore, the suffering you're experiencing Job has to be a punishment, and you must have done something wrong. So you must be lying to us, and you need to tell us what you did wrong because then we can figure out why you're suffering.

So are they correct? Are they correct in their understanding of who God is and how he rules the world? Are they correct in their conclusion that they've drawn about Job, that he must have done something wrong that he's lying about? And then we have Job making his final plea and saying, I am innocent,

I don't really understand what's going on right now. I don't understand why God is doing this to me. And then he says, you know, God, I want you to show up and tell me what's going on. And then God doesn't show up yet. We have Elehu coming in and giving his idea of what's going on. And like the other friends, he's also saying, yes, God is just and he rules through justice. But his big point is that we don't understand God. Remember, he talks about all these different ways that God is so powerful.

powerful, and we can't know him and we can't understand his path. And he's saying, maybe God is making you suffer because of something you're going to do or as a warning to prevent you from doing something or as a way to build character. He has all these other ideas about why Job might be suffering. So what does Elahoo get right? What does he get wrong? And what do we think is going on? So that's where we are. And that's where we've been. and Elahoo finishes his speech, and Job is not even going to respond to what Elahoo has said. Instead, God himself is going to come in in the next chapter

and give his explanation. So why do you think God is choosing it to come in now? Why do you think this is the point where God said, okay, it's time for me to explain what's going on? Okay, so now we can start Job chapter 30. and finally the Lord is going to come in and speak himself. So Job 38, which is titled, The Lord Challenges Job.

Chapter 38, verse 1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this who obscures my counsel by words without knowledge? Now brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you shall inform me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who fixed its measurements?

Surely you know. Or who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Who enclosed the sea behind door, when it burst forth from the womb.

When I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness, its blanket, when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, and I declared, you may come this far, but no further. Here, your proud waves must stop. Okay, so pause there.

How does God start off this conversation? He comes in and says, you know, who is this, it's questioning me, like you have knowledge. Brace yourself because I have some questions for you. And he's talking to Job, and what questions does he ask? And what is God trying to say when he asks questions like, where were you when I created the earth?

Who told the ocean where its barrier was? Who set the earth's foundation? Why is God asking questions like this? Verse 12. In your days, have you come? commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place, that it might spread to the ends of the earth and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal. Its hills stand out like folds of a garment. Light is withheld from the wicked, and their upraised arm is broken.

Have you journeyed to the vents of the sea or walked in the trenches of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you. Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you surveyed the extent of the earth? Tell me if you know all this. Okay, so pause there. God is continuing to ask these questions. Have you been here? Have you been there? Do you understand how the world works? Do you understand where the light comes from? Do you understand the shadow of death? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? So why is he asking Job these questions? What point is he trying to make to Job? Does Job understand the way the world works?

And do we need to understand the way the world works to understand the way God's mind works? And if we don't understand how the world works, how can we claim to know how God's mind works? So why is God asking all of these questions? verse 19 Where is the way to the home of light? Do you know where darkness resides

so you can lead it back to its border? Do you know the paths to its home? Surely you know, for you were already born, and the number of your days is great. Have you entered the storehouses of snow or observed the storehouses of hail which I hold in reserve for times of trouble for the day of war and battle?

In which direction is the lightning dispersed, or the east wind scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the flood or clears a path for the thunderbolt to bring rain on a barren land, on a desert, or no man lives, to satisfy the parched wasteland and make it sprout with tender grass? Does the rain have a father? Who has begotten the drops of dew? from whose womb does the ice emerge? Who gives birth to the frost from heaven when the waters become hard as stone

and the surface of the deep is frozen? Can you bind the chains of the pleities or loosen the belt of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the bear and her cubs? Do you know the laws of heaven? Can you set their dominion over the earth? Can you command the clouds so that a flood of water covers you?

Can you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you? Here we are. Who has put wisdom in the heart or given understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens when the dust hardens in a mass, and the clods of earth stick together? Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions when they crouch in their dens and lie in weight in the thicket?

Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food? Okay, so pause there at the end of Chapter 38. So far, based on these questions, that God's asking, are we learning anything about God and about the world through his questions? Do you think Job knows the answers to these questions? Do you think God expects Job to answer these questions, or are they rhetorical questions? And so far, has God answered any of the questions about why Job is suffering? Why do you think God starts his speeches this way with these specific questions?

Okay, so now we can start Job 39, which is called the Lord Speaks of His Creation. Chapter 39, verse 1. Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the dough bear her fawn? Can you count the months they are pregnant? Do you know the time they give birth? They crouch down and bring forth their young, they deliver their newborn, their young ones thrive and grow up in the open field.

They leave and do not return. Who set the wild donkey free? Who released the swift donkey from the harness? I made the wilderness his home, and the salt flats his dwelling. He scorns the tumult of the city and never hears the shouts of a driver. He roams the mountains for pasture, searching for any green thing. Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night?

Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he plow the valleys behind you? Can you rely on his great strength? Will you leave your hard work to him? Can you trust him to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor. The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but cannot match the pinions and feathers of the stork,

for she leaves her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand. She forgets that a foot may crush them or a wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if not her own, with no concern that her labor was in vain. for God has deprived her of wisdom. He is not endowed her with understanding.

Yet when she proudly spreads her wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider. Okay, so pause there. What is God saying here when he talks about these different animals and their experience on earth? How does an animal's experience on earth compare to a human's experience on earth? What is the difference? What has God withheld from animals that he has given to us?

And then as we read through, think about the animals that God chooses to talk about and the stories he tells about them. We had the donkey who scorns the earth. We have the ox that he's asking, can you trust this ox? And then we have the stork who neglects her young and treats them harshly. And then he's going to talk about some other animals throughout this chapter. Is there a pattern here? Why these animals specifically? What about their characteristics stick out to you? Is there a metaphor here? Is God using these animals as a metaphor to compare them to something else or to Job or to people?

Think about that as we're reading through. Verse 19, do you give strength to the horse or adorn his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like a locust striking terror? with his proud snorting. He pause in the valley and rejoices in his strength. He charges into battle. He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing.

He does not turn back from the sword. A quiver rattles at his side, along with a flashing spear and lance. Trembling with excitement, he devours the distance. He cannot stand still when the ram's horn sounds. At the blast of the horn, He snorts with fervor.

He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shouts of captains and the cry of war. Okay, so pause there. Does the horse differ from the other animals that he's talked about, the stork, the donkey, and the ox? Do we see anything different here? Verse 26. Does the hawk take flight by your understanding

and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest on high? He dwells on a cliff and lodges there. His stronghold is on a rocky crag. From there he spies out food. His eyes see it from afar. His young ones feast on blood. And where the slain are, there he is.

Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 39. God talks about all these different animals and how much knowledge does God have of nature and the animals on earth? And how do you think Job's knowledge compares? If he was made to answer these questions, could he answer them? Okay, so now we can start Job 40, which begins with a section called Job humbles himself before the Lord. Chapter 40, verse 1. And the Lord said to Job, Well, the fault-finder contend with the Almighty.

Let him who argues with God give an answer. Then Job answered the Lord. Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to you? I place my hand over my mouth. I have spoken once, but I have no answer twice. But I have nothing to add. Okay, so pause there.

how did Job respond to God? What was his initial reaction? And why do you think this was Job's reaction based on God, appearing to them and saying what he said? Why did Job react this way? The next section is the Lord challenges Job again. Verse 6. Then the Lord answered Job,

out of the whirlwind, and said, now brace yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall inform me. Would you really annul my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like gods? Can you thunder with a voice like his? Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor and clothe yourself with honor and glory.

Unleash the fury of your wrath. Look on every proud, and bring him low. Look on every proud man and humble him. Trample the wicked where they stand. Burry them together in the dust. Imprison them in the grave. Then I will confess to you that your own right hand can save you. Okay, so pause there. God has some more questions for Job. And this time, he starts out in the same way saying, brace yourself, I have some questions for you, but his questions are different this time. So at the beginning, he starts out by asking, basically, are you going to discredit my justice just to prove that you are right? So why does he think that Job is questioning

whether or not he is just? Because remember, what is the whole purpose of the conversation Job and his friends are having? They're trying to understand God's justice. They're saying, if God is just, then he must rule the world through justice. But do they really understand what justice is, or does God have a different perspective on the earth than Job and his friends do? Is their understanding of justice limited by anything? And then God kind of gives Job this charge. He says, basically, if you understand justice so well, then go ahead, rule the earth, unleash your form of justice on people. Look at every proud man and bring him low. Look on every proud man and humble him, trample the wicked where they stand. What is God implying here when he kind of gives this charge to Job

and says, look, if you understand justice so well, go ahead and rule the earth the way that you think it should be ruled. What is he implying here? Job's friends had this understanding that if you were suffering, it was because you did something wrong. That was the whole argument between Job and his friends, because Job knew he hadn't done anything wrong, and yet he was still suffering. So is that how justice works? Is that how God's justice works? What would the world be like if every time we did something wrong, we were punished and we suffered in a way that was equal to what we had done wrong? What would the world be like? And is that how God's justice works? And as you read through these next sections, think about this word perspective.

Think about Job's perspective, Job's friends' perspectives, Elohu's perspective versus God's perspective. Because God's point here is a lot about his perspective and how his position in the world allows him to see things differently and understand things differently than how we do here on earth. So what do we see on earth and how does that affect our perspective versus what God might see and understand? Verse 15. Look at behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox. See the strength of his loins and the power of the muscles in his belly. His tail sways like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His bones are tubes of bronze. His limbs are

rods of iron. He is the foremost of God's works. Only his maker can draw the sword against him. The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby. He lies under the lotus plants hidden among the reeds of the marsh. The lotus plants conceal him in their shade. The willows of the brooks surround him. Though the river rages, behemoth is unafraid. He remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth. Can anyone capture him as he looks on, or pierce his nose with a snare?

Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 40. What do you think this behemoth creature God talks about? is. This is something that there's a lot of debate about because God's going to talk about behemoth here, which is a land creature. And then at the beginning of the next chapter, he's going to talk about Leviathan, which is a sea creature. And there's debate about whether these creatures are mythical creatures or real animals. And some people have said maybe behemoth is a hippopotamus based on the description given here. There are a a lot of different ideas about who or what behemoth was. So I'll link to a couple of resources in the

notes about people's ideas, but it's something to think about. What is this behemoth creature? We don't have any animal that we call behemoth, but this word shows up here and it shows up in other literature and ancient literature. So do we think God is talking about a real creature or a metaphorical creature that cannot be tamed by humans. And what point is God trying to make when he describes behemoth? He describes him as this creature that he has created that no man can control, no man can tame. But who could tame behemoth? And why is this an important thing for Job to understand about God?

Okay, so now we can start Job, chapter 41, which begins with a section called the Lord's power shown in Leviathan. Chapter 41, verse 1. Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he beg you for mercy or speak to you softly? Will he make a covenant with you to take him as a slave? for life? Can you pet him like a bird or put him on a leash for your maidens? Will traitors

barter for him or divide him among the merchants? Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the battle and never repeat it. Surely hope of overcoming him is false. Is not the sight of him overwhelming? No one is so far. fierce as to rouse Leviathan, then who is able to stand against me? Who has given to me that I should repay him? Everything under heaven is mine. Okay, so pause there. Here's our second creature that God talks about Leviathan. So you might have the same kind of questions about Leviathan that you had about behemoth. What is this creature Leviathan? Do we think it was a real creature? Do we think it was a mythological creature that was used as a metaphor, what do we think? And regardless of whether

Leviathan was a real creature or not, what is the point that God is trying to make when he tells Job about Leviathan? Again, he's talking about how man cannot control even Leviathan. And if man can't control Leviathan or tame Leviathan, who can tame Leviathan? And then he says that If there's no one fierce enough to rouse Leviathan, to tame Leviathan, then who could ever stand against me, the one who created Leviathan? So what is he trying to say when he says that? Verse 12, God is still talking about Leviathan. I cannot keep silent about his limbs, his power and graceful form.

Who can strip off his outer coat? Who can approach him with a bridle? Who can open his jaws, ringed by his fearsome teeth, His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together. One scale is so near to another that no air can pass between them. They are joined to one another. They clasp and cannot be separated. His snorting flashes with light, and his eyes are like the rays of dawn.

Firebrands stream from his mouth. Fiery sparks shoot forth. Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds. His breath sets coals ablaze and flames pour from his mouth. Strength resides in his neck and dismay leaps before him. The folds of his flesh are tightly joined. They are firm and immovable. His chest is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone.

Okay, so pause there. What else are we learning about this Leviathan, this creature who can breathe fire and has scales and a chest as hard as a rock? What kind of creature is Leviathan? Is he powerful? Is he weak? What does he represent? Verse 25.

When Leviathan rises up, the mighty are terrified. They withdraw before his thrashing. The sword that reaches him has no effect. nor does the spear or dart or arrow. He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood. No arrow can make him flee. Slingstones become like chaff to him. A club is regarded as straw, and he laughs at the sound of the lance.

His undersides are jagged potchards, spreading out the mud like a threshing sledge. He makes the depths seeth like a cauldron. He makes the sea like a jar of ointment. He leaves a glistening wake behind him. One would think the deep had white hair. Nothing on earth is his equal. A creature devoid of fear. He looks down on all the haughty.

He is king over all the proud. Okay, so pause there at the end of chapter 41. So how does this Leviathan creature compare to behemoth? How powerful is this Leviathan creature? How powerful is he over humans? And what kind of control does he have over humans? And why does God bring up these two creatures that are so powerful that humans fear so much

and these two creatures that humans cannot tame? Why is God making this point? What do Leviathan and behemoth have to do with Job's suffering? What do these two creatures represent and teach us about how complex our world is, how complex God's world is, and what our position and our understanding of that world is? And then we need to ask ourselves, has God answered the question, Why do we suffer? Has he answered Job's question? And whether he has or hasn't, do you have a better understanding of suffering? How is God teaching us about how complex the universe is and how complex

his world is and the disorder and the danger and the things about the world that we don't understand? How does that help us somehow understand suffering? on some level, does it help us understand suffering? And even though there is disorder and fear and scary things in the world, is there also order and joy and beauty in God's world? And if God doesn't give us an explicit answer when it comes to suffering, if he doesn't explicitly tell us, you suffer because, then what does he tell us?

What does he ask of us? How can we put our faith and trust in God amidst suffering? Okay, so now we can start the final chapter, Job 42, and see how Job is going to respond now that God himself has spoken. So this starts with a section called Job submits himself to the Lord, and these six verses are going to be the last verses of poetry before we have the last section that goes back to speaking in prose. So, Job 42, verse 1.

Then Job replied to the Lord, I know that you can do all things, and that no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, who is this who conceals my counsel without knowledge? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, listen now, and I will speak. I will question you, and you shall inform me.

My ears heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I retract my words, and I repent in dust and ashes. Okay, so pause there. How does Job present himself to the Lord when he gives this final response? What has Job learned after listening to God? He says, surely I spoke of things I did not understand. things too wonderful for me to know? What were the things that Job didn't understand?

What were the things that he spoke about that he realizes now? He didn't have enough knowledge or wisdom to speak about those things. And then he says, My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I retract my words, and I repent. So what is Job repenting from? Other translations say, I take back everything I said, or I change my mind. So what is he taking back? What is he

retracting? What is he changing his mind about? And why is he changing his mind? Okay, so that's the last thing that Job is going to say in the book of Job. And so this final section is called the Lord rebukes Job's friends. So now we're back to speaking in prose. So no more poetry. And this is just the last section that sort of summarizes what happened to Job and his friends. So verse 7. After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, he said to Eliphaz, the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken about me accurately, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams, go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then my servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your

folly, for you have not spoken accurately about me as my servant Job has. Okay, so pause there. What is God saying about Job's friends? What did they get wrong about God? And then now we have God saying Job did speak truth about me. So what did Job get right about God? Verse 9. So Elephaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuite, and Zoffer, the Naamathite, went and did, as the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job's request. After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions. All his brothers and sisters and prior acquaintances came and dined with him in his house. They consoled him and comforted him over all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. And each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold

ring. So the Lord blessed Job's latter days more than his first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. He named his first daughter, Jemima, his second, Kiziah, and his third, Karen Hopuk. No women as beautiful as Job's daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance among their brothers. After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died old and full of years. Okay, so pause there at the end of Job.

This very epic, very different, very unique story about suffering and justice, our place in the universe, our understanding of God and who he is, and really reflect what did you learn about God and what did you learn about suffering while reading through Job? And what happened to Job at the end of his life? God restored his wealth and prosperity, but did that erase the suffering that happened to him earlier in his life? Do we have a better understanding of why we suffer? Did Job give us a picture of being comfortable asking tough questions? Why is it important to ask God tough questions? How did Job show us how to ask tough questions and how to respond to God when God answers those questions? Because did God

directly answer Job's questions about suffering injustice. How did God choose to teach Job about the world and how God rules the world? Even though he didn't directly say, this is why you suffer. What did God teach Job? And what did you learn about God and about why we suffer? What conclusion did you come to now that you've read through all of Job? What does God's justice look like, and how does it work? Is it something that we can understand? If we do everything quote unquote right and follow all of God's laws, are we promised anything?

And if so, what are we promised? Are we promised prosperity on earth? Are we promised possessions? Are we promised family? Are we promised friends? Are we promised anything on earth if we follow God? Are we promised to be protected from suffering here on earth if we follow God and stay true to him? What are God's promises? What are God's true promises to us here on earth if we are in relationship? with him. What does that relationship look like? And what does our life look like because of that relationship? And I ask these questions because a lot of people will tell you, if you follow God, then this will happen. Or if you follow God, then you will get this, or you will get to do this,

or your life will look like this. But what is the truth? What does God really? What does God really say about how our lives will look if we follow him and if we are in relationship with him. Job is a really interesting book of the Bible. It's one of those that I feel like you can read over and over again and gain a new perspective on a new understanding. You know, I'm not an academic, biblical scholar, but I do hope that the questions I've asked and the information I've given has helped you come to a better understanding of the book of Job. And at least given you a place to start. Because now that you've read it, now that you've thought through these questions, now you can go and pray about it and go and research and read what other people have to say

about the book of Job and see if you can come to your own conclusions about Job and what's going on in the Book of Job through prayer and reading and critical thinking. So thank you for joining me again for another episode. I am so glad that you choose to spend your time listening to the Word of God and really thinking on it for yourself. I'm excited because next time we're going to start the book of Psalms, which is a book that many people love and many people go to over and over again, a book full of worship and honesty and poetry and songs written to God. So join me next time as we dive into the book of Psalms. Thanks so much and I'll talk to you in the next one.