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Job's Second Response

September 20, 2015 Preacher: Series: Job: Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

Scripture: Job 9:25– 10:22

Key Truth: Job’s ultimate longing is to have his relationship to God restored which he is willing to fight for.

 

Introduction:

 

Q: What is God’s will?

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

Psalm 103:8-14

 

Job 9:25-35:

Job’s Sorrow: Of Resignation and Lack of an Arbiter

“Job is grasping after any means to restore his relationship to God. His sense of meaninglessness before inexplicable suffering is deepened by God’s absence from his life. That is why his search for vindication is essentially a search for God again to make Himself known to him.”

John E. Hartley, The Book of Job: New International Commentary on the Old Testament

Q: What is your ultimate desire amid any suffering that you have endured? How does suffering affect how you view your relationship with God?

 

Job 10:1-7:

Job’s Complaint Revisted: Of Loathing and Oppression:

“Job was drawing logical conclusions based on what had happened to him. In contrast to his friends, who were spouting unsubstantial accusations based on theory (that God was punishing Job for his sins), Job describes his situation faithfully….This does not mean that Job’s concept of God is unobjectionable or that all that he says of God is correct, but it does mean that Job has drawn logical conclusions, even if they don’t happen to be true ones in this case.”

John H. Walton, Job: The NIV Application Commentary

 

Q: Have you ever questioned any of the key attributes of God based on what you were seeing or experiencing? How did it affect your understanding of those attributes?

 

Job 10:8-22:

Job’s Closing Statement: Of Confusion and Chaos:

“For (Job) life has become absurd. God had skillfully fashioned him as a fine piece of pottery but now is smashing his creation on the ground (10:8-17). Without justice, God’s artistry is unintelligibly destructive, not creative. Job’s faith vacillates; he teeters toward apathetic fatalism, blowing hot and cold, hoping and doubting.”

Bruce K. Waltke with Charles Yu, An Old Testament Theology

Q: Why did God create you? What is your purpose?

 

Application:

 

Job 9-10 teaches us that:

-our ultimate desire amid our suffering should be a restored relationship with God which we are willing to fight for

-God’s attributes can be questioned so that we can grow in our understanding of Him without it being sinful

-suffering without God’s sovereign justice leads to meaninglessness and chaos

 

Benediction:

Romans 6:4-11

More in Job: Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

November 15, 2015

Redemption and Restoration in Job

November 8, 2015

God Speaks (Part 2)

November 1, 2015

God Speaks (Part 1)