SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON PLAN - 7-18-2021 - JOB 42:1-11 - RESTORED
LAST WEEK: In Job 40:1-14, we came into the story of Job right after God had spoken to him out of a whirlwind (a theophany) in Chapters 38 and 39. All through his ordeal, Job had been seeking a one-on-one audience with God, where he could be given the opportunity to argue his case and seek justice. However, when God did finally speak to him in person, He passed over the issue of whether Job was guilty or innocent, then proceeded to challenge him with a series of 59 questions that essentially commanded him to explain how God had formed the earth and the entire universe around it. When God gave him an opportunity to reply in Chapter 40, Job was so humbled and awed, he basically had nothing to say on behalf of himself. Then, in response to Job's earlier criticisms of God's system of justice (Chapters 23-27), God introduced a new line of questions that related to God's control and administration of the moral order in the creation. From that, Job learned three important truths about God and himself: (1) That whenever human beings find fault with God, they are always in the wrong. When we blame God for our trials, it has the effect of separating us from Him when we need Him most. (2) Whenever we approach God in prayer, we must always be conscious of the huge disparity between ourselves (imperfect humans) and Him (our almighty and perfect creator). Even in the midst of severe trials, we should never allow feelings of anger and bitterness to be directed at God and instead, approach Him with the humility and respect He deserves. (3) God will repudiate any person's attempt at self-justification. We human beings, no matter how hard we strive to be righteous, are ultimately powerless to save ourselves. God knew this in the beginning and loved us enough to send His only Son into the world to be our savior, and by believing in Jesus Christ, we can be justified by faith alone.
THIS WEEK: We will cover Job 42:1-11, which is known as the Epilogue, the end of the story. In this chapter we will hear Job's final conversation with God and see his affirmation and restoration.
Read Job 42:1-6 - THEN JOB ANSWERED GOD (HIS CONFESSION)
1 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 2 "I know that You can do all things, And that no plan is impossible for You. 3 'Who is this who conceals advice without knowledge?' Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I do not know. 4 'Please listen, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.' 5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent, sitting on dust and ashes."
v. 1: "Then Job answered the LORD and said" - These are exactly the same words Job used in his earlier response to God in 40:3, but now he has apparently recovered his
wits and is ready to speak.
v. 2: "I know that You can do all things, And that no plan is impossible for You" - Job has acknowledged all along that God was capable of doing all things. That was never in dispute. His complaint was never that God was weak in any way, but that God had failed to render justice to him. Now, however, since God has given him a broader vision of his work in the Creation, he not only believes that God is all-powerful but in addition, is no longer willing to challenge God about his administration of justice.
v. 3: "'Who is this who conceals advice without knowledge?'" - After last week, it appeared that Job had been completely undone-squashed flat-by the revelations he received from with God, but now he's apparently gotten his feet back under him and is ready to make a comeback. The question he puts to God, re-worded slightly, is the same question that God had asked him in 38:2. On that occasion, God had continued on with a barrage of questions without giving Job a chance to answer. Now, Job re-states the question so that he may answer at last. His answer this time, however, will proceed from the understanding that he's gained from God's revelations to him in Chapters 38, 39, and 40, and will be much, much different than the answer he would have given earlier.
v. 4a: "'Please listen, and I will speak'" - Earlier in 7:10, in a spirit of complaint, an unenlightened Job had exclaimed, "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." But here, now that his vision of God and His justice has been greatly expanded, we see his speaking take on an entirely new tone.
v. 4b: "'I will ask You, and You instruct me.'" - Near the beginning of each of His lengthy challenges in Chapter 38 and 39, God had given the same instruction to Job, and in each instance, God had followed with a series of questions that were calculated to teach and enlighten Job, and in neither of those instances did God give Job an opportunity to respond. But Now, it's time for Job to respond, and he simply quotes God's earlier statement as an introduction to what he's about to say.
v. 5a: "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear" - Job, a man of Uz (1:1) in the era of the Patriarchs, would not have known of God through the Hebrew Scriptures, but earlier he spoke of natural phenomena within his hearing that revealed the glory of God: "And how faint a word we hear from Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?" (27:14). At any rate, he now understands and admits that his knowledge of God had been very, very incomplete.
v. 5b: "But now my eye sees You" - Hearing about someone and seeing them in person are very different experiences, and seeing them is a far superior experience. When Moses asked to see God's glory, God told him, "You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live." (Ex. 33:20). So, how did Job see Him and Live? It might be that Job is taking poetic license when he says," my eyes see You." Perhaps he was spared because God spoke to him from a whirlwind that had the effect of obscuring Job's vision. But whatever the explanation may be, Job earlier had wanted to speak personally with God (23:3-5), and now God has granted his wish.
v. 6a: "Therefore I retract, And I repent" - In the specific context of Job's testing, a majority of Bible scholars agree that Job is not repenting of sins, because the thesis of the entire book is that God Himself held Job to be "blameless and upright" from the very beginning (1:1). Moreover, the Hebrew word used here for "repent," (nacham [naw-kham]), can also mean to be sorry for or to have regrets. Therefore, the most likely meaning is that instead of repenting against sins, he is instead repenting against having spoken out in ignorance. So, now that Job has heard and seen God, he wishes to "retract" the complaints about God's administration of justice that he made in earlier chapters.
v. 6b: "sitting on dust and ashes" - Sitting apparently on the same ash heap that had marked the beginning of his troubles (2:7) showed an attitude of humility and regret as well as repentance.
APPLICATION 1: God never overlooks our sins, but he may choose to overlook our spiritual ignorance. When Job used the word "repent" in v. 6, he wasn't repenting of sin but repenting against having spoken out against God in ignorance. After God gave Job a broader vision of His work in the creation, he basically apologized and withdrew his criticisms of God's justice in earlier chapters.
Read Job 42:7-9 - GOD'S REBUKE OF JOB'S FRIENDS AND AFFIRMATION OF JOB
7 It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so as not to do with you as your foolishness deserves, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job.
v. 7: "It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has." - God speaks to Eliphaz because he's the elder and thus leader of the three friends. This verse is especially important because God expresses righteous anger-"My wrath"-against them when, in fact, He was never angry with Job. And God rebukes them for their judgmental (i.e., self-righteous) and groundless-"not... trustworthy," i.e., foolish-accusations against Job. So, in the final analysis, Job never sinned, while all three of his friend did sin by making false accusations against him.
v. 8: "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so as not to do with you as your foolishness deserves, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has" - Bible scholars consider this verse to be a delicious irony to the what the three friends had heaped on poor ob. Notice three things in this verse:
• The offering, "seven bulls and seven rams," was very large and costly in the context of those times, like telling one of us to go outside and set fire to our brand-new 4X4 pickup and the bass-boat we tow behind it.
• And adding further irony, they are not only required to make the sacrifice, but to present it - "offer ...up"-to Job (not to God)!
• Though God doesn't require the friends to suffer further humiliation by asking Job to pray for them -i.e., for God to forgive them of their sin-Job will pray for them and God will answer his prayer.
v. 9: "So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job." - This is the ultimate paradox of Job's story: These three friends, who earlier accused Job of guilt, find themselves not only guilty of sin, but requiring Job's prayers as the way of gaining forgiveness. It is also a wonderful picture of intercession.
APPLICATION 2: Except for governmental authorities ordained by God for keeping law and order (Rom. 13:1), human beings have no right to judge other human beings. Job's three friends and many others wrongly judged him based upon the inference rather than proof that he had sinned. They wrongly assumed that he had sinned because of the extent of his suffering. On judging others, Jesus said, "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." Mt. 7:1-2.
Read Job 42:10-11 - JOB"S RESTORATION
10 The LORD also restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased double all that Job had. 11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they sympathized with him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.
v. 10a: "The LORD also restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends" - This phrase has generated a lot of scholarly debate: Did God restore Job's fortunes because he prayed for his friend or are the two events unrelated? Some say God did this so Job would reconcile with his friends, but others disagree on the grounds it counter the Book's premise bad things can happen to good people. Take your pick.
v. 10b: "and the LORD increased double all that Job had" - Was God giving Job a bonus for righteous behavior? Not really. Ex. 22:4 requires a thief to pay double if found guilty of stealing livestock. The underlying rule here, which has become a well-established legal principle over the ages on the issue of calculating the measure of damages, is that the injured party will be entitled to recover not only to the actual amount of his or her loss but an additional amount to reimburse him or her for the pain and suffering caused by the loss.
APPLICATION 3: Under God's standard of justice, restoration means more than simply replacing the original loss. In today's lesson, God, though not directly at fault Himself, set the standard for restoring someone who has suffered personal loss caused by the actions of another (in Job's case, Satan). Under God' standard (which is followed by many legal systems today), the injured party will be entitled to recover not only the actual amount of his or her loss but an additional amount to reimburse him or her for the pain and suffering caused by the loss.
v. 11: "Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they sympathized with him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold." - Okay, so where was job's family when he really needed them? Why didn't any of them say: "Job, come and stay at our house-we have room for you" or "Job, take this money and use it for whatever you need." Well, the answer is that when Job was down and out, his family forgot him and failed him. But now Job's fortunes have returned and they're ready to give him the support and sympathy he so badly need when he was down, way down. Some scholars say that the money and the rings were a start-up investment that Job used to ultimately restore his fortunes but most take the literal view and disagree, and so do I!
Postscript-vv. 12-17: The final six verses reveal that God continued to richly bless Job so that he fathered seven more sons and three more daughters (same as the number lost) and lived another 140 years "and saw his sons and grandsons to four generations (v. 16). Since Job was estimated to have been 70 at the time tragedy struck, he would have been 210 years old at death, not an unusual age in the Patriarch era.
PRAYER: Father, we thank You once again for the privilege of gathering together to study and learn from the truth of your Word. I thank you, Lord, for providing Your Word to guide us through this life and to prepare us for the next. I will say for myself, Dear God, that this study of the Book of Job these past weeks-in what might be the oldest book of Your Holy Word-has been a truly unique learning experience. As we have followed Job's faith journey from tragedy to victory, I pray that all of us have learned valuable lessons from it that we can apply to our everyday lives. I pray all of these things in the Name above all names, Jesus Christ, AMEN.
