Job 1:1-5 – Job’s Piety, Prosperity and Priestly Precaution
THE HERO OF THE STORY IS INTRODUCED AS A GODLY MAN OF UNRIVALED INTEGRITY, WEALTH AND FAMILY BLESSING
Job 1:6-12 — The Challenge Initiating Job’s Trials
THE REMOVAL OF PROSPERITY PUTS OUR DEVOTION TO GOD TO THE TEST —
GOD ALLOWS SATAN TO TEST JOB’S MOTIVATION FOR WORSHIP
Job 1:13-22 — Passing the First Test
SEEMINGLY UNDESERVED DISASTERS TEST OUR SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION
Job 2:1-13 — Maintaining Integrity in Times of Perplexing Suffering
SATAN’S INTENSIFIED ATTACKS FAIL TO CAUSE JOB TO FAIL
Job 3:1-26 — Initial Complaint of Job — 3 Death Wishes
WHEN TRANQUILITY ERUPTS INTO UNRELENTING TURMOIL OUR TROUBLED SPIRIT CAN STRENUOUSLY COMPLAIN
Job 4:1 – 5:27 — Eliphaz: Your Suffering is the Result of Your Sin
INSENSITIVE COUNSELORS WRONGLY APPLY THEIR LIMITED THEOLOGY IN HURTFUL WAYS (LIMITING GOD’S GOVERNANCE OF HIS UNIVERSE)
Job 6:1 – 7:21 — Job Attacks His Counselors and His God
JOB ATTACKS HIS COUNSELORS AND HIS GOD VIA LAMENTING AND COMPLAINING ABOUT HIS UNDESERVED SUFFERING
Job 8:1-22 — Bildad’s First Speech — God’s Justice Demands that Sin Be the Issue
THE RIGID TRADITIONALIST REMAINS ROOTED IN RETRIBUTION THEOLOGY
Job 9:1 – 10:22 — Job’s Response — Let Me Alone to Die in Peace
DESPAIR OVER INABILITY TO RESOLVE UNDESERVED SUFFERING RAISES 3 TROUBLING FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS
Job 11:1-20 — Zophar’s First Speech — Misapplying Good Theology
SUFFERING MUST INDICATE SECRET SINS THAT DEMAND REPENTANCE BECAUSE GOD KNOWS ALL IN HIS SECRET WISDOM
Job 12:1 – 13:17 — Job Complains against His Friends
WORTHLESS COUNSEL FAILS TO PLUMB THE DEPTHS OF THE WISDOM BEHIND GOD’S STRANGE WORKS
Job 13:18 – 14:22 — Wrestling with the Painful Realities of Life — Flirting with Hopelessness
THE TROUBLESOME CONDITION OF HUMAN MORTALITY COMPOUNDED BY PERPLEXING DIVINE OPPOSITION LEAVES MANKIND IN DESPAIR WITH NO RELIEF
Job 15:1-35 — Eliphaz’s Second Speech — Turning Up the Heat
THE REBUKE FOR IMPIETY ESCALATES TO A FULL-SCALE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DEMISE OF THE WICKED
Job 16:1 – 17:16 — Job’s Growing Complaint and Urgent Appeal to God for Vindication
DESPONDENCY SETS IN AS THE TIME FOR VINDICATION EVAPORATES
Job 18:1-21 — Bildad’s Second Speech — What the Wicked Should Dread!
THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED CANNOT BE THE DESTINY OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Job 19:1-29 — Judgment is Coming
CERTAINTY OF FINAL VINDICATION EASES THE PAIN OF PRESENT REJECTION AND PUTS FALSE ACCUSERS IN ULTIMATE JEOPARDY
Job 20:1-29 — The Portion of the Wicked Man
THE HORRIBLE FATE OF THE WICKED, WHILE TRUE, BEARS NO APPLICATION TO THE RIGHTEOUS IN THEIR SUFFERING
Job 21:1-34 — Job’s Second Reply to Zophar — Refutation of Rigid Application of Doctrine of Retribution
THE OBSERVABLE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED REFUTES THE RIGID APPLICATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF RETRIBUTION
Job 22:1-30 — Eliphaz’s Third Speech — Turn and Be Restored
CALL TO REPENTANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF A RESTORED RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Job 23:1-17 — Job’s Third Reply to Eliphaz — The Tension of Faith — Confidence But Frustration
CONFIDENCE IN PERSONAL INTEGRITY FORTIFIES FAITH IN GOD’S SOVEREIGN WORKING DESPITE THE FRUSTRATION OF PERPLEXING SUFFERING
Job 24:1-25 — Proof that the Doctrine of Retribution Cannot Be Rigidly Applied
DON’T DENY THAT GOD AFFLICTS THE RIGHTEOUS SINCE WE CAN SEE THAT GOD ALLOWS THE WICKED TO PROSPER FOR NOW
Job 25:1-6 — Bildad’s Third Speech — Maggot Theology = Man is Insignificant before God
INSIGNIFICANT MAN SHOULD FORGET ABOUT SEEKING VINDICATION AND PURITY FROM THE MAJESTIC GOD WHO REIGNS ABOVE
Job 26:1-14 — Job’s Third Reply to Bildad — Your Counsel is Worthless / God’s Power is Awesome
WORTHLESS COUNSEL FAILS TO DRAW OUT RELEVANT APPLICATIONS FROM THE AWESOME POWER OF THE MAJESTIC GOD
Job 27:1-23 — Job’s First Monologue — Sticks to His Guns — Stays on Message
JOB REAFFIRMS HIS RIGHTEOUS INTEGRITY, THE VANITY OF HYPOCRISY AND THE DOOMED DESTINY OF THE WICKED
Job 28:1-28 — Where Shall Wisdom Be Found?
WISDOM CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN COMMUNION WITH GOD BY DIVINE REVELATION AS WE FEAR HIM AND TURN AWAY FROM EVIL
Job 29:1-25 — Focus on the Past — Longing for the Good Ole Times
PAST BLESSINGS INSPIRE WISTFUL REFLECTIONS
Job 30:1-31 — Focus on the Present — Lamenting the Depths of Shame and Suffering
UNJUST SUFFERING AND DERISIVE SOCIAL ATTACKS UNLEASH PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGIAL AND SPIRITUAL AGONY WHEN GOD REMAINS SILENT
Job 31:1-40 — Focus on the Future — Oath of Innocence
EVEN JOB’S DRAMATIC OATH OF INNOCENCE CANNOT FORCE GOD TO BREAK HIS SILENCE AND ADDRESS HIS UNJUST SUFFERING
Job 32:1-22 — Elihu’s Introduction — Impassioned and Impelled to Speak
THE BURDEN FOR IMPARTING WISDOM FALLS ON THOSE TRULY INSPIRED BY GOD REGARDLESS OF AGE OR EXPERIENCE
Job 33:1-33 — Elihu’s Response: God Does Speak — But In Unexpected Ways
GOD USES DREAMS, PAIN AND MEDIATION TO COMMUNICATE HOW ONE CAN AVOID THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF SIN AND ENJOY HIS GRACE
Job 34:1-37 — Elihu’s Second Speech — Defense of God’s Justice
BOTH THE CHARACTER AND GOVERNANCE OF GOD REFUTE ANY CHARGE OF INJUSTICE
Job 35:1-16 — Elihu’s Third Speech — Waiting for God When He Is Silent
DEFENDING THE JUSTICE OF GOD INVOLVES WRESTLING WITH DIFFICULT QUESTIONS
Job 36:1 – 37:24 — Elihu’s Fourth Speech — Not WHY Do You Suffer But WHAT Can You Learn
GOD’S POWER AND WISDOM AS DISPLAYED IN NATURE REINFORCE HIS JUSTICE AND USE OF AFFLICTION FOR DISCIPLINE TO RECOVER THE WAYWARD RIGHTEOUS
Job 38:1 – 40:2 — Interrogation of Job Regarding God’s Created Order
GOD’S AWESOME DESIGN AND PROVIDENTIAL CONTROL OF THE UNIVERSE AND ALL THAT IS IN IT SHOULD CAUSE US TO HUMBLY SUBMIT
Job 40:3-5 — Job’s First Reply — Job Humbled and Silenced
CONFRONTED WITH HIS RELATIVE SMALLNESS, JOB IS HUMBLED AND SILENCED
Job 40:6 – 41:34 — Who Is Calling the Shots in God’s Moral Universe?
ONLY THE CREATOR AND CONTROLLER OF THE MOST POWERFUL AND IMPRESSIVE CREATURES CAN DETERMINE WHAT IS JUST IN OVERALL WORLD GOVERNANCE
Job 42:1-6 — Job Responds in Humble Repentance
AN APPRECIATION OF GOD’S PERSON AND SOVEREIGN WORKING IN OUR LIVES (HIS POWER AND HIS WISDOM) REMOVES ALL PRESUMPTION AND PRIDE
Job 42:7-17 — The Outcome — Job Vindicated and Restored
THE END OF THE STORY SEES JOB VINDICATED AND RESTORED