Sermon - AudioJob 6-9 - Audio
Job 6-9 Daily Reading
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Daily Insights: "We admitted we were powerless over our sin and problems - that our life had become unmanageable" Step 1
There are times in our lives when we are so confused and overwhelmed by the pain in our life that we wish we could die. No matter what we do, we are powerless to change things for the better. The weight of sadness seems too heavy to bear. This is how Job felt. He had always obeyed God, but now he had lost everything.
1) Chapter 6 - Friends are very important. When we are hurting, we depend on them to listen, to weep, and support us. If Job ever needed friends it was now. Yet he finds the very people he depended on for encouragement let him down. When our friends try to help us, we should tell them how they can help us best. When we minister to others, we should always be sensitive to their needs.
2) Chapter 7.11-21 Job turned here to seek God in prayer. Even though he was in great pain, he believed that God was the only one who could take the pain away. Whether or not the pain we feel is a result of our own sins, God is there to comfort. See John 8.1-11
3) Chapter 8.8-22 Bildad was spot-on about some of his theology, but he erred in the application of his faith. God saw Job as blameless, not as unfaithful or sinful. Job's suffering was not the result of a wayward life. It is not our job to guess the purpose of another person's pain. We are called to comfort and support. See 2 Corinthians 1.3-11
7 comments:
Whoever said women say more words in a day was wrong. Job, why couldn't you just say "this really stinks God!" That's the kind of response I get from my husband.
Dear Anonymous,
That is one of the things about reading/listening to Job. You really do seem to hear the same themes repeating themselves over and over again. The author wants us to explore themes that deal with suffering, pain, wisdom and our response to God. Apparently he doesn't trust us to get it quick and short, and so he keeps driving home his point.
For sure, I know this. I just thought it was funny how Job went on and on. I understand that we need to listen to Job's sorrows to get the full extent. I also understand that if Job just said "God this stinks" we would not get the full extent of what he was going through. I know if it were me in Job's place I would go on and on and on..... but i'm a woman! :) Thanks for the insight.
Anonymous,
Think of this past Sunday's sermon. Do we remember all, most, or any of Larry's sermon? I bet if he preached the same message 12 times in a row, we'd get the idea. There might be one central theme to a particular sermon, but there is typically a lot more to explore within that central theme. Think of Job as 42 chapters of things to explore within a central theme, it may help.
Might we ask if Larry remembers all or most of the sermon?
Looking for a little bit of New Testament? Check out our staff blog. You can link from the home page www.egm.org. Scroll down and click on
"Staff Blog" You'll find some thoughts on 1 John and Jude in the last two posts.
I highly encourage you to listen to the audio of Job's "friends." The words that come out are unbelievable.
For Instance:
In Job 8:4 Bildad is telling Job that his children deserved to die because they had sinned against God. In 8:5-6 Bildad is claiming that Job needs to repent of his sin and beg for mercy. Bildad has no idea if any of this is true, but he has no problem in making assumptions. Also, if you go back to Abel, Noah, and Enoch, we can already see very different outcomes for people who remain faithful. If Job could have only seen Bildad past all his sores, he would have punched him for that one...no question in my mind.
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