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“May you and I always realize God knows everything about us.” <>< Dona (07/08/20)
Please read Job 11 through 14. If you don’t have a Bible handy just click here -> Biblegateway.com. The Biblegateway website should open for you to use. Type in the chapters you want to read and select the translation you want to read them from. Click search and the chapters should appear. Once you read the suggested chapters close the screen and you should return here.
In Job 11 Zophar, one of Job’s friends, spoke to Job. Zophar was full of anger and lashed out at Job. Zophar, just like Eliphaz and Bildad, believed Job’s unconfessed sin was causing Job’s suffering.
Response
Oh! Wow! Lord, Zophar seemed to believe he had the answer to every that was happening.
Something to think about
Zophar believed Job had hidden sin. Although Zophar’s assumption was wrong, he rightly explained that God knows and sees everything. In this case though hidden sin was not the cause of Job’s troubles.
Something to experience
We can try to hide sin from others but we will never be able to hide it from God. Our very thoughts are known to God.
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In Job 12 Job answered Zophar’s accusations.
Response
Oh! Wow! Lord, Job told his friends they were not telling him anything he didn’t already know.
Something to think about
Job continued to tell his friends that they had misunderstood the reason he was suffering. Job didn’t really know why he was suffering, but he was sure his friends didn’t know either.
Something to experience
When we look for guidance for our decisions, we need to recognize that God’s wisdom is greater than any that is available from the world. Worldly wisdom will never measure up to God’s.
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In Job 13 Job called his friends worthless physicians (see verse 4) who didn’t know what they were doing. Though some of what they said was true, none of it was helpful to Job because it didn’t apply to his situation.
Response
Oh! Wow! Lord, Job’s friends were mistaken about why Job experienced all those troubles.
Something to think about
Their mistake was that they assumed Job’s suffering was a just punishment for his sin. But sin didn’t cause what happened to him.
Something to experience
We need to be careful in how we apply scripture to the situations others experience. We need to be slow to judge and slow to pass a verdict.
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In Job 14:21 Job seemed to be saying life isn’t fair (verse 7-13).
Response
Oh! Wow! Lord, Job seemed to be experiencing despair.
Something to think about
But then in verses 14 and 15 Job seemed to be hoping for the resurrection of the dead. Maybe this one truth helped him put his suffering in perspective.
Something to experience
No matter how unfair we see the world being, there is hope. If not in this life in the life we believers are promised in heaven. God offers us the hope of being in His Presence forever.
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In Job 14:22 Job illustrated a great truth.
Response
Oh! Wow! Lord, to have the right set of doctrines is not enough.
Something to think about
To know the truth is not all that is needed either to please God.
Something to experience
Truth has to be lived out in our life. Suffering can cause us to go beyond superficial acceptance of the truth and to totally and completely depend on God for hope and life.
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Prayer