The Book of Job

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The Lord had such confidence in Job’s faith that He allowed Satan to test him. Satan took away Job’s wealth, children, and health. Job’s wife and friends were not much help because they tried to convince him that he probably deserved the things that were happening to him. Despite his suffering, Job refused to give up his faith in the Lord. Satan was proved wrong, and in the end, the Lord blessed Job with even greater health, wealth, and family than before. Through a series of questions and revelations from the Lord, Job learned that God knows more than any human does. We may not know why things happen, but God does. We can trust Him.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Job 1-2; 16:1-5; 38-42

Outline:

1. God allows Satan to test Job (Job 1:1-2:10)
2. Job and his friends talk (Job 2:11 through chapter 37)
3. God speaks to Job (Job 38-41)
4. God reinstates Job’s life (Job 42)

Tips for teaching children:

• Discuss some of the amazing attributes of God from Job chapters 38 through 41). Provide illustrations and further study of any of these items. You could use the internet or a public library for resources.
• For artwork, have the children draw or paint pictures depicting any of the subjects in those same chapters.

Tips for teaching adults:

• This is a big and complex book.  To help orient the class to discuss the book, as a teacher, I would show the Bible Project video on the book of Job.  Here is the link. This is an excellent overview of the book that introduces some of its main ideas.  Preview the video and prepare questions that the class can wrestle with. An example of a question might be "Does God run the world on a strict principle of justice?"
• Ask the class members to share any personal experiences they have had in losing possessions and/or in losing their health.  Be sensitive to those who share.  Ask them how they dealt with their loss.  What was helpful? What wasn’t helpful? Resist the temptation to give shallow and trite responses to people's stories of suffering. A big part of this exercise is to listen rather than talk.
• Pray at the conclusion of the class time, asking God for wisdom in ministering to people who are suffering. Ask God to do his work in us and through us, even though we may be suffering. Acknowledge that our perspective is very limited, but that we trust God to work things out in the end.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Job

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

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