Job
The book of Job is like a story with a long poem in the middle of the story.
The story begins with Job and the disasters that he experiences. Then we read the poem in Job 3 – 41. In this part of the book, Job’s friends talk about his suffering. Job talks to his friends and to God. And then God speaks to Job.
The book ends with the last part of Job’s story. He keeps on trusting the Lord and the Lord blesses him.
The book of Job is also like a court case. In chapters 4 – 22 and 32 – 37, Job’s friends question him. They question Job like he is in a courtroom and has done something very wrong.
Job defends himself in chapters 23 – 31. Job’s friend Elihu gives a summary of the case against him. Elihu tells the other friends and Job that they are all wrong.
He says that God is almighty and righteous. In chapters 38 – 41, God finally speaks.
2:7–10
Everything was taken from Job. Then he developed painful sores that covered his body. This made his wife angry and discouraged.
How do you feel when everything goes wrong? Do you become angry or sad?
What color on Hearty’s color chart on page 19 best shows your feelings?
How do you think Job felt? Job says that the reason you serve the Lord shouldn’t be so that he will bless you. You have to serve the Lord in good times and in bad times.
3:20
Job didn’t understand why he had so many troubles. People have always wondered why there is suffering in the world. People in the Middle East wrote about this problem thousands of years ago.
And we still don’t understand. So people still wonder why we suffer.
In the book of Job, you will see what God says about the matter.
41:9–11
God describes these powerful animals to Job. He wants to show Job that humans will never understand what he does in nature. Humans can’t even tame all of the animals that God made.
God wants Job to realize something. He shouldn’t even try to understand what the Lord does in the lives of people.
The Lord is too powerful for humans to understand.
42:7
Job tried hard to understand what was happening to him. He kept asking the Lord questions. Sometimes it sounded as if he was arguing with the Lord. It even sounded as if he didn’t have any respect for the Lord. But God wasn’t angry with Job. That is because Job still trusted God. God called Job his servant.
Job’s friends thought they knew everything about God. They forgot that God was too big for their minds to understand. God was angry with them.
6:15–20
Job’s friends wanted to help him, but they didn’t. They didn’t listen to his side of the story. They only saw their own point of view.
Do you think we are sometimes too quick to give advice? We often speak before we listen to the other person’s side of things. Why do you think we do that?
Talky was wondering what Job’s friends could have done to help Job? Give them advice about what they should have done.
6:24
Have you ever heard a little child asking why questions? Thinky hopes you still ask why questions even though you aren’t little anymore!
People have always wondered why things happened. That’s why people are always making new discoveries to help them in their daily lives. Today we know many things about our world and even about the universe. This is because people have asked why questions.
But we still don’t understand completely why people suffer.
10:1–8
When Job’s friends wouldn’t stop accusing him, a good thing happened. Job decided to talk to God about his troubles. Hearty would like you to look carefully at the things Job told God.
How did Job feel? Does he talk politely to God? Did God punish Job for talking to him like this? Even though he was upset, Job didn’t stop trusting God.
God wants us to talk to him about everything. We can tell him that we are angry and sad. We can tell him that we think he is treating us unfairly. God won’t punish us.
What God wants is for us to not stop trusting him, even if we are upset. Look at Hearty’s color chart on page 19. Choose a color that shows how you feel when you are upset. Then pick a color that shows how you feel when you choose to trust God.
16:15–22
In verse 2 we read that Job thought his friends were poor comforters. They thought he had done wrong. But in verse 17 Job says he’s sure that he hadn’t.
In verse 19 Job says he knows that the Lord knows that he’s blameless.
Inny wonders if anyone has ever accused you of something you didn’t do.
Or have people told lies about you?
That can make you very unhappy and angry.
But you can be glad you know someone who always knows the truth about you.
That’s the Lord!
31:4
Crafty wants you to join him on a doing hunt. Draw seven small footprints on a piece of paper. Cut them out.
Write the words of verse 4 at the top of another piece of paper. But change the question to a sentence. Draw a footpath below the sentences. Cover the path in glue. Paste the footprints on the path. Make a pattern with the footprints as if someone walked on the path. Sprinkle fine, dry sand on the rest of the path. Allow it to dry.
41:9–11
God describes these powerful animals to Job. He wants to show Job that humans will never understand what he does in nature. Humans can’t even tame all of the animals that God made.
God wants Job to realize something. He shouldn’t even try to understand what the Lord does in the lives of people.
The Lord is too powerful for humans to understand.
42:1–10
Hearty and Inny were talking about the fact that Job had many troubles.
Yet Job had done nothing wrong. Job couldn’t understand why so many bad things happened to him. The Lord spoke to Job. Job learned that God has all the power.
People will never be able to fully understand God.
What did Job discover about the Lord? Read the answer in verse 2.
What did Job discover about himself? It tells you in verse 3.
How did Job feel after these discoveries? Read verse 6.
How do you feel about the Lord’s answer to Job? Read verses 7, 8, and 10.
42:7
Job tried hard to understand what was happening to him. He kept asking the Lord questions. Sometimes it sounded as if he was arguing with the Lord. It even sounded as if he didn’t have any respect for the Lord. But God wasn’t angry with Job. That is because Job still trusted God. God called Job his servant.
Job’s friends thought they knew everything about God. They forgot that God was too big for their minds to understand. God was angry with them.
42:7–8
Talky wants you to talk with someone about the Lord’s words to Job’s three friends. Why didn’t they understand God? What did they do wrong?
We have to remember that the Lord has all the power. We can’t understand him or the reasons why he does certain things.
We must remember that God loves us. He always does what’s best for us.
And we never need to be afraid of him.
42:9–17
Thinky is so glad that Job’s story has a happy ending. The Lord made Job even more successful than he was before his troubles.
Job kept on talking to the Lord. He was faithful to the Lord. He did this even when he was sure that the Lord was against him. He trusted God even when he couldn’t understand why he was suffering so much. And the Lord blessed Job!
Make a list of everything Job had in the beginning. Read Job 1:1–3.
Then compare it to everything Job received from the Lord in the end.
Read Job 42:12–15. Did Job have more or less than before?
