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Day 1: Read chapter 1 of Job then answer the questions below:
Describe the kind of person that Job is.
Describe the trials that Job is enduring.
How does Job respond to the bad news? (see verses 20-22)
Why is this happening to him? (see verses 6-12)
Day 2: Read chapter 2 and answer the following questions:
Describe the new trials that have been heaped upon Job.
What does the conversation between God and Satan reveal about Satan’s power compared to God’s power?
How does Job’s wife respond to the adversity?
What is Job’s reply to his wife?
What do you learn about how Job feels in verses 11-13?
How do Job’s friends respond? What do they do for their friend who is suffering?
Day 3: Read chapter 3. Because Job’s pain is so great, what does he wish?
Day 4: Read chapter 4 and answer the following questions:
What does Job’s friend, Eliphaz, think is the cause of all that has happened to Job? (see verses 7 & 8)
Is Eliphaz aware of the conversations between God and Satan?
Eliphaz attempts to add credibility to his opinion in verses 12-17. What does he claim?
Look ahead at verse 8 of chapter 5. What does Eliphaz think Job needs to do?
Day 5: Now jump ahead to chapter 8. Read verses 1-7 and answer the questions:
What does Job’s friend, Bildad, think is the cause of Job’s adversity?
Is Bildad aware of the conversations between God and Satan in the first 2 chapters?
Now skip ahead to chapter 11. Read it and determine whether Job’s friend Zophar agrees or disagrees with Eliphaz’s and Bildad’s reasoning of why Job is suffering. What do you observe?
Day 6: In the subsequent chapters, there are 3 rounds of Job’s friends continuing to accuse Job of hidden sins and failure to repent and 3 rounds of Job’s rebuttals (answers).
Skip ahead now to chapter 23, read the chapter and write, in a few words, “What is on Job’s heart?”
Day 7: Read chapter 26 and list Job’s understanding of what God is like:
Day 8: Read verses 1-6 of chapter 27. What do you learn about Job’s commitment or lack of it to live righteously?
Read chapter 29. What do you learn about Job’s past? (Note: In verse 5, Job makes reference to “when the Almighty was yet with me…” This does not mean that God has left Job but that Job feels as though God has left him[1]).
Day 9: Read chapter 30. What do you learn about his present? List the losses that Job is grieving.
Day 10: Read chapter 32 and answer the following questions:
Who is Elihu? Why did we not hear from him sooner?
Why is Elihu angry? Who is he angry at?
In his Study Bible commentary, John MacArthur comments on Elihu’s words in chapters 32-37:
A new participant who had been there with the other three (32:3-5) entered the debate over Job’s condition – the younger Elihu, who took a new approach to the issue of Job’s suffering…Elihu was angry, full of self-importance and verbose, but his approach was refreshing after listening repetitiously to the others, though not really helpful to Job. Why was it necessary to record and read those four blustering speeches by this man? Because they happened as part of the story, while Job was still waiting for God to disclose Himself…Job had complained that God did not speak to him. Elihu reminded Job that God didn’t have to defend his will and actions to anyone (v. 33:13)…Job has lamented that his suffering was not deserved. Elihu answered that complaint by saying he was God’s messenger, a mediator to Job to show him that God doesn’t act in a whimsical way, but allows suffering as chastening to bring a person to submit to him as upright (v 23) and to repent (v. 27) that his life may be spared (vv. 24, 28, 30). God allows suffering for spiritual benefit. Elihu expressed he was on Job’s side and wanted to see him vindicated in his claims to righteousness, so he gave opportunity for Job to dialogue with him as he spoke (v. 33:33)…Elihu addressed Job and his accusers (34:1-37). His approach was to quote Job directly (vv. 34:5-9), then respond to his complaints, but at times he misinterpreted Job’s remarks, and at other times he put the words of the accusers in Job’s mouth. The most obvious example of the latter wrongdoing was in saying that Job claimed to be sinlessly perfect (34:6). Job never claimed that; in fact, Job acknowledged his sin (7:21; 13:26). Elihu didn’t know it, but God had pronounced Job innocent (1:8; 2:3). In answer to Job’s complaints that God seemed unjust, Elihu reminded Job that God was too holy to do anything wrong (34:10), fair in dealing with people (vv. 34:11-12), powerful (vv. 34:13-14), just (vv. 34:17-18), impartial (vv. 34:19-20), omniscient (vv. 34:21-22, the judge of all (v. 34:23), and the Sovereign who does what he wills to prevent evil (vv. 34:24-30).[2]
Day 11: In chapter 36, verse 15 we read: “He [God] delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.” John MacArthur comments on this verse:
This was a new insight and perhaps the most helpful thing Elihu said. He went beyond all that had been said about God’s using suffering to chasten and bring repentance. He was saying that God used suffering to open men’s ears, to draw them to himself. But as long as Job kept complaining, he was turning to iniquity rather than drawing near to God in his suffering (vv. 36:16-21).
Now read chapter 37. What does Elihu proclaim about God’s majesty?
Day 12: Finally, we hear from God. Read the following 2 chapters and record what God reveals about Himself in each chapter:
Chapter 38:
Chapter 39:
Day 13: Read the following 2 chapters as God continues to reveal Himself to Job. Record what He reveals:
Chapter 40:
Chapter 41:
Day 14: Read Chapter 42. How does the story end?
What did you learn about God?
What did you learn about yourself?
What change(s) do you plan to make in your thinking, speaking, behaviors, habits or priorities as the result of what you have learned?
[1] John MacArthur study bible, Job 29:5.[2] MacArthur Study Bible