The Patience Of The Man Job ! Series

INTRODUCTION #29

1. Open your bibles to James 5:11.

2. The context of this verse is encouraging Christians to be patient.

(1) James 5:7a&8 refer to Christians being patient when they are mistreated. James gives the example of rich employers holding back part of the wages of their employees and yet encourages those being mistreated to patiently endure and understand that their cries are being heard by the Lord of the Sabaoth. James teaches that matters will get straightened out and that those being mistreated must patiently wait for the coming of Jesus.

(2) James 5:7b uses the example of the patience of the farmers and encourages Christians to be patient like farmers are in the growing and harvesting of crops, as they wait on the adequate rains.

(3) James 5:9 warns Christians to be patient during difficult times and to not become guilty of blaming one another for their problems.

(4) James 5:10 exhorts Christians to look at the example of the suffering and patience of the prophets. We discussed the suffering and patience of Jeremiah.

(5) Let’s read James 5:11 and observe James giving another example of patience and a reminder about the Lord blessing this individual due to his patience. “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and have seen the end intended by the Lord – that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

2. Open your bibles to Job chapter one! We will begin our discussion of the man Job.

DISCUSSION

I. FIRST, JOB 1:1-5 GIVE US OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS WHERE JOB LIVED – JOB’S CHARACTER - THE PERIOD OF TIME IN WHICH JOB LIVED – THE SIZE OF JOB’S FAMILY – THE SIZE OF JOB’S MATERIAL POSSESIONS – THE FESTIVITES OF JOB’S CHILDREN – JOB PRAYING FOR HIS CHILDREN.

1. Verse 1 gives opportunity to discuss were Job lived – Job’s character and the period of time in which Job lived.

(1) “V. 1aThere was a man in the land of Uz” (Uz was maybe S. E. of the Dead Sea. An “Uz” is mentioned in Lamentation 4:21, but we don’t know if they are the same.)

(2) The time period in which Job lived may have been a little before or after Abraham or during the same period of time. Abraham lived to be 175. Isaac, 180. Jacob, 147.

Job was probably 40 or 50 years old at the time he had all his trials. Job lived 140 years after all the loses, which would indicate he lived during the period of time when men were living around 200 years. Also, Job lived during the Patriarchal age, because he, as head of his household offered sacrifices in worship. In the Mosical age only the Levites offered the sacrifices.

(3) V. 1b, “whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil”. (Job was not sinless, but Job lived a faithful life in obedience to God. Rom. 3:23 states, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. “All” includes Job and everyone else other than Jesus.)Job was faithful to God.

2. Verses 2 & 3 give opportunity to discuss the size of Job’s family and Job’s material possessions.

(1) V. 2, “And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

(2) Job, like many others during his time had many children. Job was extremely rich and yet Job lived faithful before God. Job’s material wealth did not become a stumbling block to him.

3. Verses 4&5 give opportunity to discuss the festivities of Job’s children and Job praying for them.

(1) V. 4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. (Probably referring to Job’s children getting together on their birthdays. However, since the feasting lasted over a period of days, this could have been festivities other than their birthdays.)

(2) V. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.”

1) The bible teaches that each person must confess, repent and pray for their own forgiveness, but parents need to also regularly pray for their children.

2) This example of Job serving as a priest for his household is what we were talking about earlier that helps determine that Job lived during the Patriarchal (father ruled) period of time and not in the Mosical age, in which the Levites served as the priest.