Unit 13 – Power
Lesson 36 – Job’s Mountain of Problems – Job 1:1-2:10
Preparation for the Teacher
1. Aim: To lead the people to understand that the Lord’s Sovereign power means that He has the right to do whatever He wants to with our lives for His greater purposes.
2. Explanation of the Aim: The Lord allowed Job to go through trials, suffering and pain to help him correct some of his mistaken beliefs. At the end of Job’s life he wrote, “Lord, now I know you can do all things and no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:1,2) When we come to a point where we have totally yielded all of our rights to God, then He can properly use us.
3. The Bible Story: God allowed Satan to afflict Job to build a greater trust, holiness and obedience into the man’s character. Paul wrote, “Tribulation works patience and patience perseverance and perseverance proven character and character hope.” (Rom. 5:1-5) God always knows what is best for every person in every situation and at all times. We may not be able to understand what God is doing at the time, but we need to trust that He has the freedom, power and right to do whatever He deems best for His overall purposes. Do not doubt God’s ability to work all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.
4. Prepare to Teach: The INTRODUCTION gives the people an opportunity to answer the question: “Why does hardship come into the life of godly people?” Find out if the people understand what is the Biblical response to trials, suffering and pain? Allow the people to share what their natural human reaction is to adversity for themselves and in the lives of their family members.
The BIBLE STORY helps us see that God allows pain, suffering and adversity to come into our lives for His sovereign purposes. Job had to learn to trust God and be content both in adversity as well as prosperity. We all need to learn how to become more content and confident that we can do everything God asks us to do with the help of Christ who gives us the strength and power. (Phil. 4:12,13)
The MEANING FOR OUR LIVES gives the people an opportunity to make applications from the lesson. Ask the people what our response should be when we go through Job like difficulties? Find out what the people will do if they encounter all kinds of trials, tribulation and hardships? Discover what some of the people will tell their friends who are undergoing severe testing? Ask the people to quote James 1:2-4 which says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials, knowing that the trial of your faith works perseverance. Let perseverance have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Introduction
Give the people an opportunity to answer the question: “Why does hardship come into the life of godly people?” Find out if the people understand what is the Biblical response to trials, suffering and pain? Allow the people to share what their natural human reaction is to adversity for themselves and in the lives of their family members. Ask the people what are the summary lessons that we can learn from the life of Job?
The Bible Story
God’s sovereign power, wisdom and presence are greater than anyone, anything and any problem. Job’s experience teaches us that Satan tries to discredit a person’s belief that God can sovereignly work all things for good. If people begin to doubt God’s power, wisdom or love they are subtly drawn out of fellowship with the Lord. Godly people who experience suffering can take comfort in the truth that God does not allow anything to come into their life without His permission.
The Lord may allow Satan to test us, but He is the Master controller of any temptation that is designed to make us more holy, patient and wise. God’s divine purposes, processes and procedures are best known to Him. Righteous people know that they do not need to understand every reason why they are passing through adversity in order to do God’s will.
Every trial that a godly person experiences has great value, meaning and benefit if we will trust, obey and thank God for everything. Not until Job had passed through every painful heartache, hardship and trials did he realize that God will go to great lengths to correct any of our mistaken beliefs.
In our lesson we learn that Job’s test begins when God says to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8) God is the one who initiates every good thing that comes into our life, even trials. Satan, the accuser, replied,
“Does Job fear God for nothing?…But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Then God says, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (Job 1:9-12)
The Lord has permitted Satan to have power to afflict suffering, but only to the measure that He allows. Satan is nothing more than a dog who is a leash that God controls. The Almighty has the power to reel in Satan at anytime He desires. He told Jeremiah, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh, is anything to difficult for Me?” (Jer 31:27)
Soon, Job found that his sons and daughters were attacked and carried away. Next, he discovered that a fire from the sky burned up all of his sheep and servants. Thirdly, Job learned that the Chaldeans had carried away all of his camels and killed nearly all of his herders. Finally, he learned that a mighty wind struck his house and made the roof to collapse killing all of his sons and daughters. But we see Job responding in a godly manner when he says,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” (Job 1:20-22)
Great people of faith are able to praise God regardless of what happens to them or their family or their possessions. People who really know and love God are able to give Him glory despite their circumstantial problems.
Application: Mature believers are not dependent on their feelings or their situations to enjoy the rest, peace and nearness of God. Growing Christians are able to see how God can use the best and worst of times to transform us into Christ’s likeness.
When Satan was allowed to afflict Job with boils and physical pain, his wife said, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) We can expect that the people who are closest to us will often misunderstand and criticize us when we are passing through trials. Jesus said, “Your worst enemies will be the members of your own household.” The Lord allows us to pass through adversity so that we can grow in our reliance on Him above any person. Job gives his wife the perfect response when he replies,
“You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not troubles? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (Job 2:10)
Real power is made evident when we become weak so that Christ can be shown to be strong in our lifestyle, our relationships and our activities. The apostle Paul wrote, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take the thorn in my flesh away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, than I am strong. The less I have, the more I depend on Him.” (2 Cor. 12:8-10)
Job learned the secret to displaying God’s power in life is to yield every right to the Lord’s control. Human weaknesses and suffering provides an ideal opportunity for the display of divine power so God receives all the glory, credit and praise for whatever good is accomplished.
Memory Verse: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weaknesses, so that Christ power may rest on me.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
The Meaning for Our Lives
Give the people an opportunity to make applications from the lesson. Ask the people what our response should be when we go through Job like difficulties? Find out what the people will do if they encounter all kinds of trials, tribulation and hardships? Discover what some of the people will tell their friends who are undergoing severe testing? Ask the people to quote James 1:2-4 which says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials, knowing that the trial of your faith works perseverance. Let perseverance have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Response:
Song: My grace is sufficient for you as my power is made perfect in your weakness.
Prayer: Ask the Lord to help you thank Him for the privilege of going through trials knowing that He works all things together for good. (Rom. 8:28)
At Home: Ask your parents what happens when they thank God for their trials, suffering and pain.
