Neighbor Nights in July
You will see an announcement that has been sent out to the entire church encouraging them to focus on some type of ministry to their "neighbors" during July. Continue to encourage your group to discuss ways this can be done. Thanks so much for your leadership with this.
Don't Forget: Rachel and Jeremy Hollie
One of our missionary families, Rachel and Jeremy Hollie and their 4
children have recently returned from Peru on furlough. The Sharp
Connect Group would like to invite your class to join them in welcoming the
family by giving gift cards or money to help them as they settle in the
Murfreesboro area awaiting a new mission assignment. An envelope will be in your Connect Group box to use for collections over the next three Sundays.
Bible Study Session
THE TARGET
Focus on what adults should leave knowing, understanding, and doing.
Adults will understand that, through adversity, we can come to know God as truly the sovereign Lord of all. They will determine ways they can help others know God through the adversities of life.
Resources to Consider
- Discovery Study Guide plans: If you are using the Discovery Study Guide, use this week's study as a reference. Click to review.
- Script: Dialogue from The Message. The following teaching plan provides ideas throughout related to how to use the script. I will place a copy in your box. Click to preview.
This week's lesson is a more complete teaching plan and is primarily based upon my study of the Discovery Study Guide. I have tweaked the outline points to help answer the question proposed in the title, "What Am I Supposed to Learn?"
Look Up: "Soft Methods" to draw attention to the study as adults are visiting and gathering for Bible study.
Activity: Miranda Rights
As the group arrives, ask them to try and recite the Miranda rights to one another. Once most adults have arrived, ask them to identify the part most people can remember. ("You have the right to remain silent.")
Discuss:
- Is it a good idea for an accused person - even if innocent - to testify on his own behalf? Why or why not? (Usually it is not a good idea because the accused may misspeak or stumble in a way that creates more doubt, misunderstanding, or appearances of guilt.)
- When have you seen someone defend himself or herself and seem to do more harm than good? Was the person guilty or innocent? Did that matter?
- Should you invoke the right to remain silent and stoically accept that tragedy strikes? Or is there something to be said for "having it out" with God and demanding that He explain Himself? (Discovery Study Guide, p48)
In Job's case, he was innocent, but he couldn't remain silent. His friends had accused him of being judged and disciplined by God for sins. Job wanted to have a word with God and speak on his own behalf.
Context:
Imagine that Job is in a courtroom. He has just heard from his friends who have presented circumstantial evidence accusing him of sin and stating that God is judging or disciplining him. In this courtroom Job steps up to testify before the judge. God is seated as the judge in the courtroom. Job speaks on his own behalf, defending his righteousness and appealing to God. He proclaims his innocence but stumbles as his mounting frustration moves him to subject God to an endless appeal to speak and explain Himself.
Now Job is facing a cross-examination by God Himself. It is during this cross-examination that Job realizes he should have remained silent: listening, waiting, and trusting God through his adversity.
LOOK IN: Ideas for unpacking the text.
When God Speaks, We Need to Listen!
Read Job 38:1-4
Explain:
God could have manifested Himself in any way He chose during this encounter, but He chose a whirlwind. This is called a theophany, a manifestation of God.
Activity: Dialogue From The Message
Explain that, throughout the study we will look at the passage and then read a dialogue based on the verses from The Message in order to gain another perspective on the conversations between God, Job, and Job's friends. Enlist volunteers to read the dialogue: one to be the narrator, one to read God's words, and one to read Job's words. (Use the handout provided or a copy of The Message.) Ask the volunteers to read the script based upon Job 38:1-4.
Discuss:
- What would you say the appearance in a whirlwind might communicate to Job? (God's power)
- How would you describe God's tone of voice?
- What words in this passage best describe God's tone of voice?
- How would you paraphrase what God was saying to Job?
While defending himself, Job went too far. Job assumed too much; he knew less about God than he realized--to the point that God suggested his confused portrayal actually served to obstruct other's view of Him.
Discuss:
- Why is it important, even during times of suffering, to represent God in the right way to the world?
- How can you make sure you don't misrepresent God when you are going through difficult times?
Verse 4 marks the beginning of 70 hard-hitting questions in God's interrogation of Job. In the verses that followed, God challenged Job to a fuller understanding of His creative ability, driving home the awesome enormity of His power with point after point. (Discovery Study Guide, p49)
The response from Job was simple. He knew he better not be guilty of contempt in God's courtroom, so he plead guilty.
When We Are Guilty, We Should Repent
Someone read Job 42:1-6
Activity: Dialogue from The Message
Ask the volunteers to continue reading the script related to Job 42:1-6.
- What did Job need to repent of? (Ignorance. Even though he was a man of faith, he had questioned God's fairness because, as he now realized, he did not fully understand God.)
- What caused Job to repent? (He had a personal encounter with Christ. He didn't try to speculate or embrace rumors. He was now talking with God Himself. Before he had spoken about things he didn't understand. This illustrates a more intimate walk. )
- What can we learn from Job's response? (We have to seek God and humbly subject ourselves to His Sovereignty without arguing or second-guessing Him.)
- If you have ever come face-to-face with the enormity of God's sovereignty, was the experience overwhelming, empowering, or both? Are you now grateful or bitter? (Discovery Study Guide, p49)
Instead of just hearing about God, Job had heard from God. This changed his entire perspective on his situation. The sovereign God of the universe was speaking directly with Him. He had experienced intimate fellowship and firsthand knowledge of his Creator that he previously lacked.
God now turns His attention to Job's friends and how Job should respond to them. Apparently they had heard all the conversation so far. They had to learn a lesson from God as well.
God Asks Us to Intercede for Others
Someone read Job 42:7-9
Activity: Dialogue from The Message
Ask the volunteers to continue reading the script related to Job 42:7-9.
Discuss:
- What was not true about what His friends said? (Job's circumstances were not a judgment from God. Not only had they presumed to speak for God, but they committed the greater sin of misrepresenting Him.)
- How have you noticed God misrepresented by believers?
- How might misrepresenting God affect your relationship with Him and His relationship with others? (Discovery Study Guide, p50)
- Do you think God was harsh or merciful with what He expected from Job's friends in order to repent?
- What is ironic about God's directions to Job's friends? (He directed them to go to the person they accused of being such a sinner and let him pray to God on their behalf.)
- What did these steps of repentance teach Job's friends about God? About Job? (God is merciful and will forgive; Job was a righteous man who walked with God.)
What if the story ended here, with Job repenting of his wrong, his friends repenting of their wrong, and Job praying for his friends? Would that be a sufficient ending? If you never knew the rest of the story, what kind of ending might you write for the story?
Explain that Job learned how God cares. There was restoration in Job's life.
God Cares
Someone read Job 42:10-12a
Activity: Dialogue from The Message
Ask the "Narrator" to read the final dialogue from the Message.
Discuss:
- What if nothing was restored to Job? Could we say that God cared? Why or why not?
- Job's wealth was restored and multiplied, his family replaced, his honor restored, and his friendships rebuilt. Does the fact that Job had so much restored to him mean that we will see restoration come in the same manner?
- What is most important to you about how God showed he cared? Was it because his fortune was restored or his relationships?
Direct the group to underline Job 42:12a, the final verse in the study. If we learn nothing from this study we should learn that, if we endure difficulties, we will be blessed more than we would if we failed to endure. These blessings may not be the same as Job's but we will be blessed nonetheless.
Although Job was blessed in many ways, it is obvious that his most important blessing was that of coming to know and relate to God in a totally different way than ever before. He had dialogued with God, God taught Him something about Himself, and Job came out of his difficulties with a new trust in God. That should be blessing enough for all of us.
Application:
- Explain that the sub-title for the lesson in the Discovery Study Guide (p47) asks a question, "Is it enough to know God's in control?" How would you respond to that question after this study of Job?
- How would you summarize what you have learned through the study of Job?
- How can what you learned help you when you experience difficult times?
- How can you use what you have learned to help others?
