Job 40:6-42:6 Children check under the bed for monsters, and even when we grow up the fear of monsters and fascination with them doesn’t go away. Monsters represent our fears, ultimately of evil. What do we do with this fear of evil? What hope is there in the face of evil? That is what these chapters are about.
Job 38:39-40:5 ‘The animal kingdom, which God has made and sustains, doesn’t just display beauty and design – it’s also wild, strange, and brutal. God invites us to take a walk on the wild side, joining him on safari, as he teaches Job and us lessons from life in the wild – lessons which will put us in our place’.
Job 38 ‘If you could ask God one question, and you knew he would answer, what would you ask him?’ It’s fine to have questions for God, but we need to watch our attitude. God is not in the dock. If we try to put him there, we need to be ready for his questions back to us.
Job 34 ‘If God is good, why does he allow so much suffering in the world? And why did he allow this or that to happen to me?’ Doubts can start to creep in, and we wonder, ‘Maybe he’s not so good after all’. Given such doubts can invade the thinking of even the godliest of people, like Job, we need to listen carefully to what this chapter says about the goodness of God.
Job 31 Some people live to please others; some to please themselves; but the believer lives to please God. But what does such a faith-filled, God-fearing life look like? That is what we find out in this chapter. It points us to Jesus who lived this perfectly, but also challenges us to live as he did.
Job 30 Sometimes in life we can feel trapped – stuck in a difficult present. That’s where Job is in this chapter, mocked by others and feeling rejected by God. The Bible speaks of ‘the steadfastness of Job’. That is a quality we will need too in the Christian life.
Job 29 Looking back with nostalgia to happier times in life, as Job does in this chapter, is unhelpful if it just leaves us feeling sad and gloomy. But it’s good if it makes us long for a better future, and if it motivates us to pursue that – deeper friendships; a better marriage; a closer relationship with God.
‘Being ambitious at work is a good thing. Managers like ambitious employees because of their enthusiasm and drive’ – so claims one business management article. But how about for a Christian? Can a godly Christian be ambitious at work? What does God think of such ambition?
Job 28 Once kids hit 3 or so years old, they start asking lots of ‘Why?’ questions. When we grow up, the questions don’t go away, but just get a bit deeper – the big questions of life. Where are you going for answers? Where is wisdom to be found? This chapter tells us.
Job 13:23-14:17 It’s a common complaint of busy people that we struggle to find time to reflect. But times of suffering are an opportunity to do just that. In this passage we reflect with Job on some big issues – sin, death, and what lies beyond.
