A Sunday School Lesson On Job

Here is a Sunday school lesson or Bible study about Job.

Righteous Living

Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.”

Job was said to be a blameless man and one who was upright or lived in a right manner. He feared God and turned from evil when he saw it. He once said “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin” (Job 31:1) so this shows he customarily “turned away from evil,” even if it were his eyes. Job wasn’t perfect, as you’ll later read, but he strived to live a life pleasing to God and Job never said that he was a righteous man; God was the One Who said he “was blameless and upright” and “feared God” and when he saw it, he “turned away from evil.” No wonder God was pleased with Job to the point of singling him out to Satan. It’s actually high praise to be attacked by Satan because you must be doing something he hates, like preaching the need for repentance and faith, the blood of the Lamb, walking worthy of Christ, and maybe even evangelizing and that puts you in enemy territory.

Have you ever shared your faith with anyone?

Have you had to “turn away” your eyes from evil?

Do you feel that you’re living a blameless life?

Satan Tested

Job 1:8-9 “And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason?”

I believe a faith that’s never been tested is a faith that cannot be trusted so our faith is sometimes tested but certainly not to the point we find in Job 1:12 where “the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” Satan could inflict a lot of harm to Job but could not take his life, however it wasn’t even possible without God’s allowing it to happen. This wasn’t the only time Satan came to God asking for permission for someone as in the time where Jesus told the Apostle Peter “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31), once again showing that Satan needs God’s approval before doing anything to Peter (or anyone!). In all that Job lost like his ten children, his wealth, and his health, “Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” (Job 1:22). Later he would start blaming God until God rebuked him and Job repented and was restored with abundantly more than he had to begin with (Job 42).

Do you feel that you’ve ever been spiritually attacked?

Do others attack you because of your faith?

Can Satan do any more than God allows?

Satan Challenged

Job 1:10-11 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

Satan wasted little time in taking everything that he had; children, livestock, crops, and later friends. All he had left were friends that turned on him and a wife that said, “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). That’s about as low as you can get but even in all this, Job declared, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face” (John 13:15) and after a stern rebuking by God (Job 40, 41), Job finally said, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted…therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2, 6).

Have you ever been tempted to curse God?

Have you ever been angry at God?

Do you believe God’s put a hedge of protection around you?

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of this lesson on Job and that sometimes, like Job, we will never find the reason for our suffering in this life. For certain, suffering never goes to waste as God uses it to make us more like Christ Who suffered beyond what anyone could even imagine (Isaiah 53). Job lost all ten of his children but gained ten more and even gained more than he had to begin with in his possessions “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10) “And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12). I find it interesting that God restored all Job had lost and much more, but only “when he had prayed for his friends.” Must be something to that, don’t you think?

Why did Job’s being restored seem connected to him praying for his friends?

Did Job ever receive an answer about why he suffered?

What has changed in your understanding about Job?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.