Institute
Lesson 31: Job

“Lesson 31: Job,” Old Testament Instructor’s Guide, Religion 301–2 (1994), 61–62

“Job,” Old Testament Instructor’s Guide, 61–62

31

Job

Scripture Content Outline

Supplementary Study Sources

  1. Job 1–3. God Allowed Job to Be Severely Tested

    1. Job was a righteous man blessed of God (see Job 1:1–5).

    2. Satan challenged God to allow Job to be smitten to see how long he would remain righteous (see Job 1:6–12; JST, Job 1:6).

    3. Job was smitten, but he refused to question God (see Job 1:13–22).

    4. Satan smote Job a second time, and Job’s wife and friends mourned his condition (see Job 2; JST, Job 2:1).

    5. In his misery Job wished he had not been born (see Job 3).

Religion 302 student manual, 3-1 through 3-5.

Ezekiel 14:14; James 5:11; D&C 121:10. How do these passages support the fact that Job was a real person?

D&C 10:27. What was Satan doing “walking up and down” on earth? How did he get here? (See also D&C 76:25–29; Revelation 12:7–9.)

Hebrews 12:6–11. What should be expected by all who seek to obtain exaltation? (see also 1 Peter 4:12–14).

TPJS, p. 208. Do the devil and evil spirits have bounds or limits?

  1. Job 4–31. Job’s Friends Insisted That His Afflictions and Hardships Were the Result of Sin, but Job Disagreed

    1. Eliphaz argued that Job had sinned and must therefore look to God for deliverance (see Job 4–5).

    2. In his reply to Eliphaz, Job bemoaned the heaviness of God’s hand, the unsympathetic response of his friends, and his wretched condition (see Job 6–7).

    3. Bildad argued that if Job were pure, God would rescue him; but Job, acknowledging God’s greatness, denied any sin (see Job 8–10).

    4. Zophar chastized Job for asserting his innocence, but Job rejected the accusations and testified of his trust in God (see Job 11–14).

    5. Job’s friends renewed their criticism and spoke of the awful state of the wicked; Job complained of their harshness, reasserted his innocence, and testified that though the wicked sometimes prosper, they will be brought down (see Job 15–21).

    6. Job’s friends commenced a third round of criticism, but Job maintained his innocence, reaffirmed his testimony that God would bring judgments upon the wicked, and extolled God’s greatness (see Job 22–28).

    7. Job contrasted his past happiness and greatness with his present wretched condition and invited God’s critical examination and penalty if he was deserving (see Job 29–31).

Religion 302 student manual, 3-2; 3-6 through 3-8.

TPJS, p. 162. Are death and disease always a chastisement from God for sin?

TPJS, p. 34. The early Saints of this dispensation, like Job, did not understand the reasons for their great afflictions.

DBY, pp. 345–46. Why are trials necessary?

GD, pp. 56–57. Is the misfortune or evil we suffer attributable to God?

Bruce R. McConkie, in CR, Oct. 1976, pp. 157–60. Why does the Lord allow his faithful Saints to suffer?

Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, pp. 97–98. Why does the Lord not eliminate suffering from our lives?

  1. Job 32–37. Elihu Reproved Job’s Three Friends for Their Ineffective Arguments, but He Adopted Similar Ones

    1. Elihu explained that he was intervening because he was upset with Job’s attitude and the arguments of the three friends (see Job 32).

    2. Elihu spoke of God’s greatness, power, and justice, emphasizing that God would not afflict anyone unjustly (see Job 33–37).

Deuteronomy 32:4. What must we know about God to understand the story of Job?

Alma 38:5. What should individuals do in times of trial?

  1. Job 38–42. Job Found Satisfaction in God’s Answer and Was Blessed Abundantly

    1. Jehovah, speaking out of a whirlwind, questioned Job about the wonders of creation and illustrated the folly of any human attempt to criticize his doings (see Job 38–41).

    2. Job acknowledged his limited understanding and God’s omniscience, and he repented (see Job 42:1–6).

    3. The Lord condemned Job’s friends for their presumption and false assertions (see Job 42:7–9).

    4. The Lord reversed Job’s fortunes and blessed him with a greater blessings than he had previously had (see Job 42:10–17).

Religion 302 student manual, 3-2; 3-9.

Isaiah 55:8–9. Can we evaluate the ways of the Almighty?

Matthew 10:22. Who will be saved in God’s kingdom? (see also Revelation 2:7, 10).

D&C 58:2–4. When and to whom does the Lord give his greatest blessings? (see also D&C 103:12).

Some Suggestions for Presentation

You are not expected to teach everything in the scripture content outline. Select those concepts that you feel will be the most helpful to your students.

Why Do Good Men Suffer? (Sections A–C)

One persistent question of all time is, Why does God, who is all-powerful, permit innocent people to suffer? (see Religion 302 student manual, 3-1). Point out that the book of Job deals with that very question. Indicate that we do not have all the answers about suffering and evil, but we do know that God can and sometimes does preserve us from them, although sometimes he does not. We also know that all that God allows to come upon us is for our good and will be so if we maintain faith in him.

Review the historical context of Doctrine and Covenants 121 and read verses 1–6. Then read with students the Lord’s answer to Joseph Smith (D&C 121:7–11; 122:7). Note that in his reply the Lord said, “All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7).

Refer to transparencies 21 and 22.

Discuss how trials and suffering sanctify those who endure them well. Give examples of people who have gained great strength and spirituality by enduring great hardship.

Good Can Come from Suffering (Section D)

Read through several newspapers, gathering articles that illustrate the suffering and tragedy to which humans are subject. Read representative articles—perhaps just the headlines will do—and ask the students if any good can ever come from such misfortune. Point out that the scriptures, although not fully answering the question of why good men suffer, do indicate that benefits can come from pain and sorrow. Write Job 42:12–17 on the board and ask how Job’s ending compared with his beginning. Next, read Hebrews 5:8–9 with the class. Point out that Jesus, who suffered more than all men, profited from his suffering. According to the scriptures, he “learned obedience by the things he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Joseph Smith purified his soul in the fires of persecution. Brigham Young said: “Joseph could not have been perfected, though he had lived a thousand years, if he had received no persecution. If he had lived a thousand years, and led this people, and preached the Gospel without persecution, he would not have been perfected as well as he was at the age of thirty-nine years.” (In Journal of Discourses, 2:7).

Discuss whether the Lord would be helping us if he eliminated all suffering. Why or why not?

Reasons for Trials (Sections A–C)

One theme of the book of Job should not be missed: trials refine and purify the individual. Have the students underline Job 23:6, 10–16.

Discuss the following:

“God hath said that He would have a tried people, that He would purge them as gold” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 135).

President John Taylor said he heard the Prophet Joseph Smith say to the Twelve, “God will wrench your very heartstrings” (in Journal of Discourses, 24:197).

Abraham received his greatest blessings after the trial of his faith. The principle is stated in Ether 12:6 and in Lectures on Faith 6:8. “God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect” (JST, Hebrews 11:40; emphasis added). Even Jesus had to learn “obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Read the challenge given to the Saints by the Prophet Joseph Smith in Teachings, pages 35–36.

Ask if we can emerge from trials with a testimony like Job’s (see Job 19:22–27). Discuss why Job was able to remain strong through such severe trials and how we can become able to endure as he did.