Job 1

Job Loses Everything, Except …

When something bad happens to you, how do you react? How do you feel toward God? Do you feel differently toward God or yourself if a bad thing happened to you and you “did nothing wrong”? Job 1 tells how Job reacted to what happened to him. Consider how you would react in his situation.

Understanding the Scriptures

Job 1

Upright (vv. 1, 8)Righteous

Eschewed, escheweth (vv. 1, 8)Avoided, avoid

Sanctified (v. 5)Made clean before God through ordinances

Nought (v. 9)For nothing

Hedge (v. 10)Like a fence built to protect

Made out three bands (v. 17)Formed three groups

Rent his mantle (v. 20)Tore his robe

Charged (v. 22)Accused

Job 1:6–12—Do God and Satan Really Make Agreements?

The Lord has power over Satan and has no need to “bargain” with him. In Job 1:6–12 we learn that the Lord was pleased with the way Job was living but that He still allowed Satan to tempt and cause trials for Job. Job 2 contains a similar situation. Notice that both times Job was tried, the Lord set the “rules” for what Satan could and could not do. We can feel confident knowing that as long as we are faithful to the Lord, He will never allow Satan to cause more trials for us than we are able to overcome (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Studying the Scriptures

Do activities A and B as you study Job 1.

1. Write a Recommendation for Job

   If Job were applying for work and asked you to write a recommendation letter about the kind of person he was, what would you say about him, based on what you read in Job 1?

2. Same or Different?

   Describe how Job responded to what happened to him and how his reaction compares to the way you think righteous people would have responded.