The One Year Chronological Bible - Week 4 Reflection Questions

Week 4 (Jan 19-25): Job 1:1-25:6

As you read through these passages of the Bible, reflect upon these questions individually, through journaling, in pairs, or in small groups...

1. Job had experienced significant blessing from God and lived a righteous and blameless life even intervening before God on behalf of his children.  What are the ways that you have experienced God's blessing in your own life?
2. Satan appeared before God with the angels and God had a very casual conversation with him about what he had been doing and about Job.  Satan then challenged God to strike Job and to see how righteous he was when his circumstances changed.  Instead, God released all that Job had to Satan and calamity upon calamity struck Job's household.  How have you responded when calamity has struck your household?  Where have you seen or experienced God in the midst of calamity?
3. Satan again appeared before God with the angels and they had a very similar conversation.  This time Satan challenged God to strike Job's body and see how he would respond.  Again God did not strike, but allowed Satan to strike while not taking Job's life.  How have you responded when illness has struck you?  Where have you seen or experienced God in the midst of illness?
4. Consider how Job's wife and friends respond to his circumstances.  What can we affirm and emulate in their response?  What would we choose to do differently as we reach out to those who experience similar circumstances today?
5. In chapter 3, Job cursed the day of his birth.  Have you or someone that you know reached a point in life that resulted in similar sentiments?  If so, what were ways that the church was helpful or perhaps unhelpful in journeying through that time?
6. Eliphaz replied to Job's lament and reminded him of all the good that he had done.  He then put things into perspective and advised Job of what he should do.  Imagine how you would have received such a reply were it directed to you.  What can you learn from this?
7. Next Bildad replied to Job and challenged his assertions.  What would be some modern parallels to Bildad's reply?
8. Job asserted in his reply to Bildad that he was not able to speak up to God without fear.  Is this consistent with your view of God and God's relationship to you?  Why or why not?  What may be different for us in our day compared to Job in his time?
9. Choose a verse or two from Job to dwell with.  Read over it multiple times, perhaps even memorize it.  Offer it as a prayer to God.
10. In Job 19, we read that Job has not only lost all of his possessions and his health, but also the relationships of those most dear to him.  His family and friends have not stood beside him in the midst of his trial.  Yet he declares, "I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth...I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another."  This is profound loss with profound faith.  Where else do we see this type of juxtaposition throughout history or today?

 May the Lord bless and shape us through our individual reading and corporate study of His word this year.