Our ALL-SUFFICIENT GOD: Beyond Suffering in the Book of Job

ISBN-13: 9781495926464 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 232 str.

Arletta a. Haggard; Carol Culp Robinson

Opis

Our ALL-SUFFICIENT GOD: Beyond Suffering in the Book of Job invites you to lift your eyes higher and higher. See not only the hand of God and what He does, but also the face of God and His character as He reveals Himself in the book of Job. The authors take this often neglected and overlooked book of the Bible, separate it from its usual theme of suffering and show the enduring truths of God's character. Is God in control over all? Is God just? Is God loving? Is God all-knowing and all-wise? Job and his friends grappled with these questions. Like them, what we believe about God shapes our interpretation of God's dealings with us and with others and determines our actions. In the midst of his suffering, all Job had was faith in his God. At times, this God-tested, enduring faith looked rough, crude and raw, yet it endured. Through the experience, God revealed to Job and subsequently to us His attributes of sovereignty, providence, lovingkindness, justice, omniscience and wisdom. This guided, 13-week Bible study will help you appreciate God's worthiness to be loved, trusted, worshiped and served in all circumstances. As you have a fresh encounter with the book of Job, you will be encouraged to develop character like Job's that pleases God. You will learn to speak rightly about God and to benefit from greater intimacy with Him when troubles come. While this guidebook takes care in the areas of hermeneutics and theology, it is also practical for Christian living and personal devotion. It includes a three-act play, background material, word studies and weekly review questions. The first two lessons take the student through the entire book in an overview that gives the big picture and chronology of events. It is suitable for both individual and group studies. Lesson 3 addresses the circumstances surrounding Job's losses. The student is asked to evaluate her own personal losses and her response to adversity in her own life and in the lives of others. Lesson 4 identifies problems related to comforting those in grief. The student will be challenged to assess her beliefs about God's role in suffering and prosperity. She will develop biblical comforting skills. Lesson 5 scrutinizes Job's lifestyle as a God-fearer. The student will become sensitized to upholding God's reputation. She will develop strategies for turning away from temptation and evil. Lessons 6 through 8 highlight some of God's attributes that are displayed in the book of Job. Lesson 6 focuses on God's sovereignty. In studying Job's complaints against God's justice in Lesson 7, the student must consider the justification for any complaint of her own against God's justice. Lesson 8 explores God's dealings with the wicked and the righteous. Lesson 9 explores Job's response to suffering. The student will learn how to respond to God's dealings by trusting Him. Lesson 10 explains the continuity from the Old Testament through the New Testament of God's great salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. The student will write an explanation of Old Testament and New Testament faith and will develop evangelism skills. Lesson 11 gives Elihu's perspective on Job's suffering. The student will learn principles for interpreting suffering from a God-centered perspective. Through an assignment to interview a mature Christian who has endured troubles, she will understand how she can know the Lord more deeply through troubles. Lesson 12 relates God speaking to and restoring Job. This enjoyable climax to Job's trials gives the student an opportunity to see God afresh and to identify how her thoughts have changed through studying the book of Job. The Finale validates the God-centered intent of the study. The section wraps up the answers to the four pivotal questions posed in the Preface that the student is to consider throughout the study.