Job Chapter 9
Please read: Job 9 –
The response from Job does not seem to really respond to what his friend Bildad had said, but as you progress through the passage you realize that he really does. And Job had a lot to say about the character of God as he perceived it. What I believe Job is expressing in this chapter is a deep sense of fear of God. He had possessed a healthy fear of God prior to all this calamity that came upon him, but now he has an even greater fear of Him. He describes in this response the awesome power of God naming many examples. Because of that power and awesomeness man cannot contend with God. But it is exactly that point that caused Job to sin later in the book, he did try to contend with God and later confessed his sin when hearing God speak directly to him. In other words, Job knew that a man can be angry with God, but he cannot demand answers from God. And sometimes that can be the most difficult thing to bear when going through a difficult season, not knowing why God is not providing the answers.
Let's Reflect
1. Job did recognize that what Bildad had said in the previous chapter in verse 13 was true. He knew that the wicked perished. But this confused Job more because he knew he had not sinned, yet he was suffering. What is the question he asks in verse 2 that shows his confusion?
2. Verse 3 is a verse to remember as we go through the book of Job. Job understood that men cannot do what with God? But later we will find that is exactly what he tried to do.
3. In verses 4-10 Job sited several examples of the greatness of God, proof that God should not be argued with. What example of God’s awesome power did you find interesting that Job, a man of ancient times, was aware of?
4. Eliphaz had claimed to have had a vision, but Job described seeing God, but in the way other men in the Bible have described seeing God. How did he describe it?
5. In verse 13 there is mention of a name Rahab. Rahab was the name for a mythical event of creation in Babylonian history. Rahab was another name for a sea monster or Leviathan. Job was stating that God conquers all creatures both real and mythical in his anger so therefore he could not contend with God. What does Job wish he could argue with God about?
6. According to verse 20, Job does have the right understanding about our sinful state before a holy God. We can think we have not sinned but in comparison to His holiness our own words in declaring that can cause us to sin. What is the only answer when it comes to our sin problem? See verse 15.
7. Job understands that difficult times can come upon the wicked and the blameless. We say in our culture that God never promised us that life would be easy because we are followers of Christ. Even death still occurs for both the wicked and the blameless. But one thing Job did not get right is found in verse 23. Death is serious business to our God, and he does not do what Job said. What did Job say that he thinks God does?
8. Job was viewing the whole picture as if he were the guilty party being tried before the judge and that his case was hopeless. He wanted someone to be the mediator for him, but there was no one. In verses 27-31 Job concludes that God held him guilty no matter what he did. What did Job say in verse 32 that showed he understood where he stood in rank to God and His authority?
