This is Bildad first speech in this debate.
He concluded that Job was accusing God of injustice. (v3)
He said Job’s children died because they have sinned against God, and thus received penalty of their sin. (v4)
Bildad get his understanding of how God would punished the sinners and reward those the righteous from previous generations. (v8-10).
He accused Job of forgetting God (v13)
He alluded that Job was not blameless because God does not reject a blameless man (v20).
If God is good and just, why do people suffer?
The glory of God
The fear of God is the wisdom of man (Job 28:28)
The sovereignty and governance of God
Ancient Jewish tradition ascribed the book to Moses. Moses potentially heart about the story of Job and inspired by the Holy Spirit to write this book while he was in the wilderness of Midian for 40 years.
Another possible author is Job or Elihu.
Job in Hebrew means “the afflicted ones”, “the persecuted one”.
Job is a real historic man. He was mention in Ezekiel 14:14,20 and James 5:11. He lived in Uz (1:1).
Let’s try to find Job in other OT scriptures.
In a postscript of the book of Job, the Septuagint, following the ancient tradition, identified Job with Jobab, the second king of Edom (Gene 36:33).
Since Job came from Uz, and in OT time, it was common to name a place after the person who live there. In OT there are three persons named Uz:
One theory is Job was one of the sons of Nahor, because Nahor has another son named Buz (Gen 22:21), and Elihu was a Buzite (Job 32:2). So it is possible that Elihu was one of the sons or grandsons of Buz.
Job was the greatest man among all the people of the East (1:3). East is defined as the land between Egypt and Euphrates River. He was a rich man, owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 5,00 oxen, and 500 donkeys, and large number of servants.
He was blessed by God with 7 sons and 3 daughters (1:2)
He was a person that feared God, as a result he was blameless and upright, and away from evils (1:1).
God called Job His servant at least twice (1:8;2:3). So we know Job was a person that knows about God and served God.
The history of Israel with God, as well as Mosaic’s laws, sacrifices and tabernacle is not mentioned at all in this book. Thus the time frame of Job is probably before Moses time.
Job lived over 180 years (140 + 60) (Job 42:16). Based on Genesis, people in Abraham time lived this long age, so Job was probably lived a couple of hundreds years before or after Abraham.
Job is the first of the five wisdom books in OT, along with Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Songs of Songs.
Job 3:1 – 42:6 was arranged in Hymns like manner.
These wisdom books talk about life and came to the same conclusion:
1) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10)
2) The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom (Job 28:28)
3) Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Regardless of whether it was Job, Elihu or Moses whom wrote this book by the inspiration from Holy Spirit, this book was probably the first completed book in the bible.
Job was quoted in:
Rom 11:35: Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIMTHAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? (Job 41:11)
1 Cor 3:19: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS” (Job 5:13)
Job was mentioned by Ezekiel is Ezekiel 14:14 and by James in James 5:11
Suffering is one of the biggest questions concern by men. Why do people suffer if there is a loving God who created and care for His creation?
The answer is in Genesis chapter 3. There was no suffering before the fall of man. However Adam and Eve disobey God, as a result sins came into the world. Because of sins, God cursed the devil (Gen 3:14), women (Gen 3:16), earth (Gen 3:17), and men (Gen 3:19). The punishment of sin is death, and suffering is part of the process of death.
So sins was the root cause of why human experience suffering.
However our God is good and all powerful. He could and often use suffering to make man repent and turn to Him.
God is our heavenly father, He would discipline us if we disobey Him. And discipline often involves sort level of suffering. (Heb 12).
In the case of Job, there was a reason in the spiritual realm as told in chapter 1 why Job suffered.[For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.] (Ephesians 6.12).
Many people know only the battle between the spirit and the flesh; they do not perceive the conflict that rages between us believers and the evil spirits as described in the sixth chapter of Ephesians. The real spiritual battle is fought between us and Satan with his evil spirits. This battle is joined by all matured believers, for the children of God on earth are frequently attacked by evil spirits. Such attacks sometimes occur in the believers’ environment, sometimes in their physical bodies, sometimes in their thoughts, sometimes in their emotions, and sometimes in their spirits.
Too often believers are not aware of being attacked by evil spirits. They do not understand why everything seems to be against them, creating terrible confusion and trouble. They too often take these things as natural, not realizing that frequently they are being supernaturally oppressed by the evil spirits.
Suffering could also be caused by sins in our life.
King David sins against Uriah and Bathsheba, although he had repent and asked for forgiveness from God, and God has forgiven him, but David still have to bear the consequences of his sins.
It is interesting that the first book of the bible (in the order of when the book was written) mentioned Satan, at the beginning of the book.
Similarly, Satan appear in the beginning of Genesis, in chapter 3.
Satan is the deceiver, the destroyer and the accuser. The is the enemy of God. But it is very clear that God has authority over Satan. Satan would not be able to touch the hair of Job if God did not allow it. Satan still needed to come to present himself before God (1:6).
Satan will do anything to get man to stop serving God. His desires is for men to curse God (1:11;2:5)
Satan accused the Job of being faithful to God only for the blessing he received from God.
The book of Job gives us a picture of God who is the Creator of heaven and earth (chapter 38 and 39), including every things living on earth. He is also in control of everything in this world. He is authority over angels, satan, and man.
Job’s three friends were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite.
Eliphaz was possibly the son of Esau. One of his son was Amalek, which makes Eliphaz the ancestor of Amalekites (Gen 36:11-12)
Bildad was possibly descendant of Abraham and Keturah (Gen 25:2)
We do not know the background of Zophar.
They were good friends of Job. They heard about Job’s trouble and make arrangement to visit Job to sympathize and to comfort him. When they saw Job from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. They sat on the gound with him for seven days and seven nights without saying a word. (2:11-13).
Chapter 3 to Chapter 31 is a record of three rounds of debates between Job and his three friends. Three of them concluded that although Job seem like a righteous man outside, he must have sinned against God, that was the reason of Job’s suffering, it was punishment from God.
All three friends try to explain there has to be a connection between Job’s present suffering and his past life. They are looking for a logical, cause-and-effect relationship. Their arguments can all be reduced to this:
The three friends each base their accusations on different arguments:
On Satan first attack, Job responded with praises to God.
[He Said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”] (Job 1:10)
Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing (1:22).
On Satan second attack, Job responded with trust in God.
[But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. ](Job 2:10)
But after his friends came and voiced out their opinion that Job must be suffering because of his sins against God. So Job started to defend himself. The more Job defends himself against the logic of his friends, the more he adopts their approach and builds his own argument:
But Job never quite draws that final conclusion; rather it is:
After Job kept silence with his friends for 7 days and 7 nights, Job finally started to speak. From Job’s words, we slowly know more about what he was thinking inside him.
Job expressed [What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.] (Job 3:25).
We see that before he experienced these tragedy, he already feared that it would happen to him. It seems to indicate that Job was afraid of God, he lived a righteous life because he wanted to avoid being disciplined from God.
On several occasions Job readily admitted to having sinned:
Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be.” (Job 7:21)
For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. (Job 13:26)
But Job questioned the extent of his sin as compared to the severity of his suffering.
What Job was lacking in his understanding of God is that God is our heavenly father. God wanted us to trust in Him and love Him as son loves his father.
However as Job trying to prove he was a righteous man with out sin, he slowly revealed his sinful nature: self righteousness. Job was pride of himself because he was a righteous man.
Job was so sure of him righteousness that he was willing to condemn God to defense his righteousness (Job 40:8)
At the end, Job acknowledge the power and wisdom of God. Job replied to God “I know that you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2). And then Job continue to say “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”
Job finally repent of his sin of self righteousness. He said to God:
“My ears had heard of You,
but now my eyes have seen You.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 40:4-6)
Elihu say the the youngest among them. After everybody finished their arguments, it was time for Elihu to speak.
Chapter 32 to 37 is the record of the argument of Elihu.
Elihu explained that Job’s suffering was because God wanted to discipline him, so that Job self righteousness would die and Job would become a better person.
Elihu cautions Job against blaming God.
However when Elihu’s argument was not well accepted, he himself get mad, and revealed his own sinful nature. So he stepped back.
Then came thunder and rain, after that he saw sun rise in the north in golden color. He then describe the magnificent of God.
Chapter 38 to 42 is a record of God’s response to them. God did not actually answer Job question, why did he suffer. God did not tell him about Satan. What God did instead of asking Job a bunch of questions:
The questions go on and on to the end of chapter 39.
And God final question on His first declaration was:
Job responded with these words:
“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
“Once I have spoken, and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.” (40:4-5)
Then God continued to ask Job questions in chapter 40 to the end of chapter 41.
Then Job finally repent:
[Then Job answered the LORD and said,
2 “I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”] (Job 42:1-6)
Job no longer question God. He acknowledge God sovereignty, wisdom, power, majesty and authority over him. Job see that the majesty of God. He no longer needed the answer to him question: why did he experience these tragedy, because God is his answer.
James in NT told us that God purpose was to test the steadfastness of Job, to reveal how compassionate and merciful God is. (James 5:11)
After Paul talks about husband and wife, he continues to give two examples of the life of believer who is filled with the Spirit (5:18), the relationship between parents and children, and between masters and slaves.
In one sense, the full armor of God is a picture of Jesus Christ.
Christ has ascended into the highest heaven (v10). He then gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to His church (v11), to prepare God’s people for the works of service. When God’s people, the body of Christ functions normally, with each member exercising their own spiritual gifts, the body of Christ will be built up. The body of Christ will be fully built up when all members all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (v13).
It is Christ Himself who the whole body was joined and held together. Christ does it by letting every members of the body to perform its function (v16).
Paul then talked about how Christians, the members of the body of Christ should live. Christians are all members of one body (v25), we ought to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other (v32). These and all the contents in v17-32 are the signs of us maturing and growing in unity in our knowledge of Christ (v13).
God’s eternal purpose which He accomplished is Christ Jesus (v11) is that the manifold wisdom of God may now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (v10). The rulers and authorities are referring to the angels, both good and the fallen angels.
On Paul’s second prayer in Ephesians, he prayed about four requests, which one request leads into the next one and so on. Paul prayed that:
1) God the Father will strengthen our inner man through the Holy Spirit (v16)
2) so that Christ may dwell in our heats through faith (v17)
3) so that we have the the power to grasp the love of Christ (v18)
4) which will result in us being filled with the fullness of God (v19)
The chapter tells us about our positions in Christ. First, we are lived in Christ (v5). Second, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (v6). Third, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ (v10). Four, we are one on Christ, gentiles and Jews as one (v14). Five, we are fellow citizens in God’s kingdom. Sixth, we are members of God’s household, with Christ as the Chief Cornerstone (v19-20).
In Chapter 1, Paul reveals to the church the Eternal Purpose of God. The main verses are verse 9 and 10.
God only has one Eternal Purpose. He set this purpose according to His own good pleasure (v9). His eternal purpose was a mystery since the beginning of time (v9), but know is revealed to the church. His Eternal Purpose is His Son Jesus Christ. In God perfect time, God will unite all things in heaven and on earth in Christ (v10).
Everything began with Christ (Hebrew 1, Col 1), sustains by Christ, and will end in Christ. For He is the Alpha, and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. All created things in heaven and on earth to be under the Christ, will submit to Christ, will acknowledge Christ as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Phi 2:10)
Paul first of the two prayers to the Ephesians church consists of the following content:
Paul wrote this letter (1:1;3:1) while in Rome’s prison (A.D. 59-61) destined to the saints in Ephesus (1:1). Other than Ephesians, Paul also wrote the letters of Colossians, Philippians and Philemon. These letters of called “prison epistles”.
Paul asked Tychicus (6:21), together with Onesimus (Col 4:9) to deliver these letters to the church in Ephesus, the church in Colossee, and to Philemon. The letter to Philippians was potentially delivered by Ephroditus from Philippi(4:18)
The purpose of this letter is to reveal the eternal purpose of God to the church.
The key verses of the eternal purpose of God was mention on 1:10 and 3:10.
Ephesians and Colossians are the highest revelation of God’s eternal purpose to His church. Colossians emphasizes on Christ as the head of His church. Ephesians emphasizes on the church as Christ body.
This epistle talks about things of the heavenly realms (G2032, epouranios)
1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
1:20 which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms
2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms
6:12 For our struggle is not against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesus was a rich, busy port at the end of the caravan route from Asia. It is on the intersection between the eastern and the western world. It was a trading city, where goods were exchanged between east and west. This huge city contained a 25,000 seats theater (Acts 19:29), an agora (town square), public baths, a library, and few temples.
A temple of the Greeks goddess Artemis (Acts 19:23), also known by the Romans as Diana, was built near by the city. It was the largest building in the Greek world. Many pilgrims came to Ephesus to worship Artemis, as a result many people in Ephesus made good living as silversmith, craftsmen and workman for Artemis (Acts 19:25). Ephesus was known as the guardian of the temple of Artemis and of her image (Acts 19:35).
Paul visited Ephesus on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19) for a short stay, and on his third missionary journey (Acts 19) and stayed there for three years. He spent 3 months in the synagogue arguing about the kingdom of God, and later spent two years in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:10) to teach the whole counsel of God.
Ephesians is often compared to Joshua in OT. Joshua was a book about the Jews entering the promised land, and had victory over the enemies by the promised and the power of God.
Ephesians 1:3 says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”. Christ is our promised land.
Paul first visit to Ephesus was at the end of his second missionary journey. He only spent a short time in Ephesus on his way back to Antioch (Acts 18:22). When he left Ephesus, he asked Aquila and Priscilla to stay (Acts 18:26).
A man name Apollos from Alexandrian came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John. and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
On Paul third missionary journey he stay in Ephesus three years (Acts 20:31). He baptized a dozen of the John the Baptist’s followers (Acts 19:1-7). He taught the whole counsel of God to the Ephesians in the hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:8-10). God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them (Acts 19:11-12). During Paul ministry in Ephesus, the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power (Acts 19:20). A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. (Acts 19:19).
Because of Paul’s preaching that man made gods are no gods at all, the silversmith, craftsmen and workmen of Artemis started an uproar against Paul’s traveling companions, Gaius from Derbe and Aristarchus from Thessalonica (Acts 19:29).
At the end of Paul’s 3d missionary trip, on his way to Jerusalem, he called for a meeting with the elders of the Ephesus’s church (Acts 20:17) in the coastal town of Miletus.
When Paul was in the prison of Rome, he wrote this letter to the Ephesians church (A.D. 60-62). (3:1;4:1;6:20).
After Paul was released, he traveled to Ephesus for the last time. After he left Ephesus, he wrote to Timothy (1 Tim) who he left in Ephesus to ministry to the church. After that Paul was arrested by the Roman again, he then wrote a second letter to Timothy who are still in Ephesus. According to church history, Paul was martyred in Rome.
Ephesians give us a blueprint of our spiritual growth in Christ. Paul taught about three positions of Christians in Christ, that help us to growth in Christ, to enjoy the riches of Christ.
There are two prayers of Paul in Ephesus. The posture that links “sitting” with “walking” and standing” is “bowing the knee”. It is through prayer that we lay hold of Christ’s riches that enable us to behave like Christians and battle like Christians.
In the first prayer, the emphasis is asking God to give us a revelation. The emphasis of the second prayer is that the revelation will be realized in us.
While believers are free from the law of Moses and possesses liberty in the Spirit, but we must fulfill the law of Christ, with the power of the Spirit. Such life involves sacrificial service direct toward sinning Christians, burdened Christians, teachers and all people.