Chronological Bible Study – Jan 10

What I Noticed Today (Job 24-28)

Job 23-24

Job responds for the third time in Job 23-24, but this time, he ignores his friend’s arguments and speaks about God.

There are three main sections in Job 23-24:

• Job 23:1-12. Job wonders where God is. He wants to find God so he can lay out his case to God, believing that God would hear him and vindicate him.
• Job 23:13-17. Job is afraid of God. Job is terrified at the thought of being in God’s presence. His heart has grown faint, yet he still desires to be before God.
• Job 24:1-25. Job does not understand the seeming injustices he sees in the world: 1) there are injustices in the country (vv. 1-12), and 2) there are crimes in the city (vv. 13-17). Despite these injustices, Job says the wicked are cursed and remembered no more (vv. 18-24).

In closing (v. 25), Job challenged his friends to prove him wrong.

Some thoughts for additional consideration:

• While his friends continued to bring forth the same arguments, Job sees beyond his own suffering to the injustices that are going on all around them in the country and the cities. He may not understand the timing of God’s justice that comes to the wicked and the righteous, but he accepts that it is up to God to carry out.

Job 25

Bildad’s response in Job 25 is the shortest of the chapters in Job. Bildad makes two main points:

• Job 25:1-3. God is great. He has dominion over the world.
• Job 25:4-6. Man is not (great). No man born of a woman can stand before the righteous God.

Job 26-31

Job’s lengthy third response to Bildad covers Job 26-31.

Job 26-28

First, Job berates Bildad for being absolutely no help at all (Job 26:1-4). Then Job goes on to summarize his argument much like an attorney would in a courtroom.

• Job 26:5-14. Job explains that God sees and knows everything and that by comparison, man knows almost nothing about God.
• Job 27: 1-6. Job takes an oath that as long as he lives, he will not speak falsely or deceitfully and that he will maintain his integrity to the end.
• Job 27:7-10. Job curses those who would rise up against him.
• Job 27:11-23. Job teaches his friends about the power of God as he describes God’s judgment of the wicked. The wicked will die, and no one will mourn for them (a terrible insult in Eastern culture). There is rejoicing when the wicked are
• Job 28:1-11. Man cannot obtain wisdom by mining it out of the earth.
• Job 28:12-19. Man cannot buy wisdom; its value is greater than gold.
• Job 28:20-28. Wisdom comes only from God. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord and understanding from turning away from evil.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Day 11 Job 29-31