Immersion Bible Studies: Job

Praise for IMMERSION

IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES is a powerful tool in helping readers to hear God speak through Scripture and to experience a deeper faith as a result.

Adam Hamilton, author of 24 Hours That Changed the World

This unique Bible study makes Scripture come alive for students. Through the study, students are invited to move beyond the head into the heart of faith.

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, author of Love and Intimacy

If you're looking for a deeper knowledge and understanding of God's Word, you must dive into IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES. Whether in a group setting or as an individual, you will experience God and his unconditional love for each of us in a whole new way.

Pete Wilson, founding and senior pastor of Cross Point Church

I highly commend to you IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES, which tells us what the Bible teaches and how to apply it personally.

John Ed Mathison, author of Treasures of the Transformed Life

The IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES series is no less than a game changer. It ignites the purpose and power of Scripture by showing us how to do more than just know God or love God; it gives us the tools to love like God as well.

Shane Stanford, author of You Can't Do Everything . . . So Do Something

JOB

IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES

by Lee A. Schott

Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Permissions Office, 201 Eighth Avenue, South, P. O. Box 801, Nashville, Tennessee 37202-0801, faxed to 615-749-6128, or e-mailed to: [email protected].

Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Common English Bible, © Copyright 2011 by Common English Bible, and are used by permission.

Some Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, COPYRIGHT © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society; New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved; Kings James Version of the Bible; the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved; New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1068, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org); and TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Schott, Lee, 1963–

Job / Lee Schott.

p. cm. — (Immersion Bible studies)

ISBN 978-1-4267-1630-0 (curriculm—printed/text plus : alk.

paper) 1. Bible. O.T. Job—Textbooks. 2. Bible. O.T. Proverbs—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 3.

Bible. O.T. Ecclesiastes—Textbooks. I. Title.

BS1415.55.S36 2011

223'.107—dc23

2011034112

Editor: Stan Purdum

Leader Guide Writer: Martha Bettis Gee

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20––10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Manufactured in the United States of America

Contents

IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES

1. Weathering the Storm

2. So-Called Comfort

3. Harsh Words

4. Hearing Voices

5. Perspective

6. Happily(?) Ever After

Leader Guide

Bibliography

REVIEW TEAM

Diane Blum

Pastor

East End United Methodist Church

Nashville, Tennessee

Susan Cox

Pastor

McMurry United Methodist Church

Claycomo, Missouri

Margaret Ann Crain

Professor of Christian Education

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Evanston, Illinois

Nan Duerling

Curriculum Writer and Editor

Cambridge, Maryland

Paul Escamilla

Pastor and Writer

St. John's United Methodist Church

Austin, Texas

James Hawkins

Pastor and Writer

Smyrna, Delaware

Andrew Johnson

Professor of New Testament

Nazarene Theological Seminary

Kansas City, Missouri

Snehlata Patel

Pastor

Woodrow United Methodist Church

Staten Island, New York

Emerson B. Powery

Professor of New Testament

Messiah College

Grantham, Pennsylvania

Clayton Smith

Pastoral Staff

Church of the Resurrection

Leawood, Kansas

Harold Washington

Professor of Hebrew Bible

Saint Paul School of Theology

Kansas City, Missouri

Carol Wehrheim

Curriculum Writer and Editor

Princeton, New Jersey

IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES

A fresh new look at the Bible, from beginning to end,

and what it means in your life.

Welcome to IMMERSION!

We've asked some of the leading Bible scholars, teachers, and pastors to help us with a new kind of Bible study. IMMERSION remains true to Scripture but always asks, Where are you in your life? What do you struggle with? What makes you rejoice? Then it helps you read the Scriptures to discover their deep, abiding truths. IMMERSION is about God and God's Word, and it is also about you––not just your thoughts, but your feelings and your faith.

In each study you will prayerfully read the Scripture and reflect on it. Then you will engage it in three ways:

Claim Your Story

Through stories and questions, think about your life, with its struggles and joys.

Enter the Bible Story

Explore Scripture and consider what God is saying to you.

Live the Story

Reflect on what you have discovered, and put it into practice in your life.

IMMERSION makes use of an exciting new translation of Scripture, the Common English Bible (CEB). The CEB and IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES will offer adults:

the emotional expectation to find the love of God

the rational expectation to find the knowledge of God

reliable, genuine, and credible power to transform lives

clarity of language

Whether you are using the Common English Bible or another translation, IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES will offer a refreshing plunge into God's Word, your life, and your life with God.

1.

Weathering the Storm

Job 1–2

Claim Your Story

When I was a girl growing up on an Iowa farm, I was terrified of thunderstorms. The approach of a storm caused the leaves on the big old cottonwood tree to whisper eerily, different from the usual summer breeze. The hair on the back of my neck would rise; and I'd hunker down inside the house, watching the gathering clouds through tall windows that faced west, toward the storm's approach.

It didn't help that a long-unused north door on this old farmhouse emitted a frightening, wailing hum whenever the winds grew strong. Mom would tell me not to be afraid, but I could not help cowering and trembling.

My father had a different reaction to the storm. In those days before tornado sirens, Dad would stand outside the front door where he could see the whole sky. He would sometimes hurry us down to the cool, dank basement, just to be safe; but he was ever calm and sure. When the worst was past, he would come and muss my hair, saying, See? There wasn't anything to worry about.

However, there was reason for worry! I had seen The Wizard of Oz. We've all seen the news footage of homes destroyed by cyclone-force winds. The storm may come for us. How will we weather it?

Enter the Bible Story

Starting Fresh

To read the Book of Job, we almost have to begin before the beginning. Before we can begin to read it well, it may be necessary to remember, and then