This week I received a critique of my preaching that went
like this: “Love Doug’s preaching, but it lacks personal application, and a
personal challenge. It’s scholarly, big words, but not real engaging. It lacks
real life stories that I can relate to.”
That got me thinking about how God chose to communicate with
us. For many, when they think of the Scripture they think of commandments or
various exhortation. But surprisingly God seems to agree with “my reviewer”,
for when He determined to communicate spiritual truth to us He selected
biography, rather than lecture or essay. Years ago, one of my professors wrote
a book on Old Testament theology entitled, He
Gave Us Stories, because he understood the power of that medium to
communicate truth.
Stories are much more interesting and engaging than
precepts. Stories have the power to hook us because we all have one. In fact,
one of the best questions you can ask someone is, “Tell me your story.” Stories
suck us in and promote reminders and parallels to our own story.
Over the next three months we will be digging in deeply to
the stories of nine different biblical characters. In nearly every case we will
be interacting with them at the climax of their life. This is the point at
which God encounters them and exposes to them not only who He is, but who they
are. What inevitably happens when you examine each exposure is that you see yourself
in them. Their story reveals our story and that’s where God begins to change us
as He changed them.
So this week we begin with Job. Our text is Job 42:1-9 and
yet we will be referring to Job’s entire life. When God shows up in chapter 38,
after a 38 chapter silence, He meets Job in a whirlwind. Look at Job 38:1,
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said…”
For years I’ve heard people say from time to time, “I feel
like Job” or “He’s like Job.” And yet, every time I hear those words I think of
1988 and the Vice-Presidential debate between Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quayle.
When Quayle said that he had as much political experience as J.F.K. had when he
ran for the presidency, Bentsen retorted, “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy.
I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack
Kennedy.” There’s no one I know who’s like Job, and yet his struggle is a
struggle all of us share. God’s answer to that struggle is the same answer He
gives to us. And that answer has the power to change us.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the
following:
1.
Read Chapters 1, 2, 23:1-5, and 42.
2.
Why does God challenge Satan in Chapter 1?
3.
What does He mean when He says that there’s no
one like Job, blameless and upright?
4.
How does Job distinguish himself from you and me
in 1:21?
5.
What do you make of his statement to his wife in
2:10?
6.
What is it that undoes Job and makes him long
for an audience with God in Chapter 23:3-4?
7.
Why does God come to Job in a whirlwind?
8.
What answer does God give to Job’s challenge?
9.
What’s at the heart of Job’s problem with his
suffering?
10. How
does Job prove God right in His challenge to Satan in Chapter 1? What is
Satan’s view of Job’s faith?
I am excited to see you on Sunday!
