"Those Jews" our ancestors of faith, by Harley Bye followed by drama moment with Debbie Baxter10/14/2012 Topic : My Favourite Old Testament Story! Why? Because the Book of Job is fully human! I-
II- What are your Favourite Stories?
III- Stories passed from generation to generation and written 100's years later. That's oral Tradition, even the New Testament, and prone to error of memory and exagerations of human imagination. IV- One of my choice stories is the Book of Job. We read The Book of Job, to explore the most difficult questions of life to explore the most difficult questions of life...questions most people ask at some time or other :
And after 41 chapters, the writer wordly illustrated the inadequacy of human logic to explain the problem. Then as now no firm reply, we can only ascribe to mystery. Come with me for a very quick review to this Old Testament story we know very well. The Story Of Job The setting is Uz, which is now Syria. Job is blameless and upright, as good a person as you will find anywhere. He was blessed by children = 7 sons and 3 girls. And he was rich in goods as well as character:
Imagine The Debate in Heaven : angels doing a conference with God, reporting on their divers activities. Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. God is also reporting and brags on his servant , Job. "Yeah" says Lucifer, that's because you protect him and favour him with so much wealth and love.Take it away and you'll find he'll curse you to your face". God replies : "I'll accept your challenge. But spare his life. We'll see what happens. "Testing his soul, not destroying him." In this story, Job looses everything.
He is pictured covered with small pox and sitting on ashes when the lime burns the bacteria but controls the disease. . Job' Testimoney in the very pit of despair : " Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and The Lord has taken away; May the name of the Lord be praised! The worst is yet to come! But the biggest test is yet to come: wife and three of his closest friends come for a visit and try to help the wrong way.
For 30 chapters, Job and his friends debate. Finally, Job says " it's time we had a prayer meeting( 42:1-10). Brothers ad sisters gave $ for his recovery. I like the way Job recovered. Job clls his friends and wife to a prayer conference (42:1-10) The marines slogan " When the going gets tough, the tough gets going!"From "Hour of Power " with Robert Schuller, Guest Speaker Willie Jolley "A Set-Back is a Set-Up for a Comeback". They make a recovery plan! (42 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Epilogue7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and theLord accepted Job’s prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.) The story of Job ends on a happy note. His friends went to their home. And Job became properous again. Wealth was once again his. "Can't keep a good man down" ----------------------- God blessed Job more than at first.
---------------------- The end Job grew old and died. But his will was ectraordinary. Girls and boys got equal shares. Every person got 10% therefore the boys and the girls got equal number of sheep, camels, cows,donkeys. What the 3 girls did with all those camels, sheeps, and dunkeys---I'll leave it to your imagination! Conclusion = Why Job is my favourite story. 1. He too was afflicted by disease
3 My faith has wavered at time. Is there a God who cares. What is going on? Key to wavering faith
"On behalf of Carol and myself, we could never have been more blessed." Drama Moment with Debbie Baxter
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