Bible Study Guide Day 007: Job 14

Summary

The web content presents a Bible study guide focusing on Job 14–16, detailing Job's continued lament, his reflection on life's fleeting nature, and Eliphaz's misguided response, with an emphasis on hope and the future mediator role of Jesus Christ.

Abstract

The Bible study guide for Day 007 delves into chapters 14 through 16 of the Book of Job. Job reflects on the ephemerality of life, questioning divine attention and care, and acknowledging the predetermined span of human life. Despite his suffering, he retains hope in God, anticipating redemption and the possibility of resurrection. Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, misunderstands Job's lamentations as a lack of faith and accuses him of sinfulness, suggesting that Job's suffering is a consequence of wickedness. He advises Job to seek God's wisdom and repent. Job, in turn, criticizes Eliphaz for his unsupportive remarks, asserting his innocence and his desire for a mediator to plead his case before God, unknowingly foreshadowing the role of Jesus Christ.

Opinions

Job perceives human life as transient, comparing it to withering flowers, and questions why God allows this.
Despite his despair, Job maintains a hopeful outlook, believing in God's redemptive power and the possibility of life after death.
Eliphaz incorrectly interprets Job's grief as a sign of hidden sinfulness and advises him to abandon his questioning and seek repentance.
Eliphaz holds the view that human beings are inherently sinful and cannot achieve righteousness on their own.
Job considers Eliphaz's attempts at comforting to be inadequate and hurtful, emphasizing his own integrity and need for divine advocacy.
The text suggests that Jesus Christ will serve as the ultimate mediator between humanity and God, a role that Job unknowingly anticipates.

Job 14

Job continues to lament his suffering, expressing the fleetingness of life and the inevitability of death.

He questions God’s attention and care towards humanity, as they are like withering flowers that will ultimately fade away.

He knows our days are numbered and cannot be extended beyond what God has decreed.

However, Job also holds onto hope and trust in God, recognizing that only through Him can there be redemption and restoration.

He acknowledges that even in death, there is the possibility of resurrection and restoration in God’s presence.

Eliphaz

Eliphaz returns to speak once more, wrongly accusing Job and misinterpreting both his heart and his intentions. He mistakenly believes that Job’s sorrow indicates a lack of trust in God.

Eliphaz also declares that humans are inherently sinful and cannot be righteous before God. He warns Job to stop questioning God’s motives and instead seek His wisdom.

He asserts that only the wicked suffer as Job has, suggesting that he must have committed some great sin to deserve such punishment from God.

He warns that the company of the godless leads to destruction and that Job should repent for his own good.

Job

Job responds to Eliphaz, accusing him of being a “miserable comforter” and criticizing his harsh words.

He maintains his innocence and continues to cry out to God for answers. Despite feeling abandoned by his friends, he still holds onto God’s justice and the hope of being vindicated.

Job again expresses his desire for a mediator between him and God, someone who could plead his case before Him.

Little does Job know that this mediator would ultimately be Jesus Christ, who intercedes on behalf of all believers before God the Father.

Bible Study Guide Day 007: Job 14–16

Job 14

Job 15

Eliphaz

Job 16

Job