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Church of God
Sunday School
THE TRIALS OF JOB

Job 1:1 – 3:26; 38:1 – 42:17

In the land of servant came to tell Job that fire from heaven had
Uz (UHZ) there fallen and burned up all the sheep and servants. Only
lived a man named that messenger escaped!
Job. He was a per- While he was telling this to Job, another servant
fect and upright came with more bad news! Three bands of Chaldeans
man. He feared God and hated evil. (kal-DEE-uhns) had stolen the camels and killed the
Job was extremely wealthy. He had seven sons and servants. He said, "I only am escaped alone to tell
three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thee."
thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five This would seem like too much bad news to bear,
hundred she asses (female donkeys). He had a very but the worst was yet to come! While the third messen-
large household. ger was speaking to Job, a fourth servant came. He told
Job was not selfish with his great riches. He helped Job that all his children had gathered together for a
the poor, the widows, and the fatherless (Job 29:12-13). feast in the home of the oldest brother. While they were
Job was also concerned that his children love and there, a strong wind caused the house to fall in. All of
honor God. When his children were grown, they would Job's children were dead!
gather together and have feasts. Job would offer Can you imagine Job's grief? He tore his outer
sacrifices to God for each of them, asking God to garment and shaved his head (signs of great grief), but
forgive his children if they had sinned. "Thus did Job he did not curse God (as Satan said he would). Instead,
continually." Job fell on the ground and worshiped the Lord. He
People all over the east knew of Job. He was "the said, "the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;
greatest of all the men of the east." God also took blessed be the name of the LORD ."
notice of Job. On a certain day when Satan came before Again, Satan came before the Lord, and again God
the Lord, the Lord asked Satan if he had ever consid- asked if he had considered "my servant Job?" In spite
ered His faithful servant Job. God told Satan, "There is of all Satan had caused Job to suffer, God said "still he
none like him in the earth." God said that Job was "a holdeth fast his integrity [moral values]."
perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and But Satan was not finished! He told the Lord that
escheweth [avoided] evil." Job losing his possessions and his children was nothing
Satan answered that Job only served God because compared to suffering pain in his body. If that hap-
of the many blessings that he had received. Satan said pened to Job, Satan was sure that he would curse God.
that God had put a "hedge" (protection and blessings) The Lord allowed Satan to further test Job. God said,
around Job. If God were to remove that hedge, Satan "Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life."
was sure that Job would curse God. So, God gave Satan So Satan went from the Lord's presence and smote
permission to test Job. He could do as he liked with Job with boils, from the top of his head to the soles of
Job's possessions, but he could not touch Job's body. his feet. Job was miserable! He had intense pain,
Satan then left God's presence. extreme itching, and fever. He was unable to sleep
Job did not know what was about to happen to him. because of his suffering.
No doubt, that day began as usual. But soon Job began Job went outside and "sat down among the ashes"
to receive terrible news! A messenger came with news (to show his grief). (It is thought that this was a place
that the Sabeans (suh-BEE-uhnz) had stolen all the outside of the city where the garbage was burned—a
oxen and asses and had slain the servants who were dunghill.) While sitting on the ashes, Job used a piece
taking care of the animals. Only the messenger had of pottery to scrape his boils.
survived. All of this must have been too much for Job's wife.
While the messenger was still speaking, another She, too, had lost her children and possessions. She
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asked Job if he still had "his integrity." Then, she told world? Did Job know where light and darkness
Job that he should "curse God, and die." Job answered dwelled? Could Job speak to the clouds and cause rain
her, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women to fall? Job humbled himself and said to the Lord, "I
speaketh." Job asked his wife, "Shall we receive good know that thou canst do every thing, and that no
at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" thought can be withholden from thee." Job now under-
Through all of that Job still did not "sin with his lips." stood that God was in control of everything.
When Job's three friends heard of all that had After this, the Lord's wrath was stirred against
happened to him, they came to mourn with him and to Job's three friends because they had spoken untrue
comfort him. At first they did not recognize him. When things about Job. God commanded them to take seven
they realized it was Job, they tore their mantles and bullocks and seven rams and offer them as burnt
threw dust up into the air so that it might fall on their offerings. The Lord told them that Job would pray for
heads (a sign of intense suffering). them, for his prayer would be accepted.
Job's three friends then sat down on the ground When Job prayed for his friends, God "gave Job
with Job and did not speak for seven days "for they saw twice as much as he had before." Job's brothers and
that his grief was very great." Finally, Job spoke first. sisters and all his friends came to his house. They gave
He said that he was sorry he had ever been born. He him money and comforted him. God blessed Job. He
begged God to take his life. had twice as many animals as he had before, and he
When Job's friends spoke to Job, their words were had seven sons and three daughters also. "In all the
not comforting at all! They believed that Job must have land were no women found so fair as the daughters of
done something wrong and that God was punishing Job."
Job. They accused Job of trying to hide his sins. (Read After that Job lived one hundred and forty years.
Job 4:7; 22:5.) All of this only made Job's suffering He lived long enough to see his sons and their sons,
worse. even to four generations. So God blessed Job's end
Job told his friends that he had not sinned (Job more than his beginning.
31:1-40), but they did not believe him. They stopped
answering Job "because he was righteous in his own
eyes" (Job 32:1). But Job begged God to answer him MEMORY VERSE:
(Job 31:35)! "Then the LO R D answered Job out of the "The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;
whirlwind." blessed be the name of the LORD ." —Job 1:21
God asked Job where he was when God created the

C opyright © 2012 C hurch of God, Inc. 2 The Trials of Job