JOB

Job

An Arab from the land of Uz (Not OZ!)

His name means "hated"

His Character as described in the book of Job

blameless

perfect

just

upright

feared God

turned from evil

Family

Married with 7 sons and 3 daughters

Position

Considered the greatest man among all the people of the East

Possessions

7,000 sheep

3,000 camels

500 yoke of oxen

500 donkeys

A large number of servants

God's Opinion of Job

(1:8) "There is no one on earth like him;

he is blameless and upright,

a man who fears God

and shuns evil...

(2:3) And he still maintains his integrity (in loss)

though you (satan) incited me against him

to ruin him without any reason."

Welcome to the Book of Job. This is a first time for me to actually spend time studying this book in depth. I welcome any comments and wisdom you gain from studying this book. As you go through this study with me, I would like to share some of my favorite websites where you can get Bible concordances and dictionaries for free. Here they are: ttp://www.biblegateway.com/ and http://www.blueletterbible.org/ . Here are some other sites I like to get information on a number of matters pertaining to the Christian Walk. http://cbn.com/ , http://www.troubledwith.com/ . Along with this, I want to share with you how I study. I was asked by a friend of mine some time ago just how I studied.

First

I TRY (not always the case) to find some time when it is quiet and I can focus on hearing from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and I don't want to miss what He has to say.

Second

I personally like to get a little background when I am doing a book study. When was it written? What was going on politically, historically? Was there persecution? Where was it taking place? In other words, I like to have a scene in which to put the "characters" in the story. I like seeing things in dimension rather than flat on a page. The above two links...blueletterbible and biblegateway are standards for me. You can read in any number of translations. What I do is open several browser window so I can go back and forth. That is what I am doing right now!

Third

The Word of God can only be understood by the Spirit of God. Without Him, there might be some surface understanding, but to know the deeper things of God, He has to be in our study time. It is interesting to me how sometimes I can read and get nothing. The next time I read, the Spirit of the Lord shoves my face down into the Bible and all of a sudden I see something I've never seen before. (Wow...now I understand everything about that verse!...not) It may be years later when I am once again grabbed and have my face shoved back down into that verse and another side of what God is saying becomes relavant. There is no end to the teaching of the Holy Spirit in just one tiny verse. There is always freshness in His teaching.

Fourth

I begin to read where He places me. Sometimes it is a book study. Sometimes it is a subject matter (That is where the links above help) and sometimes is it just one small verse. Perhaps He has called you to walk through the Bible each year. Where ever He has placed you...go there. Study His Way. What I am giving you is the way He has taught me.

Fifth

Listen. Sometimes I don't understand what He is saying and I just tell Him I don't understand!

You can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit within if you have accepted Jesus the Christ as your Lord and Saviour alone. Jesus said He would bring the comforter who would lead us and teach us and reveal to us... (One more point to listening. Commentaries are fine, but don't pick them up unless the Holy Spirit instructs you to. They are sometimes filled with wisdom, and sometimes not. Give God an opportunity to speak directly to you.)

Sixth

Don't be discouraged if you don't understand everything. If God gives you one nugget out of an entire chapter, hold on to that nugget as a gift from God. The Christian life is progressive...one step at a time...precept upon precept.

Finally...understand the importance of Bible study is not just to gain information so we can look good among our Christian bros and sis's. The Holy Spirit's leading to read a chapter, a book, a verse is to prepare us. Have you ever been reading...let's say...about forgiveness and within a few days you have to apply that teaching? Well, He prepares us if we will listen. Wisdom applied. Sometimes I've heard...been taught...and still screw up in application!

It's all about Him! So let's see what He is saying in this study. Will love to hear from you!