How do I explain the story of Job to my students?

Question

God makes a bet with the Devil that Job loves him no matter what.

To win the bet, God kills Job's wives, children, his servants, his animals, and then makes Job sick. No matter what, Job still loves God.

God wins the bet with the Devil.

To reward Job, God gives him new wives and new children.

The question is: If God took away all of your loved ones and replaced them with new people, would that be OK?

Also, why was it necessary for God to prove anything to anyone, especially the Devil?

Answer 1

...Take my wife, PLEASE!

Answer 2

Hiya, I really feel for you. I was 19 when I had my son (who is now 12 years old). The best advice I can give you is the female point of view in this. The minute I found out I was pregnant I fell in love with my unborn baby. To me I wasn't just pregnant but already a mother and the bond between me and my baby was just as strong then as it is now that my children are older. I know you can see the situation from a very practical view and only wish to expess that view to your ex but you need to realise that for the woman there can be a really strong instict to love and protect their baby even before it is born. Does taht make sense??? I know you should have a say in this situation as you are right, it does tale 2 people to make a baby, but if she has already bonded then I really don't think there is anything you could say that would change that. I do however think you will be a great Dad and I know it will be really difficult for you being so far away now, but look to the future and feel proud that although you may miss the early years while at uni, that your child is for life and there are sooooo many things you will see them do once you are settled into the career you have studied for! I really hope I've helped! Good luck to all of you xxx

Answer 3

Well I don't know if I would use that. See God tested Job not to punish Him. The way your teaching it sounds like He's evil and trying to punish Job even though he didn't do anything. I don't think many students would grasp the concept. This is something that only God can answer. If you are a true christian then you have the Holy Spirit in you. He can guide you and give you supernatural understanding and wisdom. Seek God for the answer. Don't try to make an answer up. That is the worst thing you can do. For more info go to the web sites listed

Answer 4

Hey good questions? I don't have the answers, but I always wonder about why things were/are the way they were/are. If that makes since. If I were God I would snap my fingers and the Devil would be gone. Then we wouldn't have to worry about Job loosing his first family to begin with. I don't think its fare. But thats the way it is. God gave us life and a mind of our own. Job was an amazing person to keep faith in God. Guess that is just an example of what our faith could be.

Answer 5

God didn't kill anyone in the Book of Job. God gave the Devil leave to do to Job whatever he wanted, with the exception of taking Job's life. There are many points of interest in this story. First of all, there's the Devil's arrogance. God asks him, "Where have you come from?" He responds (paraphrased) "I was just walking walking around and decided to drop in." NOTE: the Devil was in Heaven. Secondly, God brought Job to the Devil's attention. The Devil didn't say, "Well you've really outdone yourself in blessing Job. But I could take it all away and he'd curse You to Your face." Instead, God says, "Hey, what do you think about Job?" This is when the Devil says that if he lost all he had he'd curse God to His face. God GAVE THE DEVIL PERMISSION to do whatever he wanted to Job, BUT MADE THE RULE that he couldn't take his life. The Devil is bound by the rules God makes and must submit to them. Then the Devil throws everything he can at Job. Note that the afflictions that the Devil threw at Job were all signs that Job had come under covenant curse. This is why his friends all counseled Job to curse God and die. But Job would not curse God, even though he lamented over why God was allowing this to happen to him. In the end, even with the Devil throwing his worst at him, Job would not turn from God, and God richly rewarded Job for his faithfulness, and the Devil was left to look like a fool. God returned to Job a hundred times everything the Devil had taken from him, and I think the point is that if we will be faithful to God in ALL circumstances, there's nothing the devil can throw at us that we cannot persevere and that we will be rewarded for our perseverance in the end. God will often throw trials at His children to make them strong, but we must rely on Him and His love in these times in order to receive the best result from our trials. And, of course, greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Many other wonderful things to be gotten from the story, but be sure to look at the whole thing, and not just what's happening on the scene. Look behind the scene.

Answer 6

Gam zu l'tovah
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"This, too, is for the good" is cited in the Gemara with regard to the Tanna Nachum Ish Gam Zu, who was called this for he would always say: "Gam zu l'tovah," "This, too, is for the good."
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This Too Is For The Good

No person can know what is really good for him in the long run.

We lack peace of mind because we feel anxious and worried about what has happened to us in the past, or what might happen to us in the future. But the reality is we can never know whether the ultimate consequences of events. Being fired from your job, or being forced to find a new home could likely lead to events that will be beneficial for you.

Today, try to recall a time when a "bad" event turned out for the "good."(see Ohr Yechezkail - michtavim, pp.170 and 267-8)

Answer 7

First, do a review of Genesis 3:1-5. Do a careful review and notice, please the slanderous charges made there by Satan. Let's get the sense of this: Satan charges God with selfishly withholding something to which Eve was entitled. Notice how Eve sucks up this lie.

Second, and keeping in mind the review you just did, read Job chapters 1 and 2. Don't gloss lightly over these chapters. Read it. Because if you gloss lightly over them, you will come away with the mistaken impression that there is a bet going on. If you gloss lightly over them, you will come away with the mistaken impression that God kills people. But if you read them, keeping in mind your review of Genesis, you will understand that Satan filed a Complaint in the Garden of Eden and in Job he filed an Amended Complaint. Now, read the Amended Complaint:

Satan approaches God during a heavenly session of sorts and boldly states two things: (1) Job only worships God for what he can get out of it (hence, Job, and by extension all of us, worships God because he's the big guy with all the candy and that's all we want); and (2) God bribes Job for that worship (hence, God is not worthy of our worship since he pretty much pays us for it). This Complaint includes the following allegations:

Job does not worship you for nothing, you know! You protect every little thing he does; you bless the work of his hands; he's the richest guy around. BUT! Let's throw something else in the mix. Let me take away what he has and I can get him to curse you.

God does not have to prove anything to anybody. God is the Sovereign Lord God Jehovah of Armies – the king of all eternity and the creator. There are countless myriads of angels in the heavens who witnessed the original Complaint filed in the garden and witnessed this Amended Complaint filed in the case of Job. Indeed, the angels were right there in the same heavenly session. Did you notice that at Job 1:6?

Bottom line: there is no bet, there is no need to prove. There is a serious charge that has been leveled against the most high God in front of everyone. Jehovah God was well aware of the integrity and fidelity of his servant, Job and was confident that Job would maintain fast hold on that integrity. Job worshiped God because Job actually loved him. And Jehovah knew that whatever he allowed Satan to do, He himself could undo it. It was Satan who brought about the terrible events; killing Job's children by means of a windstorm, depriving Job of all his wealth, and when Job still did not take away his integrity, it was Satan who inflicted him with a loathsome condition.

What happened? Job, who knew absolutely NOTHING of what was going on, held fast to his integrity. Job endured. Jehovah restored his health, doubled his wealth, and blessed him with ten children. And oh yes, the ten children who were killed will be resurrected at the last day when Christ the king begins the general resurrection.

Will you be there when Job's children are brought back? Will your students? Where do we stand on this issue? You don't think these charges are serious? Even in human lives, to slander someone is to risk a charge of slander in the courts. And if found guilty, the punitive damages can be quite a bit. If legal charges of slander are so serious in a human court of law, how much more are these types of charges serious in the entire universe - AND when they are leveled against the Most High God?

Hannah J Paul

Answer 8

Satan said the only reason Job loved God was because he had a good life. So God allowed satan to completely destroy Job in order to prove that Job's love was not dependant on gifts from God, but on faith and an absolute love of God.

Answer 9

Have them watch the movie, "Trading Places". In that movie, two powerful men (analogous to Satan and God) make a trivial side bet that callously ruins the life of a person to make a trivial point.

Of course, the movie has a little more justice than the Bible story, in that the main characters being toyed with cause the powerful men to fall and thus enact revenge on them for doing such a cruel thing.

Answer 10

I'm not sure if your being sincere or sarcastic with your question but here's a response to it if your truly seeking advice.

First, God wanted to prove to Satan, and for our benefit as well, that God can and does maintain our ultimate well being. He allowed Satan to terminate all of Jobs cattle, children and servants to show that our faith in God as our only lasting hope is real despite all works of evil and tragedy.

The real question you should be asking your students is if all of the things in there life we suddenly taken away from them would they still remain faithful to God?

Answer 11

I used to be in an organization called The International Order of Job's Daughters (Jobies for short), that taught the lessons of Job to young girls. I always thought it was a beautiful story, but I never took it literally. I always took it as more of a fable or tall tale that you tell children to teach them a lesson. Here the lesson, if you're Christian, is to believe in God in good times or bad and he'll see you through. If you're not Christian, the lesson, I think, is to keep your chin up and never give up on yourself or your situation. Things will always work out and they always happen for a reason.

I also think this is an interesting lesson in karma for those who believe in it.