Job’s Sufferings
Job's Sufferings, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54180 [retrieved October 1, 2021]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SyriacBibleParisFolio46rJob.jpg.
Spiritual Practices: Keyword Listing
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
- Job (and related pronouns) - Explore Job's reputation and integrity
Spiritual Practices: Breath prayer
Overview
Job had a reputation of being a person of integrity, honesty, and righteous living, so much so that even God bragged about him. Even during times of adversity, Job maintained his integrity. I find it amazing that he had such integrity that God would brag about him to others. I would love to have such a reputation that God would point it out as an example. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Abba Father, make me a person of integrity
Overview
Job had a reputation of being a person of integrity, honesty, and righteous living, so much so that even God bragged about him. Even during times of adversity, Job maintained his integrity. I find it amazing that he had such integrity that God would brag about him to others. I would love to have such a reputation that God would point it out as an example. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Abba Father, make me a person of integrity
Exploring the Text: Modeling Job's integrity
Have you ever had a bad day? Of course you have. Everyone has one now and then. When I think of someone having a horrible day, I think of Job.
Job was one of the greatest men in the East. His wealth included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and a great household with several servants. He had seven sons and three daughters (Job 1:2-3). Then one day he lost everything, including his children (Job 1:15-18). His bad day definitely trumps mine.
The best thing about Job’s story is that through all of his adversity, he had integrity. More than being known for his wealth, Job was known for his integrity. In fact, God testified of Job’s moral character. Satan felt that Job would deny God if he lost his possessions, but God said to go ahead and try him, because Job would not budge. He was a man of integrity, both before and in his trials.
Integrity is known as, “the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions.”
Even though Job was suffering in every way humanly possible, he still followed the Lord. His faith and devotion only grew stronger. His source of true peace was not in his possessions or even in his loved ones. He knew his Lord well and his Lord knew him. Even when Job’s wife saw the mess that he was in and told Job to “curse God and die,” Job refused.
As followers of Jesus, integrity is very important. We must love God despite our circumstances and help others to do the same. Allow difficult times to pull you closer to God, rather than pulling you away from him. Let us pray that God will help us to be men and women of integrity.
Rick Heinrich
Have you ever had a bad day? Of course you have. Everyone has one now and then. When I think of someone having a horrible day, I think of Job.
Job was one of the greatest men in the East. His wealth included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and a great household with several servants. He had seven sons and three daughters (Job 1:2-3). Then one day he lost everything, including his children (Job 1:15-18). His bad day definitely trumps mine.
The best thing about Job’s story is that through all of his adversity, he had integrity. More than being known for his wealth, Job was known for his integrity. In fact, God testified of Job’s moral character. Satan felt that Job would deny God if he lost his possessions, but God said to go ahead and try him, because Job would not budge. He was a man of integrity, both before and in his trials.
Integrity is known as, “the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions.”
Even though Job was suffering in every way humanly possible, he still followed the Lord. His faith and devotion only grew stronger. His source of true peace was not in his possessions or even in his loved ones. He knew his Lord well and his Lord knew him. Even when Job’s wife saw the mess that he was in and told Job to “curse God and die,” Job refused.
As followers of Jesus, integrity is very important. We must love God despite our circumstances and help others to do the same. Allow difficult times to pull you closer to God, rather than pulling you away from him. Let us pray that God will help us to be men and women of integrity.
Rick Heinrich