The Prologue and Job's Trials
How is Job's character described in the opening verse of the book?
He is described as blameless and upright, a man who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1)
After the seven days of silence, what was the very first thing Job did when he opened his mouth?
He cursed the day he was born and the night of his conception (Job 3:1-3).
According to Eliphaz, who does God destroy: the innocent or the wicked?
He argues that the innocent do not perish, but those who plant trouble and plow evil will reap it. (Job 4:7-8)
What harsh conclusion does Bildad draw about why Job's children died?
Bildad states that Job's children must have sinned against God, and God gave them over to the penalty of their sin. (Job 8:4)
What insulting names does Zophar call Job at the beginning of his speech?
He calls Job a babbler and a mocker whose empty talk needs to be put to shame. (Job 11:2-3)
What was Satan's primary accusation against Job when speaking to God?
Satan argued that Job's righteousness was purely transactional; he claimed Job only feared God because God had placed a hedge of protection around him and blessed him with great wealth (Job 1:9-11).
Why did Job express a deep wish that he had died at birth?
He believed that if he had died at birth, he would currently be asleep and at peace, escaping his present misery (Job 3:11-13).
What does Eliphaz say humans are naturally born to?
Humans are born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. (Job 5:7)
What does Bildad say Job must do if he wants God to listen and restore him?
Job must plead with God and prove that he is completely pure and upright. (Job 8:5-6)
According to Zophar, how does Job view his own purity and beliefs?
Zophar accuses Job of arrogantly claiming, "My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight." (Job 11:4)
What were the two distinct phases of suffering God permitted Satan to inflict upon Job?
In the first phase, Job lost his livestock, servants, and all ten of his children. In the second phase, he was afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head (Job 1:13-19, 2:7).
According to Job's poem in Chapter 3, who is finally at rest and free from their taskmasters in the grave?
The prisoners and the slaves (Job 3:18-19).
How does Eliphaz claim he received his special wisdom to share with Job?
He claims he received a secret word from a spirit during a terrifying vision in the night. (Job 4:12-16)
Whose wisdom does Bildad say Job should look to for answers, rather than trusting his own short life?
Job should ask the former generations and find out what their ancestors learned. (Job 8:8-9)
What shocking claim does Zophar make regarding how much punishment God has given Job?
He claims God has actually forgotten some of Job's sin, meaning Job is being punished less than he truly deserves. (Job 11:6)
How did Job's wife react to his physical affliction, and what did she advise him to do?
She questioned why he still maintained his integrity and told him to "Curse God and die" (Job 2:9).
What does Job say has happened to him regarding his deepest anxieties?
He states, "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me" (Job 3:25).
What rhetorical question did the spirit in Eliphaz's dream ask about human purity compared to God?
"Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?" (Job 4:17)
What plant metaphor does Bildad use to describe the destiny of those who forget God?
He compares them to papyrus and reeds that wither quickly without water. (Job 8:11-13)
How does Zophar describe the vastness of God's mysteries compared to human understanding?
They are higher than the heavens, deeper than the depths of the grave, longer than the earth, and wider than the sea. (Job 11:7-9)
What did Job's three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) do when they first arrived to comfort him?
They wept, tore their robes, sprinkled dust on their heads, and sat with him on the ground in complete silence for seven days and seven nights because his suffering was so great (Job 2:12-13).
What does Job say bitter and suffering souls search for as though searching for hidden treasure?
They search for death (Job 3:20-21).
How does Eliphaz reframe Job's suffering, advising him not to reject it?
He tells Job that it is the Almighty's discipline, because even though God wounds, He also binds up and heals. (Job 5:17-18)
How does Bildad describe the false security or trust of a wicked person?
Their security is fragile, like trusting in a spider's web that will break when they lean on it. (Job 8:14-15)
What specific actions does Zophar command Job to take in order to restore his life so it is "brighter than noonday"?
Job must devote his heart to God, stretch out his hands to Him in prayer, and put away any sin that is in his hand or his tent. (Job 11:13-17)