Pre-sermon Passage Orientation
September 28
Job 42:1-6
Head:
After listening to God ask him questions and speak of the behemoth and the leviathan, Job assumes a humble posture before God. The references Job makes to what God said recall the very first two things God said in chapter 38. It is probable Job used those lines to stand for everything else in chapters 38-41. Job does not actually answer God in response to the rhetorical questions, but instead, he admits his inability to stand before God. Where the CSB has “I had heard reports about You,” other translations have “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear.” While the words are different, the implication is that Job had secondhand knowledge of God. A shift occurred in Job’s knowledge.
Heart:
Job seems to indicate his knowledge of God became completely different after his being questioned by God. Think through the progression: Job is blessed, Job loses everything, Job begins to question God, God answers Job, Job knows God deeper and more fully than ever. Do you think Job came to accept his losses better or do you think he only gained in knowledge of God? How long do you think the encounter with God stayed fresh on his mind?
Hands:
While probably few people would say, “I don’t want to know God deeper or more fully,” at what “cost” are you willing to pay in order to have a more vibrant relationship with Him?
Habits:
How do you maintain a fresh and vibrant relationship with God? Do you treat Sundays as a mountaintop you hope you don’t fall too far from before the next Sunday Mountaintop? How can you keep from losing any progress you make in your personal discipleship?