From Job and the Life of Faith by Carol M. Bechtel: "The book of Job cuts straight to the heart of what it means to be human.  It is the most profound explanation of the life of faith ever written, and wrestles with some of life's most perplexing questions: Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why do good things happen to bad people?  Is there a correspondence between sin and suffering, obedience and blessing?  Can God be trusted?  Why should we serve God if there are no guarantees?

"There was never a time when the book of Job was not relevant, but it is especially relevant [today].  This is not because the book of Job has changed, but because we have.  We may be more ready to listen now, less certain of our own answers.  Perhaps every generation has an experience that makes this possible....  [W]hen Job asks, "Why?" - we, too, strain to hear the answers.  And if answers are not forthcoming, then we, like Job, at least need to know how to live without them.

"So we look to Job. Yet, right away we encounter another difficulty.  If we were expecting an instruction manual for life, then this is a strange one.  There are no neat propositions to be learned, no lists of easy answers.  Like Jacob's diving opponent on the banks of the river Jabbock (Genesis 32), Job makes us wrestle for our blessing.  Whatever wisdom is hidden in these chapters comes to us amidst convoluted arguments and cosmic bets.  The harsh realities of this book have been enough to frighten off even some of the most enthusiastic seekers.

"So, not only is the book of Job one of the most important books of the Bible, it is one of the most difficult.  Or perhaps we should say 'challenging.'" 

Be sure to check out the blog for the guiding questions as you read and for the opportunity to interact with each other.  We enter our rhythm of LEARN-READ-INTERACT.

From How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Michael Williams makes these points about Job:

Phrase: God and suffering

Theme: God is active in areas and realms beyond our understanding.

Christ-Focus: Christ gives us the ultimate picture of the righteous sufferer as he accomplishes God's saving purposes (1 Peter 3:18).

Implications: We can believe that God is with us even during the hard times, just as he was with his own Son (1 Peter 4:12-19).

Questions: Where is God when it hurts?  When things go the way you want, does that mean that God is blessing you?

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