Sabbath School Study Hour

"Job saw God as Creator; after the cross, we see Him as Creator and Redeemer, or particularly, the Creator who became our Redeemer. And to do that, He had to suffer from sin in ways that no human being, Job included, would or could ever suffer."

In the first part of the book of Job, God remained silent then suddenly 'the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.' "Instantly it is just God and Job, as if the other men are irrelevant, at least for now."

"We don't live by faith when everything is fully and rationally explained. We live by faith when, like Job, we trust and obey God even when we cannot make sense of what is happening around us."

"This week, as we continue to explore the question of suffering in the book of Job, we will find that, even amid the unfair tragedy that befell him, that made no sense, and that was not justified, Job could still utter words of hope."

"We need to learn to trust God even when answers are not readily apparent and when we can see nothing good coming from the evil and suffering around us."

"As humans we should always strive for the right balance between law and grace in our theology and in our dealing with others."

"Job stands as a symbol for all humanity, for we all have been caught up in the great controversy, and we all suffer in it. And we all, at some point, need compassion and sympathy, not sermonizing."

"As Christians, we certainly have wonderful promises for the future. At the same time, amid present sufferings, how can we learn to remember the good times we had in the past and to draw comfort and solace from them?"

'Though the Bible teaches the reality of an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God, it also teaches the reality of evil, of human suffering, and woe. Evil is not an excuse to disbelieve in God."

"Adam and Eve, sinless beings amid a true paradise, transgressed and fell into sin because of Satan's attack; Job, amid utter pain and tragedy and ruin, stayed faithful to the Lord despite Satan's attacks."