Our study this week deals comes to the last few chapters of Job. After Job's three friends finish their arguments with Job a new character comes on the scene to put in his two cents. He is Elihu, a young articulate, spokesperson for God. He does a goodjob criticizing Job and his friends and adding a few good comment. His best is in the last of his sermon in which he exalts thegreatness of God. We encourage you to read Chapter 36:22-37:24. His arguments set up a segway for the voice of God in chapters 38-41. In chapter 38 God steps in to answer, rather to question Job for his rash speeches. There are 77 questions God drills Job with. He beginswith a challenge to Job for 1) answering darkens counsel without knowledge, 2) contending with God 3) correcting God, 4) accusing God, 5)discrediting the justice of God.
Even though in the first chapters of Job he maintained his faith yet under the stress and distress of his prolonged illness and the grilling attacks of his friends he did not show great constraint.
God questions Job's knowledge, wisdom and might in three arguments: First his knowledge of Creation itself. Second, his knowledge of God's creatures, and finally in his knowledge of prehistoric creatures the behemoth, the unicorn, and the leviathan. Many commentators have arguedthat the behemoth was a hippopotamus (which doesn't stand up under scrutiny), the leviathan was a crocodile which also does not measure up tothe biblical description. Then the unicorn is mentioned only briefly, which in NIV is translated as wild ox, is in reality the Hebrew word for a unicorn. We challenge you to do a word study to discover and discuss your findings with friends.
The end of our study is the first 6 verses of chapter 42 in which Job admits his ignorance, repents of his sin, and asks God to forgive him. There are several observations we make about his "seeing God."
