Wisdom Class 1: Job 1:1-2:13 (Answers)

Answers to Wisdom Class 1 Questions
1. What other term is used to classify the books we are referring to as the Wisdom Literature?

Poetic books. (Read commentary from prior blog post)

2. How does Hebrew poetry differ from our poetry today?

Poetry today uses rhyming words and meter, but Hebrew poetry  uses rhyming thoughts. (Read commentary from prior blog post)

3. What is the purpose/theme of the 5 books of wisdom?

Job: Explores why men serve God.
Psalms: The Jewish hymnal of songs and praise
Proverbs: Collection of principles and wisdom of the ages
Ecclesiastes: Ponders the meaning of life
Song of Solomon: A love song

4. Why did Satan choose to cause these problems to Job?

God presented him as a "blameless and upright man" and Satan accused him of only serving God because of his blessings. (Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7)

5. Why did God allow Satan to bring these curses to Job?

In order to prove false Satan's accusation that Job only served God due to his blessings.

6. What terrible things happened to Job? ALL IN ONE DAY!!!

• Five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred female donkeys (Job 1:3) raided by Sabeans and Job's servants watching them killed (Job 1:14-15).

• Seven thousand sheep (Job 1:3) and servants watching them burned by fire from heaven (possibly lightning) (Job 1:16)

•  Three thousand camels (Job 1:3) raided by Chaldeans and killed servants watching them (Job 1:17)

• Seven sons and three daughters (Job 1:2) killed when their house fell on them (Job 1:18-19)
  

7. When all of the bad news had reached Job, what did he do?

Tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground and worshiped (Job 1:20)

8. Would we react like Job if this happened to us today? Could this happen to us today?

I would hope we would have the attitude of Job to know that "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord."
This could certainly still happen to us today. We probably know people who have suffered trials who did nothing to deserve them. Consider people affected in drinking and driving accidents who are hit by a drunk driver and were doing nothing wrong or sinful. They still have to live with the pain and suffering though they had not sinned.

9. What excuse did Satan give for Job's faithfulness?

That man will curse God if their skin is afflicted.  A man will give all for his life. (Job 2:4-5)

10. How did Satan make Job's life worse? 

By covering his body from head to toe with painful boils. (Job 2:7)

Note:  Haley's Bible Handbook, 24th Edition; Give Us A King, The United Kingdom, by Bob and Sandra Waldron; and The Holy Bible, new King James Version, Reference Edition, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.were used in preparing the comments in this post.