Genesis

Adult Quarterly
SUNDAY SCHOOL FALL QUARTER, 2010
The Creative Work of God

A Study in Genesis 111; Job
Written by David Robinson
EDITOR IN CHIEF:
Larry E. Clements
larryclements@abaptist.org
BUSINESS MANAGER:
Wayne Sewell
wsewell@abaptist.org
PRODUCTION EDITOR:
Sally McInvale
ADULT EDITOR:
Jim Jones
CHILDRENS EDITOR:
Libby Gill
ILLUSTRATOR:
Connie Spears
GRAPHIC ARTISTS:
Shawn Blase, Jeff Allen,
Greg Hilterbrand,
Ashley Carozza
LAYOUT DESIGNERS:
Bonita McKnight, Kyle Elkins,
Cindy Butler
CONTENT EDITORS:
Terry McKellar
Deby Turrentine
Carolyn Burks
PRINT PRODUCTION:
Charles Easley
Cover Design:
Jeff Allen
Copyright 2010
Vol. 96, No. 4
Baptist Sunday School
Committee
4605 N. State Line Ave.
Texarkana, TX 75503-2928
www.abaptist.org
1-800-264-2482
QUARTERLY AIM: The student will learn that

God created all things for His glory and longs
to have fellowship with people during time and
for all eternity.
SEPTEMBER
5TheBeginningofGodsCreation . . . . . . . 4
12TheCreationofAdamandEve . . . . . . . . .11
19TheFallofAdamandEve . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
26TheConsequencesoftheFall . . . . . . . . .25
OCTOBER
3TheGraceofGodtoNoah . . . . . . . . . . . .32
10TheJudgmentofGodonMankind . . . . . .39
17TheCovenantofGodwithMankind . . . . .46
24TheFailureofMankind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
31JobandHisTrials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
NOVEMBER
7JobandHisFriends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
14JobandElihu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
21JobandJehovahGod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
28JobandtheEndofHisLife . . . . . . . . . . .89
Spring
Summer
Fall
Revelation 17
Revelation 822
Genesis 111
Job
2011
Genesis 1250
Matthew 113
Matthew 1428
Exodus
2012
Romans
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Hebrews
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
2013
American Baptist Association

Through-the-Bible Series Sunday School Lessons
Acts 114
Acts 1528
1 Samuel
2 Samuel 14
1 Chronicles 110
Mark 18
Mark 916
2 Samuel 524
1 Chronicles
1129
1 Kings 1; 2
James
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
Psalms 172
Galatians
1 Kings 322
2 Chronicles 124
2 Kings 113
Joel; Obadiah
1 Corinthians
Luke 13:2224
Hosea; Amos;
Micah; Jonah;
2 Kings 1416
2 Chronicles 2528
Psalms 73150
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah 4066
Isaiah 139
2 Chronicles 2932 2 Kings 2123
2 Kings 1720 2 Chronicles 3335
Zephaniah
Nahum
Philemon
Philippians
Colossians
2018
2 Corinthians
Luke 113:21
Ephesians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Jeremiah
Lamentations
2 Kings 24; 25
2 Chronicles 36
John 112
2019
2017
2015
Daniel
Ezekiel
Zechariah
2016
2014
2010
Winter
John 1321
Ezra; Nehemiah
Habakkuk; Haggai
Malachi; Esther
1 Peter
2 Peter
1, 2, 3 John
Jude
September 5, 2010
The Beginning of
Gods Creation
Text: Genesis 1:1-23
Focus: Genesis 1:1-23
Sunday Devotional: Creator

Greater than Creation, Hebrews
1:10-12.
Key Verse:
In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
Application: God is to be reverenced, worshiped and obeyed,

for He created us, controls us
and calls us to glorify Him.
A FIRST LOOK
Three books of the Bible, Genesis, John and Mark, begin
with beginnings. John tells us that the word Jesus was in the
beginning. Mark is the beginning of the gospel, and Genesis is
the beginning of the material creation. God and the truth are
eternal. As we studied in Revelation 13:8, Jesus stood as a Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. The heavens and earth
we know were created to further Gods great plans.
The overall theme of Genesis is
Daily Devotionals
to reveal the inadequacy and sin M. All Things Made by Him, John 1:1-3.
of mankind. The book opens with T. His Creation Glorifies Him, Psalm
19:1-6.
creation and ends with a coffin
W. He Is Creator and Preserver,
in Egypt. Human life begins
Nehemiah 9:6.
with the wonderful life-giving T. The Creator Is the Owner, Psalm
89:11, 12.
experience of birth and ends in
F. Nothing Is Too Hard for Him,
death. Most people who study
Jeremiah 32:17, 18.
Genesis focus their attention on S. All Created by Him and for Him,
Colossians 1:16, 17.
the first eleven chapters; yet,
4
there is more said in Genesis about the life of Joseph than about
the creation of the earth.
Genesis means birth or beginning, and this book tells us about
the beginning of all things, and, in particular, the beginning of
Gods covenant relationship with His people. As we study, we
would do well to heed the admonition of Jesus when He told
the Sadducees in John 5:39 to search the Scriptures. The Bible
is about Jesus. Every book testifies about Him and about Gods
divine plan of redemption.
Genesis begins an epic account that will end with the
replacement of the heavens and earth we know now. This
wonderful book establishes a foundation for biblical truth that
will allow us to build our faith on Jesus Christ. If we want to
know about God, we should begin at the beginning.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. In the Beginning
Genesis 1:1-5
1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was
upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the
light from the darkness.
5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The Bible begins with the simple statement, God created the
heaven and the earth (verse 1). You either believe that or you
do not. If you do not believe this simple statement, the rest of
the Bible will not make much sense to you. Satan knows this
and he has attacked this simple truth viciously over the years.
The world largely scoffs at the idea of creation, choosing instead
to believe in the smoke and mirror illusion of evolution. At best,
evolution is a circular argument; at worst, it is simply nonsense.
To accept evolution, you must eventually believe that something
The Beginning of Gods Creation
came from nothing. In contrast, the Bible simply states that all
things came from God, and God is eternal.
The Bible is not a science book; however, it is a true book and
there is no conflict between the Bible and truth, wherever truth
is found. God indeed made the heaven and the earth. These
verses record how God brought order to the universe. They show
us the basic principles at work on the planet that allow human
life to exist.
The first act of God was to move on the face of the waters
through the work of the Holy Spirit. The direct intervention and
activity of God worked to make life possible here. Life did not
just happen. It was produced in all its wonderful and diverse
forms as a direct action of God, bringing life to an otherwise dead
planet.
God separated light from darkness. God spoke and things
happened. This shows us the great power of the Word. This is
an ancient hint that the gospel is indeed the power of God unto
salvation. If you think that you have power and influence, go into
a dark cave and try to speak light into existence. You will quickly
learn the powerful lesson that you are not God.
God divided the light from the darkness and a period of
darkness and a period of light became the first day. This was
the creation of time. Before this, there were no days. In the new
earth there will be no night; therefore, time, as we know it, will
be no more (Rev. 10:6). From this creative act until the end of this
earth, we have measured our lives in days. We could use many
standards to measure time. We could use the movements of the
stars or the moon. A day could be any arbitrary time period that
we choose; yet, universally, a day is one period of darkness and
one period of light. God made this and mankind cannot change
it.
II. Order on the Earth
Genesis 1:6-11
6. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the
waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which
were under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament: and it was so.
8. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and
the morning were the second day.
9. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered
together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together
of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose
seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed
after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself,
after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
After creating time, God created order on the earth. He made the
firmament and divided the waters. The word firmament literally
means expanse or space. This is what we call the atmosphere.
The atmosphere is often unnoticed, but it is absolutely essential
to all life on earth. As far as we know, the atmosphere of the
earth is unique. No other planet has been discovered that has an
atmosphere that will support human life. On a cosmic scale our
atmosphere is incredibly thin. The air above may seem vast to
us, but it is only a few miles thick; yet, it makes all life possible.
God gathered the waters together in one place. The waters
became seas and, as a consequence, dry land appeared. This was
necessary for sustainable life. If the earth were all one body of
land or all one body of water, human life could not exist. God
gathered the water into seas in the precise ratio that would
make life possible on the earth.
Here, we need to note the wonderful and accurate progression
of events. Each creative act built on the other so that at the end,
human life would be possible. Time precedes the creation of the
atmosphere and the atmosphere precedes the gathering of the
waters to one place and the appearance of dry land. This whole
process was not a random happening or a cosmic accident. This
was a designed process that was moving toward a specific goal in
the mind of Almighty God.
At this point vegetable life was created. This was not the first
life on earth. Spiritual life, the Holy Spirit, the third part of the
Godhead, was present from the beginning. The creation of plant
life was merely another step in the process that would lead to
the support of human life on the earth.
III. Order in the Heavens

Genesis 1:14-19
14. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the
heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs,
and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to
give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give
light upon the earth,
18. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the
light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Plant life is governed by the dark and light cycle we call a day.
Animal life also needs governance and now God created order in
the heavens. We read in Revelation that in the new Heaven and
new earth, there will be no night and there will be no need for the
sun because God Himself will be the governing light (Rev. 22:5).
On this earth we need the light of the sun and the reflected light
of the moon to regulate our lives.
We seldom think about the function of these regulators of the
universe. We take them for granted, but they are as much a part
of creation as plant life and animal life. Without them we could
not live on this planet. The sun and moon are responsible for
signs, seasons, days and years. Even in our modern times, the
movements of heavenly bodies still determine these things for
us. This is not an accident; instead, it is the design of God for
mankind.
Human life and all other life on this planet is regulated by
these great lights. We can live so close to the forest that we never
see the trees. We take the work of the sun and moon for granted
and seldom stop to think that these heavenly bodies are the
result of the design and creative work of God. Look up and you
will see that the heavens declare the glory of God and show forth
His handiwork.
Also, we should note here that this account applies primarily
to the world that perished in the flood (2 Peter 3:5-7). The world
we live in now is similar in many ways, and, as we shall see later,

different in many others.
IV. Animal Life Appears
Genesis 1:20-23
20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the
moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the
earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their
kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was
good.
22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Animal life was created. As science has confirmed, it began in

the waters. The order is simplemoving creatures, fowl, birds
that fly in the atmosphere, great sea creatures and every kind or
animal that moves.
The waters brought forth an unbelievable abundance of living
creatures. After many years of study, man is still trying to classify
and understand the great variety of life on the planet. There are
literally thousands of species of insects and crustacean life, most
of them unclassified and unknown to men. Yet, God created them
all and designed each one to play a part in the process of life on
the earth. This intricate and varied plan simply cannot be an
accident.
God had a plan for the perpetuation of each species. Each kind
of life brought forth or reproduced only after its own kind. Had
this rule not been in place, life would soon degenerate. Each
species would lose its unique characteristics and its designed
purpose. God saw to it that life would not degenerate by insuring
that every species would retain its unique created identity. Once
again here is a refutation of the folly of evolution. Species simply
do not crossbreed. This can be done artificially. A horse can be
bred with a donkey, but the mule will be sterile.
God blessed the animals with fertility. They multiplied until
the earth and the seas were literally teeming with life. The earth
was now ready for its purpose. Mankind can be made in the
blood-flowing image of God.
10
A FINAL WORD
The God of Genesis is the God of the rest of the Bible. If we
reject God on this level, we cannot claim to accept Him when we
come to the New Testament. If Jesus was who He claimed to be,
and He did what He said He did, He was present at creation. You
cannot believe what Jesus said and believe in evolution (Mark
10:6, 13:19; John 1:10).
We began our life as babies and at first we paid little attention
to what was going on around us or to what the world was like.
As we grew older, we began to notice the worldthe sky, the sea,
the wind, the birds, the flowers, the animals, the trees and all the
life around us. As we became aware of the world, we inevitably
asked questions about it. Those questions are answered for us in
a brief way in the opening words of the book of Genesis.
This is where faith begins. Our faith in Jesus and in all that
God has done for us rests on our acceptance of the simple truth
that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Believe that simple truth, and the rest of the Bible opens to you;
reject it, and you reject the eternal truth of Gods Word.
FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

1. Why do you think there is so much opposition to teaching
biblical creationism in public schools?
2. What can you do in your community to promote the biblical
teaching of creation in public schools?
3. Discuss some of the implications of believing the biblical
account of creation as opposed to the godless theory of evolution.
4. Which requires more faithbiblical creationism or the
theory of accidental evolution? Why?
September 12, 2010
The Creation of
Adam and Eve
Text: Genesis 1:242:25 Focus: Genesis 1:262:4, 7-10, 15-18, 21-24

Key Verse:
So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he
them. And God blessed them, and
God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and
subdue it: and have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl
of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:27, 28
Sunday Devotional: MankindCrowned with Glory

and Honor, Psalm 8:3-9.
Application: Only mankind
is created in the image of God.
Man and woman were created
to reproduce, rule over, cultivate and subdue His creation in
full obedience to the Creator.
A FIRST LOOK
The purpose of creation was to make a place in the universe
that would support and sustain human life. Remember, Genesis
is about mankind. It is about our weakness and our failure to
live up to Gods holy standards. This book is about our need for
a Redeemer and about how that Redeemer, Jesus Christ, would
come to offer us salvation.
The verses before us conclude the account of creation that
begins in Genesis 1:2. Moses,
Daily Devotionals
who wrote this book, was in- M. God Made
Us, Psalm 100:3-5.
spired to move to a more de- T. Gods Promise as Creator, Isaiah 42:5-7.
tailed account of the creation W. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Psalm
139:14-16.
of humanity. This account is
T. Leave and Cleave in Marriage, Malachi
amplified so it will tie in with
2:14-16.
the things we will study later F. The Lord Builds the House! Psalm
127:1-5.
in the book. Note that in verse
S. Man and Woman One in Marriage,
4 we have the first of eleven
Mark 10:6-9.
generations mentioned in Gen11
12
The Creation of Adam and Eve
esis. These generations are like road signs that plot the course of
human development throughout this book. Understanding this
underlying pattern will help in understanding the book of Genesis.
These generations arethe generations of heaven and earth,
the generations of Adam, the generations of Noah, the generations
of the sons of Noah, the generations of Shem, the generations of
Terah, the generations of Abraham, the generations of Ishmael,
the generations of Isaac, the generations of Esau and the
generations of Jacob.
Understanding Gods eternal plan for us will help us in every
part of our lives. Accepting the plan and living according to it
will change your life forever (Eph. 2:10).
A CLOSER LOOK
I. God Created Mankind
Genesis 1:26-31
26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.
28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the
which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air,
and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is
life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it
was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
It was the sixth creative day, and the time had come for
the creation of mankind. The first thing we notice is that God
made a declaration that man would be made in the image and
Text: Genesis 1:242:25
13
likeness of God Himself. The shape and form of humanity was

not determined by random events or natural selection. We are
what we are because God is what He is.
Then, we learn that man was given a purpose before he was
created. Man was to have dominion over all the other creatures.
Humanity was empowered with the unique gifts of a mind and
an eternal soul. To a limited extent other creatures can think,
but man alone has an eternal soul and has the power to make
decisions of eternal consequences. This not only sets man apart
from all other creatures, but it gives him dominion over them.
We note the summary nature of this first account of creation in
the simple statement that God made humanity male and female.
Later, we will be given more specific details about this process.
God gave mankind an assignment. These two original created
beings were to multiply and replenish or fill the earth with
people. Today there are about six billion people on the earth;
every one of them has come from the common pair of ancestors
created by God in the beginning.
Now, we see how the creation, up to this point, was designed
to support human life. God specifically told man that the plants,
fish, animals and birds were to be used to support human life.
When humanity accomplishes its divine purpose in Christ, the
whole world, creation itself, accomplishes the purpose for which
God made it. We get a glimpse of this in Romans 8:19-23.
II. The Sabbath Rest
Genesis 2:1-3
1. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host
of them.
2. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had
made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he
had made.
3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because
that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made.
Here, we have the first evidence in the Bible that God intended
to be involved in the lives of mankind. The earth and the heavens
were finished. Nothing needed to be added or taken away for
Gods purposes to be accomplished. Six days had been used in
14
the creative process and on the seventh day, God rested. God did
not rest because He was tired. God never grows weary in the
sense that we do.
Three things are noteworthy about this seventh day. First,
there is no mention of the duration of this day. Every other day is
defined as an evening and a morning, or one period of darkness
and one period of light. The Sabbath rest of God was designed to
be without end. It was interrupted by the sin of Eve and Adam.
As we read in Hebrews, that rest will be renewed in the new
Heaven and new earth (Heb. 4:1-11).
Then, this day was specifically blessed by God. God did not
specifically bless another day and the blessing of the seventh
day indicates that it is to be a blessing to the creation. God
sanctified this day. This means that this day has a special use
and a designated purpose. No other of the creative days serves
such a purpose.
Later, the Sabbath was incorporated into the Law of Moses.
Through the years, the observance of the Sabbath as a day of
rest has largely been ignored, but like any other spiritual law,
it can never be successfully violated. When we try to break the
laws of God, we only succeed in proving them.
The principle of the Sabbath, or seventh, day is that we need
to rest one day out of seven. Believers in Christ are not under the
bondage of the Law of Moses, but the Sabbath preceded the Law
by centuries. In fact, the Sabbath was in force in the world that
was destroyed by the flood. A day of rest is not a day of waste.
The time we take for spiritual, mental and physical refreshment
will contribute much more to our lives than it costs us. In this
misguided world, we value activity and we try to stay busy. We
invented rocking chairs so we can keep moving while we are
sitting down. God is teaching us to work in harmony with His
creation and His spiritual laws. We would do well to heed the
lesson of the Sabbath which is to set aside a day of rest.
III. The Garden God Made for Man
Genesis 2:4, 7-10, 15-18
4. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth
when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the
earth and the heavens,
15
7. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul.
8. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and
there he put the man whom he had formed.
9. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every
tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life
also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good
and evil.
10. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from
thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
***
15. And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden
of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die.
18. And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Moses reviewed the account of creation and added details that

were not previously given. These details will help us understand
things that happened later on in Genesis. For instance, we learn
that before the flood, it did not rain. Instead, a mist went up from
the earth and watered the plants.
We also see that God made man out of the earth itself.
God formed man from the elements of the earth and literally
breathed into man the breath of life and gave man a living soul.
God prepared a garden, called Eden, in which man was to live.
Although man had dominion over all the earth, then as now, he
needed a special place to live. God provided all that man needed
for the present and for the future in this garden. In Eden, Adam
and Eve had everything, and they also had the opportunity to
lose it all.
We learn that Adam was not idle. God gave him a job to do.
Work is not a curse; it is a blessing and a gift from God. God
designed work as an opportunity for us to use our gifts and
abilities, and we are always happiest when we can do so. It was
only after the entrance of sin that work became a burden. We
16
sense this even now. We may groan and complain about our daily
job, but we will work twice as hard for no pay on the weekends
at what we call recreation. The difference in work and play is
largely our attitude.
Adam was to dress and keep the garden and with labor comes
responsibility. God gave the man He had created one restriction.
Adam could eat of every tree in the garden, but he was to avoid
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The penalty for eating
of that tree was death. More will be written about this subject
later.
IV. The Creation of Woman
Genesis 2:21-24
21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam,
and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh
instead thereof;
22. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made
he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23. And Adam said,This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and
shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
God determined that man should not be alone. There is no

indication that Adam was lonely. God made the decision that
man should have a companion. God made man from the earth,
but God made woman from man. This established a permanent
relationship between the two sexes. Because woman was made
from man, a man will properly find his wife the dearest person
on earth to him. This love will surpass the love we might have
for our parents or our children. It is only in the relationship of
husband and wife that two people become one flesh.
Today, that relationship is under attack as never before, but,
remember Genesis teaches that marriage is between one man
and one woman. Jesus believed this and taught it in Matthew
19:5, 6. The apostle Paul taught the same thing in Ephesians
5:31. One cannot believe the Bible and also believe that marriage
can be anything but a union of one man and one woman.
Woman was not created as an enemy of man or as a servant to
him. She was created to be a helpmeet for him. This is wonderfully
17
illustrated in the relationship of Christ with His churches (Eph.

5:22-32).
A FINAL WORD
With the creation of man and woman, the creative process
was complete. God had made man and woman. He had made
a covenant with them and given them a job to do. Adam was to
tend and dress the garden, and Eve was to help Adam. God had
given them the wonderful blessing of marriage, and in this rite
he had foreshadowed the eventual union of Jesus with His bride
as recorded in Revelation 19:5-10.
We live in a world and under a heaven created by God. Every
day we enjoy uncounted blessings from the hand of God. The
happiest we can be is when we are living in the will of God and
obeying the commands of God. God has designed everything in
this universe to promote human happiness and holiness. How
sad it is to see so many leave God out of their lives and fill their
days with miserable substitutes for the wonderful love of our
Heavenly Father.

1. What is the significance that only people are made in the
image of God?
2. Since God does not get tired, why did He rest on the seventh
day?
3. Discuss the difference between our term helpmate and
Gods term help meet (Gen. 2:18).
4. How important is leaving and cleaving (Gen. 2:24) to the
goal of the husband and wife becoming one?
September 19, 2010
The Fall of
Adam and Eve
Text: Genesis 3
Focus: Genesis 3:1-13, 23, 24
Sunday Devotional: The Core

of Temptation Is Constant, 1 John
2:15-17.
Key Verse:
Therefore the Lord God sent him
forth from the garden of Eden, to
till the ground from whence he was
taken. So he drove out the man;
and he placed at the east of the
garden of Eden cherubims, and a
flaming sword which turned every
way, to keep the way of the tree of
life.
Genesis 3:23, 24
Application: Though created in

the image of God, all are sinners
by nature and practice because
of Adams fall, but we may be
redeemed through Jesus, the last
Adam.
A FIRST LOOK
It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of the things
taught in these verses. Everything we read from here on in the
Bible depends on the accuracy of this account. If what we read
here is a legend or a fable, Jesus died in vain and Christianity
is a myth. We must begin by understanding that Adam and
Eve were real people and this account is an accurate rending of
events which actually took place. As Jesus died at a certain place
and a certain time, Adam sinned at a certain place and a certain
time.
There are two divergent
Daily Devotionals
and irreconcilable views of
M. SatanA Liar from the Beginning, John 8:44.
humanity. One view states T. Temptation and Deception, 2 Corinthians
that mankind is basically
11:2, 3.
good. Mankind may do W. Dust to Dust, Hebrews 9:27.
Creation Under the Curse, Romans 8:18-23.
some bad things, but inside T.
F. Compounded Effects of Adams Sin, Romans
everyone has a good nature,
5:12.
and we just need to educate S. GraceGods Solution for Sin, Romans
5:19-21.
mankind and show people
18
Text: Genesis 3
19
how to let the good in them control their behavior. Most of the
world believes this, but, sadly, it is a lie.
The truth is that men have a sinful and evil nature. We may
occasionally do good things, but we are sinners, by nature as
well as practice, and we need the saving grace of God to change
our sinful nature and replace it with the nature of Jesus. If you
believe the Bible, this is the foundation of your philosophy.
Sin is not a minor mistake that we unwittingly make. Sin is
a deliberate decision which always brings death and that choice
was made by Adam and Eve many years ago. By one man, sin
entered into the world, and death by sin has passed to everyone.
These verses tell us how it happened.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Temptation To Sin
Genesis 3:1-5
1. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field
which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said,Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said unto the serpent,We may eat of the fruit
of the trees of the garden:
3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden,
God hath said,Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
die.
4. And the serpent said unto the woman,Ye shall not surely die:
5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
According to 1 John 2:16, temptation takes three forms, the

lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. In this
account, we see all three used against Eve. The serpent is Satan
himself. He is identified in Revelation 12:9 and 20:2. We must
remember that this is a world which perished in the flood and a
garden from which man was cast out. We must not try to equate
the behavior of this serpent with any creature in the present
world.
This serpent could talk, and he began by arousing doubt.
Satan is a liar and a murderer. Here, we see the essence of a lie.
Satan asked Eve whether God did indeed tell her not to eat of
20
The Fall of Adam and Eve
the fruit of every tree in the garden. Eve correctly replied that
they could eat of every tree except the tree in the middle of the
garden. Like many people, Eve knew the truth, but she was not
convinced she had to obey the truth.
Satan began with a question and escalated it into an outright
lie. However, there is a little truth in this lie. You shall not surely
die. I believe that Satan emphasized and underlined the term
surely. He was saying, in effect, you might die but death is not
certain and you might disobey God and get away with it. This
is still an effective temptation. Many people want to believe
that they are somehow exceptions to the rules which apply to
everyone else.
Satan went in for the kill. He planted the idea that God had
a secret agenda. He stated that God knew Eve would become
like Him if she ate this fruit and He had forbidden it to keep
something desirable from her. We see the manipulation of human
psychology in all these statements of tempting.
There is no sin in being tempted. Jesus was tempted like we
are, but He did not sin (Heb. 4:15). At this point Eve could have
placed her faith in Gods word and refused to go further. However,
she did not.
Like Eve, we are slowly and surely drawn into the web of sin.
It begins with a doubt, and it escalates to a lie that we really
want to believe. The final step is to let us in on a secret and
promise us great things if we will only give in. You can observe
these steps at work in the world today. Watch any pitchman at
work.
II. Commission of Sin
Genesis 3:6, 7
6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make
one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also
unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that
they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made
themselves aprons.
Note the progress mentioned. Eve took a look at the tree. She
saw that the fruit appeared to be good food. Here is the lust
of the flesh. It was a tantilizing fruitthe lust of the eyes. It
Text: Genesis 3
21
was desired because she thought it would make her wisethe

pride of life. This is human reasoning substituted for a clear
commandment of God. Eve knew what God had said, but she put
reasoning above Gods word and disobeyed Gods clear command.
This is the essence of sin.
Sin is never satisfied. Eve not only ate the fruit herself, but she
gave the fruit to Adam, and he also ate it. Make no mistake about
this. Adam was not deceived. He knew what he was doing and
he did it willingly (1 Tim. 2:14). Perhaps, he did not want Eve to
have something he did not have. He obviously saw that Eve did
not die immediately, and he may have desired to be like a god.
We do not know his reasoning, but we do know that he willfully
sinned, and now Adam and Eve had made their decision. They
had chosen to substitute human reasoning for the word of God.
This is the first awful consequence of sin. Satan had said that,
when people ate of this tree, they would be as gods, knowing good
and evil. From this time on, lost mankind would determine what
was good and what was evil based on his own reasoning. People
are still doing this. The truth is that God alone has the right
and authority to determine what is right and what is wrong.
Whenever we make these decisions, we err. We will judge things
which are truly right to be wrong and we will judge wrong things
we personally like to be right. This curse is born into every child
of Adam, and we live with it every day. Only through the shed
blood of Jesus and the grace of God can we ever learn to trust the
Word of God and let that Word determine for us what is good and
what is evil.
We see this sentiment growing every day in the evil of
humanism. According to this evil philosophy, mankind is his own
god. This strikes at the heart of truth. Did God create man or did
man create God? We must learn that disobedience to Gods Word
in any way is a serious matter with life-changing consequences.
III. Consequences of Sin
Genesis 3:8-13, 23, 24
8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden
in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from
the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him,Where
art thou?
22
10. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou
eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest
not eat?
12. And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with
me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that
thou hast done? And the woman said,The serpent beguiled me, and
I did eat.
***
23. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of
Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the
garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned
every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
The consequences of sin were immediate and irreversible.

However, they were not beyond forgiveness. As was His habit,
God came to the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and
Eve heard His voice. This time they were afraid of the word of
God. Note the great truths revealed in the questions God asked
Adam and Eve. First, God asked, Where art thou? The answer
to that question determines every action we will take from now
on. Wherever you go, you must begin where you are now.
Adam was hiding. He was afraid of the voice of God, and he
was naked. For the first time in his life, Adam needed things he
did not have. Again, this is an immediate consequence of sin.
Sin destroyed the blessed relationship Adam and Eve had with
God and with each other. They were afraid of God so they were
hiding, and they were hiding from each other because they made
clothes for themselves.
Gods second question revealed Adams sin. God had not told
Adam that he was naked. Adam had decided for himself that he
was, and he had attempted on his own to remedy the situation.
He was behaving like a god and determining for himself what
things were good and evil.
Adam did what every real man does. He blamed everything
on his wife directly and on God indirectly. Adam was saying that
this was really Gods fault because God gave him the woman.
Once again Adam was determining for himself what was good
and what was evil. Adam did not admit to any fault in this
Text: Genesis 3
23
transaction. He did not deny that he knew what God had said.
Instead, he blamed his failure on his wife. How typical of sin that
we would in desperation try to place blame on those we love the
most. Jesus took our sin on Himself and suffered for it. Adam
tried to evade his own sin and blame it on someone else.
God asked the third question to Eve. What is this that thou
hast done? Eve could not blame it all on Adam, so she did
what every true woman does and blamed it on the serpent. It is
revealing that Eve stated that she was beguiled. The idea here is
that the serpent made her sin; therefore, she was not responsible
for what she had done. Satan may indeed tempt us and the
temptation may be great; yet, the decision to sin is ours alone.
No one can force us to sin without our consent to the process.
With the entrance of sin, the life-styles of Adam and Eve were
permanently changed. Sin is not a minor thing. It is not a mere
inconvenience as we make our way through life. Sin separates us
from God and from all that is good in this world and in the world
to come.
Adam and Eve were permanently expelled from the beautiful
garden God had prepared for them. Adam and Eve had been food
gatherers. Now, they would be food producers. The work that had
been a pleasure would now become a burden.
Also, the expulsion was permanent. Sin made a permanent
rift in the relationship between Adam, Eve and God. God set
Cherubim to guard the entrance to the garden so Adam, Eve and
their children would never enter it again. This is great kindness
on the part of God and the first step toward redemption. To
repent we have to know that we have done wrong.
A FINAL WORD
Never underestimate the power of one moment of decision. It
was by one man that sin entered into the world. One decision in
a long life of deciding this and that plunged the human race into
sin.
Likewise, one decision will allow us to forever deal with our
sin. When we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus
Christ, we can overcome our sin nature and our practice of sin
through His shed blood. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, the
24
resurrection power of God will bring life where there was death
and make us spiritually alive forevermore. This is a sad account,
but it is not the end of the story. Then as now, man is a sinner,
and Jesus is our Savior.

1. Satan began tempting Eve by casting doubt on the word
of God (Gen. 3:1). Discuss examples of ways we are tempted to
doubt Gods Word.
2. As you see the ways Eve was tempted (Gen. 3:6), discuss
how the same temptations appeal to people today.
3. The consequences of Adams sin were both immediate and
gradual with long-lasting effects. Do the consequences of sin
appear the same way today? In what ways?
4. Why was it necessary for Christ to be tempted like we are
(Heb. 4:15, 16)?
September 26, 2010
The Consequences of
the Fall
Text: Genesis 4; 5
Focus: Genesis 4:1-12, 23-26
Sunday Devotional: Cains Real

Problem, 1 John 3:10-14.
Key Verse:
If thou doest well, shalt thou
not be accepted? and if thou
doest not well, sin lieth at the
door. And unto thee shall be
his desire, and thou shalt rule
over him.
Genesis 4:7
Application: All sin, sickness and

death are consequences of the Fall,
but thank God, through redemption in Jesus Christ, believers have
a perfect future awaiting.
A FIRST LOOK
Once sin entered into the world, men had to deal with sin in
one way or another. Here, we see the only two ways men can
deal with their sin. We will either ignore Gods Word and try to
rationalize our sin, or we will heed Gods Word and follow the
plan God reveals to us.
The first human born into this world ignored Gods instructions
and caused the first human death. He killed his brother. Sadly,
Adam and Eve learned that sin did indeed bring forth death. God
said that disobedience would
Daily Devotionals
result in death, and this came
Legacy of SinTombstones,
to pass for them. The first death M. The
Genesis 5:1-22
would not be their own but the T. The Unalterable Law of Harvest,
Galatians 6:7-9.
death of their firstborn son.
If we choose to ignore God W. Cain Offered Bloodless Sacrifice,
Hebrews 9:22.
and do things our way, as Cain T. Abels Offering by Faith, Hebrews 11:4.
did, we will make a mess of our F. The Ground of Redemption,
1 Peter 1:18, 19.
lives. If we follow Gods plan, we
S. He Bore Our Sins, 1 Peter 2:24.
can find righteousness, even in
25
26
The Consequences of the Fall
a sin-cursed world. In this chapter, Cain is mentioned thirteen

times and Abel seven. Clearly this account is historical.
However, it also reveals how God teaches us throughout His
Word. The things that happened to Cain and Abel are spiritual
pictures of the lives we live. We face many of the same decisions
and consequences. We must be careful to learn Gods plan for our
lives and put that plan into practice.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The First Children Are Born
Genesis 4:1-7
1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare
Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of
sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of
the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the
fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain
was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is
thy countenance fallen?
7. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest
not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and
thou shalt rule over him.
Remember, this account is condensed. We have no idea of the

amount of time which occurred between each recorded event.
Obviously, there are many years covered in these few verses. We
have a record of the births of Cain and Abel, and we read that,
in the process of time, these men grew up and chose different
occupations. Cain became a farmer and Abel became a herdsman.
Even in the beginning, men had different talents and each used
his talent for a good purpose. Animal husbandry and agriculture
are both necessary skills for our survival.
In the course of time, both of these men brought an offering to
the Lord. Cain brought an offering from the crops he had raised
Text: Genesis 4; 5
27
and Abel brought an offering from his flocks. No doubt both

acted in sincerity, offering to God what they had on hand. The
important note is in the last part of verse 4. God had respect to
the offering of Abel.
God did not have respect for Abels offering. God is not a
respecter of persons. God was simply indicating what kind of
offering He desired. God was teaching the great principle that
without shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins. This
was illustrated when God killed animals to make a covering for
Adam and Eve, and now the same teaching is reinforced in this
offering.
Here is where the sin comes. When Cain saw that his offering
was rejected, he became extremely angry, so much so that it
distorted his features. It is interesting to see how our emotions
can change our appearance. Cain was angry. It is not a sin to be
angry, but anger can lead us to sin if not handled properly.
God noticed this and spoke to Cain. Gods loving hand reached
out to a sinful man. Cain could have accepted the gracious offer
of God and changed his offering, but he chose to ignore what
God told him. God plainly told Cain that he had an opportunity
to make another offering and to do well in the process. Cain
could have learned from his failure and done better. God also
emphasized the seriousness of the situation. If Cain persisted in
his anger, even greater sin would enter the picture. Satan was
literally at the door of Cains heart.
The decisions we make have consequences. When we get
angry, or when we are resentful or when we ignore the direct
message of God to our hearts, we face severe and life-changing
consequences. Do not be fooled. We will reap what we sow, and
we must live with the decisions we make.
II. The First Murder Is Committed
Genesis 4:8-12
8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass,
when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his
brother, and slew him.
9. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And
he said, I know not: Am I my brothers keeper?
10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brothers
blood crieth unto me from the ground.
28
11. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened
her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thy hand;
12. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield
unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in
the earth.
Cain talked with Abel about this situation. Here was the first
inkling of the trouble that was to follow. Cain did not talk to God
about his offering; instead, he discussed it with his brother. If
you have a problem with God, discussing it with your brother
will not solve it.
Instead of learning from his mistake, Cain blamed his failure
on Abel. This is how Satan distorts the truth and leads us to false
conclusions. How was Abel responsible for anything Cain had
done? How would killing Abel make Cains offering acceptable
to God? In what way was Abel any part of the problem Cain
had with God? All this seems clear to us as we look back of this
situation, but Satan had clouded the reasoning of Cain, and, in
his twisted mind, he could solve all his problems by killing his
brother. Therefore, Cain killed Abel, and the first murder took
place, and the first human death came to the world.
This first death was the result of false religion or rebellion
against the direct and clear word of God. Men are still dying for
these reasons. There are certainly many elements involved here,
but the basic cause was that Cains works were evil and Abels
works were righteous (1 John 3:12).
However, this murder did not solve the problem. Of course,
God knew what had happened. God was still trying to reach out
to Cain when He asked Cain about Abel. God was giving Cain
one last opportunity to confess his sin and pray for forgiveness.
Cain refused. Instead of repenting, he lied, at first denying that
he knew where his brother was and arrogantly asking God the
question, Am I my brothers keeper? (Gen. 4:9). That question
seems to puzzle men, but the answer is quite simple. Yes, we
are responsible for one another. We are our brothers keeper. We
need one another, and we are responsible not to harm or kill one
another over matters that can be resolved without violence.
God is never fooled by the lies men tell. We may fool one
another, and we may fool ourselves, but we will never fool the
Lord. God knew what Cain had done, and Cain had now sinned
by refusing the last offer of Gods grace. Cain had given God
Text: Genesis 4; 5
29
his answer. He had lied and denied any responsibility for Abel.
The only thing left was for God to issue judgment against Cain.
When we refuse Gods direct plea and make excuse for our sinful
behavior, all that is left for us is judgment.
The first thing Cain lost was his relationship with the earth.
Previously, Cain had lived the life of a farmer, growing things
and enjoying the fruits of his labor. Now, that was over. The earth
which was the receptacle of his brothers blood would no longer
be a blessing to Cain. Instead, he would be a vagabond, a food
gatherer, wandering from place to place the remainder of his life.
III. The Lasting Consequences of Sin
Genesis 4:23-26
23. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my
voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain
a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24. If Cain shall be avenged seven fold, truly Lamech seventy and
seven fold.
25. And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called
his name Seth: for God, said she, hath appointed me another seed
instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called
his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
Cain was expelled from the presence of the Lord, but God also
acted to stop the cycle of murder. Cain feared that others might
take revenge on him, but God set a mark on Cain to prevent this.
Cain became a wanderer, and we have a compressed record of
his genealogy. We read about Lamech five generations later.
Lamech was the first recorded bigamist. He had two wives,
Adah and Zillah. This was a departure from the marriage pattern
God established between one man and one woman. The direct
word of God had been ignored and so had the pattern of behavior
God taught mankind.
This Lamech should not be confused with the father of Noah
who is mentioned later. These men share the same name, but
they are different people. Lamech, the descendant of Cain is still
marked by the pattern of murder that was in his ancestorCain.
For reasons we do not know, Lamech took the life of a young
man. The interesting thing here is the way Lamech chose to deal
30
with his sin. He did not confess it to God; instead, he confessed

it to his wives.
This is reminiscent of Cain talking to Abel about his rejected
offering. This kind of horizontal discussion will never solve the
problems of mankind. Only when we look up and seek the face of
God can we begin to deal with our shortcomings.
In contrast to this, we have a record of the beginning of the
righteous lineage of Seth. Seth was the younger brother of Cain
and Abel, and note that the men from this line began to call on
the name of the Lord. This is a contrast to the descendants of
Cain who were still discussing their problems with one another.
Cains family tree ends with Lamech, the arrogant murderer
who talked to his wives about his crime. The line of Seth ends
with Noah, through whom the world and civilization itself are
preserved. What a great contrast of outcomes that all began
with the refusal of Cain to learn from his mistakes. Sin has long
tentacles, reaching across many years.
A FINAL WORD
No one can live without sin. No matter how hard we may
try, we will come short of the glory of God. We will sin. The
real teaching here is about how we should deal with sin. We do
not know all the details, but it is possible that Cain may have
sinned, at first, in ignorance. He brought the wrong offering. God
graciously gave him an opportunity to make this situation right.
All Cain had to do was listen to God and bring an offering that
was acceptable to God.
Instead of repenting, Cain simply got angry. He was angry with
God and he was angry with his brother. Only eternity will reveal
the damage done by a wounded human ego. Cain compounded
his sin by refusing to heed the word of God and talking about
the situation to his brother. He turned from the only real help he
could have, the word of God, and appealed to Abel. In ways that
are not recorded for us, this led to more anger and eventually
murder.
Even then, God was gracious and gave Cain another
opportunity to repent. Cain refused this last appeal and the only
thing left was judgment. This judgment was pronounced on Cain,
Text: Genesis 4; 5
31
but the effects of it reached down through the generations to

those who came after him. Years later, Lamech would disregard
the pattern and the word of God. Where did Lamech learn this
behavior? Evidently, this was the way his family did things.
The sins of the fathers are visited on the children not because
God is cruel and punishes us for something we did not do but
because we learn from our parents. We may not listen to what
our parents say, but we will not miss seeing what they do.
A wise man will learn that he is indeed his brothers keeper.
We are in one anothers lives, and we are constantly learning
from one another. Sin will bring forth death, and when we refuse
to repent, the only choice God has left is judgment.

1. Do you think Adam, Eve and their sons knew the proper
manner of Gods worship, or were they left to their own devices?
Why?
2. Why do you think Cain was so angry over Gods rejection of
his offering?
3. What should Cain have done? Did God seek reconciliation
with him?
4. What lessons can you draw from Cain and Abel that may
help your family?
October 3, 2010
The Grace of God

to Noah
Text: Genesis 6
Focus: Genesis 6:1-14, 17-19, 22
Key Verse:
And the Lord said, I will destroy man
whom I have created from the face
of the earth; both man, and beast, and
the creeping thing, and the fowls of
the air; for it repenteth me that I have
made them. But Noah found grace in
the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:7, 8
Sunday Devotional: Gods

Desire for His Own, Deuteronomy 5:29.
Application: Where sin
abounded, grace did much
more abound. Gods answer
to sinful mankind is judgment
and preserving grace.
A FIRST LOOK
Peter described three worlds in 2 Peter 3:6-12. There he told
us about the world which perished in the flood, the world we
presently inhabit and the world that is yet to come, the new
Heaven and the new earth. The first world was destroyed by
water and the world that is now is reserved unto fire against the
day of judgment. In both cases, judgment is the result of the evil
conduct of ungodly men.
From the moment God promised a Redeemer in Genesis
3:15, Satan began to systematically attempt to pervert and
destroy that plan. God was patient with mankind during this
first civilization, but when all His redemptive efforts had been
rejected, God had no other
choice but to destroy this
Daily Devotionals
wicked world, saving only M. Sin Starts on the Inside, Jeremiah 17:9, 10.
eight souls to preserve His T. God Gave Them Up, Romans 1:28-31.
W. Like the Days of Noah, Luke 17:26, 27.
promise.
T. Noah Obeyed God by Faith, Hebrews
That these events are not
11:7.
fables or fairy tales. The F. Humility Before Honor, James 4:6-10.
account of the flood has been S. Delivered from Judgment, 1 Peter 3:18-22.
32
Text: Genesis 6
33
minimized and ridiculed by many so-called scientists, and, as a

result, many people do not take these Scriptures literally. This
is sad because this is history, and if we refuse to learn these
lessons, this history of destruction will be repeated in our own
lives.
This is an account of abounding sin and abundant grace. The
key parts of this account are the grace that was continually
extended to a sinful world and finally fell on the receptive hearts
of Noah and his family.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The Great Wickedness of Mankind
Genesis 6:1-7
1. And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face
of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,
for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty
years.
4. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after
that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and
they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which
were of old, men of renown.
5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.
6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth,
and it grieved him at his heart.
7. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created
from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping
thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made
them.
The events of these first two verses have been the center of
much discussion over the years. Some suggest the sons of God
are fallen angels who interbred with human women. This seems
unlikely because if these were fallen angels, they would not be
34
The Grace of God to Noah
called the sons of God. If they were good angels, they would not
have committed this breach of Gods will. Also, we have the plain
statement of Jesus that angels do not marry (Matt. 22:30).
Some suggest this is the cross marriage of the descendants of
Cain with the descendants of Seth. The sons of God would be
the descendants of Seth and the daughters of men would be the
descendants of Cain. This theory is at least possible. Whatever
did happen, it was a violation of Gods will for mankind. Evidently,
the Holy Spirit had led men and women not to enter into these
marriages. Men and women had refused the leadership of the
Holy Spirit and God then promised that spiritual leadership, or
striving, would stop. God plainly told mankind there were one
hundred twenty years determined in which mankind had an
opportunity to repent and follow the will of God.
Men rejected this appeal and the result is mentioned in verse
4. All kinds of genetic variations that God had not intended were
the result of these intermarriages. If this situation were left
alone, everyone on earth would eventually have been affected.
The violation of any of Gods laws always leads to more sin.
When men disregarded the striving of the Holy Spirit, they soon
found themselves enmeshed in continual wickedness, and the
thoughts of the hearts of men became evil continually. This was
not just a general atmosphere of sin. This was a situation where
every imagination and thought of every heart was continually
set on doing evil. We live in a sinful world, but not like this
one. The situation was so bad that God had to take action or
the whole human race would be hopelessly lost with no hope
of redemption. We learn from Matthew 24:37-39 that marriage
and giving in marriage was one of the priorities of this evil
world. The breakdown of Gods rules for the home led swiftly to
the breakdown of this entire civilization. This sounds familiar,
doesnt it?
The heart of God was grieved because of the sins of mankind.
Our sin breaks the heart of God and so God reacted in the only way
possible. When confronted by mankinds sins, God has only three
choices. He can simply ignore them, in which case the rebellion
will go on forever unchecked and unpunished. God can force men
to obey Him like robots. He can impose His will on us by force,
but if He does, the opportunity for us to love God is forever lost.
The other choice is for God to judge sin. God must ultimately
withdraw from those who refuse His love. This ancient world
Text: Genesis 6
35
refused the love and guidance of God and in doing so, they chose
judgment for themselves. This principle still applies to mankind.
II. Grace in the Middle of Corruption
Genesis 6:8-12
8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
9. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and
perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was
filled with violence.
12. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt;
for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Noah is an important biblical character. He is mentioned

fifty-one times in the Bible. In verse 9 we find the third of the
generation statements in Genesis. Noah, like everyone in the
Bible and everyone else in the world, was saved by grace through
faith. No one was ever saved by bringing a sacrifice, by keeping
the Law or by doing good works. Salvation is the gift of God
that is accepted in faith by mankind. Every human being must
personally find grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Because He believed God, Noah was just in his generation.
He stood out from the other men of his day who had forsaken
the leadership of God and behaved as they pleased. Noahs
righteous conduct grew from a righteous heart. He walked with
God because he trusted God in his heart. Then and now, faith
precedes action. We do what we believe. It can never be the other
way around. No amount of behavior will ever compel belief.
Hebrews 11:7 reveals to us that Noah operated according to his
faith in the warning God gave him of impending doom.
Noah had three sons who evidently shared his faith and may
have aided him in the necessary preparations of the ark. These
three men and their wives along with Noah and his wife would
be the eight people saved from the waters of the flood. God had
decided to destroy mankind, and the animal creation, including
everything that breathed. Noah and those who listened to him
were the only ones who would be spared.
These days were marked by an increase in violence and
corruption. Eventually, all flesh was corrupted by the evil
36
practices that began when men disregarded the leadership of

the Holy Spirit. However, otherwise, things seemed normal. As
Jesus said, men were marrying and giving in marriage. They
were eating and drinking. Life went on, except for Noah who
was busy building an ark on dry land and predicting a flood in a
world where it had never rained.
III. Gods Plan for Redemption
Genesis 6:13, 14, 17-19, 22
13. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before
me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold,
I will destroy them with the earth.
14. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in
the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
17. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the
earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under
heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt
come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons
wives with thee.
19. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt
thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be
male and female.
***
22. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so
did he.
For the third time God stated that the earth was filled with
violence and sin. Men had rejected the love of God and now
judgment was inevitable. However, God had a plan whereby
Noah or anyone who would listen to the preaching of Noah could
be saved. God gave Noah a strange command.
Noah was to make an ark of gopher wood. The ark was not
designed for navigation; it was designed for survival. All it had
to do was float and not fall apart. The ark was divided into decks
and rooms and was made waterproof with a coating of pitch.
All in all, the ark was a marvel of engineering. If we apply the
standard cubit of eighteen inches, the ark was four hundred fifty
feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. It had
three decks, one door, and a series of small windows eighteen
inches high near the roof to provide light and ventilation. The
Text: Genesis 6
37
three decks were divided into compartments where the various

animals could be kept and where Noah and others could live.
One commentator has estimated that the ark could hold over
125,000 animals, or the contents of over five hundred railroad
livestock cars. The point is that the ark was quite adequate for
its purpose.
God specifically told Noah that He would destroy all things
which had the breath of life in them. Of course, fish and other
creatures that lived in the water would survive the flood.
Verse 18 contains the first use of the word covenant in the
Bible. A covenant is simply an agreement between two parties
where each is obligated to perform certain activities. God agreed
to spare Noah and his sons, and Noah, in turn, agreed to serve
God in the building of the ark. Once this covenant had been
made, Noah had nothing to fear from the coming destruction.
God had promised Noah life, and Noah was trusting in the word
of God that can never fail.
Then, Noah began to actually do what God had told him to do,
He began to build the ark and gather the animals in preparation
for the coming flood.
A FINAL WORD
Noah must have seemed extremely foolish to the generation of
men who perished in the flood. Their lives were spent in normal
pursuits like eating and drinking and marrying and giving in
marriage. Here was one lone, maybe crazy, preacher who was
preaching that the world would end and building a big box while
gathering all kinds of animals. His plan must have seemed
ridiculous.
At the appointed time, Noah and his family would lead the
animals into the ark, go in themselves and God would shut the
door. Water would begin to fall from the sky until the whole
earth was covered with water and everything outside the ark
drowned. Remember, it did not rain in this world, so this seemed
impossible.
Yet, it happened as Noah had predicted. The great lesson for
us is that we should heed the prophecies of the end of the present
world. This writer knows the promises in the book of Revelation
38
sound fantastic to us, but these things will come to pass as God
has given them. It seems today that life goes on unchanged from
day to day; yet, we know there will be a day in our lives when
everything changes forever.
One of those days will be the day we die. When we die, we
will face the Lord in judgment and all our earthly wealth will
be forgotten and only what we have done for the Lord will truly
matter.
One day Jesus will come again. He will come for those who
are His, resurrecting those who are dead and catching those who
are alive and remain in the clouds to be with Him forever. He
will come to the Mount of Olives, to the place where He left this
world, and life, as we know it, will forever be changed.
Open your heart to the Word of the Lord and find grace in His
eyes. Place your faith in Jesus and be ready for your personal
meeting with God and the soon return of Jesus to this earth.

1. Can you recognize some of the characteristic evils of Noahs
day in the world today? Discuss them.
2. What did Jesus say we should do when we see those
characteristics? (Hint: Matt. 24:37-44.)
3. Noah walked with God in the midst of a wicked generation.
How can we do likewise?
4. Do you think Gods heart is still grieved (Gen. 6:6) with the
wickedness of people? What do you think God will do about it?
October 10, 2010
The Judgment of God

on Mankind
Text: Genesis 7; 8
Focus: Genesis 7:1-10, 15-17, 20; 8:1, 4, 20-22
Sunday Devotional: Like the

Days of Noah, Matthew 24:37-29.
Key Verse:
And every living substance was
destroyed which was upon the face
of the ground, both man, and cattle,
and the creeping things, and the
fowl of the heaven; and they were
destroyed from the earth: and
Noah only remained alive; and they
were with him in the ark.
Genesis 7:23
Application: Because of the

truths of this lesson, we may
be sure that God will judge the
wicked and give mercy and grace
to the humble.
A FIRST LOOK
The judgment of God is never a kind of cosmic temper tantrum
where God loses His patience and lashes out in anger against
evil. In contrast, Gods judgments are measured responses to
human evil. Each one is given in precise measure to accomplish
a particular purpose. God had already declared exactly the cause
of the flood and the extent of the destruction it would cause.
The flood came because men had ignored the commands of God
and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The flood was not designed
to destroy the earth. Instead, it was designed to kill everything
that breathed, except for those who inhabited the ark. We can
only wonder at the precision
Daily Devotionals
of God on such a large
scale. The flood precisely M. Noah Departs the Ark, Genesis 8:5-19.
T. Flood Waters Dispersed, Psalm 104:5-9.
accomplished its purpose.
W. The Lord Is Not Slack, 2 Peter 3:3-10.
As we study the par- T. God Can Be Trusted! Psalm 91:1-10.
ticulars of the flood, we F. God Will Deliver, Proverbs 11:21.
should be reminded that God S. Offer the Sacrifice of Praise, Hebrews 13:15.
39
40
The Judgment of God on Mankind
is as precise and particular about present and future judgments

as He was about past judgments. The promises which we read in
the New Testament about the return of Jesus to the earth will be
fulfilled exactly as they are given in the Scriptures.
The flood must have seemed a spectacular and impossible
event to those who heard Noah preach. How could the earth be
covered with water when it had never rained? Human wisdom
could not answer that question; yet, faith in God could. Noah
believed God, not the wisdom of man. He preached the truth,
when the truth seemed impossible to believe.
If we understand what God tells us clearly, we should obey it,
but if we do not understand it at all, we should take special care
to obey it. Gods Word is true and it will be here when Heaven
and earth have passed away.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Gods Instructions and Noahs Obedience
Genesis 7:1-10
1. And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into
the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the
male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the
male and his female.
3. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to
keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
4. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance
that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
5. And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded
him.
6. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters
was upon the earth.
7. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons
wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls,
and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
Text: Genesis 7; 8
41
9. There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male
and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the
flood were upon the earth.
Many people have a false picture of the events of the flood. We

have heard stories about the flood, and we have seen pictures
that represent it, and these can color our thinking. The truth
about the flood is in the Bible. It was one hundred twenty years
from the time God revealed the coming of the flood until the
actual event. During that time, Noah not only built the ark,
he also preached righteousness to those who would listen. He
preached about the coming judgment on humanity. Mankind
had many opportunities to repent and join Noah in the ark.
When the time came, God instructed Noah and his family to
enter the ark. They were to take seven pairs of clean animals and
one pair of unclean animals with them. Even in the days before
the Law of Moses, some animals were recognized as suitable
for sacrifice to God and some were not. The clean animals were
those which could be used sacrificially to represent Jesus.
Noah and his family and all these animals were in the ark,
and God shut the door. This was seven days before the rains
came. It rained for forty days and nights and at the same time
the fountains of the deep, the water in the water table under the
earth, were released. The water in the atmosphere was released
so all the water in the world was on the surface of the earth. The
water continued to rise for another one hundred ten days and
reached its peak after one hundred fifty days. Those who had
mocked Noah had plenty of time to figure out how foolish they
had been in ignoring his message of righteousness.
In recent years, in an attempt to accommodate the scoffers of
science, some have suggested that the flood was limited and not
worldwide. The Bible is plain that this was a worldwide flood
which extended over all the earth. It killed all human life and all
other breathing things. The giving of the rainbow as a worldwide
sign that there would never be another flood, and the references
of Jesus and Peter to the flood all show us that the flood was a
worldwide event, not a local occurrence which seemed worldwide.
The flood was as worldwide as the sin of mankind, and sin is
everywhere.
42
II. The Duration and Extent of the Flood

Genesis 7:15-17, 20
15. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all
flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as
God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
17. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters
increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
***
20. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the
mountains were covered.
The flood began on the seventeenth day of the second month

of the six hundredth year of Noahs life. That is a precise day. It
is the point in time when this happened. The flood is not a fairy
tale or a fictional event and this dating process shows us that
God precisely recorded this event for us. As noted earlier, rain fell
for forty days, the fountains of the deep were broken up and the
water in the atmosphere condensed onto the earth. For the next
one hundred ten days the waters rose reaching their full height
after one hundred fifty days and covering the highest mountains
by fifteen cubits, or over twenty-two feet. We must remember
that the geography of this first world is largely unknown to us.
The receding waters of the flood contained great power which
literally rearranged the face of the earth.
New rivers were formed, vast canyons were made and
mountain ranges were moved and, no doubt, erupted in different
places. It is a mistake to presume that the world that flooded
was largely identical to the one we live in now.
The waters would take another one hundred fifty days to
recede. Noah spent over a year in the ark with his family and
the animals. The ark was not navigated. Instead, it was simply
borne upward as the waters rose. It safely floated on the water,
perhaps surrounded on every side by water, and when the waters
receded, it settled on the top of a mountain named Ararat.
We can only imagine what was going on in the minds of the
eight people in the ark, but we do know that, whenever we
go through a storm, it is easy for us to feel forsaken. This is a
normal human emotion and we all have it. Troubles come and
we wonder, where is the Lord in all this? Noah had to have great
Text: Genesis 7; 8
43
patience. Day after long dark day, he had to tend to the animals
in his care, going about his chores wondering when it all would
end and his ordeal would be over. His faith led him to believe
that God was still in charge and the dark days in the ark were
a part of Gods plan for him and his family. We should learn the
great lesson of Hebrews 13:5. God will never leave us or forsake
us no matter how long the storm lasts.
At the same time those who for one hundred twenty years
had used common sense and scoffed at the preacher and his
family for building the ark must have realized at the last that
Noah was not a fool after all. We must remember that in any
age, the men and women who love the future, who place their
faith in Jesus and lay up treasures in Heaven will prove to be
the wisest people of all. Those who are outside the ark of safety
which God provides through Jesus will ultimately be shown to
be the biggest fools of all, no matter what else they may have or
have not done.
III. Gods Promise to Mankind after the Flood
Genesis 8:1, 4, 20-22
1. And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all
the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to
pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
***
4. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth
day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
***
20. And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every
clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on
the altar.
21. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his
heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake; for
the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth; neither will I
again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold
and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
The idea that God remembered Noah does not mean that God
had forgotten something and called it to mind again. God can
never do that. This literally suggests that God paid attention
44
to Noah; He fulfilled a promise He had made to Noah. The

same term is used later in reference to Abraham, Rachel and
Hannah. (Gen. 19:29; 30:22; 1 Sam. 1:11;19) To remember in this
context means to do something on behalf of someone else. God
had made a commitment to Noah and now He was honoring the
commitment.
After one hundred fifty days the waters were moved to where
they were before, and the ark rested on the top of a mountain.
It was the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the next
year. When Noah had ascertained that dry land had once more
appeared and it was safe to leave the ark, he did so. The first
thing he did was to build an altar and offer a sacrifice to God.
The seven pairs of clean animals taken aboard the ark made this
possible.
God was pleased with Noahs offering and promised never
again to smite the ground for the sake of mankind. This is an
affirmation by God of the natural order of things which will exist
in this world as long as it stands. Gods promise to add no further
curse to the ground does not remove the curses already in effect
from the days of Adam and Cain. God also promised never again
to send a worldwide flood and destroy all life. He adds to this the
promise that the natural cycles which sustain life will continue.
The flood interrupted and changed forever the cycles of nature.
God affirmed that the natural rhythms of creation will not be
interrupted again.
This guarantee should give us hope as we face an uncertain
future. Every time we watch a sunset, turn the page of a calendar,
or behold a rainbow in the sky, we are reminded of the promises
of God. Creation preaches a sermon day after day which assures
us of the loving care of our righteous God. We should be listening.
A FINAL WORD
Noah is a great example of a believer in God who followed the
Lord in all ways. Before the flood, he walked with the Lord and
obeyed the commands God gave him. He witnessed as he worked
and preached the truth in difficult circumstances. While in the
ark, he exercised great patience. Noah served the Lord in the
ark for over a year without knowing exactly where or when his
Text: Genesis 7; 8
45
situation would change. When the ark was at last at rest, Noah
showed his faith by bringing God an offering of the best. Noahs
life and actions show us that true worship survived the flood.
This was the same kind of sacrifice that Abel had brought years
before.
The account of the flood should be taken literally for what it
simply states. Notice that many precise details are given about
the flood. We know exactly when it began and when it ended.
We know the dimensions of the ark and where it came to rest.
These details are not given in support of an ancient legend; they
are facts which undergird this biblically accurate account. Noah
was a real man who really did some fantastic things. He was a
preacher of righteousness and through his willingness to serve
and obey the Lord, life was preserved on this planet. If we follow
the great example of Noah, we will hear and carefully obey the
Word of God.

1. Why was Noah and his family spared?
2. Do you believe the flood was a worldwide catastrophe? What
are biblical evidences it was worldwide and not a local flood?
3. What would you say to someone who blamed God for killing
innocent life in the destructive flood?
4. What can you learn from Noahs altar and Gods promise
(Gen. 8:20-22)?
October 17, 2010
The Covenant of God

with Mankind
Text: Genesis 9
Focus: Genesis 9:1-17
Sunday Devotional: God

Always Keeps His Covenant,
Nehemiah 9:32-38.
Key Verse:
And I will establish my covenant
with you; neither shall all flesh be
cut off any more by the waters
of a flood; neither shall there any
more be a flood to destroy the
earth.
Genesis 9:11
Application: After a tragedy

or trauma, it is great to know
God still loves us and will keep
the promises He has made.
A FIRST LOOK
Few experiences make us savor and love life more than almost
losing our lives. One sage has said that to really live you must
almost die. Noah and the other people with him had come close
to the doors of death. No doubt, they realized just how close they
had been to drowning for over a year. That experience made
them particularly attentive to the new life they were about to
begin.
Noah and his family were true pioneers. Like Adam and Eve
before them, they were facing a brand new world filled with
challenges and opportunities.
Life would be as they would
M. The Evils of Drunkenness, Genesis
make it, for better or for worse.
9:18-29.
Of course, the sinful nature of T. Good for Food, 1 Timothy 4:3-5.
Adam still lived within them. W. No Dietary Restrictions, Romans
14:13-21.
Nothing they did would change T. Capital Punishment for Murder,
the past, but everything they
Exodus 21:12-14.
F. The Noahic Covenant, Isaiah 54:8-10.
did would shape the future.
Covenant-Keeping God,
God did not forsake Noah after S. Our
Deuteronomy 7:9.
the flood. This is important. The
46
Text: Genesis 9
47
flood was a dramatic and once in a lifetime experience. However,

now it was over and it would never be repeated. Noah no longer
needed to preach righteousness to a dying world. He did not need
to build another ark. He no longer needed to gather animals as
he had once done.
God never changes, but He definitely changes the way He
deals with mankind. In this covenant, God established new
rules for a new day and a new world. We still live in this world,
and understanding this covenant is vital if we ever want to
understand our own lives.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Returning Life to Earth
Genesis 9:1-7
1. And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every
beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that
moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your
hand are they delivered.
3. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as
the green herb have I given you all things.
4. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall
ye not eat.
5. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand
of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand
of every mans brother will I require the life of man.
6. Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed:
for in the image of God made he man.
7. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in
the earth, and multiply therein.
God had told Adam to be fruitful and multiply, and He gave

this same command to Noah twice. All of the descendants of
Noah were important in the plan of God, but Noah would also be
an ancestor in the line of the Messiah. Through Shem, Abraham
would be born and through Abraham, Jesus would come. In
ways Noah could not have imagined, it was important for him
48
The Covenant of God with Mankind
and his family to obey this command to produce children and fill
the earth with people.
In the Bible, children are seen as a blessing, never as a curse.
The family that had many children and even grandchildren was
considered blessed by God. Sadly, today children are often looked
on as a problem, an inconvenience, or even an illness that is to be
medically eliminated, even before a child is born. It is startling
to realize that in just one year there are over a million abortions
in America. Who knows what untold blessings have been denied
humanity because some parents thought it was too inconvenient
to have a child. Life is the gift of God, and children are a heritage
and treasure from the Lord.
Evidently, Noah had a wonderful rapport with the animal
world. He was able to lead all kinds of animals into the ark and
keep them safe for over a year. Now, that would change. Mankind
would no longer live at peace with the animal world. For reasons
that are not given, an animosity was placed between man and
animals. Animals will fear mankind, even when men mean them
no harm. This is easily observed in what we call nature. In spite
of this dread on the part of animals, man would be the master
of the animal kingdom. All kinds of creatures would succumb to
the devises and uses of mankind.
The ability to utilize animals and the ability to till the ground
were both vital to the maintenance of human life after the
flood. Anticipating future human conflict, God instituted the
requirement of capital punishment. The principle is simple, if
anyone murdered another human being that person would forfeit
his own life. This law was not given as a matter of vengeance;
instead, it was given as a means to protect and preserve human
life. Those who murder will have to answer to God, and they
should also answer to their fellow human beings. Punishing
those who violate Gods laws is an important function of any
human government. Government was established because of
sin. Human hearts are evil, and so we need the regulatory force
of government, and government needs the ultimate authority to
take lives to preserve order.
II. The Covenant with Mankind
Genesis 9:8-11
8. And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Text: Genesis 9
49
9. And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your

seed after you;
10. And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of
the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go
out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all
flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall
there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
The first verses of this chapter were given in the form of a

blessing. God specifically establishes a covenant with Noah and
by extension with the whole human race. Note that this was for
all the seed of Noah, and this now includes everyone who will
inhabit the new world. This covenant does not stop there. It also
includes the animals that went out of the ark to repopulate the
earth.
In this covenant, God promised without condition that He
would never again destroy the earth with a flood. He did not
make any requirement of any human or animal; this promise
is unconditional. This was important because from this time
on whenever the rain began to fall men might wonder whether
another flood was coming that would once more destroy life.
Over the years, God has given three great institutions to
govern and direct human activity. The first was the family. In the
world before the flood, we saw the failure of families to follow the
commands of God and the leadership of the Spirit of God. With
the Noahic Covenant, God was instituting human government.
For the first time, God gave men the authority and the right
to redress wrongs on their own. When Cain murdered Abel,
God directly intervened to punish Cain. Now, men were given
the authority to punish those who murder others. Later, Jesus
established His churches as the final divine institution for the
regulation of human society.
Many arguments have occurred over the use of capital
punishment. Regardless of any argument that can be made for
or against the practice, the Bible is clear that those who commit
this crime should pay with their own lives. As long as human
hearts live under the curse of Adamic sin, capital punishment
will remain necessary. Remember, God Himself had exercised
this kind of judgment in sending the flood to destroy an evil
world.
50
Note that four times in this covenant, God showed His concern
for every living creature. God preserved the animals in the ark
as well as the humans. Animal life is a part of Gods creation
and He is concerned about it. The great system of checks and
balances that we have labeled nature works intricately to
preserve a delicate balance of animal life on this planet. As far
as we know, there is not another place in the universe where
this kind of diversity of life exists with each creature working in
divine harmony with others to allow life to continue and flourish.
III. The Sign of the Covenant
Genesis 9:12-17
12. And God said,This is the token of the covenant which I make
between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for
perpetual generations:
13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a
covenant between me and the earth.
14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth,
that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and
you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no
more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that
I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every
living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant,
which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the
earth.
So men might forever remember this covenant, God sealed

this agreement with a sign. The sign is what we call a rainbow.
The idea was that, whenever men would see a rainbow, they
would be reminded of this covenant, and God had made a
certain unconditional promise to all mankind and to every living
creature.
Centuries later, the world has seen many things which we
call natural disasters. The earth has also seen many things
which were the direct result of the judgment of God on evil men.
However, the world has never seen another worldwide flood.
This sign has been universally accepted. When we see a rainbow
anywhere in the world, we know that the storm is over. Neither
Text: Genesis 9
51
man nor animal must wonder whether the falling rain will stop
short of a worldwide flood. It will because God has promised that
it would.
Psalm 19:1 states that the heavens declare the glory of God
and that the firmament, or atmosphere, shows His handiwork.
Every day the world around us is testifying to the majesty of the
Creator, and most men turn a deaf ear to it and never see the
wonders all around them. Look into the sky and see the glory
of the eternal God. The simple rainbow is a reminder of the
grace, faithfulness and goodness of God. Whenever we see one,
we should stop fretting and worrying. God is in control and His
Word abides forever. We have nothing to worry about. Although
God has not promised us that we will never go through a storm,
He has promised us that the storm will not last forever, and the
storms of life will not destroy us. The sun may be hidden behind
the clouds, but it is there nonetheless, and we have nothing to
fear.
Rainbows are everywhere. There is not a place on the earth
where they cannot be seen. They have been observed in deserts
and in the snow-covered artic. This shows us that the grace of God
is also everywhere on this earth, and it is sufficient for the needs
of all mankind in every situation. When we look at a rainbow, we
should remember that our Heavenly Father is looking at it from
the other side. In this way, a simple rainbow is a kind of symbolic
joint between time and eternity which brings the two together
for a fleeting moment.
Remember, John saw a rainbow which completely encircled
the throne of God in Heaven (Rev. 4:3). From earth we see only
part of a rainbow. This should remind us that, at best, we have
only a part of the picture. Only in eternity will we see Jesus faceto-face.
A FINAL WORD
The words of this covenant are the answer of God to the faith
shown by Noah when he made an offering upon leaving the
ark. The rainbow is a sign of the covenant. There is a particular
application which should be made here. Many people look at a
rainbow and see no significance in it at all. They merely regard
52
it as a natural phenomenon which has no further meaning to

them. It is beautiful, but so what.
This should teach us that there is no power at all in any ritual
or symbol. The meaning is only attached to the rainbow when we
have faith in the promises God made to mankind. It is as we hear
the Word that we have an opportunity to believe the Word. Even
then, we may disregard the Word and ignore it. Many choose to
do so.
For those who are willing to receive the Word and believe the
Word, the simple and obvious things of life take on an entirely
new meaning. For instance, baptism is only getting wet briefly,
unless you understand the Bible and all the things scriptural
baptism truly represents. The Lords Supper is only a bite of bread
and a sip of juice, unless you understand the divine symbolism
behind these humble elements and the precious nature of the
churches that Jesus purchased with His own blood. A church
is just a group of people, much like any other group, until you
understand the Bible teaching about the church Jesus left on
earth.
Seen through the eyes of faith, we realize that in all these
things and many more, Heaven is meeting earth. Like the
rainbow, we are looking up at what God has done and God is
looking down at us. In true scriptural worship, Heaven meets
earth for a brief moment and the will of God is wonderfully done
on earth as it is in Heaven. Understand this, and you will never
look at ordinary things in the same way again.

1. Discuss what it must have been like to survive the trauma
of torrential rain, flood and massive loss of human and animal
life to end up with your family alone in the world.
2. How important was it for God to convince Noah and his
family that another flood would never come to destroy humanity?
Why?
3. What effect does it have on you that God kept His covenant
with Noah? Why?
4. What covenants or promises from God are valuable to you?
October 24, 2010
The Failure of Mankind

Key Verse:
So the Lord scattered them
abroad from thence upon the
face of all the earth: and they
left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there
confound the language of all the
earth: and from thence did the
Lord scatter them abroad upon
the face of all the earth.
Genesis 11:8, 9
Focus: Genesis 10:1, 2, 6,

21, 22, 32, 11:1-9
Sunday Devotional: Return of a

Pure Language, Zephaniah 3:9-11.
Application: Even after Gods
severe judgment, mans sinful nature
surfaced as a people sought to live
without God. Trying to live without
God will always end in failure.
A FIRST LOOK
The opening chapters of Genesis record three great failures of
mankind. These are the Fall of Mankind brought about by the sin
of Adam, the sinful world that brought the flood and the failure
of mankind at the tower of Babel. In each of these cases, the sin
of mankind was a failure to hear and obey the clear revelation of
God.
When God makes His will clear to us and we understand it and
we disregard His will and substitute our wisdom for His teaching,
judgment is inevitable. Please note that this is not God reacting
in anger to human behavior. Instead, which is human behavior
which guarantees punishDaily Devotionals
ment from God. If you
mash your finger with a M. The Gospel to All Nations, Mark 16:15.
The End of Foolish Pride, Psalm 49:10-15.
hammer, you are foolish T.
W. Arrogance Will Be Judged, Daniel 4:30-33.
to be angry with the T. He Beholds the Sons of Men, Psalm 33:13, 14.
hammer. It was your own F. You Cannot Hide from God! Jeremiah 23:23, 24.
S. The End of Babylon, Revelation 18:1-5.
hand that wielded it.
53
54
These verses show us plainly that Adamic sin survived

the flood and was passed on to the descendants of Noah. The
genealogy in chapter 10 is not typical. We are reminded in verse
32 that this is a listing of generations, nations and locations.
This involves geography as well as family lineage.
Also, this is not a complete genealogy, linking one generation
with all others. Some biblical nations are omitted here. We
cannot use these names to identify modern nations. Over the
years the locations, names and even the ethnic composition of
nations has changed. The only definite links established here are
those mentioned later in the Bible. For instance, we know that
Shem was the ancestor of Abram who was the progenitor of the
Jews. We should be careful to stay within the bounds of accurate
interpretation in these and all other Bible verses.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The Generations of Noah
Genesis 10:1, 2, 6, 21, 22, 32
1. Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
2. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan,
and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
***
6. And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and
Canaan.
***
21. Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the
brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
22. The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and
Lud, and Aram.
***
32. These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their
generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided
in the earth after the flood.
Every human being has Noah for an ancestor. No matter who

you are or where you live, your family tree will eventually find
55
its roots in the people mentioned in these verses. However, the

purpose of this account is not to provide a giant family tree for
mankind but to explain how the earth was repopulated after the
flood. The replenishing of the earth was not random, and it was
not left to chance. God had a purpose which went all the way
back to the promise He made to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15.
The Redeemer, Jesus, would come from one of the sons of Noah.
The first family listed is Japheth. There are seven sons named,
and seven grandsons named. However, only the sons of Gomer
and Javan are specifically named. This does not mean that the
other sons of Japheth had no children. It does show us that this
is not a complete genealogy. The point is to show that Japheth
was the father of the people known in the Bible as the Gentiles.
The family of Ham is mentioned next. This is a more extensive
listing, and it is interrupted with the account of Nimrod and the
building of the kingdom of Babel. Nimrod was a mighty man, or
literally a champion, the kind of man others would follow, and he
used this ability to build at least four cities, named in verse 10,
in the land of Shinar or Babylon.
The Bible is clear that the descendants of Ham did not
ultimately speak the same language, or live in the same geographical areas (Gen. 10:20). In a few short years the population
of the earth was diverse and beginning to spread abroad as God
had desired.
The final listing is of the children of Shem. Five of Shems sons
are mentioned, but the emphasis is placed on Arphaxad because
he was the ancestor of Abram. Arphaxad is the grandfather
of Eber. The word Eber means wanderer. It is the root of the
term Hebrew. Eber was the ancestor of Abram who later became
Abraham.
These listings are given so we can know that God is involved
with all nations and peoples on this earth. It is true that God
chose Abraham, and Israel is the chosen nation of God, but that
does not diminish the fact that God is not willing that anyone
should perish, regardless of his ethnic background. As Paul
preached in Acts 17:26, God has made all nations of one blood
and has determined their habitations. God has a plan for every
human being, and God has a plan for the governments and
peoples of the earth as well.
56
Whatever the descendants of Noah did or did not do, God had
a plan and a purpose for them that would eventually be fulfilled
in every nation.
II. The Sin of Mankind
Genesis 11:1-4
1. And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they
found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and
burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had
they for morter.
4. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose
top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
The main settlement of the families of Noahs sons was to

the west of Shinar, which we know as Babylon. Evidently, men
were obeying the command of God to go into all the world and
repopulate every corner when an opportunity presented itself.
These wanderers came to a fertile plain and decided to dwell
there permanently.
At this time everyone on earth spoke the same language.
Linguistic scholars suggest that every language spoken on earth
today has some features in common and can be traced back to
one common language. It is evident that a common language and
a common way of pronouncing words would also bring about a
common philosophy. These people were united in purpose as well
as language and that purpose was to thwart and disobey the will
of God.
These people made a crucial decision. They decided to abandon
Gods command to spread out on the earth and, instead, stopped
on the pleasant plain in Shinar to build a permanent dwelling
place on earth. They chose to make brick, fire the brick for
permanence and built a city and a tower in the city.
There is a contrast here with the life of Abraham, who would
live many years after this. Abraham chose to live in a tent
instead of building anything that resembled a permanent home.
The reason was simple. Abraham was looking for a heavenly
city, not an earthly dwelling (Heb. 11:9, 10). The life and faith of
57
Abraham teach us the important lesson that life is temporary.

If your surroundings are extremely pleasant or if they are
miserable, they are only temporary. You cannot stay here. We
are not on this earth to stay; we are here to accomplish the will
and purpose of God and then move on to our eternal reward. This
is a basic principle of life which is largely ignored today.
The tower which these people built was most likely what
archeologists call a ziggurat. This was a stepped pyramid where
steps on every side led to an altar on the top which served as a
place for sacrifice. The idea has often been put forth that these
people were trying to climb into Heaven with this tower. This
was not the case. The Bible plainly states that the tower was to
be built high to keep the people together and to keep men from
being scattered on the face of the earth.
This first post-flood city and its tower were built in direct
contradiction to the commandment of God. This is why God
judged it.
III. The Sentence of the Lord
Genesis 11:5-9
5. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which
the children of men builded.
6. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have
all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be
restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that
they may not understand one anothers speech.
8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the
face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did
there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did
the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Of course, God did not have to physically inspect this tower

to know about it. This is dramatic language to show us that God
is involved with what we do, and, when we do wrong, God will
notice and react to what we do.
Carefully note the truth of verse 6. Three important things
are set forth here. First is the fact that at this time there was
only one language on the earth. This means that anyone from
any family or place could communicate freely with any other
58
person. Ideas and concepts could be completely conveyed without

any misunderstanding at all. Second, note that the inability to
communicate is a restraining force among human beings. We will
only learn in eternity how many of the inventions of mankind
have been lost simply because we could not tell each other what
we had learned.
The inability to communicate freely and openly serves as a
hindrance to human imagination and subsequent activity. This
verse clearly teaches that when human beings can communicate
freely, what they can do is limited only by their imagination.
We have seen this truth come to pass in the modern world.
When men began to break language barriers during the industrial
revolution, the walls came down, and whatever men imagined,
they have been able to do. This has shaped the world we live in
now. The world is largely the product of human imagination and
the machines which imagination has produced. God knew this,
and Moses recorded it centuries ago.
God stopped this process by confounding the languages.
Unable to understand each other, these people abandoned their
building project and went their separate ways, living together in
groups on the basis of a shared language.
This place was called Babel, which we commonly understand
to mean confusion. This word had the original meaning, the
gates of the gods. Instead of making a name for themselves and
building a place where their false gods could come to earth, God
renamed the whole process confusion and that is how we know
it today.
A FINAL WORD
God did not destroy anyone in this judgment. Here, as with
Adam and Eve, God acted to deal with a specific problem and
also to prevent any future trouble caused by the sins of mankind.
Language is not a problem for God. We know that the Holy
Spirit worked on the day of Pentecost following the crucifixion of
Jesus to arrange things so no matter what language those present
understood, they heard Peter preach in their own language
(Acts 2:6). We also know that God interprets the prayers of His
children with groanings which cannot be uttered so every prayer
59
is perfectly and accurately communicated to the throne of His

grace (Rom. 8:26).
We know that the greatest power in the world, the power of
the gospel, is unleashed through words (Rom. 1:16; 10:17).
We also know that the story of Babylon is not over. There is
one more chapter to be written according to Revelation 17 and
18. In the end Babylon will represent religious confusion and
deception.
Like these men of old, we have a choice. We can listen to the
truth of the Word of God and obey what God asks of us, or we can
bring about the confusion of disobedience. God is not the author
of confusion. Confusion and disorder are born in hell and find
their expression in the hearts and actions of sinful men.
Our hearts are either fixed on earthly cities, and the things
we can build here and now, or like Abraham, we are looking for
a heavenly city that will be our eternal home. How much better
it is to give up our earthly struggle for things we can never keep
and set our affections on the heavenly things which we can never
lose. Jesus is building a place in Heaven for those who believe in
Him. That is the place we should regard as our permanent home.

1. Discuss language barriers and cross-cultural communication
problems you have experienced.
2. Discuss the difficulty of accomplishing a job if you could
not understand or speak in a coworkers language. Discuss the
effect this would have had on the construction of the Tower of
Babel.
3. Why were the people doing wrong in constructing the Tower
of Babel?
4. What did they ultimately want to accomplish in building
the tower?
October 31, 2010
Job and His Trials

Text: Job 1:12:10
Focus: Job 1:1-12, 20-22, 2:7-10
Sunday Devotional: He Will

Never Leave You! Hebrews 13:5, 6.
Key Verse:
Then Job arose, and rent his
mantle, and shaved his head, and
fell down upon the ground, and
worshipped. And said, Naked
came I out of my mothers womb,
and naked shall I return thither:
the Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away; blessed be the name
of the Lord.
Job 1:20, 21
Application: Living a godly Christian life will not prevent trials, but
be assured that God will be with
you through all of them.
A FIRST LOOK
Today, we begin a study of the book of Job. This book is among
one of the oldest pieces of human literature. The book of Job
stands alone in the Bible. There is no reference made in Job to
any other book, although both Ezekiel and James refer to Job. We
get some possible clues to the identity of Job in Genesis 10:23.
There, we read that one of the grandsons of Shem was named
Uz. Uz was the name of the land where Job lived, and if the land
was named after the man, this would make Job a descendant of
Shem or a cousin of Abraham.
The land of Uz was probably in or near what later was called
Edom (Lam. 4:21). A man named Eliphaz was a son of Esau
and Adah. This is also the
Daily Devotionals
name of one of the friends
Gods Promised Presence, Isaiah 43:1, 2.
who came to visit Job M.
T. Trials Are Precious, 1 Peter 1:3-9.
(Gen. 36:10,11).
W. He Is with You! Isaiah 41:10.
We do know that Job T. Tribulation Worketh Patience, Romans 5:1-5.
lived before the life span F. Trials Are Not Unusual, 1 Peter 4:12-19
S. Wait upon the Lord, Isaiah 40:28-31.
of mankind was shortened
60
Text: Job 1:12:10
61
to its present seventy or eighty years (Psalm 90:10). Job lived one
hundred forty years after this time of trouble. Most of what we
know about Job is contained in the book which bears his name.
We do know that Job was a real man, not an imaginary
character, and the things recorded in Job really happened.
Although Job is written largely in Hebrew poetry, it is not an
imaginary story. The real experiences of Job offer us timeless
lessons about dealing with the real problems we face every day.
Job is a testimony to the truth of the sermon Peter preached
in Acts 10:34, 35, Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of
a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in
every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness,
is accepted with him. The experiences of Job prove the truth of
Solomons great message in Proverbs 15:16, Better is little with
the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Beyond all else that he had, Job had a rock-solid relationship
with the Lord, and this eventually saw him through his troubles.
This is the great lesson of this wonderful book.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The Man from Uz
Job 1:1-5
1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and
that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and
eschewed evil.
2. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three
thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred
she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the
greatest of all the men of the east.
4. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his
day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink
with them.
5. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about,
that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning,
and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all:
for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in
their hearts.Thus did Job continually.
62
Job and His Trials
Our introduction to Job reveals a man who had four desirable

characteristics. Job was perfect and upright, but Job was not
sinless. The term translated perfect has to do with completeness
and integrity. Job was mature in his character and conducted
himself without reproach in all his dealings with others. Jesus
taught that we know each other by our fruits, and the fruits of
Jobs conduct indicate that this was a man who feared God and
believed the promises of God.
The Bible plainly states that Job feared God. This is not the kind
of fear which brings dread; instead, it is a kind of divine respect
for the love and provision of a Heavenly Father. Accompanying
this fear of God was also a hatred of evil. The term eschewed
means that Job avoided evil and those who did evil things. Job
chose the path of righteousness over the pathways of sin.
Job had a large and blessed family. He had seven sons and
three daughters. In this day a large family was seen as a blessing
from God, not as a problem of some kind. These children must
have had a good relationship with each other. We read that they
met together frequently, every one taking a turn to provide
hospitality for the others. This speaks well for the parenting of
Job and his wife. Every large family is not necessarily a happy
family, but the family of Job was both happy and prosperous.
Job was a wealthy man by the standards of his time. In
those days wealth was not measured by the amount of land you
owned, or the amount of money you had in a bank. Wealth was
measured by the amount of your personal possessions and Job
possessed many animals. He had seven thousand sheep, three
thousand camels, five hundred pairs of oxen use to plow land and
five hundred female donkeys. In addition to this he had a large
number of servants in his household to see to his agricultural
enterprises. Job knew that God had given him his wealth, and,
no doubt, he thanked God for it.
Job was concerned for his children even though they were
grown men and women, living on their own. He offered sacrifices
on their behalf. Job wanted to be certain that his family was
right with God. In case his sons and daughters had not sacrificed
to the Lord, Job did it for them.
II. The Evil Work of Satan
Job 1:6-12
6. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
Text: Job 1:12:10
63
7. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then
Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the
earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my
servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an
upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God
for nought?
10. Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his
house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed
the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and
he will curse thee to thy face.
12. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in
thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan
went forth from the presence of the Lord.
We go through our lives seldom realizing the nature of the

powers which govern us. Unknown to Job, there was a conflict
taking place in Heaven. It may surprise us to know that Satan
does not rule from hell. He is the prince of the power of the air.
Right now he is on earth and can even appear in Heaven. It is
only after the last great judgment that Satan and his angels will
be cast into hell. When God asked Satan where he came from, he
replied that he had been in and on the earth.
Evidently, Satan was looking for righteous men to tempt and
ruin, and God knew about the faith and conduct of Job. It is
interesting that God chose the faith of this Gentile man as an
example. No doubt, there were many men who loved and served
the Lord, but Job immediately came to the mind of God. What a
wonderful blessing it is to know that God knows who we are and
what we are doing.
Satan then makes a remarkable accusation, both against Job
and against God. In effect, Satan accused God of buying Job and
Job of selling out to the highest bidder. Satan was saying that
God cannot get men to serve Him out of love alone, that He has
to bribe them with material wealth and protection to win their
service. This was accusing God of lying.
Satan was also accusing Job of merely entering into a good
business deal in trusting the Lord. He is saying that, of course,
Job knew a good thing and so he served God as long as the
64
Job and His Trials
blessings were flowing. However, if the blessings stopped, Job

would curse God and turn from his faith.
God responded by allowing Satan to take away all the physical
blessings Job had. Satan could not afflict Job spiritually, but he
could touch all that belonged to Job. Satan left to implement his
wicked scheme. God knew the heart of Job and God knew that
the faith Job had was not just a deal made between them. From
the beginning of this encounter, the outcome was never in doubt.
Satan could not win and God could not lose.
Satan did his evil work, and in one day Job was stripped of his
wealth. One after another, messengers arrived to report that all
Jobs animals had been killed in various disasters and even that
his children had been killed in a great storm. In one twenty-four
hour period, Jobs life changed forever. He got up one morning
living a dream life and by nightfall it was a nightmare. Indeed,
no man knows what a day may bring forth.
III. Job Reacts to Trouble
Job 1:20-22
20. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and
fell down upon the ground, and worshipped.
21. And said, Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked
shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord.
22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Job obviously knew what had happened, but he did not know
why it had happened. Because we have seen behind the curtain
of history, we know what was taking place here, but Job did not
know about the confrontation between Satan and God.
Note in all this is the overruling power of God. Satan can only
act within the permissive will of God. Satan can touch Gods
people, but only if it is for their ultimate good. Remember the
truth of Romans 8:28. All things work together for good for those
who love the Lord and are the called according to His purposes.
On some level, Job understood this truth and his reaction was
first to mourn and then to worship. Tearing your clothes and
shaving your head were ancient signs of mourning, like placing
a wreath on a door, or wearing black clothing is today.
Text: Job 1:12:10
65
There is nothing wrong with mourning our losses. God expects

us to sorrow, but we are not to sorrow as those who have no hope.
Job expressed his hope in God in the great and brief message he
gave when this happened.
Job acknowledged what few human beings realize. We came
into this world with absolutely nothing and we will leave it in
precisely the same way. One way or another, you will lose every
physical thing you have gained since you were born. You may
have much in this world or you may have little, but you will
leave it all.
Job realized that everything came as a blessing from God.
The Lord had given Job his wealth and his family, directly or
indirectly. God does the same thing for each of us. Many imagine
themselves to be self-made men. However, before you get that
mind-set, try to give yourself the health and strength to go about
your daily activities. If you have ever been helplessly ill, you
realize that everything comes from God. Moreover, Job realized
that it was in the power of God to take it all away if He chose to
do so.
Job did not blame God or curse God because of what had
happened to him. Many people serve God thinking that by doing
so they can earn a special favor so God owes them something, and
they can collect if they need it. Many have asked when trouble
came, How could God let something like this happen to me?
After all, I have served Him faithfully for years. The implication
is that God owes us and He has cheated us by allowing trouble
into our lives. This is the sin Job did not commit. He did not
charge God foolishly.
IV. Satan Smites Job Even More
Job 2:7-10
7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and
smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he
sat down among the ashes.
9. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine
integrity? curse God, and die.
10. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish
women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God,
and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
66
Job and His Trials
Things were bad, but they were about to get even worse for Job.
Satan now accused God of protecting Job physically so Job would
serve Him. After all, God could give Job back all his blessings.
God allowed Satan to afflict Jobs physical health. Satan did so
and Job became hopelessly and desperately ill. Job had a disease
we cannot clearly identify. We do know the symptoms. His body
was covered with running sores (Job 2:7). He lost weight (Job
30:18), had diarrhea (verse 27), and his skin turned black (verse
30). When his friends finally came to him, they did not recognize
him.
Jobs wife believed that the disease was terminal and she
advised him to curse God and die. Clearly, she understood what
Satan wanted Job to do, and she knew that cursing God would at
least put an end to the present suffering of Job. She was wrong,
but consider that she had suffered too. She had lost her ten
children in one day and she had lost her wealth as well. She was
once a great lady in the land of Uz, and now her life was in ruins.
No doubt, she thought she was helping, but in truth what she
advised was the worst thing Job could have done.
Job refused her advice. Job did not have a secret agenda or a
contingency plan which allowed him to curse God. He was honest
in his love for God and in his fear of God. He could not deny what
he truly believed, even though troubles came into his life.
A FINAL WORD
Trouble will seldom shape our character. It will merely reveal
what is already there. If we give up, it may well be because we
did not have real faith all along. We should obey God in spite of
our feelings or circumstances or the consequences of our faithful
behavior. We should know that in all matters God is working His
perfect plan for us in His own way and in His own time.
It may be true that no one would have blamed Job if he had
cursed God and died right there. Maybe most men would have
taken the easy way out. However, no one would have known
about Job either. If Jesus had chosen to avoid the cross, He would
not be our Savior. If we refuse the cross of suffering, we will limit
what God can do though us, and deny ourselves, and those who
come after us, countless and nameless blessings.
Text: Job 1:12:10
67
We know about Job because he trusted God. Job did not sin in
his heart and he did not sin with his lips. He did not understand
what happened, and he argued with God about it. However, all
through it, he believed in God and his faith saw him through his
troubles and trials.

1. Does it seem that, if you live a godly life, you will not face
trials? Why? Did Jesus face trials?
2. Satan means accuser, and devil means slandererso is
it any wonder that is what he does? Why does Satan accuse and
slander Gods people?
3. Why does God allow trials and tribulations to come upon
His people?
4. Jobs reaction to his losses was to worship (Job 1:20). Discuss
how Job could react in such a way.
November 7, 2010
10
Job and His Friends

Text: Job 2:1131:40
Focus: Job 2:113:3; 16:1-5
Sunday Devotional: Real

Friends Comfort with Gods
Comfort, 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.
Key Verse:
Now when Jobs three friends
heard of all this evil that was
come upon him, they came every
one from his own place; Eliphaz
the Temanite, and Bildad the
Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to
mourn with him and to comfort
him.
Job 2:11
Application: Real friends can

comfort and strengthen the
afflicted by ministering to the
sufferer, seeking to meet his
needs and sharing the love of
God.
A FIRST LOOK
This lesson is a brief look at a major portion of the book of Job.
Of the many lessons in these chapters, our focus is on the three
friends of Job who came to comfort him in his misery.
At this time Job was in a bad place in his life. He had lost his
wealth, he had lost his family, and he had lost his health. Job
was too sick to function in normal life and, yet, not sick enough
to die. His suffering must have been intense.
Remember, the great purDaily Devotionals
poses that were at work
behind the scenes in the life of M. False Reasoning of Eliphaz,
Job 4:1-9.
Job. Satan was testing Job and T. Health
and Wealth Religion of Bildad,
Satans evil desire was to get
Job 8:1-6.
Job to curse God to His face. W. Job Needed a Mediator,
Job 9:25-33.
Satan was given the power
T. Job Awaited the Resurrection,
to afflict Job severely, but
Job 14:14, 15.
Satan could not take his life. F. God Will Comfort You! Isaiah 51:12, 13.
Of course, Job knew nothing S. Jobs Redeemer Is Alive! Job 10:21-27.
68
Text: Job 2:1131:40
69
about all this. He only knew that he had been enjoying the great
blessings of God and now they had all been taken away.
We often think that explanations will somehow ease our
troubles. We seek to understand why things happen; yet, in our
hearts we know that understanding will not make the pain go
away. Logic does not relieve suffering; love does. The failure of
these three friends was not in their misunderstanding of the will
of God, although they entirely missed the point of Jobs suffering.
They failed because they did not offer Job the unquestioning love
and support which might have helped him in his time of trouble.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Jobs Three Friends
Job 2:11-13
11. Now when Jobs three friends heard of all this evil that was
come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz
the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite:
for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn
with him and to comfort him.
12. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him
not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his
mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and
seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his
grief was very great.
Note the clear purpose of these three men and their failure
to do what they intended as recorded in Job 16:2. They came to
comfort and, yet, they were miserable comforters. The problem
was not in their intentions; it was in their actions.
The first thing we note is that these three men genuinely
cared about Job. They came, evidently from a great distance, to
help him. They were not ashamed to be with Job on the ash heap
where Job spent most of his time. When they saw him, even from
a distance, they observed that his disease had so ravaged his
body that they did not recognize their old friend.
Their reaction was as if Job had died. They cried out and wept.
They tore their clothes and sprinkled dust on their heads and
70
Job and His Friends
toward Heaven. All these were signs of mourning in this ancient

culture. Noting that Job was grieving intensely, they merely sat
down beside him and did not say a word for seven days.
Later, Job would remark that he wished that they had stayed
silent all through their visit (Job 13:5). When we do not know
what to say, we are wise to merely keep silent. There is great
power in words, and although our words can ease misery, they
can also increase it (Prov. 18:21). Consider that Job was suffering
physically. He was mentally confused and uncertain, and now he
had to summon his limited strength to defend himself against
his friends who began to accuse him of some unspecified sin.
The remarks of Jobs friends should be examined closely
because they hold many valuable lessons. We must examine
them briefly. Eliphaz spoke first and based his remarks on his
experiences. Note Job 4:8. In his experience, those who suffer
were merely reaping what they had sown. This meant that Job
had some evil in his past that had now caught up with him. Job
must have some secret sin, and he needed to admit it, and seek
forgiveness so his suffering could stop.
Eliphaz was at least diplomatic in his approach. After
listening to Eliphaz and Job interact, Bildad interjected some
painful rhetoric into the discussion. His premise was that God is
always just; therefore, Job must be getting what he deserved. He
reinforced the idea there had to be some great sin in Jobs life,
and since God is just and punishes sin, Job must have sinned.
If Job had been without sin, as Job insisted, God would have
restored him. Bildad argued that the trouble itself was evidence
of some horrible sin in Jobs life.
Job answered Bildad, and then Zophar had his turn. Zophar
was a legalist. Like most legalists, he assumed that everything
must have a cause and effect. He suggested that God was bound
by laws, and if Job were suffering, it had to be because of a secret
sin and the sin must be confessed and forgiven before Job could
be restored.
Please note that none of these men were wrong in what they
were saying. Their arguments were not poorly made or based
on ignorance. The trouble was that what they had to say did
not apply to Job. Their error was in thinking that men could
understand everything that happened to them, and a rational
explanation would bring relief from trouble. The truth was that
Text: Job 2:1131:40
71
none of these men, including Job, had a clue what was behind all
the trouble in the life of Job.
II. Jobs Great Pain
Job 3:1-3
1. After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2. And Job spake, and said,
3. Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which
it was said,There is a man child conceived.
Job began his answer to Eliphaz, his first accuser with a poetic
statement about two wishes. First, he wished that he had never
been born. Consider the circular nature of this thinking. If you
had never been born, you could not wish that you had never been
born. Or, to put it another way, only those who are alive now can
possibly wish that they had not been born. We have no concept
of what the unborn might desire.
The truth is that whatever life might hold for us, life itself is
a precious and wonderful thing. As Solomon would later write,
For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a
living dog is better than a dead lion (Eccl. 9:4).
The second wish of Job was that he had died at birth; that
he had been stillborn. It is true that either of these conditions
would have prevented the misery Job experienced, but Job had
forgotten, as we often do in our trials, the truth he had uttered
once before. God had given and God had taken away. We have
received good from God. Will we not also not receive evil?
Job was in misery, but his entire life had not been miserable.
Before this trouble came, he had a wonderful and fulfilling life. He
had a large, loving family and great wealth. He had friends near
and far and had helped many people. Remember, the troubles of
the present do not erase the blessings of the past. When we use
our memory constructively, we will see that our blessings now
and in eternity will far outweigh our trials. Consider the truth of
2 Corinthians 4:17.
These complaints of Job did not reflect the heart of a man
who had lost his faith. Instead, it shows us the depths of despair
of a human heart. None of us can absorb unlimited amounts of
misery. At some point, we will reach the bottom of our reserves
of optimism and cheerfulness, and Job had done so. He had
72
Job and His Friends
lost everything, and now his friends came to mourn with him
and began by accusing him of sinning in secret and suffering
for it. Now in addition to being alone, sick and broke, he was
misunderstood. No wonder he became pessimistic.
Please note two important things about this chapter. First,
although Job wished that he had never been born, he did not
contemplate taking his own life. Suicide never solves anything
for anyone. Then, note that Job clearly believed that life began at
conception. This is stated plainly in Job 3:3. The beginning and
ending of life are two events which are best left in the hands of
a loving God. Human beings are walking on dangerous ground
when we interfere with either.
III. Jobs Miserable Comforters
Job 16:1-5
1. Then Job answered and said,
2. I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye
all.
3. Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that
thou answerest?
4. I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my souls stead,
I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.
5. But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of
my lips should asswage your grief.
Chapter 16 comes after the second speech by Eliphaz. Here,

we have some wonderful insights into the process of helping one
another.
The first principle of offering help is that we should do no
further harm. We might well ask ourselves whether Job would
not have been better off if his friends had just sat with him in
silence instead of arguing with him.
By this time, all three of his friends were not really trying
to comfort Job; they were trying to win an argument with him.
They were trying to get Job to admit that he had committed
some phantom sin which had brought on him this misery. Job
was not unwilling to confess his sins, but he could not in truth
confess a sin he had not committed. Many people have strange
and unbiblical ideas about the forgiveness of sin. Some seem to
believe that confessing our sins is a kind of universal admission
Text: Job 2:1131:40
73
of guilt in all circumstances. It is asking God to make all the bad

people good and all the good people better. In truth, confessing
our sins involves recognizing our sins and knowing what those
sins are. If Job had committed so heinous a sin that he deserved
this punishment, he would have surely have known what he did.
Because his friends had settled on the idea that his suffering
was the result of a great unconfessed sin, they became miserable
comforters. This is almost a contradiction in terms, isnt it? In all
their lofty speeches, they had offered Job no understanding and
no hope. They only told him what he already knew.
Job plainly stated that he understood from where they were
coming. He could say the same things if he were whole and
healthy and speaking to someone in his condition. However, note
that Job stated that he would choose to behave differently.
Real comfort never comes from a display of superior wisdom
from a friend. What comforts us is understanding, sympathy and
encouragement. None of the friends of Job had offered any of
these things to him. As far as we know, none of them offered to
help him physically in any way. They had not offered to take him
to their homes or to share their wealth with him. They had not
suggested that he could come and live out the rest of his life in
their care.
These men had not tried to understand this suffering from
Jobs point of view. Job did put himself in their places, but they
did not do this for Job. They did not imagine that they could
be sitting on the ash heap in the place of Job. If they had, they
would have offered much different advice.
None of these men could see beyond the present tragedy. None
of them suggested to Job that somehow, in the providence of God,
this trouble would pass and things would be better. Job knew
this. He knew that, even if he died in his flesh, he would see God
(Job 19:26). Job knew that blessings were ahead, but these men
did not offer Job any hope or relief. Indeed, they were physicians
of no value and miserable comforters.
A FINAL WORD
The New Testament has some sound advice for those who
observe trouble in the lives of others. In Galatians 6, we are
taught how to deal with a brother who has been overtaken in a
74
Job and His Friends
fault. We are not told to judge him or even to go and argue with
him. We are not to try to explain things to him. We are simply
taught to restore him.
The ministry of restoration is often overlooked, but it is
necessary and scriptural. Jobs friends could have restored some
of the things Job had lost. They could not have given him back
his family or his health, but they could have assured him that
he would have no further financial worries as long as he lived.
They could have gotten him all the medical care that he needed.
Because we cannot do everything, it does not mean that we
should do nothing.
Everyone of us will need to be comforted at some time in
life, and everyone of us will need to be a comforter. Learn these
lessons from Job, and when it is time for you to be a comfort to
someone, be sure that you do not add to his misery.

1. Have you ever had comforters like Jobs comforters? He
called them miserable comforters (Job 16:2).
2. How can you avoid the failures of Jobs three friends?
3. What things can you do to strengthen and comfort those
who are enduring trials?
4. Share a real-life experience when someone came to your
aid and ministered to you with love and compassion.
November 14, 2010
11
Job and Elihu

Text: Job 3237
Focus: Job 32:1-4; 33:12-14, 17, 18,

28-30; 37:14, 22-24
Key Verse:
Then was kindled the wrath of
Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite,
of the kindred of Ram: against Job
was his wrath kindled, because he
justified himself rather than God.
Also against his three friends was
his wrath kindled, because they had
found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Job 32:2, 3
Sunday Devotional: As Iron

Sharpens Iron, Proverbs 27:619.
Application: God is sovereign
and not answerable to any
person. But He allows trials for
beneficial reasons and is to be
greatly reverenced.
A FIRST LOOK
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was
righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu
the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against
Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather
than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled,
because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were
elder than he (Job 32:1-4).
Evidently, a crowd of people gathered to listen to the arguments between Job and his
Daily Devotionals
three friends. Then and now,
M. Friends of Jesus, John 15:13-15.
controversy draws a crowd. In a T. The Wrong Kind of Friends,
way, Job had won the argument.
Proverbs 1:10-19.
He had answered every ques- W. All Things Work Together, Romans 8:28.
A Friend To Avoid, Proverbs 22:24, 25.
tion and objection put forth by T.
F. Joy Cometh in the Morning,
Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.
Psalm 30:4, 5.
However, Job was far from S. All His Works Praise Him,
Psalm 145:10-12.
understanding or accepting
75
76
Job and Elihu
what had happened to him. These verses set the stage for the
insightful speech of a young man named Elihu.
Because he was a young man and respected his elders, Elihu
had patiently waited for the previous discourse to end. He did
not interrupt as so many would do today. He listened carefully
and noticed two things. First, he observed that Job justified
himself instead of justifying God. Job had not admitted to any
wrong doing and had persisted in blaming God for the troubles
which had come on him. Self-righteousness is always a barrier
to understanding, and it kept Job from understanding and
accepting the troubles he was enduring.
Elihu also noticed that the friends of Job had not found an
answer to this situation. What they said was not wrong; it just
did not apply to Job. These men had only condemned Job. They
had no real explanation for the troubles which had come upon
him.
Believing that he could do better, Elihu began a discourse
with Job which was a kind of bridge between what the friends
had to say and what God would eventually say to Job. Elihu was
preparing the way for God to answer Job. There is wisdom in the
things this young man said to his elders.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. God Is Not Answerable to Mankind
Job 33:12-14
12. Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God
is greater than man.
13. Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account
of any of his matters.
14. For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
Elihu simply summarized the answers Job gave his three

friends. He said that Job had declared his innocence in any
wrongdoing and God had somehow decided that Job was His
enemy and this was the reason for his suffering. Job was wrong
to presume that he had never sinned, and he was equally wrong
to presume that God would suddenly and without any reason
unjustly punish one of His children.
Text: Job 3237
77
This kind of reasoning overlooks the plain teaching of Ezra

9:13 and Psalm 103:10. These Scriptures teach that God does
not reward us according to our iniquities, but according to His
love and grace. We can and will suffer for our sins, but we should
not think that all trouble is sent from God. We are quite able to
generate our own misery in life. Beyond that, life itself is short
and filled with trouble (Job 14:1). Also, our pain may be Gods
way of getting our attention. As C.S. Lewis said, God whispers
to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in
our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. There are
many reasons for our suffering. When we conclude that we suffer
because we have sinned but we cannot remember any sin we
have committed, our suffering is unjust. We are wrong in our
conclusion.
We might have caused our own problems, and, of course, sin will
result in suffering, but our troubles can also be a tool God uses
to help us in our spiritual development. God may be speaking to
us, but are we listening? Our striving to get all the answers may
be an excuse to keep us from facing the real spiritual problems
in our lives.
We must also be careful about falling into the error of thinking
that an explanation will somehow solve our problems. The
suffering of Job would have been as great if he had understood
it completely as it was when he was ignorant of the causes of his
misery. God does not owe us an explanation for the choices He
makes.
The issue here is fundamental. It has to do with the nature of
God and mankind. God is the sovereign Master of this universe.
He is only obligated to mankind in the ways he has chosen. We
are not equal to God and God does not have to explain anything
He does to anyone on earth. Rather than seek an explanation
from God, we should understand that His judgments are right,
whatever they may be, and we should accept the things we
cannot change and trust in His grace to see us through every
trial.
II. God Can Use Suffering To Benefit People
Job 33:17, 18, 28-30
17. That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride
from man.
78
Job and Elihu
18. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from
perishing by the sword.
***
28. He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life
shall see the light.
29. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
30. To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the
light of the living.
Elihu also argued, and quite properly so, that our troubles
are working for us and not against us. He lists several spiritual
benefits of trials and tribulations.
First, God permits suffering to reveal his purposes to men. If
we follow God, we must first stop following ourselves. When we
realize our own limitations, we will more easily be led to trust in
God.
God also allows troubles in our lives to deal with our pride.
Sinful pride is a deadly force which is easily let loose in human
hearts. In suffering, we learn the deception of the pride of life. In
our youth and strength, we may imagine that we are invulnerable
and invincible, even godlike, but in sickness and disability we
learn the truth. At our best we are weak mortal creatures and at
our worst we are completely helpless. We need a Savior, and we
need the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Suffering may also be the means which God uses to keep
us from even further tragedy. The greatest tragedy of human
existence is to die lost and spend eternity in hell. God may use
suffering to get our attention so we will listen to the gospel.
These conversations and arguments between Job and his friends
would never have taken place if Job had not suffered as he did.
These old friends may have discussed many things, but trouble
focuses our minds on God but that is never a bad thing.
This same sentiment is echoed in 2 Corinthians 4:17, For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. When we are
hurting, we want the pain to stop. It takes spiritual maturity to
realize that eventually our suffering will be over and when it
is, it will have brought us a blessing. Notice the language Paul
used. Our affliction is light but our reward is exceeding, eternal
and heavy. This is not to minimize any suffering we may endure,
but it does offer us help. Our help does not come from having a
Text: Job 3237
79
complete explanation of events; instead, it comes from having

faith in God who truly loves us, and although we may be hurting
at the moment, we will be rewarded out of proportion to our
troubles.
Elihu also comes close to overtly stating the truth of Romans
8:28 which states, All things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who the are called according to his purpose.
In ways Job could not understand, his trials were actually being
used for his benefit. Remember Job was not singled out by Satan
because he was ordinary or evil but because he was faithful. In
allowing Satan to afflict Job, God was adding to the reward of
His faithful saint.
If we understand these truths, we will never see our sufferings
in the same light again. The suffering of Job deals with problems
which reach across the ages and touch every human heart. God
loves us in ways we will only understand in eternity. God is
working things for our good.
III. God Is Great and Man Should Fear Him
Job 37:14, 22-24
14. Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the
wondrous works of God.
***
22. Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible
majesty.
23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent
in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
24. Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are
wise of heart.
Troubles, especially those we consider intense, will cause us

to question what we have always thought to be true. This can
be a good thing especially if we have based our happiness on
the shifting sands of physical pleasure. However, it can be a bad
thing if we begin to doubt eternal truth. We should believe our
beliefs and doubt our doubts. We should never believe our doubts
and doubt our beliefs. Job and his three friends had begun to
doubt things they had always believed. Elihu reminded Job that
80
Job and Elihu
God was still great and His character had not changed because
Job was suffering.
God is the same whether we are living on the mountaintop of
spiritual victory or we are in the valley of despair. When things
are going well in our lives, we find it easy to be thankful, but
when troubles come, we can also find ourselves questioning and
doubting. We must realize that nothing changes because we are
hurting. Eternal truths are eternal. They are not here today and
gone tomorrow. When we are hurting, no matter what the cause,
we must realize that everything which was true yesterday is
still true today and will be true tomorrow, no matter how our
circumstances may change.
Elihu reminded Job of some of the characteristics of God. The
first thing he told Job was to stand still. This reminds us of the
truth of Psalm 46:10. We must be still and stop our squirming to
know that God is God and to realize what God can and will do for
us. Our constant movement and arguing can become a defense
mechanism to keep us from letting the eternal plans of God into
our hearts.
When we begin to take an honest look at God, we will see that
He is eternal and constant in His mercy and grace.
Elihu reminded Job that God was in control of what we call
nature. The winds and seasons were in His control. Greater things
than the health and well-being of any individual are controlled
by God, and we should never think that He has forsaken us or
forgotten any of His promises. God has power to control forces
which are beyond our imagination. We should never question
His actions. God is infinitely just and merciful. He has never
acted capriciously and afflicted anyone without just cause.
We cannot understand God, and we should not argue with
God, but we should fear God. God has no respect for those who
are wise in their own conceits, but God always accepts those who
are humble in spirit and contrite in heart. The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom and it is the key to understanding our
lives. Fear does not mean abject terror; instead, it is the respect
and honor we give to those in power and authority. It means that
we should not treat God like we treat each other. Instead, we
should show Him our reverence and worship Him in spirit and
in truth.
Text: Job 3237
81
A FINAL WORD
In 2 Corinthians 12:6-10, Paul dealt with the physical troubles
in his own life. We learn that he had a thorn on the flesh (verse
7). We do not know exactly what this physical trouble was, but
like a thorn which causes a constant irritation, it was always
there. Paul prayed three times for God to remove this problem
from his life, and three times the problem remained.
The answer God gave Paul was, My grace is sufficient for
thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (verse 9).
The messenger who buffeted Paul was not there to harm him;
instead, he was to keep Paul from being exalted beyond measure.
In His grace God was preserving the humble spirit of this great
man.
In ways we will never understand on this side of eternity, God
is working in our lives, and what He is doing is always for our
best. God seeks only the best for every human being. It is not His
will that anyone perish, and it is not His will that anyone suffer
for nothing. We need to look at our afflictions in a different way.
We need to see that every trouble a child of God can have has
an expiration date. None of our trials will last beyond the grave.
We need to know that our infirmities are opportunities for us to
glorify God, and they are purchasing for us an eternal reward.

1. Why is it important to remember that God is not answerable
to people? What happens when we do not remember that fact?
2. How can trials and suffering result in beneficial things?
Discuss specific times when trials had beneficial results.
3. Was Job wrong to defend his faithfulness and righteousness?
Why or why not?
4. What should we do when we cannot understand the reason
for trials or suffering?
November 21, 2010
12
Job and Jehovah God

Text: Job 3842:6
Focus: Job 381-7; 40:3-9; 42:1-6
Sunday Devotional: The Work

of His Hands, Psalm 102:25-27.
Key Verse:
Then the Lord answered Job
out of the whirlwind, and said,
who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up now thy loins like a man;
for I will demand of thee, and
answer thou me.
Job 38:1-3
Application: When you cannot

answer tough questions of life, do
not assume there are no answers.
God has the answers, knows everything and in eternity will satisfy
every need.
A FIRST LOOK
We may not know the answers to the troubling situations
and reversals of our lives, but that does not mean there are no
answers. Five good and wise men had examined the situation
of Job and none of them had been able to adequately explain or
rationalize what had happened to him. First was Job himself,
then his three friends, and, finally, the young man, Elihu. This is
an example of the finest minds of the day applying themselves to
this situation and all of them coming up empty.
Now, God would speak directly to Job, and, of course, God has
the final word. It is instructive to note that God did not simply
explain to Job what had gone on in Heaven when Satan accused
Job. The answer for Job was not in a complete explanation;
instead, it was an acceptance of who God was and what God was
doing.
Daily Devotionals
Our salvation is not
the result of a well-made M. Gods Amazing Power, Isaiah 40:12-17.
The Majesty of God, Psalm 93:1-5.
argument, or a properly T.
W. Ezras Prayer of Confession, Ezra 9:5-15.
drawn conclusion. We are T. Davids Prayer of Repentance, Psalm 51:1-5.
saved by a person, and it is F. Daniels Exemplary Prayer, Daniel 9:3-10.
in our relationship with the S. Nothing Hidden from Him, Hebrews 4:12, 13.
82
Text: Job 3842:6
83
person, Jesus, that we find the answers we need in life. We are

the sheep. Jesus is the Shepherd. The sheep do not need to look
at the map. They need only to stay close to the Shepherd and
follow Him wherever He goes. Our security in our trials depends
on our closeness to Jesus.
God asked Job seventy-seven questions about the physical
universe which reveal the limits of the understanding of man
and the majesty of the power of God. These questions were both
rhetorical and practical. They were designed to make Job think;
yet, God would have accepted an answer if Job had one to give.
Job does reply to God, but his reply is to declare his unworthiness
and humbly accept the judgments of God.
God cannot speak to us until we are silent. When we understand
and accept the majesty of God, we receive the message of God.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Out of the Whirlwind
Job 38:1-7
1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
2. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without
knowledge?
3. Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and
answer thou me.
4. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
declare, if thou hast understanding.
5. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who
hath stretched the line upon it?
6. Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid
the corner stone thereof;
7. When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy?
We might prefer that God speak to us from the sunshine, but

often we will not listen unless we are in the middle of a storm.
If Job had never had the troubles of his life, he would also never
have heard the voice from the whirlwind. In many ways, the
troubles and problems of our lives are spiritual opportunities
for God to speak to us through His Word and lead us through
the work of the Holy Spirit. In all his trials, Job was looking
84
Job and Jehovah God
for explanations, not for lessons or opportunities for spiritual

growth.
Gods many questions were designed to show Job His power
and majesty. God began with a statement about the limitation of
words. All the arguments of Job and his friends had only served
to darken or obscure the situation. This was because the words
were lacking in knowledge. The men who spoke with Job were
sincere, and they were accurate as far as they knew, but they
were limited in knowledge. It is a wise man indeed who knows
his limitations and speaks accordingly. Remember, we do not
know what we do not know.
God then asked questions which concerned the most obvious
work of Godthe created universe. From the beginning Satan
has cast doubt about the Word of God in creation. Today, the
old lies have been told over and over for so long that many no
longer believe that God created the universe. Men have invented
fanciful and illogical explanations for the physical universe, but
the simple truth is that creation demands a Creator. The only
other choice is to believe that everything we see and know is
some kind of grand cosmic accident.
Clearly, God knew that He created the world. He asked Job
questions which indicated that there are foundational principles
which govern the universe. Of course, we know which there are
basic physical forces which do exactly that. Gods questions also
reveal that the universe was made according to a divine plan. It
was measured and fastened together in the same manner that
a mason measures a line and lays stones to the line. When it
was finished, the spiritual world rejoiced in the grandeur of the
physical universe.
The point was that Job was reaping the benefits of all this; yet,
he had no part in the planning or the execution of the creative
process. Men are clever in the ways we rearrange Gods creation,
but we are not capable of creation itself. For instance, we speak
of building a building or making a machine, but consider that, if
you truly want to create a rock wall, you have to begin by making
your own rocks. The ones we find here belong to God.
II. God Requires an Answer
Job 40:3-9
3. Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
Text: Job 3842:6
85
4. Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand
upon my mouth.
5. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will
proceed no further.
6. Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and
said,
7. Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and
declare thou unto me.
8. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me,
that thou mayest be righteous?
9. Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice
like him?
The questions God asked Job were revealing. They show us

that God has made an intricate and complicated world and men
have only limited understanding of it at best. Job realized this
and made no attempt to answer any of the questions God asked
him.
Instead, Job simply declared that he was a sinner. He decided
to put his hand on his mouth and speak no more about the
matter. Job had passionately sought an answer to his situation,
but when he was confronted by the majesty and mystery of God,
he decided to keep quiet and simply accept what had happened
to him.
In our misery and pain, we can easily forget the simple
mysteries of life. Job was in pain and his misery was great, but
he was still breathing the air God had created, and he was still
drinking water God had made. When he realized the majesty of
God, Job chose to be silent.
We cannot learn while we are trying to be teachers. We will
not listen as long as we are speaking. The true fear of the Lord
will cause us to be quiet and we can begin to learn the real
lessons of life. It is also true there are many lessons we will only
learn in times of trouble. If our lives are peaceful and without
tribulation, we may never learn to truly trust in God. No one
would deliberately want trouble to come into his life, but we
must never overlook the lessons we can only learn when they do.
As long as we are trusting in anything else, we are not
trusting in God. When we lean on our own understanding and
our own ability, we are not leaning on the power of Jesus to help
us. Spiritually and physically, we must come to the end of our
86
Job and Jehovah God
resources before we will trust in the Lord to supply our needs.

Job realized that he had come to such a place.
God now got to the heart of the matter with Job. In ways
which are not obvious to us, but were completely transparent to
God, Job had disannulled or set aside the judgment of God. God
had sent trouble into the life of Job. Both Job and his friends
had recognized this, his problems came from God, and they had
concluded there had to be some sin in Jobs life which caused
the trouble, or God had simply made a mistake in sending Job
misery. Both of these conclusions were ignorant of the facts of
the matter and both of them were accusing God of having done
something wrong in the life of Job.
The effect of this kind of thinking is that we make ourselves
righteous and God a sinner. Whenever we question the will of
God, we must logically be substituting our own will as correct.
If what God sends me is wrong, what I wanted to happen must
have been right. This is a subtle and often overlooked rebellion
of spirit which was present in the life of Job. The lesson is that,
since Job did not have the power and authority of God, he should
never question what God did and substitute his wisdom for the
decisions God made.
III. Jobs Final Response to God
Job 42:1-6
1. Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
2. I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can
be withholden from thee.
3. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore
have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me,
which I knew not.
4. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee,
and declare thou unto me.
5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine
eye seeth thee.
6. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
Jesus stated clearly in Luke 13:3, 5 that we have only two

choices. We will either repent, or we will perish. In this passage
Jesus was referring directly to unexpected and unexplained
troubles which came into the lives of individuals. This is clearly
the choice Job had. He could persist in his arguments about God,
Text: Job 3842:6
87
or he could repent. Job wisely chose to renounce his accusations

and argument and to accept whatever God sent his way.
After hearing the message of God, Job was confident of things
he knew. Before he and his friends were speculating and guessing,
now Job based his conclusions on facts. He knew that God could
do everything and that God knew everything. Furthermore, Job
realized that he had been speaking and arguing about things
he did not understand and he had been questioning God about
matters that were beyond his ability to understand.
Job was not an evil man before his troubles came on him, but
now he realized that even in his former life he had been a sinner.
He repented of his sin, and his repentance was the door to his
restoration.
There is an interesting admission in verse 5. Job stated the
difference between firsthand experience and hearing. Job had
heard of God, but now he had experienced God. It was that
experience, that personal relationship with God, which changed
him. A personal relationship with Jesus will likewise change
men today.
Notice one important lesson in Job 42:7. God spoke to Job, and
God reprimanded the three friends of Job. These men brought the
proper sacrifices, and then Job prayed for them. It was when Job
prayed for his friends that God ended his troubles. Job realized
that he might be suffering physically, but his three friends were
actually worse off than he was because they were facing the
wrath of God. This intercessory prayer was the turning point in
the misery and trouble of Job.
A FINAL WORD
In this exchange, Job gained a new perspective of God. His
changed perspective led Job to true repentance. Even though Job
knew there was no specific sin for which his suffering had come
on him, he came to realize that he was, after all, a sinner who
needed the grace and mercy of God.
Real repentance always involves two steps. First, we must
turn away from the path we are in. We will never repent if we
keep going the same way. If we keep on doing what we are doing,
we will also keep on getting what we are getting. We will not
88
Job and Jehovah God
turn away from an unproductive path until we realize that it is

unproductive. God showed Job this in this discourse.
Secondly, real repentance means choosing a new path. We
must do something we have never done before. For Job that
was praying for his friends, even from his own misery. They
were miserable comforters to him, but he was also a miserable
comforter until he prayed for his friends. Only eternity will
reveal to us the power and blessing of intercessory prayer.
Job moved from the realm of speculating about what he did not
know to doing what he knew would always work. In his limited
wisdom, he could not explain the mysteries of the universe or his
own condition, but he could pray for others. When he did what he
could, God ended his misery.
We should always keep in mind the simple truth that for a
child of God every trouble of any kind, small or great, has an
expiration date on it. Our troubles and trials may be great, but
they will not last forever. God will definitely provide us relief
from them and eventually receive us into our home in Heaven
which Jesus is now preparing for us.

1. Do you ever feel like Job and want to question God for
things which occur?
2. What lessons can you learn from Job about dealing with
unanswerable trials and problems?
3. Do personal problems seem small when compared to Gods
great creation and eternal future? Why?
4. Do you think God condemned Job or mainly sought to get
him to see the big picture? Why?
13
Job and the End

of His Life
Text: Job 42:7-17
Key Verse:
And the Lord turned the
captivity of Job, when he
prayed for his friends: also
the Lord gave Job twice as
much as he had before.
Job 42:10
November 28, 2010
Focus: Job 42:7-17
Sunday Devotional: In TrialsWait

Until the End, James 5:10, 11.
Application: No matter how difficult
the trials of life may be, every believer
will be more than abundantly blessed in
time, or eternity.
A FIRST LOOK
As we come to the end of the study of the fascinating book of
Job, note what we do not find. There was no explanation offered
to Job for the cosmic events which shaped his life. As far as
recorded history reveals, God never explained to Job about the
actions of Satan in Heaven that had brought about all his trials.
As we learn in the lesson today, Job recovered and was rewarded,
but the causes of his misery remained a mystery until he met
the Lord in Heaven.
We also see the great truth of Romans 8:28, even though that
verse would not be written for many years. All the things that
had happened to Job had worked together for his good. When Job
was sitting on the ash heap scraping his suffering body with a
broken piece of pottery, he could not have imagined the blessing
and prosperity ahead in his future. To Job and his friends, his
future looked bleak with continued suffering until Job died a
miserable death.
Daily Devotionals
However, God had an
entirely different plan for M. Turn the Other Cheek, Matthew 5:38-42.
Intercessory Prayer, Colossians 4:12.
Job. This brings to mind T.
W. Follow the Good, 1 Thessalonians 5:15.
the truth of 1 Corinthians T. Overcome Evil with Good, Romans 12:17-21.
2:9. Our eyes have not seen F. Who Will Harm You? 1 Peter 3:18-13.
and our hearts have not S. Love, Bless and Pray, Luke 6:27-30.
89
90
Job and the End of His Life
imagined the blessings which the future holds for Gods children.
Whatever you think Heaven may be, you are wrong. It is much
better than that. We also learn that our present sorrows are
working for us, and they are bringing us a far greater weight of
blessings (2 Cor. 4:17).
All these things, when put together, offer great hope and
consolation for Gods suffering children wherever they may be.
We can trust in God and do what is right knowing that if we do
so we will eventually be rewarded according to our sufferings.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. God Rebuked Jobs Friends
Job 42:7-9
7. And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words
unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled
against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of
me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
8. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams,
and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burntoffering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept:
lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me
the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
9. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar
the Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded
them: the Lord also accepted Job.
When God finished His discourse to Job, His attention turned

to the three friends who had come to Job in his misery. Eliphaz
was recognized as the leader, or spokesman, and God addressed
this message to him. We see later that all three responded.
We may think that we can offer advice or criticism with no
responsibility. We often imagine that we are somehow standing
outside the circle of Gods influence when we do, and we will face
no consequences for our words or actions. These verses show us
that this is not the case. God noticed the actions and recorded the
words of these men as they argued with Job. They were wrong in
their spirit and God held them accountable for the things they
said.
Text: Job 42:7-17
91
Jesus taught plainly that we are accountable for every word

we speak (Matt. 12:36). We may imagine that we can speak and
not be taken seriously, but the truth is that we are accountable
even for what we may consider throwaway words. Words are
powerful; life and death are in the tongue (Prov. 18:21). We do
not have to speak and offer our advice when our friends are in
trouble, although few can keep from it. When we do, we should
be sure that we base our remarks on the revealed Word of God
and we understand all the facts of the case before us before we
give our opinions.
It is not wrong to admonish, encourage or rebuke a brother if
the situation calls for it, but we should be certain that we know
what we are doing before we speak. Others are accountable to
God and so are you.
Although it appeared so to these three friends, the wrath of
God was not directed against Job. However, it was about to be
directed against them. Their words and actions had brought the
wrath of God on them. As God had withdrawn the protective
hedge from around Job, now he was preparing to do the same
thing for these men.
God is merciful and He instructed these men to make the
proper sacrifices and avoid His wrath. The choice was up to them.
They could ignore the word of God and suffer the consequences
or they could obey the word and escape. The difference was in
their individual hearts as they believed and acted on the word of
God. We have the same choice today. God asks us to believe His
Word and act on what we know.
These men were to take fourteen animals and go to Job and
make a sacrifice for their sins. They were to ask Job to pray for
them and Gods wrath would be averted. There is no remission
of sins without the shedding of blood and that truth is pictured
here. Also, the prayers of righteous men avail much with God.
Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar did as they were instructed, and
they were restored to a right relationship with God.
II. God Restored Job
Job 42:10-15
10. And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for
his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
92
11. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his
sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and
did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and
comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon
him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an
earring of gold.
12. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his
beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand
camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
13. He had also seven sons and three daughters.
14. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of
the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
15. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters
of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
Verse 10 is the pivotal verse in the book of Job. Read it carefully

and allow this great truth to sink into your heart. What turned
the captivity of Job; literally, the turning point in his troubles
and trials was his realization that others were worse off than he
was.
Job had lost his wealth, his family and his health. He was
unable to adequately explain or rationalize what had happened
to him, and yet, his three friends were about to come under
the wrath of God for their insensitive and inaccurate words
concerning him. Job was not enduring the wrath of God. What
had happened to him so far could happen to anyone. Tornadoes
and hurricanes come to everyone. Disease and discouragement
are constants in human life. It is not unusual for parents to
bury their children for many reasons. Often, wives forsake their
husbands in times of stress. None of these things are evidence
that God is punishing us. However, these three friends were
about to come under the direct and promised wrath of God. Their
only hope was for Job to pray for them.
Job did so and in praying for them he demonstrated the
greatness of his spirit and his enduring relationship with
Almighty God. It was not the mighty words of Job given in his
defenses to these men or to Elihu which turned his captivity. It
was not the earnest confession he made before God which ended
his misery. It was the simple words of an intercessory prayer
which made the difference.
The prayer of Job had two distinct consequences. First, it
delivered his three friends from the wrath of God. Whatever
Text: Job 42:7-17
93
would have happened to Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar was now

stopped. The prayer of Job was answered, and the blessings he
sought for others were granted. This might be called the primary
answer to this prayer. However, there was also a secondary
answer. Job himself began to be relieved from his suffering. Our
prayers will help others, and they will definitely help us.
Note what God did for Job and how God did it. It all began
when the people whom Job had known and helped over the
years came to comfort him. As his health was restored, so was
his fortune. Each one of these many friends and relatives of Job
simply gave him a small part of their wealth. Each one gave one
piece of money or one gold earring. This added up to a fortune
greater than Job had in the beginning. Job took this money and
invested it wisely, so shortly after this, his herds were double
what he had before his trials came.
Jobs wife returned to him and bore him another family of
seven sons and three daughters. In the beginning Job had seven
sons and three daughters and now his family was precisely
restored. We should note the first children of Job were godly
men and women. Job had not lost them permanently because
they had gone to Heaven before he had. Job and his wife had
fourteen sons and six daughters. Some of them were in Heaven
and some of them were still on earth, but all of them were a part
of Jobs family. We can never lose what we give to the Lord. Time
and circumstance may separate us from those we love, but in no
sense do we ever lose them.
The names of Jobs daughters are interesting. Jemima means
dove, Kerzia literally means fragrant bark, probably cinnamon
and Kerenhappuch means horn of eye paint. Here are three
ladies who had peaceful spirits like a dove, a fragrant smell
like cinnamon and a pleasant appearance like that produced
by cosmetics. In Hebrew, these are beautiful names which call
to mind beautiful characteristics. Job loved his daughters so
greatly that he gave them an inheritance equal to their brothers.
This was high praise in this time and place.
III. God Rewarded Job
Job 42:16, 17
16. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his
sons, and his sons sons, even four generations.
17. So Job died, being old and full of days.
94
The long life of Job places this account historically in the time
of the patriarchs as recorded in the book of Genesis. We know
that by the time of Moses the life span of mankind had been
reduced to seventy or eighty years (Psalm 90:10). If the pattern
was complete and Job was rewarded double for everything he
lost, he would have been seventy when his trials began. Of course
we do not know this for certain. We do know that God gave Job
one hundred forty more years after his troubles were over.
Remember, to the friends who came to Job and to his wife, his
situation was considered completely hopeless. His wife advised
him to curse God and die. His friends saw no hope of his recovery.
They argued with him, trying to get him to take responsibility for
some phantom sin in his past, and none of them looked beyond
the misery to the peaceful life which was ahead.
When we are in pain and misery, we fail to look into the future.
We seldom think that our troubles are purchasing glory for us.
We want the pain to stop. Many times when we have troubles,
we begin by asking God to put our lives like they were before the
heartaches came. This is seldom wise. We would do better to take
the long look ahead and try to understand what God is preparing
for us. We should learn the lessons our troubles are meant to
teach us and keep our faith strong. We should be confident that
God is able and willing to reward us out of proportion to our
suffering.
Job lived to see four generations of his children. This means
that he was alive when his great-great grandchildren were born.
He had a wonderful, large and blessed family. Furthermore, he
had the length of days to enjoy what went with it.
The remainder of Jobs life was not completely trouble free. In
due course he died, as all men do. When he did, he had lived a
full and complete life, and he had given all humanity an example
about how to deal with trouble and overcome it.
A FINAL WORD
When you are in pain, look to Job. When things happen to
you that you do not understand, look to Job. When your friends
are more of a hindrance than a help, look to Job. When your
loved ones give you bad advice, look to Job. When your reasoning
Text: Job 42:7-17
95
power leaves you with no explanation, look to Job. When it

appears that God has forsaken you, look to Job. When you need
to be reminded of the majesty and wonder of Almighty God, look
to Job. When you need to know about intercessory prayer, look
to Job. When you need to know that God loves you and He will
eventually reward you, look to Job.
When you think that the future is out of control and all is lost
forever, look to Job. You will see that God has been in control all
the time and His will is best in all seasons of life.

1. Read James 5:10, 11, and discuss what you should do when
enduring trials.
2. Why did God rebuke the three friends of Job (Job 42:7)?
3. Do you think Job had a difficult time praying for his friends?
Why or why not?
4. In the dismal days of pain and agony, do you think Job
imagined it could turn out so well? Can the same reasoning and
truth be applied to our trials and suffering?

Genesis

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Genesis

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Adult Quarterly

SUNDAY SCHOOL FALL QUARTER, 2010

The Creative Work of God

QUARTERLY AIM: The student will learn that

American Baptist Association

Focus: Genesis 1:1-23

Sunday Devotional: Creator

Application: God is to be reverenced, worshiped and obeyed,

Text: Genesis 1:1-23

The Beginning of Gods Creation

Text: Genesis 1:1-23

The Beginning of Gods Creation

III. Order in the Heavens

Text: Genesis 1:1-23

we live in now is similar in many ways, and, as we shall see later,

Animal life was created. As science has confirmed, it began in

The Beginning of Gods Creation

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

September 12, 2010

Text: Genesis 1:242:25 Focus: Genesis 1:262:4, 7-10, 15-18, 21-24

Sunday Devotional: MankindCrowned with Glory

The Creation of Adam and Eve

Text: Genesis 1:242:25

likeness of God Himself. The shape and form of humanity was

The Creation of Adam and Eve

Text: Genesis 1:242:25

Moses reviewed the account of creation and added details that

The Creation of Adam and Eve

God determined that man should not be alone. There is no

Text: Genesis 1:242:25

illustrated in the relationship of Christ with His churches (Eph.

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

September 19, 2010

Focus: Genesis 3:1-13, 23, 24

Sunday Devotional: The Core

Application: Though created in

According to 1 John 2:16, temptation takes three forms, the

The Fall of Adam and Eve

was desired because she thought it would make her wisethe

The Fall of Adam and Eve

The consequences of sin were immediate and irreversible.

The Fall of Adam and Eve

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

September 26, 2010

Focus: Genesis 4:1-12, 23-26

Sunday Devotional: Cains Real

Application: All sin, sickness and

The Consequences of the Fall

a sin-cursed world. In this chapter, Cain is mentioned thirteen

Remember, this account is condensed. We have no idea of the

and Abel brought an offering from his flocks. No doubt both

The Consequences of the Fall

The Consequences of the Fall

with his sin. He did not confess it to God; instead, he confessed

but the effects of it reached down through the generations to

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

The Grace of God

Focus: Genesis 6:1-14, 17-19, 22

Sunday Devotional: Gods

minimized and ridiculed by many so-called scientists, and, as a

The Grace of God to Noah

Noah is an important biblical character. He is mentioned

The Grace of God to Noah

practices that began when men disregarded the leadership of