Jehoshaphat was king over the nation of Judah. He walked in the footsteps of David, seeking the Lord and being his commands. But his association with Ahab, the king of Israel, has caused him to compromise. His faithfulness to the Lord was negatively impacted because he wanted to be connected to Ahab. Jehoshaphat was condemned for loving the wicked and listening to them rather than loving the Lord and listening to him (cf. 2 Chronicles 19:1-3)…
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Job has said many words that need to be addressed. In Job 32-33 Elihu responds to Job who has contended that God was silent throughout his suffering. God is not silent in suffering but is speaking through suffering. Trials are protective and corrective, not punitive, transforming us and moving us closer to the image of God. But there is another charge that Job has made concerning God during his suffering regarding the justice of God. Open your copies of God’s word to Job 34 and you will notice the second message Elihu has for Job and those who are with them…
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Have you ever had a strong start at doing something, only to give out a little bit later? Maybe you started a project and you were excited to accomplish the task. But then the project, for whatever reason, remains unfinished. Maybe you started something but then found yourself in over your head. So you stopped and it remains incomplete. There are many things in life where we might have a strong start but then be tempted not to finish strong. The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles are not merely another account of the history of Judah’s kings. The Chronicler writes after the fall of Jerusalem to teach the people why they were exiled and how to be restored to the Lord. In our lesson today we are going to look at restoration through the life of King Jehoshaphat. But we are going to see a strong start in the reign of Jehoshaphat but also see a subtle drift away from that strong start…
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For thirty-one chapters we have read about a lot of questions about suffering and the way God runs the world. The friends of Job have insisted that the way God runs the world is that the wicked suffer and the righteous do not suffering. Therefore, Job must have sinned. However, we know this is wrong because Job is blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning from evil (cf. Job 1:8; 2:3). Job has insisted on his own righteousness and that he has done nothing deserving of the suffering he is experiencing. Job is right about this. His suffering is not the punishment of God. Job and his friends are in a stalemate. The friends’ answer does not change. Job’s response does not change. So what is the answer? What is God doing in the world? What is God doing through suffering?
In Job 32 we read about a new person who have not seen before in the book. His name is Elihu. We are told in Job 32:4 that Elihu had waited to speak to Job because Job’s friends were older than him. But the three friends have failed in their discussion with Job. You will notice in Job 32:2-3 that Elihu is not happy with anyone. He is angry at Job because Job is spending his time justifying himself rather than justifying God. He is also angry with the three friends because they could not refute Job but had condemned Job in the process…
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