Bible Study Seattle

Not Steve Jobs, or employment jobs, but the biblical Job has many fascinating details.  He was a very wealthy and righteous man from the near east who probably lived about the time of Abraham or before.  He had seven sons and three daughters.  He also had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants.

Satan asked to tempt Job thinking his righteousness was only because God prospered Job.  But when Job loses everything but his wife and life, he still doesn’t curse God.

His three friends hear about it and come to comfort him.  They all sit in silence for seven days and seven nights.  Why?  Is this symbolic of the 7,000 years of the seventh day?  Then the conversation starts.  The three friends assume Job sinned, but Job wonders aloud where their sympathy is.  This goes on for some time.

Finally, God answers Job.  Job is awed and sinks back into humility.  But then a funny thing happens.  God reprimands Job’s three friends for not being right.  He commands the three friends to offer seven bulls and seven rams as a burnt offering, then Job will pray for them.  Is this not a picture of the future?  Think of all the people that have severly wronged you.  Some day they will bring sacrifices to atone for their wrongdoings against you, and you must pray for them for reconciliation.  No wonder Jesus commanded us to pray for our enemies!  Many Christians assume that Jesus’ sacrifice wiped away all sin from memory, but not so!  We have our part to play in reconciliation.

After Job prays for his friends, the Lord restores his prosperity and doubles his possessions!  He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.  He also had seven sons and three daughters.

Why the doubling of possessions?  The hebrew firstborn received a double portion of the inheritance.  This is symbolic of the heavenly inheritance as oppossed to the earthly inheritance.  Also, Job had seven new sons and three new daughters.  His ten kids died in the calamity, but he got back ten kids exactly as before.  Is this not symbolic of the resurrection?!  Job is a picture of christians receiving double their original estate, and receiving back their descendants back in resurrection.