lesson 107 & 108 combined

Lesson 107: Job 1–16

I. Job 1:1–2:10  Job endures the loss of his possessions and children and is afflicted with boils

---List the 5 things you value most activity:

An idea to use with ‪#‎Job17_37 Have your students list the 5 things they think are the most important in their life, that they couldn't live without. Then after they have them written, have them cross out two of them so they only have three things listed. Then cross out two more so there is just one thing listed. As you talk about Job and how he was just left with basically one thing other than he was still alive and that is the savior - Job 19:25-26.

--Invite students to ponder the following questions:

                --How do you typically respond when something bad happens to you?

                ---How might you respond if something bad happened to you and you had done nothing to deserve it?

---The book of Job tells about a man who experienced severe trials and afflictions. Some have wondered if Job was a fictional character, but both ancient scripture and modern revelation clarify that Job was a real person who went through very real suffering (see Ezekiel 14:14, 20; James 5:11; D&C 121:10).

---As you study Job 1–16 to look for principles that can help you when you or those around you experience trials.

---Read Job 1:1–3 aloud and look for words or phrases that describe Job.

                ---What words or phrases did you find that describe Job?

(the word perfect in verse 1 does not mean Job was without sin. Rather it implies that Job faithfully kept the commandments of God. Those who keep the commandments and endure to the end will eventually be made perfect through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.)

---Job 1:6–12 contains a poetic rendition of a conversation between the Lord and Satan, who became the adversary of mankind following his rebellion during the Council in Heaven. Satan is a Hebrew word meaning “adversary”; these verses in Job 1 use the form hassatan, meaning “the adversary,” which describes the devil’s role here.

---Ask three students to read Job 1:6–12 Satan, God, and narrator

---Look for what Satan claimed about Job.

                ---According to verses 9–10, what did Satan claim about Job?

 (Satan claimed that Job feared or worshipped the Lord only because the Lord had protected and blessed Job.)

                ---According to verse 11, what did Satan claim Job would do if the Lord removed His protection and blessings from Job?

(Satan claimed that Job would curse the Lord.)

                ---According to verse 12, what did the Lord allow Satan to do? What limits did the Lord set on Satan’s power to test Job?

(Satan was allowed to afflict all that Job had, but he was not allowed to harm Job.)

---Contrary to the account in Job 1:6–12 (and a similar account in Job 2:1–6), the Lord does not really make agreements with Satan. The conversations between the Lord and Satan in the book of Job are presented in a poetic narrative that emphasizes Satan’s role as our adversary. In reality, the Lord has power over Satan and has no need to bargain with him.

---Read Job 1:13–19 aloud and identify all that Job lost.

                ---If you were Job, what questions or feelings would you have after experiencing these losses?

---Read Job 1:20–22 aloud looking for how Job responded to these trials.

---How did Job demonstrate faith in God during these trials?

                ---What principle can we learn from Job’s example as he experienced these trials?

We can choose to have faith in God even in the midst of our trials. Using students’ words, write this principle on the board.

---Summary of Job 2:1–2: These verses introduce another poetic rendition of a conversation between the Lord and Satan.

---Ask three students to read Job 2:3–6 Satan, God, and narrator

---Look for what the Lord and Satan each said about Job.

                ---According to verse 3, what did the Lord say about Job?

                ---What did Satan claim about Job? (Satan claimed that if Job were afflicted physically, then Job would curse the Lord.)

                ---What did the Lord allow Satan to do? (Afflict Job physically but not kill him.)

---Read Job 2:7–9 Boils are a very painful skin condition. A potsherd is a piece of broken pottery. Job was using the potsherd to try to scrape off his diseased skin.

                ---What did Job’s wife encourage him to do?

                ---How might we be tempted to curse God, or blame Him and turn away from Him, during our trials?

---Read Job 2:10 aloud and look for how Job responded to the afflictions he experienced.

                ---How did Job continue to show faith in God during his trials?

II. Job 2:11–16:22   Job and three friends discuss why Job’s misfortunes may have come upon him

---Have any of you ever had a friend help you during a difficult time?

---Summary of Job 2:11–13: Three of Job’s friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—came to Job to comfort him in his afflictions. Job expressed some of his thoughts and feelings to his friends.

?---Take turns reading aloud from Job 3:1–4, 25; 6:1–3 and look for thoughts and feelings Job experienced because of his trials.

                ---What thoughts and feelings did Job experience because of his trials?

---Summary of Job 4–16: Each of Job’s friends expressed his belief that Job’s afflictions had come upon him because of something wrong he had done.

                ---Based on what we learned about Job, did Job’s afflictions come upon him because of sin? (No.)

                ---From Job’s experience, what truths can we learn about trials and difficulties?

Trials and difficulties come upon the righteous as well as the wicked.

                ---Why do you think it is important to know that trials and difficulties come upon the righteous as well as the wicked?

---Read Job 10:2, 15 aloud. These verses record that Job said he did not know why his afflictions had come upon him.

---Write the following incomplete statement on the board:

Although we may not know the reasons for our trials, we can …

---Think about how you might complete this statement as you continue to study Job’s words.

---Read Job 13:13–16 aloud and look for what Job said he would do no matter what happened to him.

                ---What did Job say he would do no matter what happened to him? (Trust in the Lord.)

---Based on Job’s example, how would you complete the statement on the board?

Although we may not know the reasons for our trials, we must continue to trust in the Lord.

---Look for what can prevent us from trusting in the Lord and what we can do to trust in the Lord.

“When you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? …

“This life is an experience in profound trust—trust in Jesus Christ, trust in His teachings, trust in our capacity as led by the Holy Spirit to obey those teachings. … To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning (see Prov. 3:5–7). To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience” (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).

                ---According to Elder Scott, what are some examples of questions we can ask during times of trial to help us to develop greater trust in the Lord?

---You may want to conclude by testifying of the Lord’s love for all of us.

---Invite students to act on any promptings they have received to place their faith and trust in the Lord.

Commentary and Background Information

Job 1:1. “That man was perfect”

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave this insight into the meaning of the word perfect:

“In Matthew 5:48, the term perfect was translated from the Greek teleios, which means ‘complete.’ … The infinitive form of the verb is teleiono, which means ‘to reach a distant end, to be fully developed, to consummate, or to finish.’ Please note that the word does not imply ‘freedom from error’; it implies ‘achieving a distant objective.’” (“Perfection Pending,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 86).

Job 2:6. “The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand”

As long as we are faithful to the Lord, He will never allow Satan to tempt or try us more than we are able to overcome (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).

President James E. Faust of the First Presidency affirmed:

“The power to resist Satan may be stronger than we realize. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: ‘All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power’ [The Words of Joseph Smith, ed. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook (1980), 60].

“He also stated, ‘Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits, and laws by which they are governed’ [History of the Church, 4:576]. So Satan and his angels are not all-powerful” (“The Forces That Will Save Us,” Ensign, Jan. 2007, 8).

While Job’s friends intended to comfort him, their hasty judgments regarding the reasons for his suffering actually added to his misery. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency taught:

“It is unworthy of us as Christians to think that those who suffer deserve their suffering. … Our Savior willingly took upon Himself the pain and sickness and suffering of us all—even those of us who appear to deserve our suffering.

“In the book of Proverbs we read that ‘a friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ Let us love at all times. And let us especially be there for our brothers and sisters during times of adversity” (“You Are My Hands,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 69–70).

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Job 1:1–2:10. Video presentation—“My New Life”

After you ask students about someone they admire for choosing to have faith in God during trials, you may want to show the video “My New Life” (8:20) to illustrate how we can choose to have faith in God during our trials. This video features a woman named Stephanie Nielson, who has chosen to live with faith in God as she endures the results of being severely burned in an airplane crash. This video can be found on LDS.org.

Right margin extras:

 

My New Life (8:20)
After surviving a serious accident that resulted in permanent physical disfigurement, a woman is a thriving example of courage, love, and faith in Jesus Christ. You may want to show this video after asking students about someone they admire for choosing to have faith in God during trials. This video is an example of how we can choose to have faith in God even in the midst of our trials.

Lesson 108: Job 17–37

I. Job 17–22  Job responds to the words of his friends and testifies of his Redeemer

---To prepare students to study Job 17–31, ask a student to read aloud the following account:

When President Thomas S. Monson was a youth, his 15-year-old friend and neighbor named Arthur Patton enlisted in the United States Navy to serve in World War II. President Monson recalled:

“Arthur’s mother was so proud of the blue star which graced her living room window. It represented to every passerby that her son wore the uniform of his country and was actively serving. When I would pass the house, she often opened the door and invited me in to read the latest letter from Arthur. Her eyes would fill with tears; I would then be asked to read aloud. Arthur meant everything to his widowed mother. …

“… While at Saipan in the South Pacific, the ship [Arthur served on] was attacked. Arthur was one of those on board who was lost at sea.

“The blue star was taken from its hallowed spot in the front window of the Patton home. It was replaced by one of gold, indicating that he whom the blue star represented had been killed in battle. A light went out in the life of Mrs. Patton. She groped in utter darkness and deep despair.

“With a prayer in my heart, I approached the familiar walkway to the Patton home, wondering what words of comfort could come from the lips of a mere boy” (“Mrs. Patton—the Story Continues,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 22).

---What would you say to comfort someone who was grieving the death of a loved one?

---Like Mrs. Patton, we may experience times when we will grieve the death of a loved one. In addition, each of us at some time will die.

---As we continue to study of the book of Job, to look for truths that can help us when we or our loved ones are confronted with death.

---Job felt that he was near death. After Job mentioned that he might soon die, one of his friends, Bildad, spoke about the state of the wicked who do not know God, implying that Job was also wicked.

---Read Job 19:1–3, 19–22 aloud looking for what Job said to his friends.

(You may want to explain that the phrase “my flesh” in verse 22 means the state of Job’s body, or his suffering [see Job 19:22, footnote a].)

                ---How would you summarize Job’s response to his friends?

---Read Job 19:23–27 aloud looking for what Job testified that he knew.

                ---What did Job testify that he knew?

---Explain that the phrase “after my skin worms destroy this body” in verse 26 refers to the death and decay of Job’s physical body. Then point out the phrase “yet in my flesh I shall see God.”

                ---How is it possible for Job to see God in his physical body after he dies and his physical body decomposes?

Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we too will be resurrected.

                ---How can knowing that Jesus Christ has brought about the Resurrection of all mankind help us as we experience trials?

Our testimony of the Savior and the Resurrection can give us hope in the midst of our trials.

---Our testimony of the Savior and the Resurrection can give us hope not only when we are confronted with death but also when we experience other challenges.

---Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“The assurance of resurrection gives us the strength and perspective to endure the mortal challenges faced by each of us and by those we love, such things as the physical, mental, or emotional deficiencies we bring with us at birth or acquire during mortal life. Because of the resurrection, we know that these mortal deficiencies are only temporary!” (“Resurrection,” Ensign, May 2000, 15).

---Job not only possessed a testimony of the Savior but also desired to write it down, preserve it, and share it with others (see Job 19:23). Recording and preserving our testimonies can help us during future times of trial to remember the comforting and hopeful doctrines we know to be true.

---Write in your class notebooks your testimonies of the truths we have discussed concerning Jesus Christ and the Resurrection.

---Invite students to share their testimonies of the Savior with the class.

---You may also want to share your testimony.

---Remember President Monson’s experience in which he went as a young man to comfort Mrs. Patton after her son, Arthur, was killed. Invite a student to read aloud the conclusion of President Monson’s account.

“Mrs. Patton gazed into my eyes and spoke: ‘Tommy, I belong to no church, but you do. Tell me, will Arthur live again?’ To the best of my ability, I testified to her that Arthur would indeed live again” (“Mrs. Patton—the Story Continues,” 22).

Twenty-five years later, after President Monson had lost contact with Mrs. Patton, he gave a talk during a general conference of the Church entitled “Mrs. Patton, Arthur Lives!” (see Conference Report, Apr. 1969, 126–29). President Monson recalled:

“I expressed to Mrs. Patton my personal testimony as a special witness, telling her that God our Father was mindful of her—that through sincere prayer she could communicate with Him; that He too had a Son who died, even Jesus Christ the Lord; that He is our advocate with the Father, the Prince of Peace, our Savior and divine Redeemer, and one day we would see Him face-to-face.

“I hoped that my message to Mrs. Patton would reach and touch others who had lost a loved one.

“… I had little or no hope that Mrs. Patton would actually hear the talk. I had no reason to think she would listen to general conference. As I have mentioned, she was not a member of the Church. And then I learned that something akin to a miracle had taken place. Having no idea whatsoever who would be speaking at conference or what subjects they might speak about, Latter-day Saint neighbors of Mrs. Terese Patton in California, where she had moved, invited her to their home to listen to a session of conference with them. She accepted their invitation and thus was listening to the very session where I directed my remarks to her personally.

“… To my astonishment and joy, I received a letter … from Mrs. Terese Patton. I share with you a part of that letter:

“‘Dear Tommy,

“‘… I don’t know how to thank you for your comforting words, both when Arthur died and again in your talk. I have had many questions over the years, and you have answered them. I am now at peace concerning Arthur. … God bless and keep you always’” (“Mrs. Patton—the Story Continues,” 23–24).

                ---Why is it important for us to share our testimony of the Savior with others?

---Prayerfully seek opportunities to share your testimony of Jesus Christ with others.

---Summary of Job 20–22:  Job’s friends insisted that the wicked cannot prosper. Job acknowledged that sometimes the wicked do prosper in terms of their worldly possessions, but ultimately the Lord will administer justice on the Day of Judgment.

II. Job 23–31  Job teaches how his trials have benefited him

---Summary of Job 23: Job taught about the ways the Lord had blessed him by allowing him to experience trials.

---Copy the following statements on the board or provide them on a handout for students:

Job 23:6. If we turn to the Lord in our afflictions, then (he will strengthen us)___________________________________.

Job 23:10. Our trials can (help refine and purify us)________________________________________________________.

Job 23:16. Our trials can (help soften hearts)_____________________________________________________________.

---Read the scripture references and complete the statements based on what you read

---To help students understand and feel the truth and importance of these principles, consider asking questions such as the following:

                ---How have you been strengthened in your afflictions as you have turned to the Lord?

                ---How have your trials helped to refine and purify you?

                ---How have your trials made your heart softer or more tender?

---Summary of Job 24–31: Job’s friends continued to challenge Job and he responded to their accusations by expressing his faith in God, thereby showing his humility and integrity.

III. Job 32–37  Elihu speaks against Job and his friends

---Summary of Job 32–37: Elihu, another of Job’s friends, spoke out against Job and his other friends because he believed they had not been firm enough with Job and had failed to answer Job’s questions. Elihu also discussed some challenges that are common to all people.

---To conclude you may want to briefly review the doctrines and principles students have identified in this lesson.

---Consider closing by inviting the class to sing “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136).

Commentary and Background Information

Job 19:25–26. “I know that my redeemer liveth”

Jesus Christ lives (see D&C 76:22–24). Even from the depth of the misfortune of losing children, health, and riches, Job declared his testimony that Jesus Christ lives and overcame the effects of the Fall of Adam. Because Jesus Christ overcame death and was resurrected, we will also be resurrected regardless of whether we have done good or evil in this life (see 1 Corinthians 15:20–22). We will have immortal bodies of flesh and bones that will never again be subject to disease, pain, or death. In addition, all faithful Saints will come forth in the First Resurrection. An understanding of the plan of salvation and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ can help us understand and endure the trials and afflictions of mortality. For example, Job’s faith in Jesus Christ helped him endure even the most difficult trials of mortality.

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Job 17–37. Video presentation—“He Will Give You Help”

To illustrate how our testimonies of the Savior can give us hope in the midst of trials, you may want to show the video “He Will Give You Help” (4:43). This video shows how a young man’s faith in the Savior helped him after his friend was killed in a car crash. This video can be found on LDS.org.

Right margin extras:

 

The Refiner's Fire (5:02)
The refiner’s fire is not a comfortable place to be. It involves intense heat and repeated hammering. But it is in the refiner’s fire that we are purified and prepared to meet God. You might choose to show this video to help students feel the importance of turning to the Lord in our afflictions.