The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the Mother's Day sermon "Momma Jekyll and Ms. Hyde."
Hope is rooted in the grace of God. Apart from his grace, we have no hope. This is certainly true with regard to our justification, our standing before God. Clearly, a right standing before God is obtained by grace, not by works. Paul makes this perfectly clear in the opening chapters of his letter to the Romans. He writes: “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe . . . For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (3:21-22a, 28), and “What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’” (4:3). Grace makes positional righteousness possible. It is also true with regard to our sanctification, our purity before God. Clearly, purity from sin is obtained through forgiveness obtained by grace, not by works. John makes this perfectly clear in his first epistle. He writes: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1:8-9). Grace makes practical righteousness possible, too.
The book of Job echoes the same theme. God deals with people on the basis of grace, not retribution. In other words, God does not in all cases recompense or give people in their lifetime what they deserve. Job’s three friends and Elihu assume the traditional view that he does—that the righteous prosper and the wicked suffer. They are right in what they affirm but wrong in what they deny. They are right to affirm that the righteous prosper and the wicked suffer, because they both do, but wrong to deny that the righteous ever suffer and the wicked ever prosper, again because they both do. One writer explains: “This book proves that the basic relationship that God has established with people does not rest on retribution but on grace. This is the message statement, from my point of view. God blesses people for two reasons. These are: first, His sovereign choice to bless; second, people's response of trust and obedience to Him. Because we cannot control God's sovereign choice to bless some people more than others, we tend to forget that. We tend to focus on what we can control to some extent, namely: securing His blessing by trusting and obeying Him. This is understandable and legitimate, but it leads to a potential problem.
The problem is that we may conclude that we can control God. Since God blesses those who trust and obey Him, and He curses those who do not, we may conclude that if we trust and obey God, He owes us blessing in this life. This conclusion assumes that the basis of God's relationship with people is retribution: He gives people what they deserve. Those who hold the theory of retribution reason as follows: If I am good, God will reward me with blessing in some form, but if I am bad, He will punish me somehow in this life. While this is normally the way God deals with human beings, it is not always His method. Consequently, there must be a more fundamental principle that governs God's dealings with people . . . The Book of Job reveals that while God usually blesses the godly and punishes the ungodly, He does not always do so in this life. There is a more fundamental basis from which God operates . . . Evidence in the Book of Job points to God's grace as the basis of His dealings with people. Instead of always dealing with people in retribution, God always deals with us in grace in this life. What does this mean? This means that instead of responding to our good actions with blessing, or our bad actions with cursing, consistently, God initiates favor toward us without our deserving it” (Thomas L. Constable, “Notes on Job,” 2022 ed., 13, 14, planobiblechapel.org/tcon/ notes/pdf/job.pdf).
Grace is evident in Job 36:5-15. Verses 8-12 contain Elihu’s words: “But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, he tells them what they have done—that they have sinned arrogantly. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.” Here Elihu is right in what he affirms. God will be gracious to those who repent.
Central Message of the Text
Don’t despise suffering because the Lord uses it either to correct or to mature you.
Family Talk
If you’re a parent, you’re tired. You’re either bone-weary tired from the constant vigilance of guarding and protecting your toddler, sick-of-the-car tired from driving your elementary or junior high crew to every imaginable event and practice, or heart-wrenching tired from the slow release of your teenager into adulthood. And it doesn’t stop there—we all know that once a parent, always a parent. Tired exacerbates all the feelings. Hungry becomes hangry, slow becomes sluggish and dull, and a challenging day can tip you into a pool of anxiety and depression. God hears you. He is fully aware of the struggle you’re experiencing, and He hears your prayers. He sees your weariness in dealing with your child’s strong will, high spirit or character deficiencies. He’s waiting to exchange your weary burden for rest. He delights when you take Christ’s yoke and project His gentleness and humbleness to your family (Matthew 11:28-30). Take a moment to pause and reflect on how He has delivered you in the past. Parents, He is faithful to deliver you from your present parenting struggle. He’s right there whispering encouragement into the deep place of your heart. Pause, reflect, and rejoice in His love for you. Trust that God loves your child deeply and is working in their life. And guess what? He’s also using this loud, crazy, messy, rambunctious, sticky little darling to shape you into the image-bearer He designed you to be. We’re praying for you this week.