Job 23: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Job 23 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

In Job 23, Job expresses his deep desire to find God and present his case before Him. He laments about God's apparent absence, yet exhibits faith that God would listen to him if he were able to lay his grievances before Him. Job emphasizes his confidence in his own righteousness and his commitment to God's commandments.

Key verse

“But he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I shall come out like gold.”
Job 23:10 (WEB)

Outline

Job 23:1–2 Job's Rebellious Complaint
Job 23:3–7 Desire to Present His Case
Job 23:8–12 God's Hiddenness and Job's Integrity
Job 23:13–15 God's Sovereignty and Job's Fear
Job 23:16–17 Job's Terrified State

Discussion questions

In v2, what does Job mean by calling his complaint 'rebellious'?
What does Job hope to find in v3 when he seeks God?
In vv. 10-11, what does Job mean by coming out 'like gold' after being tried?
Job expresses fear in v15; what does this suggest about his view of God's power?
When have you felt unable to find God in a difficult situation, as Job describes in vv. 8-9?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Job 23: Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah 15, Psalm 119.

Before next time: read Job 24.