Job 9: Group Study Handout

Overview

In Job chapter 9, Job responds to Bildad's assertions by acknowledging the immense power and inscrutability of God. He expresses a deep understanding that no human can be right before such an almighty God, emphasizing that God's ways and wisdom are beyond human comprehension. Job vividly describes God's might, illustrating how He created and controls the vast universe.

Key verse

“Truly I know that it is so, but how can man be just with God? If he is pleased to contend with him, he can’t answer him one time in a thousand.”

Job 9:2-3 (WEB)

Outline

1. Job 9:1–2 Job's Response Begins
2. Job 9:3–12 God's Power and Wisom
3. Job 9:13–24 The Inevitability of Judgment
4. Job 9:25–30 The Fleeting Nature of Life
5. Job 9:31–35 The Need for Mediation

Discussion questions

1. In v3, what does Job mean when he says, 'he can’t answer him one time in a thousand'?
2. What does Job describe in vv. 5-6 that shows God's power over creation?
3. Job's assertion in v22 that 'he destroys the blameless and the wicked': what tension does this create in understanding God's justice?
4. In v32, why does Job emphasize that 'he is not a man, as I am' in relation to God?
5. When have you felt that you could not communicate with someone, like Job in v34, longing for relief from fear?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Job 9: Job 10, Job 23, Job 7.

Before next time: read Job 10.