You Destroy the Hope of Mortals

Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Job 14:14-22  

14 If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. 15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. 16 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin? 17 My transgression [is] sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity. 18 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place. 19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow [out] of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man. 20 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. 21 His sons come to honour, and he knoweth [it] not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth [it] not of them. 22 But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What was Job's question about death and what was he waiting for? (v.14)
2) What did Job assume about God concerning prayer? (v.15)
3) What did Job assume about God and his sin? (v.16-17)
4) What did Job assume about the Lord's creation? (v.18-19b)
5) What did Job assume about God concerning humankind? (v.19c-22)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) What were your earliest beliefs about God and His creation?
7) Were your beliefs about God, at that time, correct? If not, why not?
9) Name three of Job's assumptions about God that were incorrect? If possible, cite a Scripture that refutes that assumption.

PRINCIPLES
10) God uses tests and trials to bring us to a greater experiential knowledge of His character.
11) If the Lord did not allow tests in our lives, we would never grow to know Him experientially.
12) Head knowledge about Almighty God is no substitute for experiential knowledge.
13) We're most likely to err concerning God's character when we do not know Him through experience and His Word.