1. The Voice from the Whirlwind Interpreting the Book of Job
Session 2
Shirley Fong

2. The suffering of Job
Job’s first test: God’s commend on Job: 1:8 Satan’s reply: 1:9-11 God set the boundary: 1:12 Calamity: 1:19 Job’s suffering: lost of children, servants, oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels Job’s response: 1:20-22

3. The suffering of Job
Job’s second test: God’s commend on Job: 2:3 Satan’s reply: 2:4-5 God set the boundary: 2:6 Tragedy: 2:7-8 Job’s suffering: painful sores from top of head to soles of feet His wife`s response: 2:9 Job’s response: 2:10

4. Job`s three friends
The responses of Job’s friends: 2:11-13 Their actions: set out and went Their purpose: to sympathize and comfort Their reaction: weep aloud, tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their head, sat with Job silently

5. The nature of Job’s suffering
Physical pain
Psychological/mental challenges (financial lose, his status change, the reaction of the people in the city, self esteem/perception)
Relational grieving
Emotional depress (duration of suffering)
Intellectual reaction (why?)
Spiritually (the silence and distancing of
God)

6. The suffering journey of Job
Physical pain (16:16; 6:2-3; 7:4-5; 19:20;
30:30-31)
Keep silent and despair in his own world
(bearing pain and grieving for the lost)
Emotional reaction (depressing): prolonged
suffering, seeing no hope, angry at self (ask
for death)(3; 6:11-12)

7. The suffering journey of Job
Emotional despair: (7:6-8)
no support from family (2:9)
no support from friends (6:14-21; 12:1-
3; 13: 4-5)
no support from community (19:13-19)
Spiritual despair: angry with God
(7:11-16; 7:20-21; 10:1-3; 10:8-9)

8. The suffering journey of Job
Intellectual/theological searching for
answer: (13:20-24; 23:3-5; 30:24-27)
Remembrance of the old days (29:1-5,
29: 7-8,11) and comparing it with the
present time (30:1, 9-10, 16-17)
Silencing and distancing of God (23:8-9;30:20)

9. Job’s response to his faith
23:10-12
(Job held onto his God even everything had being taken away and he suffered without knowing the reasons)
19:23-27
(Job’s hope had stretched from this life to future)

10. Suggestions for those who give comfort
Aware and take care of own reactions (emotional, intellectual, behavioral, spiritual reactions)
Your present is vital to the sufferer (be the transitional grace object)
Empathize before giving advices
Walk along patiently with the sufferer

11. Suggestion for sufferers
You have choices on your response to suffering
Learn to accept people around you are imperfect (they want to care but may not know how). Try not to push them away
Go heavenhood
Faith-seeking-understanding

12. Reflection
What do you understand more about a sufferer through the voice of Job ?
How does it help you to deal with your own suffering?
How does it help you to respond to a suffering individual?