Joab's Fire

by Lynn Squire

  If we are born again (refer to John 3 and Romans 10), then we know that life doesn’t end when the body stops functioning. We have a choice to embrace the gift of eternal life that God offers us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins or to refuse it. If the child who dies is born again (or not old enough to make the choice to follow Jesus), we can hold the good memories of that child and embrace the hope we have of one day being with him in Heaven.

  When we understand that life is eternal, not limited to our days on earth—and seek to hold our focus on things above—it changes our perspective of the situations we find ourselves in while we live here. How then should we respond to such tragedies, and how will this help the potential onset of anger?

  Chapter 3 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 2:1–10. How did God view Job? What was Job’s reaction to his wife’s words?

  1. Mrs. Kirkland and Dixon both lauded Joab as a good man. Can a person be good enough to keep himself from trouble?

  What is true righteousness? Study Romans 4.

  2. Why would God allow bad things to happen to good people? Does God punish us through allowing something bad to happen to someone else?

  Study Judges 2. How did God say He would use the nations that the Israelites failed to drive out of the Promised Land (verse 3)? How did the generations of Israelites in the Promised Land suffer for their fathers’ sins? How did God want those children to respond? When we suffer for someone else’s mistakes, how should we respond?

  Also study Psalm 11:3, 5 and James 1:2–4.

  3. Consider the analogy of Mrs. Clumpit erecting walls as a means of dealing with her grief. How often do we put walls around our hearts? How do we tear them down once they are there?

  Read James 1:2–7 again. Study Galatians 6 and Hebrews 11–12.

  When we build walls, we are allowing our thoughts to captivate us, submitting to the rule of our fears. Study I Corinthians 13:4–8. How does love respond to others in all situations?

  Read Jeremiah 29:1–14. When Israel rebelled against God and would not repent, they were taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. What instruction did God give them in their captivity and how did it show His mercy toward them? How does this reveal His love for us?

  Often the right answers to our situations seem overly simple, yet are the most difficult to implement. Breaking down walls takes a great deal of fortitude and discipline. However, God provided for us a help through His Holy Spirit. We are told to pray without ceasing and to carry every burden to Him. As we approach the Throne of Grace with our cares and the cares of others, flooding the way with our praises and thanksgiving, we find the strength to daily tear down those walls.

  Chapter 4 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 2:9–10. Consider all that Job’s wife lost in Job 1 and 2. She lost all her family and her possessions, and not until her husband is struck do we see her crumble. Perhaps the perceived loss of Job’s ability to rebuild shook her confidence in the security she found in him. In whom should we place our security?

  1. Why did Sarah deny her son’s death?

  We find people in the Bible who grieved for a child’s death. Study the following and how they reacted:

  Jacob’s grief for Joseph (Genesis 37:29–36)

  Naomi’s grief for her sons and husband (Ruth 1)

  David’s grief for Bathsheba’s son (II Samuel 12:15–23)

  David’s grief for Absalom (II Samuel 18:33)

  Job’s grief for his family (Job 1:20)

  2. What hope is there after death? Read John 3, Romans 6:23, and I John 5:11–13.

  3. What is Heaven like? Read John 14:1–30; Revelation 21, 22:1-21.

  Chapter 5 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 1:20–22; 2:9–10. The news of Job’s losses came one right after another. Even as he listened to one messenger, another came with more bad news. What was Job’s response? Time passed before Satan smote Job with boils. Yet, Job did not curse God. He was determined to live honorably before the Lord. Job knew of hell (Job 26:6). Is it possible he recognized that a short time of suffering on earth would be preferential to eternity suffering in hell, the consequences of cursing God and dying? What does this say about Job’s faith?

  1. Why do some people doubt God’s goodness? Read I John 2:15–17 and Ecclesiastes 2:22–26; 12:13–14.

  When we focus on us and what we want in our limited time on earth, we fail to see the eternal consequences of our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs.

  2. Storms can be fearful events. When we encounter storms in our lives, how do we respond? Study Mark 4:36–41.

  3. When fear rules our lives, what do we look for? Can this take our eyes off of God? We seek security in our lives, building around us electronic fortresses and saving our money for the future. Desiring security isn’t sinful, but when that desire causes us to question God, like Sarah did in Chapter Two, we need to consider the place it has taken in our lives. Is it possible we are worshiping risk-free living?

  Chapter 6 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 1. What caused the death and loss of all that Job had?

  1. When vicious storms come, causing destruction, what do people call them? Acts of God or Mother Nature? Read Exodus 9:13–25 and Joshua 10:11.

  God reveals Himself through nature. Psalm 77 describes God as One to fear and One in whom salvation is found.

  2. When Sarah reacted to the death of her animals, do you think she was viewing her present future or her eternal future?

  We tend to limit our vision in terms of the present and only stretch it to include our life on earth. God sees all eternity. When God spoke with Abram about his children, He revealed His plan for the Egyptians and the Amorites (Genesis 15:13–16). This plan would not take place for centuries. The reason: the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. God could have wiped them out and settled Abram in their land, but God showed the Amorites mercy, until their iniquity was full. This is only one example of God’s eternal perspective.

  Isaiah 40:28 describes God as an everlasting God. God also knows man’s heart (Psalm 44:21). When troubles come our way, we would be wise not to view them in terms of this life on earth, but in terms of eternity and under the realm of a holy, everlasting, all-knowing, just God.

  3. Is God able to rebuild what has been destroyed?

  Perhaps one of the great tests of a person’s faith is the destruction of everything one owns. If your possessions are your god, then you will hate who or what has destroyed them. If the Creator is your God, then you are able to rejoice in the testing of your faith and wait to see what miracles God will perform.

  Chapter 7 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 3. What did Job desire? What had he feared?

  1. Dixon asked, “If one God, why not many?” What does the Bible say about gods? Read Exodus 20:3 and Exodus 15:11. Also read Jeremiah 10:10–11; Isaiah 37:19; Daniel 2:47; I Corinthians 8:4–6.

  What does Romans 1:17–25 say about the results of men turning from God to worship creation?

  2. Dixon noted that his mother’s religion did not help her survive Riel’s revolt. Can religion save a person?

  Throughout history people have died for what they believed. Why would they not renounce their faith in order to keep their lives? Study John 3:16–21, 36.

  What is eternal life? Study Revelation 20:4–15.

  3. Do we ever deserve NOT to receive trouble in our lives? Are we ever righteous enough to avoid trouble? Study Romans 3:10–26. God is merciful and gracious in that He provided a way for us to become righteous.

  Read Matthew 5:45 and James 1: 17. What do these verses tell us about God’s mercy and goodness? God, in His mercy, gives sun and rain to both the wicked and those who love Him.

  Chapter 8 Discussion Questions

  1. Read Job 1:16–22. When disasters strike, does God hate those who experience them? Read Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 6:16–19; Isaiah 61:8; Zechariah 8:17.

  What do Ezekiel 33:11–13; John 3:16; I J
ohn 3:1, 8; and Job 2:3 tell us about God’s character?

  God hates evil and all forms of wickedness, yet He loves His creation. He loves mankind.

  2. When we call out to God for help, can we trust Him to help us? Study II Corinthians 12:7–10; Psalm 9:7–12.

  3. Have you ever experienced a tumultuous time when God seemed to hate you?

  Study Psalm 13. David is troubled and feels forsaken. Yet, how does he conclude this Psalm?

  Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. What are we told to do when we experience trials? I Peter 1:6–16. We can find God’s presence in tumultuous times when we gird up our minds and praise and worship God, even as Job did in Job 1:20–22.

  Chapter 9 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 6 and 7. Job asks for his friends’ pity and excuses his desire for death. How does he see man in relation to God in chapter 7, verses 17–21?

  1. Is God without mercy to some? Psalm 21:7; Psalm 33:18, 22; Psalm 62:12; Psalm 69:13; Psalm 77.

  2. Will God forsake those that believe in Him? I Samuel 12:22; Nehemiah 9:31; Psalm 27:8–14; Hebrews 13:5.

  3. What happens when people do not call on God? Read I Chronicles 28:9, II Thessalonians 2:10-12. Study Luke 16:20–31 and Revelation 20:12–15. What happens to those who call on the name of the Lord? Read Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13.

  Chapter 10 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 8; 34:10–23. What were Bildad’s and Elihu’s views on God’s justice?

  1. Does God dispense judgment like Nathaniel suggested? Read Genesis 6:5–13; II Peter 2:4–11; Psalm 76:7–9; Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:14; and Isaiah 30:18. For further study, refer to Romans 2:1–16.

  2. Even though the Blacks lost their farm, did God provide for them? Study Psalm 18 and Revelation 2:9–11. How can God be glorified through tragedy? Study I Peter 1:4–25.

  3. What happens after we die? Study Luke 16:19–31; I Thessalonians 4:13–18; Revelation 2.

  Chapter 11 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 9. How does man compare with God?

  1. What do we know about God’s mercy? Study Psalm 136.

  Mercy demonstrates God’s zeal toward us, His desire to show us His love. When we recognize that we are sinful creatures, that we are born in sin and of a sin nature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5), and when we recognize that God is holy and righteous, the fact of His mercy toward us is augmented. In this understanding of our nature and of His character, can we see hardships as God’s mercy when it drives us to repent and draw near to Him? Study I Peter 1.

  2. If we deserve punishment for our sins and our sinful nature, are we hopeless? Read Titus 1:2–3; 2:11–14; II Thessalonians 2:16–17.

  3. How can we receive God’s mercy? James 4:6–10; Acts 2:21, 37–39; 3:19; 4:12.

  Chapter 12 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 2. What was Satan’s argument against Job?

  1. In what way was Abbadon’s subtle accusation like Satan’s argument against Job?

  2. How did the patrons of Mrs. Clumpit’s restaurant respond to Abbadon? How did Mrs. Richard respond to Abbadon? Study II Corinthians 11:13–15.

  3. What does the Bible say about people who are lost and allow themselves to be deceived? II Corinthians 4:3–4; II Timothy 3:1–9, 4:3–4

  How can we keep ourselves from being deceived? II Timothy 2:15–16, 3:14–17, 4:1–8.

  Chapter 13 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 2:11–13 and 42:7–8. What were Job’s friends’ initial responses to Job’s situation? What was God’s response to them?

  1. Have you ever tried to charm someone who knew some of your skeletons?

  2. Have you ever been caught in your own self-righteousness? Study John 9. Dixon noted that Mrs. Kirkland never acted upon the Christian duty she preached. How is Mrs. Kirkland like the Pharisees? See also Proverbs 16:2.

  3. How did Abbadon lead the people to think falsely about Joab? Study John 8:39–47.

  When we endure suffering, are we more open to listening to falsehoods that bring us an excuse or temporary comfort than we would be otherwise? How can we keep ourselves from being deceived?

  Chapter 14 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 38:1–40:2. What is God revealing to Job?

  1. Read Psalm 116. What is the difference between the Psalmist’s reaction to “The sorrows of death compassed me and the pain of hell got hold upon me,” and Sarah’s response to the horror of her situation?

  When hardships come our way, looking forward can be difficult. Where did the Psalmist place his hope and trust? Where does Sarah place her hope and trust?

  2. Sometimes we have opportunity to see troubles coming our way, even as Sarah saw the storm clouds building in the north. What should our response be? Read Joshua 1–3.

  In Joshua 3:5, what does Joshua tell the people to do? What does it mean to sanctify yourself?

  3. Sarah wondered how they would survive. Study Philippians 4:11–19. How does her question compare with the Apostle Paul’s experience?

  It is difficult to lose everything. Our thoughts can lead us down paths of hopelessness, but we can take captive our thoughts, bow our knees in prayer, and set our minds to trusting God. Read II Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:6; Proverbs 3:5–6.

  Chapter 15 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 26–31. How did Job respond to his friends’ accusations? How did he view himself with respect to their accusations?

  1. Have you ever despised someone, as Dixon did, to the point that you sought to do him harm? Read I Samuel 25.

  David and his men protected Nabal’s sheep and shepherds, and Nabal spoke evil of David. David’s honor had come into question, and he was determined to defend his honor. But Abgail, Nabal’s wise wife, prevented David, and in the end, the LORD smote Nabal. How does David’s response compare with Dixon’s?

  2. Dixon hated Louis Riel and sought to bring the rebel harm. Is there a better way to obtain justice than to seek revenge?

  Read I Samuel 24. What did David decide to do when the opportunity to kill his enemy presented itself?

  3. Did Dixon regret his previous actions at Duck Lake? What does the Bible tell us to do with those who oppose us? Read Romans 12:14–21; Matthew 5:44.

  Chapter 16 Discussion Questions

  1. Read Job 2:7–3:26. How is Sarah like Job’s wife? What might be the root cause of such a bitter response? Read James 4:1–15.

  2. Do you think Joab was relating to Job? Read Job 24:19; Isaiah 1:18; Titus 3:5–7. What can make our sins become white as snow?

  3. Read Job 2:1–7. When you read in Scripture about someone who has experienced trials or emotions similar to your own, does it help you cope and bring you some peace? Also read John 16:33, 20:31; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11–13; I John 5:1.

  Chapter 17 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 1–3. Why did Job offer burnt offerings for his sons (Job 1:5)? Do we sometimes perform good deeds in order to keep bad things from happening to us (Job 3:25)? Faith and trust in God and not in our works is counted for righteousness. When Job said he feared what had happened to him, was he demonstrating a faith in God?

  1. Read Ecclesiastes 3. Like many people, Dixon couldn’t see why everyone had to endure hardship. Do you think he is right in his conclusion that this isn’t fair? Who is God that He should allow hardships in our lives?

  Read Malachi 1. The Israelites were loved by God, and yet, they dishonored Him by offering Him unacceptable sacrifices. The purpose of Israel was to magnify God (verse 5). We are created for His glory and pleasure. (Revelation 4:11; Isaiah 43:7; Isaiah 45:9–12) God is our creator. Do we have a right to question Him?

  2. The Bible frequently speaks of the righteous receiving good and not evil. For example, Psalm 37:29. What makes a person righteous? Read Romans 4:3–5.

  3. In our limited view of life and eternity we attempt to find explanations and solutions to our problems. If we are trusting God, do we need explanations? Study Romans 9.

  The Jews, particul
arly the Pharisees, worked hard to obtain righteousness, to have a solution for their sin problem through adherence to their many traditions and laws. Did these save them? Read Romans 10. What does God tell us is the solution to our sin problem?

  Chapter 18 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 4–5. What did Eliphaz believe was the cause of Job’s sufferings?

  1. How can gossip affect your view of someone who is suffering? Read Psalm 50:20; Proverbs 11:13, 20:19.

  2. Have you ever sought to comfort a friend but found yourself seeking reasons and solutions to their problems? This is what Eliphaz did in Job. Read Proverbs 15:22–23. Rare is the appropriate time to offer reasons and solutions to a suffering friend. Even if our reasons are accurate and our solutions are good, the timing of our words may not be right.

  3. Does how we respond to another’s suffering affect our testimony to the unbeliever? How did Dixon respond to Nathaniel’s words? When we stand in judgment of a suffering brother in the LORD, how will unbelievers view this? Read Romans 14:7–13; Colossians 4:5–6.

  Chapter 19 Discussion Questions

  Read Job 6–7.

  1. Who was Joab concerned with in this chapter?

  2. Can we know the mind of God? Read Isaiah 55:7–9; Romans 9:15–16, 11:34.

  3. Read Job 7:17–21. Job knew his place and confessed he had sinned. “I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?” (Job 7:20)

  What did Joab want from his friends? Read Job 7:7–11. When we are sick or troubled do we not sometimes feel the same as Job?