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THIS WEEK’S PASSAGE JOB 1-2
PREPARATION
You may want to read through the whole of Job and it might also be helpful to read through some commentaries for context such as Why Lord? by Gary Benfold, The storm breaks by Derek Thomas and How long O Lord by Christopher Ash. You will need the top trump cards – available to download at the link page, and a dice. You will need to print out copies of the script.
Livestock top trumps
15 mins
The aim of this game is to collect as many high scoring cards as possible – the winner being the person with the highest total number of livestock at the end of play. There are four different cards: the 1000 sheep card, the 1000 camels card, the 100 oxen card and the 100 donkey card. The sheep card and the camel card are the most desirable.
Hand out one of each card to every young person. Going round the circle, get each person to roll a dice. If they roll: 1 – give them a 100 donkey card, 2 – a 100 oxen card, 3 or 6 – they can steal a card from anyone else in the circle without looking, 4 – a 1000 camel card, 5 – a 1000 sheep card. Keep playing until time has run out, they get bored, or you have a clear winner!
OUR MAN JOB
10 mins
Say: In that game we were trying to get as many animals as possible. There’s a guy in the Bible called Job who was the richest man in the land with lots of animals, servants, and children. Read Job 1:1-5 and ask your young people:
• What can we learn about Job from this short paragraph?
• What kind of a man was he?
• What does it mean that he ‘feared the lord’?
• Why did Job ‘purify his children’? What does this mean?
• What was Job afraid that they might have done? Why?
THE HEAVENLY DIALOGUE
5 mins
Ask some willing young people to act out the following script (taken from The Message translation of Job 1:6-12).
Narrator: One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the designated accuser, came along with them. God singled out Satan and said…
(For the full script, head to the link page)
SATAN
5 mins
Say: Interestingly, as the angels and heavenly hosts come to present themselves to God, the ‘accuser’, otherwise known as Satan, comes with them. Get your young people into groups and ask:
• Why do you think the devil is called the ‘accuser’?
• Why do you think the devil is able to tag along with the angels?
• Do you find it surprising that the devil is able to enter God’s presence?
GOD
10 mins
In this unusual exchange, we see God engaging in dialogue with the devil. Ask:
• Why does God ask the devil where he has come from?
• Do you think God doesn’t know where the devil has been?
• Are you surprised by God’s lack of surprise at the devil appearing?
Say: What happens next is perhaps even more surprising. God seems to offer up Job to the devil, drawing the accuser’s attention to the fact that Job is a righteous man. Ask:
• Why would God draw the devil’s attention to Job?
• Should God have kept quiet about Job?
• What does this say about God’s character?
IS GOD GOOD?
15 mins
Say: After ‘accusing’ Job of only being righteous and praising God because of his wealth and prosperity (hence the devil’s name as the ‘accuser’), God allows the devil to test Job. He allows the devil to pour out his wrath on Job within certain boundaries: he is allowed to take everything he has, but not hurt him personally.
• How does this part of the passage make you feel?
• Do you think it’s right that God allows the devil to test Job?
• Do you ever think about the fact that there is a spiritual battle going on? Does it worry you?
• Why do you think God allows the devil to have his way?
Say: Centuries ago, an ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus noted that the presence of suffering in the world cast three problems regarding a deity saying: ‘Is he willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then he is evil.’ In the story of Job, God is able to prevent the suffering, but not willing, in that he allows the devil to inflict pain. Ask:
• Does this challenge your conception of God as good?
• How can you justify God’s goodness in the face of this fact?
Allow the conversation to run its course, no doubt there will be a lot of discussion around these points. Say: next week we will be looking in more detail at why God might allow suffering in this instance.
CLOSING PRAYER
5 mins
Ask your young people to find a space alone in the room. Sit in silence for one minute, inviting your young people to present their requests, anger, questions and sadness to God who is big enough to take it. Read this prayer, inviting your young people to pray it along with you:
God, I don’t understand. I don’t understand why there is suffering, but you say that you are good and worthy of praise, and I will believe you. I don’t understand why you allow suffering, but you say that you are good and worthy of praise, and so I will praise you. Help me to understand. Amen.
