Lesson 14 Job 6:24-25

I. Introduction.
A. We are continuing in our examination of Job's response to Eliphaz's first address.
B. So far we have looked at:
1. Job's response to the charge of hypocrisy.
2. Jobs defense concerning his desire for death.
3. Job's charge of concerning the worth of his friends.
C. Starting in chapter 6 verse 24, and running through verse 30, Job challenges his friends to test him.
1. Job had spoken of his observation and experience.
2. Job now asks his friends that true tests be applied to his case.
3. Let the friends prove him according to their rigid rules of punishment for sin.

II. Teach me, and I will hold my tongue. {vs.24}
A. This is the passionate outcry of a soul in trouble.
1. Misfortune and loss have fallen heavily upon Job.
2. The presence of Eliphaz and his many words of advice bring neither comfort or hope.
3. In almost angry defiance of the advice of Eliphaz, Job bursts out with the words, "Teach me and I
will hold my tongue.
4. Angrily and hopelessly Job describes himself as one that is desperate.
5. Job's eager demand is to know whether the trials and calamities that have come upon him are in
reality due to exceeding wickedness and special sinfulness on his part.
B. Let us examine this statement under scrutiny as one of an earnest desire for the believer.
1. The word teach.
a. The impartation of knowledge with the highest possible development of the pupil as its goal.
b. The word may also mean to demonstrate.
c. God's will is the special objective of scripture.
d. The Old Testament relates teaching to the totality of the person.
2. Therefore, Job is challenging his friends to demonstrate from scripture their allegations of
his sinfulness
3. The tongue.
a. Notice that the tongue is a little member of the body. {vs.4}
1} See what this member is capable of doing.
b. Words are the expression of thoughts.
c. Words, as incarnate thoughts, are revelations of character.
d. The morality of a man is stamped in his words.
1} Conversation touching impurity photographs an impure heart.
2} Ecstatic language denotes shallowness of thought.
3} Repeated quotations of others opinions is proof of having no substantial opinions of self.
4} Willingness to speak freely about others business is proof that we are not attending to our own
affairs.
e. The power of speech involves a very great responsibility.
f. Man must govern his tongue.

III. Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
A. Man is subject to error.
1. To err in speech.
2. To err in practice.
3. To err in judgment.
B. Man is in a fair way to truth, when he acknowledges he may err.
C. An erring brother must be made to understand his error.

IV. How forcible are right words. {vs.25}
A. Job suffered, struggled, and sorrowed, and therefore he learned something of the human heart.
B. Irritating to Job were the words of his friends.
1. Those words were as nothing.
2. Those words reproved nothing.
3. Those words appealed to nothing.
C. Righteous words would have been precious to Job.
D. We must realize that words possess a righteous or an unrighteous character.
E. The power of speech is a Divine gift.
F. The Divine gift of words is intended to be a righteous power.
1. By perversion of words sin was introduced into the world.
2. By the righteousness of words error and evil shall be destroyed.
G. The power of words for good or evil is in proportion to their righteousness or unrighteousness.
1. Righteous words reprove.
a. The words of God are instruments of righteousness.
b. The words of man are only righteous as they harmonize with the words of God.
2. In the war of words , righteous words will prevail.
3. Divine power operates through the words of good.

Lesson 13 Job 6:14-23

I. Introduction.
A. We have been discussing, in our last two lessons, the response of Job to Eliphaz's first address.
B. In the first lesson, we saw Job's response to the allegations of hypocrisy.
C. In the second lesson Job defends his position of preferring death rather than suffer from the onslaught
of his illness.
1. In verses 9-10 Job thought death would be a comfort to him.
2. In his argument he stated that he did not hide the word of the Holy One.
3. In verse 11 Job puts forward his dispair,and utters his weariness of life.
4. In verse 12 Job makes a pitiful plea pertaining to his weakness and helplessness.
D. Now, in our next section, Job declares his friends useless.

II. To him that is afflicted pity should be showed from his friend. {vs. 14}
A. Most forcefully does Job strike out against his friends.
1. The hard principles that Eliphaz was applying to Job contained no mercy.
2. The hard principles that Eliphaz was applying to Job contained no sympathy.
B. It is a fundamental principle that pity should be shown to a sufferer by his friends.
C. There are times in life when the need of friendship is deeply felt.
1. Man was made for friendship.
a. Deep and constant is man's craving for the love of others.
b. Without friendship man's nature could no more develop than an acorn can develop without
sunlight.
2. Man requires friendship.
a. Without friendship, man would die in infancy
b. Friendship is required for nourishment.
c. Friendship is requires for succoring.
d. Friendship is required for training.
3. Affliction intensifies the need for friendship.
III. Disappointment.
A. Verses 15-18.
1.The analogy of these verses may be viewed as the friends being like a summer stream, swollen by
melting snow and ice in winter, which gives promise of perennial supply for the thirsty, but when the
troops of travelers come, they find only dry stones to mock them.
B. Verses 19-20, combined with verses 15-18, paint a picture of disappointment.
1. The forms in which disappointments occur.
a. It must be noted, here, that disappointments are as numerous as our hopes.
b. We may have disappointments which relate to the acquisition of property.
c. We may have disappointments concerning our aims at honor and office.
d. We may have disappointments concerning our children.
2. The reasons why disappointments occur.
a. Because our expectations are beyond any reason.
b. Because our expectations are improperly placed on things we should not cherish.
c. Because disappointments may be beneficial to us.
3. Lessons that disappointments teach us.
a. All our plans in life should be formed with the possibility of failure in mind.
b. We should form such plans and cherish such hopes as will not be subject to disappointment.