OUR BIBLE BAND

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 10, 1911

Schedule for Week Ending January 21, 1911 Sunday January 15 Genesis 45-47 Monday " 16 " 48-50 Tuesday " 17 Job 1-4 Wednesday " 18 " 5-8 Thursday " 19 " 9-11 Friday " 20 " 12-15 Sabbath " 21 " 16-20

THE week's lesson begins with the closing story of Joseph and his brethren, and proceeds with Israel's (Jacob's) journey to Egypt with his descendants and all that he had, their presentation to Pharaoh, their location in the land of Goshen, Israel's last days, his blessings upon his sons, and the last days of Joseph. Note in all this history God's care for the "Seed" and His providence in its preservation. The wrath of man is made to praise Him, and the plottings of evil are made to work for the good of God's cause. "Ye meant evil against me," said Joseph; "but God meant it for good, . . . as it is this day." That all the blessings of God through Israel upon his sons center in the Shiloh of the tribe of Judah,—"unto Him shall the gathering of the people be." God's blessing upon His children makes them blessings. The preservation of Joseph saved "much people alive." That God uses men, not because of imperfections, but in spite of them. Birthright or age does not insure favor with God. In Israel's family Reuben lost the birthright, and Manasseh in Joseph's.

THE book of Job, it is believed, was written by Moses before the book of Exodus was written, a little more than 1,500 years before Christ, when Moses was in the land of Midian. The plan of the book, its patriarchal setting, indicates, it seems to us, that it was written before Israel became a nation.

HERE are some suggestions: (1) Job was the son of Issachar. Gen. 46: 13. (2) Eliphaz was the son of Esau. Gen. 36: 10, 11. His land, Teman, named after his son, was noted for its wise men. Jer. 49: 7. (3) Bildad was the son of Shuah, grandson of Abraham. Gen. 25: 2. (4) Zophar may have been a friend from Naamah, in the southwest of Palestine. (5) On the above calculation, Job, if his double blessing included years of life, lived for 210 years, dying about B.C. 1516. (6) Moses was then 55, having been fifteen years in Midian. (7) The above view would make perfect harmony. The Companion Bible remarks, "It is better to keep within the Bible itself for the settlement of its problems." That Job was a historical character, see Eze. 14:14, 20; James 5:10, 11.

ITS problem is as old as the ages, and profound are its discussions over the philosophy of life and its afflictions. The chief difference between Job and his friends is over the question, Does affliction indicate guilt, and the severity and extent of the affliction the degree of the sin? For this his friends argued; conscious of his integrity, Job argued against it. Much heat of spirit is developed in the discussion. The real answer seems to be a great truth which Job learned—that we are all sinful, all deserving, in the light of our failure to live God's perfect law, the severest suffering, so that we can not charge God with injustice; and that God permits to come upon the best of His children severe affliction to develop in them new graces, and when that is accomplished the chastisement ceases; but even while the child of God is suffering his worst trials, still he is in better, happier state with God than the prosperous wicked without Him.