By Mike Dawson
Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church, Columbia

Focal Passage: Job 42:1-11 

You may have heard about the little boy who stood with his dad outside the window of a pet store. His dad had promised a new puppy, and the son was now selecting one. Several pups vied for attention; one of them was not the cutest, but was excitedly wagging his tail. “That’s the one I want,” the boy said, “The one with the happy ending!” 

Everyone likes a ‘happy ending,’ especially when the villains get their comeuppance and the admired hero gets to live happily ever after. That kind of ending is found in today’s study from the book of Job, chapter 42. 

This is not fiction or fairy tale. It’s the true-life story of Job, who went from riches to rags — to riches again. The story of a man who endured pain, suffering, loss and grief, and whose so-called friends turned against him and slandered him.  [Read more…]

By Mike Dawson
Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church, Columbia

Focal Passage: Job 40:1-14 

Remember how ‘God’s voice’ sounded in Hollywood films years ago? The Ten Commandments movie portrayed God speaking in a deep and resonate voice, in Shakespearean English, accompanied by rolling thunder and heavenly-sounding music.

None of the secular films starring “God” could adequately portray His true voice. But five men from the Book of Job could tell us precisely what His voice sounded like: Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar and Elihu.

The “know-it-all” Elihu had finished his long, tiresome speech about God. Now the “All-knowing” God begins speaking. And — as our church choir sang almost every Sunday morning during my teen years — “Let all the earth keep silence before Him!” In previous studies of Job’s story we’ve seen the five men boxing each other with words. Now they all keep silence as GOD HIMSELF SPEAKS. [Read more…]

By Mike Dawson
Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church, Columbia

Focal Passage: Job 36:8-23 

“… One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and JUSTICE FOR ALL.” That phrase from our Pledge to the Flag apparently contains ‘fighting words’ for several groups in America today. Many object to the words “one nation under God,” and even “indivisible” and of course “liberty;” but some groups are shouting that “JUSTICE FOR ALL” is especially untrue for them. On this July 4th, our nation’s 245th birthday, it’s timely to be studying from the book of Job about JUSTICE SOUGHT. [Read more…]

By Mike Dawson
Retired Baptist pastor

Focal Passage: Job 28:12-28 

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.” A great patriarch of the Bible, Job, would say “That’s a lie!” 

Job was a man beloved by God and respected by others, yet he suffered loss, grief, brokenness and despair; three friends came to comfort him but ended up in a verbal boxing match with Job, using words that did harm him — deeply. 

So far in the Book of Job we’ve learned about “Faith Tested,” Job 1:1—2:10: the boxing ‘ring’ was set up as Job’s faith was being tested by several God-allowed disasters.  [Read more…]

By Mike Dawson
Retired Baptist pastor

Focal Passage: Job 19:19-29 

“In this corner, wearing a torn robe, with his head shaved, and covered in open sores, is … Job!” 

So might a ring announcer introduce the champ in Round One of the ‘boxing match’ featuring Job the Uzzite, pitted against a tag team calling themselves ‘The Three Friends:’ Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. 

It’s uncertain who’d be declared the winner of Round One, dealing with the nature of God. Job began the match by declaring that God should have taken his life after childbirth (chapter 3). 

Eliphaz then pounded Job with emotional punches (chapters 6-7), then Bildad hammered away with accusations that Job was a hypocrite (chapter 8), and Job once again went on the defensive (chapters 9-10), even blaming God for not allowing him to speak for himself.  [Read more…]

By Mike Dawson
Retired Baptist pastor

Focal Passage: Job 14:1-14 

Who was the smallest man in the Bible? Not Zaccheus, although many of us as children sang “and a wee little man was he.” Not even Nehemiah (“Knee-High-miah.”) No, the Bible’s smallest man was one of Job’s friends, Bildad the Shuhite (“Shoe-height.”) 

Those are some awful puns, I admit; but our larger text, Job 2:11-14:22, is heavy; so we needed a smile to get started today. 

After Job’s terrorizing and disastrous loss of nearly everything he once had, Bildad the Shuhite was indeed one of Job’s three ‘friends’ who came to comfort him. The other two were Eliphaz the Temanite and Zophar the Naamathite. 

Job the man not only lost his possessions, property, and people — he also contracted a terrible skin disease. He sat distorted in appearance and wallowing in his grief and pain and loneliness.  [Read more…]

By Mike Dawson
Retired Baptist pastor

Focal Passage: Job 1:8-22 

“Poor as Job’s turkey” is an expression from my boyhood. But the Bible doesn’t say Job ever had a turkey! One thing is certain: if there was one, it would’ve been lost with all Job’s animals, children and possessions. So maybe the expression should simply be “Poor Job!” 

JOB THE BOOK is one of the five “Poetry” books in the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon). Poetry doesn’t mean these books have lines that rhyme; it means they have a writing style different from the prose of other O.T. books. 

Job is apparently a very ancient book; several things appearing often in the Bible story — yet nowhere in Job —  would indicate this. Therefore many ‘chronological’ Bibles place Job right after Genesis.  [Read more…]