Straight to the Heart of Job

Phil Moore

Description

The book of Job is one of the oldest surviving pieces of writing in human history. It also deals with two of the biggest questions that humans have asked throughout history - what is God like, and why does he allow such suffering in the world? Allow Phil to take you on a journey through the book of Job to discover insights that have shaped the way that people have viewed God and viewed humanity for over 3,000 years. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore's devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 22 mai 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780857219770
• Langue: English

Extrait

I enjoy reading Phil Moore s books. He writes about Jesus and the Christian life with perception, wisdom and wit.
- Nicky Gumbel - Vicar, HTB London
In taking us straight to the heart of the text, Phil Moore has served us magnificently. We so need to get into the Scriptures and let the Scriptures get into us. The fact that Phil writes so relevantly and with such submission to biblical revelation means that we are genuinely helped to be shaped by the Bible s teaching.
- Terry Virgo
Fresh. Solid. Simple. Really good stuff.
- R. T. Kendall
Most commentaries are dull. These are alive. Most commentaries are for scholars. These are for you !
- Canon Michael Green
These notes are amazingly good. Phil s insights are striking, original, and fresh, going straight to the heart of the text and the reader! Substantial yet succinct, they bristle with amazing insights and life applications, compelling us to read more. Bible reading will become enriched and informed with such a scintillating guide. Teachers and preachers will find nuggets of pure gold here!
- Greg Haslam , Westminster Chapel, London, UK
A strong combination of faithful scholarship, clear explanation and deep insight make these an invaluable tool. I can t recommend them highly enough.
- Gavin Calver , Director of Mission, Evangelical Alliance
The Bible is living and dangerous. The ones who teach it best are those who bear that in mind - and let the author do the talking. Phil has written these studies with a sharp mind and a combination of creative application and reverence.
- Joel Virgo , Leader of Newday Youth Festival
Phil Moore s new commentaries are outstanding: biblical and passionate, clear and well-illustrated, simple and profound. God s Word comes to life as you read them, and the wonder of God shines through every page.
- Andrew Wilson , Author of Incomparable and If God, Then What?
Want to understand the Bible better? Don t have the time or energy to read complicated commentaries? The book you have in your hand could be the answer. Allow Phil Moore to explain and then apply God s message to your life. Think of this book as the Bible s message distilled for everyone.
- Adrian Warnock , Christian blogger
Phil Moore presents Scripture in a dynamic, accessible and relevant way. The bite-size chunks - set in context and grounded in contemporary life - really make the make the Word become flesh and dwell among us.
- Dr David Landrum , Evangelical Alliance
Through a relevant, very readable, up-to-date storying approach, Phil Moore sets the big picture, relates God s Word to today and gives us fresh insights to increase our vision, deepen our worship, know our identity and fire our imagination. Highly recommended!
- Geoff Knott , former CEO of Wycliffe Bible Translators UK
What an exciting project Phil has embarked upon! These accessible and insightful books will ignite the hearts of believers, inspire the minds of preachers and help shape a new generation of men and women who are seeking to learn from God s Word.
- David Stroud , Leader of Christ Church London and author of Planting Churches, Changing Communities
For more information about the Straight to the Heart series, please go to www.philmoorebooks.com .
You can also receive daily messages from Phil Moore on Twitter by following @PhilMooreLondon .

Text copyright 2020 by Phil Moore.
This edition copyright 2020 Lion Hudson IP Limited.
The right of Phil Moore to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by
Lion Hudson Limited
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park
Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England
www.lionhudson.com
ISBN 978 0 85721 976 3
e-ISBN 978 0 85721 977 0
First edition 2020
Cover image: Andrey Popov/Shutterstock
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
This book is dedicated to my father, who suffered from a crippling illness for over a quarter of a century with the patience of Job and without cursing the Lord .
CONTENTS
About the Straight to the Heart Series
Introduction: Why Does God Allow Suffering?
PROLOGUE: JOB S SUFFERING
The Perfect Man (Job 1:1-5)
Real (Job 1:6-12)
No Excuses (Job 1:12)
The Naked Worshipper (Job 1:13-22)
Close to Home (Job 2:1-10)
Job s Three Friends (Job 2:11-13)
ACT ONE: THE SAME OLD ANSWERS
In the Dark (Job 3:1-26)
The Best Answers in the World (Job 4:1-11)
The Limits of Experience (Job 4:12-5:27)
The Glory of Kings (Job 4:12-5:27)
When the Sparks Start to Fly (Job 6:1-30)
Get Real (Job 7:1-21)
Tradition (Job 8:1-22)
Lift Your Eyes (Job 9:1-35)
Courtroom Drama (Job 9:32-35)
Prayer in a Minor Key (Job 10:1-22)
Unreasonable (Job 11:1-20)
Better Friend (Job 12:1-13:19)
Glimpses of Glory (Job 13:20-14:22)
Here We Go Again (Job 15:1-35)
What Suffering Achieves (Job 16:1-17:16)
Slot-Machine God (Job 18:1-21)
Price Tag (Job 19:1-29)
Afterlife (Job 19:25-27)
Beyond Reason (Job 20:1-29)
True Love (Job 21:1-34)
How Not to Pastor People (Job 22:1-30)
No Way (Job 23:1-17)
The School of Suffering (Job 23:10)
You re Fired! (Job 24:1-25)
Half-Truth (Job 25:1-6)
Don t Miss the Obvious (Job 26:1-4)
Natural Conclusions (Job 26:5-14)
Enough! (Job 27:1-23)
ACT TWO: SOME NEW ANSWERS
Interval (Job 28:1-28)
The Righteous One (Job 29:1-25)
Looking for Trouble (Job 29:16)
The Suffering Servant (Job 30:1-31)
The Curse-Bearer (Job 31:1-40)
Eyes Right (Job 31:1-12)
Am I Not a Man and a Brother? (Job 31:15)
God Knows What He is Doing (Job 32:1-33:33)
and What You are Doing (Job 34:1-37)
God Doesn t Need You (Job 35:1-16)
but You Need God (Job 36:1-37:24)
ACT THREE: GOD S OWN ANSWERS
Words, Words, Words (Job 38:1-3)
The Joy of Being God (Job 38:4-7)
Order, Order! (Job 38:8-15)
H 2 O (Job 38:16-30)
Stargazing (Job 38:31-33)
Where the Wild Things are (Job 38:34-39:30)
The Thief of Joy (Job 39:13-18)
Mid-Course Correction (Job 40:1-5)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Job 40:6-41:34)
EPILOGUE: JOB S COMFORT
What Job Discovered About God (Job 42:1-6)
What Job Discovered About Prayer (Job 42:7-9)
What Job Discovered About the Devil (Job 42:10-11)
What Job Discovered About Prosperity (Job 42:10-17)
Conclusion: Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Acknowledgments
About the Straight to the Heart Series
On his eightieth birthday, Sir Winston Churchill dismissed the compliment that he was the lion who had defeated Nazi Germany in World War Two. He told the Houses of Parliament that It was a nation and race dwelling all around the globe that had the lion s heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.
I hope that God speaks to you very powerfully through the roar of the books in the Straight to the Heart series. I hope they help you to understand the books of the Bible and the message which the Holy Spirit inspired their authors to write. I hope that they help you to hear God s voice challenging you, and that they provide you with a springboard for further journeys into each book of Scripture for yourself.
But when you hear my roar , I want you to know that it comes from the heart of a much bigger lion than me. I have been shaped by a whole host of great Christian thinkers and preachers from around the world, and I want to give due credit to at least some of them here: Terry Virgo, Dave Holden, Guy Miller, John Hosier, Adrian Holloway, Greg Haslam, Lex Loizides, Malcolm Kayes and all those who lead the Newfrontiers family of churches; friends and encouragers, such as Stef Liston, Joel Virgo, Stuart Gibbs, Scott Taylor, Nick Derbridge, Phil Whittall, and Kevin and Sarah Aires; Jon Oliver and Jessica Gladwell at Monarch Books; the pastors and congregation that serve alongside me at Everyday Church in London; my great friend Andrew Wilson - without all of your friendship, encouragement and example, this series would never have happened.
I would like to thank my parents, my brother Jonathan, and my in-laws, Clive and Sue Jackson. Dad - your example birthed in my heart the passion which brought this series into being. I didn t listen to all you said when I was a child, but I couldn t ignore the way you got up at five o clock every morning to pray, read the Bible and worship, because of your radical love for God and for his Word. I d like to thank my children - Isaac, Noah, Esther and Ethan - for keeping me sane when publishing deadlines were looming. But most of all, I m grateful to my incredible wife, Ruth - my friend, encourager, corrector and helper.
You all have the lion s heart, and you have all developed the lion s heart in me. I count it an enormous privilege to be the one who was chosen to sound the lion s roar.
So welcome to the Straight to the Heart series. My prayer is that you will let this roar grip your own heart too - for the glory of the great Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Introduction: Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?
(Job 2:10)
The British actor Stephen Fry isn t shy about explaining why he doesn t believe in God. He says that all the suffering in the world makes faith impossible. When asked in a TV interview what he would say if he were wrong, and if he found himself standing before God, he didn t hesitate:
I ll say: bone cancer in children - what s that about? How dare you? How dare you create a world where there is such misery that s not our fault? It s utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain? That s what I d say