Job 31 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Job 31 Short Summary:

Job chapter 31 is the conclusion of Job’s defense to his friends. He maintained his innocence but also expressed his willingness to accept guilt if sin was revealed in him. The bulk of the chapter is Job listing sins he had not committed. To emphasize his innocence, Job called down curses on himself, curses that would befall him if he was found to be a liar.

Job 31 Bible Study

SHORT OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF JOB

• Job 1-2 – Job is Persecuted by Satan

• Job 3-37 – Job and His Friends Discuss the Reason He is Experiencing Persecution

• Job 38-41 – God Speaks with Job and Reveals His Greatness to Him.

• Job 42 – God Restores What Job Lost

WHEN:

• The date of the writing of Job is unknown and still debated. Some believe it was written during the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) or even earlier, while others suspect it was written during the time of Judah’s Babylonian captivity (607-537 B.C.).

• I take the earlier date. The description of Job as the “greatest of all the people of the east” (1:3) and an absence of references to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple suggests to me that this book was written early.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Job – A blameless and upright man who Satan persecuted in an attempt to turn his heart away from God.

• Job’s Friends – Three men who were determined to accuse Job of sin. They were convinced Job’s suffering was God’s judgement on him for his hidden sin.

WHERE:

• Job lived in the land of Uz. Most scholars surmise the land of Uz was in northern Saudi Arabia, either immediately south of the Dead Sea, I the land that would become known as Edom, or immediately east of the Dead Sea, which is today the country of Jordan.

OUTLINE:

• JOB CONCLUDES HIS CASE FOR HIS INNOCENCE (31:1-40):

  • As Job concluded his remarks to his friends, he dedicated this section to once again declaring his innocence and showing that he was fully willing to accept guilt if it could be shown that he did something wrong.

  • Job knew that God saw all his actions and numbered all his steps. God wasn’t unaware of Job’s behavior, and Job was counting on this in the defense of his innocence.

  • He said, “Let me be weighed in a just balance, and let God know my integrity!” (31:6).

  • The bulk of this chapter is Job listing sins he had not committed. To emphasize his innocence, Job called down curses on himself, curses that would befall him if he was found to be a liar.

  • He had not looked inappropriately at young women (31:1).

  • He had not betrayed his wife and pursued other women (31:9).

  • He had not participated in falsehood or deceit (31:5).

  • He had not ignored the needs of any of his servants (31:13).

  • He had not withheld charity from the poor, widows, or orphans (31:16-21).

  • He had not put his trust in his wealth (31:24-25).

  • He had not given himself to the worship of the sun and moon like the pagans (31:26-27).

  • He had not rejoiced at humiliation of his enemies (31:29).

  • He had not neglected hospitality to travelers (31:32).

  • He had not tried to cover up his sins or conceal them (31:33).

  • He had not taken anyone’s food without paying for it (31:39).

  • Job wanted nothing more than to stand before a judge and present the facts of his case. He wanted the charges against him to be written up so he could formally contest them.

  • He said, “Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature!) Let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!” (31:35).

  • The final sentence of this chapter inform us that these were the final words of Job in his defense. In the next several chapters, we will be reading the words of a man named Elihu, and then beginning in chapter 38, we’ll read the words of God as He descends to answer Job and his friends.

APPLICATION

• How do you settle a dispute about what God thinks on a matter?

• Job and his friends couldn’t agree what God’s attitude towards Job was.

• The only way to know the mind of God is to hear from God, and Job and his friends will hear from God before this book concludes, and God will give His definitive judgement.

• Consulting God on a matter sounds simple, but it isn’t always put into practice.

• God has shared His mind with us through His Word, the Scriptures, yet a lot of people would rather debate issues based on their personal opinions rather than consult the definitive answer.

• It’s very common to hear someone say, “I think God would want this…” or “I don’t think God would mind if we did this…”. They draw conclusions about God without ever consulting God.

• If you want to know what God thinks on a matter, consult what He has said on the matter.

• If people spent more time consulting the words of God and less time debating for their personal opinions, a lot of confusion and noise would be taken out of the world.