The lesson materials, copied below, from the Old Testament lesson manual are found here.
I have added my own ideas and plans, as well as quotes from other sources.
Lesson 32: “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 157
Lesson 32: “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 157
Purpose
To help class members develop strength to face adversity by trusting the Lord, building their testimonies of him, and maintaining personal integrity.Preparation
- 1. Prayerfully study the following scriptures (you may also want to study the chapter headings in the book of Job to give an overview of the story):
- a. Job 1–2. Job, a just and faithful man, experiences severe trials. He remains faithful to the Lord despite losing his possessions, children, and health.
- b. Job 13:13–16; 19:23–27. Job finds strength in trusting the Lord and in his testimony of the Savior.
- c. Job 27:2–6. Job finds strength in his personal righteousness and integrity.
- d. Job 42:10–17. After Job has faithfully endured his trials, the Lord blesses him.
- a. Job 1–2. Job, a just and faithful man, experiences severe trials. He remains faithful to the Lord despite losing his possessions, children, and health.
- 2. Additional reading: Other chapters in Job; Doctrine and Covenants 121:1–10.
Suggested Lesson Development
Attention Activity
You may want to use the following activity (or one of your own) to begin the lesson.Share the following analogy with class members (or ask a class member to prepare to share it):
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin once told of farmers in the hot desert of northwest Mexico who “grow varieties of corn and beans that are unusually hardy and drought resistant. These varieties survive and flourish in a harsh climate where other plants would wither and die. One of these plants is the white tepary bean. Its seed will sprout and the plant will grow even when very little rain falls. It sends its roots as deep as six feet into the rocky, sandy earth to find the moisture it needs. It can flower and fruit in the 115-degree (Fahrenheit) desert temperatures with only one yearly rainfall. Its foliage remains remarkably green, with little irrigation, even in the heat of mid-July.”
Elder Wirthlin suggested: “Perhaps members of the Church could emulate the example of these hardy, sturdy plants. We should send our roots deep into the soil of the gospel. We should grow, flourish, flower, and bear good fruit in abundance despite the evil, temptation, or criticism we might encounter. We should learn to thrive in the heat of adversity” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 7; or Ensign, May 1989, 7).
Explain that this lesson is about Job, a man whose faith and righteousness helped him endure severe adversity.
Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Seeds of Renewal,” Ensign, May 1989, 7
Scripture Discussion and Application
As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles.1. Job is sorely tested.
Teach and discuss Job 1–2.- • What kind of man was Job? You may want to list some of the following characteristics on the chalkboard. Many of the corresponding references are not in the reading assignment, so you may want to ask individual class members to look them up and tell what characteristic is described.
Small Group 3-4 in each. After small group work, call for any questions they might have left, or might have generated.
- a. He was a good man who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1).
- b. He was wealthy but not caught up in wealth (Job 1:3, 21).
- c. He had integrity (Job 2:3).
- d. He strengthened the weak (Job 4:3–4).
- e. He walked in the Lord’s paths and esteemed the Lord’s words (Job 23:10–12).
- f. He was compassionate to the widow, the poor, the lame, and the blind (Job 29:12–16).
- g. He was concerned for his enemies and forgave them (Job 31:29–30).
Integrity
"The Lord loves those who have integrity. He said about the Prophet’s brother Hyrum Smith, “Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord” (D&C 124:15).
What is the meaning of integrity? We can find several definitions in the dictionary: rigid adherence to a code or standard of values; moral soundness, especially as it relates to steadfastness to truth, purpose, responsibility, or trust; moral and ethical strength; or the quality of being whole, complete, undivided.
The Lord described Job as a man who was perfect and upright. As Job was suffering untold trials and tribulations, his wife said to him, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity?” (Job 2:9). Even with all his problems and challenges, Job “sinned not” (Job 1:22). And the Lord said, “There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil … and still he holdeth fast his integrity” (Job 2:3).
When Job’s friends falsely accused him of sin, he said:
“All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
“My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
“God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
“My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go” (Job 27:3–6).
Job invited judgment from God so “that God may know mine integrity” (Job 31:6). Job’s conscience was clear, for he knew he was honest and upright in all of his endeavors, and he would never compromise his integrity.
Many years ago when the railroad was just beginning to cross the United States regularly, President Brigham Young (1801–77) said to a group of Church members: “We want the Saints to increase in goodness, until our mechanics, for instance, are so honest and reliable that this Railroad Company will say, ‘Give us a “Mormon” Elder for an engineer, then none need have the least fear to ride, for if he knows there is danger he will take every measure necessary to preserve the lives of those entrusted to his care.’ I want to see our Elders so full of integrity that they will be preferred by this Company for their engine builders, watchmen, engineers, clerks, and business managers.” 3
Abraham Lincoln said: “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.” 4 Lincoln is remembered for what he did but also for what he was—a forthright man of integrity."
from Staying Power L. Tom Perry
Trials
- a. He was a good man who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1).
- • What trials did Job experience? You may want to list some of these trials on the chalkboard. Many of the corresponding references are not in the reading assignment, so you may want to ask individual class members to look them up and tell what trial is described.
Small Group again -- (mix up?) 3-4 in each. After small group work, call for any questions they might have left, or might have generated.
- a. Loss of servants, property, and income (Job 1:13–17).
- b. Loss of children (Job 1:18–19).
- c. Physical illness and pain (Job 2:7; 7:5; 16:16).
- d. Restless sleep filled with nightmares (Job 7:4, 13–14).
- e. Cruel accusations and loss of support from friends and family (Job 2:9; 4:1, 7–8; 11:1–6; 19:13–22).
- f. Confusion about why he was asked to go through these trials (Job 10:15).
- g. Mockery by those who delighted in his downfall (Job 16:10–11; 30:1, 8–10).
- h. The feeling that God had forgotten him or was not listening (Job 19:6–8; 23:3–4; note that the word him in Job 23:3–4 refers to God).
- a. Loss of servants, property, and income (Job 1:13–17).
- • How do Job’s trials compare with the trials people experience in our day? (The trials are similar: loss of property, loss of children, loss of health, and loss of the love and companionship of friends and family.)
- • What did Satan claim was the reason for Job’s righteousness? (See Job 1:9–10.) How did Satan predict Job would react when his wealth and other blessings were taken away? (See Job 1:11; 2:4–5.) How did Job react when this happened? (See Job 1:20–22; 2:10.) What can we learn from these reactions?
- • Despite his adversity, Job “sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22). How do some people charge God foolishly when sorrow, misfortune, or tragedy strike? (They may blame God or question his wisdom or providence, feeling that he does not understand or love them. Some may even question his existence.)
2. Job finds strength in the Lord.
Teach and discuss Job 13:13–16; 19:23–27.- • Job’s trust in the Lord was a great source of spiritual strength for him (Job 13:13–16). What does it mean to trust in the Lord? How can we develop trust in the Lord that will sustain us through trials? (See Romans 8:28; 2 Nephi 2:2, 11, 24; D&C 58:2–4; 122:5–9.) Testify that because the Lord loves us, he has assured us that as we are faithful, all things will be for our good and help us grow.
- • In Job 19, Job described the trials that had befallen him, then testified of the Savior. How did Job’s testimony of the Savior help him endure his trials? (See Job 19:25–27.) How can a testimony of the Savior give us strength during adversity?
- Definition of reins: from dictionary.com
–plural noun
1.
the kidneys.2.
the region of the kidneys, or the lower part of the back.3.
(esp. in Biblical use) the seat of the feelings or affections, formerly identified with the kidneys.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME reines, reenes < OF reins; cf OE (once) rēnys; both < L rēnēs kidneys, loins (pl.); cf. renal
- You may want to have class members sing “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns,no. 136), or you could play a recording of this hymn.
- You may want to have class members sing “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns,no. 136), or you could play a recording of this hymn.
3. Job finds strength in his personal righteousness and integrity.
Teach and discuss Job 27:2–6.- • Job’s integrity was another source of spiritual strength during his afflictions (Job 27:2–6). What is integrity? How did personal integrity strengthen Job during his trials? How can personal integrity help us during times of trial? (As we maintain our integrity, we can gain strength from knowing that the course of our lives is pleasing to the Lord.)
- Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin defined integrity as “always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more important, in our thoughts and in our hearts. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness and incorruptibility that we are incapable of being false to a trust or covenant” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1990, 38; or Ensign, May 1990, 30).
Definition of integrity from dictionary.com–noun
1.
adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.2.
the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.3.
a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.
integrity -- word history
c.1450, "wholeness, perfect condition," from O.Fr. integrité, from L. integritatem (nom. integritas ) "soundness, wholeness," from integer "whole" (see integer). Sense of "uncorrupted virtue" is from 1548.What makes it so plausible to assume that hypocrisy is the vice of vices is that integrity can indeed exist under the cover of all other vices except this one. Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core.To starve to death is a small thing, but to lose one's integrity is a great one. Chinese Proverb
4. After Job has faithfully endured his trials, the Lord blesses him.
Teach and discuss Job 42:10–17.- • After Job had faithfully endured his trials, how did the Lord bless him? (See Job 42:10–15; James 5:11.) How does the Lord bless us as we faithfully endure trials? (See Job 23:10; 3 Nephi 15:9. Encourage class members to share personal experiences. You may want to point out that although the Lord blessed Job with “twice as much as he had before,” the spiritual blessings the Lord gives us as we faithfully endure are even greater than the temporal blessings.)
- Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven” (quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98).
- The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, … knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 304).
- Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven” (quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98).
Conclusion
Summarize your discussion of the book of Job, emphasizing that we can receive strength to endure our trials by trusting in the Lord, building our testimonies of him, and maintaining our integrity so we can know our lives are pleasing to him. You might want to tell class members about a time when you received strength during adversity. Suggest that class members contemplate how they can apply the principles discussed in this lesson to help them endure adversity.Additional Teaching Ideas
The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.1. Job’s friends
- • How did Eliphaz and Bildad, two of Job’s friends, explain his suffering? (See Job 4:7–8; 8:6. They thought Job’s suffering was a punishment from God for sins that Job had committed.) What are the dangers of believing that all suffering comes as God’s punishment for our sins?
- • What can the errors of Job’s friends teach us about helping people who suffer adversity?
2. Questions to ask during adversity
Elder Richard G. Scott said: “When you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 18; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).3. Keeping perspective during adversity
President Spencer W. Kimball said:“If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective.
“… Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?
“If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1975], 97).
4. Prosperity of the wicked is short-lived
- • Sometimes the wicked seem to prosper while the righteous suffer. What does the book of Job teach about the seeming prosperity of the wicked? (See Job 21; 24.)
James E. Faust, “Where Do I Make My Stand?,” Liahona, Nov 2004, 18–21
In an increasingly unjust world, to survive and even to find happiness and joy, no matter what comes, we must make our stand unequivocally with the Lord. We need to try to be faithful every hour of every day so that our foundation of trust in the Lord will never be shaken. My message is one of hope and counsel for those who may wonder about the seemingly unfair distribution of pain, suffering, disaster, and heartache in this life. . . . .
In our time we are going through an increasingly difficult time of refining and testing. The tests are more subtle because the lines between good and evil are being eroded. Very little seems to be sacred in any of our public communication. In this environment we will need to make sure where we stand all of the time in our commitment to eternal truths and covenants.
We learn much about dealing with suffering from “a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” . . .
The way to find joy in this life is to resolve, like Job, to endure all for God and His work. By so doing we will receive the infinite, priceless joy of being with our Savior in the eternities. As we sing in one of our well-known hymns:
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake! 15 . . . .
As we live on earth we must walk in faith, nothing doubting. When the journey becomes seemingly unbearable, we can take comfort in the words of the Lord: “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee.” 19 Some of the healing may take place in another world. We may never know why some things happen in this life. The reason for some of our suffering is known only to the Lord.
Models to Follow Thomas S. Monson
They Marked the Path to Follow
Thomas S. Monson
Thomas S. Monson
L. Tom Perry
Thomas S. Monson
Thomas S. Monson
Resurrection: "These simple words—"He is not here, but is risen"—have become the most profound in all literature. They are the declaration of the empty tomb. They are the fulfillment of all He had spoken concerning rising again. They are the triumphant response to the query facing every man, woman, and child who was ever born to earth."
--Gordon B. Hinckley, "He Is Not Here, but Is Risen", Ensign, May 1999, 70
The Story of Job in Legos -- The Brick Testament -- Job
LDS Living Sunday Lessons
http://www.ldssundayschool.org/Lesson_32
Old Testament Institute Student Manual
The following is from the institute manual:
The Adversary himself had concluded that intolerable circumstances such as these would drive the last feelings of loyalty out of the heart of the most ardent follower of the Lord. He did not, however, know how well Job knew the Lord and that the better anyone knows the Lord the more worthy of trust he appears. This experience, then, with Job must have shattered and discouraged him in his adversary role. And Job, almost as if he knew what had been in the Adversary’s mind, cried out to his comforters in such words of integrity and faith that under the circumstances it would be hard, if not impossible, to parallel, and provided, in doing so, the ultimate answer to the Adversary.
“‘Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears. Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified’ ( 13:13–18 , emphasis added). This is not an arrogant, proud voice, but the voice of a divinely assured son of God, who knows the source of his strength and integrity.
“In the fiery furnace, Job had shown not only the Adversary but also himself that the correct knowledge about God and a right relationship with him were of more value than anything he had obtained out of life—including length of days, offspring, friends, and loved ones, even wealth and health. Job’s simple but profound, ‘though he slay me, yet will I trust in him’ becomes then an absolute refutation of every argument of the adversary about why men serve the Lord and shows that the devil either lied or was deluded when he said otherwise. Thus, it is in this, the thirteenth chapter where Job demonstrates how profound his knowledge and faith in God is, and not the nineteenth or forty-second, that for me the high point of the book of Job is reached.
“In this light President McKay has said that he has always ‘thought that the purpose of the book of Job was to emphasize the fact that the testimony of the spirit—the testimony of the Gospel, is beyond the power of Satan’s temptation or any physical influence’ (Dedication of the Salt Lake Temple Annex in 1963, Deseret News ). The book of Job therefore becomes a great testimonial to us of this great truth. Thus, the three things that any person must know if he is to have faith in the Lord are all reflected in Job’s life. His marvelous testimony, ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’ ( 19:25 ), indicates how well he knew of the Lord’s existence. Statements like the one in ch. 13 , ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,’ indicated how well he knew the Being in whom he trusted. And finally, the knowledge that the course of life that he was pursuing was pleasing unto the Lord, all gave him the strength to endure in faithfulness when adversity came into his life. His life, then vividly illustrates that such faith comes when one knows that God exists, that he is perfect in his character and attributes, and that the course of life one pursues is pleasing to the Lord. . . .
Was Job a king?
Alma 5:15
Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?
http://www.ronaldecker.com/jb.htm JB and Job
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,810995,00.html Time Magazine 1959
Chapter 22 -- one of the "friends" says this. How much of it is true?
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be abuilt up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the ahumble person.
Chapter 28 -- wisdom
29:14 robe and diadem
Understanding the true nature of God
Poster for three thing required for faith. . .
THE BOOK OF
JOB
JOB
CHAPTERS
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 |
