Let's pray together.

Scarcely for a righteous man would one die,

yet perchance for a good man one might even dare to die.

But you, Father, commend your love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What a rock, what a foundation to stand on tonight as we look at the book of Job.

And I thank you for it with all my heart, as we all do.

And now, Lord, I ask for your help in handling this massive book of 42 chapters and this massive

truth of your love and mercy and sovereignty and suffering.

I asked that you would keep me faithful to the word

and balanced biblically with affections in my heart that correspond to the truth of the page and I

ask for my listeners that they would have minds to grasp and hearts to embrace the beauty of what is revealed here.

We pray with the Psalmest, open our eyes

that we may behold wonderful things out of your law.

Guard us from the evil one, his distortions and distractions, I pray.

Give us a heart for you that is bigger than our affections for this world and this life.

May we say with the Psalmus, the steadfast love of the Lord

is better than life.

I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Well, if you have a Bible, please take it and open it to the Book of Job, which is near Psalms in the middle, Job Psalms. Before we look at chapters one and two tonight, I want to lead in with five observations,

five preliminary observations to set the stage for what we're doing.

Number one, Job is quoted once clearly, probably more times in the New Testament, namely in 1st

Corinthians 319.

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