Book of Job Quiz: The Debate with the Three Friends

1. Eliphaz opens the second round of speeches (chapter 15) by accusing Job of something more serious than in his first speech. What is his new charge?

1. Job has offered insincere sacrifices and corrupted the worship of the people
2. Job has secretly consulted sorcerers and mediums to understand his suffering
3. Job is proud and envious of his neighbours' prosperity
4. Job's words undermine piety — he is doing away with the fear of God with his arguments

2. Job responds to the second round of speeches with a plea that has become famous in pastoral care. What does he ask of his friends in chapter 16?

1. 'Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me'
2. 'I have heard many things like these — miserable comforters are you all!'
3. 'Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him?'
4. All of the above appear in Job's second-round responses

3. In chapter 19, Job makes one of the most celebrated statements of faith in all scripture. What does he declare?

1. 'Even though he slay me, yet will I trust in him all the days of my life'
2. 'I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth'
3. 'My hope is in the Lord who made heaven and earth and will not let me perish'
4. 'Though the darkness covers me, yet the light of the Lord will shine again'

4. In Job 19, before his great confession of faith, Job describes how his suffering has alienated those closest to him. Who does he say has turned against him?

1. All three answers describe different aspects of Job's alienation, all mentioned in chapter 19
2. His kinsmen, his servants and his friends — even the people he showed kindness to now despise him
3. His servants, his brothers, his wife, the children of his own house, and even young children mock him
4. The elders of his city, the merchants who traded with him, and his former friends

5. Bildad's second speech (chapter 18) focuses on the fate of the wicked. He says the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. What is the most disturbing image he uses — implicitly directed at Job?

1. Their children will beg for bread and their houses will be torn down brick by brick
2. Their names will be forgotten from the earth like a smoke that rises and disappears
3. They will be thrust from light into darkness and driven from the world — their memory will perish from the earth
4. They will die in the wilderness, unloved and unburied, and beasts will consume their remains

6. Zophar's second speech (chapter 20) is his last in the book. What is his central theme?

1. A man who lives without wisdom is no better than a beast that perishes
2. God searches all secrets and nothing hidden from him goes unpunished
3. The righteous will receive their reward even if they must wait a lifetime
4. The wicked prosper only briefly — the joy of the godless lasts only a moment

7. Job's response in chapter 21 turns Zophar's argument on its head. What does Job point out that undermines the friends' theology?

1. That God himself has told Job the friends are wrong and will be punished
2. That no human being can know the ways of God — therefore the friends speak in ignorance
3. That suffering is random and has nothing to do with righteousness or wickedness
4. That the wicked actually prosper greatly in this life — they grow old, see their children established, and die in peace

8. Eliphaz's third and final speech (chapter 22) is his harshest. Unlike before, he now lists specific sins he accuses Job of committing. Which of these does he charge Job with?

1. Sexual immorality and false swearing in the courts
2. You cheated in your trading and oppressed your workers with excessive demands
3. You gave no water to the weary, you withheld bread from the hungry, you sent widows away empty-handed
4. You worshipped idols in secret while offering sacrifices publicly

9. In chapter 23, Job expresses a longing to find God and present his case. What is his frustrating complaint?

1. 'God has surrounded himself with clouds so that my prayer cannot get through to him'
2. 'God is too holy for me to approach — his glory would overwhelm me'
3. 'He hides behind his angels and will not come out to face me directly'
4. 'If I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him'

10. Job 23:10 contains a golden statement of faith immediately following Job's complaint about not finding God. What does Job say?

1. 'But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold'
2. 'My faith does not depend on God's presence being felt — I trust though I cannot see'
3. 'Though I cannot find him, I know he is watching over me at this very moment'
4. 'Yet even in this darkness, I know his plans for me are good'

11. Bildad's third speech (chapter 25) is remarkably short — only six verses, the shortest speech in the book. What is his main argument?

1. Even the heavens are not pure in God's sight, so how can a mortal be righteous before God?
2. God has already spoken his final word — Job should stop talking and accept his judgment
3. Job has spoken too many words and his lengthy speeches prove his guilt
4. The wicked cannot escape — God sees everything and will repay in his own time

12. Noticeably, Zophar does not speak in the third round of speeches. What do scholars generally take this silence to mean?

1. The friends had exhausted their arguments — they had nothing left to say to justify their position
2. Zophar agreed with Job and silently withdrew from the debate
3. Zophar had returned to his homeland before the third round began
4. Zophar was composing a longer response that would come later in the book

13. Job chapter 28 is a magnificent poem about wisdom. Where does Job say wisdom cannot be found?

1. In human philosophy or ancient tradition
2. In the depths of the sea or beneath the earth
3. In the land of the living — it is not found in the deep, the sea, gold, silver, or precious stones
4. In the temple courts or among the priests

14. Job 28 ends with the answer to where wisdom is found. What conclusion does Job reach?

1. 'And God said to the human race: The fear of the Lord — that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding'
2. 'Ask God and he will give you wisdom without finding fault'
3. 'Wisdom dwells with God alone and no mortal can attain it in this life'
4. 'Wisdom is found in suffering — only those who have suffered truly understand'

15. In chapters 29-31, Job delivers a final extended speech. Chapter 29 recalls his former days of honour. What did Job do in his days of prosperity that gave him his good reputation?

1. He amassed great wealth and used it to hire workers and support the whole region
2. He built temples and offered generous sacrifices at the great festivals
3. He rescued the poor who cried for help, defended the fatherless, helped the dying and was a father to the needy
4. He studied the law day and night and taught it faithfully to all who came to him

16. Job 30 describes how low Job has fallen socially. Who does he say mocks him now?

1. The elders and wise men who sat with him in the city gate
2. The kings and rulers who once sought his counsel
3. The priests who once blessed him now avoid him and lead people away from him
4. Those younger than him, the children of people he would have despised — outcasts and vagabonds — now mock him in song

17. Job's oath of innocence in chapter 31 is a comprehensive moral self-examination. He swears he has not done many things. Which of these is NOT an oath he makes in chapter 31?

1. He has not failed to share his bread with the poor
2. He has not lusted after a young woman
3. He has not mistreated his servants
4. He has not refused to pay his tithes and firstfruits at the temple

18. In chapter 31:35, Job makes a bold final demand that effectively closes his case. What does he ask for?

1. 'Let my accuser write down the charges against me so I can read them and respond'
2. 'Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defence — let the Almighty answer me'
3. Both B and C — Job signs his defence and demands a written indictment
4. He asks God to kill him quickly and end his suffering

19. A fourth character appears in chapters 32-37 who has been listening silently. Who is Elihu, and why had he waited before speaking?

1. Elihu is a wandering prophet who arrived at the scene mid-debate and waited to hear everything first
2. Elihu is a young man, son of Barakel the Buzite, who waited because he was younger than the three friends
3. Elihu is Job's nephew who had been too grief-stricken to speak in the early days
4. Elihu is Zophar's son who waited out of respect for his father's turn to speak

20. Elihu was angry at Job for one reason and angry at the three friends for a different reason. What was each reason?

1. Angry at Job for doubting God; angry at the friends for being unkind to Job
2. Angry at Job for justifying himself rather than God; angry at the friends for having no answer and yet condemning Job
3. Angry at Job for refusing to repent; angry at the friends for leaving too soon without resolving the debate
4. Angry at Job for wanting to die; angry at the friends for claiming Job was definitely sinful