Book of Job Quiz: Job's Suffering and the Heavenly Wager

1. How does the book of Job describe Job's character in its opening verse?

1. A man of great wealth and wisdom, renowned throughout the East
2. A man who was blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil
3. A righteous man who offered sacrifices every day of his life
4. The most faithful of all God's servants in the land of Uz

2. How many children and how much livestock did Job have at the start of the book?

1. 10 sons and 7 daughters; 10,000 sheep and 1,000 camels
2. 5 sons, 2 daughters, and vast flocks of unnamed size
3. 7 sons and 3 daughters; 1,000 oxen and flocks beyond counting
4. 7 sons and 3 daughters; 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys

3. In the heavenly scene at the start of Job, what prompted the dialogue between God and Satan about Job?

1. God himself asked Satan 'Have you considered my servant Job?'
2. Job's sacrifice of burnt offerings reached heaven and Satan challenged their sincerity
3. Satan accused Job of secretly worshipping idols
4. Satan presented evidence of Job's hidden sins to the heavenly court

4. What was Satan's challenge — the accusation that drives the whole book of Job?

1. 'Does Job fear God for nothing? You have put a hedge around him — stretch out your hand and he will curse you to your face'
2. 'Job is righteous because you have never truly tested him — let me have him for a season'
3. 'Job's righteousness is only outward — his heart is corrupt and he worships secretly'
4. 'Remove your blessing from Job and he will prove no different from the rest of humanity'

5. Four messengers arrived in quick succession to report disasters to Job. Which of these was NOT one of the calamities?

1. A great wind collapsed the house where Job's children were feasting
2. An earthquake destroyed Job's home and the city walls fell on his family
3. Fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and servants
4. Sabeans attacked and carried off the oxen and donkeys

6. How did Job respond when he learned of the death of his children and the loss of all his possessions?

1. He questioned God's justice but vowed to maintain his faith regardless
2. He sat in silence for seven days without speaking a word
3. He tore his robe, shaved his head, fell to the ground in worship and said 'The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised'
4. He wept bitterly and cried out 'Why have you done this to me, O God?'

7. For the second test, Satan requested permission to afflict Job's body. What affliction did Satan strike Job with?

1. A wasting disease that caused him to lose all his strength and weight
2. Blindness and deafness that left him utterly isolated
3. Fever and delirium so severe that he could not recognise his own family
4. Painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head

8. What did Job's wife tell him to do in his suffering?

1. 'Curse God and die!'
2. 'Go to the priests at the temple and offer sacrifices for your healing'
3. 'Pray and fast — perhaps God will hear you and restore your health'
4. 'Trust God — surely he will not let a righteous man suffer forever'

9. Three friends came to comfort Job when they heard of his suffering. What were their names?

1. Elihu the Buzite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite
2. Eliphaz of Edom, Nathan of Tekoa and Zophar of the East
3. Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite
4. Eliphaz the Temanite, Elihu the Buzite and Bildad the Shuhite

10. When the three friends saw Job, they were so overwhelmed by his suffering that they did something remarkable. What was it?

1. They immediately began to debate with each other about the cause of his suffering
2. They sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights without saying a word
3. They took turns singing laments and praying over him throughout the night
4. They wept loudly and tore their own robes and poured dust on their heads

11. When Job finally broke his silence in chapter 3, what did he curse?

1. God's apparent injustice in allowing his suffering
2. Satan, for bringing suffering upon him
3. The day of his birth — wishing he had never been born or had died at birth
4. The Sabeans and Chaldeans who had stolen his property

12. Eliphaz was the first friend to speak. He described a spiritual vision he had received. What form did this vision take?

1. A bright angel who appeared to him in his sleep with a message for Job
2. A dream in which he saw Job standing before the throne of God being judged
3. A spirit glided past his face, making his hair stand on end, and spoke words of wisdom
4. A still small voice that whispered to him about the mystery of human suffering

13. What was the central theological argument that all three friends made, differing only in their harshness?

1. God is sovereign and humans cannot question his ways or understand his reasons
2. God is testing Job to prepare him for even greater blessing
3. Job is suffering because of the sins of his ancestors, not his own sins
4. Job must have sinned — God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous, therefore suffering proves guilt

14. Bildad's first speech (chapter 8) made a particularly cruel implication about Job's children. What did he say?

1. 'God took your children because you loved them more than you loved him'
2. 'If your sons sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin'
3. 'The sins of the father are visited upon the children — your hidden sin caused their deaths'
4. 'Your children deserved to die because they lived in luxury while ignoring the poor'

15. In chapter 9, Job acknowledged God's power but expressed his central anguish. What did he wish for?

1. For an arbiter or mediator who could stand between him and God on equal terms
2. That God would simply explain the reason for his suffering
3. That God would take his life so his suffering would end
4. That he could travel to heaven and present his case directly before God's throne

16. Job 13:15 contains one of the most debated verses in the book. What does Job say?

1. 'Even if God should kill me, I will not claim to be innocent before him'
2. 'My suffering proves that God has abandoned me — yet I will seek him'
3. 'The Lord may take my life, but he cannot take my integrity'
4. 'Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him'

17. In chapter 7, Job describes the brevity and misery of human life. What comparison does he use for the swiftness of his days?

1. Like a breath of air on a winter morning
2. Like a river swallowed by the desert sand
3. Like a shadow that passes and does not return
4. Swifter than a weaver's shuttle, coming to an end without hope

18. Job 14:1 opens with a famous lament about the human condition. What does it say?

1. 'All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come'
2. 'Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward'
3. 'Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble'
4. 'What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention?'

19. At the end of chapter 14, Job expresses a wistful hope about death. What question does he ask?

1. 'If someone dies, will they live again?'
2. 'Is there no one in heaven who will plead my case before God?'
3. 'What hope has the godless when God cuts off their life?'
4. 'When will my suffering end — will morning ever come?'

20. Zophar was the harshest of the three friends. What did he say about what Job actually deserved in his first speech?

1. 'God is overlooking your iniquity — if he opened his mouth against you it would be far worse than this'
2. 'God is punishing you less than your sin deserves — know that God has even forgotten some of your sin'
3. 'You have gotten what you asked for — your proud words have brought this upon yourself'
4. 'Your suffering is the minimum God owes you — you should thank him for his restraint'