The trials of Job are legendary. One righteous man suffering so many calamities, so much heartache. But despite the fact that many have heard about Job and his trials, not many people truly understand what those trials were all about and what God was trying to accomplish through them. Job himself was confused about it all. What did I do to deserve such suffering? he cried out. Eventually, though, through tough questions and unexpected answers from God, Job gained new insights on suffering, patience, and endurance. And, more importantly, he learned how deeply he was loved by God. Sooner or later, we all go through our times of suffering and heartache, and the ancient story of Job offers timeless truth for us if we'll only listen. Now, in this illuminating study of Job's life, Charles Swindoll, in his trademark warm and insightful style, helps readers understand the key to developing heroic endurance. Additional titles in the Great Lives Series include: Great Lives: David (0-8499-1382-9) $19.99 - Great Lives: Elijah (0-8499-1386-1) $21.99 - Great Lives: Esther (0-8499-1383-7) $19.99 - Great Lives: Joseph (0-8499-1342-X) $21.99 - Great Lives: Moses (0-8499-1385-3) $21.99 - Great Lives: Paul (0-8499-1749-2) $21.99 Job A Man of Heroic Endurance An Interactive Study Guide By Charles R. Swindoll W Publishing Group Copyright © 2007 Charles R. Swindoll All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8499-1389-1 Contents Acknowledgments.................................................................ixA Letter from Chuck.............................................................xiHow to Use This Study Guide.....................................................xiiiChapter 1 Setting the Stage for Disaster.......................................1Chapter 2 Reeling and Recovering from Devastating News.........................11Chapter 3 Satan vs. Job ... Round Two..........................................23Chapter 4 Job's Advice to Friends and Husbands.................................35Chapter 5 The Mournful Wail of a Miserable Man.................................47Chapter 6 Responding to Bad Counsel............................................57Chapter 7 Continuing the Verbal Fistfight......................................67Chapter 8 When Rebuke and Resistance Collide...................................77Chapter 9 Graceless Words for a Grieving Man...................................87Chapter 10 Reassuring Hope for the Assaulted and Abused........................99Chapter 11 Responding Wisely When Falsely Accused..............................111Chapter 12 How to Handle Criticism with Class..................................123Chapter 13 The Futility of Unscrewing the Inscrutable..........................135Chapter 14 A Recommitment to Things That Matter................................145Chapter 15 The Passionate Testimony of an Innocent Man.........................155Chapter 16 Another Long-Winded Monologue.......................................167Chapter 17 A Penetrating Reproof from the Almighty.............................179Chapter 18 Full Repentance for All the Right Reasons...........................191Chapter 19 Finally, God's Justice Rolls Down...................................203Chapter 20 And Job Lived Happily Ever After ... Or Did He?.....................215Chapter 21 What Job Teaches Us about Ourselves.................................227Chapter 22 What Job Teaches Us about Our God...................................239Endnotes........................................................................251Books for Probing Further.......................................................257 Chapter One Setting the Stage for Disaster Job 1:1-12 The Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." -Job 1:8 Sometimes life just isn't fair. One moment, we're soaring gracefully on the gossamer wings of success; the next, life's hardships knock the wind out of us and send us sprawling. Even when we're serving the Lord to the best of our ability, we face disappointing setbacks and staggering losses that make us ask, "Why, God?" No one would deny that our lives are punctuated with hardship, heartaches, and headaches. Most of us have learned to face the reality that life is difficult. But unfair? When we face an unfair situation, a rush of emotion kicks in deep within us. Our fervent desire for justice tends to override our ability to endure unfair circumstances. An incident from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games provides a powerful example. Imagine that you've been born and reared in Canada, and you've been training as an ice skater for most of your life. Every day, you dream of making it to the Olympics. Skating is difficult. You fall more times than you can remember, but every fall teaches you another lesson, and every day you work on perfecting your technique. You hire a well-known s