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Bernard & Job

Album: 30: Through Thick & Thin

Episode: 399

Lesson/Theme: Trust in the Midst of Suffering

Bible Verse: Philippians 4:12-13

Characters: Bernard

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer:

Original Air Date: April 11, 1998

Last Air Date: August 3, 2009

Description:
Bernard Walton has just finished cleaning the windows at the Mulligan's house when he hears a loud cry and whimper. Lisa Mulligan rushes in to tell her mother, Traci, that her cousin, Nick, has run over her dog, Wolf, while practicing his driving. Lisa is furious at Nick and complains about the bad week she has had. While Traci tries to save Wolf, Bernard takes Nick and Lisa aside to tell them the story of Job. Job was a righteous and prosperous man, but one day in heaven Satan tells God that he believes that Job only serves God because of his prosperity and God's protection. He claims Job will curse God if he is faced with adversity. God allows Satan to test Job, so Satan destroys all his children, flocks, and most of his servants. Despite his suffering, Job praises God. Though Satan is not allowed to kill Job, he inflicts him with painful sores from head to toe. Even when Job's wife tells him to curse God and die, Job refuses, believing it is right to accept trouble from God as well as good. Four of Job's friends come to visit, but they assume he must be afflicted because of some sin, and urge him to repent and be healed. He continues to claim he is blameless, and after seven days they go away, disgusted at his self-righteousness. Just as Bernard is about to finish the story, Traci comes in with the bad news that Wolf has died. Lisa accuses Nick of being a murderer and they both run off. Bernard finds Lisa in the hayloft and reminds her that she is acting like Job, explaining that when Job was confronted by God, he realized he was being self-righteous. When Job realized his sin, God forgave him and restored all that he had lost. Lisa realizes that when life seems to be treating her unfairly the blame does not belong to God and that God is always in control. Nick comes home with a litter of puppies to replace Wolf and, at Bernard's urging, Lisa forgives Nick for what happened and gives him one of the puppies, which he immediately names Job.

Questions:
Why did Bernard pick this particular time to tell the story of Job to Lisa? Why was it important to her now? Lisa said that her arms were too short to box with God. What did she mean by that? Have you ever had a really bad day? Or a bad month? Or a bad year? What do you do when you have bad times? Job had some really bad times. What did he do?