In the book of job, satan is sent by god to torment job. Creation theology in the book of job america magazine. Job explores the difficult question of god s relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust god s wisdom and character. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it. The book of job tells how one man suddenly awakened to the anarchy rampant in the world, yet his attachment to god outlived the ruin of his tidy system. Job 1 kjv there was a man in the land of uz, bible gateway. Hes blameless and upright, and he has kids, a wife, land, and a bunch of sheep. Job, showing that he lived and his story was well known. God uses job as ammunition for how awesome his people are.
Fortunately, the bible has told us about god s nature. Until the book of job, weve only seen satan influence david for israels harm 1 chr 21. Further, the inspiration of the book is confirmed by the apostle paul in 1. He is blameless and upright, always careful to avoid doing evil 1. Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low job 40. This article interprets job s teaching on suffering from five broad perspectives. He is mentioned by ezekiel and classified as one of the three great men of the old testament, along with noah and daniel ezekiel 14. Douglas sean odonnell phd, university of aberdeen is the senior pastor of westminster presbyterian church in elgin, illinois.
The book of job was an important influence upon blakes writings and art. Then he killed his 10 sons and daughters in a storm. Would you indeed annul my judgment look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. But satan the accuser comes before the lord, and god allows him to test job. According to the opening part of the book, job lived in. The book of job, presumably written in the second millennium bc, details the events of the patriarchal job in the land of uz. The book of job is often upheld as an example of godly patience while suffering. Our creator made all things, he rules all things, and he knows all things. The book of job is an obvious place to turn when a christian suffers, but it is not easy to discern what god means to teach his people through this difficult book. When god shook job, the sediment colored the water, and you find job saying some terrible things about god in this book. It teaches humility as god reminds job who is really in control, steadfastness as job refuses to curse god despite his circumstances, and joy and reward when the latter part of.
It is not prophetic because job was not a prophet, the book is plainly the story of what happened to job and his relationship with. The depth of gods control in the textover physics, time, and emotionis so vast that humanity could not possibly hope to understand it. Lo and behold, satan comes out and challenges god on job. Next, satan struck job with this terrible sickness. The book of job ends as god restores job and gives him above and beyond what he ever had to begin with, and you get the idea that job knew god in a very real and profound way. It is found in the third section of the biblical canon known as the ketuvim writings. At its beginning, job seems to be a book about human suffering.
God clearly does judge sin, but the name of yhwh is associated with this activity of god. The question is, how does such a description of leviathan fit in. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. What does this tell us about the place of evil in the world. Job was blameless, meaning no sin was found in him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and. A critical reading of the book of job must confront the issue of innocent suffering in a world allegedly created by a benevolent god. People often assume the religious love god, and that hes all loving, caring, etc. Job prays for god s forgiveness of them and god accepts his prayer. The book s theme is the eternal problem of unmerited suffering, and it is named after its central. There is no punishment involved with god s dealing with job, instead he is bringing him to a more perfect understanding of himself. His wisdom, purposes, and plans are not to be challenged or criticized by puny, flawed, ignorant, confused, thickheaded men and women such as we all are. From the scripture we can discover four basic description of god s character. Job who at the beginning of the story was gods preferred. In this statement, god is declaring that one aspect of his job description, one dimension of what it is to. God s answer to the problem of undeserved suffering.
Set in uz, an obscure land far from israel, during an unknown time period, the book of job focuses on questions about gods justice and why good people suffer. To make things a little easier, well take a look at him in two sections. God knew that it was there, and he knew that in shaking this godly, blameless man there would arise some imperfection into his life, and that it would need to be purged. In the second phase of the concluding encounter between god and job see job 38. The book of job is a book in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and the first poetic book in the old testament of the christian bible. So the last thing is, therefore, i despise myself, and. The book of job, one of the wisdom books of the bible, deals with two issues crucial to every person. The big lesson to be learned from the book of job is that man does not know the reason for the things. He was a real man, his story actually occurred, and he was a faithful servant of god, just as surely were noah, daniel, etc. Only in postbiblical judaism does the devil become the adversary of god, the prince of angels, who, created by god and placed. The book of job is one of the literary masterpieces of all time, and provides a profound discussion on the suffering of a just man. In addition to the foregoing, there is that context in the book of job regarding behemoth that must be taken into consideration.
His sense of responsibility is such that he even performs atonement for his sons in anticipation. If you were to write a job description for god, what responsibilities might you include. He is also a contributor to job and song of songs in the esv. At the same time, it also asks the question we rarely. For more thoughts on the two sections, check out the genre section. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. The book of job opens with a scene in heaven where satan comes to accuse job before god.
God boasts to satan about job s goodness, but satan argues that job is only good because god has. It has been widely praised for its literary qualities, with alfred lord tennyson calling it the greatest poem of ancient and modern times. The book of job teaches that gods people should not envy the prosperity of the wicked, nor try to answer the question god as to why this happens and why the righteous are afflicted at times. At the end of the book, god gives job twice as much wealth as he had before, along with seven sons and three daughters. First, satan had men steal job s cattle and camels, and his sheep were killed. Job in the picture study bible the book of job with maps. We see that satan can manipulate the weather job 1. God and job are treated as literary characters and the job poet as a consummate artist. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in. God allows satan to torment job to test this bold claim, but he forbids satan to.
When i read the book of job, i thought it was a criticism of god and his nature. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. Set in uz, an obscure land far from israel, during an unknown time period, the book of job focuses on questions about god s justice and why good people suffer. The book of job tells the story of how a blameless and upright man who feared god and turned away from evil was afflicted by satan chapters 12, of how he and his friends reacted to his affliction chapters 337, and of how god responded to job and his friends reactions to his affliction and restored him chapters 3842. Without divine revelation humanity will be in darkness. I think the book of job is really interesting because it feels deeply unsatisfying. Creating life, forgiving sins, providing food, shelter and protection would. Up in the heavens, god brags to the divine assembly about job. Jobs burden, reconciling unimaginable suffering with the idea of a just god, is a task one that few preachers or academics are bold enough to tackle. Job certainly did suffer, but there is more to his story than just his suffering.
Psalmist often applies the hebrew word, mountain, zur to god. Blake apparently identified with job, as he spent his lifetime unrecognized and impoverished. The book of job talks about the relationship between god and job. In god s words to job we find essentially a job description of what it is to be god. The lord said, behold, all that he hath is in thy power i give thee full power to do with his property, his servants, his children, and his wife, whatsoever thy craft or malice shall prompt thee to do. The book begins with the description of job as a just and upright man. The book of job tells the story of an upright man whose integrity is put to the test. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust gods wisdom and character.
The book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. In the 40th chapter of the book of job, god tells his protesting servant. God s speeches have shown job that, in the midst of measureless natural grandeur, the ambiguity of human life can be confronted with the honesty and humility that it. Identifying behemoth and leviathan in the book of job. Also, three false friends came and told him he had. And when god gives job exactly twice what he lost compare with job 1. But because god had a very high opinion of one particular man, we will begin by doing what god asked satan to do in verse 8 of the first chapter.
When it comes down to it, any human listeningor in our case, readinghas to admit powerlessness in the face of all these questions. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. The book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from the office. Misfortune befalls job, and, in three cycles of speeches, his three friends give the explanation that this must be punishment from god. He is the author of a number of books, including the beginning and end of wisdom. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a wartorn and unfathomably complex creation, not the mystery of god s allcontrolling will. The book were about to look at is not primarily about a man it is about god. The book of job is a book in the ketuvim section of the hebrew bible, and the first poetic book in the old testament of the christian bible. Job is a wealthy man living in a land called uz with his large family and extensive flocks. In the new testament, james mentions job, referring to his patience and steadfast endurance 5. Bakers evangelical dictionary of biblical theology. The central figure in the book of job, job s intense suffering supplies the framework for the primary theme of the book, which deals with the role of suffering in the life of a believer.
Job is one of the most famous people in scripture, yet he is rarely listed as a favorite bible character. One day, satan the adversary appears before god in heaven. Job teaches that god does punish and recompense, but incompletely. It seems strange that god should give satan such a permission as this. By its conclusion, the true subject of the book emerges.
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