Reflections on the book of Job: introduction
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Overview
I studied the book of Job a few years ago at Tabor Bible College, and was very fortunate to study this intriguing book under Dr Francis Anderson, author of the Tyndale commentary on Job. My study of this book has had a impact on me. It is rich in its humanity, and like much of the bible it raises more questions than answers. It tackles although does not necessarily resolve, big questions concerning the relationship between God and us. Before I studied it, I would have said it was a book on suffering, with quite a few long-winded speeches, and a bit of mysterious commentary by God concerning his relationship to creation. But I think it gives us so much more than that.
It examines the issue of Theodicy - or where is God in the face of evil. It provides at times scathing commentary on how we support each other in grief. It challenges the notion that tragedy is always a consequence of sin. It provides us an interesting picture how Job relates to God. On a less grand scale, it explores one man’s experience of grief and the journey he goes on to make sense of it. The book gives us a cosmic look into a chat between God and the Satan. It is possible to come to the end of the book and wonder if it answers any questions at all.
I don't believe the book of Job is one to use as the foundation of your theology. It is generally not helpful to pick out a book in the bible like this and use it to determine everything you know and think about God.
The book of Job is a story, told mostly in poetic form. If you enjoy poetry, I encourage you to read it looking at some of the literary tools it uses. It is so intricately formed - a literary work of art in its own right. A reading of the book that focuses on literary devices sheds further light on major emphases in the book, and at times brings clarification.
Setting the scene
The first two chapters sets the context for the whole book - We meet Job, get a picture of his life before all the drama unfolds, and we are also provided with a glimpse into his relationship with God. The very first verse sets the scene - Job is a man who was blameless, a man of complete integrity. A man who feared God and stayed away from evil.
In Verse 6 we are privy to an astonishing spiritual scene, where the angels present themselves before God, and Satan is there too. It feels like we are peeping in on something we are not normally permitted to see. We hear a fascinating dialogue between them where God questions Satan, and draws Satan’s attention to Job. Why did he do that? He says Job has nothing to do with evil. Is that a dig at Satan? It is almost like God is revving Satan up. Or setting a challenge. Satan’s response raises the whole issue of fair weather faith. He suggests that we love God and do the right things when all is going well, but what happens if things go bad, or perhaps we lose everything? Where do we stand then? God allows Satan to test out his hypothesis. Why does God do this? God does not need to prove Himself to Satan. Is God proving something or about Job? However, God sets limits on Satan. He does not give him free reign to do what he wants with Job. The drama then unfolds.
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Hi Barbara, thanks for your comment. It is a very deep book, and I find that it challenges many Christian platitudes that don't really satisfy. There are many hubs to write about the book I suspect, if one had the time!
You are right in that the book of Job should not be a book that someone bases their theological doctrine upon.
It seems to me that God is doing His level best to sway Satan from messing with Job. God, knowing the thoughts and intentions of Satan towards Job, begins by asking Satan, "You are not considering messing with my servant Job are you?" And God continues on to defend Job and his righteousness. However, Satan thinks the only reason Job is righteous (obedient to God) is because God has so lavishly provided for Job. And Job in his fears, has left a door open in his life, for Satan to enter in and attack him. God does try and sway Satan from messing with Job to begin with. Eventually, Job begins by trying to defend himself, which moves him away from God's protection and nearer the enemy's camp. Job's fears have allowed Satan in and his self-righteousness allows Satan to stay around awhile. This book is full of messages and revelations, but the biggest message I came away with .. God is on my side and He never abandons me.
Thanks again for commenting Debradoo... I reread the passage where God and Job have their dialogue - here are the verses:
6 One day the angels[a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan[b] also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
To me it seems more like God is drawing the satan's attention to Job, almost boasting of him, rather than trying to stop satan from "messing with Job". He places parameters, but doesn't suggest he leave Job alone. Why he does this is a mystery indeed, and certainly Job himself ponders this.
I have thought a bit about your comment that Job leaves a door open to satan because of his fears. The only thing I can see from what text gives us in regard to this is the fact that Job routinely interceded for the possible sins of his children (see ch 1 vs 5). This could have been motivated by fear, or by great love for his children. Or his assuredness in trusting God's protection and mercy, not just for himself but also for his children. We are not really given much to go on here. Job's response to all that happened to him was astounding - he responds in worship, in acceptance that God had chosen to bless him and to take away. He later felt great despair and began to question God - his dialogue that could appear as self-righteousness gives interesting food for thought to the belief that suffering is directly caused by sin. That was the view of his friends. Job hadn't sinned, he knew it, and God clearly told satan that he hadn't sinned also. also. And in the end God tells Job that he has spoken rightly. So I am not sure that Job himself really gave satan the grounds to do what he did. I know it is theologically confronting, but looking at the text, it seems clear that God gave satan the permission to do what he did. What was on trial was Job's response. However, none of that takes away from what you came away with from the book of Job. God is indeed for us. Thanks for making me think some more!
Hey Christina! Just wanted to explain ..
Here is the scripture concerning Job's fears ..
Job 3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.(KJV)
It stands to reason that Job's sacrifices for his children were motivated by fear.
As for Job's self-righteousness ..
Job 40:8 .. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be righteous? (Most of Job 40 lets us in on how Job saw himself.) Here, God humbles Job. Righteousness can easily slide into self-righteousness. Especially when we are defending ourselves against others that are accusing us and thinking that we have done no wrong. The fear of God was what kept Job from accusing God of evil. But, in Job's heart, HE (Job) was the righteous one.
As for Job being sinless? Job was upright and blameless in his allegiance to God, but nowhere does the Bible say Job was sinless. The Bible does state that all born on the earth are born into sin because of Adam's disobedience. Therefore, Job cannot be sinless.
Why would God draw the attention of Satan to Job and then go on to defend Job as He did in vs.3b?
Job 2:3 And Jehovah said to Satan, Have you set your heart on My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, fearing God, and turning away from evil? And he is still holding to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to swallow him for nothing. (LITV) It is not God's heart set on destroying Job. It is Satan's heart that was set on destroying Job.
Just some food for thought :-) Thanks for bearing with me!
Hi again, I probably used the word "sinless" a bit carelessly. You are right, one can't assume that Job was without sin. However, the words translated as upright and blameless are interesting. They do not occur all that often in the old testament
119 times for the word translated as "upright", and most often used to refer to what is right in the eyes of the Lord. The word used to describe Job as blameless only occurs 13 times in the OT - and seven times in the book of Job! You can see more about that here - http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexico The blue letter bible is a very useful tool for studying scripture to this degree.
It's usage in the bible is to denote perfection, moral innocence, ethical or moral purity. It is more than about allegience, devotion etc. So certainly Job was noteworthy in "all the land" for his character, morality etc, but this can't be used to say he was without sin. I do think though that any reading of the book of Job in regard to Job's "sin" needs to take into account that at the end God does vindicate Job, he does say that Job has spoken rightly. Ironically God calls on Job himself to intercede for the folly of his friends. I will explore that a bit further down the track. That all happens in chapter 42!
Ch 3 vs 25 comes at the end of a very depressed dialogue where Job allows us to see the depths of his anguish as a result of all that has befallen him. I think his words about what he has feared coming upon him need to be looked at in the context in which they appear. In verse 24 he asks "Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?" In verse 26 he states "I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil." Has he feared losing his way, being hemmed in by God? Has he feared loss of peace? There is a lot to dig here, and I really don't think the fear alluded in this passage is related to the sacrifices he offered for his children. He definitely feels God's distance in this passage - perhaps this is what he had feared. I will cover these verses in greater detail down the track - it is a very deep speech to pull apart.
I agree that God's heart is not set on destroying Job. Just to play "devils advocate" for a moment - I wonder if the satan was more motivated by proving God wrong than the destruction of Job per se. However, it is God that says - check out Job! See how good he is! The satan thinks that Job is so good because he knows what side his bread is buttered on, and sets out to prove it. God lets him try. I reckon God was pretty certain that Job would pass the test. And he did.
thanks again for engaging in this with me!
I think people often look to find fault in Job in order to somehow justify their ideas that Job gave some foothold to this satan, as they can't bring themselves to think that God was proving a point to this satan and Job was the tool.
Job was blameless and that tells us that he is entirely the innocent 'victim' in all this. It is God who draws the attention to Job to this satan in the first place and otherwise Job would have gone unnoticed. We should not disregard Isaiah 45:7 either. Whatever God was proving we note that He acknowledges Job and more than restored him at the end.
This is a repost because of a typo towards the end: "game" was misspelled "gave." It would be nice if you deleted the first post and this little note from this post. Thanks.
All Scripture is profitable for doctrine. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't believe the Scripture I just partially quoted.
I've never heard anyone say one of the most important lessons from Job.
It's this:
"I'm God and I'm so much wiser than you that there's no question about it and I'll do what I want and I'm not intimidated by your opinion of it."
I think fundamentalist apologists are the most averse to that but any thoughtful and honest reading of Job compels one to come to the conclusion that this is at lease one message of Job.
It make me want to say, "Yeah, God!"
I think it ridiculous the way so many try so hard to make God seem so sympathetic to the complaints of men. Indeed, I think this is the very reason for the term "apologist." It's as if they are apologizing for God by so carefully wording their remarks to try to not give anyone a reason to find fault with God.
Why is that so ridiculous? Because satan was in Heaven where there was NO darkness and no misunderstanding about God's authority and knowledge and wisdom and love and yet the devil conned 1/3 of the angels to rebel with him against God, thus boiling down the issue of rejection of God's authority, not to misunderstanding, but to simple rebellion -- "I'll do what I want; not what God wants."
Therefore, the bottom line can reasonably be presented as, "God is God; do what He says because He says, period."
Oh, but men DON'T LIKE THAT! We see in Revelation what will happen to those men.
Interestingly, the Lord, in the middle of all this, tells us the greatest love story ever told, where He is the lover and pays such a great price for the bride He picks our for His Son and His Son plays the part of the One paying the ultimate sacrifice.
He reveals how hard and how evil the heart of man is by having us walk though this great story and see not only do the evil men reject the love of God, but turn on His beloved people and hate, persecute and kill them, thus showing the truth that indeed, it's not a matter of knowledge but of the evil of self-will.
And yet people ask, "You mean to tell me that God is going to send everyone to Hell who doesn't play the game His way?"
When this is over there will be no question that God was right in His every decision. The quicker we yield to Him, the sooner we see that God does indeed know what He's doing, doesn't need our suggestions or our help and is worthy of all our praise.
Thank you Daddy, for being so smart and so good, even when we can't see it.
HI Gary, I have deleted your first comment, but can't edit the second, sorry! You have raised a number of issues in your response. Certainly there is definitely a flavour of "who is it that questions Me" in God's speeches. But that is not the lasting impression of the relationship between God and Job. God does not leave Job finally silent and repentant. God commends Job to his friends. And blesses him greatly. I am sure God's commendation would ring every bit as loudly in Job's ears as God's earlier speech. It is very important to read the book of Job in its entirety before looking at any part of it. I am not sure that the one big idea of Job is the reminder of God's status as being beyond question, and that he is unconcerned with us, our questions, problems etc.
Congratulations on your Hubnuggets nomination. Yes, guess where this hub is found? In the Religion and Philosophy category of course :) Check it out: http://bit.ly/g2tFIN
Thanks ripplemaker!
Congrats on your nomination. I do enjoy reading about Job and how he was loyal to God through it all. He is a hero for sure.
Wonderful comments and a very thought provoking hub. Congratulations on your nomination, too ! Your writing is clear and your sincerity comes through as well.
Thanks fetty! I was very surprised to be nominated....
Job is one of the more difficult books to understand, but he always remained faithful to God with his faith never wavering. Congratulations of your Hubnugget nomination.
It seems clear to me that the text affirms both that Job maintained his faith in God to the end and that he blamed God for treating him unjustly--however that may work out logically. The latter is why God in turn blames Job of darkening counsel with words without knowledge and why Job repents. Job also fares rather better in God's eyes than his "friends." God in effect agrees that misfortune does not in itself imply the displeasure of God for a particular sin in the recipient of the misfortune. Not without irony, Job himself once cared for the needy and downtrodden (ch. 29)!
How God can remain without sin when he holds Satan on a leash is more than I can wholly understand, but that does not mean it is impossible. Even were Job as sinless as Jesus, God would be in the right to have Job crucified by lawless men, if not for the redemption of humanity then for other reasons. We are the clay, He is the Potter. God ordains suffering in all His people, and all His people will one day meet God in His glory.
Some writers have commented on Satan’s role not being mentioned in the Bible other than in the book of Job. Another writer described the book as containing quite a few long-winded speeches, and a bit of mysterious commentary by God. This writer must not know about the marginal references found at the end of many verses. By linking on these—they’re much like hyperlinks—you are led to other verses, and other Bible books. This could help the reader to get the sense of what’s being written. The Hebrew Scriptures provide details about Satan, and the book of Job adds to our knowledge of Satan’s rebellious course.
Job identifies Satan as mankind’s merciless enemy. When Satan left the heavenly assembly ground having been dismissed by that assembly overseer, Jehovah, and after being given permission to test Job right away he turned on his heel to strike Job with a malignant boil from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (Job 2:7)
Job identifies Satan with a malicious attitude and a sinister objective to attend that assembly in Heaven. He was there not to join the happy throngs and to praise Jehovah no he plays not only in the book of Job a shameful role and a malicious reason, but you can carry a thread throughout the Bible The thread is found earlier, in Genesis where Jehovah started it as a long range prophecy, enmity between Satan’s seed and God’s organization. Look up, and read Genesis 3:15.
Job is not the start of Satan’s hateful thread, because in the book of Revelation, we learn of the vindication of Jehovah’s sovereignty and Satan’s final destruction.
Revelation is only part of the Christian Greek Scriptures; we find more information about Satan’s opposition to Jehovah in Revelation chapter 12. There the account describes a war in heaven when Jesus now enrolled, as king needs to conquer Satan’s and oust him from free access.
There we learn that for the last time he no longer can find a place for him in heaven. Not only is he hurled down, but also he is locked in here, to rove about, in the earth and to walk about in it like he was doing in the account of Job. Now, though there’s a significant difference. Now he has great anger knowing he has a short period of time.
Never again will he attend an assembly in Heaven with a malicious attitude to usurp, and to challenge. That’s why the heavens can be glad, and all who reside in them! (Revelation 12:12)
www.lookseenow, why have you just cut and pasted this from another blog! "http://setnewgoal.blogspot.com/2011/07/satana-defi", its not even directly related to the original post.
'Some writers', 'anther writer' Who exactly? Mmmm the internet fairly who has no credibility and plagerises and steals others posts for a comment.
What was the Old Testament command 'thou shalt not steal;
Hi msaitken
I don’t need to cut and paste, I have a database in my mind, and what I type rather than paste is what others have spoken, and I quote in part to make a point. Another writer did write that the book of Job contains long-winded speeches, and mysterious commentary. This struck me as an opinion, so I suggested this writer check out the marginal references in the Bible.
James, Jesus’ brother, and also a Bible writer made a commentary, but it was not mysterious, it was insightful, and ubuilding. He used Job as a model for us who experience adversity, or suffering, he pronounces happy those who have endured, and then he added:
“You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful.”
(James 5:11)
Sorry if I offended you I apologize, regards: jgehen
Barbara Kay Level 6 Commenter 18 months ago
The book of Job does teach some good lessons. Tragedy can happen even to good men. Job never lost his faith through all of his trials and was later blessed with more than he had to begin with. It has many more lessons, but I would need to write an entire hub.