The Zone Gathering

The first word that comes to mind when people hear the name Job is suffering. And Job did indeed suffer. But although Job is a story of pain and hardship, it also is a powerful story about God’s sovereignty.

Job was a man who lived in the land of Uz, located somewhere to the east or southeast of Palestine and north of Edom. Scholars believe that Job most likely lived during the time of the patriarch Abraham, about 2000 to 1800 B.C. While the text does not present any clues to authorship or date of writing, we know that Job was “blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil” (1:1). He also was wealthy – the “greatest of all the men of the east” (1:3).

The book of Job is probably the oldest of the poetical books of the Bible. It begins with a prologue (ch. 1-2) that sets the stage for the series of conversations Job has with his three friends, Elihu, and the Lord Himself. These discourses are written in poetic form (ch. 3-42:6) before the author returns to prose for the epilogue (42:7-17).

Unlike previous Bible Drills where we have examined the text verse by verse, the length and continual back-and-forth discourages of the book of Job lend themselves to a topical approach. We will examine the prologue, the views of God held by Job, his three friends and Elihu, the Lord’s own view of Himself and His relationship to humankind, and the epilogue.

Prologue/Introduction

The book begins with a description of Job and his family (1:1-5) before Satan enters the picture. The Lord gives Satan permission to test Job, championing Job’s righteousness: “Have you considered by servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (1:8). Satan replies that Job has no cause to fear the Lord because the Lord protects him, arguing that if God put His hand against Job, Job would “surely curse Thee to Thy face” (1:11).

It is important to note here that Satan could not lift his hand against Job without first getting the Lord’s permission to do so. The Lord gives Satan power over everything Job has, but He instructs him not to put his hand on Job himself (1:12). Job’s livestock, servants, sons and daughters are slain (1:13-19), and although he surely mourned their loss, his response was to worship God, not to curse Him: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:20-22).

Having failed in getting Job to curse God, Satan again comes to the Lord, who speaks highly of Job. Satan replies that if the Lord would touch Job’s very bone and flesh, Job would curse Him (2:1-5). The Lord replies, “behold he is in your power, only spare his life” (2:6). Satan smites Job with sore boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head (2:7), and Job’s wife, seeing his misery, urges Job to “curse God and die.” But Job does not sin and replies “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (2:10).

At this point, Job’s three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) come to him. They sit with him for seven days and seven nights without speaking, for Job’s pain is very great (2:11-13).

Job’s view of God and his friends

After the seven days pass, Job opens his mouth and curses the day of his birth (3:1-19). He describes his feelings of turmoil and vexation (3:20-26; 6:1-7), stating that “the arrows of the Almighty are within me, their poison my spirit drinks; the terrors of God are arrayed against me” (6:4). He begs God to crush him and cut him off (6:8-13), yet still does not curse God: “But it is still my consolation, and I rejoice in unsparing pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (6:10).

Job also criticizes his friends for their lack of compassion, expecting kindness (6:14-23). Knowing they believe he has sinned, he asks them to point out his error (6:24-30). Job bemoans days that end without hope (7:1-10) and complains of the bitterness of his soul. He asks about God: “What is man that Thou dost magnify him, and that Thou art concerned about him, that Thou dost examine him every morning and try him every moment?” (7:17-18). He follows this by begging God to leave him alone.

Having listened to his friends question his righteousness, Job wonders how a man can be right before God (9:1-12). He believes that God will not turn back His anger and will destroy him because he is “accounted wicked” (9:13-35). Job declares that he loathes his own life (10:1-7) and wonders why His creator would now destroy him (10:8-17). He again contemplates why he was even born (10:18-22).

Job complains that his friends think he is a joke and suggests that they seek wisdom (12:1-12). Still, he exalts the Lord’s wisdom and might (12:13-25). Job desires to argue with God and condemns his friends for “smearing with lies,” referring to them as “worthless physicians” (13:1-12). He begs his friends to be silent so he can speak to God – “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways before Him” (13:15).

Addressing God, Job begs the Lord to remove His hand from him (13:21). He asks why God hides His face and considers him an enemy (13:24). Job implores God to turn His gaze away so that he might rest (14:10) and to set a limit on his suffering (14:13). He accuses the Lord of destroying man’s hope (14:19).

Job counters his friends’ arguments that he is wicked and decries their lack of comfort (16:1-5). He struggles with the Lord’s anger toward him (16:6-17) and yet realizes that He is still Job’s best hope: “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my Advocate is on high” (16:19). Job calls on God to be his guarantor because his friends are not compassionate (17:1-16).

Feeling abandoned, Job continues to rebuke his friends for insulting him (19:1-6). He lays out his charges about God’s treatment of him: he has been stripped of honor, his hope has been uprooted, God has kindled His anger against him, and he is estranged (19:7-22). But he clings to some hope, as evident in 19:25-26: “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God.”

Job defends his friends’ accusations, stating “the curse of the wicked is far from me” (21:16), and chides his friends for their vain comfort (21:17-34). He seeks to present his case before God, arguing that the Lord would pay attention to Job’s reason and deliver Him (23:1-17). Job defends himself: “My foot has held to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (23:11-12).

In Job’s final lengthy discourse, he describes God’s power, speaking as one who understands (26:1-14). He contends that as long as he continues to breathe, he will not speak unjustly or mutter deceit and will hold fast to his righteousness (27:1-6). Job acknowledges what God holds in store for the wicked (27:7-23) and wonders how man can find wisdom when the Lord alone understands it (28:1-28). He remembers his previous life when God was his friend and watched over him and when men sought his counsel (29:1-15). Job contrasts this with his present situation and expresses his feelings of being neglected by God (30:1-31). He asks the Lord to judge him accordingly, pointing out specific areas where he is blameless (31:1-40)

Job’s Friends’ Views of God

Eliphaz

All of Job’s friends maintain an orthodox view of God and assume Job’s suffering is God’s punishment for some sin. Eliphaz questions Job’s impatience (4:1-6), asking “Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?” (4:6). He suggests that Job’s hardship is due to some sin (4:7-11) and questions Job’s faith in God (4:12-21). He indicates that affliction doesn’t just come out of nowhere (5:1-7) and advises Job to seek God (5:8-16). He stresses that God’s reproof and discipline are redeeming in nature, implying that He is punishing Job for something (5:17-27).

After hearing Job plead his case before the Lord, Eliphaz faults Job for doing away with reverence (15:1-6) and questions Job for limiting God’s wisdom to himself and minimizing God’s consolations (15:7-16). He argues that Job is a wicked man and launches into a description of what a wicked person says and does (15:17-35). In his third and final reply to Job, Eliphaz pleads with him to yield and be at peace with God (22:12-30).

Bildad

Bildad questions Job’s understanding of God’s justice and argues that if he were “pure and upright,” God would restore him (8:1-10). He indicates that Job has forgotten God (8:11-22). Bildad tells Job that he needs to show understanding and expresses anger at Job’s assertion that his friends are stupid (18:1-4). He follows Eliphaz’s lead and continues to characterize a wicked man who does not know God (18:5-21). Bildad marvels at God and asks “How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?” (25:4).

Zophar

Zophar chides Job for scoffing and boasting about his own righteousness (11:1-6) and indicates that man is unable to discover the depths of God (11:7-12). He implores Job to “direct your heart right” and put sin far away (11:13-20). Like the other two friends, Zophar also implies that Job is wicked (20:1-29).

Elihu’s view of God

Once Job offers his final defense, Elihu – a fourth companion of Job’s who has observed the exchanges between Job and the other three – expresses his anger at Job because he justified himself before God (32:2). Elihu also finds fault with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar because they didn’t determine what sin Job had committed and yet still condemned him (32:3).

Elihu begs Job to listen to him and asks Job why he complains against God for not giving an account of His doings. He stresses God’s superiority to man and argues that God is not required to defend or explain Himself to Job or anyone (33:1-33). He contends that God does no wrong and that “He pays a man according to his work” (34:1-15). God doesn’t pervert justice; He observes the ways of man. Elihu argues that there is no need for a man to justify his own righteousness before God (34:16-37).

Elihu indicates that Job must wait for God (35:1-16) and presents his own view of God, extolling His righteousness and noting that He delivers the afflicted from their affliction (36:1-16). He reminds Job that he should exalt the Lord’s word (36:17-33) and prepares Job for God’s response (37:1-13). He asks Job to consider the wonders of God (37:21-24) and acknowledges God’s character: “The Almighty – we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power; and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness” (37:23).

Lord’s view of Himself and His relationship to humankind

The Lord finally speaks to Job, asking him a series of humbling rhetorical questions: “Where were you when I laid down the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (38:4). The Lord gives several examples of His wisdom and power and asks Job, “Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this” (38:18).

God documents human ignorance and impotence in controlling creation. He talks about His command of the world’s animals and beasts, questioning whether Job can control them (39:1-30). The Lord asks “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it” (40:1-2). To this, Job acknowledges his own insignificance (40:3-5).

The Lord confronts Job’s prideful questioning of His justness as ruler of the universe (40:80-14) and challenges Job to clothe himself in divine attributes of kingship (40:10-12) to subdue Behemoth and Leviathan, which represent the proud and wicked elements in the cosmos (40:13-41:9). He adds that man does not dare rouse Leviathan, so “who then is he that can stand before Me?” (41:10). In this exchange, the Lord asserts His own sovereignty and power – they are incomparable and no one is a match for Him.

Epilogue/Resolution

Job acknowledges that God can do all things and that His purposes cannot be thwarted (42:1-6). He repents for declaring what he did not understand and asks God to instruct him.

The Lord’s wrath turns to Job’s three friends because of their false statements and for assuming that Job’s circumstances were the result of some sin (42:7-17). The Lord accepts Job’s repentance and restores/doubles his fortunes when Job prays for his friends (42:7-17). Job lives another 140 years and dies “an old man and full of days” (42:17).

Things to Think About

The book of Job doesn’t explain suffering or answer the difficult question, “why does God allow righteous people to suffer?” We don’t know why God granted permission to Satan to afflict Job and cause him so much pain. But the story of Job does provide an example of a man who honestly struggled with God, and even though he was angry and confused, he did not curse the Lord or deny His power.

Job’s humanity makes him easy for us to relate to – like Job, we have difficulties comprehending God’s ways at times. And that is the way it should be – if we could understand everything about who God is and what He does, we would diminish His sovereignty and the mystery of His person. Isaiah 55:8-9 describes the Lord’s relationship to humankind in this way: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Even though we may never fully comprehend all God is and all He does, we are called to seek Him and to know Him. The more we learn about God, the more we realize how much we don’t know about Him. But the more we come to know Him, the more we come to love and trust Him. Job’s pain brought him to deeper intimacy with his Lord. The same can be true in our lives today.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 14th, 2006 at 9:22 am and is filed under Bible Drills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.