 The Book of Job
Summary and Themes
Job is a man blessed of God who lives righteously. Satan challenges Job's integrity, arguing that Job loves and serves God simply because God protects him. God progressively removes that protection, allowing Satan to take his wealth, his children, and his physical health; while Job remains faithful and does not curse God. The largest section of the book consists of the discourse of Job and his three friends concerning why Job was suffering, after which God steps in to answer Job and his friends and to bring Job back into blessing.
The burning question of the Book of Job is this: “Is Job righteous?” This was the challenge posed by Satan in the presence of God and the angels. Would Job continue to love God even when life became awful? Back on earth, the wisdom theology of Job and his counsellors was that those who lived righteously did not experience pains and trials, a notion completely disputed by the Book. The reality is that Job does not suffer because God is displeased with him but rather because he is confident in him. God allows his affliction to highlight Job’s righteousness and to refute Satan’s accusations. In the New Testament, it is not Job’s suffering or patience that is highlighted but rather his perseverance (James 5:7-11). Paul also quotes some wisdom from the Book of Job (5:13) in 1 Corinthians 3:19.
Authorship, Date and Place
Job is an Edomite, a Gentile. Uz is a large territory located outside of Israel, east of the Jordan, which included Edom in the south (Genesis 36:28;) and the Aramean lands in the north. It was a place noted for wise men. It is not easy to say where Uz would be located today but somewhere south of Israel, Arabia or Syria is most likely (other references to Uz can be found in Genesis 10:23; 22:21; 36:28 and Lamentations 4:21). The name Job means “struggler” or “one who returns”. No-one knows who authored Job: it may have been one of the writers of the wisdom literature or even Solomon himself, although an unlikely Jewish tradition ascribes it to Moses. The author was an Israelite, as the covenant name for God ‘Yahweh’ is used over thirty times in the Book but only appears once in the discourses of Job and his friends (12:9). The inference is that the writer knew God’s special covenant name but the characters in the narrative do not. Job knows God by the name Shaddai, which appears thirty times in the Book.
When dating Job, two kinds of dating have to be considered: the date of the historical man and the date of the writing of the Book. Many scholars believe that Job lived sometime in the second millennium BC (2000 – 1000) but it may have been long before that. Like the Hebrew patriarchs, Job lived more than a hundred years (42:16); his wealth was measured in cattle (1:3) and he acted as priest for his family (1:5) although there is no Law or Temple. The raiding of the Sabean and the Chalden tribes (1:15, 17) fits the second millennium dating, as does the mention of the kesitah in 42:11 (found in Genesis 33:19). The reference to “iron” (19:24) may indicate a date of around the twelfth century BC, but this cannot be confirmed as the Book ostensibly makes reference to prehistoric creatures (40:15; 41:1; see especially 41:27). The unknown author most likely had access to oral and/or written sources from which, under divine inspiration, he composed the Book, possibly around 950 BC. Because of its language and style, scholars have sometimes found Job difficult to translate and modern English translations may significantly differ on occasions as a result.
Book Structure
1. The Prologue (Chapters 1 and 2)
2. The speeches of Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar (Chapters 3-31)
3. The speech of Elihu (Chapters 32 –37)
4. The LORD answers (Chapters 38-41)
5. Job’s Repentance and Epilogue (Chapter 42)
Books of the Bible are written in different genres: historical, law, letters, Gospels, etc. Job is part of the wisdom literature, such as Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Solomon. For the modern reader it may be easiest to understand Job as a poetic play or piece of theatre.
The Prologue: Job and His Family (Chapter One, verses 1-5)
Because it was so distant to most of its listeners, the setting of the story in the land of Uz might have some resemblance to “a long time ago in a far away land…”
To be blameless and upright is defined here: Job feared God and shunned evil. This description of Job was not just the author’s – God also considered him a righteous man (1:8). This is not to say that he had no sin (see for example 6:24; 7:21).
Like Abraham (Genesis 13:2), Job had great wealth, although no land is mentioned so perhaps Job was semi-nomadic. Sons were deemed a particular blessing and seven may suggest completeness. The donkeys were feminine making them especially valuable.
Are we to consider the feasting as a sign of their great blessing or should we think of them as fritting wealth away? Feasts could last for a week. Job knew that God could be displeased by their atheistic living and offered sacrifices regularly, acting as family priest. Way ahead of his time, Job also understood that sin came from the heart.
The First Test (Chapter One, verses 6-22)
The angels are called sons of God here (and 38:7) in a similar way to Genesis 6:1-4. Perhaps they had come from ministering to the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14)
The Satan is a technical term meaning “adversary” or “accuser.” Later in Scripture, the article is not used because it has become a proper name (1 Chronicles 21:1). The Book of Job teaches the following about the devil and his activities:
1. Satan is accountable to God – he presents himself before Him (1:6)
2. Satan’s mind is an open book to God; His questions compel Satan to confess
3. Satan lies behind some of the evils that curse the earth (1:7; 2:7)
4. Satan is neither omnipresent nor omniscient
5. Satan can influence people to do his bidding (1:15, 17)
6. Satan has retained his supernatural angelic powers (1:16, 19)
7. Satan can do nothing without divine permission
8. When God gives permission to Satan, He sets definite limits on his activities
9. Supernatural protection from the devil is in the Old Testament as well as the New
10. There is a sense in which Satan is unwittingly God’s agent (see 1:11-12)
The Sabeans are probably southern Arabians from Sheba – Job later calls them “travelling merchants” (6:19), while the Chaldeans were Bedouin at this time in history and later settled in Mesopotamia and eventually became part of Nebuchadnezzar’s empire.
Despite the catalogue of tragedies, Job is silent until he learns of the death of his children (1:20). He bears no obvious malice towards the Sabeans or Chaldeans. Tearing the robe and shaving the head was an ancient Near-Eastern custom of grief and repentance. Jacob behaved similarly when he learned of Joseph’s supposed death (Genesis 37:34). See also Isaiah 15:2.
Job’s actions in verses 21 and 22 show God to have been correct about Job’s genuine faith. His worship brings about true prosperity and he devoutly trusts God.
The final verse of chapter one is clear – to blame God or to charge Him with sin is not the reaction of a holy man or woman. Once again, these are “purity of heart” issues.
The Second Test (Chapter Two, verses 1-13)
The first few verses of chapter two are identical to those from 1:6-8.
Does Satan’s challenge in verses 4 and 5 suggest that he had a fatal illness in mind? In which case, the Book of Job is about the reaction of a man who believes he is dying.
It is clear that physical pain and sickness has greater power to demoralise a believer’s faith and integrity than some other difficulties and losses.
The precise nature of Job’s sickness is uncertain. The symptoms were:
1. Painful festering sores over the whole body (2:7; 7:5)
2. Nightmares and a desire for death (7:14-15)
3. Fever, with scabs that peeled and became black (30:28, 30)
4. Bad breath (19:17)
5. Excessive thinness and possibly no teeth (17:7; 19:20)
6. Pain day and night (30:17)
7. The friends’ reaction in 2:12-13 reveals the disfigured horror that was Job (also 19:19)
The importance of being married to and/or connected to holy people is exemplified in 2:9. Perhaps Job’s wife sought to be married again and his death would facilitate this. She may have believed that if Job “cursed God” that this would bring about a final divine judgment. She suspiciously speaks Satan’s language and so may be part of his strategy to defeat Job’s faith/integrity. He fails, as Job’s reply in 2:10 is the theme of the Book.
The Speeches
Chapters three to thirty-one of the Book of Job feature the speeches of Job and his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. Each of them were from Edom and were much older than Job (15:10). Like Job they sprinkle themselves with ash as a sign of mourning. Although their wisdom proves unhelpful later, the seven days of shocked silence reveals that they had genuine grief and sympathy for their friend (2:13).
Job’s first lament (3:1-26) reveals the terrible state of his grieved mind. He does not curse God but rather the day of his birth. It would have been better if he had never lived.
While each of the friends has a different personality and point of view, they share the same basic belief: the doctrine of retribution, the concept that people suffer when they have done wrong. They also believe that God is merciful and encourage Job to repent of his sins so that the Lord can heal and bless his life again
Eliphaz is first to speak. He is gentle and diplomatic. He believes that everyone is a sinner. Job has sinned and this is the reason that he is suffering (4:1-11). His wisdom and revelation comes from the spirit world (4:12-21). Job 5:17-18 is a summary of his thoughts. Job’s reply (chapters 6 and 7) is that his friends do not understand his situation and that they are speaking theoretically not personally. He also complains to God about his plight.
Bildad is blunt and brutal. He begins by stating that Job’s children had died because of their sins and that Job is suffering likewise (8:1-7). The basis of his knowledge comes from the accumulated wisdom of tradition (8:8-10). He feels that Job is accusing God and seeks to defend God’s name. A summary of Bildad’s thoughts can be found in Job 8:20-22. Job’s reply in 9 and 10 is that everyone has sinned, not just him, and that he wants the right to challenge God over the intensity of his judgment.
Zophar, perhaps angered by hearing this conversation, suggests that Job is such a sinner that God, in His mercy, is not punishing Job as much as he actually deserves (11:1-6). He calls upon Job to repent (11:13-16) with the hope that he will be restored as a result.
Job’s general defence is that their theology does not stand up to close scrutiny. Not only does Job believe that he has not committed any gross acts of sin but that very often in this life the wicked prosper (21:7-18). He wishes he could find God and protests that he has walked closely and with integrity before the Lord (23:1-17). He is sure that, in time, he will be vindicated (13:18; 14:13-17; 16:19; 19:25-27) by God. The heart of Job’s defence is in chapter thirty-one. He has been honest, moral and pure. He has not given himself to idols; he has not trusted in wealth and riches or turned his back on the poor (31:4-40). Despite the theology of his friends, and the suffering of his life, he is a righteous man.
Note that many scholars believe that Job 28 is not to be attributed as dialogue to any of the characters in the Book of Job but is rather the author’s poetic reflections on wisdom.
Elihu, a new character, speaks in chapter thirty-two. He is younger and has given the other men the opportunity to speak first (32:1-5). He is angry with the friends for their words and angry with Job for being self-righteous. His speeches reflect his desire to defend God from the accusations of Job. Speaking over six chapters, Elihu declares that God is sovereign and just (34:10-15; 37:23-24). He does not have to answer any of man’s questions. He is beyond understanding (36:26; 37:5, 15-16). If man does suffer, it is for his own good (36:15-16). Elihu charges Job with sinning with his mouth during the trial (34:35-37; 35:16).
In chapter thirty-eight, the Lord begins to speak. Instead of answering Job’s concerns, He asks him in excess of fifty questions! As the Lord reminds Job of how infinitely wiser He is than the creatures He has made, Job is not condemned but neither is there any legal or logical explanation given as to why Job has suffered.
Jesus Christ in Job
Some consider Job to be a ‘type’ of Jesus Christ. He suffers in the Father’s will but is restored completely, defeats Satan and becomes an intercessor for the sins of others (Job 42:8). During Job’s laments, he makes mention of a mysterious, unnamed person and, like the Psalmists and prophets, it could be that he is speaking of Jesus (Messianic passages):
“He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot” Job 9:32-35
“O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest! Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend” Job 16:18-21
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes” Job 19:25-27
“His soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the messengers of death. Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say,' Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him'— then his flesh is renewed like a child's; it is restored as in the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favour with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. Then he comes to men and says, 'I have sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light'” Job 33:22-28
The Holy Spirit in Job
The Book of Job also features references to the activity of the Holy Spirit. Elihu’s speeches make mention of the Ruach Adonai (the ‘Spirit’ or ‘breath’ of the Almighty God).
1. The Holy Spirit is the source of all true wisdom: “It is the Spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty that gives him understanding” (Job 32:8).
2. The Holy Spirit is the source of life itself: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life”(Job 33:4). Without Him, there could be nothing: “If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust” (Job 34:15).
3. The Holy Spirit is also the inspiration for righteous living. Earlier, Job had expressed his confidence that he could continue to be holy for as long as “the breath of God” was in his nostrils (Job 27:3).
The Epilogue (Chapter Forty-two, verses 1 – 16)
The true meaning of Job’s comment to God: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (42:5) is unknown. Has he witnessed a theophany/Christophany? Is he referencing his experience of suffering? Has Job 19:26 been fulfilled or is this to come? Whichever it is, Job’s incredible and challenging encounter with the Almighty has left him better off at the end of this season than at the beginning.
Job is asked to offer a substantial sacrifice for the redemption of his three (not Elihu) friends who have spoken presumptuously about God. Job is a ‘type’ of Christ in these verses and is called my servant Job four times here. His intercession turns the wrath of God away.
Perhaps Job’s prayer and forgiveness for these men releases the blessings that follow (Matthew 5:44). As verse 10 states, he receives double what he had before. Special mention is made of Job’s daughters here, who are granted an inheritance – treated as though they were sons.
The sudden insertion into the story of Job’s siblings and friends is interesting, as we had no knowledge of them before (42:11). Perhaps 19:13 explains this somewhat.
Job lived until one hundred and forty years, the longevity of a true patriarch
The Book of Job: Some Personal Applications
Although written thousands of years ago, the Book of Job can instruct and inspire those who seek to live a godly life in Christ for today. Here are seven areas of personal application:
1. Although a son of Adam and not morally perfect, Job was an extremely righteous man. His holy standards attracted the Lord’s attention in heaven. Christians should seek to live a life of righteous conduct before God and man and forsake the excuse “well, I’m only human.”
2. God reprimands the characters in the Book at the close of the story for claiming to have divine insight and for giving bad advice. We should be careful not to offer ‘simple’ answers for some of life’s difficult questions. We know in part: Deuteronomy 29:29.
3. The Book of Job affirms the reality and hostile activity of Satanic powers. However, the Lord has placed a ‘hedge’ around His people that the enemy cannot cross unless authorised.
4. Difficulties, grief and sickness may bring upset and anger, weaken our character, and lead us into sin. To accuse God of wrongdoing is a true transgression and the sins that Job commit in the Book are done through speaking. Guard your tongue!
5. What would our response be if we suffered as Job did? Would we discover that we were only serving God for as long as He was blessing us, or could we say with Job “although He slay me, still I will trust in Him”? Job 13:15
6. Whatever tests and trials we may endure, they are only for a season. Even Job’s comforters acknowledged that God was a healer and, in time, would make all things beautiful again.
7. Be sure to marry the right person. Job's wife was not on the same righteous page as her husband and tempted him to sin. Be equally yoked!
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