Reviewed in the united kingdom on january 18, 2021. He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of job in. Jun 18, 2019 for the first 37 chapters of this book, job poured out his heart and god said nothing. Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, i should save job. This book of job stands by itself, is not connected with any other, and is therefore to be considered alone. The book of job is a story of endurance and faith that is embraced by many world cultures. This reference in james is the only time job is mentioned by name in the n. For much of the book, job curses his life, argues with three friends about the cause of the tragic events, and talks about the capriciousness of god.
How long does it take to read each book of the bible. A book which will one day, perhaps, be seen towering up alone far above all the poetry of the world. Aug 20, 2018 the book of job describes a long and difficult trial he experienced. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing god and shunning evil. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that joba particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away. As was said of goliaths sword, there is none like it, none in ancient or in modern literature.
Jobs repentance and restoration reformed bible studies. We know that he had access to the information he would need to write. But the odious judgments made by his friends caution us against making toocertain application of any model to our own lives. I have been attempting to give you some new perspectives on the meanings behind the book of job by showing you how it fits into other verses found in the bible. The book of job discusses why god allows pain and suffering. The book of job is part of the three wisdom books of the bible. There are at least five questions asked in the book of job that. What are the hopeful lessons in the depressing book of job. Return to the new testaments word on the spiritual roots of disease and its eradication part 6. Nov 16, 2019 the prologue tells a story that sets the stage for a profound drama involving god, a member of the heavenly court named ahsatan not to be confused with satan, the devil, a righteous man named job, his unnamed wife, his children, and his friends. Throughout the book, job, his wife, and his friends speculate on why he, an upright man, suffers. Today we are finishing our brief study of the book of job as we consider job s response to the lords revelation of himself and gods evaluation of his servant. Kaisers third identification of passages in job that hint at messianic. One of the most puzzling books in the bible is the book of job.
Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. Job learns the story of job stretches along for many chapters. Job proves faithful to god in prosperity and in adversity. The book of job demands that we see ourselves in the faces of jobs friends. The conclusion of the book of job reveals, now the l ord blessed the latter days of job more than his beginning 42.
The diagnosis of leprosy has been generally accepted by medieval commentators because the verses of the book speak of ulcers disseminated over the skin, and. He eventually answered job and will answer you too. Then in the last half of chapter 38 god takes his focus off the world below and turns it to the world above. Though job has not been perfect, at times impatiently demanding that the creator explain the reasons for his suffering job, he has also persevered in faith. The first possibility is, of course, the subject of the book himself. But there is a marked contrast between how the author expresses the narrative and how job speaks. One talmudic tradition suggests moses as author since the land of uz 1. And job had said rash and presumptuous things about god in order to justify himself. Dont read the bible like a yearbook looking in the back for pages that apply to you or a fortune cookie hoping that the random passage will be gods answer for you today. Hidden treasures in the book of job shows that the bible is an accurate predictor of scientific discoveries and a trustworthy source of scientific information, and that the book of scripture and the book of nature are consistent both internally and externally. Passages 5star treatment depends on our reliable and professional team of experts that we value, and who helps make a positive impact on the lives of our clients. In these verses, job is blessed by god with a double portion of what he had. Job, a very wealthy man, loses everything to invasion and disaster except his faith in god. Most popular bible verses in job online bible knowing jesus.
What job taught me about courage and honesty working to. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. To prove job s loyalty, god allows satan to first destroy everything job has and then cause illness, sparing only job and his wifes lives. Eventually, as job continues to suffer, mourn, and persevere, he learns some powerful lessons. Jobs friends blame job for the calamity job 423 bible.
Job is a pious believer who is struck by misfortune so great that it cannot be explained in the usual way as a prompting to repentance, a warning, let alone a punishment the arguments later. Whole chapters of the book are devoted to speeches by job s counselors. Apr 30, 2019 if i could only recommend one of these readings of job, however, it would be roland murphys the book of job. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. Archer and others see the book of job as the oldest book in the bible gleason l. Eventually, as job continues to suffer, mourn, and persevere, he. It is apparent that once she makes the choice to curse god, she is not going to be of a benefit to job during the trial. Its a concise, accessible commentary that lays out all the issues that confront the reader of the book of job clearly and simply but, it seems, not oversimply with the measured confidence of a scholar whose understanding of the. The book of job introduces us to a man who, by gods own admission, is blameless and upright and who suffers for no reason job 2. Complete healing and eradication of disease by faith in jesus christ. Nov 14, 2016 bible intake is essential to christian discipleship 2 tim. Gods word says the prayer of faith has healing power. Mar 28, 2014 one bold message in the book of job is that you can say anything to god.
The book of job is the story of a normal human being who is beset by misfortune and suffering. The book of job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as. Key passages in the book of job addressing the cause and alleviation of affliction part 5. Gods answer to the problem of undeserved suffering grand rapids. This sampling of the complaints on the part of the job of the dramatic dialogue will give some notion of the way in which the author of the book of job uses his chief. His life continues to serve as an example of perseverance for christians james 5. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. In todays dispensation, job would be a believer who has been made righteous by the blood of jesus.
Among other things, it deals with the ageold question of why good people suffer. Pax tried one 12 step facility after another, but pax would always relapse after treatment. Job is a wealthy and godfearing man with a comfortable life and a large family. The history of job s sufferings, and his patience under them job 1.
The same contrast exists between the narrative passages and the words of elihu, friend of job. Key passages in the book of job addressing the cause and alleviation of affliction click this link to for bible in new windowtab the book of job is a profound book of scripture with tremendous riches, only a mere handful of which we will mine. The book of job does not specifically name its author. Alternate views are given in edouard dhorme, a commentary on the book of job nashville. The context of this last wish forces the interpreter to see it as an arrogant demand for an end to his suffering, rather than a repentant prayer for forgiveness of sin. To understand the full impact of the book of job the book must be read and understood as a whole. The story begins by describing an encounter between satan and god. The structure of the book of job focuses your attention on the main subject of the book which is gods wisdom. Job certainly did suffer, but there is more to his story than just his suffering. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 437 gested that theodicy is the theme of the book of job. Explores human courage under the most trying circumstances. If you dont have a plan, you will find your bible reading sporadic. Consistent with the beliefs of that time period, which persists today, his friends believe that job must have had some moral failings that lead to the death of his family and the loss of his wealth.
The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it. Introduction the book of proverbs, together with job and ecclesiastes fall under the broad category of wisdom literature, a genre common in the ancient near east. The creation theology of the book of job is one of its outstanding contributions to the thought of the old testament. In this installment, i share kaisers observations from the book of job. Each believes that he holds the answer to job s troubles, but job clings only to gods promise. This hope allowed job to persevere and to receive the lords commendation 42. If you have time, read the entire book in one sitting. The name job is mentioned only 54 times and mostly just in the book of job. Job accuses god of being unjust and not operating the world according to principles of justice, and his friends believe that job s sin caused his suffering. The book of job doesnt mention his wife much, because it isnt called the book of job s wife. Stott wrote with reassurance to those who suffer like job, the cure for. At the end of the prologue, job has suffered many terrible losses, including his children and his health, but he nevertheless remains patient, refusing to speak against god.
There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job. This is the theological and ethical question being explored in the poetic dialogues to follow in job 327. A kinsmanredeemer i know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth job 19. So i have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. Job, an upright man, likely lived during the time of the patriarchs or abraham and came from the land of uz modernday saudia arabia. Job free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. It is our mission to help people from all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, and genders to overcome substance abuse related issues at one of our stateoftheart treatment centers. 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. The book of job is considered to be one of the three books of wisdom literature found within the bible. Hugh ross phd, university of toronto is founder and president of reasons to believe.
That verse points out two things in the book of job. There was a man in the land of uz whose name was job. Passages malibu luxury addiction treatment center alcohol. The book of job 3 the book of job introduction to the book the book of job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. Many are the reasons why the book of job should be in the bible. Job is an unlikely candidate because the book s message rests on job s ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. Most of the prophets of god suffered for their faithfulness. The book of job, king james bible, by alexander scourby is being aired with permission of, all rights reserved. Elihus point of view is that job is a righteous man, though not perfect, and that he is loved by god.
The passages malibu treatment program was created in 2001 by father and son, chris and pax prentiss. The prologue, which provides context in the heavenly. At the end of the book of job, we see a stronger and more mature job who grew in his understanding of god. There is some evidence or this attribution in similar word choice and imagery between job and passages of moses pentateuch, e. The book of job is not only one of the most remarkable in the bible, but in literature. The book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. It addresses the problem of theodicy, meaning why god permits evil in the world, through the experiences of the eponymous protagonist. The book of job the book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. Before passages opened, pax had a horrific tenyear addiction to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. Sep 07, 2010 the book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. A deeper look at the book of job matters of interpretation. The book of job is a book of the christian old testament that tells a story about job, who in jewish tradition is the son of uz, who was the son of nahor, the brother of abraham.
When challenged by the satans questioning of jobs sincerity, the lord gives leave for a series of catastrophes to afflict job. In job, we see a man who god allows to be directly attacked by satan. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the east. His friends, the elders of his community, come to counsel him. Many copies of the hebrew bible place it after the book of psalms, and some after the proverbs, which perhaps has given occasion to some learned men to imagine it to have been written by isaiah or some of the later prophets. Introduction and commentary in the torch bible commentaries london. This passage in ezekiel shows us that god really considered job a good man. Because there is nothing specific in the text that tells you when the book of job was written, the sections in job that allude to other passages of scripture give you some helpful clues. The prose prologue chapters one and two and the epilogue 42. 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. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of job. And it really does not give us the kind of answer we want, but just says, trust me.
But then he turns and puts the blame for jobs suffering squarely on job himself. These stories focus on job s trials at the hands of god and how he deals with them. The book of job is often upheld as an example of godly patience while suffering. The books in wisdom literature job, psalms, proverbs, etc. Todays passage gives us the strongest evidence of job s trust in the lord and in his ultimate vindication. It is also considered one of the most diffcult to understand accurately. In the long run, there are blessings for obedienceentrance into the kingdom of god is the greatest of all blessingsand curses for disobedience. The first thing we shall look at in job s statement is its key word. When the apostle speaks of the patience of job he immediately takes notice of the end of the lord, that is, of the lord jesus as some understand it, typified by job, jas.
What does the book of job teach us about the coronavirus. 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. Key passages in the book of job addressing the cause. Job had the right perspectivewhatever we receive from god, he can take away, so praise him regardless of what happens in life. Job was blameless, meaning no sin was found in him.
The work is grouped with proverbs and ecclesiastes as a product of the wisdom movement, even though it contains what might be called an antiwisdom strain in that the hero protests. The book of job is not only the finest expression of the hebrew poetic genius. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. Job said, naked i came from my mothers womb, and naked shall i return. To prove jobs loyalty, god allows satan to first destroy everything job has and then cause illness, sparing only job and his wifes lives. Therefore, we can assume that he took sin very seriously and repented immediately when he knew he was in the wrong. In the climax of the dialogue, the book of job affirms the mystery of the creator in relation to his creation, that only god has infinite wisdom, and that man has only limited wisdom ch. Major purposes of the book of job preaching source. His children and servants were all dead, his wife unkind, and none of those whom he had formerly befriended had so much sense of honour and gratitude as to minister to him in his distress, to furnish him with linen clothes, or lend a hand to cleanse or dress his running sores. However, the name does occur in genesis 46 and ezekiel 14.
In addition to them, the patriarch job is pointed out in verse 11 as an outstanding example of steadfast faith in the way he handled severe trials. The book of job is considered being part of the poetic books job, psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of songs in todays bible editions. Although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. The three friends of job had not been able to account for the suffering of this good man with their theology. In fact, some scholars believe that job requires and understanding of the book as a whole more than any other book of the old testament.
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