Book of job explained

Book of job overview insight for living ministries. The book of job discusses why god allows pain and suffering. How do you trust god even when life isnt fair and you suffer for no good reason. Book of job is first of the poetic books of the old testament. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it. Although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. Behemoth is a powerful beast with strong legs job 40.

According to the sacred writer, the truly wise man should realize that the fear of the lord, that is wisdom. The book of job is considered being part of the poetic books job, psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of songs in todays bible editions. Jobs story invites us to consider what it means that god runs. Aug 14, 2015 god gives job a taste of this power when he brings jobs earthly suffering to an end job 42. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. Summary of the books of job the story of the bible. Job does not believe he has sinned and doesnt understand why he is suffering. The name job is mentioned only 54 times and mostly just in the. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a. Job and three of his friends debate the cause of jobs tremendous loss and illnesses. Job s three friends eliphaz, bildad and zophar were not able to understand these ways of. This is why the book of job is considered the most theological book of the old testament. However what eliphaz is ignorant of is that if god worked this way, a big question posed in this book would go unanswered. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations.

If you were to fit it chronologically, it should be place in the early chapters of genesis. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. Daniel webster what is it about the book that prompts such praise. It goes like a play and deals with an old question puzzling everyone, the problem of human suffering. There is limited information in the book of job about its geographical and historical background. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. And when god gives job exactly twice what he lost compare with job 1. Job lived southeast of israel, perhaps east of edom and north of arabia see lamentations 4. By its conclusion, the true subject of the book emerges.

We continue our study in the book of job in the second chapter. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The book of job is included among the wisdom writings precisely because it teaches man that pain and suffering are a mystery of divine wisdom. God says to job, now i want you to pray for your friends these three dear men, so stubborn, so sure that they had all the answers, so well meaning, so sincere, so. Although job was unaware of the interaction between satan and god, job comes to the conclusion that god is just and good. It broke down the book of job and explained things so well. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to. The book of job is the first document in history to take seriously the question of why really bad things happen to really good people.

There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job. I attempt to clear that up by offering a different perspective than most people know today. The book of job is among the other old testament books both a philosophical riddle and a historical riddle. It is the philosophical riddle that concerns us in such an introduction as this. Lets turn in our bibles to job chapter for our job commentary. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. At its beginning, job seems to be a book about human suffering. Job went through one of the most difficult seasons i think recorded in the bible. Several suggestions have been put forth as plausible authors. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. The poetical masterpiece that confronts the inexplicable mystery of good and evil can be a companion on your own spiritual journey.

At some point, satan actually approaches god himself and basically asks god to put job to the test. The book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. Job wants to find a way to justify gods actions, but he cannot understand why there are evil people who harm the childless woman, and do no good to the widow, only to be rewarded with long, successful lives 24. Accepting a nonanswer from god, while still believing he is good, is the beginning of wisdom. In job 4041, god introduces job to two new characters.

He loves god very much and was faithful to follow his commands. Its subject matter is the allimportant question, why, in a world over which yahweh has jurisdiction, should innocent persons have to suffer when at the same time the wicked escape suffering and are permitted to have comfort and security. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a. If you have not read this series from the beginning, i would highly recommend that you. The book of job is the first document in history to take seriously the question of why really bad things happen to really. 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. God allowed satan to take away from job his wealth, his family, and his health. The bible story of job, from the book of job, is a powerful tale of testing the devotion and fortitude of the human will. This reference in james is the only time job is mentioned by name in the n. 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 gods allcontrolling will. Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, i should save job. The book of job is a very tough book of the bible to understand using just the reasoning found within your human mind.

Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. Hes blameless and upright, and he has kids, a wife, land, and a bunch of sheep. The book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in. This summary of the book of job will help with many different forms of bible study. As with other books of the bible, job bears the name of the narratives primary character. Identifying behemoth and leviathan in the book of job. The book of job opens with a scene in heaven where satan comes to accuse job before god. As humans we tend to think we know a little bit of everything. The book of job is not about answers, its about trusting that your relationship with god can exist even when things are difficult. Job was the wealthiest, most blessed man, maybe in the whole world. 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.

The book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. The book of job is a book in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and. We assume that everything can be explained simply by appealing to. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering. John piper talks about how to discern between good and bad theology in the book of job. The book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. Misfortune befalls job, and, in three cycles of speeches, his three friends give the explanation that this must be punishment from god for his sins, and they urge him to repent.

Or from an arabic word meaning repent, thus bearing the name repentant one. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. The book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. The dominant theme of job is the difficulty of understanding why an allpowerful god allows good people to suffer. Weve had the first two chapters declaring that job is righteous and that hes suffering as a result of satan. Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies. We also saw the multiple blessings that god had bestowed upon him. The story of job opens with a scene in heaven where the devil comes to accuse job before god. Some bible scholars debate whether he was an actual person or legend, but job is mentioned as a historical figure by the prophet ezekial ezekial 14.

God did not give poison to job, shoot down fiery arrows on the man, kill his children. Job is a wealthy man living in a land called uz with his large family and. This name might have been derived from the hebrew word for persecution, thus meaning persecuted one. He insists job only serves god because god protects him and seeks gods permission to test job s faith and loyalty. But satan the accuser comes before the lord, and god allows him to test job. The book begins with the description of job as a just and upright man. According to biblical scholars, the book of job is the oldest book in the bible.

This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of job. The debate is about god, his attributes and how he interacts with humankind. The prologue provides a fascinating peek into the back storywhy god allowed satan to afflict job with such pain and turmoil. In this epic wager between god and the devil, discover how job reacts to the shocking curses inflicted upon him and what we can learn from his incredible example of remaining faithful through suffering. Watch our overview video on the book of job, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Sep 07, 2010 the book of job is a highly controversial book of mostly confusing information. Job spends his entire book in a position of sadness and loss.

If you have not read this series from the beginning, i would highly recommend that you go back and start with part 1. Well be studying the 8 th chapter of the old testament book of job weve been reminded throughout this book that when we dont understand gods ways, we must trust his wisdom. Job with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. 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 job a particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away. This overview and outline of job is intended to assist you as you seek god by studying his word. Lo and behold, satan comes out and challenges god on job.

The book of job taken as a mere work of literary genius, is one of the most wonderful productions of any age or of any language. The book of job defends the character of a loving and righteous god in spite of earths obvious evils and injustices. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust gods wisdom and character. Job had 10 children who appear to be adults at the time his suffering began.

The author of the book of job was a hebrew poet who had an extensive vocabulary. You can read our explanation of job 8 meaning of verses 11 through 22 of chapter 8 as well open your bible to job, chapter 8. Then, through a series of dialogues and monologues arranged in a pattern of threes, human wisdom attempts to explain the. Therefore i despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. However, it can be helpful to understand general information about the geography and history of the area to give you a context for reading and studying the book of job. Oct 22, 2015 watch our overview video on the book of job, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Most christians i know dont feel that way about the book of job. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. Job s final speech in his own defense is probably where the book originally ended. The book of job is a highly controversial book of mostly confusing information.

And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. At the same time, it also asks the question we rarely. Introduction to the book of job society of gilbert keith. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author. Job 12 forms a prologue in prose to the debates, giving a picture of job s prosperity, the wager between god and satan, and the resultant affliction which was job s. Up in the heavens, god brags to the divine assembly about job. Job was a wealthy but righteous and godfearing man. 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.

The book defends the absolute glory and perfection of god it sets forth the theme echoed in ps 18. Yet, if job turns to god god will bless job tremendously. With this additional short summary of the book of job you can discover the people, places and stories detailed in this holy scripture. A great diversity of opinion exists as to the authorship of the book of job book. The events in the book of job may be summarized as follows. The book of job, celebrated as a classic of world literature and one of the glories of the bible, can often be puzzling and frustrating. If we were to film this book, the whole movie would take place on a single set, probably in a single day. The book delves into issues near to the heart of every human who experiences suffering. The last of the book is a beautiful picture of what james calls the tender mercies of god toward job james 5. In the reformation martin luther explained how jobs confession of sinfulness and worthlessness underlay his saintliness, and john calvins. God says to job, now i want you to pray for your friends these three dear men, so stubborn, so sure that they had all the answers, so well meaning, so sincere, so dedicated, but such utter blunderers. The skeptical character of the symposium, with its challenge to timehonored views, most likely would have kept the book of job out of the canon of old testament writings had some additions not been made to the original book. Our job 2 commentary last time in chapter 1 we saw job s righteous character. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and.