The Book of Job

Job 1:9-11 - Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Job 2:9-10 - Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Job 19:25-27 - For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth: And [though] after my skin [worms] destroy this [body], yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; [though] my reins be consumed within me.

Job 38:31-33 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Bible Survey - Job
Hebrew Name - Iyov "object of enmity" (meaning uncertain)
Greek Name - Iob (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Job (According to Tradition)
Date - 2180 BC Approximately
Theme - Trusting the Lord in the midst of evil and suffering
Types and Shadows - In Job Jesus is the ever-living redeemer

Summary of The Book of Job

Quick Overview of Job. � �1-2� �The historical background of Job � � 3-31 � � Job's dialogue with his three friends � � 32-37 � � the speeches of Elihu � � 38-41 � � God intervenes and gives His speech� � 42 � � the conclusion of this matter

The Book of Job is the first of the five books of Hebrew poetry, and is also been classified with the wisdom literature of the Bible. Regardless of its classification the book of Job has been known to be one of the greatest literary writings in all of history. Except for a few chapters it has a very formal style of Hebrew poetry, and the beauty of the book is not in meter or rhyme, but in the use of parallelisms, repetition, and contrast.

The book of Job takes place in an area called in the Bible "the land of Uz" (Job 1:1), which is believed to have been the area southeast of Israel on the Arabian border. There is no way to identify this area precisely, and for that reason people from all the world wonder at the book of Job. Ancient tradition identifies Moses as the author of the book of Job, having traveled through the wilderness of Midian (Exodus 2:15) near the area that was believed to be Uz.

The man Job is a biblical patriarch who is well-known for his integrity and his devotion to God, he had great wealth and much happiness in life. The time came to prove Job's loyalty to God and he was deprived of all of his blessings. The book of Job was written like a historical poem, but was treated as an actual event in the Bible. The difficulty in the book of Job is over the nature and the cause of his afflictions, it touches on the philosophical discussion about the problem of evil, and human suffering which is a classic problem that has yet to be given a classic answer. The book of Job teaches that God's people should not envy the prosperity of the wicked, nor try to answer the question God as to why this happens and why the righteous are afflicted at times. There is no perfect solution to the problem of evil in the book of Job, and the obvious conclusion is that it is impossible for finite man to fathom the secrets of an infinite God. Job's miserable comforters (friends) were limited in their understanding of the suffering of man and how affliction enters into it. Job does not give a reason for his misery but he remained faithful to God and clearly denied that it was because of his sins against the Lord. The book of Job gives a good prologue that informs the reader of Job's faithfulness to God in the midst of affliction, and God's pleasure in Job for his faith and trust.

The big lesson to be learned from the Book of Job is that man does not know the reason for the things going on in his life, but he should trust the Lord at all times. Man can never plumbed the depths of God, and how God deals with each man and all men, therefore man is encourage to look steadfastly at the Lord, trust him and be devoted to him because God is loving and merciful and all of his purposes are part of his ultimate plan which no one can understand.

The events in the Book of Job may be summarized as follows :

Outline of the Book of Job

Job 1-2 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. Job 3-31 contain three series of speeches between Job and his companions, in which he defends himself against their assertion that he is being punished for some secret sin which is known only to God. Elihu's speech, recorded in Job 32-37, points out that there is a hidden purpose in God's discipline of Job. Job 38-41 contain the statements of God to the participants in the discussion; these witness to the futility of man's trying to comprehend the actions of God. Job 42 records the restoration of Job's lost blessings.

More About the Book of Job
Job in the Picture Study Bible
Timeline of the Ancient World
Back to the Old Testament
Back to Bible History Online

The Story of the Bible - Part One - The Old Testament

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