Job 39 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Job) Free Bible Online

Job 39

1 - "Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth?Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?

2 - Can you count the months that they fulfill?Or do you know the time when they give birth?

3 - They bow themselves, they bear their young.They end their labor pains.

4 - Their young ones become strong.They grow up in the open field.They go out, and don't return again.

5 - "Who has set the wild donkey free?Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,

"Who has set the wild donkey free?Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,

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6 - Whose home I have made the wilderness,and the salt land his dwelling place?

7 - He scorns the tumult of the city,neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.

8 - The range of the mountains is his pasture,He searches after every green thing.

9 - "Will the wild ox be content to serve you?Or will he stay by your feeding trough?

10 - Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness?Or will he till the valleys after you?

11 - Will you trust him, because his strength is great?Or will you leave to him your labor?

12 - Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed,and gather the grain of your threshing floor?

13 - "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;but are they the feathers and plumage of love?

14 - For she leaves her eggs on the earth,warms them in the dust,

15 - and forgets that the foot may crush them,or that the wild animal may trample them.

16 - She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers.Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear,

17 - because God has deprived her of wisdom,neither has he imparted to her understanding.

18 - When she lifts up herself on high,she scorns the horse and his rider.

19 - "Have you given the horse might?Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?

20 - Have you made him to leap as a locust?The glory of his snorting is awesome.

21 - He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength.He goes out to meet the armed men.

22 - He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed,neither does he turn back from the sword.

23 - The quiver rattles against him,the flashing spear and the javelin.

24 - He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage,neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

25 - As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha!'He smells the battle afar off,the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

26 - "Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,and stretches her wings toward the south?

27 - Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up,and makes his nest on high?

28 - On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home,on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.

29 - From there he spies out the prey.His eyes see it afar off.

30 - His young ones also suck up blood.Where the slain are, there he is."

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

Shepherd with his Flock

Summary of The Book of Job

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.

Quick Reference Map

Map of the Land of Israel in the Time of Job (Click to Enlarge)

The book of Job. Job is the name of the principal character in this book and the title is the same in Hebrew as it is in English. It is uncertain exactly when the book was written and who wrote it. It is interesting that the name of Yahweh appears over and over in the book of Job, and his name was unknown prior to the time of Moses (Exodus 6:2-3). The name of the Egypt is used in poetic form a couple times (Job 9:12-13, Job 26:12-13) and when it is used this way there is implications that the author of the book new about the exodus from Egypt. The big question in the book of Job is why do the righteous suffer? But this is not actually the main question in the book, the big question is seen in Job 1:9-11..."Why does Job remain faithful to God?"

The book goes on with the story about God and Satan arguing over Jobs reasons for obeying God and Job has various catastrophes which causes him to lose everything in order to test him of his faithfulness as to whether or not Job is serving God because of His wealth and God"s blessings of prosperity. There are also jobs friends who make a case against Job siding with what Satan was accusing Job of, their point of view was the Job was only serving God because of his wealth and prosperity. Job continually refutes them.

Joe desired to know the reason for his suffering and God remains silent concerning this. Instead the Lord asks Job questions that are too difficult for Job to answer, and God's point is that there are many things that Job will experience and mankind experiences in life that do not have a clear explanation, and it is more wise to not question God's wisdom. Gervis situation was no different than what is common to man.

Outline of the book of Job.
The beginning prologue Job 1:1-2:13.
Dialogs and debates 3:1-27:23.
Job's complaint 3:1-26
The first debate: 1-14:22
The second debate 15:1-21:34
The third debate 22:1-27:23
What is wisdom 28:1-28
The speeches 29:1-42:6
Job's speech 29:1-31:40
Elihu's speech 32:1-37:24
Yahweh's speech 38:1-42:6

Quick Reference Maps - Job

The Land of Israel and the Book of Genesis

The Ancient World and the Book of Genesis

Canaan Before Joshua

Job Resources

More About the Book of Job
Job in the Picture Study Bible
Timeline of the Ancient World
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