The Book of Job (1/4) | Learning Community

Introduction

ABOUT THE BOOK OF JOB

Why should we study the book of Job?

1. We should study Job because it is inspired by God and “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man (and woman) of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

God saw it fit to include the book of Job in His divine revelation of Himself to his people. Whatever we ignore in Scripture, we ignore to the peril of our own growth in righteousness.

The words of Job are ultimately God’s Words. He wants to tell us about Himself, about us, and about the way the world works. If we didn’t need the message of this book, God would not have given it to us.

So we study Job for the same reason we study any Scripture - because of the One who inspired it.

2. We should study Job because it is one of the greatest works of literature ever composed.

The book of Job is renowned as one of the greatest masterpieces, not only in the Bible, but also in all of world literature.

Daniel J. Estes

I call the Book of Job, apart from all the theories about it, one of the grandest things ever written with the pen.2097

Thomas Carlyle

The story of Job is so intricately and intentionally written . There were other stories of righteous sufferers in the Ancient Near Eastern context in which Israel lived, but none of them come close to the sophistication and uniqueness of Job.

Job is likely the oldest book in the Bible. Its wisdom calls sufferers into a bigger vision of reality, a bigger understanding of our lives and circumstances. It’s been doing so for thousands of years.

3. We should study Job because all of us suffer, and we need the perspective of the book of Job in order to suffer well.

Three summary statements that get to the heart of the book of Job which I found helpful from a few different scholars:

The book of Job offers a biblical perspective on suffering (to be distinguished from offering an explanation of suffering).

Andrew E. Hill; John H. Walton

The purpose of the book of Job is to explore God’s policies concerning justice, especially as it regards the suffering of the righteous.

Andrew E. Hill; John H. Walton

The book of Job is not so much about why people suffer, or even why Job must suffer; it is more a book about God himself being on trial.

Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

But the meaning of the book is not easily accessible without study. At first blush, the book may confuse or even anger the average person.

I read the book of Job last night—I don’t think God comes out well in it.

Virginia Woolf

As we study week by week, we’ll uncover the following truths:

That God is sovereign over all things, including Satan and all instances of pain and suffering.

That God is righteous in all of his actions, and is never unjust in the way he runs the world.

That we are not in a position to judge God’s policies for running the world — including his decision to permit the existence of pain and suffering.

That there is an enemy of God named Satan, an enemy of your soul, who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy primarily by causing you to doubt God’s Word and character.

That we should be motivated to be righteous not because we will get certain blessings from our obedience, but because it is right to live in accordance with God’s will. (The call to disinterested righteousness)

That even though we are rarely — if ever — given access to the reasons why we suffer, we can still find comfort knowing that God in his sovereign wisdom allows suffering for our good and his glory.

That we should not assume that suffering is always the result of unconfessed sin. (Anti-retribution principle)

Why study Job? The book of Job gives us a perspective of God’s wisdom which inspires faithful obedience in the midst of suffering rather than hopeless despair.

Who wrote the book of Job?

Your gut reaction is likely to say, “Job!”

But that’s not the case.

The book is about a man named Job — it is not written by a man named Job.

In fact, we do not know who wrote this book.

Some scholars believe it was a single author who completed the whole book during his lifetime.

Many scholars believe that the book was written and developed by many authors over many years - centuries even.

This should not scare us or lead us to believe that it is any less “God’s Word.”

Consider, for instance, Luke’s Gospel. Luke, we know, was a doctor by trade and a researcher when it came to his gospel account. He travelled and conducted interviews, he collected and compared stories of Jesus’s life and teaching. He cited Matthew and Mark’s gospels in his own work. He was not an eyewitness of Jesus’s life and teaching, and clearly did not receive the words of the gospel in one special instance of divine revelation. Rather, God used a process over time - many years, perhaps - to inspire Luke to write the very words God Himself would wish to speak to his people.

We can view the book of Job similarly, along with several other books in the Bible.

The point we must agree on if we are to be biblical in our view of God and Scripture is that God is the ultimate author of everything we read in the Bible, and that Scripture is inerrant and infallible.

So long as we conclude that, our views of how God inspired and authored Scripture should be moved to the background.

When was the book written?

Since the authorship of the book is in question, the date of the book is as well.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Date > Job, Book Of

The internal evidence points to a very early setting for the book. There are no levitical institutions cited. Job sacrifices for his family as in the period before the priesthood (1:5). The wealth of Job, given in terms of cattle, seems to reflect the patriarchal milieu (1:3).

The language of the book may also point to an early date. Certain linguistic elements indicate more archaic forms of Hebrew, as preserved in the epic material from Ugarit.

It may be that Job himself lived in the 2nd millennium BC. If the book, or part of it, was written then, it may represent the first written material to find its way into the biblical canon. The book may have come into its final form in the Solomonic era, when so much of the Hebrew Wisdom Literature was produced.

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF JOB

Think of the book of Job as the “logue” cabin of the Bible, constructed of four “logues”: a prologue, a dialogue, a monologue, and an epilogue.

Layton Talbert

Simple Outline:

· Prologue: Job 1 – 3

· Dialogue: Job 4 – 37

· Monologue: Job 38 – 41

· Epilogue: Job 42

Detailed Outline: graphic from Walton and Longman (pg. 3 of notes)

Transition to approach, into the text:

Going back to our approach to this book… (pg. 1 of notes packet)

Clearly, we are not going to be able to go in detail, verse by verse in the book of Job.

These first two weeks we’ll be focusing on the Prologue of the book.

Tonight, we’re focusing on Job 1:1-5. This is simply to introduce you to the setting in which the book takes place and to establish the kind of guy Job is.

Next week, we will focus on a longer section - Job 1:6-2:10. Let me tell you right now — next week is when things get interesting! Don’t miss next week.

The real meat of the book of Job is the dialogue which happens in chapters 4-37. However, most of the difficult content in the book is found in chapters 1-2, so I want to make sure we spend ample time there before moving on.

The third week I’m going to try my best to give you an overview of Job 3-37. You heard that right - 34 chapters! So we’ll have to do a flyover where you get the major themes, do a little bit of reading for context while in the room.

The final week, we’ll cover Yahweh’s response to Job and the Epilogue of the book.

READ: JOB 1:1-5

Read through the passage a few times. Skim it quickly, then start over and read slowly.

Job 1:1–5 (ESV)

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. 4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

OBSERVE

Circle or underline aspects of this passage that stand out as important for your understanding of the text. Use the space below for any notes or questions you’d like to jot down. What words/ideas/phrases/names/etc. seem significant? Is there an argument the author is making? Is he using any metaphors or illustrations? Is he quoting any other Scriptures?...

INTERPRET

What does this passage mean? What was the author trying to communicate to the original audience? How does it relate to the passage before it? How does it fit in the book as a whole? How does it fit in the rest of the Bible?...

Two important truths about reading and applying the Bible:

The Bible was written for us, but it was not written to us.

The Bible cannot mean what it never meant.

We have to understand Scripture in its context and discover its original intended meaning before we try to apply it in our lives. So we start with the text and ask, “What did the original author intend to communicate to the original audience? How would the original audience have understood this writing?”

So let’s start with the text itself, let’s put ourselves out of mind for a moment, and let’s listen to what God is saying in this passage:

Job 1:1–5 (ESV)

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job,

There was a man. His name was Job. We’re immediately introduced to the main character of this story, and the rest of this section will tells us more details about this man in order to set up the tension which comes in what follows.

One thing to note is that Job is not an Israelite. Job lives in Uz — the exact location of which we’re not completely certain. But clearly, as we’ll see, Job knows and worships the God of Israel — Yahweh.

By starting the narrative in this way, the author intends to set Job up as a real pre-patriarchal hero who is representative of all who suffer.

and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

John Hartley, an expert commentator on Job, notes that...

Two sets of word pairs characterize Job as a man of untarnished character and devout faith. The first pair, blameless (tām) and upright (yāšār),12 indicates that Job was a person of pure motivation. Heb. tām frequently designates a sacrificial animal as “spotless, without blemish,” but when used with a person it means personal integrity, not sinless perfection (Josh. 24:14; Judg. 9:16, 19).13 The blameless person is one who walks in close fellowship with God (Gen. 17:1) and who delights in obeying the law (Ps. 119:1). He serves God wholeheartedly. The word upright depicts faithful adherence to God’s statutes (cf. 1 K. 14:8; 15:5) and an honest, compassionate manner in relating to others. Job treated others, including his servants, fairly and justly (31:13–23). Also he zealously showed mercy to the unfortunate.

Job and his friends will repeatedly agree that everyone is born into sin, agreeing with the biblical doctrine of total depravity or original sin. There isn’t a single person who has ever lived who was free from sin — other than Jesus.

Imagine if you took a clear vial up to the mountains on a hike. You find a clear mountain stream and dip the vial down and fill it to the top. As the water settles, you’ll see crystal clear water in the vial. However, if you shake it up violently, you’ll find that there was a small amount of sediment that had settled at the bottom of the tube, and once disturbed, it comes clearly into view.

That was Job. He was a righteous man. He loved God and desired to serve Him faithfully. Even so, at the bottom of his heart, deep and hidden beneath the surface was a settled sediment of sin. As we’ll see, the violent shaking of suffering will expose the sin in Job’s heart — as it often does for us. But practically speaking, Job was a righteous man.

The second pair of words describes Job’s devout faith. He feared God and shunned evil.15 The fear of God is an expression found throughout the OT and frequently in the Wisdom literature. It stands for a solid trust in God. One who fears God loves him devoutly. Therefore he approaches God reverently, filled with awe and deeply conscious of God’s contagious love. In daily life he expresses his fear by striving to please God in faithful obedience inspired by love.16 The Wisdom literature places the highest value on fearing Yahweh, asserting that it is the very foundation for true wisdom (Job 28:28; Prov. 1:7; 9:10). Whoever fears God avoids the very appearance of evil (raʿ; cf. Prov. 16:6b). He shuns all enticements to wrongdoing (cf. 31:1–12) and never places his trust in any other god or thing (31:24–28). The combination of these four character traits and his vast wealth bore witness in his culture that Job excelled in wisdom (cf. Prov. 3:9–10).Job’s love for Yahweh and his acts of mercy toward other human beings became legendary. Thus Ezekiel lists him with Noah and Daniel as the most righteous men of all times (Ezek. 14:14, 20).17

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. The text goes on:

2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

Hartley’s commentary:

God richly blessed his faithful servant. The author uses the numbers three, seven, and ten, all symbolic of completeness, to demonstrate that Job’s wealth was staggering. Though he apparently resided in a city, he owned and cultivated land nearby and employed numerous shepherds who tended his flocks at great distances from his home.18God fully displayed his abundant favor on Job by giving Job seven sons and three daughters. This combination symbolized an ideal family.19 Sons, valued in those days above daughters, are more numerous. In the epilogue the importance of the sons is counterbalanced by the mention of only the daughters’ names. God gave Job a rich heritage.20Job had enormous herds. He had seven thousand small cattle, i.e., sheep and goats. His holdings included three thousand camels.21 The camel was a prestigious animal, and such an enormous number symbolizes great status. This large number suggests that Job engaged in caravan trade. To work his farmland he had five hundred yoke of oxen, mentioned in pairs because of their use in plowing. By ancient standards this number of oxen could till a considerable acreage. Five hundred (female) asses, animals of burden, are listed; their giving milk and bearing offspring made them more valuable than the males. As would be expected, Job had a large staff of male and female slaves22 for the work of his vast estate. In every way Job’s wealth surpassed that of any other sheikh of the East.23

4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Here we see Job’s piety and wealth on display in the way he leads his home. Not only does he have a family that is close, intimately spending time together on a regular basis and apparently living close to one another, but Job himself is regularly operating as a kind of priest for his family.

Hartley:

Job, acting as the priest of his family, sacrificed burnt offerings for them. Since the sacrifices were whole burnt offerings, the entire offering was consumed by fire (cf. Lev. 1). Nothing was left for either the children or the offerer to eat. Whole burnt offerings atoned for human sin in general, rather than specific transgressions, which were expiated with a sin offering (Lev. 4:1–5:6). Job was motivated to present these sacrifices because he was apprehensive that one of his children might have cursed God during the week’s festivities. . . .

At this point it is important to note that the sin of cursing God is pivotal to the prologue. Whereas Job feared that his children might speak lightly about God, the Satan will argue that Job would certainly curse God should he suffer loss (1:11; 2:5). Then Job’s wife will urge him to curse God and die (2:9). With this motif the author focuses on the basis of an individual’s relationship to God. Does a person worship God out of genuine love or primarily for God’s blessing? This is the issue for everyone.Furthermore, this characterization of Job portrays him as having a pure heart and a dynamic, active faith in God. God confirmed Job’s trust by blessing him abundantly. But Job did not grow overconfident. Scrupulously he offered sacrifices continually, seeking to expiate every possible sin—even the incipient thought of denying God—both his own and those of his family. Job lived an exemplary life.

Summary points:

Job was a righteous, not perfect, man, who had incredible character and prosperity.

Job was pure in his motivations, live actively in relationship with God and delighted in obeying God’s Word.

Job was upright in his relationships with others, demonstrating compassion and care even to his servants.

Job was faithful as the spiritual head of his household. He developed a culture of warmth and love in his family, and regularly and sacrificially contended for the souls of his children.

APPLICATION

We’ve discovered what the text means.

Now, what might this text mean for us? For you?

Discuss these questions around your tables:

Would others describe you as a righteous person? How does the rest of the Bible and the coming of Christ inform our understanding about what it means to be truly righteous and blameless before God?

Job demonstrated his righteousness by actively walking towards God and actively resisting evil. What are some practical ways you can do these two things?

God calls parents (and fathers in particular) to lead their children spiritually. If you’re a parent, how can Job’s example inspire you to more faithfully contend for the faith of your children?

I want to give you a chance to discuss, then I’ll bring it back to close us out for this session in just a moment.

CONCLUSION

As we end this first session, it’s important here to situate the book of Job in the history of redemption.

Job lived before the time of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, thousands of years before the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and even more thousands of years before the coming of Christ.

Job lived without knowledge of the law — of the fullness of God’s standards for righteous living. And yet, he knew enough to believe in God by faith and to trust and obey God with the knowledge he had.

In this way, Job, a foreigner outside of the chosen people of Israel, points us forward to the redemption that comes through Christ:

Paul, the great apostle who wrote much of our New Testament, would write this in the book of Romans:

Romans 3 (ESV)

10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;

11 no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

...

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Job was a righteous man who suffered. But as we enter into this book more deeply over the coming days and weeks, we need to recognize that the Book of Job is not intended only to show us Job as the righteous sufferer. It’s intended to point us forward so we think about the only true righteous sufferer — the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin but became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.”

This book will impress upon us the importance of trusting God’s wisdom, even when we don’t understand His ways.

Tonight I ask you: Are you trusting in Jesus?