OT - Survey 21 - Job

All content is derived from A Survey of the Old Testament by Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, with additional insights from R.C. Sproul's Dust to Glory. Further sources referenced are listed in the reference section below.

— This section of Hill and Walton’s A Survey of the Old Testament examines the Book of Job as a unified work of wisdom literature, exploring its philosophical engagement with suffering, its complex literary composition and structure, its uncertain historical setting, and its central theological themes of divine justice, wisdom, and mediation.

– Key Ideas

– Suffering Beyond Simple Retribution

— The text rejects the notion that only the wicked suffer and that justice can be reduced to a strict “retribution principle” (i.e., “If you’re righteous you prosper; if you’re wicked you suffer”), noting numerous exceptions that point to the need for infinite divine wisdom rather than formulaic justice.

– Enduring Practical Relevance

— Although steeped in ancient Near Eastern thought, Job addresses questions—Why do the innocent suffer? How can we make sense of life’s hardships?—that remain unchanged over millennia, offering a biblical perspective on suffering without claiming to fully explain it.

– Composition and Literary Structure

– Integrity of the Whole

— Despite scholarly debates over possible later additions (e.g., the Elihu speeches in Job 32–37, the wisdom hymn in Job 28, and portions of God’s second speech in Job 40:6–41:34), the book’s carefully balanced prologue, dialog cycles, poetry, and epilogue argue for the indispensability of each section.

– Dating and Authorship

— The patriarchal setting (with references to Sabeans and Chaldeans in Job 1:15, 17) suggests an early second-millennium BC milieu, yet linguistic and orthographic features point toward final composition during Israel’s divided monarchy—underscoring the text’s timeless theological message.

– Historical and Literary Background

— Job stands outside Israel’s covenantal context: its hero is a non-Israelite in Uz (Job 1:1), the Law and covenant are absent, and instead Job aligns with broader wisdom traditions from Mesopotamia—such as the Babylonian Theodicy—yet surpasses them in literary sophistication and depth.

– Purpose and Message

– Testing Divine Policy

— Through the Satan’s challenge to God (Job 1:6–11), the narrative places God’s practices of blessing and suffering on trial, asking whether true righteousness can persist when immediate reward is withheld.

– Human vs. Divine Wisdom

— Job’s conversations with his friends (Job 4–27), followed by the wisdom poem (Job 28), expose the limits of human insight; God’s speeches (Job 38–41) then shift the focus from Job’s case to humanity’s inability to fathom divine wisdom and the complexity of creation.

– Major Themes

– Retribution Principle: Part 1

— The retribution Principle provides a framework for the philosophical discussion presented in the book of job.

— The principal is stated by means of conditional clauses: If a person is righteous, he will prosper; If the person is wicked, he will suffer. The corollary was deduced from the principle on the assumption that the principle is always true.

— One could then believe that if a person prospered, he must be righteous; and if a person suffered, he must be wicked. The principal serves as a popular explanation of changes in the daily fortune or misfortune of individuals or nations.

Though the principle was widely believed to be true by the Israelites and their neighbors, it is clear from the Psalms (cf. 37) that theory and experience did not always mesh in Israel. In Israel the gap between the theory and experience created an especially poignant problem because of the Hebrew view of God. Since there was only one sovereign God, suffering could not come from any other source. Because this one God was believed to be absolutely just, suffering must have a logical explanation. Furthermore, if God were to be truly just, suffering would be in proportion to wickedness and prosperity would be in proportion to righteousness.

In the book of Job everyone assumes that the retribution principle is true. The central questions concern the relationship of the principle with the justice of God, particularly calling the corollary into question. In the end, the book affirms God’s intention of operating by the retribution principle, but implies that we cannot predict how or when it is going to operate. Since the principal is not always observably true, corollary must be rejected.

— The book affirms that God delights in prospering the righteous and punishing the wicked, yet rejects the corollary that individual fortunes can always b e predicted by moral status—illustrating that real-world experience often contradicts simplistic formulas (cf. Psalm 37:37).

– Divine Wisdom, Justice, and Sovereignty

— God’s speeches emphasize that justice must be inferred from infinite wisdom rather than human calculation, and that retribution operates only when God sovereignly intervenes—not automatically as a built-in feature of the created order (Job 40:8).

– Mediator

— Job’s hope for a kinsman-redeemer (Job 19:25–27) reflects ancient expectations of an intercessor; ultimately, however, no external advocate appears, for God himself, in unparalleled wisdom, vindicates both divine justice and Job’s integrity.

– Structure and Organization

— The prologue (Job 1–2) introduces the cosmic court and Job’s trials; the dialog cycles (Job 3–27) unfold the philosophical debate; the wisdom hymn (Job 28) reframes the quest for insight; the discourses (Job 29–31; 32–37) present human—and counter-human—perspectives; and the epilogue (Job 42) restores Job and reaffirms God’s justice.

Excursus: Satan

There is reason why we have referred to “the satan” throughout this chapter rather than the more common personal name “Satan.” Our purpose is to reflect the Hebrew text more accurately in the book of job. Satan is not a personal name, but the description of a function. The function described by the Hebrew word satan can be performed either by human beings, by. (1 Sam 29:4; 2 Sam 19:17-24; 1 Ki 5:16-20; 11:14-23; Ps 109:6) or by supernatural beings (Num 22:22; 1 Chron 21:1; Zech 3:1-2). In each case, the being. functions as an adversary. The adversarial role is not necessarily an evil 1 as can be seen from Numbers 22 where “the angel of the Lord” is so designated.

Well, there’s no reason to deny that the satan in the book of Job actually is the being we designate by the name “Satan,” It must be recognized that the Israelites of the Old Testament may not have known of the existence of a chief of demons, a satan par excellence. The only place where the noun occurs without a definite article (“the”) is in 1 Chron 12:1, one of the last books of the Old Testament cannon to be written. In this context, it may be a personal name (Satan) or it maybe indefinite (a satan). Since the angel of the Lord is in view in Numbers 22, we cannot insist that the function is always performed by the same individual. Nevertheless, the book of Job is an important resource for tracing the development of the understanding of Satan in the history of theological thought.

– Summary

— Hill and Walton present Job as a masterful piece of wisdom literature that transcends simplistic explanations for suffering, upholds the indispensability of divine wisdom and sovereignty, and offers profound theological insights into why the righteous may suffer—inviting readers to trust God’s justice even when circumstances defy human logic.

References

Hill, A. E., & Walton, J. H. (2009), A survey of the Old Testament (3rd ed.). Zondervan Academic.

MacArthur, J. (Ed.). (2021). The MacArthur study Bible (2nd ed.). Thomas Nelson. (New American Standard Bible).

Lewis, C. S. (1958). Reflections on the Psalms. Harcourt.