Revised by Kathryn M. Schifferdecker (4/24)
SUMMARY
Job is a very righteousA righteous person is one who is ethical and faithful to God’s covenant. Righteousness in the Old Testament is an attitude of God; in the New Testament it is a gift of God through grace. In the New Testament righteousness is a relationship with God… man, so righteous that God boasts about him in a conversation with the Satan (See Introductory Issues in Job: The Satan). The Satan is then given permission to test how faithful Job would be if he had to endure loss, grief, and pain. Job’s friends come to bring comfort to him, but fail miserably. After an extended series of dialogues between Job and these friends, God speaks out of a whirlwind. Job answers God and then God restores Job’s good fortunes. Questions about why good people like Job suffer are left unanswered, but Job’s relationship with God is renewed.
SO WHAT?
The problem of human suffering and God’s involvement in the pain of the world is always with us. Efforts to find the cause of suffering often lead people (like Job and his counselors) to put the blame somewhere–on self, others, God, or the Devil. The book of Job asks us to look beyond blame, accept ambiguity and uncertainty, and trust God for what we cannot understand or control.
WHERE DO I FIND IT?
Job is the 18th book of the Old Testament. It follows EstherQueen in Persia who prevented an anti-Jewish pogrom. and immediately precedes Psalms.
WHO WROTE IT?
No one really knows who wrote the Book of Job. No author is identified. There was likely more than one author.
WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN?
It is difficult to know when Job was written. The first two chapters read like some of the older narratives in Genesis. Job is mentioned as a legendary figure known to the 6th century BCE prophet EzekielEzekiel was a priest and prophet who was raised in Jerusalem and exiled to Babylon in 597 BCE. (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). Most of the book, however, shows signs that it was written around the time of Ezekiel; that is, at the time of exile or soon after. And the Elihu chapters (32-37) could have been written even later.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Job is a good and righteous man who suffers unbearable tragedies; he and his friends try to figure out why such disasters have happened to him. The book addresses the perennial problem of the suffering of the innocent.
HOW DO I READ IT?
Job mentions no historical dates or persons and takes place in a strange land. The book, in other words, is not history, but something more like a thought experiment. It consists of a series of enduring dialogues that address theological questions that forever elude simple answers. Although the questions have profound pastoral implications, the book is not primarily about immediate pastoral care. It is a long and complicated book that wrestles with serious theological issues. Job contains much repetition and some passages that are difficult to understand. Be sure to use a study Bible that will give you some help. Pay attention to who is speaking: Job, one of the counselors, the Satan, or God. The different speakers have different perspectives, and readers are not meant to give equal weight to each perspective. In the dialogue between these different speakers, however, the reader can discern some helpful responses to the problem of suffering.
