The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a. This name might have been derived from the hebrew word for persecution, thus meaning persecuted one. Job lived southeast of israel, perhaps east of edom and north of arabia see lamentations 4. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the gospel. Job went through one of the most difficult seasons i think recorded in the bible. Similarly, we cannot explain jobs suffering in terms of some immaturity or. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. I attempt to clear that up by offering a different perspective than most people know today. The book of job is one of the literary masterpieces of all time, and provides a profound discussion on the suffering of a just man. The book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible.
A free bible version and commentary on the old testament book of job in. The book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. Archbishop fulton sheen simone weil explained that we do not know anything without suffering. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b.
On the contrary, god speaks directly to job, just as he does in the. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust gods wisdom and character. In fact, some scholars believe that job requires and understanding of the book as a whole more than any other book of the old testament. He uses the word tsaba, which normally refers to an army or host, but here he is comparing life to military service cf. The skeptical character of the symposium, with its challenge to timehonored views, most likely would have kept the book of job out of the canon of old testament writings had some additions not been made to.
The explanation the bible gives of what happens to job is that the enemy. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. Job s final speech in his own defense is probably where the book originally ended. Here, god lays out a plan for an ongoing relationship with humankind. Bruce vawter says in his job and jonah, it is the poetic job and the poetic job alone who is of interest to the sensitive.
In the book of job, the character is described as a righteous man, indeed the most righteous man to be found on the earth, but one whom satan claims is righteous only to receive blessings from the hand of god. I think it is likely that god knows we would not understand if he tried to explain. At the end of the book of job, we see a stronger and more mature job who grew in his understanding of god. Job free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Job proved the fidelity of his love for god by being faithful through his great. And light has a special meaning in the book of job. Job 3 niv bible after this, job opened his mouth and. The book of job highlights the universal issue that is before every living person.
Some bible scholars debate whether he was an actual person or legend, but job is mentioned as a historical figure by the prophet ezekial ezekial 14. The bahai teachings explain the meaning of jobs life in just such a context. On the contrary, god speaks directly to job, just as he does in the patriarchal age with noah, abraham, isaac, jacob, and other heads of households see job 3842. People serve god only as a bargain, not out of genuine love.
Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the gospel coalition. God has put a hedge around him and has blessed him beyond all mortals, and as a result the devil accuses job of serving god only because. Job was the wealthiest, most blessed man, maybe in the whole world. Jun 09, 2014 the book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of job.
But for many readers it is a troubling book because of its unanswered questions, the seeming injustice of much that occurs in it, the longwinded and rather pointless discussions, and. I am become so loathsome that my wife will not come near me, though i have conjured her to do it, by the dear memory of our children, those common pledges of our mutual love. I think this is true to the extent that one suffers in love, for love. And god described how he creates the light each morning job 38. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. By confirming, you are consenting to receiving the free ebook, 35 mistakes to avoid in your writing, the free writing explained newsletter, as well as other. Some understand this to refer to the words he is about to utter. The skeptical character of the symposium, with its challenge to timehonored views, most likely would have kept the book of job out of the canon of old testament writings had some additions not been made to the original book. The book of job is an obvious place to turn when a christian suffers, but it is not easy to discern what god means to teach his people through this difficult book. It is what job learns about god through his suffering. There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job. The book of job discusses why god allows pain and suffering.
Bildad said that a wicked man does not belong in the light job 18. Nov 12, 2017 the book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. Job takes this link seriously and views it as an ill indication for his own duration. But before i complete your subscription and send you this exclusive content, you must verify your email to confirm that i have your permission to email you. Job had 10 children who appear to be adults at the time his suffering began. Sep 07, 2010 the book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. Job with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Rather, the focus is on what job learns from his suffering. Job said that some evil people love the darkness job 24. The bible story of job, from the book of job, is a powerful tale of testing the devotion and fortitude of the human will. Youre almost done and your free ebook is almost on its way. The job of the prolog is not the job of the dialog. Ive personally been enjoying going beyond the typical treatment of the first and last few chapters of the book and really digging in to the middle section of.
As humans we tend to think we know a little bit of everything. Job is an obvious place to turn to when one is overwhelmed with pain, but it is easy for a casual reader to leave the book more mystified than encouraged. But after this experience, job came to embody for me a bible in my pocket answer to suffering, something that could be whipped out to explain. Initially in the genesis narrative, the interaction between god and humans seems bewildering and arbitrary. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. However, the name does occur in genesis 46 and ezekiel 14. Jobs final speech in his own defense is probably where the book originally ended. This reference in james is the only time job is mentioned by name in the n. These words, spoken by god, articulate gods covenant, or promise, with abraham. If you love someone, you feel romantically or sexually attracted to them, and they are. This article interprets jobs teaching on suffering from five broad perspectives. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives.
It relates the story of job, his trials at the hands of satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to god, and finally a response from god. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. Although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. Love definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Lets open our bibles to the old testament book of job, and chapter 14.
Simone weil explained that we do not know anything without suffering. But the story isnt about what job had and what he lost. In her book the art of finding the job you love, cara takes you deep into the mindset of a recruiter, interviewer, hiring manager and you. Set in uz, an obscure land far from israel, during an unknown time period, the book of job focuses on questions about gods justice and why good people suffer.
Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Smick modern redaction theory assumes that some parts of the book of job are less genuine than others. Suffering love alone can bring us to our senses and the real meaning of life ven. I have persevered in my work, my faith and in my love for others in service. A reflection on the book of job and suffering catholicism. For job, human life feels like being conscripted into the military. The book of job is considered being part of the poetic books job, psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of songs in todays bible editions. How does the book of job help disciples of jesus christ remain faithful to god as they sufferor walk alongside others who sufferin ways that are extreme and inexplicable. God speaks to isolated individuals and demands certain actions from them. Caras technique of using improv and humor to conquer the stressful, on the spot, mistakes that are made during the interview process is brilliant. The valley of the shadow though he slay me, yet will i trust in him.
The name job is mentioned only 54 times and mostly just in the book of job. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. It is not certain that we know the exact meaning of the words of the old patriarch job, but we find just the same thought in the perfectly understood words of another sufferer, yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil, for. Mar 03, 2014 suffering love alone can bring us to our senses and the real meaning of life ven. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. The book of job cannot excuse suffering or argue it away, but it shows us a process by which it can be made bearable mon 5 jul 2010 05.
Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the. The book of job is the first document in history to take seriously the question of why really bad things happen to really good people. In job, this prologue serves as a literary device to give the reader a perspective that the characters in the story lack. As thomas merton writes, if we love god for something less than himself, we. At the same time, it also asks the question we rarely.
The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. It broke down the book of job and explained things so well. This is important, for the point of the whole narrative, we shall see, is to expose the. In this epic wager between god and the devil, discover how job reacts to the shocking curses inflicted upon him and what we can learn from his incredible example of remaining faithful through suffering. The book of job is a very tough book of the bible to understand using just the reasoning found within your human mind. To exhaustively explain why a hurricane or any weather pattern for that. The book of job maintains great fame and popularity for obvious reasons its poetic language, its thoughtprovoking dilemmas, its drama, its outrageous plot. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. He loves god very much and was faithful to follow his commands. Job is an easy candidate for the old testaments most. While it is true that suffering is a major theme in the book of job, suffering is not the real meaning of job.
A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. Jun 28, 2010 the book of job is the first document in history to take seriously the question of why really bad things happen to really good people. Too many christians want to put themselves into the role of a job. If we read verse 1 and 2 together, we can see that the idea of hard service in v. As is customary with epic poems, it begins with a prologue that sets up the story line chs 12. The pressure brought to bear upon him was from satan although job was wholly unaware of this. Oct 24, 2008 the book of job highlights the universal issue that is before every living person. The former view is probably owing to the christian acceptation given to them, and the consequently great importance attaching to them. Gods word says the prayer of faith has healing power. Jul 05, 2010 the book of job cannot excuse suffering or argue it away, but it shows us a process by which it can be made bearable mon 5 jul 2010 05. At some point, satan actually approaches god himself and basically asks god to put job to the test. The prose prologue chapters one and two and the epilogue 42. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author.
399 1165 1081 515 774 1250 1267 1340 869 913 307 340 166 607 1076 552 1012 494 705 1168 541 988 165 1128 562 1018 1455 447 342 254 824 769 305 444 5 608 766 1101 1439 1238